&application for realityshifted;
Player Name: Saffy
Player LJ: presea
Email and/or AIM: namine@feathery.org / inherits the sun
Timezone: PST
Other Characters: Axel [d4] (smolderingdark), Emil [d2] Castagnier (pactum), Daisuke Niwa (insynch), Toki Wartooth (grampasguitars), and Asch the Bloody (promisedsomeone).
Character: Kratos Aurion
Series: Tales of Symphonia
Deviance: 1
Age: At least 4000, probably 5000 (appears 28)
Gender: Male
Species: Human, modified to become an angel
Canon Used: The game and its sequel, with background from Tales of Fandom, some bonus scenes from the manga, and Kratos-y bits from the drama CDs.
Appearance: In his mercenary clothes, Kratos is tall and thin while possessing some actual muscle. His most notable features are an unruly mop of auburn hair, and red-brown eyes that he tends to hide behind his bangs. He has almost no expression, or if he does, it’s usually in a subtle eyebrow or the curve of his mouth. He favors one-handed swords or daggers and carries a buckler into battle, and his capes tend toward the swallow-tailed. A small blue jewel sits in the back of his gloved hand, known as an Exsphere. He looks much younger than he is and is considered handsome-- he has canonical fangirls in Sybak from all his visits there.
He has another outfit he uses exclusively when dealing with Cruxis business, a white and blue-purple mess of belts and tight leather (seriously, I counted around 21) with a similar swallowtail motif. It’s meant to look powerful and draw attention to him since he’s a high ranking angel. And probably symbolize… uh, being tied to his fate.
When threatened, he will reveal his wings. They are not the birdlike ones of a traditional angel. They float more like shattered stained glass, translucent and sparkly as hell, shedding feathers-- but they also flap, and he’s capable of flight like any bird or magic creature. He can hide them at will.
Psychology:
Kratos Aurion is extremely composed, calm, and aloof. He is a man who knows where his towel is. Even in situations that would normally throw people off, he seems to take new developments with grace and composure, and proves himself highly capable in combat and strategy. It immediately earns him respect among his company. However, he is not very open about anything, be it emotions or backstory… to the point where one might call him repressed. Kratos at times seems more like a statue than a person, but he tends to give off an authoritative presence and will take advantage of this when needed. Rarely the first to speak up, he considers his words before speaking, using his position to offer subtle clues to their next destination. He seems to know a lot about everything-- at least when it’s convenient. In this manner, he can be considered calculating, and for good reason: his entire mercenary persona is a carefully-constructed lie.
Nearly everything about Kratos Aurion screams control. His outfit is plain and unassuming, typical attire for a mercenary. His own emotions have been arranged in a way that allows him to think logically and form no emotional attachment to what he’s doing whatsoever. He has power and he knows how to use it, but he never draws attention to himself that way, approaching every problem with about as much enthusiasm as a rock. For hundreds of years, he has watched over the breeding program that creates children for the sole purpose of reviving his dead friend and ending the world. He has cultivated peace in the form of sacrifice-- both metaphorical and literal. And he has purposely guided many of these sacrifices to a terrible death as they failed to house Martel’s soul, while half of his people suffered from the prejudice he once tried to stop. He also has no qualms with lying, whether it be out of convenience or necessity. An unreadable mess of contradictions and calculation, his secrets are not just well-protected: he is castle, cavalry, and garrison. There is an army of demons waiting for Kratos to make another mistake and he does not intend to give them that opportunity, and to his credit, he is very successful at what he does.
Of course, he has more personality than an inanimate object ever could. He is first and foremost a gentleman, a result of his noble upbringing, but unlike stereotypical knights his naiveté has been tempered by four thousand years of watching humans and half-elves enslave and butcher each other. His politeness can range from distantly kind to condescending, sometimes in the same conversation, a trait that aggravates and confuses the hell out of Lloyd. Sometimes he seems defensive and snaps about something else to change the subject, which is an immediate sign of hitting a nerve. Toward those he is at least passingly familiar with, there are hints at a long-buried sense of humor and wit. And for those he cares for, there is wisdom bordering on subtle cynicism and a glimpse of the warmth he’s hidden for an eternity.
