(Author's note: asklhdfsdkj trying to make Glenn/Frog's speech. I appreciate feedback on that too.)
The man once known as Frog now lived in Gaurdia castle. He no longer blended in with the locals at Medina after the curse seemingly fell apart on its own.
Actually, Magus already triggered removing the curse before they departed the day after killing Lavos. Magus would not be there to witness when Frog would collapse in front of Queen Leene and turn into his old human self. Nor did Magus care to witness the shock on the surrounding people's faces and Glenn writhing in agony. When asked about it, Glenn would say that being a hero and fulfilling one's duty was a cure.
But a part of Glenn wondered if Magus had died. The thought troubled him more than he would admit it to himself. Perhaps the old fool was slain trying to rescue his sister again. If that was the case, Glenn thought that he would have died nobly; an ironic and fitting end for someone who had also slain a hero.
But would that mean he died in his own time period, or this one?
One could never be sure how curses and time mechanics played out, actually there were some people who knew but they were out of reach from Glenn.
The man once known as Frog was now a knight, sworn to protect Guardia and its people. He was lauded and well-known like his mentor. Yet there was a slight specter about Glenn that still made people slightly fearful of him.
"Please don't cast magic!"
The celebrated knight had finished for the day and was tired. He was still clad in armor except for his helmet which he held with his right hand. He wearily looked at the Chancellor. "The woods would hath been set ablaze!"
The Chancellor waved his staff angrily. "Even if you were once a fiend, it seems you might still be one!"
"I hath told thou already, the king, the queen, and the whole court that humans can use magic and hath been granted such along with Crono, Lucca, and the future Princess Nadia. These powers assisted greatly in defeat of Magus, his army, and Lavos. I was no fiend, ever."
"It still seems unsettling coming from a human, and you of all people who defended us against...them." He crossed his arms and looked sternly at Glenn in the eye.
"Thy discomfort shall ease in thy time. If thine duty requires casting, cast I shall. Man once wielded this power, but hubris taketh the knowledge away in ages past, yet still can be re-kindled in man now. It is not an ability only for fiends. I understand thou hath only seen it from fiends who ser'ed Magus and threatened the kingdom. Thy hatred for fiends is great, as one kidnapped thou and masqueraded as thou to hurt Guardia, I understand."
The Chancellor sighed and left. He seemed to mutter something incoherent. Glenn did not care.
Glenn looked more like a shining knight than when he was last seen by Magus, he wore dark-brown and gold-trimmed enameled plate armor much like Cyrus's from below his head, and a green cape with Gaurdia's crest emblazoned on it. Though, unlike the typical Gaurdia plate armor, it seemed a little lighter, and leaner, more chainmail showed from underneath, perhaps suiting a warrior who was willing to give up protection for speed. Instead of gauntlets, Glenn wore blue leather boots and thick, blue leather gloves with chainmail beneath. Earlier, Glenn had cut his hair short much like the other soldiers of Gaurdia, but then allowed it to grow almost shoulder-length.
Glenn left to his private quarters, unaware that the man he just mentioned by his infamous pseudonym was listening in the shadows, cloaked by an invisibility spell.
Magus carefully slipped through as Glenn opened the door. At least he tried. Glenn had opened the door too narrow for Magus to enter, but Magus was too determined to enter.
As a result, what occurred was that Glenn felt a blanket of fabric rush by his legs that pushed him to the side a little. He immediately closed the door and drew his sword.
"Come out, thou rogue!"
A familiar chuckle came from a nearby chair.
Glenn groaned. "Speak of the Devil! Is that thou nasty fiend, even if thou'rt human?"
"Yes, I am your nasty fiend." Magus smirked as he drew down his invisibility. He was calmly seated in the luxurious chair by a writing desk at the far wall of the room. Magus was dressed in more dark blue tones, including his pants and was without leather armor.
"Magus..." Glenn sighed softly as he walked toward him, Masamune still in his right hand but lowered down.
Glenn would never admit it-not even to himself, that he was relieved to see that Magus was still alive.
"Considering the origin of fiends as products of magical experimentation, I do qualify as a "proto-fiend", as did you when you were a frog." Magus said matter of factly. His right hand supported his head with an elbow on the armrest rather casually.
