Chapter 4
Avenging Angel
The energy from the explosion
subsided. Crono checked himself to make sure he was still in one piece. He got
up to look around and what he saw was the most disgusting thing he had ever
seen. All around him was destroyed. Trees burned to gray dead stalks, grass
none existent, the ground parched and cracked. Even the sky, what was once a
blue haze was a bleak, black storm, nothingness, even more night then what
would normally be seen. He walked out and reached a cliff a few meters in front
of him. He looked out and another horror struck him. He looked down and saw
Truce; or rather what was left of it, which was rubble. Not even burnt out husks that would have shown that there was
once civilization, just burnt and degraded ground with flaming rocks and
smoldering cinders. Tears came to his eyes, not from the horrible sight, but
from the searing heat that filled the skies. He pulled his face shield down.
Doing this for the first time allowed him to see that once again his armor had
changed. Now instead of the prism shell, it was made out of pure crystal; so
pure was the light that emanated from it looked out of place in this world of
darkness. Kain came up behind him. It seems that what effected him had also
effected his newfound comrade.
"You didn't need to change Crono it is just
me." Kain said jokingly.
"I think you should check yourself before you
say that to me." Crono said placing his foot on a dead stump.
"You like it, I think its me." Kain said
self-indulgently.
"Yes, the mirror look is definitely one for
you. That way, when people look at you, they can look at themselves instead of
having to stare at your ugly hide my friend." Crono said laughing.
"That was a cheap shot, funny, but cheap."
Kain said laughing.
"How's, uhum, Prometheus?" Crono said.
"That bucket of useless bolts, I think we left
him offlined back at the end of time."
"Incorrect my friend." Prometheus said
appearing from the clearing in the woods.
"Who you callin' friend tin can?"
"Primary data tracks restored, personality
protocols online. Condition nominal and call me Robo." Robo said
"Its good to have you back Robo. What happened
that made you go logical all of a sudden?" Crono asked clasping the
appendage of his restored friend.
"A
massive disruption in spacetime in a year following our battle with Lavos
destroyed human kind. All that remained was a robot created by Lucca, namely
Gato. Gato surpassed his programming and learned everything he could possibly
know. He began to create robot after robot, each series improving in operation,
but not interaction. Gato blamed the humans for their own demise and plotted to
remove emotions once and for all. Doan and I returned, Doan being the last
human was hunted and killed. I on the other hand was able to last longer, but
it would come to no avail. I was outnumbered and out gunned. I had no choice
but to surrender. Gato removed my emotional protocols, without which I became a
tyrannical monster. He upgraded my fist to this gunarm and made me his right
hand. Our interactions of 2317 were just a rouse to destroy you. He order the
human infestation terminated. I almost carried it out." Robo said lowering
his head.
"Well I
don't understand robots or anything like that but I do understand that anything
without emotion cannot control their actions. A thing without one can't check
their gut to examine what they are doing." Kain said clasping Robo's
appendage in his arm.
"You know tin can, I can't help but notice your
looking a little better, and can you explain what has happened to our
armors?" Kain said noticing the changes that had occurred in the robot.
Gone was the barrel shape faded yellow creation that they had met so long ago.
This was replaced by a more human shape. His body encrusted with crystal and
mirrored plating. His personality of the loveable Robo was restored and now the
team had formed.
Crono stood and thought about what Robo said about
Gato. "Now you said a massive disruption of spacetime. Could it have been
the destruction wrought on this era." Crono said as Robo looked out on to
the devastated plains.
"Affirmative. This destruction is definitely
the disruption." Robo stated.
"So what do we do from here. If the entire
human race has been wiped off the face of the planet, we can't just undo
that." Kain said practicing with his newly acquired lance.
"We have to go back before the explosion in the
end of time. We have to stop Tempest. With our new powers we could..."
"The plan is not possible. The end of time was
the only constant thing in the time stream. It is destroyed, it had no past or
future to jump to, just a present. It is gone now, then, and forever." Robo
said lowering his head again.
"There
has to be something we can do to stop this!" Kain said throwing his lance
into a dead tree trunk.
"There may be a way to end all three of our
problems." Robo said pondering.
"Three?" Crono said dumbfounded.
"We
cannot leave Gato in command of the future. He is worse then mother. Tempest
and the restoration of the human race. Three." Robo explained.
