Categories > Games > Chrono Trigger > Sins of Our Fathers
Part 1, Chapter 4
2 reviewsShortly after returning from destroying Lavos, Magus finds himself trapped in 600 AD, and miserably bored. That is, until a mysterious monster escapes from the Void, a prison created in the age of ...
2Original
Sins of Our Fathers
Part 1, Chapter 4
It was only a few minutes more before Magus and Frog reached the top of the stairs. They exited the staircase with a turn to their left and came to the doorway of the room that in four hundred years would become the place of which the law would be executed by judge and jury. Magus reached out and grabbed the doorknob. He hesitated for a moment, though unsure why, and looked down and behind him at Frog who seemed to give Magus a look of curiosity before nodding for Magus to open the door. He did, and with a creak the door swung open, revealing an unlit, unkept room that served as the storage house for the Kingdom's books.
Magus entered the room and as he looked around he couldn't believe how many books filled the shelves. The entire room was filled with bookshelves built in a circular pattern. It was a rather narrow fit in between the great shelves, but in the center of the room a space opened up that contained a large round table with six chairs neatly tucked under it. As he approached the table, Magus noticed that although he was able to navigate through the room it was much too dark for any reading.
"Why do blasted people make a library that's too dark to read in?" he muttered. Just the he noticed that the Frog was no longer behind him. "Where in the devil?.."
There was a snap on the other side of the room, which was followed by a large crash and a flood of light as what appeared to be a giant canvas-like curtain crashed down, revealing a large square window. Magus walked through the bookshelves to where the curtain fell and sure enough he found a small flailing person trapped underneath. Magus had a hard time stifling his laughter.
"Having problems?" he asked. The answer he got was less than pleasant, but he had to admit, it was colorful. The solution they had come up with was simply to cut a hole in the curtain near Frog. Frog had at first protested this idea, but Magus cut the hole anyway, citing a lack of time.
Once that was sorted out the two returned to the center of the library. "How will we go about the search for thy book Magus?" Frog asked.
"Well since we know that any book of use to us will have to be protected by magic to have survived, I'll use a simple spell to highlight any magic objects in the room." the mage said as he brought the spell to mind. "En dastra `a illumito!"
"And what, pray tell, will be different?" Frog asked.
"Look at your sword." Magus said. Frog looked to the sword at his hip and gasped slightly when he saw that the MasaMune was glowing a faint blue.
"Tis glowing?" Magus nodded.
"Tis itchy!" the sword chimed irately.
"It's only temporary, get over it," Magus said. "Now, Frog we should split up and search the room. Look everywhere, even behind the stacks and in between the shelves." Frog nodded and turned to the section near the door. Magus decided that it would be most efficient to start by the window and work his way to the center.
After about an hour of digging through shelves, Magus had finally found a glowing book stuck between the top of the two shelves nearest to the center of the room. He was about to say something when a stumbling stack of glowing books walked into the center area. The books crashed on the desk, revealing their carrier; Frog.
Magus pulled a chair out and sat down, mouth agape at the dozen glowing books as the glow faded away. "Thy only found one?" Frog asked.
"I was only expecting one." Magus snapped. "Ugh, this could take awhile." Just as Magus reached for the first book there was a large boom that shook the room. "What the hell?"
A soldier burst into the room and through the shelves to stand panting in front of the two bewildered guests. "Sirs, there's a giant mob outside the city..."
Magus' eyes widened. He then turned to Frog and said, "It's here. Go get the Queen, she's the only person protected...or so I'm assuming." Frog nodded. The soldier followed Frog out the door and said something to the Frog about the King. Magus hoped the knight was smart enough to know that the King would be more of a liability than an asset, but all he could do was site here and try to sort through the books.
The first book appeared to be some sort of history book, which, for the moment had no interest to Magus. Perhaps another time. He reached for the second book and pulled it close. When he opened the book flames leapt up from the pages. Magus yelled in surprise and slammed the book shut. Cursing, he threw the book across the middle area. It was then that he realized that some of his long, Zealian hair had caught on fire. He cursed again and frantically patted out the flames.
Drawing the next book close to himself, Magus took a deep breath and opened it. At first glance the book appeared to be the correct one, but further examination revealed that while this was a detailed account of many of the Guru Gaspar's experiments, nothing was mentioned about this monster called Kazar. As he opened the next book he heard someone come in the room. Glancing up, Magus saw that it was the Frog with Queen Leene in tote.
"What took so long?" Magus asked.
"Tis a bit unruly out there." Frog replied.
"Barricade the door." Magus said as he looked back down at the books. Frog nodded and went back towards the door. As Magus skimmed through the book he could feel the intense gaze of Queen Leene who sat on the opposite side of the table. Finding nothing of interest, he closed the book and looked up to see the Queen still staring; she was a bit red in the face as well...was she mad? "Yes?" he said.
"Who gave you the right to order people around?" she asked.
"Well unless you or the Frog can read ancient Zealian, I thin it'd be best if I stayed here and he ran errands. Besides that's why he's here, well, that and the sword of his..." Magus flipped the book he had just finished reviewing across the table and picked up the next one. He didn't even have to look to appreciate the surprise of Queen Leene as she opened the book and gasped when she found them to be just what Magus had said, an ancient language.
The next few books were useless. One was gibberish about Earthbound farming, one surprised him with a spout of water, and another was a description of how the Giga Gaia held up Mt. Woe. Queen Leene picked up one of the remaining books and squealed when a burst of air shot out of it in her face.
"Throw that one over there," Magus said, pointing to a pile of books that held no interest to him. He picked out the ninth book as he heard Frog come back.
"That took a long time." Magus said as he skimmed through the pages of the book.
"Tis beginning to worsen." the knight said.
"Yes I'd supposed it is, how's the sky look?"
"Tis clear for the moment but night begins to fall."
"Not quite." Magus said as he closed the book and discarded it. "It should only be about mid afternoon. It's that thing. It's like a cloud of darkness; it's how he controls the mob."
"What thing?" Leene asked.
Magus nodded to Frog. "Have him explain, I'm busy."
As Frog explained the situation, Leene became more and more frightened. "But...but if it got him we'd be safe?" she asked.
"Afraid not." Frog replied. "My demise would surely follow, after that the Mystics and eventually all else because all have magic within."
Magus nodded as he closed the last of the books. "He's right, besides, Hell itself couldn't claim me right now; I'm not ready to die."
