Chapter 5: Starting Anew
I do not own Chrono Trigger. I would love, to really. In my mind, it is mine. Heehee.
~~~~
Magus began in the library of the palace. He dug around for as much information as he could, ignoring all the sections that weren't informative. And he read at a incredulous rate. He forgot nothing, and the black wind spurred him on. He knew what was to come. He had a purpose again. Not that it took him long. It never had. Magus had always had some purpose or another. And this time it would be to save his family and home.
It had been around a week since he had been given leave to wander as he wished. And he had been bothered by mostly no one but the gurus. They wanted to improve his education so they could take him into their clutches. To help with their own studies on harnessing the power of Lavos. It was with renewed vigor that they strived towards this end. The Queen had apparently passed on the news of the Sunstone. No one else knew, so life was relatively peaceful except for when he fended off the gurus. The three were somewhat aggressive in their tactics to grab him and educate him. Not that he didn't want to expand his knowledge, he just couldn't really deal with them for very long. He didn't like prolonged exposure to anyone, actually.
Magus found himself ducking around corners when he heard any one of the gurus coming his way, and he was grateful for his acute hearing. Plus his speed and stealth, so he could make good his escape.
Sometimes he was distracted, because he could see his sister, or himself, passing by through a hallway. He never stopped to say hello, but it was hard not to follow his sister. He found it mildly disconcerting watching himself. Truly, he hated how ignorant Janus was of the happenings. Magus found himself wanting to throttle the child on occasion, which surprised him. He hadn't expected that reaction. Although the cat, Alfador, had stopped to sniff him once, before chasing after Janus. Magus realized his scent had changed somewhat over the years. But somehow Alfador knew him. He was afraid that if he let himself confront Janus in any way, he would recognize himself. Which would be bad, no matter how he looked at it.
~~~
It had been over a month, and Magus had moved on to Kajar, which he had dreaded somewhat, he knew the gurus lurked there more often than the was starting to have nightmares of them interspersed with the random Lavos ones. In his mind, he was beginning to suspect that he was going to mix them in with Lavos soon.
But he couldn't always escape them. They would ask him more questions, and as he learned more and more, including the properties of dreamstone, and how it would work with a mechanical mixed with magical technology, they sank more hooks into him. And he could actually help them. They were more attuned to making items without dreamstone, it was becoming less populous, so more coveted. Not much was made from it anymore, with the exception of Melchior and his dabblings in weapons. Plus Magus had a rather insightful view on things, having a different viewpoint because he had grown up in an era no one could even imagine now. Especially the violence.
Magus wished he could shock the enlightened out of their security, so that they could understand that there were things defined as threats to them. The enlightened were not a supreme race, immune to all harm, and the universe did not revolve around them. He had found himself angry once, as a person had come up to him, and stated that his belief was that Zeal was the center of the universe. Either way, he had countered with proof that Zeal was not, in a cold tone, and the man had shuffled off, mumbling.
The truth was Magus was starting to have a hard time concentrating. He found himself wanting to wander off and find his sister. Oftimes when he felt this urge, he would instead either pace the hallways or his room, or practice forms with his scythe. He had found an empty room in an abandoned passage, and had decided that it would be safe to practice there unseen.
And today was one of those days. He was frustrated, aggravated, and in dire need of time away from people. Kajar wasn't as crowded as the palace, but it was more bustling with traffic. And the people there wanted to talk to you, and would randomly tell him things he didn't care about. Scare away one, and a new one would come up to replace them. Magus had left before he had hurt someone. He realized he almost hated the people in Zeal as much as those of 600 AD. And he almost hated those of that time as much as the earthbound. None of the options were very good.
He was travelling back up to the palace, when finally, he almost literally ran into the person he had wanted to see the most. Schala. And she was back again, and looking mildly surprised to see him.
"Oh, Magus, hello," she said mellowly, eyes having gone wide for a moment back to their original shape, and a gorgeously deep shade of blue.
"Hello, my lady," he answered, quietly. She smiled at his response.
