Fate
Believed by many to be a set of events that will unquestionably happen to a person during their lifetime.
Destiny
Connotes some form of purpose, and perhaps greatness, planned by an infinitely superior power, for a person to begin to prepare for from the moment they are born. AKA the meaning of life, at least for that individual.
There it rested, halfway between the frozen earth and the arctic skies. The Mountain of Woe, anchored to the ground by a massive chain of giant metal links. The chain itself spoke volumes about it's designer: someone who enjoyed overkill thoroughly, and at the same time was obviously trying to leave an impression of superior might and power on all who looked at it. The mountain itself spoke volumes more: not only could queen Zeal so not stand Melanchoir that simply being on the same continent as him was a repulsive thought to her, but a commoner's prison was, in her eyes, unsuitable for someone who displeased her as much as Melanchoir. So, all for the sake of proving a point, she unearthed an entire mountain and set it up as Melanchoir's prison.
As Magus used his powers to let him fly towards the ominous mountain, he couldn't help but laugh. Any Zealean prison would have been enough to hold Melanchoir, who would likely rather choose to be in prison than help Zeal in her plot. Even at a distance, Magus could see that the mountain was covered with different creatures, not very unlike those who had once served him when he had been leader of the Mystics, who were likely commissioned to stand guard and attack any intruders. From his vantage point, Magus could see clusters of bronze-colored gargoyles encircling the mountain from the air, keeping watch on the mountain below. 'A direct assault would be useless.' He thought to himself. 'Not only would I be seriously outnumbered, but it would make my presence known far too quickly. However, if I go in through the Earthbound village, I may be able to avoid mass detection and keep queen Zeal from realizing what I'm doing.'
A risky plan, but it would have to do. Veering down towards the ground, Magus set his sights on the small cave that marked the entrance to the Earthbound village.
Donning once again his prophet attire, Magus made his way through the small underground village with ease. It was obvious to all the Earthbound Ones who he was, so they stayed out of his way and let him alone. Upon entering the Beast Cave, Magus made short work of the cave's guardian creatures with the use of the Lunar Cry and one or two random elemental techs, and quickly silenced the mud imp who was guarding the base of the chain.
From there, a little climbing brought him to the base of the mountain. As he'd predicted, despite all the fog cover, it wasn't long before a pack of gargoyles located him. Quickly dealt with. Each foolish monster that got in his way quickly realized it was getting on the bad side of a force much stronger than themselves. The mountain was also dotted with what appeared to be living clusters of rock, but since none of these attacked him, only once or twice did Magus have to dispense of the oddly elusive piles of rubble.
Climbing each chain link in silent confidence, Magus soon found himself standing on the pinnacle of the mountain, at the place where Melanchoir was imprisoned.
The crystal that surrounded Melanchoir's frozen body was unquestionably the product of Zealean technology. It was placed, like as if some rare gem or artifact, on a raised platform in the middle of the mountain's basin-shaped peak, walls of jagged rock fencing in the area on all sides. On the opposite side of the crystal prison, across from Magus, was what appeared to be a large pit, which Magus assumed to be where the defense robot was kept hidden. A strange darkness cloaked the area, the only source of light being the massive ice-colored crystal.
"So, this is where Melanchoir is imprisoned." Magus thought out loud. He looked directly at the large crystal. "Knowing my mother, this crystal is nothing but a holographic projection, designed to trigger the defense robot." He pulled his left glove down a little tighter on his hand. "Well then, it only makes sense to get in the first attack in a situation like this."
Taking care with his aim, Magus sent a Lightning 2 attack crashing down into the shadowed cavern. Moments later, a sound like an irritated groan or a muffled roar echoed up from the deep cave. As Magus had suspected, the crystal and it's contents dematerialized as a massive, dark-purple and black metal robot with two gravitated fists hovered up from within the crater. It's body was covered in spikes and it had a stupid happiness expression on it's face.
