Chrono Trigger 1. Of Teachers and Students

Chapter 1

_Chapter 1- Of Teachers and Students_

It was just past noon. The winter sun was starting to finish its trek across the horizon bringing the cold winter night. The pure stillness in the air was common around the northern continent. The only visitors that airspace ever saw was the occasional scout missions of various SSAF squads. Such was the group that was about to cut through the silence.

"Yea-ha!" was the shout heard over the communications wavelength as three sleek fighter ships streaked across the sky at about mach three.

"Jack," came another voice, "don't be so loud"

"Common' Sean, can't you get excited for once!" The first voice snapped back. "These new Gunstars just handle great!"

"Sarah, be his voice of reason, please." Came the second voice again in a tired out manner.

"I'll handle it," said a third, female, voice. "Jack McKlane, listen to Sean," came the voice in a motherly manner.

"Oh, so you gotta sick Sarah on me, huh? Not fair." Jack made a grunt as he banked his ship off to the right. "Okay, I apologize, just don't be such a hard-ass Sean."

"Like it or not, I'm still your commanding officer." Sean banked his ship to follow Jack's with Sarah quickly following.

"Well, I don't think that's gonna be for much longer. I think I've got that promotion to captain coming up." Jack was trying his best not to sound arrogant but he wasn't doing a good job. "I don't want to worry about that though."

"Yeah right you don't!" Sarah broke into the conversation. "You've been looking forward to that promotion since as long as I can remember."

"The both of you quiet!" Sean took on the parental role as their commander. "Let's just get back to finish up today's training. Meet at TR-20 by three o'clock."

"Okay, whatever." Jack said reaching for his throttle. "Last one back gets KP duty!" Jack gunned his jet toward the landing zone outside of Trann Dome, hoping not to get the butt end of his own bet.

"If you think I'm taking KP, your outta your mind," Sarah mumbled and sped off after him." Sean was far behind at this point but he didn't speed up.

"Ah, youth. But what's one chore going to matter at this point. It's only a matter of weeks now," Sean said to himself as he leaned back in his chair and turned toward home.

It was only about a five-minute trip to get back. The three Gunstars were being rolled along by trucks while their pilots were walking towards the hanger lockers. The tallest of the three took off his helmet first. Sean Koren was about 6'1" with jet-black hair. He was the leader of the three. Sarah removed her helmet next, letting down her long flowing blonde hair. She along with Jack were trained soldiers who were being further trained under Sean. Jack was the last to take off his helmet, but doing so revealed unkempt hair with a just past shoulder length ponytail in the back, it was a dark shade of blue.

They made their way to the back of a large hanger building and entered a locker room. The three had lockers together, being that the lockers were arranged by squad. They weren't just pilots though, they were members of SSAF, and that meant that they did just about everything. Jack started to take off his flight equipment and pile it into his locker in the unsorted manner that 18 year-olds have. Sarah seemed to be an exception as her locker was surprisingly neat for someone of the same age. Jack had commonly deemed it a 'girl thing' and made fun of her about it frequently. The locker room was filled with steam from the showers in adjacent rooms for men and women. Sarah grabbed a towel from grabbed a towel from her locker and started to head to the showers.

"I'm gonna shower off before TAG practice." She flung the towel over her shoulder. "I'll meet you guys there." She walked off. Jack caught himself staring but Sean quickly snapped him out of it.

"My God, she's got a nice butt," Jack said, almost in a whisper as Sarah walked off.

"Turn those god damn hormones off for a change." Sean was looking down on Jack in that fatherly manner he spoke in before.

"Yeah, okay. Let's go, I wanna warm up before we start." Jack reached into his locker and grabbed a small rod with a few buttons on it. He headed for a door that led to a larger hallway, that hallway led to various training rooms. He was followed quickly by Sean. Upon walking a rather long way considering the amount of training rooms that were probably available, Jack and Sean finally made it to Training Room 20. It was one of the few training rooms used exclusively for TAG sparring. The teaming would end up being Jack and Sarah versus Sean, that was what it always was and Jack and Sarah always lost.

Jack walked into the room and tossed his leather pilot jacket in a corner of the room revealing a skintight white tee shirt. Sean simple did the same, but he was wearing a green army fatigue tank top underneath. Jack started to stretch out his leg muscles.

"So you think anything important's gonna happen at the awards banquet tomorrow night?" Jack had to bend his neck oddly to speak to Sean as he was bent over at the waist at the time.

"Well," Sean started jogging in place. "While it's supposed to be classified, I know someone who might be getting a promotion," he started to look around the room and whistle.

"Oh yeah?" Jack stopped stretching. He immediately thought Sean was talking about him.

"Yup. Sarah's gonna make captain, but don't tell her." He had mockery in his voice.

"You jack ass," Jack put his hands on his hips. "I only hope you're kidding and you actually mean me."

"Just wait 'till tomorrow." Sean turned his back to Jack and started to stretch. Sarah walked into the room at this moment, hair still wet from her shower.

"You guys ready?" she asked, dropping a bag she was carrying on the floor and reaching into it to grab a rod thing almost just like Jack's.

"Ready to beat his sorry ass today," Jack picked his rod off the floor. He hit a button and a blue beam of energy about three and a half feet shot out of the handle, forming a blade. "But the question is," he looked at Sean. "Are ya' ready to lose?"

"Not quite yet," he turned his blade on, revealing a green blade. The blades were color coded by rank. Captains had green blades; lower ranks had blue, yellow, and orange blades, in descending order.

"Then let's get going." Sarah turned her blade on as well; it was blue just like Jack's. All three soldiers drew their blades into a fighting stance and waited for Sean to give the signal.

"And go" Sean said quickly, starting to rush at Jack, but instead kicking off the ground and jumping over Sarah, landing behind her. She quickly parried the following blow and riposted to the legs, but that was also blocked. Sarah jumped back and Jack did a series of backflips, maneuvering behind Sean.

"Show off," Sarah said abruptly.

"You know it." Jack leaped at Sean at the same time as Sarah made a top cut, but Sean made a quick parry to Sarah's attack and then batted away Jack's oncoming blade. They weren't trying to actually hurt each other. The goal of the training was to get your blade past the others defense, holding them helpless with your blade at their neck or heart, or anything else that might prove fatal. In truth, though, their blades had the power levels toned far down, inhibiting them from doing any serious damage save for some minor irritation.

"You know something?" Sean began to trash talk. "I don't even need one finger to count the number of times you two have beaten me. To be honest, I don't know why I even bother. It's obvious that neither of you have any real skill." Jack came at him with a quick high, low, middle, three cut attack. Sean blocked the first two and jumped away from the third.

"Yeah," Jack began to counter. "Well there's a first time for everything." He jumped at Sean but then outstretched his hand and stopped mid air. Sarah then leaped at Sean from the behind, but Sean caught her blade with a spinning parry.

"Nice use of Force Tech as a diversion, but it's better used in different ways." Sean outstretched both his hands and leapt at Jack firing off more than a dozen mid-air slashes before landing behind him. Jack was off balance, but still alive, lucky to have dodged or blocked most of the shots. "Like that," Sean finished, his back turned to Jack and Sarah.

"We're not done yet!" Sarah leapt at Sean, Force Teching to double jump behind him. Sean was caught off guard, but blocked her flying chop. Jack ran up and started to attack as well. Sean was able to block attacks from the both of them at once, but little to his notice, they were forcing him into the middle of the room. Once Sean was dead center in the square room with Jack and Sarah on each side the two both took a quick hop backwards. They gave each other a nod and readied their blades.

"Ni-set-su-ryu-hi!" They both screamed as they jumped backwards and high, still facing Sean, spinning their blades around their heads. Then, as quickly as they went up, they came down slashing their blades at Sean's head. Unfortunately, at that moment, a flash of blue filled the room and Sean appeared about five feet from where he was before. Jack and Sarah filled his original standing point, their blades held tentatively at each other's necks. Sean began to clap.

"Bravo," he turned his blade off and put it on his belt. "Excellent trick, it just comes off too slow."

"Damn!" Jack switched his blade off and threw it to the floor "I could have sworn we had him that time."

"So did I." Sarah sat down on the floor. "I'm exhausted now though. It took too much energy to Force Tech that last move. We gotta work on that Duel Tech some more."

"Agreed," Jack was still angry, but getting over it. Losing came too quickly when fighting against Sean. "Let's just get something to drink now, I'm tired too."

"Very well, young pad-e-wans. You are getting better," Sean said in his best goofy teacher voice.

"Shut up Yoda," Jack mocked. "Your buying drinks though. Winner always buys."

"It amazes me that I'm not broke at this point." Sean reached down to pick up his jacket. "Okay, let's go. Drinks are on me."

.

Jack drove silently down the streets of the Trann Dome City. The bubble encasing the vast city always bothered him, for some reason, he always had the feeling it was going to fall from the sky. It was about 8:30, and after a long day of school followed by SSAF scouting missions and the like Jack was exhausted, to say the least. He had gotten used to it, that was what every weekday was like ever since he started to train for SSAF when he was ten. He was heading for one of the suburban bubbles on the outside of the main city dome. That was where he lived with his parents in a split-level house. He liked the suburbs, but he had been fascinated by the city since he was little. He wanted to eventually get an apartment there, but that was for the future.

"Wonder what's on the Radio?" Jack asked himself as he flicked on a switch and filled the car with blaring noise from the speakers. "Sucks...sucks...sucks...sucks..." he said, pausing after each word as he changed the station looking for something good. Without actually finding a song he wanted to listen to, he pulled into his driveway ten minutes latter going from 60 mph to a full stop with a screech and four skid marks left on the street caused by his braked turn. He opened the door to the car and grabbed the duffel bag with his stuff out of the back seat. He walked up to the door and gave it three good knocks.

"Mom!" He looked around. "Dad!" He walked over to the garage and looked inside to see his parent's car not there. "Damn," he mumbled. "Okay, computer, open door, voice recognition: McKlane, Jack."

"Access granted." The computer spoke through a small speaker on the right of the door as the door unlocked and opened. "How was your training today Jack?"

"Ah, bite me." Jack dismissed having conversation with a machine and walked tiredly through the door. He threw his duffel bag in the corner of the entry hall and looked around briefly to find a note written in his mom's handwriting. "Your father and I are at the movies and then dinner," he read aloud, "Fix yourself some dinner, we'll be back late. Love, Mom." Jack crumpled up the note in his hand and walked into the kitchen one flight of stairs up. "Looks like it's frozen food tonight…" he mumbled to himself as he opened up the door to the refrigerator and grabbed a frozen Macaroni and Cheese and tore open the box. He threw the black carton unceremoniously in the microwave and hit a few buttons.

Jack had never been the most patient person in the world, but he never really got angry. Sure, he had little fits of rage, but he never got really angry. He was mad, however, that his pampering mother wasn't here to make him dinner. He was hardly dependent on his family, but he didn't like it when the little things that he had grown accustomed to taking for granted weren't around. The whole pampering thing was probably related to the fact that Jack was adopted and his mother always wanted to please him, but he never really analyzed it much. He was more of the kind of person that accepted things the way they are and tried not to think about them too much.

He walked downstairs to the family room and jumped on the couch, grabbing the remote as he fell. "Wonder what's on the tube?" He hit the power button and started to watch "Just Kill Me" as his food heated up. He didn't watch long, as a double 'ping' from upstairs signaled that his food was done. He clambered up the stairs and took the black carton out of the microwave and started to eat. Jack downed the meal in about thirty seconds then went back downstairs and turned the TV back on. He always been a fast eater, never really tasting his food, he just engulfed it, almost like a dog does.

"Wonder what Sarah's doing right now?" Jack had secretly hidden his crush on Sarah since he was seven. They had been friends just as long, Jack just never had the guts to see if they meant more to each other. It was hard, but he ended up settling for friendship, as his girl skills weren't really up to par with the rest of the world. It was only by chance that they trained together under the same commander. Sean had hand picked them, but Jack never really knew why he got to train under the great Sean Koren. He was only 24, but he was still SSAF's greatest prodigy. Jack could only hope to ever be as good as Sean. That was the funny part though. Jack was never worried about being accidentally sliced if he missed a parry against the worlds strongest TAG fighter, but he couldn't bring himself to ask a girl out. It was an ironic world.

After jumping on the couch, he ending up staring at the TV for about an hour, then he passed out where he lay.

.

"Man these head aches are getting out of control lately." Sarah stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel before reaching into the medicine cabinet and grabbed some Advil off a shelf. "Hope I'm not getting sick…" she took a paper dixie cup from next to the sink and filled it with water before using it to down the Advil. Sarah stepped out of her bathroom into her bedroom and stretched her entire body, catching her towel when it almost fell off. There was a knock at her door.

"Honey, can I come in?" It was the voice of her mother. Sarah had always been very close to her mother ever since her father passed away. The two of them lived together and looked to each other for comfort.

"Yeah Mom, come in." She said as she pulled on a white tee shirt and a pair of sweat pants that she slept in. Her mom opened the door and sat down on Sarah's bed.

"Sarah," her mom looked at her in that worried mother fashion that mothers tend to have. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, sure, go ahead." She really didn't know what this was about; contrary to her normal ability to pick up when something was wrong.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah Mom, why would you ask?"

"You just seem to be really tense this last week. Is something going on that I should know about?" Sarah was still completely puzzled.

"I've been having some bad head aches, but that's about it."

"Oh. It's just that you haven't been acting yourself lately." Sarah was one of those people that was always an optimist, always making the best of a situation. Truth be told though, she had been feeling bothered throughout the past days and even weeks. She was having headaches and re-occurring nightmares that were waking her up covered in sweat. She passed it off as nothing serious and figured that it wasn't important to make a big deal about.

"I'm okay Mom." Her mom started to talk. "No Mom, I'm not doing any drugs."

"I believe you." she answered as she got up off the bed, looking slightly insulted. "Anyway, good night, sweetie."

"Night Mom." Her mom left the room and she lied down on her bed. For a moment she cringed as another headache rushed through her, then it passed and she fell asleep.

.

Sean Koren leaned on a dresser in his Trann City apartment. He shook his head and looked down. "It's almost time. I can feel it…" He opened the bottom drawer of the dresser and fished through some clothes and pulled out a rod similar to the one he used earlier that day, except that it looked more ancient and the outer shell gleamed a dull red. "It's almost time old friend." He looked at the rod. "It's almost time to see if anything I've done has paid off…"


	2. Questionable Futures

Chapter 2

_Chapter 2- Questionable Futures_

Jack was rudely awaken by his alarm clock the next morning, only to slam his fist at it, aiming for the sleep button but ending up knocking it on the floor. He woke up about 45 minutes later, due to first period in ten minutes.

"Crap, I'm gonna be late!" Jack exclaimed after examining his watch while also looking at his broken alarm clock. He frantically put some clothes on and took about 30 seconds to fix his hair before deciding a hat would be a better idea. Running down the stairs and into the garage, he jumped in his car and sped off to TCU (Trann City University) where he was just about through with first semester of his freshman year. Upon arrival, he pulled into the lot and made a mad sprint for class.

"Maybe I won't miss the second…" his internal monologue was cut short by the second bell, signaling him late. "Bell," he finished. He walked into class three minutes late, in the middle of the teacher beginning to give his lesson on ancient Guardia government. The heads of everyone turned as Jack burst into the room and walked to the back of the class to find his seat.

"Mr. McKlane, are you done interrupting my class?" asked the teacher, a middle aged man with graying hair.

"Sorry sir," Jack said, "I overslept."

"Don't make habit of it," the teacher said bluntly. "That's three marks if you do it again."

"It won't happen again," Jack was pretty sure of that anyway. He wasn't normally late, and this was the only teacher that gave him a hard time about it. He was widely considered a genius by most of his professors, but Doctor Sutton tended to not give him any slack. After the professor began speaking again, Jack started to zone out. His mind drifted off to his upcoming promotion, beating Sean, Sarah, and most of all, the big lacrosse game against ACU (Arris City University) this afternoon. Time seem to go by and he found himself still sitting down while everyone else was leaving class. He stumbled up, grabbed his bag and walked out, only to be confronted by Doc. Sutton.

"Jack, don't let that happen again. Just because you think your smarter than everyone else doesn't mean you can come to class late."

Jack thought something along the lines of 'but I am smarter than everyone else,' but held that in. "Sorry sir. It was an accident. I accidentally smashed my alarm clock."

"It doesn't matter what the reason is. There are lots of reasons to be late for class, and none of them are good ones. You are dismissed." Jack began to leave. "And Mr. McKlane?"

"Yes sir?"

"I don't like daydreaming in my class. Try not to do that anymore either."

"Yes sir," Jack said, looking at the floor. He turned and left the room. He couldn't be bothered by petty things like ancient Guardia governments. He had more important things to worry about. When walking through the halls to his next class, Zealian Literature, a guy a little taller than Jack with blonde hair partially concealed by a backward baseball cap came up to him.

"What's up, man?" the young man asked.

"Oh, hey Keith. Nothing much." Keith was one of Jack's closer friends. They had been tight for as long as he could remember, which was actually only about second grade. Actually, to Jacks memory, Keith was one of his first friends. They drifted apart a little in junior high school when Keith moved from his previous location across the street from Jack, but they clicked back together for some reason in high school. Keith had always been the ladies man, making Jack feel somewhat inferior, but Jack always told himself he had better things to do.

"Your startn' today, right?" Even though it was winter, the environmental control of the major cities allowed for any sport to be played in any season. Lacrosse was biggest in the winter in Trann, even though it was previously played in the springtime.

"You know it." If Jack did anything good, it was probably lacrosse. It amazed some of his friends that he found time to practice with his schedule, but many people were starting to call him 'the team's first hope.' The first hope at beating Arris in over a decade, that is.

"Let me come out straight and say it then. You gotta score at least four goals this afternoon."

"Why? Why set my sights so low?"

"Well, I've been playing bookie, and I got five to one odds on you. Just help out your old friend, okay?"

"What's in it for me?"

"I didn't know such a great competitor such as yourself need anything except self accomplishment," Keith said sarcastically. Jack punched him in the arm.

"Yeah, whatever, man. I'll do it, but just for you." Jack took a smile to his face. "In fact, how about another wager. You give me half your winnings if I can score twice that."

"Eight goals?!" Keith was in shock at even Jack's ego now. "Don't you think you're just a little overconfident?"

"Just watch." They stopped to grab a soda from one of the many machines littering the campus. "If I can't, I'll pay twice what I would have won."

"Jesus Christ, man! Are you mad?!" Jack started to speak, but Keith cut him off. "Never mind. Anyway, you commin' to the party at the TJR's tonight? They've got at least twelve kegs and there's gonna be mad hot girls there. I hear that they've got some hotties from Arris and Proto coming in too. It's the talk of the college world."

"Sorry man, I can't. I got that whole SSAF thing tonight."

"How do you manage a social life with no free time. What's the point of that thing anyway? You can't miss it?"

"Are you kidding? It's more important than a stupid kegger."

"This isn't just _ any_ kegger dude." Keith paused. "Wait a minute. It's not because of that whole Sarah shit is it. I thought you were over her."

"Shut up, man. It's not just that. I've got a promotion to…" Keith jumped in before he could get another word out.

"Your gonna miss one hell of a party. But whatever, if you want to take hopeless love as the path of choice, be my guest. I gotta go. I'll see you at the game."

"Cool. You can't miss me. I'm the one with the blue hair coming out of the back of his helmet." With that, the pair split and headed on to their respective classes. Jack didn't think about the rest of the day too much. He dozed through advanced physics and chemistry and daydreamed some more through modern trigonometry. He had his mind set on one thing: the game. Maybe he was a little hasty in saying he could score eight goals, he had never come close to that before. He only averaged about 1.9 goals a game in high school, now he was betting on eight.

"Your out of your mind," Sarah remarked bluntly after their last class. They were heading across campus. They usually went to SSAF after school together, but on game days and when Jack had practice, Sarah was nice enough to walk him to the athletics complex.

"What, so you don't think I can do it?" Jack took it as a minor insult, only because he was second-guessing himself now too.

"No, I don't think you can do it. This is something even you can't do." She nudged him playfully.

"So not even my friends think I can do this?" Jack wasn't going to get discouraged yet.

"Let me guess: Keith doesn't think so either huh?"

"How'd you know?"

"I was talking to Cara earlier. He tells her everything." Cara was Keith's girlfriend even though it was widely suspected that she cheated on him with guys outside of the student body.

"It doesn't matter. I've got to try anyway in about an hour." He finished right as they walked up to the athletic complex. "I gotta go. You gonna watch?"

"Of course. I wouldn't miss seeing an opportunity to make fun of you more than I do."

"Thanks for the support," he said sarcastically

"No problem," she came back in the same tone.

"That was sarcasm."

"Same here, so don't worry. I'm gonna go get some headache pills and then I'll be in the stands. See ya," Jack walked off and waved as he walked into the complex. Jack walked to the halls to the locker room, where some of the team was waiting. He was greeted by some, ignored by others busy getting ankles or legs taped and lavishly greeted by yet others. The team was starting to get their equipment on, preparing for the biggest game of the year.

.

Sean was in the massive library at SSAF HQ. He sat at a table with many books piled around him, thumbing through one right now. He had been there for the past two hours, going through every book he could find on what he was looking for. After laboring for a while, he finally found it.

.

"We're gonna nail these guys down good today," said Coach Jackson in the pre-game pep talk. The entire team was on a knee in full equipment listening intently. "This is what we've been getting ready for. All of you know that we haven't beaten Arris in over a decade, but this is the year. With some of our new help, and our seasoned veterans, this is the year!" The entire team went into a roar of cheers until the coach got them calmed down.

"Okay. Samson, McKlane and Jarred are starting at middie. Holst, Frost and Nikkar, you're starting attack. Revand, Oparse and Kalm are taking up the big sticks and Soladas is puttin' on the mask. I'm calling the rest of the lines as I see them. McKlane, take the face-off. Everyone got it?"

"Yes!" came the rather loud echo.

"All right," Coach Jackson said, getting loud himself now. "Everyone in, win on three. One! Two! Three!"

"Win!" The team broke and ran out onto the playing field like knights charging off to battle, swords in hand. They came in just as they were being announced.

"And now," came the announcer from the stadium. "Your TCU Diamond Backs!" The entire stadium, full to the brim, roared with the sound of hyped up fans as the team came running onto the field to do stretching and warm up.

.

Sarah gulped down a pair of more painkillers and put the container in her pocket. "I must be getting sick. I'm feeling it all over and it's not time for that yet." She grabbed her jacket and ran off to catch the start of the game.

.

The starting lineup stood in their positions, waiting for the whistle to be blown. Jack was in the middle, matched up against someone bigger than he was, both of them kneeling with their sticks on the ground. The ball sat, waiting to be picked up at the whistle. Then, out of the silence, came the screech.

"Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" came the sound from the referee's whistle, signaling the start. Jack and his opponent fought for the ball, the other four middies rushing in to help their teammates. After a short grapple, Jack flicked the ball off the ground to Samson, and then the six middies all ran down to the opposing field. Taking a bit of time to set up their defensive ring, Arris was caught off guard by the aggressiveness that Trann took. Samson gunned the ball to Frost and when he was immediately double teamed, Frost gunned it back to Jack. As fast as the game had started, Jack wound up and gunned a hard sidearm shot to the upper left corner for a very quick one-nothing lead.

The crowd went nuts. Only forty seconds into play and Trann was up. The ball was placed back in the center and the game was started again. Trann got the ball the same way and pulled the same trick again, but when Jack got doubled, he tossed it off to Nikkar and cut to the goal, quickly receiving a pass that he caught and shot in seemingly one motion. Lower right corner, goal two. The crowd exploded with excitement.

"Cover number 5, cover number 5!" screamed the Arris coach. The attempts failed, as Trann soon scored again, with Jack putting a behind the back shot in a corner of the net as he ran past the goal. At least Keith looked like he would be making money.

"Time out!" screamed the Arris coach. The referee blew his whistle and the teams went into huddles. 

"Okay, listen up," the Arris coach addressed his team. "Number five is doing all the work for them. Don't let him get open, don't leave him open, don't even let him get the ball." The team counted off to a cheer and started to go back to the field when the coach grabbed the big middie Jack faced off against by the jersey. "Take him out," he said coldly. The big middie nodded and ran out to get the game going again.

.

Sean had closed his books but left them on the table as he left the library, in a hurry too. Walking fast, then starting to run, he was worried. "I didn't think now was the time. I've got to warn people," he mumbled to himself. "But who's going to believe me? I didn't believe it at first. It's all up to me…"

.

Trann was in possession in the Arris zone, throwing the ball around in a circle, slowing the action down. In a sudden dash, Jack made a cut and was about to get a pass when the big middie came storming in. Putting his shoulder into it, he got down low and lifted up, slamming Jack in the back, sending him in the air. The crowd got mad, Jack got even madder.

"Okay, buddy, that's two minutes," the referee said as he announced the penalty. The big middie walked off the field with a smile on his face, the coach of Arris was also smiling. Jack slowly got up and rubbed his back, then he ran off to get ready to play. The Arris coach swore under his breath; the big middie wasn't so polite.

Still somewhat dazed, Jack fumbled back to receive the pass to start the game, but his mind was elsewhere at this point. Being quick to hand off any pass that came his way, he waited for his assailant to get out of the penalty box.

.

"You've got to trust me on this one sir," Sean pleaded with the high commander of SSAF. "We have to move everyone into underground shelters. Something big is coming."

"And what might this big thing be commander?" The high commander wasn't to thrilled at being told he had to relocate the entire population of the world into shelter domes.

"Imagine," Sean thought about it for a while. "An evil so great," he began "an evil force that is so big, that it can destroy everything with a rain of fire that will pour down the havoc and destruction depicted in our religious descriptions of Armageddon. The clouds will rain fire and blood. Ash will fill the land. Those who survive would be killed by the nuclear winter that follows."

"You've got my attention."

"Well that force is living under the ground and if my calculations are right, it's gonna wake up real soon." The high commander looked at him and then just started to laugh.

"You're telling me," he paused to laugh some more. "That an evil demon is gonna burst out of the ground and kill us all. I think your due for a mental checkup session, Commander."

"Sir," Sean was fuming now. "This is not a laughing matter! It happened once and it will happen again!"

"This meeting is over commander," he said, still laughing, "go back to whatever you were doing before this." In an extreme exercise of self-control, Sean walked out of the room merely screaming.

"You're all going to die you fools! Don't you get it!" He stormed to the armory to get what he needed. It looked like he was going this one solo.

.

Back at the game, Trann was up 8 to 1 with two minutes to go in the half. Trann was on defense, protecting their lead. Jack soon found himself against his new rival, playing defense.

"That was a cheap shot you had back there," Jack screamed so he was heard by the big middie.

"That's the game for you," he shot back. "If you can't take it, sit on the bench.

Jack started to glow a faint red. "Yeah, but I don't like it when people don't play by the rules…"

"What the hell?!" the middie screamed but was cut off by Jacks shoulder hitting his ribs at what felt like a million miles an hour. The power of the shot hurt so much, he didn't even realize that he had been thrown about ten feet back. The referee blew his whistle and the Arris trainer came running on to the field. The Trann team gathered on the sidelines around their coach.

"Nice shot Jack, way to give it back to him," came the cheers from most of the team. The coach wasn't so happy.

"What did I tell you about that Jack?" He was calmer than Jack had expected. "You can't go around doing that."

"Doing what?" asked some of the team. The others were just quiet. The referee came over to the team and pointed to Jack and Coach Jackson, motioning for them to come over to see him.

"Is he okay, ref?" Coach Jackson asked. The referee ignored him and looked at Jack.

"You broke at least seven of his ribs, son. He's lucky you didn't crush his lungs." The referee was pretty mad. "Are you SSAF?"

"Yes sir." Jack was covering up his pleasure with a little bit of acting sorry.

"That's what I thought." The referee blew his whistle. "You're out of the game." He walked to the sidelines to announce the penalty. "Illegal use of Force Tech. Number five is ejected from the game." The crowd got mad, Jack felt he had gotten even at a good price and walked over to the bench without so much as looking at the hurt player.

The half soon expired and both teams went to their respective locker rooms. The coach wasn't happy about the Force Tech thing Jack pulled, but they were up 8 to 1 so he couldn't be upset.

"That was a good half guys. We have to thank Jack for scoring his five goals before he got kicked out of the game." The team laughed. "So anyway we've got to…" the coach was cut off by the sudden appearance of a man in the door to the locker room.

"Coach Jackson?" came the voice. Jack immediately got up once he heard the voice of Sean. Sean walked into the room and addressed the coach. "Sean Koren, SSAF commander." Jack and Frost, who were both SSAF, stood at attention. "At ease." Sean said. Jack and Frost relaxed. "Anyway, coach, I have to take Jack away. I hope you don't mind."

"Well, Jack just got himself kicked out of the game so I'm not gonna put up much of a fight. He's all yours."

"Jack?" Sean looked a little peeved.

"I Force Teched a check." Jack looked at the ground.

"We'll talk latter. Anyway, come with me." Sean left the room. Jack wanted to stay but he prioritized and followed his commander out obediently. Jack was surprised when Sean broke into a jog, but he kept up.

"Where are we going?" Jack asked, speaking over the noise of their feet hitting the floor.

"First, we have to meet Sarah, then, we're going to SSAF HQ."

"Where are we meeting her?"

"Right about," he paused and to Jack's surprise, Sarah came running down one of the halls and started jogging with them. "Here."

"How did you talk with her?" Jack didn't really like it when he didn't know what was going on, and the whole thing seemed a little to freakish to him.

"My mom bought me a cell phone for my last birthday," Sarah said, reaching inside of her jacket and taking out a cellular phone to show to Jack. "Sean has the number just in case he needs to summon me to lead me off to somewhere that he refuses to explain," she put an emphasis on the last part trying to get Sean to give an explanation. He didn't stop to talk though, and soon Jack and Sarah found themselves in the back seat of Sean's car, driving at too far over the speed limit for Sarah's liking.

"I'm bringing you to see something." Sean said, not turning to look at the other two who were in the back seat. "But we have to get to the armory first."

"What?!" Jack was getting a little angry now. "With all due respect Mr. Fearless Leader, couldn't this have waited until after the game?" Sarah was quicker to pick up on the more important point.

"The armory?" she asked, unsure of the whole situation.

"Remember when you got to try on that SSAF battle gear last year?" Sean asked, picking up speed.

"Yes," they answered in unison.

"You're gonna need it again." At that point, they pulled past a security building and into SSAF HQ. "Everyone out," Sean said, pulling into a parking space. Jack and Sarah got out of the car and followed Sean into the building, trying to keep up with his run now.

"Has Sean gone insane?" Sarah whispered to Jack.

"I don't know," Jack responded. "Something's definitely up and he won't tell us anything so that makes me even more unsettled by the whole thing." They continued to run through the halls until Sean came to a stop and pulled out an ID card and swiped it through a slot in a wall unit. The doors they were facing slid open revealing the multi-leveled SSAF armory.

"Follow me," Sean said as he walked inside. At least he was walking, Sarah and Jack were thankful for that. The trio walked down three floors and then walked into a room lined with SSAF battle gear, full body armor that incorporated automated Force Tech to enhance abilities of the wearer.

"Wow," Jack mustered at the sight of the full room of the amazing battle suits. When he was given one to try, Sean had simply brought the two suits for him and Sarah to a training room. He had actually never even been in the armory. "Something is definitely up."

"Each of you, take one suit, take it apart and put it in these bags," he tossed each one of them a SSAF duffel bag.

"Are we gonna steal these?!" Sarah asked.

"We're just borrowing them without asking," Sean said. "I can guarantee that they won't be missing them." Jack and Sarah hesitantly started to disassemble and pack their borrowed suits in the bags. Once they were packed up, Sean started to leave and Jack and Sarah followed. They were questioned a few times on their business at HQ and what was in the bags, but with a wave of Sean's commander ID card, no guard pursued it further. They went back to Sean's car and he just started driving again. It was about 4:35 now.

"Sean, are we gonna miss the dinner for this?" Jack asked, worried more about getting his promotion rather than seeing whatever it was Sean wanted them to see.

"Jack, the dinner is nothing compared to this. I'm gonna bet that the dinner is going to be canceled anyway," Sean said, matter of factly.

"Canceled?! Can they do that?"

"You'll understand everything in about," Sean looked at his watch, "twenty five minutes." Shortly after, the trio pulled out of Trann City and continued until they drove into Guardia Park, which was somewhat of a nature reserve outside of any domes. Sean drove through the park until he came to a clearing. There were no people around. 

"Now get out and put those suits on," Sean said.

"Sean," Jack said as he started to unpack the bag. "I think that we deserve a serious explanation as to what's going on." Jack was trying to stay calm, but it was getting hard.

"Yeah, Sean," Sarah said. "You are kind of acting like the world is going to end here."

"Don't worry." Sean said, grabbing his own duffel bag from the trunk of the car. "I'm almost positive that you two will be okay. You don't have to do anything, just get those suits on for your protection and take a seat until the show starts."

"What show!" Jack said, not containing his anger anymore.

"Just get those suits on," Sean said and didn't speak after that. He started putting the multiple layers of the battle suit on. The other two had to watch him at first, but they got the hang of it. The first layer was mostly a series of rings that go around certain points on the limbs and a set of wires that bind them together. Next came the plating for the lower arms and legs, then plating for the upper arms and legs. Armor for the joints then locked in where it was needed, and the shoulder plates were also locked into place. The team put on the chest plates and helped each other with the back plates. Sean put on a helmet but told Jack and Sarah that they didn't need one. It was now 4:50.

"So now what?" Jack was getting really pissed with the whole affair.

"Sit down and wait over there," Sean pointed to a rock formation and then reached into his bag and took out the TAG that glowed a dim red. He then sat down as well and started to meditate.

"He's definitely gone off his rocker," Jack said, still wondering why they were even there.

"No disagreement here," Sarah said, scratching her head. "I just don't get it."

"He says that we're gonna see something, but doesn't say what," Jack added. "To be honest, I'm not to thrilled with our fearless leader right now." The three continued to sit down until Sean's watched beeped, signaling five o'clock. Then, the young SSAF members got to see what Sean was waiting for.

It started as just a rumble in the ground. Then the ground around them started to crack and an intense heat shot up from beneath the earth. The cracks in the ground shot out from a central point until the starter of the ruckus showed up. It started by the protrusion of several large spikes coming out of the ground. Soon, more, smaller spikes were visible. The air was getting very hot and everyone would have been happy when the battle suits' internal cooling system kicked in, but they weren't really worried about overheating right now. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the spike covered dome that was rising out of the ground. Lava started to shoot out from around the thing until it stopped rising. Just above ground level was a smaller dome covered by three prongs.

"Looks like the life of the party's finally here!" Sean screamed over the immense wind that had started to pick up. He grabbed the mystery TAG and turned in on, revealing a brilliant red blade.

"What the hell?!" Jack said, finally getting words out.

"Is this what you wanted us to see?!" Sarah screamed.

"This," Sean said, "and what's about to happen." As if on cue, the thing let out a sound that humans could never hope to reproduce and the three prongs on the front dome opened revealing a giant eye. Then it fired off what seemed like thousands of red beams from his shell. "Get closer to it!" Sean screamed.

"What?!" Jack screamed back. He and Sarah didn't move, until one of the red beams landed four feet from them, the explosion throwing them where Sean had wanted them to move. There was a crater ten feet in diameter where the beam landed. Red beams landed all around, and all over the world as it seemed to them. The immense heat that kicked up from their impact gave the feeling that they were in a volcano.

"Alright Lavos!" Sean screamed at the thing. "Play time's over!"

"Is he gonna fight it?!" Sarah screamed at Jack.

"I don't know!" Jack couldn't find any other words.

"I've got a present for you!" Sean said, bringing the red TAG forward. The beast let out a small cry, but then everyone realized that it was actually laughing. "Your pride will be the end of you, planet slayer!" Sean screamed as he jumped at the beast and thrust his weapon into the center of the eye. He leapt back, checking out his damage. The thing soon retaliated, firing beams in Sean's direction. Sean dodged and counter attacked, ripping a gash in the shell. The beast let out its 'laugh' again and them blasted more shots at Sean. Jack and Sarah could only watch in horror.

"Are you insane?!" Jack screamed at Sean. Sean didn't answer but made more cuts at the beast, then flipped back to face it again.

"Your time's up Lavos. It's time to die!" He made a leap and glowed bright red, shifting to orange, but at the last minute, the thing blasted a green beam, this time nailing Sean in the midsection, throwing him back to where Jack and Sarah were. It let out its roar again.

"Oh my god!" Sarah screamed with fright when she saw Sean. A gaping whole had been torn through his midsection. They could see the ground through his torso, mixed among the torn up organic matter and entrails that were left. Most of the other openings, though, had been cauterized by the heat of the blast and all of the blood was charred black.

"Sean!" Jack screamed, now ignoring the monster standing not fifteen feet from them.

"Just as I thought," Sean said, his mouth full of blood. "I'm not good enough."

"Sean, don't speak," Sarah said and kneeled down to try to get a better look at his wounds.

"Don't be a fool Sarah," Sean said, coughing up more blood. "You're smart enough to know that this is fatal."

"Sean…" Jack whispered.

"Jack and Sarah, you must listen very closely." Sean coughed again, heaving more of the red substance into the air. Jack and Sarah were covered in his blood at this point. "Jack, you are a very important person. You are one of 'hope' Jack. You must survive to find the 'truth.'"

"Sean, I don't understand," Jack said, dumbfounded.

"You will understand in time," Sean continues. "Sarah is also important to the space-time continuum. Protect her, Jack. You must seek out," he paused and coughed again. "You must seek out the boy Cro," he coughed again, "Cro," he managed to say again, but couldn't find the rest of the word. He went into a convulsion, and then he was still.

"No!" Jack screamed. Jack opened up his TAG and ran towards the monster. He made many cuts at the monsters shell, but they didn't even leave a mark. Suddenly, a light filled the area and he was thrown back to were Sarah was still standing, dumbfounded.

"You're not even a snack for the mighty Lavos," said a voice that seemed to come from nowhere. "What do you hope to accomplish?"

"Who are you!" Jack screamed. "What are you!" He got no answer. In an instant, a black piece of matter seemed to start to grow underneath him and Sarah.

"Jack?" Sarah managed to say. "What is it?"

"I-I don't know," Jack answered. The black mass became bigger until the circle on the floor was surrounding them. The voice then let out a mighty laugh as Jack and Sarah found themselves falling. Falling into nothing.


	3. Where, or is it When, Are We?

Chapter 3

_Chapter 3- Where, or is it When, are We?_

When Sarah regained consciousness, she started to wish that she had remained knocked out. At least when she was knocked out, she couldn't remember what had happened. Sean battling and being killed by that beast, and now her and Jack were sent through some weird portal thing. Wait a minute, where was Jack? Sarah jumped up to look around, but Jack was sitting against a tree a few feet away from her.

"You're finally up," Jack said.

"Yeah," Sarah said, rubbing her head. "But where are we?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Jack answered, walking over to Sarah to help her up. "It looks like a forest, but other than that, I haven't the slightest clue."

"So we're lost, huh." Sarah took Jack's hand and stood up, still in her battle gear stained in Sean's blood.

"Yup." Jack was also still in part of his gear, he had taken off the plating on his arms. His arm was bloody. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said, shaking it off.

Sarah said, noticing the bleeding. "You're hurt!" She took a look at the wound to find that there was a small shrapnel of some sort sticking out just below his left shoulder.

"It's not much," Jack said. "With all of the explosions back there, it must have been sent flying into my. I'm lucky, actually. It might have taken my arm off if the armor didn't block it. I took out the big part, but I'm gonna need some surgical equipment to get out the rest of it."

"Then we should try to find out way out of here and get to the nearest dome," Sarah said. "Can't you use a knife to take it out?"

"Yeah," Jack said, flinching as he moved the arm. "But I can wait until we find some modern medical equipment. Shall we?" he said, motioning to the path that hopefully led out of the forest.

"Let's shall," Sarah answered and started walking with Jack following. They walked what seemed like a while, but was actually not even a quarter of a mile. They soon spotted light in the not to far off distance.

"Look!" Jack said, pointing to the light. He and Sarah started to run, only to find not quite what they were looking for.

"This should be an exit," Sarah said, nearing the opening, but then stopped dead in her tracks when she stepped into the light. "What on earth…?" she mumbled as they surveyed the terrain. It looked like a large plain ahead of them with no sign of anything besides a few trees for as long as the eye could see. The sky was rather misty.

"I could have sworn that I had seen most of the world in my jet," Jack started, "but this is not a familiar place." Sarah had turned around to check out the forest that they had just emerged from, only to see a sight that turned her face pale.

"Jack…" she mumbled.

"I just don't get it," Jack continued, "Maybe there's a map somewhere in this suit."

"Jack…" she said again.

"No, no luck," he said as he fumbled through some compartments on the battle gear. "Maybe a holographic projection switch…"

"Jack!" she screamed this time. He turned and went pale just like her.

"That's…" he started.

"Ancient Guardia Castle," she finished the sentence for him. Both of them stared at the massive castle on top of a hill on the other side of the woods that they had exited. The red flags were waving in the wind.

"Sarah," Jack started to say, "either someone is playing a really big joke on us," he paused for dramatic effect. "Or we just traveled back in time."

"Don't be stupid," Sarah said. "You know time travel isn't actually possible by laws of nature Mr. Genius! I thought you would know more than me that time travel just isn't a feasible explanation."

"Actually," Jack said, "it was rumored that SSAF had a black-op in the works that was based on the notes of a scientist from around 1000ad."

"A black-op?"

"Yeah. A top secret project in which a budget is secretly given to and the big wigs as SSAF deny all knowledge of it. Anyway, these confiscated memoirs or something were laughed at, at first anyway. Upon further inspection though, some scientists found some truth behind it and hypothesized that some of the theories could work. They never actually got anywhere with it, from what I heard, but I do believe that it was confirmed that the theories were sound."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Sarah didn't want to believe it. Time travel was still not a valid explanation as far as Sarah was concerned.

"No, it's possible. Normally I would be thrilled that we were the first people ever to travel through time, but I'm not in the mood to be happy about anything."

"I guess we should find a town," Sarah said. "We need to get that thing out of your shoulder before it gets infected, but I think you can say goodbye to your modern surgical equipment."

"Maybe I should just take it out with my knife," Jack said bitterly as they started to walk. "If my history is what it should be, the town of Truce is due east of here." The two of them walked for two or three hours until they finally ran into Truce. The town itself was in the middle of a frenzy. At first the two time travelers thought that there was a problem, but they soon realized that the people were celebrating over something. It looked like the entire town was having a party. Sarah stopped to question one of the citizens.

"Excuse me," she said as she tapped an elderly man on the shoulder. "What's going on here?"

"You don't know?" the man said. "They just found Queen Leene wandering in Truce Canyon. She's been missing you know. They found her about three hours ago."

"Queen Leene?" Jack said, a little caught off guard by the name.

"Yeah," the old man said, "you know any other queens?"

"Oh, no." Jack was happy because at least he had a clue as to when they were. "Thanks a lot." The old man turned away and walked off, probably to go get drunk.

"What's the big deal about Queen Leene?" Sarah asked Jack after the old man left.

"Well," Jack started, "Now I can say with confidence that we are somewhere around the year 600ad."

"How do you know that," she asked as they started walking through the town.

"That's when Leene was the queen." Jack was pleased that all that study about ancient governments and rulers actually came in useful for something. "Now, the next order of business, let's try to find a medical person of some type." They set off looking until they found a building with a sign with the word 'doctor' hanging over the door. They went in and were a little shocked to see that the doctor's office was little more than a front room with a desk and a door that must have led to the operation room. There were chairs lining the front room, there were no people in them though.

Jack walked across the room and knocked on the closed door, but didn't get an answer so he slowly opened the door to be met by an awful scream that filled the room. He opened up the door to find the doctor standing above a patient who he in the middle of cutting open.

"Oh no, he's a bleeder," the middle aged doctor signed. He turned to Jack. "No people in this room during operations," he said calmly. "Please leave."

"Um," Jack went pale at the thought that this guy would be doing anything to him so he decided to take different measures. "Could I have some rubbing alcohol and some cotton swaps and then I'll be out of here," he said, figuring that operating on himself would be safer.

The doctor walked over to a shelf in the room, his patient still screaming and spurting blood from his chest. He grabbed a bottle of some sort and opened it up. "This should do for the alcohol," he took of swig from the bottle before closing it up and tossing it to Jack, "but what's a cotton swab?"

"Uh, never mind," Jack said, leaving the operating room with the bottle in this hand.

"Well?" Sarah asked when he got outside. "What happened, did you chicken out, or was he busy?"

"I'm gonna take the thing out by myself," Jack said, holding up the bottle. "I have more medical knowledge then the guy in there calling himself a doctor. Let's just say that modern medical technology has spoiled me a little."

"Whatever you say, Dr. McKlane," she said bluntly. "Let's just find a hotel, er, uhh, an inn to rest for the night. Anyway, we should probably get rid of these battle suits, people are looking at us weird."

"Good idea," Jack said, starting to walk. Sarah picked up after him. "So then what?"

"You're asking me?"

"Well I'm clueless," Jack said with a shrug. "I guess a good nights rest wouldn't hurt but," he paused.

"But what?"

"Never mind," he said. They walked down the streets of town until they found an inn. While the accommodations weren't what they were used to, Jack and Sarah rented a room for the night. They went upstairs and into their room. Jack walked over to sit down on the bed. He started to remove the battle suit and Sarah began to do the same. As the multiple layers of battle gear hit the floor, the two striped down to whatever they were wearing underneath. They both had SSAF army fatigue pants, white tank tops and black combat vests (Sean had made them change out of civilian clothes before going into SSAF HQ). Jack then whipped out the bottle of alcohol and a combat knife.

"Your just gonna cut yourself open and take it out?" Sarah asked, she didn't like the idea, but she knew that he was out of options.

"That's the plan," he said, pouring some of the liquid on the wound and cringing as it bubbled. He poured some on the blade as well and then made a small cut around the wound. He bled a little, but soon he worked the shard out of his muscle. He gave a sigh of relief.

"What are you so relieved about?" Sarah asked, a little grossed out by the situation.

"It didn't get lodged in the bone," Jack said. "If that happened, it would have been more of a problem." He poured more alcohol over the cut to attempt at cleaning it, but it probably wouldn't get too clean. "You have a bandage or something in your vest?" he asked Sarah, indicating to the many pockets on the combat vest. Sarah fished through some of the pockets in the vest and on her pants too. She reached into a pocket on her pants leg and made a funny face.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"Look what I found," she answered, producing a box and tossing it to Jack. He opened it and found a complete first-aid kit.

"Well will you look at that," Jack grunted. He I am playing tough guy with this whisky and I've got cleansing spray right here, he thought to himself. He took out a can a sprayed some white stuff on the opening. After it stopped foaming, he applied a bandage and tossed the kit back to Sarah. "You can hold on to it," he said, finishing putting on the bandage.

"You okay now?" she asked, putting the kit back in it's pocket.

"Yeah, I'll survive," Jack said. "All I want to do now is sleep though. It's been a long day."

"I'm game for that," Sarah said, taking off her vest and tossing it on a chair. She walked over to her bed and lay down. Jack took the bed next to hers. "Sleep well," she said after blowing out the candle on the nightstand, but he was already asleep.

.

Jack awoke the next morning to find Sarah already up and worrying about where she could go to take a bath.

"Well, It's unsanitary if we can't find somewhere to clean off," she with her hands across her chest. "You can't tell me that you think these people don't shower, can you?"

"Sarah," Jack pleaded with little hope for success. "It's the year 600, I don't think they have showers or baths yet. We have more important things to worry about anyway."

"That can wait until we find a bath house or something," she said. "So let's get going."

"What are the chances that your gonna listen to me and think logically?" Jack asked, putting on his vest and grabbing some stuff he took out of his pockets and replacing them.

"I am thinking logically," she shot back, "you're just being stubborn."

"Whatever," he said. "But what are we gonna do about the battle gear?"

"Should we hide them somewhere?" she suggested.

"Yeah, it would be kind of unpractical to carry it around with us. But, who can we trust to keep it?"

"Jack," she said. "You weren't listening, were you?"

"Huh?" Jack put the equipment he was holding down on the bed.

"We can hide it somewhere. Pick that stuff back up and let's go." They both carried their battle gear downstairs and out of the inn. Sarah walked around like she knew where she was going, Jack tried to follow with what limited visibility he had through the pile of stuff in his arms.

"Jack, your gonna knock someone over like that!" Sarah scolded him.

"Well I'm sorry, but if you hadn't left me to carry half of your gear too, then maybe I'd be able to see," Just as he finished, he walked into someone and the two of them fell down, battle gear and all. Sarah just giggled at the whole affair.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jack said, standing and going to help the young lady that he had just knocked over. While Jack felt sorry, all he could think about though was how peculiar this girl looked. She was dressed in clothes that didn't resemble those of the other towns folk, and she was wearing a helmet with some sort of antenna sticking out of it. "Are you okay," he asked the puzzled girl as she fixed her large glasses.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she stood up by herself. "But maybe you can help me. I'm looking for this guy, he's about your height," she pointed to Jack. "He's got really wild red hair and he's wearing a blue karate gi over his brown shirt. Have you seen him?"

"No," Jack said, "I can't say that I have. I'll bet that you're not from around here either though, are you?" Jack started to gather some of the dropped battle gear.

"Actually, I'm from the year 1000ad and I traveled here by controlling a gate that was created by…hey! Wait a minute! Why am I telling you this?"

"Did you say you came by traveling through time?" Jack and Sarah asked at the same time, nearly dropping their gear.

"I bet you think I'm crazy, huh?" the girl said. "Well, thanks anyway." The girl then ran off before Jack could stop her.

"Wait!" he screamed, but she didn't here him and kept on running. He turned to Sarah. "Did you hear all that?!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah," she said. "But it didn't make much sense. What good could she do us?"

"Don't you get it!" Jack tried not to get too excited. "That had to be her! That scientist from around 1000ad that had notes about time travel! What are the chances that we actually ran into her! If there is a god, he must be smiling on us now! She can help us! I think her name was…oh, who cares, we gotta follow her!"

"Two things Jack. First, if there is a god, not only is she a female, not a male, but if she was smiling on us, then we wouldn't even be in this whole mess. Second, what about the battle gear?" Jack stopped rambling on and calmed down.

"We'll have to carry it until we can find a safe place to hide it. For now, let's just head in the direction that the girl went." Jack gathered the rest of the gear and took the lead. Sarah followed him, upset that she had to carry the battle gear. They continued walking until they came across a river on the outskirts of the town. In hope that it would be there when the two returned, Jack and Sarah hid their battle gear near the bank of the river. They continued walking west, tracking the girls foot prints, until they came once again to Guardia forest. The sun was getting high in the sky and the heat was pelting down on them so both Jack and Sarah were relieved at the thought of walking in the shade.

The forest was very cool to the travelers' delight. The sun broke through the canopy in many places, creating little beams of light piecing through the roof. It was in this feeling of relaxation that Jack and Sarah were having, that Jack realized they had lost the tracks.

"Crap," Jack muttered, stopping in his tracks.

"What?" Sarah asked. "What happened?"

"We lost the tracks," he said angrily.

"You're going to loose more than that!" came a sudden voice from behind them. Jack and Sarah both spun around and fired up their TAGs to be met by someone who appeared to be a knight. He was about six feet tall, taller than Jack, wearing full upper torso armor but no armor on his legs. He wielded a giant broad sword, which he was leaning on. It was at least six inches wide and the hilt was just below his shoulder. Spiky jet-black hair topped his un-helmeted head. Jack and Sarah positioned their weapons in a defensive stance.

"Okay Sir Wacko, what do you want?" Jack said casually.

"Do you mean to tell me you are unaware that you are walking through royal property?" the knight asked.

"We didn't mean any harm," Sarah said. "We were just…"

"Going to assassinate the King!" the knight finished her sentence. He jumped into a fighting position. "So you're the assassins sent by the evil Magus!"

"Evil Magus? Assassinate the King?!" Jack was insulted at such faulty accusations. "For one thing, I don't even know what a Magus is and for another thing, what makes you think you can go around pointing that thing at random people," Jack pointed at the giant sword.

"So you are saying that you aren't assassins?" The knight seemed to be calming down.

"Look," Jack said. "If we were assassins, wouldn't we have already tried to kill you to prevent you from warning the King?"

"I believe that you may be correct," he began. "But why are you in this forest?"

"We were following a girl that might help us get home," Sarah said, turning off her TAG.

"Get home?" the knight questioned. "Where do you live?"

"I don't think that you would believe us if we told you," Jack said. "But I'll give it a try." Jack told the knight about what had happened to them and Sean and the monster. How they had ended up here and were looking for this girl that might be able to help the get home.

"I see," the knight said. "It is true that you don't look much like Mystics and that doesn't sound like an easy story to just make up." He paused for a moment before slinging his sword over his shoulder. "My duty is now clear. In order to uphold my sworn duty to the chivalric code, I shall help you two weary travelers return to your home!"

"Look buddy, we don't need help, we just want you to…" Jack said, but he was soon cut off again by the knight.

"It's no use fighting it. This is a deed that I must do. And besides, I can't possibly leave such a fair maiden in the responsibility of child. My name is Aragorn, former Knight of the Knights of the Square Table."

"What was that last thing!? You calling me a child!?" Jack reached for his TAG and turned it on.

"Jack, relax!" Sarah said, putting her hand on Jack's shoulder. "He's sort of like a lost puppy isn't he?" Sarah whispered to Jack.

"Do we really want him tagging along?" Jack whispered back.

"Who are we to decline help that's offered to us. Besides, he probably knows this land and might be of some help," she whispered.

"So now what?" Jack said, speaking to everyone now.

"Well, that girl might be in and out of the castle at this point, taking a different route on the way out, being that we didn't see her," Sarah pointed out.

"I guess we could go back to truce and see what Inn she's registered at, she has to go back there eventually," Jack said.

"This girl that you're looking for," Aragorn said. "Does she have purple hair and a helmet with a wire coming out of the top?"

"You've seen her?!" Jack and Sarah exclaimed at once.

"Yes," Aragorn said. "I thought she was lost and I offered to walk her home. I believe she said her name was Lucca, and that she was staying in the Shanghai Inn."

"Wait a minute. So you attacked us, suspecting that we were assassins, but you go to help her because she looked like she was lost?" Sarah looked pretty angry.

"It doesn't matter now," Jack said to Sarah. He turned to Aragorn. "Looks like your already proving yourself useful. Aragorn, Welcome aboard!" Jack said excitedly. "Now let's go find that girl." Jack started walking back towards the entrance of the forest with Sarah and Aragorn following. Soon after, the eyes that had watched the entire conversation slipped deep into the forest, going to report back to his master.


	4. Captured?!

Chapter 4

_Chapter 4- Captured!?_

600 AD, Truce Village

The trio of weary travelers hung over a table in the main room of the Shanghai Inn. They had already confirmed with the owner that there was a girl named Lucca registered with a room there, now they could only wait until what seemed like Jack and Sarah's shot at getting home decided to show up. Until then, the three decided to play a little game of cards, a little game of cards that had been going on for nearly two and a half hours, that is.

"I'll see you, and raise you three hundred gold," Jack said with a smirk. Jack took a swig from the bottle in his hand, both surprised and happy that there wasn't a drinking age in the year 600. The pot had gotten rather large, but the night had turned one-sided about and hour ago. Aragorn already had most of Jack and Sarah's money.

"I'll see that," Sarah said, pushing her last pile of gold into the pot. "And I'll raise you my…" she rummaged through her pockets until she came upon something that was of high value. "I'll raise you my cell phone."

"What is a 'cell phone,'" Aragorn asked, looking over his cards.

"Let's put it this way," Jack said, leaning over the table. "It's worth a hell of a lot more than three hundred gold." He sat back down. "Are you sure you want to bet something like that?" he questioned Sarah with hopes of her showing some sign that she was bluffing.

"Oh, your mighty tricky Mr. McKlane," she said with a grin, "but you can't get me to break that easily."

"Trick you?" he said, playing innocent. "If anything, I should be trying to trick Sir 'what is this poker game that you speak off?' over here!" It was just at the beginning of the session that Jack and Sarah 'taught' Aragorn the game of five-card draw.

"Yeah," Sarah said, staring Aragorn down. "Your awfully good for someone that just learned how to play two hours ago." Sarah started thinking about anything else that she could bet. "I'd say we've been hustled, Jack."

"And I'd say your right, Sarah," Jack said. The two of them look menacingly on Aragorn. "And we lost all our money to someone we met in the forest just this afternoon."

"Beginners luck?" Aragorn said with a shrug.

"Yeah, my hairy…" Jack started, but Sarah cut him off.

"Cool off Jack. Let's just make this the last hand and then come up with a different sort of entertainment until the guest of honor decides to appear." They did end up making this the last hand, a hand that went on for another half an hour. Before someone called, the pot had grown to all of the travelers money, Jack and Sarah's TAGs, the keys to Jack's car, Sarah's cell phone, Aragorn's sword and half of his armor, Jack's custom made Swiss Army Knife and Sarah's ring which had been passed down through about ten generations. It was getting intense. Everyone was sweating, bluffing or not. At last, when everyone equally had nothing left to give, the results came out.

"Full house, eight's and jacks!" Jack exclaimed, slammed his cards on the table and got ready to grab the pot.

"Not so fast hot shot," Sarah smirked. "I also have a full house," she displayed her cards with glee, "nines and queens." Jacks mouth dropped open as the two waited for Aragorn to show his hand. Jack and Sarah stared at the knight, waiting for results.

"Well?!" the two almost screamed at the same time. They did scream when Aragorn showed his cards.

"A pair of twos…" he said bitterly. While Sarah started jumping for joy and scooping the large pot over to her, Jack stared at Aragorn for a while.

"You went that far with a pair of twos?" Jack asked, dumbfounded. Never in his life had he ever seen someone do something so stupid and daring, and he had been in a lot of card games. He was reminded instantly back to a time in High School at a poker game. One of his friends had bet everything he had earned that year at his job and lost it all. He at least was holding three fours, better than Aragorn's play, but stupid none the less. Jack continued to stare blankly at Aragorn, who simply shrugged just as he had done earlier.

"Jack, catch!" Jack spun around as Sarah tossed him his TAG, keys and knife. She also gave Aragorn back his sword and armor. "We can't have you two unarmed if we run into trouble. Besides, your mom would probably kill you if she ever found out that you lost that car." Sarah laughed at the entire situation, not really caring about the items, but still happy with the hefty amount of cash she had won.

"You are truly kind, madam," Aragorn stood up and bowed. "Such is conduct I would have followed myself should I have won, it is hardly honorable to steal in the manner that I did. I only play for fun." He looked down to Jack, who was still sitting there. "Would you have done the same?"

"Hell no!" he exclaimed. "I would have given Sarah back her stuff, but anyone who hustles me doesn't deserve to get back his losses." Jack crossed his arms over his chest, put his feet up on the table and took another swig of beer. "But anyway, we've got more important stuff to discuss. Get your stuff together and head up to the room," he directed the two others, who obeyed quickly, surprising Jack.

"Whatever you say, fearless leader," Sarah grinned at him and started up the stairs, with Aragorn in tow. Jack pondered that for a minute. Fearless leader, huh? He knew that fearless leader was the title that they had playfully given Sean. I never really thought about myself being in charge. I wondered if Sean would have wanted it this way? That forced him to think about Sean though, and how much he wanted to get home. Was his home even there anymore? All his family, all the people he loved, did the beast Sean called 'Lavos' kill them all too? He heard Sean's voice in his head, repeating his last words, "you are one of 'hope' Jack, you must survive to find the 'truth.' You must seek out the boy Cro." What did it mean? Who was this boy Cro? Or was that all Sean could managed to say, was there more to this mystery? Jacks head was filled with the image of Sean's battered body, and then the voice that mocked him as he failed to even scratch the beast. Tired of viewing pain, he decided to head upstairs and discuss their next move, it was already past midnight, they would find this Lucca girl in the morning.

.

-Elsewhere in the same time- (I might start jumping around now so expect the time labels from now one)

"Yes sir master, I's saw 'dem, I's saw 'dem wit' my very own two eyes," the little mystic said to his superior. It was obvious that he was doing whatever he could not to aggravate the large behemoth of a creature that he had to report to. Keltar was known to take his anger out on his subordinates. "Dey's was usin' swords 'dat was made of magic!"

"Magic you say?" the large mystic that was called Keltar pondered the thought for a second. At nearly seven feet tall, he was a mammoth among the small mystics running around him in the Denadoro camp. He had scaly blue skin and beady black eyes that look out of proportion to his large head. He was fingering the grip of a two handed sword that was slung at his belt. "And how do you know such things about magic and these swords?"

"I's told you's already sir. I's seen da magic swords, dey's was glowin' in da forest where's I's saw 'dem." The little mystic tried to explain it quickly so he could get as far away from Keltar as possible. "Dey's is swords made of magic!" Keltar just stared at the mystic for awhile until he turned and left, cape billowing in the light breeze. "Probably gonna take da credit fo' 'imself," the mystic muttered under his breath. As quickly as it was said, Keltar spun around and at some point in the spin, he managed to throw a small knife at the little mystic. The crowd around the area all turned to watch in silence as the little mystic dropped dead, knife between the eyes, as Keltar turned around and kept walking.

Keltar walked at a quick pace, he would tell Ozzie, no, Magus himself of this new development. All he had to do was arrange a plan to capture these magic swords, find what makes them tick before the humans make more of them, and then bring his prize forth to Magus himself. No more serving under Ozzie, oh yes, wouldn't his dear brother be surprised when he gets promoted. All he had to do now was arrange the plans.

.

Same Time, Truce Village

Jack made his way into the large room with Sarah and Aragorn already waiting for him, as expected. There were three beds against one wall and a table with three chairs in the center of the room. It was adequately furnished for the seventh century, so no complaints could be found. He took a seat in one of the chairs, the only one unoccupied by his companions.

"So where the hell is this Lucca person?" Jack asked, is a surprisingly clear voice considering the amount of alcohol that he had drank that night. To both of the others surprise, he didn't appear even slightly drunk.

"I don't know," Sarah pondered, "might she be traveling, possible camped out somewhere on the road?"

"It could also be possible that she's still at the castle," Aragorn suggested. "If she truly had business there, the King might have given her a quarters, depending on what she was going there for."

"I don't know," Jack propped his feet up on the table. "I guess that leaves us with the only option of waiting here, and waiting really isn't my cup of tea. There's got to be something we could do to find her."

"Not likely," Sarah said, "I think…" she paused, and put her hands by her temples as she cringed with a shock of pain. "God damn headaches…" she browsed through some pockets until she found some painkillers and swallowed them dry.

"Are you okay?" Jack said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I thought you kicked those things."

"Yeah," she said, "I haven't had any since we got here. I'm just happy we had some painkiller. Anyway, I was saying that our best bet would be to play it safe and at least wait in town for a few days. We don't have anything else to do right? And, maybe while we're not doing anything, we can find someplace to take a bath." Aragorn decided it was time to speak.

"Actually," the knight said, "if we don't have anything better to do, can I ask a few questions? Like, what are those weapons that you used in the forest. I've never seen a blade like it before."

"That's because technically, they can't exist. It's based on…" Jack to start to explain but he was soon cut off by Sarah.

"Actually, that's one of the problems I had to talk to you about Jack," she said, grabbing her TAG off her belt and putting it on the table. "These things are running low on power."

"Oh shit, that's right," Jack muttered. "The tritanium core has to be constantly charged. I forgot about that." He grabbed his TAG and put it on the table with Sarah's. "I guess we should pick up some local weapons tomorrow, for the time being anyway. Aragorn, can you recommend a good weapons store?"

"Can I?" Aragorn said with a smirk. "I'll show you the best weapons store in Truce tomorrow, after breakfast, of course."

"Great, that's good because at the low power levels these things are at, a normal sword would be just as good." Jack said. "Now that one problems out of the way, getting back to how the TAG's work. Sarah, do you want to start?"

"Yeah, why not," she said, picking her TAG up to use as a model. "I'll cover the confusing part better than you anyway, you'll just end up confusing all of us with your weird physics crap." She smirked. Jack opened his mouth to say something, but Sarah started to talk before he could get a chance. "Basically, what you saw when we turned these on is a projection of a special type of wave called an arc wave. Now, as Jack was about to say, arc waves should be able to exist, and in nature, they don't, but instead, they were synthesized in a lab. The entire concept is based upon the use of a substance called tritanium. The tritanium is kept in the lower portion of the handle," she motioned to part of the TAG, "and serves two purposes."

"I'll cover this," Jack jumped in. "When kept charged, the tritanium produces charged molecules possess odd properties in the ways the electrons are arranged. It also acts as a battery for a mechanism that sits just above the tritanium core. The charged molecules are channeled into that mechanism and are spun around really fast. Once they reach a specific rate of spinning, they are sent through the next part of the system, a small crystal, that when cut in a certain shape, can send the energy through a series of stabilizers, creating the arc wave." Sarah decided to step back in, even though Aragorn looked like he was totally lost.

"The crystal is the most important part, if it's not cut in the exact right shape, the arc wave doesn't come together and the TAG can't work. The color of the crystal also corresponds to the color of the blade. Further more, the molecular structure of the crystal determines the resonation of the arc waves, therefore determining the power of the blade. Our blades are actually only about as powerful as a sword."

"I think I get the general idea," Aragorn said, scratching his head. "But, does that mean you still use swords in your time?"

"Not quiet," Jack said. "The ones that SSAF uses in real combat use different crystals for more powerful blades. Also, the most common weapon in our time is a gun, and with the trained use of Force Tech, you can use the TAG's to block bullets, essentially incinerating the bullets in the intense heat existing in the blade. They also make handy locksmiths for opening up sealed doors and stuff like that."

"Anyway," Sarah said, "the arc waves get sort of split up and refracted back onto themselves inside of the crystal. When they leave the handle, they're angled so that they spiral around each other, keeping the others in check. Finally, as the impulse gets weaker near the end of the blade, they just kind of die out, creating the tip of the blade."

"Did you get all that?" Jack asked Aragorn.

"You people talk way to much," he said, looking puzzled. "I'm starting to wish I hadn't asked. I'll just let you do what you do with those things and not worry about how they work. Now, what's next on the list?" Jack stood up and put his TAG on the stand next to his designated bed. Since he was he last one to go up to the room, he got last choice on beds, leaving him with the smallest one. He turned to Aragorn.

"Sleep," he said bluntly. "It's almost two in the morning, and I'm exhausted. Let's just to bed."

"I'm all for that," Sarah put in walked over to her bed, which happened to be the biggest (ironically for the smallest of the three), and collapsed with he face in the pillow. "Just turn off the light when you decide to go to bed." Jack jumped on his bed, landing in sleeping position and then blew out the candle on his bed stand. Aragorn did likewise and the room went dark.

.

The unseen forces moved swiftly through the night until they came to their targeted destination. Intelligence forces had been positive that the holders of the magic swords were staying at an inn on the eastern side of Truce. After silently entering the Shanghai Inn through an open window on the ground floor, the crept up the stairs. Jack was the first to notice as he snapped awake to the barley audible noises coming from outside the room.

"Who's there?" he asked to anyone who was listening. Sarah and Aragorn were both sound asleep. Quietly Jack climbed out of the bed sheets and crept towards the door but was knocked back when the door swung open, hitting him in the head.

"Hey!" he said as the room started to fill with shadows. "What's the big idea?!" He quickly leapt to his feet. "I'll show you not to try that again." He started to glow a dull green but the glow quickly subsided as a dart hit him in the neck. He grabbed at and pulled it out but the weapon had already taken its effect. Collapsing to the floor, Jack felt one of his assailants pick him up as he saw others going towards Sarah and Aragorn, just as his vision faded and he lost consciousness. Without saying a word, the kidnappers fled the room, baggage in tow, to proclaim a successful mission to their masters.


	5. A First Kill

Chapter 5

_Chapter 5- A First Kill_

Jack awoke somewhat startled, finding himself hanging from a wall by his arms, which had been bound over his head. Looking down, he saw that not only had his feet also been bound, but his captors had left him only his pants for clothing. As his vision came back to him, the blurred screen in front of his eyes slowly lifting, he decided that he was definitely in prison of some sorts, but where he did not know. The room was encased by stone walls, a door with a barred window stood at one end. There were a few decomposing corpses along the far wall, producing a nasty stench. The dirt floor completed the prison. Numerous torture weapons lined the far wall, but no one was around to use them. To Jack's right, Sarah was also bound in a similar manner, but Aragorn was no where in sight. They had at least left Sarah with the commodity of a shirt.

"You awake?" Jack asked his seemingly unconscious partner. Sarah lifted her head and opened her eyes.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "I guess so." She tried to move, but found all of he limbs bounds. "What happened?" she asked, a little dazed.

"I think someone broke into our inn and took us hostage, but I don't know why." Jack mused in the thought of the past happenings, worrying now about escaping from here rather than getting back to 1999ad at the moment. "I don't think that we're just going to be left here though. No one takes people captive like that for the hell of it."

"I guess so," she said, trying to move again. "But I'd rather not wait for someone to get us. Anyway, those things over there don't give me a good feeling," she motioned her head toward the torture implements on the far wall. "Let's just use a little Force Tech and get the hell out of here." After saying this, both of them tried to concentrate on drawing whatever energy they could, but were surprised when they found that there was little energy to be had.

"What the?!" Jack said, trying again to make a draw, but failing. "There's nothing! Nothing at all!"

"This room is filled with death," Sarah said morbidly. "All of the natural life force in the room is dead. We can't use it." She slumped back down to her original hanging position. "We're stuck."

"Damn it!" Jack shouted. "So now what? I guess we just wait."

"I guess so." Sarah muttered. She looked at Jack, who was still trying to draw some energy. "Hey, I never knew that your underarm hair was blue also," she said, trying to change the conversation. Jack stopped struggling with the Force Tech and turned to Sarah.

"If it's blue up there," he rolled his eyes up towards his scalp. "It's blue everywhere," he said with a grin.

"Everywhere?" she said, directing her line of sight towards his loins.

"Yup, everywhere." Jack's skin started to turn red in slight embarrassment. "I thought that you would have known that."

"I guess I did, I just never actually remember seeing blue hair anywhere besides your head. I've actually always thought it was a kind of cool statement. It makes you original."

"Yeah, but do you remember back in freshman year of High School and all those kids who didn't know me thought it was hair dye and that it was so cool. I must of heard about a hundred people ask me 'where did you get that hair coloring, it looks so cool.' I think about half the grade dyed their hair blue for a while, but no one could really ever match my shade."

"Yeah, I remember that, I always thought it was kind of funny, everyone looked kind of weird since they had blue coloring that never really looked right." The two were just starting to enjoy reminiscing of old times when the door to the chamber suddenly swung open. A large mystic, about six and a half feet tall walked in. His green skin was covered with many scars. Both of the captives attentions turned to him.

"Looks like you're up," the Mystic said. "The name's Golrath and I'll have the pleasure of being your interrogator slash torturer for this evening." He walked over to Jack and looked him up and down. "We'll start with you," he said menacingly.

"Interrogator?" Jack said with disgust. "You decided to knock us out and chain us up so you could ask a few questions? You gotta be kidding me. Just because you were so rude, I'm not going to tell you anything."

"Quite human!" Golrath made a fist and slugged Jack in the stomach. Jack tried his best not to flinch. He had been taught in resisting torture back in SSAF training. "You'll answer my questions, everyone caves eventually, or else they die. Anyway, maybe I should tell you your situation before you get to much confidence. This is the Denadoro Mountain mystic base camp. You're miles away from your precious king and his army. The bridge is still down, so unless your a really good swimmer, and can avoid the sharks native to that area, escape is futile. Now, how do you feel about your situation?"

Jack gritted his teeth and sneered at the mystic. "I feel like I'm not getting the courtesy I deserve." The mystic slugged him in the stomach again and started asking questions.

"How are those magic swords of yours constructed? How many do you humans have? How do they work? Tell me!"

"What are you talking about, I don't know a thing about any of that stuff!" he said while Golrath kept yelling questions. "Wait a minute," Jack said under his breath, 'magic swords?' He must mean the my TAG. Great, Sarah and me have landed plop in the middle of the mystic war, and now the mystics have control of a weapon that could change history if they figure out how to make it. Not like that's gonna happen, but I can't give this guy any information. "You can suck it if you think I'm gonna talk to the likes of you!" he spat at Golrath.

"Jack, is he talking about the TAG's?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, so it looks like you'll be an easier nut to crack," Golrath walked over to Sarah. "Tell me what you know about the magic swords." Sarah then thought through what Jack had just thought of, coming up with the same theory.

"Yeah right! Like I'm going to tell you anything." She remained completely composed, remembering back to her training.

"Fine then," Golrath wound up to hit Sarah when Jack intervened.

"I swear to god," Jack eyed Golrath viciously, "that if you lay one finger on her, I'll kill you four times before hit the floor," he said in his most menacing voice.

"Oh really?" Golrath played with that thought and the chances of the puny human killing him and then just laughed. "Well then human, try it!" he nailed Sarah as hard as he could in ribs. Sarah tried to not let the pain get to her but she flinched at the contact. Jack let out a yell and tried to break his bonds, but it didn't work. "Is that it?" Golrath mocked. "I kind of like this game!" Golrath let out a wicked laugh and punched Sarah again, this time she let out a yelp.

"You worthless pig," she said, trying to fight back, but she couldn't break the bonds.

"Oh, name calling huh," Golrath then started to punch Sarah repeatedly in the stomach, when Jack decided that he had had enough.

"Son of biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch!!" he screamed as he became surrounded by a blackish blue aura. "I'll kill you!!" Then, seemingly without effort, Jack snapped open the bonds on his hands and leapt at Golrath, breaking his feet chains in the process. Caught off guard, Golrath was hit in the head by Jack's jumping side kick and was sent rolling on the floor. As Golrath tried to get up, Jack blasted him with a roundhouse across the face and then a crescent heal kick to the temple, sending his large opponent flying sideways.

"Insolent human!" Golrath screamed, drawing a sword from the torture tool wall and running at Jack. With perfect timing, Jack nailed the side of the blade with a spinning roundhouse, sending the sword flying to the wall. The blade had so much speed on it, that it ricocheted off the wall and flew back towards Jack, who caught it by the handle. Golrath watched in a state of stunned amazement. "Who the hell are you?!" He said in shock. Jack ignored the question and jumped up, flipping over Golrath and stabbing the sword into his shoulder blade. The mystic screamed as he struggled to get the sword out, Jack slowly walked away and then launched another jump kick, hitting the pommel of the sword, sending the sword through Golrath up to the hilt. The force of the blow was so great that Golrath was sent flying at a wall whereupon the blade of the sword embedded itself in the wall, pinning the helpless mystic up. The blackish blue aura around Jack then subsided, as he walked up to his previous captor, ready to ask some questions of his own. He was panting, but other than that, uninjured.

"Okay, mister interrogator, now I'm asking the questions." Jack leaned over Golrath's shoulder and spoke directly into his ear. "Now aren't you sorry someone never taught you how to treat a lady?" Jack slugged the big mystic in the ribs which was followed by a scream of pain from Golrath.

"Umm, Jack?" Jack turned to see Sarah hanging from the wall. Little worse for wear but no broken bones. "Could you cut me down?"

"Oh, sorry," Jack walked over to the far wall and grabbed another sword and also a bottle of some vile smelling liquor that he found in a corpses hand. Then he walked over to Sarah, put down the bottle and cut the chains with the sword. "Sorry for the delay."

"No problem, but I thought there wasn't any Force Tech energy," Sarah looked at Jack suspiciously.

"I guess I just found some," he said with a shrug, "now, let's find out how to get out of here." Jack picked up the bottle that he had put on the floor and walked over to the still whimpering Golrath. "I'm going to assume that you have the keys, so why don't I take them," Jack started to search the mystic's bloody clothes when he started to struggle and reached down to grab Jack. Jack was about to defend himself when Golrath let out another scream of pain. When Jack looked up, he saw Sarah twisting the sword that was imbedded in their captive.

"Can't have you doing that, now can we?" She said with her teeth gritted. "Now I'm going to ask that my friend here show you the same courtesy that we've been shown. Jack?" she looked down at him.

"Found them!" he said triumphantly, holding up at a set of keys. He handed them to Sarah. "Figure out which one gets us out of here while I retrieve some information from our new guest."

"Gotcha," she said, walking over to the door, starting to try a number of different keys. Jack got up and decided that class he got in interrogation would actually come in handy. Not really a barbaric person by nature, he was sort of grossed out when he saw some of the stuff that he was supposed to do with a captive that refused to give the info he needed. The last thing on his mind during that class was actually performing some of the procedures he learned, but he was still mad at this particular mystic and so he decided that he wasn't going to be very nice.

"Now as for you," Jack said as he lightly hit the top of the bottle against the prison wall, knocking off the neck. He put down the larger portion, which still had some of a vile smelling liquor in it, and picked up the bottleneck. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Why don't you explain my options in more detail," he said mockingly. Jack grabbed the handle of the sword and twisted it again. Golrath let out a scream of pain. Jack then ripped off the already torn up shit the Golrath was wearing.

"You keep that up and I'm gonna make that the easy way," Jack said bluntly. "Now, I've got some questions for you. There was a swordsman with us in the inn. Where is he?"

"You think I'd tell you something like that so easi..." he was cut off by his own scream as Jack stabbed the broken end of the bottle neck into his back and dragged it across his skin. The dark red blood started to drip down his back.

"Let's try this again. Where is the swordsman that was with us?"

"We dropped him off somewhere on the road when we found that he wasn't one of the people with the magic swords," he said, obviously in pain. "He wasn't any value to us so we decided to stop carrying him."

"What do you want with these so-called magic swords?"

"Fuck you, ass hole," he spat back. Jack took the bottle-neck and stabbed him again, dragging it along his skin in a similar manner. Golrath's back was now covered in blood. He screamed and then started to spill the information. "Magus wants them to try to mimic their creation. Also, he's afraid that you humans have a lot of them already and wants to even the odds," he said, almost whimpering.

"What about our equipment? Where is the stuff that we came with? Where are our 'magic swords?'"

"You can suck my..." before Golrath could finish, Jack picked up the rest of the bottle and slowly poured it's contents over the mystic's back. He screamed in agony and the liquid entered all of his new wounds. "You're ruthless aren't you?" he moaned. "They're in the room next to this one, accessed by the hall outside of the door. All the stuff we found in your room is there too."

"Okay, you're getting good at this. Not many more questions left." Jack dropped the empty bottle and the bottleneck to the floor. He thought of his next question. "Now, so how do we get out of here?"

"You can't," the mystic said in a sick laugh, spewing up blood as he did. "You'll be killed as soon as you set foot outside of that door." Ironically, Sarah found the right key just at that time and it swung open. Upon inspection of the outer hall, there were no guards.

"I'm gonna check the next room for our stuff," she said. Jack gave her the okay with a hand signal and she left the room. Jack directed his attention back to his new friend.

"You let me worry about that," he said bluntly. "Now, how do we get out?" The mystic laughed again.

"Just concentrate on going up and you'll find the ground level."

"Good. Now, what about your boss? Where is this Magus guy?"

"Are you a fool? He's not here, he's at his castle. I wouldn't worry about him if I were you." Jack paused and thought to himself about what to do with his captive.

"I think I'm done with you now," he said. The mystic just laughed. "But I do remember something about killing you four times before you hit the ground."

"What?!" the mystic said, struggling to get free again but just screaming more when he ended up moving the sword blade around inside of him. "I've told you all you wanted! What more do you want from me!?"

"I'll bet you're wishing you never touched the girl now huh?" Jack picked up the sword that was on the ground.

"No!" Golrath screamed in a last minute hope for mercy. Jack ignored it and drew the sword that was pinning Golrath up out of him. As fast as he could, he stabbed Golrath in the stomach, lifted the blade up into his lung, pulled it out, stabbed him again in the heart and as the mystic started to fall, pulled the blade out again and then lopped off his head. As the Golrath hit the ground, Sarah walked into the room and stared at Jack's handy work.

"Wow," she said, almost whispering. "Four potential death blows all before he hit the ground." _He did that just because that guy touched me? She thought to herself_. Then just as if Jack was coming out of a trance, he started to shake and dropped the sword he was holding. Soon after, he crumbled to his knees. Sarah watched in shock. "Jack!" she yelled, getting down to help him. "What's wrong?"

"I…I've never," he couldn't get the words out. "I've never killed anyone before." Sarah tried to help as best she could.

"It's okay, Jack. It's gonna be okay," she spoke very softly.

"It was like I was a machine," he said, sounding disgusted at his own actions. "I wasn't even thinking, my mindset was just to get what I needed from him and kill him. I've never felt that way before. I don't remember ever having a problem hurting anyone that deserved it. I always thought that if they had it coming, than I shouldn't worry about it, but…" he paused. "What I did to that mystic was horrible. I think I'm gonna be sick when I think about that. I didn't even think when I did it…"

"Jack," Sarah said, trying to calm him down. "You can't freak out on me like this. I can't do this without you. You need to snap back to reality. That's how it works. In this world, in this situation, you kill or get killed. That's the law of the jungle, and this is just about as close to the jungle as we've ever been."

"I know," he said in a whisper. "But, I've still never killed anyone before. It makes you sick. It's like, you want to die but you can't, and all you want to do is throw up when you think about what you did. To take a life…is that ever right?"

"Jack, do remember when you asked Sean why we had to go through all that training every day. You asked him sort of jokingly, but when he looked at you, he got real serious. Do you remember what he said?" Jack slowly nodded his head. "He said that 'the training is for you instincts Jack. When you go into battle, you don't have time to think. If you think, you die, and if you die, that's one life that SSAF invested too much time in. You have to react on instincts, instantaneously, almost like a machine. It's not my rule Jack, that's just the way life is and you have to except that if you want to survive.' Now look at you. What would Sean say if he saw you like this? I know to kill is something that hard, but I remember someone once saying 'killing is one of those things that gets easier the more you do it.' I don't remember where I heard it from, but it makes sense. Now are you ready to get the hell out of this place?" Slowly, Jack climbed to his feet and Sarah handed him his combat vest.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "I'm okay now. Now let's get out of this hell hole." They started for the door, then Jack spoke again. "And Sarah?" she turned to him. "Thanks."

"No problem. Let's not do anything else that might make Sean laugh at us. Let's at least make him proud, wherever he is."

.

-Authors Note- Yeah I know that Solid Snake said that whole thing about how killing gets easier the more you do it so don't anyone say you stole that. I'm not taking credit for it. Maybe I'll do a quote for each chapter where I can think of one that applies. That might be harder than it sounds, but anyway, I'll say that's my quote for this chapter.

"Killing is one of those things that gets easier the more you do it" -Solid Snake


	6. Escape!

Chapter 6

_Chapter 6- Escape!_

600ad: Denadoro Mystic Encampment

The captives searched the exterior hall. To the shock of both of them, no exit was found. The hall led into a few sub-chambers, including the one in which their equipment was found. Their TAG's were unfortunately found in another room, not quite in the best shape.

"Shit!" Jack exclaimed after trying to activate his TAG, but not getting any result. "They must have messed around with them trying to figure out how they work. It could take me weeks to get these things working again, assuming I could even find some tritanium around here."

"Jack, don't panic," Sarah said, trying to calm him down. "They weren't in the best condition anyway, and a sword would be just as good at the lower power level of the TAGs as it was. Jack stopped his fit and simply put his inactive TAG in a pocket on his thigh, and then ran back to the other room.

"Jack?" Sarah started to follow him, but he soon came back with two swords, one which he gave to Sarah, and a sheath for each of them.

"Try this thing," he said when he handed Sarah the sword. She spun it around and made a few cuts at the air before sheathing it.

"It's a bit heavy, but It'll do." She clipped the sheathed blade onto her belt holster for he TAG, which she had put in a pants pocket as Jack did.

"Good," he said bluntly. "'Cause we don't have much other choices." With that, he quickly left the room with Sarah trailing. The searched around, but it appeared to them that the hall had no exit. It was a dead end.

"This doesn't make any sense," Sarah said, arms crossed over her chest.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Jack said, "unless..." Jack looked above him and quickly found a trap door in the ceiling. "There we go!" he said pointing to their exit. "Now let's just hope that there's some Force Technique power here." The two of them concentrated and started to glow.

"Yes!" Sarah exclaimed. "Ready?" she asked Jack.

"Set?" he answered.

"Go!" the both shouted as the glow around them transferred to their feet and they launched a jump that sent them through that trap door, landing on the floor above which was on the inside of a tent. There was a mystic siting on a chair which jumped to his feet but Jack quickly drew his sword and stabbed the mystic in the knee, crippling him. His scream however got the attention of a lot of other mystics outside.

"Jack," Sarah said. "Now would be a good time to get over that fear of killing!"

"I think I gotcha, now let's burn these oh so unkind hosts," the two of them jetted for the exit of the tent to be met by a swarm of mystics. The two drew their swords into fighting position but quickly performed as big a force jump as they could muster, landing them on the other side of the swarm. They broke into a run.

"How far do you think we have to go?" Sarah asked as they made their way through the rows of barracks which formed 'streets,' until they came to a large clearing which was seemingly a meeting place of many 'streets.' As the ran into the center of the clearing, mystics started to stream in from all of the surrounding access points.

"I think this is as far we go," Jack said, freezing in this tracks as the mystics formed a circle around the two captives about thirty yards in diameter.

"That's exactly right!" came a booming voice from behind them. "This is as far as you go." The two of them stared as the mammoth Keltar came walking into the circle, smaller mystics backing away, making a path.

"Who are you?!" Jack demanded. "What do you want."

"I'm afraid I can't let you escape without telling me how those swords of yours work. You see, my men seem to have broken them when trying to figure it out on their own."

"I asked who you were, now I demand to know!"

"You don't have to worry about me," Keltar said with a grin. "Tell me, are you a betting man?"

"Do I have a choice?" Jack asked.

"Let me put it this way: detain the girl!" on command, a bunch of mystics swarms and grabbed Sarah and dragged her away. Jack tried to stop them, but there were two many. The circle reformed as the mystics pushed Jack back into the middle, dragging Sarah to a front row seat for what was going to happen.

"Now let me explain to you the rules of this wager," Keltar boomed. "If you fight a friend of mine, and win, I'll let you and the girl go. If you loose, well...you'll be dead and I'll extract the info I need from the girl." Jack turned to Sarah who gave a simple nod.

"Okay, ass-munch. I'll take the bet. So who do I have to fight?"

"I'll call him over right away," Keltar said with a grin. "GILGORE!" he screamed. Then he pointed to two mystics. "Take his weapon." Obediently, the two ran into the center of the circle and started to grab at Jack.

"Get your grubby hands off of me!" he said, tossing his blade on the floor. The mystics picked it up and ran back over too their master. Soon after, a big booming was heard as mystics on the far end of the circle started to scatter in a panic. Through the path the scattering created came a nightmare that Jack immediately knew he had to fight, and without a weapon. He stood in shock as he started at the eight foot tall, monster of a creature with armor-like brown skin and two horns sticking out of it's hear. It's eyes had bright red pupils which stood out against his black face.

"This is the latest thing our chimera lab whipped up," Keltar said. "I can't even begin to think about what it's a mix of, but I think you'll have fun with it. Now, If you'll excuse me, I have to report your death to master Magus." Keltar turned and left down a quickly forming path that the mystics created as he walked. As if on cue, Gilgore let out a roar and charged at Jack.

"Shit, it's friggin' fast!" he exclaimed as he jumped out of the way with little time to spare. He cycled through his limited options of fighting, considering his hand to hand close combat skill probably weren't going to be of much use on this thing. He quickly did a few back handsprings, leaping away from the another set of attacks. The beast let out another roar and then put both of his hands together in a giant fist and swung them at Jack. He dodged the first blow but was slammed by the second, flying about twelve feet before skidding along the ground. The monster came again but Jack leaped off to the side to avoid the attack. I can't run forever. If I don't do something, he's gonna kill me! Suddenly, Jack immediately flashed back to what Sarah had said not more than a half hour ago. 'You either kill or get killed, that's the law of the jungle.' If I get killed, can I honestly face Sean without avenging his death? If I get killed, I can't protect Sarah, and that was one of Sean's last wishes. He soon concluded the obvious. I have to survive, he thought. "I will not die!" he screamed out loud. He started to draw some energy and glow green. Then with a battle cry, he nailed the beast with a shoulder tackle. It didn't send him very far, but he was knocked on the floor. Much to Jack's dismay, he quickly got up and charged at him again.

"Gonna need more than that," he said out loud to himself. He charged up again and gave Gilgore and uppercut followed by a spinning leg sweep. Jack's opponent hit ground hard but climbed to his feet again. The Crowd of mystics was yelling so loud that it was almost defining. He tried numerous sets of attacks, but none of them were making a dent. He still needed more so he resorted to his last option: maximum draw. He had to take in about all the Force Tech that he could absorb, effectively doubling his combat potential. Normally, drawing over what you can hold can have some pretty ugly effects, often ending in death, but Jack was almost out of options. The beast started to charge him again, but Jack countered with a massive combination finishing in a jumping uppercut that sent his opponent flying into the air. He hit the ground with a boom, but got up again quickly, seemingly unhurt. Jack came at it again with a flurry of kicks finishing with a short hop into a leg drop. It didn't even make a dent. Jack was panting hard and his enemy was unharmed.

"I…I'm not strong enough," Jack said somberly. The beast charged him again and Jack was almost ready to accept defeat when a voice screamed out from behind him.

"Jack!" The whole fight seemed to freeze as Jack spun around to see the figure of a knight standing on top of one of the barracks. As the figure walked out of the shadows, the image of Aragorn came into view.

"Aragorn?!" Jack screamed back in puzzlement.

"Catch!" Aragorn screamed, tossing to Jack what soon became clear was a sword.

"Yes!" Jack yelled, catching the sword and performing a quick routine of expert sword twirling. After his little bit of showing off, he hit the sword tip against the floor and slowly raised his head to the puzzled monster not ten feet from him. "You're in my world now, bitch," he said coldly. Before the beast could even make a roar, Jack leaped at it and stabbed the blade deep into it's thigh. He withdrew the blade and made a spinning cut at Gilgore's stomach. The monster batted away the blade and tried to swipe at Jack, but with a quick parry, Gilgore was missing a hand. While it was distracted, Jack took another cut and rammed Gilgore into the stomach, this time connecting. In one motion, Jack ripped the sword out of it's flesh and flipped over him, bringing the sword across the armor like skin on his back. Blood started drip from Gilgore's back as he clutched his stomach in pain. Jack slowly walked to where Sarah was being held with her hands bound behind her back, about fifteen feet in front of him.

"We're going home," he said to her. She gave a short nod and then Jack turned around and walked a few feet toward the beast.

"Don't worry," he said to the roaring Gilgore. "This will hardly hurt." Jack started to glow green with Force Tech energy and then he jumped up and back, hovering in the air. "Nisetsu Ryuhi!" he screamed, starting to spin the sword around over his head before 'jumping' down from his hovering point bringing the sword across Gilgore's neck. The blade ripped easily through the bone and sinew, lopping off the head which hit the floor with a clunk. The clunk was followed by a bang as the monster's decapitated body hit the floor just as Jack landed from his maneuver, kneeling five feet behind his fallen foe. Jack immediately thought about what he had done. She was right. That was easier. The mystic audience went silent as Jack slowly rose and walked over to Sarah. To his surprise and delight, the mystics around her backed away from him, full of fear for their own lives. Jack decided to play with this new found power.

"Release her," he told the relatively mystics who had been guarding Sarah. Sure enough, one of the small mystics whipped out a knife and cut the ropes that were binding her hands. Once free, she to take a place besides Jack.

"That's two I owe you," she whispered.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "Let's just get out of here before someone comes and takes control of the situation." As if on cue, Aragorn jumped down from wherever he had watched the fight from and ran to Jack and Sarah.

"Shall we?" he said, motioning towards the exit.

"You know how to get out of here?" Jack asked.

"I got in didn't I?" Aragorn started towards one of the 'streets' with Jack and Sarah following. Although no movement was evident for Aragorn's presence, as soon as Jack came up to the wall of mystics, it parted and formed a path, much like what had happened for Keltar. The trio walked along the freshly forming escape route until the rows of barracks and tents finally started to dissipate. After looking back, Jack saw that there were no followers, or at least, not yet.

"Did we do it?" Sarah asked seemingly no one.

"I have a feeling not," Jack said bitterly. He listened closely and heard that there was a lot of yelling going on and the mystics were starting to come after them.

"Run!" Aragorn screamed, realizing that they had just begun to be pursued. Jack and Sarah didn't need to be told twice as the three broke into a run. They seemed to be keeping good distance from the mystics, but all of them knew that they couldn't run forever and that another option would have to be found. Facing the obvious, Jack decided that it was time to come up with another plan.

"Okay, listen up," he to the others mid-run. "When I stop, I want you two to keep going, I'm gonna slow them down."

"Are you nuts!" Aragorn screamed over the pounding of his own feet hitting the ground. "What do you plan on doing?!"

"Jack, you can't be serious," Sarah said, trying not to get to excited. "You'll be re-captured."

"Sarah, so you trust me?" Jack said, breathing hard.

"What?" she answered.

"I said do you trust me!?" he said getting louder. Sarah didn't need to think anymore.

"Yes," she paused. "Just don't get yourself killed okay?"

"I already told you," he said with a grin. "We're going home, and we're going home together." Almost right after that, he stopped and Sarah and Aragorn kept running. They didn't run long before they stopped however, and watched what Jack had planed.

Jack concentrated as hard as he could. He started to glow green and the blue. The blue got brighter until it turned from purple into a dull red, which was getting brighter.

"Oh shit!" Sarah screamed, running back towards where Jack was standing.

"What's happening?!" Aragorn yelled, quickly running after her.

"No time to explain!" she yelled back. As she said this, the glow around Jack became bright red he raised his hand up into the air. As Jack's hand started to rumble with power, time seemed to slow to half time.

"Jack, no!" Sarah yelled at him. He ignored her. Instead he let loose his plan.

"Burning Rave!!!" he screamed, slamming his hand into the ground as the earth opened up like a fault line, surging toward the oncoming mystics. As it reached the mystic line, the fault line exploded an explosion creating chasm with an immense length, longer than the front line of the oncoming foe. Many mystics were swallowed in the explosion and the rest were blocked off be Jack's first attempt at terra-forming. Sarah and Aragorn reached Jack just as the explosion cleared, the mystics remaining completely blocked off from them. Jack was trying to stand up, but he suddenly collapsed to the floor.

