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Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World - Hatenai Omoi Vol. 1, Alice Excerpts

I translated the prologue, part of chapter 4, and the epilogue in the first volume of Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World - Feelings Without End by Sara Yajima.

This volume is entirely about Alice and Decus' backstory. The parts I translated cover their finale in the game, and gives more introspect on Alice's thoughts during that segment.

Prologue

She could feel the scrapes on her shoulders and chest as she laid face down. Here in the Ginnungagap, the bones of countless monsters who had lost their life were mercilessly scattered about. Those who still had a semblance of their form were the lucky ones—no doubt below laid those whose bones had long crumbled to dust. This was a Monster Graveyard. Moaning, Alice desperately tried to stand.

De…cus…

Reflected in her hazy eyes was his unmoving body, no longer breathing. Her hand trembled as she reached out to him in an attempt to get even a tiny bit closer.

“Alice… I know…you always said I was disgusting…”

Decus’ voice rose up in her mind.

“But I loved you…”

Those were his last words. She couldn’t count how many times she had heard him say “love” since they were young. However, it was the first and last time she had heard it in the past tense.

Decus…

When he was stabbed by Emil Castagnier’s sword, she instinctively let out a shriek. Unable to stand, she fell to her knees.

“...I… I loved you too. I really, truly… loved you too!”

She wondered if that voice would reach Decus.

Decus… If it was gonna come to this, then… I should have…

She could hear Emil saying something. Answering that voice was Marta Lualdi, still holding her spinners.

“Ghh…!”

Using all her strength, Alice crawled forward.

“Decus… I’m… coming for you…”

As he lay stretched out languidly, Alice reached out to his slender fingers.

The pain from the wound that Marta inflicted slowly faded into the distance. In its place, she could hear a faint whooshing sound.

Was it the wind? Wind did not blow in the Ginnungagap. That was the sound of the strong winds blowing in Hima.

I’m going home…

Alice smiled.

The orphanage where she met Decus when she was young must surely still be there.

It was an old building, and the kids would often have to repair the roof after the wind would damage it. Occasionally, a curious traveler or stray monster would wander into the small yard. The paint was peeling on the outer walls, and all that remained of the smashed windows was a warped frame.

Alice listened carefully to the sound that called her. Soon, she would no longer be in pain.

The wind grew stronger.

Chapter 4

Ginnungagap was the passageway to another world—once meant to connect Tethe’alla and Sylvarant—and now was the door to the demonic realm.

Richter, who had made pacts with the demons, was now trying to open the door to Niflheim. After confirming Richter had entered, Alice and Decus laid in wait to ambush Marta’s group. They would surely appear soon to stop Richter.

“This should be a good place to wait.”

Decus held the iron maiden in one hand and struck a pose. The reason it took them so long to reach this place was because of his so-called lucky merchandise, which weighed a ton.

“Decus, how long are you going to carry that dumb thing around? I can’t believe you brought it here of all places.”

She breathed a sigh and side-eyed the casket-style torture device.

“Well, my dearest Alice, today is the 765th day! The day my wish is to come true! There’s no way I wouldn’t bring it!”

“Is that so?” It was a typical occurrence, so Alice brushed it off.

“Hehe… Hehehehehe!” Decus looked down and burst into laughter.

“Why are you acting so disgusting?”

“Sorry, I was just thinking. Like how it would be nice to get a house after this. Let’s see… How does a place in Hima sound?

“Hima?” Alice looked at Decus, puzzled. “You can go back there if you want, but surely you of all people know Hima is beyond remote.”

Decus wriggled his body and proudly proclaimed, “That’s exactly why! I did think it through, y’know. With your flying monsters, we’d be just a hop away from work!”

“Wait, you’re including me in this?!” Alice gaped at him.

“The monsters there have decreased in numbers, and it’s become a nice place.”

“Oh, you…!” Alice glared at Decus. “You left me to go searching for Exspheres while you went back to Hima.”

“Please don’t get mad. I just wanted to take a glance to see if it was a suitable place for us to live and put you at ease.”

“...”

Does he really plan on staying with me forever?

Alice was exasperated.

At that moment, faint footsteps could be heard in the distance.

“!”

Alice readied herself.

“Alice, it looks like they’re here.” “I know.”

I’ll show you my “power.” Alice looked up with a dignified face, and then looked forward.

What appeared before her eyes was not a large number of people, but Marta and Emil, and the Centurion of Darkness, Tenebrae.  Alice was happy to see this.

Alice had not known that Lloyd’s group, who held the Derris Emblem that Ratatosk hated, had been transported to another location. She had only wanted to surpass Marta, and say a piece of her mind.

“Welcome, to the Monster Graveyard.”

Alice lined herself up with Decus, and snapping her whip, stepped out to meet the two. She had no intention of losing.

I’ll show you whether my belief is just a show or not.

Alice readied her whip, and Decus took out his large sword from the iron maiden. Emil went after Alice with his sword.

“Watch out, Alice!”

Marta went after Decus with her spinners as he guarded Alice. Taking that gap as a chance, Emil’s sword flashed several times before her eyes.

“Ahh?!”

There’s no way I’ll lose! I came this far with my own power. I can’t allow myself to lose to Martmart of all people! I’m stronger than her!

Believing in herself, Alice continued to fight. Eventually, she collapsed. Decus was also wounded, and let out a moan.

Why… I thought Martmart can’t do anything on her own… Don’t tell me she really grew up just because the princess met her prince?

“Martmart…”

Alice, collapsed, began to stand up while calling Marta’s name. Emil’s attack had cut deeply, most likely puncturing a lung, and she had difficulty breathing.

“Alice…”

“Martmart, you know, I…”

I have to say it. Those words I’ve always wanted to say!

Alice drew nearer to Marta, slouched over. She took one step and showed off a large stumble.

“Alice!”

