Chapter 36: To Far Away Times
The point to which people could cling onto hope bordered on the irrational. Xavius could not fault them too much, however, because in truth these people had come much closer to achieving their goals than had been probable. First they had followed him through time by means Xavius still did not know. Then their enigmatic gain of magic had fueled a surprise attack in the future that had been near disastrous. They'd even tracked him back to the point of the ceremony, again they had almost ruined his plans. Flare had taken a leap through an unstable Gate, which had then forced Xavius into taking the high risk gamble of using the body transfer. Even then they had not stopped. Tracking him all the way to the point where they could follow him into the Realm Beyond Time and delivering a near fatal wound that had again brought Xavius to the brink of defeat.
Time and time again these people had done what Xavius had discarded as impossible. Time and time again he had been forced to make narrow escapes that prolonged the game into the next phase. Now the game was over. Xavius had finally won. There would be no more close calls or last second miracles. Even still he could almost understand how hope, no matter how irrational, could tenaciously stick in their minds. So watching them erode their own hope down at the situations stark truth was highly enjoyable.
At one time Xavius had assumed Veemoli, a wizard from a time where magic was all but gone forever, had created the Chrono Key. Creating it only to lack the courage to actually use it, instead sealing it away. Now Xavius knew this was not the truth. Veemoli had been given the Key by a force that flirted with incomprehension. The Key itself was nothing more than a power play made by one godlike entity against another, of course Veemoli had never known the truth about it, otherwise he would not have made the choices he had.
Veemoli was the only one who understood the nature of his barrier, and the wizard had been left to enlighten the others about just how futile their situation was. Their hope, no matter how tenacious, bled away quickly as they realized that he truly was unreachable.
Kyui Wara made a final attempt to revive their hope by making an observation about how time would work inside the Realm. The traitorous assassin actually made a fairly rational argument. Their was no error in his reasoning. He just lacked the requisite knowledge in order to know the truth. With the Chrono Key augmenting his intelligence Xavius knew that when he ascended to the temporal dimensions he could escape his self imposed trap and would not be trapped like Kyui Wara had suggested. As Xavius ascended, he wanted them to know that all hope was lost, that it had only ever been an illusion.
Xavius shattered their final hope himself. As he spoke he felt a change in the Chrono Key within him. The power within him shifted, and Xavius felt a moment of surprise at the alien sensation. It was finally upon him. The time of his ascension. The euphoria inside of him rose to a crescendo as he accepted the alien change. In stark contrast his enemies coward in fear and despair. A blue vortex of temporal energy had enveloped him unexpectedly, and Xavius accepted it as part of his apotheosis. He laughed as he allowed the vortex and the euphoria to overwhelm him. "The time is upon us! Witness the birth of your new god!"
They looked away too terrified to watch, or perhaps too ashamed of their past blasphemies. The only exception was the bald man who had bested Kyui Wara. He looked on in arrogance, refusing to show the proper fear of his new deity. He would suffer first.
Flare's friend lifted his head, his eyes full of impudent anger. Xavius met those eyes and knew that they would soon show only fear, but then the boy's eyes flickered with an emotion that was neither fear nor rage. It took only a moment to recognize. Did the fool truly still have hope? How could he show hope in the face of what stood against him?
Tai began to laugh. Then Gina saw whatever it was her friend had seen, and she laughed. A third laughter began. It was different than the others. The third laughter came from within.
Impossible! Xavius screamed the thought. You cannot do this!
The blue vortex grew stronger, and now Xavius could feel it originating from within his left hand. He looked down at his closed fist. He was holding something there, but he could not open the hand to see what it was. His movements were becoming jerky as his control over his new body waned. What am I holding? What is happening?
The laughter knew. The laughter that now echoed maddeningly in his skull. It was growing stronger as the blue vortex spun further out of control, and the thing in his fist pulsed with power. The laughter knew.
Flare's laughter.
The sensation of regaining control over his body was one of the most wonderful things Flare had ever felt. No longer was he powerless to watch as his friends stood on the precipice of annihilation.
At first his movements were erratic as Xavius clawed to keep control of the body he'd claimed as his own, but it took less than a minute before Flare's body was fully his own once again. Flare opened his hand and looked at the glowing blue orb with a smile.
You've lost Xavius, he thought inwardly, I told you before: I always keep my promises.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!
The sorcerer's thought shrieked inside Flare's head. What have I done? Flare thought in response. I've retaken rightful control of my body, defeated a dark god before he could be born, and saved the lives of all the people I care about. That is what I've done.