"I thought I told you it was fine to call me by my name,"she answered back. Apparently she had stopped being flustered by him during the past month. Magus was almost disappointed by that.
"As you wish, Schala," he said, pronouncing her name with care, saying it with relish. And she detected it, and suddenly she was back to being shy again. Magus was definitely not sorry about that. He liked seeing her flustered. It was so much better than tired, scared, and hopeless.
"Where were you headed to?" she asked, trying to regain her composure. She didn't quite succeed.
"I was going to head back to the palace," he answered, truthful. He was glad she hadn't asked why he was travelling anywhere, he would have had to lie to her. He didn't want to say so he wouldn't kill anyone. Not to her, anyways.
"Oh, I was heading towards Enhasa," she laughed. "I wanted to pick up some books from there for my brother," she confessed. She was smiling to herself now.
"I see," he murmured. He was relieved that she wasn't bringing him with her. Then he would have had to be around himself.
"Have you been to Enhasa yet?" Schala asked, curious.
"Not yet, I was working my way towards it," he said, smiling lightly, his hood allowing her to see his smile clearly, if not the rest of his face.
"Did you want to come with me, since you haven't yet? It is really peaceful there," Schala asked, politely, but still genuinely offering her company. Magus loved how honest she always was with everyone.
"If I won't be imposing, it would be an honor," he said, and his voice interred that he meant it. And he had her blushing a bit again. Perhaps it was how he said everything seriously? He knew she never blusehd around anyone else. If she blushed around anyone else, he would have to do something about it. He was somewhat overprotective and territorial at the same time.
And with that, though, he offered her his arm, and she understood what it meant, and took it, somewhat hesitantly. She almost had to reach up to get it, so much was the height differential.
Once again, there was very little conversation in the beginning. Until finally, Schala had to speak. "Why didn't you tell me you were a Prophet?" she asked, sounding somewhat hurt that he would keep it from her.
"I..am not used to speaking about it," he said haltingly, hoping he had not actually hurt her feelings. That was one of the few things that terrified him.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Schala said, suddenly feeling bad at pushing him. "I guess that makes sense"
"Don't worry about it, Schala," Magus said, tasting her name on his tongue once more. "That is my job"
And amazingly, Schala laughed, if quietly, but it was still a laugh. He found one of his eyebrows raising quizzically.
"I do apologize, I know that was supposed to be serious, but I can't help it," she said, as explanation.
"I don't mind," he said. And he didn't. She was happy. It was enough for him. Then they were at the Skyway. And it was time to brave the blizzard once more. Magus didn't relish that. "Do you want to take a different way to Enhasa?" he asked, hoping she would say yes.
"Different way? How?" she asked, puzzled by his cryptic question. There was only one way to Enhasa, and that was through the Skyway, except for the emergency light passages. Which were hard to maintain, so stayed in stasis until needed.
"Flying, of course," he said, as if it were obvious.
"You can fly?" she asked him, suddenly curious.
"Of course I can fly," he said. "It's a simple thing, really." And he had her at that. Her eyes gleamed with curiousity.
"Is it safe?" she asked, uncertain suddenly, the thought striking her.
"Of course it is, my lady, I would never let harm come to you," Magus said, and suddenly close to her, he swept her up, hands hooked under her knees and around her shoulders. She made a slight surprised noise, which was not quite described as an 'eep', but similar nonetheless.
"Oh," she said, once he had her settled comfortably in his grip.
"You might want to hold on anyways," he warned, and she nodded, and gingerly put her arms around his neck, which was the only thing available to hold on to. Magus grinned at her, and his pronounced canines seemed more pronounced somehow. His expression was one of mischief and also reminiscient of a cat that has gotten into the cream. And he suddenly crouched more, and then sprung upwards vertically, and kept going instead of descending like regular people.
He levelled out, and took his bearings, then headed towards Enhasa. Magus was joyful as well, he hadn't actually flown for so long, and now he could share this personal happiness with his sister. Of course, he probably enjoyed holding her way too much.
