Tales of Fandom vol. 2: Tear's Story
The first Tales of the Abyss story in Tales of Fandom vol. 2 focuses around Tear, and is entitled "Testament ~Mystearica~" ("Yuigon -Meshutiarika-"). Upon finding a flower that looks strikingly similar to the selenia flowers she kept in Yulia City, Tear reminisces about how she joined the Oracle Knights and what brought her to decide to kill Van, her own brother.
Tales of Fandom vol. 2: Tear's Story (Part 1)
We start with the party talking about how they need to figure out where they are. There is a flash of light, and Tear spots what looks remarkably like selenia flowers, which Van and Tear raised in their house at Yulia City. Natalia wonders if this means they're near a Sephiroth, but Asch points out that they only bloom at night.
Luke worries about Tear, who's staring at the flowers, and Natalia says that if something's bothering her, they'd be happy to listen and help, and includes Asch in this. Asch blushes, which is hilarious, but Tear politely turns them down, and proceeds to remember the past.
Tear: Soon, I will set off on a journey from here. I might not ever return to this familiar place again. For me, this might become the last journey I ever undertake in my life. Even if it does, that's fine. I will hesitate no longer, nor do I have any doubts about what I must do. I will go on to strike down a single man: Vandesdelca Muste Fende. The commandant of the Oracle Knights, and... my one and only brother. I will go on to strike down my older brother. That is my mission--my responsibility, which I must carry out even at the cost of my life...
Title screen get!
In ND 2016, Tear is 14 years old, and wow, she looks awfully flat for this happening only two freaking years ago. She looks really cute in that dress with her hair like that, but come on, boobs like that don't grow that quickly! Anyway, Tear is arguing with Teodoro, who doesn't want Tear to enter the Oracle Knights. Tear is infuriated like this, because she's been saying that she wants to join her brother there for years, but Teodoro tells her that it's Van himself who didn't want her to join, because he's worried about her and doesn't want her to suffer the trials of a soldier. Teodoro goes on to try to explain Van's feelings about her, and agrees that he doesn't want her to get killed, and would like her to stay in Yulia City to use her powers as a Seventh Fonist here.
Present-day Tear thinks over her own feelings at the time, saying that she'd wanted to fulfill her promise with her brother by joining the Oracle Knights, and that to her, fulfilling that promise held the same meaning as living.
We go to young!Van and beensy!Tear as they look over the first selenia he ever planted. Van explains that it's the only flower that will bloom in the Qliphoth, but it isn't doing so well. Tear, worried that it might wither, uses a healing arte on it ("Mr. Flower, please get well!" OMG TEAR YOU'RE SO CUUUUTE T____T). Apparently just being a Fende doesn't automatically guarantee you'll be a Seventh Fonist, because Van is surprised to see that she has that ability. When he tells her this, Tear is confused--apparently, he's never told her about them before now. He tells her that they're a special power given only to a very few chosen people, and that she's the same as him. This delights Tear, and promises him that she'll use her Seventh Fonons to help him, and that she'll join the Oracle Knights like him and stay by his side always. They promise to this.
Present-day Tear remarks that she understands now that the promise she exchanged with her brother then was just infantile nonsense. She thinks that at that time, she probably made that promise because she wanted to understand her brother and grow closer to him. However, soon after, Van left her to go to Daath and enter the academy for the Oracle Knights, leaving Tear with few memories of him. What she remembers were his occasional letters, and his very rare visits home. Van was kind to her, and his letters always asked about her, and so Tear loved him--until she was confronted with how much he hated the world.
Tales of Fandom vol. 2: Tear's Story (Part 2)
Van: Tear, I want you to remember just this: our birthplace, Hod, was annihilated no thanks to the Score and hyperresonance. I won't forgive them. There's no way I'll ever forgive this Score-bound world for abandoning Hod. And not just that... I won't forgive the abominable hyperresonance that was used to fulfill the Score, either. We don't need either the Score or hyperresonance. They should just disappear... They should just...!
Tear remarks that, when Van returned to Yulia City, he often spewed invectives about the Score and hyperresonance. "Why is he talking about those things with me? What am I supposed to do now that he has?" At the time, she couldn't ask her brother those things, and so she just said nothing and listened.
Tear: (Brother...)
Van: (I joined the Oracle Knights in order to realize my ideals.)
Tear: (Brother, you...)
Van: (In order to create an ideal world that doesn't need the Score or hyperresonance and such.)
Tear: (Where are you trying to go towards?)
Van: (Humanity, right now, is too entrapped by the Score. Without it, they can't do a single thing. What meaning is there in a life like that?)
Tear: (What are you trying to do?)
Van: (Humanity must be released from the Score. It's wrong to continue the status quo.)
Tear: (I don't understand.)
Van: (You understand, don't you, Tear?)
Tear: (I don't understand!)
Van: (I'm sure you, who's shouldered the same sorrow as me, must understand me, Tear!)
Tear: (I don't understand...!)
Tear: I don't understand...
Van: Huh?
Tear: Ah...
Van: ...Sorry, sorry. It's still too complicated for you, huh, Tear?
Tear: *sniff*...
Van: But sooner or later, you'll come to be able to comprehend what I said. That'll happen very soon, so I want you to relax.
Tear: ......
Present-day Tear muses that, at the time, she didn't understand why Van had said things like that with such a scary face, and so she wanted to know his true feelings.
14!Tear insists on wanting to go to Daath, and 16! muses that she thought that if she went to the same academy her brother did, she might understand something. Looking back, it might have been because she didn't want to believe what her brother had said. Eventually, Teodoro caved and promised to persuade Van, and Tear was happy--up until Legretta showed up to be her "tutor," and Tear realized she wasn't going to be allowed to go to Daath. Tear yells at Teodoro about this, who replies that while Van caved about letting her join the Oracle Knights, he absolutely refused to let her come to Daath. (Gee, I wonder why...) Tear is less than thrilled. 16!Tear muses that she never expected her brother to pull a trick like that, and at the time, she wondered why, and if this meant that Van didn't want to see her. This made her heart grow harder.
