Well, here is the story that I have been promising for a couple of years now. A novelization of Tales of Symphonia. I would like to thank everyone who has been reviewing my stories since it was your feedback that have encouraged me to take on this monstrous task. I would also liked to thank my beta, zealousfreak27, for taking the time to review this story even though she knows nothing of this fandom. I hopes she sticks with me until the end, because this thing is long.

As for the story itself, if you have not read any of my previous Tales of Symphonia stories you really do not need to read them to follow along since this is a novelization. However, there will be theories, story threads, and even some characters that I will assume you already know from my other stories.

Spoilers: This story, of course, had major spoilers for the entire game of Tales of Symphonia and some from Dawn of the New World. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: I own none of the licenses to this story. I will only lay claim to any OC or theories.

With all that said, onward to the story.

Act 1: Journey of Regeneration

Chapter 1: Day of Prophecy

"You speak like the hero, Mithos. He was a sublime idealist. He

ended the Ancient War by insisting there was a way for the two warring

countries to coexist in peace. Are you saying you can become the next Mithos?"

-Tiga, Tales of Symphonia

The monster roared in his ears and he could see blood. He heard someone calling a name. The voice sounds familiar, but he could no longer remember who it was.

He approached the monster with something in his hands. He yelled something, but no sound came out. The monster turned and stared at him. He couldn't see it clearly because of the darkness, but its eye glowed a blood soaked red. He was frozen in fear, but felt his mouth move again.

The monster glared at him for a few moments before it lunged. This time, he heard himself scream. Soon, he was aware of nothing.

Lloyd shot awake as sweat covered his face. He was literally shaking as the last of the dream faded into the back of his memory. It had been awhile since he had one of those monster dreams. What was scarier, however, was this was not the worst version he had had of it. He could never understand why he even had them. He attempted to remember the details, but like all the other times, it had faded to the deepest part of his mind.

Lloyd looked at the sky and saw it was daybreak. He still had some time before he needed to go to Iselia, but he couldn't back to sleep either. He hated having these dreams on a school day. Especially when he had several more hours of sleep.

He gave a short sigh as he got out of bed. He took a short wash in his private bathroom as he attempted to clear his mind. It still amazed him that of all the people he knew in Iselia he was one of the few with indoor plumbing. Dirk said it was because it was expensive and it was cheaper to build public bathroom. He didn't know how anyone could wash up or answer the call of nature all the time with other people around. To him, bathroom was private and served to help him get his thoughts together.

By the time he left the bathroom, the nightmare was all but forgotten, which was fine by Lloyd. He then continued to dress himself in his now standard pants and jacket that Dirk made for him just this year. He loved his new outfit since it was the mark of him coming of age.

For dwarves, the age of adulthood was seventeen and all apprentice craftsmen were given a special jacket to mark the moment. Unlike the leather outfit he wore for most of his preteens, this one had steel woven sewed into the fibers, Dirk's specialty; although it took him a couple of weeks to get used to the extra weight.

The jacket, boots, and the gloves were also all made from a fire and heat resistance material that could only be found within the dwarf kingdom. He still wasn't sure if Dirk actually had gone back to his old home at some point or if he just had the material lying around. Regardless, the material felt nice and breathed wonderfully, which was how he was able to wear it even when he helped Dirk with the furnace. It also did a good job keeping him warm all through the winter.

His pants were nothing special, but Dirk started to make him wear thin long johns under them. It was made from the same fire resistance material as the rest, except not as thick for obvious reasons. He supposed when one dealt with a furnace that could reach well over four-thousand degrees on a daily basis, you want heat resistance stuff.

He made sure his exsphere was covered and his ribbons were straight before he went downstairs. Since Dirk never seemed to sleep, he was there in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

"Hey, dad," Lloyd greeted.

"Lloyd, you're up early," Dirk said in a knowing voice. He knew it was the dream again since that was the only reason Lloyd would wake up on his own.

"Yeah..." Lloyd said slowly. "I don't really want to talk about it."

Dirk nodded. "Well sit down and I'll get you something to eat. A full belly usually makes things better."

