A/N!

Hello everyone! Welcome to my first posted story! I've had this story in the back of my head since I first played Tales of the Abyss waaaaaay back, but I never really formally written it until recently. Collecting all the DvD's, replaying the game, and the release on the 3ds gave me the motivation to finally write/post this.

So, after digging up some old character notes, revising a few things, and completely rewriting some sections, here it is!

I love writing, but I'm still in desperate need for improvement, so please feel free to tell me about any mistakes/chances for improvements you see!

Okay, enough blabbering! On with the show!

Disclaimer: I own no rights to Tales of the Abyss, or any other Tales of series.

ND2000: In Kimlasca shall be born one who inherits the power of Lorelei. He will be of royal blood with hair of red. He shall be called, 'the light of the sacred flame,' and he will lead Kimlasca-Lanvaldear to new prosperity.

ND2002: The one who would seize glory shall destroy the island upon which he was born. A land by the name of Hod. War shall thereafter persist between Kimlasca and Malkuth for a full cycle of the seasons.

ND2003: In Kimlasca a sibling will be born to the light of the sacred flame and will act as a catalyst for the power of Lorelei. She shall be named, 'the guiding light' and shall aid her brother in bringing prosperity to her homeland.

Refreshingly, Ominously, Mockingly.

The steady wind was blowing calmly through the Capital that day, unlike most days. It was almost always bright and sunny in Batical, the capital of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, but a breeze, anything noticeable anyway, was a rare delight. Situated within a crater, the steep cliffs around the city created a natural barrier against most things, including the wind. The towering buildings clustered within the city did not do much to help that either. Because the city limits had reached the crater's boundaries long ago, they were left nowhere to build but up. The result was a rigid canopy of buildings that branched far into the sky, solemnly looking over its inhabitants.

These structures surrounded a single area, an extravagant castle that housed the royal family. It stretched high into the sky similar to the city that encircled it; the marble white exterior was gleaming at this time of day, brandishing its intricate, chiseled features to anyone who glanced upon it. Its mountainous size paired with its rigid features gave it an unyielding, yet glorious appearance. It sat proudly in the center of the city, reflecting not only the strength of the royal family, but of the tenacious and hardy spirit of the citizens of Kimlasca.

Despite all of these obstacles, today, the foreign breeze gently glided through Batical with ease, foretelling of things to come. It flowed in and around the structures smoothly, allowing the hardworking citizens a chance to slow and enjoy the refreshing feeling it brought. This was true for all social levels within the capital. As the draft passed the city's centerpiece, it reached a nearby manor. Like the castle its marble walls gave off a beautiful luster, while the inside, brandished with trinkets and trimmings of ivory and gold, was clean and meticulous. Though it was small compared to the castle, it was more than large enough for a small family and their many servants to occupy. The inhabitants moved in an organized fashion, following the daily, unrelenting schedule of the dwelling. Scurrying to and fro as their duties directed, almost none of the servants noticed the gentle breeze at first, save for the few annoyed that it threatened to blow away the laundry drying in the sun.

The soft gale slid through the few open windows and around the gates and walls of the manor, until it found its way into the moderate expanse of foliage -the only concentrated area of nature within the city's boarders- somewhat hidden in the back. There, instead of simply gliding past its surroundings, the breeze seemed to make the trees, bushes, and flowers, dance in time with it. The leaves and flower petals that became swept up in the gust flew gracefully around the caged forest, and soon, in small groups, found their way into the manor. Though most inside found the intruders a nuisance, one, in particular, marveled at the sight of the whirling leaves as they landed gracefully about the room.

She leaned out her window watching in wonder as the unfamiliar gale caused the forest to move and sway. After a moment, she smiled softly as she slid out of her room and into the courtyard. Her footsteps were soundless on the brick pavement as she ran towards the foliage. Her intricate dress, a beautiful emerald color –matching her always curious eyes- trimmed with white, with the signature intricate frill and fluff of any nobles' outfit, kicked up and followed behind her. Ignoring the few calls for her to cease running and return to her studies, the small figure made her way into the forest hideaway.

