The Restoration: Part XXV

When Anna awoke, she blinked several times, her mind and thoughts a blur. Where was she? The lights were dim, but not so dim that she could not see. But she did not move her head. She lay there on her back, feeling the sensations in her body, staring straight up at the ceiling. She could feel it flowing… her blood. Blood… she had not felt it in such a long time, it was so unfamiliar to her now. Warmth… hunger… smell, touch… sensations of the living...

There was a loud rumble, and she sat bolt upright, letting out a cry of fright. "Aah--!"

Terra, who had been attending to an injured Baronian guard nearby, glanced over. "Anna! Oh…" She turned back to the guard, finishing the dressing she was putting on his leg as there was another rumble from somewhere on the outside of the castle. "Just stay still. My magic should help you recover, but you mustn't move that leg, all right?" The guard nodded painfully, and she stood, hurrying over to Anna.

"Anna?" She quickly knelt next to her. "I didn't even know you were awake. Are you feeling all right?"

"I… I don't know…" Anna was staring ahead of her, into space, it seemed, and it took her a few moments to turn her head and take a good look at her nurse. "T… Terra? It's… you're Terra, aren't you?"

Terra, surprised, nodded. "Yes, that's my—"

"But you're alive!"

"Uh…" Terra was taken aback, but she recovered quickly. "Yes, yes I am. We aren't losing this battle yet. We—"

"No, but you're… you are alive, which means I… I'm not…" She put her hands on her stomach, her legs, her face, her forehead, ran them through her hair. "I'm… how can I be… I was dead! I am dead, I was in the Spirit Realm, I…"

"Shhh…" Terra said soothingly, laying her back down on the small mattress. "Rest, now. You've been through a great ordeal, and I'm sure you'll be able to tell us about it soon. But the castle is under attack, and you need to rest."

Anna sat up again. "Under attack? The Mastermind?"

"Yes. We're in the throne room of Castle Baron. This is where we are treating the injured. You were still asleep in the infirmary, so we brought you in here so we could make sure you were all right. Now, lie down—"

"What about Edward? Is… is he—"

"He's fighting," Terra replied, gently pressing her back down. "He wanted to stay with you, but he was needed outside."

Anna's eyes widened slightly. "Edward… he's fighting… he's become so brave…"

Terra put a hand gently on her forehead. "He told us how you protected him. Let him protect you, now. Rest."

Anna stared at the ceiling for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes, I… I will…"

Terra smiled at her and then stood back up, glancing around. Since the battle had started, eleven fighters had been brought in, six of whom had gone back out to keep fighting. Among the ones that had left again were Sabin and the elder of Mysidia, both of whom had barely let Terra treat their injuries before barrelling back out the door. Sabin hadn't surprised her, but she couldn't deny that she'd been shocked at the energy and vigour the elder possessed.

The four White mages she was working with were scurrying around, checking up on the remaining patients: three guards and two Black mages. Compared to the casualties the shadow creatures were suffering, she thought, the injuries they had sustained must have been paltry. There had not yet been any deaths, at least as far as she was aware.

She was, however, becoming antsy. She wasn't quite sure why she had volunteered to watch over the wounded, because the tiger that had reawakened in her in Mobliz so long ago was screaming at her to go out and rip as many creatures as she could to shreds. She heard more distant explosions, saw some dust and a little bit of stone fall from the roof some distance away, and she wondered what the damage to the castle had been like so far. She could only assume that the blasts were coming from one of those larger creatures Rosa had been talking about. Again, she felt the mad urge to hurry out into the fray, but she resisted it. There were people here that needed her.

The doors to the throne room burst open, and two guards came in, supporting an unconscious, bearded Cid between them. And here's another, she thought to herself, hurrying to lend her aid.

- - - - -

Sabin was thrown from his feet, grass and earth thrown up from behind him as another shadowy bomb blasted a crater into the ground where he had been only moments earlier. He landed hard near the castle gates, his already wounded shoulder scraping agonizingly against the rough stone. "Aaarghh... bastard, I'll show you!"

He rolled over and leapt to his feet, brandishing his claws, and began to run at full speed toward the enormous shadow monster, darting in and out of packs of wolves and ripping them to dust as he went. The large one stood easily as tall as the castle itself, supporting itself on four thick legs, and perched on its equally thick neck was the head of a bull, whose horns were launching bombs ceaselessly. Ahead he could see the red hulk of Edge's falcon and the Enterprise along with it, the first of which was manned by the white-haired Cid and his blonde grandson, pelting the creature with their own improvised explosive weaponry. The Epoch darted around it as well, the flashes of its lasers punctuating the darkness.