Magus began the battle strong, sending a Dark Matter attack spiraling straight at the mindless machine. The attack vaporized both fists, and did significant damage to the torso armor. The robot retaliated with a bolt of black electricity from it's mouth, but Magus managed to dodge the blast with a short leap into the air. While in mid-air, he aimed one open palm at the robot's head and blasted it with a Dark Bomb, leaving only half the head in place. It seemed, however, that the titanium titan did not require it's head in order to operate, and to Magus's surprise it quickly regenerated it's fists, continuing it's attack with a blast of pure fire energy from both of it's hands. Magus shielded himself with his cape and waited out the blast, then used a Dark Mist attack to sent the metal monster back to the junkyard.
Magus was breathing heavily from the effort of the fight, but at least for the moment the robot was out of commission. With a sudden flash of light, the crystal rematerialized on it's platform, and as Magus watched in silence, the crystal began to fall apart, turning to dust and blowing away in the wind until all that was left was… Melanchoir.
Magus was inclined to believe this might be the actual Melanchoir. As the elderly guru opened his eyes and took a few much-needed breaths of fresh air, Magus slowly approached him, putting away the Lunar Cry quickly so as not to give the old man the impression of being hostile. Melanchoir, as soon as Magus began approaching, looked up in relieved surprise at his rescuer.
"Thank you, whoever you are. You don't know how long I've been in there." Melanchoir exclaimed, slowly stepping down off the platform with the help of his cane. "Come to think of it, neither do I. But who are you, and more importantly, what can you tell me about the Ocean Palace?"
"There's no time to explain it all here. The mountain's about to collapse. Suffice to say that I'm someone who needs your help." Magus stated.
With a massive crash and an apocalyptic tidal wave of rushing water, the Mountain of Woe found it's final resting place deep beneath the surface of the frigid ocean. Magus and Melanchoir watched from a distance, having escaped the floating mountain's final fate moments before it began it's suicide plunge into the depths. Magus's cape whipped about violently as the rush of wind caused by the mountain's sudden movement, his eyes fixated on the floating islands that harbored Zeal kingdom.
"Care to explain what's going on now?" Melanchoir inquired. Magus didn't shift his gaze even as he replied to the elderly guru.
"My history is… complicated. But what I can tell you is this:" He paused for a moment. "Queen Zeal seems to have failed in her quest for immortality."
"Pray tell; what do you mean?"
"Make no mistake, old man. She completed the Ocean Palace just as she planned, and positioned the Mammon Machine within it's confines,… but through some twist of fate, the Mammon Machine is now unable to tap into Lavos's energy. Like as if there was no energy, either that or no Lavos."
Melanchoir was strangely silent for a moment.
"… This is perplexing indeed." He replied at last. "By all logical means, there shouldn't be anything that could interfere with the Mammon Machine's power intake from Lavos,… except…"
"Yes, and that 'except' is the reason I freed you, Melanchoir." He turned to face the guru. "You and the other two are the only ones who can ascertain… Lavos's present condition for me."
"It will be difficult." He paused. "But how in the world could Lavos be destroyed?"
"All things are mortal, even Lavos." Magus turned his gaze back to Zeal island. "Can you manage locating the other two gurus?"
"Yes, I should be able to handle it."
"Good. How long will it take you?"
"Perhaps a day at most, assuming I can gain access to one of the land bridge teleportation chambers and reconfigure it."
"Then meet me at the cave to the east of the Earthbound village, first thing tomorrow. You'll know it's the right cave because it'll have a sealed portal inside. Let no one know where you're going, or queen Zeal may realize what's going on."
"Where will you be, in case I need your assistance again?"
Magus turned to look at him, then pulled out his prophet's cloak and put it on.
"I have a position as one of queen Zeal's advisors. I don't recommend you attempt to locate me. Don't worry, you haven't seen the last of me."
Zeal island was rampant with activity, controversy, alarm, and general conversation and curiosity about the fallen Mountain of Woe. As Magus made his way silently passed the many crowds of Zealean citizens, he focused on pushing out all thoughts that queen Zeal might actually suspect him of the treacherous deed. This was no time to worry about the security of his disguise. 'Of course, though,' He thought to himself. 'Dalton will immediately try to point me out as being responsible for this. Whether queen Zeal will listen to him or not is another story.'
He quickly made it out from amongst the crowds and swiftly traveled the distance to Schala's room. After being ushered in by one of Schala's attendants, Magus didn't even have time to say a word before Schala, in whispered but excited tones, exclaimed:
"You did it! Please, tell me where Melanchoir is. Is he alright?"
