Taiga: Hm, I don't really understand what you mean with "Modor is." but I suppose you mean Molor. As for his familyties, I'll leave that open for debate though I think I made it pretty clear in the last chapter. Heh. Ain't I evil?
Chapter 6
Everyone looked up as they heard the familiar, buzzing sound of a Gate opening. The sparkling darkness appeared on Janatzer's right side, and this time it didn't open as slowly as it had done when Janus had left.
The warlock had hardly taken one step outside of the portal before he stumbled slightly, despite the grim frown that had adorned his forehead giving a slight smile.
"I am so relieved to see thee safe, uncle…" Schaliya sighed, hugging him tightly.
"So am I, little one."
Janus would never be one to return a hug in a completely natural way, but he did his best when it came to the young woman. It had taken her years to train him for it in the first place.
But this time he gently pushed her away.
"Stand back for now," he quickly explained when facing her questioning look, "they shouldn't see too much of their possible futures."
As if to follow up on his words something moved in the still open Gate. However, before anything became visible Molor hissed and a grayish bubble appeared around the corpse, Janus and the time portal.
No words were heard from within, and nothing was seen from the outside. It felt safe to assume that it was the same for those on the other side of the magic wall as well.
At least until Janus spoke again.
"Well then, I need you to make as much a circle as possible around the orb, and be ready to send your powers into it when you see light from within."
He was silent for a moment.
"This will probably be more complicated than last time we did something like this, it can take a while. Don't bother with healing magic, just lead your magic at us."
On the outside, Lashey and Ceredan were the only ones looking clueless about what the words "last time". On the inside, Janus got suspicious glances. But questions remained unsaid for the safety of each story.
The youngest of the three blue-hairs turned his gaze back at the boy, holding his hand floating over the painfully calm face.
"It'll take more than a normal resurrection, I fear," he murmured, "his soul is gone from here."
Straightening up, he eyed his elders – though the one who had been his teacher merely was about a year older than him and maybe didn't deserve such a label.
"Is that even possible?" he questioned.
"We'll just have to find out," Janus sternly said.
The Pawn and Student slowly nodded. Without another word they stood up and took each other's hands, forming a circle. Janus stood behind Janatzer's head, while his companions took their places on each side of the simple bed's head end.
Even Schala and Molor flinched at the eerie sound of three almost exactly alike voices calling out a spell at the exact same time. It was simply unnatural.
"Zoguldra na gol!" came from the bubble, three voices in unison… each one of them belonging to Janus.
A strange light flared up and illuminated the bubble, giving life to the silhouettes within. There were two with cloaks flapping together with their hair in the magical wind, the last one didn't seem to wear a cloak however. Only his hair twisted behind him.
"Now!" one voice called.
Marle flashed Lashey an encouraging smile, offering support despite the fact that the princess wasn't even half the empress' age.
Emperor Sere's wife tried to return the smile, but it didn't go that well. When failing she closed her eyes like everyone else, concentrating all her will towards the bubble as told.
"Zoguldra logondo!"
The light intensified, the humans noticed it even through their eyelids. Molor just watched in silence, not letting it break his focus.
"Gol tola logondo!"
Several of the assembled humans gasped when the light flashed so brightly that it painted an ungraspable picture on the backside of every eye lobe, and even the snake recoiled.
It faded as quickly as it had come, falling back into a pulsating light from within the orb. The glow seemed to come from a few glowing ribbons, connecting the three shadows standing behind the thin wall. Again the shrouding magic was beaten by the power of the Januses, even if all details were left out.
One of the shadows' head was hanging, and he seemed to more hang than really stand supported by his own force. It was one of the men with cloaks.
In the silence, glances were exchanged. Schala bit her lower lip, hesitating on whether she should call out or not. After all, she also knew that one should not let the future be known, and she had no idea whether or not the guests had found their versions of her. Under the same criteria was the option to let somebody they didn't yet know speak. Looking around the room the princess of Zeal saw everyone hesitant and questioning, and she took in a deep breath.
