Truce Coastline, 580 Kingdom Calendar

"LET ME GO!"

A very angry looking green blob in a robe was hovering across the sands under the pale moonlight. A screaming child was slamming his fists into the creature's back, as he had been hoisted over its shoulder.

Ozzie was already more than steamed that his trek to the top of Truce Canyon provided another non-sale with those irritating imps, but then this kid literally popped out of the sky and proceeded to telekinetically puree his clientelle. He'd be damned if he wasn't getting *something* out of this.

"SHUT UP!" he shouted back at the annoying brat. "You cost me a fortune today, you know that? You better hope your parents are rich, because if I'm not getting a ransom out of you, you're getting in my belly!"

"You fool! Of course my mother is rich!" Janus stupidly replied. "She rules the entire kingdom of Zeal! If she finds out what you've done..."

"Zeal!?" Ozzie interrupted. "Don't play games with me, I know all about that old fairy tale where the kingdom in the sky gets too heavy or something and falls down. That little trick you pulled back there though was definitely no fairy tale... ...so, tell ya what: if you *promise* to show me what you did back there again, I'll put you down."

"..."

"Huh? Hey, look kid, it ain't easy hovering your way up the top of that canyon. Not to mention I can't even take the easy road 'cause of all the humans in town... I was supposed to make some good money today, selling cheap ether to a few imps who can't even do anything with it! Now, I made that whole trip for nothing and it is all your fault. What am I supposed to do?"

Janus remained silent. He was still pretty confused.

Ozzie sat the boy down on a fallen tree branch, giving him a great view of the ocean horizon. Janus looked out and was somehow convinced that at some point the ocean just stopped, and spilled out onto a surface world below. This was much too warm for the frozen hellscape he remembered.

"Where's Schala? What did you do with her?"

"Eh?" Ozzie mumbled. "Who's that, your nanny? Look kid, you popped out at me! Now I saw what you did back there, and I'm not convinced you're one of them, so tell me the truth: are you a human, or a fiend?"

"What kind of a stupid question is that?" Janus shouted. "Of COURSE I'm a human!...

...wh... well, what's a fiend?"

"I am a fiend..." Ozzie smiled, "...those imps you murdered were fiends... anyone around here that looks weird, acts weird or, hell, smells weird is a fiend, as far as humans are concerned. Anyone who puts ketchup on eggs is a fiend. Anyone who wants to kiss their own gender is a fiend. Anyone who wants to be a *different* gender is a fiend. Anyone who likes rain? Fiend. But most importantly, *anyone* who can use magic, is most *certainly* a fiend. Understand?"

Janus shook his head. "...no... why would using magic make someone nonhuman? They'd just be enlightened, wouldn't they?"

Ozzie had no clue what Janus was talking about. "What? wh-no, look - What are you? And be honest..."

"Well..." Janus began, "I... guess I'm... a... fiend?"

"Thheeeerree we go..." Ozzie grinned. "You're an awful human-looking fiend, to be sure... But that's ok. Maybe you've been living a lie all your life, huh? Ok, tell ya what: See that dead fish on the ground there?"

Janus noticed the decaying fish, with its guts hanging out and one milky eye staring right at him. "Uh... yes?"

Ozzie smiled. "Watch this."

Ozzie snapped his fingers, and the fish began to flop along the ground, almost dancing.

Janus's jaw dropped. "He's alive again! how did you do that!?"

Ozzie laughed. "Nah, he's not alive, he's just reanimated is all. Zombie fish! aahahahahahaha!"

Janus smiled a little, compelled to join in the fun. With some concentration, a dark aura began to surround the fish as it levitated into the air. After moving it over the water, Janus gently set the zombified fish into the water and it swam away.

"There..." Ozzie smiled. "That wasn't so hard now was it?"

Janus was beginning to realize that this was probably not the Kingdom of Zeal.

"...W.. where are we, Mister?"

"Awww..." Ozzie smiled. "Are you lost, fiend?"

"I-I'M NOT LOST! I just... ...maybe, don't know where we are. Where's Zeal?"

In the back of Ozzie's mind, he was beginning to wonder if perhaps this strange kid was telling the truth. "Uhhhh..." Ozzie spoke, "We'll talk about that later. For now though, let's you and I set up camp tonight and get some rest, ok?"

Janus's smile faded. "I want to go home."

"Look..." Ozzie smiled, "It's late, kid. Tomorrow we can get our bearings and-"

"I WANNA GO HOME NOW!" Janus screamed. "NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW!"

"YOU CAN'T!" Ozzie screamed. "DON'T YOU GET IT, YOU STUPID LITTLE TWERP? THERE IS NO ZEAL, NOT NOW, NOT EVER AGAIN! IT FELL OUT OF THE SKY SO LONG AGO PEOPLE DON'T EVEN THINK IT EXISTED!"

Janus fell silent. "...you're lying! YOU'RE LYING! I JUST CAME FROM THERE, IT HAS TO BE..."

"LOOK AROUND YOU, BRAT! DO YOU SEE ANY FLYING DIRT? ...It's gone. It's been gone for a long time... I'm sorry."

Janus shook his head. "then this isn't 65,012,000 Year of Lavos..."

Ozzie sighed. "This is 580 Kingdom Calendar. I think you're a long way from home."

Janus fell eerily silent.

"Hey... h-hey there... look... it's not all so bad! Tell you what, kid: I think us fiends could use a fiend like you around! Maybe humans won't boss us around so much if we have a tough guy like you around... well... you'll be tough. Just you wait and see! We might not have much right now, you and I, but when we get home to Medina, I'll teach you some new magic. Then, you'll never have to cry or scream to get your way again."

Ozzie was trying to come off as warm or fatherly. In truth, he only saw Janus as another meal ticket, and Janus knew it. He was alone, here. Alone with a con artist and cheap necromancer. Hell, that fish he put in the water probably stopped moving by now. Cheap-ass necromancer.

Janus realized he would be alone for a long, long time. His only company, his only true company was his own thoughts and fantasies. He pulled his amulet out from under his smock and held it closely, his eyes closed...

...He could see Schala running towards him, with her arms outstretched. She knelt down and held him as tightly as she could, tears in her eyes.

"Are you ok?" she whispered. "I looked everywhere for you... Let's go home, now... It'll be ok..."

He smiled, glad to be back in her familiar embrace. It put a warmth in his heart and soul to let her into it, to simply be held by her. Heck, even if Zeal really was gone, he'd be happy so long as Schala was there. She could figure anything out it seemed, so long as it didn't involve their mother, the mammon machine, or...

...Schala faded away, with a horrific cry for help. Janus couldn't do anything though. He realized he was dreaming of something that could no longer be. There was only one thing left, now... one thing he had left to seek in this world that might just ease his troubled soul.

his whisper broke the silence of the night and the ambiance of the waves.

"Lavos..."