Lloyd nodded as he took his seat at the table. There was a long moment of silence before anyone felt the need to talk again.

"You know, I saw Ms. Sages yesterday. She said you're still not doing well in school," Dirk suddenly said. "If you don't like school Lloyd, you don't have to go."

Lloyd had to keep himself from smiling. Dirk was not against him going to school, but couldn't understand why he went. From what Dirk told him, dwarves had no public schooling and it was the parents and craftsmen's job to teach their children. To him, learning about things you can't actually use in real life or doesn't steer towards your profession was a waste of time.

"I just enjoy going," Lloyd answered. "I get to hang out with other people my age and learn society skills."

"I think you mean social skills," Dirk corrected gently.

Lloyd blushed at the mistake. "An...anyway, it's not all my fault. The homework the Professor gives is hard. You saw it."

Dirk said nothing for a moment as he minded the stove. "Well, why don't you ask your elf friend, Genis, to help you or even Colette? She gets halfway decent marks."

Lloyd sighed as he tapped the table. "Genis tries to explain things, but he always use big words. Colette tries, but she can be kind of confusing and distractive easily."

"Maybe public school is not for you," Dirk said.

From Dirk's personal experience, Lloyd needed a lot of individual attention. It was not so much that he was slow, but he had a short attention span and was impatient. If left on his own, Lloyd would have burnt or cut his hand off by now. Thank Origin that he was a little better now. Lloyd also tended to be a more hands on person and learned better with things he could actually touch and feel.

"Man, I would never hear the end of it from Genis," Lloyd whined.

"You have to do what's best for yourself," Dirk said as he put breakfast on the table.

Lloyd didn't wait for Dirk to sit down before he began to eat. It was a simple dish of eggs, toasts, and grits. Like everything Dirk made, it had a slight metal taste to it. It was something that annoyed him when he was younger, but he didn't mind it anymore. In fact, there were some foods that he missed the steel taste in like vegetable soup, grits, and oatmeal.

Dirk shook his head as he watched him eat. Frank called it the teenager's eating habits that all humans go through. He just thought Lloyd loved to eat.

Once Lloyd finished inhaling his food, he picked up his wooden swords. "I'm going to practice a little before school." He then walked out the door.

The day was clear and sunny. It was the perfect beginning for spring, which officially started today.

He got his swords into position and started his sets. None of the steps were formal, but he learned them on his own by watching the guardsmen practice in the village and his own natural skill. Next to crafting, swordsmanship was his love. It was one of the few things that could clear his mind. Which was welcomed after the rude awakening.

Lloyd got so into his sets that he completely lost all track of time. It wasn't until Dirk stepped out of the house did he become aware of the outside world again.

"You look good," Dirk complimented.

Lloyd stopped and gave a cocky smile. "Thanks, dad."

"Although, shouldn't you be gone by now?" Dirk asked.

"What do you mean?" Lloyd asked in confusion.

"Well, it's fifteen minutes to eight," Dirk stated.

Dammit, he was late. "Noishe, here boy!" Lloyd called in a hurry.

Noishe came running towards his side. He appeared to be laughing at him.

"This isn't funny, Noishe," Lloyd whined as he jumped on the dog. "Raine will skin me alive if I'm late again."

Noishe gave a loud bark before he took off into the forest.

"Have a good day, Lloyd!" Dirk called as they disappeared into the distance.

He stood there for a long moment as the breezed ruffled his hair. "So, the day has finally come." He then bowed his head before he walked back inside the house.

Noishe wasted no time as he ran through the woods. The monsters were still not out yet, which made the trip smooth. Within ten minutes, they were at the gate of Iselia. The guards immediately pointed their spears at Lloyd when they saw him approaching.

"Who goes there!" the first guard shouted.

"It's me!" Lloyd said quickly as he jumped off of Noishe.

The second guard chuckled as he moved out of the way. "It's just Lloyd. Late for school again."

"Shut up!" Lloyd shouted as he ran passed them. The other townspeople kindly moved out of his path, since this was almost a daily occurrence.

Without a moment to spare, Lloyd busted into the schoolhouse and ran into the main classroom.

"Lloyd Irving, you're late again," a voice scolded.