"Ok so spill it, how?" Kain said removing
his lance from the tree.
"All things exist in a time frame. Tempest must
have some kind of an anchor time. Where she was originally from. We must force
her away from that anchor and then face her in a void called Forever."
Robo continued
"Forever, Baltesar said to keep her away from
there at all costs." Kain stated remembering Baltesar's final wish.
"I know, but, it is the only place where we
will have enough power to solve all three of our problems, not only to defeat
Tempest, but also, restore our end of time and return Kain to his own universal
possibility." Robo retorted.
"What
is a universal possibility? I've heard people say it for a while now and I want
to know what it is." Kain said scratching his head.
"A universal possibility is like an era, just
on a dimensional scale. Each person makes decisions everyday that affect the
outcome of their lives. It is those choices that create branches on the tree
that is their lives. These branches are universal possibilities or alternate
universes." Robo answered.
"Ok, so how do we get her to forever, and for
that matter how do we get there?" Crono asked.
"We must go to 12,000 BC, from there we can
find the gateway." Robo stated.
"Then we have to go there. We've got to stop
her one way or another. We possess new weapons and armor, I think we have a
shot of actually beating her." Kain said spinning his new acquired Lance.
The two talked about their plan of attack, Crono could not concentrate on the
discussion and left the circle.
Crono walked off, all he could think about was
Marle.
"Spekkio said she was alive" He thought.
"I must find her, I can still feel her energy in the pendent." Crono
said clasping his chest plate where the pendent now resided. "I will find
her, wherever she has gone, whenever she has gone, I vow now and forever to
dedicate my sword to finding her." Crono said thrusting his sword into the
ground. He knelt down before and bowed his head.
"Really, do you think that you can be so
self-indulgent at a time like this." A voice rang out from the trees.
"Well
that is a voice I thought I would never hear again." Crono said looking
up.
"Hello Crono, long time no see." The dark
figure said jumping from the trees.
"You
have a lot of nerve to face me here traitor." Crono said drawing his sword
from the ground.
"Don't kid yourself, you couldn't save him and
you are not going to save yourself. I am under orders I'm afraid, prepare to
die." The darkness said drawing a sword.
"You will pay for what you have done
Magus." Crono said remembering vividly the day the group of Marle, Lucca and himself arrive here while
searching for his mother.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
They arrived at Guardia Castle in 600 AD and laid
their eyes upon a sea of red. Blood ran everywhere, not discriminating between
guard or servant. They ran into the throne chamber. They saw a sight that
almost made the very logical and in control Lucca cry. The chancellor laid dead
cut in almost half, while Lenne sat on her throne, breathing but with a massive
wound across her body. Lucca ran over to her to see if anything could be done,
all Marle could do was cry on Crono shoulder. Crono, on the other hand, knew it
wasn't time for remorse.
"Only a
Scythe could have made those wounds." Crono said drawing his Katana.
Marle looked up into his eyes to respond but could
only see a light she had never seen before. "Why haven't I seen this
before?" She thought.
"Are you alright Marle?" Crono asked
returning her to earth.
"Yes, I am fine." She trailed off. This
was a feeling she had felt before, but what was it she wondered. It was the
same feeling she had after facing Death Mountain and bringing Crono back, a
feeling of completeness. A feeling like she had never felt before. She knew not
why she had these feeling, but knew not to say anything about them. Crono would
just laugh at the idea and her father would have kittens, but for now at least
in her mind she could be whole, holding on to the shoulder of her hero.
"I think Marle's power can help her, otherwise
Marle would have disappeared already." Lucca said standing up from the
limp body of Lenne.
"Alright I will try, Life 2!" Magical wind
enveloped her as the spells power came to fruition. The life giving light
energy enveloped Lenne. Her wound disappeared and her breathing began again.
Lucca sat Lenne up as Crono caught an exhausted
Marle. "You're my knight in shinning armor." She whispered as the
spell drain began to wear off.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Crono
asked
"Ahh... nothing, let's look at Lenne."
Marle said dodging the subject. They walked over to Lucca and a still
recovering Lenne.
"How are you feeling my lady?" Crono ask
kneeling down.
"I am alive? How, the last thing I remember was
Magus's blade running through my chest." Lenne said trying to get back up.
"Now you just hold it right there, you are in
no condition to move around. I was able to bring you back because you had the
will to live. Don't throw that away overexerting yourself." Marle said
sitting her back down.