Even in anger, Kratos retains some element of restraint. Rarely raising his voice, he channels it into his fighting or sequesters it away completely where it can brew into guilt and shame instead. Grave insults do not go forgotten, however; the man who led to the downfall of Kratos’ only happiness stares straight at Kratos as he insults Lloyd’s father and mother, calling them inferior beings. This infuriates Lloyd, but it gets to Kratos as well. Still, he clenches his fist rather than killing the man on sight and ruining his own cover. Kratos later returns and gets his revenge, relishing a few seconds to slice Kvar into pieces and smoothly proclaim that he would burn in hell. If Kratos shouts it’s usually because he feels threatened or desperate, since he’s trained himself to be cold and unfeeling through everything.
This seemingly invincible fortress of a man has one weakness and that is Lloyd Irving. In the presence of his long-lost son, he contradicts himself frequently, fails to hide some fatherly tendencies, loses nearly all control of his situation, and must deal with his self-indulgent escapism. At times he’ll say something rather personal (for him) in an attempt to reach out, and it will go completely over Lloyd’s head, causing Kratos to retract that statement and confuse Lloyd more. He is torn between shutting Lloyd out completely to save them both from the inevitable pain of Kratos’ betrayal, or embracing the possibility of a new future and taking his son back. Unfortunately, Kratos doesn’t believe that it’s possible to change fate at first. He wants Lloyd to go back into obscurity and live a quiet life in the middle of nowhere. That way, Kratos could continue to pretend he doesn’t see the problems with the world around him-- the world he made.
Kratos isn’t stupid, and he knows how much Lloyd gets to him, yet he continues to welcome this intrusion into his life and encourages him to think differently. Unable to help himself, he offers Lloyd training to become stronger in both swordsmanship and personality, and tempers his son’s initial brattiness with determination to live for a goal. They bicker often. All in all, he’s not very good at hiding his instincts to be a father figure for Lloyd, but Lloyd sees it as a big brother sort of thing and never quite connects the dots until he’s told the truth.
Strangely absent from the mysterious mercenary’s personality is the desire to actually hurt people. He tells Lloyd to bear the weight of the lives he takes. Strange for a man whose job is killing, right? Kratos holds a high appreciation for all life, be it human or half-elf, and can be gentle and actually shy despite his stoic exterior. His companions may have turned their hatred to the world, but Kratos keeps all the hatred for himself. While betraying Lloyd and friends, Kratos’ eyes hold no malicious intent; he hesitates to kill them even though the fight is hardly a challenge and he has his “master” to think about. Truly he is a victim of his situation.
And that’s important. Kratos isn’t a survivor, he’s a victim. His actions throughout the entire game are marked with fatalism and guilt. He admits that he had several chances to kill Mithos and end this four thousand year-old nightmare, but he never could bring himself to do it. He felt that he would be betraying Martel’s wishes even though Mithos’ goals betray her as well. He laments to Lloyd early on that he could not save his own treasured student from despair; the truth is that Kratos couldn’t save himself, either. After being forced to murder his own wife and thinking he’d lost his son, there was no light for him anywhere. Kratos then had several chances to bring out the truth, stop Colette’s sacrifice, and save Lloyd from terrible sadness. And he did nothing. In fact, he only tried to steer them toward the end with more fervor.
Kratos chains himself to his guilt and his fate stubbornly, all the while running away from his responsibilities. Despite warning Lloyd away from a world-saving path, he secretly gathers the materials that his son would need in order to wield the Eternal Sword. When he met Lloyd’s future mother, Kratos had been searching for a way for a human to use it, and now he tossed that destiny onto Lloyd on top of everything else. Even Zelos points out that Kratos is a jerk for leaving all of his problems to his son. The sins of the father are not something he wishes to force upon Lloyd, it’s just that he doesn’t think of himself as worthy of anything. Not Lloyd’s affection and forgiveness, not a normal life-- and he’s definitely not strong enough to save the world. Ironically, Kratos sees himself as little more than a shell whose only worth is in self-sacrifice. In one final act of selfishness, he tries to get Lloyd to kill him, and is absolved of his sins instead.
Kratos fails at everything he tries to do alone. He can’t even buy the satisfaction of dying, and yet he is still capable of throwing himself into something with absolute passion and determination if given a hand up. This was how he loved Anna, and also how he loved Lloyd; during both of those times in his life, he remembered what to fight for and became unstoppable in his own right. Lloyd’s acceptance of Kratos gave him value that the angel hadn’t believed in before, and at last he felt that he could move forward. Unfortunately, without any kind of healthy support system, Kratos is weak, almost too weak to live. It’s clear enough what the loss of Anna did to him; he went right back to the bad memories and the abuse he was used to. For all of his perceived strength, Kratos is without much self-esteem or even a sense of self. He is a coward that relies on other people to solve his problems. By the time he finds a reason for living again, he has lost himself accidentally and then purposefully in the lie he helped create.