He was nearing the creature when he saw Edge, cornered by a horde of shadow wolves, swiping ferociously at them but being overrun nevertheless. Sabin screeched to a halt and hurled himself at them, barrelling his way through an even half-dozen before they began to turn on him as well. Several gnashed at his exposed legs, but Edge, gaining confidence, ran them through with the Masamune before they had a chance to sink a single tooth into Sabin's skin.

Between the two of them, they made short work of the group, and in the temporary reprieve they had afterwards, Edge turned to Sabin. "I could have done that without your help."

Sabin, panting, stared at him. "You're welcome. No, really, don't mention it."

"Look, foreigner, you handle your business and I'll handle mine. I don't need your charity."

At this, Sabin laughed out loud. "'Foreigner'? That's a laugh! Like it or not, this is my world too, Your Majesty, so you might as well get used to having us around!"

"I don't trust you people as easily as Cecil and Rosa do," Edge shot back. "Wait until after this is all over, and then we'll talk, but for now, stay out of my way!"

Sabin shook his head. "Whatever you say, but let me know if you want help pulling whatever it is out of your rear end."

"Why, you—"

"Watch it!!"

Not a moment too soon, Sabin dove toward the shadow wolf that had leapt at Edge, its teeth only inches away from the side of the ninja king's head. It vanished in a whiff of smoke, and Sabin rolled to his feet, glancing back at Edge with a slight smirk on his face. "Yeah, you can take real good care of yourself, right?"

The two shared a long, piercing gaze, neither one looking away until a bomb exploded nearby and they shielded their eyes from the resulting shower of dirt. When the dust cleared, they saw another group of monsters – a mix of the wolves and the upright ones with talon-like claws – headed straight toward them, the wolves snarling and the others swiping their arms menacingly.

Edge looked back at Sabin. "Fine. You win. Let's do this."

Sabin grinned. "Thought you'd never say so."

They hurled themselves into the cluster of monsters, leaving a smoky black trail in their wake.

- - - - -

At that moment Yang was hacking away at another group of wolves back to back with Captain Biggs. As he mauled his way through two wolves at once, he yelled back to his companion. "All right back there?"

"All right? Hell," Biggs yelled back. "I haven't had this much fun in years!"

Yang laughed, delivering a mighty kick to the nearest walking creature that reduced its head to a swirl of dust. "So this is what you call 'fun', is it?"

"Why do you think I joined up?" Biggs called back. Yang heard the repeated swish of his sword, heard the yelps of first one, then two, and then more wolves cut short as they were ripped apart. "At least as a guard you get the odd chance to bash some heads in!"

"You'd have made a fine monk in Fabul – Aargh!" Yang cried out and clutched his left arm as one of the clawed creatures landed a slash against it that left several deep gashes in his skin. He turned to cleave it with his own claws, but it lashed out faster than he'd thought it was capable and grabbed hold of his wrist. At the same time it attempted a strike at the right side of Yang's head, and he, too, caught the offending wrist. The creature was surprisingly strong; they stumbled around for several seconds, both trying to free their own wrists while maintaining their grip on their adversary's.

And then, with a mighty yell, Yang brought his foot into the creature's midsection. The red eyes opened wide, as if in shock, and then dissolved into the cloud of smoke that swallowed their host body.

Biggs, who had caught glimpses of the struggle out of the corner of his eye, glanced back. "Claw-toed boots. Nice touch!"

"Yes, I always found them a-peel-ing myself," Yang replied as he turned to hack away at another group of wolves.

Biggs laughed heartily. "Well, it is always important for one to look sharp!"

"Yes, it is one way to leave a good impression!"

"Sir, I admire your cutting wit!"

It was Yang's turn to laugh. "No, Biggs, it is yours that splits my sides!"

"Oh, but surely—aargh!!"

Biggs didn't have the chance to finish his sentence before he was thrown from his feet by a pouncing wolf. He landed roughly on the ground, rolling away as the wolf prepared to spring once more. "I'm coming, Biggs!" Yang called to him, though he knew he couldn't possibly make it.