The wind was stronger above Zeal, and Schala held on more tightly when they left the main continent, and the wind also blew the hood from Magus' head, baring his features to her. She found herself caught between staring at him and her surroundings. He was like nothing she had ever seen before, with his pale skin like marble, and delicate features, and long blueish hair, almost like an enlightened. But he was so large and muscular, which she hadn't actually ever seen before. A lean muscle, though.
The ride was over, though. Magus put her down, slowly, not wanting to let go of her. He was surprised that she had a hard time letting him go, though. "My lady?" he asked. He didn't want to ruin it, but was curious as to why.
"Sorry!" Schala answered, blushing deeply now. She looked down and away. "...thank you" she added to the end.
"Anytime, my lady," he responded. "You are well, I take it?" he asked then. She still wasn't looking at him. And he realized his hood had come away with the wind. He hadn't taken that into account when he had daringly asked her to fly with him. He started to put it back on, when Schala asked.
"Why are you hiding yourself again, Magus?" And he had a hard time answering that question.
"It is a personal choice," he finally said after a moment. Which didn't convince her.
"Is it because you look different from us?" she asked next, strangely demanding.
"That is only a small part of it, the rest is more difficult to explain," he said, voice quiet.
"But why would you hide? You look perfectly fine to me," she said, upset by this for some reason.
"If it bothers you, as long as I am with you alone, I can keep my hood down, but only with you alone," he said, trying to work with her. He had a hard time denying her, he found out, not really to his chagrine.
"...thank you," she said, quiet once more.
"Whatever makes you happy," he said, in complete seriousness. And just like that, he had her off balance once more, turning the tables on her.
They walked to Enhasa, the rest of the way, and on the outskirts, Magus put his hood back on, tucking away stray hairs. When he looked at Schala, he realized how messy her hair had become in the strongs winds above Zeal. He reached out, and straightened bits and pieces, tenderly, and Schala didn't stop him. She just looked into his eyes, and kept staring. He almost became discomfitted. But he stared back, and didn't want to stop looking. His hands wandered, and tucked some of her bangs behind her ear, and his hand rested on the side of her face.
Magus found himself leaning in to kiss his sister, and she wasn't stopping him. She was just looking at him, and they were mesmerized by each others eyes. And he couldn't stop himself. He kissed her lips, soft and sweet. It was a chaste, if passionate kiss, with her yielding to him. And when it was over, he stepped back. He was breathing harder than he had in quite a while.
"I am sorry, my lady," he said, "I couldn't help myself"
She shook her head, as if in a daze, and then she realized what had happened, what she had let happen. "No, I apologize, it was not appropriate of me to kiss you, not when I don't even know you very well."
"You can know me," he said, quietly. She looked at him again, and nodded, slowly.
The rest of the day passed in a daze for him. He had something that he hadn't truly dreamed he could even begin to attain. He had her trust, and perhaps friendship. He hoped it would become something more.
He flipped idly through books while Schala searched for the books for her brother. She read to him, and was having him practice reading as well. Magus reminisced about that. He started looking, and found the book he had loved most as a child. It had adventure, but also, it was about a hermit.
"Here, I think that the prince Janus might like this book," he said, and she looked at it, poked through it for a minute, then looked at him, smiling.
"It's perfect," she stated, smiling, and added it to her small pile, and went to actually purchase them. The nu who sold the books waved her away, giving them to her free.
When they left Enhasa, he sealed the books in his negative space, and they flew back to the main continent, where he gave her back her books, and straightened her hair once more. He refrained from letting his hands wander again. At the outskirts of Kajar, and the passages to the palace, he put his hood up again, keeping his promise to let it go down around her.
They parted ways at the palace gates, he bowed his head to her, and glided away. She walked slowly back to her room, to hide the books from her brother until his birthday.
~~~
Magus lay on his bed, fingers on his lips. Running over what had happened in his head. He couldn't believe it had actually happened. He had only had a few actual hours contact with his sister so far. Not to question luck, he was giddy almost. It was a joy to be able to do that. And he would be able to see his sister more often now. She wanted to be friends. He wanted more, but that could come later, the time was there.