His story doesn’t end there, thankfully. With the redemption he finds through Lloyd, Kratos slowly begins to live again. Each piece of armor that wears off is another victory for the young and the hopeful, a triumph for those who took the path Mithos never could. Kratos finally allows himself to find a reason to live besides dying. So maybe, just maybe… he can begin to forgive himself in time.
Other Skills/Abilities:
Kratos was once a human. However, due to the possession of a Cruxis Crystal-- a special kind of soul-sucking power jewel-- and having ingested a special material that gives him the ability to utilize mana, Kratos is just as angelic and magical as any other half-elf turned Seraph. Being an angel of the literal sense, Kratos possesses wings; though they look like stained glass/energy/sparkly/whatever, they really do have feathers. (Don't ask me how that works.)
He also doesn't require eating or sleeping, and his strength and speed are enhanced. He spends the first half of the game pretending to level up with the other characters as the story progresses, then turns around and becomes a boss character who could one-shot everyone in the party if he didn’t care for Lloyd’s well-being. In the OVA, he’s shown annihilating an entire flight of dragons with ONE SPELL. Magic-infused beings such as Kratos can also sense mana signatures (like auras but with magical ability), and angels in particular are gifted with extraordinary sight and hearing. He also does not physically age, so he’s been 28 for a really long time. He sparkles like Edward and is way cooler. (Also, angels can teleport a reasonable distance, but it takes 3-5 seconds and they can't be in the middle of doing something.)
Outside of his magical prowess, he has the advantage of being really old. He’s been a soldier for a long time-- only the cause has changed. Four thousand years ago, he was training other people how to use a sword… so that should give you an idea. He uses a shield in battle and has pretty good range, but he’s a slower to combo than Lloyd. His strikes are sure, smooth, and he hits hard. He also has a nice range of spells, from some saving heals to downright nukes. He can’t put out the raw healing that a dedicated healer can, but he’s self-sufficient, and can be support the party in a pinch.
Other Weaknesses:
He doesn’t have any mental blocks since psychics don’t particularly exist on his world. Removing/tampering with his Cruxis Crystal would certainly cause him a great amount of pain. Draining all of his mana would kill him too, as would something like running a sword through his chest or chopping off his head. Even with the death of the body, however, Kratos’ soul will remain in his Cruxis Crystal. He can take another body or exist without it like a solid spirit, though this is incredibly draining and obviously not a good idea. The only way to kill him off and have his spirit rest for good is to smash the Crystal.
I will admit that I have no idea where his Cruxis Crystal is. The other angels (Zelos, Colette, and Yggdrasill specifically) keep their Cruxis Crystals at the base of their collarbones, but Kratos’ is hidden, probably closer to his heart. He has an Exsphere on his right hand, but there’s no canon indication that it’s a Cruxis Crystal and not an Exsphere. Also, Cruxis Crystals are green or red from what we’ve seen, while Kratos’ Exsphere is blue like Genis’. So canon dictates it must be wherever Yuan put his.
History:
Someone else already did this for me. I’ll elaborate if needed, but pre-canon is rather vague and that hits all the highlights found in the game and in Tales of Fandom 2.
Canon Point: Right before the start of the game. Kratos is in Sylvarant preparing the seals for the Journey of Regeneration, deactivating the more vicious traps meant to keep out thieves, dusting off all the old mechanisms that unlock the altars, etc.
Reality Description:
The world’s old name was Aselia, but with the end of the Kharlan War, the two countries are now worlds of their own. Sylvarant and Tethe’alla occupy the same space without being aware of the other’s existence, a trick of dimensions. At the center of the worlds is the Great Seed, the only remnant of a great tree that once supported the world with magical life force, or mana. Both worlds vie for the limited amount of mana still existing in the world. For thousands of years, one world has flourished with mana while the other declined.
The balance of mana is controlled by way of Summon Spirits, creatures representing various forces of the world and types of mana. The main eight, one for each element, release their seals at the prompt of a Chosen One’s journey, therefore allowing the process to reverse and the Chosen’s world to live again. The Great Kharlan Tree itself once had a guardian/summon spirit named Ratatosk, who is currently asleep in front of the gate to hell, and very pissed after Mithos and companions broke their promise to him. Of note is that there is one big white moon in the sky (depending on what side you’re on, it’s named after the other country) and a smaller, hidden moon that’s actually a comet. Said comet is named Derris-Kharlan, and is where the Great Tree, Summon Spirits, the ancient elves, and mana all came from.
