Hey, the next chapter is coming right up. This might be a bit darker then the last chapter of Echoes of the Past.
Anyway, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles was created entirely by Squaresoft.
Chapter XIII: The Chrono Rift
Layle and his friends watched as the mysterious sphere collided, and a bright light that was nither red nor blue emmited from out of nowhere.
"Why is the 'Lunite Queen' doing this?" sighed Althea.
"Whatever it is, it can't be good" said Keiss.
Belle sighed"So now what?"
Amidatellion sighed"I do not know what this strange white light entails. If what the Lunite Queen says is true, people may be getting cursed with Crystalization."
"Talking will likely do no good, even if we can get to her castle" said Amidatellion.
"Can't you open a portal and send us there?" said Layle.
Amidatellion sighed"Unfortunately, I cannot open a portal to a foreign planet, or moon I should say."
Mid entered the throne room"Hey, there are reports that foreign lands appeared and are connected to ours. Several scientists went to get their eyes examined."
Ian shook his head"I've read about this 'Chrono Rift' in an old textbook. Lands from the past, present and future may have now been combined into one at their respective origin points."
Althea spoke"Mid, you go check out Rebena Te Ra. Layle, Belle, Keiss, you three will accompany me to Padarak, if we can infilterate their border. Patricia, Amidatellion, Jessica, you three will remain in the capital and asess the situation."
"Very well" nodded Amidatellion.
The group split to prepare for their respective missions.
Althea addressed Keiss"I won't ask if you reconsidered being our High Commander, but was it not good enough?"
"With all due respect, it just wasn't the same as me getting the position away from the Lilty, like I said."
"What are you whacked? That was your dream!" said Layle.
"True, but I had to ensure that the Selkie Guild didn't get out of hand" shrugged the male Selkie.
In Ancient Padarak, Leo, Chime, Hugh Yurg and the rest of their allies met up back in the castle town.
Just then, one of the patrolling adventurers: A Selkie thief, approached"Sire, reports indicate that Jerik is on his way to Padarak, and some of his forces are marching on Alfitaria. What's more, I saw a bizzare white light."
"You sure about this, Sasha-Jee?" inquired Epitav.
The Selkie replied"I'm positive, Sir Epitav. Padarak is now involved in the war."
Leo's face darkened"I'm scared, I never fought in an actual war."
"Just direct our troops, sire. The majority of our forces should be able to protect the gates from invasion" said Chime.
"Dad, can you lead our Adventurers?" inquired Leo.
Epitav replied"Did you need to ask? I will definately put my life on the line to protect our kingdom. Give the order and we'll take up battle stations at the gates, and ask the civilians to move into the castle during the seige."
"Hey, what if we want to fight? We're members of the kingdom, too!" called a young teenager called Jed.
"We have enough troops. We do not wish to place you all in danger." said Hugh Yurg.
"Better safe then sorry, captain. Jed, you may help, just stay close to me" said Malvina.
Jed grinned"Thank you, big sister."
Leo shrugged"Guess I will accept this. But Malvina, you remember that I do the hiring, right?"
"Of course, my apologies" said Malvina.
Epitav spoke"Let's get to battle stations, then. Son, you should command the defense of the East Gate."
Leo was astonished"But father, I'm not old enough!"
"Don't you think Epitav wants you to know how to lead us through a siege, sire?" interjected Malvina.
"Okay, let's do it. Everyone, let's form teams and prepare to fight Jerik" said Leo.
Mira smirked"All right, let's torment those renegade onions!"
At Alfitaria, a soldier rushed over to his king"Sire, some of Jerik's rebels are marching on us."
"What? Get the troops into battle formation. Secure the city, and request Sir Sol Racht's aid" said King Zeoffrey.
"Yes, sire" said the soldier.
King Zeoffrey looked out the window'My daughter, forgive me. I may not make it through this raid, I wish you the best.'
"Sire?" inquired one of the guards.
Zeoffrey sighed"Go to Padarak, and deliver a message to Fiona. I may or may not live to see the end of this war, but give her my best wishes."
"I understand" said the messenger.
At Padarak, the civilians were evacuated into the castle. Leo and Chime stood at the east gate with Algy, Malvina and three other Adventurers. Craydall and Mira took the liberty of commanding the forces at the Southern Gate. Epitav took charge of the west gate.
Outside, a Alfitarian scout reported to Jerik"They are massing a defense at the gates, they have at least several hundred troops."