As expected, Marta came running over and reached out to support Alice’s body.

Martmart, you’re too naive.

Alice straightened her body and slapped Marta as hard as she could across the cheek.

“I hate your guts!”

You’re just a little princess who’s never suffered a day in her life, and gets pampered when you can’t do a damn thing!

Alice pushed Marta down and straddled her, then raised her whip high and started to strike her.

“S-Stop that right now!”

Emil went after Alice and sliced his sword sideways.

Ahh!

She closed her eyes instinctively, when suddenly she heard a noise.

“Urgh…”

Before her was a groan she knew all too well.

D-Decus?!

Decus had his back gouged by Emil’s sword as he jumped in front of Alice. He tightly grabbed Alice’s shoulders with both hands.

For the first time, Alice saw a hint of nostalgia in Decus’ unfocused pupils, as he swayed back and forth. As his lips turned purple, he muttered, trembling and with a smile, “Today… is the 765th day… It seems… it was a scam again…”

Decus…

“Alice… I know…you always said I was disgusting…”

As his voice grew hoarse, he murmured just one thing.

“But I loved you…”

His words streamed into Alice’s ears.

That was it. Standing upright, just like that, he fell forward.

No…

“Decus!”

Alice shrieked. In that moment, the armor around her heart shattered.

“...I… I loved you too. I really, truly… loved you too!”

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

As much as I wanted to yell “I hate your guts!” to Marta… All the same, I wanted to say “I loved you” to Decus…

A terrifying regret took hold of her heart. 

Why did I only realize now… That’s right, I loved Decus. So why…!

Alice picked up Decus’ large sword from the ground. The idea to use her monsters never once crossed her mind.

“DIE!!!”

She rushed at Emil, who had taken Decus’ life. Suddenly, a large impact struck her back.

“...You know… Martmart…”

When she raised her head, Marta turned her back on her.

“...Hate me if you will. But I’ll never forgive anyone who hurts Emil.”

“...I never imagined you would seriously come at me. It’s my utter defeat…”

Since when did things turn out this way… Since when…

Alice desperately retraced her path.

“You’re a half-elf.”

“You’ll become strong.” “...So long as you don’t die in the middle of it, you’ll live a long life.”

The words of the old lady living in Hima came to mind.

Just… when…

Unable to come to an answer, she collapsed face down.

Epilogue

“Decus… I’m… coming for you…”

The strong winds blowing in Hima danced in the heavens, and softly rained down on the place Alice laid. The sound faded into the distance.

Her hand finally reached his fingers, where warmth still resided. She gently overlapped his hand with her own.

“Soon… we’ll be together again…” She whispered with only a movement of her lips.

If only… I had realized sooner… Then maybe the days we spent together may have been different…

The sky that Decus had looked up to every day when he was young. With clouds torn apart by the wind, the two began their journey under that same sky, seemingly too high to set their dreams free into.

To change the world all by oneself.

To obtain “power” all by oneself.

What I really wanted was… No, this was for the best…

She knew where her destination lay.

This time, I’ll return home, she thought.

Next time though, I absolutely won’t lose! She slowly closed her eyes.

Alice’s final smile graced her lips.

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Random Symphonia gifs 10/?

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Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World - Hatenai Omoi Vol. 2, Marta Excerpt

I translated a short passage from Marta's chapter in the second volume of Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World - Feelings Without End by Sara Yajima.

The passage is about how Marta obtained her spinners.

Marta spent her days with her mom cooking and nurturing flowers. However, after she passed the age of 10, she was allowed to hold and look at the various swords and grim-looking weapons in her home—which until that point she had been told to not touch because they’re dangerous—and this naturally caused a curiosity in strength to bud inside her.

“Mommy, do girls need to be strong too?” She tried asking her mom who was tending to roses in a vase while in the garden. “I think I should learn how to use a weapon and get strong.”

“I wonder,” her mother responded casually while plucking thorns from the stems. “I think perhaps it’s best for girls to be protected by a strong man.”

“So did you marry Daddy because he’s strong?”

“That’s not the only reason… But it’s true your dad is quite strong. Enough to obtain unshakeable faith from his subordinates.” Her mother boasted with a smile. 

“It would be nice if one day a prince would appear to protect you.” Her mother said while handing over a rose. Marta’s eyes lit up drastically as she took it.

“A prince?! Like the kind from stories?!”

“That’s right.”

“Whaaat, you mean I have my very own prince too?”

“Of course, silly. You just haven’t met him yet.”

What should I do? Thought Marta while twisting her body. As a result of being pampered since a young age, she never had the habit of doubting herself or being in denial. Should she wish for it, it would be granted.

“Hey Mommy, a prince usually wants to marry a princess because she’s beautiful, right?”

“Usually, yes.” Having finished arranging the flowers, her mother nodded as she picked up the vase to carry it to the bay window in the living room.

“Oh my gooosh! I have to hurry and become the fairest in the land! I’ll grow out my hair, get a thinner waist, and become an elegant lady—oh!”

Marta clapped her hands together. “That’s it! I just need a cute weapon that will match the cute clothes I wear! Mommy, do you have any ideas?”

“Let’s see…” Her mother trailed off as she went to grab a magazine from Brute’s study.

“This is your dad’s, but it’s full of weapons. Why don’t you look through it and see if you find something. But just know: I’m not buying it for you. I’m against you carrying around anything dangerous.”

“Got it. I’ll only look.”

Marta sat back on the sofa and flipped through the pages. The various pictures made it clear just what kind of shape each of the weapons were.

“Ugh, they’re all so grim. Sickle and chains and man catchers, even the names are ridiculous.” 

Marta laughed and then suddenly proclaimed, “Oh, this is so cute!” She pointed at a weapon.

“A rotating blade… It's called a spinner. It looks like a halo!”

With this, I can use them in a cute manner and be just like a butterfly! I’ll try asking Daddy.