The only people who can use magic are those who have elven blood, or if they’ve been modified with the material Aionis. However, every living thing needs mana to survive and has a unique mana signature. Elves and magically-sensitive types can see this as well as feel different types of mana in the vicinity. Exspheres-- self-aware jewels that enhance one’s power-- are used in Tethe’alla to power their magitechnology. They’re grown on human hosts in Sylvarant.
Sylvarant is backwater. Crops are dying because mana has been declining in that world for a while now, and without Exspheres, magic is rather weak. Tethe’alla is filled with technology and life, though there is quite a bit of poverty warring with the higher class. Religion rules both worlds. The entire framework is supported by the Church of Martel-- or Cruxis, a network of half-elves modified by Exspheres to become angels. From the invisible city above the Tower of Salvation, Cruxis uses religion to rule, and the Desians-- an organization of evil half-elves-- to strike fear into humans. Half-elves outside of the organization are persecuted and chased out of towns, feared for their magic power. In Tethe’alla, they’re even enslaved and kept beneath the Sybak Research Academy. Each world has a specifically-engineered family line designed to produce an heir as close to Martel’s mana signature as possible, so that her Cruxis Crystal can be planted on a suitable human host and she can live again. Male heirs usually don’t take the Journey of Regeneration and instead settle down to have kids at the behest of the Church.
Interestingly enough, there is a lot of Church doctrine around, but records dating from before the Kharlan War are missing. History has been doctored (to the humans and half-elves, anyway) to write out Kratos and Yuan so that they can do their jobs without people going, “Hey, you have the same name as one of Mithos’ the Hero’s companions!” And other assorted things.
Third Person Writing Sample:
Kratos had visited many graves in his long, long lifetime. Many of them he had personally made for the various guardians of the Chosen Ones that failed their journeys, and a few for the ones who had “succeeded” and discovered what Regeneration really meant. Kratos could order other people to dig graves for the fallen. And yet… Kratos insisted on doing it himself. Digging graves didn’t even make him sweat. While he typically refused to think about the people he was burying, by taking the time and care to give them resting places, he was being the exact kind of human and sentimental that he didn’t allow himself to be. He was one of the Four Seraphim, a high angel of Cruxis, a perfect being. Humanity was a weakness he could not afford. It had ended so poorly last time.
The build of this gravestone was alien. He hadn’t made it, but there was much care taken in the carving on the stone, the flowers somehow thriving in the presence of the dead. The name was unmistakable however. He knew this person, and not because he had buried her himself, or led her from seal to seal during a journey of spiritual and literal regeneration. No-- this was his love. His wife, though they’d lacked a real ceremony. He remembered her sweet smile as he slipped the rough silver band onto her finger, and their lips drifted closer…
“Anna…”
He hadn’t dug her a grave. He hadn’t gone back to look for her body or their child, expecting both to be lost over the cliffs above the village. Anna had no grave aside from the one in his heart, and yet… here it was. It made no sense to him even though everything made perfect sense in that moment.
They headed toward Iselia on the heels of a rumor. A dwarf could make a Key Crest and save her life. Yes, he remembered… running, and running. They did so much running. They were so close, and then Kvar found them. It wasn’t even his territory, but Anna--and Kratos by extension--had been marked as his. All of that had been lost that night, until now. The Exsphere, the grave, the boy’s name, the region in which he’d been found, the presence of Noishe… There was no doubt in Kratos’ mind that this was Anna’s son.
His son.
He ignored the faint trembling in his fingers as he lay down a modest tribute of flowers. Straightening once more, he heard Lloyd leave the company of his friends, felt the curious gaze of the completely unsuspecting boy. He knew nothing. Kratos could force him to stay home. Kratos could keep him away from a journey like so many others. This journey would surely wreck whatever miraculous life Lloyd had.
Though he yearned to leave this place as soon as possible, his heart resisted. “I’m sorry,” he breathed. Whether he was apologizing to Anna or to himself, he wasn’t sure.
He had work to do. Kratos composed himself in an instant upon hearing Lloyd’s footsteps headed his way, and his demons retreated for a while. This development wouldn’t change a thing. Lloyd was happy here, and as long as he could be kept out of Kratos’ way, everything would be fine. He repeated this sentiment to himself once more though he knew it was empty.
Now there was a loose end attached to the person he’d painstakingly made himself to be, and it was already beginning to unravel.
