Prologue: Another Boring Meeting

Hey guys! So this afternoon, my brother was watching SpongeBob and this particular episode was where Patrick screwed up Mermaid Man's time machine and Man Ray defeated Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. Anyways, SpongeBob and Patrick had to go back and forth in time like 5,000 times and blah blah, he screws everything up, thousands of time tourists, etc. So, I got this crazy idea for MapleStory and I decided to go ahead with it and write it. So, read on and tell me what you think in your reviews!

"...and in conclusion, I would like to thank everyone who has graced us with their presence. The Maple Alliance would not be a success without the contribution of brave and dedicated souls like yourselves. Thank you all for coming." Empress Cygnus said.

There was a round of applause at Cygnus's words and there was a general clamber as the audience got up to leave. Among them, a tall man sighed as he stretched his legs and arms. He wore a classic platinum suit and brown breeches. An antique velvet cape hung from his broad shoulders and a raven shaped hat was adorned lopsided on his head. Phantom got up and leaned on his cane, watching the young Adventurers exit. Sadly, he was not allowed to go just yet. Neinheart had been very meticulous upon seeing that he doesn't escape amongst the crowd. The Chief Knights were stationed at every exit, checking for guests that were permitted to leave the island. Although Phantom could easily slip past them, he had already decided that he would prefer not to die at the hands of a bloodthirsty Neinheart the next time he dared step foot om Ereve. Instead, he sauntered to the gazebo where he found Empress Cygnus resting her head on Shinsoo.

"Wassup, Phantom?!" Cygnus greeted.
"And the same to you, my lady." Phantom replied.
"Man, that meeting today was so bunk, don't you think?" the young Empress asked.
"Not at all, my Empress! I particularly enjoyed watching Neinheart beat Luminous across the head!" Phantom snickered.
"Maybe that will serve him a lesson to raise his hand when he wishes to speak!" Neinheart fumed, appearing beside the Empress.

The tactician had a habit of silently moving behind an offender and beating them senseless with his infamous clipboard.

"Dude, you should take a chill pill!" Cygnus giggled.
"M-My lady! You must not sully your image by speaking in such a dialect!" Neinheart exclaimed, genuinely shocked.
"Ugh! Whatevs, dude! Haters be hatin'!" she said.

Phantom smiled in spite of himself. No doubt the young Empress had been speaking with Evan once again. They both shared a habit of speaking formally and switching to street slang at a moment's notice, much to Neinheart's annoyance. The tactician strode away, muttering darkly to himself and writing those painful thoughts on the "Punishments" part of his clipboard. Cygnus smirked and winked at the thief before standing up to address the remaining high ranking members of the Alliance.

"I thank those of you who stayed at my request. Undoubtedly, many of you are busy training or on missions. However, if what the intelligence we have received is true, MapleWorld could be facing a threat even greater than the Black Mage's reign three hundred years ago." Cygnus said gravely.

She motioned Neinheart to come and inform them of the grave news. The tactician somberly rose and opened his clipboard and addressed the remaining members. First there were the five Adventurer Instructors - Dances with Balrog, Grendel the Really Old, Athena Pierce, the Dark Lord, and Kyrin. Next were the Chief Knights of Cygnus - Mihile, Oz, Irena, Eckhart, and Hawkeye. Then there were the Resistance - Claudine, Checky, Belle, Brighton, the Demon Slayer, and Xenon. The Legends, Aran, Evan, Mir, Mercedes, Phantom, and Luminous stood next in line. Finally, there were the two Novans - Kaiser and the Angelic Buster. Neinheart straightened his notes and began to speak.

