Threads of Fate 2
Search for Eternity
Disclaimer: Threads of Fate is owned by Squaresoft.
Well, I finally decided to put this story up on the net. I wanted to write what people might want to think as a possible sequel to ToF. I liked playing as Mint the most (her magic just lessened the hassle), but the fight between Rue and Doll Master was touching. So, I decided to use the base of Mint's story, but change the ending so that Rue was equally shown (I didn't like how Mint was shown in Rue's game). So, the first chapter is my rewrite of the ending. BTW, this will be Mint/Rue, but there will only be bits and pieces (sorry, no Rue and Mint making out scenes. ^_~).
~* A Hard Choice *~
"Yes! I finally found it!!!" Mint cried while dancing in her spot. Before the circular catwalk she was standing on was a fountain, water dribbling down the sides. On top of it, floating in mid air, were three prism triangles with rings rotating around them. The Dewprism.
"It's mine! It's mine it's mine it's mine!!! Finally! World domination time!!" As she took a step forward toward her prize, a voice echoed in the room.
"Stay back."
"?!" Mint looked around to see who the person was. In front of the Dewprism, a man in pastel robes appeared. He looked down on her with high role and dignity.
". . . Who are you?" Mint questioned.
"You enter my fortress and ask me my name?"
"!!! You're Valen!"
"Silence!" Valen ordered. "You are not worthy to speak my name. The Dewprism is mine and no other's. With it, I shall create a world of purity, and I will be a god!"
"Wait," Mint said. "What will happen to the old world?"
"This world has become corrupted. I will destroy it."
"I don't think so!"
"?"
"You're not going to destroy my world!"
"Your world?" Valen asked.
"Yes, my world!" Mint shot back. "It'll be my world to conquer some day with the [relic]!!!"
"You are fool. I won't allow it."
"Yeah?" Mint ran forward and started to jump kick him. "EAT THIS!" But she never stopped until she hit the ground after going right through him.
"What the heck!?"
"My body is no more. Only my spirit remains. There is only one problem…" He turned toward he Dewprism. "I can't use the Dewprism without a body…"
"Then there's no need for you to have it!" Mint replied brightly. "All the more reason to give it to me!"
"There's no need. I will find another body to control." With that, he backed up over Rue, then disappeared.
"Well, I guess he's gone. Time to get the Dewprism /7!" She turned back toward the [relic], but a figure was floating in front of her.
"Rue!?" His eyes remained closed.
"This doll will be the vessel for my soul." He opened his eyes. "At last, resurrect ion!"
"HEY!!" Mint slashed at the air with her rings. "Get outta Rue!!!"
"Why should I?" Valen responded calmly. "This is his duty. It was his responsibility to bring me a body."
(He should be thanking me. I had to drag him here.) Mint thought.
"I don't care about your crap! Get outta my way!"
"The Dewprism is mine and only mine. You shall not have it."
"It won't be yours for long! Now, MOVE!!!"
"You're vile nature must be cleansed," remarked the Aeon. "I shall cleanse it." He backed up, and his white orb appeared in front of him. "Morning Dew, become the light of protection!" As a blue shield surrounded him, he turned to the catwalk a little ways from Mint. "Evening Dew, become the light of purification." With that, his black orb transformed into the oddest, but definitely not the friendliest monster she had ever seen.
"Now, I will purify you corrupted soul. Enjoy it while it lasts." With that, he floated away, and the Evening Dew stomped toward her.
(This won't be too hard. I'll just take out the Dew and then go for Rue.) With that, she attacked the Dew relentlessly with her rings. Annoyed, it swiped her away. As Mint started to get up, the monster curled into a ball on circled the catwalk, forcing Mint to jump each time it passed. When it stopped, Mint fired her white magic at it, and finally it disappeared. She then ran after Rue and preceded to jump-kick him.
