Chapter 2: The Nightmares
___________________________________
Now I lay me down to sleep
Pray the lord my soul to keep
If I die before I wake
Pray the lord my soul to take
The Lord's Prayer
___________________________________

He came out of no where. A tall, broad shouldered man who was always cloaked in black and had a refusal to speak to
any one for the longest time. I had seen him once or twice and I do remember talking to him once. I learned to hate that
man more than I do with Dalton. He was too cold, too inhuman to break his nerves.

___________________________________

"Hey!"

The tall figure ignored Janus' cries as he wandered away form the small child. The boy frowned and pressed his pail lips
together. This man was unsettling, it was like he knew him in a way. But he never even heard the sound of that man's
voice. Something scared him from deep within when he ever looked at that man and that fear compelled him to follow
him to the city of Kajar. All he had heard about that man was from Dalton and Schala. All Dalton did was bemoan about
being replaced and normally Janus wouldn't of minded the idea that Dalton would be kicked out of the castle and out of
his hair forever. However Schala talked about him in hushed, frightened tones, Janus knew something about this man was
different...

Kajar...

Janus didn't like the city very much. It was all too hypocritical to him; the people rushing about and questioning about
where magic came from disgusted him because he knew he knew they didn't give a damn where magic came from. As
long as they had the power what mattered? Who gave a damn? Janus did. He would never admit it to anyone alive that he
cared. Where did the power came form and why he couldn't use the power himself? Or perhaps it was just something he
wondered about.

As he turned into an empty corner he saw him and the ideas of magic vanished as a small terror was stuck in his belly.
The man in dark robes walked down the halls right towards him! The child in lavender swallowed downs whatever fear
he had in his voice and stepped in front of him. "Where the hell are you from?" He cried in his most terrible and deep
voice. Of course the boy who just turned seven didn't get the desired effect. The man answered with silence. A slight
quiver of the shimmering dark robes suggested a faint, non-verbal chuckling.

"Come on! Don't tell me your mute!" He snapped.

The man turned slowly. "Go away." His voice was clam, powerful, dark, and perhaps... overwhelming sadness?

"No! Why are you hanging around here any way?"

"What business do you have to question where I go?"

Janus scowled. "I don't want you near my sister!"

"I go where I please Prince Janus-"

"Hey! How do you know my name? How did you know I was prince?"

"I have my ways-" He answered. Then with one smooth motion he picked up the child at the collar and raised the boy to
his dark red eyes, his white face matched his voice perfectly and he reminded the boy of someone. He didn't have time to
think about it as the man went on. "Do not question them boy. Mess with me again I swear to your non existent gods I
shall rip you in half."

"Go ahead." Janus dared. He had no fear of death. He didn't welcome the reaper yet if it was his time, it was his time.

"Perhaps I shouldn't rip you in half. After all, seeing you suffer is the pleasure! No, simply killing you is no fun. Perhaps if
I kill Schala..."

"No!" Janus screamed. "Please no!"

"Then keep far away from me boy..." The voice was like a snake. "Never come near me. And Schala will live."

He dropped the boy roughly and left him in the darkness...

___________________________________

When the Prophet came, Melchior had vanished. Belthasar and Gasper had escaped to an island before Zeal could get her
hands on them. Strange how all of them where Gurus and all where so different. Gasper certainly didn't act like one when
I spoke to him. He was quiet and didn't like to talk and loved to sleep. I rarely spoke to him. I only saw Belthasar twice.
He was too busy working on his inventions to speak to anyone. The old man rushed about here and there not knowing
until it was too late that he was working on projects what would spell doom to his world. Melchior was the
compassionate one. It wasn't until I grew older before I understood Melchior's title. He worried about the people and
their problems and became the Earth Bounders' savior. He worried about them more than with himself when he was on
Woe Mountain. It strange how some people can think about others and forget themselves in times of need.

What I cannot understand is why people who have been lustful, greedy and selfish all their lives are called 'Heroes' when
suddenly they do something good for once in their lives. However, when a truly good person who has given to the poor
and worked all there life for once, they chicken out. Then they are called cowards while the weak are cerebrated as
heroes.

I became more lost and alone when Melchior was captured and Schala grew weak and thin. She lost weight and her ivory
skin turned even whiter and sickly. It was almost as pail as my skin, not quite as pail but close. I began to hate my mother
and Zeal Kingdom. I knew Zeal would fall very soon. It was a feeling buried deep inside of me.

But never in my life had I expected Zeal to fall so literally.

___________________________________

It was about six months after the Prophet came when I was seven. I was wandering around Enasha when I meet a boy, a
girl, and a frog. The boy was normal sized with wild red hair and a lean but muscular built. The girl had golden hair and
light green eyes and a crossbow was slung on her back. The frog didn't scarce me even if he did carry a sword.. After all,
with creatures like Doreen and her brothers Masa and Mune, a race of creatures who where come times called Children of
the Dream Stones, ran around Zeal all the time. The Dream Stone Children had long lives but few children and
reproduction wasn't the Dream Stone Children's main worry. The Frog was nothing compared to them.

Doreen liked dreams more than her brothers Masa and Mune. For a while I didn't blame her and now I think how foolish
she was. Doreen escaped form the painful world she was into her Dream World in Enasha. During the last months of
Zeal I wanted to go with her into that world. Now I knew it was the best for me to stay in the world of pain and become
strong form it. The weak only submit to dreams that cannot come true.

I glared at the boy, then the girl, then the frog. I felt the cold wind that shivered up my spine and then looked solemnly at
the boy.

