For the Love of Darkness
Chapter 10

By Marle

I don't know where you're going
But do you got room for one more troubled soul
I don't know where I'm going but I don't think I'm coming home
And I said I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead
This is the road to ruin
And we're starting at the end
-"Alone Together" by Fall Out Boy

Schala gazed out of the window of their room towards the southern continent. Though the sky was blue, she could sense the aura of darkness creeping over the horizon. Her mind began to wander on what to do. There was a war coming but the more she dwelled on the matter the more she wondered what good she could do. Though she possessed magical abilities, she was not a fighter. When he was alive, her father had encouraged her take some basic archery courses when she was a girl, but after his death all lessons in the art of fighting were taken from her. Even in her schooling to ascend the throne as queen, she was not educated on how to fight. It was assumed she would marry a man who would be skilled on warfare, or have a fleet of generals at her council; therefore her mother thought Schala did not need to be versed on the matter herself. After all, Zeal was a kingdom in the heavens - The thought of invasion was a laughable one at best. Her attention shifted as she heard Magus enter the room from the shower-bath. His broad chest exposed to her as she walked clad only in a towel around his waist. Each time she beheld his form there was a part of her couldn't help but feel sad. There were so many scars on his body, though he looked like he was carved from stone. She did not dare to imagine the horrible battles he had been through. Noticing her gaze, Magus smiled and approached her, lightly taking hold of her chin and planting a kiss on her lips, "You look pensive."

"I am curious." She said, her eyes darting from scar to scar on his bare chest. Magus quirked an eyebrow; his crimson eyes fixating on her, "You've seen my chest exposed almost every day over the last few months. Are my scars just now bothering you?"

How can I approach this topic without him getting too upset? She questioned to herself, "Who taught you to fight, Janus? It was certainly not taught to you as a child and mother and father would've never let you be skilled with a scythe."

He focused harder on her, as his mouth slightly twitched at the question. The memories of his past flared up with the lessons where he fought for his life against countless fiends sent on him by Ozzie. "That's not a very pleasant topic, Schala."

Leaning back against the windowsill, Schala sighed heavily, "Nothing about your history after leaving Zeal has been pleasant, darling. I doubt the way you learned to fight would be a cheerful tale. Tell me."

Slightly agitated by his own emotions on the matter, Magus winced at the pang in his chest. There were many emotions that he had started to feel again since he had revived Schala. However, he became increasingly frustrated by the flare ups of sorrow and anger randomly occurring in the recollections of his past that he had long thought to be buried and gone. He clenched his jaw as he roughly removed the towel from his waist, walking with heavy foot-fall to the wardrobe and grabbing some clothes, "It wasn't long before Ozzie realized I had the ability to be used as a weapon in his plans for world domination. When he first found me, I apparently cast a spell which destroyed his minions and would've killed him if not for his ice barrier. My magic was not refined then. I couldn't control when I could cast a spell so I was kept in isolation for several days initially as he tried to figure out what to do with me. To say I was a spoiled and soft brat at the time is an understatement."

Schala watched him dress himself, she gauged quietly how much longer she'd be able to have him talking as he roughly snatched up a pair of trousers and a blouse, "You must have been terribly scared and lonely."

"I cried for you and Alfador for months," He muttered, "I didn't give a damn about anyone else. I kept hoping I'd wake up and be home. Ozzie would throw me in a room with weak mindless fiends and would not open the door again until I had been defeated or I defeated them. Ozzie would have me patched up then do it all over again. All the while I was secretly practicing in my room at night casting spells on pots and lanterns. It went on for months because I refused to fight. I just ran into a corner and took the beatings. "

"What changed?" Schala asked, barely above a whisper.

Magus let out a long breath through his nostrils as his eye shifted to her. Without even noticing, his lips curled into a terrible smirk, one that genuinely disturbed his sister, "One day, I was confident in my abilities and had enough with being a punching bag. There was a statue in the room – a statue of the angel of death with a scythe. I took the scythe from the statue, killed everything in the room, blew the doors open and told Ozzie and his cronies I was the new God they had be praying for."

"We're just humans, Janus." Schala reminded him, firmly.

