Foreword:

What you are about to read is a series reconstructed. After seven months of work, I have completed my rewrite project to improve the quality of this series. I hope you find that it was worth the effort, and I thank any fans this series may have for their patience.

Disclaimer:

This story, while in the category of Final Fantasy I-VI (the most relevant category available for its placement), contains many elements from both Seiken Densetsu III (Secret of Mana II) and from Chrono Trigger, in addition to material from Final Fantasy IV, V and VI. If you are not familiar with these games, please be aware that your understanding of certain concepts may not be guaranteed.

Also, please be aware that I have used the following translations of the text of certain games:
- For Final Fantasy V, I have used the original names from the 1997 translation by RPGe (Butz and not Bartz, Lenna/Reina, Cara/Krile).
- For Seiken Densetsu III, I have used the names from the 2000 fan translation by Neill Corbett and his team (Hawk, Carlie, Lise).
- For Final Fantasy IV, I have incorporated elements from both the official U.S. release and the J2E translation of the hardtype (Jinn/Ifrit, Ramuh/Indra). Note that I am not referring to the Game Boy Advance version, but rather the original Japanese game translated (in ROM form) by J2E as the hardtype.

If there are any problems with these translations, feel free to contact me for clarification. However, I will not change the names used nor will I change the elements used that are particular to differing versions, and requests to do so (while they will be replied to) will not be acquiesced.

Finally, I understand that the nature of the story will likely inspire questions as to how the different games or worlds will relate, but I ask that you do not publicly (when reviewing) offer suggestions or make guesses, for two reasons. Primarily, although I do appreciate and enjoy the commentary, backseat writers irritate me, although that's just a personal thing. Further, I worry that when you're making a guess, you'll get something right and spoil it for future chapters or other readers. So please, if you have a suggestion or a link that I might have missed or that you want to test, I have no problem with you sending it to me via a private message, but do not post your suggestions in review form.

That's all. Now, please enjoy!

Prologue

It was hot. The dust and ash were still falling. The sky was scorched and red from all the flames.

That was all I could see. The dust, the ash, the scorched red sky, and the crater in which I found myself.

Who was I? And where was I? I felt incomplete. Something was missing. Many things were missing, I could feel it. But that was all I knew. I did not know what I was missing, or where to look for it.

I could see. I did not know how, but I could see. And then, abruptly, I could hear. I could hear the rumbling, rocks falling. Lingering, howling winds. Rocks falling.

I had the vague sense that I had once possessed arms, legs, hands, feet. Where were they? I couldn't feel them. I could barely move. Whatever I was, it wasn't what I had been. And I wasn't where I had been. I remembered lush trees, brightly lit skies. Sounds, smells, sights that I could not erase from what little I still possessed of my memory. Where were they? How did I get here? And where was here?

And then I saw him. He rose, crawling and climbing, from the depths of the crater. He was naked but for the heated ash that covered the pale blue skin of his body. His hair, a soft green, almost looked black from the filth and fell down to his ears, which were long and pointed and thin. He looked familiar. I did not know why.

He looked broken… disoriented. He raised his head and I saw the yellow in his eyes. His anger, rage, perhaps even heartbreak… they terrified me. They chilled me, though once again I did not know why.

He threw his head back and he let out a great, roaring scream, and it echoed across the enormous crater and far beyond.

Then I felt something pulling me, and the scene slipped away as I was sucked back, pulled inexorably by something I couldn't even see.

And I was enclosed in blackness, and deep, deep silence.

The Restoration: Part I

Terra began to wake up.

Sensations flooded back to her as her mind attempted to rouse itself from its slumber. She could smell the unmistakable odour of damp earth. She could feel the soil beneath her hands. The only sound she could hear was that of her own breathing.

She opened her eyes. Panic grasped her for a moment as she realized she couldn't see. She sat up quickly, waving a hand in front of her eyes, and sighed with relief as she picked out the faint outline of her fingers. The darkness was so complete that she could scarcely distinguish her skin from it, but at least she could see. She brought her left hand to join her right, eyeing them carefully, their slender forms caked with the dirt upon which she had been lying.

But the fact that she could now see her palms wasn't enough to put her at ease. This was neither her bed nor her home.