Glenn put the Masamune in its scabbard and walked to Magus. He crossed his arms and sternly looked down at the familiar intruder.
"What is thy business?"
"I am close to finding out how to rescue Schala. I...I humbly request your help." Even those last words were hard for Magus to properly articulate.
"Humbly?" Glenn snorted.
"Glenn, I know we got to a bad start, but there is an apparition of Lavos in existence who has a fair maiden in hostage who needs my help." Magus scowled.
"'A bad start tis a feebly frail attempt to soften the blow, fiend. A great shade hoverth over the air between us, yet admit I do that 'tis be redundant speak, for we hath much discussed our uneasy truce time a plenty in our journey to slay Lavos."
The knight shook his head and looked down before he continued. "If skill I have shall aid this fair maiden, how dost I can aid thee?"
"I want you to come with me when I take Schala from the timesteam. The journey to the location that would bring be closer to her could even be too much for me to handle."
"Ah! Thou needeth a blade by thy side?" Glenn smirked.
"Just in case." Magus retorted flatly, his eyes narrowed at Glenn's audacious tone.
Magus looked around the room, then back at Glenn. There was a thick silence in the air between them. Magus ran his hands through the back of his hair, then neck a little. He finally looked at Glenn straight in the eyes and spoke again.
"Glenn, before I bring you to rescue Schala, I have one more favor to ask you."
"What is thy request?"
"I want you to take me to Cyrus's grave."
"Zounds! I find thy preposterous proposal a hair too much!" Glenn yelled.
"I would like to…make peace with you and Cyrus before I rescue Schala."
"Surely, thou can make peace afterward?" Glenn's eyes twitched a little.
"I…" Magus stopped to think more carefully about what he was saying. He was not entirely sure why he felt the strong need to feel a sense of…closure regarding those he traveled with and as well as people from his past. He really had not thought of Cyrus at all except when he and Glenn had a talk earlier about the matter, in which Glenn firmly stated that he does not wish to be consumed by blind revenge the way he saw how Magus was, and was willing to fight alongside him. After killing Lavos, no words were exchanged on the matter except that Magus had started the spell to lift his curse before Glenn left to his own time.
It was this moment that it finally dawned to Magus that there was a very important detail about rescuing Schala that he refused to acknowledge, but was subconsciously acting upon. Why did he feel he had to confess to Crono about his words to him? Why did he ask Lucca about her family? Why did he feel the need to make peace with Glenn? The thought crept up his spine and gnawed on his psyche. His pallor was now almost paper white.
Worse, there were actually two important details, and both were as dreadful at the moment to Magus as the other. They both held that awful property of relinquishment.
"Magus?" Glenn asked, concerned.
"Listen, Glenn. I don't know what is going to happen, but after we rescue Schala, I may never have the chance to speak with you again."
"Why is that?"
Magus paused for a moment, then shook his head. "Nevermind, either way, I need to be ready to face my sister with a clear conscious." This was only a half truth.
"Thou sincerely regret slaying Cyrus?" Glenn quirked an eyebrow.
"I don't know."
"Thou better not be tricking me into defiling Cryus's rest!"
"I am not."
"If thou prove treacherous and false, I shall dispose of thou!"
"I know, I know." Magus sighed. It was clear he was as reluctant about the matter as Glenn was. Yet he felt he had to do it, but the reasons were not clear-what was clear was that it had to do with finding the way to Schala, and removing her from her fate.
Glenn would have doffed off his armor and called it a night, but he decided instead to escort Magus to the grave north of Choras to better conceal the fact he was even going there with him. Magus hid himself in his thicker blue cape and hood with gold fringe as he walked beside Glenn. People would undoubtedly approach Glenn and ask about the stranger if they were out during the day.
A cold fog enveloped the forest path up to Cyrus's grave. High-pitched squeaks, hoots, scurrying, and insect chirping filled the air. The bottom of Magus's cape began to accumulate water and forest detritus at the bottom.
Glenn's cape was too short to pick up the wet leaf litter and mud.
"Thy cape is getting dirty."
"I'll clean it later." Magus scoffed. He did not have anything else warmer than it for frigid nights. It may have not seemed thick enough for even the cold wastes of the land once owned by Zeal, but a big of magic can help a bit of cloth rather well.
