Disclaimer: Kit Thespian does not own the video game Chrono Trigger or the characters therein, and she is not making money off of this.
Author's note: There's only one or two more chapters after this one. It's about time I wrapped this up.
Chapter Fourteen- The Appearance
"Belthasar! Kaleste! Stay close to us!"
The harsh tone in their mother's voice stopped the two children dead in their tracks and they sheepishly walked back to their mother and aunt, who were outside attending to their gardens not far from the huts. The children didn't understand this whole "keep watch" and "stay close" business. Their parents had always let them wander around, as long as they stayed within eyeshot of them.
Belthasar kicked a bunch of grass emerging from underneath the snow and grumbled, "This is so boring."
"Not like yesterday. Remember the sounds?" Kaleste asked, her eyes wide.
"But we didn't get to see anything, and Mama won't let us go."
"I don't wanna see it," Kaleste hugged her brother's arm, "It sounded scary."
"Ha! I'm not afraid of a monster..." Belthasar picked up a branch, "If any monsters come, I'll protect you."
Kaleste pursed her lips in thought, and then said, "I'd rather have Papa and Mr. Glenn."
"You don't think I can?" Belthasar put his hands on his hips, and furrowed his brow, trying to look as intimidating as Papa.
Kaleste giggled, "You're cute when you do that."
"Cute!" Belthasar's jaw dropped, "Why, I oughta...!" And he started chasing his little sister around.
"Mama! Mama! Mamaaaaa!" Kaleste ran towards Lucca as fast as she could.
"Belthasar," Lucca sternly spoke, "Don't hurt your sister!"
"I wasn't gonna hurt her..." Belthasar dropped the stick, "I was just gonna teach her a lesson..."
"You leave that to me, understood?" Lucca said.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Now, stay close."
There was that "stay close" again. Belthasar sighed and went to his mother's side. Kaleste had taken hold of Schala's hand. Schala handed her a basket and said to help her pick out the weeds in the garden. Though the weather still remained cold most of the year, warm seasons had come back to the world. At least, they were warm enough to keep a small herb and vegetable garden some of the time. Lucca was amazed that some of the plants that would never have survived in cold weather in 1000 AD managed to grow in the Dark Ages.
Belthasar squatted down, making little patterns in the wet snow and picking at a few grass blades. It seemed like forever until Papa came home. Perhaps today Papa would wrestle with him, or Mr. Glenn. It wasn't usually so boring. Mama and Aunt Schala would play with them when Papa was working. But today they weren't in the mood to play. Belthasar almost couldn't wait until he was old enough to go to the fields with Papa and Mr. Glenn. Only two more years...
A cold chill rippled through Belthasar's chest. He fell on his rump in startlement as the sensation went from his torso through his arms and legs and out his fingers and toes. He felt as if his entire body had turned to ice.
"Mama!" he cried.
In the valley...
Janus dropped his scythe and shuddered. When he was living in the Mystic Castle, he would have been prepared for such a feeling. But he had not experienced it for years, and it caught him horribly off guard.
"Janus..." Arrandon, who was working about thirty feet away, called to him, "are you all right?"
"The Black Wind..." Janus muttered, and thought, "But how...? Lavos is dead...Dalton...there's no other explanation."
"I say, Master Janus, are you all right?" Arrandon repeated.
"I must get back to the village!" Janus blurted, grabbing his scythe and taking off towards the path that led up the valley. Arrandon followed him, still holding his sickle.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"There may be trouble!"
"I'll come with you!"
"Where's Glenn?"
"He's in the east field!"
"Go fetch him and tell him to come as fast as he can!"
Arrandon halted and ran towards the east field, a little irritated at being sent back. True, he couldn't use magic like Master Janus could, but he was handy in a fight. But, the wisest thing to do at this moment was obey the son of Zeal. He rushed towards the east field.
In the village...
"What is it, darling?" Lucca dropped her spade and hastily went to Belthsar's side.
"It's cold...It's cold..."
"Mama!" Kaleste exclaimed, clenching Schala's skirt in her hands, "I'm cold too!"
Schala said nothing but all the blood was drained from her face. She looked around frantically, and then put her hands together and began to summon a spell. Lucca didn't ask what was going on but took Belthasar in her arms and carried him to Schala. Schala held her hands out and green and yellow beams of light formed and surrounded the four. Just then, a great wind arose from the north side of the village. A dark portal emerged, not like the time portals, but like the gates that Dalton would create when calling in a monster.
But instead of a Golem, there came a monster far more terrible than the dragon that had tried to destroy the village yesterday. Its color was a dark green, and its eyes glowed white.
Janus ran through the avenue towards his family's home just in time to see the horrible creature lurching towards Lucca and the others. The thing raised its gigantic arm and hurled it down. Janus felt as if his heart had turned to ice until he noticed that instead of crushing his family, the arm met with a green and yellow field around them. It repeatedly tried to strike them, but could not get through.
Belthasar and Kaleste were screaming in terror and Schala and Lucca were trying to calm them, while preparing their magic should the Magic Barrier and Physical Shield fail. Janus lost no time. He quickly gathered up a blast of shadow magic and sent it flying towards the creature's eyes.
The creature stumbled back, letting out a wail that echoed throughout the land. Lucca told Belthasar and Kaleste to stay close to their Aunt Schala, and then stepped out of the barrier.
"Lucca, what are you doing?" Schala cried.
"Lucca!" Janus ran towards her.
Lucca stood dangerously near to the monster, holding her arms up in the air and calling forth her strongest spell, Flare. Surges of flames shot forth from her hands and engulfed the monster's head. But she didn't let it end. Being a mother protecting her babies had changed her previous mindset somewhat, and now all she wanted to do was see this thing dead and destroyed. Within seconds the thing was ashes.
Janus stood numb with shock. He had known that Lucca was capable of incredible feats of fire magic, but this was a little surprising. Lucca, exhausted from the exertion, collapsed to the ground, panting and barely able to move.
Glenn, who had arrived only a moment later, didn't ask any questions, but busied himself with putting the fire out. Arrandon stood aside helplessly as Janus rushed to his wife's side.
"Lucca..." Janus murmured while he scooped up.
"Are they all right...?" Lucca whimpered.
"Yes, the..."
Seems like you get out of it every time, doesn't it?
Janus sneered. Him, again.
"Preying upon women and children, Dalton?" he shouted.
Dalton appeared a few feet away from him, looking cocky as ever.
"My Master is through with all of the tests. He is getting quite irritated with you. The time for games is over."
The sky grew dark, as if something passed over the sun. Janus looked up and there was nothing, not even a cloud. The Darkness was emanating from something.
"Papa!" Belthasar and Kaleste, terrified, rushed to their father's side and clung to him. Glenn went to Schala and wrapped his arms around her protectively. The Darkness was getting thicker.
Janus turned to find Dalton laughing. Then he disappeared. The screams of the terrified villagers filled the town. Janus could feel the presence of something more evil than anything he had ever come in contact with emerge. Just breathing the same air that the Thing was dwelling in made him a little light-headed. But he stood over his wife and children, ready to face whatever was coming.
At the End of Time...
Gaspar and Spekkio were clinging to each other, watching helplessly from their haven.
"I can't believe it..." Spekkio shuddered, "I can't believe that He had the audacity to come back to the World!"
"No magic can stand against that Thing..." Gaspar swallowed, "Only one Person could save them now..." He muttered a prayer, "Please come..."