Magus runs. Runs as if he were chased by a whole Army of Lavos. Each step toward Crono's house made Magus think of the inevitable. The only thing he could hope is that Crono made it out all right. There has been too much pain in Magus's life and loosing a friend and a fellow warrior would only deepen his sorrow, and turn his sorrow into anger. Magus opens up the door which has already been knocked off two hinges and is only dangling by one. He walks around the house, he sees chairs over turned, tables broken, and windows shattered, but no sign of Crono.

"Crono! CRONO! Where the hell are you?!" Shouts Magus as he desperately looks in closets, under rubble hoping to find the boy. "Crono answer me now!"

Magus, while in his desperate search for Crono hears a creaking sound upstairs and looks towards the direction of the stair case, cautious, and unsure. He slowly gets up and walks towards the stairs wondering if he will find Crono, find the person or thing that did this to the town, or perhaps even both of them. Magus begins his ascent up the stairs as the stairs creek and crack after each step is made. With each passing second, Magus prepares himself for battle just in case the unfortunate happens and he is forced to fight.

After what seems to be an eternity, Magus makes it up the stairs. He looks around Crono's room, resuming his search for the hero.

"You looking for someone Magus?" Says a dark, hateful voice.

"Magus tuns around thinking, hope that it's Crono, but to his shock and dismay it is someone else. Someone who is evil, someone who means everything and everybody harm even if it means for his own sick pleasure. Standing before magus is a shape of pure blackness in the shape of a human. None of his features are shown due to the overwhelming darkness that surrounds him. The only thing that can be seen on his body is his cold, empty white eyes that stare into your body and pierces right through your soul.

"Who are you, and what have you done to Crono?" Questions magus.

"Why I haven't done anything to Crono, me and him fought, but unfortunately for me he escaped, but who knows if he could of traveled far with the scars I gave him." Speaks the shrouded figure,

"You bastard what did you do to Crono?! Why do you even wan him?" Enquires Magus as he clinches his fist in anger and bears his teeth.

"I did nothing to him, like I said, he got away before I could take from him what I wanted and finally annihilate that pathetic excuse of a human." says the shrouded figure. "For you see Magus, I know about everything he has done, you have done, and Crono's little friends. Crono has a valuable crystal I need, so valuable that it is worth this whole entire world's existence!"

"You devil you! If you know what we have done then you would know going that road is the wrong way! I know from experience because I too have walked down that road and tried what you have done, but in the long run you will soon realize that you are doing the wrong thing!" Yells Magus as he gets ready to fight. "I might as well do the world a favor and get rid of you now before you cause anybody else more damage!"

Magus puts foreword his hands and shoots a bolt of lightning right at the shadowy figure causing it to go through the wall and down onto the ground outside of Crono's house. Magus floats down to the ground and calls upon his Scythe and slashes the figure across the chest.

"All to easy." States Magus as he puts away his scythe and walks away from the scene to resume the search of Crono.

"When you go to finish someone off, you make sure they are dead before you leave! Screams the dark figure as he lets out a blast of black energy towards Magus, hitting Magus and making him fly back almost 20 feet.

The Shadowy figure then slides over to Magus and morphs his hand into a blade as if to kill Magus.

"Well, I guess you have just learned a fateful lesson in life Magus, never to run your back. I guess you will be no longer looking for you dear precious sister Schala, and I thought you were supposed to be one of the most powerful wizards around, I guess I was wrong!" speaks the figure as he lets out an evil laughter that sends a chill down Magus's spine.

Then, right before the shadowy figure deals the death blow, a person with a katana streaks past the figure dealing it a blow it cannot brush by.

"Arrgh! I know the feel of that blade... Crono! Get back here so we can continue our on going battle!" Shouts the figure.

Magus looks up at the top of the house in disbelief as he sees Crono on the roof with katana in hand, cracking his infamous smirk as he points his sword towards the shadowy figure.

"I will not let you hurt anymore of my friends. You hurt the people of my town and now you try to hurt the person who helped me save this world, and I will not let that slip by. Enjoy the final moments of your life you fiend, your demise will only safen this world!" Speaks the heroic Crono as he dives off the house and towards the shadowy figure and cuts him yet another time.

"You annoy me hero, you annoy me a lot. This will not be the last time you see me, for I shall return, and when I return, I want that crystal!" Demands the shadowy figure as he opens up a portal and leaps into it as the portal closes shut.

