Solonor was, like all inhabitants of the afterlife, alerted instantly when one of his family members passed away and joined him. Moving as swiftly as he desired, he traveled to the Gates of Eternity. He found himself arriving at the same time as an old friend.
"It's too soon for him," said the human who was, likewise, now waiting at the Gates for the new arrival.
Solonor nodded. "We've been here less than a year."
The new arrival passed through the large golden gates. Neither Solonor nor the human had seen him in many years, and he had grown much. And more hardships than a normal child of his years were evidenced on his face. Still, he looked about with a sense of childlike wonderment, at the beauty around him. When he saw them, he recognized them instantly.
"Father! Grandpa!" Sav'ran cried, and ran to meet them, embracing them both. "Grandfather, you look so much younger!"
Sav'ran's grandfather chuckled. "Well, part of everyone's Eternal Reward is that we get to once again be in the prime of our lives."
"Speaking of prime of our life," Solonor began, "what are you doing here Savlas? You're much too young, what has happened?"
Sav'ran looked at his father gravely, but when he spoke it was with a sense of pride. "Father, the time of the prophecy has come, and I am one of the four chosen Light Warriors. Three of the four Fiends have been destroyed, and we were fighting the Wind Fiend when I…" Sav'ran suddenly looked alarmed. "Oh, no! My friends! I hope they're all right! Is there any way to check on them?"
Solonor shook his head. "We are distanced from the world of the living here, son. I know nothing of what has happened since Astos murdered me."
Sav'ran spared his father a tight grin. "I avenged you father. Elfheim is safe, Erevan is well again, and now sits on the throne."
Solonnor sighed in relief.
"The other Light Warriors and I were all pronounced Elf-Friends, and Erevan gave us the signet. We used it to enter the Citadel of Challenges, and proved our worth before the Dragon Lord, Bahamut."
"We're very proud of you, Savlas," his grandfather told him, clasping him on the shoulder.
"Lothossana…"
"Did you guys hear that?" Sav'ran said, perking up.
" Izynrator…"
"It sounded like Xoria! Oh no! We're losing the battle!"
"Fiwyrnal…"
Solonor shook his head. "I hear nothing my son. Who is Xoria?"
"Exraneotas!"
"Xoria is one of the Light Warriors, with me, she…" Sav'ran stopped, staring, as two cherub-like figures descended quickly and grabbed his shoulders. "Hey!"
"You're being called back," one said.
"If you want to go, you must decide now," said the other.
Sav'ran looked to his family. "Go," they both said, smiling. Sav'ran smiled and nodded.
There was a flash of light.
Sav'ran awoke on the floor, looking up at his friends. Cyrus had tears streaming down his face, and looked at Sav'ran in amazement.
"Xoria! You did it!" he pulled Sav'ran up into a rough embrace.
Teraptus, too, was smiling, and his eyes shone with moisture.
Xoria, for her part, felt exhausted. The spell had taken a lot out of her, but she already felt her strength returning. Teraptus helped her to her feet, as Sav'ran was all but hauled to his feet by an exuberant Cyrus.
Sav'ran looked around. "That's it, then?" he asked, seeing no sign of the Wind Fiend.
"Almost," Xoria said, moving towards the altar and removing her crystal from about her neck as she did so. She placed the crystal on the altar, and it jerked itself out of her hand. The pendant floated beneath the crystal on the altar, looking as if it was going to fall in the hole. And then, the pendant began to glow with a soft green light. It floated slowly upwards, until it touched the larger crystal on the altar. The larger crystal now burst into life, and a bright, but soft green glow filled the room. The crystal floated a little bit higher now, and began slowly rotating as it bobbed up and down in its place on the altar. The pendant, glowing steadily green now, floated back onto the altar and fell onto the floor at Xoria's feet. She knelt to retrieve it.
"I wonder…" she said, as she touched the restored crystal to the control cube she carried. The cube began glowing rapidly in shifting colors and strange sounds emerged from it. Xoria smiled.
'What was that about, dear?" Teraptus asked.
Still smiling, she said, "I just restored all the Fortresses defenses to full functionality. The remaining defenders should be now hunting down the monsters and undead that still inhabit this place until it is once again safe for habitation."
"I guess it's time to go now, then?" Cyrus said. "We know our next destination, but we've all been away from our homes for the better part of a year. I think, before we go to the Temple of Fiends, we should all visit our loved ones."
"Getting pessimistic on us, Cyrus?" Sav'ran asked. "That sounds an awful lot like you want to say goodbye."
Cyrus' face was grim. "Sav, what happened here…with you…it reminded me that prophecy only ensures that we will quest together to save the world, but we remain mortal and can't be reckless. Yes, I'd like to see some people before we continue just in case I don't get the chance again."
There were no arguments. Xoria activated the crystal. There was a flash of light.
The crystal, unfortunately, only landed them outside the Tower of Mirage. They had to make their way across the desert on foot back to the airship. It seemed that fewer monsters bothered them on their way back, but more than one denizen of the desert never saw another meal after it tried to make one of the Light Warriors that day.
Xoria piloted the airship to the Lufenian village first. She wanted to deliver the news to the elder that they had succeeded. When she returned, he confirmed what they had seen in the viewing window in the fortress. The evil of "Khayoss" was originating somewhere on the Cornelian continent.
The airship sped first to Elfheim. The Light Warriors were immediately admitted to the palace, and Sav'ran spent only an hour with his brother before announcing that he was ready to leave.
"You sure?" Xoria asked, surprised.
Sav'ran smiled. "I know I'll see him again. Besides…not a whole lot of happy thoughts here for me right now, remember?"
Teraptus nodded. "I understand, Sav. I probably won't want to stay in Melmond long, either. Just check in on Zuriel, and that's pretty much it."
"Wanna beat up some of those bullies?" Sav'ran asked, grinning.
Teraptus shook his head. "Tempting, but I'm above that, really. At this point it wouldn't even be fair. And all the ridicule I received from them has made me value my true friendships that much more."
The trip to Melmond was indeed brief. Though he did not seek revenge, Teraptus was delighted at the idea of putting on a little show. As the airship roared over head and settled as close to the town as possible, Teraptus strode out, staff in hand, looking for all the world as if he possessed enough magical might to turn the entire town upside down. Xoria and him had worked several minor enchantments to make the runes on his robes glow, and he allowed small tendrils of flame to constantly lick up the staff that he carried. His eyes seemed to crackle with lightning, and when his childhood tormentors saw him and recognized him, they fled in terror, spineless bullies to the core.
Zuriel had been elected mayor, and was busy planning a Harvest Festival. It would be smaller than those in his childhood, but the crops, though recovering nicely, did not miraculously undo overnight what the Earth Fiend had done. Teraptus kept his visit brief, and ended it with a firm, friendly handshake that turned into a bear hug from his old friend. Zuriel escorted him to the airship, wanting to meet Xoria again, now that she was Teraptus' fiancé, and promised to stand with him at the wedding before bidding them farewell.
It was late in the day but not quite evening when they saw the white walls of Cornelia in view. They set the airship down a respectable distance from the town walls, and strode at a stately pace to the front gates, where several guards were already hastily assembling.
"Good afternoon, Captain!" Cyrus called out to the soldier who was clearly the ranking officer. It was the same captain who had greeted them when they returned from rescuing Princess Sarah.