14!Tear says that she wants to get the same training that everyone else does, but Legretta reassures her that she's very qualified, so she doesn't need to worry about getting inferior training. Of course, that's not the problem here, but Legretta points out that she's more obsessed with going to the academy than with actually joining the Oracle Knights, which is completely true: after all, Tear's objective is less to become an Oracle Knight and more to see her brother. Tear is completely owned by this, and finally caves. Teodoro is thrilled--Tear was kind of a brat back then, so I can't really blame him.
16!Tear doesn't really tell us anything we couldn't infer from watching her and Legretta interact, so let's move on. Teodoro goes into Tear's room, reminding her that she starts her training today, but Tear, being an utter brat, tells him she's not feeling well and so he should just tell Legretta to go back home. Teodoro accepts this unhappily, and Tear conks out after telling herself that this will definitely make Van re-think keeping her from Daath (oh, Tear, you used to be so naive and dumb). When she wakes up, she heads outside...
Tales of Fandom vol. 2: Tear's Story (Part 3)
...and oh snap, it turns out Legretta waited for her all that time. She figured that eventually Tear would leave the house, and once she did, they could begin her training. Tear is astounded by this, and 16!Tear muses that back then, she didn't care for strangers because apparently she was always alone save for her family, but Legretta waited for her, and that really confused her. "Just who is this lady?"
Then a certain incident happens: a bunch of rappigs in town are killed. Teodoro tells Tear about it, who wonders who'd do something that horrible, but she quickly catches on that Teodoro is bringing it up because she's the main suspect. The reason why? They were killed with an Oracle Knight knife, the kind that Tear uses. Tear protests this and begs Teodoro to believe that she didn't do it. Teodoro asks Tear to go with him and apologize to the rappig owners. There is an option:
- Why should I!?
- I understand.
- .........
The player decides to have Tear stand up for herself, and Teodoro tells her that he'll go with her, which is totally not the issue, but Teodoro is more interested in smoothing things over than finding the real culprit. This is completely stupid, as if someone did this, isn't there a possibility they'll do this again? Most likely someone did this to screw with Tear, and present-day Tear realizes this, but at the time she couldn't say anything, and ultimately ends up backing down and agreeing to apologize.
Except Legretta thinks that this is BS, and tells Tear that it's meaningless to apologize for something she didn't do. Teodoro asks her not to stick her nose in, as it's their problem, and Legretta asks him if he honestly thinks Tear is the culprit. Teodoro doesn't, but as the elder, he has to take responsibility for this kind of crap, which is TOTAL bee ess because making an innocent person apologize is NOT taking responsibility, it is copping out. Legretta thinks so too, and drags Tear off to deal with this matter.
16!Tear muses about how back then, she'd started worrying a lot about her grandfather's position, as she didn't actually go to apologize (and she damn well shouldn't have). Tear approaches Teodoro about this, but Teodoro reassures her it's okay because the real culprit was caught. YEAH HOW ABOUT DOING THAT FROM THE START, ASS. Tear runs out to confront Legretta, who found the culprit, who was also an Oracle student. Completely touched, Tear thanks her, but Legretta tells her pretty coldly that she didn't do it for her; she simply did her duty and took responsibility for the actions of someone who was like a subordinate to her, and that's that. Tear is a little disappointed, but Legretta encourages her, and so she's overwhelmed with admiration at Legretta's professionalism, and the fact that she was the first person in her life who ever stuck up for her, and ends up starting to think that she wants to be just like her.
Wow, Tear, your life is depressing.
Tales of Fandom vol. 2: Tear's Story (Part 4)
We go to a lesson between Legretta and Tear, in which the Major is telling Tear not to listen for fonons, but to feel them with the fon slots all over her body--people who played through the hyperresonance side quest with Tear and Luke may remember this. Legretta goes on to warn her not to show any weak points, because when you do, you just invite your enemy to take advantage of them. This is important later, kids, so remember this part.
16!Tear reminisces that Legretta's lessons were really rough, but she never complained, and while other students harassed her sometimes, she never folded. She pretty much worshipped the ground Legretta walked on, to the point where even Van wasn't as important--wow, that's pretty impressive, and kind of sad. All she wanted to do was become a perfect soldier like her.
Anyway, half a year passes, and Legretta tells Tear that she'll get some on-site training now--i.e., she'll be heading to Daath. Tear muses that she wanted to be acknowledged by Legretta, and that her dream them was to become an adjutant commandant like her and stand by her brother's side. Legretta praises Tear's efforts, and Tear blushes, saying it's all thanks to her--and 16!remarks that she knows now that that dream was impossible. She goes on to say that Legretta would never forgive her for what she's trying to do, and that's okay, because Tear won't begrudge her for it, as the gratitude she feels in her heart hasn't changed. Then she thanks Legretta.
We go to Tear explaining how she went to Daath for the Oracle school, and she was excited because once she finished, she could finally join the Oracle Knights. While she was there, she overheard a single soldier's words:
Cantabile: Listen up, you snot-nosed runts! I'm Cantabile, the woman in charge of the Oracle Knights' Six God-Generals. I'm about to tell you about the on-site training, and you brats are going to learn ONLY true strength that will prove you successful on the battlefield. These days, it's a tough life in the Order. All you hear about is who's with the Fon Master, who's with the Grand Maestro. Well--to tell you the truth, it looks like I've joined the Fon Master faction, myself. But I'll tell you brats right now, that hasn't got the slightest bit to do with you. I clawed up to my status on my own true strength, so you runts concentrate on polishing your artes without thinking of anything unnecessary, too. Got it, runts? I like people with true strength! Those kinds of folks will get steadily promoted. That means your little lives will go as you wish in order of how strong you are. C'mon, let's see some energy!
Tear, having overheard this, thought that as long as she had the talent, her wishes would come true, and that she might be able to become one of her brother's direct subordinates right away. Oh, Tear, you were so naive. Anyway, on account of her training with Legretta, Tear was really confident in herself.
