AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you're read the original story, then you'll notice this is where things are starting to get very different from what I originally wrote. Part of this is the clear up some of the inconsistencies of the dialogue and also to introduce a few of the major changes to the storyline. You'll see… read on!

Chapter III: Mastering the Mune

Leena had gone back to her hut while Magus and Serge went to the restaurant in the village. She was tired and dozed off some time before waking up, dreams of Serge and another girl with cerulean eyes plaguing her. The dreams remained as she awoke and sat up in her bed.

A scampering sound from beneath her bed startled her and she nearly jumped to the ceiling of the small hut. She quickly reached for the broom that was near her bed, scared to let her feet touch the floor. Rats, she thought. I hate rats.

She poked her head down under the bed and looked around, broom at the ready. There was nothing under her bed that she could see in the darkness. A shadow in the moonlight then passed over her and she sat back up, heart pounding in the darkness. She looked around, but could see nothing.

"I'm scared, Masa," one little imp said after scampering away from the girl with the broom. "Janus is here."

"Me too, Mune," the other said, hiding in the darkness. "Where did Doreen go?"

"I don't know, but we should stop him. Stop him before he uses the kid."

Mune nodded in agreement, "We are the wind, one, two…"

Serge slept fitfully in his own hut, in his sleep he reached for his swallow but could not find it. His dreams were of fire and smoke as thoughts of the Orphanage came back, filling his memories. But these memories were not his own.

He was in a room full of complex machinery, it reminded him of something, but what he could not say. In contract, the walls were wooden, and flame danced off of them. He had been here, but not yet, as he could hear the screams of the children and the fire demons that destroyed the house.

He saw a girl, older than he, with purple hair. She looked strange, like she didn't see the fire demons and didn't hear the cries of the children. She found a trapdoor and descended into the dark below and for a moment, Serge thought he saw points on her ears.

The dream ended forcibly as a loud explosion rocked the village. Serge leapt and reached again for his swallow but it was not to be found. The was another loud sound of wood splintering and Serge grumbled and ran out of the hut.

Leena's home lay in ruins at the feet of a large demon. Serge could see Leena's unconscious form at its feet and ran towards it. At the same time, Magus came flying out of the restaurant, shouting a curse at the creature.

Surge was knocked back by a blow from one of the demon's powerful arms and flew back into a tree, knocking the back of his head on the trunk. He shook his head, but was reeling from the shock.

Magus drew his scythe and leapt at the creature shouting it's name, "MASAMUNE!" Its evil energy could no longer be held in check by the boy and had been unleashed in full force. Masamune summoned a torrent of wind attacking Magus with flying debris which knocked the wizard back to the ground, small cuts appearing in his exposed skin. Masamune ripped a splintered support beam from the ground and hurled it at Magus, who was still reeling from the previous blow to teleport out of its way.

Magus was then tackled to the ground, the beam crashing into the ground a centimeter from his head. He looked at the form on top of him.

"Thank you, princess," he toned, no real thanks in his voice. Magus was breathing heavily, much of his magic power having been stripped away from him. She was soon joined by Glenn who helped the wizard to his feet.

They all turned to see Crono, standing alone before Masamune, his katana in one hand and a red pendant in the other. Masamune paused in front of it and it and Crono locked eyes.

Serge grunted and tried to come to his feet, he saw the pendant held by Crono, his eye flashed in recognition, it was nearly identical to one he had seen before, but in his groggy mind, he could not remember where.

Crono remained before Masamune for a long moment, and it appeared that the two were locked in a battle of the mind. Crono's old wound opened and blood started to seep in through his tunic. But still Crono remained standing, his resolve firm, ready to die if necessary.

Finally, Masamune nodded and a light engulfed it. As the light faded they could see it separated into two smaller impish creatures. Their eyes fell onto Magus.

"Janus," they intoned together. "She is waiting for you, and for Serge. Find her before the Black Wind takes everything away." Then, they were absorbed by light and finally disappeared.

Arni lay in ruins around them. Crono fell to the ground, his blood now staining the ground. Marle ran to him. "Crono!" she wept. She turned him over, his eyes were still open and he tried to smile up at her.

"No! No! None of that, you're not dying on me yet, no sir!" She conjured up what magic she could and focused it on the wound. The blood stopped flowing, but that old wound of his could never be fully healed. Glenn went to Serge, pausing for a second as he helped the boy up. He knew this boy. His thoughts went to the Einlanzer. They had come to him in a dream, a dream with Serge, though he could not recall them ever meeting before.

Serge twisted out of Glenn's grasp and ran to Leena, ignoring his own pain. She didn't appear too hurt, but she was bleeding. Serge removed his bandana and wrapped it around Leena's head to stop the flow of blood. Leena looked up at him and smiled weakly, whispering to him, "thank you."

As the rest of the village tended to their own wounds and casualties, the eyes of Serge, Glenn and Marle turned on Magus. Marle's eyes flashed a hint of anger at the wizard who remained indignant, saying nothing.