Player LJ: presea
Email and/or AIM: namine@feathery.org / inherits the sun
Timezone: PST
Other Characters: Axel [d4] (smolderingdark), Emil [d2] Castagnier (pactum), Daisuke Niwa (insynch), Toki Wartooth (grampasguitars), and Asch the Bloody (promisedsomeone).
Character: Kratos Aurion
Series: Tales of Symphonia
Deviance: 1
Age: At least 4000, probably 5000 (appears 28)
Gender: Male
Species: Human, modified to become an angel
Canon Used: The game and its sequel, with background from Tales of Fandom, some bonus scenes from the manga, and Kratos-y bits from the drama CDs.
Appearance: In his mercenary clothes, Kratos is tall and thin while possessing some actual muscle. His most notable features are an unruly mop of auburn hair, and red-brown eyes that he tends to hide behind his bangs. He has almost no expression, or if he does, it’s usually in a subtle eyebrow or the curve of his mouth. He favors one-handed swords or daggers and carries a buckler into battle, and his capes tend toward the swallow-tailed. A small blue jewel sits in the back of his gloved hand, known as an Exsphere. He looks much younger than he is and is considered handsome-- he has canonical fangirls in Sybak from all his visits there.
He has another outfit he uses exclusively when dealing with Cruxis business, a white and blue-purple mess of belts and tight leather (seriously, I counted around 21) with a similar swallowtail motif. It’s meant to look powerful and draw attention to him since he’s a high ranking angel. And probably symbolize… uh, being tied to his fate.
When threatened, he will reveal his wings. They are not the birdlike ones of a traditional angel. They float more like shattered stained glass, translucent and sparkly as hell, shedding feathers-- but they also flap, and he’s capable of flight like any bird or magic creature. He can hide them at will.
Psychology:
Kratos Aurion is extremely composed, calm, and aloof. He is a man who knows where his towel is. Even in situations that would normally throw people off, he seems to take new developments with grace and composure, and proves himself highly capable in combat and strategy. It immediately earns him respect among his company. However, he is not very open about anything, be it emotions or backstory… to the point where one might call him repressed. Kratos at times seems more like a statue than a person, but he tends to give off an authoritative presence and will take advantage of this when needed. Rarely the first to speak up, he considers his words before speaking, using his position to offer subtle clues to their next destination. He seems to know a lot about everything-- at least when it’s convenient. In this manner, he can be considered calculating, and for good reason: his entire mercenary persona is a carefully-constructed lie.
Nearly everything about Kratos Aurion screams control. His outfit is plain and unassuming, typical attire for a mercenary. His own emotions have been arranged in a way that allows him to think logically and form no emotional attachment to what he’s doing whatsoever. He has power and he knows how to use it, but he never draws attention to himself that way, approaching every problem with about as much enthusiasm as a rock. For hundreds of years, he has watched over the breeding program that creates children for the sole purpose of reviving his dead friend and ending the world. He has cultivated peace in the form of sacrifice-- both metaphorical and literal. And he has purposely guided many of these sacrifices to a terrible death as they failed to house Martel’s soul, while half of his people suffered from the prejudice he once tried to stop. He also has no qualms with lying, whether it be out of convenience or necessity. An unreadable mess of contradictions and calculation, his secrets are not just well-protected: he is castle, cavalry, and garrison. There is an army of demons waiting for Kratos to make another mistake and he does not intend to give them that opportunity, and to his credit, he is very successful at what he does.
Of course, he has more personality than an inanimate object ever could. He is first and foremost a gentleman, a result of his noble upbringing, but unlike stereotypical knights his naiveté has been tempered by four thousand years of watching humans and half-elves enslave and butcher each other. His politeness can range from distantly kind to condescending, sometimes in the same conversation, a trait that aggravates and confuses the hell out of Lloyd. Sometimes he seems defensive and snaps about something else to change the subject, which is an immediate sign of hitting a nerve. Toward those he is at least passingly familiar with, there are hints at a long-buried sense of humor and wit. And for those he cares for, there is wisdom bordering on subtle cynicism and a glimpse of the warmth he’s hidden for an eternity.