Although her mom had said no, she knew if she tried asking her dad, Brute, he would definitely buy it for her. And so just as she expected, albeit it came with the condition that it was only for self-defense, Marta obtained her spinners.

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Translated by Polka. Proofread by Aera and Seine. Video editing by Scarfy.

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Translated by Polka. Proofread by Aera. Video editing by Scarfy.

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oooh for warm-up reqs: yuan from tales of symphonia if you're down for it?

*teleports behind you* heh nothing personal dude *promptly gets stabbed* *loses my engagement ring*

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Yuan's office is so extra. How much of the Renegade's budget went toward interior design

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[Translation] Kratos of the Expiation: End of chapter 1

This update brings us to page 50/317. It's a long one, covering 22 pages and 3 chapter parts. If you're interested in Kratos backstory crumbs, this is definitely one you'll want to read. For part 6: Dubbed / Subbed

Chapter 1: Part 4 of 6

Having received the oracle, the Chosen returned to her home with Kratos in tail. For the journey ahead, they’d need to write up his contract as a mercenary, as well as decide who would be tagging along. A map detailing the surrounding area was spread atop the dining table. The Chosen―Colette Brunel, her father―Frank Brunel, her grandmother―Phaidra Brunel, the village mayor, and Kratos all sat around it.

The first trial the Chosen must undergo―receiving the oracle―went as well as expected. It was the first time Kratos had witnessed it himself, but it went exactly as it had been described to him. The angel bearing the oracle descends and bestows a Cruxis Crystal upon the Chosen. A Cruxis Crystal is the same thing as a hi-Exsphere. Wearing this, the Chosen is ready to undergo the process of becoming an angel. From there, the Tower of Salvation―the symbol of regeneration―appears, and the Chosen is dispatched towards her next location. This was how the trial of the oracle always went. Remiel had been the previous oracle-bearing angel as well, and he seemed competent at the job. It seems he’d been informed that Kratos would be tagging along, which is why he wasn’t surprised to see him. Kratos wondered why he was acting as if Colette was his daughter, but he soon learned why. Apparently a rumor had spread in Iselia that the Chosen’s real father was actually an angel, and Remiel used that to his advantage.

“I suppose the place to start would be Triet. This was where my sister first embarked during her journey,” Phaidra, the old woman, stated as she gave the map a sharp look.

Phaidra is the previous Chosen’s younger sister. The air of refinement Kratos sensed when he met her in front of the temple wasn’t unfounded. She was a lot like her sister, Aithra. Kratos had been in charge during Aithra’s journey too. She left home on her Journey of Regeneration, carrying the hopes and dreams of humanity on her back―and perished. That was 70 years ago.

The Chosen’s lineage all grow up hearing various secrets of World Regeneration. Those secrets are not shared with the outside world, but are instead passed from parent to child, and child to grandchild. Many of those secrets involve the mortality of the Chosen, and due to this, those in the family tend to be clad in a different air than the rest of the world.

“Indeed. Triet is a city in the desert. We’ll need to prepare carefully in order to reach it.”

Kratos pointed out the route from Iselia to Triet on the map.

“This route is the best, as it gets us there the fastest while also avoiding as much trouble as possible. If you took the more direct path, you’d run into the sandworm’s nest.”

“You certainly know your stuff,” Frank said as he looked at Kratos with a hint of praise.

“I’m a mercenary. I need to know these things to get by.”

Kratos darted his eyes away from Frank and folded his arms. He stroked the muscle of his arm with his fingertip, and discovered that he was more tense than he realized. Explaining the route from Iselia to Triet had dredged up memories of that abhorrent journey. Even though he was an angel who wasn’t able to feel physical fatigue, the strain on him mentally made him feel weary. He felt an intense exhaustion wash over him, and before he knew it was forcing himself to blink back tears.

He knew the route between Triet and Iselia so well it hurt. That was the path he had taken when going to Iselia with his family of three; the village with a non-aggression treaty and ties to the human ranch.

“We’ll be leaving tomorrow, right?” Colette asked. Her hi-Exsphere―the Cruxis Crystal―glistened on her chest.

“Yes. It’d be best to leave as soon as possible. I’d like to set out before sunrise.”

“You’ll be leaving that early?”

Frank looked at Colette, worried. He was sending his daughter on a journey to her death, after all. He likely wanted to drag out their parting for as long as possible. But with the Renegades on the move, they didn’t have that luxury. Cruxis isn’t aware of this, but the one leading the Renegades is Yuan Ka-Fai, one of Cruxis’ top men. Kratos kept that a secret from everyone. It’s not like Yggdrasill had any interest in the Renegades, anyway.

Yuan probably wants to kill Colette as soon as possible. The Renegades operate to stop Martel’s revival, making Colette a big threat to them since she’s such a close match. Luckily, Yuan is currently overseeing Tethe’alla’s preparations for the World Regeneration, so he shouldn’t be able to do anything until he’s done with his briefing session with Pronyma, the leader of the Desian’s Five Grand Cardinals. Kratos wanted to pass through Triet before this happened. According to his research, the Renegade’s base was somewhere in Triet’s desert. Before Yuan returned to his post as one of the Renegades, Kratos wanted to cross through the desert.

The room had a heavy, gloomy atmosphere. As Kratos stood up to excuse himself as the only non-family member, the doorbell rang.

“Oh, that must be Raine.”

Phaidra got up to open the front door, and on the other side stood a beautiful silver-haired woman.

“I’m terribly sorry for running late.”

“We’ve been waiting for you. Come on in.”

Phaidra beckoned her inside, and Raine sat in a chair at the end of the table. Her eyes scanned the faces of those present, stopping at Kratos.

“Is this the mercenary who helped my students?”

Kratos nodded, and Raine flashed an obligatory smile at him in return.

