Chapter 3: Time is of the Essence!
Andy managed to make a life for himself in this time when everything was so primitive, at least compared to the computers and weapons he had grown up with; the day-to-day grind was beginning to wear on him. He was tired of living in an era where he needed to work everything manually. The time traveler ventured into the forests of Leafre thousands of times, searching for his precious stopwatch to return to 2041. But as always, he would have to return to Magatia, where he made a menial living by learning alchemy and helping the local smiths make clothes and armor for travelers and adventurers.
Relations between the Alcadnos and Zenumists were still tense, but the leaders were slowly reconciling their differences. He learned the alchemy, hoping to recreate the Time Traveler's badge pocketwatch since he couldn't find his original. This task was proving difficult since he had neither plans nor the original as a template. Andy was at the end of his rope when a thought struck him: what if he were to call on the Guardians of Ossyria? He could ask them to retrieve his watch and make copies, then take them to the future as thanks since doing so wouldn't cause any harm.
Quickly, he ran to his room and got out the clothes he had worn when he had come here ten years ago. After throwing his cloak over his shoulders, he left, trying to seem as suspicious as possible in hopes that someone would notice as he left for the desert town of Ariant. His plan was perfect! It was just a quick flight back to Orbis, then another quick flight into Leafre, where he could get to the Tera Forest, the Time Portal, and then back home! Just as planned, Han noticed his suspicious behavior. The information broker thought the person looked like a spy from the Black Wings. It could be something the Guardians should look into.
Olsen dashed through the air like a strong wind, zipping through the trees as though they were part of the ground while watching his target, Auzzy. Olsen stopped behind a tree, remaining as still as he could and calming his breathing until it was hardly audible. Auzzy pursed his eyebrows and turned his head to hear better, concentrating on any sound. He swung his arm down in a blur of motion, then hurled two kunai for the tree Olsen was hiding behind, pricing through the thick trunk. Auzzy cursed himself and began concentrating again, listening for any sign of Olsen.
A noise behind him made him draw his prized Bazlud dagger and deflect the few blood-soaked coins, only to have them explode and toss him back like a toy. While the smoke billowed, Olsen hopped down from his hiding place, spreading a handful of Shuriken-like cards in his fingers. As Olsen neared and the smoke cleared, it revealed a log statue with pieces of coin stuck in it instead of Auzzy, blowing away in a cloud of mana.
"He's getting better. But…" From his left, something displaced a falling leaf. Olsen held his left arm up, clocking Auzzy in the face as the green ghost of disorder sank into his apprentice's invisible body.
"Aw! Man, why'd you have to hit so hard?" Auzzy asked, rubbing his cheek as he dropped his Dark Sight, revealing small broken blood vessels under his cheek's skin. Olsen laughed and shook his head.
"Auzzy, there will come a time when you will get hit. Yes, we ninja are adept at not getting hit, but even the best of us, even my father Jin the Dark Lord, can make a mistake. In trying to anticipate your enemy's moves, you can lower your chances by staying unpredictable. You've come at me from the left every time you've used the replacement; it's becoming too predictable." Auzzy nodded, still rubbing his cheek as it began to swell.
"Come on, we'll visit Helen and have her heal that for you. She should be wrapping up her meditations for the day." Olsen offered, helping Auzzy to his feet and walking towards the training grounds Helen used.
Helen levitated in the center of the library that Grendal had managed to set up in Herb Town. Her hair blew in a slow, invisible breeze as she held her arms away from her with her eyes closed. The only part of her moving was her lips while reciting a potent spell. For weeks, she had been trying to learn the spell 'Genesis Light,' even though Grendal said she would learn it from Gritto, The High Elder, when it came time for the next leg of her training. With the possibility of being used to The Black Mage's advantage, she wanted to become as powerful as she could as soon as she could.
However, it took all her concentration and mana just to try and initiate the spell, let alone form and empower it. As her mana was about to run dry, she breathed slowly and descended to the floor, reading over the spell for the umpteenth time to ensure she was trying to perform it correctly until a knock interrupted her. With her ever-increasing knowledge of spells, her demeanor had changed drastically: her speech and movements had become more elegant, but she still retained the reserved and thoughtful personality she was always known for.
"Yes? Oh, Auzzy, you poor soul; what in Ossyria happened to your face?" She asked, holding a hand over his cheek
"I was trying to get the drop on Olsen here, and he clocked me a good one," Auzzy laughed nervously, even though his cheek was now the size of an orange. Helen tilted her head down as she looked at Olsen questioningly.
"It's his fault for always using the same tactics." Helen nodded as she activated a healing spell in her palm.
"That is true, Auzzy. Using the same tactics all of the time will eventually work against you. You must never use the same action twice if it can be helped." She said, healing his cheek within moments. Once finished, she returned to her spell book, reading over it quietly when Kyrin shoved past Olsen and Auzzy.
"Hey, there you are! I've been looking for you two. There's been a message from Han in Magatia, saying he wanted to talk to you guys about someone."
"Did he happen to say who it was?" Olsen asked, checking his supply of Shuriken and ensuring he had his dagger.
"No, he didn't. He just said it was something you should look into."
"Awesome! A mission! Can I come, Master Olsen?" Auzzy asked with high hopes.
"For now, but if it turns into something you can't handle, you'll have to come back here, understand?" Olsen asked. Auzzy nodded excitedly.
"The others, too?" Auzzy asked, looking as though he were ready to bolt out the door and tell the other apprentices. Olsen looked to Helen as she closed her book, then magically reached for her pouch of potent poison.
"We must speak with Matthew and the others," Helen replied. Within an hour, 'The Six', Auzzy, Nathan, Aeris, and Antonia were sailing the skies bound for Magatia.
