The Restoration: Part X

Crono and Lucca's arrival in the World of the Moon spurred a widespread renewal of faith in Cecil's story, and the result was dramatic.

The once silent and near-dormant castle was bustling with activity as the delegates from the various kingdoms prepared to leave and inform their respective nations. Most of the day had been spent creating contingency plan after contingency plan for each leader to bring to his or her land, and by the time the visitors were ready to leave Baron, the sun was already setting. The first to leave was Edge with the Falcon, headed for his home nation of Eblana, carrying the dwarves to the underground on the way. Yang and the representatives from Mysidia and Toroia were preparing to leave as well.

The night had passed calmly enough, however. Most of the residents of the castle had been asleep when the Epoch crash-landed on the plains, and the emergency meeting called by Cecil to discuss the new turn of events ran late into the night and into the early hours of the morning. Crono and Lucca had taken turns telling parts of their story, up to and including their latest adventure crossing between worlds. The attention of everyone in the room was fixed on them, all except for Cecil, who gauged the reactions of his companions.

Consequently, most of those who had been present slept very late. Among the very few exceptions were Lucca and Cid, who were up early to work on the remains of the Epoch, and Cecil, whose renewed energy had dissuaded him from sleep – much to Rosa's chagrin. Now, in the evening, everyone was preparing to leave.

Only two visitors weren't readying themselves for departure. Edward, whose injuries earned him a bed in the infirmary, was forbidden by Rosa to leave for fear that his wound would worsen. Edward's protests had fallen on deaf ears; "Doctor's orders," Cecil had said.

The other was Rydia. Though Edge had offered – eagerly – to escort her back to the Land of Phantom Beasts, she'd elected to stay, primarily out of fear that if she were underground, she'd be less able to offer her versatility in the case of an emergency. She also wanted to warn the villagers of her home town of Mist of the crisis, worried that they'd be caught unawares. She used her powers to communicate with King Leviathan and remained in Baron as an emissary.

In the middle of it all, Crono could only look around in wonder. It had been some time since he'd felt this important, but now that the meeting was over, everything seemed to be moving along around him, without his help. It was a feeling he wasn't accustomed to. He'd been approached many times by those with questions about his world, or the struggles he'd faced while fighting Lavos, or anything else he knew about the Restoration, but by now, as those people developed their strategies and planned the course of action they would take upon their return home, the questions died away and Crono was left feeling…

He didn't know what.

The closest he could come to capturing the feeling was to say that he felt unproductive, but that implied that there was something for him to help with, and there was not. He was left with nothing to think about, which led him to thinking about Frog, wondering if he had survived the crash and, if he had, what had happened to him.

To take his mind off of things, he found himself that evening wandering in the direction of the infirmary to pay Edward a visit. He walked across the elegant welcoming chamber of the castle, meandering in the general direction of his destination, not entirely sure if he was headed the right way but reassured by the fact that if he were to get lost, he'd have something else to think about.

Half to his disappointment, he found his way fairly easily, and soon opened the creaky door to the infirmary, knocking as he walked in. He was greeted by the sound of harp music, which stopped somewhat abruptly as Edward looked up and saw his visitor. "Crono," he said, "I didn't expect you."

The boy shrugged. "You don't have to stop playing."

"No, perhaps not, but it doesn't seem appropriate to play when I have a visitor."

Crono sat on the bed next to his. "Why?"

"Because… well, because music is more than a melody to me; my music is more of a companion – a comfort – than anything else. When I have other companions, it seems excessive to ask for more."

"Then I'll be an audience for a while," said Crono, "not a companion."

"As you wish."

Edward picked up his harp again and began to play, a melody that Crono had heard him play before. It was soft and delicate, but cheerful in a way. It was a comforting melody to listen to.

Edward closed his eyes as he played, and Crono looked around himself. The infirmary was small but cozy. It was divided in half by a wall, with the beds on one side and the medicine cabinets and supplies on the other. Edward's bed was closest to the wall, and he leaned one arm against it as he played, swaying slightly to his music.

After a few minutes, Edward stopped again. "You're afraid, aren't you?"

Crono looked at him, and then away again, shrugging. "Not really. Where's Rosa?"

"Upstairs," said Edward after a moment. "She wanted to watch the sunset. Did you need to speak with her?"