"Cyrus? Is that you? All of you! You looked so different…and that…that flying boat…I…I apologize." He barked an order to his men to stand down.
The Light Warriors walked into town. Cyrus realized he had not been home once since they learned the true nature of the prophecy. It seemed almost a lifetime ago that he was walking through Cornelia with four new companions to go confront the only father he had ever known. He was, he supposed, an entirely different person then. He looked down once more at the accoutrements that Bahamut had given him. Nothing he carried was the same; new sword, new armor…they were all wealthy now, traveled in a flying ship…so much had changed. The crystal, itself, was no longer the same, it now always glowed with a steady blue, and its purpose was no longer a mystery.
"Shall I introduce you?" the elderly chamberlain asked.
Cyrus shook himself out of his reverie. They were inside the castle, at the doors to the throne room. Seeing that Cyrus was daydreaming, Xoria took the man aside and whispered to him for a moment. The chamberlain nodded, and opened the double doors. The Light Warriors strode in behind the chamberlain. The throne room had not changed much, nor had the king and queen, sitting on their twin thrones. Princess Sarah, however, was now almost a whole year older, and at 17, the year made a difference. She was clearly maturing into a beautiful young woman, and she now sat in a chair near her mother and father on the dais, presumably, to learn the details of royal duties. When she saw Cyrus' face, her face lit up and she almost jumped up out of her chair, but restrained herself.
"Your Majesty," the chamberlain said in a strong, clear voice, "may I present the Light Warriors, newly returned to fair Cornelia. Sir Cyrus, Dragon Knight of the Cardian Isles!" Cyrus bowed deeply, and the royal family was clearly impressed. "Master Sav'ran of Elfheim, Silent Blade; Lady Xoria of Lufenia, White Wizard; and Archmage Teraptus of Melmond."
The King and queen rose from their thrones. King Ren spoke, "Welcome back to Cornelia, Light Warriors! You have clearly seen much and traveled far in your quest. For all you have done for this kingdom and this family, I invite you to stay in the guest quarters here in the palace."
"We shall hold a banquet tonight in your honor," Queen Jayne said. "I will inform the royal cooks immediately. Perhaps you can share with us some of your exploits? We would all love to hear some of them."
"We would be honored, your Majesty," Cyrus said, and all four Light Warriors bowed.
"If I may escort you to you rooms, then?" the chamberlain said, and led them from the throne room. Servants had hurried ahead to prepare the rooms and were still doing so, so the Light Warriors waited in one of the lounges not far from the rooms. Sav'ran nestled into his favorite couch immediately, and Teraptus sat in one of the large armchairs, remembering how he had once cuddled up in it, engrossed in books from the royal library. It wasn't more than a few minutes before they had some visitors.
Princess Sarah came in through the hallway with barely composed royal demeanor, obviously excited to see Cyrus. Behind her, Xion walked at a stately pace, a warm smile on his face when he saw Xoria. Xoria, for her part, returned the smile when she saw her foster father and mentor, for she had much to tell him, some of which she knew he would not like, but she knew also that he would believe her.
"Good afternoon, princess," Cyrus said.
"Drop the formality Cyrus, it's me, Sarah. Oh, wow, look at you! You look great!"
Cyrus smiled shyly. "You….uh, you, too, Sarah. You look a little different than I remember."
Sarah smiled. "Well, it's been almost a year, now. And talk about different! You look older, more mature. And a knight! How did that happen?"
"That story can wait for dinner, I think," Sav'ran said. "Your parents and the rest of the court are gonna want to hear it, too."
Sarah pouted a bit, but then brightened. "So, are you home for good, now? Is the world safe, or is this just a short visit?"
Cyrus' smile became a little sad. "Just a short visit, I'm afraid. The hardest and most dangerous part of our mission lies ahead of us. I just wanted to come see you again. I still have your lute, if you want it back."
Sarah shook her head. "No, Cyrus, you're going to give it back to me when you return to me for good."
Cyrus sighed, his thoughts heavy. "Sarah…where we're going, what we're about to do…it's very dangerous. I may not have the chance."
"Don't say that!" Sarah said, her voice tight. "Don't you say things like that! You'll just have to make it back, because I won't let you give it to me now, how's that?"
Cyrus smiled, and before he could respond, a messenger came to notify Sarah that her mother wanted to see her.
She left, obviously unhappy with Cyrus' words.
At the banquet, the Light Warriors gave a condensed version of their tale to the court. They glossed over a lot of the elements that were not important to the main points. They told everyone what the prophecy, and the crystals, were truly about, each of them revealing their crystal to the court. They left out all mention of Vincentio, and the true origin of the worship of Ysgard, which was a popular faith in Cornelia. They discussed all four Shrines, as well as the encounters with Bahamut, and their subsequent Recognition by him. The mention of the treaties of the Kingdoms of Men and Dragons sent more than one royal scholar dashing to the library and archives to find what they could. They returned before the full tale was told to confirm that Cornelia was, in fact, part of those treaties, meaning that Cyrus' noble title was recognized by the Cornelian crown. And furthermore, that Cyrus, as one who had fulfilled the agreement with the Kingdom of Dragons, was entitled to a grant of land in his home Kingdom, by virtue of the fact that it was impractical for him to have his land granted in the Cardian Isles.
They brought their tale full circle to the restoration of all the Shrines, and then at last revealed that their final destination was the Temple of Fiends. This sparked some whispers among the court, and Xoria stepped forward and revealed, to those who knew the stories of Ysgard, that the evil that they went to face and destroy, was the same Great Evil, that the founders of Ysgard had quested for, but had failed.
After the banquet there was some socializing, mostly nobles who wanted to talk more with the Light Warriors, and more than one who wanted to flirt with them. Xoria and Teraptus made their commitment clear, and they were left alone. Cyrus had no formal claim on him, although Sarah stayed close to him for most of the night. His mother, too, was glad to see him and spent a lot of time with him. As the night drew on, the guests departed and the Light Warriors retired to bed.
The next day they were again called into King Ren's throne room. The king officially granted Cyrus his grant of land, which was located very close to Cornelia, and included some lush farmland and forested areas which were good for hunting. Cyrus declined the offer for royal architects to start designing a manor for him just yet, as he and his mother still owned Garland's former residence within the city. After the formal audience, the king asked them to join him in his study.
"Cyrus, do you know why I asked you and your companions here?" the king asked.
"No, your Majesty," he replied.
"As you know, I have only two daughters, and no male heir to my throne. Which means that whomever my eldest daughter, Sarah, marries will, in turn, inherit the throne to the kingdom. In the past six months, I have arranged for numerous suitors for her, all of whom she has turned away, citing one reason or another. Do you see where I am going with this?"
Cyrus looked nervous and somewhat bashful. "I believe so, your Majesty. Should…should Sarah be here for this?"
King Ren grunted. "My daughter has already brought this up to me. My wife told me about how you and her got along before her kidnapping, and now that you are a proper knight, she wasted no time in approaching me and indicating her preference that I arrange a formal engagement for her to you."
Cyrus looked astonished. "Formal engagement?"