"Weren't we there not too long ago, Matt?" Lillianne asked, walking up to him as he leaned on the portside railing.
"It wasn't actually. I wonder how Romeao and Julianette are doing." Matthew wondered, looking off into the clouds as Lillianne set her gauntlet on his back. On deck, Olsen practiced his stances, periodically running forward and disappearing in a blur, reappearing facing the opposite direction.
The trip only lasted 30 minutes, but everyone tried to keep themselves occupied as the mystery of their assignment built, as did the adrenaline in their body. As they slid down the ropes into Magatia, the citizens warmly greeted them, thanking them for finally bringing the city together. Once they were through the crowd, they found Han near the city's center.
"Han! Han, over here!" Jenny called, jumping above the crowd so Han would see her while they waded through the many people swarming the streets.
"My my, it feels like ages since I last saw you. Thanks to you, business within Magatia is booming once again. Thank you for coming, by the way." Han smiled, shaking the hands of The Guardians, whom he hadn't met the first time they came.
"Speaking of which, why did you want us to come here?" Lillianne asked.
"Ah, yes. A strange man was heading for Ariant just a couple of days ago. I probably should have sent you there first since that's where he was going, but I wanted to see you again." Han smiled again. Helen thought momentarily, remembering a series of quests involving a mysterious man leaving Magatia and heading for Ariant.
"The person he is referring to is Andy. Do you remember him, my friends?" Helen asked. Matthew raised an eyebrow, looking at Helen strangely: it would still take a while before he was used to how Helen spoke nowadays.
"Yes, actually I do. Wasn't he the Time Traveler in the Tera Forest of Leafre?" Matthew asked.
"If that's the case, then that saves us time! We'll know exactly where to go!" Jack called, turning back towards the Queen's Wing with Aeris close behind him, but stopped when she saw that Nathan and the others weren't joining them.
"Master Jack! Wait!" Aeris called as she walked back to the others.
"What's wrong? We know exactly where this Andy guy is, so why aren't we going to find him?" Jack asked.
"It's where we must go, and that's the problem. The Tera Forest is not too far outside of Leafre; if I remember right, there are some enormous, tough beetles. They'd be hard for us to fend off at this point." Matthew said with a tone of concern. Their apprentice's heads hung disappointedly since they all knew what it meant: they'd be stuck back in Herb Town running Guard Duty with the Masters until they returned.
"Look, I know you are tired of remaining in Herb Town all the time, but our missions are much more than you can handle right now," Olsen explained. Nathan looked up at Matthew with a hard stare from under his eyebrows.
"You're sorry? You're SORRY?! All four of us are nearly ready to see the same advance masters you went to, and you say we aren't ready?!" Jenny rocked her head slightly and then looked at Antonia, who appeared to be asking the same question. She then looked down at Alden, almost fully grown, who looked back at her and seemed to shrug his shoulders.
"Matthew, Lilli, a moment, please," Jenny called, motioning for her friends to follow as she stepped away from the group.
"Look, we can't keep protecting them forever. Besides, they could be of some help: Nathan and Aeris have both proven time and time again that they can take care of themselves, as have Auzzy and Antonia. Why not take them with us just for the experience." Jenny shrugged before chuckling to herself.
"Wow, I did not mean to make a game reference there, but you get what I mean, don't you?" Matthew sighed heavily and looked back at Nathan: the spearman had come a long way from the kid he found in the Pendergeist mansion, but there was also the fact that Matthew was many times more powerful when he was at his skill level.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt." He mused, taking off his Silver Grace helm and holding it under his arm while returning to the group.
"You four can come. However, you must always remain vigilant, and I mean much more than you're used to. Understood?" The four nodded and followed their masters to the ship, where Shanks waited impatiently.
"Thanks, Han!" called Olsen, turning and waving from his rope hold as they ascended.
"So where are we going, you guys?" Shanks called, spinning up the turbines and cooling the levistones to make the ship rise.
"Leafre, after that, you can go wherever; we probably won't be back for a while," Jack called. Shanks nodded and spun the wheel, pointing the bow east as the engines pushed the heavy gallion into motion.
Dragon and Eleanor listened to every word The Guardians said in the shadows of a dark alley, knowing when they were headed.
"This might not turn out well for us, Eleanor," Dragon sighed. Eleanor nodded in response, her dark lips curling into a smirk.
"You're right. Oberon may turn against us." The two of them disappeared in a plume of black smoke, reappearing in the Black Mage's chamber, whispers hanging in the air as they knelt.
"Master, we bring news of The Guardian's doings and a possible loss of a follower," Dragon said. The Black Mage tilted his head in interest and looked over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes: he already knew what was possibly going to happen and was well prepared, but he decided to humor them.
"We have just returned from Magatia: Han has sent The Guardians after Andy, the time traveler who made Oberon's rule possible." Dragon continued. The Black Mage nodded and walked to the window overlooking Edelstein, watching the green dots of the Memory Guard patrolling the streets while questioning whispers filled the air.
"The one whom I believe will abandon us, I fear, is Oberon after learning who her father is and may turn against us. She is very powerful, master; possibly even powerful enough to defeat you." Eleanor said, swallowing hard when she realized her last comment was possibly not in her best interest. The Black Mage put his hands behind his back, pulling them tight to crack it while sighing.
"Forgive me, master. I had no intention of-" Fear gripped her as a wave of power washed over her, making her porcelain skin snow-white. The Black Mage raised his hand, showing an image of when he first gave Oberon a portion of his power.
"I know you gave her your power and can take it back anytime. It was simply a slip of my tongue." Eleanor pleaded until The Black Mage spoke in a low whisper. She stood stiffly for a few tense moments until he turned and walked silently back to his chair, thrumming his fingers on the arm.
