Chapter XII—Back Home

Passing through the halls to the door that had denied them entrance, the weary and injured Crono Zenan and Luca Devir carried Frog and Queen Leene from the devastation of the haunted cathedral. Luca bore Frog, and Crono the queen until they reached the everglades. They made their way in the light from Luca's flare, and sometimes stopped to lift stones out of their way as they escaped the church. With the last of his failing strength, Crono kicked open the sealed doors, placed the queen in a thick flowerbed in the everglades only yards away from the building doors, and then fell to earth and drifted into sleep. Crono, Luca, the queen and Frog deeply slept after their escape from the Yakra and the ruined sanctuary.

At dawn, Crono and Luca stood several yards from the cathedral doors on a windy knoll that overlooked the southern valleys, which descended southward to the ocean shores. They watched the sun rise over the edge of the world to warm the land below. Sunlight hung between the earth and heavens in a brilliant sphere that shone across the ocean surface and the widespread trees and streams that surrounded the everglades. The night shadows disappeared with the promise that the evil of Lord Magus and his servants melted away. Miles from the everglades, the sea stretched away forever, and the morning glow shone strongest above the once lightless Bridge of Zenan. The black mist over the northern isles faded, timelines reconnected, and the scourging presence of the Yakra finally ended.

Crono stared down at his dusky hand that still clutched his sword. His eyes remained distant in the memory of the previous night's struggle. As wind soundlessly weaved across Guardia, the valley wetly glistened in the shadows. A silver halo of faint moonlight hung low across Kelvenforge, where stars twinkled on the other side of dawn. Suddenly a flock of seagulls flittered into the west. As Crono followed their flight, he noticed in the clouds the face of Princess Nadia. Like the rising dawn, she would resurrect. The golden sun trailed down her head as if hair. The backdrop of the azure sky mirrored her eyes, and the dying gloom reminded Crono of the peace Nadia brought him during the times they had shared.

Convinced of everything's rightness, Luca smiled at Crono. "It's done, Crono," Luca said softly. "Time has been restored to its original chain, and I'm sure the links of that chain will pull through on their own. We did what we must, and the timelines have reconnected. Let's go home."

Crono wearily turned to face Luca. "I guess that means the royal family's been preserved. Hopefully our government won't suck as much in the future."

Luca laughed. "Ah, the joys of politics, indeed. I doubt the life-altering inception of time travel will change it. Everything will continue as before. We will wake every morning by the bell and the guards will behave as annoyingly as ever." The inventor stared across the sea, and his eyes narrowed. "Except the story of the queen's rescue, everything will stay the same."

Crono studied him in wonder. "Wait, if that's true, will the history book mention us? I hope any drawings of you and me don't appear there, because I don't know how to explain that to my mom, or anyone else who may come across them."

"No names, Crono," Luca said. "Only a story. There's nothing to worry about."

Crono sighed in relief. "That's good."

"We're wise to ask those questions," Luca stated. "Overlooking anything might uncover our whole encounter with time travel and possibly jeopardize lives. Let's never recite this tale again, even to Fritz. We'll hold that promise as a family keepsake between Zenan and Devir."

"Can you imagine what the king would do if he found out about the Telepod?" Crono replied. "The soldiers and imperial public would swarm all over you!"

Luca dismissively shrugged. "They won't find out. If they ever do, it won't do them any good. As soon as we arrive in 1000 A.D., I'm destroying it. With the machine dismantled, I have a hunch the gates will disappear forever." Luca patted Crono on the shoulder. "I hope you haven't found another best friend here, because once we get back to the mountains, we will never see this place again."

Crono clutched Luca's hand. "Never."

Silent and peaceful, Queen Leene rested on a thick matted flowerbed with patches of soft grass that ringed her resting place.