"Hath thou found anything of use?" Frog asked.
Magus shook his head. "Not yet, there's one book I may have overlooked something, but if not we could be on our own." Frog nodded solemnly as he patted Leene gently on the shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. It was a strange bond between the two, Magus thought. And from what he had heard, were it not for a bizarre twist of fate that forced a bankrupt trader to marry off his daughter the two would likely be married. That, however, was a different story for another time. Magus opened the book that he had first looked at. The history book.
Just then there was a boom as something, or someone, slammed into the library door. Magus looked up to Frog a bit startled and nodded towards the door, his request unspoken. Frog nodded, gave Leene's shoulder one more squeeze, and turned towards the door drawing the MasaMune as he entered the path to the door.
Magus shook his head and frantically began skimming through the massive load of content. He was halfway through and had still found nothing. Perhaps he was wrong in believing that the gurus would leave a record like this survive. They had done more foolish things in their arrogance. But something nagged at him, he didn't believe his father would allow arrogance to cloud his judgment. He had been a cautious man until his love betrayed him and he was destroyed by the monster that she had become. Magus didn't know this for sure, but it was what he always believed as a child, and no one had told him otherwise so he felt he must be close. He was about three quarters of the way finished with the book when he came upon an interesting entry that seemed to be hand-written by his father himself.
22nd day of winter, 5th Zealian Year
There are times when every man must question himself. Who he is, what he believes in, and why he lives while others must die. Zealians already are beginning to forget where they come from, who they are. They believe that since they have accepted this new power and the technology we've created that they are more than our brothers who either don't posses or shun the magic. And so, they live up here among the clouds while our other brothers and sisters are exiled; Earthbound.
I protested greatly when the subject was first brought up, but recent conflicts between the foolish on either side it seems that these things are out of my hands.
On another note, the gurus believe that they can give the Earthbound ones the magic of Zeal should they accept it. I have been invited to view the experiment which shall be performed on a willing Earthbound who was locked up for her involvement in a dispute over the matter of exile. I'm told the girl's name is Kazar, and that the experiment will take place on the morrow. Magus stopped for a moment, staring at the heavily underlined name of the girl; Kazar, the name of the thing that chased him now. The entry seemed to go on, but did not talk any more about the girl or the experiment. He moved on to the next entry a few pages later.
23rd day of winter, 5th Zealian year
All seems well in the Kingdom of Zeal. I attended the guru's experiment this morning, and it seemed to go very well. I am told it will take a few days observation to tell for sure, but the girl seems to now have the ability to control a new type of magic the gurus are calling Shadow magic. This magic seems to be a blend of the three standard elements (fire, water, and lightning) and a dark magic that is the Shadow. Magus' brow furrowed and sweat began to collect on his forehead. He could feel the Queen's questioning gaze from across the table, but didn't bother to address her concern. At the same time the sound of the library door splintering echoed throughout the room. He was quickly running out of time.
24th day of winter, 5th Zealian Year
It seems that the girl Kazar, who took place in the guru's experiment yesterday, had actually slipped her consciousness from her body. The guru's cannot at this time explain, but even outside the body Kazar seems to have the ability to communicate. She has told the gurus that she doesn't know how or have any memory of exiting her body. It is an enigma that...Magus flipped the page. The book now appeared to stray away from the entries written by King Zeal and back to the format resembling a textbook.
The experiment performed by the four gurus succeeded in giving the Earthbound Kazar magical abilities. Unfortunately, in the process a rift was formed between body and soul, expelling Kazar and forcing her to become a cloud of dark energy held together by a few shreds of reality, a heart if you will, composed of the few fibers of he being left in tact.
Life went on for the woman, and for a few weeks it seemed to be that she would be fine, conscious but without body. About a season later, however, her consciousness began to deteriorate. She began to refer to herself as It instead of 'me' or 'I'. She lost all memory of loved ones and hated ones, she lived for one purpose; her unending hunger for magic. The first time she had attacked, nobody knew how the essence of a person could be sucked from Its body. After the third time, Kazar somehow found a way to make herself whole again. Though she was unable to repossess her body, she could take that of her victims. When she was first discovered in the body of an experimenter named David, the palace went into an uproar. Kazar, inside the body of David, was imprisoned while it was decided what to do with her.
The prison did not hold her, however, as she slipped from her new body and consumed three more people. It was then decided the only thing to do was banish Kazar into the void. She was then lured into a trap set up by the King and four gurus who cast a strong magic spell, banishing the entity to the void forever.
Should she ever return, the gurus devised a plan to destroy her. The book went on to describe the method devised by the gurus. Just what Magus had hoped for! He hoped the gurus' theories were correct. Slamming the book shut he leapt up from his chair, causing it to tip over. "Is there another way out of here?" he asked Leene. The Queen shook her head as she stood.
"No, Glenn is guarding the only entrance." she replied.
"We're going to make one then." he thought. "Stay here." Magus tucked the hook under a strap on his chest plate and found Frog in between the two nearest bookshelves, using the narrow space to keep the possessed guards out.
"I've got something, let's go!" Magus yelled.
"Tis the only exit!" Frog replied as he jumped over an attacker's sword and bashed the man in the side of the head with the flat of the MasaMune.
"We don't have time for this," Magus muttered. He reached out and grabbed the knights cloak and began running back towards the center are.
"What are ye doing?" Frog asked as the mage drug him along.
"Getting out of here." Magus said. He reached the center in moments and with his free hand grabbed Queen Leene by the waist and kept running.
"What are you doing? Put me down this instant!" the Queen screamed.
"I'm getting us out of here!" Magus said once again as they approached the giant window. Magus began to fly while in stride, sending the three sailing through the window. The glass exploded, and once on the other side there was nothing for about a hundred feet straight down. Leene screamed and tightened her grip on Magus who flew them to the ground. Once back on solid ground Leene let go of Magus and separated herself from the mage. Frog stood and brushed the dirt from his pants.
"Well done Magus." he said.
"Don't thank me yet." Magus said. Frog looked up to see Magus looking uneasily all around them. Turning his head he saw their plight; they were surrounded. Hundreds of blank stares groans and began to converge on the trio. At the same time a familiar cloud of darkness hovered above the controlled humans. Frog raised the MasaMune and positioned himself between the crowd and his Queen.