Dragon and Eleanor quickly walked out of his chamber after being dismissed. The Black Mage lifted his eyes to a fine portrait of Oberon that an artist among his disciples had painted as a gift. What would the girl do when she learned the truth of her bloodline? The thought danced happily in his mind, even if he knew what would happen in the coming hours.
An hour later, the Queen's Wing was hovering above Leafre, retro jets keeping the ship stationary as they slid down ropes.
"Thank you, Shanks. We will send word when we have finished," Helen called, Shanks taking his hat off and bowing as Helen floated to the ground with the others. After Shanks had gone, Matthew pulled a map from his knapsack, leading them through the town where they greeted the Hafrings tending to different dragon's eggs. As they walked through the surrounding forest, their apprentices noticed giant beetles mulling around them grazing like cattle.
"Here it is! The marker for the entrance of the Tera Forest," Jenny called, pushing a large branch out of the way to reveal a small statue of stones at the top of a hill. It stood no taller than three feet, with a ring of stones standing atop a pillar. In the center of the ring was a spherical stone with aqua energy swirling from it, keeping it suspended in the air.
"Wait: if this is the marker, where's the forest? Is it just like another section of trees or something?" Aeris asked, looking at the vast expanse of greenery before them. Matthew opened the map again, looking at it blankly.
"I don't get it. The Tera Forest should be right here." He sighed, putting his arms down when Anotina noticed something on the map.
"Matt, do that again!" she called, running over to him and watching more carefully. Matthew did as requested until Antonia spotted something.
"There! On the map! Just hold it up and look at it flat." she exclaimed. Matthew raised an eyebrow as he held up the map again, rotating it so it was flat with the ground. He saw a faint image from the pictures of trees on the map depicting the Tera Forest right behind the small statue.
"Antonia, you're a genius!" Jack called, looking at the map again with his eyes at paper level, reading the hidden elongated letters in the 'trees.'
"The door to the Forest is through the aqua stone statue." He read. He thought about it and walked over to the statue, intrigued.
"What if…" he thought, reaching out to the spiracle stone, wrapping his hand around it, and tried turning it. It didn't budge, even when he tried to put more effort into it. However, he noticed that the stone moved back and forth, so he pulled it out while something like a curtain opened before them, revealing a massive tree with specks of light falling from its branches. The group walked through the opening, which closed behind them to reveal another stone statue, orange energy emanating from it instead.
The group could only spin in awe, looking at the serene sight around them. The tree was so massive that as they neared, it was soon apparent the trunk was miles in circumference. A Steam Punk-inspired machine sat beside the tree, looking like a stocky grandfather clock. The trees and brush around them rustled, making them all draw their weapons and stand ready when a man pushed his way through the bushes, brushing off his cloak, and then noticed them.
"Ah! Guardians! Thank you for coming! If you haven't already guessed, I am Andy." He said, taking a slight bow, then removing the hood from his head to reveal his light hair. The group re-holstered and sheathed their weapons as Nathan stepped forward and knelt with the other three apprentices coming with him.
'We are The Guardian's Apprentices." He said. Andy nodded to him before Lillianne stepped forward and crossed her arms.
"So, what exactly did you need us for?" she asked.
"I called on you because I have lost my Time Traveler's badge. It's a stopwatch that I think the beetles around here have by accident. I am asking if you would retrieve it so I can return to my own time. In return for getting it back, I'll make copies of it to take you into the future and show you what you will bring forth once you defeat The Black Mage." Helen was skeptical but admitted that traveling forward to see the future they would create was rather enticing. The Six told their students to stay with Andy while they returned to the Leafre Forest and searched for the watch. Once they were gone, the four students turned to Andy and began asking questions.
"What's it like in the future?"
"Do we defeat the Black Mage once and for all?"
"Do we all fly around with jet packs and flying cars?"
"Are there androids that are human?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there: You'll be able to see soon enough once I make your Time Badges."
"So, what's so special about this watch of yours?" Antonia asked.
"The watch is an ancient relic, even in this time period. It was found during an expedition into Masteria where the Machinist was keeping The Time Traveler's stopwatch. It allows one to travel freely to the Center of Time and then travel to different time periods without having to pay the 'toll'."
"What toll? Like money or something?" Aeris asked, digging into her pocket and pulling out a few coins.
"No, no, no; this toll can only be paid with something not on the material plane. It refers to a memory or years of your life. Depending on the person, it can be different."
"So, what's this 'center of time' place? It sounds ominous if you ask me." Antonia chimed, leaning against one of the giant roots of the tree.
"The Center of Time is just that. In that place, you will find a creature named Nexus. Yes, here in Ossyria, Rhinne and her Temple may be the center of time, but Nexus is at the center of ALL time from every dimension. He is the one who decides what will serve as a person's toll when they come to him without the watch." The Four nodded deep in thought when Auzzy looked up at the massive tree before them.
"That is one massive tree. I've never seen anything like it." He said, leaning back until he fell to the ground.
"That's because not many know what it is or of its existence until they come here," Andy said with a mysterious voice.
"What is it?" The four of them asked in unplanned unison.
"This is the center of all life within Ossyria: The World Maple Tree. Without this, life in Ossyria wouldn't be possible. Yes, Minerva was the one who started life, but it was this that she had to create first. As life in Ossyria took root, the tree would grow to meet the people's demand since it is a direct line into the Life Stream. Such a power couldn't be left unattended and open to the public because tampering with the tree could make life very difficult or stop life altogether. So Minerva and Corus made a dimension where the tree could feed Ossyria and be protected from it and any ill-intention. The statue you pulled on was the doorknob, and anyone with ill will won't be able to open the doorway." Nathan was about to ask another question when the doorway from the Leafre Forest opened, and the others returned, adding Aufheben, who happened by the others while using her free time.
