Tales of Symphonia Story, Tethe'alla Chronicles (3)

Quiz Start: After getting outside everyone flinched in the light. It was about five in the afternoon; the afternoon sun blinding compared to the gentle light from the blue candles. As you, Genis, Colette and Raine extinguished the blue candles, Genis murmured,
"D...did...did anyone feel that?"
"Feel what?" Regal questioned.
"I...I thought I felt the ground..." there was then a noticeable tremble in the ground under them. Your heart rate skyrocketed as you thought of falling,
"Wh-what was--?" just as Lloyd began the question.
"This area is probably weak due to the earthquakes from the mana links severing." Raine warned. Your heart started beating faster, even though you thought you had been calming down... You started breathing faster and faster, almost hyperventilating; you kept thinking about falling; the ground rushing up at you, wind whipping all around you, your body breaking when it hit the ground...
"This area is unstable," Presea said, "We should move." the ground shook violently before you could, however.
"Oh no...this whole area is going to collapse!" Lloyd exclaimed. You sank to the ground, your heart pounding so fast that it made your chest stab and ache; you thought you were having a heart attack. Honestly your stomach got a weightless sensation similar to the feeling one would get when they actually fell. Your fingers started tingling and all you felt on the left side of your body was pain; you collapsed fully, everything going fuzzy when, despite your rapid breathing, you couldn't get enough oxygen. You closed your eyes before the spinning world in front of you could make you sick.
"P...P-Professor!" Sheena exclaimed, "Look--What's wrong with Aura?!" there were noises of shock and worry as Raine rushed to you. She took your pulse,
"Her pulse is skyrocketing--she could have a heart attack if this keeps up...!" Raine muttered,
"What's wrong? What happened?" Lloyd questioned.
"If I had to guess I would say she's having a pa--" there was an earsplitting cracking sound as the ground rumbled violently and started to crumble.
"The ledge!" You felt air rushing past you...you were falling. Everyone screamed, but you heard a piercing scream that didn't belong, as well as shattering glass. Someone screamed your name; it sounded like...Yuan's voice? You felt cold; the air around you was freezing, it felt like snow was whipping against your face...and suddenly you saw white, snow covered ground rushing up at you...You were going to hit it--!!

"Ow..." Lloyd sat up, everyone slightly disoriented by the fall. No one had moved for a while right after they'd hit the ground, wary of injuries, but now everyone was beginning to move around. Nobody was hurt; somehow all of the resulting rubble had missed everyone... They were all awaking slowly, uneasily,
"Aura...Aura wake up! Answer me!" Raine was shaking the brunette girl by the shoulders, "Aura!"
"Professor, what's wrong?" Colette asked,
"Aura's suffered from a panic attack, that's why she collapsed on the ledge." Raine responded, not even glancing back. "She almost had a heart attack, and falling like this didn't help... Aura answer me!" she shook the girl again, but she wouldn't respond.
"P-Panic attack? From what?!" Zelos demanded,
"Her fear of heights and falling." Regal suggested, "Perhaps...perhaps just worrying that the ledge would give out was enough..."
"It's not a fear, it's a phobia." Raine corrected casting a healing spell over the girl, "And a very extreme one."
"Maybe Yuan would know what to do...to help?" Genis asked worriedly,
"How are we supposed to get to him?" Sheena asked, "He's on the other side of the world!"
"There isn't anything he could do right now." Raine responded. She stopped casting her spell, "...she...she should be alright now."
"I didn't know Aura was...was that scared of heights..." Lloyd mumbled.
"But when she flies and when she's on Rheairds..." Presea asked,
"There's a difference." Raine responded, "When on a Rheaird or flying with her angelic wings, she knows that she's not going to fall. She can control being able to stay airborne. While on ledges or on Hima plateau or here there's nothing to stop her from falling." Raine shook her head, "It's a very fine line."
"Let's get out of here so she can rest." Colette suggested, "If she's not near here...maybe it'll help her stay calm when she wakes up?"
"Good idea." Lloyd nodded.

After Zelos carefully picked up Aura, the group moved away from the rubble and out into the open spans of field that spread out from near the mountain face.
"So...she'll wake up soon, right?" Lloyd asked as Raine set a cool towel on Aura's forehead. Zelos set her on a blanket that Sheena had folded up, meant to function as something as a bed.
"She'll wake up." Raine responded, "But...soon I don't know. Panic attacks are very serious, we're lucky she didn't have a heart attack."
"So...she's okay?" Colette asked worriedly,
"Yes. She's fine; her heart rate and breathing are both back to normal." the Professor assured, "Aura just needs to rest and recover for a while."