Glenn and Magus did not exchange any other words along the way. Glenn did try to strike up conversations but Magus did not say anything, his mind was too focused on a myriad of things, yet most of all at that moment, why he was doing this. Why was he going to talk to someone who tried to kill him? Yet he felt he had a few last things to tell the fallen knight.
When they arrived at the tomb, Glenn used his lamp flame to light all the torches in the room. Magus carefully followed, and then finally uttered something.
"You haven't stopped me once during the way."
"I trust thou'st words with Cyrus not be hostile. Thou'rt an enigma, a peculiarity-one sideth be a bloodthirsty fiend, the other a great heart."
"What did you just say?" Magus snarled, pulling his hood off.
"Thou wish to speak to Cyrus or not?"
"Why do you think I am doing this? You seem very complicit in allowing such an insult to your friend to happen."
"Thou think Cyrus doth not know of our allegiance?"
Magus's eyes grew wide. "You…you told him?"
"Nay, not exactly. Yet I know he would cease ill will to you where he to know the purpose of our allegiance."
"How do you know?"
"He said to me, he knew thou were still alive, yet did not beseech vengeance if Gaurdia is safe. Last I spoke to him was the day of mine knighting, he spoketh praise of me and glad that Leene is in good hands."
"I guess he figured since he didn't see me fall down to Hell."
"I would hath think'st he passed on completely but says he will come back now for me until I am fully a true knight like him."
"That is a very powerful will to be able to cling onto this world like that." Magus's brow furrowed.
"Mayhaps not, Toma waited 400 years for us to pour ale on his grave."
"And is Cyrus anything like that? Aren't you a full knight already?" Magus probed.
"Aye. Mayhaps there is one more thing to Cyrus before he departeth."
Magus narrowed his eyes and readied his hands for any spell he might need to sling soon. He carefully approached the grave of the man he killed years ago. His footsteps where utterly quiet and slow, as if time around him was slowing to a crawl. Yet no slowing spell was needed to accentuate the gravity of the situation.
Magus was now about ten feet away from the headstone and simply stared at it.
There was no sign of any ghost. Not even when Glenn came up from behind to watch what might unfold.
"Cyrus hath moved on long ago, unlike thou?" Of course Glenn knew that wasn't the case.
Magus snapped, "Quiet, Glenn."
As soon as Magus's attention was back at the tombstone, a rush of ethereally cold wind rushed out from the direction of the tombstone. Glenn merely closed his eyes and stretched out a hand to feel the presence of their host. Magus lost his balance and fell to the ground bottom first. His legs where stretched out in front of him and his hands where behind him attempting to anchor him from being blown. His hair and cape violently blew backwards and straight behind him. He started to feel the breath from his lungs starting to somehow escape. His mouth gasped and breathed in the wind in an attempt to gain breath, but with each inhale more of his breath seemed to vanish. It felt like he was drowning and breathing in water as air escaped. In his thoughts he was furious, it seemed like Cyrus was trying to kill him right there.
Yet that other ominous wind he could always sense, was nowhere to be found.
Then, just as Magus felt he might pass out, the wind died down. He was able to breathe again and coughed violently.
"So, you are just a man." An eerily calm voice resonated around, in his head.
Magus sat up and with his bloodshot, watery eyes, he gazed upon the spirit of Cyrus. Just as he had appeared when Glenn first sought his grave. A knight clad in Gaurdia's most prestigious warrior regalia-black plate armor with gold edges, helmet open, and royal purple cape. His face was not forlorn, but still carried the heroic mien that Glenn admired.
"Why didn't you just kill me?" Magus growled.
"Do you wish to die? I could use some company over here."
Oh, that was cold. Magus immediately knew where this was heading. Cyrus had to make sure of what Magus's intentions where and if he would not be hostile. So Cyrus decided to immediately gain the upper hand and put Magus in a position of weaknesses. And oh, Magus deplored weakness, especially coming from himself.
"I would make terrible company for you as the person who put you here."
The ghostly knight in armor just chuckled and Glenn joined in the merriment.
"Oh, I see." Magus interrupted. "Glenn could not do the deed himself so he brought me to you for you to kill me right here."
"A clever plan that may be, yet t'was thou that requested this arrangement."
"Oh just kill me already." Magus sighed, his hand already was starting to fish for his scythe in his pocket dimension.