"This would be a most supreme time for thy plan." Frog said as he took a defensive battle stance. Magus nodded and drew his scythe from beneath his cloak.
"Hold them back for a few moments." Frog croaked in reply, and then summoning his magic created a tidal wave the swept away part of the mob. He then turned his attention to the other side of the mob, meanwhile, Magus, using the bottom edge of his scythe carved a rune circle into the earth. It took a few minutes, but when it was done the circle glowed faintly and hummed as its magical power came to life. Magus turned to the Queen. "Stand there." he said pointing to the circle. Leene hesitated for a moment, but did as she was told. Once inside the circle, light swirled around her and the hum of the circle increased. "You must hold the pendant and call Its power!" Magus yelled over the increasingly loud noise. Leene nodded and pulled the blue pendant from her dress and held it tight as she closed her eyes and bowed her head. Blue light shone bright within the circle and the humming still increased. As the noise increased, the mob slowly began to stop advancing. "It's working!" Magus yelled. The light given off by the pendant then exploded in a supernova which blinded everyone and everything that could have had hostile intentions against the three for miles.
The hum of the rune circle died out. "Does this mean the effect is through?" he wondered. As his vision came back to him, he saw that all save one of the members of the mob were on the ground, motionless. Also it appeared that the rune circle was gone, and Leene was also lying on the ground unmoving. Magus saw Frog run to her and kneel next to her, extending a hand to check for her life signs.
"She lives, though is much too exhausted to do anything more." Frog said.
"It's likely for the best, she's done all she can, besides, the pendant is out of any helpful amount of power." Magus replied. Frog stood and joined Magus in overlooking the fallen mob.
"Is that?..." Frog asked pointing to the lane standing person off in the distance. Magus nodded.
"Yes that is...or was, Flea. It is now Kazar, and abomination created through the foolhardy experiments performed by the gurus. She is one of many, the Sins of out Fathers." Frog nodded and lifted the MasaMune's tip from the ground.
"Shall we?" he asked, looking up to Magus. Magus lifted his scythe into a more suitable battle position and nodded. The two began walking towards Kazar who still stood exactly where it first had as if confused. When Frog and Magus were within twenty feet of the monster Magus stopped, motioning for Frog to do the same.
"Kazar of Zeal. I am Janus, son of the King Zeal, Magus of the time 600 AD, one of the destroyers of the demon Lavos. As your lord and master, I shall carry out the sentence told to you eons ago when you were first banished. The punishment for your return is oblivion." A smile crept on to the face of Kazar and it began to laugh. Magus frowned and lowered the point of his scythe so that it was level with Kazar's head.
"It shall be most entertained." the monster said as it tilted its head to one side. Magus looked upon the monster horrified as the eyes rolled back into the monsters head and returned, black as night. Black steam billowed off the monster as its aura radiated. "DIE!" The monster lashed out so quickly Magus was barely able to block the punch. The force of the blow snapped the blade of his scythe off and sent it flying. As he fell back, Magus twirled what was left of his weapon and snapped it across the head of the monster, the blow sending Kazar flying to the ground. Magus then flipped and landed on his feet, skidding to a stop. Kazar pulled itself to its feet and grinned at Magus who grinned in spite of himself. Looking beyond the monster, Magus saw what it was grinning about. Frog charged towards the back of the seemingly unsuspecting enemy. Magus yelled but it was too late, before Frog could strike the monster whipped around, dodged the blade of the MasaMune and kicked Frog across the side of the head, sending the knight flying. When the dust cleared from Frog's impact, Magus saw that the knight still was motionless. Kazar turned towards Magus, a menacing grin upon Its face. It lifted a hand towards Magus, whose eyes grew big as a column of darkness exploded towards him. The column hit him square in the chest, sending him flying into the forest outside the castle boundaries. Magus flew until his momentum was stopped by a nearby tree which exploded on contact.
Wheezing in an attempt to get the air back into his lungs, Magus struggled to stand. As he watched Kazar approach he remembered the disguise, which he now dropped, hoping the little extra energy would boost his fighting ability. It wasn't enough, he needed a plan. His mind racing, he could only come up with one solution. "Ras dey na ein nora takashir exis dominas..." Suddenly the monster was on top of him, its female hand wrapped around his throat.
"Not this time." the dark voice growled. Magus gasped for air as the monster kept him pinned up against the destroyed tree. His sight began to give when suddenly the monster dropped him as it screamed in pain. Oxygen flooded into him and as his sight returned, Magus saw the Frog knight standing before him, gleaming sword in hand. "It has caused pain." the monster growled, circling Frog and Magus.
"At least we know the sword works." Magus thought. "Glad you could make it, thought the first blow had killed you." he said as he pushed himself to his feet. Using his right hand he swept some stray hair from his face.
"Aye it nearly did but I was able to recover mineself just in time." the knight replied. Magus grinned.
"-zi jafana al cerano des vante!" Magus finished the spell. Dark energy burned within Magus as the spell began to take effect. It looked as if the very ground beneath his feet was burning the energy came so quickly. Magus felt the energy coercing through his very being, magic beyond any mortal's wildest dreams. "From darkness to darkness." Magus mumbled as the spell became complete.
Kazar snarled and hurled itself towards Frog who swung his sword defensively and jumped to avoid the monsters attack. Magus grinned and quickly bent down and picked up the staff of his scythe. Then, with remarkable speed he rushed Kazar and smashed the staff into the side of Its head. The monster snarled and grabbed for Magus, but the mage spun away from the monsters reach and behind it. Placing one hand on Kazar's back, Magus summoned his magic.
"Ras untem des arato! - Darkness gather your might! - Dark Bomb!" Energy streamed through Magus body and out of his hand, slamming into the back of Kazar, sending the monster flying through a tree and into another, the dark energy then exploded, sending up a cloud of debris. Magus let his staff fall down to his side as he approached the cloud of debris. Frog also approached the debris, MasaMune drawn into a ready position. The cloud of debris swirled as a figure burst from within it towards Magus. Kazar struck out, Its' punch connecting with the left side of Magus face. Magus' head whipped back as bones crunched, broken from the impact, and his body went flying. He hit the ground and rolled to a stop, moaning in pain.