“I’m Raine Sage, a teacher for this village’s school. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

It was a fair introduction, but Kratos could tell that she was being cautious. She seemed to be quite the wise woman.

“Kratos Aurion, a mercenary. I’m traveling around looking for work.”

“Work? In this area?”

“I’d heard rumors that the Chosen would soon be embarking on her Journey of Regeneration. I figured I’d swing by and see if any job opportunities popped up.”

“Then it sounds like you got exactly what you were looking for.”

Raine stared Kratos down. Kratos met her gaze, and Raine seemed content at that. She turned to look at Phaidra.

“I heard you wanted to speak with me?”

“Yes. Allow me to ask you once again: Would you be willing to accompany Colette on her journey? Your wisdom, calm decision making skills and healing artes would certainly come in handy.”

“I would love to, but I can’t just leave my brother Genis behind...”

“That child is your brother?”

Kratos thought back to the silver-haired boy from earlier that day. He used magic, and the only ones who are able to do that are those with elven blood. There are those out there who can get an injection that allows them to use magic, like Kratos himself did, but that’s limited to those within Cruxis’ ranks. Knowing that elves are almost extinct in Sylvarant narrowed down what these two might actually be.

“Yes.”

Raine looked at Kratos, cautious.

“We’ll look after Genis for you.”

Raine seemed shocked at Frank’s suggestion.

“Well... But why do you want me to go with her so badly? I’m aware the priests were killed, but surely there’s―”

“I wanted to have you accompany her from the get go,” Phaidra interjected quietly. “The Chosen of Regeneration will be on the path to her end, so I want a woman to accompany her, of whom she can confide in.”

“Her... end?” Raine muttered, and Colette flashed her a smile.

Seeing that smile made Kratos realize Colette truly had understood her fate as a Chosen. That’s likely why she was always so polite and warm.

“The Chosen undergoes a series of trials, and in doing so becomes an angel. After becoming an angel, she’s taken in by Cruxis, and there loses her life.”

Raine’s entire face stiffened. On the contrary, Colette kept a gentle smile on her face and nodded.

“By sacrificing the Chosen’s life, the world will be regenerated.”

“I... I can’t believe this...”

Kratos closed his eyes hearing them talk.

This conversation likely happened among the Chosen’s lineage each time the World Regeneration began. Though this wasn’t the full truth.

The Chosen doesn’t exactly “die.” She becomes a vacant, living corpse, and Martel takes over her body. From there, the Chosen herself ceases to exist and Martel takes her place. If this doesn’t happen, the Chosen is simply killed. Either way, the Chosen is doomed to a horrible fate. Kratos’ job was to lead her to that doom.

A demon. That’s what he was―a demon. He was neither angel nor human, just a horrible, terrible brute. Despite this, he knew that if the Chosen―if Colette succeeded and let Martel take over her body, the world would be saved.

“Professor Sage, please. I’d like you to come with me, and then return home to tell Lloyd and everyone else about my journey. You can tell them that I became an angel, and I’m living happily by the Goddess Martel’s side. I think that’d be better than them knowing I’m dead.”

“Colette...”

Raine desperately tried to hold back her tears at Colette’s words.

“I’m so sorry to ask something so hard of you, Professor...”

How would that boy react if this strong, kind Chosen were to disappear? The boy who had the same name as his son popped into Kratos’ head.

Chapter 1: Part 5 of 6

Botta’s report was incredibly irritating to Yuan. How embarrassing it was to have to send out a whole squad just to kill a 16 year old girl, and still manage to shamefully come back having failed to do that. He could maybe understand if they had just felt remorse for having to kill an innocent girl, but it wasn’t that. They had simply failed to do their job at all. How pathetic was that?

Though in a way, he couldn’t blame them given the circumstances.

Kratos Aurion had appeared. He was Yuan’s friend, as well as his biggest foe. It’s true that Botta likely wouldn’t hold a candle to him.

Yuan lost count of how many times he’d let out a deep sigh, and tossed the documents he was holding onto the desk.

It was frustrating to be stuck in Welgaia at a time like this. Though it was thanks to his position that he was able to swiftly get so many leads on what the Chosen of Regeneration was doing. He was stuck getting insider leads, but for someone who doesn’t like meticulous planning ahead, this was incredibly suffocating to Yuan.

There you are, getting mad again. There’s no need to stress so much. Just take a deep breath.

He felt as if he heard the voice of a woman he once knew.

Yuan gave a bitter smile. It was exactly times like this that required a clear and steady head.

Anyway, typically speaking, it would be unfathomable that Kratos would be at Iselia. Yuan was pretty sure Kratos wasn’t there by choice. That was a cursed, horrid land where Kratos lost his family. Even should he descend down to earth, that one area was the last place he would want to go.

There was only one person who would be able to order Kratos to do something against his will.

Mithos Yggdrasill. This was all likely part of his ruse. Yuan felt ashamed at his own inability to foresee this. He knew that this Chosen had a high chance of succeeding and that Yggdrasill would likely take whatever measures needed to ensure her success, but he never expected that he’d dispatch Kratos in order to do so. To Yggdrasill, Kratos was both the human who had betrayed him, as well as the very seal that holds back his biggest trump card. If by some chance Kratos were to die, Yggdrasill himself would fall.

Perhaps Yggdrasill doesn’t believe that “some chance” will come to pass. If so, the faith he places in Kratos is almost akin to a religious devotion, in a similar vein to the love he holds for his older sister, Martel.

The ringtone to his office’s communicator rang. Yuan hit the switch on the speaker system, as if it was the most irritating thing he’d ever do in his life.

“What do you want?”

“Lord Yuan. It is I, Pronyma of the Desian’s Five Grand Cardinals.”

“So you wish to speak about the World Regeneration. Very well then.”

Shortly after, Pronyma appeared in Yuan’s office. She bowed, and Yuan started to speak.

