Within Reach Chapter 3: Reasons for Being

I don't own Chrono Trigger, sadly enough. Otherwise I would have remade it beautifully. Well, sumfin' like that, anyways. Anywho, you should know enough by now for other warnings.


Magus woke up suddenly. His door was unlocked, and his brain making that realization jolted him from sleep. Of course the door was still shut, but it irked him that he had forgotten that detail. He never forgot in that dreary time he was sent to. Then again, he doubted that anyone would attempt to kill him here.

He locked the door anyways. Then decided to go over what had happened yesterday.

It feels like a dream he thought. Looking around him, feeling the chair he was now sitting in, smelling the sweet air. But it will be gone soon ran through his head next. And he shook that thought away, trying to enjoy the feeling of home. It was too late. He couldn't relax anymore.

Magus decided to see if he could remember where the outside gardens were.

Leaving the room, he didn't really notice the strange looks he received from people he passed by. He did notice that he was taller than all of them as well. Strange, I always thought everyone was so tall, but I was a child then. He sighed. Even home wasn't as he recalled. Nothing seemed quite as bright, not even as bright as yesterday. Yesterday Schala was here. And that was all the explanation he required. Home wasn't home without Schala nearby. I doubt I will see her again anytime soon. And he sighed yet again, as he continued down halls.

Until finally, after going around a library and several relaxing areas, he found a glass door out, into the gardens, which were always in bloom. Winter never touched Zeal. He walked, and after a while, the walk was a pace. Continuous pacing around the perimeter of the garden.

Zeal will be gone soon, and with it, Schala once more kept going through his head. Why be sent back to a place that will be destroyed? Kept circling with it. Until finally, another thought came. Why should it have to be destroyed? Whispered through his mind. And there was a glimmer of hope, shining through all of his despair. But he wasn't used to hope, so he ended up only lightly disheartened.

I need to learn everything I can while I can was his next thought. He had to become fully knowledgeable on the magics of the time, and remember the politics. Magus only truly remembered the mania that accompanied Lavos. The way Zeal was after Lavos tainted it. After it had tainted his family.

This conclusion sent him walking at a fast trot towards the library. He was going to go through it first, then Kajar, and work in Enhasa after that. He would do this systematically.

Then the Guardians arrived.

"What are you doing in Zeal, outlander?" asked one Guardian brusquely, or as brusquely as any enlightened ever truly got. Which made it end up sounding arrogant instead.

"I am a drifter, and I happened upon Zeal," he began, coldly. Which lead to him being interrupted.

"And how did you manage to just happen upon Zeal?" one of the three said, sniggering, as if it were some funny thing.

"Why, I was lead here of course," Magus replied, sounding completely serious. And that confused the Guardians. Not that it takes much he thought.

"How were you lead here?" one asked.

"What lead me here, do you mean?" he countered. And that only made them scratch their heads in further confusion.

"We...should bring you to General Dalton," the third said, and they all nodded their heads at that announcement. They weren't sure what to do with an outsider who talked back to them. So they led him away, and he was compliant, as he had to be. He couldn't afford to be thrown out without even beginning to implement his plan.

The Guardians took him down another maze of passageways, always avoiding any open public areas. They kept looking back and up at him, as if worried he would just float away and disappear. For truly he appeared a specter, gliding along gracefully. The cloak and hood only enhanced this effect by hiding his feet from view.

"Don't you think you should take me to someone who is more knowledgeable than Dalton?" he asked lazily, when one of the guards looked back again, just to see if he could confuse them some more.

"More knowledgeable?" they asked back, following his lead.

"Yes, someone who would have more specialized knowledge in the area of outsiders," he told them, patient seeming, as they listened to him.

"Who would have information like that?" one asked. He got elbowed.

"Well, the only ones who have contact with others, besides us are the princess..." one started to say, before being interrupted.

"The gurus are the ones who know everything," the first one said, rolling his eyes for greater dramatic effect.

"Well, we should take him to the gurus then!" one exclaimed. He seemed to have taken the bait.

"But what about Dalton? He said to take the outsider to him?" one weakly argued.

"We will be blamed if this isn't dealt with properly," another mused. "And we know the Queen's temper lately..." And that decided them. They sent one to Dalton to tell him they were taking him to all three gurus, because they couldn't figure out which one they needed to ask.