"Sorry Professor, I lost track of time," Lloyd said. Despite the long run here, he was barely out of breath.

Raine shook her head as she stared at her tardy student. She was a couple inches shorter than Lloyd, but the way she carried herself made her seem like a giant. She wore the standard teacher's outfit which was an alter version of the Church of Martel's robes, except hers was orange with black highlights.

What really made her stand out, however, was her short silver hair that came down to her shoulders. It matched her pale skin and icy blue eyes. She had an otherworldly look and feel, which was to be expected since she was an elf. They were said to be the wisest of all the races in the world, which made Raine seem like the perfect teacher.

Raine finally gave a sigh in defeat. "Given what day it is, I will excuse you for today."

Lloyd let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Professor."

"Take your seat," Raine ordered.

Lloyd didn't have to be told twice as he practically ran to his seat. Raine had a tendency of changing her mind. He took his sit right next to Colette's desk, who smiled kindly at him.

"You suck," a kid whispered in a cough in front of him. Lloyd had to fight the urged not to snap as his friend, who he was sure was grinning.

Genis never had to worry about being late since he was the Professor's brother and it was nearly impossible for him not to be in school. Not to mention that he actually enjoyed studying, something Lloyd could never understand. To Genis, looking through an advances math book was as much fun to him as it was for Lloyd to sculpt something out of wood. Then again, a teacher raised him.

"Okay class, please take out your history homework," Raine said. "We will review everything you have questions on."

"Skit," Lloyd muttered in dwarven. He knew he had forgotten something last night. He was so busy with Colette's present, which he hadn't even finished, that he had forgotten all about his history homework.

"Lloyd, you've forgotten your homework again," Raine stated in a neutral tone.

"Aw, well..." Lloyd started.

Raine pointed to the back of the room. "In the back Lloyd and hold the buckets."

"The buckets too?" Lloyd whined.

"You were late and you have once again forgotten your homework," Raine scolded. "I was trying to be lenient with you this entire week, but you just took advantage of it. Now, to the back."

"Yes, Professor," Lloyd said as he stood up. "Det är så orättvist," he muttered.

"It's maybe unfair, but you brought it all on yourself," Raine said, causing Lloyd to flinch.

He kept forgetting that Raine knew dwarven. She was not completely proficient at the language, but she knew enough to catch Lloyd's snide remarks.

This time Genis didn't hold back a giggle.

"Do you wish to join him, Genis?" Raine asked firmly.

Genis flinched when he heard the question. "No, Raine."

Raine nodded in satisfaction. "Okay, does anyone have any questions about the homework?"

Several hands went up.

"Okay then, Liz, what is your question?" Raine asked as she looked towards a girl with light brown hair.

"Professor, I'm kind of confused about the history of the Desians," Liz said. "Where did they actually come from, and why do they hate humans, and the Goddess Martel?"

Raine nodded. "Good question. Much about the Desians are still unknown. What we do know is that they are primarily run by half-elves, although humans have been known to help them in their cause. These humans are known by the Church as the Fallen."

"Why would any human help the Desians?" one of the students asked.

"I would prefer if you raised your hand first, but I'll take this question," Raine said. "Some people don't believe in the Goddess Martel and see the Desians as more as a force of government than an evil entity. Others help the Desians for personal gain."

Another child raised her hand as Raine called on her. "Does that mean that any person who doesn't believe in Martel helps the Desians?"

Raine shook her head. "Of course not. Life is rarely that black or white. There are good people who despise and fight against the Desians who don't believe in Martel or the Church. As the Church of Martel teaches, however, these people are more prone to fall off the righteous path and be led astray. But they're not evil by nature."

Lloyd physically recoiled at those words. It didn't help that Raine glanced at him during her speech. In the classroom he was the poster child for the nonbelievers.

"Yes, Tommy," Raine called another student.

"You said it isn't black or white, but since almost all Desians are half-elves, doesn't that mean all half-elves are evil?" Bobby asked.