"Hm, that's more then I expected, but it cannot be helped. All units, prepare to attack, they cannot hold with those puny defenses. Whatever you do, do not harm Princess Fiona" hissed Jerik.
"Yes, general" said the scout.
Inside, Leo fingered the light sword that his father gave him"Chime, I never realized how dangerous combat it."
Chime smiled at him"You need not worry, I can always teleport us away from danger. Stay close to me."
Just then, Bennet addresed Leo"Sire, more people are coming!"
"Who would that be?" inquired the little king.
A small cluster of Clavats, Yukes, Selkies and Lilties entered from the West gate.
"Cyrus?" asked Leo.
The Clavat who was leading the newcomers replied"I heard the news, Pavlov and the Moogle Brothers spread the word to every location surrounding Padarak and Alfitaria about the impending war. We may not be your subjects, but we want to help protect Padarak."
"Your aid is greatly appreciated, Cyrus" nodded Chime.
Cyrus nodded, then directed his group to select areas. The Clavat then spoke to Leo"I will be at the doors to the inner castle with several others to serve as a last line of defense, in case they break through."
"Thanks, Cyrus" said Leo.
At Alfitaria, King Zeoffrey gathered his royal guard and the remaining knights to defend his realm.
At the gate, they stood waiting as a cluster of Lilty and Clavat soldiers approached.
"Ready yourselves, everyone" instructed King Zeoffrey.
"So, King Zeoffrey, we at last meet again" said a voice as Vervain appeared.
Zeoffrey snapped"I no longer know you, for you were cast from this kingdom several years ago for excessive agression against other nations."
"Oh, you hurt my feelings. Now, brother, a battle to the finish!" yelled the Lunite.
The enemy soldiers charged at the Alfitarians.
King Zeoffrey was surprised at the tenacity of his enemy, but commanded his troops to repel them nonetheless.
At Padarak, Jerik and his ilk arrived at Padarak, just as a Alfitarian Messenger arrived and spoke to Fiona.
The princess was shocked"What? Some of them already made it to my father?"
"Unfortunately, yes. But don't despair, he won't die easily" said the Messenger.
Fiona nodded, then said"Thanks for the message, will you help with the defenses here?"
"Certainly, though I'm not that good of a fighter" said the Messenger.
Suddenly, several soldiers entered the South Gate and stabbed the Messenger.
As one of the nearby healers rushed to his aid, Mira glared at the attackers"That's it, no one plays dirty except ME!"
The Dark Princess blasted back the first wave of attackers, while Fiona and several warriors attacked the next wave.
Epitav and several more Adventurers beat back several squads of enemy soldiers at the west gate. Some of the enemy made it past and almost made it to the castle keep, when Cyrus stopped them in their tracks.
Leo, Chime and Algy's group met with heavier attacks then their allies. By the time Algy defeated several Alfitarian Rebels, he was exhausted.
Vajeem weaved and ducked, stabbing as many of Jerik's men as possible.
Chime and Malvina kept casting their spells to aid Algy and Leo. The enemy army kept on coming, while the heroes persisted as they fought together.
Soon the enemy army beat a tactical retreat.
"Any wounded or dead?" frowned Chime.
Vajeem surveyed the area"Several Clavat warriors are wounded on our side, Cyrus and his ilk managed to hold the keep so far."
One of the Yukes approached Leo"Epitav has suffered a small loss, two of the Selkies were killed."
"Oh, no" cried Leo.
"Don't despair, sire, we'll just prepare for the next wave. In case you haven't noticed, it's getting quite close to nighttime, the siege will probably continue tomorrow" said Chime.
Leo nodded"Guess I'll go to bed."
Near Ancient Rebena Te Ra, Yuri and his group noticed something strange about the surrounding countryside.
"Hm, what a matter quizzical" murmered Alhanelam.
"No kidding" said Yuri.
Just then, several shadows of Lunite Soldiers appeared.
"Ready yourselves" said Latov.
Yuri, Latov and Alhanelem defeated the incoming foes. Aleria spoke to Meeth"Let's go tell the king."
"All righty" smirked the Lilty.
Nearby, the Selkie boy whom Yuri remembered as Gnash watched. Though he didn't remember Yuri, part of him wanted to help with this campaign.
"You okay?" said Gnash's mother.
The Selkie shrugged"I... I want to help Yuri and friends."
His mother was astonished"Really?"