"Jack!" Sarah screamed, getting down to help him. "You could have killed yourself! Where did you learn that move anyway?"

"I…" Jack struggled to speak, weak from the last attack. "I think I saw it in a video game once…" Jack then passed out and went completely limp. Sarah examined him and seemed relieved to see that there were permanent effects on him.

"Ummm, can someone explain what just happened?" Aragorn asked, once again puzzled by the young man with blue hair.

"He just saved our lives," Sarah said softly. "I'll explain what happened later, for now, just pick him up and let's get the hell out of here." Obediently, Aragorn bent down and hoisted Jack's unconscious body over his shoulder. Sarah gave him a nod and the two set out into a run, leaving the puzzled mystic army in the dust.

.

Time unknown: Location unknown

"He's definitely an interesting one," came a voice

"But the question remains, is he ready, and is he qualified," said a second voice

"He's got the courage, the attitude and the potential, I can say that," the first voice said again.

"I don't like his attitude," said a new voice. "That one that doesn't talk as much looks like a better choice."

"I think his attitude his is edge," came a forth voice.

"But what about that girl," said the second voice. "His feelings for her make him weak."

"Are you a fool," came another new voice. "Did you see the power he was able to tap because of her. She will help him reach his potential."

"Either way," said the fourth voice, "it's amazing that there are potentially two of them on the same planet. What are the odds of that?"

"What about his magic?" asked the second voice.

"We'll see eventually," said yet another voice. "Not that time even matters in this game..."

.

600ad: Northwest of Mt. Denadoro

The trio of travelers had found shelter in a small forest after their escape from the mystics. Jack had regained consciousness but he was still weak. Jack sat against a tree in clearing with a small fire blazing in front of him. It was getting dark, but even worse, it was getting cold. Sarah and Aragorn were sitting around a fire, Sarah trying to explain what had just happened.

"In SSAF, we're ranked by our abilities with Force Tech," she said. "Your ability is based on how much energy you can absorb to increase you power. The stronger you become, the more you can absorb, therefore becoming even stronger. Jack is about 8th degree Force Tech user, that means he can take in enough energy to effectively double his combat strength. I'm about a 7th degree user. For every four degrees you absorb, your power is multiplied by a number one higher than the previous. For example, if you absorb eight degrees, your power is doubled and if you absorb twelve degrees, your power is tripled.

"Is that good?" Aragorn interrupted, thinking hard to contemplate the arithmetic that Sarah had just done. "I mean, almost doubling your power is something that I wish I could do all the time."

"Well, it may seem good, but in our time, it's really not that high."

"Remember our friend Sean?" Jack jumped in, his voice very weak. "He was about a 32nd degree user. He could multiply his power eight fold. He was good, probably one of the highest ranking Force Tech users in SSAF. Sarah and I are about average for our age and experience."

"What does all of that have to do with why you freaked out over what Jack was doing?" Aragorn asked. Jack started to explain but Sarah put her hand up, gesturing to silence him.

"It means that this jerk over here scared the hell out of me because he probably took in about eleven degrees of energy to do that move, judging by the color he emitted," she said in a very motherly fashion.

"And?" Aragorn asked again.

"And if he had held that much energy in to long, it would have been an ugly sight. Taking in more than your abilities let you hold can result in some pretty nasty deaths. When you take in as much as you can, you feel a sort of tingling in the back of your neck, that's how you know when to stop. When you go over, not only does it hurt a lot, but you can end up frying your internal organs, making your brain explode, short out your nervous system or a bunch of other equally unpleasant things.

"Nothing happened did it?" Jack said, defending himself. "It was all I could think of."

"Next time, don't risk you life in the process," Sarah said. "There would have been another option if we took the time to look."

"We were out of time," he shot back. "Anyway, it looked pretty cool right?"

"Well..." Sarah paused. "Yeah, it was a cool looking move. Where did you learn it?"

"I told you, I saw it in a video game once. I always wondered if I could do it. I guess it worked, at any rate. Anyway, I think we ditched the ass hole brigade for now. We should probably worry about getting back to human territory. Also, Aragorn promised to take us sword shopping."

"I guess I did," he said, thinking back to when he said that. "As soon as we get back to truce, I'll show you a great little store."

"While we're on the subject of Aragorn," Sarah started. "How did you find us?"

"Mystics aren't very smart at hiding their tracks," he said simply. "After I woke up by myself, I figured you could use my help. I did swear myself to your service, didn't I. Anyway, tracking you wasn't very hard. I have a lot more skills than one would guess."

"I'll believe you," Jack said. "But let's try to score some sleep before we set out tomorrow. I'm exhausted."

"No argument here," Sarah said, propping herself up against the tree as comfortable as she could get. They didn't have any camping equipment, so they would have to rough it until they could get some. "Good night."

"Good night," Jack and Aragorn said in almost unison. The three tried to sleep as the fire burned away on it's last bit of fuel.


	7. We Just Keep Meeting People Like This, D...

Chapter 7

_Chapter 7- We Just Keep Meeting People Like This, Don't We?_

600ad: Magus's Castle

A dull chant softly echoed through the dark room. Unseen, the sorcerer known to his enemies as Magus stood in front of an alter, chanting the words for possibly anyone of his dark spells, hopefully enacting a plan that he had worked for so long. The dull hum was broken by footsteps entering the chamber. As the intruder walked towards the altar, torches on either side of the isle lit up.

"Who dares enter my presence?" Magus said grimly.

"It is I, Keltar, my lord." Magus spun around to see the image of the mystic standing before him. "I have come to report the latest actions at our Denadoro camp." Keltar took a gulp before reciting what was unfortunately his to tell Lord Magus.

"Well?" Magus said, inpatient already.

"The two whom we captured, those who used the magic swords escaped earlier today."

"Tell me Keltar, why did they escape?" he hissed.

"The man with the blue hair was able to beat Gilgore. It wasn't my fault, I underestimated his strength," said with a shaky voice. The massive mystic stood almost petrified by the sorcerer before him, though he towered over him by more than a foot.

"Man with blue hair?" Magus raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Keltar said, relieved to see his master seem less angry. "It was the exact same color as yours my lord."

"It was you that underestimated his strength, correct?" Magus looked angry.

"He would have died!" Keltar now was getting panicky; knowing his life was on the line. "Someone interfered and gave him a weapon."

"Why didn't you stay to observe the fight?" Magus asked, getting angrier.

"Because I - I - I" Keltar stuttered as Magus started to raise his hand. As he started to point at Keltar though, he stopped and withdrew his hand.

"I should kill you," Magus said putting his hand to his chin. "But I have another task for you. If you succeed, this would put you very high in my sights. Higher than Ozzie possibly," he said, using his voice in the most manipulative manner possible.

"What is it my lord?"

"I want you to find this man with the blue hair, and find out away to get him here. You can come up with the plan on your own, but remember," he lowered his eyes. "Your life hangs in the balance."

"Absolutely my lord!" Keltar exclaimed, spinning around and running for the poor. Magus paid no attention to this display of idiocy as he considered it.

Blue haired man, hmm? He thought to himself. This could be interesting. I wonder what he was doing with one of Melchior's toys anyway?

.

600ad: Northwest of Mt. Denadoro.

Jack couldn't sleep. He had tried, but was to tense to go to sleep. It was now past midnight and he sat against the same tree, staring at the dying embers of the fire.

"Can't sleep?" asked a voice. Jack spun to the side to see Sarah standing over him. She sat down next to him against the tree. "Me neither," she said, somewhat answering Jack's question for him.

"I'm just to confused to sleep. There's so much that's happened in the past few days. I'm just trying to make sense of it all," Jack said, leaning his head against the tree. "Look at him," he said, motioning to the sleeping Aragorn. "As far as he's concerned, this is just another chain of unimportant events. I'll grant that he's been helpful, but right now, he's sort of oblivious.

"It's just us Jack," Sarah said softly. "We're all alone in a crazy new world. We have to stick together if we're going to get back." There was a long pause. Sarah broke the silence.

"Do you ever think about Sean's last words? You know, that thing about you being one of 'hope' and how you have to look for the boy Cro?"

"All the time," he answered quietly. "It's like a puzzle to me, though. I don't know what any of it means."

"I think only Sean knew what he meant when he said it. He didn't have time to explain. I think he wanted you to find out on your own." Jack said nothing in response. The two sat against the tree until Sarah finally spoke again. "Do you think everyone at home is okay. The monster Sean fought against looked like it hit the entire world with those beams."

"I think Sean called the beast Lavos. Let's call it that for less confusion for now on."

"Okay, but what do you think happened to all the people. I hope they're okay. I'm worried for them. I'm worried for us Jack." To Jack's surprise, Sarah leaned her head of Jack's shoulder. Instinctively, Jack put his arm around her, but none the less, this confused him. For as long as he could remember, Sarah had always been one of the strongest people he knew. He used to always saw girls huddled up in the arms of their boyfriends, but Sarah was never like that. It seemed that she had never needed support from anyone, like she wanted to do everything on her own. She was so emotionally strong, but now Jack could finally see behind that strength. Even Sarah needed someone to comfort her, and Jack was happy that she picked him for the job.

"It's gonna be okay Sarah, I'm sure of it," he said reassuringly. "Everyone is okay, and we're gonna go back home, and everyone is going to be so happy to see us, and we're going to tell everyone what happened and..." he looked down at Sarah to find that her eyes were closed and she was asleep. "And I'll tell you how I feel about you Sarah," he whispered softly. He kissed her lightly on the head and then leaned his head back and tried to fall asleep.

.

Jack awoke the next morning to the smell of breakfast frying. Without opening his eyes, he inhaled the scent and hazily said, "oh Mom, you're so good to me, making me breakfast in bed..." Soon, however, he snapped back to reality opened his eyes to see Aragorn standing over what looked to be frying pan set up on a device which was holding up over the flame beneath it. He looked to his left to find his arm still around a sleeping Sarah. In reaction, he withdrew his arm quickly and stood up.

"You cooked?" he asked Aragorn.

"I killed an uribo and found some chocobo eggs while you two were asleep. I cut the uribo meat into strips and..." as he was saying this, Sarah arose and took a sniff of the air.

"Is that what I think it is?" she asked inquisitively.

"Yeah," Jack said, still surprised. "Chef Aragorn made us bacon and eggs. Is there anything you don't do?"

"Why, do you eat this meal in your time?" Aragorn asked, using a dagger to flip the uribo strips in the pan.

"Actually, it's one of my favorites," Sarah said, rising and walking over to the fire. "But where did you get the pan and the thing you have holding it up."

"Always be prepared," Aragorn answered cryptically. He moved the bacon strips around some more. "It's almost done, are you two going to eat?"

"We don't have any plates," Sarah said bluntly. "Or silver-wear for that matter."

"You eat it from the pan with a dagger or your fingers," he said simply. "This is the middle of the wilderness you know." Sarah sat down next to the fire and inhaled the smell again.

"It smells really good. What did you use instead of butter for the pan?" Sarah asked.

"Well," he started. "A lot of an uribo is fat so I simply..."

"That's enough!" Jack cut in, also sitting down by the fire. "I don't want to know. All I care about is that I haven't eaten in days and I'm starving. Can we eat it yet?"

"Yes," said Aragorn, picking up a previously unnoticed pail of water and putting out the fire. "Just watch out, it's kind of..." Before he could finish, Jack and Sarah both grabbed a strip and engulfed it. "...Hot," Aragorn finished, Jack and Sarah not caring about it being just of the stove. After the bacon was gone, Jack ventured to try to eat some of the eggs with his hands. He was again shocked at how good they were and had to be pried away so Aragorn and Sarah could have some. After all the food in the pan was gone, the three of them all sat back, their hunger satiated for the time being. They sat in silence for awhile before Sarah spoke.

"Where did you get that water?" she asked Aragorn.

"There's a clear shallow river over that way. If you want to wash your hands..." before he could finish, Sarah jumped up and ran off in the direction he had pointed.

"Finally, I get to take a bath," she said as she ran off, automatically placing the men second in line for washing off. Aragorn and Jack sat in silence for half an hour until Sarah came back, her hair still substantially wet.

"'Bout time," Jack said teasingly.

"I haven't taken a bath in almost a week Jack! And as it is, I still didn't get to use soap," she said. "I'm ready to leave when you are." Jack and Aragorn didn't make a move. Jack started to giggle childishly. Aragorn soon chimed in also.

"What?" Sarah said innocently. Jack, still laughing lightly, took off his vest and tossed it to her.

"Put that on," he said, still laughing. Sarah looked puzzled until she realized that her white shirt was soaking up all the water that was on her. She almost immediately turned bright red and put on the vest as fast as she could before giving Jack a dirty look.

"You're terrible!" she exclaimed, before starting to laugh herself.

"No, actually I'm just looked for an opportunity to show off my pecks," the now bare-chested Jack said. Sarah stared at him for while and then started to laugh again.

"Come on, let's break camp and get back to Truce so we can go back to trying to get home," Sarah said, stopping her laughter.

"Are you two ready yet?" Aragorn asked, tapping his toe on the ground.

"Yeah," Jack said, grabbing his temporary sword from up against the tree and clipping the sheath to his belt. "Let's get out of here. Anyway, I want to go weapon shopping." Aragorn didn't answer, but strapped his shoulder armor on and started to lead the way. Jack and Sarah obediently followed.

The trio walked many miles along the coastline as the trees became plains and the sun rose high in the sky. It was pelting down on them relentlessly until they came upon another sparsely wooded area. In an attempt to take advantage of the limited shade available, Aragorn led Jack and Sarah towards the woods. The temperature was cooler and the sun let up on them inside of the forest, so traveling was made easier for the time being. They traveled for some time in the woods without speech until Jack decided that it was time for a break.

"I think this would be a good spot to sit down an grab a drink," he said, not waiting for a response before sitting down and rummaging through his pockets.

"What are you doing?" Aragorn asked, walking over to Jack and sitting down with him. Jack didn't answer.

"Sarah, I think your shirt is dry now, toss me my vest," he said. Sarah took of the vest and tossed it to Jack. Jack dug through the pockets until he found three quarter sized capsules. He hit a button on each one and in a puff of smoke, the three capsules turned into three soda can sized cylinders. He tossed one to each Aragorn and Sarah and kept the other.

"What do I do with this?" Aragorn asked, handling the item curiously.

"You pull this little thing here," Sarah said, demonstrating for Aragorn. When pulled, a small hiss came out of the can, come of the carbonation leaving the can. "It's soda. You drink it." Aragorn slowly did as Sarah did and put his lips to the opening on the soda can. Diffidently, he took a sip before smiling a very wide smile.

"This is very good!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know," Jack said, opening his and sipping it. "But I don't have to many more of these so savor it while you can." Jack walked over to a tree and sat down against it. "I think we have some rations somewhere in my vest or pants it anyone's hungry. So, how long 'till we get to Truce?" Jack asked Aragorn.

"I'd say another full day's travel," he said with a sigh.

"Well, then I think we should take a break and use the energy to travel through the night when it's not so damn hot out," Jack said. Jack put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. Sarah did likewise but Aragorn remained vigilant for unknown reasons. Instead of relaxing, he seemed to be concentrating deeply. After about five minutes however, he closed his eyes. The three travelers sat in silence, Sarah sleeping, Jack trying to sleep and Aragorn appearing to be sleeping but actually just thinking. Suddenly, there was a rustling noise above them. Aragorn eyes' sprung open, but other than that, he didn't move.

"Jack," he whispered. Jack opened one eye but didn't speak. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Jack asked.

"Shhh!" Aragorn whispered harshly. "Did you hear that rustling noise?"

"No," Jack whispered back. "What noise?"

"That noise..." he scanned the area without moving his head. "Oh forget it, it's probably just the wind." They didn't speak for about a minute, before the noise came again. Jack and Aragorn both looked up to the trees in time to see a shadowed figure jump from a branch above them.

"Jack! Look out!" Aragorn screamed. Jack didn't need to be told twice as he sprung to his feet and whipped his sword out of it's sheath to block a blade that was coming from above him. The two swords clashed as Jack's assailant landed on the ground. Jack withdrew his sword at the sight of what stood before him. A girl, not more than fifteen or sixteen and short for that age, was holding a sword at him. She had long red hair and was dressed in slightly ragged, obviously weather worn, clothing.

"What are you staring at?!" the pint-sized attacker said, standing at least seven inches shorter than her blue-haired target. "Put your sword up and fight!"

"Umm, excuse me?" Jack asked. Sarah had awoken from all the excitement.

"You heard me! Hand over all your cash gently or fight me! And no one try anything or your blue-haired buddy is dead!"

"Well aren't we demanding for such a little girl?" Jack said, holding back a snicker.

"Little Girl!?" she said, outraged. "How do you want it? Foil?" she held her sword in a foil fencing stance. "Or Saber?" she switched to saber stance. Jack smiled and lifted his blade up again.

"Or how about epee, or claymore, or broadsword or TAG?" he said smiling, cycling through the stances for each of the styles. "Or katana or knight-blade or duel sword?" he said going through more stances. The little girl started fuming.

"Look buddy, I don't know who you think you are, but I know every great swordsman in this world and you ain't one of them." Jack just smiled.

"Foil it is then," he said with a grin and held his sword out in a foil en-guard and waited for her to make a move.

"Good!" she screamed and lunged at him. He easily parried and came at her but she blocked it out and lunged again, disengaging his parry and making another pass. The swords started to clang a rapid rate as Aragorn and Sarah watched patiently.

"So who are you?" Jack said, beating away her blade and making a cut with she recovered and blocked.

"Just a girl trying to make a living," she said with a grin, lunging, disengaging and lunging again. The fight continued as Sarah and Aragorn made commentary on the sidelines.

"She pretty good," Sarah said, evaluating the performances of both fighters. "But she's in for a surprise."

"What is that?" Aragorn asked.

"Well, since we're not from around here, of course she wouldn't know who Jack is. Jack is just toying with her," she said simply.

"What do you mean?" Aragorn asked again.

"This girl is good, but Jack's sort of out of her class. He normally claims to lacrosse as his big sport because it's more macho or whatever, but he's almost world renowned as a fencer. He's one all sorts of international competitions in all three major weapons."

"But I thought he couldn't even beat your friend Sean when you two double teamed him," Aragorn said.

"Yeah, that's right," Sarah said. "But when we fought Sean, it wasn't a matter of fencing skill, it's more a matter of Force Tech skill. When Jack fences in competition, he has to wear this little bracelet that reads when he's using Force Tech. It's kind of illegal. If he used Force Technique in official bouts, he would win too fast, since he can increase his speed and agility. When we fought Sean, it left the bounds of normal fencing. Sean was such a better Force Tech user than he could beat us really easily. While he would never actually admit it, Jack would have been able to beat Sean pretty bad in a real fencing match."

"So what you're saying," Aragorn said. "That our little thief friend here doesn't really know what she's in for."

"She'll be able to do okay until Jack decides to end the fight, and then it'll be over." The fight continued still, although they had switched to Saber style and Jack's opponent was starting to get tired.

"Your good," the girl said. "I've never fought anyone like you before."

"Yeah well, I've been doing this for awhile. I should be good," Jack said. He started smiling. "But I'm getting tired of this. This fight is over."

"It's not over until..." the girl started to say, but before she could get the words out, Jack sent off a number of blows, finishing with a series of sword twists that threw his opponents blade into a tree five feet away from her. Jack placed his sword by her neck. She stood, obviously shocked, panting heavily.

"Your good..." she said in awe.

"You're not to bad yourself," he said, lowering his sword. "Now how about you explain why you just attacked us. I certainly hope it isn't in my future to keep meeting people by having them attack me when I'm walking in the woods." He shot a glance at Aragorn who couldn't help but grin.

.

Time Unknown, Location Unknown

"You see, he handled that well Topik. And did you know he could handle a sword like that?"

"Of course I did. I've been watching this one closely too, Hal," said Topik

"I don't know, this whole thing seems to orchestrated. Unless…"

"Topik!" came three voices at once.

"Well he has to get to the end of time somehow!" Topik said innocently. "I'm just rushing it along a little. Anyway, I'm not controlling anyone, just doing a little manipulation. The girl attacked and fought on her own."

"Topik, that breaks about half of the rules in the book," came a new voice.

"My dear Jal, we can't really stick quite to tight to the rules right now," said Topik, defending himself. "And it looks like the other one is already going to get there on his own, being that he'll probably find that robot soon enough."

"I don't know," came one of the earlier voices. "We haven't quite had a lot of luck with this family."

"He's different," Topik said softly. "I know it."

.

600ad, east of Dorino

"My name is Rayith," the girl said softly. Jack, Sarah and Aragorn sat silently while Rayith stood and started to explain her side of the story. "I'm not going to bore you with my life story, but I'll try to sum it up."

"I've heard of you," Aragorn said. "You're wanted in Truce for a big reward."

"Really!" Rayith said, kind of excited. "Yeah, well, I'm not popular with the law. Wait a minute, I've seen you before too," she said, pointing to Aragorn. "You used to be a Knight, right?"

"Used to be," he said, emphasizing the 'used to' part. "But I'm not gonna…"

"Hey that's right!" Jack jumped in. "Sarah and I told you everything about our adventure, but you haven't told us jack about your past."

"My past is my business," he said bitterly. "If I choose to reveal it is my prerogative." Jack held his hands up in front of himself in a defensive gesture while Rayith started talking again.

"I believe I'm the one that is talking," she said impatiently. "Anyway, my parents died when I was really little and I had to fend for myself at a young age. I saw being a thief as an easy route, but I needed to learn to defend myself first. I studied swordplay from the greatest swordsmen in this time. I rank myself up there as one of the best fencers in the world, but I've never seen anyone fight with you before," she said, pointing to Jack.

"Well…" Jack started to say.

"We're not really from around here," Sarah said somewhat shyly.

"Are you from Choras?" Rayith asked. "I haven't been there in a while."

"Not really…" Sarah said. "It's not important where we're from. Let's get back to your story."

"It's pretty much finished," Rayith said with a shrug. "I was naturally good with a sword so I started robbing people passing through this region as a way of making cash."

"How did your parents die?" Jack asked.

"Jack!" Sarah scolded him.

"They were murdered," Rayith said grimly. Ignoring Sarah.

"By who?" Jack asked, also ignoring Sarah.

"I this day and age, it's an easy guess."

"Magus…" Aragorn said.

"Yup," Rayith said. There was a long pause "And I'm gonna get him back for it. I think deep down that's the real reason I wanted to learn to use a sword; so I could slit his throat."

"Who is this Magus guy?" Jack asked. Aragorn and Rayith immediately looked at him like he told a bad joke.

"You're kidding right?" Rayith asked. Aragorn was going to say something, but then realized why Jack wouldn't know who Magus was. He didn't pursue it any further, leaving Jack to come up with his own explanation.

"Well…" Jack said, looking at Sarah who nodded. "We're really not from around here. Well, we are, but, we're not. It's like this: we come from a different time." Jack proceeded to tell his story once again. Rayith listened with interest for a little while, but soon got impatient. Jack told the story up until when he, Sarah and Aragorn ran into her. When he finished, Rayith let out an exuberant sigh.

"Are you done?" she asked impatiently.

"Yeah," Jack said.

"Well that explains why I've never seen or heard of you, but that still doesn't explain why you beat me," Rayith said with a thoughtful expression. Sarah jumped in.

"As I told Aragorn before, Jack's out of your league. He's almost world renowned where we come from."

"Oh really?" Rayith asked sarcastically.

"Let's put it this way," Jack said. "I could have beaten you with one hand behind my back and both eyes closed. I'm probably better with a sword than most people in this realm, and I could beat even those who were better than me using that Force Tech stuff I told you about." Aragorn gave him a dirty look, somewhat insulted. Jack looked at Aragorn. "Well, I think I could anyway," he said with a grin.

"I like this guy," Rayith said, standing up. "He's got an even bigger ego than me!" Jack frowned.

"So now what?" Sarah asked. Rayith decided pondered her next move for a moment. Before speaking.

"Take me with you," said. "If you can get back to your time, I can learn some of that Force Tech stuff and then I can surely beat Magus."

"No way!" Jack said. "Let me just say two things." First off, it's not that easy to learn Force Tech. I've been studying it for almost eight years and I'm still not that good with it."

"I thought you were so good at it that 'you could beat everyone,'" Rayith mocked.

"Well…" Jack paused, his ego trapped by his own words. "Never mind that. What I do know is that you can't 'just learn Force Tech.' Also, will somebody tell me who this Magus guy is!" Aragorn looked at Rayith who motioned back to him, telling Aragorn inform his history-impaired friends about the scourge of his time.


	8. New Weapons, New Troubles

Chapter 8

_Chapter 8- New Weapons, New Troubles_

600ad: East of Dorino

"The humans have sort of always been at ends with the mystics," Aragorn said. "But it wasn't until Magus appeared that we actually went to war with them."

"When did this Magus guy show up?" Sarah asked.

"No one really knows," Aragorn answered. "Everyone just knows that one day the sorcerer known as Magus showed up and led the Mystic armies to war with the Humans. There wasn't war right away, but for at least a year, the human armies have had minor skirmishes with Magus's troops."

"So he's a general, right?" Jack asked.

"Yes, but he's a cruel, manipulative, murderous person. He kills freely, normally letting his underlings do his work for him. But, every now and then, he comes out of his castle and releases his wrath on helpless victims," Aragorn said.

"So basically he's an extremely powerfully, slightly insane, totally ruthless bad guy?" Sarah said, summing up Magus.

"He uses magic," Rayith said, "that's what makes him so strong. No one knows where he got his powers, but what is known is that he's by far the most powerful wizard in the world. That's why I need to learn Force Tech to beat him." Rayith stood up. "You're taking me with you!" she demanded.

"No way!" Jack said, standing up to meet her. "You attacked us and now you want to come with us?!"

"And besides," Sarah said, "Aragorn here knows the land so we don't need anyone else just because they're 'familiar with the terrain.'"

"Well..." Rayith said slyly. "If you don't take me with you..." she turned and ran twenty feet from the other three. "I won't give you your money back!" she held up a few bags and Jack's wallet in triumph before sprinting away.

"How the hell did she get those!?" Jack screamed before sprinting after her.

"Jack, wait a minute!" Sarah said, her and Aragorn jumping up and following.

"Not a chance Sarah!" Jack screamed back over his shoulder. "Or at least not before I wring that girls neck!" He started to glow green and picked up speed, hoping to catch Rayith before she left the forest.

.

Jack managed to catch up to Rayith, but she wouldn't give him back his money. Jack was reaching the end of his patience and on top of that, he couldn't bring himself to hurt this girl standing before him. All she wanted was revenge, and she needed the means to achieve it. Isn't that what he wanted? He was looking for revenge also, revenge on Lavos for taking the life of one of his closest friends. He would do what it took to gain the means for revenge, so shouldn't he let her do the same?

"All right, you can come with me," Jack said, after much deliberation with his own thoughts. Rayith started to smile. "But I don't guarantee that you'll be able to learn Force Tech."

"I'll take the chance," she confidently. "And once we get back to your time, I'll give you your cash back."

"If we get back to my time," he corrected her. At this point, Aragorn and Sarah caught up to them.

"What's the deal?" Sarah asked Jack.

"I'm letting her come," he answered. "And she promises that when we get back to our time she'll give our cash back."

"That's if we get back," she said. "But let's not waste anymore time. I want to get to Truce as soon as possible." They were by the edge of the forest at this point and they could see that the sun was starting to set. Without words, the four travelers set out to Truce. They crossed the newly rebuilt Zenan Bridge at around dusk. Aragorn thought that having Rayith with them would prompt some questioning so they decided to sneak past the guards. To the party's delight, they found all three guards asleep.

"What a great job they're doing guarding the kingdom," Aragorn mumbled sarcastically, receiving a harsh 'shhh' from the other three. They continued on without speech and crossed the plains before reaching Truce at about midday. The group wandered into town, both exhausted and starving. The streets were packed with excited townspeople going about their everyday business.

"Shall I show you this sword shop?" Aragorn asked. "It's close to here. I would recommend that someone reserve a place at an inn, before we get closed out."

"Well since I've got everyone's money, I'll take care of the inn part. I know the weapon shop Aragorn is talking about, I'll meet you three there," Rayith said cheerfully, running off down the street. Aragorn turned left and started walking, Jack and Sarah following without conversation. The three of them walked a good distance into town until they came on to a small store. It was nestled between two larger buildings and looked like it needed some repairs. The awning over the entrance was torn and the door appeared broken. The two windows on either side of the door were boarded up.

"This is it," Aragorn said, walking to the store and opening the door, kicking up a cloud of dust. Jack and Sarah followed with puzzled looks, soon finding themselves in a dusty, candlelit room with swords lining the walls. Despite the condition of the store itself, all of the blades looked to be in prime condition. Jack gazed at the weapons wishfully, like a little boy in a candy store.

"If it looked nicer on the outside, more people might actually come in here," Sarah said. "But this certainly classifies as a treasure trove."

"Like I said," Aragorn said proudly, "it's the best sword place around. You don't find a sword like this anywhere, you know." He fondled his mammoth sword. "There's something for you no matter what you specialize in." Jack grabbed a long, slightly curved sword off of a rack and held it up. It was about six feet long with an extremely sharp, single edged blade. Sarah also played around with a number of weapons.

"I like this," Jack said softly, "but I don't really do long blades. I need something shorter and a little wider." He was talking to himself, but Aragorn overheard and handed him a different blade. It was about three and a half feet in length, double edged, two inches across at the hilt. The hilt itself was adequately decorated with two golden spikes facing the tip of the blade, and a blue gem above the grip. Jack handled it with a smile.

"It's light as a feather," he said, somewhat surprised.

"You'll find most of my weapons are superbly balanced, jus like that one," came a voice from the a door on the far wall. A short old man with a beard walked into the room, obviously the owner of the store. "It's actually not that light, it's the balance of weight that makes it seem like that."

"Are you the owner?" Sarah asked, playing around with a two blade set, a decorous rapier and a long dagger.

"Yes, this is my store," the old man said.

"How are you doing Cid?" Aragorn asked the old man.

"I'm managing, my fine young man," Cid replied. "It's about time you brought someone new around."

"Well, I figured if they needed weapons, why not have the best?" Aragorn once again handled his sword. "If you guys have any questions, ask Cid over here. He knows just about everything as far as I can tell," he told the others.

"You flatter me," Cid said sarcastically.

"I have a question," Sarah said, walking over to the old man. "Why don't you make the outside of this store look more inviting, you might get more customers like that." Cid thought about the question for a moment before answering.

"The only people that have business here are those who demand the highest quality in weapons. This store is not open to those who don't. It is through faithful customers like Aragorn here that other customers find this place. If someone is looking for the highest quality in a blade, they eventually find my store." No one argued with this. Jack walked up to the old man and held out the blade he was holding.

"Two questions," Jack said. "How much, and does it have a sheath?"

"The sheath is on the wall over there," Cid said, pointing to the wall that Aragorn had originally taken the blade off of. "And that blade is 1200 gold."

"Do you mind if I wait until the person with our money comes? She shouldn't be long."

"Make yourself at home," Cid said with a smile. "There are many blades which I'm sure you would like to examine." Jack wandered around the store, examining each weapon with interest. Sarah was doing likewise, until she found something that confused her.

"Jack?" she said, in an almost worried voice. "Come see this." Jack walked over to where Sarah was as she held up a small rod with a dull red coating.

"It's…" Jack started, but loosing his voice.

"It's a TAG…" she finished his sentence.

"It's not just any TAG," he said, sounding very confused. "This looks identical to the TAG that Sean battled Lavos with…" Jack slowly took the rod from Sarah but as he wrapped his hand around it, a brilliant red blade shot out of the handle, the same color as Sean's red TAG. Soon after though, a few sparks shot out of the handle and the blade disappeared.

"Hey!" Cid shouted from the opposite corner, running over to where Jack was standing with the seemingly dead TAG. "How did you do that?! I've been trying to see what that thing does for at least ten years!"

"I just grabbed it, that's all…" a puzzled Jack said, examining the TAG closer. "But it doesn't make sense," he whispered to himself. "TAGs weren't invented until the 1980's. How is there one in the year 600…"

"This is weird," Sarah said, analyzing the situation. Jack turned to the old man, still stunned at the turn of events. At this point, Aragorn had finished examining a number of swords and had walked over.

"How much do you want for this?" Jack asked very sternly.

"Well, since you're the only one that's ever actually gotten that blasted rod to do anything, it's yours."

"You're giving it to me?"

"Yes," Cid said with his hand to his chin. "I think this is definitely something for you." Jack thought about for a moment before sliding the rod into a pocket in his pants. Before he could thank the man however, Rayith came storming into the room, screaming.

"You call this money!?" she screamed, tossing Jack his wallet. "It's only paper!" Jack suppressed a smile. Sarah could do quite the same, giggling shyly. "Anyway, thanks to that, I had to pay for the room myself. Plus, there were a bunch of people looking at me like they wanted to lynch me!"

"How are you Rayith," Cid asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh, hey old man," she said, pausing her scolding of Jack. "You get that blade I wanted?"

"Yes, it's back here," Cid said, walking through the door he came out of previously, reappearing with a thin, single edged blade with a simple hilt. "Here it is," he said, handing it to Rayith. Rayith made a few swipes with it before switching it's position with her old sword, placing the new one in belt sheath and handing the old one to Cid.

"I'll give you 300 gold and my old sword for it," she said with a smile.

"500," Cid said simply.

"Don't toy with me old man," she said somewhat maliciously. "I'll give you 425 for it."

"Done," Cid said. Rayith handed him some gold coins. "And I suppose you'll be paying for these two as well," Cid said, indicating Jack and Sarah with a smile. Rayith grimaced before grabbing more gold out of a pouch.

"How much?" she said angrily.

"Including trade-ins, It'll be 300 for the young man's blade and 250 for the rapier-dagger set the young lady has chosen." Without a word she handed him more coins before walking towards the door.

"We're at the Gorgon Inn," she said bluntly. "I'll see you there tonight." Rayith then stormed out of the store, going to her own business.

"Probably going to pick pocket some helpless victims," Jack mumbled. "Anyway, where's the sheath to this baby," he said, holding out his new blade. Aragorn tossed him a leather sheath with a shoulder strap. Jack put the sword in the sheath and strapped it on his back. "Ready?" he directing the question to both Aragorn and Sarah.

"Yup," Sarah said, putting the dagger in a sheath on the back of her waist and the sword in it's belt sheath. "Let's go." The three of them walked towards the entrance. Jack opened the door.

"Thanks Cid," Jack said with a wave.

"Come back anytime," he answered. The three left the store and started walking down the road. "What an interesting group," Cid said to himself. "Interesting indeed."

.

Time Unknown, Location Unknown

"It wasn't me," Topik said innocently.

"Yeah right," Jal said. "That kind of thing happens every day."

"I swear, it wasn't me!" he said again.

"Whatever…"

.

600ad, Town of Truce

Jack and Sarah were sitting at a table in their room at the Gorgon Inn. Jack was fiddling madly with both his old TAG and his new mystery TAG. He started helplessly at the innards of the mystery TAG. He had spent the last hour opening it up, and now it provided him with no answers.

"It doesn't make sense," he said softly.

"What doesn't?" Sarah asked walking behind him and looking over his shoulder at the dissected weapon on the table before them.

"There's no tritanium in this thing. Most of the rest of the layout is basically the same, but there's no tritanium."

"What's that thing" she asked, pointing to where the tritanium would normally be mounted in the butt of the grip. It it's place was a rod of red crystal-like material that was semi transparent.

"I don't know, but it looks like the exact same stuff that the focusing crystal is made out of," Jack said, removing the focusing crystal from it's mount above the red rod. He held it up to the light to examine it. It was dark red and semi transparent like the rod, but instead of being a smooth rod, the crystal was about the size of a quarter, cut in a style that Jack had never seen before.

"Do you recognize this red stone?" Sarah asked, taking the focusing crystal from Jack and looking at it.

"I've never seen it before in my life," he said with a shrug. "The stone isn't what bothers me though. What really gets to me is that unless that without tritanium, I don't know where it gets it's power from." At this moment, Aragorn walked into the room. He propped his sword against the wall and sat down at the table.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," Jack said, replacing the focusing crystal and putting the part of the TAG's outer covering he had removed back into place. "We were just looking at this weapon, trying to see why it shorted out like it did back in the store."

"Did you figure it out," Aragorn asked.

"Not in the slightest," Sarah said with a sigh. "To bad too. If we knew how this one worked, we might be able to fix our own TAGs."

"Actually," Jack said, lifting up his new sword, "I kind of like this thing better than that crappy TAG. I'll bet my new sword has more cutting potential anyway…"

"It doesn't really matter," Sarah said, walking over to her bed and sitting down. "But we're gonna be in a bit of trouble when we get back and HQ finds out we busted these things." She held up her non-functioning TAG. "I don't think that they're cheap to make."

"You worry to much," Jack said, jumping on to his bed and taking off his vest. He had gone shopping earlier that day and had bought a shirt. It was white, much like his old workout shirt. He had to pick pocket a villager to get the money for it, but it wasn't too difficult as the guy had been totally oblivious. Jack also picked up a new pair of pants and a black shirt for Sarah, for the next time she decided to take a bath without drying off. "As for me, I'll see you all in the morning." The exhausted Jack lay down and closed his eyes.

"Whatever…" Sarah mumbled before trying to get to sleep also. Aragorn did likewise after blowing out all of the candles. No one heard when Rayith entered the room, much latter that night.

.

Sarah gazed with lidless eyes at the spectacle before her. It looked like the whole world was on fire, the heat burning at her skin. She could see Jack standing at the edge of the cliff that was before her. His hair was a lot longer than she thought it was, reaching down to his waist, and there was a gapping scar down the right side of his face, but other than that, he looked the same. Slowly her turned toward her and started walking.

"I'll take care of it," he said, very confidently. He reached for the sword that was on his back but as he pulled the blade out of it's sheath, the hilt slowly changed from a very simple design to an extremely ornate design, making the sword look almost like it had wings. That was when she noticed the sword itself. It was glowing red, almost a transparent blade, starting three feet long but growing to almost four feet as he pulled it in front of him. He held the seemingly mythical weapon very confidently until a scream no human could make filled the air.

"Jack?" She asked somewhat scarred, but receiving no reply. Instead Jack started to run towards the source of the scream. "Jack?!" she asked again, this time screaming it, but still not receiving a reply. Jack continued to run until he left to sight, disappearing into the fire. "Jack!!" she screamed seemingly into nothingness until everything went black.

.

Sarah nearly jumped out of her bed, covered in sweat. She was about to scream, but couldn't find her voice. "Just a dream?" she asked herself. "But it seemed so real…" Sarah wiped the sweat off her face with the covers and put her head back on the pillow and tried to go back to a hopefully peaceful sleep.

.

The party all arose the next morning easily, except Sarah who needed a little more coaxing. Jack shook her shoulder gently as she slowly opened her eyes and stared at him.

"Jack?" she asked, hoping for an answer.

"Yeah, I'm Jack," he said, somewhat sarcastically. "Something wrong?" She shook her head and climbed out of bed.

"No, it's nothing," she said, starting to gather her stuff. "We better get going. Is Rayith here?" Rayith was sitting on the far end of her bed, tying her shoes. She looked over her shoulder to address Sarah.

"Yeah, what?" she said, slightly bitterly.

"Nothing," Sarah said. "I was just making sure you were still alive." Rayith gave her a dirty look as she walked out of the room. He group packed up quickly before going out to the town. It was late in the morning already but they hadn't eaten breakfast so everyone hoped that this excursion wouldn't take long. They questioned the townsfolk about the appearance of a girl with purple hair. Most people looked at them oddly but they got a few responses. Apparently, Lucca had passed through here about three days ago. According to most people, she was traveling with a boy with spiky red hair and girl with a long blonde ponytail. That was all most people could tell them, but the party received a few responses including the location "Truce Canyon." Apparently, about three people had seen them headed that way.

Aragorn soon took the lead and led the group to Truce Canyon. It wasn't very large and monsters around didn't seem intent on attacking so everyone proceeded up the rocks and across a small bridge without difficulty. They cam on to small clearing that was empty at first site, but upon further investigation, Aragorn located a small blackish blue circle in the middle of the clearing. It was floating in the air, not more than the width of a quarter, but no one knew what it was.

"What is that?" Sarah asked, not expecting an answer.

"I've never seen anything like it before," Rayith commented, going to touch it, but her hand passed right through the anomaly. Jack walked slowly and silently to the thing, hovering without noise at his waist. I reached his hand out very slowly and to his surprise, his hand started to glow a blue-black. As he came closer to the circle, the glow around his hand intensified until came into contact with it. With a spark, the circle began to grow at a steady rate until it became a sphere about six feet in diameter. It crackled with energy as a very surprised Jack jumped away from it.

"What'd you do?!" Rayith exclaimed.

"I-I don't know," Jack said, stuttering a little. There was a slight wind picking up from the vortex that they were staring at.

"What is it?" Aragorn asked in mixed awe and excitement. "I've never seen anything like this in my life. Jack dropped his head, staring at the ground.

"I have," Sarah said softly.

"I have also," Jack said. "This is a lot like the thing that swallowed me and Sarah up when we fought Lavos."

"It's time gate?!" Rayith asked.

"I think so," Jack said. "But I would figure that it would be unstable just by itself."

"It looks okay," Rayith said. She paused for a bit. "Well, I've never been one to think things through to much. I'll see you all on the other side." With that she jumped into the sphere, disappearing as she entered whatever was within. Jack tried to stop her but it was too late.

"Well?" Sarah asked.

"Well what?" Jack asked back. "Do we have much of a choice. The only way we're getting home is by time travel," Jack started to say something else but closed his mouth and walked up to the vortex. After a short pause, he leaped into it, being swallowed up with Rayith. After Jack entered it, the sphere started to get smaller.

"Hurry Sarah!" Aragorn said. "It's closing!"

"I hate you sometimes Jack McKlane!" Sarah screamed before jumping into the portal. It continued to shrink and started to emit a sucking noise. Aragorn took that as his cue and jumped in as well. As he entered the unknown, the portal stopped it's shrinking before cackling with electricity. It flashed a few times before starting to close again. This time, it finished closing, locking Jack and his friends fate to what ever was on the other end.

.

"There is no spoon." -Neo from "The Matrix"


	9. Might and Magic

Chapter 9

_Chapter 9- Might and Magic_

Time: None, Truce Canyon Gate

The tunnel seemed almost endless. She felt like she was falling down, up, left and right all at once. Sarah tried to scream, but either nothing was coming out, or the sound was swallowed up by the blue void surrounding her. She could see Jack a bit ahead of her in the tunnel, and in looking behind her, Aragorn on her tail. In the distance, she could see a black dot. It was small at first, but it began to grow, taking up all of the vision in front of her. Then, Jack fell into the blackness and was no longer in her sight. She felt the darkness reaching her as she fell through it and was snapped back into the third dimension...

.

Rayith hit the floor with a thud after falling for a seemingly forever. The floor was some sort of cobble stone and she was surrounded by a blue pillar of light. She slowly rose and exited the pillar, just as Jack came into view ten feet above her and landed where she had just been. He yelped in pain as he hit the floor.

"Got to work on my landing," he said sarcastically, trying to get up while clutching his side. He got to his knees by the time Sarah landed on top of him, knocking him to the ground again.

"Thanks for breaking my fall," she said, climbing off of him and exiting the pillar.

"My pleasure," he said with a grunt. He looked up only to see something frightening. He screamed and jumped out of the way before the armor clad Aragorn hit the ground, right where he had been. Aragorn seemed almost unperturbed. Jack slowly rose to greet his companions, still rubbing his side.

"Well that was fun," he said, heavy sarcasm. "Anyone want to ride again?"

"Not a chance," Rayith said, also sarcastically. "I think I'm gonna be sick. I felt like my insides just got all mixed up. Can I make a note not to ever do that again?"

"I wouldn't worry about that right now," Sarah said, checking her surroundings. "I'm more concerned about where we are." Sarah looked down the passageway to their left and over a fence gate. There was an open space on the far end with a lamp post and hunched up in a corner was what looked like a robot. He appeared to be switched off, though. Sarah slowly walked over to the fence gate and opened it, noticing for the first time a man in a brown trench coat and a derby hat leaning against the lamppost. He hear Sarah coming and lifted his head. He looked toward the puzzled group and tipped his hat.

"Wow, two new groups within a two days. That's got to be a record."

"What are you talking about," asked Jack, walking past Sarah to examine the old looking man. "Where are we?" The old man looked at him and grinned.

"Why, this is the end of time, of course."

.

600ad, Magus's Castle.

Keltar paced back and forth, going over the recent news. How would he tell Magus that his spies lost track of the blue-haired man? Magus would surely kill him. It didn't make sense either. They had been in plain sight over the last few days. They were tired, but still combat ready. He knew he should have order the capture while they were still traveling. Now, they're last known location was Truce Village. They couldn't have just disappeared, could they have?

"What is the news of the blue-haired man," came a voice from behind him. Keltar spun around to see an angry looking Magus standing before him. "Will you have him here soon?" Keltar tried to panic, but he stuttered a little.

"My-my spies have tracked him down. I'm sending the order capture him this very day!" he said, sweating slightly.

"I certainly hope so," Magus said, turning to leave the room. He started to walked to the door while speaking over his shoulder. "For you sake," he said grimly. He left the room, leaving Keltar to wonder what he could do.

.

End of Time

"The end of what?" Rayith said, annoyed.

"The end of time," the man said again. "It's where lost travelers in time end up."

"I'm still confused," Jack said.

"It's really not that difficult," the old man said. "It's like this: when more than three people enter a time gate, they cause a displacement in the space-time continuum, sending them to the coordinates of the least resistance. In other words, here."

"Oh," Jack said, very sarcastically. "Everything makes perfect sense now! Now how about in English?"

"When more than three people enter a gate, which is that blue tunnel you just came out of, they end up here. The other group understood it just fine, why can't you?"

"What other group?" asked Sarah.

"You know, the kid with the punk hairdo, the girl with the ponytail and the girl with the monster glasses," he said. "You don't know them?" Jack put his hand to his chin.

"So that's where they went..." he said, somewhat to himself. "Anyway, you wouldn't happen to know how to get to the year 1999 would you?" The old man looked like he was going to have a heart attack for a second but then became very serious.

"Why do you want to go to the year 1999?" he asked.

"Well," Jack began to say, "Sarah here, and myself, are from that year. These other two, Aragorn and Rayith, are from the year 600."

"And how did you end up here?" the man asked.

"A beast that our friend called Lavos opened up a time portal and sent us to 600. We met these two knuckle heads there. We were trying to find the girl with the glasses because we knew that she had some information on time travel and might be able to help us get home."

"What were you doing near Lavos?! Actually, never mind. I see..." the old man said in deep thought.

"Look Mister," Sarah said, "we just want to go home, is there any way you can help us?" The old man paused to a long time before speaking again.

"Do you see that bucket over there?" he said, pointing to a pedestal in the corner. "You can set the dial on it forward a few days and take that to the year 1999. It will create a gate that you can use to come back here when you need to.

"Why do we have to set it forward?" Jack asked.

"Don't ask questions, just trust me. You should come back here when your done in that time."

"What do you mean 'done in that time?'" Sarah asked. "The idea is to get home and stay there. I'm not into this time travel business."

"Oh, nothing..." the man said, trailing off. "There is someone that I'd like to you meet before you go though."

"Who," Jack asked.

"Go into that room behind me," the man said, pointing over his shoulder.

"Why?" Jack asked, trying not to be annoying, but failing.

"You certainly talk a lot more than that other one?" the man said, slightly annoyed.

"What other one?" Jack said, popping out yet another annoying question.

"Oh, never mind," he said, throwing his hands up in the air. "Just open the door behind me and meet my friend back there." Jack slowly walked to the door behind the old man, eyeing him suspiciously. He opened it slowly and walked into the room. Aragorn and Rayith followed. Sarah remained behind.

"I'm sorry about my friend, he's been through a lot lately," she said to the man.

"It's odd, really," the man said. "Of the two groups passing through here recently, both had a guy with spiky hair and a girl with blonde hair. I'll bet he's the leader isn't he?"

"Well, we don't really have a leader," Sarah said, "but I think he thinks he is." The old man paused for a while.

"Do you know where he got that blue hair from?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, who had blue hair, his mother's side or his father's side."

"Actually," Sarah said, "Jack's adopted. I wouldn't know and I don't think he would either."

"Interesting…" the man said. "My name is Gaspar, I have a feeling I'll be seeing a lot more of you're little group."

"Nice to meet you Gaspar," Sarah said politely. "I'm Sarah."

"Go with the others," he said softly. "I'm sure you'll enjoy what's back there."

"Okay," she said. Sarah passed by Gaspar and walked into the door behind him, finding the other three standing in a semi circle around what looked like a white ball of fur with legs. To everyone's surprise, the ball opened it's eyes and spoke to them.

"Greetings! I am Spekkio, the Master of War!"

"What the hell is that?!" shouted Rayith. "It's a weenie ball of fur!"

"Let's put it this way," Spekkio said. "If your strong, I look strong. If your weak, I look weak."

"You makin' fun of me fur-ball?!" Rayith shouted, fists clenched.

"Calm down," Spekkio said impatiently. "Anyway, here's the deal. The old man let you through because you're pure of spirit! You have the opportunity to learn magic!"

"Magic?" Jack asked skeptically. "You talking about all that hocus pocus crap?"

"Hocus Pocus?" Spekkio repeated in quarry. "You talk too much," he said bluntly. "Anyway, in ancient times, the world was filled with magic and everyone could use it. But, over time, people began to abuse their gifts so magic was removed from the common person and only wizards could use it. But now, you will be able to learn magic."

"What exactly is magic?" Sarah asked.

"An excellent question. Magic, is divided by it's 'element.' Sadly the last group that passed through only had the gifts of Lightning, Fire and Water. They missed half of the magic available! There are eight types of magic: Shadow, Lightning, Fire, Water, Holy, Wind, Earth and Time. Shadow and Holy are different combinations of the other six, not including each other."

"So it's like that ying-yang stuff," Aragorn said. "With good, there's an equal amount of evil."

"Yes, something like that," Spekkio said. "Anyway, the other six work in threes. Lighting, Fire and Water go together, and Wind, Earth and Time go together. The balances of magic keeps the world stable. Even though most people can't use magic, magical energy still exists everywhere."

"And you're telling us that you're going to teach us to use magic?" Rayith asked. She was now very excited. Maybe I don't need to learn Force Tech after all. With magic, I can beat Magus at his own game, she thought. "What do we have to do?"

"As a test of spirit, all of you must walk around my room three times, no cheating!" While everyone gave Spekkio an odd look, the four travelers made their way around the room three times. There was much murmuring among the four, mostly comments on how stupid this test was and how it was an insult to their intelligence, eventually they finished and reformed their semi circle. Spekkio slowly walked over to Aragorn.

"Hmmm," he said, feeling out Aragorn's inner spirit. "You're earth," he said with a grin. "That's good, I get to give out a new magic." Aragorn smiled as Spekkio made his way to Sarah. He paused in thought again before speaking. "You're wind," he said simply. "Another new magic for me to give." Sarah smiled with pride as Spekkio walked over to Rayith.

"Let me be Shadow, I want all the magic I can get!" she said excitedly.

"Sorry," Spekkio said. "I'm afraid you're stuck with fire." Rayith gave him a dirty look by Spekkio was unfazed. Spekkio walked over to Jack and went into a deep thought again.

"Well?" Jack said, getting impatient. "What am I?" Spekkio paused a little longer before speaking.

"Hey, what's the deal?!" Spekkio said, looking as surprised as a ball of fur could look. "This kid already has magic!"

"What?!" Jack said, confused on what he should be feeling. "What do you mean I already have magic?"

"Yeah, what do you mean?" Sarah asked.

"I mean he already has been endowed with the abilities of magic, and not only that, but he has a power I haven't seen up close in over 12,000 years: Shadow Magic."

"You're kidding me, right?" Jack asked. "I've never been given magic by anyone. Why do you think that I have them?"

"I call them as I see them kid, and you've got magic!" Spekkio said. "Maybe you were born with it?" he suggested. "I mean, weirder things have happened." Jack was silent. "But anyway, your magic is somewhat dormant so I'll wake it up for you when I teach these others magic." Jack nodded his head as Spekkio returned to the middle of the circle.

"Everyone ready?" he asked. The four hopefuls nodded as Spekkio started spinning around. "Innie, Mennie, Minnie, Moe, Magico!" he exclaimed. A rush of energy filled the room as magical energies surged through the bodies of the group. Each felt a wave of their element fill them as they could feel their powers becoming available. Jack examined his body as a shadowy wave passed over him. The others were doing likewise, each feeling their magic within them. Then, as quickly as it started, the wave of energy passed and the room went back to normal.

"Is that…it?" Sarah asked softly.

"That would be it, me friends," Spekkio said cheerfully. "So, fortified with magic, wanna try it out?"

"But we don't know any spells yet," Aragorn pointed out.

"Yes you do," Spekkio said. "You just don't know it yet. Also, most spells that you'll use will either be taught to you or made up through experimentation. Try new stuff to learn new techniques."

"I'm game," Rayith said brightly.

"Me too," Jack said.

"Alright," Sarah said with a shrug.

"Why not," Aragorn said.

"Good, now show me what you've got!" Spekkio yelled, waiting for someone to go first. Everyone started to focus their magical energies, a process which seemed natural all of a sudden. Rayith made the first move.

"Fire!" she yelled, gathering flames in her hand and launching them at Spekkio. The flames nailed him but he seemed unhurt. Aragorn took the next move, punching his hand into the ground forming vines that snaked around Spekkio holding him in place. Rayith took this cue and lit the vines on fire with a simple spell. Jack stood in place, not sure what to do while Sarah took a play at it. She summoned the powers of wind, forming a whirlwind that sucked Spekkio up and slammed him down to the ground again.

"Good, now you're getting it!" Spekkio exclaimed, pointing at Aragorn. A bolt of lightning shot from the sky, surging through him, knocking him out. "But you're magic resistance needs work," he said with a grin. Jack took a pass, raising his arm and pointing at Spekkio causing a black explosion to engulf him. When the spell resolved, Spekkio stood as Rayith started to fire off fireballs at him, grinning madly.

"Wind!" Sarah screamed, firing a gust that sent Spekkio flying into a wall. He countered by sending an icy wave at Sarah, encasing her in ice. When the ice broke, she passed out unconscious. He turned to Rayith and used a vine move similar to that of Aragorn's, wrapping her up and putting her in a cocoon of vines; she was out of the fight. Spekkio then squared off with Jack, whom has only tried one move.

"Come on Mr. Shadow! Attack me!" he said cheerfully. "You've got magic in your blood, use it!"

"But how…" Jack mumbled to himself. "How do I win?" Wait a minute. Force Tech amplifies all my abilities right? I should be able to multiply my magic with it as well. That's it! "Okay puff ball, play time's over!" Jack began to glow green but the green turned to a blue-black as he became surrounded by shadow energy. "Yes!" he screamed, gathering all his energy into his palms and firing a beam of Shadow energy that collided with Spekkio and swallowed him in the blast. When the beam dissipated, Spekkio stood, smoke rising off of him.

"Wow," Spekkio said simply. "That was…" He couldn't find the word as a panting Jack collapsed to the floor. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and everyone stood, perfectly rejuvenated. Everyone examined themselves to find no evidence of he battle. Jack also slowly rose from the floor, still panting.

"What?" Jack asked an astonished Spekkio.

"That power was…immense."

"Well, it helps that I used some Force Tech, that might have been it."

"No," Spekkio said. "Even without that Force Tech…" He paused. "Anyway, go forth and learn new spells. Come visit me and bring newcomers to meet me!" he said to everyone. Slowly he group exited the room. Spekkio stopped Jack, who was the last one to the door, and spoke to him.

"Are you sure that you've never used magic before?" he asked a puzzled Jack.

"Well, yeah," Jack said.

"Interesting…" he paused. "You may go. If you ever come back here, there's someone that I'd like you to meet."

"Okay," Jack said simply, turning and leaving the room.

"Interesting…" Spekkio said again. "Very interesting…"

.

"Knowledge in itself is never enough. You need to know how to use that knowledge" -Me (combined with part of something I heard somewhere)


	10. A Ruined Future?

Chapter 10

_Chapter 10- A Ruined Future_

End of Time

"Jack, I need to discuss with you something important," Gaspar said. The group was in the main room of the end of time. Everyone was preparing to leave.

"What is it, old man?" Jack asked, walking over to him.

"Spekkio has told me about your magic. Your potential is immense. If you let me send you to someone who can help you focus those powers…"

"You want to train me?" Jack asked. "For what?"

"Not necessarily anything in particular, but in it's current state, your magic is very raw and potentially dangerous. It might be for your own safety that you learn to control it. After Spekkio woke your powers up, it's become somewhat unstable, or at least, that's what Spekkio says."

"I don't have time for that old man," he said. "I'm going home." Jack pushed by but Gaspar put a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait, one more thing."

"What?"

"It's about these gates," he said, pointing to the pillars of light that were over the fence on their left. "Normally, gates are very unstable. The last group that passed through here had a device that stabilized them. You don't have anything like that do you?"

"Well, no," Jack said with a shrug. "I just sort of touched it and it opened."

"Okay," Gaspar said in thought. "Well then it's probably the magic in you that allows you to stabilize gates. Being that you control time magic, you body probably naturally controls the gate, sort of an inactive response."

"Yeah that's right!" Sarah said, walking over to the two. "After Jack entered the gate in Truce Canyon, it started to close."

"Yes," Gaspar said. "Jack must certainly be responsible for opening the gate then." He paused before address all four of the travelers. "Okay, two things," he said. "First of all, you must remember that only three people may travel through time at once." Everyone nodded. "Secondly, until you find someone else that cant control time magic, Jack must always be with your group. Otherwise, you'll be stuck wherever you are. He's the only one that can activate gates due to his time magic."

"I thought he was Shadow," Rayith said, trying not to get confused.

"Do you pay attention at all?" Jack asked. "Shadow controls all the other magic types also." Jack turned back to Gaspar as Rayith made an obscene gesture.

"I saw that," Jack said.

"Good," Rayith mumbled.

"Anyway," Gaspar continued. "Just remember those two rules and you'll be fine. Now, who's staying here?"

"What?!" asked the group in unison. Gaspar sighed.

"Weren't you listening at all? Someone has to stay here." Everyone thought about it for a second before Aragorn raised his hand.

"I'll stay," he said. "I believe my sworn duty to Jack and Sarah has been completed in addition to the fact that Jack and Sarah must return and I don't think Rayith will be convinced of not being allowed to go."

"Okay," Jack said. "I'll have to come back and take you to you're own time after I drop these two off."

"Very good," Aragorn said. Without another word, Jack, Sarah and Rayith walked over to the pillar. Jack spun the dial to one week ahead of time and took a deep breath.

"Everyone ready?" he asked. The other two nodded as he slowly reached for the button on the pillar...

.

Time Unknown, Location Unknown

"Isn't he going to be in for a surprise?" one voice said.

"You idiot, this might be bad. He can't be one of them if he goes insane!" came the recognizable voice of Hal.

"Yes, but I think it's going to provide the psychological drive he needs…"

.

End of Time to 1999 Time Gate

Jack had been falling for awhile. He had gone in last to keep the gate open while Sarah and Rayith entered, and he could see them about 15 and 30 feet in front of him respectively. Soon, he saw a recognizable black dot appear in the distance, signaling the exit of the tunnel. Let's try landing on my feet this time, he thought to himself. He spun himself around so his feet were pointing at the exit. He saw Rayith and then Sarah disappear into the growing black mass. Soon he hit it as well, snapping back into the third dimension.

The end of the gate came differently than the last one, this time, he felt himself in a blue sphere. Slowly, he exited it and then fell to his knees.

"I think I'm gonna sick from that damn time travel stuff," Jack said, clutching his stomach. Sarah and Rayith were standing above him, Sarah surveying the terrain with a worried look.

"Jack…" she said softly. Jack raised his head to look at her.

"What?" he asked.

"I think you're gonna be sick for more reasons than that…" she said dimly. Jack suddenly jumped into a standing positions and examined his surroundings. He gazed with horror at the sky which was completely black and gray for as far as the eyes could see. Fires with limitless smoke, burning away on charred forests and plains, surrounded them on all sides. A cold wind swept over them, bringing in the chill of a dying world.

"What…" Jack stuttered, "what happened here?" he asked in a whisper.

"I-I don't know…" Sarah said, struggling to find words. "It's looks like they had a nuclear war while we were gone…"

"Why did you want to come back here?" Rayith asked ignorantly. "It looks like hell." There was a pause before Jack exploded with anger.

"Are you that idiotic!" Jack screamed at here. "It…it wasn't like this when we left! What happened?!" he asked the heavens.

"Our…our home…" Sarah said, her eyes getting misty. There was another pause.

"My home…" Jack said, almost repeating her. "Oh no…"

"Jack, what is it?" Sarah asked.

"No!" Jack screamed again. He started to glow green and then blue. "Ray Wing!" he screamed, floating into the air before exploding forward in a blue blast of energy. He had never used the Force Tech move for flying for very long, but he was to enraged to think about it. Sarah and Rayith were left behind, standing without an idea of what to do.

"I still don't know why you wanted to come back…" Rayith said. Sarah merely collapsed to her knees and tried to hold back tears.

.

End of Time

Spekkio walked into the main room of the End of Time. Gaspar was standing where he normally stood, against the ancient lamp post.

"I want to talk to you about that blue haired boy," Spekkio said. Gaspar did not move. Spekkio looked at the sleeping figure of Aragorn in the corner.

"What about him?" Gaspar asked simply.

"That magic that he wields…"

"You mean Shadow?"

"Yes," said Spekkio. He started pacing around the room slowly. Gaspar made no move. "Shadow magic. I don't understand how he could have gotten that. That type of magic has surfaced since, well…" he paused. "You remember don't you?"

"That's not entirely true," said Gaspar. "There have been some odd wizards who held that magic. It could just be a fluke of nature that he was born with the gift of shadow."

"It still doesn't make sense," Spekkio said. "And, I'm already receiving a call for him. They must really think he's something special. His physical level is about equal to the boy with the punk hairdo, but his magic level…"

"I know, it's off the charts." Spekkio nodded.

"The problem is, like I told you before, it's mostly just potential or unstable energy. I think he needs the training."

"They did call for him, right?"

"Yes, they did." There was a long pause before Gaspar put his hand to his chin, wrestling with a new thought.

"You know," he said softly. "I think I have an idea of where he got that magic from…" Neither of them noticed that Aragorn had opened an eye half-way through the conversation.

.

1999ad, Trann City

Sarah and Rayith found Jack hours latter in front of the charred remains of his house. He was on his knees with his head bowed in what used to be the driveway. It was clear that he was muffling tears. Sarah slowly walked over to Jack. Rayith stood behind. Sarah slowly put a her hand on his shoulder. In response, he clenched his fists and closed his eyes tight.

"I…I couldn't save them," he said softly. "I tried to fight that thing but I couldn't save them. I wasn't strong enough…"

"Jack, you couldn't expect to fight something like that," she said. "You can't kick yourself over this. It's not your fault. You can't blame this on yourself."

"How…how would you know?" he said. "You can't understand…"

"Yes I can Jack. I have to deal with the same thing."

"No, you can't understand!" he yelled to the ground before wiping his eyes and standing up. "You can't! It's my fault! If only I was stronger…" Sarah backed away from him as her eyes started to fill. She paused for a few seconds.

"You think you're the only one!" she screamed at him. "You think you're the only one who lost loved ones!" She started to cry. "How can you be so self-absorbed that you don't see that others are suffering as well…" she said in a whisper before spinning around and running away from him. He reached to stop her but he was too slow.

"Sarah, wait!" Jack screamed, but she didn't turn. He closed his eyes tight again as Rayith walked over to him.

"Way to blow it big time with the girl," she said sarcastically.

"Aaggghhhhh!" Jack screamed, spinning around swinging his arm at a house behind Rayith. The house instantly exploded in a black flame as Jack turned away from Rayith and started walking. He was about 20 feet away before Rayith started to run to catch up.

"Where are you going?" she asked. Jack didn't say anything for about half a minute before stopping and turning to his pint sized ally.

"I'm going to make things right," he said before starting to walk again. Rayith didn't walk after him, wrestling with what he had said.

"Well what the hell does that mean?!" she screamed, no able to figure it out for herself. She ran after him again, but Jack didn't respond. They walked for about ten minutes before Rayith opened her mouth again.

"Where are we going then?" she asked.

"I know where she went. It's a place that's been important to us since we were little. I'm going to find Sarah and make things right."

"You sill haven't explained what that's supposed to mean!" Rayith exclaimed with an large gesticulation. "What are you talking about?!" Jack didn't answer. They kept walking until the came upon a small playground on the outskirts of town. It was dark, but all and all, it wasn't damaged. Sarah was sitting on a swing on the far side with her head down. Jack signaled Rayith to stay behind as he slowly walked up to her.

"It's all gone," she said without lifting her head.. "Everything is destroyed. This can't be the way the world ends, can it?"

"I know how to make this all right," he said gently. Sarah lifted her head up, remnants of tears still on her face. She didn't speak. Jack started again. "We can stop this," he said. "We can make it right."

"How…?" she asked slowly.

"We can travel through time, or did you forget?" Jack said with a smile. There was a brief pause before Sarah smiled and jumped off of the swing into Jack's arms, knocking him to the ground. Jack received her with a grin and pulled her close and tight.

"We can make it right, can't we?" she asked, tears coming back.

"Yeah," he said, finally holding the person who he had wanted to hold for years. "We can make it right. We can fix this all." Sarah buried her head in his chest.

"Yes, but…" she started. "What do we do first?" Jack paused before answering.

"Well, we should probably report to SSAF HQ, or rather, what's left of it. They probably think we're dead." Sarah didn't say anything, she just hugged Jack tighter, finding the emotional support she needed from the person she realized she trusted the most. Rayith stood on the parks edge, observing the situation.

"Ah, gag me with a stick," Rayith said, sticking her finger in her mouth. "Someone break those two up." Sarah and Jack didn't move from their position for over five minutes. When Sarah decided that she was ready to discuss this new plan, she climbed off of a floored Jack and wiped away the remainder of her tears.

"I'm okay now," she said with a smile. "Thanks."

"Hey, if I'm going to go through a psychological trauma, there's no one I'd rather do it with," Jack said. Sarah laughed. "Come on," he said. "Let's go make sure SSAF knows we're not dead." He made a hand motion towards the playground gate. Sarah started walking with Jack following close behind. He paused and spoke to himself.

"Women," said with a sigh. "I don't think I'll ever understand them," he mumbled under his breath before jogging to catch up to Sarah. She had met up with Rayith and the two girls stood, waiting for him to catch up.

"Where to now?" Rayith asked.

"SSAF HQ," Sarah said.

"And if you're lucky," Jack said with a quick hand motion, "you might just learn Force Tech." Rayith smiled a wide smile and started skipping out in front of Jack and Sarah. The three started towards the inside of the city, hoping to find SSAF HQ not completely destroyed. As they made their way farther into the city, they found more and more people walking about. At least there were some survivors. The closer to the center of the city they went, survivors were found in bigger and bigger masses, huddled around fires in the streets. It looked sad, but Jack was wondered how they escaped the blasts. Most of the larger buildings were either destroyed or charred beyond recognition. There was wreckage all along the streets, the dome above the city almost completely destroyed.

"This looks pretty bad..." Jack mumbled, stating the obvious. "But it looks like there are a lot of people that made it."

"They might have been in the subway system at the time, or maybe they were in-between contact points of the blasts," Sarah suggested. "Either way, I'm guessing almost all of the population was wiped out, judging by the wreckage. I wonder how Arris and Proto held up."

"More of the same, I'm guessing," Jack said. Rayith opened her mouth but Jack answered the question before it was asked. "Arris and Proto are cities like this one, further in the east. Arris is the largest of the three, but Trann has the most industry."

"Oh, okay," Rayith said. "How'd you know I was gonna ask that?"

"I took a guess," Jack said simply. "That's what I would have asked." The three kept walking until they found a building that was positioned almost at the center of the city, SSAF HQ. It wasn't completely destroyed, seeming to have dodged a majority of the missile fire. One of the wings of the building had been eradicated, however. On further inspection, there were blast marks on the wall, suggesting that the building may have withstood a few blasts. Neither Jack nor Sarah was surprised, however, as SSAF HQ was made to withstand missile attacks. Why should blasts from a monster that was hiding inside of the earth's crust be different?

"This is it," Sarah said. "It actually looks pretty good."

"Yeah, but while the building may be okay, I wonder how many of the people who work for it are," Jack said with his hand to his chin.

"Only one way to find out," Sarah said. With that, the trio made for the main doorway, one of the immense double doors completely destroyed, hoping to find out exactly what happened.

.

"No one can withstand the power of the mighty Lavos" -Queen Zeal


	11. A New Plan

Chapter 11

_Chapter 11- A New Plan_

The SSAF building itself was in surprisingly good condition for something that just went through a major air strike. Aside from the west wing, which had been completely destroyed and sealed off, the mammoth building was almost as good as ever. The corridors were still intact, all the white paint in seemingly perfect condition. The elevators still functioned, and electricity was holding out. The part that wasn't normal, though, was that there were hardly any people in the halls. Normally, the corridors were full of scientists and SSAF Operatives, but now, they were almost empty. As Jack and Sarah walked through the halls, headed toward the High Commander's room, the few people that the did see looked at them like they where ghosts. Soon, they reached the fop floor, the command tower of the High Commander. It was a lavishly furnished room. The Commander himself was speaking with two of his aides. He was an older man, having held his position for a long time, almost since SSAF was founded back in the sixties. He was wearing an ornate SSAF uniform. Jack had told Rayith to stay outside and explore. She complied quickly. Jack and Sarah opened the double doors and walked into the office. Jack announced their presence.

"Lieutenants Jack McKlane and Sarah Inverse reporting in, sir!" Jack screamed, him and Sarah saluting at attention. The High Commander and his two Aides looked at the two of them oddly.

"McKlane and Inverse?" he questioned. "You two where declared MIA a week ago. What the hell happened?"

"Perhaps we should ask you the same thing, sir," Sarah said.

"At ease," the High Commander said, sitting down in his large leather chair behind his desk. The two complied quickly and relaxed. "Yes, I believe you should be briefed as to what happened." Jack and Sarah walked closer to him. "What happened was that I should have listened to him…"

"To who?" Sarah asked.

"To Commander Koren," the High Commander answered. "He told me this would happen. I laughed at him."

"Sean knew?" Jack asked. Of course he knew you dimwit, Jack thought to himself. Wasn't it obvious in the way he took you to the very site where Lavos showed up? He wanted me to see it, didn't he?

"He came to me about three hours before it surfaced," he answered. "Then he stormed out and took you two to wherever he took you. When you didn't return and we lost radio tracking on you, you were declared MIA." It was true that all SSAF members ingested a radioactive transmitter when they entered active duty. The coding on each one was different, and every operative in SSAF could be tracked by Satellite.

"Yes, well, I don't think our Satellites can track us through temporal travel," Jack said.

"Excuse me?" asked the High Commander.

"Let's put it this way," Sarah said. "We've had one hell of a week, ending in finding out that our home was destroyed by a monster that had been living inside of the planet."

"Needless to say, I'm amazed we don't need psychological treatment," Jack put in.

"Please elaborate," the High Commander said, leaning forward in his chair. Jack went into full detail as to Sarah and his past week. The time travel, being captured by Mystics, meeting up with Aragorn and Rayith, the End of Time, all up to finding out that their time had been destroyed.

"That about sums it up," Jack said after he was through. "I'll guess you probably don't believe me, but take my word for it, it's true."

"Actually," The High Commander said, rising from his chair. "It makes sense."

"Huh?" asked Jack and Sarah simultaneously.

"Jenkins," the High Commander said. The Aide on his left turned to him.

"Sir?" he asked.

"Display the Satellite tracking of "The Day Of Lavos" occurrence.

"Sir!" he exclaimed walking over to a wall and flipping a few switched. The room got dark and the wall behind the Commander slid up to reveal a video screen. Slowly, an aerial shot of the point of Lavos's surfacing and the surrounding areas came into view.

"Display thermal imaging," the Commander said. The Aide hit a button and the screen displayed the inferred view of the surface point. On the screen, three small orange colored figures stood, evidently Sean, Jack and Sarah. As the military time on the top of the video scrolled to 17:00 hours, an orange dot appeared in front of the three figures. It grew until it turned bright red. When it reached full size, the Commander spoke.

"Zoom in," he commanded. The Aide hit another button and the thermal image zoomed in closer. The video started to go again. The figure in the front's glow started to change to red, indicating the use of Force Tech, and it attacked the large red blurb in front of him. "We can see here that Commander Koren attempted at battling the monster. As you can see from the deteriorating body heat here," he indicated Sean's fallen body after the fight, "that he failed and died. This is where your signals disappeared." As if on cue, the heat sources for Jack and Sarah disappeared.

"Here's the interesting part," the Commander said. "Switch to Temporal imaging." The Aide followed command the screen showed the scene in various shades of blue. Around where Jack and Sarah had stood, there was a rather large circle of pure black. "Notice the immense temporal charges coming from your area around your disappearance. We came to the conclusion that you had been crushed by a temporal gate, or had been effectively sent through the fourth dimension to an unknown location."

"Wow," Jack said. "Isn't technology great?"

"What?" asked the Commander.

"Oh, nothing," he said. "Anyway, what happened after that?"

"Normal view," he said. The Aide switched the display to normal view. "You can see that the monster fired off more a series of super heated energy beams. They came down again like a missile attack, pretty much frying everything. The SDF defense mechanism (device for protecting against nuclear strikes) blocked out the beams for the most part, but the rest of the city was almost completely destroyed by the blasts.

"And what of SSAF," Sarah asked. "Do we have a count of how many operatives were killed?"

"That's the worst part," the Commander said. "Other than those receiving medical attention in the building, almost every agent was in training sessions on the outskirts of the city."

"So your saying…?" Jack started. The Commander continued.

"We have a total of eight combat capable operatives that survived the attack, not including you two. With the lack of man power in SSAF, all sorts of Terrorists groups have been acting up and we have no way of stopping them. Oh, and by the way, due to the lack of surviving SSAF Operatives, Jack, you have been promoted to Commander and Sarah, you are now a Colonel."

"You're kidding, right?" Jack said, to surprised to be happy.

"I wish I were son," the Commander said. "Congratulations, Commander McKlane and Colonel Inverse." Sarah didn't say anything. "Is there anything else you wish to say?" There was a pause before Jack stepped forward.

"Yes, sir," he said. "We're going to take it out." (cue up Chrono Trigger theme music!)

"Excuse me?" the Commander said.

"You heard me, we're gonna take it out," Jack said, now confident. "With the magic that we were given at the End of Time, I have the ability now to control time gates. We intend to travel through time and kill it before it can destroy this era."

"Son, we don't have the man power to take on something that gives off power reading like that," he said.

"Don't worry sir," Sarah said. "We can do this. With our technology and our magic, we can beat this thing, and if anyone can do it, I think Jack can."

"We are requesting for the full support of SSAF in this operation," Jack said. "We need all the resources we can get." The Commander put his hand to his chin in thought.

"Do you really think that you can beat this thing?" he asked. Jack nodded. The Command jumped from this chair. "Then by God, let's do it!" Jack and Sarah both nodded, containing their excitement. "Never before has SSAF been part of something this big, saving the world, I mean. But, if any there was a group who could do it, I'd like to think SSAF can. Now, what do need to do this?"

"First," Jack said. "I need a list of battle ready operatives. I can probably only pick one due to the limits of people that can travel through time. Second, I need to get two people basic instruction for use of Force Tech." Aragorn and Rayith would be happy with this. "And third," he paused and smiled. "We need, weapons. Lot's of weapons."

"You've got it," the Commander said. "If you need anything else, I'll get it. This mission take top priority. We'll also get going on that temporal research again. With the recent activities, we should have some new knowledge."

"Oh by the way," Jack said. "Can I see the papers that all of that stuff was based on. I have an idea."

.

Time Unknown, Location Unknown

"Yes! He's gonna do it!" shouted Topik. There were unanimous cheers of excitement among the others.

"Let's just see how long he accepts his destiny though," came a previously unheard voice. "We have to look at the bigger picture here."

"Stop being such a pessimist," came Hal's voice. "Anyway, we called for him. When he returns to the end of time, he can go through the training."

.

1999ad, SSAF HQ-

Jack was read through some old papers, worn by age, but preserved for the sake of science. The original memoirs of the scientist from the year 1000ad had been copied over so many times, that it was hard to tell if they had been altered or not. Jack did suspect, however, that information regarding the 'gate stabilizer' that the old man had mentioned would be in here. He had been reading through the files for almost an hour, trying desperately to make sense of the complicated physics equations that existed in the notes. He had put Sarah in charge of picking one person from the list of candidates for coming on their mission. There were only eight operatives still alive, it couldn't be that difficult.

"This doesn't make sense," he said scratching his head and staring at the paper in front of him. "This looks like the device for the temporal stabilization, but the positronic re-colator quadratics don't line up properly."

"Well, maybe you forgot to re-align for the neutronic conversion factor," came a vaguely familiar voice from behind him Jack. Jack spun around to find Sarah standing behind a blond young man in a black trench coat with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He was wearing piece of body armor on his chest and his hair was messy without becoming spiky.

"Well grab my sac and call me Sally…" Jack said, trailing off at the end, now recognizing the voice. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked the young man.

"This is Tristan," Sarah said. "And he's the one who'll be helping us out. I take it you've already met?"

"Yeah," Jack said, walking over to Tristan. "Me and Tristan go way back. We trained together for a while. You look pretty good, but are you still smoking those things?" Jack asked, flicking the cigarette out of Tristan's mouth. If Jack was almost a genius, Tristan was clearly a genius. He had a collage degree at age 14, but still persisted in smoking. Jack never really understood that.

"Well, with all the threat of being killed by this beam firing monster, smoking doesn't seem to bad, huh?" He asked with a smile.

"Anyway, why him?" Jack asked Sarah.

"Simple," Sarah said. "Besides being he's only combat operative with a degree in temporal engineering, I'd say he's definitely the most qualified." Sarah smirked a little and tossed Jack a clipboard. Jack found a profile on Tristan, and read it out loud.

"Name, Tristan Tenser," Jack started. "Age, 16. Height, 5'8. Blah, blah, blah." Jack skimmed down to the bottom. "Ah, here's the good stuff: Expert marksman in all military arms. Specializing in sniping and military small arms. Fluent in four languages including Mystic. IQ of 172. Holds degree's in Quantum Physics and Temporal Engineering. Force Tech Degree: 9.5," Jack made a small whistling noise, referring to the entire thing.

"Impressed?" Asked Tristan lightly.

"Yeah," Jack said. "I have to say I am. You've been busy the last two years, haven't you?"

"Well, I was out of commission with a shoulder injury for a few weeks so…" he said, both cockily and jokingly at the same time.

"Oh, shut up," Jack said.

"Well, I'm amazed you didn't show us your profile," Tristan said sarcastically. "Anyway, Sarah already filled me in on the whole mission and the back round. What's our first move?"

"After we get done here," Jack said. "We're going to the End of Time to gather information from an old man there that seems to know a lot. We can also get a thing named Spekkio to teach you magic," he indicated Tristan.

"Yeah I heard about him," Tristan said.

"We also have to explain the situation to Aragorn. Knowing him though, he'll probably swear himself to helping us."

"We should probably pick up some new equipment while we're here," Sarah said. "Other than that, there's not much SSAF can do right now. We're going to have to come back here after the End of Time anyway to get Rayith and Aragorn some Force Tech basic instruction."

"Speaking of Rayith," Jack said. "Were is she?"

"I'll go find her," Sarah volunteered. "I'll meet you guys at on the SOE (special operations equipment) floor.

"Right," Jack said, waving as she left. Tristan walked to Jack.

"So what's the deal with her?" he said, after Sarah had left.. "Come on, man to man. You banging her yet?"

"What?!" Jack asked, embarrassed and angry at the same time.

"Oh come on," Tristan said. "I know you've wanted to screw her for as long as I've known you."

"I ought to kick the crap out of you right here for saying that…" Jack said. He raised his fist but then slowly lowered it. "But we should probably put old rivalries a side for now."

"Deal," Tristan said, sticking out his hand. Jack took the offer with a small grin before going off to find the scientists he needed for his plan.

.

Sarah stood with Rayith impatiently in the SOE development lab. Jack wasn't normally one to late. In addition to that, Rayith had been continually nagging about the whole Force Tech thing. Tristan had apparently followed Jack to wherever he had went as he had not showed up either. A bunch of scientists were mulling about, working at computer stations or fiddling with various devices both big and small. It excited her somewhat that she'd finally get to use some of the equipment that she had heard about since childhood, but she couldn't get going without everyone here. Suddenly, a wind started to pick up in the middle of the room. Slowly, as swirling blue vortex began to form in the clearing. It grew bigger, throwing all sorts of papers around the room from the wind. As it stopped growing, three figures stepped out of the blue sphere. It closed behind them, leaving Jack, Tristan and Aragorn in a dying out storm of flying papers.

"Yes! It works!" Jack scream, holding up a device that looked like a small sphere with a piece of mettle coming out of it's base. Sarah and Rayith ran up to the three, both confused as to what had just happened.

"What worked?" Sarah asked over the panic of scientists trying to grab some of the papers still flying. "What did you do?"

"This," Jack said, holding the device. "I made it from the information in Lucca's notes." Tristan made an *ahem* noise in the back of his throat before Jack corrected himself. "Oh yeah, Tristan helped a bit. But anyway, it's like that gate stabilizer thing that the old man at the End of Time mentioned. It controls gates without needing my time magic. Plus, we improved on the design a little. Now, it let's us create a gate to the End of Time anywhere!"

"So now," Aragorn started, "We can travel in time without Jack's help and while only three can go in a gate at once, we can use the same gate multiple times after Jack goes in. We can now travel in groups of up to six." (three with Jack, three with the key)

"What are you doing here, Aragorn?" Sarah asked.

"Jack told me everything," Aragorn said. "I want to help. Anyway, he also tells me that Rayith and myself will be receiving instruction in Force Tech." Rayith started to get excited.

"Well it's about time!" she exclaimed.

"Relax," Jack said, motioning to Rayith. "Here's the plan: myself, Sarah and Tristan will travel to the End of Time and ask the man there for any information he has about Lavos. While we collect info, you and Aragorn will receive that Force Tech instruction. By the time we come back you'll be ready and we'll plan our next move."

"So why are we here?" Sarah asked. "I mean, are we getting some of this stuff?" One of the scientists walked up to the group and addressed them.

"You may help yourselves to anything here. I have been informed to equip you with anything that you deem may be helpful on your mission."

"So we get anything we want?" Rayith asked, rubbing her hands together. The scientists nodded. Rayith thought for a moment before jumping up. "I want one of those laser swords!" she shouted. The scientist shook his head.

"Sorry," he said. "Those are for SSAF use only. You should be happy we're actually teaching you Force Tech."

"Damn…" Rayith muttered. "Oh well, I'm sure you've got some other good stuff." On cue, the scientist hit a button on a nearby desk and three of the rooms walls slid up into the ceiling, revealing walls of weapons.

"You can take your pick from any of those," he said. "I believe Mr. McKlane wanted 'weapons, lot's of weapons,'" he quoted Jack. Jack smiled and nodded.

"Wow," Rayith said hopefully. "Melee weapons of the 21st century. Very cool…" The walls had an assortment of arms, from guns to all sorts of cleaver, bladed weapons. The five of them almost ran to the walls, examining the mother load. Jack found an fast friend in one of the blade weapons. It was a four point shuriken with heavy blades on he points. As he fiddled with the center point, he found that the object came apart into two short sticks with blades at the end. Accidentally pushing a button on one of the sticks, the halves of the stick shot apart but remained connected by a chain in the middle. He did the same with the other stick.

"A shuriken that transforms into nunchaku," Jack said, reassembling the thing into the shuriken and folding it into two sticks that laid side by side. "Interesting." He then started loading up on all sorts of devices from daggers to smoke grenades. He wanted to be ready for anything. As Jack looked around, he saw that the others weren't too enthusiastic about getting new weapons. Jack himself didn't want to replace his new sword without at least trying it our first. He was sure that they would offer him and Sarah military grade TAGs, but something in him didn't want to use them. He had a feeling inside that preferred the actually blade whose weight was still slung on his back. The only one that he could see was definitely making a pass for the weapons was Tristan, who was taking various guns off of the rack and placing them in numerous holsters concealed by his trench coat. Jack walked over to the scientist that had talked to him before.

"Excuse me?" he asked. "Do you have any non-weapons that might be useful. I don't think my team wants to stray to much from the type of weapons that they know."

"I know exactly what you mean," the scientist said. "Why don't you follow me." The man walked to a small equipment rack about ten feet away. Jack followed, the rest of the group soon ending up with him. The scientist reached for a small device that looked like a glove with a mechanism on top of the wrist.

"Put this on," the scientist said. Jack slipped the glove on as told and then awaited further instruction.

"Now what?" he asked, the rest of the group watching with anticipation.

"Hit the small button on the wrist," the scientist said. Jack did as he was told. He jumped up a little when the room filled with light and a he felt like he was being touched by some unseen force. When the light abated, Jack examined his body to find himself fully decked out in SSAF Force Tech Armor.

"What the?" Jack asked himself.

"Well holy crap…" Tristan muttered. "A molecular transport device."

"Exactly," the scientist said. "With our molecular transportation technology along with the technology from some of those notes you were reading earlier, we have the ability to transport Force Tech Armor through time to the current location of whoever is wearing these indicator cuffs." He held up a few more of the gloves type things.

"We all get one?" Aragorn asked.

"You're going to need all the help we can give, right?" the scientist said, handing the gloves everyone. "People like me try to help in the only way we can, inventing stuff."

"Cool," Jack said, lifting his had to examine the device. "I like these." He thought for a little bit before speaking. "Well, I can't think of anything else we need right now, so…" he pulled out the gate key. "We'll be going. Make sure that these two get the info they need," he indicated Aragorn and Rayith. Sarah and Tristan walked over to him. "And if you'll excuse us…" he hit a button on the key and a portal started to open. "We have an evil planet killer to destroy." Jack jumped into the gate followed closely by Tristan and Sarah. The gate closed behind them and the winds died down.

"I have to get them to do that somewhere else," the scientist said to himself. "Anyway, please, follow me," he said to Aragorn and Rayith. He walked towards the exit with the other two in tow.

.

End of Time

Jack and Sarah both managed to land okay this time. They also managed to get out of the way as Tristan hit the ground with s thump, not fully prepared for his first trip through time.

"You could have told me about that," he said, rubbing his head.

"If we had to learn it for ourselves, then so should you," Jack said, walking over to the main room. Gaspar was standing in his usual spot against the lamp post. Jack walked up to him confidently.

"Oh," Gaspar said, "so you're back."

"Yeah," Jack said. "I'm back. Everything you said before makes sense now."

"You saw it?" Gaspar asked, careful of not striking an emotional vain to hard.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Jack said. "Cause I'm gonna fix it."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Jack said. "I'm taking it out. I don't know how I'm gonna do it, but I'm gonna. I'm not letting my world, our world be destroyed like that. I need you're help though."

"How?" Gaspar said. At this point, Sarah and Tristan had gathered around to hear.

"I need as much information about Lavos as I can get," Jack said. "I figured you might know a thing or two about that."

"Why me?" Gaspar asked.

"I…I don't know," Jack said. "I just feel like you can tell me."

"Please," Sarah said, stepping forward. "You have to help us save our world. Do you know anything? Anything at all?"

"Hello sir," Tristan said, stepping forward. "I'm from their time also." He took the cigarette that he was smoking out of his mouth to speak. "I saw what that thing did and it wasn't pretty. It's a miracle that I survived and I'm not letting that miracle go undeserved."

"Well," Gaspar said. "This is all a lot of information, but it can wait. Jack, there is something that is very important that you must do."

"Besides kill that thing?" Jack said.

"Right now, yes. You have been called. There is a group of people that I would like you to meet." As if it was cued by something Gaspar said, a gate, similar in shape but different in color opened up behind him. The gate was more black than a normal gate, but at the same time, it was more light too. In fact, it shifted through the colors of he rainbow, and Jack felt it calling to him.

"You want me to go in there?" he asked.

"Don't worry, everything out here will be fine. In fact, it will be like you never left." Gaspar said.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"Just trust me," Gaspar said. Jack felt he gate calling him, pulling him in. He tried to fight it at first, but knew he wasn't going to win. He looked at Sarah who simply nodded. He took this as the approval he need before slowly reaching for the rainbow gate and being sucked in. Then, just as the first time he traveled through time, he blacked out.

.

"We need guns. Lot's of guns." -The Matrix

.

Author's Note- this is only sort of important, but it has to do with the color that are created with using the various degrees of Force Tech. Apparently (hey, looks like chemistry class does come in handy) when a color is created, it has to do with the energy level of the light source. I'm not going to give the complicated explanation as to why, but a lower level of energy would be in the red and orange range while a high energy level would be in the blue and purple range (that's why ultraviolet rays are so dangerous). Therefore, when Jack or Sarah (actually the whole party soon) uses Force Tech, it would start with a red glow, not a green glow. I'll make corrections for chapters after this one, so no one mail me saying "I thought Jack glows green when he does Force Tech," after you read that he glows red. That's it for now. This is Mox, signing out.

-Mox

.


	12. Is this Destiny?

Chapter 12

_Chapter 12- Is this Destiny?_

Jack opened his eyes and realized that he was lying on a floor. Or was it a floor? It looked like it was only a white space. As he gazed around, he realized that the rest of his surroundings were the same, white as far as the eye could see. It almost glowed, the light hurting his eyes until he got used to it. He couldn't discern where the floor he was on was, or if there was a floor at all.

"Am I...dead?" he asked no one. As he said this, a black dot appeared on the 'horizon.' It slowly got bigger, casting a long shadow as if the light source was directly behind it. As it came closer, he saw that it was a man, but that wasn't the weirdest part. What was odd was that he was wearing a SSAF ceremonial uniform. He had jet black hair, reaching down past his waist.

"Oh no, friend," the man spoke. "You've just been temporarily removed from the normal flow of time."

"What?" Jack asked, squinting to see into the light behind the man. "What does that mean. And why are you wearing a SSAF uniform?"

"I have chosen this form because it is one that you would recognize. My name is Topik, and this is the Beginning of Time."

"Beginning of Time?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Topik said. "The space-time coordinates of the most resistance. Unlike the End of Time which is wear time travelers with no direction land due to the lack of temporal resistance, this is the exact opposite."

"You mean, you can't end up here?" Jack asked.

"You're pretty smart," Topik said. "Yes, the only way you can end up here is if you are 'invited,' so to say. Someone from here must open a gate for you, as you have just witnessed."

"There's more of you?" Jack asked.

"Eleven more to be exact," Topik said. "We are the monitors of the Beginning of Time. We are responsible for monitoring the every time stream in existence."

"Say what?" Jack said.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," he said, dipping his head. "But they can wait. We have much more important things to attend to right now." He walked closer to a puzzled Jack. "Tell me, Mr. McKlane. Do you believe in destiny?"

"You mean like, fate?" Jack asked. "That our lives are set before we're even born?" Topik nodded. Jack thought about it for a minute. "You know, I never really thought about it before. I don't want to think about not being in control of my own life."

"I see," Topik said, with his hand to his chin. He waited a little bit before speaking again. "Jack, have you ever felt like you're being pulled somewhere? Have you ever felt that you had to do something so bad that you couldn't resist it? Do ever feel like you're just caught up in the flow of things and you can't fight it?"

"Well, yeah," Jack said. "But doesn't everyone feel that way sometimes?"

"Ah yes," Topik said. He paused and walked around Jack a few times. "I believe that you have just found your answer."

"What does that mean?" Jack asked.

"That, Mr. McKlane, you must figure out for yourself." Topik turned around and started walking in the other direction. "Come with me," he said. Jack, dumbfounded by the whole thing, followed like a dog on a leash.

"Aren't you gonna let me ask any questions?" Jack asked. Topik didn't answer or even turn around. Jack decided that this was a 'yes.' "Okay…" Jack said, trailing off. "Then how about telling me why I'm here?" Topik turned around.

"You are here to prepare for your destiny," he said with no change in facial expression. "If you accept your destiny is one thing, but you can't escape it." Topik turned around and continued walking into the white nothingness beyond them. Jack stopped in his tracks.

"What the hell does that mean!?" he screamed. "At least give me an non-cryptic answer!" Topik stopped again but did not turn around.

"Your training," he said simply. "That is why you're here."

"Training for what?" Jack asked.

"You do wish to fight the being that is destroying your world, correct?"

"Yes," Jack said. "And you're going to help me do that?"

"Do not misunderstand. It may not be you who kills this Lavoid, but you still have much to learn."

"All I want to know is how to kill it so I can make things right," Jack said firmly, clenching his fists. Topik turned.

"First," he said. "There is much you must learn." Topik then waved his hand and the vast whiteness that they stood in became the middle of outer space. There were stars all around them but while they stood as if on a floor, there was still no floor to be seen. Jack spun around to examine his surroundings and gasped, surprised that he inhaled air.

"What did you do!?" he yelled, frantically searching for nothing in particular. Topik just smiled.

"There," he said, pointing to a faint red glow off in the distance that was moving and becoming bigger. Soon, it became clear that it was a spiky ball. Eventually, it passed them and flew off into the distance. "Do you see that?" Jack nodded. "That is a Lavoid, your enemy."

"A Lavoid?" Jack asked.

"This Lavos that is on your planet is one a species known as Lavoids. The species was discovered and named by a very wise person on another world billions of years ago."

"You mean there's more of those things?!" Jack yelled with heavy gesticulation. He calmed down and decided to ask some real questions. "So what exactly is it?" he asked.

"It is a parasite. It feeds off of the energies of a planet, growing ever stronger as it sleeps close to the planets core."

"The area with the most heat energy…" Jack said.

"Correct. It transforms this heat as well as all of the other energies of the planet into forms that it can use. The gestation period for a Lavoid is different for every one, but they all share two common goals."

"What?"

"Assimilation of DNA and replication of that DNA through offspring," Topik said. "It gathers the DNA of all the life forms on a planet, creating an optimum mixture, aiming for the creation of the ultimate being. It then passes this DNA on to it's children, whom in turn aim to create a more perfect being, continuing the vicious cycle"

"It farms life-forms?" Jack asked. Topik nodded.