Crono shook his head. "No, just wondering."

Edward strummed a chord. "You really shouldn't be ashamed, you know."

"Of what?"

"Of being afraid. If I were in your position, I'd be afraid too." He rested his harp on his lap, folded his hands over it. "Sometimes fear can be your ally. It can help you think. And after all, you're in a world with which you aren't familiar, and you don't know how to get back. That would scare me."

Crono shrugged again, avoiding eye contact. "I've been mixed up with worse than this."

"So have I. That doesn't make you immune to fear."

Crono paused for a few minutes. "Well, I guess I am kind of… worried."

Edward grinned, and then nodded. "If you say so." He picked up the harp again, started to strum a few notes.

Crono looked at his feet. "Edward…"

The strumming stopped, and Edward looked at him inquisitively.

"Have you… Were you ever really…"

"Afraid?"

Crono nodded sheepishly.

Edward laughed. "Of course. I don't know anyone who hasn't been. To tell the truth, I was once intimately acquainted with fear… so much so that I nearly let it possess me. Rule me. That changed when I met Cecil, though."

"He seems to have that effect on people."

"You could say that."

Crono thought for a moment about Cecil. Even when they'd first met back in the mysterious cavern, he remembered having a certain instinct toward him… a certain sense of security. He had the air of someone who knew what to do even at the most hopeless of times. "When did you two meet?" he asked Edward.

"Oh, it was—" Edward stopped for a minute at that, putting the harp down and staring into space in thought. "You know, I have to stop every now and then and think about that. It feels like I've known him forever, for everything we've been through. Anyway, we met shortly after my castle was attacked by Baron."

"He attacked you?"

"Oh, no, of course not," said Edward, shaking his head vigorously. "This was before Cecil was king. We met in the wreckage just after the attack, and he asked for my help."

"Your help?" Crono asked. "With what?"

"Well… that's a bit of a long story. You see, Cecil was on the run from the Baronian soldiers at the time, and Rosa followed him when he left the castle. It's dangerous wandering out into the middle of the desert, you know. She caught a nasty illness we sand folk know as Desert Fever, the only cure for which is made from a very rare jewel, the Light of the Desert – or the Sand Ruby, for short."

"So, you had to help him find this… Sand Ruby?"

Edward smiled, though there was sadness hidden behind it. "I almost didn't go with him. During the attack, the woman I was in love with – engaged to marry, actually – was killed… protecting me. I was devastated, of course, but I was also very deeply afraid. I nearly couldn't bring myself to leave the ruins of my castle. I told Cecil I wanted to stay with Anna forever, but that was only half true; my other half was just… afraid to leave her."

"But you eventually went with him," Crono said, "and you found the Sand Ruby?"

"Yes. It was a bit of a struggle, but we found it and brought it back to Rosa."

"And what then?"

"I kept traveling with him, naturally."

"Why?"

Edward paused, thinking. "You know, I'm not sure. I stayed with him, but I don't really know why. I could easily have gone home to Damcyan and left Cecil to his own devices, but I didn't. It felt obvious, as if I was supposed to go with him. It was clear as day in my mind. I traveled with him for a long time, until we were en route to Baron…" He laughed, shaking his head. "But that's another story."

Crono laughed too, although he didn't really know what he was laughing at. He soon found himself once again staring at his feet. He hoped Edward would resume his playing, but he didn't.

Instead, he broke the silence. "What exactly is on your mind?"

Crono sighed. "It's just… it's Frog."

"Ah, of course."

"I feel like… I feel like I can't exactly be of much use around here, what with everything else going on, and since I'm just sitting here doing nothing, I feel as if I'm abandoning him. And I'm worried…" He looked up. "What if something happened to him?"

Edward smiled sympathetically. "I know what that's like. I'll sit down every so often and start wondering whether I should be combing the desert for survivors from Damcyan. But you aren't abandoning him, Crono. You don't know this world as well as we do. From the sound of it, though, he's very strong."

"He is, and I'm sure he can take care of himself, but that doesn't stop me from worrying. I just want to go out there right now and—"

"No," Edward said sternly. "Certainly not now. It's nearly dark."

"I'll go in the morning, then."

"Alone? This is a world you don't know."

"Yeah, and my friend's out in it somewhere."