Even in anger, Kratos retains some element of restraint. Rarely raising his voice, he channels it into his fighting or sequesters it away completely where it can brew into guilt and shame instead. Grave insults do not go forgotten, however; the man who led to the downfall of Kratos’ only happiness stares straight at Kratos as he insults Lloyd’s father and mother, calling them inferior beings. This infuriates Lloyd, but it gets to Kratos as well. Still, he clenches his fist rather than killing the man on sight and ruining his own cover. Kratos later returns and gets his revenge, relishing a few seconds to slice Kvar into pieces and smoothly proclaim that he would burn in hell. If Kratos shouts it’s usually because he feels threatened or desperate, since he’s trained himself to be cold and unfeeling through everything.
This seemingly invincible fortress of a man has one weakness and that is Lloyd Irving. In the presence of his long-lost son, he contradicts himself frequently, fails to hide some fatherly tendencies, loses nearly all control of his situation, and must deal with his self-indulgent escapism. At times he’ll say something rather personal (for him) in an attempt to reach out, and it will go completely over Lloyd’s head, causing Kratos to retract that statement and confuse Lloyd more. He is torn between shutting Lloyd out completely to save them both from the inevitable pain of Kratos’ betrayal, or embracing the possibility of a new future and taking his son back. Unfortunately, Kratos doesn’t believe that it’s possible to change fate at first. He wants Lloyd to go back into obscurity and live a quiet life in the middle of nowhere. That way, Kratos could continue to pretend he doesn’t see the problems with the world around him-- the world he made.
Kratos isn’t stupid, and he knows how much Lloyd gets to him, yet he continues to welcome this intrusion into his life and encourages him to think differently. Unable to help himself, he offers Lloyd training to become stronger in both swordsmanship and personality, and tempers his son’s initial brattiness with determination to live for a goal. They bicker often. All in all, he’s not very good at hiding his instincts to be a father figure for Lloyd, but Lloyd sees it as a big brother sort of thing and never quite connects the dots until he’s told the truth.
Strangely absent from the mysterious mercenary’s personality is the desire to actually hurt people. He tells Lloyd to bear the weight of the lives he takes. Strange for a man whose job is killing, right? Kratos holds a high appreciation for all life, be it human or half-elf, and can be gentle and actually shy despite his stoic exterior. His companions may have turned their hatred to the world, but Kratos keeps all the hatred for himself. While betraying Lloyd and friends, Kratos’ eyes hold no malicious intent; he hesitates to kill them even though the fight is hardly a challenge and he has his “master” to think about. Truly he is a victim of his situation.
And that’s important. Kratos isn’t a survivor, he’s a victim. His actions throughout the entire game are marked with fatalism and guilt. He admits that he had several chances to kill Mithos and end this four thousand year-old nightmare, but he never could bring himself to do it. He felt that he would be betraying Martel’s wishes even though Mithos’ goals betray her as well. He laments to Lloyd early on that he could not save his own treasured student from despair; the truth is that Kratos couldn’t save himself, either. After being forced to murder his own wife and thinking he’d lost his son, there was no light for him anywhere. Kratos then had several chances to bring out the truth, stop Colette’s sacrifice, and save Lloyd from terrible sadness. And he did nothing. In fact, he only tried to steer them toward the end with more fervor.
Kratos chains himself to his guilt and his fate stubbornly, all the while running away from his responsibilities. Despite warning Lloyd away from a world-saving path, he secretly gathers the materials that his son would need in order to wield the Eternal Sword. When he met Lloyd’s future mother, Kratos had been searching for a way for a human to use it, and now he tossed that destiny onto Lloyd on top of everything else. Even Zelos points out that Kratos is a jerk for leaving all of his problems to his son. The sins of the father are not something he wishes to force upon Lloyd, it’s just that he doesn’t think of himself as worthy of anything. Not Lloyd’s affection and forgiveness, not a normal life-- and he’s definitely not strong enough to save the world. Ironically, Kratos sees himself as little more than a shell whose only worth is in self-sacrifice. In one final act of selfishness, he tries to get Lloyd to kill him, and is absolved of his sins instead.
Kratos fails at everything he tries to do alone. He can’t even buy the satisfaction of dying, and yet he is still capable of throwing himself into something with absolute passion and determination if given a hand up. This was how he loved Anna, and also how he loved Lloyd; during both of those times in his life, he remembered what to fight for and became unstoppable in his own right. Lloyd’s acceptance of Kratos gave him value that the angel hadn’t believed in before, and at last he felt that he could move forward. Unfortunately, without any kind of healthy support system, Kratos is weak, almost too weak to live. It’s clear enough what the loss of Anna did to him; he went right back to the bad memories and the abuse he was used to. For all of his perceived strength, Kratos is without much self-esteem or even a sense of self. He is a coward that relies on other people to solve his problems. By the time he finds a reason for living again, he has lost himself accidentally and then purposefully in the lie he helped create.
