Ahh… I enjoyed this chapter. And I'm sure you readers enjoy the fact that the chapters are being written so fast! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too! It gets very emotional at the end.
Disclaimer: I've explained this WAY too many times… Sigh… I don't own CC or any of its characters. But, if you see any characters that you don't recognize, most likely they're mine. These characters include Ana, (the deceased) Bob, and anyone else that belong to me. I also own the story!
Chapter 22: Memories
Marle and Lucca ran through the main building of Chronopolis ignoring all security robots and traps. Those they couldn't ignore were blown apart by their strong magic. Now that they were free of Lynx's bondage, not to mention the anti-magic field that was focused on them, they could use their magic with ease.
An alarm pierced the air. Both Lucca and Marle cursed simultaneously. "Things just got harder, Marle! Keep an eye out!" Lucca yelled back at her as they ran. There was no need for that though for Marle had been thinking the exact same thing.
SPLASH! "Good one, Glenn!" Serge said as the wave crashed back down into the water rocking the boat slightly. All the men, with the exception of Janus, and Melchior, whom they had left at the End of Time, were showing off their magic skills.
"Watch this!" Serge said as his eyes turned an eerie brown. There was an immediate disturbance in the ocean water. At one place, ripples formed. Suddenly, a huge, jagged rock shot up out of the ocean, only ten feet away from the boat, making everybody on the boat wet from the sudden splash.
"And this!" Far away, the air began to rotate. It rotated faster and faster, until a mini-cyclone formed. Soon, the cyclone began sucking up water like a vacuum. In a matter of minutes, there was a small waterspout only a few hundred feet away. Serge wasn't done though…
"Oh great." Marle exclaimed as the doors on either side of the large room closed. Lucca looked back at her and smiled, "We can just bust out. It'll be okay." That's when a mechanical whir was heard from above…
The waterspout seemed to slow as if it was being hindered by something. Starting around it in the ocean and moving up to the highest point of the cyclone, the water turned to ice. Minutes later there a huge ice statue in the shape of the waterspout. It only took second for the base of it to shatter and the statue to crash into the ocean created a huge splash.
"Serge… That was amazing!" Kidd said in awe. Serge just smiled sheepishly.
CRASH! The large robot's fist crashed where Marle had just been standing seconds ago. The robot, a security measure made by Lynx, was humanoid in shape. It had four gigantic arms and two stubby legs. It could swivel its upper body around, so it had no use for the legs anyway. Its upper body, in addition to the arms, had four rapid-firing guns in the chest area, which had been destroyed early in the fight. The final part of the body was the head, which had one red 'eye' that went all around it, letting it see in all directions.
"Lucca! We got to get outta here! It's only going to be a little while until Lynx gets here!" Marle yelled at Lucca, who was on the other side of the monstrous robot. Although Marle could see it, Lucca smiled. "I agree, Marle. What do you say we use ol' Antipode?" Marle grinned, "Let's do it!"
"Come on. Tell me!" Harle demanded. Janus sighed, "Fine. Where did I leave off last time?" Harle thought about it for a moment, "Something about being taken in by Mystics."
When Lynx arrived, he was angered to find that his robot was more a puddle of molten steel than the great beast that it had once been. Lynx swore in anger. "Their magic is stronger than I thought. It rivals even mine." He saw the melted door on the other side of the room and smiled, "Their heading for the dock."
"The war was probably my most diabolical time. It's also the time I wish to forget the most." Lynx said. "I killed many soldiers in those years. I created the first demi-human during that time also. I remember it well…"
Although rain poured down, Janus climbed the rock wall with ease. Ozzie, on the other hand, had a little bit more trouble. "Get up here, fool!" Janus hissed. "When we reach the top of this mountain, we'll be able to see everything! From here we'll be able to see all the way to the bridge! We'll be able to see any and all enemy placements!"