After Crono and Luca washed the dried blood from their hands and faces in a small stream in the everglade, Frog slowly approached Crono and Luca. His wounds had been bandaged with Luca's supplies, and his green cloak fluttered in the wind. "A golden sun rises in supplant of leaden skies. Wherefore doth the black heaven drift when gold light shines from the east? Not oft mine eyes beheld unclouded skies. Forsooth the coming dawns glow true. Too long they dwelt in the shadows. The light heralds promise of the end of Magus' hold on this land! His dark ambitions fade. Thou hath fought well, both of thee. The struggles of Queen Guardia hath bygone, but fear gnaws my courage, friends. For anon be the battle of freedom and longevity. Death I dread not, but beyond nigh the summit of the mountain that bears the tomb of my dearest friend, Magus comes for us. The land wilts under his touch as skin might perish in the burn of coal. Despite the dawn triumphant, seldom doth pace wither in the revamping of his evil heart. His voice ever calls on the black wind as a prophecy of doom across the Land of Guardia."

Crono peered at their mystic friend. "Why still so glum, Frog? I don't understand. You should be happy! We've beaten Magus! We've secured the safety of the queen and the bridge will be rebuilt. You know what that means, right? More men will march from the south to aid us!" He stopped short and sensed he may have said too much about the future. "Or does something else trouble you? Why do you worry?"

Frog did not look into Crono's eyes. His gaze stayed lost between the heavens and earth. "Whereas my fear wane erstwhile for so pithy a time, Lord Magus survives. Nay a sense of calm shalt prevail me whilst the Dark Lord breathes. For doth he still contrive to destroy us. Cessation of strife reigns not till he falls defeated. Order dies in the harmony upon nature lest he survive. Always Magus kills! Drifting careless and unchallenged between land and village, through night till dawn, in rain and darkness, he doth not feel the need to sleep! None that dwell the land hath the strength to overcome him. When he revealeth the black fire of his wicked power, our end shalt come anon!"

Crono glanced over at Luca. He yearned to tell Frog they came from the future, and that they held a history book that stated Magus would not win the war. But the inventor shook his head no. Luca knew they could not reveal their secret. They would have to let Frog discover the truth in the natural course of time. Frog peered at Crono with deep gold pools in which the red-haired youth noticed Frog's somber emotions.

"I weep for them, Crono Zenan. Afeard my heart remains. For what sacrifice perchance abdicate us in these coming days? Verily, the cloud of risk darkly swirls above both soldier and fate. Nay doth a hero live to contend with Magus, not since the passing of the last."

Crono placed a firm hand on Frog's shoulder. "Don't worry, Frog. Humans will win the war against the mystic monsters. You'll see one day when those demons get . . ." Crono froze. He didn't mean to include Frog in that group.

But Frog had accustomed to his legacy, and took no offense by Crono's words as he shook his head. "Nay, Crono. Thine eyes hath not seen his unholy wickedness, nor would I wish for thee to stand in his presence. But I hath, my friend. I feel it now as an undying pain that mends not in the boundaries of time. Ever will he remaineth the archfiend of my existence, but he tarries not in mindless audacity to assume dominion over all. For his sinful magic transcends the greatest knights of the land. Blessed be the life of they who survive what pestilent fate with which we art laden. Once before, I saw his face. Into his eyes hath I glimpsed power against which no mortal man possibly standeth. Seed from the underworld and the embodiment of unrighteousness, he acteth as the marauder of life. He kills whomever he chooses with nary a soul born with the strength to fight him. Resembling death. Thou might seek to flee before his scythe and hooded face. Ye may triest to bypass the fate he deems when his gaze sets upon thee. But the moment his fire touches thy skin, thou shalt be consumed by darkness."

Crono's mind wandered as he took in Frog's words. "I'm not exactly certain what you said just now, Frog, but it sounded cool." Frog did not reply and Crono sighed. "Look, Magus can't be that strong, can he? I mean, someone has to exist who can beat him. We conquered the Yakra, Frog! We can beat Magus, too!"