"Yes, son. She's a princess, and her marriage is a matter of state and politics. Unlike you two," he indicated Xoria and Teraptus, "Sarah does not have the freedom to marry simply for love, whoever she chooses. However, she seems to have very strong feelings for you, and as much as I need her to marry well for the sake of the kingdom, I would love nothing more than to see my daughter happy. I see both in you, Cyrus. You are an upstanding young man, always have been. You have distinguished yourself very well, not only in your skill with the sword, but in your impeccable moral character. The only obstacle between you and Sarah before was her station and that is no longer an issue. What do you say, Sir Cyrus? Will you accept my daughter's hand in marriage?"
Cyrus looked stunned. This was a lot to accept all at once. He cared for Sarah, deeply so, but had never really thought about what being with her had meant. While he had looked forward to marrying her when he returned to Cornelia a hero, he had not accepted the implication that it would put him on the throne.
"I think he's speechless, your Majesty," Xoria said with an impish smile.
"I would love to accept, your Majesty," Cyrus said. "But I feel strange making this kind of decision without Sarah being here."
"I told you, Cyrus, this was her idea. I can send for her now, if you like."
"One more thing, your Majesty. What we're about to do is very dangerous. I don't know if we'll all be coming back, and I don't want to leave Sarah hanging, waiting for me."
The king nodded. "I understand, Cyrus, and I wouldn't be as proud of you if you didn't step forward and say that, but if I don't make some kind of proclamation before you leave, Sarah won't give me a moment's peace, and I have my own sanity to consider, now don't I?" King Ren was smiling.
Cyrus smiled as well. "Then I accept, your Majesty."
They stayed in Cornelia for one more day while the official proceedings were carried out. Sarah and Cyrus were formally engaged, and Sarah had a victorious, self-satisfied smile on her face.
She was not happy to see Cyrus go, however, as his worries now started to affect her. Perhaps she had thought once they were engaged she could convince him to abandon his quest. Even her father was stern with her on this matter, and the Light Warriors left the city to fanfare and celebration, as they continued on their journey.
They boarded the airship in silence. In silence they traveled the short distance to the Temple of Fiends, and in silence they disembarked. The Temple of Fiends had not changed since they visited last. Most of it was a ruin, and only the stairs down into the basement level were accessible. They descended the stairs and proceeded first into the room where they had confronted Garland. To their surprise, they were not alone.
There had been bats in the room during their last visit, but they had paid them no mind. Now, five bats, large specimens at that, were perched on the tables throughout the room and were sitting up and staring right at the Light Warriors when they entered. To everyone's surprise, the bats began to speak.
"It's them! It's the crystal-bearers!"
The Light Warriors were taken aback. Cyrus found his voice first. "Who…or what, are you?"
"We are sky people. We came here after tracing the root of the world's ruin to this place. That was 400 years ago."
"The Five!" Xoria gasped. "The warriors sent to fight the Great Evil!"
Another bat spoke, "Ah! The crystal's radiance has restored my speech! Chaos cast a curse on us, turning us into bats."
"You've been alive for over 400 years?" Sav'ran asked, incredulous.
A third bat piped up. "The four fiends of Chaos were stealing the crystals' light and sending its power to the past. Someone 2000 years in the past is absorbing that power. He is our true foe. And whoever he is, his power sustains us as well, as our punishment."
"How do we face him?" Teraptus asked.
"Let the light of the four crystals shine upon the black crystal in the center of the chamber. United, the four crystals will open a portal to the Temple of Chaos as it was 2000 years ago."
There was, indeed, a black crystal orb in the center of the chamber. It had been covered with a sheet of some kind the last time they had been here. Perhaps Garland had not known what it was, and not trusted the dark magic that seemed to swirl in its depths.
The Light Warriors approached the black orb. They each took their crystal pendant off. They each laid their crystals onto the black one. The effect was immediate. The swirling energy inside the orb expanded until there was a large, gate-like swirl of black energy.
The bats watched, anxiously. "May the Light of the crystals guide the Four, and restore the world." One of them said. "One step further, Light Warriors, and you will step back in time 2000 years! The greatest danger awaits you there, for Chaos plots to send the four Fiends forward in time. You must destroy them and him before he can do so, and undo the dark fate of the world!"
The Light Warriors stepped forward, and all five bats spoke in unison "May the Light of the crystals guide the Four, and restore the world."
They stepped into the portal.
The room they arrived in was different that the one they has entered the portal in. Even with the marked difference of 2000 years, they were definitely in a different part of the temple.
"No windows," Teraptus remarked "we may be closer to the center of the temple"
There was one door to the room they were now in. The Light Warriors made sure they were ready and passed through it. The massive hallways were empty, or seemingly so. Even though this temple was no longer a ruin, indeed, it appeared to be a new structure, the entire place seemed abandoned. Every step seemed loud in their ears and none of them dared to speak, lest they attract something unseen from elsewhere in the temple.
Exploring the entire area, they found stairs leading up. The next floor up was once again eerily silent. And once again, they explored all of it in silence themselves. Sav'ran found that his nerves were on edge and any sudden noise would probably elicit a knee-jerk response from all of them that would likely result in the destruction of whatever startled them. Sav'ran hoped that whatever did so was a monster and not someone in need of help.
All they found on this floor was another staircase up. On this next floor, there was a palpable sense of wrongness. It was almost as if the floors, walls, even the very air itself was watching them, and hating them. They came to a door guarded over by two massive metal golems. Even though they were in sight, the golems made no attempt to engage them.
Cyrus looked to his companions. They all nodded, ready. Cyrus charged in at the golem on the right, which raised its enormous fist in response. Cyrus struck three blows on it before the fist came down. His shield absorbed much of the impact, but Cyrus still felt that strike.
"Bochoska Othrasan Legatorey Turelah!" Teraptus fired lightning at both golems.
Sav'ran appeared behind Cyrus' target and slashed with his blade. It cut through the golem's legs very deeply, but the titan did not fall. The other golem swung at him, but missed.
Xoria's hammer came flying through the air and struck the golem square in the chest. There was a crack of thunder and the golem's chest now bore a concave spot from the hammer strike. Cyrus quickly set upon it, and with a mighty blow, cleaved open the chest. The golem fell, lifeless.
Teraptus thought he heard some more sound behind him, but looked and saw nothing. Returning his attention to the battle, he leveled his staff at the remaining golem. The dragon on the tip of his staff glowed red, as did the floor beneath the golem's feet. A column of fire shot up, engulfing the golem briefly.
Sa'vran followed up with a few quick strikes, he scored hits, but failed to dodge out of the way of the creature's counterattack. The massive metal fist caught him in the side and he went down, then rolled out of the way to avoid being crushed.
Xoria, too, heard sounds behind them and dared to spare a look. THERE! Something was coming around the corner towards them. Two skeletal knights, mounted on skeletal steeds rounded the corner and noticed them, they immediately began to charge. Taking no chances, she attempted to take them out in one shot.
"Desaréna Incantumsúl Absolvasonata!" A bright, almost blinding light began to fill the hallway in front of her, as the undead knights charged directly into it. The light increased in intensity, and she could hear the burning undead tissue and then heard two loud rattles as of bones collapsing to the floor. When the light diminished, the undead knights had been destroyed.
Satisfied, she went to turn around back to her friends, but noticed more movement near the end of the hallway. A lot more.
"We may wanna hurry this up, guys!"
Cyrus had just delivered a skillful series of blows to the golem and parried or blocked all of its attacks. Sav'ran rejoined the fight with a leap to the wall, kicking off it and removing the golem's head. The body came crashing to the floor.