With the wind at her back, she ran towards the center at a moderate pace, enjoying the show the flora put on for her as she went; her fire-like red hair- normally falling neatly down to her mid-back- being blown in front of her was the only obstacle her eyes faced when trying to enjoy the sights. She already adored the vibrant colors of the fruit and flowers, as well as the smells of wood and water that were normally present there- for nowhere else in Batical provided this scenery- but with the wind causing them to twirl around her, she found herself enjoying them all the more. Once she reached her destination, she stopped herself and watched longingly as the breeze carries many of the petals higher and higher until out of sight. 'I wish my freedom was obtained so easily.' she thought as she reached a hand towards the fading figures. When she wanted to escape this place, she had to sneak away, or bite and scratch her way out. Though she did commonly escape the prison her parents tried to make for her, she had never been able to take along the only person she wanted to keep as company.

As if on que, she could hear her sibling on his way towards her, the grass crunching under his feet as he walked. He wore a bored expression as he walked, not at all impressed by the display around him; and though the wind was refreshing, it blew his long, wild red hair into his face more often than not, so he had simply deemed it 'annoying,' and nothing more. In fact, the only reason he had bothered to come out here was because of the calls he heard for his sister to return to her room. Hearing the commotion first, then the disgruntled whispers afterward, he knew that she hadn't listened, and decided to follow her. 'Maybe sis has found something interesting to do.' He thought to himself hopefully as he pressed on further.

It was like this most of the time, him following her in hopes of entertainment, company, or –on the rare occasion- education. He didn't realize just how much he had come to rely on her in the past 7 years, but he couldn't have helped it either way. Ever since the incident, everyone had been waiting on him in one way or another. Waiting on his memories from before the kidnapping to return, waiting on him to re-learn all he once knew, waiting on him to grow into the man they had always planned him to be. But he hadn't been able to accomplish any of those yet. They were all clearly upset about that. Well, all except for his sister. He couldn't figure out why she wasn't angry like his parents, or his fiancé. And when he would actually ask her about why she wasn't mad that he couldn't remember, all she'd ever say was "I never expected you'd be able to," and shrug like it was nothing at all.

Yes, she talked of his memory loss like she explained subjects from a text book, like it was a fact of life. This was fine by the boy though. Even if he didn't understand her reasoning, even if she'd never explain how she reached that conclusion, he was happy that she felt that way. Because of it, she never put unrealistic expectations on him. She was probably the toughest on him in many ways though; she would always be the strictest with his studies, where the others let him go if he said he had a headache- true or not. She'd always scold him for pronouncing something wrong, grammatically or phonetically. And she'd always watch his sword practices and present him with lists of weak points to review and improve on; and these lists usually had more details than even his master would tell him. She'd even sneak out to the garden at night to help him practice, though no one knew of that, not even his closest friend, Guy. Where others would give an exasperated sigh and dismiss him, choosing to wait on him and his memory, she'd be right next to him, pushing him hard to continue to improve.

So why does he prefer company over all the others? Because her expectations were meant to help him improve, not remember. She'd never scold him for not remembering something he hadn't been taught- or rather, re-taught, since the kidnapping. She'd never tell him "you already know this," or "try harder! You used to be so good at this." No, she'd teach him things slowly, and calmly, never getting upset at what he can't remember. Unless it was genuinely his fault for not knowing, like when he didn't study or tuned her out during a lecture. But then, when he did well on a review, or as he got better at swords, she also tended to cheer the loudest, and praise him the most. While others shrugged it off as "something he's known all along," she praised him on "how proud she was that he learned to do it." Only her, and his sword teacher would treat him like that. That's why he preferred their company to anyone else.

The crunch of grass under him ceased when he reached her in their forest getaway. He stopped and watched her small figure dancing gracefully, and soundlessly, around the small clearing between the trees. Each of her movements were sharp and precise, though she let them come spontaneously as she went. Her ballet training was evident in the way she glided and twirled around with great flexibility, as her legs and arms flowed in time with a silent rhythm. Though she had to adapt the style a bit so as to not trip on the uneven grass carpet that was now her stage, the nimble flow of her dance was hardly effected. She continued like this for a short time before her brother abruptly interrupted her with a disappointed question.