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Aura, age 8, jogged happily beside Yuan, age 13. Snow was continually falling all around them...they were headed towards the home that Aura's memories had lead her to.
"Are you sure you're gonna come back again?" Aura asked,
"I am, alright? I promise." Yuan laughed, "I'll come back next year."
"Good!" Aura agreed with a big smile. However, her smile abruptly faded, and she stopped.
"A...Aura?" Yuan asked, stopping and looking at her confused. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Well...it's just..." Aura started,
"What? C'mon, you can tell me."
"Is..." she looked up at him with confusion and a look almost of Guilt in her eyes, "Is...dad mad at me?"
"Why...would you say that?" Yuan asked slowly.
"It's just..." she kicked the snow at her feet somewhat moodily, "Well--it started when mom died but...E-every time... Every time he looks at me, every time he says my name... He... He looks like he's mad at me."
"..." Yuan's eyes narrowed seriously as Aura looked at the ground. *So now she's noticing it too, huh...?* he thought *Ever since Aura's mother died... He's been getting worse, and worse... How much longer is it until he snaps?*
"I-is... he mad at me, Yuan?" Aura asked weakly,
"No," Yuan put a hand on top of Aura's head, and forced a smile, "He's not mad... No one could be mad at you."
"Really?" Aura asked hopefully.
"Really." Yuan agreed, "But..." he thought, "If you ever need my help, just scream."
"Scream?"
"Scream as loud as you can. No matter where I am, I'll come running. And I'll save you." he said,
"Okay." she agreed, giving him a wide smile, "I will!"

Aura opened the door to her house, waving at Yuan who wasn't going to come in. She closed the door,
"Daddy--I'm home."
"Come upstairs, Aura!" her father's voice sounded oddly pitched...
Aura climbed up the stairs, climbing all the way to the attic. Just as she reached the attic she found her father waiting for her, a dagger clutched in one hand,
"D...dad...?"
"We're going to join your mother, Aura!" he said. She jumped back from the stairs when he swung the dagger at her. However, when he saw the look on her face, he threatened, "Don't you scream, Aura!"
"Y....Y....!" tears brimmed in her eyes, "Yuan!! Yuan help me!!" she stopped when the dagger bit into her right shoulder, "Ah-!"

Thomas hoisted Aura from the floor with one hand, tears streaming down her face. They heard the door downstairs bust open as Yuan entered the house,
"Aura!"
"Go!" Thomas turned towards the window.
With one long toss, he threw her through the window.
She couldn't even scream for a moment, seeing the ground fly under her,
"A...Ahhhhaaaaaaa!!" her voice suddenly returned as her vision swirled,
"Aura!!" Yuan's voice.... There was a shatter of glass, and Aura felt herself be caught. The world went black then....

Quietly, from over her, she heard Yuan's voice cursing,
"My arm...dammit it's broken...!!" they had both landed on the ground, she could feel the cold snow under her. "Little sister--Aura! Can you hear me!? Please--wake up...!"
"...ospital...! Get...those two...hospital...!" then it all went black...
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"...." you stared upward. There was a dark blanket of stars over your head, a folded blanket under you with another draped over you, a pack under your head to be your pillow. You blinked a few times, slowly, but nothing came to you; you weren't sure why there were stars over your head and why you were laying the way you were. You glanced to the side when you noticed a light source and saw your friends sitting around the fire, talking quietly but looking very worried at the same time; you looked up at the sky again.
After a while of thinking you remembered... The cliff was giving out under you and your heart rate and breathing skyrocketed--you felt like you were having a heart attack.... Then everything got fuzzy and black.
And that's when you remembered why you had that phobia of heights...
Your father, Thomas... He'd...
You rested your hands over your eyes; what on earth... Why would he...? Because you looked like your Mother? She died of sickness when....when you were five. Was he breaking down for three years?
"Ah? A-Aura! Are you awake?" Colette's voice asked hopefully. You lowered your arms to your side and looked towards Colette and the others who'd looked over at you hopefully, "Wh...what's wrong?"
"Mm?" you looked away, realizing that your depression about your father was showing in your eyes. "H-heh," You rubbed your eyes for a moment then forced a smile as you sat up, "N...Nothing, nothing, I'm just a little worn out." Raine gave you a bowl of stew,
"You should eat something," she advised, "But I don't recommend getting up until morning." you nod,
"Yes, alright." As you ate everyone had made sure that you were alright by asking numerous questions, after which you all began talking about where the Linkite tree could possibly be. You decided on the mountain-y area near Yuan's Sylvarant base and the rocky, rough area and mountains around Hima fit the description fairly well.
"Alright..." Lloyd sighed, tired of having to think so much,
"The area near Yuan's base would be closest when we arrive..." Presea said,
"Then let's go explore that area." Raine suggested.
"The area around Yuan's base then....Are we agreed?" Lloyd asked, to which everyone nodded. It was interesting, once you sat down and thought about it, that there weren't too many places in Sylvarant that weren't accessible by foot, which is where the Linkite was supposed to be.
"Aura, how do you feel?" Raine questioned once you'd finished eating,
"I feel fine, honest. I'm just tired." you assure, smiling at her as reassuringly as you could.
"Maybe...Maybe we should find Nova after we find the Linkite tree." Colette suggested,
"Nova?" Zelos asked,
"Nova and his family travel, in a caravan, around Sylvarant and study monsters." Raine explained, "They might know how to revive the Linkite tree if the one we find is dead."
"Oh yeah," you recall, "They'd seen the Linkite tree when it used to grow on the Ossa Trail."
"So why do we not go there?" Presea asked,
"The tree on the trail, I'm afraid, is gone." Raine responded, "We traveled over that trail in the regeneration journey, and there was no Linkite tree there."