She realized her breathing had quickened, and she closed her eyes again, calming herself. She clutched at the unfamiliar ground, willing her heart to beat at a slower pace. This wasn't the first time she'd found herself away from the surroundings she knew, and she doubted that it would be the last. When she reopened her eyes, she listened carefully for anything that might tell her where she was, or how she had come to be there.

It was then that she noticed that the sounds of breathing in the strange place were not hers alone. There were others with her, though exactly whom or how many she couldn't begin to guess. When she finally decided to speak, she did so very tentatively. "H-hello? Is anyone there?"

She was awarded a soft grunt to her left, followed by rustling noises. She could hear the faint clanking of metal; whoever or whatever was beside her was wearing some kind of plate armour, she guessed. She spoke again, not entirely sure of what to say, but too curious not to try. "Who's there?"

The answer came in the form of a louder grunt, this one carrying a hint of surprise. There was a pause while whoever it was gathered enough wits about him to reply. "Who are you?"

The voice was a young man's, rough and drowsy but alert. She could hear the disguised fear in his words as easily as she could the bravado that masked it. "What is this place?" she asked, although she suspected he didn't have a helpful answer to give her.

There was another moment of rustling and then, sure enough, he said, "you mean… you didn't bring me here?"

"No," she replied. "I don't know how or why I'm here. I hoped you might."

She could hear the telltale clanks that meant the man was sitting up, and several moments had passed before he spoke again, with a barely perceptible quiver in his voice. "Are we the only ones here?"

She shook her head, and then realized the gesture was in vain in such complete darkness. "Maybe. I can't see a thing…"

"I can't either." There was another pause. "How long have you been here?"

"I don't know. I only woke up a few minutes ago."

Then another voice was heard in the darkness. "Hello...?"

She jumped, and more clanking sounds told her the voice had startled the man beside her as well. She peered into the darkness, but still could see nothing. "Who is it? Who's there?"

The new stranger coughed a few times, and then spoke again. "My name is Butz. Where are we? And who are you?"

"I'm Terra," she said, shivering a little.

"Cecil," said the man beside her after a brief silence.

"All right," said Butz. "Now, where-"

"They don't know where we are."

The fourth voice made Terra jump once again. She calmed herself and sighed. "Who's there? And how long have you been listening to us?"

"I'm Duran," came the reply. "I woke up just before you did."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't know whether I could trust you."

She was about to respond when she was interrupted by a coughing fit from the other end of the room. She glanced around, still vainly trying to make out the faces of those around her, and finally she said, "is someone else here?"

The coughing eventually ended, and a youth's voice answered her. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"How many times are we going to go through this?" said Butz, exasperated.

There were sounds of movement from the youth's direction. "H-how many of us are there?"

"So far, five," said Cecil, "Although it seems we can't be sure whether or not there are others."

"I'm Terra. What's your name?"

The boy coughed once more. "I'm Crono."

They lapsed into an uneasy silence. Terra shivered, and she didn't quite know why. She wasn't cold, although there was a noticeable chill in the air. She wasn't afraid, though by all rights she probably should have been. This was something different. There was a sort of tension in the… room? She wasn't sure. But it felt as if something was happening. Something important. She wished she could understand why.

After a moment, Butz broke the silence. "I'd feel much better if I could see."

There was a general murmur of agreement. "I don't suppose anyone has a candle?" asked Cecil.

"We must be pretty deep underground," said Duran. "The air is very damp."

"And cold," added Crono, a slight tremble in his voice.

Terra was silent. She was beginning to feel the chill now. She hugged her knees close to her chest, feeling a slight longing for her faded magical abilities. Here, trapped in the dark and the cold, she began to remember how comforting they had been.

Beside her, Cecil spoke again. "I don't suppose any of you can use magic?"

Terra's breath caught in her throat. He spoke as if magic still existed.

Duran voiced her thoughts. "Don't be foolish. Magic has been gone for weeks."

Terra sat back, reassured, but her confusion resurfaced when Butz spoke. "What are you talking about? I haven't noticed anything unusual."

"Me neither," said Crono. "I haven't had to use it in a while, though…"

"Neither have I," admitted Butz.

Cecil sighed. "I haven't either. I was hoping we might be able to light a fire, but if what you've said is true, Duran—"

"He's right," said Terra. "Magic disappeared from this world some time ago."