Magus was beginning to believe that the earthbound had more sense then they did. The Guardians were just prettier. He was sniggering in his head. He did know that he hated Dalton, and putting crimps in his day made him feel better already.

When he reached the gurus, they were all discussing the properties of dreamstone. Magus wasn't quite sure what about yet, as he had missed most of the converstation.

The gurus didn't notice the entrance of the Guardians. Or were just ignoring them. One of the Guardians cleared his throat, to no avail. The gurus were too absorbed by the discussion. Magus caught snippets of it, and heard something about 'refining the power flow'. And a cold shudder passed through his spine. This was the Mammon Machine they were speaking of. But he also saw a chance to become useful at the same time.

"Dreamstone could possibly refine a power flow if you create a matrix out of it, and put a slight bit of power into it to get the process started," he said. And when he finished, there was total silence to meet him. He was being stared at by the gurus, and the Guardians. The confusion on their faces were for different reasons though.

"I think he has something," mumbled Belthasar, looking at Magus. And the three gurus began whispering hurriedly, until finally Melchior grabbed him by the arm with hands surprisingly strong for his age. He was pulled into the discussion, and the Guardians couldn't stop the gurus from doing it. And they were left milling about unsure of themselves.

Until Dalton came. His throat clearing was louder than the two Guardians he had been left with combined. It still didn't break through the mental barrier the gurus had put up, closing off all distractions. Dalton finally had to jab at one of them with a finger. It happened to be Gaspar, who swatted annoyedly at the hand, and continued to ignore it. And Magus, he ignored it as well, and was learning heaps just by listening to the gurus argue over methods.

It wasn't that Magus was stupid, it was just the opposite. It was only that he had not had proper schooling in the information the enlightened possessed. The gurus had noticed that immediately as well, and were already giving him almost more information than he could process. And he took it all in happily. He needed this.

Until a fireball lit up the ceiling. That had everybodies attention.

"You three, why do you have my prisoner in your custody?" shouted Dalton, clearly outraged at this latest offense. The gurus, in defense of their honor, shrugged, and pointed to the Guardians. Who quailed under the glare of Dalton. Magus was mildly surprised to see he had both his eyes. He wondered when he would lose it. And while he was pondering, Dalton had finished yelling at his Guardians, and dismissed them, and was looking at him now.

Magus didn't shrink back at Dalton's wrath, which only incensed him further. "What are you doing in the magnificent kingdom of Zeal, outlander?" snarled Dalton, still trying to make him buckle under pressure.

"I was led here," he replied cooly.

Dalton rolled his eyes, " I know you were led here, those dolts told me that, what led you here?" Dalton was clearly impatient to hear the answer.

"Your very own princess escorted me here, and quite graciously I might add," Magus told him, calm and collected. Dalton on the other hand, exploded.

"Why would our princess just let you in!" he yelled. He was smacked across the head by Gaspar.

"Because Schala isn't such a closed minded idiot!" Gaspar yelled back. And suddenly everyone was yelling but Magus. Guess they don't receive many visitors he laughed to himself.

After a while, the attention was back on him. "And where we you headed before Princess Schala took you here?" asked one guru, Melchior, curiously.

"I was travelling here anyways," he told them. He carefully left all inflection out of his voice. "Like I said, I was being led here"

No one really knew what to say to that. Finally Gaspar asked, "What was leading you here?"

Magus almost sighed in relief that they had asked the important question at last, which left him the duty of reinforcing their belief in him. "Something led me here, I'm not sure what, but I was shown the way in visions."

"Visions?" and the gurus scratched their heads over the matter. "What kind of visions?"

"I get them, and they usually happen whenever something important is happening," Magus said, weaving his intricate tale smoothly. "My future was here."

"You see the future?" asked Dalton, skeptically. He wasn't intelligent, but he wasn't stupid either.

"Sometimes, other times it is not so clear," Magus told them.

"Can you give us an example of this ability?" asked Belthasar, curiousity piqued thoroughly.

"I know that work on solidified energy crystals are being developed by research teams, and they have only begun to master ones that enhance magic ability, but that they are going to be thinking of ones to enhance physical abilities, such as strength and speed soon," he told them. "But I don't know when they will have them completed, my sight doesn't tell me that much."