"No, I will not kill you."
"Why not?"
"Why are you here?" Cyrus demanded at Magus. "Glenn, why have brought my murderer here?" he reprimanded at Glenn.
"Magus hast some parting words with thee." Glenn was suspiciously calm.
"I...I..." Magus coughed out.
"Go on." Glenn was smirking.
"I..." Magus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I want to let you know that Glenn has fought more than just the enemies of Gaurdia, but a common foe we both had that threatened the world. I have helped stop a resurgence of the war by dispatching my former generals. The future of Gaurdia is in good hands centuries from now..."
"Is...that it?"
"If there had been no conflict of plans between us, we could have at the very least be respectful rivals."
Glenn was wide-eyed at this confession.
"I just want to know what you think about that." Magus got up and stood, then pulled on a glove and wiggled his fingers in it.
"Why do you care?" Cyrus probed.
"To see the look on your ghostly face knowing that your precious squire calls me a friend now."
Glenn tightened his fists, his face turned red and he shouted, "T'WAS ONLY ONCE!" He was about to pull the Masamune from his scabbard but Cyrus immediately shot a look at him and held his hand out to signal him to stop.
Cyrus sighed. "Magus, or shall I refer to you as Prince Janus Zeal?"
Magus froze and his mouth agape as he took his hand from his face. He then whipped around to face Glenn.
"You already told him you sonofa-"
Glenn closed his eyes and crossed his arms. His composure returned. "Aye, though he hast not believeth me. I did not say much but I took thy wish as mine opportunity to prove to Cyrus I am right, thou hath joined in our quest. As much as thou still hath my distaste, I was willing to at least consult Cyrus's opinion on the matter but he hath not believeth me.
"Indeed, Glenn you are more than right." Cyrus nodded.
"Thou were upset at me but still trusted I hath not betrayed thou. I am proud of thou as well for thy faith in me."
"Indeed I am, Glenn."
"And you, former Fiendlord" Cyrus continued. "I hope you find your sister, and I hope your soul will be at peace."
How self-righteous and knightly, forgive your enemies is the best vengeance. Magus could only hear Cyrus's words ever so cynically. He rolled his eyes.
"Fine" was all Magus could respond.
"Did you really think that you could arrive here as an insult to me?" Was that your intention, former Fiendlord?"
Magus just shrugged. Even at this moment he was not entirely sure why he was here, why he wanted to tell Cyrus this. The most obvious intention was to get a last laugh at Cyrus, but even this reason was too foolish, did he really want to burn all bridges with Glenn? The pride in him wanted to believe that, but another part of him-the one that kept Schala in his heart felt there was another reason to all this. A part that was vital to his goal. Magus slumped forward a little, then sighed heavily and covered his face with three fingers on his forehead and thumb on his cheekbone.
"Are you here because you regret killing me?" Cyrus held his armored arms folded together, his ghostly glance held aloft.
Magus tried to think about what he would do if Schala were there. What would Schala have wanted him to do? Would his actions be dictated by just what Schala wanted from him or maybe something more?
Magus lifted his hand from his face. The area around his eyes noticeably damp.
"I will atone for my misdeeds in my own time." He said, his head held high. "I am no longer a threat to Guardia. Glenn has learned from my mistakes to become a better person, who showed mercy to me when I was at my lowest point. Ironically his quest for vengeance against me saved my life, for if I had summoned Lavos, my true foe-I would have been slain. That is what destiny had for me, and Glenn stopped that. Thank you for Glenn." His eyeteeth lightly touched, he desperately wanted to clamp his mouth shut before he could say that last sentence.
Cyrus spoke. "So it is true. The man who murdered me is dead, and before me I see someone else. Glenn, I am proud of you."
"Whom dost thou see?" Glenn asked.
"I see a hero."
Magus cringed at those words. He truly did not feel that much different than the Fiendlord, but rather that he he knew the destruction of his mindless pursuit.
"I can still be the Fiendlord if I wanted to!" Magus snarled.
Glenn just smiled knowingly. "Did thou forget thy words already?"
Magus covered his face again. What the hell was he doing anyway confessing like this? It was better to keep everything under lock and key like always had been. Better to be silent than to wear one's heart on one's sleeve were it could be easily hurt.