But Glenn saved her the risk.
"Janus?" Schaliya's husband asked in a bit of a hoarse voice, frowning.
The second one with a cloak started to move as if to straighten up and reply, but the last of the three's head snapped up in the caller's direction.
"G…?"
He cut himself off.
"He's alright," he said instead, calmingly, "he just had to leave his own body to look for the boy's soul."
"Don't worry," the other one reassured, "we established an anchor before he left, so he won't get lost."
When the voices were used individually, the ones who were listening could actually hear small differences in them. Overall they were the same, but not completely.
Janus himself had a slightly raspier voice, probably because he was older than the other two. They both did sound younger. The one without a cloak also showed something quite surprising; when he wasn't chanting his way of speaking sounded just like the dialect of Truce. Janus had never been using the slightly rounder I and A's which ruled half of the heroes' pronouncement.
The one with the cloak did talk like Janus however, but there was some other difference. His voice was slightly harsh, hardly noticeable though. Not cold like the Prince of Darkness, but… harder somehow, as if he had gone through even worse ordeals than his older mirror.
"I thank thee for the reassurance," the swordsman said.
There was a brief pause.
"You're welcome, Glenn."
Again it was the cloakless one speaking, with the hint of a bitter smile.
The tone and the fact that he even spoke out the name got glances flying between the earliest members of the troop.
"Ah, I didn't mean to worry you," the visiting Janus said as if he felt the questions hanging in the air, "I'm just not used to hear you talking without that croaking of yours."
If the apology hadn't surprised everyone too much, they might have chuckled. But not as it was.
Inside the bubble, the Pawn of the Mystics met his student's eyes.
"You really did turn out strange, didn't you?" he said, with the hint of a smile.
The younger man gave a slanted smirk.
"I guess," he admitted with a low chuckle.
They both fell silent as they felt a strange pull from the man they were pouring their power into. He wasn't coming back, that wasn't it… it was just a pull, like a reassurance that he was managing.
At least they could hope that it was a reassurance. It would be impossible to tell any message from a good sign or a call for help. The two men could not dare the risk of trying to drag their mirror back too early either, because then they might not be able to send the soul off again.
It was the only hope there was for Janatzer, to wait.
"No, no, spirits can't get unconscious. Can't you hear how stupid that sounds, cutie?"
One couldn't say that Janus twitched by the familiar voice, he still lacked the control to do so… and he was also yet trying to reach the place where he at the same time felt himself being in. It stretched the term "over worldly" a bit…
"Then what is he?" a dry voice sarcastically retorted, "doesn't look awake to me."
'Bloody hell…'
"And spirits don't sleep either, you know."
"Shut your damn rathole, Flea."
"Why do we have to meet him anyway?" a third voice grunted.
"Why don't you go ask Azran or maybe even Snake if you've got something to complain about?"
The last voice was familiar as well, and this one was at least welcome. It eased Janus' strong worry that he had ended up in the utterly wrong area. Still, it was slightly confusing to hear those four talking in the same place.
There was a contemplating silence. But it wasn't very long.
"Fine, whatever…"
Lizard smirked lightly and stretched, turning to Ozzie as the descendant nervously moved further away from the one they were waiting for.
"I just don't feel good about this," the much fatter monster grunted.
"What, afraid he'll kill you or something?"
The younger monster glared.
"You know, I've said it before…"
"About three hundred and fifty eight times, yes."
"… The tales never ever mentioned you being such a wisecrack."
"Wit, courage and despair aren't all the things that make a leader," Lizard snickered.
"Yeah, and too bad you never had any of that."
The first Mystic king glared at a convenient cliff in the glistening, golden landscape. For some reason his magic expert of a friend had always liked high places.
"Well fine, you did have the desperation," Magician smirked down at his boss, "wit was mine and courage was… I guess I'll have to hand that to Warrior."
He sighed the last part. Very deeply, too.
Flea was about to snicker at his ancestor's lack of respect, but something came in between.