His expression faded as Magus moved towards her, "Why would you want to know something like that?"

Schala stood, taking him into her arms and resting her head in the crook of his shoulder, "I would like to learn to fight."

A look of confusion flashed across Magus's face and he grabbed Schala by the shoulders, "Why?"

Looking at the floor, Schala clenched her fists "I want to be able to help when the time comes." She replied.

His eyes narrowed on her with a stern gaze, "Schala, we will be long gone before you'd ever be even close to harm."

Her gaze rose to meet his, though her expression remained firm, "I refuse to run away, Janus. This is our home now. I wish to defend it."

"Schala," Magus began, his voice remaining calm, "Imagine the type of house you'd like. Think about how it looks, what features it would have… if you wish for flowers and plants, I will give you them. Would you like an ocean view or somewhere in the woods? Choose anywhere on this planet and I will build you a home that is ours, just ours... A place where no one can harm us or destroy our lives ever again and I will create it for you."

Immediately, Schala envisioned a house in the woods, but close enough to the sea where a short walk would get you to the beach. She imagined a home with a library and a cozy kitchen where she could cook and raise a family. However, the realization swept over her of what Magus was doing and she became irritated. "I want to learn how to fight, Janus."

A low growl came from the back of Magus's throat as he released her roughly. He began to pace back and forth, eyeing her as he did. Schala stood firm and stared right back at him. She couldn't help but feel like a part of him was sizing her up; not as his sister, not as his lover, but as a potential enemy. The look in her brother's eyes went from adoring and caring to analytical and bordering that of threating.

After a few minutes of mumbling under his breath, he took a few quick strides to her and hovered close to her face, "Tell me, Schala, could you kill someone?"

The question made her flinch and she clenched her jaw, "If needed."

"Your reaction tells me otherwise," he stated, his pupils becoming narrow, like that of a leopard's eyes focusing on its prey. Schala tried to maintain her composure, but she felt herself shrinking away from him. This was the man she remembered from back in Zeal, the menacing and intimidating Prophet who ordered her around and made her fearful.

Suddenly, a thought came to her. He was trying to frighten her and make her aware. The conflict would not be in some far-off land either… it would be at the castle gates. If there was a battle she and he would be caught in, there was a risk of them being separated and she would be on her own without him. That thought made her terrified. It wasn't her own well-being she was concerned with - It was his. Magus would become too frantic if he were to lose track of her in a fight. It would make him reckless and irrational. The collected King of Fiends would be vulnerable if his concern was not focused on winning, but protecting her. A hard lump formed in her throat as she envisioned that. The idea of him losing his focus in battle due to concern for her made her slightly panicked.

"I—"

"War is not beautiful, Schala. It is not romantic, there are no real winners, happy endings rarely occur, and lives are ruined on both sides." Magus snarled, bluntly, "You will not get to give your handkerchief to a knight for good luck. This fight will be in the castle… and if you want to leave, by the time you will wish you had the enemy will already be upon us."

Schala shook her head violently and let out a rough breath, she returned her gaze to his and said, "I take it you won't teach me?"

Grabbing her roughly by the arms, Magus shook her hard and stared with a look that she had not seen before in his expression – fear. "Schala, please… please run away with me. Do not make me risk losing you again. Please, not after all that has happened and we have been through. We have a chance to be happy and to live a peaceful and normal life if we leave."

His whole body went limp as he fell to his knees before her, hands still grasping her arms, "Please don't do this… please let us leave." He begged, his voice becoming increasingly less steady, "I can't… I just can't risk it… I can't risk losing you. Not again… I'm not strong enough…"

Schala felt her heart sink as his hands slid down to her wrists and brought them to his lips, a few lone tears brushing against the back of her hands. She brought herself down to his level, taking him into her arms and passing a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry." She whispered, kissing his forehead, "I didn't think of how you felt. I just want to be useful to you. But I'm not some stained glass window, Janus… I want to make myself strong like you are."

Magus pulled back to look at her, lightly brushing a few strands of hair from her face. "Everything I am is forged from blood and sacrifice. I don't want that life for you."