"So it was Magus, why?" Crono said
tightening the grip he had on his now sheathed Katana.
"He said he was under orders to prevent the
creation of a princess four-hundred years from now. We said we had no idea what
he was talking about. He did this in rage of our ignorance." Lenne said
fighting back tears. "So many died, because we trusted a man who is pure
evil." Lenne could no longer contain it, she looked away from the group
not knowing what else to do.
"It is
alright my lady, we'll find him." Crono said drawing his Katana.
"He
went for the king's room, Gaurdia and Glenn were discussing your adventures
when this happened." Lenne said pointing to the left hallway.
"Lucca stay here, Marle, let's go." Crono
said moving towards the back left stairs. Marle followed closely behind both
for protection and for other reasons. They reached the top of the tower and the
trail of flowing blood stopped.
"Maybe
he didn't make it this far." Marle said dropping an arrow into her
crossbow.
"We're
not that lucky." Crono said arriving at the door of the king's room. He
could hear the clanging and banging of swords and then a scream. He kicked open
the door and dropped his katana at what his eyes were laid upon. Magus holding
up his blood rusted scythe, Frog dangling on the end of it, lifeless.
"Frog legs anyone?" Magus asked in an
insane voice that wasn't his. He threw the body to the ground and drove his
scythe into it seven more times before Marle could shoot an arrow.
"Ok you don't like tenderized meat, I prefer
mine cooked anyway." Magus said throwing a fireball at King Gaurdia. Crono
ran and dove, he absorbed the fire and stood up, hurt but ready. "You're
just like ants, ruining my picnic, oh well, time for the bug spray."
"Magus why are you doing this?" Marle ask
through tears shed for her dead friend.
"Because, I need to destroy you. Oh well, I can
kill my adversaries and destroy you all at once now." Magus stated
repositioning his scythe.
"No more Magus, no more!" Crono said
charging. Magus swung his hand aside and to it flew the Masamune, which in turn
he turned on Crono. He had no time to react; Crono felt the sword rip through
him. Magus twisted the sword making the pain that much more real. Magus ripped
the sword free of Crono and he fell to the floor. Crono new that he had to hold
on to his will, it was the only way the life spell would work. He quickly cast
it and his wounds started to heal, he knew it wasn't as effective as Life 2,
but it would keep him alive for now.
Marle couldn't control herself. "You kill my
friends as if they meant nothing to you, you have to pay for this." Marle
said throwing her crossbow aside.
"Oh please, do you actually think your magic
can compare to mine?" Magus said brushing her off.
"No, but mine is." Marle stepped aside to
reveal a waiting Lucca. She fired one blast after another. Magus was forced
back with every blow. He was push back to the window; he knew that in this
weakened state there was no way he could win.
"Goodbye girls, we shall meet again."
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
"That was the last time we saw you, what are
you doing here?" Crono asked positioning his crystal saber. Magus came
into the light but now with a different look. The pale skin, blue haired, blue
wardrobed wizard was now replaced with a black wardorbed monster.
"My sister sent me to retrieve you. She is
really annoyed that you destroyed her gateway, but she is willing to let you
have her anyway." Magus stated. The Magus Crono had come to tolerate was
gone, replaced by this insane creature. He had become just another of Tempest's
lackeys.
"Now you pay, for Frog's death and for your
treachery." Crono said his anger at its peak.
"Just let me slip into something more
comfortable." Magus said as a dark cloud enveloped him. What emerged was a
new creature, still the eerie appearance of the magic lord, but now the
distinct stench of complete evil filled him.
"You see this is what people get if the are
good to my sister. I am now more powerful then anything you could hope to
comprehend, I am unaffected by age, disease, hunger, or any other pitiful
weakness possessed by you humans. I am now a Vampire!" Magus screamed as
he lunged at Crono.
Crono quickly jumped out of the way and returned
with one of his newfound spells, Prism Rain. Columns of rainbow light rained
down from the heavens. Magus was thrown back into a tree alerting Robo and Kain
of the battle.
"Let's go." Kain yelled as he and Robo ran
into the clearing. They reached the entrance of the forest and were reflected
back.
"No help from the peanut gallery." Magus
said as he pounced on Crono.
"Class ten intruder control repulsion field,
nothing can break through." Robo said transforming his arm back into its
default hand form.