His story doesn’t end there, thankfully. With the redemption he finds through Lloyd, Kratos slowly begins to live again. Each piece of armor that wears off is another victory for the young and the hopeful, a triumph for those who took the path Mithos never could. Kratos finally allows himself to find a reason to live besides dying. So maybe, just maybe… he can begin to forgive himself in time.
Other Skills/Abilities:
Kratos was once a human. However, due to the possession of a Cruxis Crystal-- a special kind of soul-sucking power jewel-- and having ingested a special material that gives him the ability to utilize mana, Kratos is just as angelic and magical as any other half-elf turned Seraph. Being an angel of the literal sense, Kratos possesses wings; though they look like stained glass/energy/sparkly/whatever, they really do have feathers. (Don't ask me how that works.)
He also doesn't require eating or sleeping, and his strength and speed are enhanced. He spends the first half of the game pretending to level up with the other characters as the story progresses, then turns around and becomes a boss character who could one-shot everyone in the party if he didn’t care for Lloyd’s well-being. In the OVA, he’s shown annihilating an entire flight of dragons with ONE SPELL. Magic-infused beings such as Kratos can also sense mana signatures (like auras but with magical ability), and angels in particular are gifted with extraordinary sight and hearing. He also does not physically age, so he’s been 28 for a really long time. He sparkles like Edward and is way cooler. (Also, angels can teleport a reasonable distance, but it takes 3-5 seconds and they can't be in the middle of doing something.)
Outside of his magical prowess, he has the advantage of being really old. He’s been a soldier for a long time-- only the cause has changed. Four thousand years ago, he was training other people how to use a sword… so that should give you an idea. He uses a shield in battle and has pretty good range, but he’s a slower to combo than Lloyd. His strikes are sure, smooth, and he hits hard. He also has a nice range of spells, from some saving heals to downright nukes. He can’t put out the raw healing that a dedicated healer can, but he’s self-sufficient, and can be support the party in a pinch.
Other Weaknesses:
He doesn’t have any mental blocks since psychics don’t particularly exist on his world. Removing/tampering with his Cruxis Crystal would certainly cause him a great amount of pain. Draining all of his mana would kill him too, as would something like running a sword through his chest or chopping off his head. Even with the death of the body, however, Kratos’ soul will remain in his Cruxis Crystal. He can take another body or exist without it like a solid spirit, though this is incredibly draining and obviously not a good idea. The only way to kill him off and have his spirit rest for good is to smash the Crystal.
I will admit that I have no idea where his Cruxis Crystal is. The other angels (Zelos, Colette, and Yggdrasill specifically) keep their Cruxis Crystals at the base of their collarbones, but Kratos’ is hidden, probably closer to his heart. He has an Exsphere on his right hand, but there’s no canon indication that it’s a Cruxis Crystal and not an Exsphere. Also, Cruxis Crystals are green or red from what we’ve seen, while Kratos’ Exsphere is blue like Genis’. So canon dictates it must be wherever Yuan put his.
History:
Someone else already did this for me. I’ll elaborate if needed, but pre-canon is rather vague and that hits all the highlights found in the game and in Tales of Fandom 2.
Canon Point: Right before the start of the game. Kratos is in Sylvarant preparing the seals for the Journey of Regeneration, deactivating the more vicious traps meant to keep out thieves, dusting off all the old mechanisms that unlock the altars, etc.
Reality Description:
The world’s old name was Aselia, but with the end of the Kharlan War, the two countries are now worlds of their own. Sylvarant and Tethe’alla occupy the same space without being aware of the other’s existence, a trick of dimensions. At the center of the worlds is the Great Seed, the only remnant of a great tree that once supported the world with magical life force, or mana. Both worlds vie for the limited amount of mana still existing in the world. For thousands of years, one world has flourished with mana while the other declined.
The balance of mana is controlled by way of Summon Spirits, creatures representing various forces of the world and types of mana. The main eight, one for each element, release their seals at the prompt of a Chosen One’s journey, therefore allowing the process to reverse and the Chosen’s world to live again. The Great Kharlan Tree itself once had a guardian/summon spirit named Ratatosk, who is currently asleep in front of the gate to hell, and very pissed after Mithos and companions broke their promise to him. Of note is that there is one big white moon in the sky (depending on what side you’re on, it’s named after the other country) and a smaller, hidden moon that’s actually a comet. Said comet is named Derris-Kharlan, and is where the Great Tree, Summon Spirits, the ancient elves, and mana all came from.