"I am doing this for my sister." Magus flatly responded, eyes firmly shut.
Cyrus just smirked. "Whatever it is you need to do for her, it is likely she wants you to do it for yourself."
Glenn placed a hand on Magus's shoulder and squeezed gently. Magus did not respond to this gesture at all.
Magus glared at Cyrus. "Don't even pretend to understand what I am doing, knight. It is more unbelievably complicated than you could even imagine."
"We shall go with that then." Cyrus smirked.
"Cyrus, I thank thou for your deeds and thy aid to me-and as thou can witness, I hath avenged thee is the best possible way."
"Yes you have, Glenn, yes you have."
"And you, Janus. Your sister would be very proud of you."
Magus only sighed in defeat. "I am done here."
"As am I" Glenn bowed.
"Both of you were the last I saw with my mortal eyes, and now it has come full circle. Glenn, Janus, I am now ready to move on fully to what awaits me in the hereafter. I wish you both well in your journeys and I know the Queen is safe. Thank you both for restoring peace."
"Aye" Glenn said. "Farewell my friend and mentor."
Magus was silent but nodded in affirmation.
There was a flash of light and the cold air was gone. Glenn left some flowers and other personal trinkets at the tombstone.
Magus left behind a small chunk of dreamstone he had carried around.
They spent the rest of the night by a campfire in the woods. Magus sat on the soft earth against a tree. Glenn sat close to him. Both were silent and had not spoken a word after talking to Cyrus. Not even to request firewood, Glenn just sighed and sat down, and Magus simply nodded and made a fire right there. There was an unusual synchrony of intent in this silence.
"Magus, I perciveth that thy purpose in confession is something greater than seeing Schala with a clear conscience."
Magus stared into the fire and nodded silently. "I said that to Cyrus, weren't you paying attention?"
"Is thou closer to knowing how to rescue her?"
"...Yes."
"How close?"
"I already know how. It's part of why I am doing this."
Glenn paused. "How so, if I mayeth ask?"
"I already knew in a way, what must be done to retrieve Schala from the timestream. I thought of it but kept looking for an alternative. I had only hints before, but never fully realized it until now."
"Thou must confess thy sins?"
Magus leaned forward with a bare hand partially covering his face.
"It is much more than that, it is part of the effort to hatch the egg."
"When Crono was obliterated, all that was needeth was a poppet to bear the horrendous fate."
"It takes a lot more to replace Schala. She has given so much of herself to others including those who never had her best interests in mind. She does not deserve the torment she is going through."
"Could thou mayhaps clarify the connection, prithee?"
"I have to think of what Schala would have wanted me to do. I would have to think what Schala would do. Otherwise I would be unfit to rescue her. To reach her in the vastness of time, I have to be closer to her in spirit and forsake debts that would drift me away from her, and her away from me."
"Thou will replace Schala with thy ego?"
Magus chuckled lightly. "No, that wouldn't do."
"Then I still do not seeth the connection." Glenn frowned lightly.
"I am deliberately being vague about it."
"Obviously."
"Very well then. Thou may keep thy secrets for now."
"You're not going to probe me further on the subject?"
"Thou haveth spilled one's self all over enough tonight."
"I see." Magus scowled under his hand.
"Thou hast any more labors in the area?"
"Yes. I want to speak to my former generals. They would be hiding at the Denadoro mountains."
"I wish to accompany thee."
"Sure" Magus shrugged.
After awhile staring at the fire in the frigid night over damp twigs and fallen leaves, Glenn spoke up.
"Tis cold." Glenn shuddered.
They could always have stayed at an Inn, but that would be risky for reasons that they avoided by traveling at night.
"Let's stay in the Epoch, it would be much safer there anyway." Magus flatly stated.
"Aye, tis good reasoning." Glenn made a strange gurgling attempt to ribbit.
Magus quirked an eyebrow at that. "Old habits die hard?"
"Aye, I hath been an amphibian for a decade, I mayeth need years to be fully human again."
Magus simply nodded and put out the campfire while Glenn stood up with a lantern to find Epoch. When Magus joined Glenn, he softly levitated a few centimeters off the ground but still appeared to walk. Rather than walking by Glenn's side, he seemed to follow him a few feet behind, enough to be only slightly perceptible by the dim light of Glenn's lantern. Magus had his hood and cloak on tightly, to a stranger he would seem like a rogue ready to strike Glenn from behind.