Gnash nodded, then went to the general store.
The owner asked"Hey there, buddy, what do you need?"
Gnash used some of his allowance to purchase some light mail, now all he needed was a bow.
When he pointed it out, the man said"You want to serve in the king's militia, huh? That will be twenty gill for the bow."
"Excuse me, I'll pay for him" said the older woman, handing him some gil.
As Gnash took the item, he said"Thanks."
"I don't like the thought of you doing anything dangerous, please be safe" said the woman.
Gnash ran over to Yuri"Hey, I want to help."
"You sure?" inquired Latov.
Gnash nodded.
"Very well, then" said Latov.
A day later, a lilty showed up in the area.
"Hey, where did you come from? Who are you?" said Yuri.
The Lilty replied"By that I would assume that the surrounding countryside has merged with another time. I'm Mid."
Aleria pondered, then said"I see. That explains the uneasiness I felt a few days ago, the worlds of the past, present, and future have merged."
"It seems so. Our enemy is a Lunite called Queen Nastasia" said Mid.
"Another Lunite? Great" sighed Yuri.
"My country would appreciate any aid you can give us" said Mid.
Latov nodded"Very well. Yuri, Alhanalem, Meeth, Chelinka, you and the others should go. I'll explain things to King Kolka."
Yuri shrugged"It all sounds absurd, but I'll be happy to help."
"Thank you. Alfitaria has suffered a similar effect as Rebena Te Ra, follow me" said Mid.
In Alfitaria, Amidatellion and her group found themselves in a mixed version of ancient and modern-day Alfitaria.
When she saw some hostile soldiers, she addressed Patricia and Jessica"We should intervene."
"You got it" said Patricia.
The three, along with the modern guards rushed to the scene of a fierce battle. It's king was leading his men.
A enemy soldier spotted Alhanelam"Reinforcement!"
The Yuke summoned a group of Sahagans, devastating the enemy army.
King Zeoffrey was stunned"Huh? Who are you?"
"The name is Amidatellion, looks like the past version of the kingdom merged with this one" said the Yuke.
Zeoffrey looked around"That's strange. Anyay, who are your companions?"
"I'm Patricia, and this is Jessica Yee. The healers here are Ian and Tricia" said one of the female Clavats.
"Would you kindly explain more of what's happening? I'm seeing a strange-colored sky above" said Zoffrey.
Amidatellion spoke"It seems that a sorceress called the Lunite Queen has broken a fourth dimensional wall. She has combined several eras into one."
"Well, thanks for aiding me. Now I must go to Padarak to aid King Leo and my daughter" said Zeoffrey.
"It may be too late, I sense chaos coming from Padarak" said Amidatellion.
Tricia interjected"We must try."
Not far from Padarak's border, about a day later, Althea and her group saw that the border was different then what they saw.
What was more, they spotted a group of travelers, one of them sported a ribbon and a cat's tail.
"Hey, you guys, over here!" shouted Belle.
One of the group, the cat girl, responded"Huh? Who are you?"
Layle's group caught up to them.
"We saw this flash of light, and it seemed as though the eras of this world have collided" said the cat girl.
"I see, may I ask who your group members are?" inquired Althea.
One of the Clavats in the group interjected"I am Ken, this is Sherlotta. The others with me are Norschtalen, Ashtair, Del Dee, Gerald and Aline."
"Pleasure, I am Althea" said the Lilty Queen.
"Name's Layle" said the blond Clavat.
Keiss and Belle introduced themselves, then Ashtair spoke"Sorry to rush the introductions, but there is trouble up ahead at Padarak. It seems as though there is a siege, the king is in trouble."
"What are we waiting for then? Let's go save that kingdom" said Althea.
At Padarak, the siege lasted two days in a row. Some of the defense force was killed, but the majority of the kingdom's adventurers were injured as opposed to dead.
"I don't have much fight left in me" gasped Algy.
"Me neither" sighed Vajeem.
Hugh Yurg spoke"Just hold on a while longer, people. We cannot lose our homeland again."
Leo, Chime, Malvina and Bennet stood their ground as a slightly larger Lilty approached.
The man spoke"Padarak's military might is truly formidable with their meager numbers. Now your opponent shall be me: General Jerik."
"Why don't you pick on someone your size?" said Epitav, rushing onto the scene.
"What about the defenses at the west gate?" said Algy, struggling to get on his feet.
Epitav replied"There are no more enemies coming from that direction."
