Chapter Eight:
Grand Designs
As Clest peered through the haze of unconsciousness, he could not help but wonder if Chaos and his minions had a particular reason for not making contact in person. However, the young mercenary could feel that the dream in which he floated was different that any other, and kept his thoughts to himself.
"Clest..."
The thoroughly annoyed Clest could not help but find that disembodied voices had become a bit cliché since his time-spanning expedition began. Regardless, he listened intently as if being mentally willed to do so by the bearer of the voice.
"Clest...you are my vessel..."
"Chaos?" Clest muttered.
"No, fool. Chaos is far more imposing than I; his voice would break your fragile human spirit. I am he who will fill you, he who will make you complete."
Clest was not amused. "Sorry, I'm not gay," he said sarcastically. "Can I wake up now? I'm in the middle of a battlefield."
"Silence!" yelled the voice. "Do you honestly believe that I would allow you to be left upon a field of batle? No, you are in the possession of the young magically-gifted woman at the moment."
"Did you do something to Relm?" Clest asked urgently. He would never forgive himself if he had allowed anything to happen to her.
"No. You are quite safe, in fact, and will remain that way until our agent within the castle makes his presence known. He has come for you, and he will bring you to me. I expect no resistance."
"You said you would...complete me," Clest said whimsically.
"Yes...you see, you are but a tool of Chaos, specifically bred for the moment in which your body and my soul become one. It is our dark lord who caused you to be the way you are, as his grand designs led to your birth."
"I'm the vessel and you're the contents."
"Good! You finally understand. Of course, it will be my mind that becomes dominant when our union occurs. Though you will still exist, your conscious mind will be pushed aside as I gain control of your body. Only then will we be able to find the Fire Crystal."
"No!" Clest cried, but it seemed as if the disembodied voice could not hear his exclamation. As was customary, the darkness seemed to close in on all sides of him...
* * * * *
Terra approached the door of Figaro Castle's throne room cautiously as Relm laid Clest's inert form gently upon the elaborate red carpet of the castle's main hall. "He should be fine," Terra instructed, promptly kicking the doors of the throne room open with enough force to crush any unfortunate being who happened to be close behind them.
Fortunately for the "unfortunate being," the tall, robed figure sat safely in the throne of the king of Figaro. He was, however, quite surprised that the woman had been able to find him. "None saw me enter," he said cautiously.
Terra found that she could not explain herself. "I...I don't know how I found you," she said, "But it matters little now. If you're here for the Water Crystal, we don't have it."
The robed man laughed darkly as he stood from the throne. "You do not understand, woman. I am not here for the Water Crystal; in fact, none of us are. Our attack on the castle was merely a diversion. I am here for the vessel."
"The what?"
"The boy!" exclaimed the robed one. "The boy from the future!"
Terra shook her head slowly. As she had known without a doubt that an intruder had infiltrated the throne room, so was she convinced that Clest must be protected. "I...cannot let you have him."
The robed one simply nodded. "Very well then. You will die."
Terra wasted no time in drawing forth her long-time weapon of choice, the mysterious Atma Weapon. To the intruder, the weapon appeared to be a simple dagger with a narrow blade and a large hilt; however, when Terra brandished the weapon with all intents to destroy her opponent, a long, blue blade of energy sprung forth to encase the dagger blade, thus lengthening the weapon by nearly four feet. At the sight of the weapon, the intruder's eyes widened, for he could then identify it.
"How did you...but...the Atma Weapon?" the robed one stammered. "How did it fall into mortal hands? Impossible! I shall reclaim it!" Without further discussion, the intruder discarded his robes, revealing a well-built, winged figure clad in black leather armor and wielding a long katana. "I, Aelkam, shall claim the Atma Weapon in the name of Chaos!"
Terra was hardly amused at this display, and was prepared when Aelkam launched his first strike. However, she was completely unprepared for the second and third strikes, which followed the first by mere fractions of a second. Stumbling back in surprise and grasping her slashed left side, the Atma-wielding woman began to chant the incantation of a minor cure spell out of habit, only to be reminded that magic had fled the world alongside the espers. She recoiled as Aelkam struck once more, barely able to fend off the attack before falling backward.
"You have but sampled the power of Murasame," Aelkam taunted wickedly, holding his sword aloft. "Would you like a demonstration of its full power, or have you had enough?"