Now the rest of the Light Warriors turned and saw what had alarmed Xoria. Giant spiders, snakes, and a host of undead were at one end of the hallway, and coming towards them, fast.
"Get in the room!" Teraptus shouted. They all retreated through the door that the golems had been guarding and locked it with a heavy bar from the inside.
"That should hold them for now" Cyrus said.
"Guys, come look at this," Sav'ran called. They all moved towards the center of the room where a stone plate rested on the floor. There was a strange series of dots in some kind of pattern on the stone, like a code of some kind.
"It's evil" Xoria said. "I can feel it"
The door rattled as the monsters outside tried to break in.
"Unless we want to fight our way out through that," Teraptus said, indicating the door, "I think we should try and figure out what this stone is and what it does."
"And pray that it has something to do with getting us out of here," Sav'ran added.
"Xoria, you're pretty good with glyphs, what do you make of it?" Cyrus asked.
Xoria shook her head. "Glyphs, maybe. This is just some dots in some kind of pattern."
The door rattled violently, and it seemed as if one of the hinges creaked a little more.
"A puzzle, maybe?" Teraptus suggested.
Sav'ran ran his fingers along the dots, humming to himself.
"Can you not hum right now?" Xoria asked, still staring at the stone.
"It could be a key to the puzzle!" Sav'ran said defensively. "If it's a pattern, maybe it's some kind of beat-"
"Or music!" Cyrus exclaimed. He stared at the dots again. "Guys, I think it's music, and I think I can play it."
"I thought you only knew like, one song" Teraptus said, skeptical.
Cyrus grinned. "Hey now, I'm not that bad. But this pattern…these…notes, or whatever. It looks just like the first song Sarah ever taught me how to play."
The door shook again, and they could now see the monsters outside as a hole was punched through and grasping claws reached inside.
"Worth a shot!" Sav'ran said, drawing his blade nonetheless.
Cyrus removed the lute from his pack and unwrapped it from the small blanket that protected it from being jostled. He checked it for tune, and then looked down to read the dots again.
There was a loud sound from the door as one of the hinges came half off. Another hole was broken through the door and more grasping claws reached into the room.
"Out of time, Cyrus!" Teraptus said, his right hand beginning to frost over as an icy blue aura surrounded it. His staff, in his left hand, has tongues of flame licking up the dragon perched at the top. Xoria swung her hammer experimentally, lightning crackling in its wake.
Cyrus began to play. It was a song that they were all familiar with by now, because he played it often during their travels. As he played, the notes on the stone lit up as each chord was struck. And as the last note lit up, there was a grinding sound as the stone lifted up into the air to reveal a staircase down.
"Inside, hurry!" Sav'ran said and rushed down the darkened steps. Xoria and Teraptus were quick to follow. Cyrus went last, and as his notes faded, the door burst in completely. He ran down the stairs, and heard snarling behind him. Then there came a great crashing sound as the stone settled back into position, and an agonized howl as something was crushed under its weight.
They once again found themselves in a seemingly abandoned castle. This time, they wasted no time in sneaking around, inching forward and looking for monsters behind them, they knew it was only a matter of time before the denizens found a way to them. They found a staircase down in one of the corner turrets of the castle. Those stairs led them to a straight hallway with no branches or doors that led them the full length of the castle wall, around a corner and again the full length of the castle before coming to another corner turret, and another set of stairs down.
The floor they found themselves in was dark, and Xoria and Cyrus used light spells to guide the way. The air smelled stale, and Sav'ran was reminded of the first trip into the Swamp cave, or perhaps the Earth Shrine. The reminder became more poignant, however, when they also found this level to be not-quite as uninhabited.
A Pair of giants blocked their path. Like the ones they had encountered in the Earth Shrine so long ago, these humanoids were about 12 feet tall, and they wielded enormous clubs in one hand, and with their other hand, they held a leash restraining a six-foot long lizard. Unlike the ones in the Earth Shrine, these wasted no time on petty banter, upon seeing the Light Warriors, they released their pets who promptly charged them.
Cyrus drew his sword and charged forward. Charging between the lizards he spun and delivered swift, but powerful blows with Excalibur. He easily dispatched both lizards and was upon the giants before they could bring their clubs to bear on him. Unable to reach the giant's vital areas, his sword bit into the monster's skin.
Right behind Cyrus, Sav'ran had also been charging, with a small jump, he landed lightly, almost weightlessly on Cyrus' shoulder, and vaulted off him towards the giant. His blade sank deep into the giant's neck, and, as Sav'ran continued to vault over the creature's shoulder, his blade carved a deep wound from its neck in the front, all the way over its shoulder and down its back. The giant collapsed in a pool of blood. Sav didn't stop there, as he turned to the other giant and severed the tendons at the back of the other giant's knee. The giant sank to the ground on one knee.
Now at a closer level to the giant, Cyrus plunged his blade into the giant's chest, where the giant's hard, rocky skin provided no resistance to the enchanted blade. The second giant also sank to the ground, dead.
Xoria and Teraptus, who hadn't even begun to cast any spells, whistled in admiration. "I think what Sav and Ter said earlier may have even more merit than we thought. It took six of us much more effort in the past to defeat giants just like that."
"Yeah, that was pretty easy, I'm not even winded," Sav'ran said.
"Me neither," Cyrus added, "the 'mighty heroes' thing would appear to be the case."
"Nonetheless, we should not get overconfident," Teraptus added.
Everyone agreed and pressed on.
Their journey through this floor became even more like Déjà vu, as they encountered cockatrices, werewolves, and even a few vampires, all things they had previously encountered in the Earth Shrine. There were a few monsters that broke the mold, however, but still in the theme of "earth", such as golems formed from rock and clay, but these, too, provided no serious threat.
The winding corridors had no branches, no offshoots, only one direction in which to head. And the winding hallway ended, at last, at a door, marked with the upside down equilateral triangle symbolizing Earth.
"What do you suppose lies behind the door?" Xoria asked.
"Based on what we've seen so far, I almost wouldn't be surprised to find the Earth Fiend here" Teraptus answered.
"But we already destroyed him, didn't we?" Sav'ran asked.
"In our time, yes. We're two thousand years in the past, though. If the point that we've travelled back to is BEFORE this…Chaos…sent the Fiends forward in time…"
"Understood," Cyrus said, drawing his blade. The rest of them readied their weapons as well. Cyrus pushed open the door.
What lay beyond the door could be best described as some kind of study or laboratory. There were bookshelves on every wall, completely filled with books. The tables, however, each held on them some kind of corpse…or parts of corpses, in some cases. The lair that the lich had made, or would make, or the Earth Shrine seemed to be an attempt to re-create this place. There was a mirror on the wall, glowing brightly. In it, they could see the image of themselves, entering the room, as though from a different angle.
"So, the brave and bold intruders have made it this far…" came a familiar sounding voice. It was hollow and raspy at the same time.
Looking about, they noticed two points of light glowing from the shadows in the corner. The lich stepped forward, every bit as ghastly as they remembered.
"I have observed you since you first entered this castle, intruders, though I know not how you did. You have clumsily brushed aside the defenses of this place, but you will find that luck will not serve you here."
"It was more than luck that brought us here, Fiend" Teraptus countered, "and YOU will find that your underestimation of us will only hasten your departure from this world."