Glenn paused after a few minutes.
"Thou ready to strike me?"
"I have your back." Magus sported a toothy grin when Glenn finally noticed where he was.
Glenn turned around to see Magus's grin. Glenn simply shrugged and continued off.
The two stuffed themselves at the back seats of Epoch after they put their armor and other belongings in the front seat. They were close enough to come into physical contact whenever either shifted around a little-which both found a little awkward. The seats were reclined as far as they could, which wasn't much. Despite the tight conditions, it was warm and dry inside-and the glass cover provided protection from marauders. Furthermore, Epoch was camouflage under a tarp and leaf litter-which was ideal to hide a valiant and celebrated knight next to the feared Fiendlord.
Magus wrapped himself in his cape and leaned back stiffly. Meanwhile, Glenn tried to do the same, but his head kept landing on Magus's shoulder.
Well, at least he isn't slimy anymore, Magus thought.
Glenn's eyes opened and looked dead onto Magus's eyes.
He made a ribbit sound.
Magus couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Thou art wish to be a filthy amphibian again?" Magus mocked Glenn's archaic speech in an aloof, dramatic tone.
Glen smirked, cleared his throat and said in a deeper, harsher voice, "Do not mistake these quirks for a desire to be in that form again. Any idea of such a thought is foolish-bring it up again and I'll slit your throat in an instant." His tone was firm and venomous but carried a slight refinement to it.
"So are we going to switch voices now?" Magus folded his arms behind his head and pressed a foot to the back of the front seat.
"Nay, unless thou art desire to sound like 'a stupid frog'" Glenn smiled.
"I could make you sound like a wretched wizard." Magus retorted.
They both sighed and drifted to sleep. Glenn leaned his head on Magus's shoulder.
Magus wore his leather armor this time around, in case Flea and Slash did not want a peaceful resolution and Glenn was clad in his armor again for the same reason.
The whole situation was too uncanny for Glenn. He was walking up the mountain path, side by side with the man who had killed Cyrus up the same route that Glenn took with Cyrus long ago that fateful day. Yet speaking with Cyrus again put him at ease a little; it would never fully temper the eeriness and irony of the situation.
And then Glenn was distracted by these thoughts at the wrong moment.
Glenn's foot landed on a loose rock that jutted at the edge of the cliffside, causing him to push it down, which sent his right leg down first, then his whole body slipping down the edge of the slope.
Or he would have fell straight down, but a familiar gloved hand caught his arm just in time.
"Glenn!" Magus shouted. He was at the edge crouched down with his left hand gripping Glenn's right arm as Glenn was close to slipping and then falling down a great height.
Magus's brow was sweating, his crimson eyes widened for a moment then narrowed to asses the situation. His teeth grit as he used all his strength to hold onto Glenn and his heavy armor. He eventually had to use both hands to hang onto Glenn.
Glenn was startled to see that Magus indeed was trying to directly save his life. Magus had already spared Glenn before and had dealt with enemies before they could get to Glenn in combat, but this still had required some mental energy to process.
But there was no energy to waste at this moment. Glenn dug his left hand to the cliffside and pushed one of his plated feet to the dirt to ease the weight load on Magus. Magus let his left hand free to cast a minor levitation spell on Glenn, which Glenn himself did not notice until Magus lifted him off the cliffside as if he were a light as a leaf.
Magus caught his breath and wiped his brow as Glenn stood there still a little bewildered, but thankful.
"Thou saved my life!"
"I would find your ghost annoying to deal with." Magus scoffed.
"I am thankful for thee." Glenn ignored Magus's snark and made a slight bow to him.
Magus felt like putting a hand to the back of Glenn's head during the bow, but did not.
The wizard and the knight continued up the path.
It was the exact spot where years ago, Cyrus had confronted Magus and been slain, and Glenn cursed into becoming a frog.
Now, it was Magus himself, standing in the exact spot where Cyrus stood. Glenn was not behind, but beside. In front of them, where Magus stood years ago, where now Flea and Slash.
Glenn drew his sword. "We defeated thou before and we can do it again!"