"Erk!"
"Eh, Lizard?" Ozzie nervously said.
"Hmm?"
The oldest Mystic glanced over his shoulder. And chuckled.
"'e's aw'k!" Slash choked, grimacing and trying to free himself.
"I 'a'd 'irit do't 'eep!" Flea growled, struggling as well.
"I don't know what I expected," Janus firmly said, "but you were not included."
Lizard fought back a laugh at seeing the two monsters fight against the hands that held a throat each. At least they didn't have to worry about being strangled…
"No need to be hostile, Janus, they're not your enemies here," he assured.
The warlock looked at the slim, green monster and at the surroundings. Then he sighed and let go.
Instead of hitting the ground, Flea and Slash fell only a couple of inches before they floated off while rubbing their necks.
"You've got to be kidding," Janus growled with a heated glare at the three younger Mystics.
"Actually not," Magician chuckles as he leaped off his cliff, "you made it to what living people call Heaven."
"And why are they here then?" the warlock snapped.
(Author's note:
Remember, Janus never did experience that his old enemies fought to save his soul from Lavos.)
"Have to break your bubble there," Lizard smiled, "terms like Hell, devils and demons are something that priests made up to scare people into belief."
"More than half the world's curses are, ergo, completely useless," Magician merrily smirked.
"In other words, everyone ends up here sooner or later."
The owner of the last voice winced slightly as he found himself under a burning glare from the red eyes.
"It ah… just takes a little longer for some of us," he added, diplomatically.
Janus didn't reply, his eyes scowled "I dearly hope so" well enough to cause blindness.
Dalton choose to back off.
"Look, it's not like we wanted to come here and meet you," Slash grunted, still massaging his neck sourly, "Azran just has a twisted sense of humor."
"Who is Azran?" Janus asked, looking at Lizard.
"An angel if you so wish," the Mystic said and waved at the warlock to follow him as he started moving towards Magician's cliff, "the guardian of your bloodline. And we have to do as he says, even if some of us requires to be dragged along kicking and screaming."
"I could have lived without it as well," the visitor grunted, sending another heated frown at his old generals.
"Don't give us that look, we could have been down there right now risking our lives for you against Lavos," Ozzie stated, fiddling with his robes.
"Afterlives, cutie," Flea absentmindedly corrected.
Janus pretended not to have heard them. It was not an option that fitted into his mind.
Not enough that his old enemies were there in the first place, death hadn't changed them one bit it seemed. Not even the clothes. Slash even had his beloved sword by his side, though whatever he planned to battle in Heaven was a question that was left unanswered.
Janus choose to ignore them completely and followed Lizard and Magician past the cliff through the strange landscape.
There were no trees, no grass, just a few hills and strange protruding shapes in the glimmering world. The ground itself looked to be made of gold and the sky peacefully flowed in all the colors of the rainbow.
It took the warlock a few moments to realize that he wasn't even walking, but floating. And so was everyone else. Almost as it had been waiting for that simple conclusion the peculiar world seemed to change, melting into more familiar forms. And at the same time nothing really moved.
Well, not familiar as in homey, but there were at least things that seemed more natural in a landscape. What had been mind boggling shapes changed into bushes, stones and trees, and even if no colors changed at least it was a relief. Even if he wouldn't admit it, Janus hadn't felt that well about passing over on the other side even when he had reached his goal, at least now things appeared to be working on making things easier for him.
Or at least, some things did. Others were doing the opposite.
"Hell no! We went over this already!"
"Yes, and we reached a conclusion!"
"Did not! That's not fair!"
The argument went on in the same way for several more seconds until Janus stopped and turned around, folding his arms. The discussion died instantly.
"What?" the warlock growled from the deepest depths of his throat.
The four spirits that had followed the leading three – on a fairly safe distance – exchanged glances.
As one person Ozzie and Slash shoved Dalton and Flea forwards so forcefully that they almost fell over.
"No fair!" the cross body whined.