And this wowed them. This project hadn't been released to the populace yet. In fact, only the team working on it, and those in positions of authority knew about it yet. Magus knew he had them, but the hard one to convince would be the Queen. And she would be hard to face. He had loved his mother once.

He was held in a luxurious room for a few days, being fed and watered accordingly. All his needs were seen to except being allowed to leave the room. Magus was losing patience. He knew his mother was a busy woman, she always had been, but after a few days, he needed room to breathe. It was stifling not being able to go anywhere. And nervewracking.

His plan was going smoothly so far, but this was one last hurdle he needed to overcome.

Magus found himself drowsing randomly through the day, and when he did, he dreamt of Schala. As he usually did. And he was taking one of these cat naps when an attendent rushed in suddenly on the fourth day. It was midmorning.

"Quick, make yourself presentable!" hissed the girl hurriedly. "The Queen is on her way!" That was all Magus needed to hear. He shook out his robes gently, and they were uncrinkled just like that. And a quick scan left him noticing he was clean and scentless once more, beyond a slight bodily scent that was almost like incense. His hood was on, as it hadn't once been missing any time any person had been near. He took deep breaths, and calmed his mind. He became a still pond, and just like that, he was ready. A life growing up in strife, then war, had made it hard to not be able to become calm at once. Memories of being panicked were very old.

Queen Zeal entered the room, looking as he remembered. Hair in the spikes that looked almost dangerous, and clothed in rich clothing that were the blue and orange of ruling. The colors that brought both classes of people together. She was surprisingly tall. Magus was taller than her, but she was the tallest enlightened he had come across so far. And she was strong. She had a regal beauty to her, but her face was hard. Magus was relieved to see the light of madness missing from her face.

"I am told that you can see the future, and that my daughter took you here personally," stated Zeal, cutting straight to the chase. "Is this true?"

"Yes, your majesty," he responded. He showed respect by kneeling before her.

"Well, my naïve daughter told me she did indeed let in a stranger matching your description," Zeal said, staring at him. "But how do I know you can truly see the future? You have my gurus convinced, but I would also like proof, if you don't mind."

"As you wish, majesty," he smoothly agreed. "What would you like me to see if I can find? Or can I choose?" he asked. Giving the Queen the choice would help convincing, because it would be hard to disagree if he didn't know what would be asked. It would also be a slight gamble on his part.

The black wind whisped through his mind. He knew he would succeed. His curse was a form of future sight.

"Hmm," mused the Queen, looking at him and pursing her lips. Her eyes twinkled in a way he could almost see in his minds eye. "There is something outside of Zeal, we are going to replace it soon, and it has always been there."

"Always? The only thing like that would be the sunstone," he murmured quietly. And he watched the Queen laugh quielty, her spikes bouncing, like some sort of spiky flower.

"Do you know when the suns power will be exhausted?" asked Queen Zeal next, quite seriously.

"It should become a moonstone around your son's fourth birthday," he said, remembering it well, suddenly. He had remembered his mother being distracted soon after his birthday.

Queen Zeal's eyes clouded. "That soon?" she asked, sounding worried.

"I'm sorry, majesty, is your son's birthday soon?" he asked, trying to sound hesitant. And he convinced the Queen.

"It is in a little over half a year..." she said, sounding worried. "Thank you, sir. And your name, stranger?" she asked, gracious in the face of bad news.

"I am only known as the Prophet, majesty," he answered her.

"You may stay here as long as you like, Prophet," Queen Zeal told him. "If you are correct, that knowledge is invaluable"

He was welcome, just like that. And it had been relatively easy. He knew he would have to make the Queen rely more heavily upon him in the times to come, but for now, it was enough.

He was dismissed, and he returned slowly to the room he had gone into in the beginning. An attendent took him there, and said they would make the accomodations more permanent later if he so desired. He did, and expressed it coldly without emotion, which made the attendent shiver, and it wasn't all fear. His voice was mesmerizing, deep, and smooth. He dismissed her without a second thought.

Laying on his bed, he willed the door locked, heard it click with satisfaction, and took a desired nap. His goal was closer. It was a good days work. Tomorrow he would begin to study, and seek out the gurus for further information if possible.


a/n: This chapter felt like it was a little too humorous. Oh well. I hope it covered his main incorporation into Zeal satisfactorily. =)