Flare could not see the singularity that he'd created, but he could feel it behind him. It had already begun to draw in the Chrono Key to which Flare had connected it. Xavius's soul, not having a true body of its own to be attached, would soon follow. After that the external most extension of Flare's soul, his magic, would get drawn in.
At that point Flare, along with his entire body, would have no choice but to follow.
Flare allowed this knowledge to pass to Xavius. He wanted the man to know what he'd been doomed to. You are a fool, the sorcerer screamed, You've doomed us both to an eternity of imprisonment! You have lost everything!
No, you're wrong, Flare thought, my life is precious to me, but so are the lives of my friends. Even if there is no way for me to survive this, they will. In the end I've saved what I care about most. You, Xavius, are the one who has lost everything. In a way I've given you the immortality you've sought. Spend it lamenting what I've made you lose.
A scream of such intensity that it caused Flare to physically wince in pain tore through his mind. The scream grew beyond a scream. It became an emotion. A pure force of rage and contempt. But beyond the hatred was only impotence.
The scream faded as Xavius's magic and his soul were pulled from Flare's body into the singularity. When the scream finally diminished beyond recognition Flare smiled and looked out to his friends. He was alone in his body once more.
A long stream of what Tai could only think of as darkness flowed out of his friend's back, traveling several feet behind Flare's body before coming to a stop where it tapered off into a single point. Beyond that point was nothing. As the darkness continued its exodus from within his friend it became mingled with another light, a multifaceted rainbow that swirled around the initial shadowy stream, growing stronger as the shadow grew less.
Flare's body trembled as the shadow was expunged. His face set in determination, and his eyes still aglow with the light of victory. The shadow ran its course, leaving only the bright rainbow that was now tinged with a new stream, one of fire. Flare's face relaxed and he looked up, smiling at them. Tai could see that whatever struggle that had transpired was now finished. His friend was now wholly his own person once again.
Flare beheld his friends and allies. Their faces were etched with confusion and worry, but also with hope. "Xavius is gone. First there is something I have to do, and then I'll explain what I can."
The Chrono Key, which had taken the form of pure energy once it had fused with a human soul, was now leaving his body, but Flare still had access to enough of its power to do what he needed. First he imposed gravity and an invisible plane to act as a floor onto the Realm. This would make the Gate creation slightly easier, plus it just felt more natural to be standing than floating. Everyone around him tensed slightly as weight made an unexpected return to their bodies. At Flare's side Crimson Eon fell from where it had floated since Xavius had released it, landing with a metallic clang. Next Flare created the Gates. Five of them. All red. Unlike the blue Gates they had come to grow familiar with, the red ones were far less permanent. Once closed they would vanish forever.
The smoky consistency of Xavius's barrier faded past transparency and into nothing, a final echo of the man who had made it. Flare smiled out at his friends who now stood around him in a wide semicircle, looking on without knowing what to expect. "Well, Xavius is gone, forever this time. We...I...don't have much time, but I'll be able to explain everything that's happened here. You've all done so much to help prevent this calamity that at the very least you should understand some of it."
Tai beamed at his friend as he and Gina started to move to him. "I can't believe you did it!"
Flare held his hands up again and called out, stalling his friends' approach and quieting the chorus of voices that had all rose at once, "Wait! Please you can't come any closer!"
Gina still smiled, though it was deluded with worry. "Why? What's going on Flare."
Flare raised the shining blue stone he still held in his left hand. "This is the time stone that you gave us Refla. This is how Xavius was defeated ."
"Please explain," said Veemoli. "I don't understand how a stone such as that would have the power to lay low that sorcerer."
"Not only that," Tai said groping at his pockets. "How did you get it?"
"When Xavius's soul invaded my body we both fought over its control," Flare explained. "For a while we were locked in a stalemate, but then Xavius stopped vying directly for my mind and instead seized control of the Chrono Key, which had been transferred into me along with his soul. One of the Chrono Key's properties is to enhance the mind of whoever controls it. It expands your intellect and knowledge in order for you to fully comprehend and make use of its powers. This expansion is what gave him the edge to take total control.
"During his fight with Tai, I regained awareness of what was happening. With that awareness I also got some measure of control back. It wasn't much, but I learned that I could manipulate Xavius in small ways. The manipulations had to be undetectable though, they had to be suggestions that Xavius would not reject as illogical or detrimental. That was how I altered his motions into a pattern that you Tai, were able to recognize and exploit. My initial plan was just to have myself killed and stop Xavius that way, but even though my vitals were missed the unexpected shock of pain caused Xavius's control to momentarily slip. In that moment I managed to get the time stone from Tai's pocket. I could sense its presence through my own connection with the Chrono Key.