"Is this all you were doing?"The girl finished one last nimble sweep of her leg before stopping to look at him.

"No, this isn't all I was doing." She replied, ignoring his childish tone. "I was enjoying the show as I was dancing with it." He raised an eyebrow.

"Show?" he asked, "What show?" The young girl swept her hands out until they were outstretched on either side of her, gesturing to the forest around them.

"The show of the flowers and other plants dancing with the wind little brother! Isn't it a nice sight?" He scoffed before replying.

"So that is all you were doing? Boring!" -he was sure to draw out the word a bit too long to make his point clear before continuing- "and don't call me 'little' Castelle! I'm older than you!"

It was an odd sight seeing the 14 year-old, roughly 4'10" girl refer to her 5'7" brother as "younger," though she did so often, even if he was three years her senior. And as she always did when this topic arouse, Castelle shrugged it off as she replied, "If you say so." She put her arms down as she added, "But it would do you good to learn to appreciate simpler things every now and then Luke." Luke scoffed again.

"You always say that," He complained in a childlike tone again, "but it's boring to do things like watch stuff blow in the wind!" He crossed his arms before accusing, "Only you like to do weird things like this!"

Castelle paused a moment before responding softly, "I suppose you may be right." With another shrug she began to approach him, "But I still stand by my advice. Learn to enjoy smaller things little brother, and soon this place won't be as boring." She grabbed his hand firmly as she walked by and began dragging him back towards the manner. "Whatever" was his curt reply, though she didn't mind it. They walked back in silence, though this time, Luke did take a few glances as the wind kicked up the usually still forest around them, trying to understand his sister's interest in it. He let out an annoyed sigh when he failed to figure it out, and turned his sight back to the manor ahead of them, now in sight through the trees.

As they reached the circular opening in the courtyard, they spotted the gardener, Pere, as he tended to the flowers in front of Luke's room. Castelle smiled a bit at the sight of the colorful flowers he was watering, though Luke looked at the man bored.

"Digging in the dirt again today, Pere? Don't you get bored of doing that every single day?" Luke asked bluntly. The older man turned to him, shaking his head as he responded.

"No, not at all. This is my job." He smiled before continuing, "It warms my heart to see the flowers I grow warm the hearts of this manor's inhabitants. I hope you enjoy seeing them, Master Luke." Luke sighed.

"To be honest, this place bores the hell out of me. I just want my freedom already!" Castelle frowned at his response.

"Brother, while you have every right to feel that way, you shouldn't give such a rude response. It's not like its Pere who locked you up here."

"Yeah yeah," was the boy's only response. Pere smiled down at Castelle.

"It's alright," he reassured her, "Being locked up in the manor for 7 years is bound to make him feel that way. I can't blame him for that." He smiled down sincerely to the younger sibling; though between Castelle's apologetic look, and Luke's crossed arms and loud sigh, it was hard to tell who was truly the younger of the two.

Castell nodded, grateful for his understanding nature, as the two walked off towards the main hall of the manor. "Honestly brother, you need to work on how you talk to people. You can't go around talking so rudely once you leave home. Very few are as sweet and understanding as Pere, and you can't expect them to just ignore it the way the servants have to." she reprimanded. He waved his hand dismissively towards her as he responded.

"Yeah sis, I know already, but it's not like I don't have plenty of time to work on it." It was Castelle's turn to sigh. He had a point she couldn't argue against very well, since he wasn't allowed to leave until his twentieth birthday, three years from now. And so far, all her plans to sneak him out with her had ended in failure. Since he had been the one successfully kidnapped as a child, the guards were much more cautious with watching him, and he didn't exactly have the grace or quiet nature necessary to sneak out.

"It still wouldn't hurt for you to start practicing now," was the only response she could give to his statement, though he clearly didn't the advice to heart.

As they entered the main hall the head butler, Ramdas, stopped them both. "The order of Lorelei Maestro, Dorian General Van Grants will be arriving soon." The rigid man stated to the pair. Luke's face brightened considerably, though confusion also etched onto his features.