And it had. She'd seen the Statues – the three Goddesses of all things magical, turned to stone – destroyed, the Espers vanishing from the world and all magic flowing away with them. She'd felt her own power fade away as the half of her that was once Esper became human. The others must have been mistaken, she decided.

"I never heard about that," said Butz. "I think we should try anyway."

"I would," Cecil replied, "but I don't know any magic that could start a fire. Crono, do you…?"

"No," the boy replied. "I can only use Lightning magic."

There was a brief pause. Terra frowned.

"That's strange," Cecil said. "Why is your magic so limited?"

"It's all I was taught. I have friends that can use other kinds of magic."

Cecil began to reply, but Duran cut him off with a grunt of annoyance. "What's the point of all this? Even if one of you does know how to start a fire, it isn't going to work. I'd stake my life on it."

Terra didn't say anything. There was something odd about these people, but she couldn't place what it was. Even Duran, who seemed to know what she knew, was different somehow. She thought about mentioning the Statues, but she was hesitant to add anything else to the discussion; she was confused enough already.

She snapped out of her trance as Butz spoke again. "We can't lose anything by trying. There's no reason to be so pessimistic."

"It's not pessimism," spat Duran. "It's realism."

"Butz, can you use Black magic?" asked Cecil, ignoring the comment.

"Some. I prefer Blue magic, but I can't think of any that would help."

There was another moment of silence as his words sank in. Cecil was the first to reply. "What on Earth is Blue magic?"

"Is it anything like Water magic?" asked Crono.

"I don't know what any of you are going on about," said Duran.

Cecil sighed, exasperated. "Never mind. If you can use Black magic, do you know a Fire spell?"

"I do, but I was never much of a Black mage. I suppose I could try—"

"Wait."

The four fell silent. Terra was as surprised as any of them that the word had come from her throat. She felt uneasy, knowing that even though they couldn't see her, their eyes were surely upon her, following the sound of her meek voice. But she cleared her throat and said what she had begun to say. "Let me try."

Duran groaned. "Good grief…"

"I thought you said you couldn't use magic…?" said Crono tentatively.

She hugged her knees, memories of her Esper father flooding through her mind. "That wasn't entirely true. I could use magic, up until a few weeks ago. I've never heard of this Black or Blue magic that you two are talking about, but I know a Fire spell… if it works, anyway."

"Well, then," said Butz, "give it a try."

"But…" She pursed her lips, thinking. "I don't really know how to say this… but I'm almost afraid to see what happens."

"What do you mean?" asked Cecil.

"I… I have my reasons to believe that magic doesn't exist anymore. If I'm able to use my powers again, I'm afraid of what it would mean." She sighed heavily. "I think something very strange is going on."

"Never mind," said Crono. "We'll worry about that later… maybe when we can see where we are…?"

"He's right," said Butz. "I'd feel more comfortable if there were some light… and some heat."

Terra lowered her chin to her forearms, trembling slightly. "All right," she said.

She closed her eyes. It felt like an ancient ritual to her now. It felt strange to be attempting something so assuredly absurd, and yet she couldn't help but wonder if it would work, if everything was different. And if it did, she wanted to understand why… and what it would mean.

At that moment, to her surprise, she felt her power begin to respond.

She channelled the magical energies she thought she'd lost with her Esper half. She drew her breath in as she felt the familiar tingle in the back of her mind, a sensation she hadn't felt for weeks. It spread from her mind to her arms, and drifted through the blood in her veins to her fingers. She could see in her mind's eye the glowing of her magical aura, and she could feel the sensation of the flame erupting into life.

When she opened her eyes, there was a small fire burning brightly before her.

There was a moment of deafening silence.

Terra stared at the fire for a long time. She tried to understand what was going on, but her head began to spin. She'd seen it. She'd seen the Statues destroyed and Kefka defeated, and she'd watched as the Espers – including her own father – disappeared from the world before her very eyes, taking with them the mystical force of magic. How could it be that even the most basic of her magic had returned to her?

Trying to think of something else, she glanced around herself, taking in where they were. The place was surely underground. The cavernous walls looked damp even to her eyes, still adjusting to the light. The chill in the air sunk in on them, as if compressed by the small chamber. The flickering light of the fire created strange shapes on the walls as they danced across rocks and earth.

After a few more moments, the man she decided was Cecil spoke. "Very impressive."