Andy skillfully created the other 11 watches from some metal ingots he brought with him, then passed them out, trying not to look Aufheben in the eyes since, no doubt, she might have some questions for him. Aufheben accepted the watch, but when she looked up to thank him, she did her best to contain her sudden rage toward him, deciding to confront him privately.
"Alright, that should do it. Here's what will happen: I will go through the Time Portal first; you may follow with at least a one-second interval between you." Once he finished, he walked to the steampunk clock, beginning to pull levers and twist knobs until the entire face of the clock hissed with steam and opened to reveal the swirling blue energy of time itself. As he said, Andy went through it first, followed by Aufheben, and then the rest of the group, making sure to wait a couple of seconds before entering the swirling energy.
"Where have we come?" Helen asked, looking around at the grey and drab stones, creating smooth archways leading into oblivion all around them.
"Nexus! Are you there?" Andy called.
"What do you want?" came the reply as heavy footsteps could be heard approaching them while a huge blue-grey beast walked into the light.
"Andy, my friend. It's been some time since you came here. And who are these young fellows with you?" Nexus asked, looking at the small crowd of people around Andy.
"These people helped me retrieve my stopwatch. I lost it when running from some huge beetles in Leafre of the past. They are The Guardians of Ossyria." Nexus looked at them and bowed his head, but a tear looked as if it gathered in one of his noble eyes.
"I see." He said, wiping the tear away with a huge claw.
"I would like to take them to 2041, just after I left." Andy requested firmly.
"I can't do that, Andy," Nexus grunted.
"Why not?"
"They are new to time travel and must first be exposed to Tachyons. I can only send them further forward than you have been. Yes, a jump that close in time could be made for you since you have been exposed to time's energy far more than they have. You do remember what I told you on your first jump don't you?" Andy shrugged his shoulders and slowly shook his head.
"Not really, it feels like it was a long time ago." Nexus laughed and nodded.
"I will remind you. Your exposure to Time's Energy must be gradual since Tachyons are much denser the shorter a time jump you make. These Guardians must make a jump at least 200 years in either direction for their first jump. After that, each jump can become progressively shorter. If you were to jump from here to 2041, the Tachyons would be so dense that their bodies would disintegrate before they arrived." Nexus explained. Andy sighed heavily.
"Well, at least they'll have a taste of some kind of future," He thought, looking as though he were doing calculations in the air.
"Then send us to 2230. If my calculations are right, there should be a solar eclipse right around then, too. There might be a pretty good celebration in honor of it." Nexus nodded and then turned his attention to the group.
"You do understand that a toll must be paid to travel, do you not?" Jack reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his watch.
"I'm guessing this is the part where we show you these." He said, holding up the pocket watch as did the rest.
"I see, so you made copies of the original, Andy. That was smart thinking, but they are slightly unstable. Once you finish with these, you must turn them over to me for proper disposal." They all nodded, and Nexus swung mightily, tearing a hole in mid-air where the same blue energy swirled.
"Since Andy is from the future and going with you, his past will affect the future you see." He warned as they all stepped through. Olsen was the last to step through and knocked flat on the ground when an explosion erupted at his feet. His ears rang, his head felt light, his vision was blurry, and his body felt like hundreds of punches slammed into him. Through the fog in his mind, Olsen could see Matthew and Helen running up to him. Matthew swung his sword to block something and ducked behind his cloak while Helen assessed him. She looked back to Matthew and said something, at which the warrior picked Olsen up over his shoulder and began running away while Helen cast strong spells to cover them.
"Is this the kind of future you were going to show us?" Jack hollered, grabbing his Peacemaker and firing back at the attacking force, while Jenny let loose her powerful Wind Arrows, ducking up and down behind their cover.
"No! I don't understand! This shouldn't have happened!" Andy shouted in return. A seven-foot-tall android landed right where they were, aiming its plasma cannon at them until Matthew reached for his Sunrise, transformed his cloak into the serrated edge, and swung as hard as he could at the machine. But the attack only managed to send it flying instead of cutting through. Soon, others began landing, each Guardian throwing them back instead of destroying them.
After a long while, the group managed to outrun the androids and hide under a pile of rubble. All around them were heaps of buildings, and the entire landscape was scared and destroyed by burning or smoldering mountains of debris.
"What the heck were those things?" Aeris asked, looking out through a small hole in the pile for any more of their mechanical assailants.
"Those were Maverick type-D's: The Ossyrian Guard of the future. I don't understand! This shouldn't have happened!" Andy exclaimed, gripping his head. Nathan picked him up by the collar and held him against the wall, holding the tip of his spear to Andy's neck.
"What do you mean? Has something changed?!" Nathan asked with a sneer.
"No, and that's the problem!" Andy shouted back. Nathan put him down when Jack and Aufheben came over, Jack pressing the end of his gun to his face.
"Alright, future boy, what aren't you telling us?"
"Yes, what aren't you telling us!" Aufheben demanded. Andy sighed as he gathered the courage to say what he had done while Matthew stood between her and Andy, sensing that Aufheben would tear him to shreds if he weren't vigilant.
"Two months before you and your sister were born, I traveled into the future to see what Ossyria would be like with you two as joint Empresses. But this was the future I saw, and when I returned you had already been born, so I began to think of a way to prevent this from happening. It was in 2041 that I kidnapped your sister and took her back to the year 1990, 20 years before our history books said the Black Mage rose again." Aufheben seethed, barely able to sit still as she shook with rage and her fingernails dug into her hands as she balled her fists.
"I know you kidnapped her. But for a reason as selfish as preventing a POSSIBLE future and then didn't come back? What kind of coward are you?" She asked, a dark aura seeping from her body like a cold flame.