Raine attempted to keep a straight face as she turned to look at Genis from the side of her eye. He had put his head down and was trying to look away. "No, like nonbelievers, they are plenty of half-elves who hate what the Desians have done. Much like humans, there are both good and evil half-elves in the world." She paused for a second. "I think that's enough for now. Let's move on to the next subject. I assume everyone knows what day it is today."

The entire room clamored in excitement.

"Today is Colette's birthday!" one of them exclaimed. "Which means the prophecy will be happening soon!"

This struck Lloyd dumb. He had completely forgotten that today was the Day of Prophecy that everyone was talking about. He knew today was Colette's sixteen birthday, but he never really made the connection. Since he didn't worship in that faith, he tended to forget dates like these.

Raine smiled. "Yes, the Day of Prophecy is a special day for the entire world. This is the day the Chosen One is brought before the angels and given their task to regenerate the world. To fully understand the scoop of the Journey of Regeneration, let us study the very first Chosen's journey. Does anyone know who the first Chosen was?"

A few hands went up.

"Cho...Colette, can you please answer the question," Raine said. It was getting harder to call Colette by her given name with the event that was supposed to happen today.

"The first Chosen was my ancestor, Spiritua," Colette said. "She was chosen by the angel's heart known as the Cruxis Crystal. She then went to the holy church of the old capital and received the oracle of the angel, Titus."

"Correct." Raine nodded. "Her journey was well documented by one of her companions. Before he died, he gave the documents to the Emperor of the Sylvarant Dynasty for safekeeping. However, about three-hundred and fifty years ago the capital of the Sylvarant Dynasty, Terrako, was destroyed by the Desians and the royal family was all but killed off. The documents may had been lost forever if a group of brave priests haven't given their lives to smuggle the journal out of the city. These documents are known today as the Book of Regeneration."

By this time, Lloyd had long since dozed off. He didn't mean to, but he was still tired from waking up so early. Professor Raine was also so boring when she was explaining something. She tended to go into far too much detail on one subject, especially history. She was like a walking book, except you couldn't close her.

"Lloyd Irving, wake up!" a loud voice rang through his consciousness. "Lloyd!" the voice shouted again, even louder. He still wasn't ready to wake up. He then felt something hard and dusty hit him, snapping him back into consciousness.

The world was a blur for a second as the room slowly refocused and he could hear muffed giggles. Lloyd dimly noticed the sun was in a different position in the classroom, showing he had been out for a while. He turned his head to see Raine walking towards him in fast strives. She looked anything but pleased with him.

"How do you manage to sleep standing?" Raine asked in both annoyance and curiosity.

Sleep still hasn't fully left Lloyd's brain as he stared stupidly at his teacher. "...Oh Professor Raine. Eh...is class over?" He didn't think he was asleep that long, but it felt like it. Especially since his arms felt like lead from holding the water buckets for so long.

Raine sighed as she turned around, deciding it was best not to bother. "Never mind. Let's have someone else answer the question." She then glanced around the room looking for someone to call on. She saw her little brother looking like he was going to bust a gut from holding in his laughter. "Genis, how about you?"

Genis quickly recomposed himself as he attempted to get serious. "Yes, Raine." He cleared his voice as he prepared his answer. "Mithos, the hero, brought about the end of the Ancient War in the Holy Ground of Kharlan."

Raine made it back to her desk and nodded in approval. The question was such a basic one, however, that anyone passed the age of nine should know it. It was one of the few subjects that Lloyd actually did know, which was why she wanted him to handle the question and build up his confidence. "Correct. Afterwards, Mithos the Hero, formed a pact with the Goddess Martel to seal away the Desians whom caused the war."

"But the Desians came back and are now causing everyone to suffer!" Lloyd suddenly exclaimed, fully awake now. His eyes burn with anger.

Raine hid a frown as she looked straight at Lloyd. One of the few subjects that Lloyd liked in history, besides the stories of Mithos, was anything that talked about the Desians. Every time Raine mentioned them, even in passing, he would get this raging look in his eyes. Given what the Desians had done to people, it was understandable. But it seemed deeper with Lloyd.

"We covered that in class last time, remember? When the Seal weakens the Desians reappear. Just like they have now," Raine said in a calming voice, never turning her eyes away from him.