"Before it gives birth, it has to prepare an adequate environment for it children. After it has no more use for the living things on the planet, it will come to the planets surface and bring forth the chaos that you have seen." Topik nodded his head and spoke with sympathy for what Jack had been though. "The nuclear winter that follows provides the perfect surroundings for it's offspring…" Topik trailed off.

"That's twisted," Jack said with a disgusted look. "So it uses us and then fries us?" Topik nodded. "Do they ever die?"

"No," he said bitterly. "Lavoids are immortal. They start off very weak, but with every planet that they destroy, they become stronger and stronger, effectively filling the world up with their kind."

"Doesn't that contradict laws of species preservation?" Jack asked. "I mean, what happens when there are no more planets left?" Topik lowered his head again.

"That is not something that they will have to worry about for a while. The gestation period of Lavoid is very long and only gives birth to about 3 to 5 offspring. It seems that they don't worry about their preservation as a species, only their preservation as an individual." Jack slumped down to the 'floor.'

"Why are you telling me this?" Jack asked.

"All will reveal itself in due time Jack, but what you must know is that you are one of 'hope.'" Jack's head snapped to attention at the mention of the phrase Sean used. He gritted his teeth.

"What does that mean," he said bitterly. "Where did you here that?"

"You still have much to learn," Topik said, starting to turn. Jack got up and stepped up to Topik menacingly.

"Look buddy, I don't have time to 'learn' anything. I have to get back to my time and kill that son of a bitch!"

"Lavoids are asexual," Topik corrected him.

"Huh?" Jack asked before shrugging it off. "Anyway, I don't have time for it. I need to find someone that can help me kill this thing."

"You realize that it might not be your battle to win," Topik said. Jack nodded. Topik thought about it before waving his hand, causing a vortex, similar to the one that brought Jack here, to form in front of them. "There is a man in the middle ages called Magus," Topik said. "You should probably try to talk to him."

"He knows how I can get to Lavos?" Jack asked.

"Well, sort of," Topik said.

"Great," Jack said before turning to the portal. "Thanks a lot," he said, running to the vortex and leaping into it. As he disappeared and the gate closed, Topik shook his head.

"Still so impatient," Topik said to himself. "I'll have to bring you before the council next time. I'm sure they will be mad at me for this. Yes, it won't be long before you're back here again. You're not ready for the truth yet, but when you are, I think you'll figure it out for yourself." He turned from the previous location of the gate, waving his arm and causing the image of space to revert to the endless white that it was in before. "All in due time, Mr. McKlane…"

.

End of Time

Jack walked out of the materializing portal at the End of Time. He was surprised and happy that he didn't black out this time. As soon as he came out however, Tristan and Sarah looked at him strangely.

"What the hell was that?" Tristan asked. "You went in and came right out again?"

"What?" Jack asked. "What are you talking about. I was in there for at least an hour."

"Jack," Sarah started, "the gate didn't even close. You were in there for all of three seconds."

"No way…" Jack said, sure of his side of the story. Gaspar cut in.

"He sent you back to the point in time in that you entered the gate. Like I said, it was like you were never even gone."

"Who's he?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah," Jack said. "How do you know about him?" Gaspar smiled briefly.

"I know a lot more than one might guess," he said. "So who was it? Was it Topik? I know he's been watching you very closely." Jack nodded, not really sure of what else to say. Tristan jumped in.

"Okay. Will somebody please explain to me what the hell is going on here?!"

"It's like this…" Jack started to say. He explained everything that Topik had said about the Lavoids, leaving out the part about him being one of 'hope.' He decided that he would have to figure that out before sharing it. When he finished his story, Tristan and Sarah looked somewhat disturbed by the whole thing.

"That's what we're fighting?" Sarah said. Jack nodded. "It seems so…evil. It mean, the way it survives. It's like a virus. It controls planets simply for reproduction, using up every resource. Then, when it has no more use for the planet…"

"Bang…" Tristan said, finishing her sentence.

"Right now," Jack said. "We don't need to worry about the rest of this god damn species, only this one. We only worry about Lavos. We're not heroes of the universe, we're just trying to save our world." Tristan nodded weakly. Sarah didn't move.

"But what do we do now?" Tristan asked.

"Well, Topik told me that I should try and talk to a certain Magus in the middle ages," Jack said.

"You don't mean…" Tristan said, staggering back.

"Yeah," Jack said. "I guess that means you paid attention in history class." Tristan nodded.

"I didn't get chance to learn Magic," Tristan said. "I'll stay here. Pick up Rayith and Aragorn and meet me back here." Jack gave Tristan a short nod.

"But why Magus?" Sarah asked. "We already had one run in with his mystics and I'd like to avoid another one.

"Not to worry," Jack said. "This time, we'll be ready." He walked over to the 1999 gate bucket. "We depart for the middle ages after getting Aragorn and Rayith back from their Force Tech training. We'll set this dial to about three days ahead of where it should be so we can pick them up after they finish their basic training."

"Won't that create a paradox if we just go around picking up someone's existence in a time that we shouldn't be able to go to?" Sarah asked. The temporal engineer decided explain this.

"No," he said simply. "This won't have any bad effect according to my calculations. According to Cain's law of Timestream Permanence, time travelers are not effected by changes in timelines, hereby causing no adverse displacement to occur. It will be the same Aragorn and Rayith that we know, and because we are coming from an area outside of the normal flow of time, it would be just as if we stayed here for three days, rather than traveling three days ahead of time. We should actually be able to set the dial back to the normal date of 1999 as long as we don't return there before it reaches the point where we removed Aragorn and Rayith from that era." Jack scratched his head while Sarah's jaw just dropped open. Tristan smiled.

"Umm, Okay…" Jack said. "I think I get it so I'm not going to ask for it simpler terms, I'm just gonna assume that he's right." He slid the dial forward three days. "Anyway, here we go." He hit the button and the gate appeared. Gaspar got a statement in before they entered it.

"Jack," he said. "Why don't you ask the people in your time to examine that TAG that you found in the middle ages?" Jack spun around, his hair blowing in the wind of the vortex, and nodded. Then, he entered the gate, followed by Sarah and Tristan. Soon after, the gate closed behind them.

"Hmm," Gaspar mumbled to himself. "I wonder how much Topik actually told him…"

.

1999ad, SSAF HQ

Jack didn't exactly know why the gate that he and the others took from the end of time landed them in the SOE lab of SSAF HQ. The first time, it landed them miles from Trann city. The only explanation that he could come up with was he might be instinctively learning to control the gates. He hadn't even used his magic much, but somehow, he felt it growing stronger. It was true that Spekkio said that he had merely waken it from it's dormant state, but could it be possible that the power was continuing to grow? He made a mental note to make more use of his new gift and to work on some new spells. Meanwhile, however, he and Sarah were standing back at the main SOE lab.

Because of the manipulation they used with the bucket at the end of time, everyone was sure that they had been gone for three days longer than they actually had. Jack was amazed that he even was able to keep a mental clock as far as what time it really was, but he wasn't too sure about even that anymore. The lead scientist was happy to see them back and reported nothing but good news as to the progress of Rayith and Aragorn with the Force Tech.

"I don't know," the scientist said. "Maybe it has to do with their magic, but I've never seen anyone gain such a control over Force Technique that quickly."

"That's good," Sarah said. "We're gonna need all the help we can get." Jack stepped forward.

"Excuse me?" he asked the scientist, reaching into his pocket and drawing the Red TAG. "Could you tell me everything you can about this?" He held it out to the scientist who took it out of his hand and examined it.

"It's a TAG," the scientist said. Jack thought along the lines of 'well, duh' but kept the comment to himself. "But, it appears very old. Where did you find it?"

"That's the weird part," Jack said. "We found it in 600ad." The scientists cocked his head back in disbelief.

"Say again?" he asked.

"I know it sounds odd," Sarah said, "but it's true. It was just lying in the weapon store where we bought these swords," she motioned to her and Jack's medieval toys.

"Hmm," was all the scientist could say.

"Well?" Jack asked. "What do you make of it?" The scientist didn't answer right away. Jack's expression grew angry before he said anything.

"Does it still work?" Jack shook his head. The scientist spoke again. "If you allow me to examine it, I might be able to figure it out. Will you let me?" Jack thought about it before nodding slowly. "Good," the scientist said. "Now, follow me and we can pick up your newly Force Tech trained friends." The scientist turned and walked towards the exit of the lab. Jack and Sarah followed closely, examining various devices on the tables as they made their ways to the door. Jack found himself pocketing a few of the items for latter testing. The scientist led the two of them to one of the many floors dedicated to the study and furthering of Force Tech. He started talked as they walked, recapping the progress of Aragorn and Rayith.

"It's quite interesting really," he said. "Aragorn's progress has been well above normal but it's nothing compared to Rayith's. She's like a machine. I think she stopped to sleep once in the past three days. We've had shifts of people helping her. She just doesn't want to stop."

"Is she becoming stronger?" Sarah asked.

"I'll put it this way," the scientist said. "She's gained the amount control over Force Tech energies in three days that it's taken most people over ten years to achieve."

"So how strong is she?" Sarah asked again.

"We'll know in a minute," he said. "The started to test Aragorn for Tech Degree when I left. Rayith should be hooking up to the machine about now." Testing for Tech Degree meant that they would measure the energies Rayith collected, giving her a number in the form of a degree. Some of the most powerful Force Tech users could absorb so much energy from the surrounding environment that the temperature actually dropped a few degrees Celsius.

"This ought to be interesting…" Jack mumbled. Soon after, the three of them walked into an room with a window the length of the wall on the opposite end. There were all sorts of computers in the room. The window looked into a larger room, completely white. Jack immediately recognized the figure in the white room as Rayith, who was wearing a completely new set of clothes. She wore a skin tight suit, crimson red for the most part, with streaks of black in a few places. She also had been given a new pair of boots and a set of shoulder armor. She looked more like a sorceress then a warrior. As Jack and Sarah made their way to the window, Aragorn walked up from behind them.

"Hey," he said. The two others turned to see Aragorn standing with an unusually large smile on his face.

"Hey yourself," Jack said. "So, how was it?"

"It was great!" he said, very excited. "The ability to manipulate energy like you can is such a rush of power."

"Don't let it go to you're head," Sarah said. She paused before posing the all important question when it came to Force Tech. "So what are you?"

"Huh?" he asked back.

"Your Tech Degree."

"Oh," he thought about it for a second. "I'm an eight," he said proudly. "I can double my combat potential."

"Cool," Jack said, "That's the same as me. I guess we're gonna find out what Rayith is in a minute." There was a brief pause as the scientist continued setting up for Rayith's reading test.

"Jack," Aragorn said, "I need to talk to you for a second. It's about…" he was cut off by a deafening roar as Rayith started to gather energy and all the complex machines started to kick in. Everyone's attention turned to the white room where Rayith was glowing a dull red, quickly changing to a bright red and reaching into the orange zone.

"Wow," Sarah said. "She's already about at your max Jack…" she said, examining the color of her glow. Jack didn't reply. All sorts of readings starting coming up on the monitors in the room. It read out 7.8, almost Jack's max like Sarah had predicted. But, Rayith didn't stop there. Her orange glow intensified, until it started to shift to yellow. The energies around her were becoming massive.

"Holy crap," Jack said, staring at the monitor which now read 12.3 "She learned that in three days?" he asked himself over the noise of the machines. Rayith's glow intensified further, reaching a bright yellow before starting to subside. She was slowly releasing the energies she had gathered, ending the test. Jack, Sarah and Aragorn rushed into the room, followed by a few scientists. The final reading on the screen stood at 14.2.

"That was amazing!" Sarah shouted. "I can't believe you learned to take in so much energy in three days.

"My head hurts," Rayith said weakly.

"That's okay," said one of the scientists. "That means you stopped at the right time. Congratulations," he said with a smile. "You rank in at 14.2. That means you can multiply your fighting capabilities by more than 3 and half times!"

"Wow," said Rayith. "That's awesome. I can't wait to try it out."

"You might just get your chance," Jack said, stepping forward. "We have to go pay our friend Magus a visit." Rayith smiled a smile that was almost sinister, but she looked too tired to have any evil thoughts. She hadn't even slept in two days.

"Excellent…" she said, pondering over he new power. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as possible," Sarah said. Rayith didn't respond, but started walking to the exit of the white room.

She spun around. "Then what are we waiting for?" she said.

"Only one thing," Jack said with a smile on his face. He turned to one of the scientist. "Hook me up. I want a new reading…"

.

1999ad, SSAF HQ

Jack stood in the center of the white room. The gray boxes on each of the walls were vibrating rapidly, creating the source of the unlimited supply of energy. Jack didn't know how they created the energy, he just knew that he had all the supply he needed. The turned his head to the head technicians in the observation room who gave him a nod, signaling that he could start when he was ready.

"How long ago did he get that reading of 8?" Rayith asked.

"About three months ago," Sarah answered. "I don't know how much stronger he thinks he now though..." Soon after, Jack started to glow a dull red and the glow began to intensify. The room started to fill with energy as the monitors in the observation room began to kick in. 1.2, 1.8, 2.3, 4.8. The numbers climbed as Jack took in more and more power.

"He's going a lot faster than normal," Sarah commented.

"His charge isn't normally this fast?" Aragorn asked.

"No," Sarah said lightly. "It normally takes him about a minute to get this high," she said, looking at the monitor which gave the reading of 6.7. Jack's glow was turning orange and intensifying. He soon came close to his previous mark of 8.

"This should be close to the end," Rayith said, looking at the monitor read out 7.9. Sarah shook her head softly.

"No," she said. "He's stronger now. I don't know why, but it doesn't even look like he's trying." Sarah was right. Jack was just standing there in the middle of his now yellow glow. He didn't even look tense He wasn't squatting down with his limbs tensed up as was normal for a large Force Tech intake. He just stood there in a somewhat powerful pose. The monitor then started to pick up pace in the speed that the numbers were rising. He broke 8 with ease. The dial started to speed up, Jack still not even appearing to be trying. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. The technicians couldn't even pick out the decimal places. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. The numbers flew by. As he reached 25, he began to show signs of tension that he normally would show at 5.

"What on earth..." Sarah commented as the glow around Jack intensified to a bright green. "He's never even been close to this strong." In another minute, the counter shot past 32, busting the Tech Degree that Sean had had.

"Damn," remarked one of the scientists. "This is crazy..." Jack was now showing clear signs of stress and had begun to tense his muscles. When he got to 38, he began to scream. It wasn't a scream of pain though, but more like a battle cry. His green glow shifted to blue, the blue shifting to purple. 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43. The energies in the room were massive, the window on the wall of the observation room beginning to shake. As the glow around Jack became a very light, bright, purple, he started to release the energy. Soon, he returned to his original standing position, looking no worse for the wear. The final counter read 49.

Everyone in the observation room rushed into the white room. When they looked at Jack, his hair was a little more spiked and frazzled than usual, but he didn't look tired or in pain at all.

"That was incredible!" the lead scientist yelled. "That's the second highest recording of Force Tech use in SSAF history!"

"Really? What did I land at?" Jack asked, rubbing his head.

"49," Sarah said, somewhat in awe at the power that she had just witnessed. "You blew away even Sean..."

"Wow," Jack said. "I was that high? I did better than I thought."

"Jack, that was amazing," another scientist said. "You almost went white!"

"Went white?" Rayith asked. Jack answered.

"When you reach a Tech Degree of over 50, the color emitted becomes ultraviolet, but we can only see it as a white aura. Going 'white' has only been done once and the person who made it killed himself in the process."

"It was very messy..." one of the scientists commented. "But either way, that makes you the most powerful Force Tech user alive!" Jack thought about it for a second but didn't follow up on it. Deep down, he didn't know if he wanted this power.

"It's no big deal though, we should just worry about Magus now," he said.

"But, with a power of 49, you can multiply fighting potential over 12 fold!" another scientist said.

"I said it's not important!" Jack yelled, surprised at his own outburst. He calmed down. "Anyway, we have to concentrate on the problem at hand. I'll meet you all back at the SOE lab..." he turned and left the room, leaving a perplexed mass of people behind him.

"I wonder if it had to do with Spekkio 'awakening' his magic?" Sarah commented. Aragorn put his hand to his chin in thought.

"Hmm," he muttered to himself. "I guess Spekkio was telling the truth. He is off the charts..."

.

"Never underestimate the power of the Force" -Darth Vader

.

Authors note- Okay, I need to give a little credit notation as to borrowed terms in this chapter. First off, I mentioned an idea used by Cain in his story "Chrono Continuum." If you want a more in depth explanation, go read it! It's a great story and should be read by everyone. Secondly and probably more importantly, I have to thank Nanaki for giving me use of the word 'Lavoid.' I hereby order all of you reading this story to stop and go read everything that Nanaki has written before coming back to my work. Trust me, it will be well worth it. That's it for now,

-Mox


	13. Winds of Magic

Chapter 13

_Chapter 13- Winds of Magic_

1999ad, SOE lab: SSAF HQ

Sarah was worried about him. He left the room in a mood that she couldn't really pinpoint. She wasn't quite sure what was wrong with him, but something was there, she felt that. She found him standing on the far end of SOE lab with his back to the twin automatic doors. For some odd reason, he wasn't dressed as he was when he had taken the test. He was now in a black, skin tight bodysuit. There were pockets all around the legs, above and below a set of knee pads. He still wore his combat vest and his sword was slung over his shoulder in a new, black sheath. He wore a climbing harness around his wait, black like the rest of his new attire. His hair was down, not tied up in the normal ponytail. It hung down in spikes like the rest of his hair. She thought it was kind of cute. He heard her enter, but didn't turn.

"I can see them, you know?"

"See what?" she asked. He still didn't move.

"Feel them too. I don't know when I noticed them, it must have happened in the beginning of time. Something must have happened to me. It's really been bothering me lately though."

"What are you talking about?"

"Magic," he said simply.

"Magic?" she asked.

"Yes. I just started to notice it recently. For some reason, I felt a lot stronger because of it. That's why I took the Tech Degree test again."

"I still don't understand," she said, shaking her head.

"It exists in winds," he said, turning around and making a wave motion with his hands. "Winds of Magic that blow endlessly across the land. The ebb and flow of them controls the very essence of magic itself."

"How do you know that?" she asked slowly. He paused for awhile before answering.

"I…I don't know," he said somewhat meekly. "I just…I think I always knew, I just realized now."

"What else do you know about these Winds of Magic?" she asked.

"There are all different types," he said. "I can see them. Some are dense and heavy and sink to the ground. Others are light and billowy and flow through everything. They're all around us."

"Does that have anything to do with the type of magic we have?" Sarah asked. Jack nodded.

"The type of magic you use…" he paused in thought. "It has to do with what kind of Wind you're compatible with. You draw from a Wind that is sort of light and celestial in motion. It controls winds and has an effect on the weather as I see it." Sarah nodded. "Rayith controls the violently swirling Winds of Fire. Aragorn controls a denser wind that lays close to the earth, which is why he can manipulate terrain."

"And what about you?" came a voice from behind Sarah. Jack looked over Sarah's shoulder to see Rayith and Aragorn in the doorway. There were no scientists with them. "What magic wind do you control?"

"We heard most of it," Aragorn said. "But what I don't get is where you learned it."

"I told you already," Jack said softly with his head down. "I just…" paused. "It just sort of came to me…"

"So you just magically learned all of this?" Rayith asked, smiling at her own ironic wit.

"No," Jack said. "I feel like the knowledge was in me, but I think Spekkio woke it up along with my magic. I don't know where I got magic from, or why I know what I know. All I know is that for some reason, I can see these winds now. Not just the wind though…"

"What else?" Sarah said softly.

"I can see into the magical aspect of the world. I can see the magical energies flowing through everything. I can see…" he paused. "I can see the restless spirits that are trapped in this world, all killed by Lavos. It's sort of like an alternate vision spectrum that I can't control yet. Sometimes it just snaps into view and I can't do a thing about it. It's never there for long, a few seconds or so, but it's been happening more and more over the last few days."

"What's it like?" Rayith asked innocently.

"It's like…" he started but paused. "It's like this blazingly exciting ethereal world," he said, getting somewhat excited. "You guys stand out heavily against the dull, non magical back round because you possess magic. You're like fiery beacons in a dull world. And the Winds!" He was getting loud now and making large hand movements. "They're amazing! You see them in all their colors and…" he suddenly quite.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Jack said, speaking softly again. "In all that excitement though, it's very bizarre and confusing. Scary almost." There was an awkward pause.

"What does the wind that you control look like Jack?" Aragorn asked, repeating Rayith's earlier question." Jack paused in thought before answering.

"There are times when all the Winds merge together, creating a mix. If one were to draw off of this hybrid Wind, then one could control the powers of all the Winds. In other words, use all of the types of magic. It's not very common for winds to come together like this, but when it happens…"

"What?" Rayith questioned. "What happens?"

"They form a chilling Wind that I've been feeling a lot lately. I can guess that it's the source of my powers. My shadow magic. I think we all naturally absorb the winds that pass through us, allowing us to draw on our own supply. The Winds that float around freely could be very useful if I knew how exactly to draw them, but, to be honest, I don't know if I want to draw the Wind that is 'natural' to me."

"What? What's natural to you?" the others all questioned. Jack lowered his head an spoke in a grim voice.

"The Black Wind…"

.

Beginning of Time

"Well, you certainly blew it didn't you Topik?" yelled one voice.

"Shut up Gatille," Topik said calmly. "It's not that big a deal."

"Not that big a deal?" another voice said. "He's supposed to be training now, but now what? Now he's afraid of the power that he could harness for so much energy."

"Like already said, it doesn't make a difference how he figures it out," Topik shot back.

"You were supposed to explain it to him!" Hal yelled. "Instead, he figured it for himself, but he doesn't know the whole truth. Without the whole thing, he can't make good use of his powers!"

"It's not my fault," Topik said. "I thought he was ready."

"Well obviously, he wasn't," came a new voice.

"You're turning on me too Fenreir?" Topik asked.

"No one is turning on you Topik," Jal said. "You just can't rush into giving someone 'the training' when they obviously aren't ready."

"The fact that he noticed the Winds on his own proves that he is ready…" Topik said, trailing off. "All of you need to trust me on this one…"

.

1999ad, SSAF HQ

After Jack had finished explaining the logic behind the Winds, he slowly reached behind his head and drew back his hair into it's usual pony tail. It was longer now that it had been when this whole thing had started, reaching the base of his shoulder blades.

"We're going to meet with this Magus," Jack said. "I just intend on avoiding the Mystic army this time." He grinned.

"Oh really?" Rayith asked. "And how do you expect to do that?"

"I'm not quite sure yet," he said. "But if it can be done, I'm going to find a way."

"It's just an army," Sarah said. "How hard can it be to get around?" The group chuckled uneasily. Jack pulled the gate key out of one of the many pockets on his pants, but before opening up a gate to the end of time, Jack reached into the pocket on his vest. He pulled out a chain with some sort of charm on it.

"What's that?" Sarah asked. Jack held it up as he answered.

"Oh this? I found it in the wreckage of my house. My mom said that it was the only thing I had with me when they took me in." He handed it to Sarah as she answered. She examined it while Jack pulled out something else.

"I also found this," he said, producing a small gold stud earring. "It was my mom's."

"You don't have pierced ears though," Sarah commented. Jack smiled, brining the earring to his left ear and pressing it into place. With a little bit of magic, he pierced his ear painlessly and locked the earring into place.

"Wish it was that easy when I got mine pierced..." Rayith said, indicating her earrings. It must have been hard indeed to get pierced ears in 600ad, and the techniques would have been bloody at best. She turned her attention to the charm in Sarah's hand. It looked to be some type of crest, with many inlaid red jewels. It looked very intricate, but no one could recognize the symbol from anywhere.

"What does this symbol mean?" Aragorn asked, leaning over Sarah's shoulder to have a look.

Jack shrugged. "I dunno," he said. "Like said before, apparently it was with me when my parents took me in." He took the chain and clasped it around his neck.

"That makes me think," Rayith said. "Where did you're parents come across you anyway." Jack thought about it silently.

"The story they always told me is that I was found by a river bed in a park outside off of Trann City. I think my parents were having a picnic or something and my dad sort of stumbled on me…" he paused, when instantly, a flood of memories came to him. "I was in some sort of blanket. I remember that blanket. It was very fine material and looked as if it was sewn by hand. It looked almost…royal." He didn't say anything more.

The team was silent before Aragorn brought everyone back to the task at hand. "So when do we leave?" he asked.

Jack reached down and picked up a black bag that had been previously unnoticed by anyone. "Now," he said simply, holding up the gate key.

"What's with the bag?" Rayith asked. "And come to think of it, what's with the change of clothing?" Jack just smiled, hit the button on the gate key and watched the gate form. As the wind picked up, he tossed the key to Sarah and jumped in. He didn't look to see if anyone was following, but he knew they would come. What other choice did they have?

.

End of Time

The group stepped out of the iridescent blue light into the dull bleakness of the End of Time. Tristan was already waiting impatiently for them, end of a cigarette in his mouth, apparently having already learned magic.

"What took you?" he asked bluntly, flicking the butt of his cigarette to the floor and stepping on it.

"It was that bad?" Rayith asked.

Tristan put his hand to his chin. "Actually, it was quite nice when that blonde girl was here. We talked for a bit but she said she had to go. Something about a Frog and Masamune or something like that."

"What Blonde girl?" Sarah asked.

"She said her name was Marle," Tristan said in remembrance. "She's traveling with Lucca at the moment. I didn't get to mention that we were going after Lavos also because she did most of the talking. Nice girl…"

"It doesn't matter," Jack said, stepping forward. "We need to get going."

"Magus's?" Tristan asked. Jack nodded

"What magic did you get?" Aragorn questioned.

"Lighting," Tristan said simply. "It's pretty cool, actually."

"Good," Aragorn said. "We'll need it if we're going to take out Magus."

"We're not taking him out," Sarah corrected. "We're going to find out what he knows about the Lavoid."

Rayith let out a grunt. "Speak for yourself. His sorry ass is mine if I get a shot at it." Jack held up a hand, signaling her to calm down.

"So you're going to confront Magus?" Gaspar said, opening his mouth for the first time since the group showed up." Jack nodded, answering for the whole group. "I can only advise you to be careful. I don't think that he is going to just accept an appointment and discuss what you what calmly. Just be prepared to defend yourselves."

"If I can get this to work, it won't be a problem," Jack said, holding up the slightly modified red TAG. "The scientists got a reading on it. It's power output is completely beyond anything that I've ever seen before. I don't understand why, but do know that if the thing doesn't short out on me again, it will be a serious help."

"You should try to restore that thing to it's original power," Gaspar said with a grin.

"What do you mean, original?"

"Oh, nothing…" he said, still grinning. "Let's just say that it's my guess that no scientists in your world could have truly restored that thing." Jack gave him a puzzled look but didn't pursue the cryptic speech any further.

"We should probably get going," Aragorn said. "It should be getting close to dark, making it the opportune time to get to the castle."

"You still haven't told us how you plan on getting in," Sarah said. "I don't think the door is just going to swing open." Jack didn't answer, but instead grinned wildly and hoisted the black bag onto his shoulder.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this…" Rayith remarked.

"Don't be such a party crasher Ray," Tristan said, patting Rayith on the back.

"I'm just thinking about the group," She said. "And don't call me Ray," she shot at Tristan in an annoyed voice.

"No problem…Ray," he said with a grin and flicking out another cigarette from his unseen storage point.. Rayith started to fume Sarah got her to calm down. Tristan started speaking again as he lit the cigarette that was hanging from his lip. "Anyway, you all ready?" The others nodded and Jack pulled out the gate key. He tossed the key to Tristan.

"Sarah and Aragorn will come in with me as a stabilizer. Rayith, you'll go with Tristan using the key. Wait for the gate to close before activating the key." Tristan nodded. Jack walked up to the pillars of lights with the other four in tow. He held out his hand and closed his eyes. He started to glow a pale blue as his magic stabilized the gate and he stepped in. He was sucked up the pillar, hoping that he would end up where he was supposed to. He looked down and saw Aragorn and Sarah close behind.

.

600ad, Truce Canyon.

The group moved silently through the still, cold evening. The sky was beginning to set, making for the perfect time for their infiltration mission. They exited Truce Canyon into the open plain, making their way to the village of Truce. The town was bustling was activity but the five travelers didn't have time to join in. The proceeded south of the village, coming up tot the southern shore, looking out onto the ocean and the many islands inhabiting the area closer to the shore. It was a low tide on the beach, the water lapping against the sand gently at the base of the beach. By this time, it was almost completely black, the pale light of the moon providing them with their only light source. As they came to a halt, Rayith held out her hand and a ball of fire formed in it, illuminating the surrounding area. Jack unzipped the black bag and pulled out what looked like a set of high-tech binoculars.

"Where is this castle?" Jack asked Aragorn and Rayith collectively.

"It's on an island in the ocean, but that's many miles from here," Rayith said. The island is off of the southern continent."

"Not a problem," Jack said. He closed his eyes. "Levitation," he mumbled to himself. Instantly, he glowed a soft blue-black and started to float. He took to very high in the air, hardly visible to his companions on the dark ground below. He put the binoculars to his eyes and fiddled with some dials on the device. He magnified his zoom percentage and cast a small spell on the binoculars to pick up on any magical sources in the area. As he had planed, a brilliant red object came into view on the far horizon. He zoomed the lenses in further to find that it was in fact the castle that Rayith had informed him about. It stood out like a sore thumb on the bleak surroundings.

"Bingo…" he said to himself before floating back down to the ground and putting the binoculars away.

"So now what?" Tristan asked. "Did you see it?"

Jack turned to Aragorn and Rayith. "Do you know the Force Tech manipulation for flying?" he asked. "It might have been referred to as 'Ray Wing.'" The both of them shook their head.

"It's real simple," Sarah said. "Just concentrate on creating an negative magnetic barrier around yourself. You should repel the planet's natural magnetic fields and float. Just use some more energy to propel your self." Reluctantly, Aragorn and Rayith tried and managed to do it. Rayith let out an explicative in shock when she started to float. Aragorn remained silent. As they rose into the air and started to move forward, the three veteran Force Tech users floated up into the night sky as well.

"Just follow me," Jack said as he propelled himself forward towards the castle. The five of them flew swiftly through the light. The dull trail of magical energies that Jack had left provided a path for the others to follow. The flight to Magus's castle took about half an hour, leaving everybody almost all drained. Jack was the first one to land on the island. When the others arrived, they found him practicing his magic. Mostly just small things. He lit a few trees on fire, summoned some lightning, and put out the mess with water. He wasn't very confident in his actual battle magic yet, but he knew that if the time came where he had to battle the Lavoid, he would need it. He was beginning to feel his ability to draw down the Winds of Magic, molding it to his will.

He didn't notice when the other four showed up on the island, landing on a beach that was north of his location. When they made their way to him, he turned and nodded before starting to walk, taking the lead. The island was cold. Jack could feel strong concentrations of the Black Wind circling around the castle. Magus must be a strong user of Shadow magic. He would never win in a magic war if it came to battle. As they made their way through the dense forests surrounding the castle, Jack wondered if Magus would tell him what he needed. He knew that he would probably have to fight him first, but could they win a fight of that caliber? This was a man who had put the entire world into a state of emergency. Could five people really take him out? Where they strong enough?

The castle was in view from the moment they set foot onto the island, but as the made their way around it, the group realized how huge it really was. Magus was probably deep within the fortification. Getting into the castle itself would be hard enough. Then they had to neutralize the guards, avoid the many traps that were most likely filling the castle, and then put the all powerful Magus in a position where he would divulge the information that was needed. Oh yeah, Jack thought. Piece of cake. Why am I doing this anyway? There's got to be an easier way to find out how to kill a Lavoid. He shook his head at his subconscious thoughts of not succeeding. He couldn't think like that. Not at this time. He had to win. He had to make it right. Everyone was going to go in and come out alive. That's what Sean would have done. He wouldn't have lost a single man. That's what Sean would have done…

.

Beginning of Time

"He's awfully motivated, isn't he?" Fenreir said. "But he's still oblivious to his destiny."

"He doesn't believe in destiny," Hal said. "He said it himself. He thinks he acting of his own completely free will."

"He'll figure it out," Topik said. "He's smart. He just doesn't know how smart he is."

"What did you tell him to go to Magus's?" Jal asked. "What is the point of having Jack fight him?"

"Maybe he won't have to fight?" a new voice suggested. "Maybe Magus will just talk to him peacefully. Or is it possible that Topik is trying to rush his discovery of the something that Jack really needs to find on his own…"

"Remember, Magus doesn't know anything either," Topik said defensively. "And I didn't rush anything. This is his destiny…"

.

600ad, Gate to Magus's Castle

"Shit, it won't open!" Rayith cursed, pushing and pulling at the giant double doors.

"What did you expect?" Sarah said, her annoyance with the situation only further aggravated by Rayith's comment. "That the door would just swing open as we walked up to it?" Rayith crossed her arms and tried to look mad.

"It's magically sealed," Jack said, analyzing the door. "It opens only for people who it's set to open for. There's also a heavy magical disturbance in the area, making the use of magic or Force Tech either useless or impossible, I'm not sure."

"So what?" Tristan asked. "It's over? Is this it?"

"Of course not Tristan, my friend," Jack said triumphantly. "I accounted for this and came prepared."

"What does that mean?" Rayith asked in a mocking tone.

"It means I brought this…" Jack said, pulling out a small pole from an equipment pocket on his left leg, hitting a button on the device. The group watched as the pole went through a series of shifting in it's outer shell, reaching it's final form in the shape of a grappling hook. "And this," he said, finishing with an indication to the climbing harness around his waist.

.

"Always be prepared," -The Boy Scout motto


	14. Infiltration

Chapter 14

_Chapter 14- Infiltration_

600ad, Inside Magus's Castle

Keltar walked wearily into the large room which Magus used to meet with his generals. It was empty, save for the his dreaded master himself who was leaning over the large table that took up most of the room.

"You haven't found him yet have you," Magus asked in a calm tone that sent a feeling of dread down Keltar's spine. "You're already three days overdue."

"My lord, please let me explain!" he said, sensing the end of his life nearing. "He disappeared from all the sights of my spies! It's not my fault!" Magus rose from his position by the table and walked over to the frightened mystic.

"Was it not you who let him escape in the first place?" the wizard asked, still in a calm tone.

"Sir! I came to report that we have found him though!" he said. "He almost seems to be heading towards this castle!"

"Really?" Magus asked. "Are you sure, because from what I've heard, this man is not a lunatic. He seems like more of a soldier than a fanatic."

"It's true, my lord," Keltar said, his chances of walking out of this room seeming to be growing. "He is with four others. They were sighted in the town of Truce earlier this day and heading south. I'm sure of it. I'll have him for you yet!"

"What makes you so certain?" Magus asked coldly, starting to walk menacingly around Keltar. The mystic was starting to sweat bullets. This pleased Magus that he made him so nervous. He had to be feared, that was how you keep control.

"I swear that he will be in your hands by this time tomorrow!" he said, still extremely overcome by fear of his commander. "I lay my life on this wager."

"Keltar," Magus said with a cold grin. "I was going to kill you if you don't bring him in anyway." He walked back to what he was looking at on the table when Keltar walked in. "Now, be gone," he commanded quietly. Keltar obeyed, leaving the room as quickly as possible without running. He would have the blue haired man, or he would be dead, and he didn't like the second option much at all.

.

600ad, Gate to Magus's Castle

"I'll enter through one of those windows up there," Jack said, pointing to the upper floors of the area around the entrance. "If I don't come down and open the door in 45 minutes, use this to try and get it open," he handed Tristan the black bag. "You and Sarah should be able to figure it out but you might have a little company when you use it," he told Tristan.

"How are you getting up?" Rayith asked.

"Just a little twentieth century ingenuity," he said, pointing the pole device at one of the spikes protruding from the front wing of the castle. He hit an unseen button and the grappling hook on the top separated from the rest of the pole, shooting upward and taking a black wire with it. As the hook arched over the spike, it latched on to the rope and locked into position. Jack then hooked the other end of the pole onto his climbing harness.

"I'll see you all in 45 minutes," he said, activating the device and starting to rise up as the pole began to retract the rope, pulling Jack upwards.

"Is okay in the head?" Rayith asked Sarah. Sarah shook her head with a grin.

"No, not really," she said somewhat jokingly, somewhat serious. "I don't think he's insane yet, he's always been somewhat like this. This whole Lavos thing is just what he needed to completely snap."

.

Jack could see the window that he was to enter through. At this point he could also see that it was protected with bars. 'Wish I could have noticed that sooner' he commented to himself. 'No big though…' He continued to on the cable, the others below him growing smaller by the second. 'Sarah should be able to handle everything if I don't make it out,' he thought as he eyed the shrinking blonde. He didn't want to leave her just yet. Not now, not like this. He'd make it. They'd make it together.

As he reached the bars he flipped open a pocket on his vest and took out a small cylinder. He pointed the tip of it at the bars and activated it, causing a cutting laser to heat through the bars. After removing enough so he could fit through, he punched the bars inward. The clattered on the floor of the room he entered shortly after.

"He is wacko," Rayith commented on the ground below, looking at the black clad infiltrator crawl through his self made entrance.

"Yeah," Sarah said, smiling inwardly. "The wacko who's gonna save the world."

Back at the top, Jack had made his way into a room that was clearly a prison cell. Odd that it would be held up high, rather than in a dungeon. Must have been for important guests like the skeleton that lay in one corner of the room, his bones still in shackles. Jack walked to the door cautiously and tugged the handle, finding that it was locked from the outside.

"Just my luck," he said, taking another cylinder from a leg pocket. He popped off a cap to reveal what looked like the nozzle for a spray paint can. He pressed on the nozzle, causing a foam like substance to come out of the can. He placed a line of foam around the frame of the door before putting the can away. To finish it off, he pulled a piece of wire from yet another pocket and stuck it in the foam. Jack uncoiled the wire, taking one end with him, and then placed his end in a small box which he had taken out earlier. He hit a button on the box and a fuse was lit. The spark went along the wire until it reached the foam, at which point an explosion ensued, blowing the door completely off it frame.

Jack stepped into the hall to be met by two guards, one on either side of the door, who stood in shock as the freshly destroyed door fell down and hit the floor. Jack didn't waste any time. While the guards started stupidly at him, he rushed over to the guard on his left and elbowed him in his stomach. The second guard then finally realized what was happening and rushed at Jack with his sword drawn. Using the first guard as a shield, Jack blocked the oncoming blade which severed the first guard's head. Jack threw the first guard away and quickly dispatched the second one with his sword. As the second guard hit the floor, Jack sheathed his sword and ran off down the hallway, knowing only one direction to go: down.

.

The time ticked away on the 45 minute limit that Jack had given them. Tristan looked at the unopened black bag uneasily. He wanted to know what it was, but something was holding back from opening it.

"Does anyone else want to know what it is?" Tristan asked impatiently, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Jack said that you and I would know how to use it," Sarah said, "so I think we can assume that it's a piece of SSAF equipment."

"I just can't wait another 40 minutes!" Tristan exclaimed. "I gotta know!" Without further warning, he unzipped the bag and removed the device that it contained. Rayith and Aragorn stood clueless as to what it was, but it was clear to Sarah and Tristan.

"Oh good," Sarah said somewhat sarcastically. "He left us a bomb…"

.

Jack peered around the corner to find two guards on patrol. Ducking back behind the wall, he started searching for something that would take them out quietly. He had already gone down many flights of stairs, but had an internal estimate that he was still far away. He hoped that Tristan would have fun with the gift he brought. 'That'll open the door for sure,' he thought. The bomb was designed to cancel out the magic field, hopefully removing the magic shield and allowing the door to be blown open like a normal door. He just hoped it worked, and that no one got hurt in the process. He was in charge now and he couldn't have casualties this early in the mission. Finally finding the item he needed, he jumped around the corner and pointed the shock baton at one of the guards. As a jolt of electricity shot from the device and pummeled the guard, the guard went into a spasm and fell. The other guard rushed at Jack, but Jack easily dodged the attack, ending up behind the mystic as he pressed the baton to it's neck and hit the button. He surveyed the guards in thought.

"Wait a minute," Jack thought out loud. "Why did I use that? I can use magic…" He shrugged and put away the cattle prod, heading down the stairway to his right. He could use the practice with magic anyway.

.

Jack made his way down about seven more flights of stairs unfortunately catching the attention of number of guards along the way. Soon, he was running from a growing group of Mystics. It was only a few more levels down before he hit a dead end. To make matters worse, there were about ten Mystics following him at this point. They had him in a corner and this proved to be problematic. The mass of guards rushed him and while he managed to cut down the first couple, they soon started to pile on him. More guards came. Jack had never really learned how to take on a mass of people, making this more of a problem then it already was. They weren't using swords but bashing him with their rather large fists. The built up hatred of humans that dwelled within the Mystic species was coming out in the hazing that Jack was receiving.

It wasn't long before he had been beaten to the floor. He could feel a rib crack as he tried to fight them off. Then went his collar bone. Another rib. He screamed in pain as he tried to summon Force Tech energy but failed due to lack of concentration. He let out another scream, trying to reach for his sword but his hand was met by a giant foot. How could he have been beaten by such a lowly band of guards. This couldn't be it, could it? Was this his fate? He wouldn't except it. He didn't believe in fate. He controlled his life.

"Mega Brando!" he screamed as the entire passageway was filled by a pillar of fire. The magical energies flowed through him as he powered the spell. He could feel the bodies of the Mystics around him being incinerated by the flame. He could also hear their screams as their skin was melt off of their quickly deteriorating interiors. As he ran out of power for the spell and the Mystics around him were disintegrated, the pillar grew narrower and narrower until it ceased to exist. Jack examined the damage. The entire floor had been hollowed out by the pillar. He looked up and found himself looking through a hole that went up over twenty floors, revealing the night sky above.

"Wow," he commented to himself. "When did I learn that spell…" He didn't think about it too long before standing up, being met by a stinging pain from his broken bones. He could feel at least one of the broken ribs poking into his internal organs. He didn't scream, but rather concentrated on pulling from a healing wind. As he summoned the energy to him, he felt his broken bones set into place, all his wounds close up and all of his internal bleeding stop. "I'm getting good at this," he said, marveling in his own growing mastery of magic. He checked to make sure his sword was still there before running for the nearest exit. Twenty five minutes to go.

.

"I'm getting worried," Aragorn commented. "The window wasn't up that high. He should have been out by now…" He started to pace back and forth. The group had been mostly silent. Sarah was sitting down against a tree, while Tristan was busy loading up his guns, drawing them from his seemingly endless number of pockets and replacing them.

"This is Jack we're talking about," Rayith said. "You've seen him in combat. You know what he can do. I'm sure he's fine."

"I don't know," Aragorn answered. "I still think it's been to long."

"I'm sure he's okay," Sarah said. "He's got to be."

"Time shall tell," Tristan remarked somewhat cryptically before returning to fiddling with his weapons.

"Yeah," Rayith said with a pout, "but I'm not patient enough to wait…"

.

Ten minutes left. Jack knew that he was closing on the ground floor. He could have sworn that the window wasn't as high up as the amount of levels he had gone down, but then again, maybe the entire thing was one big magical maze. He was getting tired from running from all the guards and tired of killing, just to get some information. He didn't want to kill all of these Mystics. He had no particular dislike for the species, it was just what had to be done.

He rounded a corner and spun around to see if he was being followed. Nothing. He then examined the hallway, almost having a heart attack when he saw when was there. Right in front of him lay two dead Mystics, both with sword wounds. One was missing his head. Between the bodies was a door that had been blown off of it's hinges. The markings of an explosion were evident.

"Oh shit!" he screamed. "I'm back where I started! Damn this castle!" Jack never did go up a flight of stairs, but yet he stood in the exact hallway he entered through.

"I've had enough of this castle!" he screamed, gathering all of the magical winds that were available. He cupped his palms together and a mass of shadow energy gathered around them. "Just die!!" he screamed at the castle, jumping off the ground and pointing his cupped hands to the floor, letting loose a blast of energy four feet in diameter. The beam blasted easily through the floor, continuing through each floor below it. When the beam subsided, a perfectly round hole had been formed through the floor, going straight down to the ground. While the stairs in the castle wouldn't work, Jack decided it was best to make his way of getting down.

"Well, so much for being subtle," he said, examining the hole. "This will work just fine though." Without another word, he jumped into the hole and fell towards the ground floor, using some Force Tech to slow him down as he reached the bottom. He landed in a two floored room with a large staircase in the middle and a door on either end of the landing. Turning around, he found what he needed, the inside of the double doors, as he walked victoriously towards them, he noticed a beeping sound coming from the outside of the doors…

.

"Don't worry Jack!" Aragorn screamed towards the doors, not knowing that Jack was actually right behind them. "We'll save you!" As the bomb on the doors ticked away and the group stood huddled behind a large rock, the doors suddenly opened, revealing the black clad figure of Jack, standing in the entranceway.

"Hey guys!" he said, the beeping sound getting louder. "Hey, what's that sound?" he asked. As the others noticed what was happening, all of their eyes shot open.

"Oh shit!" Tristan yelled. "Jack, get down!"

Jack stared at the gunslinger oddly before figuring it out. "What the…" he said, looking helplessly at the bomb that was attached to one of the doors.

"Uh oh…" he mumbled, breaking into a sprint for the rock. As he neared the rock, the timer went off and the bomb exploded in a fiery blaze, sending a shock-wave through the air.

"Oh f-!" Jack started to say but was cut off by the sound of the explosion as he jumped for cover, being helped along by the blast of the bomb. He landed safely behind another large rock, a little burnt but otherwise unharmed. As the smoke cleared Jack rose up and walked over to the others looking pretty pissed.

"Do you see this!" he screamed, pointing to his watch. "There were eight God damned minute left!" he screamed, pointing to his watch over and over again. "Eight minutes!" he kept screaming while Rayith started to talk.

"We couldn't wait," Rayith said shyly. "We thought you were in trouble…" Jack didn't let up, continuing to give the others the verbal thrashing of their lives.

Tristan slowly rose and examine the blast site. After about a minute of Jack's screaming at the rest of the them for nearly blowing him up, Tristan started to giggle as he looked at the doors.

"What the hell is so funny!" Jack screamed, he voice squeaking in anger as he spun around to yell at Tristan.

"Look," Tristan said, pointing to the doors. Everyone except Jack soon started laughing too. The now open double doors and all of the castle that was his by the bomb looked as good as new, totally unharmed by the explosion.

Jack looked in shock at the totally ineffective attempt at opening the doors. His shoulders went limp as he let out a sigh. "Wonderful," he said weakly. "I almost get killed by a bomb that wouldn't have even opened the doors anyway. What a day…"

.

600ad, Inside Magus's Castle

A tall Mystic walked cautiously into Keltar's quarters. He knew that when Magus wasn't happy with Keltar, Keltar was an unforgiving commander, especially when the news that was coming was bad. This news, which was most definitely bad, would not make him happy. He found his commander sitting in a chair by the window.

"Sir?" the Mystic asked, looking for permission to speak.

"What is it?" Keltar answered grumpily. "Come on. Out with it."

"Sir, we have a problem."

"It better be really serious or you're going to be sorry you bothered me with it."

"Sir, there's an intruder."

"What do you mean, 'an intruder.'"

"He's already killed over a dozen men. Or at least, we've found over a dozen bodies. There might be more. Also, part of the south wing has been destroyed, apparently by magical means." Keltar rose from his seat.

"What does he look like?" Keltar asked, walking towards the Mystic.

"No one knows sir," he said. "Everyone who might have seen him is dead."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone." Keltar walked back to the his chair. He wondered if it could be the blue haired man. He knew that the blue haired man was a skilled warrior and that he had also been sighted heading towards the castle. The chances were slim, but he had to find out who this intruder was.

"Find him," he told the guard bluntly. "Find him and bring him to me."

"Yes sir," the Mystic said before turning and leaving the room.

"Maybe today isn't a good day to die after all," Keltar said to himself as he sat down in his chair again and turned to gaze out the window.

.

600ad, Gate to Magus's Castle

"Okay," Jack said. "We're going in now. I think it would probably be best to split up temporarily and meet back at here after a certain length of time."

The group was standing in the entrance hall to Magus's castle at the base of the large staircase. Everyone was busy getting pumped up about the mission while Jack, currently the self-designated leader, was relaying the information that he had.

"How will we split up?" Rayith asked. Jack thought about it for a moment before answering.

"I'll go with Sarah down the path to the left. Aragorn, Tristan and Rayith will go down the right," he said. There were no objections.

"We should meet back here in one and half hours," Tristan said, looking at his watch. "We can share any information and then set out again."

"Good," Jack said nodding. "Now everyone get ready. Keep in mind that this castle is like magic maze. I should know, I've been a victim of it. Just be ready for anything. Got it?" Everyone nodded.

"Then let's do it!" Rayith shouted. Everyone let out a similar cheer before breaking off in their set groups and heading off down the designated corridors.

'See you all in 90 minutes,' Jack thought to himself. 'Hopefully.'

.

"Life is a Journey, not a Destination" -Aerosmith


	15. Into the Depths of Hell

Chapter 15

_Chapter 15- Into the Depths of Hell_

Jack and Sarah walked uneasily down the upper path on the left. There wasn't much activity, or anything moving for that matter, save for the dancing flames of a few torches. The corridor was long, damp and cold. Both teens walked with their swords outstretched incase of danger but no guards made an appearance. They followed the path until it came to it's end, which turned out to be a wall.

"Damn," Jack said softly. "A dead end."

"I don't know," Sarah said, examining the wall closer. "It's an awfully long passageway to just lead to a dead end. There's got to be some sort of trick wall or something."

"Trick wall?" Jack asked doubtfully.

"Yeah," she answer. "You know, like in the movies."

"Sarah," Jack said as he walked over to the only item in the room, a large chair that was propped up against the wall. "I sincerely doubt that there is anything like a trick…" he paused as he sat down in the chair. Suddenly, there was a grinding noise as a section of the wall on the right side slipped away, revealing another passage behind it. "…Wall," Jack said, finishing his sentence. Sarah grinned in victory as she marched to the new passage and entered. Jack exhaled loudly as he rose from his seat and followed Sarah into new depths of the castle.

.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Rayith screamed at no one in particular. "A dead end!" Surely enough, Rayith, Tristan and Aragorn had found themselves facing a wall that ended the passage on the right.

"This would be odd, wouldn't it?" Aragorn asked rhetorically. "Could this path have been simply a diversion.

"I doubt it," Tristan said, walking up to the wall and tapping on it in various places. "I have a feeling that there's a false wall somewhere around here…" he said, continually tapping until he hear a hollow *clang* come from the wall on the right side of the wall.

"A secret passage?" Aragorn questioned. "How might we access it?"

"Don't worry," Tristan said confidently. "I've just the thing for this situation." He reached into his trench coat and brought forth a weapon which Aragorn and Rayith wouldn't have recognized even if they knew what it was.

"Wait," Rayith started to say. "Tristan, there's got to be a…"

"I've got it covered…" he said, pulling the trigger and firing a small rocket at the false wall. The rocket exploded as it hit surface, blowing away most of the stone work and revealing a passage.

"…Way to open it…" Rayith finished.

"I think my way worked fine," Tristan said, examining his home made door.

After looking at the entrance to the new passage, Tristan discovered a series of gears and metal work. "Oh look," he announced. "I found the device that opens it," he said while pointing at the mangled devices on the inside of the door.

"Lovely," Rayith said sarcastically before slapping Tristan across the head and pushing past him into the passage way. Aragorn waited outside, staring down the corridor that the came from.

"What's wrong?" Tristan asked him, twisting his head to look at the seemingly troubled knight.

"Guys," he said, drawing his sword. "I think that Tristan's method was a little to loud. We've got some company." Rayith and Tristan walked up behind Aragorn and started at the shocking large number of Mystics and arrived on the scene surprisingly fast.

"Well," Rayith said, cracking her knuckles. "Looks like it's time for the warm-up round…"

.

Jack and Sarah made their way down the narrow corridor. There was a smell of dampness in the air around them, making them feel somewhat uneasy. It seemed that an armed guard was waiting for them around ever corner, but so far, none had decided to show their faces. Sarah had cast a small spell on each of their swords, causing them to emit a glow which helped light the hallway, but there were no torches so as a result the passages was still rather dark.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Sarah asked Jack, peering down a side corridor on her right. "I mean, how do we know if we've found the right way?"

"I'm not quite sure," he said unconfidently. "I only really had the plan worked out until the point where we got in."

"Oh, that's reassuring," she said sarcastically.

"I should have had them open a gate and get an mapping of the inside of the castle, but it's to late for that now."

"That would have been a good idea."

"Yeah, well, the key words are 'would have.'"

"Don't worry to much about it Jack," she said calmly. "We'll get through this. We've been in worse scraps."

"I know."

"It was only last week that we were captured by the Mystics."

"How could I forget. That was my first real combat situation."

"You're not thinking about that again, are you?"

"No, not really. I'm not really sure what's going through my head right now. I'm confused, that's all." He did know what was going through his head though. He just didn't know how to say. He needed to protect Sarah, that was what it was. It was that chewing feeling inside that maybe if he protected her, would she like him more? No. That was silly. He knew it was his duty to protect the ones he cared for and she qualified for that position. It was only over the past weeks that he realized how much he really did care for her.

"You know Jack," she started to say. "I never really thanked you for saving my life."

"You don't have to thank me for something like that," he said. "It's just something that I had to do."

"Why?" she asked, trying to draw a straight answer out of him.

"I…I don't know, it just was," He said meekly. Why couldn't he just say it!? 'I'm think falling in love with you Sarah. I've felt this way since we were seven. You protect the ones you love.' Was it really that hard?

"Oh, so that's all?" she said, sounding somewhat disappointed and upset. This confused Jack more than anything he did with Sarah already did. Life was way to confusing. That was becoming Jack's theory.

Jack didn't answer Sarah's question. He just kept on walking down the corridor.

"Jack, can't you just talk to me?" she asked.

"Talk about what?"

"I don't know, just something to get our minds off of all the stress we've had over the past week or so."

"Okay," he said hesitantly. "Well, what are you going to do after we off Lavos?"

Sarah frowned inwardly. 'Not stuff like that Jack…'

"Sarah?"

"What?"

"Nothing. You just didn't answer the question."

"I don't want to think about Lavos, Jack."

"Okay," Jack said, trying to come up with something else to say. "Let's talk about life."

"What about life?"

"I don't know. We've been through a lot together. You're pretty much the only one I can relate to anymore."

"I know how you feel…" she said, trailing off at the end. "What's going to happen to us though?"

"Well, I hope…" he paused momentarily and was about to finish his sentence when he heard some voices from down the hall. He lifted up his hand to signal both of them to stay silent. The voices were probably Mystics, but they were muffled. Neither Jack nor Sarah could clearly understand.

"Anything new on the intruder?" one voice asked.

"Not anything confirmed. There was some commotion at the front gate and by the right wing entrance, though. It was reported as explosions."

"You think there's more than one?" the first voice asked.

"I don't know," a new voice said. "All of the victims seemed to be killed with the same blade." Sarah looked at Jack for confirmation of this and he grinned shyly.

"Well, anyway, I hope I don't run up against it," the second voice said. The voices were getting closer now, Jack pulled Sarah into one of the side corridors and the couched down in the shadows.

"Why not?" the fist voice asked. "You human or somethin'." They were obviously using human as a term like 'chicken.'

"Human! Human!" the third voice echoed in taunting.

"It's not that!" the first voice defended himself, the voices very close now. Jack stared at the wall in deep concentration until he saw through it. The three Mystics were standing right next to the corridor they were hiding in. Jack pointed to where they were, making sure Sarah knew. She shifted so her back was up against the same wall as Jack.

"Then what, human?"

"There where some bodies that were magically damaged. Also, he blew a whole that goes down about 20 floors. Ozzie said it had magical residue." The mention that the human used magic instantly quieted the others down. No one messed with a magic using human. That's why Lord Magus was so powerful.

"Oh," the other two said simply. The three started walking again, passing Jack and Sarah without noticing, and heading down the corridor that Jack and Sarah had come from. When their footsteps could no longer be hear, the two teens sprung up and headed down the corridor, hoping that those Mystics had been coming from the same place they needed to go.

.

"Take that!" Rayith screamed as she hurled a ball of flames at the oncoming wall of Mystics. A bunch of them were incinerated but seemed to keep coming. It wasn't until after a bunch of them had been killed, however, that all three of the warriors noticed that it wasn't Mystics that were coming at them. Instead, it seemed like an army of skeletons, most of them wielding spears.

"Has anyone else realized," Aragorn started to say but paused to swing his giant sword, decapitating about five approaching foes. "That we're trying to kill something that's already dead?"

"I've noticed," Tristan said, drawing a pair of handguns. "Mostly because it's hard to hit what's mostly empty space." He fired off about ten rounds, each embedding themselves into the head of an undead soldier. "Nothing too hard for me though!" He sheathed one of the guns and held out his outstretched palm. With a yellow flash, bolts of lightning flew from his hand creating a chain effect, jumping from victim to victim.

The battle continued, all three of them starting to use their normal weapons rather than magic. Aragorn wasn't having to many problems as his sword could take out multiple guys at once. Rayith and Tristan on the other hand were loosing ground. To compensate, Tristan switched to a pair of automatic pistols, but it still wasn't fast enough.

"I've got an idea!" Aragorn yelled over to Tristan.

"I'm listening!" Tristan yelled back. "What to you have?"

"Rayith!" Aragorn screamed, trying to be heard over the battle cry of the undead warriors. "Hold them off with some magic while Tristan and me set up an attack." Rayith nodded and held out her hands. Flames started to sprout from both palms, creating a flame thrower effect which she used to sweep across the oncoming foes.

"Now what?" Tristan asked.

"I want you to blast my sword with an electrical attack!" Aragorn shouted. "Then leave the rest to me!"

"Whatever you say," Tristan mumbled and held out his hands. "Lighting Two!" he shouted as electrical waves gathered around him. As the waves met each other as they flowed though Tristan's body, he drew his hands back and then thrust them forward again, directing all of the electric energy to Aragorn's outstretched sword.

Aragorn felt the sword surge with power as he guarded himself from being electrocuted himself but using a Force Tech barrier around his hands.

"Now, eat this!" he screamed as he jumped up and forward, halting in the air above the center of the crowd of skeletons. He drew his sword into position above his head and then dropped down to the ground, smashing the lightning blade through a skeleton. As the blade ripped through the bones and hit the floor, a sphere of electrical energy exploded from around Aragorn. The sphere expanding with bolts of lighting jumping off of his sword until the entire room was consumed, taking all of the undead soldiers with it. When the last of the skeletons crumbled to the ground, disintegrated for the most part, the sphere died away leaving Aragorn untouched.

"Cool…" Rayith muttered at the move that her comrades had just used quite effectively.

"I don't know what I should call it," Aragorn said casually. "I'm torn between Lighting Sword or Spire." No one made a sound. "Oh, sorry. Let's get a move on then." He walked lightly to the secret passage and entered into the halls beyond, Rayith and Tristan following.

.

Jack and Sarah rounded a corner and headed up another staircase. It had been a long trip but other then their original evasion of the Mystics guards before, they had made it through without another sight of a guard. They had been silent for awhile now, the staggering quietness starting to get to both of them. Sarah decided to rekindle their previous conversation.

"What were we talking about before?" she asked with a smile.

_Why is she pushing this _Jack thought to himself._ What's up with her lately. She's never been like this. I can't understand what's going on._

Instead, all he said was, "life, I think."

"Oh yeah…" she said, almost depressed. "I remember."

_Why does she sound so sad? What the hell is going on? What am I saying wrong? Just tell her what you were going to say God damn it!_

"I think I was going to say…" he began.

"Yes?"

"I think I was going to say…" then, as Jack was about pour out his feelings after 11 years of waiting, a voice shouted from behind them.

"It's the intruders! Get them!" came the voice. The two of them spun around to see a group of Mystics starting to sprint down the hallway after them.

"…Run!!" Jack screamed, almost as if completing his previous thought. Sarah didn't need any addition coaxing as the both of them broke into a run. Both let their Force Tech kick in, but Jack couldn't max out as that would leave Sarah in the dust. He pushed it to about a Tech level of 16 and found that Sarah was keeping up just fine. In fact she was going faster than him if not just as fast.

"Somebody got stronger huh?" Jack said, tilting his head over to look at Sarah, now surrounded by a dull green.

"Looks like it," she said casually. They were gaining room on the Mystics coming from behind them until they ran into the middle of a very large room. There no windows, but in an alcove on a side wall was a statue of Magus, embedded with blue crystals. Torch light filled the room brightly.

"I think we lost them," Jack said, slowing to a halt as his Force Tech glow died away.

"It looks that way," Sarah said, panting slightly. On that cue, Mystics flooded into the room from the entrances at either end. There were about forty of them in all.

"Or, maybe not…" Jack said, trailing off at the end as he reached to his back and grabbed the handle of his sword.

.

Aragorn led the way through the newly discovered passage. It felt a lot like a dungeon, which was doing a good job of getting everyone depressed. No one could really come up with anything to say, even an attempt at lightening the mood of the weary party. The number of side passageways and stairways was mind boggling. While Aragorn started off by checking tunnels and choosing the path in a logical order, logic was soon abandoned as Rayith and Tristan followed Aragorn blindly as he picked random passages to head down.

The entire group was confused further though, when none of the corridors came to a dead end. In fact, Tristan swore that they passed the same rotting corpse at least twice. Was the entire substructure of the castle woven together magically, forming a complex maze from which escape was impossible?

"I'll bet that ass hole is laughing at us right now," Rayith said angrily. "Man, what I wouldn't give to have my shot at him!"

"Don't be in such a rush to end your life," Aragorn said in a cryptic manner.

"What the hell does that mean?" Rayith asked.

"It means," Tristan started to say, "that now matter how strong you think you are with your new magical and Force Tech abilities, we're sill up against the odds."

"Yeah well, normally I don't like getting into battles with ultra powerful sorcerers, but for Magus, I'll make an exception."

"You're way to gung-ho," Tristan said.

"You're a coward," Rayith shot back.

"And I'll cut down the both of you if you don't shut up!" Aragorn exclaimed.

"You want a piece of me, Knight Boy?" Rayith said, with her fist out in a threatening manner. "Just bring it on!"

"Stop it! Everyone!" Tristan yelled while separating Rayith from Aragorn. "Can't you see? It's the castle! The castle is doing this to us!"

"What do you mean?" Aragorn asked in a surprisingly calm tone.

"It's the magic in the castle," Tristan said slowly. "It's making us fight."

"Yeah right!" Rayith shouted. "You just know you would loose!" She began to go into another rant when there was a slight sound of air movement behind them making a *woosh* noise.

"What was that?" Tristan asked suspiciously.

"I don't know," Aragorn said, his back to Tristan's. "But I don't…." he was cut off by a clunk, followed by something hitting the dirt floor. Tristan and Rayith spun around to find Aragorn laying unconscious on the floor. Tristan reached into his coat and pulled out a pistol, firing a few shots down the hallway that Aragorn's assailant must have come from. He hit nothing but air.

"I really don't like this…" Rayith said, drawing her sword with one hand and gathering flames in the other. She and Tristan backed up against each other when the same *woosh* came from behind her. A similar clunk and thud followed as Tristan fell to the floor, limp. Rayith threw her prepared fireball in the presumed source of their attacker but knew that move as a mistake as something smashed her over the head and she lost consciousness. Soon, all three of them were carried off by the silent hunters to whatever plans their master might come up with.

.

The Mystics piled into the room, creating a rough circle around the two warriors. Both of them could remember that this situation was a lot like another one they had been in just last week at the Mystics Camp. One of the big ones stepped forward, obviously the leader.

"Well, whatda we'z gotz 'eer," he said in broken English. "Dis lookz like da blue hair man dat da boss 'az been 'azken for."

"What's it to you?" Jack asked, still holding a tentative grip on his sword. "And what do you want."

"Oh, da boss iz gonna be happy wit' me when I'z brings you'z to 'im." He walked circled around the seemingly helpless duo, examining his catch. He walked slowly up to Sarah with a sickening grin on his face.

"What do we'z got'z 'eer?" he said as he circled her. "Maybe we'z not gonna take you'z to da boss. Maybe I'z gonna keep you for myzelf." He started to make a series of touching movements, running his hand over her body as she cringed in disgust. "I'z don't normally like 'da humans but." He paused and licked his lips. "Woulda be a shame to waste somebodyz like…" he didn't finish his sentence, but rather made a gurgling noise in his throat as blood rose up and spilled out of his mouth. He looked down to find that Sarah had embedded her dagger in his stomach.

"Not if your dead it's not," she said viciously as she change the grip on her dagger so she was holding it from the bottom rather than the top. She turned to Jack and nodded. Jack pulled out his weapon as Sarah pulled the blade up through the Mystic's body like she was making an uppercut. With a blaze of Force Tech energy, she broke through the top of his skull, spilling brain matter as she jumped into air.

Jack empowered his sword with some fire magic and leapt into the air with Sarah, drawing his sword above his head.

"Let's make this quick," Jack said, "I'm not feeling very magically strong right now."

"Okay," Sarah said with a smile. "I didn't like that guy touching me very much." spreading her arms out to her sides as a whirlwind surrounded them and spread out, throwing all of the Mystics back towards the walls, some into others, some into the walls, a few right through the walls.

"Neither did I," Jack mumbled under his breath as he 'jumped' to the floor and cut a few mystics open with a broad, two handed stroke of his flaming sword. He was immediately mobbed by the surrounding soldiers, causing somewhat of a flashback to beating he got barely an hour ago. This time he was ready for it, reaching out and grabbing the first Mystic he saw. With a quick summoning of lighting magic, electricity coursed through his arm and into the Mystic and every other one in close distance. As the charred bodies dropped to the floor, he drew his sword back and made a leaping cut through a line of them. As he turned around to look at the his path of destruction an unseen Mystic approached from beside him while he fought off those in his front.

Meanwhile, Sarah had created two tornadoes and was moving them back and forth while she hovered in the air. The winds ripped apart the bodies of the surrounding guards when they met. From her vantage point, she saw Jack's silent assailant.

"Jack, look out!" she screamed. He turned his head to look at her but didn't see the Mystic that had just begun a lunge at Jack's neck, a small ax in his hand. Sarah came swooping down as she drew her rapier. She embedded it swiftly through the attacker's temple as Jack finally noticed the Mystic, who was slumping to the ground with two new holes in his head

"Thanks," he said with a grin, pointing a finger behind him, not looking but sensing the approaching guards.

"No problem," she said as sphere of black energy exploded from where Jack had pointed, engulfing a bunch of Mystics and sending the ones closer to the edge of the spell flying. Without words, both of them flew up into the air again. Sarah gestured at the statue of Magus on the far wall and raised it from it's stand with wind magic. She sent it flying across the room, the scythe in the revered figure's hands being used to cut down the Mystics that were running around in confusion.

"Can I finish it up?" Jack asked wryly as he floated to the ground.

"Sounds good to me," Sarah said, remaining in the air and continuing to cut down the Mystic's with the statue's weapon.

Jack land on the ground lightly as he raised his hands in the air. The ten Mystics still alive started to run at him with battle cries. As the Black Winds swirled in Jacks command, circling his hands, the Mystics decided on a better idea. Seeing the winds that were sweeping up around the young sorcerer into a whirlwind, the Mystics got within five feet of him before turning around and running in terror.

"Well, where do you think you're going!" he shouted, enjoying his new power. "Lamb Gush!" he screamed, gathering the winds into one hand and simply raising two fingers. There was a pause as time seamed to stop, immediately followed by the rush of five blasts of shadow energy that spiraled away from him. The remaining Mystics were completely fried in the blast as Sarah slowly floated down from her viewing point.

"Cool," she said in a half smile.

"Yeah, I know," Jack said, examining the two fingers he had used to execute the spell. "It's weird though. For some reason, I'm learning new spells all the time without knowing it. It's almost like just being in this castle is having an effect on my ability to use the Black Wind."

Sarah thought about it for a few seconds before answering. "Well, either way, we blew the hell out of those guys!" she yelled.

"You know it!" he said excitedly. They turned sideways to each other and butted their hips together as they jumped up. Jack rubbed his head shortly after.

"We're beginning to sound like Rayith," he said, still rubbing his head.

"Yeah, that is scary," she said in thought. They both started to laugh as they made their way to the opposite end that they entered from, still on the combat high. They didn't see or hear the silent figure approach from behind. It was only at the last minute when each felt a scaly hand on a side of their head that they knew something was wrong. It was all for naught, however, as the stealthy capture knocked their heads together, their consciousness leaving shortly after.

.

"The Black Wind. It howls…." -Magus


	16. Not Again!

_Chapter 16- Not Again!_

600ad, Prison Block C of Magus's Castle

A large Mystic walked into the prison cell carrying two bodies, one of each shoulder. He dumped them against the wall next two three other limp figures. All five of the silent bodies were clearly unconscious. It had been hard enough not getting killed by them, let alone managing to knock all of them out, but some how, Falgroth had done it. At least Keltar would be happy with his new victims.

Falgroth was a skilled assassin, but taking captives alive was a new idea to him. He had been surprised by the magical prowess of the one with blue hair. No wonder Keltar wanted him. Either way, he would hate to be those poor humans after they woke up. The headache would be one thing, but even a trained killer such as himself shivered at the thoughts of what Keltar might do. Keltar was known to be a harsh master, and especially so when Magus was upset. Falgroth wasn't sure about the mood of their dreaded master, but he knew these humans probably weren't going to be given the best treatment.

The blonde one had woken up on the way to the prison. She struggled only for a short time before he had knocked her out again. She either didn't know what was happening and was confused, or she just didn't have the power left to handle him. She was the only one with someone a lot of else's blood on her. The others seemed to have either avoided close combat or had made swift, clean kills. It was clear that the girl had made a messy deathblow.

After eyeing his victims for a few seconds, making sure they were all still unconscious, he turned and left the cell. The door closed behind him and the sound of a key locking the door shut was faintly heard. His footsteps faded as he left the hall, and went to report to Keltar.

.

Jack felt consciousness slowly seeping back into him. He couldn't open his eyes yet, but knew that he was lying down somewhere. He heard voices. Two voices. They sounded familiar. He wearily opened one eye to examine his area. It was a prison, again. At least he wasn't chained up to a wall this time though. He did find, however, that his hands were bound together by some type of rope behind his back. Soon after, the voices came into focus. It was Sarah and Tristan. They were talking about him.

"It was amazing," Sarah said softly. "The power he unleashed. He wiped out those remaining Mystics like it was easy."

"What kind of spell was it?" Tristan asked.

"Some kind of shadow spell," Sarah said, apparently in thought. "He said that it was almost like he was learning spells because of the castle."

"That's weird," Tristan commented.

"Yeah, well, he never ceases to amaze me," Sarah said. "He just pulls one trick after another out of some unlimited source." She sounded almost like she was impressed with something. "He's just…"

"Awake!" Tristan said, finishing her sentence as he pointed to Jack, now with eyes open in surprise. Tristan and Sarah had propped themselves up against the wall. Jack slowly rose and did likewise. He gazed over to the opposite corner to see the still lifeless bodies of Aragorn and Rayith.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Jack said, angry that he didn't get to hear Sarah say what sounded like it was going to be something good about him. "I guess I just can't get away from being locked up." Jack saw that the other two were bound with their hands behind their backs like him.

"I know," Sarah agreed. "Twice in less then two weeks is pretty bad. I don't think we're going to get to see Magus like this."

"So how do we get out?" Tristan asked.

"Well, it shouldn't be to hard with our magic and higher Force Tech abilities," Jack said. "I can sense at least some life energy here so Force Tech shouldn't be a problem, right?" Tristan shook his head.

"Already tried it. The Winds have been magically sealed from this area," Tristan explained. "That means there's no magic usage."

"Also," Sarah cut in, "Magus must know about or Force Tech because he put some sort of spell on the prison that sends electricity through you if you try to use it."

"How do you know…" Jack started to say, but Tristan indicated the numerous burn marks on his skin with his chin in response. It was only as Jack noticed that Tristan wasn't wearing his trench coat that he saw that all of them had been striped of their equipment. Jack was down to just his skin-tight black sneaking suit. All of the pockets on his legs had been emptied.

They had taken Tristan chest armor too, leaving him topless. Sarah was down to pants and a tee-shirt which had been torn across the bottom, exposing a slash mark on her stomach. Aragorn was missing all of his armor and Rayith was down to her red and black body suit.

"Sorry you had to figure it out like that…" Jack said to Tristan.

"Well, either way, we'll come up with something, right?" Tristan said. "I mean, we're SSAF. We're trained to get out of this kind of thing."

"Mostly using Force Tech, though…" Sarah lamented. "And I thought that with all the time we spent learning everything we did, we would know how to get out of anything." She laughed absently.

"We WILL come up with something," Jack assured. "I just don't know what." He backed up against the wall next to Tristan. "But, first thing is first." He contorted his body in a way so he could reach his boots and tapped on the metal plate that wrapped around the heel of his right one. Doing this caused a small blade to shoot out of the boot from right below the heel. After a little while, Jack managed to saw off the ropes that held his hands together. Holding up the sawed rope, he grinned.

"Do you think of just about everything?" Tristan said as he held his hands toward Jack so he could have them freed.

"Just about," Jack said, removing the right boot and sawing off Tristan's binds. He the proceeded to free Sarah before replacing his the boot on his foot.

"What about those two?" Sarah asked.

"Let them sleep," Jack said. "They'll need the rest for when we get out of here."

"I might go back to sleep anyway," Tristan said. "For some reason, that last bit of rest wasn't so helpful."

"Fine," Jack said. "When everyone is up again, we'll plan the escape."

.

Elsewhere in the Castle….

"You say you actually found him?" Magus asked, slightly intrigued but more just surprised that his bumbling idiot of an underling actually did something right.

"Yes, Lord," Keltar said. "I had Falgroth take care of them. We lost about forty Henches and almost 200 Descendents in the process though."

"Did you say 'them?'" Magus asked. He figured the more the merrier (for him anyway) but wasn't really expecting more then just the blue haired one.

"Yes sir," Keltar said. "He was traveling with a girl, and there were three others that we caught which I'm assuming were with him."

"You know what they say about the word 'assume' don't you?"

"It's makes an ass of you and me?" Keltar said, taking a guess.

"No," Magus said bitterly. "It means 'your ass will belong to me' if you're wrong." Keltar gulped. "Either way, prepare them for interrogation tomorrow. I only want the one with the blue hair, but the others might come in handy for, well…emotion prodding."

"Sir," Keltar said, pausing shortly for Magus to turn to him. "May I ask what you want with this human?" Magus put his hand on his chin in thought.

"I have a theory…" he said cryptically before turning back and leaving the room.

.

Back in the Cell

Tristan reached for a cigarette but quickly realized that they had taken both his smokes and his lighter, let alone the coat that he kept them in. He figured a quick shot of nicotine would calm him down, because he just couldn't sleep. He was tense. He felt naked without his guns or use of Force Tech. Internally, he feared what the Mystics would do to them if they couldn't escape.

_Come on Tristan, think! _He thought to himself. _You're a genius, right? Where the hell is that 170 IQ when you need it? _Tristan came up with a number of possibilities from faking sick, to pretending that one of them had escaped, anything to get the guard to open the door. Those kind of things at least worked in the movies and the video games. If only he had a noise maker and a katana…

He'd probably wait for Jack to start making a plan. Normally, his past rivalry with Jack would have prevented them from working well together, but for some reason, he seemed different from before. Still that sense of arrogance and the need to be in control, but something wasn't the same. He was happy about it though. Jack seemed to be doing a good job as the groups leader. No one had elected him, save maybe Sarah, but he fit the job nicely. If only he didn't talk so damn much though.

Still, that guy had problems. Tristan looked at his own personal problems easier after examining Jack's past. He couldn't really feel sorry for him, but…

"What kind of problems do I have?" came a voice from besides Tristan that made his heart skip a beat. Tristan looked to see Jack sitting the wall, fully awake.

"How…how did you do that?" Tristan asked.

"What? You mean, hear what you were thinking?" Tristan nodded. "I think it has something to do with the lack of magic winds due to the seal around the cell. It creates some sort of vacuum that your thoughts seemed to jump across."

"You can hear all thoughts here?" Tristan asked, feeling somewhat defiled.

"No," Jack said simply, "you were just putting yours out there really loudly." He grinned slightly. "Anyway, I don't know why I can do that either. I don't think it's permanent though."

"Good!" Tristan said. "I can't have you always hear what I'm thinking!"

"With your mind, I don't think I would want to know anyway," he said jokingly. Tristan crossed his arms and gave a 'what the hell does that mean' look.

"But what do you mean when you say I have problems," Jack said, ignoring Tristan's look.

"I don't know," he said, thinking about how to word the response. "I just think you've had a lot of problems and you don't want to admit it."

"Like how?"

"Well…take Sarah for instance."

"What about her?"

"You've had a thing for her for awhile right?" Jack nodded slightly. "I don't understand why you never followed up on it."

"I don't know," he answered with a shrug. "It just seemed like…"

"You ARE aware that she's got a thing for you, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't see it?!" he exclaimed. Jack shook his head, his hair shaking gently from side to side. "Can't you hear the way she talks to you? The way she looks at you?"

"You're imagining things. Something that good would never work out for me."

"Well that's you're problem right there! You should listen to how she talks about you. You're the only one she really trusts. On top of that, you've saved her life at least twice now and you've almost killed yourself trying to do it."

"It's just…"

"No. Don't talk. Listen," Tristan was really getting into this now. "Are you aware that you're trying to save the world for her? She told me about that, you know. I know that you think that no one should get away with what the Lavoid is doing, but deep down, you're doing it for her."

"What's your point?" Jack asked, getting fed up with the conversation.

"My point is, your inability to tell her how you feel is one of your problems, even when it's COMPLETELY obvious that she likes you!" He was almost yelling now.

There was an awkward pause before Jack spoke. "Are you done yet?"

Tristan exhaled loudly. "Yeah. I'm done."

"Then can I try to sleep again?" Jack asked. Tristan nodded. "Good. Man, what I wouldn't give for a sleep spell right now…" Jack mumbled before closing his eyes again.

"Completely and utterly…" Tristan paused in thinking for the right word. "…Blind." He smiled at his own wit before letting his eyes droop shut and tried to let sleep set in.

.

Beginning of Time

"Well this is going well," Fenreir mumbled sarcastically. "Topik, you've let them get captured again!"

"And to make matters worse, Chrono and the others are coming to the castle soon too," Jal said. "If they meet before the right time, it could be disastrous What is something happens and Chrono and Jack are both killed by Magus?"

"That won't happen," Topik reassured.

"Well if it does, at least we know you were wrong about Jack," Hal said.

"I'm right, trust me," Topik said.

"You've been wrong before," Gatille pointed out. "Don't make me even mention some of your previous bad guesses."

"This is more than a guess," Topik said in defense.

"There's still going to be a mess when he meets Magus," Gatille shot back.

"Magus doesn't know, does he?" Jal questioned.

"Magus is smart," Fenreir said. "He'll figure it out. Jack will need some help however…"

"Just sit back and relax," Topik said casually. "This is about to get interesting…"

.

600ad, Location Unknown.

Sarah was standing of a place that seemed both pitch black and brilliantly bright at the same time. "Where am I?" she asked. No response. She repeated herself. "Where am I?" Still nothing. Faint voices could be heard in the distance. He vision was cloudy. Everything was blurred so she couldn't make out shapes.

The voices that called out were garbled she could only pick up certain words. She didn't recognize any of the voices.

"…dying to try it out…" came the voice. It was distorted beyond recognition. "…prepared for the void…"

"Who are you?" she asked. The voice echoed back, bent and refracted at a deafening volume.

"…I am called…" The resonation of the sounds blasted her ears. She covered her ears and screamed back, searching for answers.

"What is this?!" she yelled.

"…ask…Jack…" more garbled voices.

"What does that mean?!" she yelled back, ignoring the pain in her ears.

"Don't tell me you don't know," came a suddenly clear voice. It was unlike one she had ever heard before. It spoke sharply, scaring her. "You should ask the one you love, Sarah."

"I…I don't understand!" she screamed in search of answers. The cruel voice only echoed back in laughter. The cloudy mist that blocked her vision then erupted into a blaze of blue fire. She could feel her skin being singed as the fire engulfed her. The out layers were being burned off. The fire was scorching her lungs as she inhaled. She took one final breath for air…

.

Sarah woke up in a cold sweat, screaming. She was breathing very heavily as Jack rushed over to see what was wrong.

"Sarah! What's wrong?!" he said, taking her hand and trying to calm her down from her almost hysterical state.

"I-I…" she stuttered as she tried to get words out. "I don't know," she said, almost crying. "There were these voices and I couldn't understand them. Then this one voice spoke to me, and the world turned to fire."

"Sarah, calm down," Jack said softly. "It was just a dream."

"It…but it seemed so real," She said. She held back tears, but collapsed into Jacks chest. "It seemed so real…" she said again, this time much softer.

"It's alright," Jack said, putting a reluctant arm around her and rubbed her back to help calm her down. "We all have dreams that seem real. Just forget about it." She waited a few seconds before she lifted her head up and nodded. "That's better," Jack said. "Let's just forget about it and wait for everyone to wake up so we can get out of here."

"Yeah," Sarah said with a small sniffle. "Now I owe YOU one," she added.

"Huh?" Jack asked.

"I'll tell you latter," she said, brushing away the faint traces of tears. "Let's just sit here for now." They leaned up against the far wall and sat in an awkward silence. No one said a word until the others woke up.

.

It could be said that no one had a good sleep. Even Aragorn and Rayith, who never woke up to begin with, were having serious headaches now. The rubbed their heads wearily while Tristan explained what had happened. Now, they had to get out, and as quickly as possible.

"So, how do we do it?" Aragorn asked, still rubbing his temples.

"We have to get someone to open the door first," Jack pondered.

"Actually," Sarah said, "I've got that covered, sort of." She reached down the remains of her shirt and produced a bulky metal key.

"Where'd you get that from?" Tristan inquired.

"I regained consciousness at some point while our capture was taking us up here. He probably thought I was too weak to do anything, but a managed to snag this key before he knocked me out again."

"Can I ask a question?" Jack said, raising his hand.

"Sure," Sarah said.

"When did you learn how to pickpocket? I don't remember any training for that ever."

Sarah thought about it for a second before remembering. "I think it was one week when you were out with the flu about two years ago. I remember Sean saying to me: 'women have more hiding places then men so it's about time you learned to use them.' I never thought it would actually come in handy though…"

"What else do you have hiding in there?" Rayith asked suspiciously. Sarah laughed.

"Believe me, I wish I could fit more in there, but that's all I've got." Jack mumbled something about Sarah's breasts being absolutely perfect the way they were but no one heard.

"Okay," Tristan said, "so now we just have to figure out how to open the door, which is locked from the outside, from in here." The door to the cell was a wooden door with a barred window at about eye level.

"Well, magic is probable out of the picture, and Force Tech manipulation is no good either…" Rayith said, thinking out loud.

"Then we've got to come up with some other way," Aragorn lamented, stating the obvious.

"We need someone with really skinny arms to reach through those bars…" Tristan said. Very quickly, all eyes in the room turned to the short-statured red head in the corner.

"What?!" Rayith said, in her own defense. "You want me to do that?!" Before she could argue anymore Aragorn and Jack had already grabbed her and lifted her up. They carried her over to the door, holding her at the best angle for reaching the key hole. Tristan looked out the window and made sure no one was there.

"Cost is clear," he said.

"Give her the key," Jack told Sarah. She handed Rayith the key

"Now what?" Rayith asked reluctantly, looking extremely pissed off.

"Now you open the door," Aragorn said. Angrily, Rayith reached through the bars, twisting her arm oddly to fit her elbow through. Jack and Aragorn tilted her lower portion up to give her a better angle.

"I swear to God I'm going to fry all of you when I can use magic again!" she yelled grumpily as she squeezed her shoulder through the window, reaching as low as possible.

"Just open the damn door," Jack said. "And stop squirming!" he added as an after thought. Rayith was almost at the hole.

"I've almost got it…" Rayith said. "Just a little more…" Suddenly, there was a click sound as the key was inserted, the lock came undone, and Rayith removed the key.

"Got it!" she shouted. "No let me go!"

"Not yet…" Jack said slowly as he and Aragorn opened the door, Rayith still hanging stuck in the bars.

"What the hell are you doing!" she screamed at them.

"Getting you out," Jack said tentatively as he swung Rayith's form through the door.

"Well your not doing a good job of it!" she screamed again. Jack ignored it. He signaled Aragorn to hold her up as he stepped off to the side. He lifted up and hand and closed his eyes. With a small gesture, the bars around Rayith's arm bent outward and she came free without struggle as Aragorn pulled her out.

"That was much less painful then it might have been," Jack said bitterly. Rayith rubbed her arm.

"Well…thanks," she said, silently admitting she was wrong.

"Can we get out of here now?" Sarah asked.

"Let's find our stuff first," Jack said. "It's probably on this floor. Anyway, I'm getting tired of wearing nothing but this damn body suit."

"Oh, I think the skin tight look is you, Jack," Tristan joked. Jack promptly slapped him over the head.

"Okay, so let's just find our weapons and armor and look for Magus," Rayith said, running off to the left. She was soon followed by the others.

.

"Maybe I'm just not good with girls, period. You know, like I'm missing that portion of the brain or something." -American Pie


	17. Meeting the Magus

_Chapter 17- Meeting the Magus_

600ad, Hallway in Prison Block D

Jack attached the last of his gear and swung his sheath over his shoulder. He had been surprised to find that the Red TAG was in one piece, not dissected like his other TAG was after his last trip behind Mystic lines. He had placed the Red TAG on his belt, not getting a chance to test it first.

All their gear was in one piece when they found it in a room not to far from their holding cell. Tristan had kept watch while the rest of them geared up. The got ready quickly, trying to avoid detection.

"Well I'll be glad to get out of here," Tristan said as he ran a hand through his hair. "I don't really like Mystic hospitality."

"Magus shouldn't be far away from here," Rayith said anxiously, spinning her sword in her hand. "I think we're pretty high up."

"And the big baddie is always at the top," Sarah said. "At least we won't have to climb up to many more stairs."

"Don't get your hopes up," Aragorn said. "We may be high, but this castle is immense. We should stick together this time."

"Agreed," Jack said. "Now can we get going?" he asked Tristan who was watching the door.

"Looks clear," Tristan said. "Let's go." Tristan exited the room and the other four followed quickly after. It wouldn't be long before Magus found that they had escaped…

.

Magus's Chambers

"What do you mean they have escaped?" Magus asked in an odd mix of calmness and anger.

"I don't know how," the Mystic he was speaking to babbled. "The bars to the cell were bent. They might have crawled out through the opening."

"Don't be stupid, you fool," Magus spat. "And I'm sure Keltar made sure that someone else reported this…" he thought out loud.

"Yes, Lord. Keltar sent me. He said that he has sent Falgroth to look for them." the Mystic said while averting his eyes. "That's not all though," he said with a stutter in his throat. Magus looked at him as if to tell him to proceed. "We have more intruders."

"What?" Magus asked rhetorically.

"Three of them. One boy, one girl, and…" the Mystic trailed off to silence

"And what?" Magus asked bitterly.

"And one frog," the Mystic said hesitantly.

"So," Magus said. "It's time to play…"

"Do you want to speak to Keltar?" the Mystic asked.

"Tell Ozzie to take care of the frog and the others. And yes, get me Keltar," Magus said. The Mystic started backing up slowly, not wanting to turn his back on his Lord. "Now," Magus said through gritted teeth, angry but retaining from yelling. The Mystic didn't need to be told twice before spinning around clumsily and running towards the exit.

.

Back with the Good Guys…

The five travelers walked around with a relative lack of caution for a group of people who were invading the head quarters of an evil sorcerer. Only Aragorn was tensed up, jumping at every noise and holding a firm grip on the handle of his weapon. He knew the enemy, and knew to be careful.

They had already dispatched groups of guards of various sizes. Together, nothing was to problematic. Aragorn would normally leap into the fray and hack down the mystics while the others took turns providing magical back up. The continued to climb the tower, but it seemed like there was no end. The magical entanglement of the halls was beginning to annoy Jack, who had already brought up the option of combining their powers with the flux of magical winds and just blow the castle and everything in it to hell. Maybe the job of leader was getting to him.

"You said it yourself," Sarah said. "We need this Magus guy for info on Lavos, remember?"

"I remember quite clearly," Jack said angrily. "And I'm wishing I didn't." A sound came from down the hall in front of them. Before anything could round the corner though, Jack brought his hand forward and blasted whatever was coming with a Dark Bomb.

"We've got to be close," Rayith said. "I can feel it…"

"What does that mean?" Tristan asked.

"I don't know," Rayith admitted, "but I can feel his presence. The presence of the Magus is not one that you forget."

"So how many more floors, of seer of the future?" Jack asked, somewhat mockingly.

"Not that many more," Rayith said. "Not that many more."

"Why couldn't there just have been a teleporter like in the video games…" Jack mumbled.

The group continued on, despite Mystics attacks which were becoming more and more annoying. True to what Rayith said, the magical flow of energy was increasing. Jack could see the concentration of magical winds becoming stronger. There was some sort of temple or altar that they were coming from. Jack feared what ceremonies were preformed at such an altar.

As the continued upwards, they noticed the attacks from guards becoming less frequent. Maybe something else needed their attention? The attacks had been easy to take on, however. Most of the group took the lack of guards as a bad omen. Something bigger was coming.

.

Upper Levels of the Castle

Falgroth stormed through the halls down to the level the prisoners were last seen on. Reports were scarce as most of the guards that had seem them were either dead or incapacitated, but Falgroth would get them. He never failed. He got them before, he would get them again. The hunt was the best part of his job anyway…

.

A Slightly Lower but Hardly Close to the Ground Level of the Castle

They had to be close. The group had climbed endless staircases, bringing Jack back to his original idea of just blowing the castle to hell. The had just arrived in a small room faint sunlight coming in from a vent on the upper left hand corner, casting a beam the shined on another statue of Magus in an alcove in the wall. Everyone was wondering exactly how many statues there were of the mean looking guy in the entire castle. Bets had ranged from 15 to 115.

"I'm getting tired," Rayith said. "I'm tired and hungry."

"Your always tired and hungry," Aragorn said. "Stop complaining."

"At least the guard encounters has dropped," Sarah commented.

"Speak for yourself," Jack said. "Frying bad guys was at least interesting. I'm getting antsy and bored."

"Then welcome to the end of your boredom!" came a voice from above them. They looked up to see a powerful looking mystic drop down from a hole in the ceiling. His English was remarkable good.

"Who are you?!" Jack questioned, cutting past the formalities and getting the point as was usual for him.

"I'm the one who caught you the last time," the Mystic said as he drew a mean, jaggedly intricate blade from a scabbard on his belt. "My name is Falgroth, translating roughly to Shadow Blade in your barbaric tongue." Before anyone uttered a word, Rayith drew her sword and leapt forward with a downward slash. Falgroth effortlessly blocked the attack and her remise before kicking her in the gut and pushing her back.

"He's good," Rayith reassured while breathing heavily.

"You're the one who knocked out all of us last time?" Tristan questioned. The muscular Mystic nodded with a smile. "Then why not do it the same way again?" Tristan asked.

"Well, it's quite simple," he said, waving his sword around. "I've seen some of the damage you can do, especially the blue haired one," he pointed the sword at Jack. "I want to battle you, one on one, and take you each down, one by one."

"I don't get it," Tristan said. "It's about honor?"

"Before, I had a time limit," the Mystic said. "The boss was in a rush. Now, he's worrying about some new intruders."

"New intruders?" Jack asked but his question remained unanswered.

"Either way, I'd rather kill you all in a more, warrior like fashion."

"Instead of sneaking up on us like a rat?" Sarah shot.

"Please," Falgroth said. "Movement in the shadows is an art, not something you can just pick up."

"Can we cut the crap and get down to it?" Jack asked. "I'll go first," he said, drawing his blade. "Now beat me face to face…if you can."

"I'll enjoy fighting you," Falgroth said as he drew his blade into a fighting stance. "And I'll ask you ahead of time not to use any tricks. I know you didn't demolish a whole segment of the castle with your sword."

"No magic?" Jack asked. "Why would I hold back from that?"

"Because if your worth anything, you can beat me without it. Or, are you man enough for it?" Falgroth inched forward with a grin.

"Is that a challenge?" Jack asked, licking his lips.

"Take is as you will," Falgroth replied. Now Jack couldn't use magic. His pride was on the line.

"Fine, no magic," Jack said. "I swear on my warriors honor." Without another word he lunged at Falgroth, being met by his blade. He recovered and took two swipes, one to the head and the other to the legs. Falgroth ducked the first and jumped over the second, coming down with an overhead chop after the jump. Jack parried the blow easily and countered with a blow to the Mystic's flank. The attack was met by a blade, foiling his attack. They both stepped back. About four seconds had gone by since the first attack.

"Your fast," Falgroth said.

"You're not bad yourself," Jack said with a grin as he twirled his sword.

"To bad your not fast enough..." Falgroth ran at Jack with his sword drawn back and cut in a downwards arc. Jack rolled to the side of the attack and leapt from the ground with an uppercut slash, spinning in midair after the attack was dodged and coming down with another cut. The worthy opponent blocked the attack and brought his blade around Jack's sword in an attempt at a head cut. Jack ducked and lunged at the vulnerable Mystic but Falgroth was too fast, blocking the attack with almost no effort.

"Your gonna have to do better than that," Falgroth mocked.

"I'm just warming up," Jack said, licking the sweat off of his upper lip and lunging with a side cut, pulling back as Falgroth went to parry. He lifted the blade around his opponent's and cut downwards. Falgroth jumped out of the way, Jack's blade ripping a gash in the Mystic's garments. As Falgroth stood in shock that he had been hit, Jack lunged again, fainting to the flank but swooping under and cutting upwards. Falgroth jumped back again, this time getting away clean.

"Neat trick," Falgroth muttered. "To bad your gonna need more than tricks to beat someone like me."

"Stop patronizing me, scum," Jack shot. "I've beaten far better swordsmen then the likes of you." The both jumped at each other but Jack managed to leap out of Falgroth's range in a display of acrobatic skill. As Falgroth's blade landed short, Jack jumped back and was barely blocked by Falgroth.