"I wanted to come back! But I lost the one thing that would allow me to do so and ended up staying in the past!" Andy's words did little to cool Aufheben's hot tears streaming down her face.
"I spent so many years looking for the both of you! And then Oberon appears in the middle of Orion, and she… she was so different from the sister I knew! She was heartless and cold, and then sent me into the past to know her pain, saying that she knew of the scheme to get rid of her so that I could take the throne alone! WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU!" Aufheben shouted as she lunged for Andy, drawing her Plasma great sword and charging hard, but Matthew held her back. For a moment, Aufheben struggled against him before dropping her sword and collapsing against him, shedding tears of frustration. Andy thought about what she said, as his eyes darted back and forth, thoughts racing through his mind at light speed.
"You said she returned? But that's impossible! I left her in the care of someone as a child; she shouldn't have been able to return. Something must have happened that I don't know about."
"Way to go, Captain Obvious. So how do we get back to our time anyway?" Jenny scowled.
"Well, if we're where I think we are, we're actually in the center of the Leafre Commerce center. And the Time Gate should be… that way." Andy pointed in a direction where a few stranded trees stood just outside the rubble after looking at his digital compass.
"The problem is going to be getting to it." Pointed out Olsen, slowly sitting up as Helen healed his injuries from the explosion.
"Please, do not move so much. Your wounds are not completely healed." Helen urged. Olsen patted her shoulder as he sat up.
"They're healed enough for me to move around. As I said, the problem will be getting to the Tera Forest. I may be wrong, but it feels like hundreds of those things are surrounding us." Olsen said. Auzzy initiated his Dark Sight and walked outside the 'bunker,' confirming Olsen's remark. After a moment, the apprentice ninja scrambled back inside.
"Quick! Hold as still as you can! I think their leader's here." Auzzy hissed, backing as far into a corner as he could. They could hear voices from some distance but were too far away to decipher anything. Aufheben spread her wings, silently hovering above the opening with her Plasma Sword activated, and waited.
"I want you to take red squad and sweep sectors 2-4. Then, start a random motion sweep through A6. Circuit, I want you to take orange team and sweep sectors 5-11 and set up sentries in B5, H3, and Y7." The mavericks nodded, trotting off to their assignments while Dunas walked over to a pile of rubble and stood on the edge, letting the cement-tainted wind fill his nose. Slowly, he reached into his cloak and pulled a very old picture of his long-lost love, Aufheben, or as he liked to call her, Ashley.
"Oh Ashley, if only you were here with me now…" he thought, tucking the picture back into the pocket in his cloak. From below him, Dunas heard the sound of rubble being disturbed and turned to look at what it was. Switching his right eye to heat-seeking mode, he saw footprints leading into a crag under concrete slabs. Carefully, he peered inside the void: it could be a trap. The resistance fighters were a tricky bunch and would often lead patrols into a place like this and then blow the place sky-high. Even with his new more powerful Placement Energy, he couldn't outrun an explosion from ground zero. He switched his eye back to scanning mode, looking for explosives as he entered.
As their mystery man approached and cautiously entered their hideout, Aufheben saw her chance and swung down as hard as she could. The cloaked man raised his arms and caught the blade between his hands in a blur, the sounds of tiny actuators in his eyes adjusting his vision.
"Using swords now, are we?" he asked, looking over his shoulder to whoever this traitorous resistance member was when he saw Aufheben instead.
"No, it can't be." Slowly, he turned to face her, the color draining from his face and his whole being trembling. Aufheben dropped her deactivated sword to the ground, putting her arms around him and embracing him as tightly as she could.
"DUNAS!" she cried, happily weeping into the crook of his neck while gripping the back of his cloak as hard as she could, not wanting ever to let go.
"Ashely, my Ashley," Dunas replied, holding her tightly. The rest of the group could only stare when Aufheben pulled back and kissed him firmly.
"Where is Asia? Is she still-" Dunas eyes became sad, interrupting her question as he shook his head.
"She sustained heavy injuries after the attack by your sister. She hung in there for a good month before her body and healing spells couldn't keep up. Whatever happened to your sister, she did more than simply stab her." Aufheben bowed her head and then leaned against his chest, trying not to cry.
"Alright, alright, time out! You two are an item?" Jenny asked, coming out of hiding with her hands in the shape of a 'T' while the others came out. Dunas looked around with unchanging yet questioning eyes.
"Who are these young people with you, besides… you!" Dunas held up his forearm, transforming it into a plasma cannon, whining high as it glowed red, and aimed at Andy.
"You are the cause of this future!" Dunas growled. Matthew and Olsen stepped between him and Andy, determined not to let a person they could save die.
"Who are you?" Dunas asked as Aufheben's eyes softened.
"Relax Dunas. They are the Guardians of Ossyria." Dunas looked at Aufheben and then back at Olsen and Matthew before deactivating his cannon and lowering his arm.
"That's impossible; you're dead. You're all dead! I was forced to watch as your grandchildren were executed before me." Dunas said when Aufheben placed a calming hand on his chest.
"They are from the past, Dunas." Dunas could only look from Aufheben to The Guardians, recognizing features he'd seen in their older counterparts.
"If you are indeed who you claim to be, perhaps you can stop Oberon here, beginning the process once again to heal Ossyria, as you did before."
"Dunas, we may be the Guardians, but we aren't that powerful," Matthew exclaimed.
"What do you mean? It only took a couple of months to defeat the Black Mage! Empress Cygnus marries and has a daughter named Ashura, who takes the throne at age 20. In 2021, Aufheben and Oberon were born as-"
"Wait, back up. They were born in 2021? That can't be: we're from 2012. Even if Cygnus were to marry tomorrow and have a kid, the kid would only be nine years old at best." Lillianne cut in. Andy slumped his shoulders and rocked his head back in disappointment.