(This is too easy.) But she spoke too soon, as when she turned, the Evening Dew was standing over her. Before she could react, it slapped her hard, causing her to go flying. Then it prepared its magical attack. At this point, Mint was annoyed to hell in back. Before the monster could finish, she ran up and attacked it over and over again with all her magic, until once again it disappeared. Knowing she only had minutes, she ran after Rue and continued to attack him until finally he dropped to the ground, the shield gone.
"The Morning Dew, destroyed? How can this be?" Mint twirled in her spot.
"Yes! I won, now it's time to give me the Dewprism. Come on, gimme gimme!"
"No," he said standing up. "The Morning Dew may be gone, but I am still more powerful than you. I will crush you with my bare hands!!!" But as he stepped forward he fell to the ground in pain. A moment later, Valen reappeared, and Rue collapsed to the ground.
"What!? This doll defies my wishes?" He floated toward him, but an invisible barrier kept he from going on.
"Another spirit lurks within?" A girl with brown hair appeared, floating in front of Rue, smiling peacefully. No sooner had she appeared, she was gone.
"So, I cannot use this one as a proper vessel," Valen remarked, touching the barrier. "No matter. A human will suit me better. Especially one with your magical capabilities, even if they are limited." He readied his magic, and took aim at the princess. "Farewell. I will make sure I put good use to your body." And fired.
"NO!" Mint yelled, throwing her arms out in protection. The pain never came however. When she opened her eyes, she was shocked to see that her savior was Maya holding the Book of Cosmos.
"You owe me dear sister," Maya simply said.
"Maya? What are you doing here?"
"To stop you of course. You are a threat to the existence of the world. However, so is Valen. So I retrieved the Book and came to stop both of you.
"Interesting… However, you realize that the Book is useless to my Dewprism," Valen stated.
"True, the Book couldn't even dent the power of it. But you lack a body, so how will you use it?"
"Simple. When light passes through a prism, it bends to form new light. I will dispose of this essence to become light, and shall pass through it and become one with the Dewprism to form a new body." With that, he transformed into a ball of light and disappeared into the [relic].
"Wait, Valen's going to become one with the Dewprism? What does that mean?" asked Mint.
"It means that Valen is going to regain his body!" Maya stated. "This isn't good…" Suddenly, the Dewprism began to erupt with energy, colors flashing in the empty room.
"What's going on!?" Mint shouted.
"The Dewprism! I think it's too much for Valen!"
" . . .Maya, give me the Book of Cosmos!"
"What? Why?"
"I'm going to use its power to try to take down Valen!"
"Alright! Here goes." Maya concentrated on the Book, and Mint felt a newfound power rush through body.
"Alright Valen! With my power…" Mint started, the turned to Maya. "Our power."
"Our joint power," Maya added.
"WE WILL DEFEAT YOU!"
"WE WILL KICK YOUR [EXPLETIVE]!"
The next thing Mint noticed was that she was alone on an island in the middle of a pastel land. The new form of Valen appeared in the air, then transformed into a flying bug/bird looking thing. As it flew after her, Mint decided she didn't want to be captured. She ran until it blasted her with magic, then proceeded to pick her up and throw her in the air. As she rose, it transformed into a crawling form. She ran as it tried to pounce on her over and over. Then, it became what she first saw, another flying creature, flying high in the air. It stopped and prepared to fire. Giving Mint an idea, she casted her new Cosmos magic, combined with Prima's gold magic. It protected her from the attack, and she let it go. Valen screamed in pain, then transformed into the crawling form. He only pounced once, then became what looked like a ball in the middle of the island. It sucked the air toward itself, firing off magic vulcan shots. She got hit, and it grabbed her, continually slashing. It returned to its flying mode, and Mint followed with the same attack as before. He became the low-flying insect looking thing, but this time Mint was ready. She ran in a tight circle to avoid the shots. At last, Valen returned to the only form she could hit. She casted the spell one last time, and Valen lost control of his power.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" he screamed. "HOW CAN THIS BE?!?!"