But Frog did not glance at Crono. Instead he stared across the ocean. "Nay, Crono Zenan. Tis the hope and belief of many. All in legend hath failed against Magus. Even the sacred blade shattered. With three partisans by his side, he shalt live beyond defeat."

Crono glanced at Luca, but even he shrugged. "Three partisans? You mean great followers? I thought Magus ruled alone. I didn't know he had followers like that."

"Nay had I until I encountered each long ago," Frog admitted. "Verily, three henchmen tread under his shadow. Two of which art human themselves. Unequaled in his magic they remaineth, but powerful disciples nonetheless. They art worthy against any that oppose the Dark Lord."

Wonder reflected in Crono's eyes. He never heard Magus stood in union with three other similar magic users. Even the history book failed to specify.

"So two of them are human?" Crono asked. "Do you know their names? Where did they come from?"

Frog glanced to the sky. "One a woman, she allures as though the light of an angel. Her voice enchants with the melody of a thousand singing voices. Long ago, when rainfall cloaked the night and storms woke the dead, I saw her face. Nay my eyes to see beauty in a woman so wicked. Afeard remaineth all those that beheld her. She wieldeth seductive charm over men. Her witchcraft dissuades the heart and appeals the soul in ways that transcend female propriety."

Luca slowly leaned forward and whispered to Crono. "I believe he politely called her a magical tramp."

"And in the gathering dark," Frog softly continued, "when wills shatter in the wake of her charm, those who fall under her spell turn to stone. A vampire she became, my friend, when Magus granted her his black gift. The lifeblood of humanity be the source of her magic. This foul enticement fuels her cruelty and malice. I hath seen it done, Crono Zenan. Thou must never fall under her spell. When the sorceress kisses thy lips, thy blood drains and thou shalt be turned to stone. Her name is Flea.

"Second be a legendary swordsman named Slash. This deathly freelance assassin remains as worthy as any with the blade, and as swift and unyielding as the Dark Lord Magus. An adversary of unequaled swordplay, he darkly mirrors Lord Evanheart. When Slash hunts, thou merely beholdeth his shadow, never his face. Nay, he remaineth nearly invisible to eyes when he draws up his cloak. Barren be my knowledge, but my blade once crossed his, and his hands fight both unmercifully and unrelenting. That dawn ensued long ago, and I only a young tadpole when the genesis of such contention took form. Bereft of understanding, I fear Slash's development.

"The third and most abhorrent disciple of all consisteth of a supernatural wielder of black magic. This mystic adorns robes that gleam as moonlight." Frog pointed to his own chest. "Black skull embellished here. Ye will one day know his treachery should thee ere cross his path. A forest imp called Ozzie, but he stands greater than the rest, and as big as thyself, Crono. He lives as king of all mystics and lord of the fiends. Verily, 'twas this mystic who served as Magus' caretaker as a child. He embodies the author of his heart and the poison of his mind. He taught the boy to kill and to hate the humans Ozzie so detests. Ozzie acts as the catalyst of Magus' dark heart, and shepherded him in ways a parent would a child, but only to shatter all love Magus once held as a child somewhere within. The burial of truth and entombment of salvation started from Ozzie's desire to teach the gifted child black magic when he adopted Magus."

Frog noticed the confusion in Crono's face, and slowly nodded. "Yea, Magus be a mortal man, and, quite remarkably, born with magic. Tis an odd fate, for none bear innate magic except mystics. But from flesh to soul, Magus is mortal yet unlike any other I hath ere encountered." Frog balled his fists in helpless sadness. "Had Magus not been found that day by Ozzie, had he yet remained preserved from bitter words and the cruel path of hate, I feel Magus would never act as now. Nay would he hath grown to manhood with Ozzie's venomous lies that stir so keenly in his blood. Ill-fated that young Magus should live with such rankled spite and execration of all living things. Nay that his gift of magic should be twisted to serve the wretched. The despise Magus felt merely express the seeds of a lament never put to rest, and a fire lain against his heart. But the King of Mystics fueled that inner flame, and stoked the spark of Magus' dark gift until it eventually flared and consumed the young child's heart. And now, as a man, Magus drives on with bloodlust, and wields power to rule both human and mystic alike." Frog's eyes filled with anger, then fell to the earth. "Perchance that I be granted one wish, never would I hesitate to go back in time and stop that terrible moment from happening. Could the course of time turn backwards, and should my dreams live out to change the folly of truth, I would destroy, even at the cost of my own life, any chance Ozzie had at finding Magus on that day, in those woods alone. For without the power of Magus, Ozzie claims nothing."