Biting her bottom lip, Schala shifted on her knees and looked deep into his eyes, "What if something were to happen and we were separated? I'd be rendered defenseless without you."

Magus rolled his eyes and gave her a look that stated he had no intention of leaving her alone ever, "Janus, you can't be with me at all hours."

"Why not?"

"Because there will come a time when you and I have to be a part for one reason or another." She retorted sharply, "And if you are so concerned for me, you should want me to know how to fight."

Magus's features flashed from sad to angry, then fading to a slow acceptance. As much as he hated to admit it, a part of the reason why Schala was ever taken from him in the first place was because she didn't know how to protect and defend herself. With a heavy groan, he rocked back on his knees to sit on the ground. Shaking his head slowly while passing a hand through his hair, Magus shot a stern glare to Schala, "Fine, but don't expect me to go easy on you. We'll start off slow and work you up from there. Let me think on what weapon I'll teach you. A scythe will be too heavy for you to handle."

Huffing and folding her arms, Schala scuffed, "I can gain muscle, Janus."

"That's not the point," he began, "We need to find you something that you can handle and work with now. We may not have time to build your strength."

A shock of reality went down Schala's spine at his words. He was right – any day now the Porre Army could arrive, and with it would be Dalton at the front.

"Okay. When do you we start?" she asked.

"Get dressed in something you can move in and tie your hair back." He replied, rising to his feet and offering her his hand, "We're starting within the hour."

"Oh my!" Lara exclaimed. Before them was the new Ashtear Manor. It was primarily the same in its build. However, it was clear that there were two additional wings added to it. Lucca stared, her mouth gaping open as she shifted Kid in her arms. "Wow…"

"Do you like it?" Crono asked, with a grin on his face.

"It's amazing!" Taban cried, patting his head, "It's so big!"

Crono patted Glenn on the back, "What do you think, old friend?"

Glenn smiled at his friend, "It's a lovely wedding present."

"Yeah, Marle insisted we make the place bigger for you guys. There's a separate wing now that has five extra rooms so you and Lucca can have your own bedroom, Kid can have her own, and there's room for any other additions to the family you may have."

Lucca turned back to Crono, "Mom and dad aren't having any more children." She replied with a blank stare.

Glenn and Crono exchanged glances before looking back at Lucca. After losing his composure, Crono burst out laughing while Glenn turned a hue of red, "Um… I do not think Crono was referring to your parents, love."

It took a moment to hit Lucca that the extra rooms were for any additions to specifically her and Glenn's family. Her eyes grew wide and face turned bright pink, "Oh Gods, Crono!"

Kid turned to Lucca and tilted her head to the side, "Sissy, are you gonna get a baby from the stork?"

Lucca immediately jumped a little, turning and grinning nervously at Kid, "Um… M-maybe sometime, sweetie."

At this point, Crono was holding his knees laughing hysterically. In all the years they had been friends, Lucca had never lost her composure completely as she did in that moment.

"Crono, shut up!" she shouted. Crono stumbled over, drying his eyes of the moisture from laughing, put his arm around Lucca and walked her towards the house. The family entered to the foyer that was exactly the same as it was before, except considerably cleaner and with new furniture.

Lara's eyes lit up, "I've never seen the house this clean since Lucca was a baby!"

"Thanks mom," Lucca mumbled.

"We managed to save some of the furniture," Crono commented, walking in to the main room. "Taban, your father's clock was cleaned and saved. Mrs. Lara, you'll see that in your kitchen is some of your teapots and chinaware is in there too. We've put any inventions and research we were able to recover and save in the west wing. Lucca and Glenn, we made your apartment the east wing."

No sooner did Lucca put her down, Kid dashed out of the room and headed towards the east wing. Lucca turned back to Glenn, extending her hand with a smile. He returned her gesture, taking her hand in his and tucking her arm under his. The two of them followed after Kid. Crono began to follow them but was halted by Taban's hand on his shoulder, "Thank you, Crono… you are a fine lad."

Crono grinned back at Taban and nodded, "Of course."