"I haven't even attacked yet," Falgroth said, moving in and launching a fast series of attacks which were barely seen by the people on the sidelines, but Jack managed to block without to much effort. Falgroth tried a series of faints, but Jack didn't buy any of it at and blocked the final cut.

"That was pathetic," Jack shot. "Come on! I've fought amateurs better than you!" Jack's attempt at psychological warfare didn't seem to be working though. Despite Falgroth's slow speed on the attack, he appeared to be extremely confident in his skills and that always proved to be a problem. That was the most important thing on the fencing strip; confidence. Jack had learned it over many years, but it seemed that this guy had it, making any attempts at confusing him probably worthless.

"You're too confident," Falgroth said. "That will be your defeat."

"There's no such think as overconfidence..." Jack muttered under his breath as he drew his blade back and ran at Falgroth. Jack's attack was parried without difficulty, as was Falgroth's re-post, putting them back in a deadlock. They circled around each other menacingly.

"Com'on Jack!" Tristan screamed from aside.

"You can do it!" Sarah assured. Oddly, Rayith was silent. She had realized that despite all of her skills, she would be out classed if her time to fight came up. She sat in concentration, preparing for her time, should it come.

"He can do it, right?" Aragorn asked.

"Of course he can," Sarah said. "He'll do it and we'll be fine." As she said this, Falgroth attacked again, pushing Jack back towards the wall. Jack fought back and the clashing of blades continued. Attack, parry, re-post, parry, counter re-post, parry. It went on and on. Endless battle for over half an hour. Both were getting tired, Falgroth was getting annoyed.

"I grow weary of this!" Falgroth shouted. Good. Jack was finally getting to him. He'll start to make mistakes soon. Everyone did.

"How much more can ya' take?" Jack taunted. "I could go on for at least another three hours."

"That won't happen..." Falgroth said, making another attack, putting all his strength into it. Jack parried, but his was pushed back by the sheer force of the blow. Falgroth cut again, pushing Jack further back. Jack was being backed up against the wall as the full force of the Mystic's power was pushed against him.

_Damn he's strong,_ Jack thought. _Didn't anticipate this._ Now Jack was against the far wall. Falgroth took one final swing, loosing Jack's grip on his blade and sending the weapons flying from him. Jack panted for air as he looked at his weaponless hands, no way to defend himself.

"You see, no one can last forever," Falgroth said. "Are you ready to die now?" Jack instinctively shot a glance at Sarah, worried that he could no longer protect her. Unfortunately, Falgroth caught this glance.

"Oh, so that's it. You want to save them, hmm?" Jack gritted his teeth. "I think it will be much more interesting if you watch them die first." Jack eyed his fallen sword, sitting on the ground at least two yards away. No time to get it and get back. He was trying not to panic, but couldn't think of any options left.

"Well, they can die first!" Falgroth spun and jumped at Sarah.

"Sarah!" Jack screamed. Sarah reached to draw her weapon to parry the blow but didn't stand a chance. Falgroth was already practically at her neck.

"No!!" Jack screamed, reaching unconsciously for the red rod on his belt. The Red TAG seemed to jumped into his hand as the blade activated and the gleaming red weapon came to life. As everything shifted to slow motion, Jack jumped at Falgroth, visible to the others as merely a blue blur with a bright streak of red. Falgroth saw Jack coming at the last moment, turned and lifted his blade to block but it was useless. The Red Tag slid effortlessly through Falgroth's sword, similar to the way it passed through his neck, severing the Mystic's head from his body in a gory, salient fountain of blood.

Time still passed slowly as Jack slowed back to visible speed about five feet passed the limp body of Falgroth which was still in the process of hitting the ground. Jack stood up and the Red TAG turned off. There was a big sound as Falgroth's body hit the stone floor, a smaller one as the severed head fell, followed by a seemingly distant metal clang caused by the broken blade clattering against the floor.

"Whoa…" Tristan murmured. Jack turned to the group, wordless.

"That was awesome," Rayith said, jumping up from her sitting position. "How'd you do that?"

"Is everyone okay?" Jack asked, ignoring the other comments. Everyone nodded. "Then let's go…" he turned and headed towards the exit to the room past the fallen body of the worthy Mystic opponent. Tristan, Aragorn and Rayith ran past him. Sarah slowly walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Thanks," she said, her heart still beating fast from almost being killed. "I mean, well...thanks again."

"Umm..." Jack stood at a loss for words. _She's searching, _Jack thought. _Think about what Tristan said. Come on and say something! Sweep her off her feet!_

"It's no big deal," he said, finally coming up with something. "I would have done the same for anyone." He said this, but immediately thought something along the lines of, _what the hell was that you moron?!_

"Yeah, well, that's twice you've saved my life," Sarah said. Jack walked over and picked up his sword from it's resting place on the ground.

"I can't have you dying on me now can I?" Jack asked, sheathing the sword. That was better, he thought to himself.

"Still, I owe you some thanks."

"No you don't," Jack said. "It's my job. I...I had to protect you." He tried not to blush. It didn't work too well.

"Jack? Are you blushing?" Sarah asked with a giggle.

"No!" Jack said, spinning around to put his back towards her. "Come on. The others are waiting." He started to leave the room. Sarah soon followed, still giggling.

.

The group was getting close very quickly. From the concentration of the winds, Jack guessed that Magus's main place of spell casting was close.

"It's amazing," he said as he walked in the lead of the five. "It's like this entire castle was built as a giant magic magnet. It's like all of the winds in this section of the world are being pulled to a central location that's…" he paused and looked up. "…Almost directly above us."

"So he has all the power he even needs for spell casting…" Tristan managed to conclude.

"But what would he need with all of this energy?" Sarah asked.

"I'm not quite sure," Jack said. "But I can tell that someone is up there manipulating the winds right now!"

"You sure about that?" Rayith asked.

"It's got to be Magus," Jack said. "The magical presence is huge."

"Straight above us?" Tristan asked.

"We're close," Jack said. "We're definitely close." He broke into a run, turning up the next stair and running up it. He nearly ran in to the brick wall that was at the top, blocking any area where a door would be.

"What the hell?!" Rayith shouted as she ran into Jack.

"It's blocked!" Jack screamed.

"No way!" came the almost unison voices of Tristan, Aragorn and Sarah.

"Wait a minute...." Sarah said, pressing her ear up to the wall.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"There's fighting going on..." she said. "On the other side of the wall." Everyone pressed their ear against the wall similarly to Sarah. Sure enough, they could hear a distant clanging of metal and the sounds of spells being fired back and forth.

"What's going on?" Aragorn asked. "Who's fighting?"

"I don't know..." Jack said, drawing back his arms and cupping his palms. "But we're gonna find out!" He gathered a mass of magic into the space between his palms. "Water!" he yelled, the energy in his palms turning blue as he thrust his arms forward and blew a hole in the wall with a wave of water.

.

The group rushed through the new hole and found themselves at the base of staircase that curled upward. As the gathered on the entrance landing they could hear the fighting that was going, seemingly at the top of the stair case

"I guess we go up..." Aragorn said, walking forward slowly.

"How did the people up there get here?" Sarah asked, pointing to where the fighting was.

"I don't know," Jack said, looking around for an explanation. "Wait..." he said, pointing to and area off to the left of the landing. "Look at that," he exclaimed. The area that he was pointing to seemed to bend, like when thermals rise up off of a hot parking lot pavement.

"What is it?" Rayith asked.

"I'll wager it's some sort of teleporter," Tristan interjected. "That's how the other 'intruders' beat us here."

"So now what?" Rayith asked.

"Like Aragorn said," Jack stepped forward. "We go up..."

.

Beginning of Time

"So now what?" Fenreir asked. "So he meets Magus and they battle to the death?"

"No," Topik said slowly. "The truth is, I'm not sure what's going to happen now."

"You did check the streams, right?" Hal asked.

"Yes," Topik said. "But a lot of it depends on how quickly Jack makes up the stairs."

"What do you mean?" came a previously unheard voice.

"I mean..." Topik paused. "Well, I mean you'll have to sit back and watch. How is Chrono doing?" he asked.

"He's winning," Jal said. "Magus is losing his concentration on the spell which he was going to summon the Lavoid with."

"Good," Topik said. "Maybe our friend Jack can make sure he loses his concentration completely. The last thing we need is that manic trying to fight the damn thing now."

.

"Ahhh!" the Magus screamed, falling to his knees. "What…what have you done to the Masamune!?" he demanded. The Frog held his sword out in victory, ready to finish off his opponent. The boy stood back with the robot, know all to well that it was Frog's fight to finish. He would remain silent while his amphibious friend finished off the sorcerer.

As the Frog drew his sword back to make the finishing blow, a rumble spread through the room. The rumble resembled a noise that stomach makes when it gets hungry.

"Oh, bad timing!" Magus spat, drawing his cape around himself. "Don't wake up on me now!" Soon after, the rumblings increased and the fabric of the third dimension began to buckle…

.

"What the hell was that?" Rayith questioned as the stairs they stood on shook with the same energy that passed through the previous room seconds before.

"Something big is happening!" Tristan said.

"We have to hurry!" Jack yelled, overcoming the rumbling stairs and making his way to the top faster.

.

"Wake up?" the robot questioned. "According to my data banks, Lavos was created here, at this very time." Winds had started to pick up around the room. The blue flames that lit the passage remained alit through the building winds.

"You fools!" Magus yelled. "I merely summoned him!" Magus's cape kicked up in the wind as he spoke. A fabulous light show was beginning. Blue energies spun in a spiral, starting to gather at the space in front of the wizard. "Lavos has been here for eons, living in our planets core, soaking up it's energy!"

The energies formed a ball and started to grow, spewing off energy in every direction. Fabulous patterns of light and geometric shapes grew and refracted off of the growing vortex's own energies.

"According to my sensors, it's a giant time gate!" The robot shouted, projecting loudly through it's speakers to make itself heard over the roar of the germinating time portal…

.

"We're almost there!" Jack shouted as he reached the top of the staircase. It was hard because it seemed that the entire castle was falling apart. The staircase had begun to crumble from the bottom. Jack and Aragorn had made it to the top, leaving the other three racing against the clock as the staircase crumbled.

"Jump!" Aragorn screamed to the others over the roar of the temporal distortion in the next room. Sarah made it to the top, finishing her sprint with a leap to the top platform. She reached out and grabbed Jack's outstretched hand, Jack then lifting her up. Rayith started to fly, lifting a confused Tristan up by his trench coat. Tristan's legs still kicked in the air as Rayith rose up and landed on the upper platform with the others.

"Thanks," Tristan said. Rayith simply nodded.

"No time for formalities," Jack muttered. "Let's get in their and find out what the hell is going on!" Jack sprinted through the door into a corridor with a high vaulted ceiling. Blue flames flickered on each side. Down the way, an immense blue sphere pulsated with energy. There were four people there. A boy with spiky red hair, a giant frog, what appeared to be a robot, and a vampiric looking man with long blue hair; it was the exact same shade as Jack's.

"What's happening?!" Sarah questioned. "It looks like a time portal!" she exclaimed, answering her own question.

"And it looks like those people are getting pulled in!" Tristan yelled. Indeed, the portal was getting smaller and the four individuals around it were being lifted up and tossed around like rag dolls.

"That's Magus with them!" Aragorn said, pointing to the blue haired man.

"Then what are we waiting for!" Jack yelled, breaking into a sprint for the portal. The others soon caught on and followed. The five sprinters exploded towards the conflagration of energy. The gate was beginning to close, the winds not dying down however.

"Hurry!" Rayith screamed for no apparent reason. It was highly unlikely that anyone was listening though. As they sped across the floor, the neared the portal quickly, but it was already almost gone and the other people were no longer visible.

"My time magic should stabilize it while we jump in!" Jack said. "Let's go!" As they neared the closing gate, Jack made a leaping dive into the blue matter, disappearing almost instantly, but forcing the gate open slightly larger as the other four reached the vortex and made a jump for it. As Rayith slid past the surface of the sphere and passed into fourth dimension travel, the vortex shrank into nothingness, the winds only dissipating when the portal was completely closed.

.

"How ironic, that being pulled through yet another gate, I would end up back here…" -Magus 


	18. Lost in Time

_Chapter 18- Lost in Time_

Time Unknown, Location Unknown

Jack woke up slowly, a groggy wake up similar to a student rising for Monday morning classes after a weekend of sleeping late. He didn't want to get up. He liked the dream world. Things worked out for him there. Nothing was such a harsh reality as waking up from a dream.

This was somewhat different, however. When Jack opened his eyes, he saw a blade a scythe poised as his throat. At the other end of it was the vampire-like man with blue hair he had saw earlier. Jack instinctively reached for his blade, but found nothing.

"Your weapon is over there," the man said, indicating the far wall of the enclosed area they were in, which appeared to be a cave. He saw Sarah on the floor a few feet behind the man. She looked unharmed. There was no sign, however, of Aragorn, Tristan or Rayith. Jack slowly climbed to his feet as the man followed his neck with the cruel looking weapon.

"Who are you?" Jack asked nervously.

"Actually, I should as you that," the man said somewhat grimly. "I've heard a lot about you, but I guess now I get to met you in person."

"What do you mean?" asked, inching his hand over to where his TAG hung on his belt.

"Don't be stupid," the blue haired man spat. "You destroyed a nice portion of my castle, boy. Originally, I wanted to ask you a few questions, but soon I decided to just kill you."

"You're Magus?" Jack asked.

"Well, aren't you quick," Magus said sarcastically. "I suppose you've heard a lot about me too?"

"Actually, I need to ask you a few questions," Jack said, reaching ever closer to the TAG.

"Please, child," Magus said, almost laughing. "You're in no position to ask questions."

"How about…" Jack started to say, making the last reach to his TAG. "Now!" he shouted, grabbing for the weapon. He found nothing but air, still bringing his empty hands forward out of habit.

"Are you looking for this?" Magus said, dangling the Red TAG from his right hand. He examined the weapon interestedly. "Quite a device you have here," he said whimsically. "Mind telling me where you got it?"

"I don't understand," Jack said.

"Let's just say I have a lot of questions," Magus said.

"If I talk, will you tell me what I want to know?" Jack asked.

"Okay," Magus said. "And if you're lucky, I'll let you live with the information…"

.

Time Unknown, Location Unknown.

Tristan examined his surroundings. It looked like he was in a canyon of some sort, the trickle of water could be heard in the distance. Rayith was on the floor at his feet, next to the inactive blue portal which lay off to the side. Aragorn was slumped on the ground in a similar manner on the other side of the gate.

Tristan couldn't remember quite what had happened. The last thing he knew, he was jumping into a time gate, following that damned Jack McKlane on another one of his crazy ideas. What were they even doing in Magus's castle anyway? Rayith was starting to come to when Tristan sat down to ponder his situation further.

"Welcome back," Tristan said, somewhat sarcastically. "Enjoy the trip?"

"Where are we?" a woozy Rayith asked. "And where are the others?"

"Not quite sure," Tristan said. "That's the answer to both questions, by the way."

"Yeah, I figured," Rayith said, rubbing her head and rising to her feet. "Oh, wait a minute! I know where this is! Shit!"

"What?" Tristan asked, remaining calm.

"We're back in Truce Canyon!" she yelled. "We've got to go find the others!"

"They could be anywhere though," Tristan said. "If the gate took us to a separate time, they could be anywhere in the history of the planet."

"It's okay!" Rayith reassured. "The man at the end of time will know what to do. We just need to go there. Give me the gate key!" she shouted. Tristan reluctantly reached into his coat and searched his pockets. After about a minute of searching, he gave a look that said, 'uh-oh.'

"Umm, Rayith?" Tristan said shyly.

"What?!" she demanded.

"I think Jack has the gate key."

"What do you mean? Didn't he give it to you?"

"Yeah," Tristan said hesitantly. "But when all our equipment was taken back at Magus's castle, I think he took it."

"So we're stuck here?" Rayith asked. Tristan nodded. "Stranded?" Tristan nodded again. Rayith paused momentarily before slumping to the ground. "Oh shit…" she said with an exhausted look on her face. Tristan once again nodded silently.

.

Time Unknown, Location Unknown

"So do you know where we are?" Jack asked. Magus came close to smiling, making a *hmph* sound. Jack and Magus were sitting on opposite sides of the cave, Magus no longer holding Jack at scythe point. Sarah still lay unconscious on the floor next to Jack. Magus had taken all their weapons, leaving Jack no option by to answer whatever question the odd man had.

"Well, guessing by the large snow storm outside, I'm going to say that we're somewhere back in the Ice Age."

"12,000 BC?" Jack asked. Magus nodded, again almost smiling.

"How ironic…" Magus mumbled.

"What?" Jack asked.

"Oh, nothing. Anyway, I still have a few questions I need to ask you." Jack nodded, signaling him to ask away. "First off, boy, what the hell were you doing in my castle?"

"I was told that you had information about Lavos," Jack said slowly.

"Lavos?" Magus said, covering up his shock. "What do you know about Lavos?"

Jack was silent for a few seconds. "He…" Jack paused. "He destroyed my home…"

"And?" Magus said insensitively.

"And I want to kill him!" Jack said excitedly. "I was told by someone that you would know how to get to him."

"Really?" Magus said, slightly intrigued by the boy's rage.

"I guess I can't possible expect someone like you to understand…" Jack said. Magus grimaced, but it was unnoticed by Jack who continued with his speech. "But, will you tell me what I need to know?"

"The person who sent you, what exactly did they tell you?"

"They told me that in the middle ages, there is a man called Magus and that I should try to speak with him."

"Interesting…" Magus mumbled. "But I'm asking the questions."

"Whatever," Jack said. "I'll tell you what you want to know, or I'll try. Umm…what is it you want to know?" Magus put his hand to his chin, forming the questions that would reveal if he was right about this boy.

"Why do you have blue hair, boy?" Magus asked.

"Because I was born with it, duh." Jack didn't really understand such a peculiar question.

"And you're from the year 1999ad?" Jack nodded. Magus mumbled something to himself that Jack couldn't decipher.

"What does my hair have to do with anything?" Jack asked.

"If you haven't noticed," Magus said belligerently, "It's the same color as mine."

"So?"

"Tell me, child. Have you ever heard of the Kingdom of Zeal?"

"Of course," Jack said casually. "I've taken courses on it in school. The Kingdom of Zeal was thought to be wiped out by a tidal wave, right?" Magus didn't answer.

"Who are your parents?" Magus asked.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean 'I don't know?'"

"I don't know."

"Why."

"I was found by a river bank when I was about two." Magus paused.

"You didn't happen to have that around your neck when you were found, did you?" Magus asked, pointing to Jack's necklace.

"It was all I was found with," Jack said, clutching the necklace in his hand.

"Impossible…" Magus mumbled.

After a long pause, Jack became fed up with this man. "What?!" Jack demanded. "Look, I've answered your questions, now it's time for you to talk!"

"Sorry kid," Magus said, rising from the ground. "But I've got some more important stuff to attend to." Magus walked out to the door of the cave into the blizzard outside.

"Come back here!" Jack yelled, running over and grabbing his blade before following Magus out into the storm. The wizard stood about fifty yards away with his back turned to Jack.

"You wish to fight me?" Magus asked, not turning around. "Why?"

"You have information I need," Jack said, gripping the blade tightly. Magus waited for a few seconds before speaking.

"Very well," Magus said, turning around and pushing his cape out of the way. "I could use some warm up in case Dalton has problems with my appearance…"

"What?" Jack asked, drawing his blade back. "Oh, never mind. You'll talk. I just can't kill you before you do."

Magus mumbled something under his breath before starting to chant a spell. "Kid, you're about to get the beating of a lifetime…"

.

600ad, Truce Village

"So let me get this straight," Aragorn said, taking another sip from his mug. "We're stranded in 600ad without Jack and Sarah, who could be anywhere. Plus, we don't have anything that could stabilize a gate, so we're basically stuck here until Jack comes to get us. In addition, for all we know, Jack might be dead. Is that right?

The three stranded time travelers sat in a pub on the eastern side of Truce Village. Rayith and Tristan had found it hard to wake Aragorn up, let alone get him to come to the village. They were in the middle of analyzing their situation over drinks.

"I think that sums it up," Tristan said, exhaling some cigarette smoke before placing the white cylinder back in his mouth.

"So we can't go on trying to fight Lavos, then?" Aragorn asked.

"Not till Jack finds us here with the gate key," Tristan said. "It's safe to rule out building a new one as well. I could probably figure something out, but my materials would be so limited that I don't think it would work."

"So we're stuck?" Rayith asked.

"Yup," Tristan said.

"There's got to be someway out," Aragorn said. "I mean, we can't just be stuck here, can we?"

"Think about it moron," Rayith said. "You and I were stuck here before we met Jack. To top everything off, Magus got away. All that learning Force Tech was useless unless I get to fry his ass."

"So what are our options?" Aragorn asked.

"I don't think we have any," Tristan said. "We just have to wait it out."

"Lame," Rayith said dejectedly. "This sucks."

"There has to be something that we can do," Aragorn said. "Maybe we could go try to help in the war."

"I don't know. Magus is gone, so the war with the Mystics should be subsiding," Rayith said. "I think he was pretty much their only leader."

"No way," Tristan said. "There's got to be some other high ranking Mystics that are still ready to carry on war."

"I don't know," Rayith said. "Most of them were probably killed."

"I guess you're right," Tristan said. There was a long pause as they each had another drink. Shortly after Tristan tossed the burnt butt of his cigarette to the floor and stood up. "Well, we should probably check into an inn," he said. The other nodded and rose. Slowly and depressed, the group headed out of the pub and made their way to any inn that would have them.

.

600ad, Magus's Castle

"He's gone sir, no trace of him."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean there's no trace. He's just vanished."

Keltar was standing in one of the castles many war rooms as a Mystic guard explained to him the results of the recent actions in the castle.

"What of the other top lords?" Keltar asked.

"Ozzie, Slash and Flea are all missing also," the Mystic said.

"You don't mean…"

"Yes, Lord Keltar," the Mystic said, pausing shortly. "You are now the leader of the Mystic Forces."

"Excellent," Keltar said, suppressing his own excitement while pondering his first move as general of the entire Mystic Army. "What is the state of the standing army?" he asked, immediately deciding that only way to be remembered in history would be to lead his Mystics to victory over the Humans.

"Infantry is at 75%. The necromantic warriors will start to fall apart without Ozzie's control however. We will be down to 50% within roughly a week."

"Then we have to act fast. What of our Calvary units?"

"Fast Calvary is at 30%. The units received heavy casualties at the Battle of Zenan Bridge. Heavy Calvary is at nearly full, though."

"Good," Keltar said. "That's all we'll need anyway." Keltar passed around the room a few times. He knew the time for action was now, if any. "Prepare the generals and mobilize all of the troops," he said decisively. "Now is the time for action. We shall overthrow the humans in a blaze of glory."

"Yes, my lord," the Mystic said. "I'll sound the mobilization immediately." The Mystic turned and left the room, leaving Keltar to bathe in his own ego.

"Finally, I've reached my goal," he said to himself, sitting down in one of the chairs that filled the room. "And the name of Keltar will be remembered for all eternity!"

.

"I once lived there, but I was a different person then..." -Magus 


	19. Battle of the Blue Hairs

_Chapter 19- Battle of the Blue Hairs_

600ad, Truce Village

Tristan Tenser slowly sipped from the mug of coffee in his hand. He didn't normally drink the stuff black, but something told him not to trust the milk in this time. He looked across the table to see his equally depressed companions, each silent in contemplation. The next move they would make was yet to be decided. Actually, they didn't even have an idea of what to do next.

None of them much relished the idea of sitting and waiting for Jack to show up. For all they knew, he might be dead. Tristan knew that if Jack was dead, they would most likely be stuck here. He examined the idea of building a new gate key over and over again, rethinking the plans for the device in his head, but he knew that materials for something like that would not be readily available. In addition, and possibly needless to say, he was already missing the simple joys of modern life.

Naturally, Aragorn and Rayith didn't mind; this was the only life that they had ever known outside of the last week's journey. Aragorn in particular though seemed distraught, almost lost in thought. Tristan never pictured him to be an analytical or even intelligent fellow, but you never could really tell. While he was simple in his mannerisms, Aragorn had a cunning sense for battle and tactics.

This guy's past is awfully shady, he thought to himself. But he doesn't ever seem to want to talk about it. I wonder what happened to him?

As if on cue, Aragorn slowly rose from his seat and announced his new plan.

"I'm going for a walk," he said absently, walking over to the corner of the room and picking up his sword. "I'll be back soon."

Aragorn hoisted his giant broad sword over his shoulder as he left the inn and walked into the streets. He wandered around aimlessly for about half an hour, mostly killing time and analyzing the recent events. He didn't quite understand everything completely, but it made enough. What really didn't make sense is that they got thrown though a portal and ended up back in 600ad. Didn't Jack say that gates were supposed to take you to the same place in another time?

Something about that gate was particularly abnormal. But, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that the gate really wasn't what was eating him. Something big was going to happen. A battle was coming up. He had spent enough years in the military to sense it.

All the while, he had been making small experiments with Force Tech energy. Manipulating the energy to do simple things, such as lifting the weight of his sword so it wasn't so annoying to carry. He found that it was possible to control the energy to extremely minute detail, or it would become that way with enough practice.

As he continued with his experiments, he noticed that the area around him had become particularly loud. People seemed like they were screaming. He spun around, looking for the source of the problem, but everyone seemed to be going about their everyday business. In a moment of realization, he increased the Force Tech intake, and as expected, the voices grew louder still. He was increasing his sense of hearing!

Toying with his new little trick, he tried to increase the hearing while using more energy to funnel particular sounds into his ear. He was able to pick up all sorts of private conversations.

"Aye, I heard the King is on his deathbed," came a voice that he pinpointed on. He looked across the street and found the people involved in the conversation he was listening too.

"No, it's only a rumor. I heard he led the assault across Zenan Bridge himself," came the voice of the man standing next to the first man. Aragorn got board of this conversation quickly, however and saw what else he could pick up.

"Is it true Magus has been defeated?"

"I'm sure that damned Mystic is just hiding."

"What about Ozzie?"

"He hasn't been seen either." Aragorn was starting to be able to pick out the voices more clearly. After scanning around once more however, he was starting to get board. Just then, one voice caught his attention.

"So Keltar is launching the attack?" The voice didn't sound human. It spoke in somewhat broken English. It sounded almost…

"That fool thinks he can really take Ozzie's place?" came another voice, also in crude speech. Then, Aragorn was sure of it: it was a Mystic. Two of them. But what were they talking about. He concentrated deeply and phased out all other sounds.

"Does he really think he'll take the castle in one attack?"

"After all, it did take Magus years before finally launching a full assault."

"And with Ozzie gone, his magic troops will surely fall apart."

"That's not his plan, though. He's not going to win with pure troop power." This was a new voice, a third.

"What do you mean?" Aragorn was now finding the location of the voices. They were coming from an ally about fifty yards away. Moving with haste, he made his way to the entrance to the ally, waiting for the right moment.

"After all, what troops will fight with their King dead?" the third voice said

"So the assassin is all ready?" came the first voice

"It should happen soon."

"Are you sure we should be talking about this here?" asked the second voice.

"Why not? Who's going to hear?"

"I will," Aragorn said calmly, stepping into the ally and drawing his sword. "And you three just bought yourself a mess of trouble."

.

12,000 BC, Just outside the Cave,

Jack drew his sword and eyed his opponent who was standing fifty paces from him. This would certainly not be an easy fight, but he had to try. If this Magus really did know about the Lavoid, which it seemed was true, then Jack needed to find as much as he could. After all, why else would have Topik sent him after Magus in the first place?

"Are you ready to die, boy?" Magus taunted from afar, preparing a spell.

"I won't be defeated that easily," Jack smirked. "I think you're over estimating your chances. Your servant Falgroth did something similar before I cut him down."

"So you defeated Falgroth?" Magus asked rhetorically. "Well, you'll soon find that I'm not as simple an opponent!" With that, Magus raised his hand and a ball of fire rocketed towards Jack. Jack rolled to the side and started to gather Force Tech, glowing a dull blue. He rushed at Magus and leaped into the air.

Magus was not phased, however and simply chanted another spell, pointing at the air-born warrior and blasting him with a bolt of electricity. Jack was hit dead center with the spell and was knocked back, but recovered with a back flip and landed on the ground, unharmed.

"A tough one eh?" Magus asked himself. Jack ran at him again, the glow around him snapping into red as his movements suddenly became much faster. Magus lost sight of him as Jack left the spectrum of Magus's vision.

"What?!" Magus yelled. Jack came back into view behind Magus and slashed downward. Magus brought his scythe up to block, barely avoiding being cleaved in half. Jack smirked viciously knowing that now his opponent had a bit more respect for him. Jack drew the blade back and made three more cuts, each being blocked by a smaller margin then the last. Jack was faster than Magus, or at least with Force Tech, and he knew it.

"You're a nimble one," Magus said, not showing any sign of worry. "But no matter. You will be short to leave this mortal coil…" Magus made a series of hand motions and the air around Jack erupted into black energy. Jack jumped out of the dome of death, his clothes slightly torn and drew his hand back, preparing a spell of his own.

"And you aren't the only one who can do that…" Jack said, thrusting his hand forward and sending white hot beam of energy at Magus. Magus jumped off to the side just in time.

_His power. That spell. It was immense_, Magus thought to himself. _I wonder if he himself understands how much energy was in that last spell that he cast almost effortlessly? It's certain that I'm not dealing with a mere child._

"Your skill is impressive," Magus said offhandedly as Jack landed and the two stood ten feet away from each other. Their vision was somewhat obscured by the wind and snow.

"I'm honored," Jack said sarcastically. "So will you tell me about the Lavoid?"

"Not just yet," Magus said. Magus jumped backward and pointed at Jack. Jack felt a severe magical flux as a Dark Mist past over him. He felt drained as the spell hit and passed. He fell to a knee, panting heavily.

"Not so tough, now are you?" Magus spat. Jack grinned inwardly, raising his sword and sprinting at his arrogant enemy. Magus gathered the winds for another spell, but Jack had already begun to increase his Force Tech flow. His aura shifted from blue to yellow to fiery red as he once again speed out of Magus's range of vision. Turning into a blur, Jack jumped up and brought a flying kick into the side of Magus's head before he could react. Quickly, Jack grabbed Magus's arm and sent a pummeling roundhouse into his chest. While Magus was winded, Jack spun the arm awkwardly over his shoulder and swung his leg to catch Magus behind the knees.

As Magus started to fall, Jack blasted him with a side kick to the kidney Magus was sent back and Jack followed with run into a rising uppercut, sending Magus skyward. Magus recovered mid flight and looked down to see Jack readying his sword for the killing blow. In a last second roll, Magus dodged Jack who had jumped upward, poised to kill. Jack quickly recalculated and came back down towards the Magus, sword over his head.

"You can't beat me that simply," Magus muttered, using his gathered energy to cause Jack to become engulfed in a black sphere The sphere pulsated with energy as Jack convulsed in pain.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Jack screamed as Magus recovered and floated lightly to the floor. When the sphere dissipated, Jack fell to the ground with a thud. Slowly he rose to one knee. Smoke rose up off of him and his clothes had been completely destroyed, save for his sword's sheath and his pants, which had only been eradicated from his knee down. Oddly enough, however, the Red TAG that hung from his belt was completely unharmed. Not even a scratch could be seen. Ignoring the cold against his bare skin, he lifted his sword once more. He placed the sword in his sheath and dropped the sheath to the ground. Cracking his knuckles, eyed Magus.

"And the mighty blue-haired man is defeated," Magus mused out loud. "To be honest, I was expecting more of a challenge from one who defeated so many of my men."

"Who says I'm done?" Jack said coldly. "I've just decided to take this fight up a notch."

"You'll excuse me if I'm not shivering with fear. Now, prepare yourself for the void..." Magus prepared what would be his killing spell. Lightly chanting the words for the Dark Matter, he gathered the black winds to his command. Jack didn't move. Magus closed his eyes for a second and the opened them, looking directly at Jack. Jack still didn't make a move. The magical energies in the area were picking up as a vortex of wind formed around Magus.

"You just gave yourself away..." Jack mumbled. He raised his arm and as he waved it across his body, a wave of magic blew over them, blowing the very energy of the Dark Matter spell out of Magus's hands. In Jack's view to the etheral side of the world, the fiery energies Magus was forming were dampened into nothingness like a match being blown out by a powerful breath.

Magus lifted his hands and gazed at them in amazement. "How did you...?"

"Like I said," Jack smiled. "You gave yourself away. I figured out how you gather your energy. You'll have to protect it better next time."

"A counterspell?" Magus mumbled. "He used the black wind itself to blow away my energies. How clever…"

"So, are you ready to kick it up a notch?" Jack grinned widely. "'Cause you're life just got a bit more difficult!" Jack jumped to the side in a flicker of energy and gathered some of the winds. Holding up his index and middle fingers, he touched them to his forehead and then pointed them at Magus, who was in the process of gathering his own energies. Magus was being more cautious of protecting the energies he was gathering now. It took some of the power to form the shield around the larger mass of energy, but it would have to. He had never actually battled someone who could use the winds so effectively before.

With Jack's quick handed movement, a pillar of black energy erupted from the ground where Magus was standing. Jumping to the side, Magus only took part of the force of the blow.

Now doubt about it now, Magus thought to himself. I'm certainly right about this one. There's no other way. His natural ability is too high. He's got to be... His chain of thought was interrupted by a vortex of wind that formed around him and blew him about fifty feet to his left. Jack smiled at the success of his wind spell as he prepared another one.

Magus took this chance to make his own offensive, thrusting his hand at Jack as the ground below his opponent began to shake. A spike of earth shot from below and nearly impaled Jack. While he was barely dodging the Stone Spiker, Magus launched a ball of shadow magic at the off-balanced teen which nailed him dead center. Jack was sent flying back into a rock formation behind him. Hitting the wall with a thud, he lost the winds he was manipulating and had to start again.

Magus lifted his hand as the rock formation behind him came alive and floated upward. The giant mass of earth broke apart into several smaller pieces. With a flick of Magus's wrist, the rocks shot towards Jack. In a last minute defense, Jack shifted the winds he was wielding to form a shield and most of the rocks rebounded off of it without harming him. As the shield got beaten down, however, a small rock broke through and embedded itself into Jack's leg. Jack let out a cry before flying off to the side and firing several balls of flame at the Wizard. Magus dodged most of them but was pummeled by the third in his back. Tumbling to the ground, Magus was suddenly the prey again. Jack pounced and blasted a surge of lightning at his downed opponent. Magus was jolted heavily by the attack but rose up again, charging another spell.

"See if you can fight the Dark Matter again!" Magus cursed as he flew backwards and pointed at Jack. This spell was created faster, not giving Jack a chance to counter it. Jack was caught off guard when the spinning triangles within triangles of death that formed around him. Feeling as if was being torn in all directions, Jack screamed in pain.

"I think he likes it!" Magus grinned. As the spell completed, Jack once again appeared as a smoking mass, but this time he floated down slowly. Walking slowly towards Magus, he grinned.

"Is that all you got?" Jack asked. Magus ignored him, busy chanting another Dark Matter spell. "Hmmm….good," Jack said. "Then I'll finish this my way. I didn't want to have to use this, but…" Reaching to his belt, he drew the Red TAG and powered it on. The fiery beam of red energy shot from the handle and Jack raised it to the ready. "Looks like I don't have a choice." An extreme quantity of energy was being emitted from the blade. Jack could feel it, and so could Magus.

Magus looked up from his chanting to see Jack standing with his new toy. Magus almost fell to the floor in shock. _That weapon!_ Magus exclaimed. _That's really it!_ As he looked at the blazing sword that Jack held, he lost his concentration as Jack charged him. Before Magus could react any further, Jack was on top of him.

Jack made a downward swipe which Magus brought up his scythe to block. The TAG tore through the scythe handle like it wasn't even there and Jack made another cut which Magus had to dodge. Advancing quickly and eyeing the spell that he could see the wizard forming, he cut across Magus's chest, tearing through his leather armor and cutting through the top layer of skin.

"Ah!" Magus yelled clutching the wound. "That weapon IS the same one as I saw ages ago! It should have never been here!" he shouted, seeming a lot more worried now. Thrusting his hand forward, a gust of wind blew at Jack and swiped the TAG from his hands. It landed about twenty yards away from the teen as he looked back helplessly at the now deactivated weapon.

"Back to magic…" Jack mumbled, drawing his arm across his body as shards of Ice rose from the ground beneath the Magus. Magus dodged it simply before firing a bolt of lightning at Jack, who held his hand up and absorbed the blow.

"This can't go on forever," Jack said, hovering above the ground, some fifty feet away from Magus. "I can feel the power in this area diminishing. We've used up most of the magical energy."

"Then as long as that weapons gone, I'll end it fast," Magus called out. Pointing at his opponent, a beam of energy appeared from behind Jack, seemingly from nowhere, Jack turned his head and gathered the energy for a shield. Surprisingly, though, the energy passed over him and he felt nothing. No pain. No pressure against his barrier. Then he realized. A dummy blast! But how? How did he make it seem so real? Jack spun around in full knowledge of what was coming, and found himself face to face with a gargantuan blast of power. He tried to block it but it went right through his feeble shield. The blast engulfed him as he felt his very skin singe. The burning was immense! But no, it wasn't fire energy. There would be no actual burns his he lived through it. This was black energy, shadow magic, the black wind. There would be no burns, only pain.

As the blast subsided, he plummeted to the ground, gripping on the edge of consciousness. Magus walked triumphantly over to him. Jack rose to his knees, knowing however that he could not fight any more. Magus had purposely used the last of the Black Wind in that attack. Jack was helpless.

"Neat trick," Jack said weakly, Magus ignored him. "Okay," Jack said. "Just kill me and get it over with, I just ask that you make it quick..." To Jack's surprise, Magus laughed.

"Please!" Magus demanded. "I would sooner kill my own kin then kill you!" Jack looked up in puzzlement. "This was simply a test to prove if I was right about you. I'm almost positive now Anyway, since I can't have you following me..." Magus drew what was left of his scythe and brought forth the butt end of the deadly weapon. With a swift strike, he knocked Jack out.

"I think I'll leave the Guru's toy here for him. There has to be a reason that he has it…" he trailed off. "That girl should be waking up soon. She'll find him..." Without another word, Magus drew his cloak around him and headed off into the distance.

.

600ad, Truce Village

Aragorn analyzed his situation. There were four mystics, none of them too big. He needed one of them alive. Now, which one would it be? He scanned them briefly before deciding on the one that mentioned an assassination of the King. That one he needed. The rest...were expendable.

"Okay, boyz!" one Mystic shouted. "Kill the human!" The four of them all drew small swords from their cloaks and came at him. Aragorn didn't waste anytime before trying to even out the numbers slightly. Readying his blade, he lunged at the nearest Mystic. With almost no effort, the massive weapon torn right through the creature's abdomen and came out the other side. The Mystic's eye's went wide as his internal organs were spilled on the floor. With a quick movement, Aragorn swung the blade to the right and launched the body of the impaled Mystic into one of his companions, sending them both into a wall. The first one was almost dead by the time they hit.

"Okay, who's next?" Aragorn asked, taunting the two that remained standing. They both ran at him from different angles. The first one jumped on his back as he turned to face the second one. As the Mystic brought his sword to Aragorn's throat, Aragorn grabbed the Mystic's arm and snapped it down over his shoulder. The resulting action broke the Mystic's arm sharply and send him flying into his friend feet first. Within a few seconds, all three live Mystics rose from the floor.

In a joint action, the three of them came running at Aragorn, seeming to enjoy getting bashed around by the human who had so easily dispatched one of their comrades. Aragorn drew his blade back and held out his hand. With a short incantation, the ground in front of him leapt from it's resting place and towards the Mystic on the far left. The magically animated earth formed a giant, forward facing spike that tore through the Mystic's upper body crushing his heart and lungs, killing him almost instantly. While the other two were distracted, Aragorn made a wide swing at the one of the far right, cutting off his legs in a bloody mess. Before the now crippled Mystic could hit the floor, Aragorn brought the blade back around and severed his opponents head, spewing blood and spinal fluid into the air. As the headless, legless torso hit the floor, the last one gazed in terror as his opponent sheathed his blade and walked menacingly towards him.

The last Mystic's legs trembled as the knight walked up to him and raised his armored forearm. Without even trying to defend against it, the Mystic felt the cuffing of Aragorn's bracer across his head. With a clump, the Mystic fell to the ground, prey to whatever interrogation Aragorn had planned.

.

The Mystic came to about an hour latter, finding himself tied tightly to a chair. Struggling to move at first, he quickly found that Aragorn's knots were done well. Looking up, he saw there people looking down on him. The first was a blonde man in a black coat. The next was a short red-head with a cloak drawn around her. Looking lastly to the one who was towering over him the most, he had a moment of insight and put a name to a face.

"A-A-Aragorn Lestrides?!" he yelped in fear. He started to struggle to get free again but to no avail.

"This is good," Aragorn said confidently. "Since my reputation precedes me, maybe I won't have to hurt you to badly." Eyeing the frightened creature, he cracked his knuckles.

"Aragorn Lestrides, the Mystic Bane! The Foe Hammer! The Demon Crusher!" The Mystic started to panic, pulling at his arms more and more and even trying to bite the ropes that tied him.

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard them all," Aragorn said with a shrug. "But you better stop that squirming or I'm gonna have to knock you out again." The Mystic paid no attention to him

"Wait a minute," Tristan said. "What's this about Mystic Bane and the like?" Aragorn didn't turn, instead thinking about how to pry the information he needed out of his captive.

"Maybe if you're lucky, I'll tell you," Aragorn said. Tristan turned to Rayith.

"Did you know about this?" Tristan asked her. Rayith nodded briefly.

"More or less," she said. "He was a war hero, that I know, but since he didn't want to talk about it, who am I to talk about it?"

"That's unlike you," Tristan said. Rayith crossed her arms.

"Yeah, well, you don't know as much about me as you think you do."

"Whatever…" Tristan said, pulling out a cigarette. He knew he would probably run out before he got back to 1999ad, and so he was rationing them, so to say. Lighting it up, he sat went to sit down in a chair across the room.

Aragorn still stared at the deathly scarred Mystic that was tied down before him.

"Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way," he said. "The easy way being you telling me about this assassination that good old Keltar has planned. The hard way would be me beating the crap out of you until you tell me about this assassination that good old Keltar has planned. It's your choice." The Mystic took at gulp, but was silent.

Aragorn frowned, cracking his knuckles again. "Okay then, I guess it's the hard way…"

.

"My Name is Aragorn, former Knight of the Square Table..." -Aragorn Lestrides 


	20. Interrogation

_Chapter 20- Interrogation_

12,000 BC, Cave

_And they will hail him as Lathain, the one of Lavos Born. For the coming of the Blue Haired man has been foretold as the completion of the prophesy… _

The voice echoed in Sarah's head a few times. The air was black and there was no one to be seen and nothing to be heard expect this strange voice that was vaguely familiar.

"What does it mean?" she asked. Her own voiced echoed momentarily before dying out. Briefly, the voice laughed again before dying out. Suddenly, her surroundings erupted into fire and the world turned into a blazing inferno. The voice laughed again. Sarah tried to scream, but no sound came out. Only then did she wake up…

.

Sarah awoke quickly, checking her surroundings. She looked to see who might have been speaking to her, but no one was there. Glancing around what was definitely a cave, she began to reconstruct the events leading up to this. She certainly remembered the gate from Magus's castle…is that what brought her here?

That had to be it. But, if that was the answer, where was the gate? Sure enough, after looking around the cave, there wasn't a gate in sight. Come to think of it, something else was missing too…

"Jack!" she screamed, noticing that her blue-haired friend was no where to be found. Jumping to her feet, she ran to the entrance of the cave and felt the blast of snow and wind that hit her face. Everything around her was white, limiting her vision to merely a few feet in front of her face.

"Where is he?" she asked her self. Trudging out into the storm, she started calling his name, but there was no answer. Walking in slowly growing circles, she combed the area around the cave for half an hour but couldn't find him. Starting to worry, Sarah finally thought of an old trick that she had learned a long time ago to use Force Tech to create an heat-source overlay of her vision. Taking a while to force the energy into the right form, it finally clicked and the world around her shifted into a muddle of blues and purples.

It took longer than she had expected to find what might have easily been missed: a faint heat signal coming from over the far dune. Sarah broke into a run towards the signal, keeping the heat sensitive vision active. Climbing over the snow dune, she found Jack's nearly nude body sprawled across the snow.

"Oh God!" she exclaimed, running up to him and checking for a pulse. It was faint, but his heart beat was there. His body looked slightly burned, and a small shard of rock was sticking out of his left leg. Not wasting time, she started to lift him up, but as she hoisted the limp body over her shoulders, she noticed a faint glimmer of red off in the distance. Placing Jack's body down and checking what caused the glimmer, she found the Red TAG lying in the snow.

A battle, she mused. That would explain it…but with who? Moving back to Jack, she lifted him over her shoulders and started to carry him back to where she thought the cave was. Luckily for the two of them, her send of direction prevailed and they took shelter in the cave. Laying Jack against the wall, Sarah began to think about what to do next.

"Oh, why do I listen to you Jack…" she sighed, shifting her train of thought to how to get that shard out of Jack's leg. Figuring that she probably couldn't take it out with just magic, she started going through what supplies they had, looking for some sort of medical device. Realizing then how short they were on equipment, she sighed again, noting the slumping figure in the corner begin to stir…

.

600 AD, Truce Village

"Where and when!?" Aragorn demanded for yet another time. The Mystic still remained silent. His face was badly bruised from the number of blows Aragorn had already landed in the interrogation, but the creature wouldn't speak.

"Is this really necessary?" Tristan asked. Aragorn sighed.

"Unfortunately, yes, it is." He withdrew from his place of questioning for a moment. "If there is an assassination planned, I have to find out. I can't... I can't let it happen again."

"Let what happen again?" Rayith asked.

Aragorn paused dramatically before answering. "I don't want to go into it," Aragorn said grimly "But let's just say I can't fail to protect my Lord again."

"Touchy subject?" Tristan asked.

"To an extent, yes." Aragorn rolled his neck and retook his place in front of the Mystic. "Now look," he pleaded with the blue creature. "I don't want to do this, and I know you don't want this to happen. I am telling you, though, that I won't stop until you talk. Hitting you isn't the only method of torture there is, you know?"

To everyone's slight surprise, the Mystic spoke. "And how much more barbaric could you insolent humans get?!" spat the Mystic, ending his prolonged silence. "I'll die before I talk!" Aragorn sighed deeply.

"Well then, this just got more serious..." he said casually. He walked to the side wall an picked up his sword from it's resting place. Walking back over to the Mystic, he spun the giant sword like it was nothing.

"Now, I'm going to start from your feet an move up. The idea is that I'll go one toe at a time. Then comes the rest of your feet. Then your knees." He paused for dramatic effect. "I'll leave it up to you to decide where we go from there. Now..." Aragorn lifted the sword over his head. "When and where?!" he demanded. The Mystic was silent. Aragorn shook his head softly before leveling the blade to the floor at the Mystic's foot. Unfortunately for the Mystic, the mammoth blade proved too cumbersome to sever a single toe, even for Aragorn. With a cracking noise, the Mystic's right foot became separated from his ankle. The Mystic let out a cry of pain as Tristan turned his head in disgust.

"Well, scratch the toes, I guess..." Aragorn said, staring at the growing pool of blood coming from the stump of the Mystic's leg. "Now, where and when?" he said, a little more calmly. The Mystic gritted his teeth, but didn't say anything. Aragorn mumbled something under his breath, raised his blade, and severed the creature's other foot off. The same cracking noise was heard, followed by a similar scream from the Mystic.

"Aragorn..." Rayith pleaded, but to no avail. The Knight showed no sign of giving up.

"I have to find out," he said. "I can't let this happen." The Mystic was now almost whimpering, but still refused to give in.

"You're knees go next," Aragorn said menacingly. "There's still a chance that you can walk out of here if you just talk!" he shouted. The Mystic cringed, but didn't speak. His knees reached over the edge of the chair, so worries about ruining the chair weren't going to save him.

"Where and when?" Aragorn asked, very slowly and very calmly. The Mystic stopped whimpering, but didn't speak. "Fine," Aragorn said grimly. He raised the blade over his head once again, but as he began his downwards stroke, the Mystic finally spoke.

"Stop!" he pleaded. Caught off guard, Aragorn barely managed to stop the blade in mid flight, drawing back to it's resting place on his shoulder.

"Well?" Aragorn asked. The Mystic was panting heavily.

"5:00 O'clock," the Mystic said, still panting. "At the ceremony declaring the end of the war..." He hung his head in shame, knowing that he had failed his master.

"Tactical reason?" Aragorn asked, satisfied that he got the information he needed.

The Mystic paused briefly before speaking. "Let's just say that it's gonna be one hell of a bad day for you fucking humans!" the Mystic spat, grinning sadistically. Aragorn raised his hand to strike the creature, but Rayith intervened.

"Aragorn, we don't have a lot of time," she said. "Forget about him."

Aragorn grunted, lifting the chair up with his free hand and carting the bound Mystic to the window on the far side of the room. "All right, stubby," he said, opening the shudders. "Get the hell out of here and don't let me see you again!" Without another word, he tossed the wounded Mystic down three stories onto the street below. A loud noise soon followed as the chair shattered on the ground below.

"Let's go," Aragorn said coldly. "We don't have much time..."

.

12,000 BC, in the Cave

"How long was I out?" Jack asked Sarah, still rubbing his head lightly. Sarah was still fiddling with the limited equipment that they had with them.

"About ten minutes after I found you," she mumbled. "You gave me a scare."

"Why?"

"Well, I found you nearly naked in the frozen wastes out there," she said, lifting up the device that she needed. It was a thin, black thing with some buttons on one side. "I figured you might have hypothermia or something."

"I feel fine," Jack mumbled examining himself. "Aside from the cold and that sharp pain in my leg, or course."

"I'm working on it," she said, taking the tool she was holding and sitting down in front of him. "Now don't move..." she bit her bottom lip as she brought the device to the metal shard protruding from Jack's left leg. "...This might pinch a little..." she hit a small button on the device and three prongs extended down from the tube.

The prongs grasped on to the piece of stone and secreted a clear liquid around the area of the wound. Jack could feel the topical anesthetic slightly numbing his skin. Shortly after, the prongs pulled back and brought the stone out, leaving an open wound which blood quickly started to seep out of. Jack cringed, but other than that, he was silent.

"Okay," Sarah said. "Do it now."

Jack pointed at his cut and the blood started to dissolve, making the wound clear to see. Not liking the sight of Jack's exposed leg muscles, Sarah held her hand to the wound and wave patterns appeared on the surface of Jack's skin. Soon, the wound slowly closed itself up and the skin mended it together. When it was complete, Jack rubbed the area and felt no pain.

"Thanks," he said, still rubbing it. "That's certainly a handy trick."

"I know," Sarah said. "I'm still not that good at it yet. It shouldn't take two of us and med-rod to fix a wound like that."

"I'm still grateful," he said. Sarah smiled and put the med-rod back in the small pile of what supplies they had. She walked back to Jack and sat down next to him.

"So now what?" he asked her.

"You're asking me?" she asked with a small laugh. "Isn't it your place to come up with the plans?" Jack sighed.

"Well," he said, "let's look at our situation: we're stranded in an unfamiliar time with no time portal to go back through. Also, it's freezing cold out and we have limited clothes and equipment." He paused in thought. "I'd say we're in trouble."

"Well when you put it that way..." she looked at him and couldn't help but grin. "You must be freezing," she said worriedly. "Here, take this..." She unzipped her vest and gave it to him. "It's not much but it'll help..." He accepted it and put it on. True to what she had said, it wasn't much but it helped his spirits if anything.

"Thanks," he said, smiling back. "I think we're even again too," he said.

"With what?"

"The life-saving count," he grinned. "Thanks for pulling me out of the snow." Sarah blushed.

"It was nothing," she said, still blushing. There was a long pause. Sarah decided to break it with a serious question. "What happened to the gate that brought us here?" she asked.

Jack thought about it for a little bit before coming up with what could only be a guess. "I think the gate at the castle was created by Lavoid energy. With the huge flux, it was kind of unstable. I think it probably collapsed on itself shortly after it closed."

"So how do we get back?" she asked.

"Well," Jack said. "It would stand to reason that if another high energy flux occurred somewhere in this place in time, it might create another gate here. I'm starting to wish Tristan was here. He would know." Sarah nodded.

"So we wait until another massive energy flux occurs somewhere else in time?" Sarah asked. Jack nodded. "That doesn't seem like a very economically sound plan. What era are we in anyway?"

"Judging by the never ending storm outside and what Magus said, I'd say 12,000 BC. We're somewhere in Ice Age."

"Wasn't there some civilization back in the Ice Age?" Sarah asked. "I mean, I remember something like that back in school..."

Jack instantly sat up in a moment of epiphany, barely mouthing the word: "Zeal..."

"Huh?" she asked, not hearing what he said.

"Zeal!" he announced. "The Kingdom of Zeal supposedly existed around this time. I was studying it before we left home!"

"Isn't that the Kingdom in the stories about 'the Flying Island' and all of that other nonsense?"

"Yeah, that's it," Jack said. "I don't know about the whole flying island business, but it was supposed to be somewhat of a Golden Age, shortly before it was supposedly wiped out by a tidal wave which was accompanied with a massive tectonic plate movement and the end of the Ice Age."

"So you think we should look for it?"

"I don't see any better ideas, do you?" Jack said.

"No, I guess not," Sarah said. "But it's getting late, we should probably remain here the night. The last thing we need is to travel in blinding snow AND darkness."

"Good call," Jack said. "I'll try to get a fire going. In the mean time, give me a run down of what equipment we have."

Jack stood up and walked around the cave, looking for a spot that would be good for a fire. He decided the put it out of the direct line from the entrance to avoid as much wind as possible, pointing at the ground, a small flame ignited. It grew larger and warmer, but never touched the earth. It was almost hovering about three inches off of the floor.

"All we have left," Sarah began, "are what we were carrying in our vests and pants. Since your vest and half of your pants are gone, we have less than that."

"And food?" Jack asked.

"Minimal rations," she said. "Two days, max."

"No extra clothes, by chance?"

Sarah smiled. "No, it looks like you'll be cold."

"Other supplies?"

"We have one med-rod, a few transmitters and minor communications equipment, our TAGs, our swords, a temporal tracking device from SSAF and the Battle Suit Teleport Controls. We also have some other combat gear and a few gizmos which have no idea as to their use, but nothing that that would prove much of a help."

"Okay," Jack said. "That should be fine. If there's anything to find, we'll find it before we use up our supplies anyway."

"We're gonna make it just fine," Sarah said. "I know it. We're gonna be okay."

"Yeah," Jack said, sitting down near the fire. "We are."

Sarah sat down next to him and they both put their hands up to the flame to be warmed. The fire was holding up very well, probably due to it's magical properties, but wind from outside was still cold. The cave was big enough so they didn't feel it's full force, so it could have been worse.

Jack reached into his vest and produced two energy bars, handing one to Sarah and keeping one to himself. They opened their rations and ate in silence. They ate slowly, trying to make the limited food last as long as possible. Jack also summoned up a little water magic to create drinking water which was surprisingly good. Having satisfied their hunger for a short period, the sat in silence, both thinking about this "Kingdom of Zeal" on which their survival rested.

After half an hour, Jack decided that the silence was too awkward for his tastes. "How did you find me?" Jack asked, breaking the silence.

"Hmm?" Sarah asked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, my life signs were probably dwindling and you still managed to find me an a blizzard. How did you do it?"

"Thermal scanning vision overlay," she said with a smirk. "Remember the time you told Sean that it would never be of any use? I bet you'll take that back now."

Jack forced a laugh. "Yeah, I did tell him that is was useless, with all the equipment we have that can do the same thing for us." There was a brief silence before Jack spoke again. "You think Sean would know what to do? I mean, do you think he would do better than me?"

"I think you're doing the best you can, and I don't think even Sean could have done better," she said, smiling. "I still miss him though..."

"Me too," Jack said with a sigh. "Me too."

"That's why we can't die," Sarah said. "I'd never be able to face Sean if we didn't finish what he started out to do. We haven't even tried to fight Lavos yet," she exasperated. "We can't die BEFORE the big battle."

"We won't die," Jack said. "I promise."

"Promise, huh?" she said.

"Yeah," Jack said in an odd cross between casual and serious. "I promise that nothing will happen to you. I'll protect you. That was part of Sean's dying wish. I swear I'll protect you."

Is it just for Sean? Sarah thought to herself. Why does he make an excuse like that?

"We should get some sleep," he said, shifting to a laying down position. Sarah did likewise. "Are you cold?" Jack asked, changing the topic to something less uncomfortable than his growing love for Sarah as being a reason for protecting her.

"A little," she said.

"Here, come closer," Jack said, wrapping his arm around her, somewhat shocked at his own forwardness. She rolled to him, happy to keep a little warmer. "Stay close and we'll be warm," he said, pulling her close, both of them trying to find some heat from the other's body.

"You scared me Jack," she said quietly. "I thought I might lose you again. Don't do that to me."

Again? Jack thought to himself. What does she mean, again? "It's gonna be okay," Jack said softly, rubbing her back gently. "It's all gonna be fine."

"Just don't go doing anything stupid," she said. "I…I don't know what I would do without you…"

"Okay," he said, pulling her tighter. "I'll stay with you no matter what."

"Promise?" Sarah asked.

"Promise," Jack answered.

Then, feeling a lot safer than she had in a while, Sarah smiled.

.

The Next Morning

"Got anything?!" Jack screamed over the communications link to Sarah who was flying about 300 ft to the right of him. They had been flying across the landscape for fifteen minutes now with no results. Luckily, the never ending snow storm had abated somewhat in intensity this morning. They were still hard-pressed to see the sun through the thick clouds, however.

Even the snow had lessened, the constant barrage of wind and snow in the travelers' eyes made it difficult to see much on the ground below, even when flying at a low Ray Wind altitude. To compensate for their lack of view, they had tried various vision 'overlays' similar to the one Sarah had used to find Jack. The only downfall of this is that their flying speed was diminished by the increased Force Tech that had to be applied to keep the overlays active.

"Nothing!" Sarah yelled back. "It's like all there is snow. Just one endless plain of white."

"Same. I can't get any reading. If there is a civilization here, then they sure do a good job of covering it up."

"Can you see about the clouds?" Sarah asked.

"Negative," Jack responded. "Cloud cover is too thick to see the sky. It just adds to the white, making everything more…" he paused, cut short by a red spot on his overlay. "Wait a minute," he said. "I'm getting a reading on energy usage about three miles to the north by northwest."

"Any clue what is it?" Sarah asked.

"We'll find out soon enough…" Jack mumbled, banking off to a new heading. Sarah soon followed and they picked up speed. They flew towards what looked to be giving off a good amount of energy, eventually flying over a whitish dome shaped building with a circular device on the roof.

"What is it?" Sarah asked.

"I dunno," Jack said. "But I think it deserves a look." Slowly, they descended to what appeared to be an entrance to the building. Touching down gently, they snapped off their Force Tech overlays and transferred energy to powering up for whatever might be on the inside of it. As they walked up to what looked like the entrance, a set of double doors made a hissing sound as they opened automatically.

"Movement sensitive doors…" Jack observed. "Just like back home." The two of them walked through the entrance as the doors closed behind them. They found themselves in a small room with similar doors on the far wall. Walking up to those, the new doors hissed open automatically just as the first set had.

"Weird," Sarah commented.

They walked into the new room which was much larger, obviously taking up most of the building. It's walls were lavishly decorated with unfamiliar designs, but the room was empty save for a platform in the middle. There were a few steps leading up to the top of the platform which was covered in a surface with more designs etched into it They appeared to be glowing.

"So, what do we do?" Jack asked, really suspecting an answer. Not knowing what to expect, he gave the room another passive look, analyzing the designs on the walls.

"Wait a minute…" Sarah said, gazing at the walls in a similar manner. "I think I've seen these symbols before somewhere…"

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, looking at the decorations and trying to recognize any of them. It wasn't for a few moments however that the unfamiliar designs became suddenly familiar. The sudden realization hit Jack hard as he reached slowly for the chain around his neck. Lifting the emblem on the chain very slowly to his face he confirmed his thought.

"Is it?" Sarah asked, both of them knowing what was true. Jack nodded very slowly, raising the symbol on his necklace up to the wall. The two were identical in every curve and angle, echoing each feature of the other perfectly.

"But why?" Sarah asked.

"I…I don't know," Jack said in moment of complete bewilderment. "I don't know…"

.

"That symbol, I've seen it somewhere before!" -Marle 


	21. The Kingdom of Zeal

_Chapter 21- The Kingdom of Zeal_

12,000 BC, Skygate

Truth be told, Jack did have a clue at what it meant. He had started to put it together awhile ago. The only problem was that it seemed so impossible for him to believe it, let alone Sarah. He decided not to worry her with such things at this time. It was more important to concentrate on surviving.

Now they stood on the stairs leading up to a platform covered in images which, while not so unfamiliar now, were still strange. Additionally, neither of the two travels had any idea what the platform was used for. The carvings on the surface of the platform seemed to be purple, but they were dull. When looking at it in a broad view, they almost appeared to be veins that may carry energy, but there didn't appear to be any such energy flowing through them.

Putting aside thoughts of the connection between Jack's necklace and the carvings on the walls and floor, Jack and Sarah brought themselves back to figuring out the what exactly any of the things surrounding them did.

"There's got to be some purpose for this...thing," Sarah said, not quite sure what to refer to this entire building as. She didn't know what it, or any of it's parts were used for, but she certainly had the sense that there was a use for the whole thing. After all, no one builds something like this for nothing, did they?

"I don't know," Jack said, pausing on the third and final step while Sarah climbed up on the platform itself. "There has to be some sort of..." Jack cut himself short as he noticed the carvings of energy on the floor begin to glow. Their dull purple pigment became slowly brighter and he could feel the energy that was being given off. Shortly after, a pillar of purple glow encompassed the platform, swallowing Sarah up.

"Sarah!" Jack screamed, jumping from the third step toward his friend in the purple light, trying to pull her out of the glow, but suddenly felt himself caught in mid air as the glow around him solidified and time seemed to stop for a moment. He tried to speak but his mouth wouldn't come open. He stared at Sarah's face which showed a mix of shock and fear, but her face soon seemed to fade away into a blur. Slowly, he felt himself moving, but not in any way that could be described as normal. He felt almost like his body was pulling apart, but there was no pain, just a slight...tickle.

Before he knew what was going on again, he had seemingly lost consciousness and his surroundings became white. The white lasted for only an instant before it returned to the original solidified purple. He felt his consciousness come back as the glow subsided. Only then did time returned to it's original flow as Jack sprung from his hanging point in mid air as if he had never stopped. Before he realized what had happened, he had tackled Sarah, knocking them both off the platform and landed with her on the grass below. Wait a minute...grass?

True enough, they were laying on a surface of grace with the platform hanging above them, a few feet away. The building that they were in was no longer anywhere to be seen. Instead, the horizon was filled with a blue sky with spotted images of clouds. There was a generous wind passing over the area.

Jack had landed on top of her with a grunt. Slowly, he pushed himself slightly up. "Well that was interesting," he said, examining his surroundings.

"Yeah," Sarah said, but what was it?" Jack brought his attention to the girl that he had nearly crushed in trying to save her from whatever that machine had done to them. Looking at her though, he instantly found himself caught in her eyes. Her gaze was met by his and the two of them looked into each others eyes for about a minute of awkward silence before Jack climbed up, trying not to blush.

"Ummm..." Jack said as he rose, trying to think of something to say. "Well...hey, hold on a second," he said, finally breaking the silence. "Where the hell are we now?" he asked, holding out his hand and helping Sarah up.

"That think transported us somewhere," Sarah said, "but this doesn't even look like the same era." She stood up and looked around. "Look at the blue skies and all this grass." Shortly after, something in the distance caught her eye...

"It's couldn't have been a gate," Jack said. "We would have been able to recognize the feeling of time travel, so where..."

While Jack was finishing his sentence, Sarah started to walk seemingly aimlessly off to the right. She didn't say anything, and Jack didn't seem to notice her for a second until he trailed off and asked her what she was doing.

"Sarah?" Jack asked, standing were he was and not following her. She still made no comment.

"Sarah?" he asked again. Still, she didn't speak, but kept on walking. The wind started to pick up, blowing her hair in every direction.

"Sarah?!" Jack asked, a third time, a bit more worried. With still no answer, he broke into a run catching up to her and grabbing her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he demanded, the wind now blowing in their faces.

Sarah lifted her arm up and pointed. "Look," she said. Jack lifted his hand off of her shoulder and gazed with shock to where Sarah had pointed. Slowly, the two of them walked towards the point of interest, not speaking at all. The wind seemed to blow harder as they came closer to where they were going. After about one hundred yards, they reached the point that nearly scared both of them shitless. They were looking over the edge of the land mass, the dark sky and swirling tempestuous storm clouds below them. The wind blew up from the edge, almost knocking both of them off balance. Stepping back a few steps, the two looked at each other in expressions that could only be described as utmost confusion.

"Where are we?" Jack asked. "This is so....odd."

"Jack? Could it be possible that the Kingdom of Zeal really WAS a flying kingdom?"

"And that thing that we got beamed through..." Jack mused, "That must be a transport up here..."

"This is way to weird," Sarah said.

"Well," Jack thought out loud, "If we are in the Kingdom of Zeal, then shouldn't there be some cities around here somewhere?"

"I guess," Sarah said.

"Then shouldn't we try to find them?"

"Seems like a plan, since there's not much else to do."

"Okay," Jack said. Turning around and gathering some energy. "Then lets start by going that way." He pointing off to what he could only guess was the north. Sarah nodded and the two of them began flying at a low altitude. Neither was quite sure what to expect, but at this point they didn't have many other options. The only thing left was to fly there and hope for the best.

.

600ad, Guardia Forest

Aragorn, Tristan and Rayith walked the forest quickly and with purpose. Something big was going down, and whoever was behind it needed to be stopped. An assassination in general was a bad thing, but the assassination of the king? They had to alert the government to this situations, but all three had the strangest feeling that no one would believe them.

They had been told by Aragorn that they would most likely not even be allowed to see the king. More even so if he was with them. Tristan and Rayith had yet to discover what, if anything, Aragorn had done that seemed to affect the king, even though it was clear that it bothered Aragorn deeply. It wasn't their place to ask questions were questions weren't needed, so they had decided before they set out that they would just have to trust Aragorn's motives and methods.

"What are the chances that they'll let you in?" Rayith asked.

"Not that great," Aragorn said. "I'm going to probably have to break through the soldiers and speak to the King himself. He's probably in the throne room, which is just past the main entrance. With you're help, I can push through and deliver the message before being subdued by the guards."

"That doesn't sound like a very effective plan," Tristan said. "What if you can't get through. Can't we all end up in prison?"

"Yes," Aragorn said plainly.

"Then isn't this a bad idea?" Rayith said.

"No," he said in the same tone as before.

"But what if-" Tristan started to ask. Before Aragorn stopped walking and cut him off.

"Listen," he said. "You two are going to help me. I have to get through to see the king. Use Force Tech. Use whatever it takes. Don't try to hurt anyone, but if it comes to that, don't be afraid to kill." Tristan started to say something again, but Aragorn stopped him. "Do have any idea what the assassination of a ruler can do to a kingdom?" he asked. "More than likely, the Mystics have the whole thing orchestrated to attack when during of the assassination."

"How do you know?" Rayith asked.

Aragorn paused before taking a few steps forward and stopping again. "Because that's what I would do," he said, grimly. Without waiting, he continued walking. Rayith and Tristan scrambled slightly to catch up to him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rayith asked. Aragorn gave no answer and the three of them continued walking in silence. Not another word was spent between them until the reached the final pathway up to the castle.

.

12,000 BC, Island of Enhasia

The city of Enhasia was looming ahead in the distance. Neither of the two travelers were scared by it, but somewhat intimidated. It's large towers scraped the blue sky, piercing through the a few clouds which managed to condense at these high altitudes. Both were reminding of a certain style of building in their time, marked by the dome that capped off the towers. Could it have been possible that the remains if this city had influenced more modern architects?

As they came closer, the towers seemed to climb farther up into the sky, looming over what looked to be the main gate. This gate stood open and unguarded. These people obviously either had nothing to worry about, or they just didn't care. What was this culture? Ending their flight just outside of the main gate, Jack and Sarah stood at the entrance and just look up for a while.

"We go in?" Jack asked.

"I guess," Sarah answered. Without further speech wasted, they slowly walked through the gate and found themselves in somewhat of a welcoming building with a vaulted ceiling. A large fountain in the middle of the room was the center of attention. Most of the walls were white with lines and spots of what looked like gold or some other similar substance. Doors, stairs and passages seemed to lead off in every direction and people were moving through all of them. Most of the people dressed in mixes of orange and blue and commonly adorned their clothing intricate jewelry.

Figuring that systematic exploration would be better than random path-choosing, they silently chose the what appeared to be the main passage, it's giant arc of an entrance dominating the landing of a large staircase located directly passed the large fountain. Walking up the glittering staircase, the two travelers passed through the large arc and found themselves in a small, slightly less impressive room.

"This place is amazing," Jack said they walked through the new room which was included a series of corridors and smaller rooms, but they all seemed to be interconnected.

"I don't understand how they built it," Sarah said. "Technology is supposed to be so primitive..." Wandering around the room, neither of them noticed that everyone was looking at them slightly odd. People paused from their seemingly programmed routines to examine the foreigners.

"Sarah?" Jack asked, moving his eyes from side to side, similar to the way a paranoid examines his surroundings. "Is it just me, or is everyone looking at us?" He could here the people whispering amongst themselves, but he couldn't here what they were saying.

"No," she answered, eyeing the people in the same manner. "They are definitely looking at us. But I guess that makes sense. I mean, we do look out of place."

"You think we should talk to them?" Jack asked.

"Maybe we should find someone especially friendly looking first," Sarah answered. Before she could say anything else, a small yellow figure with big eyes and a round, bald head appeared before them.

"Hi!" it announced. "I'm Doreen." The appearance of this being didn't seem to surprise the people at all. In fact, after she started talking, they seemed to disperse away from Jack and Sarah, almost like things were in control now that the creature called Doreen had shown up.

"She looks friendly," Sarah said. Jack nodded.

"Umm, hi?" Jack said, not quite sure how to address the peculiar looking creature.

"What are you're names?" she asked.

Sarah took the liberty of introducing themselves to Doreen. "I'm Sarah, and this is Jack," she said.

"You're not from around here, are you?" she said. Both of them shook their heads. Doreen looked at Jack. "You certainly look familiar though," she said.

"Me?" Jack asked.

"No," Doreen said sarcastically. "The other guy with the blue hair. You certainly stand out, I mean, with that wild hair of yours."

"What are you getting at?" he asked.

"Wow," she said. "You really aren't from around here..." Once again the both of them shook their heads. "So you have no idea why everyone is looking at you oddly?" Once again, the two travelers shook their heads. "Okay," Doreen said. "Then I think we all need to have a bit of a chat."

"Woah," Jack said. "What are you talking about?" You're acting almost like we've met before."

Doreen grinned slightly before closing her eyes. In an instant, Doreen, Jack and Sarah all disappeared from the room in a blur. Jack and Sarah's vision went blank as they felt the effects of the teleportation. Doreen's voice echoed inside of Jack's head. "That's because we have, Lathain."

.

Same Time

Jack and Sarah quickly found themselves in a new room, everything about them still in tact. They glanced around. It was a much smaller room, but the odd part about it was that there was no door to be found. It had gold and white walls like the rest of the building, but unlike the extreme tidiness that was found in the rest of the city, this room was messy, with various items strewn about the room.

"What is this place?" Jack asked himself out loud, his eyes slowly scanning the room that they had just been teleported into.

"This," came the voice of Doreen from behind them. "Is my room in the city of Enhasia, part of the Eternal Kingdom of Zeal." Jack and Sarah spun around to find Doreen standing there. She was holding two cups, one in each hand, with small tendrils of steam rising from whatever liquid was in them. She walked forward and handed each of the travelers the drinks she was holding.

"Thank you," Sarah said, taking the drink, Jack was silent.

"I'm sure you have questions to ask me," Doreen said. "Please. You must be slightly confused as to what it going on, right?"

"Well yeah," Jack said, "But what I'm more confused about is how you know us. Can you shed some light on to that?"

"Let's just say, I saw you in my dreams…" Doreen said cryptically.

"Okay, can we stop with the mysterious act?" Jack asked. He exhaled loudly. "Okay, he said. Can you tell me about this Kingdom of Zeal?"

"This is the Eternal Kingdom of Zeal," Doreen repeated, "Where all dreams can come true, but at a price."

"There you go again," Jack said. Doreen smiled. "Let's start from the beginning," Jack said impatiently. "You said we needed to have a chat, like you know why we're here or something. Then you teleport us to this room of yours and talk to me in cryptic sentences. For what?!" Jack demanded.

"How about you tell me YOUR story," Doreen said with a wry grin. "Then I'll try to explain what it has to do with this place."

"Fine!" Jack said, getting angry now. He took a sip of his drink and found it surprisingly good. His eyes perked up and he suddenly forgot that he was angry. "This is really good, by the way," he said off handedly. Doreen smiled again and Jack started to tell his story from the beginning. He spoke of Sean, Aragorn, Rayith, Keltar, Magus and everyone and everything in between. He finally ended up where they were now, sitting in Doreen's room without a clue of what to do next."

After he was done, Doreen stood in brief thought as she analyzed the situation. "Where is that Red TAG that you said you found in 600 AD?"

Jack removed the glistening cylinder from it's pouch on his 'shorts.' He handed it to Doreen, hoping that she might be able to make something of it.

"Hmm..." Doreen mumbled as she waver her hand over the device. To both Jack and Sarah's surprise, the blade seemed to disassemble itself before their eyes. Outer parts disconnected from the main unit and floated in mid air while the rest of the blade came apart. Soon, all the pieces of the delicate device were hanging suspended in the air, leaving the small red rod and the red focusing crystals sitting in Doreen's hand.

"Do you know what these are made out of?" she asked them.

It took Jack a minute to snap out of the trance that the disassembling TAG had put him in. "I tried to identify it, but it didn't match up to anything I've ever seen before. Whatever it is though, I believe that they are responsible for the immense power that this weapon puts out. Normally, we run the TAGs off of a power supply known as Tritanium. This blade, however, lacked any sign of a Tritanium power source. I can only guess that this red stone is the power of the weapon.

"An astute guess," Doreen said. "This is a substance that we call Dreamstone."

"Dreamstone?" both of them asked at once.

"It all began ages ago," Doreen said. "When man's ancestor picked up a shard of a strange red rock....It's power, which was beyond human comprehension, cultivated dreams.…In turn, love and hate were born.…Only time will see how it all ends."

"What!?" Jack asked, getting aggravated with the cryptic comments."

"Sorry," she said. "It's a substance whose magical properties are not completely documented, but it provides many uses in making magical artifacts. In addition, it's magical output is remarkable and it is an extremely strong material. It has been the mark of the royal family."

"You use it for making weapons?" Sarah asked.

"Sometimes," Doreen answered. "There are a few Dreamstone swords around, but most of them are for decoration. There is one blade however..."

"However, what?" Jack asked.

"You found this in 600 AD?" Doreen asked again to clarify.

"Yes," Jack answered. "In the weapon shop we told you about. We believe that it also existed in our time. It seems to emanate the same power as the weapon that Sean used against the Lavoid." Doreen nodded.

"Then if I'm correct, you happen to be in the possession of an extremely powerful weapon," Doreen said. "Please, come with me..." she trailed off at the end, waving her hand again and making the TAG assemble again. After it was done, Doreen handed it to Jack and he turned it on, just to make sure it still worked. Nodding, he deactivated it.

"Ready?" Doreen asked. The other two nodded. Doreen closed her eyes and the three of them disappeared from view.

.

"Am I a butterfly dreaming I'm a man? Or a bowling ball dreaming I'm a plate of sashimi? Never assume what you see and feel is real!" -Doreen


	22. The Dreamstone Blade

_Chapter 22- The Dreamstone Blade_

12,000 BC, Enhasa

After reappearing from their teleportation, Doreen began to lead Jack and Sarah through the city, pointing out certain things and explaining some of the situation in Zeal. They were going to meet Melchior, the Guru of Life, or at least that's what Doreen had said. Apparently, this had some connection to the Red TAG, but Doreen wouldn't explain.

Jack decided to make some use of this time by asking some questions which he felt need answering. "You still didn't explain why you acted like you know me." He said. "What's the deal? Think we deserve an answer."

Doreen sighed briefly. "Take a look around you," she said. "Do you notice anything strange?"

Jack did as instructed, not picking up anything. "No, not really," he said.

"How about the hair of all the females?" Doreen asked. Jack and Sarah both looked around this time, finally noticing that all of the women had blue hair, in the same shade as Jack's.

"Woah," Jack mumbled. "Why the hell didn't we notice that sooner…" he said.

"I guess I just got used to blue hair," Sarah said. "That's weird."

"Now," Doreen instructed. "Look at the men. Do you see anyone with blue hair?" Both Jack and Sarah shook their heads. Doreen continued to explain. "We believe that blue hair is a trait linked to the Y chromosome, making it impossible for a man to have blue hair. But, strangely enough, you as well as three others in this time period seem to defy that principle."

"Who?" Jack asked.

"In addition to yourself, there are three others. One is a man who claims himself to be a prophet. He appeared less then two days ago, winning the Queen over with his frighteningly accurate predictions. While he wears a hood that conceals his face, he he does have long blue hair."

"Who else?" Jack asked.

"There are two others. The first being the eldest son of the Queen, Janus, who ages eight years old. The other being her younger son, Lathain, who is only two. Both possess this strange trait which seems an impossibility according to genetic studies."

_Lathain?_ Both Jack and Sarah questioned to themselves at the recognition of the name, but neither bothered to follow it up.

"So what does that mean?" Sarah asked.

Doreen turned down another corridor and stopped when she reached a bookshelf. Floating a few inches off the floor, she removed a large, leather bound book from the shelf and handed this it to Jack. "There is a prophesy that the coming of a man with blue hair with save Zeal. Now, we have four." She floated back to the ground. "Read this book. It contains much valuable information. Hopefully, it will help you answer more questions then I can." Jack looked at the title, which read: "The Origin of Mount Woe."

Without speaking again, she continued walking. In silence, Jack opened the book. All of the text was hand written and looked to be many years old. If that didn't tell it's age, the texture of the paper did. Flipping slowly though the pages, he noticed many diagrams of things which he didn't recognize.

Deciding to save it for latter, he closed the book. Just as he was doing that, they arrived at the end of the hall, an open door marking the only place left to go. Doreen stepped to the side and made a motion for them to enter first. They did, finding themselves in what looked like a workshop. There were many papers and tools strewn about the floor. Mounted on the walls were various gadgets and swords. The most notable feature in the room, though, was a large chunk of glittering red rock that sat on a pillar in one corner of the room. There was also a man, old by his appearance, huddled over one of the work benches. Oddly enough, there were two creatures that closely resembled Doreen standing on either side of him. It was these yellow creatures who turned to great the visitors first.

"Sis!" they said at the same time, hopping over to her. Now, the elderly man rose from his seat by the bench, grabbed what looked like a cane from it's resting place against the wall and walked over to the guests.

"Hello Doreen," he said, his voice filled with more energy then he looked to have on the outside. "Who are these people?"

"I found them wandering around Enhasa. He had this," she said, reaching into Jack's pocket and procuring the Red TAG. She handed it to Melchior who examined it closely. His eyes lit up when after a few seconds of examination.

"It's not what I think it is, is it?" he asked. "Because, that would be impossible…" Hitting the activation button, the blade of red arc waves jumped from the TAG, filling the room with energy. The two creatures resembling Doreen jumped slightly back and the blades activation. Melchior took on an extremely puzzled look as he turned the blade off and handed it back to Jack.

"They claim to be time travelers, Melchior," Doreen said. "This one with the blue hair said he found it in 600 AD."

"My Dreamstone Arc Wave Generation System…" he said slowly. "This is all very sudden," he said. "Much turmoil is entering Zeal. Now, we have two blue haired men to deal with. This is a sign....The Queen truly IS going to make a fatal mistake."

"Umm, is anyone hear confused?" Jack said, raising his hand in a sarcastic response to his own remark.

"This is Jack," Doreen said, introducing him to Melchior.

"Well, Jack," Melchior said somewhat hurried, "I would love to have a few words with you, but I must take my leave now. I shan't be long. Please, wait here and make yourself comfortable." He went over to his table and grabbed a longish red dagger off of the workbench. Nodding briefly to the two other creatures, he walked out of the room, taking a quicker pace then it looked like someone of his age could. The two creatures soon followed him.

When they were all long gone, Doreen spoke. "Ready for a brief History lesson?" Doreen asked. Jack and Sarah nodded. "The two other creatures you saw are my brothers. They're names are Masa and Mune. We are from a race called the Finori. We arrived in this planet in this era when our ship malfunctioned almost 20 years ago. We are somewhat or a group of time-travelers ourselves, you could say. It's possible that we might have been able to fix our ship, but se decided that we liked this time and the people in it. That was back when Vigo was king, however..."

"Vigo?" Sarah asked.

"The rightful ruler of Zeal," Doreen said. "He was killed defending this Kingdom. His wife took control soon after his death. She started out as a good ruler. It wasn't until she shifted to an alternate power source for the kingdom that she...changed."

"What alternate power source?" Jack asked.

"You see," she said. "That's what intrigues me about you two the most. You seem to have had some experience with the Lavoid." Jack and Sarah bother nearly fell down at the mention of the word: Lavoid."

"What do you know about the Lavoid?" Jack demanded.

Doreen chuckled briefly. "The Lavoid is the one who controls this kingdom, so to say. It possessed the queen shortly after we started to use the energy it gives off to power this place. Now, the queen is one with Lavos, hoping to use it's power to become immortal. Her daughter, Schala, had been trying to stop her, but she met...an unfortunate fate."

"She's dead?" Sarah asked.

"Far from it..." Doreen mumbled. "That is not to be worried about though. I will find a room for you to stay in. Please wait here." Quickly after, Doreen disappeared. Jack and Sarah stood in silence for a few moments before Jack started wandering around the shop.

"Wait a minute," Jack said. "So, the people here are using the energy from the Lavoid to power this flying island?" Jack asked. Doreen nodded. "Well then," Jack said, cracking his knuckles, "I should be able to get a shot at it then…"

When he examined the workbench that Melchior had been hovering over when they entered, he found what he could have sworn where the parts to a TAG. Picking up a the small red crystal that sat next to what was becoming the outer casing, he held it up to the light and quickly recognized it.

"What is it?" Sarah asked. Jack didn't answer, but instead he placed the Red TAG on the table and started to take it apart. Sure enough, the crystal on the table was cut in the exact same shape as the crystal in his TAG. Sifting through the other parts on the table, he also found a small Dreamstone rod, identical to the one that powered his own weapon.

"No fucking way..." Jack said, his jaw hanging open in shock.

"What?!" Sarah demanded walking over to Jack and looking at the identical sets of parts that sat on the table.

"He was building a TAG..." Jack said. "Not just any TAG though. He was building this," he motioned to the disassembled Red TAG, "The most powerful TAG that I've ever seen…my TAG…"

Jack started to put the TAG back together when Sarah reached over his shoulder and lifted what looked like the handle of a sword, but there was no blade. It handle itself was quite ornate, as was the pommel and the hilt, but it was also quite light. The hilt was not the standard cross-bar that they would have expected. Rather, it was more of a disc, similar to the hand guard on a Katana. Messing with it briefly, she separated the handle into two halves, finding that it was hollow.

"What is this?" Sarah asked. Jack took the halves of the hilt from her and analyzed them. He noticed that the slit where the blade was to protrude from was surrounded in a thin layer of Dreamstone. Coming to a sudden realization, he reassembled his TAG and placed the rod into the hollow handle. Placing the other half of the handle over it and locking it into place, he found that the TAG fit perfectly in the hilt.

Lifting the complete construction up, he felt for the place where the normal activation switch was and sure enough, there was a small button. Pressing it, the Red Blade of energy erupted from the hilt. However, instead of the normal shape of the blade, which was that of a narrow rod, this blade was very flat, just like the blade of a sword. The energy had been shaped to a sword blade by the slit which the energy passed through when it left the handle by the hilt. That must have been why Melchior had used Dreamstone for that slit in the hilt, so it wouldn't be destroyed by the actual blade.

"Good God..." Sarah said, gazing at the red blade. "This Melchior person really did invent TAGs..."

.

600 AD, Gate to Guardia Castle

Aragorn, Tristan and Rayith stood before the great gate that lead into Guardia Castle. The gate led into the courtyard and beyond that, all three of them could see a second gate leading into the keep. Being that the castle was in relative safety from attack due to the end of the War, the gates were kept open now. Good news had spread fast. Magus was dead. The Mystics were defeated. The people would never expect what was coming.

"Everyone ready?" Aragorn asked. "There's no going back after this."

"I'm ready," Tristan said, feeling inside of his coat to make sure he pistols in his shoulder holsters were still there.

Rayith merely nodded, fiddling briefly with her sword. Aragorn also wrapped his hand around the handle of his sword. Not removing the blade from it's resting place in the sheath on his back, Aragorn stepped forward.

"Let's go!" he shouted, breaking into a run through the courtyard and towards the door into the keep. Tristan and Rayith also started to run. All three of them picked up a slight Force Tech glow, trying to power their sprint. To the surprise of no one, they attracted some attention from the guards that were positioned all over the place.

While some of the guards started to run after them, all three of them made it to the keep without being caught, slowing down only once through the doors.

"I need to see the King!" Aragorn demanded of the guards that were standing in a state of confusion.

"A-Aragorn?" one of the guards questioned.

"It's him!" another guard said. "It's the escaped prisoner. It's Sir Aragorn!"

"Detain him!" a third guard shouted. In a moment four guards jumped at Aragorn. The knight easily dodged his assailants before running up the flight of stairs that stood before him. He stopped at the to speak to his comrades.

"Tristan, Rayith, buy me time!" he shouted before turning and breaking though the doors behind him.

"Well, this turned messy fast," Tristan said, drawing one of his pistols from inside his coat. The guards had already started to run up the stairs after Aragorn so without wasting too much time, Tristan fired four seemingly effortless shots, one for each of the guards. Each bullet nailed a guard in the back of the right knee and four separate shouts of pain were let out before the all of the guards crumbled to the ground.

Drawing another pistol with his free hand, Tristan made his way up the stairs, climbing over the bodies of moaning, crippled guards. Rayith released her blade from it's sheath and made her way up the stairs also. The both turned and scanned the room and quickly noted that mobs of guards were pouring in from both directions, all of them with their blades out.

"Crap," Rayith muttered. Turning to Tristan, she frowned. "Shall we fall back?" she asked.

"Sounds good to me," Tristan said. "I don't want to have to actually kill anyone…" The guards were now coming up the stairs. Tristan turned to his companion. "Go!" he yelled to Rayith who quickly complied. While Rayith pulled back, Tristan moved forward and kicked the live bodies of the downed guards toward their oncoming allies, tripping many of them up. Firing off as many shots to the knees and thighs as he could, Tristan finished that was left in his bullet clips before falling back also, reloading on the fly.

As Tristan and Rayith retreated, Aragorn had made it to the throne room, finding the King on the throne, as predicted. He quickly made his speech before the guards inevitably subdued him.

"Sire!" he announced. "You must listen to me!"

The King had risen from the throne and was standing in momentary shock. "Aragorn?!" he questioned. "What the devil are you doing here?!" he shouted. "You should be in prison with the rest of the treasonous swine!"

"Sire!" Aragorn pleaded. "I pray that you listen! The Mystics are not defeated! They are planing you assassination!" At this point, guards had swarmed into the throne room from the stairwells in the rear of the room. Tristan and Rayith also arrived as Aragorn was giving his speech.

"Just like last time, Aragorn? Except this time you're on my side?" the King questioned.

"Lord, you must trust me!" Aragorn commanded.

"I did, you fool," the King spat. "That almost got me killed once, and I won't be foolhardy enough to make that mistake again." The king turned around and sat down again. "Detain him," he said calmly.

"My Lord, they will kill you on the date of your…" Aragorn started to say but was cut off as about half a dozen men jumped on him and started to beat him into submission with the butts of their swords. While Aragorn fought bravely in trying to drive them off, he finally caught a blow to the back of his head and was knocked unconscious.

Tristan and Rayith watched on in horror as their companion was beaten to a pulp. After the guards were done with Aragorn, his friends decided they didn't want to receive the same treatment. They complied willingly, dropping their weapons and raising their hands over their heads. They were quickly surrounded by the guards who made haste in binding their hands behind their backs.

"Take them away!" the King yelled. "And make sure Sir Aragorn doesn't escape quite so easily this time!" The guards quickly went to work, leading Tristan and Rayith off to the dungeon and leaving four others to hoist Aragorn up and carry him to a similar fate.

.

Both Tristan and Rayith were sitting in silence while they waited for their companion to wake up. Due to the large number of Mystic criminals that had been imprisoned, the three time travelers had all been stored in one cell. There was a small bed, which Tristan and Rayith sat on, but other then that the room was bare, save for a gardarobe in the corner. Aragorn was laying against the far wall, still out like a light.

"A fine mess our knightly companion got us into his time," Rayith said. "Why did we listen to him again?"

"Because we had nothing better to do," Tristan shrugged. "Either way, they didn't bother to disarm me so escaping shouldn't be to difficult.

"They took MY sword," Rayith said. "Why didn't they take your little shooting things or whatever you call them?"

"Guns?" Tristan asked. Rayith nodded. Tristan shrugged. "Probably because they didn't now what they are." Tristan reached into his trench coat and pulled out a Cougar Magnum and twirled it around his left index finger before opening up the bullet chamber and spinning it around out of sheer boredom."

"We can't escape until sleepy over there wakes up, either," Rayith said. "Also, using magic would probably be a bad idea. The last thing we want to do is to get them to connect us to the Mystics. They might burn us at the stake or something."

Tristan rose from his seat and started pacing around the room, spinning the magnum around his finger again. "It's not a matter of the force required to escape," he mused. "It's actually getting out of this cell, getting to the king and getting him to listen to us before he just throws us in prison again."

"Good point…" Rayith muttered.

"I think that we might have been able to come up with a better plan then Aragorn's 'storm on in and yell at the King' bit. Either way, we do know that this assassination is true and we should probably stop it. If we don't, it might have a dire effect on history."

"But why?" Rayith said. "If it was bound to happen, then it would have happened anyway."

Tristan shook his head. "No, no, Ray," he said. "First off, I know for a fact that it _didn't_ happen. I remember that from history class. Secondly, this whole thing might have been caused by that thing at Magus's castle. History certainly didn't include two groups of time-traveling teenagers storming Magus's castle and wrecking havoc."

"Another good point," Rayith said. "So how do we stop it?"

"Well, we need to show the King some kind of inexorable proof. We need to give him no other options besides believing us."

"Why do I have a feeling that doing that is a lot more difficult then it sounds," Rayith said, discouraged.

"Because it is," Tristan said simply. He sat down on the bed again and holstered the magnum in some unseen location.

Both of them sat in silence for a while whilst each of them contemplated over various plans. About half an hour later Tristan stood up.

"The only inexorable, undeniable proof there is, is the actual assassination," Tristan said, concluding his plan. Rayith perked up, listening almost intently on what seemed like an endless drawl. "Therefore, the only way we can actually save the King is to save him from the actual bullet, or well…arrow in this case."

"How do you propose we do that?" Rayith questioned.

Tristan started to pace around the room again. "It's simple," he said. "We just need to have someone jump in front of the bullet for him."

"Arrow," Rayith corrected.

"Whatever," Tristan said. "To be most effective, however, we should let him know ahead of time that we're going to be saving him. That would probably leave the greatest impact in the King's mind. This way, if we can find out some other way to stop he assassination, like finding the assassin, he'll still know it's us. Also, as long as he knows that it's us, then whatever Aragorn did in the past will probably be swept from the record."

"So, basically, we're helping out Aragorn?" Rayith asked.

"Not just Aragorn though," Tristan answered. "We're going to make sure that King doesn't die and therefore prevent history from becoming drastically changed."

"So how do we make sure he knows that we're the ones that will be saving him?"

Tristan smirked some what sinisterly. "Simple," he announced. "We'll just pay a visit to his bedroom…"

.

"You want to break into the King's bedroom, deliver a message, and then make an escape?" Aragorn said. The knight was sitting against the wall in the cell about an hour after Tristan had come up with his plan. Tristan, after pausing briefly to light up a cigarette, had explained the plan to Aragorn after he had regain consciousness. Now, the three of them were sitting in the cell debating on the best plan of escape.

"That's the idea," Tristan said. "We should wait until about four in the mourning though. Security will be extremely minimal if even existent."

"So how do we bust out of the cell?" Aragorn asked.

"I'm going to melt the bars with a little magic," Rayith said. "That should cover it." Aragorn started to get up as Rayith decided to finally ask a question that she had been thinking about for a while. "Aragorn," she said. "Now that we're in prison because of you, I think we deserve a slight explanation of your past and what the hell happened between you and the King."

Aragorn sighed deeply and sat back down. "True, I believe that you do deserve my story." He leaned his head against the wall and took a deep breath. "To make a long story short, I was wrongfully accused of an attempted assassination of the King. I was thrown in prison to be executed for High Treason against the throne. I escaped the day of my execution. That was the day I found Jack and Sarah wandering in the woods. I was still a little delirious from the lack of food and water, so I attacked them."

"What happened?" Tristan asked. "I mean, who actually was responsible for the assassination?"

Aragorn paused. "Please," he begged. "I don't want to talk about it."

"So that's it?" Rayith asked. "That's what you didn't want to talk to use about?" Rayith was slightly annoyed that he hadn't actually been concealing more of a lengthy story."

"Believe me," Aragorn said, "There is much more to this story. In fact, Mox likes this story so much that he's writing a whole separate novel about it. It's called Times of War. You can go check it out and find out about my _entire _past."

"What?" Rayith asked.

"Yeah, dude," Tristan said. "What the HELL are you talking about? Who's this Mox guy?"

"Oh, sorry," Aragorn said. "Never mind. Let's just say, there's going to be story on my life some day. You can read it then."

"Yeah," Rayith said sarcastically. "Sure. Whatever you say, Aragorn."