“So the time has finally arrived.”

“Indeed it has. The Tower of Salvation has appeared in Sylvarant, as I have seen with my own eyes.”

“Is that so. Then the Chosen is likely to embark on her journey soon enough. Speaking of,” Yuan continued on while keeping himself composed, so as to not raise suspicion, “have you finished your meeting with Kratos?”

Despite being one of Cruxis’ top men, Yuan hadn’t been informed that Kratos was down helping the Journey of Regeneration. Kratos is Sylvarant’s overseer. If he was down on earth, that would mean someone else is controlling the Desians. Depending on who was in charge, that would change how Yuan would have the Renegades operate. He needed to pry this information out of Pronyma.

“Did you not hear of what Lord Kratos is doing? It seems Lord Yggdrasill sent him down to earth on a mission.”

There was bewilderment in Pronyma’s words.

“...No, this is the first I’ve heard of it.”

Yuan responded to her, feigning ignorance, which prompted her to tilt her head in confusion.

“Perhaps news is simply coming slowly to you because you are the overseer for Tethe’alla instead. I heard Lord Yggdrasill sent him as a bodyguard for the Chosen.”

Yggdrasill has no doubt about this Chosen becoming Martel’s vessel. He’s probably just keeping information tight in order to make sure absolutely nothing can go wrong. There’d be no other reason why Yuan would be kept this in the dark.

“...Lord Yuan, do you truly see no issue in Lord Kratos being a bodyguard?”

“What are you implying?”

“Nothing really. It’s just that when I heard that Lord Kratos had descended onto Sylvarant, that past incident sprung to mind...”

“I see.

Yuan glanced down at the map of Sylvarant and rested his elbows on his desk, exhausted.

It’s been 70 years since Kratos defected from Cruxis. The event had been a complete and utter surprise to both Yuan and Yggdrasill. Despite a number of quarrels, they had been under the impression that Kratos was going to support Yggdrasill in working towards his Age of Lifeless Beings. But unbeknownst to anyone, Kratos’ heart had made a quiet shift away from following Yggdrasill. He descended onto Sylvarant and seemingly disappeared. It was decades until Cruxis was able to find him again. When they finally did, Kratos had a woman by his side―his wife, Anna.

Anna was held in a human ranch as an Exsphere host body―a test subject who would grow an Exsphere in her body to produce a Cruxis Crystal, as part of the Angelus Project. However, she escaped from the ranch with the Cruxis Crystal still growing within her. Kratos had assisted her in doing so. The two of them wandered about Sylvarant aimlessly, as if looking for something, and Cruxis pursued them relentlessly.

It was during this time that Yuan, as the leader of the Renegades, secretly got in contact with Kratos. The two of them―rather, their family was staying in a small abandoned fishing hut by the seaside. When Yuan visited, Anna wasn’t found within the building that was falling apart.

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“So this is where you’ve been living,” Yuan asked. Kratos―who was on night watch―lifted his head. His Cruxis Crystal had been removed from his hand. The light from the fire flickered against the battered boards of the hut’s wall. Strung up by pillars with rope was a cloth that Yuan didn’t recognize the purpose of.

“Yuan. Have you come to kill me?”

“...No. I came here as your old friend.”

“...Is that so.”

Kratos lifted up the pot and poured its contents into a cup. It was a very pleasant-smelling coffee. Yuan removed his cape and sat across from Kratos.

“Where’s Anna? It’s not safe for a woman to be wandering about at this hour.”

“She’s on the beach. Noishe is with her. Our son wouldn’t stop crying, so she brought him out so the sounds of the waves would calm him.”

“Son? You have a son?!”

Kratos nodded and handed Yuan a cup of coffee.

“He’s three months old.”

Yuan was dumbfounded and looked up at the ceiling of the hut. That weird looking cloth he saw hung up was a diaper. The is the man who was once a world-famous captain of the knights. For some reason, thinking about this made Yuan sad.

“I can’t believe this. Do you even understand what kind of position you’re in?”

“I’d like to believe I do.”

“What were you thinking? Having an infant around will only hinder you when you’re constantly on the run.”

“...You’re not wrong about that.”

A smile crawled on Kratos’ face and Yuan let out a sigh.

“What is your aim right now, anyway?”

“The same thing you’re trying to do. I want to stop Mithos and his Age of Lifeless Beings.”

It’s true that Yuan was operating as the Renegades in secret. Such a thing only made him more acutely aware of how hard it was to go against Yggdrasill’s operations.

“What exactly do you think you can accomplish all on your own?”

“I am alone, you’re right, but I have a trick up my sleeve that you don’t.”

This was true. Kratos possessed the one and only thing that Yggdrasill feared. Kratos was capable of disabling the Eternal Sword―the very thing that had allowed Yggdrasill to seize control over the entire world.

Long ago, Mithos Yggdrasill had won over the trust of the Summon Spirits and been adored by them. The Eternal Sword was granted to him by Origin as a sign of said trust. However, surely the King of the Summon Spirits wouldn’t approve of how the world had been split in two, as it still currently is. Therefore, Yggdrasill sealed Origin away. He used Kratos’ mana in order to do so, and Kratos would need to die in order for the seal to be undone.

“Your trump card costs you your very life. How do you plan to work around that?”

“That’s where you come in. I have an idea.”

Kratos stared at Yuan with determination in his eyes. Yuan stared back at him.

“My plan is to kill you and get Origin to recognize me as the Eternal Sword’s master. Are you saying you’ll give me your life?”

“Yes, after I land a lethal blow on Cruxis.”

“A lethal blow? Such as?”

“...I’m going to kill Mithos.” Kratos gulped down his coffee. “Once things are settled, you can have your way with undoing the seal on Origin.”

Yuan was speechless.

Killing Mithos―the weight of those words was not lost on Yuan.