Magus stepped forward. "I'm surprised you two survived that beating earlier at the keep."
"This isn't funny, Magus! We trusted you, you guided us, us mystics chanted your name in hope and prayer. Now we know you cared not at all for us, and never intended to use Lavos to kill the humans!"
"Now Ozzie is dead as well, he suffocated in his own barrier after falling unconscious." Slash added, ready to fight.
Magus let out an imperceptible micro-smirk at that.
"Why are you hesitating, aren't you going to wail at me?" Magus noticed the two shaking.
Glenn put his sword back in the scabbard.
"Oh yeah, even with those new items you weren't able to defeat us earlier. Such a shame." Magus snarked,
"What happened, Magus? Why are you doing this?" Slash said.
"Do you wish to fight me?" Magus echoed those words from the North Cape. Glenn found the irony too rich now and could only wonder if it would unfold the same way.
Flea and Slash hesitated for a moment as Magus cooly tugged his gloves again.
"Well, do you wish to fight us?" Flea broke the silence.
"I have already stopped you from continuing the war have I not?".
"This was your war!"
"This was Ozzie's war." Magus snapped. "He used me and I used him. That was the way things worked between us. It was others like both of you who were the fools to place all your heart in someone like me."
"Fair point" Slash looked down.
"There's something important you never told us, why?" Flea asked.
"Your first clue should have been how suspiciously human I looked as a kid."
Flea and Slash paled.
"You...you're human after all?"
"Besides altering my own appearance, yes. I came from a time portal from the ancient days when many humans had magic. I vowed to work with your kind to strengthen my own magic and finally destroy Lavos who destroyed my homeland as well as everyone whom I held dear. When the interlopers came, I fought them, but the summoning spell did not go right, and thus we were thrown back into the past. After a few mishaps, we encountered each other again and recognized we both had the same goal to kill Lavos, and I came to the realization that I could not do it alone."
"And he told us the means to bring back one of our comrades from the dead." Glenn added.
"Isn't this Cyrus's squire?" Slash asked.
"Indeed, 'tis I Glenn who was the frog before. And now I stand beside my former enemy for the sake of greater purposes!"
"Greater purposes like what?"
"Lavos was a threat to all, human and mystic alike. Thou foolish to wish all humans dead. In the future, mystics and humans will live in peace."
"Eugh." Flea rolled his eyes.
"I'll let you two live, as long as you two lay low and don't restart the war." Magus snapped the attention of the conversation back to his point.
"We don't have the means to anymore" Slash said.
"Good. Now that is set aside, I would like to thank you for your support and the good times we had."
"What? but you said we were fools!" they both cried in unison.
"Exactly. But I know I couldn't get to where I am, or put up with Ozzie without your help. "
"Ugh, stop with the head games!" Flea said.
"I am afraid I might be a head game." Magus smirked.
"Tell me something, oh great Mystic King," Flea said snidely, "Even if you are human, I bet you really like being one of us, I mean you haven't restored your human appearance!"
Magus turned to look at Glenn for a moment. He remembered how Glenn made habitual ribbits now and then despite being human again for some time. Meanwhile, Glenn had an idea of what was going through Magus's thoughts at the moment due to the context, and he responded to Magus's glance by inflating the area below his lip a tiny bit, which imitated the throat bubble of a frog. Magus turned to see Flea and Slash again, and took a deep breath before proceeding to come up with an answer.
"I really don't care either way. I will only do so when or if it is necessary at all. For now, illusory disguises are enough." He answered firmly.
Glenn knew that that was a half-truth.
"You have my word, Magus." Slash bowed. "I will not incite the war again. Ozzie has been slain, and thus the mystics have not had a leader to incite the war again afterward. Even Ozzie's son, Ozzie II is not keen to follow in his father's footsteps after his defeat."
Flea crossed his arms, "We were just following orders from Ozzie!"
"Well, there isn't Ozzie around anymore." Magus said.
Glenn approached both closer and removed a burlap sack from his side, it was the size of a rabbit but was obviously much heavier and lumpier. He offered it to both mystics.
"Here, a peace offering. So thou may move on with thy lives without the support of Ozzie."
Flea took it immediately and opened it. Slash peered into the bag, eyes wide and glistening. "
"R-really?" Flea stammered.