Lloyd calmed down and lost all his anger. He instead looked down at the floor. "I…I knew that. I…I just forgot…" It wasn't completely true, but he knew he overreacted again.

Raine gave him a small smile before continuing. "Today is the Day of Prophecy. It is a very important day which the Chosen of Mana will receive an oracle from the Goddess Martel. Now, Chosen One…Colette." She really needed to stop doing that. Colette had been her student for the past seven years. She was more than just the Chosen to her.

"Yes, ma'am?" Colette asked as she stood up. Apparently, she already knew what the question would be.

Raine quickly cleared her thoughts. "Tell us about the journey of world regeneration."

Colette gave a small nod. "It is a journey to seal the Desians. Upon passing the trials of the Goddess Martel, the summon spirits that protect the world awaken, and mana is restored."

Raine didn't hear Colette's complete answer since she noticed that Lloyd had once again fallen asleep. She was tempted to throw something at him again, but decided to let it pass. She really needed to have a long talk to Dirk about Lloyd.

"Correct. I suppose we should expect the Chosen herself to know the answer to that one. Mana depletion is the cause of the current food shortages and droughts. It is said that this occurs because the Desians consume vast amounts of mana in their Human Ranches," Raine explained as she looked over the class, who were all taking notes.

True to form, Lloyd jumped awake again at the mention of Desians. Raine almost shook her head at his selective hearing. She did notice that Colette glanced worriedly at Lloyd. She had noticed this trend long ago.

Raine briefly wondered if Lloyd's lack of faith was the cause of some of his reluctant to learn about the Regeneration Journey and the meaning behind it other than to destroy the Desians.

A bright flash of light broke her musing and she quickly looked out the window. The rest of the class got up and ran towards the window to get a better look.

"What was that?" Lloyd asked. He wanted to look too, but didn't want to risk Raine's wrath for putting down the buckets.

Colette's eyes widened. "That's..."

The time had finally come. Raine glanced at the clock. It was midday, just as the priest had predicted. "Settle down," she firmly ordered. "It would seem that the time for the oracle has come. I will go and check on the chapel. Everyone, stay here and study on your own. Understood?" She knew none of the kids, not even Genis, would actually study. But she still had to at least try.

"I'll go with you, Professor!" Colette exclaimed as she ran towards her teacher.

Raine gently put a hand on her shoulder. "No, Colette. If it is the oracle, the priests will come here for you. Wait here with everyone else."

If the trial was happening now, Raine was in no position to protect Colette. As the Chosen, Colette was trained to fight, but she was not a front line fighter and Raine couldn't do the job. If they were attacked, Raine would be nearly helpless to protect her.

Colette looked ready to say something, but then simply nodded her head.

Raine patted her before she ran out the schoolhouse. The rest of the village was transfixed as well by the display of light.

"The day has finally come!" one of them cheered. "The end of the Desians is near!"

Raine ignored the crowd as she made her way to the temple. Usually, citizens were not allowed in this area. However, since she was a scholar, she was often granted special permission to explore the area.

It didn't take long after walking up the broken stone steps to see Phaidra standing by the entrance. The light from this distance was nearly blinding.

"Professor Sage, I'm glad you made it," Phaidra said. She was near tears as she looked towards the light. "I didn't think I would live to see this day. It's really happening."

Raine nodded. "The Chosen is back at the school house waiting for the priests. With your permission, I want to check ahead."

Phaidra gave Raine a worried looked. "It could be dangerous. Monsters are said to appear when the Chosen's trial starts."

"I'll be alright," Raine assured. "I won't be gone long."

Phaidra sighed in defeat. "Very well. Just be careful, Professor."

Raine began to go inside. "I didn't live this long by not being careful," she said under her breath.

The other priests gathered around Phaidra. "We should get the Chosen now. The sooner the trial starts, the sooner this world shall be saved."

Phaidra nodded. Without warning, the town bell began to ring, echoing throughout the small village. Terror hit Phaidra's heart when she heard it. That bell was rung for only one reason.

"Desians," Phaidra whispered.

First chapter is done. Hope you enjoyed even though things starts out a little slow. The action begins next chapter.

Until next time.