"Shut up and spit it out already!" Ozzie snarled.
Dalton glared at the monsters and then turned to his son again. Upon closer inspection it was revealed that there actually were small changes in appearance. For one, the dark-blond man from Zeal now had both his eyes working just fine.
With a grunt he rubbed his temples, finally looking up again as Janus' foot began to tap against the ground, floating or no.
"Oh fine," the father reluctantly said, "I didn't want to say anything but Levana said she'd make us a private hell if we didn't ah… make Flea say it."
He slammed his hand into the pink Mystic's back, who in turn squealed in protest as he stumbled further ahead.
"I haven't got time for anyone of you," Janus impatiently growled and grabbed Flea's crag to lift him to the same eyelevel, "what bloody is it?"
The cute face twisted into a grimace, but the magician spoke up at least.
"Well Janus, we…"
At that point Flea glared aside but couldn't fix his eyes on the subjects of his rage since he couldn't move very well.
"… Just wanted to… argh…"
He pinched his eyes shut and clenched his hands into shaking fists.
"… Saywe'resorrynowpleaseputmedown."
It surprised Janus quite a bit, to say the least. Despite their strange behavior, he had not expected anyone of the four generals to swallow their pride enough to actually redeem themselves to him.
And had Lavos not forced him to plead for mercy hardly an hour earlier, perhaps the warlock would have forced each one of them to say the same as Flea. But as that episode still remained as a bitter taste in his mouth, he simply let the magician go.
The Mystic even blinked, obviously expecting worse than that.
"Maybe," the warlock grunted and turned again.
"There, wasn't so hard, was it?" Magician cheekily smirked at his descendant, the other two Mystics and Dalton.
Lizard and Janus ignored the lot, moving onwards.
The softly glowing landscape began to change color, into more natural ones. Still, each and every shade was gentler and more beautiful than anything down on the mortal coil ever could be.
"Janatzer is just fine," the Mystic assured as Janus came up beside him, "spent some time with his grandparents while we were waiting for you to get the help."
"I see."
Janus threw a glance behind himself and his guide. Yes, they were still following. Of course.
He sighed.
"I take it that works in the same way as with how you and your companions could show up during the episode with Charash?" he said, not too enthusiastically.
"Yes. Time hasn't got the same meaning here."
Lizard gave a slanted smile, which in no way reminded of the smirks of his descendant.
"I know you're mad at them," the Mystic said, "but really, there's no evil left when you get here. Might have taken Flea a while to spurt it out but he meant it for them all."
"I'm feeling rather angry," the warlock pointed out.
The Mystic nodded with another smile.
"Yes, but you're not completely dead on the other hand. And anger is not the same as evil, after all. There's no blocks against true emotions, we're not having a tyranny here."
"Why would there be reason to b angry in Heaven, anyway?"
Lizard silently pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, at the four generals and Magician.
Then he chuckled and shook his head.
"No, in truth…" he grinned, "just being happy gets damn boring after a while, even here. And if we couldn't feel anger and worry we'd hardly be able to do a good job watching over the living, right?"
"Point."
More and more trees appeared, seemingly being formed to follow every movement that the two travelers made.
Whispering softly as it flowed along on the path it had created for itself, a silvery river suddenly blocked the course. However Lizard just turned and began moving up the flow, all the while floating so that the soft moss and small twigs on the ground just softly brushed against his bare feet. Janus could just follow him.
The river soon turned into water instead of silver, as if complying to the laws of nature when it was closer to its spring.
Then suddenly the trees gave away for a clearing, and a pond adorned with low cliffs on the far off side. A typical story book thing, complete with the water lilies. At least there wasn't sickeningly many flowers on the ground, and no sandy slope leading down into the water.
Still, had the rest of the scenery not caught Janus' full attention he might have asked Lizard if he was trying to make his guest sick to the stomach.
"Uncle!"
Janatzer bolted to his feet with a wide smile, dashing to meet his mother's brother. At least he was out of the uniform he had died in, back into his everyday brown pants and open shirt instead of the white-gray clothing of the Garadian soldiers.