The only people who can use magic are those who have elven blood, or if they’ve been modified with the material Aionis. However, every living thing needs mana to survive and has a unique mana signature. Elves and magically-sensitive types can see this as well as feel different types of mana in the vicinity. Exspheres-- self-aware jewels that enhance one’s power-- are used in Tethe’alla to power their magitechnology. They’re grown on human hosts in Sylvarant.
Sylvarant is backwater. Crops are dying because mana has been declining in that world for a while now, and without Exspheres, magic is rather weak. Tethe’alla is filled with technology and life, though there is quite a bit of poverty warring with the higher class. Religion rules both worlds. The entire framework is supported by the Church of Martel-- or Cruxis, a network of half-elves modified by Exspheres to become angels. From the invisible city above the Tower of Salvation, Cruxis uses religion to rule, and the Desians-- an organization of evil half-elves-- to strike fear into humans. Half-elves outside of the organization are persecuted and chased out of towns, feared for their magic power. In Tethe’alla, they’re even enslaved and kept beneath the Sybak Research Academy. Each world has a specifically-engineered family line designed to produce an heir as close to Martel’s mana signature as possible, so that her Cruxis Crystal can be planted on a suitable human host and she can live again. Male heirs usually don’t take the Journey of Regeneration and instead settle down to have kids at the behest of the Church.
Interestingly enough, there is a lot of Church doctrine around, but records dating from before the Kharlan War are missing. History has been doctored (to the humans and half-elves, anyway) to write out Kratos and Yuan so that they can do their jobs without people going, “Hey, you have the same name as one of Mithos’ the Hero’s companions!” And other assorted things.
Third Person Writing Sample:
Kratos had visited many graves in his long, long lifetime. Many of them he had personally made for the various guardians of the Chosen Ones that failed their journeys, and a few for the ones who had “succeeded” and discovered what Regeneration really meant. Kratos could order other people to dig graves for the fallen. And yet… Kratos insisted on doing it himself. Digging graves didn’t even make him sweat. While he typically refused to think about the people he was burying, by taking the time and care to give them resting places, he was being the exact kind of human and sentimental that he didn’t allow himself to be. He was one of the Four Seraphim, a high angel of Cruxis, a perfect being. Humanity was a weakness he could not afford. It had ended so poorly last time.
The build of this gravestone was alien. He hadn’t made it, but there was much care taken in the carving on the stone, the flowers somehow thriving in the presence of the dead. The name was unmistakable however. He knew this person, and not because he had buried her himself, or led her from seal to seal during a journey of spiritual and literal regeneration. No-- this was his love. His wife, though they’d lacked a real ceremony. He remembered her sweet smile as he slipped the rough silver band onto her finger, and their lips drifted closer…
“Anna…”
He hadn’t dug her a grave. He hadn’t gone back to look for her body or their child, expecting both to be lost over the cliffs above the village. Anna had no grave aside from the one in his heart, and yet… here it was. It made no sense to him even though everything made perfect sense in that moment.
They headed toward Iselia on the heels of a rumor. A dwarf could make a Key Crest and save her life. Yes, he remembered… running, and running. They did so much running. They were so close, and then Kvar found them. It wasn’t even his territory, but Anna--and Kratos by extension--had been marked as his. All of that had been lost that night, until now. The Exsphere, the grave, the boy’s name, the region in which he’d been found, the presence of Noishe… There was no doubt in Kratos’ mind that this was Anna’s son.
His son.
He ignored the faint trembling in his fingers as he lay down a modest tribute of flowers. Straightening once more, he heard Lloyd leave the company of his friends, felt the curious gaze of the completely unsuspecting boy. He knew nothing. Kratos could force him to stay home. Kratos could keep him away from a journey like so many others. This journey would surely wreck whatever miraculous life Lloyd had.
Though he yearned to leave this place as soon as possible, his heart resisted. “I’m sorry,” he breathed. Whether he was apologizing to Anna or to himself, he wasn’t sure.
He had work to do. Kratos composed himself in an instant upon hearing Lloyd’s footsteps headed his way, and his demons retreated for a while. This development wouldn’t change a thing. Lloyd was happy here, and as long as he could be kept out of Kratos’ way, everything would be fine. He repeated this sentiment to himself once more though he knew it was empty.
Now there was a loose end attached to the person he’d painstakingly made himself to be, and it was already beginning to unravel.