"Control of the time stone was mine alone, Xavius did not know I had taken it. Its control over time is minor, even negligible, when compared to the Chrono Key itself, but it gave me the edge I needed to wrench control of the Chrono Key's power away from Xavius. While he prematurely celebrated his victory, I used its power to tear a small hole in time. A singularity that leads not beyond time, but underneath it. I latched Xavius's soul onto the singularity. That's where his soul is now. He's gone forever, along with the Chrono Key itself. Where I've sent him he can never return, and he can never use the powers granted by the Key. In that place even its powers are useless."
"His soul is, however, still attached to my own. Even now my magic is flowing into the singularity. I'm sorry, Gina, Tai, but this was the only way."
Gina's face sunk as the words hit her like a physical blow. "No. No, there has to be something..."
"There is nothing we can do," Flare said with grim acceptance. "If any of you comes near me you'll be pulled in it yourself. Either by your own magic, or by the residual connection to the Chrono Key that the girls who had the Key Fragments have. If any of you got pulled into this I could never forgive myself."
"Oh Flare," Gina said as tears returned to her eyes. "I'm so sorry."
"Yeah," Flare said with a shrug. "Not the way I'd wanted it all to end, but your safe, and Xavius can never hurt anybody ever again, that's what's most important to me. While I still had control over the Chrono Key I created those Gates. They'll take everyone back home, but first I still have a little time for goodbyes and a little explanation."
"What kind of explanation?" Tai said, his voice heavy with grief.
"Xavius wanted power, and the Chrono Key was a means to that end, but the real reason behind all of this is the Chrono Key itself. That thing has had an effect on all of us, and we all deserve an explanation." Flare turned to Veemoli. "And none of us has had to bare the burden of not knowing the truth longer than you.
"We've all been part of a war. This war is beyond our scope in many ways. There are forces out there, sentient beings, but compared to us they are gods. One of these gods, these entities, is familiar. Almost like it is a normal part of this world, part of us. I can only explain by saying that this entity belongs. The other one I know even less about. It is alien in some way. It does not belong, but it exists, and it will sacrifice all life in the world, even the life of the planet itself, for its own ends. The first entity has struggled against the later in order to stop this planet wide extinction.
"I can only guess, but I believe this second power is in fact that being from your old book, Veemoli, the one you called The Origin of Magic. The oldest name for this being is Lavos. The first entity I know no name for, so I'll simply call it the Entity. These beings have clashed for unknown ages. The Entity struck its first blow when it broke a piece off of Lavos. This piece became known as the Frozen Flame, and when mankind first came in contact with it magic was born. It was born from Lavos, but in time the magic grew to be part of the human soul and became part of who we are. This is why Wroff and the people of his time cannot use magic. Humans had yet to come into contact with the Frozen Flame.
"With this magic, taken from the thing that would destroy us and given by the Entity, people were supposed to be able to destroy Lavos when it finally moved against life. Lavos countered this plan by playing off simple human greed. When magic was at the height of its power during the reign of Zeal, Lavos allowed the people of that magic kingdom to taste his power in its pure form. In their hubris they tried to claim it for their own and were overwhelmed. They brought about their own destruction and caused the downfall of magic. Those who had partaken of Lavos's power found that without it their own innate magic ceased to function. The downfall of Zeal was so terrible that people grew afraid of the remaining magic. Those who continued to use it were persecuted until it became a distant memory, and then nothing more than myth.
"With the first plan failed a new one took form. This time the Entity took a piece from itself to be used as a weapon against Lavos. This piece was the Chrono Key. The Entity imbued it with the power to ascend a single mortal above the restrictions of mundane time, so that they could manipulate world events so that Lavos would be destroyed. Part of the knowledge granted by the Chrono Key was the purpose behind it. The knowledge of Lavos and why it must be destroyed. Veemoli, you were chosen to be the savior of our world. The Entity knew that you were a man not only with the power and intelligence to defeat Lavos, but one who would willingly forsake the power over time once your mission was complete.
"Again Lavos countered. It tainted the message the Chrono Key was to impart. Instead of you knowing that you were the only one who should use it, the message instead made you believe that you were the only one who could not use it. The knowledge about Lavos and the reasons for the Chrono Key were also blocked. This lead you to instead realize the potential for disaster and attempt to seal it away."
