Tear Grants

Mystearica Aura Fende, better known as Tear Grants is a Seventh Fonist in the military wing of the Order of Lorelei, the religion overseeing the Score. She lost both parents when she was still an infant, and has been raised as a warrior ever since. She is staid and silent, giving her a cold air, but she has a secret weak spot for cute things. A certain incident leads to her joining with Luke on his adventure.

Background
The Fende family was originally from the Island of Hod which was destroyed in the Hod War that left a large portion of the continent devastated by its effects. The island fell into the Qliphoth, taking both Tear's mother who was pregnant with her at the time and Van, her older brother, into the miasma-filled world under Auldrant's crust. The only reason they weren't killed from the miasma is because Van sang one of Yulia's fonic hymns, which saved them from the poisonous gas.

Raised by Van, the Commandant of the God-Generals, and her adopted grandfather, Mayor Teodoro of Yulia City. She quickly joined the Order of Lorelei when she was of age. She is a Locrian Sergeant in the Oracle Knights Intelligence Division, a section of the Oracle of Lorelei that presides over the Score.

Tear's detached demeanor came from her mentor, Legretta the Quick, Van's assistant and one of the Six God-Generals. To this day Tear considers Legretta the reason why she became so cold, concise and calculating - that and wanting Van's approval.

It has been said that Tear and her family are the descendents of Yulia, the original fonist who discovered the Seventh Fonon and as a result, Tear is able to use it. However, unlike those that are able to use the Seventh Fonon, she is currently the only one to date save for Yulia that is able to use the Grand Fonic Hymn, a compilation of seven Fonic hymns, that provide its recipient with increased statistics which makes them more or less invincible for a time.

Mission
At the start of the game, Tear discovers that Van is determined to destroy the main world, and takes an assignment from Grand Maestro Mohs to locate the Seventh Fonstone in order to get to the Outer Lands. Along the way, she crosses through a portal and breaks into the Fabre manor where she finds Van, feigning as young Luke Fon Fabre's swordmaster and mentor, and proceeds to attack him but Luke steps in the way, blocking her assault. Without either Tear or Luke knowing that he possesses the power of the Seventh Fonon, a hyperresonance occurs between them and sends the two into the Malkuth Empire.

Once realizing that they're no longer in Baticul, Tear promises to get Luke back home and they set out not knowing that they are in enemy territory. Just as they make it out of Tataroo Valley and hitch a ride on a passing wagon, they see a Colonel Jade Curtiss' dreadnaught (whom they do not know at the time) chasing another coach across toward the Rotelo Bridge. The coach tosses out some explosive barrels which destroys their quickest way out, forcing Tear and Luke to take shelter in a nearby town known as Engeve, the main farming town of the Malkuth Empire. Once they pass the threshold of the city they find themselves drawn deeper into the plot that threatens to leave Auldrant in its wake.

Personality & Interests
Despite a usually cold demeanor, Tear actually loves anything cute and/or fluffy including Mieu, the bearer of the Sorcerer's Ring. Even in Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology, she thought Eugene Gallardo and Mormo were cute (much to their respective dismays). But dispite this, she is oddly afraid of ghosts.

She is modest about her own body and avoids revealing too much whenever possible. For instance when the Malkuth emperor, Peony IX, gives her a bikini that is too risque for her, she opts out for a rented one piece with a garter belt for her throwing daggers thus giving her the title Rental Beauty. She also gets angry when her body becomes a subject of jokes, for instance, in a skit where Anise Tatlin says she dreams of having grown-up body as well developed as Tear's, Luke blurts out that there's no way Anise could develop "melons" (breasts) as big as hers, and Tear gets embarrassed and immediately scolds the two, forgetting their current situation.

Along with her interests is her romantic interest. Throughout the game, Tear develops feeling for the game's protagonist, Luke fon Fabre. Everyone in the group seems to notice Tear's feeling for Luke, except Luke himself. There have been many hints from the others to Luke that Tear likes him, but all of them seem to fly over Luke's head. The duo has been made fun of by the others in the group. There is a skit when the two are arguing, and Guy Cecil and Anise Tatlin tell the two to break up their "lover's quarrel," which they respond by blushing while they immediately deny it. In a scene in Nam Cobanda Isle, when the group meets another Ant Lion Man, the player is given a choice to say which character is most important to Luke. If the player picks Tear, Tear disappears and Luke starts to panic. When he meets up with her, Luke admits that he was worried about her. Tear blushes and asks if he really was which leads to Luke making up an excuse about why he was worried. This leads to Tear’s disappointment, and Luke calling himself an idiot. Yet, Luke does try to express his affections for her. The night before the group’s final battle, Luke seems to attempt to tell Tear something important, but, in the end, is too nervous to say it.

It also further implicated within his diary that he was going to reveal his love for Tear. However, he decided against it since he believed that announcing his feelings would cause her pain as he was unsure if he would survive past the final battle due to the continuous deterioration of his fonons. They both supported each other when the other was risking their life to save the world. At the very end of the game, after the battle with Van, each member of the party says something to Luke. Tear’s speech is begging Luke to come back after everything is over, and she ends her speech by whispering ‘I love you’ which Luke cannot hear. When "Luke" returns to Tataroo Valley she asks him why he is here. He responds saying "There's a nice view of Hod here, and also I promised someone" which causes Tear to cry as she walks towards him.

Tales of Vesperia
Tear will make a cameo appearance in the Playstation 3 port version of Tales of Vesperia, where her clothes is a costume that can be used by Estellise Sidos Heurassein by equipping the Seventh Fonist title from the pre order bonus package or through the Yulia no Keishousha title from the Playstation Network.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology
Tear is a playable character, classed as a Priest with the "Mysterious Intruder" title. She appears along with Luke, having to cope with the latter's selfishness and arrogance because she feels responsible for taking him out from his safe mansion. While they use their time going around and look for a way to get home, they are in the end asked by Mormo to give them their help while they still are in Terresia. They agree to this, and are afterward available to use as party members in the Ad Libitum chapter in Gavada. While staying there, she shows her interest for cute things, as she becomes obsessed with Mormo and the Gavada-chapter's leader, Eugene from Tales of Rebirth.

It is implied that Luke and Tear reached Terresia though a hyperresonance reaction, much like what spirited them away to Malkuth in the beginning of the game. They also leave through another hyperresonance reaction, making many fans believe that, before landing on Malkuth, they came to Terresia, but forgot about it when they came back to Auldrant.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2
In the next Radiant Mythology-game, Tear will reappear, along with the other Tales of the Abyss-characters, excluding Natalia and including Asch.

Tales of VS
Tear along with most of the characters appears in Tales of VS.