Suddenly, Ozzie called out, "Lord Magus! We're being followed!" Janus walked over to him and looked down. Surely enough, two men, one of which Janus recognized as the Knight Captain, the other was just a boy, were scaling the mountain not too far behind Janus and Ozzie.
"The fool. He thinks he can come up here to stop us, does he? We'll see about that." Ozzie looked at him, "Will we bombard them with magic?" Janus smiled evilly, "No. Let them come. I want them to know who's the most powerful…"
KA-BOOM!!! The robot exploded with such ferocity that it sent Marle and Lucca sprawling. "You just had to make it mad, didn't you?" Marle asked sarcastically as they rose to their feet and began running toward the only dock in Chronopolis. "How was I supposed to know that it had a self-destruct sequence?" Lucca replied. Marle rolled her eyes, "I dunno. You're the smart one, remember?" Lucca was silent.
After a moment's hesitation, Janus continued with his story.
Janus and Ozzie waited for them near the top. The Knight Captain, known as Cyrus, reached them in mere minutes. Surprisingly, the boy was able to keep up also. "Magus! This is your final hour! Today one of us will die, and it won't be me!" Cyrus said furiously when he saw the two. Janus said nothing.
The fight began soon after. Cyrus took the first charge. Janus, who decided to toy with him a little while before destroying him, brought out a sword he had hidden in the folds of his cloak. He hadn't brought his scythe.
CLANG! The swords met with unbridled ferocity. Janus found it hard to hold his ground in the mud created by the pouring rain. He wouldn't go letting Cyrus see that though.
It only took minutes for Janus to realize that, although Janus had learned how to swordfight from the best Mystics, Cyrus had much more skill and speed than Janus ever had.
CLANG! The swords, once again, met with a clash, and, this time, Janus made the mistake of loosening his hand at the sharp pain that shot up his arm when the swords met. His sword flew out of his hands and off the mountain completely.
Cyrus put the sword at Janus' throat. "I would have thought more to you, Magus, the one who has the blood of hundreds on his hands." Janus sneered, "That's the blood of thousands. Let me show you why." Lightning exploded from his hands and connected with Cyrus' highly conductive metal armor. Cyrus died long before he landed on the soft mud of the mountain.
The boy, one who was, at the time, called Glenn, ran to Cyrus' side. It only took a few moments before he realized that the great Knight Captain, Cyrus, was gone.
Janus watched as the boy reached for Cyrus' sword and stood to face him.
The boy was brave. Maybe even as brave Cyrus once was. But the bravery was short-lasted, because as soon as Janus sneered, with his sharpened teeth gleaming with saliva, all the courage and anger that the boy had worked up melted away like snow in summer. It was replaced with utter and total terror.
Janus took a step closer to the boy. The boy held his ground, not because of valor, but just because he was too terrified to move.
Finally, all that stood in between the boy and Janus a single toad. Janus looked at the frog in amusement. It didn't have the slightest clue about what was going to happen to it. An idea formed in Janus' head. 'Neither does the boy' He thought with a smirk.
Lucca ran into the room that held the dock. Marle was right on her tail. There was a single boat tied to the dock. In front of it stood a dark figure. It didn't take long for the two women to figure out who the figure was. "Lynx…"
Strange colored lightning bolts shot out from Janus' hands. Instead of the normal white color, they were a deep blue. They struck the boy and he flew off the mountain to land on a ledge far below. If he had managed to live the fall, he would wake up to a big surprise…
"It was an honorable attempt, my dear ladies. But I'm afraid I have to cut it short. I can't have you escaping. Not when I need you the most." Lynx said while walking toward the stunned women. His walk was cut short as a wall of flame exploded upward from the ground. The edges of the wall of fire moved to meet each other, forming a smoldering circle of death around Lynx.