Glenn nodded. "Tis offering comes from me and Magus. If thou incite belligerence again, we shall dispatch of thee."
Slash shuddered at the thought of being on the business end of Magus's scythe again. "You have my word, knight, and you as well my former liege."
"I take it this is to make up for you flat-out being a lie to us mystics?" Flea said sharply.
"Take it as whatever you think it is." Magus pulled on his right glove. "Just don't ever do anything stupid. Like start the war again. Or summon Lavos. Do not even think about attempting to kill Gaurdia royalty, their descendants were vital to aiding me in destroying Lavos."
"Aye!" Glenn piped up in agreement.
"Otherwise I'll have your head on a pike and have it displayed on Gaurdia castle for all to see." Magus narrowed his eyes at Flea.
Glenn sighed softly.
Flea gulped. "Yes, sir, I understand. "
"One more thing piques my curiosity, Magus." Slash spoke up. "How did your human comrades learn magic, are they from your time as well?"
"No, all humans within this part of the world are descended from those of that ancient world. Assistance is needed to awaken that part of their ancestry, and they found someone who could do it for them."
"Maybe us mystics and humans are not so different after all." Flea mused.
"Well, you are one of the few mystics that can pass for human." Magus added.
Slash laughed a little at that. Glenn thought maybe there was some needed context to this, but didn't dare ask. Yet he could easily see one like Flea attempt to be around human company.
"So, this is goodbye?" Slash said.
"Hopefully, yes." Magus nodded.
"Well, we don't want to see your traitorous ass again!" Flea said.
"Good, I hope I don't have to." Magus smirked. "But I wish you both well, you both still mean something to me."
Flea and Slash looked carefully at Magus, then the bag, then at Glenn. They both sat down on a rock dejectedly. Flea looked up at the sky. Slash looked a little forlorn.
"At least we meant something." Flea said softly.
"Goodbye then." Magus nodded.
Magus dramatically turned his cape as he began his way down the mountain. Glenn followed and walked right beside him.
"Thou'rt strangely grateful lately." Glenn brought up.
"So was Schala." Magus replied.
"Thou must make thyself more like Lady Schala?"
"In a way. Yet part of me is beginning to appreciate it a little, as much as I loathe it."
Glenn made that strange human ribbit sound and then laughed.
"How would thou monitor the actions of Flea and Slash?"
"I won't, I'll leave that up to you. I doubt if I made the threat that you'd be after them they'd listen. I don't plan on being in this era, much if at all, I have more important things to take care of."
"I shall dost mine best to make sure that war is not restarted, for Gaurdia's sake." Glenn stated proudly. Magus simply nodded at that.
Epoch came to a slow landing in 1000 A.D near Melchior's cottage. The whir of engines startled the old man who rushed to the door.
"Oh for crying out loud!" Melchior slammed the door open.
Magus opened the hatch and jumped out. Glenn followed.
"Janus! You're back!" Melchior's mood shifted instantly.
Magus stood in front of Melchior with a shine in his eye that wasn't seen for a very long time, that shine that mystics would mention in their songs dedicated to him. There was a strange energy around him and Melchior could sense it.
"I take it you know how to save Schala now." He bowed gently in the old Zeal fashion.
"Actually Melchior, I knew it for some time already. I will round up my allies for this. We're going to head to era after The Fall."
"We? I am going too?"
"Maybe not for long, there isn't much left for you or I." Magus sighed.
"I…I see. I expected much, but I think it would be nice to still talk to some old friends who may have survived."
"Melchior, you can spend as much time as you need there after I am done-because when I am done, I don't know how much time will pass until you ever see me again-if you ever do see me again at all."
"What?" Melchior was puzzled.
"You will know soon, when you are ready. I will not let anyone stop me, not even both of you."
Melchior and Glenn could only hope for the best when it came to him.
(Author's note: I've always wanted to see what a conversation between Magus and Cyrus would be like, but I haven't found a fic of it yet, so I decided it would be an interesting turn for this. In the part when Magus and Glenn/Frog were in the Epoch, I originally was going to mention Magus having an accent similar to a British accent. Although I like that headcanon, I removed it because I felt it would screw with the "reading voice" as people read it, because it meant re-reading Magus's lines with that accent. I'm not even sure if I properly described the accent anyway.)