He was a friend of theirs who they had spent months―years together with. He was the disciple to Kratos’ teacher, and at the same time, he was like family; they had such a warm bond between one another. Yggdrasill’s older sister―Martel―had entrusted Yggdrasill to Kratos. And even if Kratos did defeat Yggdrasill as he claims, he will perish along with him.

“Kratos... We have spent far too long simply twiddling our thumbs. We had simply tried to overlook the fact that Yggdrasill―no, that Mithos’ light no longer flickered as it once did. I know you feel the same way I do.”

Kratos gave no response. The hut fell silent, making the sound of the flames flickering feel even more prevalent. From a distance, the sound of a lullaby could be heard. It was Anna.

“Was having a family what finally turned you to determination?”

Kratos set his cup down and stood up. He was likely going to see Anna.

“...When the time comes, I’m going to have my family escape to Iselia. That village has the non-aggression treaty in place, after all.”

“Does she know about your plans?”

“...No. Not a thing.”

“And you’re just fine with keeping her in the dark?”

Yuan stood up as he asked this. He wasn’t actually looking for an answer. Words weren’t needed for Kratos to express affirmation. That’s just the kind of man he was.

---

“...I doubt we have anything to worry about.” Yuan spun around to face Pronyma and crossed his legs. “What matters is that he did come back. He even pledged his allegiance to Lord Yggdrasill.”

“Do you truly believe so?”

“Hmph. I see women are doubtful no matter the race. Kratos... has changed. Losing his family caused him to cast off his shell, becoming a mere husk of what he once was. What exactly do you think a husk is capable of doing?”

“...You are correct. I was too abrasive in my words, wasn’t I? I do ask for your forgiveness.”

“It’s no matter. Traitors are to be doubted. I do have to ask though, if Kratos is down on the Journey of Regeneration, who is it that’s controlling the Desians?”

“That would be me. I am to control them and report everything to Lord Yggdrasill.”

Pronyma had confirmed what was the worst possible scenario.

“...I see. Then there’s nothing to worry about.” Yuan tried his best to hide his internal conflict from Pronyma and gave her a nod. “Then let us discuss what is to become of Tethe’alla post-World Regeneration.”

Yuan slipped Pronyma the documents he had gathered. As she was distracted examining them, Yuan started to plot a way to bring about Yggdrasill’s demise.

Chapter 1: Part 6 of 6

Walking through the forest at night overwhelmed Kratos with a sense of deja vu. This was the first time Kratos had ever walked down this road, that was for sure. And yet the scenery itself was familiar.

That was 15 years ago. Dashing earnestly through the forest at night, chasing after his wife Anna and his son Lloyd. No matter how many he took down, enemies just kept popping up. It felt as if an entire lifetime passed before he finally caught up to Anna and Lloyd.

“Genis, why are you coming along?”

Walking in the front was Raine, who was speaking to her younger brother Genis who was trailing behind her. Hearing this snapped Kratos back to reality.

This wasn’t the same forest as back then. It was close, but it wasn’t the same place. What he’d seen was a mere illusion, prompted by some small obscurities lining up.

Deep within this forest lies the house of a dwarf. Raine claimed the dwarf was Lloyd Irving’s adoptive father. Colette wanted to say goodbye to Lloyd tonight, since they’d be setting off so early in the morning. Knowing the fate of the Chosen, it was only right they let her. This was her final farewell, after all.

Kratos surveyed the forest with a complicated feeling in his chest. Iselia Forest was familiar to him, and there was a boy here named Lloyd, who even had the same last name as his wife Anna―Irving. Things lined up too perfectly for him to simply dismiss it as all just being a coincidence. It’s not like Kratos had seen his son’s corpse with his own eyes. He wanted to hope that such a miracle had actually occurred. Simultaneously, a part of him begged that such a miracle didn’t occur. Either way, he was terrified of whatever the truth was.

“R-Raine, you’re scaring me.”

Genis shivered and hid behind Colette, who was walking beside him. Kratos couldn’t help but snicker at how he and Genis got scared at the same time.

“Wh-What’s so funny, mister?”

“...Nothing, ignore me. However, I think fear is something you feel from deep within your own heart. Perhaps you feel guilty about something, and that’s why Raine’s voice scared you?”

As if hitting a bulls-eye, Genis gulped.

“Genis. Did something happen? Your clothes do seem awfully dirty. Don’t tell me you got up to some sort of mischief?”

“N-No way! I was just, um, doing something with Lloyd, and...”

“Don’t tell me you got him involved too.”

“I-I said, I didn’t do anything bad! Geez! Can’t I just do stuff without you having to know everything? It’s none of your business!”

“...Fine. This forest is dangerous though, you know. I didn’t want you coming along.”

“It’ll be fine, Professor. Kratos is with us!”

Colette said this so innocently that all Raine could do was shrug her shoulders.

“You’re not wrong about that. Having a mercenary with us is reassuring, but...”

Raine stared at Kratos. At this, Genis also looked up at him.

“Mister, are you going with Colette tomorrow too?”

“I am.”

“Wow. Hey, how long do you think it’ll be until the world is regenerated?”

“Who can say?”

“I’ll do my best to come home as quickly as I can!”

Colette made a pose triumphantly. Genis grabbed at the end of Colette’s skirt and furrowed his eyebrows sadly.

“...Okay. We’ll all be waiting for you.”

They continued up a small hill, and the sound of a small stream came into earshot. In between the trees, a light could be seen. The dwarf’s house was close.

With his heightened hearing, Kratos could hear the sound of Lloyd and a man who sounded like a dwarf arguing.

“You didn’t let the Desians see your Exsphere, did you?”

Kratos felt as if a stake had been driven into his heart. He stopped in his tracks and shut off his hearing.

He’d seen that Lloyd had an Exsphere during the quarrel in front of the temple. But what did he mean by it being an Exsphere he had to hide from the Desians?