Frog jumped as high as his legs could send him and in the return flight, aimed the MasaMune for the monster, his Leap Slash technique. Kazar's head whipped around at the last second as it swiped at the blade with its left arm in an attempt to block the attack. The blade glanced off the blow and into the monster's right shoulder, pinning it to the ground. There was a hissing as the blade's magic burnt through the flesh of the monster, and Kazar screamed in pain. Writhing, it struck out with its free arm, sending Frog flying. It then ripped the sword from its shoulder and threw the blade in the opposite direction of its owner. Holding its right shoulder, Kazar snarled as it approached the frog knight who struggled to rise. When it was close enough, Kazar kicked the knight in the chest, sending him flying straight up in the air. The monster chortled in glee as it waited for its victim to fall back down to earth, but screamed in fury as it was grabbed from behind and thrown in the direction of the castle. Frog hit the ground with a thud and lay still, unconscious. Magus turned and looked at the knight for a moment and seeing that he wasn't going to be any help turned back towards Kazar.
It was then that a particular line came back to him, "-a cloud of dark energy held together by a few shreds of reality, a heart if you will, composed of the few fibers of he being left in tact." Magus suddenly understood what he had to do. He summoned up his magic, and relished in its glory for a moment before uttering the chant to his spell. "Ras ilatem et toranus ales - Darkness within all things strike out - Dark Matter!" The air crackled and Magus' hair stood on end as the magic formed and shot through the air, electrifying it. Kazar didn't even have time to turn before it was hit with the full force of the attack which ripped through the monster's flesh. When the darkness from the energy cleared, Kazar stood, but its body was shredded. One arm was gone, the other limp, its head lay limp on the right side of its body, and the rest of the body had holes and oozed darkness.
Kazar hissed, more in sadness of the destruction of the body than pain, though It could still feel the burning of the magic sword's wounds. "Janus Zeal will die!" It screamed. Magus smiled, this was the opportunity he needed. Darkness spewed out of the former body of Flea, materializing in the air above the body that now lay on the ground. Magus scanned the cloud, looking for anything abnormal. There it was! In the center of the cloud was a faint cluster of something that looked like a ball of string. Gathering all the strength he could muster, Magus ran towards the monster. When he was about halfway towards the cloud, he bent over and grabbed the blade of the MasaMune. The sword burned his hand as he held it, but he held it fast anyway. He continued to close the distance. Twenty feet. Fifteen. Ten. Five. Once underneath the cloud, Magus leapt up at the ball of fibers and brought the MasaMune up, slicing through the fibers with a sickening splatter and an explosion of light. Magus hit the ground on the other side of the monster and fell to his knees. In his exhaustion he dropped the MasaMune and met the ground, and darkness, with his face.
When Magus came to he could see a ceiling, though he was unsure of where it was he lay. "Ah, thy have returned to the land of the living." a familiar voice said. Rolling his head to the left, Magus saw Frog sitting in a chair about five feet from the bed.
"What happened?" he asked, attempting to sit up. Yelling in pain he fell back to the pillow, and decided to just stay lying down.
"Of all the details I cannot be sure." the knight replied. "The monster attacked me after I used my Leap Slash technique on it. I was unconscious for a few minutes, but when I came to I saw thyself falling to the ground, MasaMune in hand. Shortly after you fell to the ground, the cloud of darkness I assume was Kazar exploded in a flash of white light. When my vision cleared from the brightness of the light the sky was clear, though the sun had begun to fall. I slowly picked mineself up and wandered to where you lay. I retrieved mine sword and brought you here."
"Where is here?" Magus asked.
"Tis one of the many rooms within the cathedral. It was the closest safe place to take a dark mage." Frog said a bit coyly.
Magus nodded weakly. "Th...Thank..." he stammered before he passed out once again.
Some time later, of which Magus could not be sure, he awoke once again. This time however he felt much better, the potions of which he stank must have done there work. Swinging his legs out of bed he slowly sat up. It was then that he noticed that his right arm was heavily bandaged. As he looked at the wound he heard a high pitch chime.
"Sorry about your arm, but not even we can control the sword sometimes." Masa and Mune said in unison. "Especially when someone filled with the dark energy the sword was created to destroy grabs us."
"This is...what?" Magus said, struggling to remember exactly what had happened.
"You mean you don't remember?" the sword's entities asked. Magus shook his head.
"Not exactly. I picked you up?"
"Yes, we're how you destroyed the monster. Sliced right through the last fibers holding it together. It was rather beautiful really. A very large explosion." Magus sighed in frustration. He then grabbed his arm, causing excruciating pain to shoot through his body. He nearly passed out from the shock, and when he recovered himself he decided not to try that again. Standing, Magus looked about the room one more time. Frog's cape lay in a bundle on the chair, the MasaMune propped up in the far corner of the room. Magus arm ached at the thought of the sword, and he snarled as he turned towards the door. Outside the room the cathedral was darkness except for a few stray torches that seemed to lead out of the abysmal place. He slowly made his way through the hallway, but was met by a short figure halfway through.
"Is thy strength recovered already?" Frog asked as he came to light. The torchlight flickered on his face, and Magus noticed that the knight's body was heavily bandaged and his left arm was in a sling. How he hadn't noticed before, Magus was unsure, but the point was both warriors were in very bad condition.
"Not really. I was just out for a walk. Your sword was being talking again." Frog sighed. Magus laughed at the knight and turned so that they walked back towards the room together. They walked in silence for a few moments, but Magus broke the silence as they came to the door.
"When I was reading the book in the library it said that there are more of these things." he said. Frog looked up at Magus, hoping that this was some kind of joke. "I know. That's why I wanted to go talk to the old men who started this, and I was wondering...well if you'd be interested in accompanying me."
Frog opened the door and went to his chair which he plopped himself into. "More? Like that?" Magus shrugged.
"I can't be for certain unless I talk to the gurus themselves. The book doesn't say exactly how many times the experiment was done, but knowing the foolishness of the era, I'd say it was more than once."
"How dost thee expect to travel time once more?" Frog asked, raising his gaze to Magus. Magus grinned and reached into the satchel strapped to his side with his left arm and pulled out a familiar blue object.
"The gate key!?" Frog exclaimed.
Magus nodded, "Yes, the boy swordsman gave it to me so that I could look for Schala, unfortunately I didn't understand how to use it, but the book discusses time gates and how they can be manipulated, I should be able to open the existing gates to allow us transport at least twice. Which will get us a little bit of information if nothing else."