"We can't do anything for him!?" Kain
yelled.
"Negative, he is on his own." Robo said
sitting down.
Meanwhile, back in the clearing Crono was starting
to feel the sting of darkness. "It is only a matter of time before you
succumb to my power." Magus said biting at Crono's neck.
"Not on your afterlife vampire, Prism
Charge." Crono incanted the spell. The air filled with prism energy and
exploded. Magus was once again sent flying. Crono jumped to his feet.
"You don't get away this time nor do you defeat
me, this time… you fall." Crono said preparing.
"I have learned a trick or two since we last
fought. Here is something that you should like, Crystal Cross!" Crono
blurred towards Magus. He ripped through him forming a cross of light, the tips
of which rejoined in the center and bolted skyward followed by a column of
crystal that touched the sky. All Magus could do was drop to his knees. Crono
returned to earth and his sword was at Magus's neck. "Yield monster."
Crono ordered quietly.
"You think it is that simple!" Magus said
jumping away from Crono.
"You see I took a keepsake from our last
meeting, do you remember the Masamune?" Magus said drawing a sword from
his back.
"How do you have that creature!" Crono
said dropping into a fighting stance.
"I ripped it from you as your little friend
blasted me through a window. That reminds me, Lucca's death was my idea, I
never liked her anyway." Magus said brandishing the sword.
"Your going to pay for that, just like
everything else, I should have destroyed you long ago." Crono said. The
two forces drew together meeting in an explosion of light and dark energy. The
sounds of the battle echoed throughout the entire world. These juggernauts
fought, Crono with the ideals of light plus vengeance and Magus fought with all
the dark powers he had achieve. The battle raged on for what seemed like days.
Neither man was going to give up for what each fought for was the only thing
that drove them, both men excellent sword fighters. The battle was fought by
the sword alone, though each possessed superior magic skill, they wanted to
settle the dispute with their physical prowess, a true duel if ever any
existed.
Kain meanwhile knew there had to be something he
could. "If there was one thing old Cid taught me was that there must be a
power source for every machine." He thought looking around. He saw a small
bush that seems out of place. Yes, it was gray and withering, but it looked
almost artificial. He reach to rip it out of the ground and to his surprise it
disappeared.
"Robo,
what in the name of the nexus is this?" Kain said wondering what the
strange gray almost silver box in front of him was. The humming coming from it
was almost rhythmical as Robo moved to examine it.
"Class ten ICRF primary control unit. We can
now deactivate the force field." Robo said punching in a few codes.
The field collapsed, drawing Magus's attention. Crono thrusted the
crystal blade of his sword through the creature that stood before him. Magus
gasped, he knew he let his guard down and was defeated.
"Withdraw your sword and let me die!"
Magus yelled with what energy he had. Crono did so as the masamune fell to the
ground. Magus dragged himself to a nearby tree where he thought he would remain
for eternity. He looked down and the wound was gone. A smile flashed back upon
his face. He stood and threw out his hand to retrieve his dropped sword.
Nothing happened, the smile on his face disappeared as he struggled to call the
masamune to him.
"No! Masamune come to your master!" Magus
screamed desperately. Crono stepped forward and picked up the sword.
"Unhand my property rat!" Magus attempting
to cast a spell, once again nothing happened.
"Wha...?" Magus was dumbfounded.
"You can't die, your already dead. Tempest
stripped you of your life when she turned you into this. All my blade did was
remove any power you once had. All you can do now is stand there, until the sun
comes up and burns you to a crisp. I have retrieved one fallen friends sword
and restored honor to another. Frog and Lucca, you are now avenged." Crono
stated drawing the masamune to his face, which he bowed in silence. Magus just
slumped down and whimpered. Kain and Robo began towards Crono but, seeing him
in the somber state they froze and joined him in it. Crono arose and he turned
to his friends.
"There is something I must do, come." He
said opening a gate.
Kain looked over at the fallen villain, "Don't
worry, a little sun will do wonders to your complexion..... it will remove it
from existence, see ya!" Kain said jumping through the gate.
Magus sat there, he was beaten, no powers, very few hours to live. A light-struck through the canopy of the forest, he realized that his grasp on time was off, the sun rose in the east. Magus screamed, but it was muffled as he combusted into nothingness. He would do no more evil.