"Yes!" Mint twirled around. "I win!!!"
She reappeared in the room with the fountain. There was the Dewprism again. She twirled around again in happiness.
"Finally, the time has come /7!!!"
"Not for you, dear sister," Maya said, hitting her with a spell ("Ugh!" cried Mint). Mint got up and stomped.
"Don't even start Maya! I just defeated the 'greatest' Aeon in the world!" She shot her strongest white magic attack she had. Maya screamed slightly and hit the ground.
"Mwa ha ha ha ha!!!!!!! The [relic]is mine!!!!" She turned back toward the [relic], which was starting to blink wildly. "Hey, what's wrong with it?"
"It must be on the brink of existence. It probably has enough energy left to grant one more wish…."
"Well then! Better hurry /7!!!" Mint sang. "Dewprism, I wish for wo-" She stopped in mid sentence, her smile failing. She turned to Rue, who was still unconscious. A pang of guilt hit her.
"Just one wish, then you can have it…."
She closed her eyes, thinking. Long moments of silence past. Finally, she opened her eyes and raised her head. "I wish for Claire to be alive again."
~* No Time for Good-byes *~
As the flash of light finally dimmed away, Mint opened her eyes to see Claire laying on the ground. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was slow. Mint turned away to look at the Dewprism, but it was gone.
"My last wish…" Mint muttered quietly. Maya got up and took a few steps toward her sister, shocked at the feat she just preformed.
"Dear sister…" she whispered. Mint looked up at the ceiling.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"
"?!"
Mint fell to her knees and sobbed, "My precious Dewprism! It's gone!!!"
Maya sweatdropped. (Ok, maybe she hasn't changed THAT much…)
"I almost had it!!! It was right in front of me!!"
"Yes, the Dewprism is gone," Maya stated. "It's probably in another dimension. Valen's plans have been halted." Mint stood up.
"But what about my plans!?!?"
"Oh, the world has been saved from your plans, too /7!" she giggled, causing Mint to fall to the floor. She quickly got up and began to run around the room.
" . . . What are you doing?" questioned Maya.
"Don't just stand there, look around! Maybe there are bits of Dewprism on the floor!"
(. . . She's hopeless…)
Suddenly, the room began to shake violently, and a rock from the ceiling hit the floor, causing both princesses to fall.
"Ugh, what's happening?" asked Mint.
"The fortress! I think it's falling apart! Dear sister, we have to go!"
"Alright, teleport us outta here!"
" . . .What?"
". . .We used up a lot of energy in the battle, but please tell me you left some for us to get outta here with?"
"No! I thought you would need it all!!"
(Ugh! Why didn't she think ahead!)
"We'll have to get back to the Pinto! Let's go!" shouted Maya.
"But what about him?" She signaled to Rue. "He's not exactly light…. Plus there's Claire…"
"Don't worry, we'll take care of them!" Duke ran up, with Belle right behind him.
"Duke, grab Rue, I'll get the girl," commanded Belle.
"Duke, Belle? What are you doing here?" stated Mint.
"Milady got tired of waiting, so we came to see if you were done," replied Duke as he picked up Rue.
"Come on! We gotta get outta here!" shouted Belle over the falling bits of ceiling and the shaking of the fortress.
They were doing fine until they reached the room where Mint fought Psycho Master. Mint suddenly felt to tired to continue. She slowed to a walk and dropped to the floor.
"Mint?! What's wrong!?" shouted Maya.
"Nothin'…. Just a li'l tired… That's all…"
"What's wrong?" Duke asked, running back.
"She must have overexerted herself from the magic she used."
"It's nothing… Just need a li'l sleep….."
". . .Duke, go back to the Pinto with Belle."
"What?!"
"Go! We'll catch up!"
" . . . Alright, but you better keep your promise." With that, he turned and left.
"What are you doing….? Just go… I'll be fine…" Mint demanded.
"If I was in your place, would you leave me here?"