"Then the future that we have now can't be changed. You're from an alternate reality: everything happening in your future won't happen here. But what changed?" Dunas asked, thinking hard about what could have been the altering factor.
"I was." Andy cut in. "By going back in time, I introduced a new person that should never have been there in the first place. Maybe by returning to 2041, before I took Oberon into the past, we can stop myself from taking Oberon."
"Actually, you won't be going anywhere!" A female voice said over a loudspeaker.
"Come on out, everyone! I will end our little game of hide and seek." Aufheben recognized the voice as Oberon and ran out to see her, but the sister she remembered was gone. Behind Oberon was a giant, dark red hex, clad in a tight leather bodice dress with a large studded belt hanging from her hips holding down gothic skirts. Her normally flowing onyx curls were ragged and flat, and her eyes were wild and reddened with dark makeup around them, making her look more dead than alive.
"What exactly do you hope to accomplish by sending yourself back in time to stop yourself from taking me? In all honesty, I have to thank you for doing that! Because of you, I was able to meet your most frightening foe, The Black Mage, and help him escape his prison!".
"Oberon, what has happened to you?" Aufheben asked, flying up to meet her as she hovered in the air.
"Ah, yes. My dear traitorous sister. I haven't seen you in… almost 200 years! Those years have been the happiest of my life. Ever since I sent you back to the past, I've been able to access all of my power. Just look at the paradise I've created!" Oberon stopped when she felt Aufheben's hand on her cheek, looking at her with sympathetic eyes.
"I never wanted you gone, Oberon. I miss you; I miss my friend," Aufheben said with a slightly hitching voice. For a moment, the light in Oberon's eyes changed and became that of the kind light Aufheben knew.
"Auf… heben… he… help me." She whispered, a fearful tear spilling from her eye and streaking her dark make-up. All too soon, the light in her eyes became a flash of rage; Oberon drew her sword and swung hard, wind erupting from the edge. Aufheben managed to sidestep her, but Oberon appeared behind Aufheben, swinging down hard.
"Oberon's too powerful even for Aufheben at this point! We must get you to the past and convince her to stop!" Dunas shouted as he transformed his arm into a blaster, leading the charge toward the Time Portal while Aufheben held Oberon back. Mavericks appeared like jack-in-the-boxes from the rubble, but Dunas quickly took care of each of them with Placement Energy and a blast from his cannon.
It didn't take long for them to reach the Tera Forest Portal where Andy opened the door and began activating the Time Portal. Aufheben quickly tired from the relentless assault from her sister, barely able to deflect the thunderous sword hits as flashes of light erupted in the sky each time their swords met edges.
"IT'S OPEN! AUFHEBEN LET'S GO NOW!" Andy shouted.
"GO! I'LL BE RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" she screamed, holding back Oberon with all her strength.
"Dunas, come with us," Helen urged as the others filed through the portal.
"I can't: my place is here. And thank you, for at least letting me see Ashley one last time." He smiled, patting Helen's hands, and then flying up to the sisters. In one move, Dunas grabbed Aufheben and hurled her towards the Time Portal before latching onto Oberon as she tried to go after her.
"OH NO, YOU DON'T! YOU'RE STAYING RIGHT HERE!" Dunas growled, trying to keep Oberon in place as she beat her mighty wings. Aufheben turned around to wave goodbye, witnessing Oberon driving her sword through Dunas's chest, sparks, blood, and plasma spraying into the air from his back.
"I will go where I please, demon!" Oberon growled in his ear, letting him fall.
"DUNAS!" Screamed Aufheben, watching as Oberon flung him to the ground. Aufheben halted her descent, staring in horror at where Dunas had fallen, but looked up to see Oberon closing in. A rope of energy reached out from the portal, wrapping around Aufheben's waist and dragging her back, making Oberon barely miss her.
The look of hate in her sister's eyes was heartbreaking. Shutting her eyes against the hot tears that stung them, she fell into Matthew's arms after coming through the portal. Aufheben then collapsed into a ball on the floor, weeping as the image of Dunas being run through played repeatedly in her head, the look in Oberon's eyes haunting her like a bad dream.
"Nexus, we must go to when Oberon sent Aufheben into the past. I don't know when exactly that is, but we need to get there. I would make a shorter jump, but they aren't acclimated yet." Andy requested with an angered edge in his voice. Nexus nodded and tore another portal into the air, hopefully allowing them to pass through time to bring this all to an end.
Orion, August 2, 2215
"Why, Oberon? Why are you doing this? For nearly 60 years, I searched for you after you had disappeared. Not only was I alone, but I was also afraid that Andy had killed you. Don't you know I would do anything to get my sister back?" Aufheben asked as she turned to face Oberon. For a brief moment, Oberon felt she had chosen the wrong path in returning to this time until a voice echoed in her head.
"It's all an act, Oberon." Gritting her teeth, Oberon fought off the feeling of compassion and held her palm to her sister.
"LIES!" she screamed, casting a powerful spell at her sister that neither Dunas nor Asia could block in time. Aufheben shut her eyes in reflex until she realized she could no longer move. Opening her eyes, Aufheben saw that everything looked glassed and distorted with a slight blue tint. No matter how she tried, she couldn't move. From where she was, she could see Asia running up behind Oberon. But her sister turned in a blur and dealt a swift cross strike across her gut, blood spilling to the ground and spewing from her mouth as she careened into a building.
"ASIA! ASIAAAA!" Aufheben yelled, having to stop from the sound rebounding into her ears, nearly making her deaf. She could barely see Dunas, but he crept up behind Oberon as she turned around to speak to her sister, which sounded muffled.