"He's out locating the other two, Belthazar and Gaspar. Does anyone suspect me?"
"Only Dalton and a handful of his soldiers at the moment, but rumors are spreading like mad about the fall of the mountain." She paused. "My mother will want to see you at the Ocean Palace. You must go quickly, or she might start to suspect."
"I'll go then,… but I'll be back shortly. By your leave, princess."
With a small bow, he turned and made his way down the staircase, and back out to the open causeways of Zeal Palace. Just as moments before, the open areas of the palace harbored several large clusters of Zealeans whispering rumors to each other. Magus headed calmly for the entrance to the palace, not saying a word to any of the Zealean citizens.
As he opened the doorway,… he spotted a figure clad in a long simple gray hood-and-cape cloak looking at him from several feet outside of the doorway. The figure's face was hidden underneath the shadow of the cloak, and his hands were folded over his chest. For a long moment, the two just stood there, Magus strangely and inexplicably frozen in thought at the appearance of this stranger.
When he spoke, it was evident that the stranger was masking his voice, because of the low but strong overtones of his dialect.
"Magus, also known as Janus…" He said, his mouth barely visible beneath the hood of the cloak. Magus's eyes went wide in surprise as the figure continued. "Magus, beware the Lavos Overmind."
"… Who,… who are you? How do you-" Magus began, speaking in hushed tones, but the mysterious figure cut him off.
"Beware the Lavos Overmind. It is your true enemy, the source of all the Lavos, but you must never face it." The cloaked person paused. "It's power is beyond all other mortal beings. You must never face the Overmind, or you will surely meet your end."
"What are you talking about? What 'Lavos Overmind'?" Magus demanded.
"… You will know in due time. But if you challenge it's power, you do so at your own risk. Also,… be watchful for the warrior known as Macbeth. He is a skilled fighter, and you must use caution in battle against him."
"Explain yourself! Just who are you? Stop talking in riddles and give me some straight answers."
"You will understand when the time is right."
With that, the shadowed figure turned to go, his long gray cloak blown gently by the wind. Magus, both confused and curious, was not about to let the odd stranger go, however.
With a single swift movement, Magus lunged at the cloaked stranger, aiming to put him into a headlock and force some answers.
But at the moment Magus was barely about to touch the fabric of the cloak, there was suddenly no more person there. Skidding to an unexpected stop, Magus quickly looked about for any sign of the stranger, his eyes wide with sudden surprise and disbelief. 'No one could move that fast… could they?' Magus wondered to himself.
"Magus," Came a shout from behind him. Magus turned to look and discovered the figure standing on the very edge of the island, just short of the cliff. "Magus,… the truth will set you free. That is all that I can tell you."
With that, the figure once again vanished, as if into thin air, leaving Magus standing there, stunned and unable to believe what he'd just seen.
"Ah, prophet. I was just about to call for you." Queen Zeal stated, sitting on her throne at the Ocean Palace. Dalton was standing on her immediate left, glaring at Magus warily out of his one unpatched eye. Queen Zeal quickly motioned for her attendants to leave, which they did promptly.
Magus, of course, was already planning out his escape, if necessary, but keeping his composure at it's usual, cold, demeanor. He had already been caught unprepared once today, and he now chastised himself silently for underestimating that strange gray-cloaked messenger. He was not about to let himself fall victim to a potential trap by Dalton or queen Zeal.
"What is it you wish, my queen?" Magus said, in a calm tone.
"Don't play dumb, prophet!" Dalton suddenly fumed. "I'd bet my right eye that-"
"Dalton, silence. I'll deal with your concerns, so control yourself." Queen Zeal stated with a chastising glance at Dalton. She then calmed her composure and turned her attention to Magus, but the look in her eye was still one of suspicious inquiry. "Prophet tell me, did you have any visions or see any omens that may have pointed to the fall of the Mountain of Woe?"
"No, my queen. Even I was caught unaware of this… unexpected turn of events."
"Very well. Be that as it may, can you use your prophetic gifting to perhaps identify the person responsible?" She inquired with one raised eyebrow.
"I am at your service, queen Zeal. I shall do what I can…" He said, then closed his eyes as if in meditation.