"And what good would you be to him if you got lost, or hurt, or killed? Crono, listen to me for a second." Crono started to say more, but he sat back sheepishly. "You need to look at this rationally. Even in your own world, I'm sure you wouldn't go out to potentially dangerous places by yourself."

Crono sighed. "I know. But what else can I do? Everybody else is busy, and you… well…"

"I'm supposedly incapacitated. I know. If it weren't for Rosa's orders, I'd help you without a second thought. However, there may be nothing to do for now but to wait."

Just then, the door creaked open once more and the two turned to see who had come in. "Good evening, Rydia," said Edward.

She sidled gracefully through the thick, wooden door, her elegant green garments flowing gracefully over her smooth skin, past the Firebute that hung at her waist and right down to her shapely legs. Her hair washed brilliantly over the side of her head, and her eyes shone fiercely in the dim light.

"Hello," she said. "I thought I'd come and see how you were doing."

Edward stifled a laugh as he watched Crono, who was commonly struck dumb when the summoner walked into a room. He then looked back to her. "I'm fine. Far better than our resident white mage seems to think, anyway."

"Well, she would know, wouldn't she?" Rydia turned to Crono, who had finally found his voice. "How about you? How do you like our world so far?"

"It's fine," Crono replied, his voice a little higher pitched than he had originally intended. "I'm just a little worried about my friend."

"Oh, yes, you mentioned him last night. He still hasn't turned up?"

Crono shook his head. "I'm getting worried. I want to go out and search for him, but everyone's been so busy around here."

"It's dangerous for him to go out there alone, especially since he isn't familiar with our world," said Edward. "We were just going over this."

Rydia looked from one to the other, and irritably put her hands on her hips. "Well, what am I then? Chopped liver?"

It took the two men a few seconds to figure out what she meant, and then Crono looked up excitedly. "You mean, you'd help me search?"

"Of course I would, I've been dying to get out of this castle. And actually, I'd been planning to head out to the Misty Valley, so your timing is perfect. But tonight? It's already so late."

"No, of course not," said Edward, looking pointedly at Crono. "We all need our rest tonight."

Crono sighed in exasperation. "Fine. Tomorrow at sunrise, then?"

Rydia grinned. "You're on."

"You're sure you're not needed around here?" Edward asked her.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Cecil's busy writing letters to the outlying villages, Rosa has her own things to worry about, and Cid is helping our other visitor with that ship of theirs. I can spare a day."

"Good," Edward replied, and then looked at Crono. "I'm sorry I can't go with you myself. Believe me, there's nothing I'd rather do right now."

"It's all right, we'll manage."

"Don't tell me you're getting bored already, Edward," Rydia laughed.

Edward shrugged, grinning. "It's better here than Toroia. They wouldn't even let me play my harp. Anyway, go on and get some sleep before Rosa comes back a forces you out."

Rydia smiled. "Sleep well, Edward." She turned and sashayed out the door, and Crono began to follow. Edward picked up his harp, and resumed his playing.

Before he walked out the door, though, Crono turned back. "Edward?"

The music paused, and Edward looked up.

"Thanks."

The bard grinned and nodded. "Anytime."

Crono turned and left the infirmary without another word, but he could hear the soft, cheerful music of the harp for several minutes as he walked along in the receding daylight.

At that very moment, Lise, Lenna and Hawk arrived at the gates of Forcena.

It had been a long, exhausting trip. As Hawk had been uneasy lingering in any one place for too long for fear that his second shadow would make an unwelcome appearance, they had traveled for several hours during the night. However, after Lise and Lenna became so tired they could scarcely travel another step without some rest, he'd reluctantly agreed to settle for the night in a relatively sheltered clearing near the Golden Road.

By now, Lise could barely feel her legs. They had been walking for most of the day, something Lise wasn't particularly accustomed to anymore. It was a familiar feeling, the exhaustion of a day's journey, but not particularly welcome, especially when Lise knew she'd have to be awake and alert to participate in the conference Duran was hosting.

She found herself quite relieved that the bridge in the Cleft of the Earth that connected the Golden Road to the Molebear Highlands had been repaired. She'd felt her stomach turn at the very thought of travel by cannon, and she was also wary of anything happening to Lenna, considering her amnesia. Even without all that, taking the detour to Maia would have been a great waste of time, and tired as she was, she'd wanted to speak to Duran as soon as possible.