Jerik's remaining soldiers suddenly approached. The corrupted Prime Minister spoke"Now ends Padarak's legacy."
"You're in way over your head" said Craydall, approaching as well.
"Not so fast" said Jerik, casting a strong thunder spell at the group.
Leo and his group barely withstood the attack.
Jerik spoke"Farewell, King Leo."
Chime retaliated by casting slow, which was blocked.
Leo took the opprotunity to rush towards the man, his light sword drawn.
Jerik drew his own blade and intercepted"Please, is the son as weak as his father?"
"Don't talk about my dad that way!" yelled Leo, excecuting a vertical swing at Jerik.
"Sire, you shall not battle alone" called Hugh Yurg, rushing to his king's aid.
Jerik shot a thunder spell at Hugh Yurg, while Leo launched a energy wave from his sword.
"Gr... Not bad, but here's a taste of your own medicine!" yelled Jerik, casting thunder.
Leo jumped backwards, but the exertion took it's toll on his body.
Jerik prepared to deliver a finishing blow, when Mira arrived, jump kicking the man backwards.
Jerik shot a fireball, which Mira dodged and retaliated with a spell of her own.
Leo stood by Mira and backed the girl with a Holy spell, which he purchased from the White Mage temple a day earlier.
Jerik snarled"Okay, now it's time to end this."
With that, the man touched his crystal and focused, becoming a large crimson crystal warrior.
Epitav and Hugh Yurg lunged at Jerik, but were blasted back.
Chime teleported her injured comrades out of the way while Vajeem and Algy clashed with the Lilty-turned-Lunite.
The fight barely lasted more then a few seconds when Algy and Vajeem got the wind knocked out of them.
Jerik sneered"Now ends Padarak."
"Not if I can help it!" shouted Mira, throwing thunder at Jerik.
Jerik snarled as the thunder barely dented his new form"Don't waste my time!"
"Looks like this is the end" sighed Epitav, sadly.
Just then, the enemy soldiers accompanying Jerik were blasted back.
"What the?" gasped Jerik as several more people came onto the scene.
Wind magic tore through Jerik as a Plasma attack knocked him backwards and telekinesis threw him into the wall.
"Right on time" said one of the newcomers.
Jerik got up and cast thunder at the blond Crystal Bearer, who blocked with a gravitational shield while a red haired female Selkie fired a Tornado at the Lunite.
Jerik snarled and threw a major thunder spell, which was blocked again.
Fiona, who had just came onto the scene as well, took out her lance and rushed towards the weakened general.
Jerik fought back until he was picked up again and slammed into the ground by gravity.
"Gravity magicite can't do that, who is that blond guy?" gasped Chime.
On his last legs, Jerik stood up"I cannot die... I cannot!"
"Sorry, but you just lost" said the blond newcomer.
The male red-head took out his gun and shot Jerik, whose armor was cracked by the impact of Telekinises.
As Jerik fell dead, Leo addressed the newcomers"Thanks for the help, but what did you come from?"
"Believe it or not, my gruop is from the future. Our time periods have just been melded" said the blond female Lilty.
"That explains that contraption your companion just used" said Chime.
The blond female spoke"I'm Althea Sol Alfitaria."
"Don't forget about us" said a pink haired girl.
Pavlov and the Moogle brothers caught up.
"Did you keep track of our defenders' status?" inquired Chime.
Pavlov replied"You bet, poing! Most of them were injured though."
"Well, let's get together in the castle's conference room and talk. We'll have our healers tend to the wounded and bury our dead" said Epitav.
Several hours later, the assembled groups spoke in the castle's largest room. Epitav and several others remained outside to fix some of the damage caused by the battle.
After the introductoins, Fiona was astonished"So what you're saying that our times have merged, and a woman called Nastasia is responsibe."
"Nastasia is no mere woman, she's a mysterious and powerful sorceress. She is no ordinairy Lunite, even her motives are a mystery to us" said Ashtair.
Just then, Amidatellion, Tricia, King Zeoffrey and Ian entered the room.
"Did I come at a bad time?" said Amidatellion.
"That's all right, but why are you here?" said Althea.
"King Zeoffrey requested it" said Amidatellion.
As the group debated for a while, Hugh Yurg spoke"So we need to defeat this 'Lunite Queen' and her accomplices".
Ashtair replied"I had watched from the dimension I lived in for a quarter of a century. Lady Nastasia may have been somewhat evil, but I sense a much gentler soul within her shell."