"I do have one question though," Taban asked, "Behind the clock… as I'm sure you all noticed when rebuilding the house…"

The king's grin fell from his face, "Yes, we noticed. The passage there is still in-tact. May I ask why you have the need for it?"

Taban looked over at Lara, who was far enough away to not hear and clearly distracted by the new improvements to her home, "This house has been here and in the family for generations, boy. It has helped in times of peace and war."

Crono nodded his head slowly, "I understand."

"Crono," Taban began, "Should the worst become the castle… you and your family can come here. The beach below… there's a cove that leads right under the house. No one knows about it but our family."

Sighing heavily, Crono rubbed the back of his neck, "Taban, it's not looking good… and I'm frightened."

"You're the King," Taban stated firmly, "You must not let others know that you're scared."

Laughing nervously, Crono looked up at the ceiling, "I think I've said this a thousand times… I'm not afraid for me… I'm afraid for my family… my people…"

"I see…"

Crono turned completely to Taban, folding his arms across his chest, "There are spare rooms right now… would it be too much to ask if you let my mom stay here for a bit? Just until everything with Porre is settled… I don't like the idea of her being home alone."

Taban nodded, "Of course. We'll get her tonight."

"Thanks Taban."

"Of course, your highness." Taban said, with a slight bow. Crono laughed and patted his shoulder, "Crono, Taban… just Crono."

Later that evening, Schala felt like crawling from the courtyard where they had been sparring. She expected Magus to be gentle and ease her into her weapon; instead he basically threw a staff at her and proceeded to start to attacking her. It became apparently the necessity for her to learn to move quickly, to dodge, and how to hide herself if needed. There were moments in the day where she feared he'd go too far and accidentally kill her, but to her surprise each of his attacks were controlled and focused. He was fighting with only a bo-staff, deeming his scythe too dangerous to use with her in practice. In any case, her rib cages ached, her hands burned, and her hair was completely matted. The first thing she noted for next time was to get her hair out of her way. She had foolishly believed leaving her hair back in its normal pony tail would be enough, but there were several times during the fight she was blinded by her own hair. Feeling a strong arm wrap around waist, Schala turned to see Magus, gently helping her up the stairs.

"Thank you." She whimpered, as he shifted her arm around his neck.

"I don't know a better way to train you." He stated, apologetically. Wincing as she shifted next to him, Schala flinched before retracting her arm and putting her hand on his chest. Magus moved to her and she pushed him back.

"Let me do this by myself," she requested.

"Schala…" Magus began, placing his arm back around her, while the other dipped low to under her knees. To his surprise, Schala lightly kicked back onto his hand, refusing to let him pick her up.

"I've been in worst pain than this." She reminded him, "Besides, you had no help when you were hurt."

His lips pursed together for a moment before he stepped backward, keeping close to her, "You can just heal yourself. Why aren't you?"

Schala groaned, steadying herself against the wall, which was blissfully cold, "I want to better understand what you went through."

Magus frowned at her, "Now you're just being masochistic."

Laughing softly, she practically fell into the door of their room. Her fingers strained to grasp the handled and a shot of pain went up her arm at the slight twist to open it. Stumbling across the threshold, Schala practically tumbled onto the mattress, yelping as she did. Magus followed behind, closing the door, and turning the lock. He disappeared from her view, entering the adjacent bathroom. It hurt to move, but Schala managed to get herself in a position that was as least supportive to her back. There were parts of her hurting at that moment she never knew were on her body. It became frighteningly clear to her that she was weak physically. However, she was impressed by her own threshold for pain. The pain in her body right now was bad, but it wasn't as agonizing as it was after being in the Ocean Palace. In that moment, Schala opened her eyes to the ceiling, "I've been through worst…" she whispered.

Appearing at her bedside, Magus leaned over, brushes the hair from her sweat-stained brow, "I know. I am very impressed by you, Schala." A smile played her lips at his remarks, "Come on now… let us get you cleaned up."

Schala immediately shook her head, "I can't move."

It only took a few swift movements for Magus to lift her off the bed. He carried her across the room, entering the bathroom, where he had drawn a hot bath for her. Gently, he sat her down on the edge of the tub and began removing her shoes. A pathetic sob came from Schala as he lifted her shirt up over her head and peeled the rest of her clothing off of her. Covered in sweat, Schala felt a chill rush over her as her naked flesh was exposed.