"Back to business," Tristan cut in. "We're escaping tonight. We make a quick stop at the King's quarters, tell him we're going to save him from the assassination if he likes it or not, then do something real Mission Impossible-ish, like jumping out of the window. He'll remember that."

"Mission Impossible?" Aragorn asked.

"Never mind," Tristan said, realizing that making a correlation to something in his time was a bad idea. "Either way, try to rest up. I'm setting my watch for 4:00 am. We're making our break then." No one said another word. Each of the three took a different position in the cell, trying to rest up for what was sure to be a at least a _slightly_ stressful night.

.

"Because of my knowledge I was able to convince the queen I was a mighty oracle, but no history book could have prepared me for what happened here." -Magus

.

Authors note: keep in mind that "The Origin of Mount Woe" and all characters contained within (ex: Vigo) are copyright Nanaki Setoson. Basically all this means is that your ass better be reading Nanaki's stories right now as this novel (and all to follow it) take place in his 'universe' so to say. If you're reading this on a site where Nanaki's work isn't located, go to www.icybrian.com and find his work in the fanfic library there. Peace!

-Mox


	23. Realizations

_Chapter 23- Realizations_

600 AD, Guardia Castle Prison

Tristan Tenser sat with his back against the cold, hard wall of the prison. His watch started to vibrate against his wrist, signifying that the time to escape had arrived.

"It's time," he muttered, gazing at his watch and confirming the time. Quickly, he roused Aragorn and Rayith and went over the plan of escape one final time. The main idea was that they would escape and proceed to the King's Quarters, dispatching the guards and locking the door. They were to tell the King that the assassination was real, and that his life was in danger whether or not he wanted to accept it. With that, they would smash the glass to the large window which Aragorn said existed on the far side of the King's Quarters and jump out, landing safely with the use of some Force Tech. Tristan called this the 'glamour effect.' Neither Aragorn or Rayith were quite sure of what it was going to accomplish. Tristan swore it was to make the event more memorable for the King, but deep down, he just thought it would look cool.

Making as little noise as possible, they started to enact their plan. Rayith walked over to the bars and started to burn through two points on three of the bars. One point was at about two inches off the ground and the other was at about five feet from the floor. Aragorn would have to squeeze to fit under the top bars, but five feet was the highest point that Rayith was able to cut through accurately without needing to be lifted up.

After removing the segments of piping, the three prisoners exited the cell. Aragorn and Rayith each took a segment of bar that was cut to use as a weapon until they found something more appropriate. Tristan decided against his magnum, as that would wake the entire castle, so instead he screwed a silencer to each of his automatics and made sure he was using fresh clips. With weapons readied, the group headed down the hall and encountered their first guard at the base of the stairs leading up to the next level.

Before he could react, Rayith promptly lunged in and landed a saber cheek cut to the side of the guard's head with her pipe. Falling unconscious without a problem, the guard crumbled to the ground and was striped of his sword by Aragorn.

The stairs looked to connect into the corner of the hall at he top which turned off to the right. Making their way up the stairs slowly and cautiously, Tristan noted movements of shadows against the wall at the top of the stairs. Signaling the others to halt movement, Tristan readied the gun in his left hand and crept up the stairs while hugging the right wall. The shadow on the wall he was looking at was becoming smaller and more focused. The guard was coming this way, Tristan was sure of that. Abruptly, the form of the guard crossed into Tristan's field of vision. As the guard turned around, his face turned to one of shock and he drew his weapon. Before he could attack, though, Tristan fired a bullet into the throat of the guard, shredding his larynx and thereby preventing him from alerting anymore unwanted visitors.

The guard dropped his weapon and clutched his throat. Tristan eyed the man as he crumbled to the ground, realizing that while he had received what would be a completely reparable injury in Tristan's time, the injury would prove fatal here as the man would most likely bleed to death.

The group didn't have time for pity, though, and quickly moved on, Tristan jumping into the hall with both weapons held in front of him. Advancing forward slowly, Tristan was followed by Aragorn and Rayith. Reaching the end of this hall, they found another stairway. This one, however, was not guarded and climbed to another hall. At the top of this one, they found themselves on a bridge that crossed over a large abyss and led into another tower. About two stories below and above them, there were additional bridges, all running between the two towers.

He group started to run across the bridge as the figure of another guard appeared in the doorway of the opposite tower. Seeing the intruders, the guard drew his sword and ran at them. Tristan met the challenge by also running forward, sheathing his weapons as he ran. When he was about ten yards from the guard, he Force Teched into the air, flipping towards the man. As the trench coated man flew above him, the guard stopped running, caught in a sudden fit of surprise. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to be surprised as Tristan flipped overhead and grabbed the man around the neck. Locking the back of the Guard's neck against his right shoulder, Tristan brought the rest of his body around and landed on the ground in a sitting position. This quickly snapped the man's neck as it was forced to break over Tristan shoulder. Quickly rising, Tristan kicked the body over the side of the bridge towards the unseen floor below.

"Why didn't you just shoot him?" Rayith asked as her and Aragorn ran up to Tristan.

Tristan shrugged. "I dunno," he said. "All I know is that the flipping neck breaker looked MUCH cooler." He smiled briefly before drawing his pistols again.

Aragorn looked down at Rayith, also grinning. "You know, he IS right," Aragorn said. "That did look pretty cool."

"Hell yeah," Tristan said, giving Aragorn a 'high five' as Tristan had called when he taught it to Aragorn about a day earlier.

"Whatever," Rayith said. "Let's just move along."

The others nodded and quickly and started to move towards the other tower. After they entered the arched doorway, they found themselves in another hall that led to another set of stairs. This set of stairs, however, brought them to a landing that led to three new stairways: two going down and another going up. Aragorn took the lead at this point and waved the group to the stairs going up that lay across from them. As the group sprinted up the stairs, a guard that was coming into the room was quickly disemboweled by Aragorn, his intestines landing on Rayith's feet as she ran passed.

"That was kind of gross," she said. Aragorn didn't answer as he picked up his pace, forcing the others to speed up as well.

"If I recall correctly, this is a new section of dungeon that was built to accommodate the influx of Mystic Prisoners," Aragorn said. "I've never been through here before, but I think we need to go up and then down…" He paused momentarily. "Or was it down and then up?…"

"You're leading us, but you don't know where your going?" Rayith screamed.

"Somewhat," Aragorn said. The reached the end of the hall they were in and exited out onto another bridge leading back to the original tower. There were two guards walking along the bridge, but before the group was noticed, Tristan had fired two silenced shots into each of the guards' heads. Jumping over the bodies, the group entered the tower and came to another intersection of four stair cases.

Not wanting to was time with decision making, Aragorn picked a random staircase, running down, making a left, and running down again. They then crossed over yet another inter-tower bridge, but this one lacked guards.

Finding themselves back in the second tower, The group followed the only set of stairs available, running down, making a right and running down again. They soon ran down a long hall, finally coming to a halt at the sight of the wall at the end of the hall.

"Dead end!" Rayith cursed. "What the hell!"

"Well you know what?" Tristan said, "You can just fuck that…" he muttered, pulling out a large gun from some unknown point in his coat and pointing at the wall. Not taking the time to warn his friends, he fired a grenade round at the wall, blowing it open with ease. Looking at his handy work, Tristan examined the door he made. The opening led into nothing, save a four story drop to the courtyard below.

"They'll be on to us soon," Tristan said. "I didn't want to have to blow anything up so soon, but it looks like we were out of options. Sheathing the grenade launcher, he jumped out of the window, landing in the courtyard that led to the main entrance to the keep.

"Is he nuts?" Rayith asked. "I'm not jumping that far."

"Force Tech?" Aragorn suggested as he jumped out of the window also, landing slightly less gracefully next to Tristan.

"Awe man," Rayith mumbled, jumping out of the window also. Unfortunately, she was unable to slow herself down to acceptable speeds and hit the ground with a large thud.

"Dammit that hurt!" she yelled.

"Quiet!" Aragorn hissed. "Don't make any more noise." It was too late for that, though, as all three of them could hear people yelling the alarm as guards lit up torches around the outer curtain.

"Shit," Tristan said, drawing his magnum. "Come on," he said. "Let's get this over with…"

The three fugitives ran at the main keep gate at full Force Tech power, pummeling it open with the combined weight of their shoulders and their Force Tech energies. Running up the stairs, past another set of doors and intro the throne room, they were surprised to see that it was empty.

"This way," Aragorn said, running down the corridor to the right of the throne. Tristan and Rayith followed with equal speed. They ran up a series of stairs that went past many storage rooms, finally finding themselves in another hall. At the end of the hall was a set of double doors with a guard on each side. The guards quickly saw the intruders and charged them.

Tristan didn't waste any time bringing the powerful magnum to bare. He fired two of the powerful blasts, placing a large whole in each of the guards' chests. Following the loud noise made by the powerful gun, the double doors opened up and two more guards came out. They unfortunately met similar fates as their brethren. They had, however, served the purpose of unlocking the door.

The group ran down the hall and into the King's Room. The King was in his bed, but freshly awaken by the magnum blasts. Tristan and Rayith closed the door and replaced the bar that held it shut before they had entered. Meanwhile, Aragorn rushed to the side of the bed and put his hands over the King's mouth as he spoke.

"Listen to me, Sire," he said. "You must believe me when I say that this assassination is real. It will take place during the ceremony commemorating the end of the war. I will save you, though. I shall not let the same fate as before befall you." The King tried to talk but could not free himself of Aragorn's powerful grip. "You shan't worry, Sire…" Aragorn gave a hand signal to Tristan who grabbed a large chair from the room and threw it through the window behind the bed. With a crash, the glass crumbled outward, creating their escape route.

"Hasta Lavista," Tristan said with a wave as he jumped out the window, assuming a sky diver's free fall position.

Rayith didn't speak but also ran and jumped out of the window.

Aragorn quickly released the King then ran and stood at the edge of the window frame looking in. "Until then, your Majesty," he said, jumping backwards and out of the window.

The King could only gaze on in shock, wondering what to do. Why would Aragorn have went through so much trouble and killed so many people to deliver false information? He thought back to Aragorn's trial and suddenly re-realized some of the flaws in the evidence.

"Could he be telling the truth?" the King asked himself out loud. "And could it be possible that he was innocent all his time?" Moments after, guards poured into the room and started to address the King with ridiculous questions such as 'Is everything okay?' The King did not answer, but rather sat for nearly an hour, thinking about the recent events. Could he be telling the truth? he asked himself again. He only knew that time would pass, and then he would see.

.

12,000 BC, Enhasa.

Jack and Sarah were siting Melchior's workshop, as they had been doing for the past half hour. The funny looking old man had been gone for that long, and Jack was starting to get annoyed. Sarah was worried that something was wrong, but didn't follow up on it.

To satiate his boredom, Jack started flipping through the Origin of Mount Woe, noticing for the first time the quotation on the inside of the cover.

"Hey Doreen," Jack said, speaking to the funny creature that was standing over one of Melchior's workbenches. "What does this to mean?"

Doreen walked over to see what Jack was talking about. "What does what mean?" she asked.

"This quotation," Jack said, reading from the book. "'And they will hail him as Lathain, the one of Lavos Born. For the coming of the Blue-Haired Man has been foretold as the completion of the prophesy.'" Sarah shot up at the recognition of those words.

"What did you say?" Sarah said, her mind snapping back to attention.

"Oh, that?" Doreen asked.

"Yeah," Jack said. "Is this the prophesy you mentioned before?" he asked. Doreen nodded. Jack followed up with another question. "But isn't the youngest son of the Queen called Lathain?"

"Yes," Doreen said. "He was named after the prophesy," Doreen said. "We don't know the actual significance of his name, though. It is highly possible that he was named to bring people into the hope that the prophesy will be completed. The prophesy does however speak of a Blue-Haired Man. Lathain seems to defy this as he is only a baby.

"Wait a minute," Sarah cut in. "Repeat what you said before."

"What?" Jack asked. "The quote?" Sarah nodded. Jack obediently repeated what he said before, confirming Sarah's surprise.

"I've heard that before," Sarah said, somewhat frightened. "I've heard voices whisper that to me in my dreams. It's been kind of a reoccurring thing," she said. She paused briefly. "It's normally followed with this vision of Jack smiling at me and walking off into a wall of flames…"

Jack was suddenly angry. "Why didn't you mention that dream before!?" he asked.

"I just, well, I didn't think it would have mattered," she said, speaking very quietly. Jack's mind started to go over all of the facts that lay before him, before coming to a conclusion.

"Doreen," he said in a commanding tone. "I want you to take me to this Lathain child."

To Jack's slight discomfort, Doreen smiled. "As you wish…"

Immediately, the three were teleported to a new room. This room was much more lavishly decorated then most of the rooms they had seen elsewhere. There was a set of stairs that led down and out of the room. Against the far wall, there was a crib, and a small child was sleeping inside of it. Slowly, Jack walked up to the crib. He could see the child inside was about two years of age. He had short spikes of blue hair.

Around the boy's neck was a necklace with a symbol on it. Leaning over the crib wall, Jack gazed at the necklace. The symbol on the child's necklace was identical to the one that hung on Jack's neck down to the last gem.

Jack started to choke a few words out. "This boy…" he said, his voice raspy with a mix of fear and shock. "It's…me…"

.

Beginning of Time

"So he finally knows, eh Topik?" Valnius said.

"It certainly took him long enough," Hal said with a snort. "Awfully slow for One of Hope…"

"You idiot!" Topik scolded Hal. "He's known for a while know. In fact, he's known all his life. It's only now that he will begin to accept it."

"And you were the one who rushed it, Topik," Jal said.

"True," Fenreir remarked. "Sending him to Magus and getting him sent to Zeal. That was slightly manipulative."

"We've been waiting for this one for to long to lose him to blind luck," a new voice said. "I support Topik's decision."

"Thank you Rezikial," Topik said. "And Janus knew ever since their battle. But even Janus doesn't know the full extent of Lathain's power."

"And what is that?" Valnius asked.

Topik spoke. "Well, we'll just have to watch and see…"

.

12,000 BC, Enhasa

"What the hell do you mean 'It's you,'" Sarah asked. "How is that even remotely possible?"

"It makes sense now," Jack said. "The necklace. The blankets I was found in. The blue hair. Being born with magic. What Doreen called me when she took us to her room… I don't know how it happened, but this child, Lathain, is me. I am Lathain."

"So what if it all fits into place?" Sarah said. "How did you end up in our time?" she asked. Jack was somewhat surprised that she referred to it as our time rather then her time. It was a sign that she was still skeptic.

"I…I don't know," Jack said. "I haven't figured that out yet." He paused. "But you!" he said, speaking to Doreen. "You knew all the time!" Jack was filled with an unexplainable rage. "How did you know?"

"Like I told you, Lathain. I saw you in my dreams…" Doreen smiled. "It was the same reason that Sarah has known all along."

"What?!" Sarah asked.

"So you don't understand either?" Doreen asked. Sarah shook her head. "Hmm…you'll have to learn about your abilities on your own…" It was then that Sarah heard Doreen's voice inside of her head.

Why don't you ask Jack? The secret lies in that book that he carries…

Sarah ignored the voice due to the current confusion that filled the room.

"Wait…" Jack started to think back to his battle with Magus. "But that still doesn't clarify what Magus…" He trailed off.

"What?" Sarah asked. "What is it?"

"Doreen," he said. "I want you to take me to the Prophet."

"Really?" Doreen asked. "Why?"

"I have an idea," he said. "An epiphany if you will."

"Okay, whatever you say," Doreen said. We'll have to walk there though. There isn't supposed to be any teleporting going on inside of the Palace."

"Are we in the Palace now?" Sarah asked. Doreen nodded.

"Good," Jack said. "Just take me to the Prophet…"

Doreen exited the room with Jack and Sarah in tow. Walking down the stairs, Jack and Sarah found themselves in a confusingly elaborate room, with stairs and bridges going in every direction. To neither of their surprise, Doreen knew exactly where she was going.

They followed her up and down multiple sets of stairs and through innumerable doors and arches, until they finally entered a hall with a closed door on the end. Doreen knocked on the door three times. "Prophet," she said. "You have visitors."

"Send them away," a voice came from behind the door.

"Oh come on, Magus," Jack said, purposely cheerful. "Let us in. I wouldn't want to have to tell anyone who you really are."

"That voice…" came the voice from the inside. Suddenly the door swung inward and Jack and Sarah saw a man with long blue hair. His face was shadowed by a blue hood. "Come in," the man said. Jack entered, but Doreen and Sarah were stopped as they tried to walk through also. "Not you," the Prophet said.

"Whatever," Sarah said, turning her back to the door. The Prophet closed the door and invited Jack in.

The Prophet walked over and sat down in a chair that was across from a fire place. He slowly removed his hood, and the face of the Magus became clear.

"How did you figure it out, kid?" Magus asked.

"I think I should ask you the same question, Magus. Or should I call you Janus? Or better yet…" Jack paused for dramatic effect. "How about brother?" Magus merely smirked.

"Like I said before, kid. How did you figure it out?"

Jack smiled, clasping his hands behind his back. He started to pace around the room as he outlined his process of deduction. "It's quite simple, you see. Recently, through sheer weight of evidence, I realized that I am Lathain, second son of Queen Zeal. How I ended up in the era of 1999, I have no idea, but the fact remains that I am the small child that sleeps in this very palace."

"So you don't know everything, huh?" Magus said. Then, mumbling under his breathe, he said, "That'll change soon enough…"

"Anyway, once the I realized that I was this person, the rest came simply. The most powerful item, however, was what you said to me after you defeated me on the Snow Plain. 'I would sooner kill my own kin then kill you.' That was what gave it away. Along with the genetic impossibility of the blue hair and the fact that you had recognized the Dreamstone TAG, I could only assume that you, Magus, where actually Janus, the first son of Zeal and my brother, somehow displaced in time by a similar manner as to that which happened to me."

"An astute guess," Magus said grumpily.

"It doesn't stop there. I knew that you had to go somewhere after you defeated me, as it would be against all chances that another time gate would have formed and that you could have gone back to your 'home' time, the appearance of the blue haired man as a Prophet could only fit you. You were old enough to remember some of the occurrences of Zeal, being that the Janus in this era is about eight. It wouldn't have been difficult at all for you to act as a Prophet. Henceforth, while it was thought that there were four males in Zeal that had blue hair, it was actually only two males, in both their child and adult forms." Jack smiled in victory.

"Are you done?"

"Am I right?"

"Yes…" Magus said.

"But now I have a question for you," Jack said.

"What?"

"How did you know that I was Lathain?" Magus smirked.

"I had known from the point when I was thrown through time that you had also been cast into a void," he started to say. "When my servants reported seeing a blue-haired man using a sword of energy, it got my mind working. I knew Melchior was working on the energy weapon. When I heard of the 'magic swords' as my scouts put it, I thought of Melchior's toy."

"Then when we fought…" Jack started to say.

"The only person who was to be able to use the Dreamstone Blade was it's creator and the second son of Zeal, Lathain. In other words, the weapon was designed for you. Melchior hoped that there was some linkage to your name and the prophesy which I'm sure led you to your realization as to your true persona." Jack then realized why Cid the Sword Seller could never get the sword to work. "At any rate, I suspected it when I saw you and I was almost sure when I saw your natural affinity with the magical arts.

"Then the blade just…"

"The Dreamstone blade was the final piece of evidence that secured my belief beyond a doubt, brother." He said the 'brother' part with mixed emotion, leaving it hard to tell if he was mad at Jack or happy to see him.

Jack started to pace across the room again, finally siting down in one of the chairs across from Magus. Pointing to the fireplace, he sparked the wood into flame, warming the room. "So what now?" he asked.

"I have my own agenda here," Magus said. "You may do whatever you wish. I don't have time for a sentimental reunion."

"Where is Schala?" Jack asked. "I would like to meet here."

Magus shot up at the mention of their sister. "Probably with the Queen," Magus said.

"You mean our mother?"

Magus snorted. "That woman is no longer our mother. By the time you were born, she was completely possessed by Lavos." There was a long silence. "At any rate," Magus said, "I have no more time for you. Leave this room now…"

Jack glared at the blue-haired man momentarily before rising and walking to the door. "I'm sure that we'll cross path's again, Janus."

"My name is Magus, Lathain," the wizard said bitterly.

"And mine is Jack," he said. "It appears that we both wear guises that suit us…" Jack trailed off, turned and opened the door. Without another word, he left and closed the door behind him, looking at Sarah and Doreen who were standing at the ready.

"Is everything okay?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah," Jack said. "I just needed to clear up some issues, that's all." He turned to Doreen. "Is there some place where we can stay while we're here. A room of some sorts perhaps?"

"I think I can muster something up," Doreen said. "Just give me some time and I'll find you a place to stay. I think there's a few rooms available in Kajar."

"Thanks," Jack said. "I think we may be here a while…"

.

"Seek the hidden path, and open the doors of Knowledge, each in turn." -Doreen


	24. Drunken Confessions

_Chapter 24- Drunken Confessions_

12,000 BC, Kajar

Jack and Sarah were sitting on the floor in the room they had been given in Kajar. It was good sized room, probably reserved for important people. In addition to the two beds against the far wall, there was a small 'living room' section of the room which included two large, decorative chairs and a table that reminded Jack of a coffee table. There was a fireplace near the 'living room' similar to the one that had been in Magus's room. Jack had lit up the fireplace about an hour ago.

Neither of them had much of a clue as to where to go next. Jack wanted to try and meet the rest of his family, namely the Queen and Schala. He wasn't sure what good it would come to, but something inside of him was telling him to meet them.

"I don't think the Queen would be so happy to see you," Sarah said. "Taking from what's been said about her. It's not her anymore, anyway, right?"

"True," Jack said. "She might be afraid that I might fill this bizarre prophesy and offer me up as a sacrifice or something."

"You think she could beat you that easily?" Sarah asked.

"Well, judging that Magus was able to defeat me…" Jack trailed off.

"So what?" Sarah said. "Maybe you're stronger now. You seem to be getting more powerful each day."

"No," Jack said. "It's not that simple. From what I can tell, Magus is trying to kill the Lavoid."

"How do you know?"

"Well, think about: We know he knows that the Lavoid has possessed Zeal. Also, by the way he spoke of the Lavoid, I can tell that he has some deep, embedded hatred for it."

"Also," Sarah said, starting to see where Jack was going, "that would explain why he procured a high position in the government. He's using Zeal to get to the Lavoid."

"But he hasn't attacked yet," Jack said. "That would imply that he's trying to gain more power. Now, if Magus can't beat the Lavoid, but he can beat me…"

"Then you wouldn't be able to fight the Lavoid's power also…"

"I also suffer from a lack of spell knowledge," Jack said. "I simply don't know enough spells to be an effective combatant in a higher level magical battle."

"That's why you want to find Schala?" Sarah asked.

"I think she can help me," Jack said. "From what I've been told, Schala is extremely gifted with magic, more so then the Queen. If she was also crusading against the Lavoid, then she would probably do what she could to help me."

"Why not try to join with Magus?"

"I don't think he'd like that idea very much," Jack said. "He wants this to be his victory. From what I can tell, he hates the Lavoid too much to share it's defeat with others if he can avoid it."

"So the three children of Zeal will all try to kill Lavos separately…" Sarah mused. "Interesting…"

There was a period of silence, suppressed only by the cackle of the fire. Sarah thought back to what Doreen had said earlier about asking Jack about how she 'knew' about who he was. She decided to brake the silence. "Jack, can you help me figure out what Doreen was talking about when she mentioned my 'abilities?'"

"What about them?" Jack asked.

"I don't know," Sarah said. "You just seem to be on a role with deduction lately. I was hoping you might be able to provide some insight on that."

"Sorry, Sarah," Jack said. "I don't think I know anything about prescience"

"Prescience?"

"Yeah," Jack said. "Telling the future?" Sarah cocked her head back in surprise. "Relax," he said. "I was only joking."

"Why joke about that?"

"I dunno. It just sounded like you were having visions. That's silly though."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" Sarah murmured.

"Anyway, as for our next move, I think we should just stay here and find out what happens."

"Oh," Sarah said. "I get it. Figure that whatever sent you and Magus through time will be happening soon, judging by the ages of your respective personas in this age."

"Now you're getting it," Jack said with a smile. "I think we should actually try and relax for a little while until then."

"Relax…" Sarah said, almost in awe. "Wow, that word seems so difficult to think about now. It just seems like so long since we've been able to relax." Sarah had been marking the length of the journey by how long Jack's hair had grown. His ponytail now extended down to nearly his waist.

"I think we deserve it though," Jack said.

"Wait a minute," Sarah said, suddenly realizing something. "What about Tristan and the others. Shouldn't we be trying to help them?"

"I don't know if we can," Jack said. "I think they'll be okay though, wherever in time they are."

"I guess you're right," Sarah agreed. "This would be a good time to catch up on Zealian History," she pointed out. "You should read that book while we have some down time."

"Good call," Jack said, climbing from the floor and picking the book off of the table. He sat down in one of the chairs and started to read.

"I'm gonna go have a look around this place," Sarah said, also getting up. She grabbed her equipment belt off of what had been designated as her bed, and started to move for the door. Looking back at Jack, she laughed. "And I'll try to get you some new clothes too."

Jack smiled, realizing that he was still wearing nothing but basically a pair of torn-at-the-knees skin tight pants, and the combat vest that Sarah had lent him. He wasn't really cold, or uncomfortable, but new clothes did seem nice.

"Good to know your looking out for me, Sarah," Jack said with a wave. Sarah winked at him and exited the room, closing the door behind her.

Jack embedded himself in the book, magically enhancing his reading speed to get to know what he should know as quickly as possible. The story of Zeal was incredible though. He was amazed as the tale of Vigo and Schala and WEAPONS spun outward in a web of entanglement and betrayal.

He studied the magic that were used by the characters, hoping to devise the way to use what Schala called Star Magic. It seemed powerful, and anything like that would help him in his personal crusade.

He noted that his birth was not covered in the story. The writings did not cover up until recent enough to know of his birth. The prophesy of the Blue Haired man was mentioned a few times though. It seems that some thought that this man would be Janus, but others denied it because he wasn't of full Zealian blood, not having been Vigo's son. Nothing of a 'One of Lavos Born' ever came up, though, whatever that meant.

It seemed that the author had a particular interest in Schala. The story itself was practically told completely from Schala's point of view. Jack managed to learn a lot about his sister from this, and he wanted to meet her more then ever.

"Schala…" Jack mumbled to himself out loud as he read of Vigo's death at the hands of the WEAPONS. The story had become to engross him. He felt a part of if. He felt as if he were there as all these things happened. The tale of the Kingdom of Zeal was a tragic one, and Zeal herself was a tragic character. How had such a strong woman succumbed to the power of Lavos? It seemed that by the end, Zeal WAS completely under the control of the Lavoid. She had become merely a puppet of evil.

"Mother…" Jack mused again. "Why?…"

.

It took Jack another hour or two to finish the story to it's end, but he was surprised to find that there was much more of the book left after the story. Immediately following the Origin of Mount Woe was am ancient spell book.

"Wow…" Jack mumbled, excited by the opportunity to learn some new spells. Or, a lot of new spells as it was with this book. Hundreds on end, in fact. He found all of the spells listed by type and then listed alphabetically.

He recognized a few of the spells, the lightning and fire and ice spells, along with a few more powerful ones like the Dark Matter that Magus had used on him and the Mega Brando that he had used in Magus's castle. Other then that though, most of the spells were completely foreign to him.

"Look's like study time," Jack said, propping up in the chair and digging in. "And this may take awhile…"

.

About an hour latter, Jack's eyes were beginning to hurt. He had made it through Earth, Fire and Lightning spells, and was partially through Time, but he realized that he was not remembering very much. As much information as there was here, he could only store some of the vast number of spells in his mind.

Just as he was closing the book, Sarah came back from her exploration. She carried garments in her arms, enough for both her and Jack.

"I managed to pick these up," she said, tossing Jack some of the clothes. "They still take gold here, which is nice, but we're running kind of low on funds."

"I wouldn't worry about it that much," Jack said, examining the garments. They consisted of a pair of loose fitting blue pants, a gray tank-top and blue vest with sleeves to the elbows. There was also an orange sash to be worn as a belt. "These look much better then what I've been wearing," he said with smile.

"Thanks," Sarah said, dropping the clothes that remained in her arms on the bed. "It's actually quite an amazing city. Most of the architecture surpasses our own time. I'll take you out latter tonight." She took out a blue and orange robe from the pile and slipped it on over her head.

"That sounds fun," Jack said. "What time is it anyway?"

"It's just starting to get dark out," Sarah said. "They city at night should be quite beautiful at night."

.

"So, what went on between you and Tristan?" Sarah asked Jack. They were walking down the streets of Kajar as the night was just starting to get dark and the lights of the city were beginning to show. They made a funny couple amongst the crowd, the one man with blue hair and the one woman without it.

"I don't really know," Jack said. "I guess nothing never really 'went on' between us. We just had sort of a competition thing going on."

"Like how?"

"Well, before I was paired with you under Sean, I trained with Tristan under a different instructor named Frank. I trained with Frank from when I was 13 'til 16, I think. Then I got moved under Sean's tutelage. Frank was much more serious then Sean, and come to think of it, I never really liked him much. I don't think he liked me either. Maybe it was because I always beat him in our TAG battles…"

"Jack?"

"Oh, sorry," he mumbled, scratching his head. "Right. Me and Tristan. Got it." He paused briefly. "Well you know how back in High School, everyone in SSAF schooled together in a special institution?" Sarah nodded. "Well I had a lot of classes with Tristan, even though he's in the grade below me. The classes I didn't have with him were the ones that he was taking college courses in."

"He's a genius, though," Sarah said. "Isn't he?"

"Yeah," Jack said. "And that's what pissed me off. I was always considered pretty smart, but Tristan…"

"He always showed you up?"

"Yeah…" Jack said. "It used to piss me off so much!" he said with a smile. "He was just so damn good in everything. Even the stuff we did outside of class, too."

"Like what?"

"Like everything," Jack said, somewhat jokingly. "The only thing I could do better then him was TAG fight, mostly because I was faster then him."

"So he didn't do EVERYTHING better then you," Sarah corrected him.

"He was close enough," Jack said. "And he would always shy away from the exercises that I could best him in. I guess it pissed me off that I couldn't beat him aside from the few things that I specialized in. He was better at all of the general stuff and that was the kind of stuff we had to do most often."

"Any reason why?"

"I guess he was kind of a natural athlete," Jack said. "He also his growth spurt before me too, even though I was older."

"You were always kind of small," Sarah said with a laugh. "I was taller then you for a while!"

"Oh, just stick it in my face why don't you," Jack said, shoving her playfully.

"Well, you're bigger then him now, right?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah," Jack said. "But it doesn't matter anymore."

"What about the whole cigarette thing?" Sarah asked. "Why does that bother you so much?"

"Because he's smart and he knows they're bad for him. It angers me that he can be so smart but so stupid also. I think he got into them when back when he smoked a lot of weed. One of those idiots he used to hang with probably got him hooked."

"He smoked that too?"

"I never understood that either," Jack said, laughing momentarily. "He got caught for possession on school grounds and was punished, well…kind of severely. I don't think he's smoked since."

"Any other problems I should know about Tristan?"

"Actually," Jack said, laughing as he realized all the things that were actually wrong with his friend. "He had a drinking problem for a bit too. Almost died of alcohol poisoning a few times."

"Oh my God…" Sarah said.

"Don't think he's done much drinking since then, either."

"The kid's a senior who wants to be a freshman," Sarah said, also laughing.

"Yeah…" Jack mused. "I guess he's really kind of messed up in his own little way, after all."

"I haven't seen him do anything reprehensible yet," Sarah said.

"I made it clear when we started that he wasn't allowed to do any of that!" Jack said. "And on top of that, he's probably trying to impress you," Jack said with a laugh. "He was always good with the ladies."

"I'll bet that got you angry too," Sarah said, laughing. "That he was good with girls and all."

"I know!" Jack said. "He was always pimpin' it up at school! It just wasn't fair!"

"Jack…" Sarah said, almost sighing.

"Come on," Jack said to her with a smile. "Let's get some food."

.

A little while latter, Jack and Sarah found themselves in a restaurant in Down Town Kajar. It wasn't quite what they were used to, but they were both quite surprised at the elegance of the place. The one thing they hadn't counted on was that they would be out of money after paying for the meal, but they didn't really care, especially after a few glasses of wine.

Cutting off another piece of some sort of seafood, Jack was finishing another story he was telling. "But get this!" he said. "Then Keith says: 'just walk up to a random chick and say: 'look at you with all those curves and me with no breaks,' and then just grab her!'"

Sarah laughed loudly. "He didn't actually expect you to say that to anyone did he?!"

"That's the scary part," Jack said. "I think he was serious."

"He never had any trouble with women, did he?" Sarah asked, cutting another piece of meat from the delicacy on her plate.

"No," Jack said confidently. "Ever since he was little, he was always macking it with every hot girl he knew, leaving me far behind."

"Ohhh," Sarah said, making the sound one makes when a small child does something cute. "That's so sad."

"Well it's the truth," Jack said. "I've always been bad when it comes to that. Seriously, though. How many girls have you ever seen me with?"

"Come to think of it-" Sarah started to say.

"Don't answer that!" Jack cut in. "The last thing I need is to feel bad about my inadequacy with women!"

"I guess so," Sarah said with a giggle.

Jack could tell that Sarah had was starting to get a little buzzed from the combination of the wine at dinner and the drinks they had at the bar before they sat down. He was having to much fun to worry about it, though. The only thing that was going through his mind was that all it took was stumbling into a planetary, inter-temporal crisis to get Sarah to go on a date with him.

"So," Jack said. "You've go to have some interesting stories, no?"

"I don't know," she said sheepishly. "Some of them are really embarrassing…"

"Oh come on!" Jack demanded. "I've told you every story I have from the time was so drunk that I pissed on the dean's office window to the time I-" he was cut off by their waiter's voice.

"Excuse me," he said. "Would you like anything for desert?" The waiter asked.

"Um, just coffee please," Sarah said.

"Same here," Jack said, waving the waiter off. "Anyway, you've got to have an interesting story."

"Okay," Sarah said. "Well, you know how that big tree overhangs the Statue of the old King Guardia…" Sarah went ahead and told her story, finally beginning to loosen up a bit. Jack figured it was probably the alcohol, as they had been through at least three bottles of wine by the time dinner was over. Jack, however, found himself not the slightest bit affected by it.

After dinner, Jack wanted to leave and check out more of the city, but they ended up going towards home and soon found themselves in a bar that was not to far from the place where they were staying. It was a quiet bar. There was a jazz band set up in one corner, playing a slow song. The counter was mostly empty, aside from Jack and Sarah. The tables were also mostly vacant.

"So the bastard sends me a picture of himself wearing nothing but a pair of panties and a bra!" Sarah said, finishing what was left in the bottle in front of her and singling the bartender to giver her another.

"Stupid Pledges…" Jack mumbled. "What'd you do?" Jack asked calmly, still feeling odd that he wasn't slightly dizzy a this point.

"Heh," Sarah said, swigging from the new bottle. "I took the picture and wrote a little memo on it. I wrote 'Proto City at it's best!' and then I took some tape and posted the stupid picture up in the dorm elevator!"

"Very sly," Jack commented as they exchanged a high-five. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you." Jack was now almost hoping to get drunk. Maybe if he could just forget everything that was going on, if just for a little bit…

"Hey, Bartender!" Jack shouted. The bartender came over to him. "What's the strongest thing that you can serve me?"

The bartender didn't need to think long before answering. "A Kajar Krusher," the Bartender said. "But I haven't seen anyone actually finish one."

"Really?" Jack asked. The bartender nodded. Jack pulled out a few gold coins and tossed them on the bar. "Give me three of them, then," he said confidently. If that didn't get him plastered, he didn't know what would.

The bartender looked at him like he was crazy before taking the money off of the bar and going to make the drink. After minute or so, the bartender slammed three large mugs of bluish liquid on the bar. "Good luck, buddy," the bartender said. Almost immediately, Jack attracted attention from the rest of the bar.

"Kajar Krusher?" came the noise from the small crowd. "And three of them? Is this guy nuts?"

Jack ignored the others as he eyed Sarah and smirked. Taking the first mug and going with the chants of the crowd, he took the rim of the glass to his mouth and poured the liquid down his throat. It burned viscously as it passed through his throat. Chug, chug, chug. Down went the drink as Jack finished the mug, slammed it on the table and wiped his mouth off. Mumbling of disbelief filled the room.

"How was it?" Sarah asked.

"Well," Jack said, smiling and lifting up the second mug. "I'm pretty sure that was the strongest drink I've ever had. That includes my dorm's specialty, the Gurney Grind." Not speaking anymore, he brought the second mug to his mouth and started to chug down that one also. At this point, the entire bar surrounded him as the liquid went down his throat and the mug was emptied. Even the band had laid down their instruments to see the man who could withstand not one, but two of the powerful liquor.

Jack placed the second glass on the bar and looked behind him to see exchange of money as he lifted the final glass. The crowd called for him to drink it, but he paused.

"I would like to make a toast!" he announced, holding the glass up. "I'd like to toast this incredible potent drink to the dearest person in my life! One to, who without her, I would have died many times over, and lost my sanity a long time ago! A toast to Sarah!" he announced, looking at her with wide eyes.

The bar echoed his words. "A toast to Sarah!" Sarah smiled as Jack lifted the mug to his mouth and gulped down the entire glass full of the blue liquor. Chug…chug…chug. When it was gone, Jack slammed the third and final glass on to the bar in victory.

The crowd cheered, but amongst then, Jack could hear voices speaking things such as. "The blue-haired man is super human!…Is he Vigo come again?…will he lead us to salvation?…"

"You feel anything?" Sarah asked, looking up at him and drinking again from her bottle.

"No…" Jack mumbled. "Not even a buzz…" Then to himself, he thought. _This isn't right. I've never had tolerance like this before. It's must be the magic in me…yeah, that has to be it. It's affected my metabolism so that I detoxify poisons at an inhuman rate. I can't even get drunk anymore…_

"Hmm…" Sarah mused. "Well, don't worry about it. I've got another Pledge story to share…"

.

Twenty Minutes Latter…

Sarah was finishing her story. "…So then I slam the frying pan into the guy's face!" Sarah said. She was slurring most of her words at this point, but Jack sill didn't even feel a buzz. Jack was sure she was wasted. He felt bad. He probably shouldn't have let her come into a bar after all they had drank at the restaurant.

Jack laughed. "You must have been scarred shit-less!" Jack exclaimed.

"Well wouldn't you be?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, well," Jack said, laughing again. "I'm not afraid of anything!" he exclaimed.

There was a long pause as Sarah took another swig from the bottle in front of her. Eventually, she came out with a challenge. "Oh really?" Sarah asked, leaning closer to him and looking up at into eyes. "Is that so?"

Jack laughed. "Sure," he said. "What could possibly scare me at this point?"

"You want to find out?" Sarah asked.

"What do you have in mind?" Jack asked. Sarah smiled dumbly before climbing off the bar stool and leading Jack out of the bar by the hand.

She led him quickly back to their building, up the stairs, and to their room. Opening the door, she pulled him and she closed the door behind them. Pulling him into the room, she pushed him down onto the bed and sat down next to him.

"You say you're not scared of anything?" she asked, a drunken smile filling her face. She looked deep into his eyes, taking in his face and everything about him. Jack shook his head. Sarah smiled and closed her eye."…Then kiss me…" she said softly, not giving him a chance to respond before gently pushing him down on the bed and pressing her lips against his.

Jack's eyes went wide. His first impulse was sheer excitement as he felt her press against him, her tongue venturing into his mouth. _Finally! God, I've been waiting for this moment for so long!_ But after a few minutes, he started to realize what was going on. He didn't want it like this. Not when she was smashed. Not when she wouldn't remember it in the morning.

As she paused for a second to take her robe off by lifting it over her head, Jack managed to push her away.

"Sarah…" he said. "No."

"Wha?" she asked, climbing off of him and sitting down on the bed, looking at him with an extremely confused look. "What's wrong?"

"It's just…"

"Oh I knew it," she sobbed. "What's wrong with me?" she asked him. "Is it my looks? Is there something wrong with my face or body?" Jack had to concentrate to decipher the slurred words.

"No," Jack said. "Believe me, it's not that." He paused and looked at her with a loving smile. "Sarah, you're smashed."

"I am not!" she retorted.

"Yes, you are." he said. "It's not right. I…I can't take advantage of you like that. Not when you're like this."

"But why?" she questioned.

"Sarah…I…" He paused. "I've wanted this for longer then you can ever know," he admitted. "But, I never wanted it like this." He looked away from her. "I didn't want if you wouldn't remember it in the morning. I wanted…I wanted it to be the most amazing moment in my life, and I wanted YOU to feel that too. I can't do this. Not like this."

Slipping her robe back on, she pouted before lying down on the bed next to him.

"You said you weren't afraid," she said. "But I think you are, Jack McKlane…"

"Yeah," Jack said out loud to himself, climbing off her bed and lying down on his own. "Maybe I am…" Then he thought, _Don't worry Sarah. You won't remember any of this in a few hours, and maybe that's for the better…_

.

"And she'll be standing over there. With green eyes and long blonde hair. She won't be wearing underwear..." -Blink 182


	25. Speeches of Destiny

_Chapter 25- Speeches of Destiny_

600 AD, Truce

Tristan sighed as the group surveyed the soon-to-be fair grounds. They knew that this was the point that the King was going to give his speech, and therefore was also going to be the area that housed the assassin. They had spent the entire morning searching for probably assassination points, but were upset at the fact that there were just so many.

It wasn't even like there was one point that was better then any other. There were at least four excellent places to launch an assassination from. Those were only the ones that they had found. Aragorn had said him self that while he was good and finding places like this, he was not perfect, and that much of the fairground and the surviving areas remained to be checked.

"Maybe we should determine the assassination method, first?" Tristan suggested. "I mean, you people don't exactly have high-powered sniper rifles and fly-by-wire missiles." He looked to Aragorn. "What's probably the most likely assassination tool?"

"Crossbow would be traditional," Aragorn said. "You don't need to worry about drawing the string of a long bow and can concentrate on aiming."

"What if they don't kill him here at all?" Rayith asked. "You know, like poison his food so he eventually dies here, but they won't actually kill him here."

"No," Aragorn said, shooting down the idea. "They want it to be quite clear that they were responsible. This isn't so much a political play as a terrorist one."

"I agree with Aragorn," Tristan said.

"So then what?" Rayith said.

"Poison dart is also possible," Aragorn mused. "And since we're dealing with Mystics, there's always the probability of magical assassination. Either way, every one of those methods will require a different positioning of the assassin. I think we've been successful in locating a least two potential positions for each of those forms. But, we can't rule out the possibility that the Mystics will have a different method planed."

"So basically, we're clueless," Rayith said with distaste in her voice.

"Not clueless," Aragorn corrected. "We know the time and the general place. That's more then most people ever know."

After about an hour of searching, the group had become quite tired. It was past mid-day and they hadn't eaten since early morning. Aragorn decided that they had done an excellent job for today (despite rebuttals from Rayith) and it would do them good to take a break for the rest of the day.

The group retreated to town, but had been forced to wear all-encompassing robes after the price on their head had come out. Signs were up across the town marking rewards for "Aragorn: the Traitorous Knight" and "Rayith: The Known Thief and Murderer." They did not have a portrait of Tristan, but he would be deemed guilty by mere association with Aragorn and Rayith.

"I never killed anyone!" Rayith spat in reference to the signs. "And that's a terrible picture of me!"

"Would you keep it down?" Tristan said, drinking from his mug of water. "We're wanted criminals, you know? We can't go around yelling like that."

"Oh, please," Rayith said sarcastically. "I've been a wanted criminal for years, and let me tell you, this 'aint anything new. Most people don't want to help others or get involved with people like us."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Rayith said. "For example, everyone knows Aragorn as a War hero. That's not arguable. Even if they did believe he was a traitor, would you jump at the chance to enter combat with the man that was solely credited with victory at Zenan Point?"

"What did you do to get credited with that victory?" Tristan asked Aragorn, slightly intrigued.

"After the battle was going down hill, I discovered a traitor within our ranks and took control of the troops. Under my command, we won, even though we were outnumbered about three to one."

"Damn…" Tristan said, whistling in amazement. "What about you?" Tristan asked, looking at Rayith.

"Well, I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I've been wanted for a while before this. Me and my swordsmanship is pretty well known around these parts."

Tristan looked at Aragorn with a raised eyebrow as if to question the validity of Rayith's statement.

"It's true," Aragorn admitted with a nod. "She's a crook."

"Hey!" Rayith argued as Tristan tried to quiet her down. "I'm not a crook. I only steel to survive."

"Yeah," Aragorn said. "And how much did those jewels on your wrists cost?"

"I…found them," Rayith said in her defense, clutching the gems on her wrist bands. "And that's none of your business."

"Okay, okay," Tristan cut in. "I believe you. And I'm not worried any more. I guess no one would want to fight with idiot one and idiot two over here." Rayith started to speak in her defense again, but Tristan cut her off again.

"So what now?" Rayith asked.

"Now," Aragorn said, pausing for effect. "We wait."

.

12,000 BC, Kajar

Sarah rubbed her head with anguish as she tried to remember what had happened the night before. All she could think about though was the splitting headache that raged through her cranium. She couldn't even remember the dreams she had last night, which was another oddity for her.

"I feel so…" she said, searching for the right word.

"Hungover?" Jack suggested, completing her sentence.

"Yeah," Sarah said, rubbing her temples and looking at the blue haired youth who was getting dressed near her bed. "What did we do last night?"

"Oh, you just had a little too much to drink," Jack said, concealing part of the actual story. "You'll be fine in a bit."

"Man, but my head hurts," she mumbled before collapsing onto the bed again.

"You rest," Jack said. "And then we'll go get breakfast."

"No," Sarah said wearily, forcing her self to rise. "I can go. Let's get something to eat. That'll make me feel better."

Sarah climbed off of the bed and got dressed. Luckily, she hadn't thrown up on her robe last night. Soon the two were out of the room, Sarah rubbing her temples in hope of relieving some of the pain.

"Where are we gonna go, though?" Sarah questioned as they exited the building.

"I'm sure they have something like a dinner," Jack said confidently. "We'll find some place."

"But we don't have any money," Sarah said.

Jack smiled. "Already have that taken care of," he said with a smirk. "You just leave it to me." Sarah was too tired to argue.

After a short period of searching for dinning, Jack and Sarah found something that did in fact resemble a dinner in its layout and menu. Walking up to the hostess table, a man asked them for their name and party size.

With a large smile on his face, Jack said, "Lathain, party of two."

"L-L-Lathain?" The man asked. The blue haired youth nodded. "Please," he announced. "Sit anywhere you like!" Jack nodded to the man and past by him, leading Sarah to a table in the rear of the dinning room.

After they had say down, Sarah leaned over the table to speak. "Why'd you do that?" she asked. "You want to attract attention to yourself?"

Jack simply held up a hand with five fingers outstretched. Slowly, he lowered a finger one at a time, as if to count down to one. As he reached the count of one, a waiter came over to them and handed them menus. "The chef has asked me to inform you that your meal will be on the house, Mister Lathain," he said.

Jack smiled triumphantly at Sarah still not speaking. The waiter continued. "Anything to drink?" he asked.

"Coffee," both of the answered in unison. The waiter nodded, spun around and walked away.

"How'd you know that would happen?" Sarah asked, leaning back against her chair.

"I just figured that my supposed legend was wide spread. And who in their right mind would deny the so called 'Savior of Zeal' a free meal?"

"Interesting," Sarah said. She paused momenarily. "But now we come to an interesting subject." Jack raised an eyebrow. "Are you the so-called 'Savior of Zeal?' The one that is said to be of Lavos Born, whatever that means."

Jack paused in thought. "Is it important?" he finally asked.

"Yes!" Sarah confirmed. "Yes, it most definitely is. If you are the Lathain of Legends, then you must see it and find what you are supposed to do."

"I don't know…" Jack said. "It just seems to perfect. Too convenient that I was born Lathain, sent through time, only to end up back here 16 years latter. I thought the prince, or rather myself, was named after the legend, not AS the legend."

"But then it would make sense," Sarah said. "That would complete the prophesy. You WERE named Lathain, because Destiny wrote that you would come back here one day and do whatever it is that Destiny would have you do."

"Tch," Jack sneered. "Destiny? What's Destiny?"

"You don't believe in Destiny, Jack?" Sarah asked with a raised brow. Jack shook his head.

"I'm in control of my own life."

"Jack," Sarah argued. "You of all people should understand Destiny. Look at all of the events that have led to us being here. How many of those did you have control over?"

Jack quickly ran the thought back over in his mind. _Let's see…going with Sean, that was not really my choice as he was a superior officer. Getting sent to 600ad…meeting Rayith and getting sent to the End of Time…finding my home in ruins…meeting with Topik…going to Magus's castle…getting sent here…_

"You see?" Sarah asked, as if conscious of his thoughts. "You didn't have control. All of the important events that led us here happened on their own, with little direction from you."

"No…" Jack said, thinking for something he had control over. "Magus's Castle!" he finally announced. "I didn't have to go to Magus's Castle. That was a conscious choice on my own part."

"Was it really, though?" Sarah asked. "What was it that made you go there?"

Jack spoke. "I was told that he had information on the-…" he cut himself off. He went to Magus's Castle because he was under the assumption that Magus knew about the Lavoid. But why did he know that? _Topik! That bastard! He knew what I would do! He knew I would go to Magus if he told me that Magus knew about Lavos. He led me right into it!_

"Fate ties throughout, doesn't it?" Sarah asked.

"How did you know?" Jack asked very helplessly. "How did you know?" he asked again.

In an odd movement of head and neck, Sarah suddenly flinched and looked at Jack like she had been in a trance. "I-I don't know," she stuttered. "It just…sort of came to me. It's like I suddenly saw the past that happened to you…" Then in her head, _You are the one, Jack. I feel it. I think I understand now what Sean said about you…_

"I need to get back to the End of Time," Jack said. "Once we find a way to get out of here, I need to get back there. I need to speak to someone. I need to find out what's really going on, and why I'm being tugged around like a puppet on strings."

"But how do we get there?" Sarah asked.

"Not now," Jack said. "Now, we'll wait to see the time-space anomaly that sent me to your time. Then we leave."

_Your time, _Sarah repeated his words to her self._ He called it 'your' time. Does he not even think of if as his own time anymore? Does he see his ultimate role in this world? Can he see his ultimate role. Or, more importantly, do I know his ultimate role?_

"Right," Sarah agreed. "And until then?"

"We kill time, I guess," Jack said.

_He's afraid…_ Sarah thought. _He's really afraid._ "Kill time?" Sarah repeated in question. "When you think about it, that's an odd expression." At this time, the waiter came with their coffee. Each of them fixed it their own way. Sarah used milk and sugar, Jack drank it with only sugar.

"Kill time…" Jack repeated himself. "Yeah," he agreed. "It is an odd statement. Almost paradoxical. It's not really possible to kill something that doesn't exist as a material object. Yet, we seem to do it all the time."

The rest of breakfast was silent, for the most part. Jack didn't feel like talking about Destiny anymore, mostly because he was starting to think that he WAS being pulled by something. That he WAS being led along by some higher power. Could the beings at the Beginning of Time control Destiny? Or was that even out of their power?

After breakfast, Jack and Sarah returned to their room. Jack took the time to study from the magic book while Sarah delved into some of the books that adorned their room. That was the funny thing about Zeal; every room was a veritable library. This civilization was truly a treasure trove of knowledge.

As they read their books, Sarah's head suddenly shot up from her reading position with a worried look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked, not taking his eyes off of his book.

"I…I don't know," Sarah said. "But I think something terrible has happened to Melchior."

"That old guy who's building my, err…the TAG?"

"Yeah," Sarah said. "I can't help but shake the feeling that he's in trouble."

"Why?" Jack asked.

"I'm not sure," Sarah said, putting her book on the end-table and rising from her chair. "I want to check his workshop."

"But we'd never be able to find it again," Jack said. "And anyway, his main shop is up in the palace, right?"

"Dor-!" Sarah started to call the name of their Finori friend, but quickly found that she was suddenly standing before them.

"You called?" Doreen asked.

"Why do I get the feeling you've been watching us," Jack said, crossing his arms and looking down at the creature.

"Because you're a smart human," Doreen said with a smile. "Very rare to come by these days, too."

"Anyway," Sarah continued. "Could you take us to Melchior's main workshop?"

"Sure," Doreen said, waving her arm and creating a teleportation spell that instantly warped then to a workshop. After a quick analysis, the group discerned that the workshop was empty. It looked like there may have been signs of a struggle, or possibly Melchior was just a messy worker. This workshop, like his other one, contained a pillar of Dreamstone. It also contained a pole that was most likely used for testing the strength of weapons. Or rather, it WAS a pole, before it had been cleanly cleaved down the middle by an exceptionally powerful weapon.

As they surveyed the workbenches and store closets, Masa and Mune suddenly burst into the room from a previously unseen entrance. Walking to the brothers, Jack spoke. "Hey," Jack said. "What are you two doing here?"

"They took him!" Masa announced.

"The Queen took him!" Mune confirmed.

"He didn't stand a chance!" Masa said.

"Not a chance," Mune echoed.

"And they locked him on Mt. Woe!"

Jack stopped the hysterical duo from talking for a moment to asked a question. "Woah, woah, woah," Jack said. "Slow down! Now start from the beginning. Who did they take?"

"Melchior!" Masa and Mune said simultaneously.

"And who's they?" Sarah asked.

"The Dalton and the Queen!" the yelled.

"Guys," Doreen cut in. "You need to calm down."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "Let's calm down and you can tell us the whole story."

"They took him…" Masa whimpered. "He didn't stand a chance. If only he could have used the Masamune!"

"Masamune?" Sarah asked.

"Well," Masa said. "Maybe we should start from the beginning…"

.

"There are some things you just can't explain with the word... fate. You're just going to have to see it with your own eyes." - Taura


	26. Assassinations and Modifications

**Chapter 26**

**Assassinations and Modifications**

600 AD, Truce Village. 8:30 AM 

It was the day of the commemoration. The day of the assassination. Aragorn was sure that he had found every possible location for an assassin. All that was needed was to located the assassin as he prepared to make his attack. It would work. He was sure of it. 

Early in the morning, the group gathered their things from the inn and met in an ally outside of the building. The speech was to be given at the soon-to-be sight of Leene Square, named after the benevolent Queen Leene. While the Square's construction had yet to be completed, there was a long series benches set up in front of a stage with a podium. The make-shift theatre was designed to hold the entire population of Truce, some 20,000 people, with standing room as needed. 

The King was set to begin his speech at the stroke of noon. Aragorn had analyzed he list of things that the King's speech-writer would have touched on, and calculated the time of the presentation to be forty two minutes, give or take. For dramatic effect, he was sure that the Assassin would strike as the King delivered his conclusion. 

It was in all probability that the Mystics would also be staging a large scale invasion that was timed to the assassination. In preparation of this, Aragorn had asked Rayith to monitor the area surrounding Leene Square. The first sign of Mystic forces would probably correlate with the time of assassination. 

Aragorn figured for a very short period between the assassination and the invasion, and he realized that while the military power present at the commemoration was large, it was not enough to hold off what would most likely be the remainder of Mystic forces. This item, however, Aragorn was still thinking about how to solve. 

"It's almost time," Tristan said, looking at his watch. 

"Right," Aragorn said, drawing his cloak over his face and walking out of the ally. The others followed. They walked towards the Square, trying to look as inconspicuous as three people in dark, concealing cloaks could look. 

It was a warm day with a light wind blowing over the landscape. It was early spring. The trek to the Square a was a short, silent one. It rested about a mile outside of town. From a distance, one could see the endless rows of benches set up on a hill side. The seats were already almost full, even though it was only 9:00. Spitting up as they entered the distance a bow could fire to the stage, they began to make their preliminary searches. 

They went over the prime possible assassination points for each of the main possible weapons. If one of those points WAS, being used, however, the Mystic had yet to arrive and set up his shot. 

. 

9:30 AM 

Still nothing in the prime points. They were operating on a guessing game at this point. Slowly, they fanned out to the less probable points, Aragorn made a final sweep to check for point which he may have missed over the last weeks examinations of the area. 

"Where the hell is he?" Rayith muttered, thinking back as to why she was even here. She was beginning to have problems with this whole ordeal, and to top it off, she never got her shot at Magus. Man, this just hadn't been a month. 

"He….or she," Aragorn corrected. "Two thirds of the world greatest assassins are women." 

"Whatever," Rayith muttered. 

"We've still got time," Tristan said. "He's probably just not set up yet." 

. 

10:00 AM 

They gave up on the possibility of assassination by arrow, as the marksman would not be able to reach his target from anywhere outside of the area that they had scanned. Poison dart also seemed improbable as it's range would be to close for the attacker to escape unharmed. They scanned the points that were discovered for a possible magic assassination. 

"He would have had to be in his position, now," Tristan said. "How did he plan on getting that close with all these people here. A mystic can't change form, that much I know." 

"If I were him," Aragorn said. "I would have been positioned the night before, waiting patiently. As far as the Mystics are concerned, we don't know about the assassination. 

"So where is he?" Rayith asked. "They must be using a form of attack with a much longer range." 

"Right," Aragorn agreed, smiling at the young thief who was learning well from him. 

"So let's spread out again," Tristan said. 

"Right," the others agreed. 

. 

10:30 AM 

Time was growing thin. No sign of an assassin everywhere. Tristan had quickly gone back over the points that they had checked first, hoping to find the assassin there at this point. No such luck. Aragorn was beginning to get worried, but he refused to show it. 

"Should we be worried now?" Tristan asked the knight. Aragorn kept his cool and calmly shook his head. 

"Not yet," Aragorn said. "Figure that we have at least another hour." 

"Are you sure?" Rayith asked. "I mean, what if they decided to kill him right when he walks up to the podium, and not at the end of the speech. 

"No," Aragorn assured. "I'm sure Keltar is the one behind all of this. I know him too well for that. He'll do it at the end. That's just his style…." 

. 

11:00 AM 

As the King began his speech, the assassin stealthily touched the weapon of his choice. He was ready to spring. No on would know. He would kill the King of Guardia, and the Mystics would win. All was according to plans of Keltar… 

. 

11:15 AM 

"We're missing something!" Aragorn yelled, getting tense now. "What could we be forgetting!? What did I leave out!?" 

"Aragorn," Tristan said. "You have to calm down. We still have time." 

"Not enough, though," Aragorn corrected. 'We're running out." 

"Well, arguing isn't going to give us any time back, Aragorn," Rayith said. "We should just keep looking." 

Aragorn quickly went back over everything. He examined all the facts. He went over all the evidence. "What did I miss…" Aragorn spoke to himself. "What could they be planning. There is no one in the range of a missile weapon in any of the potential spots. If he was in the crowd, it wouldn't work, as people would see him as a Mystic…" 

Aragorn's eyes suddenly lit up and his head jerked into attention. "Oh, shit." 

"What?" Rayith asked. "What is it?" 

"No time!" Aragorn said, running from where they were and into the crowd. "We're almost out of time!" Pushing through the crowd, Aragorn made his way towards the stage… 

. 

11:30 

"And So!" the King spoke, finishing his speech. "Fair people of Guardia! No more shall you live in the fear of the Mystics! No longer shall your lives be in danger at all moments! For we are victorious and victorious we shall remain!" As he lifted his hands in conclusion, the crowd exploded with cheers. 

Aragorn has miss judged the speech time. He knew it to, as he heard the crowd cheer. He needed to make it up there. Pushing through the crowd, be came ever closer. 

. 

On the stage, there was an unseen flash of light as a blade was drawn from it's sheath. Keeping the blade concealed in his robes, the King's Prime Advisor, Balreis, stepped closer to the king, aligning himself for the attack. He readied the knife. 

. 

"Treachery," Aragorn cursed under his breath. "That had to be it!" Aragorn was now insight of the stage. Pushing his way to the front he looked on to the stage. He soon found himself looking up at the King. For a moment, the King and Aragorn met eyes, a look of fear in both of their faces. 

"Aragorn?" the King mouthed. His lips moved, but no sound came out. Aragorn didn't have time to waste, however. 

. 

Now practically behind the King, the assassin loosened the knife from the robes, shifting it into his right hand. The time to strike was now. Very quickly and silently, he attacked…. 

. 

Aragorn looked pass the King and saw the advance of his Lord's attacker. There was a faint glimmer from a dull blade as Aragorn suddenly felt his world shift into slow motion. 

Not thinking, he launched himself on to the stage, drawing his broadsword out of it's resting place within his robes. Suddenly, he could see the armed guards near the king reach for their weapons as it surely looked as if Aragorn was attacking the King. Aragorn ignored their shocked faces as he landed on the stage and pushed the King out of his way with a swift arm motion. 

As the King looked up, he saw the assassin that had just lunged at with a blade; a blade that would have killed him if Aragorn had not pushed him aside. 

Bringing his blade around in a sweeping parry, Aragorn caught the incoming knife of the assassin, sending the knife flying away. Aragorn then looked into the eyes of the King's attacker. Balreis, one of the King's advisors, that was certainly it. Treachery from within. Aragorn had never thought of it until the end. 

Balreis looked at Aragorn in a mixed feeling of shock and dread. Aragorn, however, didn't have time to analyze the assassin's response or the assassin's reason for betraying the King. He quickly brought the blade back around and rammed it through the assassin's abdomen. The assassin looked up at Aragorn with the same look of shock and dread, coughing up a spew of blood. In a fluid motion, Aragorn ripped the blade out of the assassin, spilling his entrails on the floor. 

Silently turning and looking down at the King, he motioned his hand to the dead body on the floor. "Your assassin," he said. The King was too confused to know if he should be scarred or grateful. 

Aragorn then noticed that the crowd had become silent, looking up at the spectacle that had just happened. The guards around the stage had begun to move in as if to arrest Aragorn, but the King waved them off. Then, through the silence of the crowd, Rayith's voice came. 

"They're coming!" Rayith screamed, pushing through the crowd and up to the stage. She was being closely followed by Tristan. "They're coming!" 

The King looked up at Aragorn. "Who's coming?" he asked Aragorn. 

Aragorn held out a hand the help the King climb from the floor. "The Mystics," he said dimly. "The Mystics are coming." 

. 

12,000 BC, Kajar. 

Masa and Mune had retold the story of Melchior's capture. How Dalton had come in and taken him away, just after he had successfully completed the magical anchoring of Masa and Mune to the aptly named Masamune. 

Masa had quickly explained anchoring as the process of attaching the meta-physical form of a Planeswalker (which the Finori sometimes call themselves) to an object in an unstable plane for 'anchorage.' If such anchoring is not accomplished, the Planeswalker will be sucked out of the unstable plane, cast back into the warp space that exists between Planes of a universe. 

While the concept of Planeswalking was beyond Jack and Sarah's comprehension at the moment, they managed to accept it as a fact and not question it. 

When anchoring, though, it was known by Melchior's Finori friends that the process to an object gives it incredible properties. It was through this process that the Masamune was created. Masa and Mune anchored to what had been a simple Dreamstone dagger, making it considerably more powerful. 

"So that's why that pole was cleaved like that…" Jack said, imagining the power of such a weapon and the properties which such anchoring could give an item. 

"Yes," Mune affirmed, quickly getting back to the story of Melchior. "And then they took him away. They put him on Mt. Woe." 

"THE Mount Woe?" Sarah asked. "Like the one in the book? The former island of Enhasa?" 

"Yes," Masa said. "The Queen froze him there. Now he's stuck…" 

"Can we help him?" Jack asked Sarah. "I mean, what can we do?" 

Sarah paused in thought for a moment before answering. "No," she said blankly. "I don't feel that we should go to him." Jack looked at her in puzzlement. She then answered his soon-to-be question. "I….I have a feeling that it isn't our place to save him. For some reason, I believe that he will be saved without our intervention." 

Jack stood in confusion for a moment before deciding to trust Sarah. He didn't know why, but something inside told him to trust his companion. Maybe it was the fact that her intuition had gotten then out of many situations before. Or, maybe it was something else…. 

"Okay," he agreed. "I believe you. I don't know how the hell you're getting that vibe…but I'll take your word." Sarah smiled. "So now what?" 

Sarah put her hand to her chin in thought. "Masa, I need to ask you about this anchoring thing. Can it be done to any object? 

"Yeah," Masa said. "We can anchor to any object in the third dimension of the plan that we wish to remain in." 

Jack interrupted. "I see where you're going…" he said. "The Dreamstone Blade, right?" Sarah nodded. Jack nodded back in agreement. "If we could anchor one of you Finori to this weapon, it would be considerably more powerful. Even capable of slaying the Lavoid, maybe." 

"That's not even considering the fact that it's hideously strong, now," Sarah said. "But…" 

Masa jumped in. "Myself and Mune are already anchored to the Masamune," he said, sensing what Sarah was going to say. "We can't anchor multiple objects." 

"What about you, Doreen?" Jack asked, turning to his new friend. "Will you do this for us?" 

Doreen studied the faces of the humans for a moment. She knew their intentions. They wanted Lavos dead just as much as the rest of Zeal. The question was, were they really capable of beating it? It's power had already corrupted the Queen. Exactly how strong were these humans? 

She recalled the prophesy, though. How a man with blue hair would save Zeal. She was sure that Jack was this man, but somehow she doubted that he would be the one to fight this Lavoid. Too many things would get in his way, including his family. So how would this prophesy be completed? 

"Very well, Lathain," Doreen said, after nearly a minute of contemplation. "I shall anchor to Melchior's final creation." 

"Please don't call me that…" Jack pleaded, turning to Sarah. 

"Thank you, Doreen," Sarah said. Doreen nodded. 

"First, though," Jack said, putting into motion an idea that he had been toying with for some time. "I would like to alter it's form. I have some slight changes which I would like to perform on the Dreamstone Blade." 

"Such as?" Sarah asked. 

"First off," Jack said. "I've come to appreciate the feeling of weight in the weapon which I hold. The blade made only of energy has no real mass. It lacks the feeling I would like to have in a weapon." 

"So what do you want to do?" Mune asked. 

Jack frowned. "I don't want to bore you with the technical details of TAG modification, but…" He paused. "Here it goes: what if we were to fixate a blade to the handle that we found at Melchior's other shop?" He reached into his pocket and drew the TAG that was now encased in the ornate handle. "If you look here, there is a slot which appears to have been designed to focus the energies into blade format." Jack activated the weapon and the blade jumped to life in it's focused form of a long-sword. 

"And you want to put in an actual blade?" Sarah questioned. 

"Yeah," Jack said. "And then, I'd like to set up the weapon so that the arc waves which previously made up the blade would now project and surround the metal blade, creating an energy field around it." 

"You want to use Dreamstone for the physical blade?" Doreen asked. 

"Not necessarily," Jack said. "The tricky part is going to be fixing the weapon to conduct the arc-waves around the blade, instead of just forming their own blade." 

"Would the power of the weapon be the same?" Sarah asked. 

"Yeah," Jack said. "I think so. The arc-waves would form an aura around the blade, basically destroying anything the aura comes into contact with, disrupting solid matter in the same form that a TAG does. The blade itself doesn't actually touch the surface of the target." 

"Why not just keep the weapon the way it is, then?" Mune asked. 

"Actually," Jack said, "Now it will be more powerful. Or, at least that's my hypothesis. You see, the arc-waves will have a point of stabilization, namely the physical blade. In a standard TAG, they don't have a stabilization point. I have a hunch that the waves will actually be more effective like this, due to various theorems on the concentration of arc-waves and co-indexes of tampered energy waves…" he quickly caught himself before going to deeply into something that only he and Sarah would understand. Jack also quickly found himself wishing that Tristan could be there to confirm his theory. 

He quickly got back on track to explain his plane in layman's terms. "Secondly, I can easily turn the energy field off if I choose to fight with just the blade." Jack deactivated the TAG that was in his hand. "Lastly, I want to add an 'ejection' device that allows the weapon to discharge the blade from the handle and then fight with a pure energy blade, should situation demand a lighter weapon." 

"Why would you want to fight with just the blade?" a bewildered Mune asked. "Why settle for something less powerful?" 

Jack tried to explain. "As Sarah knows, in our world, we have protective shield technology which blocks out energy weapons. That includes Arc-Wave projectors, too. I would hate to have to come up with an enemy with similar shielding and find that my weapon was useless." 

Jack went back to explaining his ideas. "One final modification," he added. "And possibly the most powerful, would be the a modification of the sensor matrix." 

"The device that activates the weapon," Masa clarified. Jack nodded. 

"What will you do to it?" Mune asked. "I watched Melchior create it. It's a pretty complex device." Jack smirked. 

"Well it's based on the factors involved in the energies that exist within me." He paused, thinking how to explain his next point. "Think of it this way," he said. "All creatures that are capable of using magic naturally absorb energies from the Winds of Magic. This provides us magic users with our source of power." He started to pace around the room. 

"Now, I house a particularly powerful energy which I've found myself referring to as the Black Wind. This energy courses through me, and Schala and Janus as well, I may imagine. It's basically the source of my….powers." 

"When you say powers…" Sarah started to say. 

Jack answered her question. "My high level magic capability along with my magical prowess. My speed. My agility. My sudden increase in Force Tech ability. Probably all the stuff that's linked to the color of my hair. That kind of stuff." 

"Oh…" Sarah said, trailing off. 

"Anyway, if I could draw on these powers of mine, along with the powers of the magical winds…" 

"And put them into the sword…" Sarah finished. "In the same way we draw from Force Tech to amplify our fighting power, you would channel your magical power through the sword, amplifying it's power." 

"You catch on fast," Jack said, walking over to the nearest workbench, sitting down, and placing the Dreamstone TAG on the table. 

"Sounds like a project," Doreen said. "And I'm sure you don't want me to anchor anything until you get the blade in the form that you wish." 

"Right," Jack agreed. "I think that if I use Melchior's tools, I should be able to convert the blade in few days…." 

"What do we do until then?" Masa and Mune asked. 

"I dunno," Jack said. "What do you normally do when you're bored?" Masa shrugged. 

"Normally, we just pestered Melchior," he said with a grin that quickly turned to a frown of worry. At this moment Doreen suddenly perked up, her eyes shooting open. 

"New people…" She said quietly. "New travelers in Enhasa…." 

"What do you mean?" Jack asked. 

"There are three entities whose energy signatures do not resemble that of a Zealian." 

"That boy and his friends?" Jack asked Sarah. Sarah shrugged. 

"It's possible. I'm not sure how they would have gotten here, though. Unless…" 

"Unless what?" Jack asked. 

"That would imply that there was a temporal disturbance somewhere that created a gate that they must have come through," Sarah said. 

Jack carefully thought over the situation. "Right…" he finally agreed. "So that should mean that there is a gate we can go home through now." 

"Possibly…" Sarah said, wrapping a small strand of loose hair around her finger. 

"Hmm…" Jack put his hand to his chin. "We still haven't seen what happens here," he said. "You know, the event that must have sent me through time as an infant." 

"You want to stay?" Sarah asked. Jack nodded. 

"I want to alter the TAG as well. Also, having Doreen anchor to it will be nothing but a help if we wish to combat the Lavoid." 

Sarah sat down in thought. "Okay," she agreed. "I just hope that gate doesn't disappear like the last one…" 

. 

"Humans are so...silly! It's how you use the sword that's important...not who owns it! You can't even understand something as simple as that! That's why you're human." -Mune 


	27. Secret of the Dreamstone Blade Revealed

**Chapter 27**

**Secrets of the Dreamblade Revealed**

12,000 BC, Kajar 

Finding things to do with herself while Jack was altering the Dreamstone TAG was not something Sarah found easy. Jack had been working for the past eight hours on reconfiguring the inside of the ancient weapon, trying to force technology to it's limit. He had taken a 30 minute break for lunch, but even that was rushed, and he didn't have time to talk to her. After a short while, she had ended up back in her room. 

Sarah took the time to reflect on the trials of their journey. She thought about the larger scale of what they had intended to do. She thought that she knew the power of the Lavoid, and that it may be defeated. Yet, Sarah was never someone to take something for granted. Nothing would be certain until the group…no, Jack confronted the beast. That would be the only way to provide closure. 

She had resigned herself to reading the Origin of Mount Woe. It was a wonderful story, full of intrigue and twists. But, more importantly, it let Sarah make an attempt at placing Jack into all of it. However, the story concluded before he was born, so she was left without answers. 

The Story did leave her with a better understanding of this society that they were living in, and helped her understand the people in it a little better. Such a bitter and tragic history had this kingdom endured…. 

After the story, the spell book was left to be examined. Flipping through it, she soon felt that she was reading another language. 

"Wind coherency?" she mumbled to herself, regarding one of the terms mentioned in each spell's entry. "Magic density index? Draw motion?" She stared at the book. "What does all this stuff mean?" She also noted something called the 'difficulty index.' 

"Interesting…" she said, flipping to a spell that she knew in order to see it's difficulty. Finding the spell, Wind, she looked at the number. "Now, Wind has a difficulty index of 5.6…." Flipping the page, she found Wind II and Wind III, having an index of 10.8 and 20.2, respectively. She also noted that she had yet to completely learn how to use the spell Wind III. 

"So, what would some of the spells that Jack used be rated at? I'd like to know just how strong he is…" She flipped through to the fire section, looking for the spell that Jack had called Mega Brando. Finding the entry, her jaw dropped open and her eyes widened. "Difficulty 304.6…." she whispered. She flipped through some of the other spells that she knew Jack could use. "Dark Bomb: 257.1. Dark Blast: 678.2. Shadow Flare: 956.85," she read the numbers aloud. "Holy crap…" 

"He's strong, isn't he?" a dark voice came from behind her. Sarah spun around to find the image Magus standing before her. 

"Jesus Christ!" Sarah exclaimed, jumping nearly a foot into the air and touching her hand to her weapon. 

"Come, child," Magus said, a wry smirk on his face. "I have no intention of damaging you. You don't need to pretend as if you could defend against me." 

"What do you want?" she asked, placing the book on her bed but still touching her hand to the hilt of her blade. "And how did you get here?" 

Magus stifled a laugh, walking up to Sarah's bed and taking the spell book off of it. "I was looking for your friend, but you will do…" Sarah eyed him suspiciously, unconsciously gathering Force Tech energy. 

"…And stop gathering energy," Magus said bitterly. "It annoys me." Sarah grunted, let out her stored energy, and released her grip on her weapon. 

"Speak, wizard," she said, sitting down on her bed, trying as best as possible not to leave her guard down. Jack had explained everything about Magus and his charade as the prophet of Zeal. He had told Sarah that he wasn't one to be trusted. 

Magus flipped through the book. "Did you know that Dark Matter has a difficulty index 1000?" he asked, seemingly randomly. "It's one of the benchmarks as a wizard. Most aspiring magic users die before they can cast it, though." 

"And?" Sarah asked impatiently. 

"And did you know that your friend, Lathain, can cast difficulty index 1200 spells after practicing magic for a mere few months?" 

"I'm missing your point," Sarah said, trying to be as unnerved as possible. She could do it. She was strong. 

"His power rivals mine," Magus admitted, "though he has far less experience." Magus dropped the spell book onto the floor haphazardly and turned away from Sarah. "Yet I don't know why…" he said. "And that, quite honestly, angers me." The wizard paced across the room slowly. 

"Don't let him overdo himself, child," he told Sarah. "Someone has plans for him, and I'd hate to anger whoever that is." Lowering his head, he mumbled something under his breath and was instantly gone. He left no trace of his being there in the first place, aside from a slight after-image which lasted for a few seconds. 

Sarah quickly picked up the spell book off of the floor and dusted it off. 

"What are you thinking, Magus?" she asked herself aloud. "And what do you want… 

. 

Same Time, Melchior's Workshop 

"Ah dammit!" Jack cursed as a bolt of electricity shot out of the device he was meddling with, surging through him with a jolt. Jack brought his hand away from the device in shock, as small tendrils of smoke rose from his hair. "Ouch," he muttered. "Now why won't this damn thing work?" 

"I have a theory," came the voice of Doreen from behind him. He hadn't known that she had come back from Enhasa so soon. Jack turned to greet her. 

"Really?" he asked, somewhat sarcastically. 

Doreen nodded. "While this may sound odd, I think you might be trying to push technology a little to far. You're doing this even though you know that your magic is far more powerful. Why do you continued to push technology past what it can do? Why won't you harness the power that is sitting before you?" 

Jack looked at the creature oddly before turning back to his work without answering her. "So what about those new people in Enhasa?" he asked, finally breaking the silence. 

"They're young," Doreen said. "Like you and Sarah. There's a boy with red hair and a girl with blonde hair, both about your age. There was also a…well, I think he was a frog. He was wielding a quite an interesting weapon, too…" 

"What weapon would that be?" Jack asked, gently pushing aside some wires and inserting a small device that he had rigged up into the body of the weapon. 

"The Dreamstone Blade's sister weapon…" Doreen said, seemingly shaken by what she was saying. "I don't know how, as the Masamune was simply a dagger, but…" 

"Then how do you know?" 

"Because Masa and Mune's energy signatures are all over it. The blade positively wreaked of them." 

"How can you 'wreak' of a….actually, never mind," Jack said, cutting himself off and sealing the new addition into place. 

"Anyway, it's peculiar." She paused. "What are you doing now?" She asked. 

Jack shrugged. "I'm readjusting the energy flow system in the weapon. I'm just using a little bit of knowledge that Melchior didn't have," he smirked, basking in his own genius. "It will make the energy-" he cut himself off as he noticed something new on the handle of the blade. 

"What?" Doreen asked. 

"Come have a look at this." Doreen floated over to Jack and peered over his shoulder. 

"What is it?" she asked. 

"It's the activation matrix," he muttered. "I don't know how, but it looks like there already is a series of energy siphons in the grip." 

"What does that mean?" Doreen asked. Jack could almost see a smirk on her face, but he didn't ask why. 

"It means that this weapon was already designed to channel the energy of the user. All this time, I thought it just operating off of the Dreamstone, but these micro-devices would prove me wrong." 

"It's highly probable that Melchior had designed it that way. It was supposed to be a magical weapon, you know?" 

"So you think the blade was already running off of my own energies?" Doreen nodded. 

"It would make sense," Doreen said. 

"That would explain it's power," Jack mumbled. "No wonder it's power was greater then any of the other TAGs I've seen. And it's power would grow with me, then…" 

"I'll also bet that you're having problems getting the energies to focus on the material blade, hmm?" 

Jack cocked his head in surprise. "Yeah," he said. "How…how did you know that?" 

"You're forcing technology to much, Lathain," she said with a smirk. "That wasn't what the blade was designed for. You have to realize at this point that the Dreamstone is not merely a power source…" 

"Then…" Jack paused in thought before realizing what Melchior was REALLY trying to do with the weapon. 

"A-h-h-h," Doreen smirked. "So you know now?" 

"The Dreamstone…" Jack said, lifting the small rod from the table. "It's an amplifier." Doreen nodded slowly. Did she know? Had she just been leading him along? 

"To be honest, Masa and Mune know a bit more about this then I do. I was merely informed by them as to the purpose of the blade." 

"The power of…me…" Jack said. "That's what the blade was designed for. To…use my power." 

"You were thinking along the right lines when you decided to modify it," came a new voice from the corner of the room. Jack quickly recognized it as Masa's. 

"You," Jack said, turning to find Masa and his brother standing together on the far side of the room. "You knew too?" 

"Yup," Mune confirmed. "We just wanted to know your thought process, Lathain. We wanted to know how you were thinking." 

"But your problem was your use of technology over magic," Masa continued. "You were approaching it the wrong way. You didn't even consider the use of the Dreamstone as an amplifier." The two of them walked over to Jack. "You humans have such one tracked minds!" Masa said with a slight grin. 

"Mind over matter!" Mune told Jack. 

"But…why?" Jack asked. "What makes it so powerful?" 

"It's YOU silly!" Masa exclaimed. "And you weren't even CONSCIOUSLY powering it. You thought it was powering itself!" 

"My…power…." Jack muttered. "Was it….made to be used? Why do I have this…?" 

"You should be able to fix the weapon now," Mune said. "And the material blade will work, but the reason you couldn't set up the arc-waves to flow properly is…" 

"Is that you weren't _telling_ them to," Masa finished Mune's thought. "That blade," Masa continued. "That weapon, can be whatever you want it to be. It's entire power is based on the will and energies of the user!" 

"That was the purpose of it's design!" Mune said. "You don't need a fancy system to channel it through the blade. You just need to _know_ that the blade will cohere to your will!" 

"Melchior…" Jack muttered. "There was so much you could tell me…" Then, to himself, he thought. _But what about Sean? Why was he able to use it? Was he harnessing the power the same way as me? And if the blade was only supposed to work for me…then why would it work for him? What wasn't he telling me?_

"You look confused," Doreen said. "Now you understand how it works. What is wrong?" 

"It's nothing," Jack said, waving away his thoughts. "I was just…thinking of an old friend…and an old mystery." 

After a long pause, Masa finally spoke. "So what will you do with your weapon now, Lathain? What will you do with your Dreamblade?" 

"I…I don't know," Jack admitted. "I still liked the idea of the material blade…but I don't think I need to rig the weapon so the arc-waves will surround the blade." He paused. "It should…well, shouldn't the blade channel the energy if I simply focus it there?" 

"That's the idea," Mune said. "And think of it's abilities when you consciously channel your energy!" 

"Well, then." Jack said, spinning back in his chair and lifting the weapon. "I think I shall give this weapon a blade. And then…" 

"Yes," Doreen said. "I will anchor to it." 

"Mind over matter," Masa repeated. "Mind over matter." 

"Thank you," Jack said. "I'm sorry I bored the three of you with all that technical description of what I was going to do to the blade. It seems that it's all in void, now." 

"No!" Doreen argued. "It was interesting to see how you were thinking things out. It was all part of your mental development, I think." 

"You're amused by me?" Jack asked, taken somewhat aback. 

"More like….fascinated," Doreen admitted. "You fascinate me, Lathain. You fascinate all of us. It has not been since Vigo that a human has captured our attention such as you have, with the possible exception of Schala. To be honest, your entire family and it's lineage seem to be different from the others that inhabit this world. There's good blood in you, even though you're not Vigo's son. It's probably from the Queen. That must have been where you and you're siblings gained your unique personalities from. Unfortunately, that's also were you gained you dark abilities from…" 

"The Black Wind," Jack said, tightening his grip on the Dreamstone Blade. "I can feel it…it howls…" 

"Louder and more harsh every day…" came a new voice from the entrance to the room. A dark presence became suddenly prevalent. Jack and the others spun to see the hooded image of the prophet stand before them. 

"Prophet…" Masa mumbled. 

"Get away from here, Finori," the Prophet spat. "Leave me with this man." 

Masa looked up at Jack. Jack gave a nod of approval and the Finori quickly vanished from sight. 

"What do you want, Magus?" Jack asked. "Or have you come to make idle chat?" Jack smirked, ignoring his brother and leaning back over the workbench. 

"You've got balls, kid," Magus admitted. "It's not easy to just rub someone like me off." 

"And what does that take?" Jack asked rhetorically. He slowly began to reassemble the weapon which he had been fiddling with, hoping that he didn't cause any damage to the device. "And anyway, I thought you 'had your own agenda'," he said mockingly. 

"I still do," Magus said, pulling back his hood and revealing his pale face. "Don't mistake this meeting for a sudden showing of brotherly love. I'm simply here to go over the facts with you." 

"I'm listening," Jack said, not turning his attention from the Dreamstone Blade. He was sure that he fixed everything the way he had found it, save for some minor modifications to the energy flow system. Technology could be pushed to a certain extent. 

"Hmph," Magus muttered. "Anyway, I have to say that I'm a bit intrigued by you, Lathain." 

"Jack," he corrected him. 

"Jack, then," Magus said. "Anyway, as I was saying to you're blonde-haired friend a few minutes ago, I'm not quite sure how you managed to increase your magical capabilities to such a high level in such a short time." 

"Sarah?!" Jack said, finally jumping up and spinning around. "What did you do to her!?" he demanded. 

"You certainly have the Zeal temper, kid," Magus said. "Relax. I didn't touch her. She's not my type anyway…" Jack was about to shoot out a remark about Magus's 'type' but refrained. 

"What do you want?" he said. 

"All I want to know, is how much you know," he said bitterly. "I'll spell it out for you, real simple. Do you know why your magic is so powerful?" 

"I'm sorry…" he mumbled. "I-I don't know. I wish I had an explanation." 

"Figures…" Magus snorted, turning around and facing the door. 

"Wait," Jack said as the wizard was replacing his hood. 

"What?" 

"Why don't we do this together?" Jack asked. 

"Do what?" Magus asked 

"Don't be dumb," Jack said with a sly grin. "You know what I'm after and I know what you're after. Why do you persist on doing this alone?" 

"You mean Lavos, I assume," Magus said. Jack nodded. "Kid, if you knew what Lavos did to this place. If you knew what Lavos did to…" he trailed off. "Forget it," he cut short. "This is my victory. I'm not letting anyone in on my revenge." 

"He destroyed my home!" Jack argued. "He killed all the people I care for! He destroyed everything important to me! Doesn't that warrant something?!" 

"Twice…" Magus mumbled under his breath. 

"What did you say?" Jack asked. 

"Sorry, kid. I didn't say anything." He fastened his hood and turned back around. "I will fight Lavos at the only time at which you _can_ fight a Lavoid. I have a feeling that you already know the significance of this time. If I see you there, then so be it. If you are there to fight alongside me, then that is Destiny's way. If we are to be merely destroyed by a force that we cannot combat, then I must simply laugh…" 

Then, with a slight blur, he was gone. 

"Damn you," Jack mumbled. "Why won't you listen to reason…" Magus's words echoed in his head. _Kid, if you knew what Lavos did to this place. If you knew what Lavos did to…_

"What _did_ Lavos do to this place, and what was he talking about in his second point," Jack asked himself. "Was it a person? Is that why he trailed off? Who would it be…?" Jack paced up and down the room, temporarily ignoring the Dreamstone Blade. "It could only be…" he paused, then exclaimed, "Schala!" 

. 

Same Time 

"I've got to meet this girl," Jack mumbled to himself as he wandered through the Palace of Zeal. He touched his hand into his cloak, making sure the Dreamstone Blade was still there. He didn't know if it would work. If even one piece was out of position, it's functioning was dubious at best. He just hoped that he wouldn't have to try it out. 

He had originally wanted to bring Sarah along with him, but something told him that time was running short. He didn't have time to go to Kajar. His sister was waiting, but she wouldn't be waiting for long. Instead, Jack tried to think up how he would manage to introduce himself, without seeming weird. He didn't think it was possible, though. 

Running wasn't really an option, as he still didn't want to look funny. It wasn't helping, though, as he could notice the whispering around him regarding the 'blue-haired man' and 'the return of Lathain.' It was creeping him out, to be honest. He began to pick up his walking pace until he found the room which Schala supposedly resided in. Peeking into the room, he saw the room was empty. 

"Now where could she be?" Jack asked out loud. Quickly ruling out the searching of every room in the palace, Jack decided on a more conventional method. Halting his walking, he closed his eyes. 

_If only I could feel her out with my mind, _Jack thought to himself. _ I don't really know how, but…_ Oddly enough, as he was saying this, he sensed a deep flux the Winds of Magic. How he knew that this was Schala -a person he had never met before- he was not sure of, but he knew that it was her. It was not a feeling he felt was easily explainable. He just….knew it. 

"Now let's try Doreen's little trick…" Jack said to himself with a smile. Quickly flashing back to the energies that coursed around the Finori as she cast the teleportation spell, he raised two fingers to his forehead disappeared in a blur of light. 

He was a little thrown by his first self-induced 'port, let alone the fact that he actually _did_ the spell, but as the spell resolved he found himself in a room that he had seen before. It was 'his' room, or his other persona's room. Raising his head and opening his eyes, he saw her. 

Schala. He would have considered her beautiful, if she wasn't his sister. Her long blue hair glowed in the same shade of his. Still, he admitted to himself that she was quite good-looking, as bizarre as such a feeling about a sibling seemed. In her arms was the baby, Lathain. She looked as if she was comforting him. Her purple eyes quickly locked with his as she examined him. 

Looking at him, Schala's gaze traveled down to the child in her arms. She looked into it's eyes and the baby gazed up at her with the same enchanted stare. She shifted her head back to the man standing near the doorway. There was suddenly no doubt in her mind. The explanation was missing, but the facts were all there. Even their energies were the same. 

"L…Lathain?" she asked, unsure of quite what she was saying. Her voice seemed troubled, almost helpless. 

Jack looked up at her in shock. Then with a smile on his face, she dipped his head in a nod. They would have a lot to talk about, that was for sure. And maybe, by the end of this day, a plan for Jack's destruction of the Lavoid would come into view. 

. 

"Mind over matter!"   
"That's like, mucho metaphysical, man!"   
-Masa and Mune 


	28. Battle of Truce

**Chapter 28**

**The Battle of Truce**

600 AD, Truce 

"Don't let them go around our flank!" Aragorn shouted. "They're probably in the woods off to the east. Wait for them to emerge and then charge from the north west!" The battle front swirled with the actions of the Mystics and Humans in what looked to be one final battle between the two races which destiny had picked to battle each other. Aragorn had assumed chief control, moving as quickly as possible to work with what limited troops he had available to him. 

The King had asked him to help. King Guardia finally saw the truth behind Aragorn's trial, and had given a Royal Pardon to the Knight. Now, Aragorn was placed back in the field in which he performed best: the battle field. The front line sat at about half a mile from the Square. There, the bloody melee between the foot troops was being fought without relent. There had been little time for any ranged attacks such as bow fire, as the forces had met in hand to hand almost as soon as either side had come into view of the other. 

Aragorn was standing at a central point, about one hundred yards behind the main fighting. There, he was being bombarded with men on horseback, asking for orders. He was quick and decisive. Sending the new orders, then officers then road back to their units to deliver changes in orders. Aragorn's main plan was to achieve an anchored flank to the west of the Square and cut back across the neck of land which led to the Square. In the mean time, he had dispatched a series of light skirmish units through the woods to the east to dispose of the threat there. 

With the aide of his magic using friends, Rayith and Tristan, he hoped to form a hammer which would proceed to the opposite flank and deliver a finishing blow as the Mystics were being routed to the east. All of this, however, was based on the concept that the humans _would_ rout their Mystic opponents. 

Tristan hovered above the new General, returning raining down storms of lightning from the skies. "Any new special targets boss?" Tristan asked casually, planning his next action of drawing down death from above on to the Mystic troops. 

"Keep it up," Aragorn said. "Try to move over to their left flank and push them over this way." Tristan nodded before flying off to his commanded position. 

It was clear that the Mystics had been shocked by the humans who used Magic. Rayith and Tristan had combined to destroy a great deal of their forces, when it was considered that they were only two people. After all, the Magus was the only human that could cast spells, and he was dead, wasn't he? 

Rayith's experimentation with the Winds had led to the discovery a broad range of attacking spells with a wide range of affected area. She was floating above even Tristan, hurling down fiery defeat upon the confused Mystic forces. None the less, the Mystics far out numbered the humans even after the thorough magical punishing which the Time Travelers had unleashed. 

Human reinforcements would arrive in roughly an hour, but Aragorn knew that the battle would be over by then, one way or another. Either his companions' magic would overpower the masses of Mystics, or they would fall under the crushing wait of the Mystics' superior numbers. 

As Aragorn sent off two more officers with changes in orders, Tristan flew back in from his right, landing about ten feet to the right of the Knight. "Bad new!" Tristan called as he ran up to the General. 

"Don't tell me that," Aragorn said, shaking his head. "We can't have bad news. As it is, our melee troops aren't faring as well as I would have liked them to. The elite Knight units aren't here, at the time, so I'm using mostly simple footmen. On top of this, those damned freaks aren't dying as quickly as I'd like them to." 

"Well, then you're really gonna hate what I have to say," Tristan said. Aragorn looked at him as if to tell him to speak. Tristan sighed. "We're running low on magical energy, mi amigo." 

"Winds are running dry?" Aragorn questioned. Tristan nodded curtly. 

"They cast magic to, Aragorn," he said calmly. "Those Mystics all have basic spell casting abilities. They don't seem to have any serious magic users, or even anyone on par with Rayith or myself, but when you have that many entities drawing on the Winds…" 

"Right," Aragorn muttered. 

"They're not using attacking magic, though. I just notice that the Winds are fading faster then Rayith and I are using them." 

"Battle enhancements," Aragorn cursed. "Haste spells and what not. That would explain why our men are being so easily out done on the front line. Their reaction time and strength is probably being increased by magic." 

"And with all of them drawing on the Winds like that, we don't have much time left. Naturally, they won't be able to cast spells either, but the indirect spells which their using probably have a time limit on them. In other words, Rayith and I are going to be out of attacking magic, but they'll have the effect of their spells for a while after that." 

"Damn," Aragorn said. He paused in thought. Suddenly, he was hit by a plan which an old commander had once communicated to him in a time of dire straits. "…Challenge…" he muttered. 

"Huh?" Tristan asked. 

"It's the only way," Aragorn said. Not having time to explain, he quickly worked out the plan in his head. "Tristan," he said sternly. "I need you to clear me a path to behind the battle line. We need to get at Keltar. If I can off him in one on one, I hope that will demoralize them enough to surrender." 

"Why would that stop them?" Tristan asked. 

"Well, next time you see the one who is strongest among your kind get beaten to a bloody pulp, see how you feel," he said with a wry grin. Aragorn reached to his back and drew his sword. "Now," he said to Tristan, "what have you got for me?" 

Tristan reached into his coat. "I've got just the thing, my friend. One shot only, but I think we only need one shot, correct?" 

"That's all we've got, Tristan," Aragorn said. Tristan nodded and drew a small device which fit over his fist. It was a silvery metal with a small hole at one end, but it didn't look like it could do much damage at all. "That's it?" Aragorn asked in disbelief. 

"Just watch," Tristan said, hitting a button and smiling. Abruptly, the small device seemed to grow. It morphed outward with a sliding of metal components and slight humming noise as the innards of the weapons shifted. The weapons continued to germinate outward, forming a large, sleek weapon with a long barrel. Tristan hoisted the weapon in victory, grabbing the rear handle and locking the stock underneath his armpit. 

"Shape memory alloy," he said. "I won't go into it in depth, but basically, it can shift forms. We keep these on hand in their smaller state for storage." 

"What is it?" Aragorn asked, readying himself for his run through the path which Tristan would create. 