Terra did not answer. Rather, she charged forth despite her wounds, swinging the Atma Weapon in a wide arc at her opponent's head. Though undeniably fierce, the attack was easily deflected by the blade of the Murasame, which promptly plunged into the hapless woman's chest, shattering any resistance it met while fully impaling her. Aelkam dropped the near-lifeless body upon the ruined red carpet of the throne room and stepped back purposefully. Without any delay, the minion of Chaos extended his hands and muttered several syllables, causing a massive blast of fire to engulf the body of his enemy. Satisfied, he crossed his arms and awaited the clearing of the smoke caused by the blast.
What Aelkam saw as the smoke dissipated did not please him.
Amazingly, where Terra's broken body had once lain, there stood a twenty-foot-tall, gray-skinned, muscular figure clad in little more than a long, ragged cloth about his waist. His eyes glowed fiercely, and his blue hair hung down to the small of his back as if it were a chaotic flame sprouting from his head. However, perhaps the most miraculous aspect of the scene was the fact that the man held Terra's fully healed and unscathed body in his arms, the gentleness of the scene contradicting the overall appearance of the newcomer.
Aelkam's eyes narrowed. "Maduin," he said simply. "I had hoped the Lifestream had devoured you and your kin."
"You know we are beyond such things," answered the Esper in a booming, commanding voice. "No longer are we bound to objects; magicite and materia means little to us now. For you see, winged one, now we are guardians, and not even your kind could hope to harm those who we choose to guard."
"You are far outnumbered. Besides, we have Chaos on our side." Aelkam crossed his arms as if he had become annoyed with the conversation. In all actuality, he was listening quite intently to the Esper.
"You have Chaos, you say? Would it not be more true to state that Chaos has you?"
Aelkam clenched his teeth, for he could not argue the point that Maduin had mentioned. Such matters filled his mind every waking hour of every day, for he knew the time for the downfall of Chaos would come. However, before he could respond, Maduin had disappeared, and in his place stood a fully rejuvenated Terra.
"F...father...?" stammered the half-esper. "My magic..."
"It cannot help you!" Aelkam cried. He charged forth in a blind fury, his anger further ignited by the thought of his servitude under Chaos. Before the winged being even reached his target, however, Terra had closed her eyes and focused upon the long-buried half of herself that she had been forced to come to terms with years before. In doing so, her esper heritage was unleashed; rather than a mere woman, Terra had become a being of glowing pink energy. At this sudden increase in the power of its user, the Atma Weapon's blade bloomed forth another several inches and began to glow a fierce white.
"Let us end this!" Terra cried, her very voice suffused with power. She flew forward to meet Aelkam head-on and brought the Atma Weapon up as she came into contact with the intruder, thus causing Aelkam's weapon to fly from his hands as he parried. In less than a second, the hapless winged man found himself impaled upon a blade of energy. Soon after, Terra's body became mortal once again, and she dropped to the floor in exhaustion.
"Half-Esper...it seems..."
Terra's head shot up in surprise, her eyes confirming the voice to belong to Aelkam.
"You are not the only one with power," he said, clutching the hole in his chest. "There are others like you. But hear my words: my people will become stronger! You shall fall under our reign of darkness! But for now...your sights had best turn toward the town you call Thamasa...it will be our next target. Do me a favor and kill the one in charge of devastating the village." Without another word, the winged man and his weapon faded into a dark nothingness.
Terra could do little other than shake her head in confusion and mutter helplessly. "Relm..."
* * * * *
"Oh, for the love of all things sacred. This is the most complicated situation I've seen in many a long generation. Complicated, and a bit ridiculous."
The setting was simple: a polished, round wooden table surrounded by chairs set in the center of a small wooden room. However, the occupants of said setting were not quite as simple. they appeared in all regards to be the complete opposites of the race of winged beings in the service of Chaos; their wings were feathered and angelic, their skin was pale, and they wore elaborate white robes. Each was male, clean shaven, and appeared to be middle-aged; the only difference in appearance between the man who spoke and the two who listened was the blue sash draped about the speaker's body.
One of the listeners leaned back in his chair. "You must admit, it is tales like this that make the job of world monitor worthwhile, even if we do get ordered around by the Goddesses a bit too often."
The first speaker, however, seemed not to register what his subordinate had said. "Consider this: a couple of boys are rocketed through time, one of which just so happens to be critical in the plans of the dark god who caused the time rift. After that, the tale of young Clest plummets into a spiral of confusion; Chaos invades a couple of time periods, our evil counterparts come into play, several groups of people who have yet to have any significance in the outcome of the situation have appeared...this legend in the making is madness."
"Maybe so," said the third man, who had been silent thus far, "But important events are unfolding as we speak. You must be silent and listen to the Planet and its time-spanning tale, lest you miss anything crucial to our cause."
The apparent leader nodded. "Back to work."