Suddenly a green blur blasted through a corner of his vision, and as he finished dealing with his most pressing engagements, he turned and found it very difficult to keep up with the new entity as it zipped this way and that, sending some creatures flying and instantly vaporizing others. Biggs, too, was watching in wonder, his sword laying discarded on the grass.

Soon there were no more creatures on any side, and the green blur settled on the ground nearby.

"You're…" Biggs began.

"Sage Guido," Yang finished.

The turtle shook himself off and nodded. "It's rather boring up there on the ship, so I thought I might get a little exercise. Hope I didn't miss anything."

Yang grinned. "I should say not… in fact, I can't imagine better timing."

"Yes, I know. We sages have a way with that sort of thing."

Biggs had stood by now and retrieved his weapon. "Thank you, Sage. I owe you my life."

"Your life?" Sage Guido laughed his barking laugh. "Whatever on Earth would I want with that? Come, now, there's work to be done!"

"I couldn't agree more," Yang replied.

As they turned toward the next group of advancing monsters, Biggs glanced sideways at Yang. "This is turning into a bit of a slice, isn't it?"

Yang laughed again. "Never a dull moment, Biggs."

- - - - -

Aboard the Enterprise, Cid turned his attention away from the railing and back to the task at hand. "Well, that was interesting!" he called to Mid.

"Fastest I've ever seen a turtle move in my life," Mid replied, hurrying back across the deck. Baronian engineers scrambled back and forth around both of them, either manning the guns or repairing the damage that had begun to take a toll on the craft. At first the going had been easy – the monster had been too occupied with the battlefield below them to notice their approach, and they had surprised it with a ferocious barrage that they were sure would finish the job. Unfortunately, they had been wrong, and now the creature was pelting as many shadow bombs at the airships as it was at the fighters on the ground.

From the bow, over the whirling of the propellers, Mid called back to his grandfather at the helm. "The Falcon's taking a lot of hits! It probably won't stand up to many more!"

"What about us?" Cid called back. "How are we doing?"

"Better, but not by much!"

Cid bit his lower lip, glancing over at the Falcon on the port side, and then brought the ship about, closing the gap between the monster and the Falcon. Mid hurried back to his side. "Grandpa, it's not worth it! We'll buy them ten, maybe fifteen minutes before we go down too!"

"That's another ten minutes with two ships in the air, and they've got more ammunition than we do! Signal the Falcon to put out the ramp – if this ship's going down, we won't be on it when it does!"

"We can still stop it!" Mid said. "We'll hit it with everything we've got!"

"Do it!"

Mid hurried away and yelled something Cid couldn't hear below deck. Soon the concussive blasts from their powder kegs multiplied, the blasts ringing in Cid's ears. The upper half of Mid's body was hanging over the railing as he watched the action, but after a few moments his excited face reappeared. "It's working! It's slowing down!"

Cid didn't need to be told to know it was true; the shadow bombs striking either the hull of the Falcon or that of the Enterprise were becoming less and less frequent as the barrage continued. He let out a triumphant laugh.

Then, after a moment, the shadow blasts stopped altogether, and he pumped a fist jubilantly in the air. "Yes! We got him!"

But Mid was still leaning over the railing. "No we didn't, Grandpa."

"What are you talking about? It's not attacking anymore."

"Grandpa, it's not attacking us anymore. Come and look!"

Cid hurried to the side of the deck, leaning over the railing for himself. Directly below them, he could see that the Mid was right: the mammoth form of the creature was still intact, and still moving, only…

"Oh, no," Cid said. "No, no, no…!"

He didn't even have time to return to the wheel before the creature, letting out a great, final roar, flung an enormous ball of shadow energy with frightening force straight across the grassy field, directly toward Castle Baron, and no sooner had the bomb left the tips of its horns than, finally succumbing to the aerial assault, it exploded, engulfing the airships in millions and millions of particles of shadowy dust.

- - - - -

Rosa had just let fly an arrow from her bow and was in the process of readying another when Rydia let out a scream. "Rosa, get down!!"

The queen scarcely had time to register what was said than she found herself knocked to the stone of the battlements by Edward, and then a blast that left her ears ringing sounded from directly below her. She covered her head as bits of stone, earth and chipped wood flew by their heads, and when the rumbling stopped, she and Edward quickly stood up, gazing over the edge of the wall to the doors below. Only now there was no door. Where it had once been, there was now a gaping hole, and the shadow creatures were beginning to pour into the castle.