The next day, he attacked his studies with renewed vigor, and actually let the gurus snag him away, and took in their lessons gladly. He learned even faster than usual, and his knowledge base was quickly surpassing most enlightened already. He was catching up to the gurus themselves.
In a matter of short months, he had caught up enough to become an actual help. This time passed in a daze for him. He would stay and talk with Schala fairly often, and she would talk back, and they would get to know each other better. She knew him best out of anyone. Even now, as an adult.
And he was becoming closer to her. But time was running short until the sunstone's power let out.
He hated it, but he began spending more time with the three gurus, and the Queen. Planning the Mammon Machine was coming along, but almost too slow. When he wasn't with them, he was in a trance-like state, trying to remember how the machine was built.
The matrice was coming along slowly, but the power source to activate the machine was what was giving trouble. No one could figure out how to activate the machine fully. So everyone was concentrating on actually finishing the Mammon Machine itself.
The Queen was becoming more desperate, and you could see fatigue in her eyes now. She stayed strong in the face of possible disaster, but was quickly making an obsession out of making the new power source work, because she couldn't find a way to recharge the sunstone. It took millenia to do that, and there as no way to speed up the process. Magus was becoming fatigued as well. Everyone was. And it was stressful.
No one else really knew about it. Not Schala, not Janus, no one. People knew there was research going into new technology, but they assumed it would be like the blackbird, which had been completed around a year ago. The gurus were always studying something. No one was bothered by it. Except the royal children. They could sense that something was wrong. Schala could tell because she knew the gurus and her mother, and Janus knew because he was observant, and Magus privately knew also because of the black wind.
His memories were slowly returning to him, and as he became more productive in technological advances, he realized how difficult it was to build new things. Magus respected the gurus more. He didn't like them, but he respected their prowess in their fields of study.
~~~
"Are you okay?" Schala asked him, sitting next to him in the palace garden. She looked worried, as she was quite often recently.
"I am fine, just tired," he told her, hating how he couldn't expand to the whole truth. Magus hated keeping anything from her. Schala made burdens easier to bear.
"Do you want to go rest?" Schala asked him, moving her hands to his neck.
"This is rest," he laughed, quietly. She made it easier to forget that they had to somehow complete the Mammon Machine. Janus would soon be four, and then the Sun Stone would fail. And she made him think that the world would not end. He got up. "I should go" is all the explanation he gave her. He watched her brow crinkle in confusion.
"What is it?" she asked, worried still. She wasn't going to stop him from going, but still, she would ask.
"I just need to go now," he said, not offering anything more. Schala accepted it, as he did it somewhat often. Magus was just a brusque person, even to those he loved most. And he left.
Walking through the halls to his room, he was cursing under his breath. There was too little time. And to make it worse, they HAD to rely on Lavos for power. It made him want to scream. He brushed past people, who could just sense his anger, and got out of his way as quickly as possible. The distaste he felt here was suddenly stifling. So when he reached his rooms, the door slammed behind him, and he couldn't help a mildly violent outburst.
He would have to fix the door to the armoire later. He went up the steps to a tower, and took out his scythe. It whistled through the air as he went through set forms viciously. The reach of his weapon of choice barely cleared the walls at times. And this continued, whirling, twisting, cutting through the air, until his anger abated. His frustration melted into discontent. He slumped against the wall, cradling his scythe as if it were a child.
Every time he thought of it, it was the same, and it built up until it boiled out and over. This room was where he could safely vent his anger. But also where he could feel hopeless.
It passed, as it always did, with him feeling tired and empty, wishing there was someone he could tell, knowing it was the one thing he could not share. Hating that he had to usher on the future he remembered. Hoping that he could stop the calamity that would ensue before it could happen.
Why?He thought. The black wind was the only answer to his lament. The rustling of it had grown more clamorous over the months. And it brushed past any defense, and never let him forget.
~~~
a/n: Sorry it took so long to update. Too much going at once. This was mostly done over a week ago. I'm not quite content with it, but it'll do...for now. Any comments on it would help. And to my first reviewer, thanks for the support. =)
