Balacruf Mausoleum is a location in Tales of Symphonia. It is located in the world of Sylvarant, and is the location of the Seal of Wind.

History

Past

Throughout the mausoleum, there are several scripts on the walls that give hints on how to make it through the trials. They also tell the history of the Balacruf:

• The world is a giant. Its ruby left hand is the throne of gods. Its emerald right hand is the power of gods. Its pearl white left leg is the calm earth. Its topaz right leg is the rich earth. And its lapis lazuli body is the blue wind princess.
• The Balacruf are people of the wind. They are born with the wind, live with the Summon Spirit, and become as wind when they die.
• The great King of Balacruf, Cleo III, died and was reborn as the king of the wind. The king travels the heavens with the Summon Spirit in past, present and future.
• The holy seal that extols the king flows from the throne of the gods to the rich earth, travels from the power of gods to the calm earth, and when the blue wind princess is born in the center of the world, the holy seal shall also be complete.
• That which the blue wind princess protects heads from the throne and across the rich earth, stands upon the calm earth, and gazes up at the power of gods.
• That which is offered to the throne of gods from the power of gods, makes the rich earth as the calm earth, and arrives at the blue wind princess, will be as if traveling the giant's body in the manner of a clock’s hand.
• The Summon Spirit and the wind that serves it are to be found beyond the carving of the holy seal.

Seal of Wind

When the group enters this historic place after getting the "Balacruf Map" by Linar and the others from Asgard, they are able to get the oracle stone to appear before them. When Colette Brunel puts her hand on the stone, the door to the mausoleum opens, and they enter. When inside, they get warned that there may be a lot of traps there, so they have to be careful. After going through a trial of traps and wind with the Sorcerer's Ring's new wind ability, the party is able to enter further into the ruins. However, while they are passing the doors, the assassin known as Sheena Fujibayashi appears outside and is about to follow them inside. Although Noishe is trying to stop her, Sheena summons Corrine to help her, and she is able to enter the mausoleum.

When the group has gotten through the final room, they will get to the mausoleum's roof. There, the fog that has been there until then disappears with the cyclone that appears on the altar. Then, the fight against the seal's guardian begins. After the party has defeated the guardian, Remiel appears before them and gives Colette more angelic powers, which gives her the Angel Skill, Holy Song. After telling where to go next, he disappears again, and they start going down again. However, when they are about to get close to the exit, Sheena confronts them. Colette, relieved that she is doing fine, approaches the other girl, making Sheena get nervous and tell her to keep away. A new fight starts, ending with Sheena losing. Genis Sage then claims goodness and love will always win. Hearing this, Sheena becomes angry, and claims she is the good one. This confuses everyone, and Sheena states that only "this world" will be saved when Colette releases the final seal, before escaping. Kratos then mumbles something, but does not reveal to the others what he thinks. They then leave the area.

Pact with Sylph

After Sheena has joined the team, it is possible to go and make a pact with Sylph, the Summon Spirit of Wind, after the pact with Undine. This can also be done after the group has destroyed the Remote Island Human Ranch. When appearing before the seal, a silhouette with several wings appears before two other fairy-looking creatures come from behind the silhouette. They are the Sylph, and they accept the challenge from the group. After the fight, they make a pact with Sheena, although Yutis, the oldest one, begs Sheena to keep her vow, as they do not wish to get betrayed again. The pact is then made.

Other Appearances

Tales of Symphonia: The Animation

In Tales of Symphonia: The Animation, the guardian of the seal is seen slightly in the second episode as Genis uses Icicle on it. As it counters the spell, Lloyd and Kratos combine their attacks and finish it off. Colette once again gains more angelic powers, but before they are able to get out, they are trapped inside by Magnius and the Desians, who have surrounded the whole mausoleum. Lloyd, looking outside the window at the many enemies, asks Raine about the history of the Desians and half-elves. Listening to it, he gets angry and blames them for making Colette suffer as she is doing.

On the roof, however, Colette and Kratos are standing, looking over the scenery. They must have been talked about Colette using her angelic powers to stop the Desians, for Kratos reminds her that Remiel told her that as long as her angel transformation is not complete, she cannot properly use her powers without problems. Saying that she will do it anyway, she summons her wings, and begins to use an angelic song that weakens, but does not kill, all the Desians. However, when Lloyd rushes to the roof to stop Colette, Kratos hinders him and tells that it is best for everyone this way. When Lloyd refuses to listen, Kratos says that Colette is enduring great pain by herself while Lloyd cannot even accept his worthlessness, and thus takes it out on everybody else. After hearing this, Lloyd closes his eyes and listens to Colette's song, before it stops. When Colette turns around, her eyes have become dully. Just then, they see Sheena standing behind them, and she helps them to get out through a sewer off-screen.

Some place under the ground, they are taking a pause as Raine is checking on Colette, and Lloyd goes over to Sheena, who is sitting by herself with Corrine, to thank her. However, Sheena says that she is only after Colette before she attacks him with an exploding card. Telling them not to fight back, she gets surprised when Kratos suddenly is before her, using his sword to take the breath out of her. After a short fight where Kratos obviously has the upper hand, Lloyd begs Kratos not to kill her, as they owed her for helping them. Kratos, telling Lloyd that he is too soft, does as he wants. Sheena is then seen walking alone through the sewers with Corrine.

Tales of Symphonia manga

In the Tales of Symphonia manga, they have cut off the battle against the guardian, and instead have gone right to the prayer. When Colette has received her powers and they are outside, they are encountered by Magnius. Telling them that he is going to take Lloyd's Exsphere, he orders his minions to seize them. As Lloyd and Kratos fight them while Genis and Raine Sage use their strength and magic to defend themselves, making Magnius realize that they are not humans. However, instead of shouting that they are elves, he instead says that they are of the same race, in other words, half-elves. Lloyd does not believe this at first, but eventually the Sage siblings admit the truth.

Magnius, attempting to attack Lloyd, tells Genis and Raine that they can join him and the Desians, calling them friends. However, Raine says that, although it is true that they are half-elves, they are different from the Desians, and thus she prepares for a spell. Magnius, furious that they refuse to join, decide to kill them along with the Chosen. But Lloyd defends the siblings, telling Magnius not to compare them with him. As he hurts Magnius badly, the Desian is about to attack Lloyd before Raine uses Photon, mortally wounding him. While he uses his last minutes to wonder why he lost, Kratos stands before him and says that it is because he is a fool, as Cruxis already has accepted Colette as the Chosen. He then mutters how he got tricked by someone named Rodyle before he prays for the "coming age of half-elves", and dies.

Lloyd attempts to talk with Genis and Raine. Genis states that what Magnius said was true, but that the reason they never said anything was because he did not want either him or Colette to hate him. Lloyd then declares that, thinking about how the Desians killed his mother and half-elves are hated, he can say that he also hates them. However, he does not hate Genis and Raine for that, because in his eyes, Raine is still the professor, and Genis is still one of his best friends. Because of that, he does not hate them as Desians. As the Sages are touched by this, Lloyd also adds, in a less serious tone, that they never hated him either, as he, who was raised by a dwarf, was regarded as an outsider of the village. Although they get slightly frustrated by his now unseriousness, they are deeply grateful that they are still accepted.