The old wizard was visibly stunned by the revelations. "How then do you know this? And what of this thing, this Lavos, if what you say is true then without the Chrono Key the world may still be doomed."
"Either the message was altered specifically in regards to you, or because it was broken down into component parts and filtered through human souls it became whole again. Xavius knew the true purpose behind the Chrono Key, once he had taken it in, but to him that knowledge was trivial, he'd never have given the power up. I wouldn't have dared to harness the power myself, not with Xavius vying for control of my body," Flare paused and gave a small smile. "Again I'm only guessing, but I don't think we'll have to worry about Lavos. The war must have continued even after the Chrono Key failed. The man from the End of Time, Gasper, said something to me about a group who managed to 'change the future'. I think the Entity continued to put events into motion and finally won the war. Either way, our own part in this war, your own part Veemoli, is finally over. When you go home you can finally live in peace. You've earned it."
Veemoli said nothing for a moment as he absorbed what had been said. Then the features on the old man's face softened as years worth of tension melted off of him. "Flare, dear boy, my only remaining regret after all of this is that I am the one who brought you into this. For that I am truly sorry."
"No," Flare shook his head. "You don't need to apologize. You did what you could with everything you had. The blame for how this has turned out should only be placed on Xavius, perhaps even Lavos, but not you."
The wizard smiled sadly and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Then it is time for us to take our leave. If you say an apology is not needed, I will not insult your honor by forcing one on you, but I will thank you. My thanks is for all of you here, for without you even my most carefully laid plans would have ended with disaster for the entire world. So thank you everyone. Thank you, Flare."
Flare nodded to the wizard as he and his daughter turned toward the red Gate directly to his front. Cassandra turned to face them one last time and said her own thanks, then the two stepped into the Gate which continued to swirl momentarily before blinking out of existence.
"We'll depart now as well," Kyui Wara said after the wizard's Gate had closed. "You had great potential as a swordsman, Flare. I would have liked to have faced you again."
Riiza smiled, likely to make up for her brother's innate coldness. "Thank you for everything, Flare. You've helped me and Kyui Wara more than my brother will probably ever admit. Goodbye everyone."
As the assassin and his sister started for their own Gate, Flare turned to Randall. "I know this probably isn't ideal for you, but to conserve energy I was only able to make one Gate for your time, sorry."
The ex-knight half shrugged. "That is fine. Kyui Wara and I have an...understanding now. Before I go let me offer my thanks as well. And to say that you are one of the most courageous men I've ever met."
"The same to you, friend," Flare said. "Maybe its not my place to say this, but once you've brought justice to the man responsible for your brother's death, you should rejoin the Square Table. I know the knights could use you, and I believe its what your brother would want."
"If the King will forgive my selfishness, It will be my honor to return to service," Randall said and then turned to the others. "Farewell, Tai. It has been an honor knowing you. And you as well, Wroff, Paige."
The ex-knight quickly clasped hands with those who'd become his allies and then with Gina and Penelope. Stepping up next to Kyui Wara and Riiza, the three moved as one into the Gate.
Wroff turned from where Randall's Gate had been and looked over to Flare. "Wroff say goodbye now."
With a bitter sweet smile Flare nodded at the large man. The goodbyes were happening so fast that it was hard to keep from being overwhelmed, but time was not something Flare had much of. "You've been a good friend, Wroff. Thank you for lending us your strength."
"You all strong too," Wroff said, his boyish grin almost keeping his face from looking sad. "Wroff glad to make many strong friends. Flare is strongest friend. Goodbye, strong friend."
The towering caveman walked to Gate farthest to Flare's left. "Goodbye, strong friend," Flare repeated and turned to the remaining five. "Paige, thanks for the help, and for showing me where to get this haircut. At least now I'll go out in style."
The blonde girl let out a reflexive giggle at his joke. "Without you Flare I'd never have gotten my sister back. I'll always be in your debt, and the hair does suite you."
Her twin nodded. "Thanks for helping my sister, and for helping to save me."
As the two sisters began toward their Gate, Paige hesitated, turning to Tai with a pained expression on her face. "Tai, I..."
Tai tried to reply but had become nearly as tongue tied as she was. It was clear that his friend was having a fierce internal struggle. "Paige," Tai said. "This is.. I guess.."
"Oh Tai," Gina exclaimed suddenly. "Just go with her."
Tai turned in surprise. "But I..."