She looked at him, unsure of what to think. The grim smile on his face was reassuring somehow. He looked young, although his hair was white as a cloud. It draped over an elegant crown that was perched on his forehead. Terra wondered what it symbolized. He was wearing a suit of polished silver armour, dotted here and there with flecks of dirt, and a dark red cloak flowed from his shoulders.

After a moment, she nodded and hugged her knees again. "I… it's just that I shouldn't have been able to start this fire. I almost wish it hadn't worked."

"What are you so afraid of?" said a dark-haired man across from her. By the sound of his voice she guessed this was Butz. He also looked older than her, but not by much. His clothes were worn and dirty, his face was unshaven, and his auburn hair was wild and tangled. In every sense he appeared very weary, more so than she did, and yet when she looked into his eyes they were bright and alert. She took a moment and thought about her answer to his question.

"I wish I could say," she eventually replied. "I guess I should be glad I can use magic again, shouldn't I? But after the Statues were destroyed, I—"

"Statues?" The dark-haired man in the far corner of the room had spoken this time. Duran stared at her in a manner that she could only describe as perforating. His features were hardened, intense. His dark stubble further shadowed his face in the dim firelight. His hair was long and greasy, and it spilled over his brilliant gold armour, which was a stark contrast to his bitter, solitary demeanour.

Fighting a nagging feeling that he had just confirmed her suspicions, she spoke tentatively. "You… don't know about the Goddess Statues?"

"Oh, of course I do," Duran replied, "but they… destroyed? All of them?"

Terra relaxed, but only slightly. "I was there when it happened… I helped."

The man was unable to mask his shock. "But… but why? Why would you… and howcould you have—"

"We had no choice! We would never have defeated Kefka if we hadn't—"

"Kefka?" The final member of the small group had spoken this time. Slim and slightly pale, Crono appeared, as she'd suspected, to be the youngest, his large, vibrant blue eyes gazing nervously around the room. He had a shock of red hair that erupted from his scalp – seemingly in defiance of the laws of gravity – and that was held at bay only by a sweaty, white headband. A sword lay in its scabbard at his side.

Seeing the perplexed look on his face, Terra's forehead sank to rest upon her knees as she sighed deeply in resignation. "If I had to guess," she said quietly, "I would say that none of you knows who Kefka was, and that the Statues I helped to destroy are not the ones Duran is thinking of."

Duran snorted. "I think it's perfectly obvious what I'm thinking of. The Mana Goddess statues."

The only sounds following his words came from the crackling fire. The group gazed blankly at him, with the exception of Terra, whose face remained buried in her knees.

"You know… the Mana Goddess statues," Duran prompted. "They're… they're everywhere. They look just like the Goddess of Mana – I should know, I saw her before she… well…"

Still receiving nothing in return but vacant stares, his frown deepened. "You can't all tell me… You don't know about the Goddess of Mana? The Mana Tree…?"

Another brief moment of silence, and then Butz finally spoke. "Erm… no, not unless you're talking about the Elder Tree."

"The what?" said Cecil.

"I still want to know who this Kefka person is," said Crono.

"Oh, come on!" said Duran, his irritation mounting by the second. "How can none of you have heard of the Goddess of Mana? She created the world! She was the source of all life, all magic! And I still don't understand how this fire can even exist now that she's dead!"

"What about the Crystals?"

All eyes turned toward Butz. Only Cecil seemed to know what he was talking about, and sure enough, it was he who spoke next. "Yes, that's right. The Crystals. You know of them?"

"Yes," said Butz. "I thought they were the source of magical energy."

"But, wait," said Crono. "What about the Statues Terra was talking about?"

Terra still had not looked up. Slowly, everyone looked at her, realizing that she had been silent for some time. The atmosphere grew increasingly uncomfortable as each member of the small group, in turn, began to understand that something much deeper was going on than a series of simple misunderstandings.

"Terra," said Butz carefully, "is there something you're not telling us?"

Feeling a little dizzy, Terra finally raised her head, but only so much so as to stare at the ground in front of her. Still, she didn't say a word. She felt unusual. She felt unstable, as if her thoughts and feelings were beyond her control. She was trembling, though she was unsure of why she now felt afraid. She wanted nothing more than to be safely home in Mobliz, back in the world she knew, where everything was normal and magic – as glorious a gift as it was – did not exist.