Sadly, that didn't quite work out! Cantabile, who was arranging exam matches between students, calls for Tear Grants and Larry Hughes, and we go into a drop-down option battle. Tear thinks the key to beating him is to defeat him before he can use his swordsmanship/fonic artes, but he dodges her attack, and she only barely manages to dodge his in return. Panicking, despite the fact that Cantabile is praising her, she decides to purposely drop her guard and go against what Legretta taught her, and in all fairness, it works: when Larry tries to take advantage of it, Tear kicks his ass. Cantabile ends the fight, and we cut to her office, wherein Tear demands to know why she declared her the loser when she won.
Cantabile asks her if she was taught by Legretta to let down her guard like that (whoops), and when Tear can't answer, goes on to say that that's not going to work in a real battle. It's just because she's among other runts that it'll work from time to time. Tear protests that a win is a win, and Cantabile says that it's a mistake to think of things in terms of "wins" and "losses," and it's because of her attitude that she declared her the loser.
16!Tear muses that at the time, she thought that Cantabile was a horrid bitch, and once or twice thought that she was oppressing her on purpose (help! help! I'm being oppressed!), on account of her connection with Legretta. So in other words, Tear was a normal teenager at one point! Who knew? She also remarks that she came to understand that, while Cantabile was Van's subordinate, their mutual relations were pretty crappy, and figured Cantabile was pushing that onto her, his little sister. The end result was that Tear didn't trust Cantabile in the slightest.
We go back to 14!Tear, who shuts up but still hates it. Cantabile calls her on this, on account of it being written all over her face, and when Tear protests, Cantabile calls her stuck-up for a runt, and asks her if she intends on sliding through because she's the Commandant's sister. Tear says that wasn't her intention, and Cantabile asks her why she wants to join the Oracle Knights. Whoops again. Cantabile goes on to say that if it's because she thought she'd be promoted right away because of her blood relation with Van, and Tear yells that she never thought that--she just wants to work alongside her brother. Cantabile laughs and says Van has a cute sister, and mocks her a bit. Tear is annoyed, and Cantabile adds that she understands why she got the feeling from Tear that her resolve only goes halfway. Tear is offended.
Tales of Fandom vol. 2: Tear's Story (Part 5)
16!Tear muses that she thought that Cantabile was being a bitch for the aforementioned reasons, but knows now that's not why she said what she had. This is because Cantabile goes on to tell Tear that she's got skills, and she's prepared as a soldier too, and admits that Legretta has done a good job mentoring her. But she lacks resolution--in other words, she's still got a little softness left in her, and as long as that's the case, she can't train her to get any better. Tear is less than thrilled by this, and Cantabile goes on to tell her to stop caring about her brother.
Oh, come on, Cantabile.
Tear understandably demands to know what she means by that, and Cantabile says it's exactly what she said; Van's reached a level beyond her understanding, and that in trying to get closer to him, she'll only be forced to know her own powerlessness. 16!Tear reflects that, when she thought about it later, Cantabile's words hit the bull's-eye. However, at the time, she couldn't accept them seriously.
Tear is sullenly rebellious, and Cantabile sees through her silent act, so she tells her if she really wants to see Van again, to go check out the place marked on this map she goes and gets to give to her. Tear is shocked that she's doing this, and Cantabile just says if she doesn't do that much, Tear will never understand. Tear ellipses but takes the map anyway, and 16!Tear mused that Major Cantabile wasn't telling her where Van was out of mere good faith--that she understands that very well now, but back then she was a dumb teenager and didn't think that far; she was too high on the hope that she might see her brother.
We cut to Tear approaching the building, and after wondering if it's some kind of experiment lab, she goes inside to see Van working on something, which 16!Tear comments upon. Tear starts to call out to him, but Van starts talking to himself, and she's shocked to realize, based on what Van is saying, that he's working on hyperresonance research--as you all will recall, Van hates it SOOO HAAAARD. He also mentions fomicry, which I'm sure goes completely over Tear's head, but she still gets truly frightened by how frickin' crazy Van acts when he thinks no one else is around to hear him.
Eventually, Tear confronts him, demanding to know why, if he said that the world doesn't need hyperresonance, he's doing this. Van immediately dons the "nice big brother" act and tells her that she doesn't need to worry and he'll tell her especially what he's doing, and that oh, sure, he's doing this research, but it's BECAUSE he suffered by it that he wants to make sure that nothing wrong is done with it! Apparently the previous Fon Master, Evenos, ordered him into the project to find a way to use it for peace, and while he didn't want to do it at first, he eventually caved because Evenos said that, having lost his home to hyperresonance, he was in the best position to be really careful about it. Tear is going D: through all of this, and says that she heard him saying something about something affecting all of the Outer Lands.
Tear: These really are experiments to be used for peace, right? You're not going to do anything like what happened to Hod, right?
Van: Of course. We must make the Outer Lands endure safely. That, too, is the role of we who know the truth of this world. Do you comprehend now, Tear?
Tear: ......
Van then goes on to point out that since Tear is here, she must have snuck out of the training grounds, and if Cantabile knows that the two of them are together, she'll get really mad. Tear gaspingly apologizes, but Van laughs and tells her he doesn't really mind--she must have been so lonely she couldn't stand it, since he never had the time to see her, and so she came all this way to see him, right? Tear goes, "Uhhhh..." Van tells her to let him take a better look at him, and he remarks that she really looks like their mother now, and Tear ellipses.
16!Tear remarks on her brother's kindness, and how the way he looked so nice then completely contradicted how scary he looked a moment before. 14!Tear wonders if the way Van acted when he didn't know she was there was her true brother. 16!Tear remarks that she couldn't bring herself to question Van, because she felt like if she heard the answer, it would all be over, and she'd never be able to regain what she'd lost again. As such, when Van asks Tear what's the matter, Tear lies and says nothing.
We fade to black, and go into what turns out to be a dream sequence. Tear is watching Van's back as he is walking away, and Tear begs him not to go down that road because he'll never be able to return. After begging and begging, Van finally turns around, and the screen fades to red. Tear wakes up, and we learn that she's been having this dream a lot.
