Black Wind Blowing

This is my story, but not my world. Or game. Dang. Chrono Trigger does belong to Squaresoft...sigh.


The gurus had almost perfected the Mammon Machine. Not that they were actually calling it that yet. But Magus had begun to call it that as more time and resources were spent on it. Melchior was certainly taking a liking to it. He had heard him muttering about it the other day. Magus had cursed his lack of care, but then realized, perhaps that is why it had been called that in the first place. Perhaps if he hadn't been calling it that, someone else would have instead.

It felt like an excuse to him. He rubbed his temples. They were putting the finishing touches on it today, and then in two days, they would reveal it to Zeal itself, not that it's reason for being would be mentioned to the enlightened as a whole. And just in time, too. Janus had been four for three weeks.

The children would be shown the cursed machine tomorrow. The Queen was particularly excited about sharing her work with her beloved children. Magus figured she probably had some sort of educational lecture in mind, if his memory served him right. She had always been one for education before Lavos changed her.

Magus found that he enjoyed the company of his mother, and tried not to tell her how horrible it would become in the years to come. She didn't have to know. She tried too hard to destroy her hopes. So he stayed vague whenever she asked about the future. He only assured her that the power source would be found for the Mammon Machine. This didn't ease his mind any, but Zeal found it greatly comforting.

It was midmorning, and Magus had been in the room with the gurus for a few hours already. He found himself fretting about the final tweaks and modifications as much as them. It made him feel strangely old, and he misliked feeling similar to the gurus themselves. He found a wall to stand near, away from the gurus, and shook his hood down further.

The black wind was almost howling, and he knew something terrible was about to occur. Magus found that he couldn't remember what was about to transpire. It escaped him for some reason. It was hard to concentrate with the black wind blowing through his mind. It scattered his thoughts, and gave him a feeling of forboding. Dread tied his guts into knots, and he couldn't unwind them. This was not something he was accustomed to.

He appeared outwardly relaxed, so he would have to make due.

Voices echoed down the hallway. Queen Zeal burst in, energetic. More energetic than she had been in quite a while. And sure enough, she was talking about the duty of a ruler to take care of their subjects. To Magus' distaste, Dalton was with them, keeping to himself, actually. Magus was surprised. Perhaps the man knew better than to interrupt the Queen when she was in a full blown lecture.

The Queen wrapped it up fairly quickly, and went to check on the gurus. Schala and Janus stayed put. Alfador wandered over to him. Magus grimaced. He didn't like the fact that the cat knew him. It put him on edge even more.

The cat walked right up to him and sniffed at the hem of his cloak. And then it spoke to him brazenly, voice demanding. Just as he remembered. He looked at Alfador, and felt the urge to scratch the cat under the chin. Alfador himself just looked expectant, like he should do what he was thinking about. Magus was torn. He ended up just standing there, staring at the cat. It gave him a slow blink, purple fluff shifting as it sat down.

Schala wandered over. "Oh my, I didn't think Alfador liked anyone but Janus," she said, softly, but surprised. She smiled. "How fortunate."

Janus wandered over, a sour look on his face. Apparently he hadn't come to the same conclusion as his sister. He was a bony child, thin and serious looking, and similar to Schala. But he was missing the kindness and compassion. "Alfador, come here," he demanded of the cat. Alfador looked at Janus, him, and then meowed. Janus finally walked over and picked the cat up. The cat didn't resist, as it wasn't getting any attention from Magus. "Alfador only likes me," grumped the child.

Magus didn't answer. His only response was to look at Janus.

"Janus, be polite," scolded Schala, giving Magus an apologetic look. "The Prophet has come to help us"

"Fine," Janus said, looking at his older sister, not hiding the love he held for her very well. He gave Magus a peremptory nod before wandering off to go and stare at the machine while standing next to the Queen. Magus noted that Janus didn't look well, and was giving the machine looks of fear. Magus couldn't blame him.

"I'm sorry about my brother," Schala said, apologetic.

"Do not worry about it," Magus told her. He was mainly relieved that his first encounter with himself hadn't come to any recognition, or world ending paradoxes. One weight out of many off his mind. "Most people don't receive me very well."

"Oh," Schala said, the small noise somewhat abashed, somewhat concerned. "Why wouldn't they like you?"

"Your people don't like strangers much, and most likely not strangers that can tell them about their own future," was his answer. He didn't really feel like telling her they were afraid of him, if she hadn't figured it out already. It was up to her, and if she didn't want to look at it, he wouldn't make her.