"No!" Rosa screamed. "Damn it!!"

"Rosa, get down there!" Rydia yelled to her as she clasped her palms and steepled her fingers in the beginnings of a spell.

"But I can't leave you to—"

"Go! I'll buy you some time! Get in there and warn Terra!"

Rosa couldn't get another word out before the air around Rydia glowed bright yellow and green, and then the hole that used to be the front gates of Castle Baron erupted as something resembling a living fireball blasted ferociously out of it, scattering the shadow creatures and lighting the entire battlefield in a horrifying blaze of yellow and orange. The Esper Ifrit screeched to a halt some ways out, and then the flames returned as he shot into another pack of creatures, roaring his ferocious roar.

Knowing she didn't have much time, Rosa turned and ran through the door and down the steps, soon emerging in the entrance hall of the castle, bow at the ready. It was empty, though some of the stone walls were scorched. Rydia had done her job well. She wasted no time, hurrying through the double doors at the north end of the room and careening straight through to the throne room.

Terra looked over and stood bolt upright as she saw Rosa run in. "Rosa? What's—"

"They've broken through the front gates," Rosa told her breathlessly. "They'll be in here any minute."

Terra swore, glanced around, and then looked back at Rosa. "How much time?"

"Minutes."

Terra swore again, louder this time, and then gestured at the wounded scattered about the room, the number of which had risen to an even dozen. "We need to get these people somewhere safer. If they break in here—"

"My thoughts exactly. Nira!" One of the White mages, who had been listening in fear, stood and approached. "Nira, start getting all of these people into the basement of the east tower. You'll be safer there."

"Y-yes, Your Majesty."

"The east tower?" Terra repeated. "That's where all the villagers are, there won't be any room for—"

"These wounded are going to have to be our last line of defence if we fail to drive the things back out," Rosa said quietly. "Now, go on, we don't have much time."

"I'm coming with you?"

"I'm not going."

"What?! Rosa, you can't…!"

Rosa shook her head. "I can't hold them off as well as you can, Terra. They need you out there."

Terra opened her mouth to argue, but closed it again and nodded. "All right. I'll do my best."

Rosa locked eyes with her. "I'm counting on you."

Terra nodded again, holding her gaze for a few seconds before hurrying out of the throne room, dodging around the wounded and their White Mage escorts. Rosa watched her disappear through the door, and when she could no longer see the bouncing green ponytail, she shook her head clear of her intruding worries and followed the procession of wounded in the direction of the east tower. The battle wasn't over yet.

Neither Galuf nor Shadow spoke for quite some time.

Once again, they both stood in the Black Expanse, and once again Galuf stared at the back of Shadow's head, wondering what there was within it. The head was bowed and his arms crossed. There was little to be said. They had been here before.

"What is it, Shadow?" Galuf finally said. His words were swallowed up in the darkness so quickly that he wasn't sure Shadow had heard them.

But the man in black raised his shrouded head. "I will be leaving soon."

It was Galuf's turn to bow his head. "Yes… I know."

Shadow was silent for a moment. "A long time ago, I was quite a different man than I was when I died. A long time ago, I was a man with honour… with dignity. Even a thief's honour is worth something compared to what I later became."

He turned to face Galuf, his hidden eyes taking in the older man's features, knowing that if things went as he planned, it would be a long time before he could do so again… possibly an eternity.

"Once," he finally continued, "a man asked me to end his life rather than allow him to endure the torture that should await him should he be caught by those in pursuit of him… of us. Like a coward, I refused, and left him to die possibly the most horrible death imaginable."

Another brief pause. "It was then… that was the moment I began to look at myself differently. I was no longer a noble thief. I was worthless… I was dirt. I was a coward. Every turn that my life took from that point forward was borne from that moment. I ran from my past. I ran from responsibility. I… I ran from my daughter.

"And then, when it seemed that the world would be born anew, I ran from life itself, in the hopes that the new world would no longer be troubled by my presence within it."

Another silence, and then Shadow chuckled. "Perhaps I…"

He trailed off. "Perhaps…? What is it?" said Galuf.

Shadow shook his head. "Perhaps now really is the best time to stop running… now that there's nowhere left for me to run."