Silence filled the room for a few minutes as Frog closed his eyes and bowed his head, thinking about what Magus said. A few more minutes went by and Frog opened his eyes again. Looking up to Magus he nodded. "When shall we leave?"
Part 1, Chapter 4
It was only a few minutes more before Magus and Frog reached the top of the stairs. They exited the staircase with a turn to their left and came to the doorway of the room that in four hundred years would become the place of which the law would be executed by judge and jury. Magus reached out and grabbed the doorknob. He hesitated for a moment, though unsure why, and looked down and behind him at Frog who seemed to give Magus a look of curiosity before nodding for Magus to open the door. He did, and with a creak the door swung open, revealing an unlit, unkept room that served as the storage house for the Kingdom's books.
Magus entered the room and as he looked around he couldn't believe how many books filled the shelves. The entire room was filled with bookshelves built in a circular pattern. It was a rather narrow fit in between the great shelves, but in the center of the room a space opened up that contained a large round table with six chairs neatly tucked under it. As he approached the table, Magus noticed that although he was able to navigate through the room it was much too dark for any reading.
"Why do blasted people make a library that's too dark to read in?" he muttered. Just the he noticed that the Frog was no longer behind him. "Where in the devil?.."
There was a snap on the other side of the room, which was followed by a large crash and a flood of light as what appeared to be a giant canvas-like curtain crashed down, revealing a large square window. Magus walked through the bookshelves to where the curtain fell and sure enough he found a small flailing person trapped underneath. Magus had a hard time stifling his laughter.
"Having problems?" he asked. The answer he got was less than pleasant, but he had to admit, it was colorful. The solution they had come up with was simply to cut a hole in the curtain near Frog. Frog had at first protested this idea, but Magus cut the hole anyway, citing a lack of time.
Once that was sorted out the two returned to the center of the library. "How will we go about the search for thy book Magus?" Frog asked.
"Well since we know that any book of use to us will have to be protected by magic to have survived, I'll use a simple spell to highlight any magic objects in the room." the mage said as he brought the spell to mind. "En dastra `a illumito!"
"And what, pray tell, will be different?" Frog asked.
"Look at your sword." Magus said. Frog looked to the sword at his hip and gasped slightly when he saw that the MasaMune was glowing a faint blue.
"Tis glowing?" Magus nodded.
"Tis itchy!" the sword chimed irately.
"It's only temporary, get over it," Magus said. "Now, Frog we should split up and search the room. Look everywhere, even behind the stacks and in between the shelves." Frog nodded and turned to the section near the door. Magus decided that it would be most efficient to start by the window and work his way to the center.
After about an hour of digging through shelves, Magus had finally found a glowing book stuck between the top of the two shelves nearest to the center of the room. He was about to say something when a stumbling stack of glowing books walked into the center area. The books crashed on the desk, revealing their carrier; Frog.
Magus pulled a chair out and sat down, mouth agape at the dozen glowing books as the glow faded away. "Thy only found one?" Frog asked.
"I was only expecting one." Magus snapped. "Ugh, this could take awhile." Just as Magus reached for the first book there was a large boom that shook the room. "What the hell?"
A soldier burst into the room and through the shelves to stand panting in front of the two bewildered guests. "Sirs, there's a giant mob outside the city..."
Magus' eyes widened. He then turned to Frog and said, "It's here. Go get the Queen, she's the only person protected...or so I'm assuming." Frog nodded. The soldier followed Frog out the door and said something to the Frog about the King. Magus hoped the knight was smart enough to know that the King would be more of a liability than an asset, but all he could do was site here and try to sort through the books.
The first book appeared to be some sort of history book, which, for the moment had no interest to Magus. Perhaps another time. He reached for the second book and pulled it close. When he opened the book flames leapt up from the pages. Magus yelled in surprise and slammed the book shut. Cursing, he threw the book across the middle area. It was then that he realized that some of his long, Zealian hair had caught on fire. He cursed again and frantically patted out the flames.
Drawing the next book close to himself, Magus took a deep breath and opened it. At first glance the book appeared to be the correct one, but further examination revealed that while this was a detailed account of many of the Guru Gaspar's experiments, nothing was mentioned about this monster called Kazar. As he opened the next book he heard someone come in the room. Glancing up, Magus saw that it was the Frog with Queen Leene in tote.
"What took so long?" Magus asked.
"Tis a bit unruly out there." Frog replied.
"Barricade the door." Magus said as he looked back down at the books. Frog nodded and went back towards the door. As Magus skimmed through the book he could feel the intense gaze of Queen Leene who sat on the opposite side of the table. Finding nothing of interest, he closed the book and looked up to see the Queen still staring; she was a bit red in the face as well...was she mad? "Yes?" he said.
"Who gave you the right to order people around?" she asked.
"Well unless you or the Frog can read ancient Zealian, I thin it'd be best if I stayed here and he ran errands. Besides that's why he's here, well, that and the sword of his..." Magus flipped the book he had just finished reviewing across the table and picked up the next one. He didn't even have to look to appreciate the surprise of Queen Leene as she opened the book and gasped when she found them to be just what Magus had said, an ancient language.
The next few books were useless. One was gibberish about Earthbound farming, one surprised him with a spout of water, and another was a description of how the Giga Gaia held up Mt. Woe. Queen Leene picked up one of the remaining books and squealed when a burst of air shot out of it in her face.
"Throw that one over there," Magus said, pointing to a pile of books that held no interest to him. He picked out the ninth book as he heard Frog come back.
"That took a long time." Magus said as he skimmed through the pages of the book.
"Tis beginning to worsen." the knight said.
"Yes I'd supposed it is, how's the sky look?"
"Tis clear for the moment but night begins to fall."
"Not quite." Magus said as he closed the book and discarded it. "It should only be about mid afternoon. It's that thing. It's like a cloud of darkness; it's how he controls the mob."
"What thing?" Leene asked.
Magus nodded to Frog. "Have him explain, I'm busy."
As Frog explained the situation, Leene became more and more frightened. "But...but if it got him we'd be safe?" she asked.
"Afraid not." Frog replied. "My demise would surely follow, after that the Mystics and eventually all else because all have magic within."
Magus nodded as he closed the last of the books. "He's right, besides, Hell itself couldn't claim me right now; I'm not ready to die."
"Hath thou found anything of use?" Frog asked.
