The Beginning of the End Part Two

by jediknightwing

Young Justice makes their apperance in this chapter, as Sephiroth recruits his Dark Army. But will a certain Mage Master of Cephiro led a hand?

                                              

                                       The Beginning of the End

                                                                                                             Part 2

 Elsewhere...

The Isle of Rhodes, located in the middle of the Mediterranean. 2300 years ago, Alexander the Great conquered the known world, with an empire stretched from Europe to Western Asia. He tried to claim the ends of the north, so he went east. He reached the Indus River before he was stopped. Though history records show that he died of fatigue, inscriptions at Rhodes say that he was beaten by King Gaudemus. It is here on this world that young Laocorn would search for the legendary Armor of Mars, which at one time was worn by his ancestor, Gaudemus himself. Legend has it whosoever possessing the bloodline of Gaudemus that claims the armor, would gain the power of Mars, the God of War. He has already recovered three of the six missing pieces of the armor. Now he prepares to continue the search for the other three.

 Assisting him on this quest are his followers; the beautiful Panni, who can control the elements of water, harnessing its destructive power to suit her needs; Hauer, the vain master of the winds, he utilizes the currents for his dizzying aerial fighting skills; and Jamin, the powerful master of the earth, the only one of the three with any sense of honor among the fighters. It is at this point that Laocorn has interrupted another of Hauer's bragging tirades, and was ready to send his troops out to find the other pieces of armor.

 "Jamin, Hauer, get going," Laocorn ordered. "And if anyone gets in your way..."

Suddenly, Laocorn stopped. His eyes grew large, his mouth dropped. He lurched forward, as if unable to comprehend what had happened. Tears began to stream down his face.

"My Lord Laocorn," Panni began, concerned. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Laocorn struggled for words. "It's...it's Sulia." He can barely make out the words. "She's...she's dead."

Jamin lurched up from his meditation, unable to believe what he had just heard. "No. That's not possible! Lady Sulia? How...?"

"I don't know," said Laocorn, his voice wavering. "I...I can't see who it is."

Sulia Gaudemus.  Laocorn's younger sister. Due to their shared bloodline, they have a symbiotic link to one another, a link that was strengthened by his possession of the armor. It was believed that Sulia had in her belongings the final piece to the whereabouts of the missing armor.

"I am deeply saddened by your loss, Lord Laocorn," a voice said.

Laocorn looked up, startled by the voice. "Who's there?" he demanded to know. "Come out and show yourself!" He began to power up his armored hand, and it crackled with Ion energy.

The figure stepped out from the shadows, revealing himself to be Sephiroth. Panni, Jamin, and Hauer took their battle positions, ready to face off against this intruder.

"Please," said Sephiroth, waving his left hand. "I didn't come here to battle."

Laocorn stood from his throne. "Who are you?" he asked. "What do you want?"

Sephiroth smiled wickedly. "My name is Sephiroth. And what I want is simple."

He started to walk forward, ignoring the fighters gathered in front of him. He stopped, just short of Laocorn, and said, "I wish to aid you in your quest to recover the Armor of Mars."

Laocorn looked at him, then looked past him at his fighters. They stood as if they were statues in a wax museum. "How," he began, "How did you walk past my fighters? What did you do to them?"

Sephiroth raised his left arm to indicate the Infinity Gauntlet. "You see this?" he asked. "This is called the Infinity Gauntlet. With it, I have complete mastery over time itself. So you see, freezing your compatriots was merely child's play compared to what I can really do."

"What is it you want of me?" asked Laocorn, skeptical. "Is it the armor?"

"Yes and no," replied Sephiroth. "You see, the armor can only be worn by a descendent of Gaudemus, so if I obtain it, I really can't do anything with it even if I wanted to."

"However," he continued, "You can. I have seen it. You are predestined to inherit the armor, and the powers of Gaudemus himself. And I wish to help you obtain it."

"And what is it that you ask of me," Laocorn shot back. "No one asks anything from anyone without wanting something in return."

"Indeed, I do want something from you," he agreed. He looked at him straight in the eyes and said, "All I want from you, is for you to rule along with me. The power of Mars is phenomenally great; I have seen this to be true. Together, we would make powerful allies. That is why I wish to assist you in your quest."

"And that is all?" questioned Laocorn.

"That is all," answered Sephiroth. "I am simply asking you to be my general for the Dark army. So, what is your reply? Shall we become allies, or enemies?"

Laocorn thought for a minute before answering. "You realize that if you cross me, I will not hesitate to use the power of Mars on you." He eyed him with a cold stare.

Sephiroth nods. "I have no intention of crossing you, Lord Laocorn."

Laocorn then looked up at him, a sly smile has crept up on his face. "All right, I agree under two conditions."

"Which is?" asked Sephiroth.

"One," began Laocorn, pointing to his fighters. "My three associates serve alongside me. Two," he continued, a look of sorrow creeping up on his face. "You say that you can control time. I ask that you use your power to bring Sulia back. Please, bring my sister back to life."

"Once we obtain the armor," said Sephiroth, "You have my word that you will see your sister again. I promise."

"Then we are agreed," said Laocorn, extending his hand. "We shall become allies."

"Excellent," concurred Sephiroth, accepting the handshake. "This will be a prosperous relationship, I can promise you that," he finished, but not before thinking to himself, you deluded fool.

Elsewhere...

High above the skies of Pennsylvania, the Super-Cycle, piloted by Robin, flies across the scenic plains. Accompanying him in the cycle are his Young Justice teammates, Superboy, Impulse, and Wonder Girl. The four heroes were returning from a mission in the Orient, performing a rescue of the town after a once dormant volcano became active, and were preparing to reunite with the other members of Young Justice. Superboy, aka Kon-El, is in the process of disturbing Robin on the way back to their headquarters.