A gentle wind blew from the sea, and rustled Crono's hair as he realized the irony of Frog's words. A time traveler stood beside him.

"So then where did Magus come from?" Crono asked. "Who are his parents? How can a human possess magic?"

For the first time since they started this conversation, Frog smiled. "Verily, that mystery surrounds and bewilders us all. Nay hath one the faintest idea where the Dark Lord first appeared. Years ago, Ozzie found him as a child somewhere in Zaida Forest. From there, Ozzie took Magus to the Black Fortress. Even at seven years of age Magus proved greater than the King of Mystics, who had practiced magic all his life. And behind a wall of stone and lies that consumed the mind, the Dark Lord became unleashed upon the World of Men." Frog took a deep breath, and calmed his nerves. "A king only in his mind, Ozzie behaveth nothing more than a coward, Crono. He beareth only a few spells, indeed, but nothing which would ever compare to how he hath prepared Magus throughout the course of his life. Magus incorporates the belief rooted in the heart of every mystic that this world belongeth to them. Worshipped as a god and feared even as a child, Magus consists of the head of the beast that contriveth to destroy us all. If we cut off that wretched head, the rest of the body shalt fall to ruin with it! But such a task remaineth yet beyond any man."

Frog's eyes drifted out to the flowing sea before falling back to rest on Crono. "Their attack will shake the stones of Kelvenforge. Seas will bend before the awakening evil that hails from the mountain south. Blood riseth highest where all hopes so keenly lie on this brink of destruction. And if the people of Guardia do not stand united against them, nay the future exist." He glanced back out to the ocean. "Little time remaineth as I speak, though I daresay even the flow of time worketh against us. It burns my thoughts to suffer the knowledge Magus comes for thee, Crono and Luca. But he will appear for vengeance upon the hope thou hath brought to us in our time of need. We hath salvaged from this rescue the morale that fast fadeth out of men."

"We will defeat him," Crono stated, and pointed back to the cathedral. "Magus reigns over no one, Frog, and he never will because even you know humans still stand and fight on. He causes only grief, but that will fade over the course of centuries." Luca raised his eyebrows at Crono, but Crono ignored him. "Whether good or evil, every man has a story. But that story ends sometime on the road. The same will occur with Magus because he's human, too. You said it yourself."

Frog did not look at Crono, and responded with barely a whisper. "Not even Cyrus could stop him."

Suddenly they heard a sound behind them and turned to look. Several yards away, the entrance to the church opened to expel a man with silver hair who carried a staff and wore green robes. He stepped from the desolate ruins into the faint light. Crono gaped as if discovering a ghost. There stood none other than the chancellor.

"The Yakra!" Crono yelled, and woke the queen from her flowery bed and startled both Frog and Luca. "Get your weapons!" Crono lifted his sword, and prepared to defend the queen against the monster. He dashed a short distance over to Leene and stood between her and the chancellor, then aimed a ferocious glare at the old man, who stared at Crono in wonder. "Remove yourself from here, demon, or I will cut your throat and leave your carcass for the wolves!"

Frog jumped over to Crono. "Stay thy hand, friend! For the man who standeth before thee is the real chancellor! The one we fought in the sanctuary hath perished forever. We art safe."

Crono slowly lowered his sword and gazed at Frog in confusion. "But he's a traitor!"