After the quick skirmish, Crono kneels down and sheathes his sword and gets back up. He then turns toward Magus and helps him up. It has been quite awhile since Magus has seen Crono's face and there are a lot of mixed emotions. Magus is happy to see Crono but is also confused, because he never knew or seen Crono with a crystal before. Magus wonders what that shadowy figure meant about the crystal, and he also wonders what importance it has because Magus knows almost everything about this world and its powers but he never heard of anything about a crystal before. As Crono helps Magus up, he sees a glistening in one of Crono's pockets. Inside it he sees a blue diamond shaped crystal that has its own beauty yet diminishing look to it. As Magus looks at it some more, he feels something wanting him to move toward the crystal and take it, but Magus resists the urge and looks away.

"Who... Who was that and why did he want a crystal that he says you have Crono?" Magus speaks as Crono throws Magus's arm over his shoulder and drags him down the road.

"I have no clue, he just came out of nowhere and decimated the whole town looking for it and when he found out I had it, he came to my house and ravaged it looking for me, and that's when we began to fight, it all happened so fast I didn't know what to think." Speaks Crono. "We are almost to Lucca's house, we will stay there for a little bit and get you fixed up, and while we are at her house we can talk a little more about this dire situation."

It was not long until Magus and Crono cross the bridge over to Lucca's house and settle in. Lucca got Magus all fixed up and got them both something to eat. Magus sits down on the chair in the living room pondering still, what that crystal is all about and how that shadowy figure was, but to no avail.

"Who was that thing Crono? I'm hoping you should know since you got more acquainted with him than I did" Speaks Magus.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know who he was, but I did get his name though. I heard him refer to himself as the Shadow Spectre and that he wanted my Crystal, but I don't know why he wants it." Says Crono as he takes the crystal out and examines it.

"Where did you get that crystal Crono? I remember back when we fought Lavos that you never had such a thing." States Magus as he looks at the crystal and then Crono, eyeing both of them carefully.

"Well, to tell you the truth, Marle got me it as a gift on the final night of the Millennial Fair, I just thought it was just some meaningless memento so I accepted it and thought nothing of it, and now I got some shadow guy trying to kill me for it, so that definitely wants m to question Marle where she got this thing at in the Millennial Fair" Speaks Crono.

"Interesting.... So now Marle comes into the Picture.." Thinks Magus aloud as he strokes his chin in thought.

"Um, Magus?" Asks Lucca.

"Yes?" questions Magus, perking up and staring into the eyes of the female genius,

"Why exactly are you hear and how DID you get hear without the epoch? Asks Lucca.

"Well Lucca, I remember one of the final private conversations Schala and I had and in it she mentioned Crono and his nice, heroic efforts. So that led me to think that she told you something that would be vital of her whereabouts, did she?" States Magus.

"No Magus, unfortunately that isn't so.." Speaks Crono in a sorrow tone.

Magus then slowly crouches down in the chair in regret and covers his face with the palm of his hand.

"Well then, I am sorry for taking your time, now I need to find someway to get back to my time since the people over there didn't tell me how to get back, I'll just see if there is a way back through the area where I got here." Speaks Magus as he gets up and hobbles towards the door.

Crono's head then sinks towards the floor, feeling sympathy for Magus. Who would of thought the dark Wizard known as Magus would have this much emotions towards finding his sister. Inside, Crono feels a deep feeling of honor that Magus would try so hard to travel through time to get here to ask for his help. Then, before Magus could open the door, Crono perks up his head and shouts to Magus.

"Wait!" Shouts Crono. "There is a way I can help Magus."

Magus then lets go of the door knob and looks around at Crono.

"Oh really? How's that?" Questions Magus as he cocks up an eyebrow at Crono.

"You can use the Epoch" Exclaims Crono. Plus anyways, four eyes are better than two eyes Magus, with me along, we can broaden your search for your sister and perhaps even find her."

"All right then Crono, you may travel with me" Says Magus. "And with the two of us, if that Shadow Spectre wants to try to stops us, he will be in for a rude awakening."

Magus then extends his hand towards Crono's as Crono extends his out as well as the two shake. They both smile as each other as they know an alliance as been formed that shall never be forgotten.

too be continued.....