"I have gained power far beyond what you could imagine, sister dearest. And now I will make you endure the same fate that I did: being alone with no one to come for you!" with a swift swing of her sword, Oberon created a tear big enough to send Aufheben and her prison into the past.
"ASHLEY!" Dunas called, running for the portal as it closed, only to come within a hair's breadth before it completely flickered out of existence, tumbling across the ground. Dunas shook with rage as he retracted his laser cannon, mana fizzling into the air as he focused it around his arms and fists.
"Why, Oberon? Why would you do something like that to your own sister?"
"It is because she has become part of my family, Dunas." Oberon's voice sounded strange. It was as if a whisper was just under the surface of her voice. When he turned to look her in the eye, a dark red flame billowed from her right eye.
"She, Aufheben, or as you like to call her, Ashley, will be fine so long as you do exactly as I say. This girl, Oberon, used only one-tenth of her potential power, yet she could easily dispose of all three of you, the Orion Guard. I'm disappointed: you don't live up to your name." Oberon said, smiling as the flame in her eye and whisper in her voice dissipated.
"What is it that you want?" Dunas growled as he stood, facing Oberon.
"Besides Aufheben, you are the only one who knows the missile launch codes. I want you to launch all of them on Ossyria: destroy it, glass it, and obliterate it."
"Oberon, what are you saying? You would never wish this even on the most despicable of worlds." Dunas protested when the flame and the whisper came back with a vengeance.
"Oberon has come under the command of the Black Mage and obeys no one but I! Now launch the missiles, or Aufheben won't live to see another sunset." Dunas hung his head: for so long he had fought to protect everyone in Ossyria from dangers amongst themselves, yet the very threat he thought had been dealt with two centuries ago, was standing before him.
"Forgive me, Aufheben," He thought when claws tore through the air, allowing Aufheben to step through with the Guardians, their apprentices, and Andy.
"Ashley! How did you…"
"There's no time, Dunas. I'll fill you in later." Aufheben smiled before facing Oberon as she stood with a strange aura surrounding her.
"Oberon, I know that I've said this before. But I never wanted to rule alone. I never wanted our separation. I wanted us to live together and see Ossyria enter a new era. I've missed you, my sister." Slowly, the aura around Oberon began to fade, as if the words had started to penetrate her icy heart.
"It's all a lie, Oberon. She's just trying to hurt you again," the voice of the Black Mage hissed in her mind. Oberon growled and drew her sword as Aufheben did the same.
"Oberon! I don't want to fight you." Aufheben cried, her voice cracking as she tried to hide tears from seeing what her sister would become. Oberon grit her teeth until they creaked.
"Then I will!" She growled, swinging up and sending Aufheben into the sky, appearing above her to strike again when Aufheben righted herself and stopped her blade. The two sisters streaked across the sky like lightning, thunder rolling over them each time their swords met edges.
"We have to help her!" Antonia called as she drew her bow when Jenny stopped her.
"Not this time, Antonia. We aren't powerful enough to help them right now. We'd only get in the way." Jenny said as she watched the battle above her. Aufheben and Oberon flew at each other time and time again, sparks falling to the ground as they attacked each other ferociously until Aufheben careened to the ground by a spell from Oberon. Aufheben coughed, trying to make her tired body comfortable under the rubble, blood running down her face, mixing with her locks of hair while Oberon glided down before her.
"Why Aufheben? Why would you abandon me like you did?" Oberon asked. Aufheben propped herself up as much as possible, trying to look up to her sister.
"I tried Oberon. I even went to Nexus and begged him to let me through to find you and return you to me, but he wouldn't let me pass without giving up my memory of you in order to go into the past. I searched for a way to get to you, my sister." Aufheben whispered as she reached up and cradled Oberon's cheek. Oberon felt tears stinging her eyes.
"I would have given everything to have you back, even if I had to give my life," Aufheben whispered as her arm gave out. Oberon caught her before she hit the ground, dropping her sword handle.
"I heard you, Oberon. I heard you cry for help before you sent me to the past; I'm here for you, to help you, to heal you." Aufheben whispered. Oberon put a hand on Aufheben's back, seeing her legs pinned under a mountain of rubble. Aufheben heaved, coughing up blood and holding her chest where a couple of ribs had punctured a lung and a rod of rebar stuck through her gut.
"Help… HELP! SOMEONE HELP!" Oberon called in desperation as Helen appeared beside her and began to heal the wounds within Aufheben's body. At the same time, Matthew and Jack tried to lift the heavy boulders away from Aufheben's legs. But just as they tossed away the first few rocks, a dark chill fell over them, making them all shake in utter terror while vile, smiling whispers filled their ears. Oberon's eyes shrank to pinholes as the words hit her, turning to see The Black Mage.
"F…father? You're my father?" Oberon asked.
"No, it can't be. Our father was a man with no name." Aufheben muttered, passing in and out of coherence while fighting back the blinding pain still racking her body, even with Helen's healing. The Black Mage narrowed his eyes, holding out his hand as an image of Ashura and a dark-haired man walking into town appeared. The image shifted to Ashura showing him around town and helping him look for talismans he believed were in the city.
"You… you used our mother to make us? But why?!" Oberon asked, moving to protect Aufheben better. The Black Mage's eyes smiled as he looked at her, whispers and hisses filling the air.
"You would use us as a puppet to ensure your reign? How could you be so demented? And once you had what you wanted, what then? Would you toss us aside?" Oberon asked. The Black Mage raised his hand, throwing Helen into Olsen before turning his palm to Aufheben. Oberon gently laid Aufheben on the ground and stood, her fists glowing while Matthew drew his Sunrise, crimson flames blasting into existence around the blade.