Queen Zeal wanted a scapegoat to blame this on, Magus could tell. Thinking quickly about all the possible angles, the image of a single person came to mind.
"… I see a stranger, neither Earthbound or Enlightened, wearing a long gray cloak which hides both form and face." He paused, suddenly coming up with a good excuse to go along with his story. "Yes,… and what's more is that a strange power radiates from this foreigner. I believe that, like myself, this person may have an ability to foresee, and is perhaps responsible for my not foreseeing the fall of the mountain. The figure has an energy that is strange and different; I cannot even be sure whether or not this person is human. What's more… is that I believe this person may have visited the floating islands recently, and may still be in the vicinity."
"… That is officially the most ridiculous story I've ever heard in my whole life!" Dalton exclaimed, then turned to queen Zeal. "My queen, isn't it obvious that he's just making it up to-"
"Not another word, Dalton." Queen Zeal stated sharply, then turned back to Magus. "Prophet, there is talk that you, in fact, were responsible for the fall of the mountain. Now, because of your past service to me, I'm inclined to believe you. However, I require proof of this person's existence to verify the truth of what you're saying. Otherwise, an investigation of your activities may become necessary."
"… My queen, it is unlikely that I will be able to locate this person."
"You'd best find a way, prophet. In the meanwhile, Dalton and his troops will be in charge of the search for Melanchoir, assuming of course that he survived the fall of the mountain. If at any time you have any information of Melanchoir's whereabouts, tell me immediately, prophet. You are dismissed."
"She's onto me, I'm sure of it." Magus stated, pacing slowly around Schala's room. He still had on his prophet's cloak, but the hood now hung limply over the back of his shoulders, revealing the emotionless yet distinctly concerned expression on his face. Schala was seated on her bed nearby, watching him in silence. Magus continued. "And even if she isn't, she's suspicious." He then looked squarely at Schala. "I cannot risk you becoming caught in all of this too, princess Schala. I fear I may soon have to officially make my exit from your mother's service."
"But I cannot just leave you to fight this alone." Schala stated. Then she added hopefully. "Maybe my mother isn't as suspicious as it seems. Or perhaps you can locate the stranger before she finds Melanchoir."
"She isn't going to find Melanchoir, I'm sure of that. He may be old, but Melanchoir still has powers far beyond the common fold of the Enlightened Ones, and he is craftier than he appears. If anyone can locate Belthazar and Gaspar while evading Dalton's forces, it's him." He paused. "As for the stranger… my chances of ever even seeing him again are slim." He looked away, deep in thought. "He moved so quickly that it's next to impossible for me to ever catch him. One minute he was right in front of me,… the next gone. I've never seen anything quite like it."
He then took a deep breath and turned to look at Schala.
"Princess, I want to apologize for forcing your actions against those travelers. There… are many things about me that you do not know, many things in my past that may seem unfathomable to you. Truly… maybe it's better for you to never know my past."
"What do you mean?" She inquired, perplexed but curious and concerned.
Magus looked at her for a moment, his expression giving away barely the slightest hint of the tender brotherly care he felt towards this, his sister whom he might never be able to return to being the brother of. An invisible sadness mingled with the compassion in his eyes for just a moment, and he turned away his gaze before he spoke again.
"If I were to tell you, it would forever shatter your ability to live out the rest of your life with an unshaken heart. Such knowledge as I possess is what nightmares are made from, and I would never wish that on you. Suffice to say that, very much like your younger brother Janus,… I hold a deep admiration and compassion for you,… like one who feels they have only one friend in the world." He quickly added. "Please do not try to make sense of that,… but simply know that Janus and I have many things in common. In case I never return, keep these words in your heart, and treasure your brother Janus with unmatched friendship, for my sake."
Schala's expression was one of awestruck astonishment, and a deep red blush quickly crept into her cheeks.
"I wish I could explain,… but suffice to know that those strangers I had you seal away were in fact time travelers,… as am I."