"Are you excited about the Mammon Machine?" Schala asked him. "Mother is, she has been talking about it all morning. This is what you weren't allowed to talk about?"

"Yes, the research was strictly prohibited to those who were not working on it," Magus explained. Schala smiled in acceptance of that. She understood what it meant to disobey the Queen, who was strict in policy, and brooked no argument. But her forehead crinkled slightly at his terse tone. Magus was having a hard time being pleasant. Not with the cursed black wind blowing a gale that only he could hear.

The Queen made a noise that seemed to signal for everyone to stand attention. It was minutely amplified by a minor mana expenditure.

"I would like to introduce everyone to the future," began the Queen. "This will be our new power source in the days to come, and it will replace our Sun Stone, whose tired energy has fueled us until this point. We will return the Sun Stone to the Sun Keep on the southwestern island." she continued. The people there, some were researchers from Kajar, but all were of the higher eschelon of the ranks of Zeal. "I would like to thank those who helped create this artistry of machinery," and she motioned forward the gurus, and Magus himself. "The Gurus of Life, Time, and Reason, and the newly arrived Prophet are the ones who have brought this marvel to us." And Magus found himself inclining his head in a simulacrum of a bow. The gurus themselves did more of a bow than him. There was a smattering of applause for the machine, which was actually quite beautiful in design. Balthazar wouldn't have had it any other way. And all three gurus were artists in their own way. Magus had actually contributed to it as well. It looked almost alive, the cold and copper shining in the lights of it's podium. The emeralds and ruby shelled lights were dim, though. The main matrice in the upper center appeared almost as a face. Even if Magus thought it looked evil, everyone else thought it beautiful.

The interior of it had inscriptions, which Magus had done, the shaping had been accomplished by Melchior, much of the interior by Belthazar, and components had been forged by Gaspar. Truly, it almost was more bio-mechanical than plain mechanical, which Magus had contributed. Basically if they got it going, it could keep running indefinitely as long as it had a power source. The problem was giving it 'life'.

Queen Zeal had finished her speech, and all the noble enlightened were up close and inspecting it.

"You really helped build this?" Schala asked him wide-eyed, having drifted back to him once more.

"Yes, I did help some," he admitted, although it pained him to say.

"Can we go have a closer look?" Schala asked him, curious of the machine, but having a hard time getting close.

"As you wish," Magus answered. They headed to the machine, and people parted, not willing to get close to him. Magus almost stumbled as they approached, the black wind a screaming gale in his mind, so loud and powerful that he could almost physically feel it.

Then he froze. He heard it, in his mind. The screaming, screeching, horrendous cry of Lavos. It cut through his mind like a hot knife, and he had to contain a gasp as the agony ripped through.

And he watched as Schala stepped closer, without him, and as she started to turn to look at him, it was as if something turned her towards the Mammon Machine once more.

Schala stumbled, and almost fell, gasping, as her pendant, also dreamstone, alit. Magus could almost see the power transferrence. There was a look of surprise on Schala's face, but it also looked slightly pained. Magus realized it was her lifeforce that was being drained. And it was fueling the Mammon Machine. It was slowly starting up, and as the jewel encased lights, which were better at retaining and carrying mana, began to glow. It was a slow blinking at first, and the strobing became faster and more frenetic as it took more energy from Schala.

Magus was horrified. And he remembered at last what had started the damned machine in the first place at last. And he knew it to be true when he felt that the black wind was hiding his memory from him. It was revealed to him with such clarity, that he could almost see it from the eyes of Janus, as well as his.

After agonizing moments, the power transfer ended. Magus was there to catch Schala as she collapsed, drained and tired.

He looked at her sadly, as everyone was stunned. They had found the power source to turn the Mammon Machine on, and now it was running with fervor, and the energy in it was building up, filling the room with a reddish glow.

People, shocked at the display, were stunned now by the power of Lavos, the overspill, which would balance out soon, and was already filling them with a certain ecstasy. Magus could feel the power taking a little from them as well. It didn't touch him, as he resisted it, and found no pleasure in it whatsoever. The only ones who looked even slightly horrified were the three Gurus, and Janus.

Magus met eyes with him, and wasn't surprised to see hate in the features of the young boy.

The Queen had a glazed look in her eyes. And Magus knew it was the beginning.


a/n: Yep, this was a short chapter. But that seemed to fit. Extending would cheapen it, maybe? Who knows. But it was fun to write.