16!Tear muses over things she's, really, already talked about--how Van is scary, she's creeped out by the hyperresonance experiments, blah blah, and 14!Tear wonders what she should do. We go to another test fight, and Tear ends up losing to Larry again. Neither Tear nor Cantabile are very thrilled with this, and 16!Tear remarks more on the situation, and then says as a result she took a certain action.
Tales of Fandom vol. 2: Tear's Story (Part 6)
In other words, she secretly ran away from the academy and returned to Yulia City! She felt that returning to the selenia flower garden in her house would be like returning to the starting point, and that she would be able to put her feelings in order there. When she gets there, she sees Teodoro, who is surprised she didn't know that Van had returned home too--he'd thought that he'd arranged it with her. 16!Tear muses that she'd been really shocked and wondered if Van had realized how she felt, and maybe he came home to talk it out with her directly? She thought that couldn't possibly be the case, but she couldn't help but feel softer towards him. 14!Tear thinks that she should just talk to him, and asks Teodoro where her brother is. She rushes to the selenia garden, and there Van is!
...with Legretta, who remarks that Asch is getting suspicious. Van replies that he's been fastidious over weird things, and that if he knew that he meant to annihilate all of the inhabitants of the Outer Lands, he'd never behave. Tear goes WTF ANNIHILATE!? and Legretta asks if they should have Sync keep an eye on him. The annihilation bit remains a sticking point with Tear for some odd reason, and realizing that her brother really is trying to do something freaking crazy, reveals herself immediately and confronts Van and Legretta.
Legretta is surprised, and Van remarks that she always shows up in places where he least expects her. Tear ignores this and demands to know what the hell this "annihilate" thing is all about, and if it's connected with his hyperresonance experiments. Van tells her she doesn't need to know, and Tear snaps that she's got a right to know. Tear throws his earlier words about an ideal world back in his face, and asks him why he is SO FREAKING CRAZY. Van doesn't respond at first, but then says that he hasn't changed at all; he's simply trying to make his ideals a reality--that he's going to release the people trapped by the Score. He continues his crazy-talk, and asks Tear if she understands now, and she tells him, "NO I DON'T UNDERSTAND!"
Legretta steps in to defend Van, and Tear flips on her, saying that what her brother's doing goes against the Order's teachings and why doesn't she stop him? Legretta ellipses and replies that she's his subordinate so she just does what he says. Tear is horrified, and 16!Tear muses that the Major, whom she'd admired and aspired after so much, seemed like a completely different person. Van tells Legretta that he'll handle this himself and she should go on without him, which Legretta does. Tear tries to stop her, but Van stops Tear, and tells her not to return to the Outer Lands because he doesn't want her to get caught up in this. Tear rebels, naturally, saying that as a human being it's wrong for him to try to do what he's going. Van is amused by this, and asks if he is trying to do that, what will she do--kill him? Tear goes D: and Van throws a sword at her feet and challenges her to strike him down. Tear takes the sword, but when Van challenges her to show the resolution to kill him, she flips out and starts crying, yelling, "There's no way I can do something like that!!"
Then, after a brief standstill, Van switches back into "nice big brother mode" and steps over to Tear, asking what's the matter--he can't understand if she just cries. Tear keeps crying, and Van tells her that she's overthinking things, and when she calms down a little, they'll talk again. He'd like to take his time to talk to her now, but sadly he's got a lot to do, and he's sorry--but he will say that he promises he doesn't want to annihilate humanity or anything, and he wants her to understand at least that.
As Van starts walking away, Tear begs him not to leave, and in her personal comments, she realizes that this is exactly like in her dreams. Eventually she takes up her weapon and screams, "BROTHER, DON'T!!" When Van turns, Tear rushes forward and stabs him. Both Van and Tear are shocked by this.
Tales of Fandom vol. 2: Tear's Story (Part 7)
Van stares at Tear, clutching at his wound, and Tear sobbingly apologizes, babbling that she doesn't know why she did that and she'll heal him right away. Van wonders who made Tear this sad, which makes Tear go "!" and he reassures her that he'll release her from all her sadness right away. Not just her--all of humanity. Tear is horrified again, and Van starts babbling about how he has to do it.
16!Tear remarks on how her brother didn't look at her at all, and when Van leaves, she goes on to remark that she was in such a daze she couldn't do anything but watch and wonder how it all came to this. 14!Tear cries her eyes out, and then we skip ahead to her in the Oracle Knights HQ going to Cantabile's office. Cantabile asks her what she wants, particularly since she thought she hated her, and Tear says she has a request--to place her as one of Grand Maestro Mohs' direct subordinates. Cantabile is surprised by this, and asks for her reason. Tear replies that she has a mission she must complete, and beseeches her, saying that she needs her help. Cantabile is silent, then remarks that Tear's toughened up and gotten herself some resolution, and promises to fulfill her request because her boss (presumably she means Van) is trying to send her off someplace for political reasons, and helping Tear out will help her. Tear thanks Cantabile.
16!Tear muses that had it not been for Cantabile, she could never have gotten close to Mohs and been able to fulfill what she needed to do, and certainly wouldn't be in her current position, and muses that that's what you would call a benefactor. She thinks that she doesn't know the exact reasons why Major Cantabile helped her out, but she took the help unquestioningly. Tear goes on to think that had she been a different person, they probably would have had a much different relationship, but she dismisses the thought.
Tear then goes on to think about what happened after that point--getting help from Major Cantabile, joining up with Mohs, eventually getting the mission from Mohs to search for the Seventh Fonstone, going through Yulia Road to the Outer Lands... Tear repeats the long quote I translated from the first segment, and they really overdid it with the lip flaps here. Tear says, "Here I go," which I believe they translated as "Prepare" in the English version for some reason, and we go to a screen that says, "...To be continued 'TALES OF THE ABYSS'"
Credits run, and we eventually get to the epilogue. Luke asks Tear if she's okay, since she'd been spacing out, and repeats that if there's anything they can help her with... But Tear only apologizes for worrying them and says that she's all right now, and thanks him. Luke says, "Well, okay, but..." Tear gets back to business and says they should look around to try and figure out where they are before they meet up with the others, and Luke goes along with that. When Luke goes, Tear muses that this is no time to think about the past, and that she must do what she must do. At that, the epilogue ends.