He then raised his hands to his head, pulling the mask away and discarding it by his feet, where it was absorbed instantly into the nothingness. The cloth about his head fell next, followed by the cloth that covered his mouth. And he lifted his head, and looked at Galuf once more.

The eyes that stared into Galuf's own were brilliantly blue, the skin around them very pale, scarred here and there, whether by swords or by memories, Galuf couldn't tell. The hair was scruffy and dark brown pierced by streaks of grey, and it tumbled from his scalp to his shoulders with the elegance and innocence of a grassy knoll.

And Shadow, in a voice no longer muffled by the scarf behind which he had spent so much time hiding, spoke.

"This is the face you saw, Galuf. This is the face you saw when you and I first met. You looked beyond my shadows… looked beyond my past. You were the first… to make me feel as though I was worth something more than I had given myself credit for. I wanted to ask you here… so that I could say goodbye. Properly."

He extended his hand. "As truly as my name is Clyde, I will not forget what you have given me."

Galuf reached out and grasped the hand tightly. "Clyde… this will truly be your new start, will it not? Will you remember us?"

"I could never forget." Then he chuckled. "Terra told me that I could have started over back in my old life, turned over a new leaf, so to speak. Maybe she was right."

Galuf laughed, too, letting go of Clyde's hand. "It would seem that she was. But you know, for what it's worth, I'm quite undecided as to whether or not I wish to see you again very soon."

"Should I fail, I'm sure you will," Clyde replied. "The Ocean of Souls isn't quite ready for me yet."

"And if you succeed?"

Clyde drew in a deep breath, averting his eyes. "I… After all this is over, I… I want to be with her. I know that I have no right to call her my daughter, not now, but there's nothing I've wanted more over these long years, no matter how hard I tried to hide away from it."

"I understand. In fact, I envy you. But… if you could…"

Clyde nodded. "I will tell her. She will know how proud her grandfather is, I swear to you."

Galuf smiled, a tear starting to form in his eye. "I have no doubt she will."

Clyde smiled at him. Then he turned. "It is almost time."

"Right. I… right. Good… goodbye, then."

He turned to walk away, but Clyde spoke once more. "Galuf…"

Galuf turned. "Yes, Shad- … Clyde."

"When this is all over… when you yourself find the Ocean of Souls… and if you find him, Baram, the man I betrayed so long ago… please tell him how sorry I am."

Galuf nodded solemnly. "You… you have my word."

Clyde lingered for a long moment, and then strode purposefully into the darkness, remaining nothing more than a whisper of a silhouette. Galuf watched the place where he had disappeared for a long time before finally turning away, headed back toward the Altar of Commune. But he couldn't help thinking to himself that the man to whom he had just bid farewell, despite what he said, possessed more honour and dignity within his tortured soul than any other spirit he had ever met.

At the summit of the mountain range by the little forest south of Castle Baron, Janus looked down on the distant battle with a grim look of satisfaction upon his face. The conflict was progressing just as the Mastermind had said it would. The humans would most likely win, but that didn't matter. He had actually laughed out loud when he saw the large shadow monster dissolve into nothingness. It was proof that his Master was the true architect of the events of the five worlds – now three, he remembered – and that the humans were nothing more than pawns to be disposed of according to his will.

His only lingering note of annoyance was that his master had instructed him not to take part in the battle himself. It was too great a risk, he'd said. Janus thought that his master overestimated the humans, where Gaspar thought he underestimated them. Janus was the most loyal servant the Mastermind had, and yet he was willing to take Gaspar's words of caution over his own?

Beneath his ghostly lips, Janus clenched his teeth. He was torn, caught between his fervent desire to see the Guru shamed and cast out of the Mastermind's favour, and his desire for everything to go according to his master's plan. The former would place him, Janus, in his proper place in the Mastermind's inner circle. The latter would mean the swift end of the Coalition and all the feeble mortals.

"Lost in thought, Janus?"

Janus didn't turn, but briefly closed his eyes. "One could say that. Why are you here?"

Gaspar's staff punctuated his footsteps as he drew nearer. "Oh, no reason too important, I suppose. Thought I'd see how things were going."

"As planned, and that is all you need to know." Janus finally turned to look at the Guru, complete with moustache and bowler hat. "And you? Your excursion to Mount Ordeals?"