"I won't let you hurt a single hair on my sister's head!" Oberon growled, trying to fight back her fears. The Black Mage narrowed his eyes in response, slowly closing his fist while a painful feeling began to rise within Oberon. It was as if her skeleton was being pulled from her body. She fought as long as she could, but the Black Mage's power was too much: black aura seeped from her body as spears of light sprang from inside her. Oberon's body locked with her arms and legs spread wide, screaming out in pain as the Black Mage ripped the power from her body. Once he'd taken the power back, he let Oberon fall to the ground in a lifeless heap, one of her hands resting above her head towards Aufheben.
Aufheben called to her sister through her tears, and slowly reached out for her hand, despite the pain of her legs still pinned in place by the rubble. Before her fingertips touched Oberon's, the sound of a weapon driven through flesh made her stop, unable to move. For a few precious moments, Aufheben hung onto life, trying to reach out for Oberon's hand, but the spear of magic from The Black Mage held her in place. Finally, Aufheben released her breath and became still, her hand within a pebble's distance from Oberon's fingertips. Andy fought through his fear, using Dunas's arm to send a message at an ultra-high frequency before The Black Mage turned and looked at him. His eyes were rage-filled, opening wide with veins of power spreading from them throughout his face.
Holding his hands out, The Black Mage summoned all of his power and enveloped the world in a dark light. The people of Orion screamed as they tried to run from the sphere but were silenced as the power enveloped all of Ossyria. The Guardians and their students covered their faces in reflex until the growling rumble became silent. As they lowered their arms, they saw Orion in ash and rubble while charred bodies filled the streets. Slowly, the sight before them began to fade into a white expanse. Olsen looked around and saw Nexus pad up to them from somewhere in the nothingness.
"What happened?" Auzzy asked, hearing his voice echo for nearly a minute.
"I brought you into the space between time so you wouldn't be hurt. My vow as ruler of All Time forbids me from interfering and directing a world. I am sworn to be a neutral observer." He said, staring out at the expanse before sighing heavily.
"But I can no longer stand by and do nothing, allowing a future with The Black Mage at the head. You still have a mission to complete, and until you finish that mission, you must live. I will send you back to your own time, and it will be as if you never left."
"But what about Aufheben and Oberon?" Lillianne asked with tears still in her eyes from watching the two sisters butchered the way they were.
"They will still be alive, but you won't meet them for another few decades. I shall be waiting for you, Guardians of Ossyria." The blue lion smiled.
"Before I send you home, let me show you something you helped change," Nexus said as he faded away, and a window appeared in the white expanse, showing Oberon and Andy walking through somewhere in Orbis.
Shifting her wings, Oberon walked after Andy as he led her into Cloud Park, where Elliza's gravestone stood. Oberon walked ahead a bit to pay her respects to the guardian beast of Minerva, putting a hand on the stone and tracing the etched letters. Andy was about to put the towel dowsed in chloroform over her mouth when something whispered in his mind.
"Leave her alone. Ask her to the dance instead…" the voice whispered, making Andy look around. The voice almost sounded like Dunas. But Dunas wasn't a telepath, and neither was Asia, so how could Dunas' voice be reverberating in his head?
"Is there something that you wanted to ask me?" Oberon asked as she stood and set her hand on the pommel of her sword. Andy tried to seem normal, tucking the rag into his back pocket when the com unit on his arm beeped and vibrated.
"Yes, just give me one moment." Quickly, Andy opened the small computer on his forearm and madly punched in keys, finding it receiving an ultra-high frequency encrypted signal. As fast as he could, he typed away on his arm to decrypt the message, though it appeared as numbers and letters.
"To 4ndy, the m3 of the past. Leave 0ber0n 4lon3, if you 7ake her b4ck t* the past you will ensure that the %utur3 y0u saw will 6ome true. Ask h?r to the dance inst?d# and you may even find that she 4 woman worth g3))ing to know. If you still need further pr^^f that it*s me talking to you, you haven*t washed y0ur clothes in a month." Andy sighed and shut the flap on his arm tablet before turning to Oberon and extending his hand.
"Lady Oberon; would you care to accompany me to the autumn ball this year?" Oberon jerked her head back, relaxing her shoulders and returning her arms to rest.
"This is unexpected. I thought you didn't usually attend social events like that." Oberon grinned, turning to face him fully.
"You're right, I don't. But something tells me that I might find it enjoyable." Andy stumbled, his hand brushing against the rag again. He still wanted to avert the future he'd seen, but kidnapping Oberon may not be the right course of action if a message came to him from an alternate version of himself. Oberon's curious expression brightened into a smile, holding out her hand, waiting for Andy to take it.
"I would be delighted." She replied. As Andy took it and began walking back to the palace, the screen faded and revealed they were back in the Tera Forest where Andy could be seen mumbling to himself.
"Ah! There you are Guardians! I've called you here to send you on a mission in time to make sure that a critical piece of information makes it through the ages. Can you do that for me? It starts in 2021." The group looked at each other and nodded as their memories felt like they shifted around.
"Show us the way, Andy." Called Matthew, drawing his Sunrise and itching to find out what their future would reveal.
"How could you let her go like that and not tell me?!" Eldan Giant shouted, raging at his master for the past 10 minutes. The Black Mage growled in his throat, turning his palm to him and making him a stone statue. Curling his fingers inward, the power The Black Mage bestowed on him pulled from his body just as he had done to Oberon. Once complete, he summoned Eleanor with a growling whisper.
"Yes?" She asked, taking a sensuous pose next to Dragon and pulling his hand around her sumptuous hips. The Black Mage growled in agitated whispers, commanding them to visit Ergoth and determine if he'd been siphoning mana from the drill. The two of them bowed and left, leaving The Black Mage with his thoughts. Why did every promising disciple he created become a waste of magic?