Levana Zeal stood, a bit surprised but warmly watching her son allow the boy to hug him tightly, even smiling as well with great relief. The youngster was almost as tall as his uncle, it turned out.
"I'm glad to see you safe, Janus," she said as the three spirits came closer to her and the man who had been sitting beside her on a smooth rock.
"It wasn't me I was worried about," the warlock pointed out, safely keeping a hand on his nephew's shoulder.
"I am all well, uncle," Janatzer said, still smiling in the same way, "though I was dearly hoping that thee would be able to bring me back, for I can feel everyone's sorrow."
"Well, getting here and find you is the start at least," Janus said, his smile wavering a bit as reality caught up again.
Levana shook her head, her warm expression not changing.
"There's no need to worry about protests from anywhere," she assured, "Azran was quite shocked too when Janatzer died. Mistakes can occur."
"I'd say they happen more often when there's a certain parasite in the works," the man on the rock grimly said, leaning his chin on a fist.
He was dressed in a quite familiar set of heavy, purple robes, and teal-green hair flowed down his back in a tidy ponytail held up by a blue ribbon. Even if his thin frame made it apparent that he was no warrior, he moved with regal pride and still gracefully as he stood.
Most striking in his face was the pure yellow irises of his eyes – a typical sign of somebody starting to use a lot of magic at a young age – and any "normal" human would probably take a great notice of his pointy ears, as well. The warlock however rather scanned the familiar shape of his nose and cheekbone.
"I assume you are lord Amon then," Janus said, far from roughly.
After all he had no reason at all to be rude and his mood was just brightening by the way the situation had turned out.
The older man smiled and nodded.
"Indeed, I am the father of your sister," the last king of Zeal admitted.
"Are you saying that Lavos was working behind the scenes again, then?" Janus asked with a frown, turning the discussion around again.
The married couple exchanged glances before answering.
"We're not sure, but it's possible," Levana nodded, her gem eyes turning cold as she spoke, "he could not have reached very far away from your mind, but it's safe to assume that he was doing something to push his scheme into action."
"Lovely."
Janus pursed his mouth.
"Well, in any case Molor was sure that he had managed to kill the parasite completely this time," he said.
"That also seems correct," the queen said, her grim expression melting away at once, "we'll stay on lookout for anything, but I think we can relax a little."
"About time."
"Ah…"
Lord Amon smiled a bit and turned to the stone, reaching for something behind it.
"Speaking of your snake, here's another friend of yours."
In a swift movement he handed the small creature to Levana, who carefully took the slender body and stepped closer to her son. Janus' hands left Janatzer's shoulders and then swung lightly at the added weight.
There was a purr.
"One smirk and you'll wish you could die again," the warlock calmly said without looking around.
"Who, us?" Flea's voice innocently said.
The warlock rolled his eyes. Obviously fear was not a binding force in this world, sadly enough.
"Mother did mention thy cat once, uncle," Janatzer commented with a careful smile.
"Ah well…"
Alfador rubbed his head against the chest covered in hard leather, purring even louder as a set of fingertips stroke his fur.
"Molor fills a void, but he does lack a few things that the urchin here has."
As if the words weren't enough of a shock, Janus chuckled lightly.
"And even if he had ears, I'm sure even I would loose a few fingers trying to scratch him behind them."
Whether it was instinct of self-preservation or The Glare that Levana gave those who could consider putting their health at risk, nobody said a teasing word. She exchanged the harsh look for a smile again as she looked at the main attraction again.
"In any case, you two," she said, "we're waiting for Azran to get back here. You can of course return to your body with the anchor you and your colleagues created, Janus, but Janatzer will need some help. The guardian just needed to take care of a few things first, he said."
She held up her hand at Janus' growing frown.
"Don't worry, merely a few seconds will pass in the world of living."
"And how much time, relatively spoken that is, would that be here?" Janatzer asked even before his uncle could ask the same thing.