Grand Designs
As Clest peered through the haze of unconsciousness, he could not help but wonder if Chaos and his minions had a particular reason for not making contact in person. However, the young mercenary could feel that the dream in which he floated was different that any other, and kept his thoughts to himself.
"Clest..."
The thoroughly annoyed Clest could not help but find that disembodied voices had become a bit cliché since his time-spanning expedition began. Regardless, he listened intently as if being mentally willed to do so by the bearer of the voice.
"Clest...you are my vessel..."
"Chaos?" Clest muttered.
"No, fool. Chaos is far more imposing than I; his voice would break your fragile human spirit. I am he who will fill you, he who will make you complete."
Clest was not amused. "Sorry, I'm not gay," he said sarcastically. "Can I wake up now? I'm in the middle of a battlefield."
"Silence!" yelled the voice. "Do you honestly believe that I would allow you to be left upon a field of batle? No, you are in the possession of the young magically-gifted woman at the moment."
"Did you do something to Relm?" Clest asked urgently. He would never forgive himself if he had allowed anything to happen to her.
"No. You are quite safe, in fact, and will remain that way until our agent within the castle makes his presence known. He has come for you, and he will bring you to me. I expect no resistance."
"You said you would...complete me," Clest said whimsically.
"Yes...you see, you are but a tool of Chaos, specifically bred for the moment in which your body and my soul become one. It is our dark lord who caused you to be the way you are, as his grand designs led to your birth."
"I'm the vessel and you're the contents."
"Good! You finally understand. Of course, it will be my mind that becomes dominant when our union occurs. Though you will still exist, your conscious mind will be pushed aside as I gain control of your body. Only then will we be able to find the Fire Crystal."
"No!" Clest cried, but it seemed as if the disembodied voice could not hear his exclamation. As was customary, the darkness seemed to close in on all sides of him...
* * * * *
Terra approached the door of Figaro Castle's throne room cautiously as Relm laid Clest's inert form gently upon the elaborate red carpet of the castle's main hall. "He should be fine," Terra instructed, promptly kicking the doors of the throne room open with enough force to crush any unfortunate being who happened to be close behind them.
Fortunately for the "unfortunate being," the tall, robed figure sat safely in the throne of the king of Figaro. He was, however, quite surprised that the woman had been able to find him. "None saw me enter," he said cautiously.
Terra found that she could not explain herself. "I...I don't know how I found you," she said, "But it matters little now. If you're here for the Water Crystal, we don't have it."
The robed man laughed darkly as he stood from the throne. "You do not understand, woman. I am not here for the Water Crystal; in fact, none of us are. Our attack on the castle was merely a diversion. I am here for the vessel."
"The what?"
"The boy!" exclaimed the robed one. "The boy from the future!"
Terra shook her head slowly. As she had known without a doubt that an intruder had infiltrated the throne room, so was she convinced that Clest must be protected. "I...cannot let you have him."
The robed one simply nodded. "Very well then. You will die."
Terra wasted no time in drawing forth her long-time weapon of choice, the mysterious Atma Weapon. To the intruder, the weapon appeared to be a simple dagger with a narrow blade and a large hilt; however, when Terra brandished the weapon with all intents to destroy her opponent, a long, blue blade of energy sprung forth to encase the dagger blade, thus lengthening the weapon by nearly four feet. At the sight of the weapon, the intruder's eyes widened, for he could then identify it.
"How did you...but...the Atma Weapon?" the robed one stammered. "How did it fall into mortal hands? Impossible! I shall reclaim it!" Without further discussion, the intruder discarded his robes, revealing a well-built, winged figure clad in black leather armor and wielding a long katana. "I, Aelkam, shall claim the Atma Weapon in the name of Chaos!"
Terra was hardly amused at this display, and was prepared when Aelkam launched his first strike. However, she was completely unprepared for the second and third strikes, which followed the first by mere fractions of a second. Stumbling back in surprise and grasping her slashed left side, the Atma-wielding woman began to chant the incantation of a minor cure spell out of habit, only to be reminded that magic had fled the world alongside the espers. She recoiled as Aelkam struck once more, barely able to fend off the attack before falling backward.
"You have but sampled the power of Murasame," Aelkam taunted wickedly, holding his sword aloft. "Would you like a demonstration of its full power, or have you had enough?"