Tales of Fandom vol. 2: Tear's Story (Part 1)
We start with the party talking about how they need to figure out where they are. There is a flash of light, and Tear spots what looks remarkably like selenia flowers, which Van and Tear raised in their house at Yulia City. Natalia wonders if this means they're near a Sephiroth, but Asch points out that they only bloom at night.
Luke worries about Tear, who's staring at the flowers, and Natalia says that if something's bothering her, they'd be happy to listen and help, and includes Asch in this. Asch blushes, which is hilarious, but Tear politely turns them down, and proceeds to remember the past.
Tear: Soon, I will set off on a journey from here. I might not ever return to this familiar place again. For me, this might become the last journey I ever undertake in my life. Even if it does, that's fine. I will hesitate no longer, nor do I have any doubts about what I must do. I will go on to strike down a single man: Vandesdelca Muste Fende. The commandant of the Oracle Knights, and... my one and only brother. I will go on to strike down my older brother. That is my mission--my responsibility, which I must carry out even at the cost of my life...
Title screen get!
In ND 2016, Tear is 14 years old, and wow, she looks awfully flat for this happening only two freaking years ago. She looks really cute in that dress with her hair like that, but come on, boobs like that don't grow that quickly! Anyway, Tear is arguing with Teodoro, who doesn't want Tear to enter the Oracle Knights. Tear is infuriated like this, because she's been saying that she wants to join her brother there for years, but Teodoro tells her that it's Van himself who didn't want her to join, because he's worried about her and doesn't want her to suffer the trials of a soldier. Teodoro goes on to try to explain Van's feelings about her, and agrees that he doesn't want her to get killed, and would like her to stay in Yulia City to use her powers as a Seventh Fonist here.
Present-day Tear thinks over her own feelings at the time, saying that she'd wanted to fulfill her promise with her brother by joining the Oracle Knights, and that to her, fulfilling that promise held the same meaning as living.
We go to young!Van and beensy!Tear as they look over the first selenia he ever planted. Van explains that it's the only flower that will bloom in the Qliphoth, but it isn't doing so well. Tear, worried that it might wither, uses a healing arte on it ("Mr. Flower, please get well!" OMG TEAR YOU'RE SO CUUUUTE T____T). Apparently just being a Fende doesn't automatically guarantee you'll be a Seventh Fonist, because Van is surprised to see that she has that ability. When he tells her this, Tear is confused--apparently, he's never told her about them before now. He tells her that they're a special power given only to a very few chosen people, and that she's the same as him. This delights Tear, and promises him that she'll use her Seventh Fonons to help him, and that she'll join the Oracle Knights like him and stay by his side always. They promise to this.
Present-day Tear remarks that she understands now that the promise she exchanged with her brother then was just infantile nonsense. She thinks that at that time, she probably made that promise because she wanted to understand her brother and grow closer to him. However, soon after, Van left her to go to Daath and enter the academy for the Oracle Knights, leaving Tear with few memories of him. What she remembers were his occasional letters, and his very rare visits home. Van was kind to her, and his letters always asked about her, and so Tear loved him--until she was confronted with how much he hated the world.
Tales of Fandom vol. 2: Tear's Story (Part 2)
Van: Tear, I want you to remember just this: our birthplace, Hod, was annihilated no thanks to the Score and hyperresonance. I won't forgive them. There's no way I'll ever forgive this Score-bound world for abandoning Hod. And not just that... I won't forgive the abominable hyperresonance that was used to fulfill the Score, either. We don't need either the Score or hyperresonance. They should just disappear... They should just...!
Tear remarks that, when Van returned to Yulia City, he often spewed invectives about the Score and hyperresonance. "Why is he talking about those things with me? What am I supposed to do now that he has?" At the time, she couldn't ask her brother those things, and so she just said nothing and listened.
Tear: (Brother...)
Van: (I joined the Oracle Knights in order to realize my ideals.)
Tear: (Brother, you...)
Van: (In order to create an ideal world that doesn't need the Score or hyperresonance and such.)
Tear: (Where are you trying to go towards?)
Van: (Humanity, right now, is too entrapped by the Score. Without it, they can't do a single thing. What meaning is there in a life like that?)
Tear: (What are you trying to do?)
Van: (Humanity must be released from the Score. It's wrong to continue the status quo.)
Tear: (I don't understand.)
Van: (You understand, don't you, Tear?)
Tear: (I don't understand!)
Van: (I'm sure you, who's shouldered the same sorrow as me, must understand me, Tear!)
Tear: (I don't understand...!)
Tear: I don't understand...
Van: Huh?
Tear: Ah...
Van: ...Sorry, sorry. It's still too complicated for you, huh, Tear?
Tear: *sniff*...
Van: But sooner or later, you'll come to be able to comprehend what I said. That'll happen very soon, so I want you to relax.
Tear: ......
Present-day Tear muses that, at the time, she didn't understand why Van had said things like that with such a scary face, and so she wanted to know his true feelings.
14!Tear insists on wanting to go to Daath, and 16! muses that she thought that if she went to the same academy her brother did, she might understand something. Looking back, it might have been because she didn't want to believe what her brother had said. Eventually, Teodoro caved and promised to persuade Van, and Tear was happy--up until Legretta showed up to be her "tutor," and Tear realized she wasn't going to be allowed to go to Daath. Tear yells at Teodoro about this, who replies that while Van caved about letting her join the Oracle Knights, he absolutely refused to let her come to Daath. (Gee, I wonder why...) Tear is less than thrilled. 16!Tear muses that she never expected her brother to pull a trick like that, and at the time, she wondered why, and if this meant that Van didn't want to see her. This made her heart grow harder.