"Master Van's coming today? But it's not a training day." Luke noted to the man.

"I heard he's here on urgent business. I was told they'll be calling you both in later, young master, my lady, so please wait in your rooms." The butler replied respectfully. Luke pouted and crossed his arms.

"Stop calling my 'young' already." The taller red-head grumbled in response. "

"No, until you reach maturity at age 20, I shall continue to refer to you as 'Young Master'." came the quick, somewhat curt, reply. The young girl began to drag her fussing brother away before he could make another remark on the matter, knowing the discussion would do nothing but get him further riled. Though before they could even get through the door, Ramdas spoke up again, "And both of you, please stop fraternizing with the gardener. It isn't fit for those of your status to be speaking to him." Castelle cast him an annoyed glance while Luke growled.

"I know, sheesh! Stop giving us orders!" "My apologies" was Ramdas's only reply before continuing with his work.

"Honestly," the boy started as his sister continued to drag him, "I'm not a kid anymore. They need to stop treating me like that." A few servants bowed as they passed. The girl glanced up at him curiously; "Does it really matter if they call you 'young' or not? It's just a pointless formality either way. You shouldn't let it get to you." Her words only earned a small grumble in return, and she didn't bother to continue the subject.

They soon parted ways at the door heading to the back, since their rooms were situated on opposite sides of the courtyard behind the manor. The younger redhead made her way back into her room, not surprised to see her personal servant lying on her bed flipping casually through one of Castelle's favorite books, while a snow white cat wearing a large purple bow around its neck perched itself by the servants side. The cat perked up at Castelle's entrance and walked to her side, her unusually big ears, and thin stripped markings gave her quite an odd appearance.

"Hey" came the relaxed response from the blond on the bed as Castelle closed the door behind her and picked up the cat. She walked past her to the desk with her half-completed studies littered across it, ignoring the informality of her servant.

"Avoiding work again are we Amelia? You know Ramdas will have your head if he finds you in here." Amelia gave her a short huff and one-armed shrug as she turned another page.

"I've done more than my fair share of work today. I'm just taking a short break. Besides, he's so busy preparing for the commandant he won't notice me gone for awhile." Castelle gave her an amused look as she scratched the cat behind its ears.

"He always notices someone slacking off. And even if you deserve a break, you know they'll be furious to find you lying on a royal family member's bed." Amelia didn't even bother to look up at her friend as she responded.

"That's why I don't let them catch me." The student shrugged, seemingly content with the response, before turning back to her work.

As Castelle began to organize her papers, Amelia began to speak again, "Oh yeah, I received the check-in letter from the twins earlier." Castelle turned to look at her and the cat perked as she continued. "They've reached Chesedonia and will be continuing their investigation from there. They say that all evidence states the target is located at the Zao Ruins, and request me, you, and Tenshi ready ourselves to meet them there once they confirm it. They'll be scouting it out tomorrow and will send word on their discoveries as soon as they can." Castelle nodded at the news.

"So we may have found the third one finally." She remarked, more to herself than Amelia. Amelia nodded, "Yep, seems like. You ready for it?" Castelle turned back to her papers, "As ready as I can be." She looked over to the White cat yawning complacently. "What about you Tenshi? You ready?" The cat looked to her and gave a curt 'mew' as a response before lying down on the window seal beside the desk. The girls giggled, and with that, the room went silent, for both knew there was no point in continuing until the target was confirmed to be there.

Castelle worked dutifully on the remainder of her studies until there was a knock on her door about a half hour later. Castelle hardly had to give Amelia the chance to spring up and dive under the bed before she allowed the servant to enter. Once she was informed it was time to head into the drawing room, Castelle dismissed her with a small thanks. She rose from her chair with a stretch -similarly to Tenshi who rose from the window seal before walking to her- then looked to her bed as Amelia climbed out from underneath it.

"Guess my break's over. See you after dinner?" Castelle nodded and made her way to the Drawing room with Tenshi at her side as Amelia exited with a skilful jump through her window.