"Go, Marle! Get the boat ready! I can't hold him here forever!" Lucca yelled. Marle nodded and ran to the lone boat. Lucca returned her attention to her fire. She smiled, "Let's turn up the heat some, shall we?" The boundary of the circle of fire moved inward, inching closer and closer to the trapped Lynx inside…
"Glenn, forever known from then as Frog, was the very first demi-human." Janus said with a tint of sadness in his voice. "As the war progressed, I began experimentation with humans. I said it was for the good of the Mystics, but it wasn't that. I was just mad. Mad at the world…" Janus paused. "I created the demi-human race. It started with Glenn and was continued on by nearly all prisoners that I received in that war…"
Harle was silent. How could this Magus be the Janus that she had grown to like and maybe even love? How could her Janus be that cruel? It's no better than burning down an orphanage… She thought grimly. Finally, she smiled, "It's all in the past, Janus. You are no longer that man. Just like I am no longer the Harle that followed Lynx everywhere, you are no longer Magus."
The flames grew even brighter and hotter when the ring closed. Lucca didn't see any sign of Lynx and she knew that the flames were easily hot enough to incinerate any living creature. But even with this in mind, she knew that something was wrong. There was no way that Lynx was dead yet. Her suspicions were proven right seconds later…
WHAM! Lynx brought his hands down on Lucca with such force that she went sprawling. "That was a nice trick you made there. I never even suspected a thing." Lucca spun around onto her back to glare at Lynx.
Once again a wall of fire sprang up in front of Lynx. Lucca used this time to look back at Marle who was standing the boat. Marle got the hint and she began concentrating…
Lynx smirked and easily dispelled the wall of fire in front of him. That wouldn't fool him twice. No, he was going to get caught by something else…
The block of ice flew through the air with amazing speed. It was easily three times Lynx's size, and it probably weighed more than ten times his weight. Lynx didn't even see it coming until it was too late.
The ice smashed into Lynx and carried him all the way into the metal wall thirty feet behind him. The ice was moving with such velocity that it imbedded itself, along with Lynx, deep into the wall. Although it didn't kill him as Marle had hoped, it had knocked him unconscious and that was enough for the two women…
"So, shortly after the incident in Zeal, I joined up with Crono and the rest of them and, ultimately, saved the world. Then, we all went back to our own times. But for some unknown reason, when I stepped into the time portal, I was transported, not to 12,000 B.C., but to just a few years back from now." Harle nodded, "I see… And from there you searched for Kidd until you found her?" Janus nodded, "More or less." Harle smiled, "You see! That wasn't so hard!" Janus rolled his eyes and turned to watch the ocean.
"Serge, mate." Kidd said. Serge turned to look at her, "Yeah?"
"Do you think we could rest at Marbule tonight? I could use a good night's sleep in a bed before going up against Lynx." Serge thought about it for a moment, "Yeah. That'd be kinda nice." He turned to the rest of the people on the boat, "Guys. We're gonna be stopping at Marbule tonight. We're gonna get a good night's sleep before tomorrow." Most of the people on the boat cheered in some way or form. In fact, this made everybody, but Harle and Janus, happy. Harle and Janus were silent.
"Look!" Marle yelled over the sound of the loud engine. "A city!" She pointed at a large island that was just barely on the horizon.
"Okay. Here you go." Serge said as he handed the bug-like demi-human the money needed for the rooms. Serge turned to his group, "You guys go ahead. I'm going to take a walk." Kidd looked at him, "I'll come with you." Serge nodded and the two walked out of the inn.
Serge and Kidd walked on the shoreline in complete silence, watching the sunset, for many minutes. Finally, Kidd broke the silence, "This is it, mate. Tomorrow, we go up against Lynx. Tomorrow's… the day… Serge?" Kidd noticed that Serge was preoccupied by something. "Serge? What is it?" Serge pointed at a beached boat.
It wasn't a type of boat that Serge was familiar with. The markings on the boat were…
"Kidd…" Serge said quietly. Kidd looked back at him and gasped. Serge looked like he had just seen a ghost. "Kidd, do you recognize… the markings on that boat?" Kidd looked closely at the boat and gasped. Her face turned pale. "That's… that's Chronopolis markings…" She said, her voice quivering.