"It's a fusion gun. We call them melta-guns or cookers." He patted the gun with his free hand affectionately. "Basically, this baby fires a sub-molecular thermal blast over a distance, causing massive molecular breakdown and turning the target into a molten slag and steaming vapor in a matter of seconds." 

"And?" 

Tristan smiled. "And that means you better get the hell out of the way because here comes Tristan…" Tristan raised the fusion gun into position, locking his free hand on the loading mechanism. Pulling back a bar, the gun started to hum again as the highly pressurized pyrum-petrol gasses within the weapon were being forced into a sub-molecular state. 

Aragorn didn't need to be told twice, jumping out of the way as Tristan aimed for a spot with as few allied soldiers as possible. Grinning almost diabolically, Tristan pulled the firing mechanism. There was a high pitched hiss as a beam of whitish-red light about four feet in diameter streaked across the battle field, vaporizing anything that got in its way. The very moisture in the air was turned to plasma, shooting of sparks of electricity around the beam, but from where Aragorn was standing, he could feel no excess heat nor did he understand what the plasma was. 

True to what Tristan had said, after the blast dissipated in a few seconds, there wasn't even evidence that anyone had occupied the space which the weapon had torn through. Tristan lowered the weapon and gave Aragorn a nod. Aragorn then sprinted across the ground, running in a shallow trench that the beam had created where it dug up the very earth beneath it. 

He drew his weapon back as he ran through the newly created gap of men. There were few which jumped out to attack him, but those that did were quickly cut down, severed in half or decapitated by the fearsome blade. Aragorn was now charging up Force Tech energy -characterized by a dull red glow around him- and began to move quicker. 

"Good luck, man," Tristan said from his vantage point, returning the fusion gun to it's original form and placing it in his pocket. "I'll be up there as soon as I can to help." He reached back into the coat and drew forth two new, larger weapons. With one of the plasma riffles in each hand, he ran forward into the fray. 

. 

_What was that? _Rayith asked herself as she cast a Fire III spell on the mystic troops surging below her. _That looked like it came from where Aragorn is! _She looked down the newly created gap in the fighting to see Aragorn's form sprinting through, fending off the enemies as he went. _Man, I hope everything down there is okay… _she muttered before drawing again on the diminishing Winds, hoping to deliver some decisive blows before the Winds were completely gone. 

. 

After the short sprint through the front line, Aragorn quickly came on his goal. Finally passing by the main fighting, he came within sight of the Mystic Command unit, sitting about fifty yards ahead of him. It was his last chance to end this thing without any more needless loss of life. Coming out of his run, he blasted his voice as loud as it could go towards the Mystic Command. 

"Keltar!!" he screamed. One of the figures in the distance stood up and made a few hand motions. Soon following, a number of Mystic officers came running at Aragorn, full speed. Aragorn quickly dispatched the warriors, though, without to much trouble. Aragorn began to walk forward. 

It was almost as if that fighting that was going on a mere twenty yards behind him wasn't happening. Aragorn had suddenly become completely focused. The world around him became silenced to his ears as he walked purposely towards what would hopefully be his final opponent of this blasted war. 

"Keltar!!" he screamed again. "Are you that cowardly that you send your punks to challenge me?!". Keltar's voice finally came back over the plain. 

"Sir Lestrides!" the voice of Keltar mocked. "And what do I have the pleasure of your company for?" Keltar also began to walk forward towards the Knight. 

"Oh, cowardly scum of Mystic feces!" Aragorn taunted. "I challenge you!" 

"Challenge me?!" Keltar spoke again. "And where do you get the balls to do that, you meaningless human? You don't deserve the opportunity to lick my boots, let along challenge me to single combat!" 

"Is that fear I find in your voice, shit for brains?" Aragorn spat. "You know you'd never win!" 

"What an insolent creature!" Keltar countered. Finally, the two of them had made it up to each other. One stood a few feet from the other, trading insults for a few moments. While they had not begun to fight, the melee that was taking place behind them had already noticed the meeting of their commanders. Some of the soldiers, both Mystic and Human began to move towards the two generals, sensing an impending duel. 

"And what of you?!" Aragorn said preparing the ultimate blow to Keltar's pride. "The only reason that you ever rose above your brother was because he was killed! You couldn't even pull yourself to where you are now! You're powerless!" 

"You want us to get him, Lord Keltar?" came the voices of one of the Mystics off to the side. Keltar made a signal to hold them off. 

"No," Keltar said grimly, now finally taking an insult above all others as far as he was concerned. "This human wishes to be put to dishonorable death at my hands. I have decided to grant his wish." 

"Grant?!" Aragorn said, laughing loudly. "Okay," he drew his sword into a fighting position. "Let's go!" 

There was now a crowd formed around them. In fact, most of the surrounding fighting had ceased simply to watch the one-on-one combat that was about to ensue. In this odd state of affairs, Mystic and Humans stood on opposite sides, each backing their leader, but neither tried to take a blow at the other. The battle had, in all essence, stopped in the name of this challenge. 

Keltar responded by drawing his own sword, a smaller weapon than Aragorn's, being only three feet in length, but it would be more than enough in the Mystic's eyes. Both held their weapons at the ready, waiting for a move… 

Aragorn attacked first, with a lunge to the torso. Keltar swung his blade around in a circular parry, knocking the blade aside and countering with an overhead swing. Aragorn responded by side stepping the attack and bring his blade upwards towards the Mystic's chest. Keltar barely avoided quick death by jumping over the blade and recovering into a roll. 

"Oh come on!" Aragorn taunted. "You're almost dead already!" 

"Tch," Keltar muttered, wiping a bit of dirt off of his face. "Bring it on, human." He held out his hand and signaled Aragorn to attack. Aragorn sarcastically shrugged, quickly attack with a flank cut. Keltar parried and re-posted to the head, but was met by Aragorn's blade. Spinning around his enemies weapons, Aragorn smacked at Keltar's blade with the flat of his own, knocking it away, and lunged at the opening his created. Keltar again barely avoided being impaled with an off-balanced hop backwards. 

Aragorn pounced on his opponent's off balance with a flying cross-slash and two overhead smashes, all haphazardly blocked by his off balance opponent. The crowd behind them cheered on their respected leader. While neither knew it, almost the entire battle had circled around the duel and those Mystics that hadn't were being exterminated by Tristan and Rayith. If you were watching the fight, they left you alone, but honor in single combat comes before all others, and that was the conflict that deserved the attention of the armies. 

And so the duel raged on. Attack, parry, re-post, parry re-post, counter parry re-post, counter parry re-post lunge, counter beat parry re-post lunge retake. Over and over went the cycle with brief pauses ever now and again before starting it anew. Sometimes the attacker would change. Sometimes, death came close. Both fighters had nearly landed killing blows several times. Yet, as the battle wore on for the forty minutes or so, Aragorn began to gain the upper hand, the decisive blow coming when Aragorn scored a glancing hit on Keltar's upper left thigh. Aragorn began to win, and he began to know it. 

"You've gotten slow, you old fool," Aragorn said, laughing loudly. "This is nothing like the battles we've had in the past!" Now was the time to finish it, Aragorn knew. Keltar was off balance and physically hurt from the attack that Aragorn had landed on his upper thigh. Now, his pride would hurt as well. 

"You'll swallow those words, human! Or, if you're head is relieved of your body at the time, I shall shove them down your throat!" Keltar, panting heavily, growled deeply and rushed at the Knight with sword outstretched. Aragorn smirked, blocking the attack and then swiftly punching the Mystic in the face with his gloved left hand. Keltar staggered back and clutched his broken nose. 

"You human scum!" Keltar screamed, rushing at Aragorn again. Now grinning widely, Aragorn blocked again, punched his enemy in the stomach and, as Keltar buckled over, kneed him in the genitals. He stepped back as Keltar crumbled to the ground in pain. The surrounding Mystics gasped and the Humans cheered. Keltar shook in pain for a few moments. 

"Are you finished yet?" Aragorn asked the floored Mystic. Keltar let out a battle cry before stumbling up and running at the Human in an attempt at a tackle. Aragorn side-stepped the ill-thought out attack, sticking out his leg and tripping Keltar in the process. As the Mystic fell, the Knight brought his other leg around and slammed it upward into Keltar's ribs. The Mystic groaned. 

Looking and reaching down to his unarmed enemy, Aragorn lifted the massive Mystic up by the top ridge of his cloak. Holding him up with his left hand, Aragorn delivered multiple fearsome blows to the ribs of his opponent, hearing a cracking noise as each one of them snapped inward. Then, drawing his head back, he head-butted the Mystic in it's broken nose. Smirking, Aragorn let Keltar fall to the floor in pain. There he sat, writhing and slightly twitching. 

"Pathetic…" Aragorn said, spitting on his long-time enemy. He kicked the fallen form again, hoping to drive his point even further into his enemy's minds. "Do you see this!" Aragorn announced to the audience. He slowly spun to face the Mystic side of the observers. 

"This was your strongest!" he yelled, lifting his sword above his head. 

"I'm…" Keltar started to say, coughing up blood. He spoke in a throaty tone. He had managed to rise to his knees, but his head wasn't even raised. His broken ribs had begun to tear into his internal organs, causing massive internal bleeding. "I'm…not….done…with…" 

Aragorn sneered at the Mystic. Not wishing to hear his final words, Aragorn made swift movement. With a precise attack, Aragorn leveled his massive blade on the neck of the fallen warrior. Cutting through the bone and flesh like butter, Keltar's head was cleanly removed from his body, rolling along the ground slightly before coming to a halt. The body jerked momentarily before crumbling lifelessly to the floor. Aragorn wiped the blade clean on Keltar's garbs before sheathing it again. 

"Is there any among you that thinks they can better him! Come now! Send me an enemy!" Now, he would see if his plan would work. He waited, preying that it went according to plan… 

. 

"I think I understand now," Tristan said to himself. Then, to Rayith, "Ray!" The two of them were flying about fifty feet apart, taking care of any stragglers that didn't get caught up in the excitement of the one on one battle. The young adventurer responded quickly. 

"Yeah?" she yelled. 

"I think we need to go over there," he shouted back. "Aragorn is trying to rout them by busting their moral." 

"You think it will work?" 

"I guess we'll find out soon enough. At any rate, they'll need our magic. Since all those Mystics stopped drawing on the Winds, we've got a few big spells worth left, wouldn't you say?" Rayith nodded. Quickly, they flew over to the fight area. 

. 

The Mystics gazed in sheer terror at the destroyer of their Lord. In all of their hearts, they knew the battle was all down hill from here like an avalanche that had started with a few mere stones. A few of them tried to attack Aragorn while he was basking in his victory, but they were cut down before they could even get within a foot of the Knight. 

Then, the crucial moment came. A voice from the within the Mystic mob. "Run for it!!!" It screamed. As the tension built up, more and more Mystics began to bolt for the escape rout, hoping to retreat with their lives. Aragorn's plan had worked. 

"Now!" Aragorn shouted in his booming command voice. "Go after them! Cut them down! Rip them apart! Decimate their ranks and then desiccate on their corpses! Don't let a single one of them leave here alive!!" he pointed his sword towards the retreating Mystics and the Human army cheered. In an outpouring of moral superiority, the Humans charged the retreating foe. 

"Tristan, Rayith!" Aragorn called upwards to the Air Support which was flying overhead. They looked down, waiting for their orders. "Cut off their escape route!" Tristan and Rayith nodded and jetted off in a flurry of Force Tech colors. 

Looking at the sun and guessing at the time, Aragorn knew that help was almost here. He was rewarded momentarily by the clomping hooves against the ground. Close at hand, a dust cloud was being kicked up by the mounted knights of Guardia. Wearing resplendent armor which glittered in the sun and wielding massive lances which reflected their power, the Knights road up to Aragorn. Their leader stepped forward. 

Pulling up his face plate, he looked at Aragorn in mixed confusion and happiness. He was about Aragorn's age and carried a similar number of battle scars on his face. "Lestrides!?" he asked. "I thought you were in dead!" 

Aragorn let out a big smile towards the Knight. "It's good to see you again too, Rion!" Aragorn shouted. "But there's no time to explain." 

"What's the command?" Rion asked. 

"I need mounted support. We've routed the Mystics, but we need you to run them down." 

"You held out this long?" Rion asked. Aragorn nodded. 

"I used you-know-who's little trick." 

"That whole 'challenge' thing?" 

"It worked," Aragorn said. 

"Right on," Rion agreed, smiling. "I'll be back here in no time." He turned to his men. Raising his lance, he shouted, "We shall run down the Mystics as they flee with their cowardly lives!" A war cry echoed from the men as Rion slid his face plate back into position, reared his horse and charged forward. The men followed in a stampede of chargers. 

As they rode by, one Knight slowed up and stopped next to Aragorn. He was leading along a black horse with powerful limbs and a long mane. 

"Sir Lestrides," the Knight said. "I was told to bring this for you!" The Knight handed him he reigns to the black horse. 

"Maximus?!" he asked, speaking to the horse and running his hand through it's mane. "I never thought I would see you again!" _.I guess someone up there the Castle knew I was running this show…_Reunited with a companion of old, Aragorn mounted the steed and kicked his heels against the horse. He and the Knight bolted forward to catch the rest of the pack. 

"The time is now to finish this!" Aragorn shouted. "Our enemies flee with their lives as we shall run them down. Their bitter souls will find eternal damnation at the hands of our lances! We shall cut them down as the cower in terror! The day is ours, foes of humanity! Long live Guardia!!" 

. 

"The people who started the war are the reason. And unless you fight to get rid of the reason, nothing will ever change. I fight to get rid of the reason." - Bartholomew Fatima 


	29. Of Lavos Born

**Chapter 29**

**Of Lavos Born**

12,000 BC, Zeal Palace 

"And that's how it is," Jack said, crossing his arms upon the completion of his story. He had recapped his tale, or at least what he knew of it, from beginning to end. He had left out the part about Magus, though. Jack believed that he owed it to his brother to allow him to operate as he had planned. 

Schala took a few moments to take everything in. It was a lot of information and a slightly confusing story. Jack was shocked, however, to see that she looked to understand it. She sighed deeply. 

"You were sent through time as a child," she said. "That means Lavos probably had an effect on it, since you know he has the capability to send people through time. Something around here will happen. Mother's plot is coming to fruition…and I'm being taken along for the ride." 

"I'm…sorry about Greven," Jack said. "I wish I could have met him. From what I was told, he was a great man. I know he died shortly after I was born." 

Schala was silent. "It's in the past," she said, her eyes diverting away from his. "There's nothing we can do about that now." 

"That's not true," Jack corrected, pointing at her almost as if scolding a child. "We can get back at that son-of-a-bitch for what he's done." Schala looked at him intently. "Lavos was responsible for the death of Greven and the death of many others. My family in the future was killed by it, along with…many of my other friends and loved ones." He tried not to get caught in his words, resisting the sudden urge to cry. 

"I will fight him to the death, Lathain," Schala said ominously. "But his power is unbelievable. I've clashed with it before. I…I couldn't defeat my mother then. I don't know why I would be able to fight her now." 

"You've got some help now," Jack said with a smile. Schala returned the gesture to an extent, but found it hard to force the smile. 

"Can I ask to hear about the Lavoid's main weapon?" she said. 

"The Beams of Fire…" Jack mumbled. "I guess that's what he used to destroy my time. It-" he paused. "It killed so many. It killed my friend Sean with a similar weapon." 

"I see," Schala said. "And why do you think YOU can fight such a weapon. As you said, the Lavoid fired its main weapon shortly after your battle with it. How do you wish to destroy him before he does that?" 

"I don't even know if I can destroy it, Schala. His power is unbelievable. His combat potential…is much higher then mine, I believe. Even now, I don't know if I can fight him." He started to pace around the room. "But as for when…we need a plan for that. I would guess that he burrows himself deep in the earth." 

"The Ocean Palace…" Schala said. Jack raised an eye. "The Ocean Palace is built to be as close to Lavos as we can get. If we could get through that, you might be able to get to the Lavoid." 

Jack thought about it. "You would have to get me past the guards. I can't teleport to somewhere that I don't have a visual recognition of, unless it's a living being which I can lock on to the energy signature of." 

"I…think I can do that," Schala said. "I don't know about getting past Dalton, though. He's been in bit of a cranky mood since that prophet showed up." True enough, the Queen's Guard Dalton had been a little peeved lately. This was understandably though, as the newly arrived prophet was snagging all of the good jobs from under his feet. 

Jack nodded and sat down in one of the chairs that adorned 'his' room. At this moment, a servant with walked in with two glasses of the same drink that Jack had been given in Doreen's room. Quickly allowing Jack and Schala to each remove their drink of the serving tray, she hurried off. 

Sipping slowly from his drink, Jack rested his head on the back of the chair. "Do you have a rough estimate of when the construction on the palace will be done?" 

Schala thought about the answer for a moment. "We're running on schedule. I would imaging it would be done in a two weeks or so. I trust you would like to go in before it's operational?" 

"Yes," Jack said with a sigh. "But I need the structure to be complete. I don't want to be dealing with magic in a structure that could collapse at any time. Plus, I'm sure they won't move that…machine…down until the end. Lavos's influence should be strongest once the machine that harnesses its energy is down there as well. Also, that will give me time to rest." 

"I want to help you," Schala said. "But I think the best way I could help is by keeping Mother away from you while you do this. I still don't understand how you'll get to him, though…" 

"By the same way I found you," Jack said, smiling. 

"I don't understand," Schala admitted. 

"I locked on your energy source," Jack said. "Well, actually, I locked onto an energy source that was similar to mine." 

"And then you 'ported?" 

"Yeah," Jack said. "Now, if I can get an idea of what Lavos's energy feels like, then I can probably teleport to him." 

"The Mammon Machine," Schala said. "That has plenty of Lavoid Energy to it." 

"Right," Jack agreed. "If I can get a feel from it there, I can probably transport myself to the area of deepest concentration." 

Schala rose from her seat. "And that's your plan?" she asked. Jack nodded. Schala walked slowly around the room. "You think it will work?" she asked, sounding doubtful." 

"Well, I can't just NOT do anything," he said, also getting up. He walked over to a nearby window. "And I think you need some time off," he added as an afterthought. "You've had a lot of pressure on you, Schala. We both have. I think we could both use a break." 

"Mother wouldn't hear of it," Schala said, "but it's not like that's ever stopped me before." She smiled, which Jack had realized was a rare gesture from her. "What did you have in mind?" It was amazing how fast the two had bonded. It had only taken an hour or so, yet they already felt very close to each other. The fact that they each had such an understanding for the other's situation may have had a hand in it. 

Jack gazed out of the window he was near. "What's that?" he asked, pointing outside towards some unseen point. Schala walked over to see what he was looking at. 

"That?" she asked, pointing to the mass of land that was floating below the Main Continent, about five miles off to the east. There was a pyramidal blue building on it. 

"Yeah," Jack said. "It looks interesting." 

"That's the Northern Palace," she said. "They store the elemental weapons there, though I was never told what that meant." 

"Well?" Jack asked. "What are we waiting for?" 

"Huh?" 

"Let's visit it," he said casually. "I'd like to check it out." Schala soon realized that in all of her years, she had never been inside of the Northern Palace and to be honest, it sounded fun. She hadn't had fun in a long time. Not since Greven died at any rate. Now, her younger brother (who was her age now) was back from a future he was sent to through some great disaster and suddenly she wanted to have fun? It didn't really make sense. It seemed like she had been dead inside for so long… 

After thinking about it for a moment, Schala agreed. "Okay," she said. "I need to try to get away from this place anyway…" 

"Great!" Jack said excitedly. "And there's someone I want you to meet. I think she'll like to come as well." 

"The girl you're with?" 

"Yeah," Jack said. "She's waiting for me in the room we're using. I'll 'port us there if you hold on." Schala shrugged. People didn't really ever 'port HER anywhere. Wordlessly, she stood next to him. Jack waved his hand slightly before transporting them back to where Sarah was waiting. 

. 

Same Time 

Appearing with a blur and nearly scaring Sarah stiff, Jack and Schala found themselves in the room in Kajar. 

"Jack?!" Sarah exclaimed, surprised to see him make such an entrance. 

"Hey," he said. "I'm back. And, I brought someone that I'd like you to meet." Jack motioned to Schala who stepped forward and smiled. "This is Schala, Sarah. She's…my sister." 

"How do you do?" Sarah asked, holding out her hand. Schala was taken slightly aback, but quickly realized that this was a greeting custom in Jack's time. She awkwardly accepted the hand and shook it. 

"Hello," Scaha said. 

In an odd new sensation, Jack heard Schala's voice in his head. _She's pretty_ Schala said. Jack turned his head to her. She looked at him and smiled but didn't speak. 

Jack made a facial expression as if to ask 'what?' Schala spoke in his head again. _Oh, come on! _she exclaimed. _Don't pretend you don't know!_ Jack rolled his eyes. 

"Anyway," Jack said, outloud, "Schala's gonna take us to some place called the Northern Palace." 

"Reason?" Sarah asked. 

"I think we need some relax time," Jack said. "And I think some exploration would be fun." Sarah shrugged. 

"Okay," she agreed. "That does sound like fun, actually. And we've been working hard for the past week." 

"That's the spirit!" Jack exclaimed. He turned to his sister. "Can you teleport us there?" Jack asked. Schala shook her head. 

"No, there's a teleportation barrier. It's only accessible with special permission from the Queen." 

"Really…" Jack said, grinning slightly. "Well, then we'll have to go the old fashioned way." 

"We can't walk there, Lathain," Schala said. 

"Oh, I'm not talking about walking," Jack said. Sarah understood but Schala didn't seem to get it. It was expected though. Force Tech was not commonplace in Zeal. "Just take my hand," he said, extending his hand to his sister. Hesitantly, she took hold to it. Jack smiled and nodded at Sarah, who flew out of the window first in a blast of Force Tech. 

"Here we go!" Jack shouted, jumping out of the window and flying upwards. Schala gave a brief shout of shock and threw her other hand up to grab onto Jack. 

"Lathain?!" she called up to him, somewhat in disbelief. "Are we flying!?" Jack looked down and smirked at her. Picking up speed to catch up to Sarah. He had already distributed energy to surround his sister, allowing her to fly without keeping direct contact with him, but she could figure it out for herself. 

"That island over there," Jack said to Sarah, pointing to the island of the Northern Palace. 

"What are we really going there for?" Sarah asked him. 

"I don't know, Sarah. I just wanted to go there. Almost like I'm being called," he admitted. "And plus, I've been working hard for the past week or so, you know?" She smiled. 

"No one deserves a break more than you, Jack." 

"I can here you two," Schala called from below. "It's rude to exluce someone from a conversation," she said in a mock-scold. 

"Then come up here and visit!" Jack said, pulling her up and letting her go. Her eyes went wide as he released her, but she soon realized that she was flying on her own. 

"How am I doing this?" she asked. 

"You're not," Jack said. "I'm doing it. Just relax and let me take care of it!" The trio flew through the sky of Zeal. They were flying about the clouds, save the few higher level ones which filled the sky like balls of cotton. The air was surprisingly crisp and clean, and the bad weather of the Earthbound Kingdom could only be view from above. 

The Island loomed in the distance, growing larger in their vision as they came up on it. It looked to be simply a large plain with the building on one side. As they floated over the island itself, the blue building proved to be much more intricate than it looked from farther away, the detailed constructions now coming into view. An odd sense of energy was being emitted from around the building. Jack noticed it. Schala noticed it too. It felt very much like the energy Jack had associated with the Zeal family, judging from the energies that both he and his sister gave off. 

Finally floating down and landing on the plain about two hundred yards in front of the Palace, Jack released Schala from his Force Tech 'envelope' and released his excess energy. Dusting themselves off, Sarah grinned. 

"You don't do that every day, do ya?" she asked Schala. Schala slowly shook her head, the rush of the moment seeming to have passed through her already. 

"Now what do you want to do?" she asked Jack. 

Jack shrugged. "Let's check it out," he said, grinning. "I feel strangely attracted to that building." 

The group walked forward across the empty plane. A cold wind blew across the land, causing Jack and Schala to shudder temporarily. Jack's hair, nearly waste length, kicked up rapidly in the wind. 

"The Black Wind howls," Jack said, rubbing his arms. 

"Worse then usual," Schala commented. As the got closer and closer to the building though, the Wind increased, highly disconcerting both of the royal children. 

"Jack," Sarah said with a sudden intensity. "Would you mind explaining what you meant when you said you were being called here." Sarah was quickly assembling the potential importance of the situation. 

"I'm not sure," Jack said. "I just looked at the building from Schala's room and I felt as if I had to go there. You know, like I was being pulled there?" 

"Anything like the force that pulled you everywhere else you've gone?" Sarah asked, now getting worried. 

"…Maybe," Jack admitted. 

"What does she mean, Lathain," Schala asked. "Would you mind explaining?" 

"We think Sarah's got a knack for fortune telling," Jack said, slightly jokingly. "And we've both seen this trend before." 

"Where you're being pulled somewhere?" Schala asked. 

"It's like something totally unexplainable has some goals set out for me," Jack said. "I…I just can't explain it." 

"You'll know soon enough!" Blasted the deep and seemingly villainous voice of some unseen origin. The voice seemed to echo everywhere. It had no point of concentration, it just seemed to fill the heads of the trio. The quickly examined their surroundings to find what was going on, but this proved a useless task. 

"This whole 'voice from nowhere' bit is getting a little old!" Jack yelled to no one. "Why can't you people just come out and talk like regular humans!" 

"Because, I'm not human…Lathain!" There was a snicker in the tone of the voices. Then, a figure appeared before the group. He was human looking, aside from his blue-tinted skin and lack of a nose. His hair was replaced with studs of flesh that ran down his back. A wry smirk spread across his face. 

Hand shot to weapons in an instant, and the Dreamblade was quickly out of it's sheath. Its metal blade was glowing the light that reflected off of the Northern Palace. 

"Who are you," Jack asked dimly, narrowing his eyes and furrowing his brow as he readied his blade. "And what do you want with me?" Jack's companions remained silent. Jack quickly scanned the new presence. _His energy…its signature…they're almost identical to…_ His inner monologue was cut off by the creature's voice. 

"I am more alike you then you know, Lathain," came the arrogant, creepy speech of the funny looking creature. "But don't worry. All will be explained. You could say that this explanation _is_ my sole purpose, in a way." 

"What do you want?" Sarah asked. 

"I was sent here to deliver a message, my good Farseer," the creature. Sarah did not understand the title, but ignored it. The creature continued to speak. "The message is from my creator. After I deliver this message and you," he pointed to Jack, "make a choice, your fate will be determined!" 

"Again," Jack said, now growing annoyed. "Who are you?" The creature began to walk towards him. 

"Oh ye of Lavos Born," the creature addressed him. "Do you know what happens when a human gives himself to a Lavoid?" Jack slowly shook his head. The creature continued. "One who was once human can be overwhelmed with Lavoid energy, warping his body and mind into what you see before you!" he exclaimed. 

The Group was taken aback. "But why?" Schala finally said. "Why would you want to become that?" 

"Power!" the creature exclaimed. "To become one with the immortal Lavos! Do understand the power involved with that! Neither you the Farseer or the one of the Nooze can understand, but you!" he pointed to Sarah, then Schala, then Jack in succession as he spoke. "You understand! You understand more than any of us!" 

"What the hell do you mean," Jack said with his teeth grit. He was now prepared to strike at the moment this creature made a move. 

"I am the result of a fusion between a once-human and a Lavoid. Did you ever wonder where all of the Earthbounders disappeared to? I'll bet you just thought they were constructing the Ocean Palace!" 

"You were being sacrificed?" Schala asked. 

"Sacrificed?!" the creature shouted. "I am a Farilii! I was not a sacrifice. I was a choice to be given to Lavos in the creation of a mighty soldier!" 

Jack stepped forward. "Okay, buddy. You're annoying me. Tell me what you have to tell me so I can kill you and get it over with." 

"My, my, what a temper," the creature said, laughing again. He began to float and hovered around them. "Did you ever stop to wonder what 'Of Lavos Born' meant, Lathain?! Did you think it just meant you were born in the time of a Lavoid?!" 

"What are you getting at?!" Jack yelled at the floating beast. "What do you mean?!" 

"You live with the Immortal Lavos! His very life courses through you. The Lavoid energy of his existence gave you life!" he shouted at Lathain. "You are his son!!" 

Jack too a moment to try to comprehend what the Farilii could be saying. He cocked his head sideways in confusion. "W-what?! Impossible!" Jack yelled at him. "That doesn't make any sense! I'm a human! How the hell can I be the son of a such a thing!?" 

The Farilii laughed maniacally. "The rest…is for you to figure out, Lathain, son of Lavos, Destroyer of Worlds and Walker of Planes!" 

"Impossible…" Jack said again, not understanding the situation at all. "You're insane!!" 

"Am I, though?" It laughed again. "Come, Lathain! Fight me! Show me what such a creature can do! Show me the energy of the Lavoid that courses through you in almost the same way it courses through your dead sister!" 

_Same way?! _Jack said to himself. _We have the same energy? What does he mean 'dead sister?' What has Schala not told me? And why does this creature's energy match the energy of Schala?!_

"Should we attack, Jack?" Sarah questioned. Jack finally snapped out of it, lifting his sword again and beginning to gather Winds of Magic to his command. 

"No," Jack said, holding out a hand. "Leave it to me. This one is mine…" 

"Good! Good! Show me what you can do!" the creature shouted at him, flying higher up from his floating position and preparing to attack. 

"All right, punk," Jack mumbled. "No on insults me like that and gets away with it…" Lifting his hand into the air, a large stream of wind spin around him. "Giga Volt!" he shouted. The sky around his opponent began to turn black as clouds began to form and swirl in a spiral. The Black Wind howled across the plain and massive amounts of Lightning fell from the sky to strike his enemy. The Farilii went into a violent fit as the bolts struck him. When the spell dissipated, he was still flying in the air above, smoking, but otherwise unharmed. 

"You'll have to do better than that!" He screamed diabolically before firing a spell of his own. "Burst Rondo!" he screamed as millions of shards of light shot down at Jack, leaving him with little chance to dodge. 

"Balus Wall!" Jack shouted, pushing his arms forward and then spreading them apart as he created a wall which deflected the magic off to either side. He quickly countered. "Shadow Flare," he said, drawing a rune in the air with his left forefinger as a tremendous quantity of shadow energy gathered into the beast, exploding outward. Once again, though, he was not bothered. 

Flying towards the Farilii, Jack drew his hand back, gathering a bluish glow into it. "Balus Rod!" he yelled, using a technique similar to the defensive spell he had just cast, this time to create a rod which functioned as a whip. The blue 'rod' formed in his hand with a cackle of energy. Flying quickly at his enemy, he snapped the whip out, latched onto the Farilii, and then threw him into the ground as the spell dissipated. 

"Explosion Array!" Jack yelled, pointing to the ground with his forefinger and middle finger and then spinning his hand around pointing up. He attacked with an Earth spell which caused a small section of the ground to explode upward, just as the Farilii was crashing into it. The creature was blasted into the air where Jack launched yet another spell at it. 

"Rune Flare!!" he screamed. As a modification of the original Flare spell, Jack launched a concentrated spear of pure fire energy at his opponent. The air around the spell buckled under the heat as the spear careened towards the Farilii. The Farilii simply put up one hand at the last minute to block. Upon contact, large concentric circles of expended energy exploded outward, creating a heat wave which Jack was able to feel even at the distance that he hovered away from his enemy. When the explosion cleared, the Farilii floated. He was singed, smoking, and panting, but his magical resistance had held up. Jack floated back to the ground, breathing slightly heavy. 

"Still not good enough!" it said, flying off to the right and swinging his right arm upward, causing the ground beneath Jack to shoot upwards. Jack took flight and avoided the attack, now finally gathering Force Tech energy. The only way left to bypass his magical resistance seemed to be a direct attack. 

"You know," Jack said, buying some time as the glow around him increased in intensity. "You're not bad…but I can't figure out why my attacks aren't working on you." The Farilii smiled an arrogant smile. Jack continued as the glow around him shifted from bright blue to dark blue to dark purple. "So I figure I'm gonna need to draw from some higher power source…or power my spells a little more." Gritting his teeth, he prepared for the next level in Force Tech achievement. 

"Oh no," Sarah said, while she was watching from the ground. "He's going for the next level! Damn it, Jack!" she yelled at him. "You can't do it! You'll kill yourself!" 

Jack looked down at Sarah and gave her a smirk of assurance before gathering the final amount energy. He clenched his fists and screamed loudly as the wind that was blowing away from him began to push the Farilii away. The bright purple color pulsated as it increased in intensity. Then, he reached the final point. The light he was emitting suddenly flashed bright white, causing a momentarily blinding flash. The Farilii covered his eyes, as did the spectators on the ground below. When they reopened their eyes, Jack was still floating above them, except it hurt to look at him. He was emitting a color which Sarah had never seen given off by a Force Tech user before. To stare at him was similar to looking at a sun, the white-hot heat given off by his body mimicking that of the stars themselves. Ultra-violet light. Jack McKlane had gone 'white.' The Force Tech degree of 50. 

Unknown to Sarah, though, he had actually far exceeded 50. His current Force Degree stood somewhere in the area of 85, a combat factor multiplier of over 20. Jack confidently lifted the Dreamblade and touched a small button. Then, grasping the metal blade and removing it, he tossed it the ground below. He the focused on the blade and the channeled some of that 85th degree of Force Tech energy through the weapon. The ruby-red blade came to life, pulsing with power. Every now and then, waves of black shot through the blade, as the inner magic of its user were focused there. 

The Farilii stood confused, staring at his opponent for a second. Then, with a blur, Jack was no longer there. Looking around frantically, he couldn't find his opponent. By the time he finally did see Jack, it was too late. The human had reappeared above him, coming down with the blade. The Farilii tried to avoid the attack, but was unable to get completely away. As Jack brought the blade down, he completely severed off his enemy's left arm, ripping the blade from the shoulder down through where the stomach of a normal human would sit. Black slush gushed out of the open wound as the Farilii screamed. 

After passing by the Farilii, Jack looked upward and jetted back at his enemy. Again, he was too quick to be avoided, this time cutting the lower portion of the monster off of it's upper portion. The dead legs fell to the ground below as blood and spinal fluid dripped out of the wound. Again, the Farilii screamed. 

Speaking with great pain in his voice, the Farilii spoke. "You are what they say," the Farilii said, wincing in pain but not dying. "He was right when he said you could destroy one of my kind easily. You're…too fast." 

Jack deactivated the sword and hooked the silenced handle on his belt. He stood in the sky, float across from the Farilii, waiting patiently for the thing of Lavos to make its next move. The Farilii did move though, letting out a short shout and in an instant, his arm and legs were suddenly there again. Through a sickening slush, the previously dismembered limbs seemed to grow out of the remains of its body. 

"But," the Farilii continued. "The only way to destroy something that courses with Lavoid energy is to summon the power of something even more powerful! That is why your spells do not effect me, Lathain." 

"What the?" Jack said, reaching to the Dreamblade again but instead being nailed by an oncoming hail of lightning from the Farilii's hands. The bolts nailed him dead center in the chest, electrifying him. His body convulsed as the spell resolved and small tendrils of steam rose from his torso. 

The Farilii quickly followed up his attack. "Flare Bit!" it yelled, launching a series of round balls of energy at Jack. The youth jetted off to the right, trying to dodge, but the spell eventually caught up with him, sending him careening into the ground. 

"Dug Haut!" the Farilii yelled, raising his hand into the air. The earth below Jack submitted to the Farilii's will, causing great spikes of stone to shoot up from the ground. After being nearly impaled, Jack rolled out of the way. Unfortunately, he rolled onto another spike which tore through him neatly in the right shoulder. He screamed in pain as the stone continued to rise with him nailed to the top of it. 

Ripping himself off of the stone and clutching his shoulder, Jack managed to finally fly away before being nailed again by a Fire II spell, then a Wind III spell. Soon, he found himself blasted into the ground again, smoking, smothered and smashed. 

"Damn…" Jack muttered. "How am I gonna beat Lavos if I can't even off his little punk…" he held his hand to his open shoulder, muttering some magic words and forming the Winds into a healing spell. The wound was deep, though, tearing completely through him, and it would take a bit to completely heal. "I'm gonna have to play hide-and-seek until I heal." Quickly, he eyed a small hill off in the distance and teleported himself there. Ducking low to the ground to avoid detection, he continued to heal. 

"Where are you, Lavos Born?" the Farilii yelled in taunt as he searched the landscape for the hiding Jack. Floating around in the sky, he tried to draw Jack out. "You know, if you don't come and fight me, I'm gonna have my way with your lady friends over here!" 

Jack winced, knowing he was putting Sarah and Schala in danger. He would have to come up with something to do, and quickly at that. Continuing with his healing, Jack jumped out of cover. Holding one hand to his shoulder, he lifted the other into the air. 

"Lighting!" he yelled. Usually used to light dark passageways, Jack compacted the light spell to a high powered light flash that was only momentary. Closing his own eyes, he also managed to temporarily blind the Farilii. As the Farilii covered his eyes with his hands, Jack drew the Dreamblade with his free hand and launched himself at his enemy. 

Jack rushed the enemy, now channeling all of his Force Tech energy into the blade. The blade pulsed with the sheer power, fluctuating in color as all of Jack's absorbed Force Tech was poured into it. The glow around Jack quickly diminished in color as the energy entered the Dreamblade. Growing to nearly six feet in length, the Dreamblade howled as Jack drew it into striking position. 

The Farilii finally uncovered his eyes, but it was too late as far as Jack was concerned. Its eyes opened to only see the flash of the Dreamblade come across its field of vision. Then, its vision went blank as the Dreamblade passed through its neck and the head was sliced off in a bloody fountain. 

Jack flew past the decapitated Farilii, coming to a rest a few feet behind the body. Jack sheathed the Dreamblade and turned around. He looked at the headless body, and realized that it was still floating in the air. Then, he could have sworn he heard someone laughing. He gazed in horror as the head of the Farilii regenerated just as his legs had regenerated before. 

"No way!" Jack cursed. The Farilii laughed. 

"Not that easy, friend," the Farilii said. Jack suddenly felt faint. He clutched his not-completely-healed shoulder as he struggled to stay in the air. 

"Damn…" he muttered under his breath. "He's good. I'm gonna have to fry his entire body at once with a spell more powerful than his own energy source. To top that off, I don't know where I'm gonna get that energy, unless…" 

"So how will you kill me?" the Farilii asked. "To be honest, I'm a little disappointed. I figured that a great Son of Lavos would be stronger than this!" 

Jack smiled weakly. "You know, I just remembered something I read somewhere?" he asked the Farilii rhetorically. "You see, I used to think that 'shadow' magic was the same thing as 'black' magic." The Farilii almost twitched at the mention of 'black' magic. "Anyway," Jack went on. "As it turns out, 'shadow' magic is simply the use of the Black Wind in a form of elemental magic." 

"What are you getting at, Lavos Born?" the asked. 

"Patience, my poor test subject," Jack said, wincing in pain and breathing heavily. The Farilii wondered what he meant by 'test subject.' "Anyway, did you know that beyond this world exist something which could only be described as Gods? Now, there are good Gods and there are bad Gods, as there is a 'good' and 'bad' everything. To continue with this, I learned from a book which I recently acquired that you can draw from the power of these good and bad Gods, forming it into a magic spell. Hence, this leads to what you may have heard of as Black and White magic." 

"What did you mean by test subject?" the Farilii asked. 

Jack smirked, speaking again after coughing up a spatter of blood.. "Simple. Now, I became quite interested in this Black magic, the magic of drawing on the Dark Gods. So, I decided to learn a particular spell. Apparently, it was used in eras past to slay Dragons, giving it the name Dragon Slay. However, over the years, it's name became muddled from Dragon Slay to Dragon 'Slave.'" The Farilii's eyes went wide. 

"You know the Dragon Slave?" it asked in betrayal of his fear. "How is that possible? I didn't think there were any recordings of it on this planet." 

"Seems your master was uninformed," Jack said. "To finish my speech, the downside to these spells is that they typically require the chanting of magic words, which adds to their casting time. But, I'm sure you know these words by pretty well, eh? You see, to destroy something like you, one needs to possess energy from a more powerful source. This, to say the least, would provide such a source." 

"No!" the Farilii shouted, now actually showing fear. "You don't know what your doing!" _Does he really know this spell? Can he cast it in his weakened state or is he just bluffing? _Jack ignored him, chanting the words which he had committed to memory over the past days. 

"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows. Buried in the stream of Time, is where your power grows." Jack lifted his hands above his head and a small ball of energy began to accumulate there. 

"No!" the Farilii pleaded again, fully aware that Jack was not bluffing. He would have to try and dodge it. Jack continued. 

"I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand. Now, may the fools who stand before us be destroyed by the power you and I possess!" 

"Oh God!" the Farilii shouted, cowering in fear, holding up arms to defend as he flew off to the right. 

"Dragon Slave!!" Jack shouted, trusting his hands forward. Aiming to where the Farilii would be by the time the spell traveled the correct distance, the ball of energy he was forming suddenly exploding outward into a larger ball. It briefly began shooting out streams which circled the ball for a moment before finally converging and blasting outward in a stream of red and black energy. 

The stream exploded forward, energy streaming from his hands as the beam scorched the sky, contacting the Farilii at the exact point that Jack had predicted and burning through him easily. A large explosion ensued, creating a ball of fire which grew outward until it finally dissipated into nothingness. Highly drained of energy from the casting of such a new and powerful spell, Jack collapsed to the ground, somewhat less then gracefully. Sarah and Schala came over to him. 

"Jack!" Sarah shouted. Jack was kneeling on the floor. Sarah reached down and hoisted his right arm over her shoulder, helping him to get up. "Why did you go and do that?" she asked. 

Jack smiled weakly. "I…I just wanted to try that neat little spell out." 

"It's awfully powerful," Schala said. "Better then anything I've created or read much about." 

"It will be mighty useful when I can use it with out draining so much of my energy…" Jack admitted. "But," he said. "Schala, I need to know a few things. I need to know why he called you my 'dead' sister." 

Schala sighed. "Of course. I'm a little surprised that Doreen didn't tell you, but no matter. Let's get you back to Kajar, and I'll tell you all about it." Jack nodded. 

"And speaking of the Finori," Sarah said, "we should get her to anchor the weapons. Not that it looks like you need it, but it will still be useful." Jack nodded again. Then slowly, Sarah carried both of them into the air and back to Zeal. 

. 

"So, you've got other, smaller spells besides that overkill Dragon Slave thingy?" -Gourry Gabriev 


	30. Chaos

**Chapter 30**

**Chaos**

12,000 BC- Kajar. 

"And after she…no…it killed Greven, I couldn't stand it anymore." She paused. "She…killed me in that fight," Schala said. "Or, she almost killed me." Schala had been recapping the story of how she 'died' in the year that Jack had been born. It was two years ago, but the horror of it still flashed back to her vividly. Being brutally attacked by the magic of Lavos being channeled though her own mother. 

They were sitting in the room at Kajar. Schala sat on the couch, Jack and Sarah each in one of the chairs. Jack was still recovering from the use of the Dragon Slave, but he predicted that he would be fully recovered in an hour or so. They took this time to here what Schala had to say. 

"Almost?" Sarah asked. 

"She…didn't want to do away with me," Schala said, paining at the recollection of the event. "I was to important to 'her' plan." 

"So what did she do?" Jack asked. 

"She managed to fuse my body with the life essence of a Nu and the energy of a Lavoid. This "Nooze" makes me fundamentally eternal. It repairs all of my wounds, and takes the place of all of my internal organs because my innards had been badly charred by a lightning spell. The Nooze keeps me alive. I don't have to breath. I don't have to eat. I'm just…I'm just damned to live in this world forever…" She pounded a fist against the couch in anger. 

"We'll get him…" Jack said ominously, clenching his own fist. "We'll get him good." 

"Schala," Sarah said. "Would that mean that your energy signature would not be that of the Zealian family?" 

"All of my energy is that of the Lavoid," Schala said. "My genetic code has been tampered beyond recognition." 

"So that means…" Sarah said. Jack suddenly turned pale. 

"No…" he said, realizing that Schala's energy matched his own. "No!" he said again, standing up. "It still doesn't make sense!" 

"But there is a logical explanation somewhere, Jack," Sarah consoled. "That guy is totally insane, but there's a reason why you have Lavoid energy in you." 

"How does he find the explanation, though?" Schala asked. "I could tell him that he does course with Lavoid energy similar to mine, but I couldn't explain it." 

"The Mammon Machine…" Jack said grimly. "Something tells me that the Mammon Machine has the answers." He grabbed the Dreamblade from the table next to him and slung the sheath over his back. "I'm going to need some long cloaks. I'm going to the Mammon Machine." Sarah frowned, furrowing her brow and pursing her lips. 

"Why long cloaks?" Schala asked. 

"He wants to disguise himself as the Prophet," Sarah said. "He figures that no one will question him that way." Jack nodded, removing the band that tied his hair in the ponytail. When released from its bonds, his long blue hair hung down to the same length of the Prophet's. 

"And with the cloaks, I should match him just fine," Jack said. Schala nodded in understanding, chanting softly. In a moment, a set of blue-black robes appeared in her hands, teleported from a wardrobe somewhere unknown. She handed them to Jack. 

"What do you hope to accomplish by meeting the machine?" Schala asked. Jack sighed. 

"If I told you to just trust me, would you?" Schala nodded. "Then please just do so." 

"Jack," Sarah finally said to him as he began to put on the robes. "I…have peculiar feeling about this. I have a feeling that this machine…will prevent you from getting to Lavos." 

"How can a machine stop me?" Jack said. Sarah smiled. 

"If I told you to just trust me," she raised an eyebrow. "Would you?" Jack looked at her in confusion for a moment. 

"Yes…" Jack said. "…But something is telling me that this takes priority." 

"Your call," Sarah said. "I'm just telling you what I'm thinking." 

Jack sighed. "Let's go, Schala," he said. "Sarah, please come as well." 

"Of course," Sarah said. 

"How do I look?" Jack asked, indicating his robes. 

"Not bad," Schala said. "It's close enough, anyway. I think you're a little taller and broader that the Prophet, but the hair will convince anyone beyond second thought." Jack nodded. 

"I'm ready when you are, sis," he said. 

"Then come close, you two," Schala said. Jack and Sarah stood next to the blue-haired princess as she waved a hand and the group disappeared with a blur effect. 

. 

Same Time 

The trio reappeared in the Hall of the Mammon Machine. The machine itself stood in the middle. It was a massive structure of Dreamstone that had been warped by the energies of the Lavoid it channeled. It looked vaguely humanoid to the disturbance of Jack and Sarah, who had never seen it before. There were six men standing on the parameter of the room. Schala quickly addressed them. 

The Prophet wishes to be alone with the Machine," she said in a commanding tone. "Please leave us." 

The men reacted with apprehension. "Miss Schala," one said. "The Queen said that…" Schala cut him off. 

"I come as a servant of the Queen," she said, playing her part well. "I'm following her will. She is allowing the Prophet to do this. Please do as I say." 

"Very well, Princess," another said as they began to shuffle out of the room. When they were clear, Jack drew back his hood. 

"Good job, Schala," he said. He turned to Sarah. "Watch the door," he told her. 

"What are you going to do?" Sarah asked. Jack slowly walked up to the machine, holding out his hands. The fiery energies of the Lavoid permeated his surroundings. The machine pulsed with the very life blood of Lavos. 

"I'm…gonna talk to it…" Jack said, not quite sure what he meant. He extended his hands and spread his fingers, almost grabbing the machine. Then, trying to let instinct guide him, he closed out his outside consciousness. He left his mind blank to the will of the Mammon Machine… 

Then, the effect kicked in. There was a flash of light that only Jack saw and suddenly he found himself standing on a blue surface that looked like water. The surface moved and pulsated with life, but he did not sink. The blue surface expanded on forever, never stopping, but seemingly never reaching a horizon. Sarah and Schala were no where to be seen. It was like he was living in a dream. Jack didn't notice the extent of the blue surface, though. He stood there, gazing in terror at the being before him. All of the energy in the floor seemed to flow towards this thing. It was The Destroyer of Worlds. Lavos. 

It consisted of an eye pod with a three lids. Outward from that expanded the shell. It was impossible to see the actual shell from Jack's angle, since the entire surface of the thing was covered in a series of spikes. Some large and some small, these monstrous spikes shot out in all directions, giving a heavy feeling of intimidation. The eye pod opened, revealing a sickly looking eye, easily bigger than Jack's entire head. The then eye looked at Jack, and Jack was scarred. 

What do you want, Lathain of Zeal? came a voice which permeated the entire space which Jack stood in. Jack could only guess that the Lavoid was speaking to him. However, the Lavoid did not sound anything like Jack had imagined. Instead of being a cruel, barbaric creature, the Lavoid sounded intelligent, almost compassionate. 

"What?" Jack asked. His voice echoed through the area. It reverberated back to him, distorted in it's return. He looked at the spiked monster ahead of him. Could this really be the Lavoid? 

Why do you tap my consciousness? the voice asked. Jack thought about it for a moment. This was definitely Lavos, the freak of a thing that was in front of him, that he was speaking too. Or rather, he had touched into Lavos's consciousness through the Mammon Machine. He had temporarily entered the Lavoid's mind. 

"I have some questions," Jack said finally and confidently. He tried not to be shaken by the power that was being given off by the thing. He had to retain his composure. It was finally time to clarify what he didn't understand. 

As you can see, I am at your disposal. My knowledge is yours. 

"Okay," Jack said. "Then my first question is why. Why would you answer my questions? Aren't you supposed to be the enemy of mankind." 

One cannot be the enemy of his own creation, Lavos said. So I can not be the enemy of mankind or you. You are puppets, not adversaries. 

"So what does that mean?" Jack asked. "What do you mean when you call yourself the creator of humanity." 

Because I am. the Lavoid answered simply. Jack rephrased his question. 

"_How_ are you the creator of humanity?" he asked. 

Jack struggled with this. He needed to know more. 

"But why?" Jack asked. "If you are responsible for our evolution, then why?" 

The Goal of all Lavoids is the creation of a more perfect being, it said. To achieve this, we guide the evolution of a planet. All beings come from us. All adaptations are caused by us. We are the guiding force of the Lifestream within a planet. 

"Lifestream?" Jack asked. "What is Lifestream?" 

The flowing energies of all life in a planet system. It is the source of which we draw the DNA of the creatures of the planet. It is through Lifestream that we emit the energies which cause the mutations that we control. All life, when it ceases to exist, returns to the Lifestream. There, it flows in harmony with the other life of the planet until it is drawn on again. 

"Okay…" Jack though of his next question. Remembering what the Farilii had told him, he decided once and for all to clear up this Lavos Born stuff. "What does it mean to be Lavos Born and why am I as such?" There was a brief pause before the Lavoid answered clearly. 

You, Lathain of Zeal, exist as part of me. It was my energy that created you, inseminating the egg of the woman called Zeal. My energy fertilized that egg and you were born as a result. As one of Lavos Born, you carry with you the DNA of a Lavoid. You are the species born for mating to produce a more perfect DNA strain. My DNA, included within you, shall be passed on in this way. 

Jack slowly backed up, nearly falling over. His eyes went wide. His heart stopped for a moment. "W-w-w-what?!" he stammered. "Are you telling me that-" the Lavoid consciousness answered his question. 

You are merely half human. You are also half Lavoid. Such is this blessing that your offspring shall provide the highpoint of evolution on this planet. 

"My offspring?" Jack asked weakly. He could not believe what he was hearing. Suddenly, the thing he wanted to kill, the thing which caused him so much grief, was a part of him. Or rather, he was a part of it. Lavoid energy coursing through him? It couldn't be possible. But, the more he thought about it, the more everything lined up. It was the only possible explanation for his energy signature matching Schala's. 

The offspring of you and the Epitorum. 

"What's an Epitorum?" Jack asked, confused by the new term. 

The Epitorum is my final achievement in human evolution. Thus, I have guided humanity down its path to ultimately accumulate the DNA combination that is prevalent in one female of its species. This female is the Epitorum. 

"And you want me to procreate with this Epitorum?" 

"I was given life only to create a child?" 

The final union of Lavoid and Human DNA on this planet. Once I acquire that DNA strand, the planet is of no more use to me. 

"And then what?!" Jack yelled. "You just kill everything in your way? Is that so you can clear the path for your offspring which encompass that DNA?!" 

Precisely, it said simply. 

"But why!?" 

The goal of our species is to complete the DNA Helix. We aim to become more powerful by creating off-spring which are more perfect. However, we Lavoids can not directly cross the DNA. While we can assume a combination of all genetic material, we cannot selectively chose the blend we wish. Humans were my ultimate creation on this world, and so their DNA shall live on within me, in the DNA of your child. 

"But why me?" Jack asked. 

To naturally combine my DNA, which you hold, with the DNA of the Epitorum. You cannot say that you don't understand. You have known your purpose all this time. You have known where your tremendous power has come from. The Lavoid Energy in you… 

"So what is your purpose?!" Jack asked. "Why do you do this? Why destroy worlds just for the sake of new strains of genetic material?!" 

Because it is what we were created for, the Lavoid said. Then Jack's head was filled with a strident screeching. He felt himself go into a tremor of shock as the noise passed through him. At first he didn't understand what was happening, but as the noise seemed to materialize itself into a series of thoughts, he understood. Lavos was transmitting part of his memory directly into Jack. The young man was being filled with the History of the species, flashes of their past, and the ultimate goal of the Lavoids. Jack was getting a history lesson in its most raw form possible: direct memory. 

"I…see," he said as the sound ended. "I will have to explain this to everyone…" 

Jack slowly sat down on the floor. He found himself wanting to cry. He suddenly had a lot of think about. But, he wasn't done. While he thought out questions, he also pondered whether or not he could attack and kill the consciousness of the Lavoid in this state. He found himself suddenly in a fighting mood. Just a few more questions… he thought. Find out what I need to know and then end this… 

"…Tell me what you can about Black Magic," Jack said. 

Black Magic is the magic which draws on the powers that exist outside of the Planes. The Planes are the spheres of existence which we live in. They are the always expanding web of life and energy which courses through these Dimensions. It is said, that with enough power, one can transport oneself to a different Plane by simply tearing a hole in the matter that makes up the Space-Time Continuum. 

Like the Finori… Jack thought. "So what is outside of the Planes?" Jack asked. "You said that Black Magic draws from power outside of the Planes." 

Outside of the Planes exists the Erethreals, and the Chaos. 

"Can you elaborate?" 

Even I as a Lavoid know very little of these beings which exist beyond the Planes which are sometimes called the Erethreals. I merely know of their existence. When you cast a spell such as the Dragon Slave, though, you are drawing on their power. Yet, I know of the Chaos. I know of the Chaos because…we are of the Chaos. 

"I don't understand." 

Chaos is the swirling mass of energy that exists outside of the Planes and swirls through the Planes. It is within, and without. It is pure energy. It is the mass of everything chaotic and unpredictable. It is harsh. It is untamed. You, my son, and myself exist as beings of this Chaos. It is what powers us and our abilities. Our cells naturally absorb this power. It is how we were created. Chaos is power. We possess the power. 

"How do we draw on this power?" 

Lavoids are part of Chaos. Chaos flows through us. 

"But…" 

Chaos is the wake of destruction. Chaos is all evil thoughts and motions. It is he ever expanding power which we harness for destruction. It is infintite. 

"I…don't understand," Jack admitted. 

It will be much simpler if you just allow me to show you… it said. Jack slowly nodded, knowing that Lavos was going to do the same thing as he had done just a few minutes ago. He knew he was about to experience a direct consciousness link. 

Suddenly, his head was filled a violent image. Rage and anger gashing at everything they touched. The entire existence within his head erupted with uncontrolled anguish and emotion. Sea upon sea, wave upon wave, all of it was nothing but an eternity of hatred, blackness and evil. The power of evil surged through him. He felt the pain. It battered his body in a tremendous spasm of raging power. 

"AAAAHHHH!!!" he screamed, clutching at his head. It was Darkness beyond the Blackest Night. The source of all Chaos burning bright. The Deepest power lying in the Stream of Time. He felt it, and it burned. 

Then, as quickly as it had come on, it was gone. The fire and the images were gone. His head went back to normal and he could see the image of Lavos in front of him again. 

That, the Lavoid said. Is Chaos. 

"Such power…" Jack said, still shaking a little. "And that is the source of a Lavoid's power? But…they only draw on it themselves. And even then…it's not complete Chaos…" This was true. The power of the Lavoid was not direct power of Chaos. The feeling in his head was much stronger and more raw than the energy that Lavos himself gave off. The Lavoid Energy was a toned down, more controlled version of the Chaos. It must be that this Chaos was more powerful than the Lavoids themselves… 

Have you anymore questions? Lavos asked. 

"Only one more," Jack said. "And then I shall return to the real world." The Lavoid was silent in waiting. Jack proceeded. "This feeling that I've been having…that I've been being pulled somewhere. Like I'm going somewhere that I have to go, but I don't know why. What has caused that?" 

The will of Lavos affects you as it affects all living things. Your being is led by the force of Lavoid Energy within you. Since you possess Lavoid power, I can lead you as I see fit, but I am also prohibited from taking complete control over you. 

"Then you've been pulling me?!" Jack asked. 

You have not been being pulled anywhere. You are merely living out your purpose. Jack grimaced. 

I knew it! Jack yelled inside of his head. That bastard thinks he can lead me around like a little puppet!? I'll show him… Jack grabbed the Dreamblade from beneath his cloak and powered it. He channeled his energy through the device and the blade appeared. 

Now is not the time for this. the Lavoid said. You still have work to do. Jack ignored it, leaping as quickly as he could at the monster. Drawing the blade back, he lunged at the eye… 

The eye slowly closed and Jack found himself engulfed in a flash of light. The Lavoid disappeared from his view, and when the light cleared, he found himself back in the room with the Mammon Machine. He was standing with his hands touching the machine. He was not holding the Dreamblade and Lavos was no where to be seen. His return from the Lavoid's consciousness complete, he crumbled to the ground in exhaustion. 

Sarah and Schala rushed to his side. Sarah kneeled down and lifted his head up and onto her lap. 

"Jack?!" she screamed, worried to the point of panic. Jack slowly opened his eyes. 

"I'm…okay," he said in a very forced tone. "I've…seen him." 

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked. 

"I've…seen the Lavoid…" Jack said weakly. "He…he showed me Chaos…" with that last word, Jack closed his eyes again and lost consciousness. 

. 

"Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself." -The Matrix 


	31. Wings of Fate

**Chapter 31**

**Wings of Fate**

600 AD, Guardia Castle 

Trumpets flared, filling the great hall with their echoing brass hits. Drummers banged out at steady beat as a lone flute sang a melody of great knights past. At the back of the hall, Aragorn, Tristan and Rayith stood. Garbed in regal robes, the trio prepared to march up the aisle to meet the king. The Knights of the Square Table flanked the main walk, swords at attention. 

It was nearly a week after the battle. The commemoration ceremony was to be planned in honor of the newly proclaimed heroes of the war, namely Aragorn and his companions Tristan and Rayith. In some versions of the story, they had been proclaimed to have defeated the entire Mystic army alone. "Magic wielding humans and the brilliant Commander, Sir Lestrides," that had, "crushed the Mystic army beneath their feet as they ushered in a new age of peace." The stories were naturally a little embellished, but it was these three who had technically saved the Kingdom. 

The Mystics had been routed and cut down successfully, and the battle had ended not ten minutes after Aragorn had given the final command to charge. With the mounted units running with lances lowered, the fleeing units had been easy to destroy. Acting with extreme prejudice, Aragorn had ordered that not a single Mystic be left alive. 

After, they had ended up before the King in a less noisy situation. Aragorn's previous trial had been examined and he was proclaimed innocent in light of new actions for the throne. Someone had merely proposed the ceremony to raise moral, and it seemed to be working. 

As the song swung into full movement, the three shared a nod and began to march up the isle to the beat of the music. Aragorn stood tall in the middle with the others at his side. As the reached the column of Knights, the soldiers lifted their blades into the air, forming an arc for the trio to walk under. At the end of the hall, the King sat on his throne, awaiting the heroes of the battle. 

Aragorn led them up to the throne, whereupon they performed a synchronous kneeling motion before the King. The King drew his sword from his side and placed it on Aragorn's left shoulder. 

"In light of recent events," the King said, speaking also to the crowd, "You, Aragorn Lestrides, shall be cleared of previous charges against your name." The crowd cheered. Their hero was finally brought before them. 

The King then turned his attention to Rayith. Placing his sword similarly on her shoulder, "And for valor in combat, you Rayith, shall also have your record purged and any bounties on your head removed." Rayith kept her head nodded. 

Finally he looked to Tristan. "And ye from afar," he said with the sword placed on Tristan's shoulder. "Tristan Tenser, you shall be granted the title of Knight of the Square Table under my name." The music still played strong in the background. "Now," the King said. "Rise." 

The threesome did as told, rising and turning to the crowd who was cheering. Some of them were not even sure of what they were cheering for, but the cries of joy filled the room none-the-less. Aragorn turned his head to the King. 

"May I say something, Lord?" he asked. 

"Of course," the Kind said, smiling. "You're public is waiting for you." He indicated back to the cheering crow. Aragorn nodded, motioning for the people to quiet as he began to speak. 

"Fellow Guardians!" he shouted. The crowd roared before he could speak anymore. He had to wait nearly a minute before he could continue. "We now come to the dawn of a new era. This new time is an era of peace. We have lived to see the end of the dreaded Mystic war and we shall not live to see another one!" 

"No longer shall wives fear that they will lose their sons or their husbands to this great beast of war. No longer shall children and women shiver with fear in the night at impending invasion. We shall usher in a new time. We shall live in peace!" 

"It is through our spirit, that we victorious in the battle. It is in the spirits of all humans to fight for their lives. It is not in our creation to be destroyed without fighting. We have stared evil in the face and been scowled at by innumerous odds, yet we have fought on." 

"Though," he paused briefly. "There are some of us who understand that fighting is the only thing they know how to do. I myself am one of these people. My old friend Cyrus was also one of these people. All through our lives, we fought, sometimes for our lives, other times for our egos, and yet other times simply for the sake of fighting. It is all we knew. It is all we were good at." He paused, mostly for effect. 

"Cyrus isn't with us today. It is unknown what happened to him. However, I do know this: Cyrus was lost to something because he finally found his reason for fighting. He knew his reason, and he followed it. It is because of this that he is not here standing on this podium with me." 

"We, as humans, must all find our reasons to fight. To fight for the sake of fighting is not a just cause. We all have the fighting spirit within us, yet finding the source of this spirit can be difficult. I myself did not know my reason until I stood on the battlefield not more than a week ago. I have been fighting all of my life, yet it was only then that I realized what I was fighting for." 

"When I see all of you people of Guardia here, I am reminded of this. I am reminded of what I have been fighting for all this time. But, it would appear that now there is nothing left to fight for. My purpose has fulfilled. This world should no longer be in need of people like myself who live to fight. With no fighting to be had, I am not needed." 

"But, let everyone in this room know, that if peace is ever threatened again. Should terror ever come back to this land, I will be ready to fight. I will take my sword and I will go out to the field and I will fight for peace. I will fight for all of you. I will be here! I will protect this Kingdom, and that is something that I swear my life upon!" Aragorn raised his hand in the air, almost in a victory gesture, and the crowd went wild. Now, the sound of the people drowned out the music as their cheers filled the hall. 

Aragorn turned to the King. "Not bad, huh?" he asked. 

"An excellent speech, Sir," the King nodded with a grin. "Is there anything else?" 

"No," Aragorn said solemnly. "I'm through. I believe my friends and I will take our leave." 

"So soon?" 

"We'll be back. We need to attend to some things though. Important matters of discussion, you know? Don't fret. We'll be back for the dinner ceremony." 

"As you will, Sir Lestrides." Aragorn nodded and kneeled again. Then, all three rose and turned to face the crowd. They began to march and the soldiers on the flanks once again rose their swords in salute. They walked through the cheering crowd and the playing musicians. As they reached the back of the room, two knights opened the door for the exiting heroes. Then, without looking back, the left the room, off into the entry hall and out of the castle. Waiting until out of sight before using the Ray Wing technique to fly away, the trio 'rode' off into the horizon. 

. 

12,000 BC, Kajar 

Jack was floating in a sea of nothingness. No…it wasn't nothingness. It was something. It must have been his subconscious. He could almost see himself and his thoughts as he hovered suspended in the realm of ever-shifting colors. 

_Why do you fight your ally?_ a voice filled his head. It didn't seem to be coming form anywhere in particular, but it wasn't coming from _everywhere_ either. It was just…there. 

"What do you mean?" Jack asked. His voice seemed to echo many times over, resonating through his head and through his levels of consciousness. "How am I fighting my ally?" 

_You resist against using the most powerful weapon that you have against him_, the voice said. Jack could recognize the voice now. 

"Topik?" Jack asked. "What the hell are you doing here? Why did you send me here? This is all your fault! Show yourself!" 

_Calm yourself, Lathain of Zeal_, Topik said. 

"Don't call me that!" Jack demanded. "My name is Jack!" 

_Then, Jack, calm down. You must listen to reason._

"What are you talking about? Tell me how you're here speaking to me!" 

_I am merely sending my thoughts into your subconscious. I don't have time though. It is against the rules that I do this. You must hurry and listen to me. _Jack decided to just give in and listen to what the being had to say. He still felt he had a bone to pick with Topik, but he would hold off on that. He could ask about these supposed 'rules' another time. 

"Then if you're going to speak, do it now," Jack said in resignation. "What do you mean when you say I'm fighting my enemy." 

_You must realize the power you have at your disposal, _Topik said._ And you must take the time and learn to use it. A Dragon Slave may kill a Farilii, but just pouring Force Tech energy to fuel such a spell will not kill a Lavoid._

"Just pouring Force Tech energy?" Jack asked. 

_It is why you cast such powerful magic. While your understanding of the spells is quite incredible, your energy capacity is underdeveloped. People are fooled into thinking that your power is greater than theirs when you are really just using the Force Tech energy as the main power source of your spells._

"And what should that mean to me? Should it matter where I get the power?" 

_You must learn to use the power that you have within yourself, rather than borrowing from around you…_ Topik's voice began to fade out. 

"I don't understand." 

_I am out of time, Jack _Topik said._ We shall meet in person soon enough, if you realize what I am saying… the voice was now barely audible._

"_Topik!_" Jack screamed. "_Come back here!_" 

_Look into yourself for the power…_ the last vestiges of Topik's voice said. Then, it was gone. 

"Damn it!" Jack yelled. "Why can't people just tell me what they mean!" Jack was cut off by the sudden feeling of the 'world' shaking. His footing, which he did not realize he had until this point, began to seem to crumble. The world around him almost seemed to pulse with heat and the noise increased. He clutched his ears to shield them from the high pitched screeching matched with the incredible loud rumbling. 

Then, he woke up. 

. 

Same Time 

"What the?" Jack said, snapping back into consciousness and finding himself back in Kajar. He was in his bed and he was covered in sweat. He looked up to find Sarah sitting in a chair next to the bed, watching him. Around him, the room was shaking, just as it had felt in his dream. 

"Oh, thank God!" she said, practically jumping on the bed and embracing him. "Thank God you're up!" 

"Wha?" Jack asked, still disoriented. He managed to pull himself out of bed with Sarah still embracing him. "Where am I?" 

"We're in Kajar," Sarah said softly. "You fell unconscious after coming out of contact with the mammon machine. I was afraid you might not wake up…" She held him for a moment, and he accepted it. It made him feel good that someone had been so worried about him. 

"Where's Schala?" Jack asked, finally parting grips with her and scanning the room for his sister. "Is she here?" 

"No," Sarah said flatly, sitting down on the bed next to him. "She left about five hours ago. The Queen had called for her, apparently." 

"I see…" Jack said, scratching his head. His vision was clearing up. "What's going on?" he asked, referring to the shaking around him. "When did this start? Or, maybe even better, how long have I been asleep?" 

"You've been out for two weeks," Sarah said. "We thought you might have gone permanently comatose." 

"Two weeks…" Jack said to himself. The time had crucial meaning. "…Lavos…" he muttered, realizing what the explosions were. He jumped out of bed. "They completed the Ocean Palace, didn't they?!" he asked Sarah, frantically dressing himself and searching for the Dreamblade. Sarah sternly stood up. 

"Yes," Sarah said calmly. "The contacted Lavos about an hour ago. There's been a lot of this rumbling for the past twenty minutes or so." 

Finding the Dreamblade, Jack sheathed it. "Has he made an attack yet?!" 

"No. He is awake, but he has not yet fired his main weapon." He cocked his head to the side. 

"How are you so calm?" he asked her, finally putting on all of his clothes. 

"Because getting frantic won't help," Sarah said. "You'll have to stay calm as well if you want to survive this." He looked at her oddly. "Also, we anchored Doreen to the Dreamblade while you were out. Obviously, we couldn't try it out because it only works for you, by Doreen said the process went fine." 

"Are you okay?" he asked, momentarily ignoring the Dreamblade situation. "You seem…different." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I don't know. You're just…I can't really explain it. You just seem a bit more collected than you normally do." She was silent for a moment. 

"Those…others," Sarah said. "They're down there. I think they're fighting it." 

"And?" 

"It will buy us time to escape," Sarah said. "But we don't have much of it. Let's keep our composure and make get out of here logically." 

She seemed different, Jack was sure of that. It boggled his mind how she stayed so calm. It was still Sarah, that much wasn't debatable, but there was something new here. It was a calm calculating aspect of her that he had not seen before. 

"We should go," Jack said, taking Sarah's hand. "Do you have all of your things?" 

"Everything," Sarah said, nodding and smiling. 

"Then let's make a break for it. We know what Lavos does when it gets mad. Let's try to get the hell out of here before that happens. He'll have to come to the surface to fire his weapon, though. Even if we can't save this country, we can at least take him out." 

The two of them bolted out of the door and into the hall. The whole building seemed to be caught in the confusion of the rumbling. Some people were running around carrying bags of their belongings, trying to escape. General chaos was basically filling Kajar and a sense of panic was prevalent. 

Exiting into the City, everything was proceeding similarly. People were running, fearing what might be happening. Buildings were beginning to crumble in various places and the debris was falling on the street. It didn't look like anyway was getting hurt, but Jack and Sarah knew all to well that it wouldn't be that way for long. 

Then Jack realized that the vibrations they were feeling weren't due to Lavos's movement in the planet. That would be impossible, as they were floating far above the earth. No, this was the sheer energy given off from whatever was going on below. It was shaking the sky and soon the heavens would come crashing down. 

By the time they made it to the building that guarded the entry to the City, Sarah suddenly stopped in her tracks, closing her eyes and clutching her temples. A wave of pain surged through her head and she crumbled to the ground of the massive main hall. Jack quickly turned back to help, lifting her up and helping her out of the way of the screaming people. 

"What is it?" he asked, bending down over her. "What's the matter?" 

"It's…coming," she said, still cringing in pain as the ache washed over her. "It's coming now…" 

"The beams…" Jack mumbled to himself. He stood up and walked a few steps away from her. "If I only I knew where they would…" Closing his eyes, he concentrated deeply. Okay, dad he thought to himself. Where are you going to fire… Letting a series of impulses rush into his head, he transferred the information to a conscious understanding of Lavos's target. Naturally, it was the main island of Zeal. Something had aggravated it. Damn that Mammon Machine! They had brought it to close! 

Where will the beams actually go… Jack thought, almost asking as a question. He touched back into the Lavoid energy. There, like a computer targeting image, there were fire trajectories of all of the main and minor beams. Not much time either. The attack was being charged. Only a matter of seconds…" 

"Sarah!" Jack screamed, running back over to her and lifting her up off of the floor in a fluid motion. Before she knew what was happening, Jack was carrying her in his arms as he ran top speed at the far wall. 

Then, it happened. Right where they had been, a pillar of red energy exploded upward through the floor, easily passing through whatever had been there. Other pillars of fire soon erupted through the floor in the main entry building as well. Jack only set his mind on that wall on the east side. Lowering his shoulder and twisting so Sarah was off to the side, he rammed into the wall full speed, blasting through it just as more beams tore through the last of the building. 

He flew with her in his arms, speeding away from the flying island being destroyed behind him. Having moderately imprinted the targeted locations of the beams, Jack attempted to dodge the oncoming weapons of mass destruction. Almost not moving fast enough on the first one, it nearly scrapped his face. The heat from the blast, however, tore through his skin finely along his jaw line. It would probably scar. 

"Gotta be more careful than that," Jack said to Sarah, who was closing her eyes and still feeling the aftershock of the pain that had surged through her before. 

Jack flew full speed, trying to reach the ground where he hoped to find some form of shelter. The beams continued to rise upwards and the image of Zeal being ripped to shreds could be seen when he looked up. 

Around him it seemed almost to be silent. Not the silent where there is absence of sound, but the kind of silent one feels when there is so much sound that one's ears feel almost overloaded. This kind of silence filled the air around him, his mind only being set on dodging. 

Dodge, dodge, dodge. For a solid minute, the two made their way to the ground, racing against the falling island above them and dodging the fiery beams below them. It became harder to get around the attacks as he came closer to the ground. Then, a new beam, not in the original target imprint, shot upward. Somewhat distracted by the raining Armageddon, he didn't see the new one coming. It was an unknown beam, almost purple in color. Did Lavos create this one especially for him? His purpose wasn't complete yet, so that couldn't be it. 

"Shit!" he yelled as the new attack came up. Their combined mass was too great to be able to dodge it. Jack did the only thing he could think of, relying solely on reaction time. He pushed Sarah's limp form away from him, using their speed and respective masses an acceleration factor. The force and reduced weight allowed him to dodge as the beam tore the sky through the space that was now between the two of them. 

Rolling back onto his original trajectory, he looked down to see Sarah falling down beneath him. New shadows came from above as the island began to fall. From giant chunks to small rocks, the new threat tumbled towards them. 

He saw Sarah reach out to him. "Jack!" she called, her image being shadowed by a large portion of the island that was screaming down from above them. 

"Sarah!" he screamed, even louder. She was helpless. If a beam came up now, she was a goner. Then, time seemed to stop. Moments of life flashed before his eyes. Her face. Her eyes. Her smile. He wondered if he could save her this time. Was his first move a mistake? No. They would both have been dead if he didn't throw her in the opposite direction. She seemed too far away, though. He didn't know if he could reach her. For once, he wasn't sure he could save her. 

That shot into him like sheer pain induction directly to the nerves. He couldn't save her. How could that be? Had he just been lucky in protecting her all of this time? No, it wasn't luck. But why now?! Why couldn't he fight this?! Was this destiny? No, he still didn't believe in destiny. But, what good was he if he couldn't save her?! He yelled in anger, feeling suddenly empty. He was empty without her. He needed her. He needed to protect her. 

Black light flashed around him. He became engulfed in a black-blue flame. The energy shot out around him, forming a sphere of protection. Large excesses of energy shot out from his back in two distinct patterns. Blades of the excess dark energy within him extended from his shoulders. The looked almost like…wings. Suddenly, he wasn't afraid anymore. 

The 'Wings' arched back as Jack increased his speed towards Sarah. Tearing through the air at inhuman speeds, the debris from above was merely blown apart as it contacted him. He couldn't be touched. What was causing this power? Lavoid Energy? Was that what Topik was talking about. 

He recognized the feeling, though, of the black energy within him. He remembered now. It was the same thing he used to break his constraints when imprisoned in the Mystic Encampment. It wasn't Force Tech. This was his energy. It was his Lavoid Energy. Both times, he had been able to call on it when Sarah was threatened. That had saved her…twice. 

Sarah was almost within reach when the next beam came towards them. It was Sarah that the beam would hit, dead on. He swept in from above like an angel, flying directly in front the oncoming beam. Sarah passed through the protective shield as Jack willed her to, just as the beam careened into them. 

Holding out his left hand, Jack braced for the attack. Trying his best to control his newly expressed power, he fought the blast. The beam pushed against him, it's heat making it even through the shield, but Jack would not give in. His muscles tensed as the beam fought against his shield. With a mighty scream, he forced back on the beam, gaining control over it. With a mighty scream, he forced his power through his arm, beating at the beam. The beam soon buckled under his energy, and as the beam was blasted away, the Wings still pulsed strong with energy. 

The world became filled with a different silence as Jack looked down at Sarah. She was sitting on the 'floor' of the shield. She looked up at him in mixed awe and confusion. As he helped her stand up, she felt safe. 

"What is this?" she asked him. He looked down at here. The falling pieces of the Kingdom of Zeal were ramming into the shield, but the energy and the Wings behind him did not falter. Even the sound of the outside world was driven out. 

"It is my power," Jack said. "I've…used it to save you. He looked at her and he felt small tears form in his eyes. "Whatever it takes to protect you…" 

"Jack…" she started to speak, but Jack cut her off. 

"I've learned something," he said, looking at the ocean far below. He closed his eyes. "It's something I've learned on this journey. We…humans want to protect the ones we love. It's only natural. If we can't protect our loved ones, we're empty. I've…been able to protect you, Sarah. I want to protect all of you. Aragorn, Tristan, Rayith and…you. Those are all my friends. There are so many people that I couldn't protect, though. Everyone back home. My family. My friends. Sean. I couldn't protect Sean. I let that bastard kill him right in front of me and I was powerless to stop him." 

"That's why I was given this power, Sarah. While Lavos may have had other intentions for me…I will only use this for good. It is the power of protection. It gives me the ability to protect those that I love, and to reap revenge for those that I couldn't protect. I know how to kill the Lavoid, now. Don't you see?" He clenched his fists. 

"Power is a funny thing," he continued. "So many people think they have power, but are really powerless, and so many more want the power because they know they're powerless. And then, those few with power always dominate the ones without power. If you're strong, then the rest of the world doesn't matter. Everyone else is just a pawn in the giant game of life in which the ones with power control everything." 

"That's what Lavos did to us. He used us like we were his pawns. Everything that's ever happened on our world. Hunger, famine, war, death…it's all because of him. He just wanted our genetic code. He just needed the genetic material that we're made of. We were all just used by him. But, now I think I have the power to stop him. I can't let all of his crimes against humanity…" he paused and corrected himself. "No, this entire world, go unpunished." 

"But for now, I'm finally complete, Sarah. I can protect you. I can protect the person that means more to me than anything in the world. I can save you. I can finally know that if I'm here, you'll be safe. I'll never leave you, Sarah. I'm going to be by you until the day we both die, and if I do die, it will be in saving you. I won't let you ever suffer, Sarah. I swear it. I'm going to be with you always, watching you and…" 

"…Jack…" she said, sniffling and starting to cry. "I…" He slowly nodded his head, knowing what she was going to say. Ignoring the torrent of a falling kingdom outside, he answered. 

"I love you too, Sarah," he said, his voice raspy with tears. The silence of their vacuum protected them as they embraced and their lips met again. It was so different from their previous meeting of bodies that both of them were lost to their emotions. Neither had ever experienced such a pure, true expression before, and for what seemed like the first time in both of their lives, they were happy. 

. 

"So don't hide the feelings that are in your heart... Don't fear love..." - Elly 


	32. Back to the Beginning and Together Again

**Chapter 32**

**Back to the Beginning and Together Again**

Jack woke in strange surroundings. It looked like he was in some kind of shelter, but seeming more importantly, from what he could tell, he wasn't wearing any clothes. His arms were wrapped around Sarah's waist, both of the teens under a long piece of fabric that must have been her robe. Her back was towards him, her hair in his eyes. His own hair was out of its tie, cascading down his back. He slowly arched his head upward to see if she was awake, but she looked so peaceful, he couldn't bare to move and possibly wake her up. 

So, he just closed his eyes again and pulled her closer. Try as he could, he didn't remember how they ended up here. He remembered the time before that. He could remember jumping in front of the beam. He remembered kissing her. He remembered what came after that. But, where the hell were they now and when did they blank out? 

"Are you up?" Sarah said. He didn't think she was up. 

"I didn't wake you, did I?" he asked. 

"No, dear," she said happily. "I've been up for some time." She turned her head around and kissed him. "Good morning." 

"Umm…how did we get here?" he asked, still holding her close. "I can't remember much of last night." 

"I'm not sure either," she said. "I wasn't worried though. I remember feeling very safe, that's all. It was…very warm. We were inside that shield that you made, and it was so cold outside. I remember being very afraid before that. Then, you came down and stopped that beam from hitting me. After that, it was just happiness," she said, smiling. "I wasn't afraid anymore. I knew you were there…" 

At that moment, Jack noticed that there were other people in the room. Another group was sleeping on the floor a few feet away from them. In the doorway, there was an old man. He walked over towards them, carrying some torn ramshackle garments in his hands. 

"So you're up, I see," he said warily. 

"Where are we?" Jack asked, becoming conscious of their nudeness and wrapping the blanket tight around them tighter and turning slightly red. 

"This is where we brought all of the survivors that we found," the old man said. He bent down and handed Jack the torn clothing he was carrying. "You two were naked when we found you. We managed to pull together some clothing for you." 

Jack, swallowing shame, slowly climbed out of the blanket and graciously took the clothing, dressing himself quickly. "Thank you," he said, helping Sarah by erecting a 'dressing room' out of the robe, allowing her to change in private. They were mostly just rags and a beaten cape for both of them. The clothes for both of them were sparse, but it was better than nothing. 

"Okay," Jack said. "So, who are they?" he pointed to two more women, both blonde. One wore a white dress and had her hair tied in a pony tail that had been slightly messed from its contact with the ground. The other was dressed in what looked like animal furs. She had long, powerful muscles and almost salon perfect hair. They were both unconscious. 

"We found them also," the old man said. "There was actually a third one. He looks like…well, I think he's a giant frog. I'm not sure how to explain that, though." 

"You don't need to," Sarah said bitterly, knowing the group of people vaguely. "These are the others," she said to Jack. "I know the girl. She's the one that Tristan was talking about. According to what we found, her name is Princess Nadia of the Guardia Family, also known as Marle." 

"The girl was calling for someone named Crono," the old man said. "That wouldn't happen to be you, would it?" he asked Jack. 

"No," Jack said. "I'm Jack. I think I know who she's talking about though. Where there any others?" 

"I'm afraid not." 

"Crono," Sarah mused. "That's certainly the man Sean was talking about before he died." Jack did a double take. 

"W-what?" he stammered. "How do you know that?" 

"It makes sense," Sarah said with a shrug. "If you think about it, the name Cro couldn't have been his whole name. Sean was still trying to speak before he died." She laughed to herself. "Funny how you completed the name, yourself." 

"How so?" he asked, slightly creeped out. 

"Sean said, 'seek the boy named Cro-'" she said. "Then you screamed, 'no!'" as he died. Cro, no? Get it?" She giggled at her own humor. 

"You're scaring me, Sarah," he said. Then, he realized that something was missing from his possessions. "The Dreamblade!" he shouted, looking around for the weapon which he knew had not been with him when he woke up. 

"Oh, you mean this?" the old man said, holding up a sword with a decorative handle. Jack recognized the Dreamblade in the man's hands, quickly leaping over and taking it. He examined it to make sure it was real. 

"Was this near us?" he asked. 

"It was close," the old man said. "You're lucky that the sword was shinning so brightly in the light." 

"It appears we've been lucky many times today," Sarah said, somewhat dryly. A moment later, another figure walked through the door. Green skinned and yellow eyed, the 'Frog Man' was carrying a bundle of wood. Seeing Jack's hair (his back was turned), the Frog dropped the wood he was carrying and quickly drew the sword he had sheathed at his hip. 

"Magus!" he hissed. "Thy dare defile mine friends whilst they sleep?" 

Jack slowly spun around, the Dreamblade in hand. "Easy, buddy," he said calmly. "I think you have me confused with someone." Once he had seen Jack's face, the Frog quickly realized his error, sheathing his weapon. 

"My pardon, please," he said. "Thine hair is blue as the one whom I am after. I am sorry for mine sudden impetuousness. I am called Frog, or Glenn, if you so prefer." The Frog kneeled in apology. 

"It's okay," Jack said, sliding the Dreamblade into it's sheath. "I know there aren't a lot of us blue-haired guys out there. I don't blame you for confusing me at first. I'm Jack. I believe the Magus who you talk of…isn't here." 

"Alas, then tis for the better that Marle and Ayla did not meet him." 

"Those two?" Sarah asked, motioning towards the sleeping women. 

"Aye," Frog said in response. 

"You…fought Lavos, didn't you?" Jack asked. "With that boy, Crono." 

"Aye, the poor lad," Frog lamented. 

"What happened?" Sarah asked. 

"The brave lad sacrificed himself so that we might escape," he said, closing his eyes. "Such altruism I haven't seen since Cyrus was here." 

"So he's…?" 

"Aye." Jack kneeled and punched the floor. 

"Damn it!" he yelled. "Damn it all! Him and all the people of Zeal!" 

"Tis true," Frog said. "We were lucky that the Lady Schala did save us." 

"You've seen Schala?" Jack asked, rising and running up to Frog, grabbing his cloak around the shoulders. "Where have you seen her?!" 

"Lady Schala has also been missing since Lavos's attack," the old man in the corner cut in. 

"Quite true, I'm afraid," Frog said. "She used the remnants of her magical power to save us three. It has been a dreadful series of events." 

"So Schala's gone too…" Sarah said. 

"Everyone…" Jack said with a small sniffle, releasing his grip on Frog. "Why!?" he demanded. 

"He just keeps taking from us…" Sarah said, clenching her fists. 

"Thou art not the only one to have lost thine friends. We have all suffered bitter casualties this past day." 

Jack looked at Frog and then Sarah, then he tightened his cape and stormed out of the room. Sarah quickly followed him. Outside, he was standing in the snow up to his knees. While the rags were doing nothing to preserve his heat, he didn't seem cold. Sarah, not wanting him depressed again, ran up to him and wrapped her warm arms around his shoulders. 

"It's okay," she told him. "We'll get him. He'll pay for everything that he's done." 

"You know, Sarah," he said softly, "I don't know what I would do without you to tell me it's alright." He pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair. "But I've been thinking…" 

"Yeah?" 

"Even if we do kill him, does that avenge all of the lives he's taken? He only has one life to take, and just killing him…will that really get back for everyone? I mean, think of just how many people he's killed. Think of all of the lives he's taken. How can his life be even close to worth all of the murder he has committed?" 

"What are you suggesting?" 

"I…don't know. I'm just rambling, really." He paused. "But, while we're talking about killing him, I now know how, at any rate…" She let go of him, holding his shoulders at arms length. 

"Really?" she asked. "I don't understand. Just a few weeks ago, you thought he was too powerful. What changed your mind?" 

"When I…talked to it," Jack said. "He showed me some things. That, along with this new power which I'm beginning to manifest. While I might be able to handle him physically, I have an idea for a sure-fire, one-spell deal." 

"You think you can do it?" 

"I don't know how yet, but, I've got this crazy idea..." 

"What is it?" 

Jack sat down in the snow and started to trace outlines in the fluff with his left index finer. "This stuff that he called Chaos," he said. "It's this great swirling mass of energy that exists on a different level then our four dimensional world. Anyway, it's kind of the stuff that powers them. Their cells draw on it, and it creates their power supply. However, what they create from it isn't pure Chaos. It's what we call Lavoid Energy. When I created that shield and those…wings…I was using Lavoid Energy." 

"How? Why can you use that?" 

"Because I'm…" he thought about telling her for a second. Could he really keep something like this? But, on the other hand, would she hate him for it? No, she wouldn't. She'd understand. She had to know. "…I'm half Lavoid." Sarah was surprised at first, her eyes widening. Soon though, she calmed down as Jack explained everything that Lavos had told him. His origin. His purpose. The mysterious Epitorum thing. Everything. She slowly absorbed it, asking questions every now and then. As he concluded, she gasped. 

"I guess it makes sense after all," she finally said. "And then it's true, what that Farilii told you." 

"Lavos wants me to breed," he said. "That's why I have part of his genetic code in him. He wants to create a stronger Lavoid using me." 

"And you think you can use it to your advantage?" Jack slowly nodded. 

"From what I gather, this all means that I can channel Chaos energy myself. The Lavoid portion of my DNA is also probably what allows me such a high level of energy tolerance. Think about it. Why else could I be able to withstand such Force Tech energy without killing myself. My tolerance level is inordinately high. That's also why I think I can cast such powerful magic. I'm subconsciously pouring all of that Force Tech into the spells." 

"What does it have to do with Chaos?" 

"Chaos is…well, it's a super concentrated source of energy. Lavos showed me what it was, by connecting me to it. The energy quotient was immense. I'm sure it would have driven any other human insane, if it didn't kill them first." 

"So you want to use Chaos?" 

"Lavoid Energy is basically a refined version of Chaos Energy, not nearly as raw. Lavoid Energy is, like I said earlier, what I used during the Fall of Zeal to protect us. Don't get me wrong, Lavoid Energy isn't to be taken lightly, but it's not what seems to be Pure Chaos." 

"So how does that relate to killing a Lavoid?" 

"Well, think back to when I found out that to kill a being with magical resistance, you have to summon energy from a more powerful source. You see, I think that Chaos is more powerful than Lavoid Energy. No…I don't think that. I'm sure that it's more powerful." He paused. "Anyway, while I don't know _how_ to do it, or even if I _can_ do it, I think I can create a spell that uses my innate Lavoid Energy to channel energy directly from Chaos." 

"And then…" 

"Bam. No more Lavoid. Since they are not as powerful as Chaos, hitting them with a spell that is, functionally, Pure Chaos, I should be able to rip directly through their armor and into the core, killing it." 

"Okay…" Sarah said cautiously. "But, how do you construct such a spell? I mean, can you just make up a completely new spell that's never been cast before?" 

"I don't know…" Jack said. 

"Do we have time?" Sarah said. "I mean, we should be worried about finding the others now, and then killing Lavos. Do we really have the time to do this?" 

He thought about it for a second before repeating her question. "Do we really have time…?" Jack mused over the question. "Time?" he asked himself. "Do we really have the….Time?" He said the word in his head over and over again, the inner workings of his mind chipping away at the problem. After a few more moments, he jumped into the air, waving his hands around. "That's the beauty of it!" Jack exclaimed. "We have all the time that we need!" He jumped from his seat. 

"How so?" 

"Think about it! We can use that bucket at the End of Time to go to the Day of Lavos whenever we want! He's not going anywhere! We have all the time we need to get ready. Time…is our ally!" Suddenly happy, he hugged her, then went sprinting back towards the shelter. 

"Where are you going?" Sarah asked, running after him. 

"We're going back!" Jack yelled. "We're going back to the End of Time!" Running into the house, he quickly grabbed the robe that they had left in there and said his farewells. 

"Thanks for taking us in, Old Man!" he said, shaking the man's hand. "It was good meeting you too, Glenn!" he patted the Frog on the back. "Hope your friends get better soon." Just as he finished, Sarah appeared in the doorway. 

"What are you doing?" she asked. 

"We're leaving!" he said excitedly, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her out of the house. "We should work on this idea right away!" He quickly lifted off the ground with Sarah holding on. Flying off into the distance, he left the others dumbfounded. 

"What an….odd boy," Frog said. 

"Quite so," the old man agreed. "Quite so indeed." 

. 

Carrying her in his arms, Jack sped Sarah off over the ocean, relying on instinct in finding the cave with the gate. That was, of course, if it hadn't been destroyed. In his rashness, Jack hadn't even considered that chance. 

Once they had achieved a certain distance from the hut, Jack suddenly stopped and landed. Checking out the area, he held up his finger as if to check the wind directions. "This looks like the place," Jack said after some thought. 

"Place for what?" Sarah asked. "There's no gate around here." 

"The place for catching the right winds, Sarah," Jack said. "I can't quite cast a Time Warp spell unless I have an extreme concentration of Time Winds." 

"You're gonna create a gate?" Sarah asked in slight disbelief. "Where did you learn how to do that?" 

"It was in the book," Jack said. "You need just the right Winds, though…" 

"And this is the place?" 

"I think so," he said. "There's a heavy Wind concentration for the wind that controls Time Magic. Now if only I can remember how…" He closed his eyes and contorted his hands and fingers oddly. "Gift of Time, ally of life, bestow upon me the power of your aide…" he said the words. Extending his left hand and drawing a rune in the air, he continued. "To send through time to the farthest reaches. To the point where time no longer flows, but rests eternal…" He opened his eyes. "Answer my call!" he commanded. Bringing his right hand up in a circle, a small sphere appeared and grew before them. Expanding outward into the form of a gate, Jack smiled in victory. 

"Not bad," Sarah commented with a smirk. "Wish you could have learned that little soon." Jack motioned for her to enter first. She obliged, walking into the gate. Jack followed, the gate closing behind him. 

. 

Timeless 

The duo slid down the time. Jack seemed to have more control over this one, though. He knew were it started and new knew were it ended. Jack only hoped that Gaspar would know where to find Tristan and the others. 

. 

The End of Time 

Landing, for the first time ever, on their feet, Jack and Sarah stood on the cobblestone floor of the End of Time. Scattered around the room were a girl with purple hair and a robot, sitting in the corner. The girl was sitting on top of the robot, messing with the wiring on the inside of its head. Gaspar stood in his usual position, leaning against the dark lamppost in the center of the floor. 

The girl was the first one to look up and see the new travelers. The robot appeared to be inactive, so it would not see anything. Gaspar himself waited a moment before greeting the two. 

"Did you just…come from a gate?" Gaspar asked. Jack looked at him. "Certainly there was not a gate there before hand." 

"Yeah, I had to do some renovations to the space time continuum," Jack said, somewhat sarcastically. "I needed to make one for myself. I hope you don't mind." 

"You're…" Lucca said after a few moments. "You're the boy and girl from before…" She climbed off of the robot. "The ones I met in Truce. Aren't you?" 

"You wouldn't happen to be with the frog and the two blondes, would you?" Jack asked, not really interested in talking to her. 

"Yeah…" Lucca said. "They're my companions. I haven't seen them in few days, though." 

"Then you haven't heard," Sarah said. 

"Heard what?" Sarah looked down at the floor. 

"Umm…never mind," she said. "I'd rather let them tell you." Gaspar spoke again. 

"It's been a while," he said. "At least a few weeks. Where have you folks been?" 

"Around…" Jack said, not wanting to waste words. "Listen," he said. "Do you remember how you opened up that gate that led to the Beginning of Time?" 

"I didn't open up any such gate," Gaspar said. "It's a one way choice. They can only open up a gate from their end of the time continuum." Jack paused in thought for a minute. 

"But you must be in communications with them," he finally said. "Or, at the very least, you're able to talk with them." 