Thus, when they approached the city perimeter, Lise was the first to speak. "Forcena. We finally made it."

"You're telling me," said Hawk. "If you two were suited for the way I travel, we'd have been here by noon." He then glanced behind him, scratching his arm uncomfortably.

Lise looked at him, and then leaned in, lowering her voice to a whisper. "He's still tailing us?"

"He's around here somewhere, I know it. I just can't see him." "He sighed. "This is bugging me. Normally I can throw these guys off my trail in minutes, but this one's been on me like spores on a myconid and I can't even catch a glimpse of him."

Lise frowned. "If he's still there, why hasn't he made a move yet? What's he waiting for?"

"I wish I knew."

They had now nearly reached the gate, and Lenna pointed. "Look, someone's coming."

Lise looked toward the city and smiled. Duran, clad in his Knight of Gold armour, was approaching with a broad grin across his face. Lise waved to him, as did Hawk. Lenna looked from him to Lise and back, wondering who he was.

"Lise!" called Duran. "Good timing! I was just asking the evening watch if they'd seen any sign of you."

Lise laughed. "Oh, dear. We're not that late, are we?"

"No, of course not. The Faerie King's only just arrived from Diorre." He grinned broadly. "It's great to see you."

Lise nodded emphatically. "You too, although I can imagine better circumstances."

"Yeah," said Duran, who then looked to Hawk. "You look familiar. Have we met?"

"Yes, we have," said the thief. "My name is Hawk. I ran into the three of you in the Valley of Flames, although it was fairly brief."

Duran extended his hand, and Hawk shook it. "A pleasure to formally meet you. Are you here to represent Navarre?"

"Yes, but only because I happened to be heading your way on another errand. Running into Lise was nothing but chance."

Lise grinned at him, and then looked back to Duran, putting a hand on her other companion's shoulder. "This is Lenna."

Duran extended his hand once more, and Lenna shook it nervously. "The pleasure's all mine. I'm Duran."

Then he glanced at Lise. "I wasn't expecting you to bring a guest. She's welcome, of course, but what brings her here?"

"It's a bit of a long story," Lise said.

"Well, we'll walk and talk," Duran said as he turned back toward the city. "The other representatives are here already, and everything's set up for the meeting."

"Is Angela here?"

Duran nodded. "She was the first to arrive. You'd never hear her admit it, but I bet things have gotten tough up north without their magical summer weather."

"I can imagine," Lise said.

They were already halfway across town, and Lenna was looking around herself curiously. It was a very quaint place, and the delicate lighting of the sunset made it look appropriately comfortable. Puffs of smoke floated from many of the chimneys, and she could hear children's laughter, dogs barking – all the sounds of a place of contentment.

They approached the gate leading to the castle courtyard. Just ahead, Duran was talking again. "Lenna, if she wishes, can go to the castle library, or we could prepare a room for her. I'm sure she's very tired."

"Actually," said Lise, "is it possible for her to join us? I'll explain later, but I have a feeling that this crisis of yours has something to do with what's happened to her, and it doesn't seem fair to exclude her. It might help her regain her memories."

"She has amnesia?"

"Yes, and we haven't made much progress."

Duran pursed his lips. "I wasn't planning on having an audience present, but if you think it'll help her…"

"Lise," said Lenna, catching up with them. "What exactly is going on? I've heard you talking about some kind of crisis, but what is it? And what does it have to do with me?"

"Yeah," said Hawk, "I'm pretty blind on that subject myself. I never actually saw the letter."

"Don't worry," said Duran, his face grim. "That's why we're holding this meeting. I'll explain as much as I can." He looked to Lenna. "As for what all of this might have to do with you… well, only time will tell that much."

Lenna looked to Lise, but all the young queen could do was shrug. It wasn't very encouraging.

Duran led the group into the castle and down a hallway, past the staircase to the throne room and through a pair of double doors that led into a small but comfortable meeting room. The walls were decorated with several sorts of tapestries and paintings, and the long table was made of a rich, dark wood, as were the chairs around it.