Gaspar shrugged. "As planned, as you may have put it. They suspected next to nothing, as I am sure you may have guessed. I doubt they even knew whom I was really working for. And now that I feel sufficiently disgusted with myself, I'll go on the record saying I hope to have no further involvement in this scheme."

Janus grinned a smug, self-satisfied grin and then turned once again to the battlefield. "That is of course not for me to decide, Guru, but if it were, I would have you up to your neck in it."

"Then I am glad it isn't up to you."

"And do you really think the master will decide any differently?"

Gaspar decided not to answer the question, and moved to stand beside Janus. They watched the scene in silence for some time. Gaspar couldn't see anything in detail, but he watched the large silhouettes of the airships, and the flashes of orange, yellow and red that burst from the field as they loosed their remaining weaponry against the creatures that remained. It seemed futile from this perspective; there were more and more shadow monsters descending from the darkness of the sky even as the ones on the field were extinguished. Gaspar looked out at the sky to his right and noticed, with a hint of relief, a glimmer of starlight just before the horizon. It wouldn't be long now before the tide of shadow creatures was exhausted.

"I suppose our master planned it that way," he said to himself.

Janus glanced sideways at him. "What?"

"The mortals are supposed to win, I assume?"

Janus chuckled emotionlessly. "Only in their minds will the war truly be over with this battle. They cannot deny the inevitable."

"If you say so."

Janus laughed again. "Always giving the humans so much credit. They haven't earned such high praise, Gaspar."

"Oh, I beg to differ," Gaspar replied. "They were responsible, after all, for sending Kefka, Exdeath and Corwyn back to their maker, destroying Lavos and defeating that Zemus character. If I weren't such a pessimist, I'd say they stand a decent chance of winning this war."

"Ah, yes, I keep forgetting that you haven't yet chosen your side."

"Oh, I have," said Gaspar, "don't you worry about that. But I will say one thing about most humans."

Janus rolled his eyes. "And what is that, pray tell?"

"Well…" He paused. "They do suffer from an incredible lack of foresight. Take Gestahl, for example. He didn't realize the true nature of his henchman until it was far too late for him to do anything about it. And then there's Butz and his lot – they didn't know what Exdeath was trying to do until after he'd done it. And of course Duran didn't even suspect Corwyn until he was up to his nose in evidence. None of them seem to know what's about to happen until it hits them in the face, so to speak."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Janus replied. "I have yet to understand why I should care about such things."

Gaspar shrugged, and then he looked sideways at Janus. "You considered yourself human once, no?"

"Yes… what of it?"

"Oh, nothing." He paused. "You know, it's a pity today's solar eclipse is happening on the other side of the planet… I was so looking forward to seeing it."

And before Janus could even open his mouth to say another word, he pulled a Chrono Trigger from the inside of his coat.

- - - - -

It was quieter than he had expected. Darker, too. It was almost as if the world was without colour, and yet…

But it was all so very still, Gaspar thought as he calmly walked along the path of Kefka's crumbling tower. He passed Terra, Sabin, Edgar, Celes, Locke, all frozen in place, in the middle of their mad dash in the opposite direction, toward the airship and their safety. The stillness was quite eerie. Even the air seemed still. Frozen.

Gaspar kept walking, his staff making no sound as it struck the ground beneath him. He passed the lumbering form of Umaro, and then Gogo, Mog, Gau and Cyan. Still he kept walking. There was Setzer… and then some time later, Relm and Strago, followed closely by the little dog, Interceptor. For a moment, Gaspar wondered what had become of the little dog in the time that had passed since this moment. The thought passed, and so did he. He continued on.

Eventually, the path forked. The path to his right led downward, toward the heart of Kefka's tower. The left path led upward, to a plateau near the top of the tower, his destination. He walked upward, knowing he was close. He walked upward, knowing that soon he would be on the path toward his redemption for the despicable life he had lived. This was the choice he had made at the top of Mount Ordeals. And for the first time in many, many long years, he felt no regret. He knew that his life would now have held some purpose.

He reached the plateau, and stopped. Crouched upon the ground, knowing what was to follow and facing it boldly without turning back, was Shadow. Gaspar had the impression that were he not frozen in time, nobody would know the difference. The stillness was his own. His head was bowed, covered by the layers of cloth he always wore. Whatever the expression on his face was, Gaspar was sure he would never see it.