He wanted to know, and he also really didn’t want to know. He felt completely torn between the two options and bit his lip. While Kratos stood there completely spaced out, the rest of the group had already approached Lloyd’s house. It seems they’d finally also heard the argument from inside the house. They were standing in front of the door, looking at one another. Kratos approached while suppressing his hearing to the normal human-level. Even then, he could clearly hear Lloyd and the dwarf arguing. A shiver ran down his spine.

“...That Exsphere is your mother’s keepsake. The Desians killed your mother in order to take it from her.”

“...They did?”

“I told you about how I found you at the cliff near the ranch, right? Your mother was still conscious at that time, so she explained everything. There’s no doubt about it.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?!”

That was his limit. Standing behind the others, who were bewildered, Kratos shut his eyes and turned off his hearing entirely. He couldn’t bear to hear another word.

There was no doubt about it. He was... Kratos’ lost hope.

He sensed a person approaching. Kratos opened his eyes to see Lloyd standing there, looking at them all rather awkwardly. Kratos adjusted his hearing to be the normal level once again, and the boy’s voice filled his ears.

“Oh...let me guess...you heard that just now?”

“I’m sorry, because of me, you...”

For some reason, Genis was apologizing to Lloyd over what happened. Kratos wondered why, but that was the last of his worries right now. Kratos studied Lloyd’s house while taking shallow breaths so that nobody would notice. It was a wonderfully built two-story house. Dwarves typically live in caverns, so this was likely built for Lloyd’s sake. There was a bench, a flower bed, a clothesline...

As Kratos’ eyes scanned the surroundings, he spotted a stone monument in the garden. His eyes immediately went to study the stone’s engraved words.

Here lies Anna Irving.

Kratos’ face stiffened.

“Lloyd, let’s go up to the terrace.”

“Sure.”

Lloyd went to follow Colette inside the house, and Kratos uttered without thinking.

“This gravestone...”

“Huh?”

Lloyd stopped and turned around.

“Whose gravestone is this?”

“Ah, you heard, right? It’s my mom’s.”

“Anna...hmm... Is your father alive?”

Kratos wondered if his voice was quivering as he asked this. He swallowed. If Lloyd remembered anything from when he was an infant, then maybe...

“...I don’t know. But Dirk is my dad.”

It felt like all of the energy drained from Kratos’ body. He couldn’t tell whether it was from disappointment or relief.

“...Yes. That was a careless thing to ask. I’m sorry.”

One thing was clear.

Lloyd―his son that he failed to protect was alive and well.

Kratos felt as if he had finally regained the life he lost 15 years ago.

[richea]

Butterfly Effect

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Translated by Seine. Proofread by Aera. Video editing by Scarfy.

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Login bonus dialogue for Spirit Gear: Mithos/Rinwell/Marta.

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4 and 5 for the meme

Tales asks

4. Something you wish to see in future games

A lot of this I'll answer in #5 but to keep things positive I'll just list actual wants up here. Though for some reason my brain is only coming up with character concepts right now haha.

I'd like to see another female protagonist of course, but I want to emphasize here that I want her to feel... unique? Velvet took inspiration from Milla (I know they're very differently written but I'm talking about their base appeal here), which is fine but I'd like something different next time. (Mika exists too but her game is deader than dead...) I'd love to see a character akin to Meredy or Colette take control of the story.

I won't go into this too much on here but I would like to see more characters like Mark in Summoner's Lineage.

I also feel like we could always use more characters who are musicians; I adore Johnny and absolutely love how Tear was handled, and I need more of it! Rays Recollection had an idol character which was nice.

5. Something you hope never is used again in future games

Going to put this under the read more for anyone sensitive to criticism who might not want to see it. I will warn it's a bit strongly articulated.

Cooking/food jokes, especially when it comes to someone being bad at it. This one got old decades ago; the amount of cooking skits in Rays is almost mind-numbing and do not get me started on how it felt as if all of the "fun" skits in Arise were just about this.

I would like Tales to chill out on the "sex appeal" rage they've been on the past handful of titles. I've only heard good things about Luminaria's writing but I still haven't been able to stomach the designs enough to actually start on it, which is not good. I know the franchise has always had shades of this but it's been especially noticeable as of late, and it feels like a huge step backwards. I don't think I'll ever move on from hearing how Iwamoto pressured Inomata into designing Velvet, and my subsequent reaction when Kisara was revealed and my joy at her being a knight was immediately overridden by wondering why on earth her design had to be the way it is. It's just very wild to me when back in the day, Keele of all characters was considered one of the "hottest" Tales characters and he's designed in a way where you can't even see any part of his silhouette. I don't believe we need none of it, but I at least would like them to step back with it just a little bit.

Ufotable is a big one. I really, really do not like Ufotable's Tales work. I wrote two threads about this on Twitter (part 1, part 2). In a world where Wit was put on the mobile games, there's no reason to keep using Ufotable for mainline Tales games.

I think Ufotable was perfectly fine in the Symphonia OVA; after all, none of the anime adaptations sans the Vesperia movie were done by IG. But that's the thing―it being a spinoff media is one thing, but it being the main art in the mainline games is where I draw the line. Each Tales title has its own art identity (for instance, Phantasia's art looked different from Legendia's which looked different from Graces), but they all still tried to keep to the staple Tales style. Ufotable does not care about this. I also am just going to be honest when I say my mind registers Xillia and beyond as "different" from the games prior and it's in part because of Ufotable's art identity being so divorced from the prior art direction in the franchise. Xillia was one of the more early titles I got to, so it's not even like I had years and years of IG "bias" before playing it, I just felt like something was off when I played it. They are truly doing their own thing and it does impact how a number of fans view the games, whether a lot of people want to acknowledge this or not. For anyone on the fence or thinking I'm unreasonable or overthinking it: Production IG was literally hired by Inomata herself because they were the only animators who were capable of adapting her style correctly.

