The Cause of Death
A Chrono Trigger Fanfiction
By: Novalon
Death.
He reflected on the word, if only for an instant, and then found himself looking back on a nameless hill, with the bodies of the dead surrounding him.
He looked around, unsure of where he was, he could hear some shouting in the background, the sounds of battle. He knew very well what was going on as the smell of decay flooded his senses; war was no stranger to him.
Was he the cause of such death?
It answered, as if being said by the very wind itself, in a soft wisp. He shuddered as he heard it in the positive. Was such the price of invoking his wrath?
He stopped. Never had he been one to go on a bloody rampage. He fought in close quarters, and was more a teacher than a warrior. His skill was with the mechanics of battle, and not it's horrible aftereffects.
I caused this death.
Again, the thought resurfaced, no matter how hard he tried. The bloody scene shifted to the grim spectacle of a town inflamed by demonic fire.
Death follows me wherever I go.
He stood in the middle of the flames, oblivious to the heat. The dirt ground had been caked in blood, as the smell of burning wood seemed to mask the scent of death in the air.
But he could feel it.
It wasn't enough to know the smell of death, but to know that it is there. The instinctive knowledge that something is dead, without needing to use the rest of the senses. Only such would be possible in either a great warrior, or a madman.
Or maybe both.
The black wind howls.
The dark mage Magus was known to say that, but could he be compared to such a murderer? He corrected himself, Magus was an aftereffect of the mind control that Ozzie put under young Janus Enhasa. Without the mind control, Magus ceased to exist. But could he be capable of this?
Again, the sibilant hiss of the wind whipped by his ears in the same previous positive answer. But this time, the wind continued.
Many lives have ended at your hand.
Preposterous! And yet, it was possible…
Don't compare yourself to Magus. He could not compare to you.
He froze. Shaking his head.
It's not true.
It wasn't his fault!
You caused an amount of death that greatly dwarfs the damage that Magus had done.
Bull Shit.
Is it really? Can you truly believe that you have not caused death at some point?
Nonsense, I'm a teacher of magic.
People were saved because of what I did.
Penance is a wonderful thing.
No. It's not true.
It can't be true.
A figure cloaked in black appeared in front of him.
He knew this man, and yet, could not place a name with him.
When next we meet, General, all will be revealed.
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He woke up.
His large form was entirely covered in the pungent smell of sweat. Another shudder racked his body as he looked around at his surroundings.
The empty blackness of the stars greeted his eyes, comforting him. He looked around the small room he resided in and moved to the door in front of him.
He opened it slowly, walking out into the slightly grander room.
Almost immediately, his entrance was responded to.
"Couldn't sleep, eh?"
He answered in the negative, turning towards the old man who asked him.
"Well, it looks like something's clearly been haunting you… Spekkio."
The Master of War nodded his head.
"It's creeping you out so much that you wont even speak. And you can't even sleep… even though I know that the Nu race is prone to sleeping. Don't let it worry you."
Finally, Spekkio spoke.
"I don't know what sort of an omen it is. It's a strange feeling though, the nightmare seems to be from the past… or the future."
The old man shook his head, "I'm sorry. I don't quite know how to help you with this. Time is no longer a mystery, but dreams still elude me."
Spekkio shook his head again, "Don't worry Gaspar, I'll try to get over it."
But how can one feel better, knowing that they are the cause of death?