Magus shook his head. "Not yet, there's one book I may have overlooked something, but if not we could be on our own." Frog nodded solemnly as he patted Leene gently on the shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. It was a strange bond between the two, Magus thought. And from what he had heard, were it not for a bizarre twist of fate that forced a bankrupt trader to marry off his daughter the two would likely be married. That, however, was a different story for another time. Magus opened the book that he had first looked at. The history book.
Just then there was a boom as something, or someone, slammed into the library door. Magus looked up to Frog a bit startled and nodded towards the door, his request unspoken. Frog nodded, gave Leene's shoulder one more squeeze, and turned towards the door drawing the MasaMune as he entered the path to the door.
Magus shook his head and frantically began skimming through the massive load of content. He was halfway through and had still found nothing. Perhaps he was wrong in believing that the gurus would leave a record like this survive. They had done more foolish things in their arrogance. But something nagged at him, he didn't believe his father would allow arrogance to cloud his judgment. He had been a cautious man until his love betrayed him and he was destroyed by the monster that she had become. Magus didn't know this for sure, but it was what he always believed as a child, and no one had told him otherwise so he felt he must be close. He was about three quarters of the way finished with the book when he came upon an interesting entry that seemed to be hand-written by his father himself.
22nd day of winter, 5th Zealian Year
There are times when every man must question himself. Who he is, what he believes in, and why he lives while others must die. Zealians already are beginning to forget where they come from, who they are. They believe that since they have accepted this new power and the technology we've created that they are more than our brothers who either don't posses or shun the magic. And so, they live up here among the clouds while our other brothers and sisters are exiled; Earthbound.
I protested greatly when the subject was first brought up, but recent conflicts between the foolish on either side it seems that these things are out of my hands.
On another note, the gurus believe that they can give the Earthbound ones the magic of Zeal should they accept it. I have been invited to view the experiment which shall be performed on a willing Earthbound who was locked up for her involvement in a dispute over the matter of exile. I'm told the girl's name is Kazar, and that the experiment will take place on the morrow. Magus stopped for a moment, staring at the heavily underlined name of the girl; Kazar, the name of the thing that chased him now. The entry seemed to go on, but did not talk any more about the girl or the experiment. He moved on to the next entry a few pages later.
23rd day of winter, 5th Zealian year
All seems well in the Kingdom of Zeal. I attended the guru's experiment this morning, and it seemed to go very well. I am told it will take a few days observation to tell for sure, but the girl seems to now have the ability to control a new type of magic the gurus are calling Shadow magic. This magic seems to be a blend of the three standard elements (fire, water, and lightning) and a dark magic that is the Shadow. Magus' brow furrowed and sweat began to collect on his forehead. He could feel the Queen's questioning gaze from across the table, but didn't bother to address her concern. At the same time the sound of the library door splintering echoed throughout the room. He was quickly running out of time.
24th day of winter, 5th Zealian Year
It seems that the girl Kazar, who took place in the guru's experiment yesterday, had actually slipped her consciousness from her body. The guru's cannot at this time explain, but even outside the body Kazar seems to have the ability to communicate. She has told the gurus that she doesn't know how or have any memory of exiting her body. It is an enigma that...Magus flipped the page. The book now appeared to stray away from the entries written by King Zeal and back to the format resembling a textbook.
The experiment performed by the four gurus succeeded in giving the Earthbound Kazar magical abilities. Unfortunately, in the process a rift was formed between body and soul, expelling Kazar and forcing her to become a cloud of dark energy held together by a few shreds of reality, a heart if you will, composed of the few fibers of he being left in tact.
Life went on for the woman, and for a few weeks it seemed to be that she would be fine, conscious but without body. About a season later, however, her consciousness began to deteriorate. She began to refer to herself as It instead of 'me' or 'I'. She lost all memory of loved ones and hated ones, she lived for one purpose; her unending hunger for magic. The first time she had attacked, nobody knew how the essence of a person could be sucked from Its body. After the third time, Kazar somehow found a way to make herself whole again. Though she was unable to repossess her body, she could take that of her victims. When she was first discovered in the body of an experimenter named David, the palace went into an uproar. Kazar, inside the body of David, was imprisoned while it was decided what to do with her.
The prison did not hold her, however, as she slipped from her new body and consumed three more people. It was then decided the only thing to do was banish Kazar into the void. She was then lured into a trap set up by the King and four gurus who cast a strong magic spell, banishing the entity to the void forever.
Should she ever return, the gurus devised a plan to destroy her. The book went on to describe the method devised by the gurus. Just what Magus had hoped for! He hoped the gurus' theories were correct. Slamming the book shut he leapt up from his chair, causing it to tip over. "Is there another way out of here?" he asked Leene. The Queen shook her head as she stood.
"No, Glenn is guarding the only entrance." she replied.
"We're going to make one then." he thought. "Stay here." Magus tucked the hook under a strap on his chest plate and found Frog in between the two nearest bookshelves, using the narrow space to keep the possessed guards out.
"I've got something, let's go!" Magus yelled.
"Tis the only exit!" Frog replied as he jumped over an attacker's sword and bashed the man in the side of the head with the flat of the MasaMune.
"We don't have time for this," Magus muttered. He reached out and grabbed the knights cloak and began running back towards the center are.
"What are ye doing?" Frog asked as the mage drug him along.
"Getting out of here." Magus said. He reached the center in moments and with his free hand grabbed Queen Leene by the waist and kept running.
"What are you doing? Put me down this instant!" the Queen screamed.
"I'm getting us out of here!" Magus said once again as they approached the giant window. Magus began to fly while in stride, sending the three sailing through the window. The glass exploded, and once on the other side there was nothing for about a hundred feet straight down. Leene screamed and tightened her grip on Magus who flew them to the ground. Once back on solid ground Leene let go of Magus and separated herself from the mage. Frog stood and brushed the dirt from his pants.
"Well done Magus." he said.
"Don't thank me yet." Magus said. Frog looked up to see Magus looking uneasily all around them. Turning his head he saw their plight; they were surrounded. Hundreds of blank stares groans and began to converge on the trio. At the same time a familiar cloud of darkness hovered above the controlled humans. Frog raised the MasaMune and positioned himself between the crowd and his Queen.
"This would be a most supreme time for thy plan." Frog said as he took a defensive battle stance. Magus nodded and drew his scythe from beneath his cloak.