Castelle took a moment to compose herself before entering the drawing room. She straightened out her dress, brushed few loose hairs behind her ears, and took a deep breath to calm herself, knowing the others on the side of the door were not her favorite people to meet with. After a brief moment, she carved a gentle smile on her face and walked quietly into the room with her companion at her feet. At first no one noticed the small figures enter, just as Castelle wanted. She took a minute to glance at the four figures already seated: The Duke, The Duchess, Commandant Van, and her brother. The duke, her father, was the first to notice and greet her.

"Ah, Castelle, have a seat." She nodded and sat next to Luke, then turned to the tall, tan skinned man with sandy brown hair on her brother's other side. With her carefully etched smile she greeted him.

"Welcome back Commandant Grants, always a pleasure to see you" she stated with mock sweetness. No one seemed to pick up on this fact as he replied.

"It's good to see you as well Castelle. And please, I keep telling you there is no need for such formalities." Tenshi silently took her spot on Castelle's lap.

"Master Van, do I get to train with you today?" Luke asked hopefully. The man turned to him with a gentle look.

"We'll have time for that later. First, we have to talk about something." Castelle's glance turned mildly curious; rarely did Van come for more than simple sword training with Luke.

The Duke began the explanation; "Dorian General Grants is returning to Daath tomorrow."

"Huh? Why?" Luke inquired quickly. Van was quick to respond.

"You know I am a member of the Oracle Knights, part of the Order of Lorelei." Van began. Luke nodded.

"You're their Commandant right?"

"Correct, and as the leader of the knights, it's my job to provide protection for Fon Master Ion." Van continued on. At the name, the younger red head turned her attention to the table while the older one tilted his head in response.

"What's a 'Fon Master Ion?'" The Duchess spoke up this time, "He's the supreme leader of the order of Lorelei. It's thanks to him the truce between Kimlasca and Malkuth is in place."

"If Ion's predecessor, Evenos, is the hero who ended the Hod war, then Ion is the symbol of the peace that reigns today" Van explained to the redhead. "Unfortunately, Ion has gone missing." Castelle turned back to the two men at this statement, her curiosity spiked high. "Therefore I must attend to my duty as an Oracle Knight and join the search for Fon Master Ion" Van finally concluded to the boy.

Luke stood in protest; "Hold on! If you leave, who's gonna train me?" Van gave a hardy laugh before replying.

"Settle down, I'll have one of my men come here until I return to Kimlasca." Luke shook his head, disapproving of the suggestion.

"But I want you to train me!" Though her thoughtful expression didn't falter, Castelle sighed inwardly, knowing what would soon follow her brother's words.

"Don't be selfish Luke! Dorian General Grants will return soon enough! It's high time you learned some patience!" came the Duke's sharp reply, just as Castelle had expected. Next would be their mother.

"Please Dear! You know what this child has been through. He's still traumatized from the kidnapping." The Duchess chimed in. Castelle sat still, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the start of what she felt to be another asinine conversation. "He even lost his childhood memories, the poor thing," the Duchess continued on, "Don't you feel for him?" The duke sighed.

"Suzanne, you spoil him." came her husband's curt reply.

"Still, a life locked in a mansion like this is hardly easy." Van commented. Luke huffed in agreement.

"Seriously, why does my uncle have to keep me trapped in here?" Luke grumbled, "Just because he's the king, he thinks he can just order people around. Makes me mad."

"Actually, that is Uncle's right as King, Luke." Castelle tried to explain softly before the duchess piqued up again.

"And my brother is merely concerned for your safety." The Duchess chimed in again, "Just three more years and you'll be free. Hold on a little longer, okay?" Van placed a hand on Luke's shoulder.

"Cheer up Luke! We'll train hard enough today to make up for the whole time I'm gone!" He stood and bowed to the Duke and Duchess. "Duke, Milady: by your leave. We must begin our training immediately." The Duke released him with a thank you while the Duchess warned Luke to be careful. He shrugged off this warning as Castelle stood and, holding the kitten, followed her brother out.

"You do be careful not to get in their way Castelle" The Duchess more pleaded than commanded her daughter. Castell nodded but otherwise refused to acknowledge the comment as she made her way out, earning a disapproving glare from her father.