Terra did not answer. Rather, she charged forth despite her wounds, swinging the Atma Weapon in a wide arc at her opponent's head. Though undeniably fierce, the attack was easily deflected by the blade of the Murasame, which promptly plunged into the hapless woman's chest, shattering any resistance it met while fully impaling her. Aelkam dropped the near-lifeless body upon the ruined red carpet of the throne room and stepped back purposefully. Without any delay, the minion of Chaos extended his hands and muttered several syllables, causing a massive blast of fire to engulf the body of his enemy. Satisfied, he crossed his arms and awaited the clearing of the smoke caused by the blast.
What Aelkam saw as the smoke dissipated did not please him.
Amazingly, where Terra's broken body had once lain, there stood a twenty-foot-tall, gray-skinned, muscular figure clad in little more than a long, ragged cloth about his waist. His eyes glowed fiercely, and his blue hair hung down to the small of his back as if it were a chaotic flame sprouting from his head. However, perhaps the most miraculous aspect of the scene was the fact that the man held Terra's fully healed and unscathed body in his arms, the gentleness of the scene contradicting the overall appearance of the newcomer.
Aelkam's eyes narrowed. "Maduin," he said simply. "I had hoped the Lifestream had devoured you and your kin."
"You know we are beyond such things," answered the Esper in a booming, commanding voice. "No longer are we bound to objects; magicite and materia means little to us now. For you see, winged one, now we are guardians, and not even your kind could hope to harm those who we choose to guard."
"You are far outnumbered. Besides, we have Chaos on our side." Aelkam crossed his arms as if he had become annoyed with the conversation. In all actuality, he was listening quite intently to the Esper.
"You have Chaos, you say? Would it not be more true to state that Chaos has you?"
Aelkam clenched his teeth, for he could not argue the point that Maduin had mentioned. Such matters filled his mind every waking hour of every day, for he knew the time for the downfall of Chaos would come. However, before he could respond, Maduin had disappeared, and in his place stood a fully rejuvenated Terra.
"F...father...?" stammered the half-esper. "My magic..."
"It cannot help you!" Aelkam cried. He charged forth in a blind fury, his anger further ignited by the thought of his servitude under Chaos. Before the winged being even reached his target, however, Terra had closed her eyes and focused upon the long-buried half of herself that she had been forced to come to terms with years before. In doing so, her esper heritage was unleashed; rather than a mere woman, Terra had become a being of glowing pink energy. At this sudden increase in the power of its user, the Atma Weapon's blade bloomed forth another several inches and began to glow a fierce white.
"Let us end this!" Terra cried, her very voice suffused with power. She flew forward to meet Aelkam head-on and brought the Atma Weapon up as she came into contact with the intruder, thus causing Aelkam's weapon to fly from his hands as he parried. In less than a second, the hapless winged man found himself impaled upon a blade of energy. Soon after, Terra's body became mortal once again, and she dropped to the floor in exhaustion.
"Half-Esper...it seems..."
Terra's head shot up in surprise, her eyes confirming the voice to belong to Aelkam.
"You are not the only one with power," he said, clutching the hole in his chest. "There are others like you. But hear my words: my people will become stronger! You shall fall under our reign of darkness! But for now...your sights had best turn toward the town you call Thamasa...it will be our next target. Do me a favor and kill the one in charge of devastating the village." Without another word, the winged man and his weapon faded into a dark nothingness.
Terra could do little other than shake her head in confusion and mutter helplessly. "Relm..."
* * * * *
"Oh, for the love of all things sacred. This is the most complicated situation I've seen in many a long generation. Complicated, and a bit ridiculous."
The setting was simple: a polished, round wooden table surrounded by chairs set in the center of a small wooden room. However, the occupants of said setting were not quite as simple. they appeared in all regards to be the complete opposites of the race of winged beings in the service of Chaos; their wings were feathered and angelic, their skin was pale, and they wore elaborate white robes. Each was male, clean shaven, and appeared to be middle-aged; the only difference in appearance between the man who spoke and the two who listened was the blue sash draped about the speaker's body.
One of the listeners leaned back in his chair. "You must admit, it is tales like this that make the job of world monitor worthwhile, even if we do get ordered around by the Goddesses a bit too often."
The first speaker, however, seemed not to register what his subordinate had said. "Consider this: a couple of boys are rocketed through time, one of which just so happens to be critical in the plans of the dark god who caused the time rift. After that, the tale of young Clest plummets into a spiral of confusion; Chaos invades a couple of time periods, our evil counterparts come into play, several groups of people who have yet to have any significance in the outcome of the situation have appeared...this legend in the making is madness."
"Maybe so," said the third man, who had been silent thus far, "But important events are unfolding as we speak. You must be silent and listen to the Planet and its time-spanning tale, lest you miss anything crucial to our cause."
The apparent leader nodded. "Back to work."