Hours later, Magus arrived at the cave with the sealed portal, discovering Melanchoir, Belthazar, and Gaspar to all be standing around waiting for him. The sealed Gate still sparkled with light within it's purple pyramid of energy, the seal that Schala had placed on it. The Gate and it's prison gave off just enough light to see by, and the three gurus were huddled around it like as if huddled around a campfire, trying to keep warm. The cave was in fact quite cold, but it was a welcome relief from the snowy winds outside. The temperature didn't matter to Magus, however, and as he entered the cave he threw off his prophet's cloak and addressed the gurus.
"I trust none of you were followed here?"
"Don't worry," Belthazar stated, shivering slightly from the cold. "We made certain to cover our tracks."
"You're the one Melanchoir told us about, correct?" Gaspar inquired.
"My name is Magus, and yes, I'm the one who freed Melanchoir from the Mountain of Woe. Anything you wish to know beyond that, I will not tell you unless necessary. Has Melanchoir told you my request?"
"They know about the Mammon Machine." Melanchoir assured.
"In order to determine Lavos's present condition," Gaspar stated. "We will need to access certain sub-functions of the Mammon Machine that we kept secret from queen Zeal. That is the only way to discern what, if anything, has happened to Lavos."
"Sub-functions? Such as?" Magus inquired.
"The machine's primary use is channeling energy from Lavos. We encrypted the machine with verbal command access in an ancient language, exemplified in Schala's so-called chanting." Melanchoir explained.
"We were the ones who taught Schala how to activate the machine, as well as how to control it's power intake levels. We kept this knowledge a secret from queen Zeal, however, because we believed only Schala had the purity of heart to use it properly." Belthazar added.
"But there are several passwords and commands to the device that Schala does not know." Gaspar stated. "With our knowledge of the Mammon Machine's functions, we can track Lavos's time-spatial energy signature from anywhere on earth, as well as ascertain why the Mammon Machine isn't able to absorb Lavos's power anymore."
"… But getting into the Ocean Palace isn't going to be easy, much less getting access to the Mammon Machine right under the queen's nose." Magus muttered to himself, thinking out loud.
Suddenly, laughter was heard nearby. Magus and the gurus spun to see Dalton and a large collection of soldiers standing outside the entrance to the cave. Magus could tell that Dalton had teleported his forces here unnoticed mere moments ago, a gentle glow of energy slowly fading from around the group's collective forms. Magus slowly reached for the Lunar Cry as Dalton thoroughly laughed up his momentary triumph.
"Well well! If it isn't the false prophet and the pesky gurus. My my, just wait until queen Zeal hears about this little midnight gathering."
"Dalton!" Melanchoir exclaimed. "How? How did you follow us?"
"It was easy! All I had to do was follow the princess here," He gloated, nodding to a pair of soldiers guarding a captive Schala, hands tied behind her back. "And now I've got all of you right where I want you. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, prophet."
"Let her go!" Magus challenged. "It's me you're after, so leave her out of this."
"What, you think I'm that dense?" He smirked smugly. "With the princess here, none of you would dare attack me. You've run out of options, losers, and my superior cunning and intellect have won out in the end. Now surrender yourselves, and I may decide to bestow mercy on you."
Magus gritted his teeth in frustration. He knew Dalton wouldn't dare hurt Schala himself, but if he decided to attack Dalton might use Schala as a human shield, forcing Magus and the gurus' hands. The only entrance to the cave was blocked by Dalton's army… except…
"Gaspar!" Magus quickly turned to the gurus. "Open the Time Gate! It's our only chance!"
"Hurry!" Schala shouted, trying to break free of her restraints.
"Don't move a muscle or the princess gets it!" Dalton threatened.
"You wouldn't dare, Dalton." Melanchoir challenged, then turned to Gaspar. "Quickly, my friend! It's our only option."
"I'm warning you…!" Dalton shouted.
"No, I'm warning you, Dalton." Magus stated as Gaspar neutralized the seal on the Gate, causing it to instantly open like a jack bursting out of it's box. Magus leveled the Lunar Cry at Dalton threateningly. "You will be punished for harming her, you coward. I'll make sure of it."
Before Dalton could even flinch a muscle, Magus stepped backwards, disappearing into the phasing blue warp, his body being transformed into energy as his being was sent spiraling through time…
The gurus weren't far behind, and with an unexpected flash of uncontrolled energy, the Gate closed behind them, leaving Dalton and his army of soldiers behind.