"Insolent worm," the lich sneered. "You die first. Regina Ukyo Bantoyl!"
Teraptus was prepared for the death spell, however, and shook it off to no effect.
"Ready Xoria?" he said, glancing back at her. She nodded. "Fithostratus Ignusioustan Rajakanulka Eklusulshi!" The bead of fire flew from his fingertips and impacted the lich in the chest. A great explosion followed, consuming the lich and many of his books and creations in the lab. When the flare subsided, the lich still stood, patting flames out of his robes.
"Perhaps more powerful than I thought." The lich said, and before it could cast another spell, Xoria stepped forward.
"Desaréna Incantumsúl Absolvasonata!" White light again filled the room and grew in intensity until it was unbearably bright. The lich screamed. A scream that was cut short. When the light subsided, there was nothing left of the lich but his tattered robes.
"Didn't explode," Sav'ran observed.
"What's that Sav?" Cyrus asked.
"He didn't explode like he did last time, or like any of the other Fiends did."
"Could have something to do with the Shrines," Teraptus postulated. "Or that they had been sent forward in time. Perhaps now he's destroyed for good."
"So…if he's dead now, before he was ever sent into our present. What about the corruption he caused in our time? Has it never happened?"
Teraptus thought about it. "I've got no answer for you Sav. To my knowledge, we're the first people to ever go back in time and alter history like this. There's no precendent."
"I guess we'll find out when we get back, then." Xoria said.
The passage from the Lich's chamber led them downward. And with each step, it grew hotter. Before long, they were in a series of halls that would be a match for Mt. Gulg in heat. Xoria cast her spell of fire protection, and it eased their discomfort somewhat.
Predictably, the entire floor was filled with chamber after chamber of fire-themed creatures. There were fire-spewing lizards, strange humanoids that seemed to be partially made of fire, and golems composed of molten lava. The winding halls had no branches, no forks, just one, unalterable path towards a stone door. The stone door was marked with the symbol of fire, and equilateral triangle, pointing up, with an extra line near the base.
"Hold it guys," Sav'ran said quietly. "I know everything's been almost too easy so far, but remember that the last time we fought the Fire Fiend, she wasn't at her full power.
Everyone nodded, and he opened the door.
The room was strange. The ceiling was high, looking almost too high to be in a basement level such as one they were in. There were a lot of columns, more than architecturally necessary. The room was a veritable forest of stone. All of them had their weapons drawn, and looked about warily.
There was no sound, no notice. Just a wave of fire that washed throughout the rooms and over all of them. Xoria's spell absorbed the worst of it, but there was no doubt had it not been there, they would all be on fire.
Just then, a large sword swung down from above. Years of training had Cyrus' reflexes honed to a razor edge, and that was all that kept his head connected to his body as he ducked and raised his shield.
Marilith was coiled around one of the columns above them. As Cyrus swung up at her, she parried with two of her blades while striking glancing blows on his armor with three more. She then leaped to another column, still above them, still out of reach.
"Irritating," Teraptus grumbled. Then, "Q'alar Uthra Aecris Keczar Evyz!"
The force of Teraptus' spell shook the entire room, and all the Light Warriors went down to their knees. The effect on the rest of the room, however, was devastating. The earthquake toppled most of the columns in the room, including the one that Marilith currently occupied.
Marilith drew herself up to her full height, over ten feet tall, with some tail still beneath her supporting her. In each hand, she held a wicked looking sword, and all of them looked ready to strike at any moment.
Sav'ran extended his left hand "Istraesol Centantrum Extolixia!" And great spears of ice formed and flew towards her, impaling her through the torso, after which, cold began to spread from the wounds. Marilith cried in pain, but before she could remove the shards, Sav'ran was already upon her, and deftly sliced off two of her hands.
She struck back viciously, but Cyrus intercepted the blows meant for his friend square on his shield. He then followed up with two heavy slashes that cut deep wounds in her neck and chest.
She turned and fled, attempting to reach the back of the room where she could once again have the advantage of the pillars. Xoria's hammer came flying and hit her square in the back of the head with a blast of lightning and the crash of thunder as it connected.
Before the hammer was even back in Xoria's hand, Sav'ran repeated the spell, but this time, was more focused on his target. Marilith, still stunned from the hammer blow, froze and convulsed, falling to the ground and flopping like a fish out of water. Her red skin was turning purple in places, and ice crystals began bursting through her skin. As she opened her mouth as if to scream, a great ice crystal, seeming to fill her entire mouth, protruded from her open mouth, blocking it open.
She stopped convulsing. The Light Warriors warily approached her, and, agreeing that it was better to be safe than sorry, they severed her head.
In a pattern that was in no way a surprise now, the stairs down to the next level were flooded more than halfway down. Consuming a swig of Oxyale each, they proceeded into the depths.
Sea trolls, sea scorpions, sahagin and sharks, all of them inhabited the underwater level of the temple. And all of them fell before the Light Warriors. However, the monsters were getting significantly tougher, and they were dipping deeper and deeper into their potion supply.
Like the two levels above, the underwater level had no side corridors, no offshoots, only one, winding path. The encounters with monsters were often short and brutal, since the Light Warriors had so much notice. To conserve resources, they relied extensively on the lightning gauntlet.
It surprised none of them when they encountered the door with the symbol of Water on it. The equilateral triangle, point down, with an extra line at the base. Xoria cast her lightning-protection spell on all of them and they entered.
Unlike the Water Shrine, this room seemed like it was designed to accommodate a creature of Kraken's size. The chamber was vast, with a vaulted ceiling, thirty feet or more above them. Kraken himself was floating near the ceiling.
"Visitors?" Kraken said in his deep, menacing voice. "No...Intruders..." His baleful red eyes flashed with what may have been anger. "No matter, you die now" And with no further discourse or flinch of his tentacles, it attacked.
The Light Warriors, however, had Kraken at a distinct advantage. They knew what they'd be facing, they knew its tactics in advance, and they were well-prepared. Sav'ran had gone into hiding, blending in with his surroundings even before they had opened the door. By the time Kraken launched its tentacles towards them, Xoria's hammer was already spinning through the "air". Cyrus swiftly hacked off several feet of three tentacles in swift succession as they neared him. Almost simultaneously, Xoria's hammer connected with Kraken's core with a burst of lightning and crash of thunder, and Sav'ran launched himself off the wall and thrust his sword deep into Kraken's bulbous eye.
Kraken roared in pain and opened its lamprey-like mouth. Teraptus was waiting for that. As soon as Sav'ran neared Kraken's eye, he began his spell. "Istraesolian Centantrumien Extolixianas!" The blue waves of energy struck Kraken directly in its open mouth, stopping the blast of ink before it could blind them all. The gaping mouth of the beast was instantly filled with an enormous block of ice. The ice continued to fill its elongated body, and shards of ice began to pierce the skin of its long, tube-shaped head. A muffled scream of outrage reverberated throughout the chamber.
Kraken began thrashing back and forth, attempting to chew through the ice, or perhaps just writhing in agony. Cyrus, however, still charging Kraken, leaped/swam up and drove Excalibur into the beast's head. The blade drove in deep through flesh and the ice inside, piercing deep into Kraken's brain. With a choking gurgle, its eyes went blank. The beast's lifeless body went limp, and floated towards the ceiling.