"As you all know, we are at war with the Black Mage. This monster was sealed three hundred odd years ago by our very own Legends. However, dark omens have plagued MapleWorld about ten years ago when the creatures in this world started becoming corrupt. Monsters from the darkness began to resurface, such as Zakum, Balrog, and Horntail. This was confirmed to be the Black Mage's doing when Captain Kyrin and her crew sailed to Victoria Island to warn us about the Black Mage's resurfacing. Then one by one, the Legends began resurfacing. At the same time, the Black Wings formed and took over Edelstein. The Maple Alliance was formed in response to defeat the Black Wings and their dark leader. But that was not the end. The Black Mage's commanders returned, threatening to carry on their master's legacy. But, some chose to return to the light - the Demon Slayer, who has helped the Resistance greatly is one. However, others like Magnus, Arkarium, and Hilla are still names which carry terror in every letter. Those of you who are not familiar with this, about three years ago, Arkarium set up Mystic Gates that unleashed monsters of dark power across MapleWorld. Arkarium's ultimate plan was to go back in time to unseal the Black Mage. Fortunately, the Resistance intercepted these plans and contacted the Alliance immediately. I set up a secret organization codenamed the Silent Crusade. Its purpose was to send highly skilled fighters to infiltrate and destroy the Mystic Gates and their monsters before they were unleashed. While doing so, we discovered Arkarium's plan and took drastic measures to prevent the past from returning to haunt the future. It was a success and Arkarium was thwarted. However, the Resistance has intercepted another plan - one that walked right through its front doors. Xenon, the android created by Gelimer, had secret plans programmed into him that showed the true purpose of his existence. He and another android, Beryl, were to be weapons that could infiltrate the Temple of Time and change the past. Their mission was to eliminate every single one of the high ranking Alliance members before they could pose a threat to him now. These people who stand before me today: Aran, Evan, Mir, Mercedes, Phantom, Luminous, the Demon Slayer, Kaiser, the Angelic Buster, and finally Xenon himself are scheduled to be terminated." Neinheart finished solemnly.

A wave of silence filled the hall as the stunned audience looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Xenon stood silently, his head bowed while his comrade Roo-D tried to comfort him. The Legends looked at one another, unable to look at each other in the face. Kyle's eyes were twitching with rage and Tear was sobbing into his shoulder. The Demon Slayer was muttering darkly to Claudine as he telepathically spoke to a purple cat.

"Fortunately, there is some hope. Shinsoo has agreed to use his power to teleport all of you at once to the Temple of Time. According to our best mages, the disruption in the time flow will not affect you while you are all in the Temple. However, this plan is being carried out as we speak. There is no time to lose - if you all value your existence, none of you must fail in thwarting this plan of the Black Mage. Undoubtedly now that the Black Mage has returned, his most dangerous commanders will be involved in this along with their dark army of creatures. There is a catch, however. If this present is to be preserved, none of you must change the course of what happens in the past. Unfortunately, since your beginnings took place in different periods of time, some of you will have to separate and go individually to different parts of time. In order to prevent any accidents from happening, I have already predetermined groups for you to travel in. Evan and Mir, you will go with Xenon and Aran. Mercedes, you will go with the Demon Slayer. Phantom, you'll go with Luminous. Kaiser, you shall go with the Angelic Bust-" he said.

"No!" she cried.
"And why not?" Neinheart asked furiously.
"Because... because I want to go with Phantom!" she said, blushing furiously.

There was a murmur of gossip as Phantom smirked at the attention. Neinheart smacked his palm on his forehead before yelling.

"Fine! Phantom will go with you and Luminous will go with Kais-" he started.

"But I don't want to go with a wimpy mage!" Kaiser protested.
"Who are you calling wimpy, whelp?" Luminous cried.

Neinheart tore his clipboard in half, hyperventilating. Silence screamed at his face before he continued.

"Angelic Buster will go with Kaiser as I had stated. Just remember, you're all wasting your own time! See if I care when you all disappear in a wormhole! At least you won't be bothersome when you don't exist!" Neinheart cried before leaving.

"Um... well, I wish you the best of luck." Empress Cygnus said, "Shinsoo and I both give our blessings to you and we pray solemnly that you all remain safe. Shinsoo will now teleport you to the Temple of Time. Remember, don't change the past or the consequences will be catastrophic. MapleWorld prays for your safety. May the Transcendents watch over you and the Overseers favor you."

Shinsoo blessed them before she muttered a spell. A purple rune glowed under their feet as they were teleported to the Temple of Time.

"May Rhinne help them." Cygnus whispered.