14!Tear says that she wants to get the same training that everyone else does, but Legretta reassures her that she's very qualified, so she doesn't need to worry about getting inferior training. Of course, that's not the problem here, but Legretta points out that she's more obsessed with going to the academy than with actually joining the Oracle Knights, which is completely true: after all, Tear's objective is less to become an Oracle Knight and more to see her brother. Tear is completely owned by this, and finally caves. Teodoro is thrilled--Tear was kind of a brat back then, so I can't really blame him.
16!Tear doesn't really tell us anything we couldn't infer from watching her and Legretta interact, so let's move on. Teodoro goes into Tear's room, reminding her that she starts her training today, but Tear, being an utter brat, tells him she's not feeling well and so he should just tell Legretta to go back home. Teodoro accepts this unhappily, and Tear conks out after telling herself that this will definitely make Van re-think keeping her from Daath (oh, Tear, you used to be so naive and dumb). When she wakes up, she heads outside...
Tales of Fandom vol. 2: Tear's Story (Part 3)
...and oh snap, it turns out Legretta waited for her all that time. She figured that eventually Tear would leave the house, and once she did, they could begin her training. Tear is astounded by this, and 16!Tear muses that back then, she didn't care for strangers because apparently she was always alone save for her family, but Legretta waited for her, and that really confused her. "Just who is this lady?"
Then a certain incident happens: a bunch of rappigs in town are killed. Teodoro tells Tear about it, who wonders who'd do something that horrible, but she quickly catches on that Teodoro is bringing it up because she's the main suspect. The reason why? They were killed with an Oracle Knight knife, the kind that Tear uses. Tear protests this and begs Teodoro to believe that she didn't do it. Teodoro asks Tear to go with him and apologize to the rappig owners. There is an option:
- Why should I!?
- I understand.
- .........
The player decides to have Tear stand up for herself, and Teodoro tells her that he'll go with her, which is totally not the issue, but Teodoro is more interested in smoothing things over than finding the real culprit. This is completely stupid, as if someone did this, isn't there a possibility they'll do this again? Most likely someone did this to screw with Tear, and present-day Tear realizes this, but at the time she couldn't say anything, and ultimately ends up backing down and agreeing to apologize.
Except Legretta thinks that this is BS, and tells Tear that it's meaningless to apologize for something she didn't do. Teodoro asks her not to stick her nose in, as it's their problem, and Legretta asks him if he honestly thinks Tear is the culprit. Teodoro doesn't, but as the elder, he has to take responsibility for this kind of crap, which is TOTAL bee ess because making an innocent person apologize is NOT taking responsibility, it is copping out. Legretta thinks so too, and drags Tear off to deal with this matter.
16!Tear muses about how back then, she'd started worrying a lot about her grandfather's position, as she didn't actually go to apologize (and she damn well shouldn't have). Tear approaches Teodoro about this, but Teodoro reassures her it's okay because the real culprit was caught. YEAH HOW ABOUT DOING THAT FROM THE START, ASS. Tear runs out to confront Legretta, who found the culprit, who was also an Oracle student. Completely touched, Tear thanks her, but Legretta tells her pretty coldly that she didn't do it for her; she simply did her duty and took responsibility for the actions of someone who was like a subordinate to her, and that's that. Tear is a little disappointed, but Legretta encourages her, and so she's overwhelmed with admiration at Legretta's professionalism, and the fact that she was the first person in her life who ever stuck up for her, and ends up starting to think that she wants to be just like her.
Wow, Tear, your life is depressing.
Tales of Fandom vol. 2: Tear's Story (Part 4)
We go to a lesson between Legretta and Tear, in which the Major is telling Tear not to listen for fonons, but to feel them with the fon slots all over her body--people who played through the hyperresonance side quest with Tear and Luke may remember this. Legretta goes on to warn her not to show any weak points, because when you do, you just invite your enemy to take advantage of them. This is important later, kids, so remember this part.
16!Tear reminisces that Legretta's lessons were really rough, but she never complained, and while other students harassed her sometimes, she never folded. She pretty much worshipped the ground Legretta walked on, to the point where even Van wasn't as important--wow, that's pretty impressive, and kind of sad. All she wanted to do was become a perfect soldier like her.
Anyway, half a year passes, and Legretta tells Tear that she'll get some on-site training now--i.e., she'll be heading to Daath. Tear muses that she wanted to be acknowledged by Legretta, and that her dream them was to become an adjutant commandant like her and stand by her brother's side. Legretta praises Tear's efforts, and Tear blushes, saying it's all thanks to her--and 16!remarks that she knows now that that dream was impossible. She goes on to say that Legretta would never forgive her for what she's trying to do, and that's okay, because Tear won't begrudge her for it, as the gratitude she feels in her heart hasn't changed. Then she thanks Legretta.
We go to Tear explaining how she went to Daath for the Oracle school, and she was excited because once she finished, she could finally join the Oracle Knights. While she was there, she overheard a single soldier's words:
Cantabile: Listen up, you snot-nosed runts! I'm Cantabile, the woman in charge of the Oracle Knights' Six God-Generals. I'm about to tell you about the on-site training, and you brats are going to learn ONLY true strength that will prove you successful on the battlefield. These days, it's a tough life in the Order. All you hear about is who's with the Fon Master, who's with the Grand Maestro. Well--to tell you the truth, it looks like I've joined the Fon Master faction, myself. But I'll tell you brats right now, that hasn't got the slightest bit to do with you. I clawed up to my status on my own true strength, so you runts concentrate on polishing your artes without thinking of anything unnecessary, too. Got it, runts? I like people with true strength! Those kinds of folks will get steadily promoted. That means your little lives will go as you wish in order of how strong you are. C'mon, let's see some energy!
Tear, having overheard this, thought that as long as she had the talent, her wishes would come true, and that she might be able to become one of her brother's direct subordinates right away. Oh, Tear, you were so naive. Anyway, on account of her training with Legretta, Tear was really confident in herself.