Most of these seats were already filled. A man Lenna assumed to be King Richard sat at the head of the table, his hands folded on its surface and an expression of undeniable seriousness behind his thick moustache. To his left was a young-looking girl, perhaps the same age as Lise, whose most striking feature was her head of thick, purple hair. She wore flowing red robes and a wooden staff was leaning against her chair.

"Is that Angela?" she whispered to Lise, pointing.

Lise grinned. "Yes, that's her all right."

"Welcome back, Duran," said King Richard as the group entered. "We've been discussing accommodations for our guests. I see the last of the representatives have arrived."

Duran nodded. "May I present Hawk of Navarre, Her Majesty Queen Lise of Rolante, and Lenna."

Lise and Hawk nodded to the others. Lenna blushed, silently noting how her name seemed almost an afterthought.

Angela stood, a bright smile on her face. "Lise! I half expected you wouldn't be coming!"

As they crossed to her end of the table and Lise sat down in one of the two empty chairs left, she laughed. "Of course. It just took a little longer than we thought it would."

"Oh, I know, but being a queen I figured you'd send someone else to do the dirty work."

"And miss the opportunity to see you and Duran again? Fat chance." Lise turned to Lenna, who was still standing and debating with Hawk over who should take the last chair.

"The lady should have a seat," said Hawk.

"But you're more important. You were actually an invited guest," Lenna protested. "You should be sitting at the table, not me."

"But really, you're tired. I insist—"

"Relax!" said Duran, laughing in exasperation. "I'll send for another chair."

Lise laughed too, but part of her was laughing out of relief. It was reassuring to know that even in such threatening times, it was still possible to carry on as if everything was perfectly normal. Maybe that was what Duran was trying to do… or maybe people didn't really know how serious a situation this was. And, come to think of it, she didn't either. But hearing people laugh – even hearing the petty bickering to which she had become so accustomed during her time with Duran and Angela – was a comfort. It meant that, at least for the moment, she didn't have to think quite so hard.

She wondered what it was like to never have to think at all.

The chair was brought in a few minutes later, and Lenna, Hawk and Duran all sat down around the large table. Lenna looked at the rest of the visitors, most of whom had been uneasily silent. There was an old man who looked like some kind of priest, wearing light coloured robes and a pointed cap; there was a gruff-looking young man who had a very wolfish look about him, although Lenna was sure that was just her imagination; and there was another old man who didn't even look human at all. He had long ears, a very long beard and wore regal-looking green and purple robes.

King Richard cleared his throat, and whatever murmurs there had been providing the undertone were silenced. "Right," he said. "We shall continue, then, and to our newcomers, welcome. We shall discuss arrangements for your accommodation and departure later tonight. Before we begin the real purpose of this meeting, I should inform you all that I received a letter from the king of Jad this morning, who was unable to attend today but sends his regrets. Also, we are quite honoured to have the Faerie King of Diorre with us this evening."

The man with the long ears nodded. "The elves unanimously decided that such an event should not be ignored."

King Richard nodded back. "Right then, I shall leave the rest of this conference to Sir Duran; he knows far more about what this world is facing than I do."

He nodded to Duran, who stood. "Thank you, Your Majesty. Now, I admit I don't know as much as I could and that there are details I don't remember, but as I said in the letters that were sent to your respective kingdoms, there are, in fact, four other worlds apart from our own, and these four worlds are now in the process of merging together, as is ours with them."

Lenna's eyes widened, as did Hawk's. Lise's lips remained pursed.

There were low murmurs among the group, but they quieted after a few seconds. "There is more that I didn't mention in those letters. I didn't feel it was necessary to cause you or your respective nations any unnecessary alarm. There is a being called the Mastermind who has engineered this crisis, and when the worlds merge back together he plans on eliminating every living thing from the face of the Earth."

There were louder murmurs, but Lise was silent. Somehow, she wasn't particularly surprised by this turn of events; she'd have liked to blame her indifference on the urgency of Duran's letter, but some other instinct had been warning her and she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

The room soon quieted, and Duran continued. "These other worlds are very different from our own. The people to whom I have spoken come from unfamiliar cities, kingdoms, nations. And what's more, their worlds are not joined with the Mana Holyland as ours is. In fact, Mana was never a part of the realms outside our own."