There was little rest for anyone that night, and by morning, word had reached Termina of the attack on Arni. Word had also started to spread about the one who had turned back the monster, and Marle feared they would not be able to remain hidden for long, even with Viper's protection. They needed to leave El Nido as soon as possible.

Crono was still very weak though, and Marle didn't want him to travel. She knew however, that Crono would never agree to stay behind and that he could rest just as well on the ship to Choras.

Serge watched over Leena throughout the night, and by morning she woke enough to smile at Serge. "You're leaving without me aren't you," she asked her long-time friend. Serge returned her smile and nodded. "I suppose it's time, a part of me always knew we wouldn't last. But always remember, you'll always have a place in my heart, and we'll always be friends." Serge nodded in agreement and gripped her hand tightly in his. He then softly kissed her forehead where she still wore his bandanna, and got up to leave. Serge fought off a brief spell of dizziness and went to find Magus who was with Marle.

"The old fool insists on coming with us," Magus said, regarding Crono. Marle frowned at Magus, prompting a look of contempt. "He'll slow us down and you know it, princess."

"That's Queen to you," Marle spat in retort.

"Not much to be Queen of lately, is there?" Magus said coldly. Marle was left speechless.

Glenn then stepped in, "regardless, if you intend to make that ship we need to leave now."

"He's coming with us," Marle said, unwavering.

"Fine," Magus acquiesced, and the he lifted Crono with little effort. "Let's go."

"Are you okay Serge?" Marle asked. Serge nodded in response, though in truth he felt like he could sleep for a year, and not simply to escape to his dreams for a change.

The companions then left Arni and made their way as quickly as they could to Termina. A few of the creatures in Fossil Valley made gestures to attack them, but the presence of Magus alone seemed to scare them off. Everything about the man Magus gave Glenn an uneasy feeling. Just what side is he on? The young Dragoon thought.

They arrived in Termina to find to relatively quiet, the ship bound for Choras having already loaded and about to get underway. The companions made it to the ship just in time. The captain standing on the pier about to be the last to board.

"Got room left?" Marle asked, flashing a boarding pass.

"Sorry miss, just gave away the last cabin," he replied, then his eyes found Crono. "Wait, aren't you the ones that saved Arni?"

Marle nodded.

"Well, for you, I think we can make room," he smiled and motioned for them to quickly board. Crono flashed him a weak smile of thanks and the five boarded the ship.

The captain gave them one of the nicer state rooms, prompting a protest from the previous inhabitant, the captain promised to work it out when they arrived at Choras and the single occupant grudgingly accepted lodging on a lower deck, seeing the state of the passenger to take her place.

Marle laid Crono down on the bed and re-dressed his wound. Magus leaned against a wall and waited for them to get underway.

Glenn approached Marle as she tended to Crono. "Tell me," he asked. "Who are you?" Marle smiled weakly and motioned for him to sit next to her. Glenn agreed and sat down in a chair next to the bed. Serge also came and sat on the bunk next to Crono's.

"There are few who know we are even still alive, and that the kingdom of Guardia lives on. I am Queen Nadia of Guardia, perhaps the last queen, and this is my husband, Crono."

"The Last King," Glenn breathed. Their reputation preceded them. Glenn had suspected, but to hear it confirmed… he was glad that he was sitting. Serge looked less impressed but still listened. Somewhere, he already knew all of this, why couldn't he remember it?

"Yes, the Last King," Marle said sadly, looking down at her husband's battered form.

"I thought him killed in the Fall of Guardia?" Glenn said.

"He nearly was," Marle replied, a tear coming to her eyes. "It is true that he suffered a grave wound there, one I don't know if he'll ever recover from."

"What were you doing in El Nido?"

"Trying to find our friend, Lucca Ashtear. Five years after the Fall, her house was burned to the ground. We don't know by whom, but there Crono saw this boy, Serge."

Serge looked up at her, but started to feel dizzy again. He remembered his dream from the night before, but indicated nothing. He still could not remember his role there clearly enough.

"We came to find him, and hoped to find out more about our friend's fate. We tried searching for her after the blaze, but Porre made it difficult for us. Then this past summer, Crono felt a disturbance in the time stream, he managed to track it to El Nido and Serge."

Glenn now understood, he also understood why General Viper wanted to protect them. Officially, the Viper Clan did not support the remnants of Guardia, and had a tenuous alliance with Porre, mostly to keep them out of the archipelago of El Nido. But old loyalties extended much further back to the Royal Knights of Guardia, which the Viper Clan, and Glenn himself were descended from.

Glenn's thoughts drifted again to his swords. And he thought of that dream with Serge this past summer. Could they all be related? Glenn didn't immediately have the answers.

She was waiting, but it was dark. She could not remember how long she had been there, a few weeks or an eternity. Around her was nothing but cold, darkness extending into infinity.

She too dreamed in the darkness, and her dreams were pulling her across the void. She knew she had to find the beach, had to find Serge.

She shuddered, the Black Wind was blowing.