Amon shrugged.
"Hard to say, but can't be more than what could be regarded as an hour," he said.
There was a protesting grunt and Lizard broke the family circle, dragging Ozzie and Dalton along. Half strangled chuckles from Slash and giggles from Flea could be heard in the background.
"Enough time to get a few things straight, I think," the first king of Mystics said with a slight smirk.
Janus glance upwards at the grimacing faces, then shook his head and turned away.
"Not in the least interested," he coldly stated.
"Me neither!" Dalton croaked.
He grunted again as his level changed suddenly, to find himself glaring into the oldest Mystic's eyes.
The silent battle kept up for a moment, until Lizard chose to take the shortcut.
"Snake," he said, emotionlessly.
The suppressed chuckles got Janus' attention, making him luckily turn around.
Seeing the look of utter horror on his father's face would have made anything worthwhile.
"Alright, alright, alright!" the once one-eyed man hurriedly agreed and heavily sighed as he was set free again.
"And what about you three?" Lizard asked in a dangerously soft tone, glancing between the evil trio of the middle ages.
"The tales never mentioned you being so cruel either!" Ozzie growled, but was allowed to return to the freely floating.
"I never knew Snake was such a threat," Janus commented with a vague smirk.
"Oh, you have no idea until you see her," Magician shuddered.
He backed off with a chuckle under the glare of his leader.
"Well Janus, you know Skeeza*?" Ozzie grunted, rubbing his neck.
Janatzer blinked as he watched his uncle close his ruby eyes and very slowly lift his free hand to his face, rubbing his forehead as if he had a burning headache.
"All too well," the warlock finally allowed, growling slightly.
"Who be Skeeza?" the youngster of the group wondered.
"Well you see kid," Magician cut in before anyone else had time to answer, "it seems like there's something wrong with Lizard's bloodline. They all marry psychopaths."
"Keep your damn mouth shut!" Lizard and Ozzie growled as one.
"What? It's true!" Flea smirked, leaping in behind Slash for protection.
The two green-skinned Mystics snarled at the magic users, then left them alone.
"What I was trying to say," Ozzie continued with quite a hint of annoyance left in his voice, "is that Skeeza and Snake are pretty alike, at least in temper. Snake is thinner and quicker however."
"As if we didn't have enough problems with your wife," the warlock grunted.
He paused for a second and then sighed deeply.
"Damn."
"No use fighting," Levana commented with a bit of a tired smile, "Lizard always gets people where he wants them. Even to friendly terms, as you see."
"Why blame everything on me?" the first Mystic king defended himself.
The collective look he received spoke much, much louder than words. He raised his hands in defeat.
"Oh fine then, blame me."
"We would anyway," Dalton sincerely commented.
Sighing a bit Janus sat down on the rock, letting Alfador land in his lap. The cat's tail twitched happily and he kept purring softly as a forgotten hand returned to scratching his ears.
"Seeing that we're not going anywhere until this Azran returns and you obviously won't leave me alone," he grunted, at the last bit giving Lizard another glare, "might as well play along."
His mother chuckled softly and took a seat beside him. Janatzer sunk down in the grass while lord Amon returned to sitting beside his wife.
"Well, we don't know everything but we have time to research the world we're watching over," queen Zeal told her son, "since it should be a while until we can talk again, is there anything you'd like to have cleared up, while we're at it?"
*You'll make her acquaintance in A Look on Another One… and it ain't gonna be pretty!
Author's note:
Erk, it took me ages to find an end of this chapter :P Anyway… I'm dedicating the next chapter to a few explanations, such as how Schala could invoke the new magical element Light all of a sudden. Is there anything else you think needs explanation about the Janus Saga series (Magus' quest, Another life, The Prince's story)? Then you can mail me your questions and I'll do my best to make the dead people sort things out. Questions about A Look on Another one are accepted, but they'll probably be harder to fit in here. I will however have a similar chapter in A Look for those, if needed.