"C'mon, Bat-boy," started Kon, "You've been more moodier than your usual glum self. What gives?"

"For the one hundred and fifty-third time, I don't want to talk about it," countered Robin. "It's personal, all right?"

"Yeah, but we're all friends here, right?" asked Impulse. "I mean, you can tell us anything."

"Like the time I told you not to tell Kon where I hid my extra utility belt, right Bart?" reminded Robin. "Or the time I told you not to tell anyone that I was on a case undercover? Or the time..."

"I think what we're trying to tell you, Robin," interrupted Wonder Girl, "Is that you're more than a teammate to us, you're our friend. And no mask can hide the fact that you're upset about something right now. And we just want you to know that, secret ID or no, you can tell us anything. Right, guys?"

"Sure," agreed Bart. "You bet."

"Especially any of the good stuff," Kon threw in. "You know, Bat problems, like if old pointy-ears won't let you shave in the Bat-cave, or the fact that he keeps the keys to the Batmobile to himself, or..."

"Kon, you're about five seconds away from getting dropped out of the cycle," threatened Robin, but then a smile creped up on his face and said, "Thanks, guys. I appreciate the sentiments, really. I'm just not ready to talk about it yet, ok?"

Wonder Girl nods. "No problem. But just keep an open mind, ok?"

Robin acknowledges her. "You bet, Cassie."

"Hey," said Bart, "What the heck's that?"

"What?" asked Kon. "I don't..."

Suddenly, in front of them, was a large portal, shining in golden hues, rectangular in shape, as wide as a driveway. Robin tried to steer away from it, but the portal grew larger, almost appearing to curve to prevent the cycle from escaping.

"I can't steer clear!" exclaimed Robin. "We're going to...!"

But before Robin could finish his statement, the Super-Cycle had entered the portal, which then proceeded to seal itself off and vanish.

Elsewhere...

 The World of Cephiro. Once a magical world of wishes and enchantment, the loss of the Pillar has darkened it to a land of decay and despair. The Pillar's wishes were the only thing that kept Cephiro safe and beautiful. But Princess Emeraulde, the Pillar of Cephiro, wished for the Magic Knights to end her life, so that she could be with the man she loved, High Priest Zagato, who was killed in a battle with the Knights. The Pillar may only wish for Cephiro to exist, and with her emotions torn, choose to abdicate her position, while the Magic Knights, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu, teenage girls from another world, were under the delusion that they were summoned to save Cephiro from Zagato himself.

 It is on this world that Mage Master Clef, the greatest sorcerers in all of Cephiro, stood contemplating his role in the affair. Clef, forced to lie to the girls regarding their mission, realizes that without a Pillar, Cephiro will darken, wither, and die. A new Pillar must be found soon, or the remaining inhabitants of the world will vanish along with Cephiro itself. Over 700 years old, he has the appearance of a small boy, but possesses the wisdom and intelligence that exceeds the wisest of sages. It is at this point that he first hears the Voice.

"Mage Master Clef."

Clef, facing the opposite direction of where the sound of the voice projected, nods his head. "I wondered how long it would be, before you would seek me out."

"Then you know?" the Voice asked.

Clef turned to face forward. "I have known for quite some time. I know that as we speak, this being called Sephiroth is eliminating universe after universe, accumulating power with every move that he enacts."

"And," he continues, seemingly moving toward the voice, "If he is not stopped soon, the very meaning of existence will disappear, forever."

"Then you will help me?" the Voice asks.

Clef shakes his head. "I cannot. Although I realize the severity of the situation, Cephiro must remain my priority. Without our Magic Knights to defend us, we would be of little use to you."

"But your Magic Knights are here," explained the Voice. "As you can see."

Clef looked up into the Enchanted mirror, and sure enough, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu, had indeed returned to Cephiro, although it appeared that they were falling from the sky. Clef invoked the incantation, calling out, "Beast Summon!" He then instructed the summoned creature to retrieve the girls, and bring them back to the castle.

"This is perplexing," said Clef. "By all accounts, only the Pillar should be able to summon the Magic Knights from another world. Unless...."

"No, Clef," the Voice interrupted. "It was not my doing to summon your Knights, although I did wish to recruit them for this mission." The Voice then became softer. "Mage Master Clef, I understand your wish to save Cephiro, but without the Magic Knights and yourself, all of reality, including Cephiro, will cease to exist."

Clef seemed to understand this, and nods his approval. "You are correct. All right, once the girls are settled in, I will explain to them the situation."

"Thank you, Mage Master," the Voice said, an invisible smile seemingly felt by Clef. "This will indeed help to turn the tide against Sephiroth and his growing army."

Elsewhere...

The North End Cavern. In a place that is nowhere, and yet everywhere. Sephiroth sits high atop his gravel throne, contemplating his next move. Behind him, the dark entity Kain slowly manifests, almost appearing to replace the shadow that Sephiroth casts.

"How much longer," Kain asks, his voice booming. "Before we act? I grow impatient, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth, his hands clasped together to resemble a pyramid, smiles. "In due time, Kain," he responds. "Right now, the pawns are moving into place as we speak. Soon, the greatest power in all of the known universes will belong to us. And reality, as we all know it, will be reshaped into our own image." He glances over at the stand that displays the Black Materia.

"Soon, Kain," replied Sephiroth, his smile becoming wide. "The fools will realize, that their best intentions will be for nothing. And, when all is said and done, the Pillar will also belong to me."

And as Sephiroth and Kain laugh, their evil laughter seems to echo though out the entire North End Cavern.

To Be Continued.