She looked briefly at the others, noticing that they, too, seemed less at ease than they had been. Duran, hunched over his crossed legs, began to pound the dirt in front of him with his fist. Cecil brushed imaginary locks of hair from his forehead. Crono's headband became damper still as he began to sweat profusely. She caught Butz's eyes, and she found herself looking deeply into them, and for a long moment neither one of them could look away.

"Something… something's going on, isn't it?" he said.

Terra nodded yes. "I… I think I have an idea of what's happened. What this is about."

"What is it?" asked Cecil, sitting forward anxiously. His calm demeanour was shaken, his movements and his speech less precise.

Terra's own palms were beginning to sweat. "I don't know exactly. But if I'm right, it would explain everything, right down to this fire."

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, but she still felt uneasy, more so than she had before. "I think," she said slowly, "that we've all been brought here from different… different places."

"I could have told you that," said Duran harshly. He continued to beat at the dirt with more and more force.

"Hey, let her talk!" said Butz.

"Why?" spat Duran, making Crono flinch. "So she can keep stating the obvious?"

"I said, let her talk!" Butz's features were contorted angrily, and he and Duran stared each other in the eye for several seconds, each waiting for the other to make the wrong move.

"Just stop it! Please!" yelled Crono, who was trembling severely in his corner of the cavern.

Cecil, who was visibly anxious but doing a better job of controlling his feelings than Crono, nodded in agreement. "This isn't getting us anywhere!"

Reluctantly, Duran and Butz sat back. Duran continued to punch the earth. Butz closed his eyes and took a few breaths. There was a long moment of silence as the group absorbed what had just happened. Terra's nerves were shot – unusually so. Each of the group seemed to be struggling to control himself. Crono was still trembling, and Cecil looked around himself several times as if expecting to see a monster or creature of some sort crawling from a crevice.

Duran was the first to break the silence. "I'm… sorry," he said to Terra. "I don't know what came over me." She nodded briefly at him.

"What were you just talking about?" asked Cecil. "What kind of places?"

"I don't know," said Terra. "None of us seem to have the same idea of what the world is like."

"Could we…" Crono hesitated. "Could we be from different timelines?"

Duran began to laugh. "This is getting more ridiculous by the minute."

"Don't be so hasty," said Butz.

"What, you really believe that tripe?"

Butz, visibly restraining himself, shook his head. "No, not exactly, but I think he might be on to something."

Cecil sat forward. "What do you mean? Different worlds, or dimensions, or something?"

"Precisely."

There was another silence. Terra was getting used to them by now, but this one was different. Part of her was grateful that Butz had articulated her thoughts. The other part was digging deeper into this theory with trepidation, hoping she and Butz were both delusional.

After a few minutes, Cecil broke the silence. "Well, if that's true, then it brings us to the most pressing question: why are we all here?"

"And where ishere?" added Crono.

Duran sighed, shaking his head. "What's wrong with all of you? Do you have any idea how ludicrous you all sound? Different times, dimensions, worlds – it sounds like a child's fairy tale!"

"Well, do you have any other theories?" Butz shot back. "How do you propose to explain how none of us has heard of this Goddess of Mana you've been going on about, or Terra's Statues, or… or…"

"Or the fire," said Terra quietly.

Butz stopped, glancing at her. She was hugging her knees tightly, gazing into the product of her newly-regained magical prowess. She didn't want to believe it – she wasn't even certain yet whether she did – but the evidence seemed to add up. It was a frightening concept.

Butz cleared his throat sheepishly, and looked at the dirt before him. "Terra, tell us about your world. Maybe it'll help us understand what's going on."

"Yeah," said Crono, whose trembling had abated somewhat. "Tell us about these Statues."

"All right…" She gazed around the small cavern at each of the men with her. Crono leaned forward on his crossed legs, listening politely. Cecil brushed some of his hair from his face, gazing intently at her. Even Duran seemed somewhat curious, although he was doing his utmost to hide it.

And then she caught Butz's gaze within her own, and those deep, bright blue eyes swallowed her once again. She couldn't say why, but she felt safe within them. They held the same kindness and empathy that General Leo's had, the man who had helped her understand what it meant to love. It was comforting.

Relieved to place herself back on familiar soil, she sighed and began.