Magus did a quick survey of her. Her ribs were bruised badly and she had taken a few good hits from him on her arms and calves. With a slight yelp, she submerged herself into the warm bath, before leaning against the cool marble of the tub.

"Oh I needed this…" She hummed, sinking deeper into the water. Submerging her head under before slowly coming up, Schala slicked her hair back and let out a sigh of relaxation.

"Well, that's a first." Magus remarked. Schala turned back to him, "Excuse me?"

"Usually, you're squawking at me to get out or are so busy trying to cover yourself before you get into the bath." He chuckled, "Which I never understood… I've seen you naked several times now."

Schala rolled her eyes, splashing water on her face, "Call it my last shred of modesty. Baths are still something I like to keep private about."

A snort of amusement came from Magus as he leaned over; kissing her forehead, "Please heal yourself before you come to bed. I don't want you sore tomorrow… and I'll leave you to your bath."

"I'd like you to stay." She confessed, beginning to wash her arms, "In fact, I'd like you to join me."

Immediately, he felt his body responding to her invite. A playful smile graced her lips, "You're filthy as well."

He beamed at her as he began to undo his pants, stepping out of his boots. A few yanks and frustrated grunts later, he stood naked before her. Crossing to the bath, Magus stepped in and took a moment to appreciate the heat.

The tension left his body as he melted into the water, "This was well needed."

Schala's smile faded from her face as she began to wash her hair, "Thank you for taking me seriously."

"Of course," he replied, "Why wouldn't I?"

Her hands played with her hair as she seemed to drift off into her own thoughts. Magus moved to her, his hands light grasping her knees as he shifted between her legs, "What is it?" he
asked. "You've got that look on your face again."

"Janus…" she looked at him with sadness in her eyes, "If I had known how to fight, even if the control of my body and magic you taught me today then maybe I could've stood up to mother… Perhaps even save myself and Zeal…"

His face fell immediately, realizing she was having the same thoughts he did when he was able to fight, "I understand… but we cannot dwell on the what-ifs. If you do that, you'll go mad."

"A part of me already is," She murmured. As he moved towards her, his fingertips came up out of the water and tracked her upper arm. Schala felt her face become warm and her heart flutter at his gentleness. She closed her eyes as he eased closer, and his lips touched her eyebrow, her temple, and the crest of her cheek. Such light caresses, while her body began to ache less and less, she felt herself aching for him. They looked at each other, eyes heavy with the wear of the day, barely touching, but simply enjoying the nearness of each other.

"I'm not alone now."

"Schala," His whisper stirred the tiny wisps of hair at her hairline. "I want to make love to you."

She melted back against the cool marble of the tub, a lazy grin forming on her face as she felt her body become warm. "You will have to be gentle then. I'm not healing myself."

His hands lifted to her face, his fingertips gently tracing the curve of her lips. She remained docile beneath his touch while she began to allow herself to be aroused by his touch. His forehead fell to hers and he whispered, "I want you to know I love you... In all of your achievements… your regrets… your mind and your madness… I love you. I want to fill every part of you. Your mind… your body… I want to leave my essence on your soul so that we drown out the sorrows of our past with the joy of our future approaching."

She was trembling so violently that the water rippled around her body, "I want to remember this pain if only because you felt it. I am spoiled to have you by my side through this. You are my everything, Janus."

His mouth took hers in a soft, smoldering kiss. He gathered her body closer, molding himself against her. He took her there, mindful of her injuries. It was the first time in a while he had been careful with her.

A few weeks later…

"Aahhh!" Schala cried out, her body bouncing slightly before slamming on the ground. Magus stood over her, staff in hand, "Get up."