They exited the room and found that the staircases down were longer than any of the other staircases. There was a short landing and a small series of stairs leading up and out of the water, and they were once again breathing normal air.
The level they found themselves on was strangely silent. The only creatures they encountered were strange, sentient-and menacing-elementals. Beings composed of air and wind. Cyrus and Sav'ran were surprised that their weapons had any effect at all on the seemingly-insubstantial foes, but they did.
"No robots or undead yet" Sav'ran noted after the third such encounter.
"Well, those were unique to the Air Shrine itself, weren't they?" Teraptus offered.
"I suppose"
A roar from up ahead ended that conversation, and three leonine beasts with great bat-like wings rounded the corner ahead. Cyrus jumped ahead of the others and raised his shield to protect them as the creatures flipped their tails over their heads and launched a volley of spikes at them. His shield took all of the hits. Then Teraptus leveled his staff and Xoria held forth the gauntlet.
"Infierna!"
"Aegis!"
Fire and lightning struck the monsters, leaving three charred, blackened corpses in their wake.
"Well, Sav, there's your change of pace" Cyrus remarked. Sav'ran rolled his eyes but said nothing. Then, he cocked his head and looked more closely at the wall near the monsters.
"There's something here..." he said.
The others looked up at him strangely. He began examining the wall closely, as if searching for something, his hands roaming all over the surface of the wall. After a few minutes of silence, Teraptus began to speak.
"Sav, are you sure-"
"Got it!" Sav'ran said, and pushed on one of the stones of the wall. There was a grinding sound, and a section of the wall slid aside to reveal another chamber.
The Light Warriors entered this darkened hallway, and rounded a corner, soon finding themselves in another room, devoid of all furnishings, except for one ornate, gilded chest in the center of the small room. As they entered the wall, a strange light seemed to come from the chest. The light coalesced into the shape of an armored figure. The armor the figure wore was strange, appearing lacquered or enameled, even though the figure was all one pale blue-white color.
"Who seeks The Blade?" The figure intoned.
The Light Warriors looked at each other, confused.
"What blade?" Cyrus asked. "We weren't looking for-"
"The Blade is not to be taken lightly!" The figure boomed. "The power it bestows should not be used frivolously or selfishly!"
"Whoah there," Sav'ran said. "We've come here to destroy Chaos and prevent the corruption of our world."
The figure seemed to mull that over for a moment and nodded. "A worthy cause. The blade is yours, but use it wisely. Masamune is the mightiest of all swords. The Good or Evil that could be wrought with it are great indeed." And with that, the spirit faded away.
Cyrus' eyes widened in wonder. "Masamune? Isn't that...?"
"The sword Smythe spoke of" Teraptus finished. Extremely excited, he went to the chest and opened it, withdrawing a magnificent sword in its sheathe. The handle was ivory and onyx. The cross guard was shining platinum. The sheathe was pure ivory, and engraved with a bas-relief scene of armies clashing in battle. He pulled the blade from it. It was a single-edged, curved blade. The blade itself was untarnished, bright, and obviously razor-sharp.
Teraptus whistled in amazement. "Amazing! I...I can feel exactly how to use this blade! Cyrus, attack me!"
Cyrus shook his head. "No way, I don't want to hurt you."
Teraptus grinned. "You won't. Just do it. Think of it as sparring."
Cyrus sighed and drew Excalibur. The two of them circled slowly, making short, quick feints at one another. Then Cyrus stepped in quickly, swinging his blade in strikes so fast they were almost whiplike. There were several clashes of steel on steel, as Teraptus blocked every strike, and then, with almost blinding speed, Teraptus disarmed Cyrus and sent his sword skittering across the floor.
There was stunned silence. Even Teraptus' eyes were wide. He sheathed the blade as Cyrus recovered his own.
"I think this blade in your hands would be pretty amazing, Cyrus" Teraptus said quietly.
Cyrus shook his head. "Excalibur is more my style of sword. I'm not a big fan of single-edged, curved blades. But Sav'ran, on the other hand..." He looked at his green-clad friend.
Sav'ran's eyes widened. Teraptus held the sword out to him, and he took it. When he put his hand on the hilt, he immediately felt the knowledge and skill in his mind and body, as if he had absorbed the fighting techniques of the world's greatest sword masters in seconds.
"There's no other way out of this room" Xoria announced. "Guess it's back to the main passage, then".
They returned to the main passage, and found the remainder of the level free of enemies. Before long, they found themselves before the door with the equilateral triangle on it symbolizing Wind.
Xoria cast spells on all of them to protect from fire, ice, lightning, and her armor spell. Teraptus, meanwhile, cast his speed spell on Cyrus and Sav'ran. Then they entered the chamber.
As soon as the door closed, they were all struck with a blast of pure force and energy. This Tiamat, it seemed, was not about to waste time on banter.
Injured, but not crippled, the Light Warriors sprang into action. The room had a high ceiling, but not so high that Tiamat could take wing. Cyrus crossed the room in mere seconds and delivered powerful, deep strikes to Tiamat's scaly belly.
Sav'ran seemed to be running up the walls. He launched himself from the wall, and neatly severed one of Tiamat's heads in one stroke, landing on her back afterwards. The great dragon roared and threw him from her back violently. Sav'ran landed on his feet, but the impact was still hard.
Not wanting to give the dragon a even a moment to recuperate, Xoria unleashed the same devastating spell with which she had finished the Wind Fiend the first time. "Haleos Ossuam Lumyna Ythorae!" The ten spheres of pure energy surrounded Tiamat. And, like her counterpart in the Wind Shrine, she seemed unable to touch them. The spheres circles her, then shot up into the ceiling, and came down in powerful beams of pure holy energy tat ripped through the dragon, leaving her badly burned, with two more of her heads seemingly unconscious or dead.
"Now!" Teraptus called out, and Cyrus and Sav'ran immediately began running back to the door they had entered through. Xoria, as well, was backing away. Teraptus had once again been gathering his strength, and once again, unleashed the full fury of his power.
"Nathoria Ultima Krasus Extinkosha!"
The power that focused in Tiamat's chest was killing her, and she seemed to droop almost before it was complete. When the green, black, and indigo flames erupted from her body, they sent a sizable chunk of her chest cavity with them, and Teraptus found himself surrounded by gore, his own body only untouched because the arcane flames which surrounded him during the spell had immediately incinerated all pieces of flesh which might have touched him.
The other three came back into the room.
"Gross, Ter," Sav'ran said, but he was smiling.
They completely exhausted their potion supply before entering the next door, not knowing what to expect.
The level they were now on was one vast room, stretching the entire length of the castle, save for one room, seemingly completely enclosed, in the center. The center room seemed not very large, compared to the rest of it. Perhaps 50 feet square. There was only one door, and it was closed, but a soft blue light came from beyond, barely visible around the doorframe.
Weapons ready, they opened the door.
The room was empty, save for a large black crystal orb, an exact copy of the one they had used to travel here in their own time. And standing before the orb, with its back to them was a humanoid figure in full armor. From the figure's back draped a tattered cape. It was blue, and bore the white dove symbol of Cornelia. From beneath the helmet, long strands of pale blond hair cascaded over the figure's shoulders. The helmet itself was distinctive, even from behind. Two long, thin curved horns swept forward from above the brow of the the helmet. Cyrus gasped.