The reaction to this news was even stronger. "That's impossible!" said Hawk. "Mana – the Goddess – she created the world! How can Mana not exist in those other worlds if it was Mana that created them?" There were other murmurs of agreement.

"Please," said Duran. "I'll explain everything in due time. Right now, there are more important details I need to discuss with you, and I need you all to listen carefully, because the future of our world and the four others could very well depend on your co-operation."

He sat down and began to talk, and Lise listened quietly, her heart sinking lower and lower with every passing detail. But she found herself constantly looking at Lenna and wondering what she was thinking. Was she afraid? Would anything come back to her? As Duran had so accurately put it, only time would tell.

She continued to listen, but her mind drifted aimlessly. She thought about Lenna's pendant, the one that matched her own; she thought about Hawk and the mysterious stranger that was following him, and who could very well be watching their every move and listening to their every word; and she thought about the unusual artefact, the Illusion Mirror, and everything that she could – and could not – see within it. What did it all mean? Why did the Mirror believe that Lenna and the pendants did not belong?

Midnight.

The Mastermind looked deep into the swirling clouds once again. This time there was nobody with him. This time the only company to be found with him upon the mysterious black soil of the unnatural island were the darkness of his cloak and the eerie glow of his otherwise hidden eyes.

The image within the swirl cleared, and the glowing eyes narrowed. In the moonlight, in the World of the Void, as the Mastermind watched, Faris of Tycoon ran swiftly across the grasslands just southeast of the Ancient Library. Ahead of her, far in the distance, the valley between the north and south mountain ranges awaited and beyond it, the Elder Tree.

A deep, echoing laugh began to sound from the Mastermind's concealed throat. Despite his past failures, the so-called Dragon Emperor had done well. Clutched in her sweaty hand was the little velvet bag, and within it, the seeds that would sow death for the Goddess of Aura.

Her journey was almost complete. It wouldn't be long before she reached her destination. Even if the accursed Coalition were to warn their mortal allies in the World of the Void, it would be too late. Everything was ready. The first stage of the Restoration was already in motion. When the last Goddess was dead, the worlds would barely have time to blink.

Their doom was upon them.

The Mastermind's chuckles began to grow in intensity. They soon rivalled the sound of the thunderclaps that pierced every inch of the Dark Realm. The island began to tremble and the lightning grew brighter and brighter as the skies around it grew darker and darker.

And then, suddenly, the laughter stopped. The Mastermind stood frozen, gazing ahead. The glow emanating from his eyes dimmed as the eyes themselves narrowed, and he was silent. The Realm responded in kind.

Then, a loud crack.

The Mastermind doubled over, and a great, terrifying roar of rage pierced the sudden silence as his gloved hands clutched his shrouded head. His fingers scraped at his temples as he screamed, and the dirt beneath his feet shook seemingly in terror.

He screamed again, and this time a word escaped his lips:

"JOSTER!!"

Did you really think you'd outsmarted us?

The Mastermind reared his head back and roared to the sky. "Out!! Get out of my mind!!"

You will not stop us. I may only be able to pierce the surface of your despicable thoughts, but it will be those thoughts that shall lead to your downfall.

The Mastermind's breath was escaping him in ragged gasps as he fought the invading presence. "You think you've won… don't you…? You believe… I have failed… but do you really think… you can stop me?"

We will fight you for as long as it takes. With every passing minute, you edge closer to your defeat.

"No…" he growled, his eyes flashing menacingly. "This has… only begun… and you shall pay for your meddling… with the very fabric… of your own soul…!"

The Mastermind's trembling stopped. His hands moved from his temples. He stood upright, the great, dark cloak billowing around him in the wind. The yellow glow of his eyes was snuffed out as they closed, and he raised his hands toward the sky. "Only now, Joster," he whispered, his words reverberating into the darkness, "do you realize how fatally misguided you have been. And now… you…"

He opened his eyes.

"You are mine."

The menacing hiss was instantly drowned out by a deafening roar of thunder and a brilliant series of lightning bolts streaking across the sky in every direction. The entire Realm of Darkness trembled. The evil soil fell from the unnatural island. The clouds wove and spun chaotically. And within it all, the deep, echoing, haunting laughs of the Mastermind sounded out in defiance of the evil heavens.

Beneath the chaos, Joster's scream of agony could scarcely be heard.