Meanwhile Wit has been putting out work that not only follows the "style" perfectly, but it's also some of the best art this franchise has ever seen, if not the best. I really, really want to see them take over for the mainline games, and I am hoping this is the angle they're going for now that we have no mobile games.

I also need series staples to come back: 2D art and victory quotes being my biggest. There is not a single part of me that can process how this was actually greenlit for Arise. The skit format doesn't bother me as much as it does for other people, but these things, I cannot bend on, because it's not stemming from "wanting to try something new" (which Tales does all the time and is how I view the skit format change), it stems from the producer wanting to make Tales appeal to literally everybody except its targeted demographic and removing the things that drew people to this franchise in the first place. I don't think a franchise branching out is bad, but when it actively makes tons of old fans, who have kept the franchise afloat for decades, start to collectively lose interest in the future of the franchise, it's not a good sign. Even if there are people who "don't care," there are people who do and will drop the franchise if the franchise stops doing all of the small things that made them love it in the first place, especially if there's no real reason to be removing said things.

...Anyway sorry I got a bit heated. I love this franchise to death, and Rays really restored a lot of lost faith I had after I wasn't super sure the franchise was going in the right direction for me in the mainline games (I know a lot of people love it but even Berseria something just didn't quite feel right to me), so I hope Bamco can take some notes from what went well in it and incorporate that in future titles. I know I did my part and did the survey they put out, asking for a number of the things I listed here.

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Tales asks 10 12 and 20 please!

Tales asks

10. Favorite battle

The first thing that popped in my head when trying to think of a battle I enjoyed playing is when you first meet Leon in PSX Destiny. I'd heard of "cheese strats" for it, but I was really really determined to beat it by my own merits/strategies, so beating it felt super satisfying. There might be a better answer here but I'm blanking a bit right now haha.

Narratively speaking―the other Leon fight is probably my favorite.

12. Favorite opening/theme song

It's been Dawn of the New World's (Japanese) since I first heard it and at this point I'm not sure it'll ever be overthrown. I also really really love Hontouso (third opening in the Symphonia OVA).

20. Best Mystic Arte

I've been thinking a lot lately about Mithos' Slayers collab Mirrage Arte in Rays. It's SO good

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Translated by Seine. Proofread by Aera. Video editing by Scarfy.

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oo how fun, can i ask for 15 and 25? :)

Tales asks

15. A side quest that stuck with you

Someone take me away from YouTubing the Fandalia flower side quest over and over

HMM. My immediate thought is the one in Hearts DS (it's not in R) where Hisui talks to a lady who he made a special bond with. It's pretty spoiler-free. For some background, there's a part where he leaves the party (all of this is DS only), and on a ship he meets this woman who gives him seasickness medicine. While talking to her, he discovers she has a son that she used to sing lullabies to to put to sleep, and Hisui comments that he used to do the same with Kohaku. It's very, very sweet, and one of my favorite moments in the game. Anyway there's a Spirmaze sub event where he runs into her again, and when that son asks his mom to teach him the lyrics to the lullaby, Hisui starts to cry. Hisui gets emotional a lot throughout the game, but he never cries. He has such a tough guy act, of course. But here, he did. Things relating to his mom just impact him in such a strong way. I just love it so much, the first time I got to it I was thinking about it for the rest of the day...

25. A special memory you have with the Tales series

Too many to count... the story I told in this response is a big one for sure. When I first played Vesperia I was having so much fun I would wake up at 5am every day to play an hour or two before having to get to my responsibilities for the day. That time I won a Symphonia artbook (actually the same one I translated the design notes for) for participating in a really goofy "fake skit screenshot" competition. Every time my sister has let me talk her ear off for hours and hours about random Tales stuff. Tales being the thing that accelerated the speed in which I learned Japanese and trying to dig up facts on Spada being what turned me into a translator. Finding my Hearts friend who loves the game as much as I do, when I felt so lonely beforehand. Joining the Rays English project and making some of the closest friends I've ever had.

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3, 6, and 19 for the tales of asks ✨

Tales asks

3. A story of a time you died in battle

This is really embarrassing but one time I booted up Xillia and instantly my entire team got stoned and I got a Game Over. Within 2 minutes of starting. I just closed the game after that XD

6. Favorite mascot character

I don't really think of her as a mascot but she does fit the bill, so Karia in Rays! My little fairy daughter!!

For the "animal" ones, I've always loved Noishe a lot. Lately I've been adoring Tenebrae too.

19. A game you changed your opinion on and why

Innocence... it used to be one of my favorite Tales games, but over time I just kind of have fallen out of love with it. I really, really struggled with playing the DS version (the Thitose fight took me 40 minutes, and then getting to the Gardle fight took me 2 hours and I just could not beat it so I had to watch a walkthrough of the rest of the game), and that kind of soured my feelings on the game ever since. I think a lot of things in it are still cool conceptually, and I do have a fondness for the actual cast, but it's definitely not a favorite of mine anymore, as I've found a lot of things I don't enjoy about the writing either. I don't think it's a bad game, but it really is sad to think back at how this used to be a Spada fan account for a good while haha. Maybe someday my flame will be reignited! but I don't think I can push myself to try the DS version again, and I think everyone knows how much the R games frustrate me (even though I do find Innocence R to be a perfectly fine game to play; the issue is Triverse stuff and rewrites).

For a "used to not obsess over it and now I do" example, when I played Rebirth I was a bit unsure how to feel about it in a number of ways, but lately I've been really wanting to give it another go. For an actual in practice answer, it took me a long time to get around to reading the story for Rays (I actually didn't read it until a number of months into the Rays project being formed), and when I actually read it, it instantly shot up to being one of my favorite Tales stories and casts.