Sadly, that didn't quite work out! Cantabile, who was arranging exam matches between students, calls for Tear Grants and Larry Hughes, and we go into a drop-down option battle. Tear thinks the key to beating him is to defeat him before he can use his swordsmanship/fonic artes, but he dodges her attack, and she only barely manages to dodge his in return. Panicking, despite the fact that Cantabile is praising her, she decides to purposely drop her guard and go against what Legretta taught her, and in all fairness, it works: when Larry tries to take advantage of it, Tear kicks his ass. Cantabile ends the fight, and we cut to her office, wherein Tear demands to know why she declared her the loser when she won.
Cantabile asks her if she was taught by Legretta to let down her guard like that (whoops), and when Tear can't answer, goes on to say that that's not going to work in a real battle. It's just because she's among other runts that it'll work from time to time. Tear protests that a win is a win, and Cantabile says that it's a mistake to think of things in terms of "wins" and "losses," and it's because of her attitude that she declared her the loser.
16!Tear muses that at the time, she thought that Cantabile was a horrid bitch, and once or twice thought that she was oppressing her on purpose (help! help! I'm being oppressed!), on account of her connection with Legretta. So in other words, Tear was a normal teenager at one point! Who knew? She also remarks that she came to understand that, while Cantabile was Van's subordinate, their mutual relations were pretty crappy, and figured Cantabile was pushing that onto her, his little sister. The end result was that Tear didn't trust Cantabile in the slightest.
We go back to 14!Tear, who shuts up but still hates it. Cantabile calls her on this, on account of it being written all over her face, and when Tear protests, Cantabile calls her stuck-up for a runt, and asks her if she intends on sliding through because she's the Commandant's sister. Tear says that wasn't her intention, and Cantabile asks her why she wants to join the Oracle Knights. Whoops again. Cantabile goes on to say that if it's because she thought she'd be promoted right away because of her blood relation with Van, and Tear yells that she never thought that--she just wants to work alongside her brother. Cantabile laughs and says Van has a cute sister, and mocks her a bit. Tear is annoyed, and Cantabile adds that she understands why she got the feeling from Tear that her resolve only goes halfway. Tear is offended.
Tales of Fandom vol. 2: Tear's Story (Part 5)
16!Tear muses that she thought that Cantabile was being a bitch for the aforementioned reasons, but knows now that's not why she said what she had. This is because Cantabile goes on to tell Tear that she's got skills, and she's prepared as a soldier too, and admits that Legretta has done a good job mentoring her. But she lacks resolution--in other words, she's still got a little softness left in her, and as long as that's the case, she can't train her to get any better. Tear is less than thrilled by this, and Cantabile goes on to tell her to stop caring about her brother.
Oh, come on, Cantabile.
Tear understandably demands to know what she means by that, and Cantabile says it's exactly what she said; Van's reached a level beyond her understanding, and that in trying to get closer to him, she'll only be forced to know her own powerlessness. 16!Tear reflects that, when she thought about it later, Cantabile's words hit the bull's-eye. However, at the time, she couldn't accept them seriously.
Tear is sullenly rebellious, and Cantabile sees through her silent act, so she tells her if she really wants to see Van again, to go check out the place marked on this map she goes and gets to give to her. Tear is shocked that she's doing this, and Cantabile just says if she doesn't do that much, Tear will never understand. Tear ellipses but takes the map anyway, and 16!Tear mused that Major Cantabile wasn't telling her where Van was out of mere good faith--that she understands that very well now, but back then she was a dumb teenager and didn't think that far; she was too high on the hope that she might see her brother.
We cut to Tear approaching the building, and after wondering if it's some kind of experiment lab, she goes inside to see Van working on something, which 16!Tear comments upon. Tear starts to call out to him, but Van starts talking to himself, and she's shocked to realize, based on what Van is saying, that he's working on hyperresonance research--as you all will recall, Van hates it SOOO HAAAARD. He also mentions fomicry, which I'm sure goes completely over Tear's head, but she still gets truly frightened by how frickin' crazy Van acts when he thinks no one else is around to hear him.
Eventually, Tear confronts him, demanding to know why, if he said that the world doesn't need hyperresonance, he's doing this. Van immediately dons the "nice big brother" act and tells her that she doesn't need to worry and he'll tell her especially what he's doing, and that oh, sure, he's doing this research, but it's BECAUSE he suffered by it that he wants to make sure that nothing wrong is done with it! Apparently the previous Fon Master, Evenos, ordered him into the project to find a way to use it for peace, and while he didn't want to do it at first, he eventually caved because Evenos said that, having lost his home to hyperresonance, he was in the best position to be really careful about it. Tear is going D: through all of this, and says that she heard him saying something about something affecting all of the Outer Lands.
Tear: These really are experiments to be used for peace, right? You're not going to do anything like what happened to Hod, right?
Van: Of course. We must make the Outer Lands endure safely. That, too, is the role of we who know the truth of this world. Do you comprehend now, Tear?
Tear: ......
Van then goes on to point out that since Tear is here, she must have snuck out of the training grounds, and if Cantabile knows that the two of them are together, she'll get really mad. Tear gaspingly apologizes, but Van laughs and tells her he doesn't really mind--she must have been so lonely she couldn't stand it, since he never had the time to see her, and so she came all this way to see him, right? Tear goes, "Uhhhh..." Van tells her to let him take a better look at him, and he remarks that she really looks like their mother now, and Tear ellipses.
16!Tear remarks on her brother's kindness, and how the way he looked so nice then completely contradicted how scary he looked a moment before. 14!Tear wonders if the way Van acted when he didn't know she was there was her true brother. 16!Tear remarks that she couldn't bring herself to question Van, because she felt like if she heard the answer, it would all be over, and she'd never be able to regain what she'd lost again. As such, when Van asks Tear what's the matter, Tear lies and says nothing.
We fade to black, and go into what turns out to be a dream sequence. Tear is watching Van's back as he is walking away, and Tear begs him not to go down that road because he'll never be able to return. After begging and begging, Van finally turns around, and the screen fades to red. Tear wakes up, and we learn that she's been having this dream a lot.
16!Tear muses over things she's, really, already talked about--how Van is scary, she's creeped out by the hyperresonance experiments, blah blah, and 14!Tear wonders what she should do. We go to another test fight, and Tear ends up losing to Larry again. Neither Tear nor Cantabile are very thrilled with this, and 16!Tear remarks more on the situation, and then says as a result she took a certain action.