"This is true…" Gaspar said. Lucca looked on in confusion until she realized she was clueless as to what they were talking about. She quickly went back to work on the robot. 

"Then open it up again," Jack said. "I'm sure _he_ wanted me back there eventually. You can tell him that I want to talk with him." 

came the familiar voice in Jack's head. Jack looked at Gaspar, but he merely shrugged. 

"I need to talk with you," Jack said out loud. 

Then please Topik said. Come in. We've been waiting for you. With that, the gate to the Beginning of Time opened up again, inviting Jack in. 

"I'll only be a moment," Jack said to Sarah. Then, he closed his eyes, and stepped into the gate. 

. 

Beginning of Time 

Jack stepped out of the portal into the mixed blackness/whiteness of the Beginning of Time. The crystalline background of swirling transition between existence and non-existence echoed on for the eternity that it encompassed. Jack 'stood' by an unknown force, a bright light in the distance being slightly overshadowed by a silhouette of a man. 

"Topik…" Jack said, calling out to the dark haired man that was walking towards him. He looked the same. The long dark hair and the SSAF ceremonial uniform adorned him the exact same way. It seemed like a haunting image from his past. 

"You wanted to talk to me?" Topik said. "Are you ready to settle down and listen to what I have to say?" 

Jack walked up to the man. "I…think so," Jack said. "I believe now that there is much you can teach me." 

"What made you come around?" Topik asked, as if he didn't already know. 

"What you said to me," Jack said. "It just clicked about half an hour ago." 

"And are you ready to be trained in what you were meant to do? I take it that you have already discovered your origins. Have you come to accept your destiny, Walker of Planes?" 

Jack shied away from the destiny talk, getting ahead to one of the more important reasons why he was here. "I need your help to find my friends," he said. "They were lost in time. I figure, that if you were able to keep your bearings on me, than you can find out where they are, as well." 

"Tristan and the others?" Topik asked. Jack nodded. Topik sighed. "They're in the year 600 AD," he said finally. "Will you be going to get them before you go after the Lavoid?" 

"Yes, but…" Jack said, turning to leave the way he came in. "Let's just say I've got more to discuss with you before I attack that thing head on. After all," he said as the gate opened again. "I've got all the time in the world, no?" 

"You don't get it, do you?" Topik called to him as he was about to step into the gate. "Why can't you understand? This is not something for you to kill. Why don't you get it into your head!?" Jack slowly turned around, facing Topik again. 

"What?" Jack asked slowly. "What do you mean?" 

"I mean you're being thick," Topik said. "You can't defeat it because it won't allow you to. It's not a matter of power. It's a matter of freedom of choice. You don't have a choice. 

"I want you to explain to me exactly what you mean," Jack said, still speaking slowly and harshly. "I'm a man of little time. Hurry." 

"Why can't you understand?" Topik asked, throwing his hands us in the air. "You can't kill your parent Lavoid. It's a physical impossibility. The close you get to it, the more it controls you! You won't even be able to life a finger against it. It's the same reason why you've been going through all the places you have been!" Jack bit his lip. 

"That's not true," Jack protested. He suddenly almost felt embarrassed, like a child who was being told what was right but refusing to accept it. "You'll…you'll…" he thought of what to say. "You'll see!" he finally said. "I'll show I can kill it. Some monster like that doesn't have power over me!" He spun around and jumped into the gate. "You'll see…" he voiced echoed through the hall in the Beginning of Time. 

Topik put his hand to his chin. "Was I…to hard on him?" 

"You're an idiot, Topik," came the flat voice of Hal. "You may have just gotten the first potentially free Planeswalker in eons killed." 

"You do know how rare it is for one to even exist on a planet where others may defeat the parent Lavoid and free it from its bonds?" Fenreir said. 

"Don't patronize me, Fenreir," Topik said. He thought. "The funny part is that he's more than powerful enough to kill the Class C at this point. He doesn't need any more power to kill this one." 

"But?" 

"But, he can't kill this one anyway. What a waste…" Topik said. "The Lavoid factor in his DNA will enable Lavos to prevent him from even moving if he's that close. It would have been so perfect since, he doesn't have to kill this one. Crono is perfectly capable of taking care of Lavos. It's the others that we need Jack for…" 

"Does he know how powerful he is?" Jal asked. Topik shook his head. 

"He has no idea. From what I tell, he seems to think that using a spell that materializes Chaos will kill it. He doesn't even need such a spell. He thinks that he is maximizing his Force Tech usage, already. He hasn't even considered using the Black Wings. Plus, his magical intelligence allowed him to cast a Dragon Slave after a mere day or two of practice? Mentally, he's the greatest magical genius as far as humans go that we've seen…well, ever. In hand to hand combat, I don't think a Class C Core could handle him. Not only that, but he hasn't even harnessed his complete raw potential." 

"And so you feel that we can train his magical potential out?" 

"Exactly," Topik said. "With magic potential, his speed and fighting ability will also increase. If he would only stop to listen to me, he might be able to free the others…" 

. 

600 AD, Truce 

Knowing now where his friends were, Jack returned to the End of Time and met with Sarah. After saying goodbye to Gaspar (Lucca was asleep), they headed through the pillar of light to the time of 600 AD. Venturing down from Truce Canyon, they found the country in a state of celebration. They entered Truce Village to find the entire population seemingly involved in a giant party. 

Asking around, they determined, after much ridicule for not knowing before hand, that the war with the Mystics had come to a close. Word on the street was that, "With a sweeping blow, Aragorn Lestrides had crushed the entire Mystic army with own hands!" 

"Our Aragorn?" Sarah questioned after hearing such stories. "I thought Aragorn was a renegade." They were walking down the street in Truce, their tattered rags almost fitting in well with the clothing of the peasants. 

"Most interesting…" Jack agreed. "It wouldn't make sense, but, as I remember, he's always been a patriot to the end." 

"And if the War is over, that means he should be around…somewhere." 

"Topik said that all three of them were in this time. I'm not really sure if Aragorn and Rayith will want to leave, now. I figured I should give them the option of fighting Lavos anyway." 

"So our plan is to get them and then go to the Day of Lavos?" Jack didn't say anything. 

Sarah was silent. They walked along the roads, not really sure of what they were looking for. Aragorn, Tristan, and Rayith had to be around somewhere. The fact that Aragorn was in the battle gave a clearer indication that he would be around. The Castle would be the next place to go. 

Now able to fly instead of walk, the near experience with déjà vu hit the both of them as the approached the forest in front of the large Castle which loomed on the hill behind the woods. They both hovered in front of the entrance to the woods. Slowly settling hitting the floor, Jack spoke. 

"You know, forests are supposed to be romantic for walking through," he said to Sarah, holding out his hand. "How about a break from flying?" Identifying a chance to separate with the current issue of finding their comrades, Sarah touched her hand to his. 

"Gladly, Mr. McKlane," she said with a smile. Holding hands, they entered the forest. 

"You know," Jack said softly. "Sometimes I wonder why I'm caught up in this. Why all of this is happening to us. What's the point of it all?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Topik said…" he paused. "Topik said that I'd be powerless against the Lavoid. He said that Lavos can control me more powerful when I'm closer to him. When I fight him, I won't be able to life a finger. I'll be…helpless." 

"You don't believe him?" Sarah asked. 

"I don't know…" Jack admitted. "I just want to get back at it. I want my revenge. And to be told that it's not possible no matter how strong I am? I don't want to feel powerless." 

"Jack, no matter whether you defeat him or not…you're not powerless. You're the strongest person I know, and I'm here for you. You'll never be powerless." 

"You're so sweet," Jack said, wrapping his arm around her. They moved into a clearing, the ground shadowed by the darkness created by the lack of light passing through the thick canopy. There was a rustle in the bushes behind them. Something was moving. 

Jack gripped the Dreamblade warily, motioning for Sarah to stay silent. Then a voice came from behind them. 

"So you're the assassins sent by the Mystics to kill the King?" the voice question. "Drop your weapons now unless you wish to meet defeat." 

"That can't be…" Jack said, slowly turning around. "Is it?" Finally meeting their stalker, Jack suddenly felt a sigh of relief. Standing opposite them in the clearing were three forms. In the middle, the giant form of a knight wielding a large sword. A blonde man in a trench coat and a short red headed girl in a cape flanked him. 

"Aragorn!" Sarah shouted, being the first to speak. She ran over and nearly tackled the big man as she hugged him. 

"All of you!" Jack shouted, releasing the Dreamblade and running over to greet them. "Your all here!" 

"What, you think we'd die and let you have all the fun?" Tristan asked, shaking Jack's hand. He whispered in Jack's ear. "And it's about friggin' time you made your move," he said, punching Jack in the shoulder playfully. 

"Can't let you have the only adventures, Jack!" Rayith said, also hugging him. 

"We've been looking for you all!" Sarah said. 

"We saw you go into the forest," Aragorn said. "We were flying over it at the time. The magical radiance of the two of you was so heavy that we had to check it out. That, along with the residual Force Tech trail you left hinted that you might be in town." 

Jack smiled. "You all…" he said. "You're all so good. I was worried about you all…" 

"You? Worried about us?" Rayith asked. "Buddy, you should have been more worried about yourself. I was here! These two were in perfectly good hands!" 

Rubbing her hair playfully, Jack grinned. "Yeah, I guess I was wrong to worry." 

"But," Tristan cut in. "We all have a lot to talk about." 

"Right," Sarah agreed. "We should go to an inn and plan our next move." 

"You find anything about the Lavoid?" Aragorn asked Jack. Jack sighed. 

"More than you ever wanted to know. Please, though. Let's sit down and I'll tell you guys everything. Just make sure we get a lot of coffee, because it's a long story." 

. 

"But its power goes beyond what is necessary... Does one really need the power to destroy everything?" -Fei 


	33. The Eve of the Great Life of Death Strug...

**Chapter 33**

**The Eve Before the Great Life or Death Struggle**

Sitting in an Inn in Truce, the quintet recapped each other of the past weeks that they had spent away from each other. In the harsh wood chairs surrounding a table that was full of empty plates, Aragorn told of the Battle of Truce and his duel with Keltar. As his story came to a close, Jack retold the story of their ventures in Zeal and the ultimate fall of the Kingdom. Ordering another round of dessert and drinks, Jack sat back in his chair upon the completion of his story. 

"And that's how it is," he said finally. Clasping his hands together, he sighed. "And we're going after him now." 

"You think we're ready?" Tristan said. "Can we fight it?" Jack paused. He was still debating whether or not he felt he was strong enough to combat the thing without completing the design of the Spell. Barring from his mind what Topik has said about him being ineffective, he slowly nodded. 

"I think we are," Jack said. "I've…seen his strength. I think our strengths combined may serve to defeat it." 

"How strong is he?" Rayith asked. 

"Well, you know about Magus?" Sarah asked. Rayith nodded. "Well, he's a lot stronger than that. We think that Magus tried to fight Lavos in Zeal and was defeated. We haven't seen him since." 

"So we're going up against something stronger than Magus?" Aragorn asked, slightly shaken internally by the thought. 

"I can go pretty much even with Magus," Jack reminded them, closing his eyes. "With the help of you all and the addition with some Higher Tech Weaponry that we can gain from SSAF, I think we have a good chance." 

"What makes you so sure?" Rayith asked warily. "If this thing is as powerful as you say…" 

"And when did you become a coward, Rayith?" Jack asked, slightly annoyed. Rayith looked shocked and sat back in her seat. "I'm…sorry," Jack finally said. "But while I'm speaking of that, something deserves to be said. I don't expect any of you to come to this battle against your will. This is something that I know I must face. But, asking you all to go into a fight which you feel you will not come back alive from…is just foolish. I cannot make that requirement of you. To ask someone to go to their death is idiotic. Forget all that crap about glory and honorable death. If you're dead, you're dead, and there's nothing honorable about that. If any of you wish to remain in your respective Time Periods, I will not be offended." Slowly, he extended his hand to the middle of the table, holding it there. 

The table was silent. Sarah was the first to speak. "I will go with you, Jack," she said, putting her hand on his. "I'll fight beside you forever." 

"And I will fight as well!" Aragorn said, placing his hand on the pile as well. "We've come a long way, Jack. And remember, I'm still sworn to the protection of you and Sarah!" 

"I will fight as well…" Rayith said, tossing her hand in. "If you think you can call me a coward and get away with it, Jack McKlane, you've got another thing coming!" 

The four of them looked at Tristan who was sitting in his chair with his arms crossed. Casually, he shrugged. "What the hell, eh?" he said, placing his hand on the pile. "I mean, we all die sometime, right? If Lavos doesn't kill me, my smoking will. I'm in." Jack smiled and closed his eyes. 

"All of you…" he said. He opened his eyes. "Together, we will defeat this thing! We will bring its befouled soul to justice for the innumerous lives it has taken. For our past, for our present, and for our future!" The four others cheered in agreement, unanimously securing their fates. 

"Now," Aragorn said. "We must plan our attack." 

"Right," Jack said. "We should return to 1999 in our destroyed Time Period. At SSAF HQ, we should be able to reassemble and prepare for the final assault." 

"And we can formulate our plan," Sarah said. 

"Think about, though," Tristan said. "How much of a plan can we have? I mean, we go and we attack the thing." 

"I have a mental imprint of it," Jack said. "We can try to map out its biological makeup and determine a weak point." 

"Why do I have a feeling that there won't be such a weak point?" Tristan asked. 

"Everything has a weak point," Sarah said. "There is no such thing as the perfect defense. We'll find it. And then, we'll exploit it." 

Bidding farewell to foreboding discussion, the entire group decided to lighten the atmosphere. For what seemed like the first time in their journey as a group, they had a lighthearted conversation. Deciding to add to the fun, Tristan brought out a small plastic bag filled with some unknown substance and a piece of paper-like material. 

"I've been saving this for a special occasion," he said, dumping out some of the stuff onto the paper and rolling the paper around it. 

"Tobacco?" Aragorn asked, very intrigued. Tristan chuckled. 

"The best damn tobacco that you'll ever smoke, anyway," he said, finishing his roll and taking out his lighter. Lighting it up, he took a puff inhaling the, as Aragorn would later put it, provocative fumes. "You can all take a toke, too," Tristan said, leaning back and looking slightly more relaxed. He passed it to Rayith who slowly took a chance. 

"I thought I told you that you shouldn't bring that stuff along," Jack said, grabbing the 'cigarette' out of Rayith's mouth as she started coughing. 

"Hey, if you don't want any, that's cool too," Tristan said with a shrug, grabbing the blunt back. "Just don't waste it." He inhaled deeply again. 

"Wonderful," Jack said. "We have to save the world and all he wants to do it get lit…" 

"Well, don't hog the wealth," Sarah said finally. Tristan passed it to her and she took a turn. Gradually, it moved around the table and the conversation progressed to become markedly more goofy. The group laughed at stories from Aragorn's youth and the adventures of him and his friends. In fact, they laughed at just about everything. Luckily, the Inn's bar was relatively empty, so no one complained about the 'disruptive party.' 

No one noticed who Aragorn was. Even in their blazed state, it was interesting to see. If he was so much of a national Hero, why didn't people know what he looked like? If someone of his stature was sitting in a bar smoking some herb in Jack's time, people would be all over him, let alone ruining his reputation by gaining proof that he was smoking said marijuana in the first place. 

Trading childhood stories proved to be an excellent distraction from the current task that lay before them. They were able to stay away from the mention of the world 'Lavos' or 'destiny.' That was good for all of their mental stability. Jack especially felt relieved to escape conversation about such things. His thoughts about destiny were almost going into the realm of denial. He didn't even want to think about it anymore. Hearing about the time that Tristan slipped his Physics C teacher sleeping pills before he was able to administer a test was much more interesting. 

The weed was good, the company was good, and the coffee was decent. All of it came together for a night, or at least a few hours, of forgetting. And that was what they really needed. They needed a night to forget. 

. 

They spent the night in the Inn. Jack, who was the first one to return from his state his state of 'temporary loss of grip on reality,' decided it was best to return to 1999 in the morning. From there they would plan their final attack. 

Waking up in the morning, Aragorn went down to pay for the night. After trying to use his identity to save him the 40g for the night in the Inn, he was met with a laugh and a snide remark about anyone being able to claim that they were Aragorn Lestrides. Going into his own pocket to pay for it, he was at least grateful that Jack and Sarah shared a bed, saving him some cash. 

The group packed up and ate a quick breakfast of burnt toast and runny chocobo eggs before heading out of Truce and making the trek out of town. Once they found a suitable distance, Jack decided they it would make a fine spot for his homespun gate. 

"We're not going to Truce Canyon?" Rayith finally asked. 

"No," Jack said, feeling the surge of Time Winds in the area. "This spot will do nicely." Mouthing the words and performing the arm motions, the blue-black sphere appeared. Jack motioned for the others to enter first. 

"You…created a gate?" Tristan said. Jack nodded. "And can it transport more than three of us?" 

"With my given power and the current condition of the Winds, I estimate I can send about 6 people through a gate and have it retain its proper form." 

"Sounds fine to me," Rayith said, jumping through the gate first. Tristan also shrugged and followed the little red head. 

"It will be okay?" Aragorn asked, still hesitant. Jack smiled. 

"Just go in, you big lug," he said. Aragorn grinned and nodded, jumping through the gate. Sarah stepped up. "You're next, love," he said. 

"You know, I'm gonna have to get used to you having pet names for me," she said with a smile. Jack smiled back and playfully pushed her into the gate. As she fell though time, she looked back and waved. Jack then closed his eyes and followed her in. Behind him, the gate snapped close with a cackle of magical energy. 

. 

1999 AD, Remains of Truce City 

The group reappeared in the destroyed future that had been denied life by Lavos. The dark sky filled with smoke and the blackened and destroyed buildings incited a feeling of wrath in all of them. The structure of the SSAF HQ still stood strong at the end of the main street that Jack had sent them to. Not only was he moving them though time, now, but he was opening up the ends of his Time Gates in a different location from their original opening point. He was growing stronger. 

As the made their way down what had once been the main street of Truce City, the wanton destruction was eminent. People in rags digging through garbage cans for remnants of food were all over the place. Broken men came up to the travelers begging for money. Everywhere, people were trying to find shelter from the snow that was coming down. The snow wasn't even white, but rather a dirty shade of gray, tarnished by the ash that was still in the sky after the Beams of Fire had hit. 

"It's getting worse," Sarah mumbled. "Look at all these people. It looks as if survival was more of a punishment that the instant removal from this world that was destroyed. Would death have been a better option?" 

"It won't matter when we're done," Jack said coldly. "We should cause a time wave rupture, changing the future. There will still be some damage from his initial rise to the surface, but we'll off him before he fires his main weapon." 

"Well, according to theory," Tristan muttered. Jack ignored him. A pessimistic attitude wouldn't get anyone anywhere at this point. The walked up the street, tromping through the ashen snow that was now covering the tops of their clothes. The building towered over the surrounding buildings, mostly because it was the only one that wasn't almost completely destroyed. The twin double doors rose up fast as they climbed the large, marble staircase. As they walked up to them, the double doors opened, calling them inward. 

Walking silently in to the mammoth building with its white floors and white walls, the five of the travelers made their way to the central elevator block. Calling for an up elevator, a whir sounded in one of the shafts as a set of doors on one end of the block slid opening, revealing a round elevator chamber. Quickly moving down the hall and entering the elevator, Sarah took it upon herself to activate the button for floor 60. 

The elevator whizzed up the shaft as the digital readout of the current floor climbed. As the motion slowed down, the number 60 soon showed up on the readout. The doors opened and the group entered the entrance hall to the main office. The large secretaries desks which flanked the hall were empty. Walking past them, Jack looked up a set of stairs that came from both sides of the room, meeting together on the next floor. 

"Wait here," Jack said dimly. The others complied. Slowly, Jack climbed the elaborate stairway, the ashen snow falling off of his tattered remains of shoes and dirtying the red carpet. Coming up to a set of large, oak, double doors, he hit a small button on the right side. He spoke into the speaker above the button. 

"Commander McKlane to see the High Commander," he said. As he released the button, the doors opened inward, giving way to the well furnished office of the SSAF High Commander. Walking forward to the mahogany desk, Jack halted as the black leather chair behind the desk swiveled around revealing the form of the High Commander. 

"That was quite a reconnaissance mission, Commander," he said. "We were close to deeming you MIA _again_." 

"We had some setbacks," Jack admitted. 

"From the looks of your clothes, and I use the term loosely, I would say so." He smirked. "But how goes the search for information." 

"I…learned a lot," Jack said. "I learned much about the Lavoid, and…about myself as well." 

"Well, I'm glad it went well," the High Commander said, seemingly hasty to get past formalities. "But please," he motioned to one of the black leather chairs in front of the desk, "Have a seat an enlighten me." 

Jack slowly walked to the seat and sat down. He would have to be careful in what he explained. For the moment, he decided to leave out the part about him being, technically, the off spring of the thing they were trying so hard to kill. 

"I was able to get information about its biological structure," Jack said, boiling down the past weeks journey to what was probably the only thing that needed to be said. "It was a…lengthy process, but if I place the imprint into the computer, I believe we can analyze it and find a weak point." 

"Excellent," the High Commander said. "We can start the analysis right away." 

. 

In the High Briefing room, about an hour later, the five-some gathered around a large table. In the middle of the table there was a large screen displaying a bird's eye view of Lavos. It had taken a little effort of some technicians, but with neural scanning equipment, they were able to extract the information about the Lavoid that Jack had imprinted in his mind. Now, they hoped to find a way to attack it. 

Also in the room were the High Commander and a few of the remaining operatives that had survived Armageddon. A couple of scientists and weapon's technicians filled the room as well, mostly standing around the perimeter of the wall. Jack was standing with a pointing devices that teacher uses when examining a map in front of the class. He waited impatiently for everyone to settle down and get the briefing underway. 

When he deemed ready, Jack began talking. "This, is Lavos," he pointed to the thing on the screen. "According to my information, Lavos is a being from another world. An alien, if you will. What we see on this screen is not is actual form, however. The giant mass of spikes is merely armor which protects his inner, possibly more fragile form. The armor in and of itself is not penetrable by use of normal TAGs. I believe that this armor will be excruciatingly difficult to crack, but if we are to reach the core of the alien unit, it must be passed." 

"What do you propose we do?" a voice asked. 

"If you look here," Jack said, continuing. "You see the front eye pod." The screen swiveled to a front view, looking dead on into the eye of the Lavoid. "This is his main view into the outside world. If ever there was a weak point in the armor, I believe that this is it. If you noticed, a three-prong lid, extending from one foot off of the ground to five feet off of the ground, sheaths the eye itself. It would probably be a safe guess to assume that it is made out of the same material as the outer shell. The eye itself, however, is damageable." 

"So if we can get at its eye…" Tristan said. 

"Then we can remove it." Jack said. "If you look here…" the screen swung back to a bird's eye view and switched into an x-ray scan. "You can see a channel that leads from the eye into this hollow space here." He pointed to a black area in the center of the readout. "The hollow space in the armor is the channel for the optic nerve. If we are able to maim the eye and remove it, we can use flamers to incinerate the optic nerve and create a passage to the inner core." 

"And what is in the core?" 

"The Lavoid itself," Jack said. "I'm not sure what it looks like. As you can see, the imprint I received of it is incomplete around the center. What we can tell is that the center is a circular room that is about twenty feet wide and eight to nine feet high. Once we're in there, we have about enough fighting space for three to four individuals to combat the core of the Lavoid." 

"So we're limited in the number of people we can take to actually go in, correct?" Rayith asked. Jack nodded. 

"So what now?" Tristan asked, getting impatient. "We should be able to just go and try to fry the thing, right?" 

"I don't know if you could put it that simply," Jack said, "but that's the idea." 

"What are we waiting for, then?" Aragorn asked. Jack shrugged. 

"Nothing, I guess. I'd like to a few guns from the armory. I'd like to be sure we can get in there and blast it. I'm wondering if magical resistance will affect its resistance to energy weapons and the like." 

"I don't know if just blasting it will work, though," Sarah said. "I mean, you'd figure it's stronger than that, right?" 

"One would assume," Jack agreed. "But assumption is the mother of all fuck ups, after all. We should probably go into the fight expecting everything to be useless." The meeting droned on after that. Tristan got up briefly to explain the effects of defeating Lavos on the Time Stream. He was backed by a number of other scientists. They also began to form the rudiments of an attack plan, but they all knew it would be nothing but ad-lib from the moment they stepped out of the gate and faced the beast. 

Tristan also went on to explain an added side effect of the Time Stream. He explained that everyone in the room baring the Time Travelers themselves would have no recollection of the events that had transpired over the past weeks. That was part of the Time Wave that would fix everything. It would recreate everything as if it didn't happen. The only ones unaffected from the memory erasure would be those who have been traveling through Time, as they had built up a certain 'immunity' from Time Waves. While not understanding the actual importance of this, no one complained. 

The meeting about nearly an hour later after all of the logistics had been worked out. The group of five time travelers would set out tomorrow. Going to the End of Time, they would quickly make haste in taking the bucket to the Day of Lavos. Only then would they meet their ultimate destination, possibly in more ways than one. Defeat was not an option. If they failed, there would be no future. No one else from this time could fight it, let alone get to it in the first place. This was to be humanities last stand against the Lavoid. 

. 

"Are you scared?" Sarah asked Jack. He was standing near the window in the quarters they were using in SSAF HQ. He looked out of the window in seemingly lost in thought. He wasn't really looking for anything, just trying to think and work things about. 

"Yes," Jack admitted. "Quite so." He clasped his hands behind his back. "I get sick to my stomach thinking about it. But, I shouldn't fear. Fear in the mind killer." 

"It's okay to be afraid," Sarah said. "I'm afraid too. We're all afraid. Even Tristan, who tries so hard to seem unshaken. He's afraid too. I see it in his eyes." She was lying in the lone bed in the room, wrapping herself in the covers. 

"I know," Jack said. "I guess to fear is to be human. We're all just that, though. We're all just humans. We're so limited in what we can do. History has been mocking us all of this time. Having survived for so long and creating all that we have. What has it all been for? Our culture? Our science? All of the technology we've utilized to make this world a better place, more fit for humans to live in? What has it all been for? It's so ironic, though. All he's doing is surviving, when you think about it. Is there any motive? Any real intention to the all of the suffering he's caused? No. It's just instinct." 

"The greatest evils don't require motives, Jack. Something like insanity or evil is a motive in and of itself." 

Jack sighed. He still needed to learn more about Lavos. He wanted to know why. He needed to know why all of this is the way it is. He had not been answered that in his brief conversation with him. Everything about their…creation, that the Lavoid had told him. He needed more information. He had yet to tell everyone everything that he learned. He wanted the complete story before he explained it. Sarah should know, though. He should tell her first. She deserved to know. 

"They were created…as weapons," Jack finally said. 

"Excuse me?" 

"When I spoke with him. I…saw briefly into his past. The Lavoids were created…" 

"By who." 

"That's the frightening part, Sarah. They were created…by us." 

"What?" she said, sitting up in the bed. "How is that possible?" 

"Not us directly, but humans. It was humans that created these…things." 

"How?" 

"A long way away and in a distant time. That's how Lavos felt about it. It was on another planet. A planet called…Earth." 

"How is that possible, Jack? We _live _on Earth!" 

"No…" Jack said, shaking his head. "This isn't Earth. Or, while we were meant to believe that it is Earth, it isn't. The name of this planet is Elosia. We live many light years from Earth, the supposed Birth Place of humanity." 

"Humanity has progressed…further than Earth?" 

"On this planet Earth," Jack continued. "Humanity had spread to the stars. It was that we spread so far…that was our downfall." 

"I don't understand." 

"According to the memory of Lavos, Humanity started to become hard to control. Being so far away, what form of central government we had was becoming weak. The bureaucracy couldn't manage it all. So, they needed a method of controlling the people. They needed a weapon that could force rebel planets into submission." 

"Oh my God…" Sarah said, putting it together. 

"Humanity was using something called the Warp for Space Travel. What they called the Warp, we call Chaos." 

"How were they using Chaos for travel?" 

"Because of the nature of Chaos, time moves differently there because it is on another Plane of Existence. Humans had discovered a way to 'slip' into the space they called the Warp. Then, if the navigator of the spacecraft was good, they could travel through the Warp much faster than they could through normal space. Then, they could 'slip' out of the Warp again, in their new destination. Trips that would take centuries now only took weeks. It was the first step towards outer-planetary colonization." 

"Lavoids are powered by Chaos…" Sarah thought, analyzing the information. Her head processed the data quickly, bringing her to a conclusion. "The creators of the Lavoids. They used the Warp to power their creations, didn't they." It was more of a statement than a question. 

"The power of Chaos was able to power entire cities for weeks while drawing on only a few cubic millimeters of the stuff. It soon became the solution to the energy problem that Earth was facing sometime around the year 2500 by their calendar." 

"And they needed a power source for their inter-planetary weapon system…" Sarah said. "So they gave the Lavoids the ability to naturally absorb Chaos in order to power them." 

"They were tainted from their first generation," Jack said. "The forces of Chaos are evil. From the moment the first Lavoid was infused with Chaos, she instantly was driven to make direct contact. One direct contact with Chaos was established, she became unstoppable. That was the Mother. The first Lavoid. She gave birth to others, and they were sent into space to live out their function. That was the birth of the Lavoid Species." 

Sarah closed her eyes. "I see…" she said. "And so the cycle started there. But, why didn't the other Lavoids make direct contact with Chaos, also? That way, their Lavoid Energy would become basically pure Chaos. Wouldn't they all be more powerful?" 

"The Mother wouldn't let them. While she wanted strong children, there was a certain amount of self-preservation involved." 

"And by not allowing them to make direct contact…her position as the strongest remained." Jack nodded. 

"As to their purpose…I don't really know. I'm sure there's something to do with the breeding aspect which I explained. But…I think there's more to it than that. Something might be manipulating even the Lavoids." 

"And you've known all of this…" 

"When you lock into the memory of something that has been alive for so long, you learn a lot." 

Sarah was silent for a moment. "Come to bed," she said. "We have an important day tomorrow. You need to rest." 

"I guess you're right," Jack agreed. "I've got…so much to think about still." 

"You can think about it later," Sarah said, turning up the covers for him to climb into the bed. "Sleep now. It's better for your mental health." Jack sighed. 

"When was the last time I asked 'what would I do without you?'" 

"About half an hour ago," she said with a smile. Jack tied his hair back and climbed into bed. 

"What would I do without you?" he asked her again, kissing her and wrapping his arms around her. 

"Probably sleep in your own bed?" she said with a grin, reaching over and turning out the light. 

"And we know that would be horrible," Jack said, nuzzling her neck. 

"I love you," she whispered. "Whatever happens in the rest of the world, that'll always be the same." 

"I know," Jack said. "And that's why I don't know what I would do without you." 

. 

"A fight to the death with you. Only in that can my soul find respite. I will kill you.....Or you will kill me......It makes no difference." - Cyborg Ninja talking to Solid Snake 


	34. Lavos!

**Chapter 34**

**Lavos!**

1999 AD, SSAF HQ 

She was surrounded by the familiar flames, beating at her body. Their heat was stronger than usual, but she faced it unafraid. She had become to accustomed to the dream to be bothered by it anymore. Up ahead, the same image of Jack, telling her that he'd take care of it and then walking off into the flames. His long blue hair hung down to his waist. He drew the sword from his back and it grew and sprouted those wings. It was the same as it always was. 

But, as he exited the flames, it became different. Abruptly the flames disappeared, and they were in a room. He wasn't walking into the fire anymore. He was opening the door to the room and leaving. Where was she? She was here, in a bed. The world outside of the room was quiet. They were not in the midst of Armageddon. It wasn't that time yet. Or, was it after that time? Why was the room so familiar? Could it be that this was a vision of further into the future? A new dream, perhaps? 

Then, recognition hit as she realized where the room was. It was her room. It was the room that she was sleeping in. Her unconscious was giving view into the realm where her sleeping form lay. Jack was leaving the room? Was he leaving her? Was this happening now? Was she even dreaming anymore? He heart beat faster and faster as she suddenly felt feelings of abandonment. Jack was leaving, but to take care of what? Why would he leave her? 

"The Lavoid!" she shouted inside of her head. And then, she woke up. 

. 

Sarah shot up in bed, covered in the same cold sweat that encased her after all of her dreams. She was wrapped in the covers. She looked over to her right. Jack wasn't there. She scanned the room to find him gathering his stuff and pulling his boots on. 

"You were leaving, weren't you?" Sarah questioned him pathetically. "You were just going to leave me here." 

"You…had that dream again, didn't you?" Jack asked. 

"More to it this time," She said. "I saw you leave me again. You went to fight it by yourself. That's what you were just about to do, isn't it?" 

"Sarah, I…" 

"You would do that to me?" she asked in anger. "How could you just leave like that with me and the others still waiting here." 

"It's to dangerous," he said, closing his eyes. "I don't want to endanger you. I'm…the only one who can stop this thing. The rest of you…" 

"So you're saying we're useless?" she asked sadly. "That we can't be any help to you at all? Didn't it mean anything when we said we'd fight by you to the end? When _I_ said I'd fight by you to the end? That didn't mean anything? Can't you hear me Jack? Can you listen to what I'm saying? Or do you just not understand?" 

"Not understand what? I want to keep you from danger," he said weakly. "Is that something so wrong? Aren't I doing the right thing?" 

"I want to fight beside you!" she said. "No mater how it comes out in the end, I want to be there with you! Can't you understand? I don't care if I die, if I do it for you. I just want to be with you. I'm only safe and I'm only happy when I'm around you. I'm not trying to hard on you, but to just leave me here for the sake of protecting me is the coward's way out. You're not a coward Jack. I know you." 

"Sarah…" 

"Don't you understand what it means when you love someone?" she asked. "It's painful to be torn from the one you love, Jack. Don't do that to me. I don't want to be away from you…" 

Jack was silent. He walked over and sat down on the bed. 

"I'm sorry…" he said finally. "I was being selfish." He laid down beside her. "Maybe I could just take you," he said hopefully. "You could cast magic support and I think I'd be fine with just your help. I don't need to put the others in-" 

"You can't do that to them, either, Jack," Sarah said. "They want to help you too. To do that to them…" He sighed. 

"Yeah, I guess I knew that, too." Sarah waited a moment before speaking. 

"Come on," she said. "We'll get ready together." 

. 

"I had a feeling I'd find you out here," Rayith said. "It seems a place a Knight would go." She had found Aragorn standing on one of the terraces arched out from the main building at SSAF. He had been watching the sunrise when Rayith had found him. She probably just wanted to talk. That was fine. Some people removed the pre-battle nerves by talking. Rayith might have been one of them. Aragorn knew that he preferred silence, but he would help his young comrade for the time being. 

"It's awfully pretty," Aragorn said. "The sunrise, that is. I rarely got to see it in peace. Any time we were up before the sun, it was always because we were marching to battle or training for battle. It wasn't often that we actually got to look at it." Aragorn sighed. "I wonder what I'll do now that the fighting is over." 

"Are you going back?" Rayith asked. Aragorn nodded. 

"I believe so, anyway," he said. "I feel that is my place. I would be there now, but I cannot just let an atrocity like the one Lavos has committed go unpunished. It is part of the Knight's Code that justice be delivered, whatever the cost. But why did you ask? Will you stay in this time?" 

"I don't know," Rayith admitted. "I've always felt like I've been without a real drive in life. I guess the desire to fight Magus was always there, but even that's gone now. I don't think I have anything to do back in our time. I don't know if Jack and Sarah want to keep me around. I guess they'll go back to school after it's all over. Maybe I could live in this time. I could find a job. The others could help me adjust. This time is more interesting, you know?" 

"Are you being truthful to yourself?" Aragorn asked. Rayith sighed. 

"I'm not sure. Maybe…maybe I just don't want to go back because I don't want to have to worry about being around the spirits of my parents and my townsfolk. Maybe I see this time travel thing as an escape." 

"You have to be true to yourself, Rayith. If you're the only one that you're fooling, then you may as well be fooling everyone else." 

"I understand," she said. "I don't know what I'll do. Let's make it through the day first, right?" 

"Assuredly," Aragorn agreed. "But talking helps calm the mind. Battle requires a calm mind. If the mind is lost in itself, the battle will be lost as well." 

"I guess you're right." 

"I've had a lot of experience, young one," Aragorn said. "At your age, I already had received war honors and was on my way to becoming a General. That's not the path for everyone, mind you, but my opinions are ones forged from many a year in battle." 

"I'll do well to heed them," Rayith said. 

"I just hope I can help." 

"You will go back, won't you?" she asked again. Aragorn nodded. "I don't want to be alone, Aragorn," she admitted. "I've been alone my entire life, you know? And now, I've finally found companions, friends who can help me. I've found some people that would try to save your life when if it came to that. I've…never experienced that before. Going back seems to be a return to how it was. And…I like it the way it is now. The past months have been hectic, but there's always been companionship in it. I didn't really worry where my next meal was coming from and who I would have to mug to get it. Those thing just didn't matter as much." 

"It's a powerful thing to know you have friends that care about you," Aragorn said. "I lost that feeling for awhile. You would do yourself a injustice to allow yourself to lose it as well." 

"I hope I don't lose it." 

"Then do what you feel is right," he said. "You'll end up in the place you need to be." 

. 

Tristan hunched over the workbench. Glancing at his watch, it read 6:30. On the table in front of him saw the Dreamblade. Or, it was a slightly disassembled Dreamblade at any rate. He was hoping he could do what Jack has asked him to. All that required was replacing the frame and the blade with the polymorphic allow that the fusion guns were made of. This way, Jack would be able to form the blade into whatever form he wished, with Doreen's help, anyway. 

"So, Doreen," Tristan said. "You think this will work?" 

"Absolutely," Doreen's voice said. "Lathain designed the plan, did he not?" Tristan chuckled. 

"So what is it with this guy?" he asked. "Is he suddenly some sort of perfect being?" 

"Not quite," Doreen said. "Lathain still has much to learn in his own rite. His abilities have not completely developed yet." 

"Uh-huh," Tristan said, somewhat sarcastically. "Well, as long as he can beat this thing, I guess it's okay if he has these 'super powers.' I just hope he knows how to control them." 

"How do you think you will fight Lavos tomorrow?" Doreen asked. Tristan shrugged. 

"I don't really know," he admitted. "I'm taking a guess that the ability of anyone other than the Great Jack McKlane to damage him will be limited. I'll provide fire support, most likely. Sarah and Rayith can give magic support. To be honest, though, I don't know what Aragorn will do. He can probably cause some damage with that big 'ole sword of his. He'll probably stand on the front line with Jack." 

"Make sure you watch out for Jack," Doreen said. 

"Huh?" Tristan asked. "Isn't he powerful enough to take care of himself?" 

"I mean more or less in a mental way," Doreen said. "When his power does come into full fruition, he will need a lot of mental support. He trusts you. Stick with him. Make sure you give your help in the endeavors he goes through. He'll need your help and probably more than you realize." 

"You're an odd one, Doreen," Tristan said. "The scary part is though, I somehow get the feeling that you're right." 

. 

Half an Hour Later… 

Jack walked down the hallway with intrepid determination. The other four followed him, forming somewhat of a V as they traversed SSAF HQ toward the Main Hall where Jack would teleport them directly to the Day of Lavos. He had decided to cut out the middle step of the End of Time, feeling that his power was great enough to get right where he needed them to be. The only problem was that they needed to be in the time _after _the Jack and Sarah in that time got sent to the year 600 AD. Tristan worried that it might create a paradox if two the same existences occurred in the same point in the time stream. And then, all semblance of a plan would fall into disarray. At that point, Jack knew that it would probably come down to just him and the Lavoid, a fate he had come to accept. 

Fully armed, each person in the group tried their hardest not to show the fears they were dealing with on the inside. If one showed the slightest bit of uncertainty, the others might lapse into it as well. Confidence was the key to mental victory. Aragorn had told them all that at one point. 

They walked through the white hallways, rounding a corner and passing under a large archway leading into the large main room of the HQ. It was a room about ten stories high with a large atrium on the top. The archway, which they had just passed under, was on a landing about four stories up, the connecting point of two large staircases that spread out from either side, climbing down to the first floor. At the base of the staircases, what was probably the remainder of SSAF stood gathered to greet the time travelers. There was a semi-wide path which they would walk through before entering the final time gate. 

As they progressed down the stairs and came into the path formed down the middle of the SSAF Assembly, the entire group saluted the Travelers. Walking through and past the group, the five of them stood in a small clearing near the main entrance. Jack, realizing that some sort of oration was in order, turned around to address the crowd. 

The crowd grew silent, knowing he would speak. He waited a moment, trying to formulate his speech. He turned briefly to look at Sarah who nodded to him. He would go on with it. They needed some to hear him talk. They all knew about him and his power at this point. He was the only human with the Force Tech degree of over 50. Information spread quickly. He looked back at the crowd, and began to talk. 

"Fellow survivors," he said. "We stand before you today with our world on the brink of destruction. Our cities have been destroyed and our populations forced into poverty. Many lives were lost on the day Lavos attacked, and even death may have seemed a better option than the conditions we live in now. We have suffered heavy casualties against a beast which, until this day, we have been unable to fight against." 

"He has pushed us into submission. We have keeled over before him. All that we held dear to us was destroyed. Looking into the numbers, the general survival rate of the population was about a mere 8%. What took us thousands of years to build up has been out and out destroyed by an attack that took a total of three minutes from start to finish. We have been unable to fight him because of his overwhelming power, both magical and physical." 

"But we are going to fight against it anyway, now. It is not a fight for supremacy or control of land. These things are what we have fought for in the past. This is not a battle for this. This is a battle against extinction. Should we fall here, the human race stands little hope and will only be greeted by a dim future. Such is the fate that destiny has dealt us. We had no control over what happened. The only thing we have control over now is what will come." 

"And what will come is what will come. All will be decided not by you all, but the few of us that you see before us. I understand that you all will only be able to wait until something comes bringing news of the fight which is about to unfold. Only when we come back alive or dead will you be able to know." 

"But fear not for us. We are the only ones who can fight it, the ones who possess magic. But also be not apathetic towards a fight which you cannot participate in. Rather, lend us your spirits and your hope so that we may grow stronger. We are fighting for this world. Without the world and the people that inhabit it, we would have nothing to come back to, victory or defeat." 

"So let your voices and hope remain with us, for humanity will not bow down calmly into the night. We will not fall prey to an alien menace that enters our world and takes over without retaliation. The time for such retaliation is now in order. Cast him down unto the pits of hell. No longer will we stand for submission. The history we have been dealt will be rewritten and destiny's sullen mockery of us shall be wrought with destruction! We will not submit! We will fight on! We will fight now! We will fight for the future!" Jack exhaled loudly in exhaustion and the crowd exploded with voices. They began chanting. 

"Victory, victory, victory," came the cheer from the crowd. Jack closed his eyes and slowly turned around to face his comrades. 

"How was that?" he asked them. 

"You have a knack, I would say," Tristan said. "Just don't go developing any desires to go our of your way to make over dramatic speeches." 

"I guess not," Jack said, fiddling with the Dreamblade a little tentatively. 

"Are you turning red?" Sarah asked. She looked at him closer. "You are! You're embarrassed!" 

"I've…never spoken like that in front of so many people before," he said. 

"You did well," Aragorn said, patting him on the back. "We could make a speech maker out of you, yet." 

"We're gonna look really bad if we lose and then come back." 

"That's not an option, Tristan," Jack said morbidly. 

"And we can't lose to some bad guy!" Rayith said. 

"Such is my hope, Ray," Jack said, waving his hand and causing the time gate to appear behind them. "Such is my hope." 

. 

Beginning of Time 

"He's dense," Valnius said bitterly. "We doesn't he listen to you?" he asked Topik. 

"Because he's to headstrong," Topik admitted. "Hopefully, the others will beat him to the Lavoid." 

"They took their Time Machine," Hal confirmed. "They'll be contacting Lavos shortly. That should block Lathain from getting to close." 

"And hopefully his life will be saved," Jal added. 

"It would be such a waste of such power if it is not," Topik said. "He must come out alive and he must come to recognize his place in the world. He must come back and learn to use his power." 

"You really think he's The One," Fenreir said. 

"He will free the others of his kind," Topik said. "The other Planeswalkers. He'll help them. He just has to avoid direct contact with the core. He'll be able to resist as long as he's outside of the shell. Once he gets close enough to the core, though…" 

"We prey for his safety," three others said in unision. 

"We all do," Topik said. "And so should the rest of the universe." 

. 

1999, Day of Lavos 

The air fluctuated with the heat as the group appeared in 1999, three months before, when Jack and Sarah had originally been thrown through time. It was the same clearing that they had been defeated in before, and Lavos was already awake and up for the second match. 

Lavos had surfaced already. Having bored through the earth, it had already created a small crater of earth, pushed up on the outer rim where he had pierced the surface. From a viewpoint high above, it just looked like a mass of organic spikes shooting out of the ground. It wasn't until you came to the ground that you saw the thing that was the most haunting feature, ringed by the tri-prong shell: The Eye. 

The Eye of the Lavoid, or rather, the viewing window of the Lavoid to the world. Looking outward in such a bizarre, apathetic manner that it could only be described as sickening. The swirls of color inside what could only be the iris seemed to move as you looked at it. And the pupil. The sickly thing was never seemed to fluctuate from its central point. It just looked at you, piercing through anything you may use to protect yourself. You see the eye of the Lavoid and all you feel is penetration. Nothing is hidden. The ages of wisdom, sealed in the eye, see all and know all. The devil himself, utter source of destruction, a window to Chaos, all looked out of that eye. That eye! How it could destroy you just by looking at it! There was no avoiding it though. It was the only way to the core. The eye had to go if the core was to be destroyed. The eye would have to be faced. 

The beast was somewhat in the distance, its giant eye open and surveying the territory. It was only a matter of minutes before it probably would release its final attack: the large set of beams that decimated both The Kingdom of Zeal and the Country of Guardia in their respective times. 

Feeling slight trepidation, Jack waited a moment before beginning the attack across the clearing. He looked at the beast, seeing it for the first time since that night in Zeal. If possible, it was more gruesome in person. The eye stared ahead now at the group, knowing very well that the attack was coming. But, he was not afraid. Lavos had never known fear in his life. He had no reason to fear. Truth be told, he did not even know what fear was. Maybe Lavos himself did not understand the power that had been imbued into his own son. Or, could it be that Lavos already knew that Jack would be helpless when so close to his source of Lavoid Energy? 

"You die now," Jack called out to him simply, pulling his glittering blade from its sheath. He pointed the sword at the beast. "You die _right_ now." Jack didn't want to wait for the others, simply moving at a pace not noticeably by human eye. To the others, it looked as if he had merely teleported right in front of the Lavoid. 

The Lavoid let out its trademark cry as it prepared to for attack. A few of the spikes towards the front arched over and moved to point towards Jack. This was the signal that the attack was coming. 

"Play time's over, planet killer!" Jack shouted, readying the Dreamblade. In the background, he could here the sound of his companions screaming at him to wait for them. Their voices were muffled, though. It wasn't he sound of the beast itself that was drowning their voices out. It was his own ears that were phasing their sound into its muted tones. He didn't want to hear them. Now was his time to be greedy for the first time on the journey. Now he would get _his_ revenge. 

He jumped. He was going right at the eye, raising a deflective shield to defend against the oncoming blasts. The Dreamblade flared as he disconnected it from the metal part, silently placing the physical blade in the sheath. Black waves pulsed through it. He was about to hit the eye. He was so close now. All he would need to do was to channel pure energy though it. He knew he was strong enough. He knew it was time. He never saw the flash behind him as the Epoch materialized in the distance… 

. 

Scorching forward at colossal speeds, the Epoch tore through the sky. On the insides of it were the boy, Crono, and his allies, the Frog and the Robot. They planned to bore right through to the core, using the energy generated by their light speed time travel to careen through the biological armor. The energy was sufficient, to. There was a wave of energy that surrounded the craft as it met the shell, only a millisecond before Jack did… 

. 

Jack never saw it coming. The explosion that followed the contact between the ship and the shell sent him flying backwards from the explosion. The Lavoid let out a monstrous cry as the ship tore through the shell, being ripped to shreds as it did. Jack looked up from the ground to see the entire shell move and shift from the pain as the foreign craft worked its effects. The Lavoid's eye closed as it cried in torment. 

"What that?" he mumbled, putting the Dreamblade back it its sheath as his allies finally made it up to him. He quickly climbed to his feet and examined the scene in front of him. Smoke was rising from the point of impact of the Epoch and the eye-pod of the Lavoid was closed tightly. The trees around were now ablaze, lit from the explosion. 

"What happened?" Sarah asked. "It looked like something crashed into it." 

"Yeah," Jack said, rubbing his head. "And it certainly wasn't me." 

"Well, what was it, then?" Rayith asked. "The thing doesn't look like it's in a mood to fight anymore." 

"And the fire on the battle field creates for less than desirably battle conditions," Aragorn conceded. Jack looked ahead at the monster. 

"I'll take care of it…" he said bitterly, lifting the Dreamblade back out of it's sheath. The blade glimmered in the light from the fire, displaying a red tint on metal blade. He brought it in front of him and the weapon began to shift, just as Sarah had seen it shift so many times. From the hilt, it sprouted projections that looked like wings and the red glow began to consume the entirety of the blade as energy surrounded it. 

"Cool new feature," Jack said to Tristan, referring to its new capability to morph shape. Tristan nodded, thinking to himself how perfectly he had assembled it. Jack, taking Tristan's feeling of success to heart, walked forward, past some of the flames and towards the Lavoid. 

"Jack?" Sarah said, walking out to catch up to him but feeling Tristan's hand hold her back. 

"Let him do what he has to do," Tristan said. Sarah sighed in concession. 

Jack walked to within two feet of the Lavoid. He listened closely, reaching out his senses, and in his head he could hear the battle that was happening inside of the shell. He could hear the others fighting it, fighting the thing which he was supposed to kill. At this moment, he wasn't sure it he was jealous or not. Something was bothering him about it though. All that time, Topik had told him that he wouldn't fight the Lavoid. Was he right? Was this written in destiny already? 

Jack drew the Dreamblade back and made a wide, powerful cut at the Lavoid's shell, but was met by a pulse of black energy that deflected the blade away. He looked at the Lavoid and cursed before attacking a few more times. Each time, the blade was decisively parried and no dent was made. 

"It's some sort of shield," Jack said, putting the Dreamblade away. "It's probably due to the power being generated by the fight that's happening in there." 

"We can't get through?" Tristan asked. "Not even if we blast it?" 

"Be my guest to try," Jack invited, waving Tristan ahead while sighing heavily. Tristan went and tried his fusion gun, but the pulse of energy was fizzled on contact. Not even his energy weapons would work. 

"And that would also imply that magic is out of the question?" Rayith asked. 

"The Dreamblade isn't having an effect," Sarah pointed out. "So magic is probably useless as well." 

"Damn it," Jack finally said. "Why can't we go in?" He shouted up to the heavens. "Why!? Why do you mock me!?" 

"Jack!" Sarah yelled, running over to him and grabbing him. "Get a hold of yourself. We may not be out of this yet." Jack sunk to the ground. 

"Nothing is good enough, Sarah. Nothing is good enough." 

"Do we retreat and make a new plan?" Aragorn suggested. They sat in silence for about a minute before Jack spoke. 

"I don't know," Jack said. "For the first time in the past few months, I really don't know. It seems that everything we've been leading up to is being thrown back in our faces, a mockery of destiny. Everything that we did to get here was without meaning. All that was told to me about not fighting the Lavoid came true. Someone else beat us to the punch, ladies and gentlemen, just like Topik told me would happen. I didn't believe him. I thought he was being a fool to think he could see down the path of time. _Now_ look who's the fool who time has laughed at and destiny has defeated." 

His sullen demeanor blocked out the sudden rumbling that began to come from the Lavoid. The others heard it, but he had blocked it out. It wasn't as if it mattered anymore. A ripple began to form in the middle of the Lavoid's core. Something had happened that had changed history. He just didn't care, though. At that moment, he didn't care about anything. And then, the Time Wave hit. 

. 

"And nothing else matters...." - Metallica 


	35. Back to the Beginning and All Over Again

**Chapter 35**

**Back to the Beginning and All Over Again**

2000 AD, Guardia National Park 

The main problem with a Time Wave is the fact that when you go through it, your consciousness has to pass through the fourth dimension. As a result, all but the most experienced travelers of the multi-planar universe tend to fall unconscious. Such was what happened to the five so-called heroes that were beat to their shot of killing Lavos by another rag tag group of 'heroes.' 

And so now, Jack, Sarah, Aragorn, Rayith and Tristan all found themselves thrown a few months forward through time, reverting their temporal state to what it had been right _before_ they had come to meet Lavos. The only difference was that now everything wasn't the same as it was. 

All of the trees were still in tact. There were no fires in the sky. The atmosphere was blue, rather than gray. It no longer looked as if there had just been a nuclear war in Guardia. Everything had been changed back to the way it was. It had gone back to the way it had been before Lavos had fired his main attack. 

They were right outside of Trann City, an oddly large distance from the scene of the 'battle' with Lavos. It had also been reverted back to its original state. The Dome was still in tact and all of the building stood at their original height. The ever-present snowstorm was no longer hovering over the city. The streets were no longer torn up and littered with people who were seeking shelter after their homes had been destroyed. It had returned to status quo antebellum. All was as it had been before the conflagration. 

SSAF HQ was still in tact, and as they entered the building, it was filled with the people that normally filled the halls. The building, along with the rest of the city had been give new life. In fact, security was back up to normal high so Aragorn and Rayith were forced to stay outside for lack of proper SSAF Identification. For safety, Tristan stayed with them. 

People once again looked at Jack and Sarah as if they were ghosts. While there clothes were much less torn apart this time, it felt just like when they returned to this time period the first time. More than likely, records would show that they had been deemed MIA months ago, and Sean Koren would have been deemed deceased. It made sense. Lavos had been defeated after killing Sean and sending Jack and Sarah through time. Plus, due to the effects that a Time Wave has on non-time-traveling people, no one would remember differently. Time had been altered only _after_ the point of Lavos's death. Thus, the beam attack was nullified, but the fate that befell Jack and Sarah had not been negated. 

The memory issue was the other pain about Time Waves, and Jack and the others would soon discover this when they went to explain their condition to the High Commander. 

To get to this point, they traveled up, once again, to the highest floor of the building. This time, secretaries filled the desks and people were bustling about. People continued looking at Jack and Sarah as if they were dead, such an effect helping Jack get the secretary to allow him to see the High Commander in the first place. 

They walked up the stairs and into the elaborate room for the third time, though everyone would think it was their first. At the end of the room, in front of the wall of windows, was the SSAF High Commander, sitting in his big, leather chair. One of the aides announced their entry. 

"These operatives claim to need to see you, sir. I believe their names are…" 

"Jack and Sarah," Jack completed his sentence for him. "We're…" 

"You two? Do you realize you were proclaimed MIA nearly three months ago?!" the High Commander said, climbing out of his chair and walking up to them. "Where the hell have you been?!" 

"Sir, with all due respect," Jack began. "You don't remember any of what's happened?" 

"Of what?" the High Commander said, slightly upset at the sudden emergence of two soldiers who had been previously assumed dead. 

"Don't tell me the word Lavoid doesn't ring a bell?" Sarah suggested. The High Commander felt like he was talking to children. 

"Soldiers, you have two seconds to explain yourselves to me before I kick you out of my office." 

"Sir, I'm going to require much more than two seconds." Jack sighed, sat down and explained, in great length, the story of their past three months of time traveling. From their original plan to kill Lavos to their position now where Lavos had been destroyed and no one could remember because of the Time Wave. At the end, the High Commander simply began laughing. 

"Well, that's quite a story," he said finally. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you made that all up!" 

"Sir!" Jack rebuked. "I swear every word of it is the truth." 

"But I believe it," he said. 

"But you have to-" Jack started to defend his point, not immediately realizing what the High Commander had said. "Wait. You believe me?" 

"You story," the High Commander began. "It falls perfectly into place with what happened on the day that you disappeared. We had been looking for an explanation. That seems to…well…it seems to make everything come close to fit into place." 

"How so?" Sarah asked. 

"On the date of your disappearance, there was a large disturbance in the area that you went to, along with Commander Koren. While we do not have direct footage of the area, we have a few other pieces of evidence that lead to the conclusion that your story is true. First, when we finally got our men in there, all we found was a crater, yet there was no record of anything falling through the atmosphere that night. That would only lead us to conclude that it came from within the earth itself." 

"What is the other reason?" Jack asked. 

"Shortly after 5:00 PM on the date in question, our temporal monitors picked up an _extremely_ large scale temporal disturbance that started at the point that you specified. It rippled outward from there. That would seem to match the description of the so-called Time Wave you spoke of." 

"What happened after that?" Jack asked hesitantly. 

"Naturally, we had to investigate the situation. We did not find any eye-witnesses, and you two were no where to be found. The crater in question had already been filled in, the earth around it shifting towards the middle. Geologists speculated that whatever had formed it was sinking into the earth. So, we immediately sealed off the area and cut off media connection. What we found…matches your description of this spiked alien being." 

"You…dug it up?" Sarah asked. The High Commander nodded. 

"We set up a research station in the park, totally Black-Op, of course. Unfortunately, while we uncovered this…thing…that you spoke of about a month ago, that's as far as we've been able to come. We can't really get past the shell and we don't want to damage the thing beyond repair. Our researchers have hit a bit of a jam." 

"You're in luck," Jack said confidently. "Lavoids are becoming my specialty." 

"So I speculated from your story," the High Commander said. "I assume that you'll be willing to help us?" 

"Sir, I would have asked if you didn't offer," Jack said, hiding his true satisfaction. 

"Excellent," the High Commander said. "I'll make sure you gain security clearance as soon as possible." 

"Thank you Sir," Jack said, standing up and saluting. With that, he and Sarah both turned to the door and exited the office. 

. 

Same Time 

Jack and the others sat at a coffee bar somewhere close to SSAF HQ. Sitting on a series of couches and sipping drinks ranging from straight, black coffee (Aragorn) to hot chocolate (Rayith), Jack made himself busy as he explained what was happening with SSAF and what they would be working to achieve. 

The idea behind the excavation wasn't what he had really intended when he walked into the office of the High Commander, but it had actually turned out okay. He was hoping that they would be able to get a closer look at the biology of the creature. Tristan was equally looking forward, in the name of science of course, to perform an autopsy on the actual form of the Lavoid Core. 

"That still doesn't change the fact that we didn't get to off him ourselves," Tristan said. "It feels…incomplete. Like, we're missing something." 

"I understand exactly what you mean," Jack agreed. "I really wanted, as silly as it sounds, to take revenge with my _own_ hands." 

"But what is there left to do?" Sarah asked. "I seems as if our duty has been lifted from us, and no one will even blame us for not completing it. I guess if the world was saved in the long run, it shouldn't matter who actually delivered the final blow, should it?" 

"Sarah speaks with great maturity," Aragorn said, "Yet as a warrior, I would have hoped to meet it in combat." 

"And I was up for the challenge, too," Rayith said. 

"Needless to say, there's suddenly nothing that seems worth doing," Jack said. "I still will have to place Aragorn back in his own time, and Rayith too, if she has decided to go." 

"Ray, you can always crash at my place," Tristan said with a wide grin. 

"I can also dump hot chocolate all over your pants," Rayith said with a smirk. "That doesn't mean I'll do it." 

"Suit yourself," he said with shrug. 

"You can stay at my house, too, Rayith," Sarah invited. 

"Thanks guys, but…you know I'm not really sure what I'm doing yet," Rayith said with a sigh. "I'll stay here a few more days anyway, just to see how things cool off. I'll decide after that." 

"And you, Aragorn?" Jack asked. "I can take you back whenever you wish to go." 

"I think I'll also remain in this time for a few more days at least," he said. "And then I can go back whenever it is easy for you to take me back." 

"The gates have probably begun to close, at this point," Tristan said. "I think it was Lavos's influence that created them. Now that his temporal disturbance has ended, they should close." 

"But I can sill warp time," Jack pointed out. "Time travel is no longer limited to the gates for me." 

"Naturally," Tristan said, somewhat sarcastically. 

"Yet we still don't know what to really _do_ next," Sarah pointed out. "Jack , I know you want to go in and solve their problem with penetrating the shell. I guess our options will open up from there." Jack spoke. 

"I still have I out for Lavos," he admitted. "I guess that since everything was returned to how it was, then all of the lives were saved and it was all taken care of. I never got to have it out with it, though. Maybe…" Jack trailed off. 

"Maybe what?" Rayith asked. 

"Maybe…just because I couldn't get _this_ Lavoid…" he paused before shaking his head. "No…" he said. "That's silly. I want to check out the innards of the Lavoid. Then I'll figure out if there's anything left for me to do. Right now, this seems like my last 'duty.' I'm finish it before thinking about what to do after." 

. 

Jack took Tristan with him when he first visited the excavation site a day later. The security around the place almost seemed like overkill. They had to pass about three security check points where they were patted down at each one and sent through a series of scans. By the third check point they even encountered some problems since their identities had been put on the 'cleared personal list' so recently. Nothing short of approved clearance from SSAF High Command allowed them into the main building. 

The Main building itself was a spectacle. The walls were all stark white like those in SSAF HQ, but there was no beauty to this place. There was no ten story entry hall with an atrium or any elaborate facilities for the officer's enjoyment. There was no gym and no training rooms. Everything in here fell into one of two categories: research or security. Cameras lined all of the walls and detectors of various sorts filled all of the doors. Nothing could be taken into or out of a room with certified approval from and written documentation from High Command. This was not a project that the SSAF, or the entire Government for hat mater, was taking lightly. 

Before even entering the lowest security zones, you needed to strip out of your clothes and enter a bio-decontamination system. After that, it was "white-suit only," meaning one was only allowed to wear white surgical scrubs. Long hair had to be tied tightly back and kept inside of the scrubs. This annoyed both Jack and Tristan. And his was just for the low-security labs that were just doing whatever research they could on the effects that Lavos had on the cavern in which it was found. 

When they actually neared the lowest cavern where the form of the Lavoid had been uncovered up to about a meter or two below the eye-pod, one had to wear a completely encasing bio-protection suit. The security that they kept Level Four Transferable Viruses at the Biological Warfare Research Institute was lighter than the ready room for the actual Lavoid chamber. 

In the Ready Room, Jack and Tristan were introduced to Dr. Jurai. The good doctor was stuck with the position of lead researcher on Project Hellreach, as the project had been named. He doctor was a tall man with short, dark hair and sharp facial features. He greeted them as the began to dress into their suits. 

"Captain McKlane?" he asked, extending his hand in greeting. 

"That's me," Jack said, shaking the Doctor's hand. "And this is Tristan," he motioned to the blonde man standing a few steps behind him. Tristan also shook hands with Doctor Jurai. 

"Even _we're_ kept in the dark about some things that central command does. We just know that you have some knowledge about the specimen, correct?" 

"That's right," Jack said. "I'm pretty familiar with it at this point, but I'd still like to learn more and help out. I hear you're having difficulty getting past the main shell." 

"That's it," Jurai said. "If you'd like to follow me, you can have a look at it." They began walking through a series of chambers and sealed their protective helmets. They could communicate through intercom from now out. The Doctor spoke. "I am interested," he admitted, "in why you know about this thing. We just dug it up about a month ago and I don't know how you could have accessed any of the information." 

"I've…had a run it with this guy before," Jack said. "I don't really know how to explain it. You'll just have to take my word for it. If you don't believe me now, you'll at least believe me when I get you guys past the shell." 

"You can do that?" the Doctor asked. 

"Doc," Tristan said, "I'm starting to think that there isn't anything that Jack McKlane can't do." As he said this, the trio walked was met by a hissing sound as the airlock they were in slid open to reveal the Lavoid cavern itself. The hollowed out area was huge. Fully revealing the dead shell of the Lavoid from the eye pod up, the Lavoid had been uncovered around its entire circumference as well. Cat walks and support beams stretched over the form of the shell. The entire room was lit by a dim light. Flashing yellow lights around the exits also helped illuminate the massive room. 

"Now," the Doctor said as the climbed down a series of ladders onto the ground level. "We've considered going in through this pod in the front here, but we're not sure what would happen if we did that. We've also tried to break through the shell, but all small-sized and mid-sized cutting devices aren't proving effective. Basically, the sum of our problems is that all we might be able to do is destroy the shell out right when what we really need is to just dig a small tunnel through it." 

"Have you tried to cut through anywhere?" Jack asked as the climbed up on to one of the cat walks that stretched over the shell. 

"We have, but this spike structure is proving to difficult to allow for cutting. We can't get around the blasted things." Jack turned to Tristan. 

"What about where Epoch hit it?" Jack said. "Wouldn't there be some sign of damage?" The Doctor stopped walking. 

"Then it's true…" Jurai said. Jack and Tristan also stopped walking. 

"What's true?" Jack asked. 

"That you were at the site where it surfaced," Jurai said. "That you were an eye witness, somehow thrown through time by the temporal distortion." Jack furrowed his brow. 

"It's not important," he said. He jumped down from the cat walk and landed on he spiked shell. Walking up to a set of spikes that were slightly discolored, he realized he had found what he was looking for. "Here," he said. 

"The Epoch crash?" Tristan asked. 

"Probably regenerated from then," Jack said. "They look like the area that the Epoch might have dug through. It doesn't make sense that it would be able to regenerate after it died, though…" 

"Maybe the shell itself runs automatically off of a separate power source?" Tristan suggested. 

"Well, anyway," Jack said. "I'm going to solve our shell problem now. If I'm right, the substructure of the shell should be weak underneath these discolored spikes here," he explained to the Doctor. "I doubt that regeneration could be complete." 

"Captain," the Doctor began. "You can't just do that. You need clearance before you can-" the Doctor was cut off as Jack slowly waved his left hand upward. At his command, three of the, discolored spikes slowly separated themselves from the shell. Directing the spikes to the right, Jack magically placed them on the floor. He slowly walked up to the hole he made in the armor. 

"Look at that," Jack said in success. "You see this here?" he asked the Doctor. "This is barely reconstructed. We should be able to cut through the sub-armor with ease." The Doctor was speechless. 

"How did you…" he began to say. Jack shrugged. 

"The spikes?" he asked, almost innocently. "Don't worry about them. They were still new. You can probably take them and analyze them and come up with something interesting." Jack had now attracted the attention of everyone working on the floor. They just sort of gathered around the spikes which he had directed to the floor. Everyone looked through their plastic protective masks in disbelief. 

"Unbelievable…" he Doctor said as he looked over the hole at the fresh, soft armor that was underneath the spikes. "We…should be able to get through this stuff much more easily. Will you explain how you did that, though?" Jack sighed. 

"Magic is an amazing thing," Jack said. The Doctor shrugged it off as a cryptic statement. Jack realized that he wasn't making an impact. He decided on a better explanation. "Force Tech," he lied. "It's a use of Force Tech I picked up over some time." 

"I see," Jurai said, gazing back into the hole. "So…what will we find down there?" he asked. Jack chuckled. 

"That, good doctor, I don't even know. Hey, you're the scientist. Go do your thing." The Doctor was still taken aback over how this…boy…had solved a problem in two minutes that they couldn't solve in a month. 

"Well, Command was right when they said they were shipping in a 'Specialist.' Are you going to stay to see what we find?" 

"Of course," Jack said. "I'll even go down first, if you want." Jurai nodded. He turned and called down to two of the men on the floor below. 

"We're going in," he said to them over the communications network. "Keep conditions standard." One of them gave a hand signal of clarification before turning back around to examine the spikes that were on the floor. Jurai looked at Jack and Jack nodded. 

Deciding to go in first and clear the path, Jack used magical emissions to cause the weak substructure of the armor to peal away and create a tunnel which they would use to go down into the central chamber. Jack had only opened up a hole big enough for about two men to fit down at once, but once he slowly descended past the upper layer of armor, he found that the lower layers were not nearly as well regenerated. A few feet into the armored skeleton, the hole had grown to the size of the Epoch in width. From there on, floating down became easy. 

A cross section of a Lavoid's shell is not easy to describe. The majority of the portion that isn't pure armor is either used for sensory perception or for channeling the Beams of Fire up to the firing ports which are located in each of the eighteen or so 'major' spikes. Either way, the armor is thoroughly laced with all sorts of bio-matter which, at the moment, Jack had no real explanation for. That would all soon change, of course, once they began a full scale study of the thing. 

This Lavoid, from the eye pod to the base of the top spike, was about five stories tall. The actual central chamber seemed to be located below the level with the eye, roughly seven stories below the entrance point which Jack had created. While the central chamber was within visible distance, the pure darkness that filled the shell once you got past the first ten feet or so made it impossible to discern the location of the chamber. Jack was still in the lead when he finally hit the floor of the chamber. Tristan had slowly carried the Doctor down, and they landed right behind Jack. 

Now very anxious to get a good look, Jack held out his finger and mumbled, "Lighting." A small glow orb lit up and the room was illuminated. 

"Amazing…" the Doctor said. 

"Yeah," Jack agreed, gazing around. "Amazing is right." The central chamber was about twenty feet wide and nine feet high, almost exactly what Jack's original estimates were. All along the walls were glittering objects that reflected a purple light. They almost seemed to be some sort of magical residue combined with natural Lavoid Energy. Quite interesting, in the very least. 

There was a series of 'duct' like tubes which ran across the ceiling and the floor and they all seemed to lead to one central location, a large mass in the middle of the chamber that was suspended a foot a half off the ground. It was surrounded by a coat which seemed almost like a crystalline cocoon for whatever was in seen. 

"Great Vigo's ghost…" Jack mumbled, directing the light closer to the cocoon in the middle of the room. As the cocoon was illuminated, the haunting form of a bluish, humanoid creature without hair and without a nose became clear. 

"Is that?" Tristan asked. 

"It's Lavos…" Jack said. "He's…not dead?" Jack ventured closer, walking slowly up to the suspended 'corpse' of his father. His heart started to beat faster…and faster…and faster. 

Looking very closely at the thing, he touched his hand to the cocoon, searching for signs of life. What were the signs of a life in a Lavoid? Should they be the same? Wait…something was there. Good lord. It was there. A pulse. There was a pulse. 

"It's still alive…" Jack said. "It's…not conscious though." Tristan walked up to the thing. 

"Judging by the way this is set up, I'd say that his shell was trying to revive him. Crono and his friends beat him up pretty good though. He looks like a vegetable to me…" 

"Do we…have to worry about it?" The Doctor ask. 

"I don't know," Jack said. "I'm trying to figure out what happened here." He paused in thought. "I guess it makes sense," he finally said. "After Crono and the others defeated him, the temporal disturbance that was created would have sent them back to their original time, just like it did for us. That would leave Lavos by himself, too weak to launch his attack. So all he could do was…" 

"Go into a state of hibernation," Tristan said, finishing Jack's sentence. "He hooked himself up into the armor in hopes that he could come back to life and attack again later. You think that…" he paused. 

"Think what?" Jack asked. "What do I think?" 

"You think that the Time Wave wasn't because he was killed? Maybe he set off the Time Wave just to throw his assailants back in time and out of his way so he could recover his wounds." Jack didn't answer. Instead, he swallowed hard, feeling his stomach bunching up inside of his throat. 

"Well, he's not going anywhere now…" Jack said, hiding his inner fear that the Lavoid might not be entirely dead after all. Instantly charging up an insane amount of power, he jumped off of the ground and swung his hand out at the tubes which ran to the cocoon. He let out a battle cry, severing the top tubes in one blow from a magical blade and dropping down to severe the tubes on the bottom with a second blow. The tubes momentarily spewed some sort of goo out into the open before silencing as he crystal cocoon dropped to the floor and shattered. There, in the middle of the shattered crystal, cringed the limp, unconscious and otherwise lifeless form of the once powerful Lavos. Disconnected from it's life support, it was now dead, a cold, shriveled little thing that had lived in power for to long. Jack slowly walked up and stood over. Sneering, he spit on the corpse. 

"I'll see you in Hell, Dad," he said bitterly. "May you rot there long before I arrive." 

. 

"That's patricide!"   
"Yup."   
-Naomi Hunter and Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid 


	36. Aspiration to Destruction

**Chapter 36**

**Aspiration to Destruction**

2000 AD, Project Hellreach 

The bright lights of the surgical room shone down on the table with great intensity. Within the deepest bowls of the Project Hellreach complex was the autopsy lab in which the dead body of Lavos laid across a platform, waiting to be gutted by the Doctors around it. The room was inhabited by three people: Doctor Jurai, the project leader, Jack McKlane, the supposed 'Specialist' sent from Headquarters, and another Doctor, the surgeon that would be doing the actually operation. Looking in through the viewing window on the right side of the room was everyone else that was on the project. All of them huddled to get a better look at the blue, humanoid thing which had been at the center of the giant which they had been digging up the past three months. 

Tristan also waited outside. The actual autopsy should not have been open to Jack either, since his rank was not high enough. In fact, none of the things he had done should have been allowed. Jack had somewhat transcended past rank in SSAF. His well founded knowledge base of the Lavoid allowed him more freedom and others, who didn't know anything, allowed him to use this freedom. How a mid-ranked officer was even permitted to the facility shocked most of the people who hadn't been privy to his story and his explanation what had happened. Yet, his knowledge gave him power, and he used he power to get at Lavos. 

They were garbed in surgical scrubs. Once they had exited the magically contaminated Lavoid Cavern, the all-encasing suits were no longer needed. Normally, the energy emitted from a Lavoid could also be harmful, but Lavos no longer emitted energy. Nothing inside of him was still working. 

"Are you sure he's dead, this time?" Jurai asked Jack. Jack nodded. 

"His energy intake is down to zero," Jack confirmed. "Aside from lacking normal signs of life, he also has stopped absorbing and emitting energy. Trust me. He's a goner." 

"We should make the incision here," the surgeon said. "Down the mid-section." He indicated the proposed cut with his scalpel. 

"Sounds good," Jack said, crossing his arms. "Go for it." The surgeon bit his lower lip and gently began to cut through the blue skin from the area just below the neck, dragging the knife down to where, while they were curiously lacking on the Lavoid, the genitalia would be. Carefully, the surgeon completed the cut and slowly opened the flaps of skin with a sickly suction sound, revealing the chest cavity. 

"Good God…" the surgeon muttered, expecting to find an extremely bizarre set of internal organs and bone structure. "It's…human." He swallowed hard. It was almost true. The innards of Lavos looked remarkably human. The stomach, the liver, the lungs. All of them were arranged identically to that of a human, all sitting under a rib-cage that was close to human as well. 

"Strange…" Jack commented, leaning over and looking in. "It…does look human. Aside from a few things here and here…" he pointed to a few structures that he did not recognize, "it looks identical to a human torso." He felt ill. 

"What could possibly explain this?" Jurai asked. "I mean, our physical makeup is the result of millions of years of genetic accidents and random choices up the genetic tree. How could something of such unknown origin be so close to human in its form?" 

"It's not a matter of coincidence," Jack muttered bitterly. "However this thing was created…its original source of DNA was no doubt human." Jack refrained from explaining anything more about the origin of the species. It was not important at the moment. No. The truth about Elosia and Earth could wait until another time, maybe when he had a better, more accurate story. 

"We should take samples," Jurai said. "I look forward to analyzing them." Jack didn't answer. He suddenly felt like he was having a fever attack. His face became warm and he started to sweat. Suddenly, he felt somewhat panicked. He looked down at the blue, dead face of Lavos and saw the damned thing looking back at him, mocking him. 

_What are you doing to me, Lavos?_ he asked inside his head. His question seemed to echo inside of his head, and then he thought he heard laughing. _Get out of my head. Get out of my head!_ he screamed to himself. Then, out loud, "Get out of my head!!" Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Jack. Jack looked back at them, not knowing what to say. Becoming unsteady, he started to rip off his surgical gloves and move towards the door. 

"Make sure you remove all organs that are unknown for closer examination," Jack said as he exited the room unnerved. Once in the air lock that lead to the surgery chamber, he sat down against a wall and pulled his knees up to his chest and started to breath heavily. "It was…human…" he said to himself over and over again. "It was human…" 

Tristan quickly made his way through the crowd into the air lock to where Jack was. Sitting down next to him, he attempted to comfort the blue haired teen. 

"Dude, what's wrong?" he asked casually. "You look totally bugged out. Snap out of it, man." 

"Tristan," he said shakily, "It was human. It's internal structure…it was almost human." 

"So?" Tristan asked. "Monkey's have similar internal structures as us, but they're not human." 

"You don't get it," Jack said. "This thing…except for the slightest differences, it looked completely human on the inside." 

"Well, remember how you said Lavoids were designed on some planet millions of light years away from here?" Jack nodded. "Well, maybe the scientists that created the Lavoids used Human DNA as their base. That would make sense, since humans have always had a bit of a ego problem. So, why not make their 'ultimate biological weapon' from the DNA of a human? Plus, either way you look at it, that thing is _not_ human. It may look it, but it's not. Like you said, the Chaos tainted it." 

"Still," Jack said. "It's quite disconcerting to know that this thing which has killed so much and has deserved death more than any other living thing is…" Something new came to his realization now. What if Chaos doesn't make something evil? What if Chaos simply draws out whatever existed inside of something to begin with. Humans. For so long, we've killed each other and killed other species, supposedly in the name of either survival or advancement. Bah. How is that different from what Lavos did? Are humans the same as Lavoids? Could it be that-" 

"You're human, aren't you?" Tristan asked, cutting off Jack's internal monologue. 

"What?" 

"I said, you're human, right?" 

"Yeah," Jack said. 

"But you have Lavoid in you?" 

"Yes." 

"Well, that would lead one to take a guess that the DNA structure that makes something a Lavoid isn't expressed physically. It might just be a set of genes that were inserted into the human genome to achieve the desired effect." 

"I…guess that makes sense," Jack said, slowly standing up. "You…want to study it, don't you?" Jack asked. Tristan nodded. 

"I'm looking forward to getting some samples." Jack was silent. "Do you feel closure now?" he asked. "Now that you've seen it? Do you feel like you're final put an end to whatever was calling you?" Jack shook his head. 

"No…" he said. "Something in me still wants revenge. I still don't feel complete. In fact, I think getting so close to the core really set off a new feeling in me. A new mission." 

"You have a plan, don't you?" Tristan asked after a few moments of silence. "You've been thinking about it for a little while now. I've seen it in your eyes. You want to kill more of them." Jack closed his eyes. 

"It's crazy, I know. I just felt that if I couldn't kill this one…then I'd kill as many others as I could. What happened on this planet isn't an isolated situation. I've 'seen' what they do to planets. To think that all of those lives throughout the universe are being lost to this species, simply used as pawns and experiments and then discarded. It makes me sick. I…feel like I can't let that go on. All of those lives are being lost and for once, I feel like I have the power to stop it. I think I can learn to use my power to kill these things, Tristan," he clenched his fists. "I don't want what happened here to happen anywhere where it can avoided. An evil like the Lavoids has to be stopped." 

"You have quite a sense of justice, friend," Tristan said. 

"Maybe it's not even a sense of justice, Tristan," Jack admitted. "Maybe I just want to kill as many of them as possible. I don't feel complete with just the death of this one. The only problem is that even if I could go on a Lavoid killing spree, that would require organization and a means of space travel and special equipment and…well…all sorts of things we don't have. Maybe that's why I haven't brought it out in the open. Maybe I just know that it's not something I'm going to be able to achieve." 

"You don't think SSAF or the Government will fund it?" 

"Oh sure," Jack said sarcastically. Speaking in mimic, "Please, Sir. Me and my friends need twenty billion dollars of government funds so we can go off into space and chase down a species of aliens that are killing people on planets that have nothing to do with ours." 

"When you put it like that, of course not," Tristan said. "But you obviously still need to work on your powers of persuasion." 

"What would you suggest?" 

"They need to be getting something out of it," Tristan said. "You have to appeal to the human desire to explore. Turn it into a research mission to follow up Project Hellreach. Give the government experimentation rights or something." 

"I guess just appealing to their sense of 'Evil needs to be stopped' isn't gonna do it," Jack lamented. "But…I'm gonna kill 'em," Jack said. "Every last on of them." He made a fist. 

"How many do you think there are?" Tristan asked. 

"It doesn't matter," Jack said. "Even if I can't kill them all in my life time, I'll make sure I set up a group of people that can. We have to fight these things, Tristan. We can't let what they're doing continue." Tristan touched his hand to his chin and began to walk around the air lock in circles. 

"How would you travel?" he asked. "It would be impossible to travel at any velocity that we know at the moment. Space Shuttles and the like wouldn't travel nearly fast enough to reach another star system in a life time. It would be my guess that Lavos was the only Lavoid in this system, Jack." Jack sat in silence for nearly a minute. 

"That's why I'm the only one who can do this, Tristan," he said softly and smugly. "Because I know how to travel through space using means that haven't been discovered yet. I know how to travel through space by means that break physical law." 

"How?" 

"When I…read into Lavos's memory, I only took away certain information. But, as time passes, I seem to be able to view more and more of this information. It's like there was a time delay on the memory banks, but, as odd as it sounds, I _think_ that I have complete access to whatever Lavos knew at the time when our minds merged. I can't look at all this information now, but slowly it is becoming apparent to me. As a result, I'm learning more and more about my own power." 

"You lost me," Tristan said, scratching his head. 

"Topik," Jack said, "wanted to teach me to 'unlock my potential.' At the moment, I didn't know what it meant, but slowly, I've begun to come to grips with the true power that has been given to me due to the Lavoid DNA complex in my cells. I think…that he wanted me to do this as well. He always said that there were bigger plans for me. Am I just realizing those plans now?" 

"He can teach you how to transcend physical limitation and allow you to travel though space at faster than light speed?" Tristan asked skeptically. 

"No…" Jack said slowly. "Not just transcend physical limitation. It's more than that. It's…sort of like transcending the physical plane." 

"Huh?" 

"Walker of Planes…" Jack said to himself, repeating what he had been called by the Farilii he fought in Zeal as well as by Topik in the Beginning of Time. "Could that be it?" 

"Okay," Tristan said, throwing his hands in the air. "You lost me, now." 

"If they've been right about everything up until now, they might be right about that too.." Jack said. "Don't you see?" he grabbed Tristan's shoulders. "We have the ability to break physical bounds and transcend physical limitation!" 

"I think you've lost it," Tristan said. 

"Think about Doreen and the Finori," Jack said. "They said that they were able to shift their existence from plane to plane, essentially moving freely in a Five Dimensional universe. Moving in that fifth dimension, the planar dimension, laws of three dimensional travel no longer exist!" 

"We need Finori?" 

"We need me!" Jack corrected. "I don't know how, but somewhere in me…that ability lies. Topik told me so. Normally, I wouldn't be so trusting, but that bastard has been right about everything since I met him. Something tells me that I have that power." 

"You want to move yourself through dimensions?" 

"But what if it wasn't just me?" Jack asked, starting to get excited. "What if it was an entire Starship, filled with people specially trained for killing Lavoids?" 

"Could it work?" Tristan asked. 

"If I can uncover the workings of how a one shifts from plane to plane, we could also imbue the ability into a machine that could do it!" 

"It might work!" Tristan agreed. "Of course, with my scientific genius, I could find a way to do it!" he said with a wide grin. "But…you don't know how to use that ability, yet," he said. "We can't plan to build anything until we know how the ability works." 

"Topik," Jack said. "Topik will teach me. I know he will. He has a lot of stuff that he wants to teach me, I sense. I'm not sure how he knows about all of it, but he's got a lot of knowledge in that head of his. I think I can go to him and learn." 

"You want to go back to the Beginning of Time, then?" 

"Yes," Jack nodded. 

"Then why waste any more time?" Tristan asked simply. "The sooner you learn about whatever powers you have floating around inside of you, the sooner we can put your idea into motion. You're…not the only one who feels that way towards the Lavoids, Jack. All of us that traveled with you feel it as well. We all show it in different ways, but it's all there. Some of us just guise it differently. I make it sound like it's the cool thing to do and Rayith does it for the challenge and Aragorn does it supposedly to uphold Justice. It doesn't matter how what we say we're doing it for, though. There's bitter enmity towards the Lavoids in each of us, that feeling that it had done something that couldn't go unpunished. I guess we just needed someone like you to lead us along." 

"You're a good friend, Tristan," Jack said, putting a hand on Tristan's shoulder. "Thank you for helping me get my thoughts together. I've been a bit emotionally unbalanced lately." 

"I think the shock that you're finally getting laid has just sent your head for a spin," Tristan said jokingly. Jack laughed briefly before punching Tristan in the kidney. Clutching the contact point in pain, Tristan laughed. "Okay, okay!" he said. "I'm sorry! I guess you're still a little sensitive about it!" 

"No matter," Jack said. "It's actually the culmination of a lot of things. Maybe that does have a part in it," Jack admitted, "But there's a lot more to it." 

"Well then," Tristan said, still flinching. "We should get out of here. Let those scientists finish their thing. We can get the full report latter." 

"Right," Jack agreed with a nod. Together, they left the airlock and passed through the small crowd of scientists that were to engrossed in the autopsy happening in the next room to take much notice to the two teens. Jack and Tristan made their way to the exit and passed up a series of elevators and security check points before finally reaching the ground floor of the base. After passing through one last security scan, they exited the base into the fenced in area of Project Hellreach. 

"You wanna teleport now?" Tristan asked. 

"Yeah," Jack said. "Let's find somewhere that no one will notice, though." 

Ducking off into a corner and avoiding the guards, Jack cast the teleportation spell, placing them in an ally a block away from the coffee shop they had been yesterday. That was to be the meeting place after Jack and Tristan were done examining Project Hellreach for the day. They had decided to finish a little early, though, so Sarah, Rayith and Aragorn were not there yet. Jack and Tristan decided to wait and have a few drinks to kill the time. 

. 

"So basically once you learn how to do this Planeswalk thing, or whatever you call it," Tristan said, "You write up a plan for and give it to me. Then you can go on with your training while I head up the construction of the uh…what was it again?" 

"The Weatherlight," Jack said. 

"Right. The Weatherlight," Tristan confirmed. "Or in any case, our ship." 

"That's pretty much the gist of it. It may take awhile to learn how to Planeswalk, but since we have all matter of temporal distortion, we won't lose much time at all. Basically, I can send you the plans from the Beginning of Time the moment after I get there, or, it will feel like that for you, anyway. Then I can stay there for the time needed to train. I'll allow myself to jump back into our era around the time that the Weatherlight is complete. This way, we achieve maximum efficiency." 

"You don't want to check up on the construction?" Tristan asked hesitantly. 

"I'll probably be able to monitor it from the Beginning of Time in the same way that those guys there were monitoring _me_. I can probably communicate, or find someone to communicate, should need come to that…" Tristan was silent for a moment. 

"We're really gonna do this, huh?" he asked, taking a sip of his drink. Jack nodded. 

"Assuming we can get the funding. I don't imaging building something like this and creating the equipment will be easy _or_ cheap. We'll get by, somehow. You know, if worst comes to worst, I can always just take mental control over someone and have them establish the project and divert the funds like that," he smirked. "I hope it doesn't come to that, though." 

"I don't know if possessing a government official is listed as illegal anywhere, but that sounds like a federal crime punishable by life in prison to me, Jack," Tristan said. "But whatever happens, happens, I guess." 

About twenty minutes later, the other three walked into the shop. Noting that Jack and Tristan were already sitting down, Sarah realized that something must have happened, since it was still seemingly early to be done. Sitting down next to Jack, she inquired about the passing events and why they were done so early. With great length, Tristan and Jack told the story of the day thus far, starting at their journey down to the Lavos Cavern and ending with their final decision to form a group dedicated to the destruction of the Lavoids. Finishing their joint story, Jack and Tristan finally leaned back in their chairs and finished what was left in their respective glasses. 

"Wow…" Rayith said. "I didn't think you were that serious about this, Jack." 

"Neither did I," Jack admitted. "I think Sarah also knew I was thinking about such an organization, though. I just needed to vocalize it." 

"I think I knew, too," Sarah said. "I think you've known for awhile that you have a place in that position. Screw whatever Topik told you. That was something you needed to learn for yourself." 

"Yes," Jack said, nodding his head. He looked to Aragorn. "You're…welcome to join up with us again," he told him, somewhat hopefully. 

"I don't think I should, Jack," Aragorn said. "I think my rightful place is by the King's side, even when compared to the option of fighting by _your_ side. If anything, this journey has taught me that." 

"Such as I suspected," Jack said, rising from his seat. "Well, then. That leaves the only thing left for us to do is to speak with the High Commander and receive and audience with the Grand Counsel for the Kingdom. I don't know how easy that will be. I'll likely have to come clean about my origins and display proof. With the proper persuasion, Tristan thinks we can get the proper funding." 

"What about man power?" Sarah asked. "We need a crew." 

"They'll come," Jack said. "We'll probably recruit mostly SSAF people, even they won't be able to resist the opportunity to explore the stars." 

"Star Travel…" Sarah mused. "It seems so far fetched." 

"And ironically it's not technology that will get us there," Jack said. "It will be magical power. From propulsion to probably also our storage of supplies, it will be magic over technology." 

"Amazing…" Sarah said again. She sighed and drew herself out of her chair. "Do you want me to go to see the High Commander with you?" she asked. 

"No," Jack said. "I'd actual prefer if Tristan came with me. You understand, I hope." 

"Jack, I understand you better than _you_ understand you. Remember?" 

"Right," Jack said, scratching his head. "How could I have forgot." 

. 

"A small stone may make a ripple at first, but someday it will be a wave." - Wiegraf 


	37. Negotiations

**Chapter 37**

**Negotiations**

2000 AD, Office of the SSAF High Commander 

Straightening himself up, Jack looked up the stairs that lead to the High Commander's office. Dressing in normal clothes for the first time for seemingly forever, his jeans and collared shirt certainly reflected what was possibly too casual a dress. Aside him, Tristan stood, his trench-coat having been replaced by khaki pants and a hooded sweatshirt. 

"The High Commander will see you now Captain McKlane and Captain Tenser," the secretary said to him. The two men nodded and climbed the stairs to reach the double oak doors. As they opened inward, the High Commander walked up to greet them for the first time since Jack had ever walked into his office. Certainly their help with the Lavoid Excavation had granted them so prestige in the eyes of the SSAF High Command Counsel and the High Commander himself. 

"Welcome, Captain McKlane," the High Commander said, saluting. "And Captain Tenser." 

"Sir," the two men said, saluting back. Their casual dress conflicted heavily with the men wearing SSAF uniforms that filled the room, another indication of their sudden importance to the Organization. 

"I've been told you have something important to discuss with me," the High Commander said. "Please, have a seat," he indicated to the two seats in front of his desk. Jack and Tristan complied, sitting down. "I would like to bring forth my thanks for your help with Project Hellreach," he said. "Since you helped us reach the core of that thing, we've made great leaps and bounds in our research, even in such a short period of time. Our scientists have already extracted much information from the corpse of the creature." 

"Then you probably know that it isn't from this world," Jack said, taking his turn to speak. 

"We're…still not certain of it's origin," the High Commander admitted, "but…what do you know about it?" Jack looked at Tristan, who nodded. 

"I guess I'll get straight to the point," Jack said, standing up. "I'm going to explain a few things which may sound odd and my source of knowledge may seem dubious, but I can guarantee that it is all the truth and I can prove it." 

"Go on," the High Commander said. 

"Okay," Jack said, taking a deep breath. "What you have discovered in that cavern is a member of a species known as the Lavoids. It is, in all essence of the world, an alien, traveled from a distance star system. It is proof of life on other worlds as well as proof of a subspace material known as Chaos." 

"Excuse me, Captain?" the High Commander asked. 

"I'm sure that you had already had questions about it's origins, but its likeness to a human on the inside may have lead the scientists to think that it developed on this planet and later dug itself into the earth's core. This is actually not the case. In actuality, the Lavoids were developed as a race of biological weapons by humans that existed on a planet in a star system millions of light years from here." 

"Humans on a distant planet?" the High Commander asked. "And a species developed as a biological weapon? Captain, this sounds a little far fetched." 

"Sir, I can prove my knowledge base to you. I have come into conflict with this monster before, as you heard from my story, and my source of information is non other than from the monster itself before its demise. In fact, my own origins run from it." Jack quickly pulled a syringe out of one of his pockets and jammed the needle into his arm with disturbing precision. "While I explain this to you, examine my blood and extract my DNA. Compare it to that of the DNA that you found on the Lavoid and you'll know that I'm telling the truth." Pulling some of his blood into the collector, Jack withdrew the needle and placed it on the desk in front of him. 

"Do as he says," the High Commander said, almost with a sense of fear of the man before him. One of the aides walked over and removed the syringe from the desk and took it out of the room to test it in a nearby laboratory. 

"And as added proof, watch this," Jack said, waving his arm over the point where he had inserted the needle. Quickly, the blood that was oozing out stopped and the wound clotted and sealed. 

"What was that?" the High Commander asked, very intrigued. 

"That," Jack said, "As hard as it is to believe, is Magic." 

"Magic?" the High Commander asked. 

"It's hard to explain," Jack admitted, sitting down again. "But there are magical energies all around us, just like Force Tech energy. Magic is simply the manipulation of these energies. Sir, I swear to you that I am not an average human making up this story." 

"I'm going to try very hard to believe you, Captain," the Commander said, becoming interested. "Do go on." Jack smiled inwardly, knowing that he was gaining the belief of the High Commander. He would go on with his information. 

Jack went on to explain everything he knew about the origins of Lavos and all of the information he could muster about Chaos. The High Commander and the few aides in the room slowly took all of the information in over he course of he next hour or so. Jack ran through the abilities of the Lavoid and what their goal on a planet was after their corruption by the inter-planar subspace called Chaos. He also explained what he knew about Lavos's defeat at the hands of Crono. 

It was here that it came into the open that there were some historical documents regarding Crono. It was widely known in this time that Crono was a King of Guardia and reigned from roughly 1001 to 1042 AD (Jack, of course, was unaware of this as it had only been written into history as a result of the Time Wave). It was also known that he had accomplished some great deed in his time during a journey he went on when he was about 18 years of age. It had never been discovered what had happened, but it did seem to fit the records that he had defeated Lavos around this time. 

Jack even went into explanation regarding the Time of Zeal. He began making direct references to ancient artifacts such as recovered pieces of Dreamstone that had been controlled by the government. He would have had no other way of knowing about them. Everything seemed to line up from the High Commander's point of view. So, if he was telling the truth about his journey, could he be telling the truth about this life on other worlds? Could there really be civilization on other worlds and could it be reached? Still, more needed to be told about the Lavoids before Jack would reveal his final plan. 