The pair made their way to the courtyard in time to see Luke's personal servant, Guy Cecil, and Van muttering quietly amongst themselves. As the siblings made their way closer, Pere spoke up, a bit louder than necessary, "Ah Master Luke! My Lady!" Castelle gave him a questioning look as Van and Guy turned their attention to the pair.

'This is becoming more and more common,' Castelle thought to herself, 'Guy and Van's chats and Pere… almost announcing my presence…' The adolescent's thoughts were interrupted by Van and Luke taking their positions by the training dummy and reviewing the basics for a warm up. Castelle took her place on a bench nearby, across the field from Guy. As the training began, Castelle watched intently, planning on making her normal list of improvements for her brother afterwards.

She felt a slight push from the breeze again, but it wasn't as playful as earlier. No, it was different somehow, causing the trees in the back to shake only slightly, similarly to how they would right before her brother would jump out from behind them to scare her.

'Or similarly to a bush shaking before as an animal launches out to attack its prey…' she thought ominously to herself. She shook off this thought, though, convincing herself she was just reading too much into it. 'A breeze, is a breeze, is a breeze' she thought as she continued to watch the training.

It was Tenshi who perked her ears up first at the intruder approaching, but her voice caught in her throat as she tried to warn the girl; her oversensitive ears, normally so useful for sensing oncoming attacks, backfiring on her and causing her to pass out first.

That was when Castelle heard the beautiful song. It was soft and sad, but beautiful all the same.

Clutching the cat to her chest, she stumbled to her feet, holding her head with her spare hand in a desperate attempt to resist the hymn. Her vision was going blurry fast, and the song was getting louder, the intruder approaching. Her sweet demeanor dropped as she looked around for the source of the noise. 'Stay calm,' she told herself, her state-of-mind-mind changing as her training took over. A quick glance told her that her brother, Van, and Guy were all feeling the same effect as her, and that no one in the courtyard was moving. 'The hymn is this powerful, but the Intruder is not in the courtyard, so that leaves-'

"Above!" Castelle nearly screamed as she caught sight of the figure on the roof.

Despite being able to spot her, the girl was helpless to do anything as the intruder jumped from the roof. All she could do is desperately categorize all she could about the enemy in her mind, and try to figure a way to protect her brother. 'Female. Melodist. Seventh Fonest. Wields a Staff.' She cried in her head as she stumbled her way towards the scene.

"I finally found you Vandesdelca! Prepare to die traitor!" the figure cried as she ran towards the older man.

'Some kind of relation to Van Grants'

Van barely dodged her first attack. "Tear! I knew it!"

'Name: Tear.'

Van attempted to counter but the girl- Tear- leapt away skillfully, and too Castelle's horror, right in front of Luke. She couldn't stop herself from screaming out his name as she saw him move to attack.

"Luke! No! Stop!" Van chorused with her. But before it could even register in her mind, the collision of Luke's training sword and Tear's staff were already showing signs of a reaction.

"No!"was all she could cry as their screams echoed out together and the light of a hyperresonance swallowed the pair, launching them into the unknown. Once the light subsided, the two had vanished, leaving Castelle on her knees, barely conscious, her hand still reaching out desperately to the spot her brother had just been.

The calm wind glided through again, blowing Castelle's now wild red locks around her once again. Though this time, it wasn't refreshing, or ominous, but mocking; at least to her, it was mocking.

Castelle never fancied the idea of ominous warnings or signs derived from things as simple as animal movements, lines on a palm, or the weather. 'No, things like animal movements or strange winds can only help predict storms,' was her firm belief. But as she pushed herself into a shaky stand and began to make her way towards her room, the unconscious Tenshi dangling from her arms, she couldn't ignore the whispers of the trees being blown by the wind as they mixed with the voice of the instincts within her mind.

'I tried to tell you,' the hybrid of tones echoed in her head. 'I told you it was coming; it's all your fault for ignoring me.' With a weak spare hand, she opened the door to her room, and closed it behind her, silencing the ridiculing wind and snickering forest.