Schala was winded, her body dirty and bruised, with sweat dripping down her temple. She gritted her teeth, hands clenching her own staff. No longer were her palms soft to the touch – they had become calloused from practicing every day. For six hours a day, seven days a week, Magus drilled her in fighting with a staff. The weapon was balanced and kept enough of a distance between her and her opponent that he felt comfortable showing her how to use it. Recently, they had added magic stones to the end, allowing Schala to attack with bursts of her own mana in a fashion that didn't exhaust her, but made her feel stronger. Lunging at her brother, she let out a scream of frustration as she swung at him. Magus blocked her attack, smacking the staff from him and hitting her shoulder, hard. Schala stumbled back, gripping her shoulder which stung something terrible. She moved her hand to see that not only he had broken skin, but she was going to have yet another bruise.

"You're getting frustrated again," he stated, shifting his weight onto another foot, "Keep calm and stay focused."

"Yeah," she coughed, "Easier said than done when you keep making me feel inferior."

Magus tilted his head to one side, moving his staff to rest on his shoulders. He lazily smiled at her, letting out a whistle from his lips, "Use that anger then. If your rage makes you stronger then figure a way to make it a tool, but don't let it blind you. Besides, I'm not that bad. You're doing a lot better than the first time."

Swiftly, Schala made a hand gesture and a bolt of light shot from her staff at Magus, who took the hit head on. To the surprise of both of them, Magus was thrown backwards and slammed into a tree. Disoriented, Magus shook his head vigorously before pausing. A loud crack was heard before the tree behind him began to lean. Taking a few quick steps forward, he turned to watch the large trunk snap in half and fall to the ground behind it. Turning to Schala, who stood there dumbfounded, he began to laugh in a fashion that bordered that of cackling. "Oh, my darling, I certainly got you worked up! Finally!"

Schala's mouth hung open, staring with wide eyes at the fallen tree, "I-I…"

Magus sauntered over to her, taking her face in his hands and planting a kiss on her lips, "Congratulations, Schala. You finally managed to injure me."

Snapping out of her shock, Schala immediately grabbed at Magus's shoulders, "Are you okay?! I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?"

Magus gathered her in his arms, kissing her again while laughing against her mouth, "This coming from the one who asked me not to go easy on her."

"You are anyway," She muttered, rubbing her sweaty forehead on his chin, "I'd be dead if you were trying."

"Ugh," Magus groaned, wiping his chin, "You need to clean up before dinner."

Schala giggled, scratching her head. She had braided her long hair into several smaller ones before tightly pinning it to her scalp. It proved effective, but did itch her after training all day. Suddenly, a rush of cold came over her and she turned her attention towards the south.

"What is it?" he asked, looking in the same direction she was, while focusing his energy to feel what she felt. Schala's eyes became enlarged as she dashed away from him, towards the front of the castle. "Schala! Wait!"

Her legs felt so heavy, but she couldn't stop now. I know that energy, I know who that is. She exclaimed to herself. Schala ran to the drawbridge, where the guards there were startled by her presence.

"Lady Schala?" the one asked, "Are you alright?"

"What is it?" asked the other. Schala felt herself becoming increasingly distressed, running past them both onto the bridge.

"Lady Schala!" they both exclaimed. As Schala ran forward, out of the forest came a man on a horse. From the distance she could see a white flag above the rider; she continued to run as fast as her feet would take her. Her lungs burned as she felt tears forming in her eyes. As the rider became closer, she saw he was slumped over and leaning. A few yards before her, the rider fell from his horse onto the bridge, unmoving. The horse ran past Schala as she almost tripped and fell to the rider. It was a Porrean soldier's armor, higher ranking, and bleeding.

"Schala!" Magus cried, running to her view. The soldiers managed to catch the horse and immediately started yelling for reinforcements.

Schala struggled with the helmet, frantically tugging at the chinstraps, trying to get it off. She pulled the helmet off to see the blood smeared face of Aybell Rochester below her in her lap. His face was cut deep in several places, blood trailing from his hair, and his side had been pierce by a blade. His eyes fluttered open, looking at her with cloudy eyes. Reaching up to her face, he brushed strands of hair from her forehead. She immediately grabbed his hand with both of her own, "Aybell-!"

A small smile formed on his lips, as a few tears fell from his eyes. His lips mouthed her name before his eyes rolled back in his head and his arm went limp – his hand slipping from hers. Tears overflowed from her eyes before Schala let out a loud and painful scream.