"Yes… In a heartbeat…."
". . .We'll, I'm not like you." She turned toward the teleporter, and something was coming through. When the blue light dimmed away, she saw two hellhounds ready to play.
"Where are they? They're late…" Belle muttered.
"They'll be here, Milady." Another piece of ceiling fell, covering the teleporter to the inside. Belle, being knocked over, got back up and thought.
"Duke, get the Pinto ready. We're outta here."
"What!? We can't leave them! Ten more minutes! Five more minutes! Let's just wait five more minutes!"
"I would, Duke, honestly, if it were just me… But there are other lives at stake! And you nor me have the right to end them!"
"…. I'm sorry, Milady, I never knew you thought that way.. Alright, I'll get it ready."
Maya stood protectively in front of her sister, and was about to collapse herself. The monsters just kept coming. She fired another blast at a pair of hellhounds.
"What was that…? Number 20…?" She opened her eyes again when she heard the teleporter again. A Jinn started to rush forward.
"OH GO AWAY!" Mint cried in frustration, throwing the Book at it and managing to kill it. She sat on the floor tired from the magic she had to use. When she looked up, a light was coming from the [relic].
"What's happening to it?" Mint asked.
"Maybe when I threw it, it released some more energy."
"Stand back," Mint told, attempting to get up. "I'll jump-kick it." But as soon as she got up, she fell back down, unable to stand. Maya saw this, and turned back to the book. She began to run forward at it.
"TAHHH!!!!" With a battle cry, she jump-kicked it in the air.
"!!!"
"Stupid Book!!!" she yelled stomping on it.
(Wow, she's more violent than I am.) Thought Mint. The Book of Cosmos exploded with light and energy.
"Book of Cosmos, this is my last order! Get us outta here!" A flash of bright light enveloped them, and then everything was gone.
Rue awoke in his bed at the Inn. His head hurt and his mind was a jumble, but otherwise he was fine. He got up and left the Inn. Apon leaving, he looked at the sky. Valen's fortress was gone…
"Claire… I couldn't save you…. I'm sorry."
"I know you didn't, but you don't need to be sorry. Fate's like that." Rue whipped around to see Claire standing by the fountain, her smile peacefully written across her lips.
"Claire…?" He ran forward, and hugged her.
"Hello, Rue," she replied, hugging him back. He pulled away to talk to her. "What happened?" Claire took a deep breath in.
"I suggest you go to Klaus' shop. He needs to tell you everything."
"Rue opened the door to the shop and entered, and was bombarded by Prima and Elena.
"RUE! RUE! RUE!" They shouted unanimously.
"Guess what Rue?" Prima shouted,
"Prima's part of the family!" Elena added.
"It was Dad's idea!"
"Wow, that's great!" Rue smiled, which faded after awhile. "I need to talk to Klaus, so I'll see you later." He walked by them and went down the stairs. There was Belle and Duke and Klaus.
"Klaus, what happened?" Rue asked.
"Sit down, it's a hard story," Klaus said.
"From what I've gathered, Mint got into the fortress after you. Did you ever see her inside?"
"Well, no, I was on my own until I fought Doll Master…. He managed to knock me unconscious."
"I see… I have a feeling that Mint was the one who defeated him." Duke stood up and walked over to Rue.
"Here. We found this before we got to Mint." He handed the mask to Rue, who looked at it sorrowfully.
"Mint must have beaten Valen," Klaus concluded.
"Wait…Doctor, something happened…. When Mint was in the room with Valen, she had dragged me along with her…" He stopped unsure on how to continue.
"Yes..?" Klaus said, anxious to here more.
"Well… Valen took control of me… He used me as what he called a "vessel"… To fight Mint…"
"Really? What happened?"
"To be precise, he and Mint argued over my duty, then about Mint wanting to take the Dewprism. Valen said her nature must be cleansed. He summoned a shield and a monster. Mint managed to beat him, and for some reason, he left my body… I lost consciousness again after that."