"Hold them back for a few moments." Frog croaked in reply, and then summoning his magic created a tidal wave the swept away part of the mob. He then turned his attention to the other side of the mob, meanwhile, Magus, using the bottom edge of his scythe carved a rune circle into the earth. It took a few minutes, but when it was done the circle glowed faintly and hummed as its magical power came to life. Magus turned to the Queen. "Stand there." he said pointing to the circle. Leene hesitated for a moment, but did as she was told. Once inside the circle, light swirled around her and the hum of the circle increased. "You must hold the pendant and call Its power!" Magus yelled over the increasingly loud noise. Leene nodded and pulled the blue pendant from her dress and held it tight as she closed her eyes and bowed her head. Blue light shone bright within the circle and the humming still increased. As the noise increased, the mob slowly began to stop advancing. "It's working!" Magus yelled. The light given off by the pendant then exploded in a supernova which blinded everyone and everything that could have had hostile intentions against the three for miles.
The hum of the rune circle died out. "Does this mean the effect is through?" he wondered. As his vision came back to him, he saw that all save one of the members of the mob were on the ground, motionless. Also it appeared that the rune circle was gone, and Leene was also lying on the ground unmoving. Magus saw Frog run to her and kneel next to her, extending a hand to check for her life signs.
"She lives, though is much too exhausted to do anything more." Frog said.
"It's likely for the best, she's done all she can, besides, the pendant is out of any helpful amount of power." Magus replied. Frog stood and joined Magus in overlooking the fallen mob.
"Is that?..." Frog asked pointing to the lane standing person off in the distance. Magus nodded.
"Yes that is...or was, Flea. It is now Kazar, and abomination created through the foolhardy experiments performed by the gurus. She is one of many, the Sins of out Fathers." Frog nodded and lifted the MasaMune's tip from the ground.
"Shall we?" he asked, looking up to Magus. Magus lifted his scythe into a more suitable battle position and nodded. The two began walking towards Kazar who still stood exactly where it first had as if confused. When Frog and Magus were within twenty feet of the monster Magus stopped, motioning for Frog to do the same.
"Kazar of Zeal. I am Janus, son of the King Zeal, Magus of the time 600 AD, one of the destroyers of the demon Lavos. As your lord and master, I shall carry out the sentence told to you eons ago when you were first banished. The punishment for your return is oblivion." A smile crept on to the face of Kazar and it began to laugh. Magus frowned and lowered the point of his scythe so that it was level with Kazar's head.
"It shall be most entertained." the monster said as it tilted its head to one side. Magus looked upon the monster horrified as the eyes rolled back into the monsters head and returned, black as night. Black steam billowed off the monster as its aura radiated. "DIE!" The monster lashed out so quickly Magus was barely able to block the punch. The force of the blow snapped the blade of his scythe off and sent it flying. As he fell back, Magus twirled what was left of his weapon and snapped it across the head of the monster, the blow sending Kazar flying to the ground. Magus then flipped and landed on his feet, skidding to a stop. Kazar pulled itself to its feet and grinned at Magus who grinned in spite of himself. Looking beyond the monster, Magus saw what it was grinning about. Frog charged towards the back of the seemingly unsuspecting enemy. Magus yelled but it was too late, before Frog could strike the monster whipped around, dodged the blade of the MasaMune and kicked Frog across the side of the head, sending the knight flying. When the dust cleared from Frog's impact, Magus saw that the knight still was motionless. Kazar turned towards Magus, a menacing grin upon Its face. It lifted a hand towards Magus, whose eyes grew big as a column of darkness exploded towards him. The column hit him square in the chest, sending him flying into the forest outside the castle boundaries. Magus flew until his momentum was stopped by a nearby tree which exploded on contact.
Wheezing in an attempt to get the air back into his lungs, Magus struggled to stand. As he watched Kazar approach he remembered the disguise, which he now dropped, hoping the little extra energy would boost his fighting ability. It wasn't enough, he needed a plan. His mind racing, he could only come up with one solution. "Ras dey na ein nora takashir exis dominas..." Suddenly the monster was on top of him, its female hand wrapped around his throat.
"Not this time." the dark voice growled. Magus gasped for air as the monster kept him pinned up against the destroyed tree. His sight began to give when suddenly the monster dropped him as it screamed in pain. Oxygen flooded into him and as his sight returned, Magus saw the Frog knight standing before him, gleaming sword in hand. "It has caused pain." the monster growled, circling Frog and Magus.
"At least we know the sword works." Magus thought. "Glad you could make it, thought the first blow had killed you." he said as he pushed himself to his feet. Using his right hand he swept some stray hair from his face.
"Aye it nearly did but I was able to recover mineself just in time." the knight replied. Magus grinned.
"-zi jafana al cerano des vante!" Magus finished the spell. Dark energy burned within Magus as the spell began to take effect. It looked as if the very ground beneath his feet was burning the energy came so quickly. Magus felt the energy coercing through his very being, magic beyond any mortal's wildest dreams. "From darkness to darkness." Magus mumbled as the spell became complete.
Kazar snarled and hurled itself towards Frog who swung his sword defensively and jumped to avoid the monsters attack. Magus grinned and quickly bent down and picked up the staff of his scythe. Then, with remarkable speed he rushed Kazar and smashed the staff into the side of Its head. The monster snarled and grabbed for Magus, but the mage spun away from the monsters reach and behind it. Placing one hand on Kazar's back, Magus summoned his magic.
"Ras untem des arato! - Darkness gather your might! - Dark Bomb!" Energy streamed through Magus body and out of his hand, slamming into the back of Kazar, sending the monster flying through a tree and into another, the dark energy then exploded, sending up a cloud of debris. Magus let his staff fall down to his side as he approached the cloud of debris. Frog also approached the debris, MasaMune drawn into a ready position. The cloud of debris swirled as a figure burst from within it towards Magus. Kazar struck out, Its' punch connecting with the left side of Magus face. Magus' head whipped back as bones crunched, broken from the impact, and his body went flying. He hit the ground and rolled to a stop, moaning in pain.