"Well," the figure said in a soft, deep voice, "don't you all look familiar?" The figure turned to face them. His helmet was open in the front, and he was unmistakeably human. With deep, blue eyes and an emotionless face. "Don't remember me? It's Garland."
"I remember," Cyrus said, in a voice choked with emotion.
Garland smiled, but it was a smile devoid of happiness. "Two thousand years into the future...you killed me."
The Light Warriors looked to Cyrus, suddenly worried for their friend. Cyrus, for his part, seemed gripped with fear.
"How...is this even possible?" Teraptus asked.
Xoria shook her head. "It shouldn't be...there's no way he could have..."
"But the Four Great Forces sent me back in time," Garland continued, "thus resurrecting me in the past". He turned his back to them and raised his arms before the orb, which began to crackle with dark energy. "The Wheel of Time revolves eternally. It was I who sent the four Fiends of Chaos into the future...and they shall once again send my future self into the past!"
He spun around to face them again, his eyes alight with madness. "Two thousand years from now, I shall lose all memory of the past!" His face was not split with an evil grin.
The energy from the orb suddenly blasted forth, and reality seemed to warp around them. The small, empty room was no more. They were surrounded by swirling stars as if they had been transported into the night sky. They still felt firm ground beneath their feet, however.
The effect of the energy on Garland, however, was much more drastic. His armor turned a sickly shade of yellow as he began to swell into immensity. The horns on his helmet grew and twisted, becoming gnarled and wicked-looking. His face became that same shade, and became monstrous, until he no longer resembled Garland at all. The monster was at least 10 feet tall, and the armor appeared to be part of some kind of demonic carapace. Its head was horned, there was no doubt that it was the monster's horns and not a helmet. Its face was filled with malice, it mouth horribly fanged. Each of its hands ended in terrible claws, and its feet looked cloven with sharp talons.
"Khayoss..." Xoria said in a small voice, half-filled with awe, half-terrified.
Chaos continued, his voice now gravelly and terrible, and filled with hate. "But in that past I will be reborn yet again! Your lives shall end, here. And mine...mine will continue forever!" And he began laughing in a deep, demonic voice.
Cyrus tightened his grip on Excalibur. "Not so, monster!" The other Light Warriors looked at him in surprise. "Your reign of terror ends here. In the name of Bahamut and all the souls of this world, and for the honor of my father, Garland, we will wipe the stain of your filth clean from this and every world!"
Chaos' eyes gleamed. Then, without warning, a wave of intense flame swept outward from him, engulfing the Light Warriors.
None of them could escape it completely, but they recovered quickly. Cyrus and Sav'ran dashed forward, blades at the ready. Confident in his invincibility, Chaos roared in pain and surprise as Excalibur and Masamune bit deep into his armored carapace.
"Protega Regulo Ordona Tarkana!" Xoria cried, encasing all of her friends in the protective spell. Just in time, as Chaos came down on Sav'ran with his huge claws.
Teraptus took a breath and focused his power. "Istraesolian Centantrumien Extolixianas!" Blue energy streaked towards Chaos, and as it impacted him, bursts of ice appeared all around him, completely encasing him for only a brief moment before the ice shattered. Whether or not he was harmed was uncertain.
Cyrus blocked another claw from Chaos with his shield, and then drove his blade deep into his leg. When he roared and swung at Cyrus with his other claw, Sav'ran was quick to thrust his sword into the unarmored gap under Chaos' arm, and was rewarded with a spray of black blood.
Xoria was quick to recover from her first spell, and went on the offensive with her second. "Haleos Ossuam Lumyna Ythorae!" As before, the white spheres surrounded her target before flying upwards and streaking down to strike him, Chaos flinched with each bolt, evidence of its effect on him.
Almost as soon as the bolts of light finished striking him, Chaos was suddenly encased in a cage of purple lightning. He flung his arms apart, and a sudden storm of lightning and wind struck all the Light Warriors, throwing Cyrus and Sav'ran back, and sending painful electricity coursing through their bodies.
Teraptus was slow to come to his feet, and his mouth was filled with his own blood. He spat it out and began channeling his energies for his most powerful spell.
Cyrus came to his feet and prepared to charge, but was stopped by Sav'ran, who jerked his head toward Teraptus. Instead, Sav'ran cast his own spell, the latest he had learned. "Hathran Actina Sorchak Tentia Ewulvia!" Cyrus felt immediately faster, and knew just how to use his time until Terasptus was done.
"Halinos Ethran Aesthta Loriat!" Xoria cried, sending a wave of healing magic over all of them. Cyrus' own wounds were more significant than her spell could cover, and he cast his own healing spell.
"Cantosiol Ulinovska Reythator Extatium!" Feeling much better, he prepared himself to charge Chaos as soon as Teraptus' spell was finished.
"Nathoria Ultima Krasus Extinkosha!" Teraptus cried, his eyes and hands ablaze with power. The explosion of indigo and green flames nearly floored all of them again, as they had no cover from the blast.
Chaos seemed unharmed by the spell, and laughed derisively. Cyrus, however, was already upon him. He delivered overhand blows against Chaos, attempting to do more damage to his core, which was much higher than Cyrus could easily reach. Chaos swatted at him, and then quickly slashed at Sav'ran, who was attempting to sneak up from behind. As he turned towards Cyrus and the others, his eyes glowed red again.
"Nulreigh Fithos Ignus Raja Eklus!" Xoria cast her spell quickly, almost stumbling over the words. Her spell took effect just in time, as another wave of flame swept over them. They all still felt it, and Teraptus, still weakened from casting his previous spell, would likely have been burned terribly had Xoria's protection not been in place.
Cyrus and Sav'ran continued to harass Chaos with their blades, as Teraptus struggled to his feet. "Aegis!" he cried, and extended his gauntleted hand. Bolts of lightning struck forth at Chaos, and this time, left noticeable scorch marks on his hide.
"Halinos Ethran Aesthta Loriat!" Xoria cast again, exhaustion in her voice.
They all felt her healing magic wash over them, but only Teraptus noticed her collapse afterward. Sav;ran backed away from melee only long enough to cast the speed-enhancing spell on himself.
Teraptus crawled over to Xoria, intent on protecting her with his own body, if it came to it. She was pale, but still breathing. Her eyes fluttered a bit, as if struggling with consciousness.
Satisfied that she was safe for now, Teraptus turned back to Chaos, who was now bleeding black blood from his right leg, left armpit, and an impressive wound now decorating his abdomen.
"Cyrus! Lightning-protection! Now!"
Cyrus nodded, and gritted his teeth at the diffculty of casting a spell he had just learned while still defending himself. "Nulreigh Bocho Othra Legato Turel!" A yellow glow swept over all of them. At that same moment, Chaos, not one to waste oportunities, fell upon Cyrus with both claws, knocking the warrior to the ground. While his armor and Xoria's spell prevented the claws from penetrating, he was keenly aware of the titanic strength in those blows, and was certain he felt at least some of his ribs break.
"Bochoskatas Othrasantos Legatoreysin Turelahanya!" Teraptus cried, and everything in front of him became a field of lightning, which traveled to, and connected with, Chaos. As it did, Chaos was encased in a cage of dancing lightning bolts, which scored his limbs so badly he retracted them as much as possible. It paid off little, however, as the greatest, widest bolt struck the center of the cage. He roared in agony and coughed up a significant amount of blood and bile.