When Serge and Kidd got close enough, they peered inside the boat. Two people, the looked like women, laid facedown in the boat. Kidd and Serge only hesitated a moment before running the rest of the way to the boat and pulling the women out. Serge could easily hear the heavy breathing of both of them. "They're okay. Just asleep. Let's take them back to the inn." Kidd nodded and each of them cradled one of them women in their arms and they trudged back to the inn. In the darkness of night, they couldn't see the faces that belonged to the strangers…
Each of the candles in the room that Serge and Kidd had brought the women to exploded to life when they entered the room. They decided to bring the women to the girl's room because, well, the strangers were both women, not to mention, the girls had an available bed.
Serge and Kidd laid the women on one bed and pulled away. Their faces were still in shadow because of the dimness of the candles.
Ana groaned, "What's goin' on?" She asked while she rose from her bed. "We're about to find out…" Serge said, never tearing his eyes from the two women. Even in the darkness, the one that he had been carrying looked very familiar.
Serge concentrated for a moment and a fireball appeared, floating, a few feet above the bed. There was complete silence for many moments as the faces of the women were processed in the heads of Serge, Kidd, and Ana. It was Ana who finally broke the silence, "Mom?!"
Kidd was the next to speak, "S—sis?" She said hesitantly. Serge looked to Kidd and to Ana. Both of them were completely astonished at the two women lying in the bed.
Serge ran to get the others. When he arrived at the men's room, a large fireball exploded in the middle of it, jarring everyone from his sleep. "Get up! Hurry!" The men exclaimed their anger at being awakened so rudely, but Serge was already gone…
When Serge got back to the women's room, he found Kidd and Ana still in the same place as when he had left. Only this time, tears streamed down each of their faces. The only other difference was that Harle stood behind them peering over their shoulders at the two women on the bed. She, too, was astonished at their findings.
The rest of them men entered the room seconds later. Out of all of them, Janus was the only one who recognized the two women. He chuckled, "It figures. Two people, long thought dead, alive before us." His voice jarred Kidd from her surprise and she whirled to face Harle.
Kidd shook with anger as she stared Harle down. "You…" She said trying to gain her voice. "You… You didn't tell me?!" She suddenly exploded with anger. "She was alive and you left me in the dark about it?!" Anybody could see that Harle was terrified of Kidd at this point. Kidd brought her hand back to slap Harle, but her hand was stopped, last second, by Janus. "Let her explain." He said calmly.
Harle relaxed slightly, but her voice gave away the fear that she still felt, "Lynx… Lynx didn't always tell me everything. I had no idea that they were alive. Lynx told me that he had killed them long ago." She said meekly. Kidd didn't buy it, "You liar!" Kidd lunged at Harle, but, once again, Janus' hand stopped her. "Stop. She's telling the truth."
Kidd spun around to face Janus. "How would you know?" She snarled. Janus smiled, "If she knew that they were alive, she would have told me." He said simply.
Kidd wrenched away from Janus' grasp and turned back to the bed-ridden women. "Fine." She hissed. Serge moved to comfort her, but all he received was a snarl. "Leave me alone." She said quietly right before she stormed out of the room.
Serge started walking out of after her, but he was stopped by the commanding voice of Janus. "Stop. She needs to be alone." Serge looked back at Janus. The pain in his eyes was easily, visible even in shadows of the room. Finally, he shook his head and ran out the door in search for Kidd…
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (I'm cackling like a madman) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm evil!!! HAHAHA… HA… Ha… Ha… Okay, I'm done. Ahh… I love cliffhangers, don't you…? No, probably not… Oh well. Too bad! Anyway, how'd you like it? Good? Bad? Ugly? Tell me!!! I want my reviews!!! Ahem. R&R!
Will Serge find Kidd?
Will Marle and Lucca wake up?
Will Ben ever stop trying to extend the story and finish it?!
Find out next week (not really) on… (Drum roll)… Radical Dreamer!
--Ben