Frog jumped as high as his legs could send him and in the return flight, aimed the MasaMune for the monster, his Leap Slash technique. Kazar's head whipped around at the last second as it swiped at the blade with its left arm in an attempt to block the attack. The blade glanced off the blow and into the monster's right shoulder, pinning it to the ground. There was a hissing as the blade's magic burnt through the flesh of the monster, and Kazar screamed in pain. Writhing, it struck out with its free arm, sending Frog flying. It then ripped the sword from its shoulder and threw the blade in the opposite direction of its owner. Holding its right shoulder, Kazar snarled as it approached the frog knight who struggled to rise. When it was close enough, Kazar kicked the knight in the chest, sending him flying straight up in the air. The monster chortled in glee as it waited for its victim to fall back down to earth, but screamed in fury as it was grabbed from behind and thrown in the direction of the castle. Frog hit the ground with a thud and lay still, unconscious. Magus turned and looked at the knight for a moment and seeing that he wasn't going to be any help turned back towards Kazar.
It was then that a particular line came back to him, "-a cloud of dark energy held together by a few shreds of reality, a heart if you will, composed of the few fibers of he being left in tact." Magus suddenly understood what he had to do. He summoned up his magic, and relished in its glory for a moment before uttering the chant to his spell. "Ras ilatem et toranus ales - Darkness within all things strike out - Dark Matter!" The air crackled and Magus' hair stood on end as the magic formed and shot through the air, electrifying it. Kazar didn't even have time to turn before it was hit with the full force of the attack which ripped through the monster's flesh. When the darkness from the energy cleared, Kazar stood, but its body was shredded. One arm was gone, the other limp, its head lay limp on the right side of its body, and the rest of the body had holes and oozed darkness.
Kazar hissed, more in sadness of the destruction of the body than pain, though It could still feel the burning of the magic sword's wounds. "Janus Zeal will die!" It screamed. Magus smiled, this was the opportunity he needed. Darkness spewed out of the former body of Flea, materializing in the air above the body that now lay on the ground. Magus scanned the cloud, looking for anything abnormal. There it was! In the center of the cloud was a faint cluster of something that looked like a ball of string. Gathering all the strength he could muster, Magus ran towards the monster. When he was about halfway towards the cloud, he bent over and grabbed the blade of the MasaMune. The sword burned his hand as he held it, but he held it fast anyway. He continued to close the distance. Twenty feet. Fifteen. Ten. Five. Once underneath the cloud, Magus leapt up at the ball of fibers and brought the MasaMune up, slicing through the fibers with a sickening splatter and an explosion of light. Magus hit the ground on the other side of the monster and fell to his knees. In his exhaustion he dropped the MasaMune and met the ground, and darkness, with his face.
When Magus came to he could see a ceiling, though he was unsure of where it was he lay. "Ah, thy have returned to the land of the living." a familiar voice said. Rolling his head to the left, Magus saw Frog sitting in a chair about five feet from the bed.
"What happened?" he asked, attempting to sit up. Yelling in pain he fell back to the pillow, and decided to just stay lying down.
"Of all the details I cannot be sure." the knight replied. "The monster attacked me after I used my Leap Slash technique on it. I was unconscious for a few minutes, but when I came to I saw thyself falling to the ground, MasaMune in hand. Shortly after you fell to the ground, the cloud of darkness I assume was Kazar exploded in a flash of white light. When my vision cleared from the brightness of the light the sky was clear, though the sun had begun to fall. I slowly picked mineself up and wandered to where you lay. I retrieved mine sword and brought you here."
"Where is here?" Magus asked.
"Tis one of the many rooms within the cathedral. It was the closest safe place to take a dark mage." Frog said a bit coyly.
Magus nodded weakly. "Th...Thank..." he stammered before he passed out once again.
Some time later, of which Magus could not be sure, he awoke once again. This time however he felt much better, the potions of which he stank must have done there work. Swinging his legs out of bed he slowly sat up. It was then that he noticed that his right arm was heavily bandaged. As he looked at the wound he heard a high pitch chime.
"Sorry about your arm, but not even we can control the sword sometimes." Masa and Mune said in unison. "Especially when someone filled with the dark energy the sword was created to destroy grabs us."
"This is...what?" Magus said, struggling to remember exactly what had happened.
"You mean you don't remember?" the sword's entities asked. Magus shook his head.
"Not exactly. I picked you up?"
"Yes, we're how you destroyed the monster. Sliced right through the last fibers holding it together. It was rather beautiful really. A very large explosion." Magus sighed in frustration. He then grabbed his arm, causing excruciating pain to shoot through his body. He nearly passed out from the shock, and when he recovered himself he decided not to try that again. Standing, Magus looked about the room one more time. Frog's cape lay in a bundle on the chair, the MasaMune propped up in the far corner of the room. Magus arm ached at the thought of the sword, and he snarled as he turned towards the door. Outside the room the cathedral was darkness except for a few stray torches that seemed to lead out of the abysmal place. He slowly made his way through the hallway, but was met by a short figure halfway through.
"Is thy strength recovered already?" Frog asked as he came to light. The torchlight flickered on his face, and Magus noticed that the knight's body was heavily bandaged and his left arm was in a sling. How he hadn't noticed before, Magus was unsure, but the point was both warriors were in very bad condition.
"Not really. I was just out for a walk. Your sword was being talking again." Frog sighed. Magus laughed at the knight and turned so that they walked back towards the room together. They walked in silence for a few moments, but Magus broke the silence as they came to the door.
"When I was reading the book in the library it said that there are more of these things." he said. Frog looked up at Magus, hoping that this was some kind of joke. "I know. That's why I wanted to go talk to the old men who started this, and I was wondering...well if you'd be interested in accompanying me."
Frog opened the door and went to his chair which he plopped himself into. "More? Like that?" Magus shrugged.
"I can't be for certain unless I talk to the gurus themselves. The book doesn't say exactly how many times the experiment was done, but knowing the foolishness of the era, I'd say it was more than once."
"How dost thee expect to travel time once more?" Frog asked, raising his gaze to Magus. Magus grinned and reached into the satchel strapped to his side with his left arm and pulled out a familiar blue object.
"The gate key!?" Frog exclaimed.
Magus nodded, "Yes, the boy swordsman gave it to me so that I could look for Schala, unfortunately I didn't understand how to use it, but the book discusses time gates and how they can be manipulated, I should be able to open the existing gates to allow us transport at least twice. Which will get us a little bit of information if nothing else."
Silence filled the room for a few minutes as Frog closed his eyes and bowed his head, thinking about what Magus said. A few more minutes went by and Frog opened his eyes again. Looking up to Magus he nodded. "When shall we leave?"
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