Xoria had recovered enough to raise her head. She took a deep breath and extended her right hand. She could see her Wizard Mark blazing white underneath her mithril bracer. "Haleos Ossuam Lumyna Ythorae!" The brilliant spheres once again did their work, and Chaos was stunned, reeling from the holy power. His carapace had huge rents in it from the combination of Teraptus' and Xoria's spells, and each of these gaping holes oozed thick black blood profusely. He staggered.
Cyrus had dragged himself to his feet and discarded his shield. As Chaos staggered, he brought his head lower. Abandoning his own defenses, Cyrus let loose a fierce cry as he brought Excalibur to bear two-handed. The mighty blade struck Chaos in the very center of his forehead and sank in deep. Cyrus was sprayed in black blood, as well as a burst of fire and lightning that sent him flying ten feet back to land on his back forcefully. Had Excalibur been any less keen a blade, it would have been wrenched from his hands.
There was a moment of silence. Sav'ran started to back away slowly.
"N-n-nooo...!" Chaos cried, and there seemed to be some distortion in his voice. His chest caved in somewhat, as if it were an empty shell. A circle of blazing light, no less than a hole in reality, opened at his feet. He began to sink into it. Desperately, he attempted to grab Sav'ran, as if to take him into oblivion with him.
Sav'ran nimbly jumped backwards, but it was all he could do not to be pulled towards that terrible hole himself. Cyrus felt himself sliding towards the hole as well, but flipped onto hims stomach and thrust his sword into the floor, which still resembled empty space. Xoria and Teraptus clung to each other, Teraptus' staff extended as if to provide some friction against the suction force of that tear in space.
As Chaos sank completely out of sight, the hole seemed to collapse after him. At the moment it closed, though, there was another blast of light and a deafening cracking sound. The great black crystal orb, which had seemed to disappear with the rest of the room before, was once again behind where Chaos had been, and a great fracture had appeared on its surface. From within that crack, a light glowed, which quickly shattered the remains of the orb and created another portal of light. This time, the pull of this portal was stronger, and Xoria, still weak from her spellcasting, lost her grip on Teraptus and was sucked into that blazing void in the space of a heartbeat.
"Xoria!" Teraptus screamed, his voice a combination of terror and loss. He stared into that void for only a moment before ceasing all struggling and allowing himself to be pulled in after her. Cyrus was dimly aware of his shield flying into the void with him.
Cyrus and Sav'ran looked at each other, both struggling, but both being slowly dragged towards that same blazing fate. Sav'ran grinned suddenly at his friend, and leaped to his feet, facing the portal. He leaped and dove headfirst into the white expanse. Cyrus panicked, not knowing what to do. Unbidden, words came to his mind from memory. Sav'ran jumping into another unknown and saying "a timid heart brings only a dull life". Cyrus smiled to himself, and pulled his sword up and faced the portal. He was pulled forward, but did not resist it. He closed his eyes and cast his lot with fate.
Warm sunlight and chirping birds. That was the first thing he was aware of. Then the tickle of grass on his face as it bent before the wind. Cyrus opened his eyes to find himself in a sun-drenched glade. He went to push himself up, and nearly collapsed in pain. His ribs were still injured from the fight with Chaos. He struggled through the pain to pull himself to a sitting position. His friends were also just now waking up and sitting up. All of them were similarly battered.
They looked around and quickly identified the edifice behind them as the ruined Temple of Fiends. The Light Warriors looked at each other, bewildered. Painstakingly, they gathered themselves up, Cyrus was pleased to note his shield was with them and intact. Between Cyrus and Xoria, they had enough healing magic to completely restore all of them. Cyrus' side still hurt, but he no longer feared anything was broken.
"So...what now?" Sav'ran asked.
Teraptus looked up at the sky. "Beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky. Maybe we undid all the corruption of the Fiends".
Xoria smiled at him and took his hand. "Let's go to Cornelia and find out."
Sav'ran looked around. "Where's the airship?"
Xoria frowned and concentrated, focusing on her circlet. Her eyes shot open. "I...I don't know!"
"Guess we walk, then." Cyrus said, and headed southeast. "We should be able to make it by sunset"
It took less time than that, as the forest was much easier to travel through. And no monsters interfered with them or tried to attack them in any way. It was late afternoon when they arrived in Cornelia. Trumpets sounding from the walls signaled that their approach had been noticed by the guards.
A squad of soldiers was sent out to greet them. The lead rider was the same captain who had greeted them when they returned with Princess Sarah.
"Greetings Light Warriors!" the captain said. "We're here to escort you to the palace." They had brought four riderless horses with them, and they mounted and allowed themselves to be escorted into the city.
"Fine new accouterments, Cyrus" the captain said with a grin. "Seems like you did well for yourself."
Cyrus smiled. "It's a bit of a long story," he said.
"Well, no doubt Lord Garland will be proud. And pleased."
Cyrus gaped at him. "Garland?" he asked, bewildered.
The captain looked at him quizzically. "Yes. Lord Garland. The king's seneschal. Your adopted father."
Cyrus looked around at his friends, who were just as puzzled as he. "Seneschal? I thought Garland was disgraced? After the Pravocian War...and that business with the princess?"
"What are you talking about?" the captain said, looking puzzled himself. "His peaceful end to the Pravocian War is what earned him his place as the king's most trusted advisor. And what's this about the princess?"
Cyrus looked to Teraptus, who just shrugged and mouthed "Go with it"
They were escorted into the palace, and were asked to wait a moment outside the throne room. When the door opened, none of them were prepared for the blue-robed figure who came out.
Garland looked almost out of place without armor on. But his broad shoulders suggested a man who still carried a lot of physical power. He carried the ornate staff that was his badge of office, and his face split into a huge smile when he saw them.
"Cyrus, my boy!" he exclaimed, and pulled the startled young man into a hug. "Look at you! A Knight of the Cardian Isles! The king will be most pleased." His eyes grew sly. "I'm betting Princess Sarah will be too."
Cyrus was obviously very uncomfortable. "Garland, what's going on?"
"'Garland', huh? What's gotten into you boy? You've called me 'Father' since your mother and I's wedding 5 years ago. She's here, by the way. I sent for her as soon as I got word you'd been sighted coming home."
Cyrus was at a complete loss of words, so Xoria stepped in. "Thank you, My Lord, may we enter yet?"
Garland smiled at her. "Just another few moments, I'll go make sure everything is ready." He turned and entered the double doors to the throne room.
Cyrus turned on her. "What is going on?"
It was Teraptus who answered. "If I had to guess, I'd say that destroying Chaos and his Fiends in the past prevented them from ever spreading their corruption in the present. And everything that stemmed from that corruption has now been undone."
"So the Shrines are still intact?" Sav'ran said.
Teraptus shrugged. "Probably. But it seems that we're the only ones who remember the previous time line. Bahamut might, and maybe some of the sages."
"That explains the lack of Airship," Xoria said. "It's probably still docked at a functional Air Shrine."
The double doors opened then, and the Light Warriors entered the throne room to a chorus of cheers. King Ren was there, and Garland. Princess Sarah looked radiant, and she positively beamed at Cyrus. Lukhin stood to one side of the throne, smiling mysteriously, as the Light Warriors were formally welcomed home.