Frog patted Crono's back. "Thou must calm thyself. This man acteth as much a friend to us as ye do to Sir Luca. Verily, I made this conclusion when I realized he lived. The Yakra had used the disguise of our most trusted elder, the chancellor, in this way to kidnap the queen. 'Twas my belief he betrayed us all, but I misperceived in the chamber. The true chancellor standeth before us."

Crono glanced at Queen Leene, who sat up from the flowerbed. Her blue eyes intensely shone on Crono, and expressed honesty clearer to him than any words. She did not need to speak.

Crono lowered his blade. "What's he doing here now? He didn't escape with us."

The swordfrog reassuringly nodded. "I discovered him shortly after our contention with the Yakra and its demon hordes. He lay locked away in a hidden barrier of magic verily one similar to Leene's. Before sunrise, I sensed others may be trapped, searched for more prisoners, and set him free. Being an agile creature, I escaped the desolation of the church before the chancellor. But he makes no enemy of ours. Nay thy heart be fearful."

"And Leene and I both owe you our lives," the old man stated as he looked at Crono and Luca.

Crono resheathed his sword and knelt. "I'm sorry, elder. I made a mistake."

The cheery old man came forward to extend his hand in friendship and help Crono rise. "A simple misunderstanding, lad. You hold noble intentions in your furtherance to protect our most beloved Queen Leene. How strange it must feel for you to shake hands with the man who acted as your nemesis the night before."

"I can tell you're no demon," Crono stated. "No warmth resides in a devil's smile."

"Alas the oddity of fate!" the old man agreed and raised his staff. "But the new day heralds fortune for our kingdom! Thank you all for your help, but the queen seems exhausted and we must return to the castle."

Crono agreed and also felt anxious himself to finish the mission so he, Nadia and Luca could return home to 1000 A.D. "Yeah, she took us on some wild hunt, but we survived. I myself am dying for a shower." When the group frowned at Crono in confusion, he rolled his eyes and remembered the age. "Uh . . . I'm sure the king awaits his queen's return!" he quickly said and glanced at his amphibian ally. "Frog, you know these lands better than anyone, I think. Will you do us the honor of leading the way?"

Frog bowed low and bade the queen. "Come, thy majesty. I shalt guide thee through the shadows of Darkwood. But let us make haste and chart our path for Guardia Castle! I fear that Lord Guardia suffers worry and fear! Behold, the Lazaren yields before the mist, so let us pray the road heralds fortune! Onward we go, into the deep!" Queen Leene and the old man followed Frog's lead. They treaded out of the everglades with Leene protected between Frog and the chancellor.

Crono glanced at his friend. "Luca, I'm concerned about the war and what Frog said about Magus. I don't know what to think anymore. What will happen when we return to 1000 A.D.? I don't want to go home to a nightmare."

Luca patted his shoulder. "I've double-checked the outcome of the future. I'm telling you, Crono, humans will win the war. Your fear persists because of the beasts and violence you've encountered. Use the process of elimination. This book cannot lie. The pages wouldn't appear in this language if we never won the war."

Crono shook his head in disagreement. "But it's not the outcome of the war that worries me. I know we win, but that doesn't mean you and I never fight in it."

Luca hesitated. "Look, Crono, we did everything we could. It's not like we have to keep bouncing back and forth through time's gate to help everyone with their problems. Our people will come out fine on their own, and you and I won't have to concern ourselves with this or any other war. I know you think otherwise because you recognized yourself in some description in a history book in this time."

"You know about that?" Crono asked and recalled the day of the festival when the attendant showed him a page that described a bridge and a red-haired boy who held a glowing blue sword.

Luca grinned. "You told me last night, remember? Crono, you can't let that simple picture rule your entire destiny! That depiction might have been a false illustration of what we did just now to save the queen. Not to mention everyone in Guardia knows that a red-haired youth defeated the Malordra Witch. That's cause enough for your deed to appear in a history book." He chuckled and placed his arm around his friend. "Nay let us head to the castle, oh ye of little faith. And let's head home."