Tales of Fandom vol. 2: Tear's Story (Part 6)
In other words, she secretly ran away from the academy and returned to Yulia City! She felt that returning to the selenia flower garden in her house would be like returning to the starting point, and that she would be able to put her feelings in order there. When she gets there, she sees Teodoro, who is surprised she didn't know that Van had returned home too--he'd thought that he'd arranged it with her. 16!Tear muses that she'd been really shocked and wondered if Van had realized how she felt, and maybe he came home to talk it out with her directly? She thought that couldn't possibly be the case, but she couldn't help but feel softer towards him. 14!Tear thinks that she should just talk to him, and asks Teodoro where her brother is. She rushes to the selenia garden, and there Van is!
...with Legretta, who remarks that Asch is getting suspicious. Van replies that he's been fastidious over weird things, and that if he knew that he meant to annihilate all of the inhabitants of the Outer Lands, he'd never behave. Tear goes WTF ANNIHILATE!? and Legretta asks if they should have Sync keep an eye on him. The annihilation bit remains a sticking point with Tear for some odd reason, and realizing that her brother really is trying to do something freaking crazy, reveals herself immediately and confronts Van and Legretta.
Legretta is surprised, and Van remarks that she always shows up in places where he least expects her. Tear ignores this and demands to know what the hell this "annihilate" thing is all about, and if it's connected with his hyperresonance experiments. Van tells her she doesn't need to know, and Tear snaps that she's got a right to know. Tear throws his earlier words about an ideal world back in his face, and asks him why he is SO FREAKING CRAZY. Van doesn't respond at first, but then says that he hasn't changed at all; he's simply trying to make his ideals a reality--that he's going to release the people trapped by the Score. He continues his crazy-talk, and asks Tear if she understands now, and she tells him, "NO I DON'T UNDERSTAND!"
Legretta steps in to defend Van, and Tear flips on her, saying that what her brother's doing goes against the Order's teachings and why doesn't she stop him? Legretta ellipses and replies that she's his subordinate so she just does what he says. Tear is horrified, and 16!Tear muses that the Major, whom she'd admired and aspired after so much, seemed like a completely different person. Van tells Legretta that he'll handle this himself and she should go on without him, which Legretta does. Tear tries to stop her, but Van stops Tear, and tells her not to return to the Outer Lands because he doesn't want her to get caught up in this. Tear rebels, naturally, saying that as a human being it's wrong for him to try to do what he's going. Van is amused by this, and asks if he is trying to do that, what will she do--kill him? Tear goes D: and Van throws a sword at her feet and challenges her to strike him down. Tear takes the sword, but when Van challenges her to show the resolution to kill him, she flips out and starts crying, yelling, "There's no way I can do something like that!!"
Then, after a brief standstill, Van switches back into "nice big brother mode" and steps over to Tear, asking what's the matter--he can't understand if she just cries. Tear keeps crying, and Van tells her that she's overthinking things, and when she calms down a little, they'll talk again. He'd like to take his time to talk to her now, but sadly he's got a lot to do, and he's sorry--but he will say that he promises he doesn't want to annihilate humanity or anything, and he wants her to understand at least that.
As Van starts walking away, Tear begs him not to leave, and in her personal comments, she realizes that this is exactly like in her dreams. Eventually she takes up her weapon and screams, "BROTHER, DON'T!!" When Van turns, Tear rushes forward and stabs him. Both Van and Tear are shocked by this.
Tales of Fandom vol. 2: Tear's Story (Part 7)
Van stares at Tear, clutching at his wound, and Tear sobbingly apologizes, babbling that she doesn't know why she did that and she'll heal him right away. Van wonders who made Tear this sad, which makes Tear go "!" and he reassures her that he'll release her from all her sadness right away. Not just her--all of humanity. Tear is horrified again, and Van starts babbling about how he has to do it.
16!Tear remarks on how her brother didn't look at her at all, and when Van leaves, she goes on to remark that she was in such a daze she couldn't do anything but watch and wonder how it all came to this. 14!Tear cries her eyes out, and then we skip ahead to her in the Oracle Knights HQ going to Cantabile's office. Cantabile asks her what she wants, particularly since she thought she hated her, and Tear says she has a request--to place her as one of Grand Maestro Mohs' direct subordinates. Cantabile is surprised by this, and asks for her reason. Tear replies that she has a mission she must complete, and beseeches her, saying that she needs her help. Cantabile is silent, then remarks that Tear's toughened up and gotten herself some resolution, and promises to fulfill her request because her boss (presumably she means Van) is trying to send her off someplace for political reasons, and helping Tear out will help her. Tear thanks Cantabile.
16!Tear muses that had it not been for Cantabile, she could never have gotten close to Mohs and been able to fulfill what she needed to do, and certainly wouldn't be in her current position, and muses that that's what you would call a benefactor. She thinks that she doesn't know the exact reasons why Major Cantabile helped her out, but she took the help unquestioningly. Tear goes on to think that had she been a different person, they probably would have had a much different relationship, but she dismisses the thought.
Tear then goes on to think about what happened after that point--getting help from Major Cantabile, joining up with Mohs, eventually getting the mission from Mohs to search for the Seventh Fonstone, going through Yulia Road to the Outer Lands... Tear repeats the long quote I translated from the first segment, and they really overdid it with the lip flaps here. Tear says, "Here I go," which I believe they translated as "Prepare" in the English version for some reason, and we go to a screen that says, "...To be continued 'TALES OF THE ABYSS'"
Credits run, and we eventually get to the epilogue. Luke asks Tear if she's okay, since she'd been spacing out, and repeats that if there's anything they can help her with... But Tear only apologizes for worrying them and says that she's all right now, and thanks him. Luke says, "Well, okay, but..." Tear gets back to business and says they should look around to try and figure out where they are before they meet up with the others, and Luke goes along with that. When Luke goes, Tear muses that this is no time to think about the past, and that she must do what she must do. At that, the epilogue ends.