Leo frowned"But if her castle is on the moon like Layle said, how would we get there?"
"Leo, you have the power" said Craydall.
"But I never used it for anything except buildings" protested Leo.
Craydall sighed impatiently"Use your head, Architek is not just used for buildings and parks, it could also create Airships."
Althea spoke"We need to meet up with the others back at Alfitaria, we'll discuss a plan of attack then."
Just then, Vajeem burst in"Hey, everyone, a bluish light just emitted from the sky outside!"
"What?" gasped Hugh Yurg.
Leo, Layle, Belle, Keiss, Althea, Chime and Mira ran outside, only to find that most of the civilians who had returned to the streets were turned into blue crystal.
Leo was shocked"Hey!"
Chime went after Leo towards one of the petrified bodies, which was none other then Epitav.
"So this is what Althea was just telling us about" said Chime, sadly.
Layle looked around"It can't be. Hey, is anyone out here okay?"
"Hey!" Leo called, but no one answered.
Chime was saddened"How can... Oh, Epitav."
Layle groaned"Guess Nastasia is a Crystal Bearer, too. But how is that possible? She definately wasn't as human as the rest of us."
"Perhaps there are exceptions to the rule" said Althea.
Leo glanced at his father's body"Dad, can you still hear us?"
"Your voice cannot reach him the way he is" said Althea.
"Look!" cried Mira, spotting a Clavat woman.
Algy, who also arrived on the scene, was irritated"No, not my mom, too! What the heck is going on? Padarak has never seen anything like it."
"Dad, I..." Leo trailed off.
"Wait a minute" said Belle, unleashing a healing gust at Epitav.
The spell took effect and time seemed to move again as Epitav returned to normal.
"Can you help my mom, too, miss?" said Algy.
Belle sighed and tried the same thing, but it dissapated.
Layle shrugged"Crystal Bearer powers aren't that convenient."
Epitav sighed"At least I was still wearing my crown with the crystal on it. I guess the victims who were transformed without crystals can't be healed that easily."
"The only way to disperse the effects of this curse is to defeat the Lunites once and for all" said Amidatellion.
"My energy is low, besides someone has to protect our kingdom" said Epitav.
"Aren't you coming with us, dad?" inquired Leo.
Epitav replied"I must stay with some of our adventurers and guard the kingdom. It may have partly been turned into a ghost town, but someone must protect it."
Chime shrugged"Then the majority of us will go to Alfitaria for our next plan."
"Leo, everyone else, let's pack our things and go" said Fiona.
"Yeah, it's payback time for the Lunites" said Mira.
Leo and most of the others left the castle the next day to head for Alfitaria.
Epitav spoke to Leo"I know you'll be safe with Chime."
"Thanks, dad" said Leo.
"I too shall remain, I'm getting too old to travel much longer" said Hugh Yurg.
Leo, Mira and most of their group left Padarak and headed for Alfitaria.
At the Lunite Queen's castle, Nastasia spoke"So what's the status, General Darkheart?"
"Your spell is slowly taking effect. The Chrono Rift is activated" said Darkheart.
"Excellent. Even if those so-called heroes find their way here, they will be in for the fight of their lives" said Nastasia.
"You mean for them to make their way to you?" frowned Waylon.
The Lunite Queen replied"Now don't be silly. I do not intend to simply obliterate all. When Layle and the rest get here, they'll be in for it."
"I was reawakened" said a voice as another figure entered.
"Ah, Galdes, it seems that you were sucessfully revived" smirked the Lunite Queen.
Galdes sighed"I don't know what it is you're planning, but I will render aid to you as best I can."
Darkheart sighed"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you wish to betray us, my queen."
"Don't talk such nonesense, I do not fear the likes of you. Should Layle and his friends arrive, you know what to do" said the Lunite Queen.
"Very well, I will have my revenge while I'm at it" said Galdes.
Another chapter complete. I hope it wasn't too much of a rip-off from other games.
Considering what I said about how many chapters this'll take, I may end with sixteen or seventeen after all. Sounds rushed, I know, but there just aren't as many plot elements as there are on my current completed fics: The Dark Grimoire and Kingdom Hearts: Dissidia.
Feel free to check those two out if you are hoping for some better quality fics from my profile. I'll be happy to let someone write their own remake of this Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles fanfic when I'm done with it.
Well, good night, and please feel free to review.