"I think that's when Maya showed up," Belle added, getting off the bed and walking toward the others. "She came by asking how long Mint had been gone. We told her, then she ran off into the fortress."
"It makes sense," contributed Duke. "That must have been while Mint fought Valen and finished him off."
"Yes, it's starting to become clearer," stated Klaus.
"Afterward, Milady and I showed up. The Dewprism was gone, and the fortress was beginning to collapse. We carried the two of you outta there, then got in the Pinto and left. The fortress exploded soon afterward."
"That's all we know," Klaus finished. "Without Maya or Mint, we won't be able to know the entire truth."
"Wait.." started Rue. "Where are they?" Everything became silent. An uneasy feeling swept through the air.
"Rue, we'll explain it to you. It won't be easy, since it wasn't for the rest of us." Fancy Mel and Claire walked down the stairs, with Rod and Mira close behind. Duke and Rod both leaned against the wall, Klaus sat on his chair, Belle and Mira sat on the bed, and Rue, Mel, and Claire stood.
"Rue, Mint wished me back," said Claire, in her quiet yet sullen tone.
"M-Mint did?" Rue was shocked.
"Yes. After her battle with Valen, the Dewprism had barely enough energy to stay in this dimension. Using the last of the energy, she wished for Claire back."
"!!!" Rue felt a pang of guilt in the bottom of his heart. He knew how much Mint wanted to dominate the world after she lost her role in the kingdom, and she'd succeeded where he had failed. She saved his life, and deserved the Dewprism more than him. But after all that, she gave up her chance to become ruler of the world so that he could be happy.
"But wait…. What about Mint…. Isn't she here?"
Mel took in a long breath, then said, "After Mint, Maya, Belle with Claire, and Duke with you started to leave, Mint fainted form overexertion. She had managed to control the power of a [relic] on her own. Mind you, even though the Book of Cosmos can't even compare to the Dewprism, it's still a powerful artifact. She also used magic hat Prima gave her in he form of an necklace, which contained Gold magic. Neither by itself is easy to use, and the fact that she managed both is extraordinary. However, only Aeons can not be exhausted after an intense battle. Maya stayed behind to watch over her, while Belle and Duke got you guys out. Belle said that the Book was out of power too."
"I'm sorry Rue," Belle said. "We waited for them, and we would've waited more, but we weren't allowed to judge that. It wasn't our choice to make." Rue understood everything, but his mind remained on one thing.
"So… Mint…. And Maya… Both are…" No one said anything. Finally, Rue left the room and went outside. He looked up at the sky.
"Mint…"
~* A Never-ending Aftermath * ~
Four months later…
Belle and Duke left Carona to continue their treasure hunting. They took Hexagon with them as they searched ruins for more artifacts, [relic] or not.
Klaus, Mira, Elena, and Prima Doll still live in Carona, but are exploring the nearby forests for anything of interest.
Rod left Carona to return to Lucine. However, apon arrival, she was not there. Lucine was reported kidnapped and missing a week after Rod arrived in Carona. He lives in his old home, the one he shared with Lucine on the west continent.
Fancy Mel went to talk to Wylaf about what happened four months ago. After her secret discussion, she returned to her atelier and has been living a peaceful life ever since.
Princesses Mint and Maya of the East Heaven Kingdom have remained missing and have been presumed dead. The king of East Heaven has locked himself in the castle chamber and refuses to leave. The kingdom is in utter chaos, and is currently at war with a neighboring kingdom.
Rue and Claire found Ruenis in some ruins nearby the kingdom after one of the officials there discovered them. He made a grave for Ruecian with the mask placed on it. He refuses to talk to anyone about Mint, but otherwise has stayed them same.
They have all moved on, but there's always me…
---
Well, that's that. Sorry, first chapter was REALLY short. I was tired that night. I hope chapter 2 was better. I tried to keep it with the actual story, but hey, I can only remember so much. ^^'