Gina shook her head as tears ran down her cheeks. "But what Tai? Its obvious the way you two feel about each other. If you don't take this chance now you'll regret it for the rest of your life, and don't try to pretend you have some responsibility to Flare to look after me. I'll be fine."
Tai stammered in response, "Gina..."
With her face flushing slightly red Gina's voice rose, "Tai, I know you want to go with Paige, and if you don't step through that Gate I swear I'll push you through it! Somebody deserves a happy ending in all of this!"
Tai blinked and turned to Paige. She was blushing but also smiling. "If you want to come to our time...I..." She closed her eyes and paused. When they opened again her face was set with resolve. "Tai, I want you to come with me."
A smile replaced the conflict on Tai's face. He turned back to Gina. "Thanks, Gina."
Gina hugged him as he spoke, then stepped away so Refla could place his hands on his student's shoulders. "Tai, ye're one of the two bravest men I've ever had the pleasure o' knowin'. Ye're like a son to me, an' I'll miss ye, but ye go live yer own life now. Let it be a happy one, an' ye better keep practicin' yer sword skill's. Ye've got real talent, an' it shouldn't be wasted no matter what era ye live in."
"Thank you, Refla. For teaching us, for being the father we never had, for all of the help you've ever given us. I won't neglect the training I've been given. Goodbye." Tai said to his teacher and then turned to his friend. "Flare, you're more than my friend. You're my brother and I'll never forget you."
"Same to you, brother," Flare said as emotion constricted his voice. "Paige, make sure you take care of this guy for me, okay?"
Paige tried to speak, but emotion had taken her voice, and she just nodded tearfully to Flare as Tai gripped her hand. "Goodbye everyone," he said, and with a final look and a wave he stepped into the Gate alongside Paige and her sister.
With the departure of his best friend the finality of everything became real to Flare, and he could no longer hold back his tears.
"Ye became a great man," Refla said to him. "I couldn't be more proud of ye."
With those last words his teacher walked over to the final red Gate, leaving Flare alone to spend a final moment with the woman he loved. Gina tried smiling but could do little more than shake with grief.
"I wish we had more time," Flare said. "There's so much I'd like to say, but even if I had a lifetime I might not finish. I love you, Gina. I love you more than anyone or anything. Be happy, please live a life happy enough for both of us."
Even as he spoke he could feel himself getting pulled further back towards the singularity. Gina nodded as she wiped tears from her face. "I love you too. I love you so much, Flare. Thank you for saving me, and thank you for being a part of my life..."
Flare continued to inch backwards as she spoke. Knowing that there wasn't much time, Refla walked back to her and gently took her by her shoulders, leading her to their Gate. As she stood next to the whirling red Gate that would forever separate them Flare could see the heartbreak on her downcast, tear stricken face. At that moment he realized two things. The first was that this was the last memory they'd ever have together. The second was that he did not want it to be one of such overwhelming heartache.
There was no way for their farewell not to be sorrowful, but...
But at the same time he'd known since he'd chosen to go through that damaged Gate alone after Xavius, no, even before that, from the time he'd gone through that first Gate with Tai, he had known he might not come back home. He'd known that their enemy was the kind that you did not face and come away unscathed. He'd accepted that back then, and the truly unthinkable thoughts had been that of Tai dying or of failing to save Gina. Those thoughts that he'd refused to acknowledge had been the ones that had terrified him the most. To prevent those possibilities from becoming real, at any time he would have gladly sacrificed himself.
His death was trivial in this light. Both Tai and Gina were safe now. They both would continue to live and have a chance at happiness. It was this thought that brought forth a fire in his soul that conquered his sadness. It wasn't that the monumental sorrow of his impending death and this farewell became less, but next to the pure joy he felt in knowing that Gina was alive and would continue to live, his sadness was nothing.
A smile broke out on his face, obscuring his tears behind its warmth. He called out, causing her to look up in surprise at his tone. "Gina, live a happy life! I mean it! You've got to be happy enough for the both of us! I'm counting on you!"
She saw his face and at first said nothing, staring into his pure smile. Then coughed out a laugh, almost involuntarily. Her tears didn't diminish, but she was helpless not to break into a smile of her own. "I love you, and I promise."
Gina and Refla stepped backward into the Gate and were gone the following instant. Flare closed his eyes, letting the image of her last smile burn itself into his mind. Slowly he opened them again and gazed into the emptiness. Next to his feet lay Crimson Eon.
Flare bent down and retrieved his katana, the battle finally over, sheathed it at his side.