He finally stepped forward and rested a hand on Shadow's frozen shoulder. Instantly he felt the life return to the man in black's body. Shadow glanced about himself, and then up at the Guru, and stood. They eyed each other for some time, and then Shadow nodded once. Gaspar nodded back. As Shadow stepped forward, out of harm's way, the Guru put a hand on his shoulder. "You seek redemption," he said. "This is your time. I thank you for allowing me to seek mine."

Shadow paused a moment, and then nodded again, stepping away twice more and then turning wordlessly back toward Gaspar, who then strode into his place. He turned around and, as far as he could tell, met Shadow's eyes. They both nodded once more. It was done.

Then the colour began to return to the world. Shadow faded from view. The world began to move – first it trembled, and then it shook more violently. The Guru stood still, unafraid. His hands were clasped in their customary position atop his staff. He was calm, so calm that he surprised himself. But he knew. He knew that it was time for him to die.

He glanced upward at the night sky above him. I am coming, Melchior, Belthasar, he thought. I am coming.

The ground beneath him gave way, and Gaspar the Guru of Time fell a peaceful, contented fall to his long-awaited death.

- - - - -

The blinding flash receded, the fragments of the Time Egg blown away in the wind, and Janus brought his hands down from his eyes, looking around himself. Gaspar was nowhere to be seen.

"Gaspar?" he said aloud. "Where are you? Show yourself!"

"He can't hear you."

Janus spun around. For the first time, there was a hint of fear on his menacing face. "Who's there?" No answer. "Who's there? Answer me!!"

Footsteps reached his ears from further along the plateau. Slowly, Shadow stepped into view, his eyes staring out at Janus from beneath the shrouds that covered his face. The wind swept Janus's cloak about him as the evil grin returned, the hint of fear disappeared, and he began to laugh.

"So, this is the Coalition's last line of defence? An honourless assassin sent to sacrifice his own life in hopes of ending mine?"

Shadow laughed back. "You've lost the right to speak of honour, Magus. Selling out your own kind? I may have been a murderer in my own life but even I never witnessed such cowardice."

"Is that so?" They had begun to pace, circling each other and keeping their distance. "I suppose you would lecture me, then, on how cowardly I am to know where my loyalties should lie, to know who is going to end up the victor in this pointless conflict. Wouldn't you? Is it really so much more courageous to waste your life in pursuit of a goal you will never achieve?"

"I wasted my life once already," Shadow retorted. The wind was picking up, tossing Janus's hair and Shadow's scarves around their heads. "If I'm going to do it again, I'll do it for something worth fighting for."

He paused. "You and I are more alike than I think you realize, Magus. Both of us have mindlessly killed every part of our lives we were attached to. We have killed our very emotions, morals. And yet here I stand, my life returned to me and the livelihood I'd thought I destroyed fully intact. Where is yours?"

Janus snarled. "You know nothing about me!"

"You're wrong, Magus. We… know everything about you."

"You and your pathetic little Coalition will never win!"

Shadow shook his head. "You still don't get it, do you? You still don't understand what it is that you're fighting against. You still don't understand that the reason your life was altered so horribly in your childhood was not Lavos. All this time you have blamed Lavos for your suffering, when you really have nobody to blame but yourself."

"What… how do you…" Janus stammered, and finally took a menacing step forward. "Be silent!!"

"You entered the Ocean Palace of your own free will. You went because you were afraid for the life of someone very dear to you. You didn't know why, but you went, and you failed. That someone perished with the Ocean Palace. And ever since then, she has been watching you, how the darkness that was always within you grew with your fright and your grief, eventually consuming all of you."

Janus stumbled backward, shaking his head. "Schala… she has been…"

"If you would still consider yourself her brother, Magus," Shadow said, "you will stand down and fight the Mastermind by her side."

But Janus was shaking his head. "No… I can't… I won't!"

"This is your last chance to abandon your darkness, the way I have abandoned mine!"

"No!!" Janus cried, and the thunder from the sky echoed its reply. "The Master… I will be his champion! The worlds will merge, humanity will fall, and I… I will live anew! You will not take that from me!!"

The thunder crashed again, and Shadow crouched, battle-ready, dagger in hand. "Then it will come down to this. You are truly no longer the boy Schala spoke of."

And Janus raised his scythe. "Then send me to her, if you can!"

"So be it."

The thunder drowned out the sound of their battle cries as their weapons clashed in the artificial night.