He would die.

Shortly.

"The black wind howls..." I muttered to myself more than to the people and walked down the stairs. "One of you shall
shortly die."

It was a fair warning. I walked always form them and cries of protest towards Castle Zeal. In the castle, there was a rush
about Zeal going to the Ocean Palace. I was extremely worried about Schala. I ran towards her room, scared Zeal took
her, Schala was gone. "Schala?" I wailed out. I heard her voice answer form my room.

I took off running towards my room and saw Schala waiting for me. Her face sad and white, her green eyes shinning with
hope as always. "There you are Janus."

"Schala, I am scared. I feel the black wind."

"You feel it too?"

I nodded. Her face frowned and she reached in her pocket and pulled out an amulet, a black stone encrusted in sliver. It
was very beautiful to me. I could sense strong magic coming form it.

Like an idiot I asked, "What is this?"

My sister smiled and put the amulet around my neck. "Good luck charm. It will protect you. Janus," She paused for a
moment. "I wish I could stay here and protect you. But mother has other plans..." I noticed her eyes where batting away
tears as I heard the whimper in her voice. She knew our mother better than I. Perhaps I am jealous of her. She knew Zeal
as a mother, the most important person in your life. The warm and loving Mother Schala and the Zeal I knew were not
the same. The Zeal I knew was a cold-hearted bitch, who strove for power, forgetting her daughter and son and perhaps
life It's self. So I answered my sister. "She isn't our mother, she looks like our mother but she changed."
"Janus-"

"Miss Schala! Miss Schala!"

A servant broke up our moment. As she left I looked at the amulet and fell asleep until Schala woke me up. I had a
dream. It was a young woman walking in the grass. I never had seen this woman before and yet I knew her. A snake came
up to her and looked at her with innocent black eyes and asked for her to carry it. The woman agreed and she picked the
snake up knowing its nature. After a while the woman felt comfortable with the snake in her purse, then it bit her. It was
venomous and the young woman died. An old story. The woman was The Kingdom of Zeal, the snake was Lavos'
power. I had just seen the fall of Zeal. My first step into my world of darkness...

Then Schala awakened me and told about the strangers who had come to Zeal Kingdom. She also told about Dalton's
failed attempt to capture them and so Queen Zeal had captured these people and placed them in the dungeon of Zeal
Castle. Gentle Schala wanted to save the strangers. At this time they had no cause so why bother in saving them? Yet
Schala wanted to help them so I agreed to help my sister. I was worried Zeal would find out and hurt Schala.

Zeal seemed to forget about her little son, Janus.

Schala had brought the strangers (who happened to be the boy with wild hair, the blond girl, and the frog) form the
magical barrier to the floor when the Prophet came in. The man was cold as always, yet I notice how much softened to
Schala and I when we begged him form killing the strangers. I swore I heard something break down within him. He made
the strangers to take him where they came form. By then I had lost interest and went to my room. Only hours later,
Schala and I decided to visit the Earth Bounders again. We had heard that the strangers had come. We got this news from
a new batch of slaves. Again, we headed towards the hellhole called Terra Cave. We found Melchior and the strangers
who had saved the old man.

I was disgusted how the cave had become. Terra Cave was bad but now it had be come cold, dark and damp. Schala
talked to Melchior, the boy with wild hair was called Crono and the girl with the blond hair in a ponytail was named
Marle and a young woman with huge glasses was known as Lucca that hid bright blue eyes and a helmet that hid soft
wisps of purple hair.. I wondered where the frog was.

For a while I listened when the flop came, Dalton. I attacked him, I wasn't much and he easily knocked me back with one
signal swipe of his hand. The Elder of the Earth Bounders and Melchior tended my wounds as the strangers rested up
form the Mountain of Woe rescue. I was sore but anger was stronger and I slipped out during the night. At the castle I
though, "Why would Zeal keep her lovely castle and Lavos unguarded?"

I, until then, never used anyone in my life. That era of my life was over, from that moment on I would use people for my
goals easier for myself. I knew the strangers would follow Dalton so I waited for them and followed then into the Ocean
place. It was filled with odd creatures and such. A weak child that knew no magic had no chance of fighting the Scouts or
the mages. I though I was in the clear until just before the reached Mammon Machine room when I felt a hand on my
shoulder. I quickly spun around to see Melchior and two other men, Gasper and Belthasar, behind him. "What are you
doing here?" I snapped.

"I'd ask you the same thing, boy."

"To save Schala you twit! God! *Your* a Guru? Damn, are you stupid!"

"You are too young to go here!"

"If I cared about that wouldn't be here, would I? Look, save the nagging after we get Schala."

A huge flash of light projected form the Mammon room and the Gurus rushed off leaving me. Again I was almost
forgotten, I rushed forward, following the Gurus into the Mammon room and gasped. Zeal was standing and laughing
telling how cowardly the Gurus were and began talking about the glory of Lavos. I didn't have time to catch on as I
looked at my poor beautiful sister whose face was twisted in pain and tears ran down my sister's checks. Her green eyes
looked at Zeal, begging her mother to stop.

Her mother was dead.

Zeal was in her place.

I watched my sister and cried, "Schala!"

She looked up and called back to me as I felt a great force under me. I glanced down and instead of seeing a smooth floor
I saw a portal, black as night, gaping under me. I began to fall and I screamed out for Schala one more time as I fell. And I
felt the Black Wind coming from the monster and taking me into the darkness.

Janus died then.

Magus was born when I woke up.

___________________________________