"Fundamentally, they consume planets," Jack said. "They exist as parasites, absorbing the energies of the world and the DNA of the creatures in it. However, they also lead the evolution of the planet along to harvest the best DNA possible. We know, for example, that about 65,000,000 years ago, there was a sudden explosion of life on the planet. New species appeared that had not been there before and humanity began to develop into modern day homo-sapiens. I can promise that it was this Lavoid that created that sudden surge of genetic evolution." 

"So they are not a bad thing," the High Commander noted. 

"In all wrongfulness!" Jack contested, now bringing about his final point. "They are everything but good! After they have collected the genetic material that they need, they rise to the surface and open fire upon the inhabitants of the planet. If you check the documents about the structure of those spikes, you'll note that there is a large channel through each spike. Through these, the Lavoid emits a high-powered, beam class weapon that hits it's target with the force of a nuclear explosion!" 

"They destroy the surface?" the High Commander asked. 

"This one was killed before he could do so," Jack said. "If you examine the geological evidence in the area, you'll find that the shell had surfaced for some time." There was a silence. 

"We already knew that…" the High Commander admitted slowly. "The geologists said that whatever was down there had come up to the surface briefly before sinking back into the ground…" 

"It's clear what we must do then," Jack said slowly and grimly. 

"Captain, you can't be suggesting that we…" 

"Precisely," Jack said. "We need to form a force specially trained to combat these things and then go spaceward and being a purge of the universe of these things called Lavoids." 

"Captain, maybe I'm a bit confused, but where do you expect to find the funds for these things. Plus, how to you intend to travel space in search of these creatures!?" 

"The travel issue is not a problem, Sir. Such things as Magic can take care of that in ways you do not yet know, but consider the funds for a moment. Would this not be a worthy investment of the governments funds to be doing such a credit to all forms of life in the universe?" 

"Our goal here at SSAF is not doing good things for life in the rest of the universe, Captain. We aim to control what we have _here_. We have neither the time, nor the money, nor the man power to indulge in this little fantasy of yours." 

"Sir, you cannot ignore injustice happening before your eyes. This is happening all over the place. Innocent lives are being lost for no good reason. It has to stop!" 

"That's just the thing, Captain," the High Commander said. "It is _not_ happening right before my eyes. It's happening millions of light years away and therefore is of no concern to us." 

Jack had given the opportunity for humanities goodness to prevail, but apparently money truly was more important. The High Commander would not deal with this solely for the reason of being a beneficiary to the galaxy. No, Jack needed to pull out his big card against them. He needed to use his big pull. The staple human desire: money. 

"Okay, then," Jack said. "Think of it this way. This Lavoid certainly proves that life exists on other planets, in other star systems. Are you going to debate that with me?" 

"You have me convinced of that, Captain McKlane. It would be the only logical explanation, as odd as the word 'logical' sounds when dealing with this issue." 

"Then, Commander, consider for a moment the amount of foreign markets that can be opened with new connections across the stars. Consider the increase in trade that would follow in connecting to new planets. If we're going to find Lavoids, we'll probably find civilization too. The profits could be immense." 

"What would stop us from commencing with such trade without you and your ideas?" 

"Because you can't travel without me or my knowledge," Jack said. "Because, if you recall what I iterated about Planar travel, passing physical limitation on space travel can only be accomplished using the devices which I'm designing." 

"So what do you propose?" the High Commander said, finally getting the point. 

"We create this organization under government black op. We receive the funding and the manpower to design and create a starship such as I've outlined, and we forward all profits back here, minus ship maintenance. The Grand Counsel can even send people to monitor and conduct the trade on civilized worlds that we land on. It's a win-win situation." 

The High Commander in thought for a moment as the aide who had taken Jack's blood walked back into the room. Walking up to the Commander and dropping the folder he was carrying on the desk, he looked like he had just seen a ghost. "The Captain is right," the aide said. "Aside from a very few minor details, his genetic material is almost identical to that of the Lavoid. Both of their DNA is almost human aside from an abnormal group of chromosomes which they share. They've…begun calling this the Lavoid Factor after the name the Captain gave the species." The room was silent again. 

The High Commander slowly looked up at Jack who was standing, waiting for an answer. The Commander lowered his head. "Captain," he said slowly. "I'll have your ideas forwarded to the Grand Counsel when we meet this Friday." Jack smiled. 

"Thank you, Sir!" he said, saluting. Tristan also rose and saluted as well. 

"Wait, a moment," the High Commander added. The two men paused. "What shall we call it?" he asked. 

"How about…" Jack thought for a moment. "The Lavoid Exterminatorum Adeptus," he said. "Taking words from ancient Zealian." 

"Then the LEA it is," The High Commander said with a nod. "You two are dismissed." Saluting again and turning on their heels, the two men left the room, victorious in the labors of negotiation. 

. 

Having seemingly secured the creation of his new idea, Jack realized that there wasn't time to waste in beginning the brainstorming behind the idea. While the general concept was still there, the issue of travel and equipment and manpower and training still loomed over his head. He made his way to the End of Time with Sarah and Tristan in order to train with Topik, albeit a little past the time when Topik originally wanted to work with the youth. 

Before going, he quickly scribbled down the plans for the ship which Tristan would be designing. Seemingly influenced by futuristic science fiction shows, the Weatherlight was to be a long, sleek vessel. The diagrams indicated merely the general design, though. It would be up to Tristan to fill in what was missing, and there was quite a lot to be filled in. Jack did not have a degree in aerospace engineering. In actuality, neither did Tristan, but Jack trusted his friend to recruit the people that did. They would receive some start up money during the design stage before the actual construction of the ship began in the orbit of Elosia at the international Space Station that had been constructed three years ago. 

Jack knew his plans were being haphazardly thrown together at the moment. There was very little time to carefully think out the things about the LEA. He was merely trying to get the project off the ground so that when he came back from his training, he would be ready to go towards after his first Lavoid. But even that hadn't been well thought out. They didn't know where they would be going or how they were going to get there. Maybe Topik would be able to shed some light on that situation as well. 

Also, Jack and the others were pretty sure that killing Lavoids would require special equipment and special training. This was yet another thing that they didn't have on hand as all of the equipment would have to be designed and all of the training would have to be created. Until Jack himself had a better knowledge of how to kill a Lavoid and any Lavoid based life form, they would be unable to train operatives. 

All of this left the new government agency with little to do before Jack learned what he needed to learn from the beings at the Beginning of Time. Until then, Tristan could probably work through some preliminary design stages, but in the end, Jack needed to be there. The only problem inherent to this, obviously, was that Jack would not be there. 

Coming out of the Time Warp on the cobblestone floor of the End of Time, Jack and others noticed that besides Gasper, there was no one else inhabiting the area. No robot or girl or frog. It was just the old man leaning up against the light post and the ability to contact the Beginning of Time. 

"You're back?" Gasper said in disbelief. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you all again, now that Lavos is gone. Tell me. What brings you to my humble abode?" 

"I need to talk to Topik," Jack said, getting straight to the point. "…Again." 

"Have you come around yet?" Gasper asked, seriously. 

"Let's just say, maybe I'm beginning to accept my destiny," Jack said. Gasper grinned. "I've had some ideas lately, and I think I finally came to the realization of what Topik wanted me for all along." 

"No time for pleasantries, I guess. Well, it's about time, anyway," Gasper said, closing his eyes. Connecting thought to Topik, he spoke aloud what Topik said to him. "Topik says it's about time, too," Gasper said. "He's happy you finally came around. He wants you to come and work with him. He says that it will take awhile, but he can redeposit you anywhere in time that you want." 

"Anything else?" Tristan asked for Jack. 

"He says…bring the Epitorum, too," Gasper said. Then, as if he was asking Topik, "The Epitorum?" 

"The Epitorum…" Jack repeated the word. 

"The girl," Gasper said, almost not really believing what Topik was saying. "You," Gasper said, pointing to Sarah. "He wants you to go, too." There was silence for a moment. 

"Me?" Sarah asked. "_I'm_…the Epitorum?" she asked hesitantly. 

"Hey, I only say what the big guy says," Gasper said. "You may want to do as he says, too." Jack looked at Sarah. 

"It's okay," Jack said, holding out his hand. "I guess…you were destined to come with me too." 

"What does it mean?" Sarah asked. 

"I'll find out as you do, Sarah," Jack said. "You're safe with me, right?" 

"Yes," Sarah said. "I am." She smiled. Soon, a multicolored portal opened up in front of them. 

"I guess you two will be gone awhile together," Tristan said, winking at Jack. "Don't do anything too feisty," he said with a laugh. 

"Not unless you want another kidney punch, bud," Jack responded, winking back. "Don't let me down on this side of the field!" 

"And don't you let the world down on the other side, Jack," Tristan said, waving as they stepped into the portal. 

"I won't," Jack said, waving good-bye. "Hey!" he called back as the portal closed. "You know me," he said, his voice fading as his and Sarah's forms fell into blackness and the gate closed. 

Behind them, Tristan sighed. "Yeah, he said. I know you. Maybe that's what I'm afraid of. Don't become too powerful, now. You know I'll get insecure…" 

"He's destined to become that powerful," Gasper said. "You're friend has quite a task set out for him. I mean, one Lavoid is tough, but all of them?" 

"He can do it," Tristan said. "He's got powers beyond out imagination. He just needs to learn how to use them." 

"And what about the girl?" Gasper asked. "Why would she need to go too?" 

"Sarah's got some weird prescience shit going on," Tristan said with shrug. "We think she's got the ability to see into the future." 

"If she is the Epitorum, then that ability was the gene trait that Lavos was after. He wanted to combine that DNA with Jack's in order to create a more powerful being with the Lavoid Factor so that the DNA could be reabsorbed into the main core through the Lifestream." 

"Umm…yeah," Tristan said. "I think that's how Jack explained it." 

"Sarah was probably the result of an extremely lengthy series of selective breeding, guided by Lavos. Who would of known she held so much potential power." 

"Power?" Tristan asked. 

"Oh yes," Gasper said. "I'm sure they'll teach her to use her prescience abilities there. You just wait to see how powerful she'll be when she comes back. The ability to look down the Timstream is quite a tool. If she is able to use it well, she'll be quite the powerful one." 

"I see," Tristan said. He sighed. "You know, I think it's gonna feel like awhile till I see those two again," he said. "It seems like we just found each other after being split up and now we're way apart again. I can't really start Jack's plan too much without him. I certainly hope they come back soon…" 

. 

Beginning of Time 

The appearance at the Beginning of Time was unlike the one Jack had underwent the last two time he had come here. Instead of being greeted by the nothingness consuming everything and Topik walking up to him, this time, they were greeted by a different scene. Not only was there not a human (or humanoid) insight, but the surrounding they were in almost looked like resort or country club. It was like they had won some dream vacation to the Caribbean or something. Tropical plants surrounded what looked like a Mediterranean style beach house, all complete with a pool and tennis courts. It was certainly a bizarre occurrence indeed. 

"…Interesting," Jack said, examining his surroundings. "This is not what it's been like in times past." 

"It was different when you came here before?" Sarah asked. 

"Yeah," Jack said. "It was completely different. It was just sort of like…nothing." 

"You like the location I've chosen for you to stay in?" came a voice from behind them. Jack and Sarah spun around to see the human form of Topik, though now he was dressed in casual summer clothes. 

"What's this all about?" Jack asked. 

"I just figured that you would like to have nice accommodations, Planeswalker," Topik said. "You can't train all day long, can you?" He walked up to them and examined Sarah. "Ahh, so this is Elosia's Epitorum," Topik said. "Interesting. Now, have you started to manifest your abilities?" 

Sarah looked into his eyes for a few moments before answering. Squinting as she looked at him she nearly gasped. "It…can't be…" she said slowly. "I thought you were…" Topik cut her off with a smile. 

"Obviously we've seen a little manifestation, then. Don't worry, dear. All will be explained in time." 

"I don't understand…" Sarah said. "That shouldn't be possible…and I don't understand what you mean about my powers…" 

"Certainly you do," Topik said with a smile. "They've been there in your genetic code all this time. You just need to learn how to use them." 

"Am I missing something?" Jack asked. 

"You as well," Topik said. "You need to learn to use your ingrained genetic capability, too. If you wish to kill Lavoids, that is." 

"I do," Jack confirmed. "That's why I'm here. I decided to establish…" 

"I know what you decided to establish," Topik said, cutting him off. "Like I said another time. We've been watching you. Don't worry, young Planeswalker. You will learn how to kill them, and then you will begin to kill them. Maybe the time has come that this universe will finally be ridded of the accursed species." 

"You have a lot to explain to me, though," Jack said. "And Sarah too." 

"I'll answer all your questions and teach you all you want to know. Remember, young ones, time is your ally. Don't forget it." 

"Okay, then…" Jack said. "So what's first? I mean…the last few times I've come here, you've sort of tried to talk to me but I was a bit impetuous to stop and listen. I'm not really sure what happens now." 

"Hmm…well maybe you've grown a little since then," Topik said. "I certainly still sense a feeling of rush and anxiousness for the coming task. Don't feel rushed, Lathai…err…Jack," he corrected himself. "We shall take the time needed, less you wish for your skills to be unperfected. You won't lose any time while you're in here." 

"You know something?" Jack asked rhetorically. "Why didn't you just tell me you could send me to any point in time when I came here originally? Why did you let me storm off to Magus's castle without even hearing everything you had to say? And then you let me tramp off to attack Lavos, once again not hearing anything you had to say and letting my ego or my temper take hold?" 

"If you wouldn't listen to me, I couldn't contain you here. I shall not teach you against your will, Jack," Topik said. "Once you realize that you have a certain path in life which you must follow, you will take the time to learn. I think you've realized that now. I believe you will now learn here of your free will, and that is important. You can't force information on the unwilling mind. It would be a waste of your time and my time." 

"I thought time wasn't important?" Jack asked, smirking in the realization that he had caught the peculiar being in his own words. 

"Well, uh…" Topik started to say, also realizing that he had made a slight mishap of speech. "You see…well…you know what I mean!" he said in frustration. "Don't cross the meanings of the word!" Sarah began giggling. Jack soon began laughing as well. 

"No body's perfect, Topik," Jack said. "Don't worry about it." Not really thinking about it, he jokingly slapped Topik in the back as if they had been friends for years. 

"You're quarters are over there," Topik finally said, indicating the large house that they had seen. "I think you'll find everything there to your liking." 

"We get to stay there?" Sarah asked, a little shocked. "We get that entire place to ourselves?" 

"Please," Topik invited. "Spend the night there before we begin. I don't see the need to start today. If anything, the two of you could use some sleep. You don't seem to have gotten much even though the Grand Counsel approved the plan." 

"We've been a bit antsy," Sarah admitted. "We're still worried about how everything will come off. I mean, Tristan is completely capable of administering things on that side, but maybe we just feel like things aren't really in our control." 

"Go rest tonight," Topik said. "You'll have plenty of time for training tomorrow." 

. 

"Then it's time,"   
"For what?"   
"Your training."   
-Neo and Tank from the Matrix 


	38. In the Beginning of Time

**Chapter 38**

**In the Beginning of Time**

Topik had escorted Jack and Sarah to their quarters. It was amazing that they had what had to be at least a thirty-room mansion all to their selves. The house was truly large, comprising of way more bedrooms and bathrooms than two people could ever need. Yet, they didn't intend to spend much time in the house. They had much more important things to do. 

The grounds that Topik showed them for training was a short teleportation from the house. Set with an overlook of some unnamed body of water, the fighting area was quite well preserved. Then again, everything here was probably just an illusion. Or maybe the entities here just created anything that they wanted. After all, Topik said that they could look like whatever they chose. Why not be able to live wherever the wished? 

Since they had not brought much, there was very little unpacking to do. The closet of the Master Bedroom was filled with clothes, both training and casual, that were perfectly sized to each of them. The Master Bath had towels and robes with the initials JCM and SIM printed on them. 

"Sarah Inverse McKlane…" Sarah had said when she saw here initials. "I guess that's what it stands for." She smiled in the thought of being already married to Jack. It was interesting that maybe the initials were like that because that's how she had always pictured it. 

"And Jack Christopher McKlane," Jack said. "How did they know my middle name, anyway…" 

The kitchen was nearly fully automated, and fully stocked. It included a computer that had been preprogrammed to prepare all of their favorite meals. Each chair was specially fitted for each of them. 

There was a library, which Topik had told them served a dual purpose. In addition for a 'charming addition to an already extravagant house,' as Topik had put it, it also served as a knowledge base for just about every magical theory in existence. He had said that some books were direct copies from the library of Aristrand Clarist, but the reference was lost on the two of them. In addition to magical studies, there were books on the study of temporal distortion, inter-planer travel and just about anything else that could possible be desired by the young ones. 

Everything, from the seats in the hot tub to the toothbrushes, was designed to match the two of them perfectly, taking the form of the object that they had most preferred in the real world. The house had been made for them, as creepy as it sounded. This was their home for the time that they would spend here. 

Topik had requested to meet them in the mansion's east wing lounge to begin to answer their questions and prepare for their training. The lounge was a semi-large room with dark mahogany wall treatment and a few long, black leather couches around an elaborate coffee table. Topik was already waiting there when the two teens arrived. Lying across the couch, he certainly looked like he had made himself comfortable. 

"Relaxed?" Jack asked, as he and Sarah walked into the room in a fresh change of clothes, namely sets of black nylon warm-ups. 

"Very," Topik said jokingly as he rose from the couch. "Please," he said, indicating the couch. "Have a seat." The two travelers sat as directed and waited for further instruction. 

"We're here to learn, Topik," Jack said. "We're ready for whatever sort of training you have planned." 

"Yes," Topik said. "Train you will. We want to instruct each of you to better the particular skills that make you, well…you. Sarah, you'll be working mainly with Fenreir, here," Topik indicated the empty space beside him just as another figure appeared before them. He was slightly taller than Topik, a well built man with blonde hair. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Epitorum of Elosia," Fenreir said. 

"Please…" Sarah said somewhat wearisome. "Don't call me that. Call me Sarah. And, while we're here, an full explanation of this Epitorum thing and what it entails would be appreciated." 

"Very well, Sarah," Fenreir said, happy to not waste time and get right to the point. He decided to open his explanation with an example. "Have you ever had instances where you thought you were seeing the future, Sarah? And then, these events eventually happened just as, or at least close to, as you had seen them in visionary instances such as dreams." 

"…Yes," Sarah said hesitantly. 

"Well, one of the abilities that was born into your genetic code was the ability to see down the Timestream. Basically, the Timestream is like a web of occurrences. It spreads out in all directions as more and more choices in history are made. These decisions cause the Timestream to expand and wind upon itself. Basically, it is the fabric of history and it is the fabric of the future. When dealing with fourth dimensional travel, you have to accept the fact that multiple things in different time frames are all happening simultaneously. It's just a matter of seeing things in a four dimensional world." 

"I think I understand," Sarah said. "So, basically, in my dreams, I'm seeing things on this Time stream that haven't happened yet," Sarah summed up. "That's not that confusing." 

"Also, have you been experiencing headaches or possibly cramps right before something important happens?" 

"Yes, actually," Sarah said. "I was having headaches…well, before Lavos attacked both in 1999 AD and in 12,000 BC. I don't think I ever made the connection, though." 

"That is your ability beginning to manifest itself. At the moment, you can only see into the forth dimension when you are unconscious; when your mind is at it's calmest. What we're going to teach you is to use your ability to see into the Time stream at will." 

"And to use it to your advantage," Topik interjected. "We're going to teach you how to fight with it, mixing it with your ability with the sword. Fundamentally, it's a style that uses prescience to see briefly into the future and know what the enemy's next plan is. Once you perfect it, you'll be nearly invincible in hand to hand combat. I promise you that you will be amazed at how potent it is." 

"And your other seemingly innate ability," Fenreir said. "Is based on the way that your mind processes information. This is not something that you have to learn, so much as you have to hone. All of that ability is already there, but, basically, your mind has advanced to the point where you process information faster and more effectively than a normal human. Almost like a computer, in fact. Jack, you may have noticed an increase in her analytical nature recently." Jack nodded. 

"Yeah, I thought something was wrong with the way she was acting. Is that okay that she can do this?" 

"When the time comes for battle, Sarah, you will be an extremely potent general and tactician. Don't worry if this all sounds like a lot now, though. We're going to go slowly and take all the time we need." Sarah didn't answer for a moment. 

"Why a general?" Sarah asked. "I don't recall the need to wage war on anyone. We're going against Lavoids. They're just single organisms." Topik sighed. 

"You already know a good deal about the origin of the Lavoids. You already know they came from the planet earth, designed as a biological weapon. But perhaps you should know just how far the species is spread." 

"They have entire armies," Fenreir said. "The Lavoid here was probably just a scout or someone who had discharged from a main force either by will or for other means. We actually have reason to believe that Lavos was one of the first Lavoids ever made. The planet, Elosia, was designed as a test by the human creators to see if a Lavoid could recreate human society. It was like a test to see if it's abilities in gene pool manipulation were working." 

"Naturally, since you two came out of the planet, it was a success," Topik continued. "But consider the fact that Lavoid do not always go by themselves into the reaches of space, such as Lavos apparently did. Also, they do not exist separate from each other, as well as Lavos seemingly did. In fact they live in communities, most often. They exist in places called hive worlds, living and operating while out of their shells. Each of their shells are like their space ships, you must realize. The shell which they use is something basically existing as bio armor and a means of travel. You have seen the actual form of Lavos, Jack. They are about man sized. When the times comes to go out and do the bidding of the Queen, they climb in their ships and travel the stars." 

"And then there are the hive fleets, as well," Fenreir said. "Giant, living ships of biological Lavoid matter, traveling the stars by use of the Warp, or Chaos as you know it. They house the thousands of Farilii and other such foot soldiers and elite warriors. The ships then go and make landing on planets where they need to take over." 

"But why?" Jack asked. "Wouldn't there be a lot of them to feed on just one planet?" 

"Yes…" Fenreir said. "In studying their organization, there is normally one actual Lavoid for each ship, or set of ships. He acts mostly as the commander. The rest of the creatures are basically servants. They do whatever the commander Lavoid says. They are extremely militant, mostly due to their chaotic nature. The normal procedure involves landing on the world. If there is resistance, the armies of Farilii take care of it. After that, the Lavoid will imbed himself in the surface and absorb the planet's energy and the genes of the creature on that planet." 

"And then when they're done…" Sarah said. 

"Bam," Topik finished. "The planet is of no use, so they waste it. As I have told Jack, for some unexplainable reason, their young seem to only grow in conditions of nuclear winter. Perhaps it is the unexplainable _nature_ of evil that makes it so. But regardless, millions of lives are lost and the world becomes another Hive World, initially inhabited by the Lavoid and his offspring. Eventually, everything there reproduces and becomes stronger until it is time to seek out another world. Additionally, they normally go for planets with a large population and variety of life. This provides the most fetching catch in terms of DNA." 

"And so you shall know that there will be war, Jack," Topik said. "There will be much war. But, they will die. You will know how to kill them. You will have the weapons to kill them and the men who know how to use the weapons." 

"What about worlds like this, where there was only one Lavoid?" Sarah asked. "Are there such?" 

"Maybe if the Queen of the sector doesn't deem the world 'worth' sending a full force. This is more in the cases where the planet is very primitive before the Lavoid gets there. It is like a gamble on the Lavoid's part, hoping that the planet will eventually bare strong combinations of DNA. Remember, time means nothing to this species. For all definitions of the word, they are immortal. The one on Elosia was the first recorded Lavoid death of a Class C in millions of years." 

"And naturally, with no one to thin out their numbers, they have spread quite far," Jack mused. 

"Quite true," Topik said. "Far and thick. We estimate yearly casualties from the species to average somewhere in the area of 170,000,000,000 within the galaxy." Everyone was silent. 

"So we will have battles. And we will need generals, as our organization grows," Jack said. "Sarah…I guess you're a godsend in that regard, too." 

. 

"Why do I…have these abilities?" she finally asked. "Is there something wrong with me?" 

"You, as odd as this may sound," Topik said, "are the result of countless years of a breeding program that was used by the Lavoid to create you. He ingeniously blended the bloodlines of specific families, picking out the proper genetic code to achieve the combination that gave you these powers. Namely, they were the powers that the Lavoid wanted to absorb into his own DNA for his children, once your genes were combined with Jack's." 

"Jack, as you know, is the other end of the puzzle," Fenreir said. "The Planeswalker. The One of Lavoid Born. He is the one human who had been born of the artificial fertilization of a human egg by the powers of a Lavoid. Jack, you have inherited the capability to utilize the energy source known as Chaos. You have already begun to manifest this energy, if you recall the events during the Fall of Zeal." 

"I remember," Jack said with a nod. "That's not something you forget." 

"Basically, you two are Elosia's Chosen," Topik said. "Or, the ones chosen by Elosia's Lavoid, Lavos. If you didn't believe in destiny up until this point, you may wish to reconsider your beliefs." 

"But didn't you just say that each choice we make determines our path down the timeline?" Sarah asked. "Would that imply that the future is a result of free will?" 

"Yes, to a degree," Topik said. Fenreir clarified for them. 

"Jack and you have made all of your own choices in life. Your feelings for each other are not something that was forced. That worked out well for Lavos. Basically, all he can do is put the Planeswalker and the Epitorum together and hope that they procreate. Jack, when Lavos awoke in 12,000 BC, you were asleep in the palace, safe in your room. Did you ever wonder why he reached out and sent you in particular to the year 1984, of all times?" 

"I guess he was removing me from the destruction and sending me…" he paused. "So I could meet Sarah…" 

"In addition," Topik added. "Lavos had had some minimal control over Jack. Basically, he had not chosen for him, but he has lead Jack down certain paths of the time stream. Any time when you felt you were being pulled somewhere, Jack, like how you felt on the island of the Northern Palace, it was the Lavoid using his proximity to you in order to guide your actions." 

Everyone was silent for a few moments until Jack spoke. 

"So now that we're together, basically it's time to wreck some serious havoc on the race that has been manipulating us." 

"It's very rare for a Planeswalker to become free," Topik said. "As I explained to you, it is impossible for a Planeswalker to engage in final combat with his parent Lavoid. At that range, the control that Lavoid can extend over the Planeswalker turns him into really nothing more than a puppet. For a Planeswalker to become free, there have to be other individuals on the same planet that are capable of killing the parent Lavoid for him. Elosia is a rather odd occurrence in that there were about twelve humans that all had enough strength to kill the Class C that was inhabiting this planet. Some of them could do it on their own and others would have required working together, but none the less, there were many potential Lavoid Killers on your planet." 

Jack held out his hand and counted the people that could have been the potentials. "The boy, Crono, the girls Marle and Lucca. The Robot and the Frog and the Cave Woman. Janus, or Magus. Tristan, Aragorn and Rayith. Sarah…" 

"That's only eleven," Sarah said. 

"…And who else?" Jack asked. 

"Your sister," Topik said. "Schala. She had an incredible amount of power before she was condemned to her state of living with the Nooze. Her powers have been reduced to a fraction of what they once were, though." 

"Have been?" Jack said. "You mean she's…" 

"Oh, alive and well, as much as 'alive' means in her condition," Topik said. 

"That's great!" Jack said, happy that his sister wasn't gone. "Where is she, though?" 

"She also took it upon herself to seek out other Lavoids and kill them. She's been traveling through space since the day Lavos was killed, looking for another one. She's in a state of hibernation, at the moment." 

"Oh…" Jack said, somewhat discouraged. 

"Wait a minute," Sarah said, thinking back to what was said before. "If Lavos wanted the DNA from…well, mine and Jack's child, then why would he attack the world in 1999. In the normal flow of time, Jack and I weren't even together when he attacked. Why would he kill us before then?" 

"Ironically, we think he gave up on you two," Topik said. "He just considered that fact that you had known each other for most of your lives and had been at child bearing age for about four to five years but nothing had happened between you. You have to understand something. To a Lavoid, time doesn't really matter that much at all. As far as he was concerned, it would have probably been easier to start over. He had all the time he needed, so it wasn't as if he was in a rush or anything." Jack forced laughter. 

"Well, we'll show him who he should have given up on, eh?" Jack asked rhetorically. "He'll pay for not killing me with the blood of his species…" 

"Easy, Jack," Sarah said, putting a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "Just relax." Jack breathed deeply, closed his eyes, and nodded. 

"Topik," Jack said. 

"Yes?" 

"To kill a Lavoid, you need a magical energy at least matching that of their own, correct?" 

"For the most part, yes," Topik said. "Most Lavoid-based creatures are like that. Either their regeneration abilities or their magical resistance is too strong." 

"Okay," Jack said. "How would one go about creating a new type of magic? Not just one new spell, but what if one wanted to create an entire _category_ of spell? A new school of magic." 

"Chaos, correct?" Topik asked. Jack nodded. "Well, we'll have to begin with the basics," he said. "While you actually _know_ quite a bit, you're not sure _why_ you know it or how it _actually_ works. Once we teach you about sources of magical energy and you learn more about how to access the Chaos energy source, then I will go about the construction of a spell with you. You realize, of course, that you will be just about the only one able to perform these spells. You, and others like you, that is. It would be a school of magic solely usable by something that can access Chaos energy…and I don't think we'll be teaching the Lavoids said spells." 

"Excellent," Jack said. "We should get on that right away." 

"Whatever you wish," Topik said. "We are merely here to teach, and you are here to learn. What we learn shall be a mix of both what we want to teach and what you wish to learn. Whenever you are ready, we can begin to unlock the mysteries of the universe for you." 

"And how will we learn as such?" 

"Ah, yes," Topik said. "We have our methods. It's not quite what you're used to, though. It's something call Tactical Indoctrination." 

"And what exactly is it?" Sarah asked. 

"It's hypnotherapy, functionally," Fenreir said. "All of the information is condensed into radio-type waves. Then we just sort of beam it into your head." 

"Is it harmful?" 

"Hardly," Fenreir said. "It's just quick." 

"So it's like instantly downloading information?" Sarah asked. 

"Well, it's not instantaneous," Topik said. "But it's pretty damned fast. We normally measure the information to a standard, but basically you can learn about 40 styles of combat in roughly five minutes." 

"That is fast…" Jack said. "Seeing how I took years to learn what little I know as it is." 

"Quite," Topik said. "You'll meet the tactical indoctrination room later today, if all goes well." 

"Excellent," Jack said. "Then we'll be learning much more than I anticipated, but that is most definitely a good thing and there is no doubt about that." 

. 

"Beings that are born of dreams must return to them...The power of Lavos can make hopes and dreams come true..." - Enlightened Woman at Zeal Palace 


	39. A Tale of Temporal Training

**Chapter 39**

**A Tale of Temporal Training**

Beginning of Time 

"Magic power," Topik began, "is defined from where the power comes from." Jack was sitting at what was almost like a school-style desk in a lecture room somewhere in the house. Jack had no idea how they had ended up there, as Topik had merely 'ported them there. How he was going to get back was another issue, but he would have to ask later. 

They had split him and Sarah up. He wasn't sure what she would be doing with Fenreir, though it would probably take place in the training arena located somewhere outside. It was something or other about reconstructing her tactical fencing technique. He would see her at lunch, anyway. They had to eat, and he knew the lessons would at least stop for that. 

"There are innumerous sources of magical energy in this world and in this universe," he continued. "The energy which you are most familiar with is the energy from the series of magical winds blowing across this planet. Such winds are also found in currents in outer space, wandering aimlessly. These magical winds have also been called Ether and Elemental Magic, since each wind correlates with a specific kind of attack." 

"There is also Black Magic, which you have become familiar with. Sometimes, Ether 'attacking' magic and Shadow Elemental magic have been called Black Magic, but the accepted definition of the magic is for energy drawn from a higher source. Typically, this energy comes from outer-planer sources, Dark and Light 'Gods,' if you will. Chaos Magic, which you want to design, would be a branch of Black Magic, as it draws from an outer-plane source." 

"Also, there is Chi magic, or the magic of the inner energy. People commonly use this for techniques known as Limit Breaks, drawing on their inner power. This is a less widely spread form of magic in the magic using community, but it remains. All people have Chi, but only special cases seem to be able to access it. Powers which draw on the Id and powers centering around Trance are also shoot-offs of the Chi Magic Theory." 

"Even Force Tech, which you use in your time, could fall into the magic category. Force Tech is the energy of motion in matter, kinetic energy of the molecules and such. The energy rapidly burns and dissipates around the user, which is what creates the aura that is normally accompanied by the use of it. Actually, it's not the most effective form of magic in the world and your people are still far from perfecting it. Extremely powerful Force Tech users can be marked in use by the a noticeable difference in temperature around them. High absorbance of FT energy from a surrounding area will lower the average temperature." 

"I think I got all of that," Jack said, absorbing the information. "But I knew most of that already." 

"Well, then, we can move on," Topik said. "How about casting energy?" he asked. "What do you know about personal stores of power used for casting? In other words, what do you know about one of the few things your lacking?" 

"There are two phases of a magic spell," Jack said, reciting something that he must have learned from The Origin of Mount Woe. "The Draw and the Cast. The Draw is the process of absorbing energy from any one of the given sources that you listed. The Cast is the use of your own energy to manipulate the Drawn energy into the proper form, causing the spell to resolve." 

"Then you know what you lack?" 

"I don't have enough personal energy yet to cast higher level spells for very long," Jack said. "From what I'm told, I was using mass quantities of FT energy to mold the spell energy, rather than using my own power." 

"It's just a matter of the fact that you're still a relatively new spell user," Topik said. "Your BES, or Base Energy Stock, as it's sometimes called, will grow with the more magic that you use." 

"So all I really need to do is practice?" Jack asked. 

"Your…magical energy tolerance is really high," Topik said. "You're already well on your way to becoming a powerful mage. I think it's due to the Lavoid DNA in you. The Lavoids are also notorious for their energy tolerance. It was something written into your DNA when they were created. It was probably so they could store large quantities of Chaos energy over long periods of time." 

"My…Chaos energy…" Jack started to say. 

"The Black Wings," Topik said, knowing where he wanted to go. "Or, your discharge of naturally absorbed Chaos energy. You used two of their purposes in Zeal, for increased flight speed using Magic over Force Tech, and for the protective barrier they can create." 

"How do I use them?" Jack asked. 

"The Wings can take just about any form you wish. When you manifest the Dreamblade, you are using that energy also. Technically, you could form a blade simply from the Black Wings. Having the Dreamblade serves to help you focus your energy toward the task at hand and serves to amplify it using the Dreamstone." 

"But I still don't know how to access them," Jack said. "Thus far, they have appeared at times when I needed them to protect Sarah. But, I don't know how to create them at a whim." 

"Well…let's try a little exercise then," Topik said calmly. Jack nodded. "I want you to close your eyes and reach out with your mind to a point that doesn't exist in the three dimensional world. You'll be able to feel it. Just concentrate on that seething energy that you can feel." 

"I…think I see it," Jack said as he stretched his mind outward. "It's…surging with power." 

"Good," Topik said calmly. "Now, I want you to try to grab on to that energy mass. It should almost gravitate towards you." 

"I feel it…" Jack said, extending his mental prowess and trying to latch onto the growing ball of energy that he had seen. "It's…warm…" he said, tightening his eye lids. "It…wants to come to me." 

"That's just your natural inclination towards Chaos," Topik said, touching a hand to Jack's shoulder. "Concentrate on it. Just let it come to you, don't let it overpower you though." Jack sat in silence for a half minute as he struggled to grab at the new energy source. He tried to tap into it slowly, but once he had reached it, the energy surged at him. 

"It's coming!" Jack said suddenly, trying hard to keep his concentration as the rush of energy suddenly exploded towards him. He tried to fight it as it tried to take control of him. It wasn't just his imagination. The energy was surging through him. "It's here!" he yelled again. 

"Control it Jack!" Topik said. "You are in command! The energy belongs to you!" 

"So…warm…" Jack said, his body starting to shake. "No…it's hot. It's hot!" he said again. "It burns!" He repressed screaming out, trying to fight it. He thought he felt his skin being burned as he battled to control the energy. He _ knew_ that when he lost, all that would be left was a charred corpse. 

"Fight it, Jack!" Topik said. "Gather it together!" 

"I…I…" Jack started to say, fighting the pain. "I can!" he shouted again. The convulsions worsened. With an outward burst of power, he suddenly expelled all of the energy that he had gathered. The power formed a circle of energy around his now floating form. Pulsing with black and blue light, the aura extended itself out and back, sweeping upward into the Wings that he had created before. The excess of energy shot out, sparking out of control every now and then as Jack battled to get complete control. 

"Chaos…" Topik said, surprised himself at how much power the boy was releasing. Jack's body stopped its convulsions as he finally gained control. The Wings stopped their rapid fluctuations, gaining a more constant form. Hovering two feet off of the floor, Jack slowly opened his eyes. 

"It is mine," Jack said with some confidence. "The power. I can control it." Topik nodded. Jack smiled. "Thank you," he said slowly. Then, closing his eyes again, the energy suddenly disappeared and he dropped to the ground, slightly exhausted. 

"Remember that feeling," Topik said. "And you should be able to summon the energy at will. As you practice, you'll learn to control it better and eventually create more of the wings. Each wing is a weapon in combat, each striking a blow with the energy of Chaos. When you are through with them, simply let the energy jump back into its own dimension, as you did when you finished now." 

"Right," Jack said, climbing back onto the chair, breathing a bit heavier than normal. "I have an idea about what it should feel like," he said laboriously. "Now, where were we?" 

"Your energy," Topik said, "Can not only be formed into those projections of Wings, but momentarily released in a fight. Basically what I am trying to say is that regardless of the weapon, it will be possible for you to develop a fighting style that involves around the release of Chaos energy for the moment of contact with your weapon." Snapping his fingers, the two men disappeared from the room and reappeared in a new room and in new clothes. 

"I can use my fist or my sword?" Jack asked, straightening up his training gi as they stood in a dojo that was located off to the side of the house. Topik stood across from him, also in a similar gi, being black in contrast to Jack's white one. 

"We'll start with your fist, of course," Topik said. "Once you can channel that power through your first, then we can work on your sword. That will be a little more tricky because you're body won't be making direct contact. Yet, I don't think you'll find it impossible." 

"And this…is not a documented fighting style?" Jack asked, cracking his knuckles and started to gather Chaos energy to his body. 

"No," Topik said. "Assuming you can do it, this will be the first use of this technique. Granted, there are other styles out there that revolve around the use of general magic release at contact point, but you'll be dealing with something slightly different, of course. Being energy in its most basic form, the Chaos release would be more powerful than any other comparable magical release." 

"Good," Jack said with a smirk. "That means I get to name the style, correct?" Taken a little off guard by the question, Topik shrugged. 

"I guess," Topik said. "If you want to name it, so be it. But first, you need to base the actual style on something you already know. What kind of martial arts are you already familiar with?" 

"Okay," Jack said, thinking back to training he had received. "I'm not really on a black belt or comparable level with any particular style. I was more focused on fencing. But, I'm at least familiar with boxing, jujitsu, tae kwon do and rudimentary kung fu." 

"Well," Topik said. "We'll have to improve on that, won't we? In order to effectively create a style, you must be able to successfully blend other styles. Show me what you know, and then we'll work on what you don't." Topik beckoned for Jack to come at him. Jack shrugged, took up a fighting stance and ran forward at Topik. Letting his fists do the first of the talking, he threw a flurry of high punches at Topik, allowing him to block each one while he set up his offensive position. 

Topik shirked off the initial attack with flawless blocking technique, each wave of his arm deflecting Jack's blows away. Topik finally countered with a low toe sweep behind Jack's right leg, planting his foot and then making a duel palm thrust into Jack's chest. Jack was caught off guard and was hit by the attack and sent over Topik's foot. Recovering with a back hand spring and countering with a shoulder rush, Jack narrowly missed as Topik swung his upper body to the right letting Jack fly past him. 

Jack halted mid-flight and hovered in the air for a few moments. Coming down again with a series of kicks with his right leg, Topik smacked them out of the way with a mix of a spinning evasion technique and a swiping motion with his hands. Jack finally landed on the floor again and made a spinning leg sweep. Topik jumped over the sweep and brought his left foot upwards as he performed a back flip. Jack himself also back flipped to avoid being hit by Topik's rising kick. Both men landed from their flips and squared off again. 

In a simultaneous motion, both combatants made short jumps at each other, meeting with a fast sequence of punches and blocks. Jack, now put on the defensive by the expertly mixed blows of Topik, tried to move things his favor. With his next block out, he did not end his movement with a simple deflection, but swung his arm further around until he had trapped Topik's left forearm in his armpit. Locking Topik's arm further in place with his own hand, he brought his right knee into Topik's back and then swiveled his left leg into Topik's gut with a roundhouse motion. Finishing with a head butt to his forehead, Jack released Topik as he fell back wards. 

Jumping into the air, Jack attempted to slam his knee into the fallen warrior but Topik was too nimble. With a quick roll to the side, he dodge and then brought his leg around, catching Jack in the side of the head. Jack took the blow hard, sending him to the right as he recovered into a round off. Springing back to his feet, Jack came at Topik once more, this time with his left foot leading. 

Swinging his foot up in a feint, he spun into a twist, swinging his right foot over and catching Topik in the back of the knee. Remaining airborne, he quickly spun again and slammed his left foot at Topik's face. Topik spun his right hand up to block, stopping the attack in its tracks and leaving Jack hovering in the air. 

"Your technique is good," Topik finally said, withdrawing his hand as Jack lowered to the ground. "But we'll first use the tactical indoctrination device to broaden your range of styles. Does that sound good?" 

"So…I'll know the few styles I know more completely?" Jack asked. 

"Them, along with any other form of unarmed combat you wish to learn. Or, while we're at it, we'll throw in armed combat as well. I mean, why not, right?" 

"Just that simply, huh?" Jack said. 

"Like I told you before, it takes a few minutes, but the hypnotherapy is quite effective and efficient. Naturally, you'll need to exercise the knowledge before it is of any use to you. While you may _know_ how to perform the Nisai Goju school of martial arts at the level of a tenth degree black belt, actual combat experience is needed to fully utilize this ability. Over time, you'll blend the mastery of styles together and form your own style. I think you'll be quite please with the results." 

"Then let's do it," Jack said, enthusiastically pounding his fist into his hand. 

. 

It was then that Jack became familiar with the tactical indoctrination room, a room that would be a close companion to him through the training. Seemingly very simple, the entirety of it consisted of a chair in the middle of a circular room, resembling something of a dentist's chair. Above the chair there was a complicated contraption that seemed to siphon downward towards the chair. The walls were a light shade of gray and the floors were also gray, though they felt like hardwood. 

Climbing into the chair, Jack found it curved well to his body. He sat in a slightly reclined position on the gray pads that covered the odd chair. Topik stood at his side. 

"Just close your eyes and try to relax," Topik said. 

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that," Jack said jokingly. 

"Don't worry. This is completely painless." Absently, Topik waved his hand over the empty air and a small, transparent console appeared. Rapidly typing on what could only be a keyboard, Topik imputed the program which Jack would be induced to. 

"This is basically the data storage for the Beginning of Time," Topik said. "Our records are some of the most complete in the universe, rivaled only by Eternals existing in the three-dimensional world." 

"What's an Eternal?" Jack asked, recalling something from Highlander that rang a bell. Topik chuckled softly. 

"Don't worry about them," he said. "Should you be lucky or unlucky, you'll most likely meet at least one of them in your travels." Topik concluded his typing and the machine above Jack began to whir gently. "This may feel odd," he told Jack as the console before him disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. "But it won't hurt." 

"What will it fe-" Jack was cut off as a soothing sensation ran through his body. The gentle whir of the machine suddenly seemed to surround him as he felt himself losing consciousness. He wasn't uncomfortable in the slightest, though. Instead, he almost felt soothed. His eyelids grew heavy as his mind began to zone out. Slowly he drifted into sleep as the hypnotic transition of information started. 

The vast wealth of knowledge being poured into his mind did not wake his slumber. He was being artificially transplanted with the knowledge of about three hundred unarmed combat techniques that were gathered as a survey from the library of someone Topik called 'The Warrior.' Slowly, the actions and motions of each style were ingrained into his head in a mass transfer of information which would take lifetimes to learn if done manually. Instead, it was all spoon fed to him as he lay on the chair in a state of unconscious euphoria. He wouldn't even realize all of the power that had been begotten onto him until it was complete. 

About half an hour passed before the murmur of the machine subsided and Jack slowly opened his eyes. A slight after-sensation in the form of a light buzzing was ringing in his ears, but he ignored it as best he could. Not feeling any different at the moment, he slowly looked up at Topik as he climbed out of the chair. 

"Well?" Topik asked. "What do you think?" 

"I don't feel any…" Jack started to say but was cut off as the new knowledge in his head suddenly burst out of their storage point in long term memory, instantly manifesting themselves in a short burst of information that sent a wave of intense feeling through Jack's body. All of the moves, all of the techniques and all of the training from centuries of the martial arts suddenly came into his readily accessed memory banks, giving the instant feeling of enlightenment. "…Woah…" Jack said slowly, rubbing his temples. Topik chuckled lightly. 

"Would you like more?" Topik asked. "We have a more combat styles, armed and unarmed. Also, we have nearly the entire collection of recorded magic." 

"Are you serious?" Jack asked, somewhat rhetorically. Topik nodded. "Then hell yes," he said. "Give me more." Topik laughed casually. 

"There will be plenty of time, Jack. All of the knowledge of this database is at your disposal. I will show you and Sarah how to use it so that you may operate it without us." 

"Coolness," Jack said. "Anyway, where is Sarah?" 

"I think she's done with her lesson now," Topik said. He closed his eyes for a moment, opening up a telepathic communications link with Fenreir. "Yes," Topik said finally. "She is finished there. She has…worked towards a breakthrough. She will be a powerful fighter indeed," Topik said, lowering his head. 

"Isn't it about time to eat, anyway?" Jack asked. Topik grinned. 

"Yes," Topik agreed. "I believe so. Please, come with me." Topik waved his right hand and the two men disappeared from the room, reappearing in a large dining hall. This one, Jack knew, was somewhere in the mansion. Sarah and Fenreir were nowhere to be seen, though. It wasn't until a moment later that Sarah appeared with Fenreir, right next to Jack and Topik. Jack smiled and embraced her, before the two of them found their seats. 

Topik and Fenreir also slowly sat down, across from their respective apprentices. The four large fireplaces that circled the room suddenly magically lit themselves and cart with food on it was wheeled into the room by some unseen force. Jack and Sarah helped themselves, but Topik and Fenreir remained motionless. 

"I've been thinking about organization of the LEA," Jack said, biting into a piece of bread. "And it occurs to me that we're going to need more than one ship if there are _fleets_ of these Lavoid based creatures." 

"You have to start somewhere," Topik said. "Once you start everything up, money will come, inevitably, and you can expand to more ships." 

"And we'll need a solid command organization. I will probably have to appoint commanders. Tristan and Sarah can only do so much." Sarah shot him a look of annoyance before realizing that he was right. 

"You need a recruitment and training operation, too," Fenreir pointed out. 

"Yeah, I know," Jack said. "I've been thinking that too. Do…you think we could use the information from the Tactical Indoctrination room?" 

"Most of it," Fenreir said. "Some of it is restricted, but we think it's a good cause. We'll make sure you can set up all of your facilities with tactical indoctrination equipment." 

"Then we'll do fine…" Jack said. Sighing, he lowered his eyes. "We're going to start a war," he said. "People will die." Everyone was silent. In an effort to change the topic, Sarah looked at Fenreir and Topik and noticed that they weren't taking any food. 

"Aren't you going to eat?" Sarah asked them. 

"We don't require food as you do," Fenreir explained. "Remember, these bodies are just our choice representation towards you. 

"I keep forgetting…" Sarah said, cutting some of what looked to be meat off of its bone with her knife. 

"That's actually a good thing to talk about, though," Jack said. "Who, or what, exactly are you guys?" 

"You haven't figured it out yet?" Topik asked. "I think Sarah has a clue." Sarah slowly nodded. 

"If what I'm thinking is true, though, it defies possibility. You should be dead, if that were the case," Sarah said blankly. 

"Wait a minute," Jack said. "What does that mean?" 

"Oh come on, Jack," Sarah said like it should be obvious. "You even fought with him. You've seen his fighting style. You've looked into his eyes. The outward shell is different, but the eyes are exactly the same." 

"I…don't know what you're talking about," Jack said slowly, taking a sip of his drink. "You'll have to explain for the non-prescient among us." There was a pause. 

"He's Sean!" Sarah finally, said, putting down her knife and fork with a clang. The room was silent. 

"Shut up," Jack said jokingly. "You're…you're full of crap," he said as he laughed. He glanced at Topik, who looked back with his dark eyes, not moving a muscle. They stared at him with their steel gray coldness. Jack had never noticed it before. 

"One of Hope, Jack" Topik said slowly. "That's what you've just realized these past days. One who can free this dimension from the Lavoid Horde. That's what I called you back when I died, wasn't it?" 

"You…you…" Jack stuttered. "How is that possible? You can't be Sean. I saw Sean die with my very own eyes. Why the hell are you playing with my head?!" he slammed his silverware down on the table. "Get out of my head!" he screamed, clutching the sides of his temples. "You're dead!" he screamed. 

"Jack, calm down," Sarah said hastily, getting up and placing her calming hands on his shoulders. "It's okay. There's an explanation behind it. That's what I've been missing too. I just know why. I don't how." 

"You…can't be," he told Topik again. Topik looked back at him and smiled compassionately. 

"I am not Sean in the way that you knew him. His body was not mine. It was only his subconscious that was mine." 

"I don't understand," Jack said, putting his hands on his shoulders where Sarah was holding him. 

"Well, then you deserve an explanation," Fenreir agreed. "You see, your potential was something that we could not waste. Or, Topik felt it could not be wasted. However, our very existence limits us from simply entering your plane. The only thing that we could do was send one of us as guide for you." 

"But even that could not be done definitely. I had to be born a man," Topik said. "I needed to be born of a human and grow as a human. My magical capacity was also limited, due to my human form. And even then, I could not impart all of my duty to the being that was named Sean. It was almost as if I merely broke off a part of myself to be Sean. He had to learn about what I knew, containing _ within_ him my knowledge, but not knowing how to use it. In all essence, though, we were two forms of the same being." 

"Some of us that stayed behind, namely myself and another named Jal, guided Sean on his quest to enlighten you as to your duty. We influenced him to take on Sarah as his pupil along with you, since Sarah has also played a crucial role in the Space-Time Continuum. Sound familiar?" 

"Sean's dying words," Jack said bitterly. 

"And they arranged for Sean to come across the Dreamstone Blade and the knowledge that was imparted to him from me. As such, he learned of the Lavoids and of their goal and of the exact time that the Lavoid, Lavos, would surface on your world. His death, or his sacrifice, as it were, was to guide you along your path and deliver you to us, where you would learn what we are teaching you now." 

"How come…you never told me…?" Jack asked helplessly, wanting to cry. It was a mix of sadness and happiness. He was confused as to just what he _should_ think. 

"It wasn't important," Topik said simply. 

"How can you say that?" Jack said. "Of course it was important." 

"What's important," Fenreir said, "Is that you're here now. It's important that you've begun to learn and important that you understand your destiny, now. That is what is important, Planeswalker." 

"He's right, Jack," Topik said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You've matured more than you know from the days when Sean was leading you around. Now you're ready to think for yourself. Now you're ready…to kill for yourself…" 

. 

They trained. Each day was full of training. In fact, life did not seem to exist without training. It became part of everything. It was part of life. To train, to learn and to study. There was little respite from the lessons which Jack and Sarah learned in combat and magic. And what they learned was vast. By the time eighteen months had passed, they had accumulated the knowledge of the Beginning of Time and begun to put it to use. 

Her prescience had been honed sharply. Capable of clear viewing of the direct future and a general view to the far future (as the Time Streams branch out from choices that occur in the future, it becomes harder and harder to get a clear picture of them). Jack had tested her powers in close combat and she was able to hold him to standstill. His sheer speed and growing ability to warp time in the middle of battle was offset by her ability to foretell his moves. In hand to hand, Jack had met his match in his love. Now she walked slightly more aware of her surroundings, but slightly more burdened as well. Sometimes she looked as if the pressure of all of time was bearing upon her and, in a manner of speaking, it was. Knowing the future can be a painful and disturbing thing, she had told Jack. Sometimes she just knew that something bad was going to happen but couldn't tell what it was. She said that was the worst thing about it. 

Jack had ransacked the tactical indoctrination room for everything it was worth. Knowledge of infinity and the mysteries of the universe. When not practicing his knowledge, he spent hours upon hours in the room, absorbing whatever information he could get from the machine. Battle tactics, armed combat, unarmed combat, planer-physics, astrophysics, temporal physics, weapon design, magic theory, spell libraries. It made no difference to him. He was a machine of learning. Sarah worried his mind would explode with all of the information he held. All through it, though, he had picked out specific data sets and assembled as 'base set' of data which contained what he deemed as most crucial to the would-be agents of the LEA. This was to be the training data that all the LEA would have. It was the data that they would use to purge the galaxy of the Lavoids. 

Both teens had 'accepted their fates' as Topik had put it. Destiny had dealt them the ultimate hand of being its resolution to the Lavoids. If there was a God, he had picked these two humans from some backwater planet called Elosia (that hadn't even developed interstellar travel at the moment) to begin what would surely become one of the greatest crusades in the history of the universe. How resigned to their fates Jack and Sarah had become was surprising. Especially from Jack, who had so often insisted that he controlled his own fate, it was odd. Jack had merely told Topik that it was not destiny, but his own choice to follow in this. Sarah said she wanted to help Jack and be by him. Topik knew that the two most powerful humans on Elosia thought more of it then that, though. He knew they had become too mature to look at is merely a chance to kill some Lavoids. They had accepted the important nature of the mission. They were receptive of their fate. 

. 

"To defy destiny is to defy the very nature of existence," -Jack McKlane, four years later. 


	40. Planeswalker

**Chapter 40**

**Planeswalker**

Timeless 

Jack had returned by himself to the real world soon after those eighteen months came to a close. With him, he carried the planes for his new devices, the Planar Distortion Shift Device. Hopefully, Tristan could make some sense of it and the entire concept could be put to good use. 

Learning how to use the Planeswalk was probably the most important thing he had gained from his time spent at the Beginning of Time. It actually turned out to be a pretty complicated series of theories and concepts, but after training with them for the last six months, he had gained a decent control over it. At any rate, he had gained enough control over it so that he could design the machine that would guide his ships through the stars. 

The whole concept was based on the Differentiating Forms in the Multi-Plane Universe concept. Functionally, alternate planes are not shaped the same as the physical plane, even though they all exist in the same space like a series of bubbles within each other. But, in different planes, points that are light years away can be shifted so that they actually exist right next to each other. All one had to do was to shift into an alternate plane, alter the space in that plane and then drop back into the physical plane. Trips taking centuries could be completed in seconds if the proper calculations are accounted for. Of course, that was all circumstantial, but it would have to do. 

But using the Plane Shift in a fight also proved usefully. When constantly slipping in and out of the physical plane, Jack was able to create an extremely flowing and almost beautiful style of combat. Not having to cast a spell, such as a teleportation, it was an infinitely quicker method of instantaneous travel, powered by his Planeswalker abilities. The Planeswalker would revolutionize the fight against the Lavoids. Now they would be able to travel almost anywhere, tearing holes in the planes of existence and producing brain boggling effects. There were others like him out there, Jack knew. There were other potential Planeswalkers, waiting to be freed. That would also be part of his task. But first, he needed a ship. 

He had gone back to the point in time where the three of them were actually in the End of Time, just as Jack and Sarah had gone into the portal for their training. That was a point in time nearly two years ago, but with the now pinpoint accuracy of his time magic spells, he nailed the time to the second. Tristan had looked at him funny when he appeared again, holding the plans in his hands. Naturally, Tristan had just seen Jack disappear to the Beginning of Time and now he had reappeared just seconds later, without Sarah. 

"What are you doing here?" Tristan asked the blue haired warrior. "You just left!" 

"Yeah, I know," Jack said. "I timed it like that. Actually, I'm from nearly two years in the future. I just came back to give you this." He handed Tristan the three-hundred-page plan/report on the Plane Shift device, along with everything else about the LEA he could think of. 

"Umm…okay," Tristan said with a shrug, taking the plans. "It's all the same to me." 

"I'm going to go back to the beginning of time and then slide back into my original time stream. Then I'll come back, what will seem like 18 months from now, and jump back into the normal flow of time." 

"Will that work?" Tristan asked. "I mean, aren't you just creating a time stream distortion by changing the past?" 

"Yeah," Jack said. "So that in the future, the LEA will already be set up. Duh." 

"Oh…" Tristan said. "I knew that." 

"Okay, then," Jack said. "I'll see you in a year and a half." With that, he waved his hand and created a new portal. 

"You're just going to leave again?" Tristan asked him. 

"Don't see why not," Jack admitted with a shrug. "You have anything you need to ask? I mean, we won't be in contact through all of this." 

"No…" Tristan said, starting to flip through the plans. "I'm…sure this is all in order." 

"Of course," Jack said. 

"Then, I guess I'll see you in a year and a half," Tristan said with a realization of the task that lay before him over the next eighteen months. 

"Right," Jack said simply. Waving, he jumped into the gate again and it slammed shut behind him. 

"Right…" Tristan said with a sigh. "…Right." 

. 

Beginning of Time 

Jack stepped out of the gate, entering the Beginning of Time. Sarah was standing there, waiting for him. Beside her was Topik, also waiting patiently. He knew that their time in this realm was up and that their training was complete. They were basically killing machines, at this point. Beings specially trained to kill Lavoids, housing the entire bank of recorded knowledge. Most importantly, though, was that they had the intelligence to use the knowledge effectively…and fairly. 

Topik knew a war was about to begin. For the first time since their usurping of humanity, the Lavoids were going to be meeting serious resistance. Time was too hazy to view down, though. The Time Stream had far to many splits in that would occur within the next year alone. That meant that lots of important issues would come up and these issues seemed to center around these two kids from Elosia. The poor, technologically weak planet that had been nothing more than a human experiment, lost in the annals of time, was going to be causing problems. 

"It's done," Jack said simply. "Tristan has the plans. When we go back, the LEA should be almost up and running." 

"Or maybe it will have fallen apart," Sarah said with a smirk. "You just left the fate of the Lavoid-free world in the hands of a pot-smoking alcoholic." Jack bit his lip. 

"I never thought about it like that," Jack said, placing his hands on his hips. "Well, I guess we can always go back and cause a disturbance great enough so that is just creates a totally new Time Stream, alter the past again, then jump to _that_ future. Either way, Tristan can't screw it up permanently." Sarah shrugged. 

"Well, I guess all we can do is go and see." 

"True dat," Jack said casually. He waved his hands and a new gate appeared. "So…after you?" he motioned for Sarah to enter the gate. 

"Very well," Sarah said, stepping up to the gate. She looked back at Topik. "Thank you," she said. "For everything. I think our living conditions won't be as nice for awhile," she grinned. "I will use my abilities well." Topik closed his eyes and nodded. Quickly, Sarah nodded back before jumping into the portal. Jack soon took her place on the precipice of the time gate. 

"We'll get them," Jack said. "We're gonna get them and fuck them up good," he said bitterly. 

"I know you will," Topik said. "Sean knew you would too." 

"Thank you…" Jack said, closing his eyes. "I wish I had listened to you sooner, but…" 

"It all got done in the end," Topik said. "You did well." He paused. "Go now, Planeswalker. Purge the world of those damnations." 

"I will," Jack said. "You know I will." Clenching his fists, he jumped into the portal and it snapped shut behind him. 

"Yes, Planeswalker Lathain," Topik said. "I know you will…" 

. 

2001 AD, Truce City 

The sights and sounds of Truce city were the same as they were when he had left. There was still no sign of the Lavoid's attack and the dome was still intact. Buildings still towered into the air, even then smaller than the gigantic weather control device of the dome. People were still all over the place, as loud and uncaring towards each other as always. The air was still filled with the sound of honking horns from cars and traffic was still a major issue on most of the major streets. People really were ignorant of the threat that had been removed whilst they no longer existed. Ignorance truly was bliss. 

When Jack arrived back in Truce, he was met with a pleasant surprise in the form of a completely new wing that had been built onto SSAF HQ. While there was no access point to the new wing from the ground, there was a cornerstone that read LEA on it. Certainly, his hopes had come to fruition and Tristan had pulled through for him. 

"Good man…" Jack said to himself regarding his blonde haired friend. "It looks like you really made them get their acts together." Walking up the marble stairs, through the giant double doors and entry hall with the ten story high atrium, Jack was greeted with a shout coming from one of the large stairways. Looking upwards, he saw a man with long blonde hair run down the stairs, a black trench coat flailing about as he moved. 

"Jack!" Tristan called, continuing to run towards his companion. When he finally made it down the stairs and delivered a large hive five to Jack, he was gasping for breath. 

"You're out of shape," Jack said jokingly. "You've been spending to much time indoors these last months." 

"Nothing else _to_ do, Jack," Tristan said. "I've been busy. Everything is running smoothly." 

"I've inferred," Jack said. "I saw the addition to the building. What's going on in there?" 

"That's where they've done all of the research," Tristan said excitedly. "And started to gather men as operatives." 

"And the ship?" 

"It's almost complete!" Tristan announced happily. "It's in orbit. They built it at the space station. We tested out your devices. They worked almost flawlessly. Naturally I…err…we needed to fix a few things, but…" 

"So it's almost ready?" Jack asked, cutting him off. 

"Yeah," Tristan agreed. "The ship is fully equipped. Everything was designed according to the notes you gave me a year and a half ago." Jack laughed inside, realizing that for him, it was merely earlier that day. 

"Of course. I hope my notes were easy to understand?" 

"We made due," Tristan said, smirking. "But, I have something you might want to see." 

"What is it?" Jack asked. 

"The Control Room…" Tristan said, semi-cryptically. "It's all set up now. The Weatherlight herself only needs a few more weeks before she'll be ready to fly. Everything was tested in the computers, of course. It should all work fine. Do you want to see the room, though?" 

"Well, yeah," Jack said, as if it shouldn't have required asking. 

"Then, follow me," Tristan said, turning around and leading Jack back up the staircase. Tristan walked casually through the white halls of the building, passing through multiple security checks as they made their way towards the LEA Wing of the building. Jack was quite happy with the security that was being provided for the project. Naturally, since it was a shoot off of Project Hellreach, everything had to be totally classified. It also meant that they were truly taking it seriously at this point. Tristan may have done some verbal cajoling while he was gone. It appeared as if the LEA had truly taken on importance in the eyes of SSAF and probably even in the Central Government itself. 

"If just the Weatherlight is almost done, what will we do about the other ships?" Jack asked. "You did read about the compilation of a Lavoid Fleet, correct? We'll need new ships after this one." 

"They're building the Weatherlight right now in the station because the supplies were there," Tristan said. "Don't worry. They're also constructing the shipyards in orbit that will create the other ships. They'll be finished soon as well. Once they're done, we can start building the fleet." 

"Good…" Jack said, knowing that eventually, one ship wouldn't be enough. Even if that one ship had been designed to fend off a Lavoid attack as best as possible, they would still need more. There were just too many enemies and too much ground to cover. 

The LEA Wing was completely sealed off from the main building, accessible by only one door on the twentieth floor of the main building. As they walked through the new wing, Jack noticed that everything looked more metallic, rather than the pristine whiteness of the rest of the building. He wondered, now, what color the interior of the Weatherlight would actually be, as he had never specified. 

After passing through one last security check and going into a new area, they came to one last door. The door was protected by two very thick sets of doors that slid open casually as Jack and Tristan walked through them. A short hallway and one more set of doors later, they passed under an arch with the black letters "LEA CONTROL" written above. 

The Control Room, as Tristan called it, was quite a technological accomplishment. The room on a whole was about two and half stories, ceiling to floor, though there was a tier effect so that the it started only about one story high and then the floor lowered in steps, finally hitting the lowest point, right in front of a computer screen the size of an Imax. 

The whole room was dark, lit only by the flashing lights, the computer screens and the lights at individual workstations. The walls were black and the ceilings were black. On the giant screen was a computerized diagram of the Weatherlight, little messages and colors flashing in various parts of the elevation view. It was a cutaway analysis of the deck construction, showing what they were currently completing up in orbit. 

"That's…it," Jack said simply, marveling at the awe-inspiring capacity of the room. "My ship…" 

"Isn't is cool?" Tristan asked, grinning like an idiot. 

"I'll say," Jack agreed, slowly walking into the room and down some stairs that led to the second 'tier' of desk area. People were working diligently, not even really know _who_ Jack McKlane was. It wasn't important. He doubted they even knew much about the Lavoids themselves. They were probably here for the purpose of the space travel aspect. That was what all of the scientists were probably here for. It was somewhat of a Mission Control for the LEA. 

"Yeah. You'd be amazed what we actually had the technology for, but never put funding behind. Plus, with the details you gave us, we were able to build just about everything." He led Jack down towards the central and lowest tier in the room. There, he walked up to a duo of scientists that were discussing something. 

"Gentlemen," he said, interrupting their conversation. "There's someone I'd like you to meet." The two scientists, both gray haired and somewhat wrinkled in the face, turned towards Jack. The two saw the blue hair and already knew who it was. 

"So this is Commander McKlane, huh?" the taller one asked. Jack mentally noted that his rank had apparently slipped back up to Commander while he was gone. 

"He's awfully young," the other said. "Not what I had expected." 

"Trust me," Tristan said. "He's the real deal. Jack, this is Dr. Graft and Dr. Harvey. They've been leading the construction project with me." 

"Pleasure to meet you both," Jack said cordially, extending his hand in invitation. He shook both of their hands. 

"You've got quite a mind," Dr. Graft said. "That device you designed. We don't even know how it works, but works it does. It's amazing how you can just construct something based on a series of instructions and still not know how it operates." 

"Thank you," Jack said. 

"Maybe you can explain it to us?" Dr. Harvey said. "We're dying to know how it operates." 

"Magic," Jack said, as one says obnoxiously in not giving the actual answer to a question. 

"I see," Dr. Graft said, slightly upset with the youth's facetiousness. "Well anyway, I admire your genius. It defies the likes of everything I've ever seen before." 

"Tell me," Jack said, slightly changing the topic. "How much do you two gentlemen know about the Lavoid?" 

"The Lavoid, sir?" Dr. Graft asked. "All we know is that it's confidential. That's the area of the Exterminatorum Adeptus," he said. "The operatives of the Agency. They're the ones who know about that stuff." 

"We know it's what they dug up in Project Hellreach," Dr. Harvey interjected. "But that's about all." 

"I see…" Jack said, putting his hand to his chin. "Excuse me for a moment," he said, taking Tristan aside and whispering to him. "Who set up the Command Structure?" he asked. "Shouldn't they know about something like that? Or was the chain of command structured so individual departments wouldn't know what the others were up to? Do the operatives know about the Weatherlight, yet?" 

"Not entirely," Tristan admitted. "We're kept the information segmented at the moment. We only intended on the final crew of the Weatherlight being informed of the full details." 

"Maybe it's better that way…" Jack mused. 

"Don't give a soldier information he doesn't need to think about. Scientist or warrior, these men are all soldiers of the government," Tristan said. "They just need to be able to build the ship. The people we've been training just need to know about the Lavoids." 

"It makes sense," Jack agreed. "I've never had much of a knack for large scale administration." 

"That's what I'm here for, bud," Tristan said, slapping him on the back. 

"Anyway," Jack said, turning back to the Doctors. "I must leave now. Please, continue with your business." 

"Sir," they both said, saluting him. Jack, caught off guard by people saluting at him, was a little slow to salute back. After, though, he and Tristan climbed back up the stairs to the higher tiers of the room. 

"Tell me," Jack said. "What happened to Aragorn and Rayith after I left." 

"Rayith is here, actually," Tristan said. "She chose to stay. She said that there was nothing left for her in her time." 

"And Aragorn?" Jack asked. 

"He went back," Tristan said. "But he's not as far as you might thing. Actually, he's volunteered to train new recruits." 

"Really?" Jack asked, enthused. "How?" 

"That Tactical Indoctrination thing you mentioned," Tristan said. "Like you said, you can have the knowledge, but you need to know how to use the knowledge. He has since set up a program back in his home time where he trains the new recruits in combat. Talent like his was not to go to waste." 

"And battlefield tactics, I assume," Jack said, grinning. 

"Like I just said. Talent like his shouldn't be wasted." 

"I shall visit him soon," Jack said. 

"Speaking of visits," Tristan said. "Where's Sarah?" 

"She's around," Jack said with a shrug. "I think she's checking some other stuff out. She'll be here, though. Don't worry about it." 

"I guess you cleared all of this with your parents, first?" Tristan asked Jack with a laugh. 

"I told them the truth, but they didn't really believe me," Jack said with a laugh. "Even with all of the proof. _They_ remembered where they found me and the condition I was in. Still, that their adopted son is some sort of gift from God sent to rid the universe of some parasitic species…" 

"I guess that's quite a shock," Tristan said. 

"Quite," Jack agreed. "I ended up just telling them I was going on a tour of the Geno Islands with Sarah over the last summer vacation. I sent them a post card from the Beginning of Time. I spoke to them a few times as well. They were pissed that I didn't come home for the holidays." He laughed. "As for the future…" he paused. "I guess they can believe whatever they want. I can't simply defy my destiny, though." 

"I've arranged a dinner party tonight for the Heads of the Program," Tristan said. "You can give them a final explanation there." 

"Excellent. And then?" Jack asked. 

"The Weatherlight will be done within weeks. And then, Jack, you can start your war." Jack nodded slowly. Destiny was coming for him. He would not be the one to fight it. 

. 

Later that Day 

Around a large mahogany table, covered with bamboo place mats and high quality silverware, were a mix of some of the most powerful men in the Government. Ranging from the SSAF High Commander, the LEA High Commander (Jack, of course) and his advisors (Tristan and Sarah) to Dr. Jurai of Project Hellreach and representatives from the Grand Counsel itself. It was these people alone who had the most information about the Lavoid menace and what would become of it under the new operation. 

This group was made up of the extremely small number of people who knew of the true nature of the Lavoids, as dictated by Jack and the ongoing research of Project Hellreach. It was this only this group that knew of the true nature of the Existence of Elosia, the Test Planet for the Lavoid race. Probably the most knowledgeable humans on the planet, only a smaller number of them knew how a planeshifter worked, thought most knew what a Planeswalker was at this point. 

The assembly was more of a meeting than a diner party, though diner would be served. The time was going to be taken for Jack -who sat at the head of the table- to explain to the others one last time about his LEA. 

"Gentlemen," Jack said, not rising from his seat, but vocally silencing other side conversations. "We are here tonight for one reason, and that reason is the inception of the LEA." General nods of acceptance went around the table. "The LEA, as you already know, is an organization founded under the heading of the SSAF to combat a threat which we have named the Lavoids." Jack signaled for Tristan to begin speaking. 

"The Lavoids, as you well know at this point, are a species of biological weapons created on the planet Earth. The one named Lavos was sent here as a test. The test, as the scientists from earth called it, was to see if a Lavoid could recreate human society given the basic genetic codes of a human. These humans, the earliest ones on the planet, were sent here through space also, finding and building homes for a short time before the Lavoid arrived." Tristan looked at Dr. Jurai, who then stood up and continued. 

"We have determined that the Lavoid contains the ability to emit a type of hormone into the planet through something which Jack calls the Lifestream. While research on this 'Lifestream' is in its early stages, we know that through these hormonal emissions he can enact a type of breeding control on the species on the surface. He can also cause genetic mutation as he sees fit. The goal of the being, or at least one of its goals, was to collect a wide set of DNA from the living things on this planet. Jack also informs me that this is done through the Lifestream, but I'll let him continue to enlighten you." Dr. Jurai sat down. 

"Along with a collection of DNA," Jack said. "A Lavoid typically strives to create a perfect being based on human DNA. This is done through the offspring of two beings called the Planeswalker and the Epitorum. You have all heard this story before, I'm sure, so I'll skip ahead. Basically, when it decides to wake up and procreate, it digs to the surface and launches a series of laser-type weapons. We estimate the force of each of these to rival a nuclear explosion. Furthermore, casualties are immense. We guess the death rate to be somewhere around 95%. The humans remaining alive are forced to live in a nuclear winter. Sarah?" 

"This is known as a 'long term infestation'," Sarah said. "The purpose of it is to collect as much genetic material as possible and is typically employed on undeveloped planets. Lavoids also use something called 'short term infestation.' Basically, this only lasts a few months at most. The Lavoid will land on the planet with his ship and assault the surface with soldiers called Farilii. These Farilii are basically other beings that have been overwhelmed by Lavoid Energy, something you have done extensive research on over the past year and a half. Moving on, though, the Lavoid will basically overrun the surface, bring death and destruction to everything, and tap into the Lifestream of the planet for a 'refueling' of energy, so to speak. Then the process continues as they spread from world to world, infesting them one at a time." 

"Naturally," Jack said, "this should not be allowed to go on. And so, this organization was formed. We will go and purge the universe of these things. In return for the help granted to us by the Grand Counsel, we will return all trade profits back home, where they can be used as needed. This project will also lead to expansion of Elosia territory as the Counsel sees fit. As LEA High Commander, I do not intend to make this a priority at any measure. However, we will relay mapping information back to Elosia. You can all take it from there." 

"Do you know how you will kill these things?" came the question from one of the Counsel Representatives. Jack nodded towards Tristan, who would handle this question. 

"We have developed a wide range of weaponry that specifically target weak points of both Lavoid and Farilii. Basically what it comes down to is if you hit these things with something strong enough, they go down. However, their spells that are used to shield themselves from magical attacks can be negated if caught be surprise. A spell requires concentration to work, so catching them off guard in a sudden attack should prove effective. Their real strength lies in their resistance and tolerance for energy. Lavoids can withstand incredible amount of punishment, both physical and magical, but if you hit them with an energy source more powerful than their own, you can kill them outright." 

"Hence," he continued. "We have developed devices such as the Distortion Cannon. At the moment, it's somewhat inaccurate, but fundamentally, it creates a warp in real space at the target point, destabilizing the area and creating a Warp Flux. This Warp energy is where the Lavoids draw their power from. But, if you open up a Warp Flux right on a Lavoid, you basically rip them apart with Chaos energy. It is a potent weapon. That is just one of the weapons we have developed for use against them. When they meet the might of magically guided technology, we should be able to fell anything up to and including a Class C with limited worry." 

"It is once we get into the upper classes that it becomes shady," Jack interrupted. "We shall have to gather more energy about them as we go on," he said slowly. "But let that not worry us. All Lavoids will fall before us in time. I lament to say that this will not happen our generation, though. We are merely setting the groundwork for something that will become much bigger in time. However, it is my thought that this injustice of their existence should not go on. Someone needed to step up against them, and that someone was destined to be us." 

"Make no mistake, gentlemen," he said. "What we are doing here is starting a war. And this is hardly a war for glory. This is a war that will see much bloodshed before it sees its close. A Lavoid is not something that you settle terms of surrender with. The only way to get rid of them is to get rid of _all_ of them. It will not be easy. I am not aiming to delude you. It will not be something that we will come out on top of in every engagement. You all understand war. You all know what it is like." 

"But put fears aside for the moment and consider the importance of this task. Such a united stand against such a collective evil has never before been undertaken, in all likeliness, in all of the universe. I know not how far these beasts have spread, yet but know that it is far and thick. We must go forth once our tool of destruction, the Weatherlight, is complete and purge. These evils shall no longer plague our land nor the lands oh human beings anywhere. We are starting a war gentlemen, and the only solution left will be to finish it." 

Jack slowly sat down into the comfort of his chair and he was met by applause from somewhere. It hadn't spread through the room, but looking to his right, he saw that Sarah was clapping. Soon after, Tristan began to clap as well, followed by Dr. Jurai. The notion spread through the room and the clapping became louder. Jack smiled softly to himself and closed his eyes as the food was served. 

. 

Later that Night 

Sarah lightly stroked Jack's hair with a brush as they sat on the bed in her room. It wasn't the mansion at the Beginning of Time, but it was home for Sarah. For the few weeks that she would be home, she enjoyed being here. 

Jack had come over after diner. Now that the end was finally in sight, he was having some anxiety problems. His parents weren't too pleased that he was finally back but still not visiting home, but Sarah was more important than all that. She was always good at calming him down. He never needed to do the same for her, though. She was never nervous, or at least she never outwardly expressed it. 

"We're almost ready now," he said to her. "It's almost time." 

"You need to brush your hair more often," she said, biting her lip as she tried to pull through the knotty, disheveled mass of hair that was his head. "Even with the shampoo in the Beginning of Time, this is a mess." 

"I'm being serious," Jack said with a grin. 

"So am I," she said wryly. "My boyfriend can't have hair like this. You better get it together." 

"I can want to save the universe and you'd dump be because, in the wake of all of that stress, my hair is too knotty?" 

"Hey, hair is important, you know," she said with a laugh, putting the brush aside and lying down on the bed. Jack rustled up next to her. 

"Can you be serious?" he asked stoically. She mimicked his serious face before beginning to laugh again. Jack sighed. "Oh forget it," he conceded. Sarah wrapped an arm around him. 

"Come on," she said, now more seriously. "Just tell me what's bugging you and I'll do that thing I always do and you'll feel better." 

"You mean that thing with your-" Jack started to say but Sarah slapped him across the back of the head. 

"Not _that_ thing!" she said in defense. 

"Oh," Jack said. "Then it's other thing? That one where you have this awe inspiring ability to calm me down?" 

"That's the one," she said with a smile. He wrapped his arm around her, as well. 

"Just talk to me," he said, closing his eyes. "I just want to hear your voice." 

"Everything's going to be okay," Sarah said calmly. "And remember. I'm prescient. You can believe me now when I say that." She smiled. He didn't respond. "I don't know why you want to put all of this pressure on yourself. You just have to always remember that we're all here for you…always. I'm always here. You can always be with me. Just remember, I'm not going anywhere." 

"I'll protect you forever," he said softly. "I can, now." 

"I know," Sarah said. "And there's no one in the world I'd rather have with me to do it." 

"I love you," he said. 

"I love you too." 

"Be there for me?" he asked. 

"Always," she said. 

"Thank you," he whispered. "I'm just…so scared sometimes. I don't want to show it, but I am. We're starting a war, Sarah. We're starting something that will result in countless deaths, I'm sure. I think you know it too. What if it goes wrong? It'll be all my fault." 

"No," she assured him. "It won't go all wrong. Don't worry about things like that. Just follow your heart, Jack, and you'll win." 

"Really?" 

"Destiny only has so much control over you," she told him. "You have to accept your destiny, to a certain extent, but don't fear it. Not everything is guided by the whims of unseen force. The power of human spirit controls a lot." 

"How do you know this stuff?" he asked. 

"I don't know," she responded. "I just do. I don't ask why, it's just something I feel. It's why my heart is telling me, and I believe me heart. You should too." 

"Thank you," he said finally. "Thank you for always being there for me." 

"I should be telling you the same thing." 

"Then we've been there for each other," he said. "That's the way it should be. From now till the End of Time. Never leave me." 

"I won't," she said. He pulled her tighter and whispered in her ear. 

"We're starting a war," he said, barely audible. "But if I'm with you, it doesn't matter. Don't ever leave me," he repeated himself. She just nodded. "With you, I'm stronger. With you…I think I can do this. Just always be with me, Sarah. If that remains true, the Lavoids don't stand a chance in hell, and that's just the way we want it. Sure, we're starting a war, but if you just do this and be with me…it's war we can't loose. I'm sure of it. I love you Sarah. Just always remember that, because as far away from Elosia we go, we'll have each other…always." 

"Always is a magic word, Jack," Sarah said. "Always is a magic word." 

. 

The End 


	41. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Within two years of its inception, the Lavoid Exterminatorum Adeptus was responsible for the deaths of over 150 Lavoids and countless lesser, Lavoid Energy powered creatures. Initiating their attacks as raids on Lavoid colonies or smaller Lavoid fleets, they began to gather a power base. Slowly, they killed more and more Lavoids and the LEA fleet began to grow. Eventually it could certainly be called a fleet, with the now ever-famous Weatherlight as the flagship. 

It wasn't always the largest of the LEA's ships. Other ships such as the Predator and the Destiny grew past the original Weatherlight in size, but none grew past it in reputations. While Jack eventually appointed Captains to all of the ships, the Weatherlight itself was responsible for the most Lavoid related deaths in the short history of the Organization. Jack still retained his position as Captain of the ship. 

The LEA found, to their delight, that Farilii were _not_ the basic foot soldier of the Lavoid horde. There were a series of lesser Lavoid-type creatures that were killed with much less trouble; if you cut off their head in close combat, it stayed cut off and the corpse dropped to the ground. Also to their surprise, it was later discovered that the Farilii regeneration abilities could be circumvented by two ways. First, if they were knocked unconscious and then decapitated, they stayed dead. Second, if a swift stab is executed through the center of the skull, the normal hormonal reaction that cues the regeneration is somehow bypassed. Needless to say, both techniques were quickly included in the base set of Tactical Indoctrination. 

As they spread outward, the LEA quickly came into contact with other forms of human life. Apparently, the planet named Elosia was part of a political organization known as the Sol Dominion. It was a rather loose grouping of civilized worlds and there was no real ruler, but it did show that humanity, like the Lavoids, had spread far. The LEA, however, continued to operate outside of the jurisdiction of anyone. Jack had merely comment that he would simply have anyone that would try to control the LEA sucked into Chaos without second thought. 

Continuing to operate against the Lavoids as their main goal, the exploration provided by the organization did lead to new trade routes for the Grand Counsel back on Elosia. The LEA had paid back its initial debt within sixteen months. Most of this money came from interplanetary trade, but there was a growing market for a new type of profit. 

As it turned out, the glowing purplish crystals that were found on the inside of Lavos's chamber were also found on the chamber walls of any Lavoid. It was a result of magical residue, combined with Lifestream energy and raw Lavoid energy. The result was a crystal that could be ground into a powder. This powder proved to have some very interesting results when ingested. Apparently, the high that was induced rivaled most severe hallucinogenic drugs, according to specialists. Also, while only mildly addictive in small quantities, when certain amount is ingested daily, it was extremely addictive. Named Lamange (La, for Lavoid and mange, for the Zealian word for fruit, literally, Fruit of the Lavoid), the LEA found that there was a certain profit that they could gain from each of their kills. Needing money to continue their operations, the moral issues of basically dealing in the drug trade did not phase them. It did not phase it's users, either, as the market for it was growing. 

Recruitment was handled by taking budding warriors from each planet where conflict with a Lavoid had already happened. It was found that the best psychologically motivated Exterminatorum Adeptus were those who had met loss at the hands of a Lavoid. After being inducted, they began the extensive period of training and tactical indoctrination that gave them the knowledge of an Adeptus. While the training period was kept as short as possible in the organization's early years, it was later protracted so that more effective warriors could be created. 

The scouting for potential Adeptus was handled by a growing organization within the LEA that became commonly known as the Watchers. Normally examining the individuals from a distance before going further in and bringing their attention to the impending fate of their planet (as it was always a planet that was Lavoid infested), they would guide the young Adeptus to joining the ranks of the LEA. The Watchers ended up being headed by Tristan Tenser, also serving as a direct reporter to Jack himself. 

The Adeptus themselves were the results of countless years of research. Jack had picked particular aspects of this research to put into the program, giving each Adeptus high skill levels in close combat, armed and unarmed, and usage of all weapons that the LEA employed. Force Tech was a basic skill among the LEA and even the lowest level soldier in the group had a Tech Degree of 18. On that note, Jack's own Tech Degree had reached some point too high to actual measure anymore, though he never actually used all of it due to the impractical charging time that would be required. 

The remaining problem proved to be the Class B's. Whilst the LEA had no problems with the Class C's (which the more powerful warriors in the organization were well capable of felling on their own), the next step they had to make was the Class B. Jack had trepidation as far as moving the LEA into combat with the next level of Lavoid. He knew the time would come when they would be ready, and he did not want to wait forever, but a sense of fear was still there. New weapon technologies were being researched and new magical libraries were always being studied in hopes that someday, the LEA may begin to kill the next level of the Lavoid species. 

The final thing on Jack's mind was that inevitable existence: others like him. He knew it'd be lucky to find another potential Planeswalker without diving into time itself (which he refrained from as it was deemed that Time Travel and the possible creation of various and potentially devastating anomalies was not worth it), but he knew there was another one out there. There had to be one hiding somewhere. They were his family, in an odd sense of the word, and they would be powerful allies against the Lavoids. But, finding one was hard. Jack considered it part of the mission, though. He had to free the others. All of the other potential Planeswalkers, all of the other Lavoid Born…they had to become full fledged Planeswalkers. And it was that which brought him to his next target… 

. 

To be Continued in - Chrono Trigger: Twins of Destiny!! 


	42. Credits

**Credits**

It's funny now, as I'm writing these months after I actually finished the book, but I really do believe that it's something that needs to be done. To my credit, I have competed my first novel at the age of 16, but to the credit of many others, I owe them much thanks. William Faulkner said that all authors borrow from each other, and I am certainly no exception. The list of people that have been an inspiration to me is countless, and they really need to receive their deserved recognition. They are as responsible for the creation of this book as I am (well, not _as_ responsible, but I owe them credit, at any rate). That, and some people may kill me if I don't finally point out that I borrowed some of their ideas. 

Looking back on the book, I can honestly say that it is one of my most important accomplishments up until this point in my life. That's a problem, however, as there's still much to fix as far as the correctness in spelling goes. Yes, I pay my daily (read: bi-minutely) sacrifices to the God of Typos, most noticeably in the early chapters. Granted, I am going to fix all of this, and a Corrected Text version will slowly be released over time, but at the moment, my attention has been affixed on other things. 

I'm saying this as a general thanks to everyone who put up with the at times horrendous spelling and grammar. I was just barely a sophomore when I started it, and I got better over time, but that still doesn't change the fact that if you got this far in reading my work, you stuck through all of the problems. Typically, one can judge how good an author is from his opening paragraph, but in my case, I'm not so sure. I really don't know how you, who has read this far, has bypassed my mistakes and looked deeper to the parts of the book which were better. 

With all of that in mind, the first person I want to thank is you. Yes, I want to thank you, the reader. An author is nothing unless people read what he writes, and you who have read this have made me something. In light of all the people who I owe thanks, I owe the most to each and every individual who took the time to read what took me so long to compile. So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all. 

There are, of course, many individuals who deserved to be singled out. 

Nanaki. All of you know who he is. If you don't, then I'm not exactly sure where you read The Planeswalkers. The deity that is Nanaki truly is a God among men on Icy Brian's RPG Page, and a God among fanfiction writers for anyone who has read his work. You can easily see his influence and the ideas that he created through my work. From the day I read Origin/Aftermath of Mount Woe, this guy has been my hero, and on top of all that, he's probably more humble than people who have done _half_ of what he has in and for the fanfiction world. 

You can imagine my surprise when he e-mailed me in November of 1999 to tell me that I was a good author. I can honestly say that it was the _second_ most flattering thing I've ever been told. 

He's basically been my motivation ever since. I had to do better because I had to live up to expectations. I had to write and I had to create. It was so uplifting for an upstart author like myself to be complimented by someone whom I had revered as some sort of holy figure. 

It wasn't until he told me what he thought of the end of Planeswalkers that he was responsible for the _most_ flattering thing I've ever been told. I managed to somehow influence him and his writing. It somehow made me more complete that the man who had such an impact on my writing could possibly be given ideas by me. Lord knows, Nanaki, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you've given to me and to my stories. 

Nightsong. Here's a guy who you may not know as well as you know Nanaki. We met in the Icy forums in a thread commenting on how people thought I was older than I am. He made a comment about my writing and invited me to the now defunct CTIS. I never did get there, but what I did get to was his new forum, the Fantasy Finale Arts forum. That's been a part of my life ever since. 

Night is probably one of perhaps five people that I can call "best friends." That, and he's a good author as well. Granted, the only thing you've probably read of his is Split Infinity, and he himself wishes he never wrote it, but he's really turned into a talented writer. You may have noticed reference to the Sol Dominion and to creatures called Eternals. These are creations of Night. The political structure that he named the Sol Dominion has been adopted into my stories. The Planeswalker Chronicles therefore take place around the time when this massive planetary empire was being formed. 

Cain. Basically Cain was one of the other people that served as inspiration to get me writing. He was the one who explained that travelers of the time stream are immune to the changes in it, and as you may have noticed, my entire book wouldn't make sense without that explanation. Also, I'm partially putting him third because he put _me_ third, and so maybe I'd get him back for it (Cain, you're third!). If you haven't read Chrono Comtinuum, you're missing something special. Again, another guy who's pretty damned modest considering what he's given to the fanfiction universe. 

The World of Imagination, which is basically a culmination of ideas that worked like this: Nanaki had some ideas, I borrowed some ideas, I made up more ideas, Nightsong took some ideas from both of us, then Cain took some ideas from us as well. This is a group I managed to coalesce because I was the only one who knew all three of the other authors at first. Granted, I take some credit for it now, but that doesn't alter what the World of Imagination is really about. The goal of this collection of writers and ideas was so that we could write in the same Continuum and compliment our works with each others ideas. It's already pretty cool, and will only be cooler as more authors end up involved. 

Icy Brian. To the man who's site got me into writing fanfiction and was first to post my work, Icy I owe you thanks, too. Respect this guy, ladies and gents. Unless you've tried to manage a website, you really have no idea how hard this guy works to keep this thing running. 

George Lucas. For letting me steal your light sabers and the Force, you are the man. I know I never received written consent, but I don't think you'll ever know about this, so it's okay. 

Frank Herbert. For being the God of science fiction that you are, I thank you. A generally amazing author, this guy's influence is in my work, too. Also, you'll see even more Herbert-esque stuff in Twins of Destiny, so I hope he doesn't mind. 

J.R.R. Tolkien. I'm not sure what the J.R.R. stands for, but I know that Tolkien is synonymous with Fantasy. I never really did like your battle scenes much, but for creating such a vivid world and inspiring me to action, you rock. You may have noticed I borrowed some names from you. I hope you don't mind. 

To Dr. Restaino, for permanently impacting my writing. This needs a little explanation. Back in freshman year, we had to write these autobiographies, and one of the pieces of advice he gave was, "Try to use dialogue to forward your plot." Well, Doc, you have probably had _the _most profound impact on my writing style, as I started to advance my plot with dialogue and I've never looked back. For all of you who noticed that most of this book _is_ dialogue, you can thank Dr. Restaino too. Have a great Retirement, Doc, and I'll miss you. 

Magic the Gathering. I don't play anymore, but that's been the source of a lot of things, most notably my pen name and the title of my first novel! The Mox Jet, if you didn't know, is a Magic card, probably worth upwards of $250 at this point. I never did get to own one, but its essence lives in my name. That, and Magic is the first place where I heard the word Planeswalker. Granted, I think the game's been going downhill for awhile and it's way to expensive, but the Magic connections in my pen name and my story title scored me some readers when I was getting started, so I thank you for that. 

Games Workshop, for creating Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warhammer 40,000. If you played either of these games then you've seen the influence, but if not, I'm not going to make a list as that would take to long. For the inspiration behind things such as the Winds of Magic, travel through (and the name for) Chaos, lots of weaponry that I have copied (or will copy), and for teaching me how to explain large scale battles, thank you Games Workshop. 

Square Soft, for making such kick ass games. Obviously, I owe a lot of my success to Chrono Trigger, as that set the stage for my fiction, but you can see (or will see) that I owe something to many games. From Final Fantasy 7, to Xenogears, back to Final Fantasy 6 and the forward again to Chrono Trigger, you guys are a huge inspiration. 

The Slayers, for obviously teaching me the magic spells that I use in my fiction, and for just being inherently cool. Dragon Slave!! 

Chrono Triggara, for always knowing what to say at the right time. 

The Matrix, for kicking so much ass. 

Nanaki again, for explaining what happened to Schala. 

To Smoke Jag, with whom I'm not only forming a revised copy of Planeswalkers, without (hopefully) the typos, but for being my designated proofreader for  Twins of Destiny. 

Dr. Schlick, for teaching me how to fence, and therefore teaching me how to write sword fight scenes. 

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, for showing me that Force Tech _must_ exist in real life. 

Fencing in general, again, for teaching me how to write fight scenes. 

My Dad, for teaching me all sorts of cool martial arts moves, _also_ helping me to write fight scenes. 

Mr. Jordan, for teaching me how to play the trombone. I know that's unrelated to the story, but I feel it's worth mentioning. 

Krazy Sam, for being cool when she's not turning the IRC meetings into something less pleasant…and for making me that Tifa Cake. 

To NeoKefka, for being a nice guy and a good writer who's entrance to the World of Imagination made it official that we were going places.. 

To Gasper, for always being around in the IRC meetings to chat about personal stuff and to let me pimp my RPG-whores to. I hope you're still enjoying them! 

To Mike Collins, for complimenting me enough to actually get me to visit the Fantasy Finale Arts Forum and the CTIS and therefore letting me meet some more very cool people. 

To Max Zheng, for instructing me in some of the more interesting techniques in writing and for having whatever it took to write the sofa bed scene. 

My Super Nintendo, for all the good times you gave me. 

My Playstation, for all the good times you gave me after my Super Nintendo got tired of giving me said good times. 

My computer, for being there when I wanted to write. 

IRC, for letting my meet some pretty cool people. 

Nightsong again, for being the first person to want to use my ideas in their own writing, which is the biggest compliment a writer can get. 

Anyone who picked on me in elementary school. Your actions probably drove me to the introverted personality that was required to write this. Thank you, and fuck you. 

To my brother, for allowing me to test out some of the techniques I _wanted_ to use in a fight scene but wasn't sure if they were physically possible. 

For my lack of social life that was also required to write this. 

For my existence of a social life _now_, which is much more fun than writing sometimes was. 

To God, for giving me such an overactive imagination. 

To God again, for letting me _have_ a social life now. 

To Tenchi Muyo, for inspiring the Black Wings through his own Light Hawk Wings, and for generally teaching me how _not_ to pimp it. 

To Gundam Wing, for just kicking ass. 

To DBZ, for teaching me how to draw anime, and therefore how to draw Jack's hair. 

To Chrono Trigger, for giving me a story to write. 

To Super Mario RPG, for being my first Role Playing Game. 

To Final Fantasy 7, to first inspiring me into fanfiction. Granted, Final Conflict will probably never be finished, nor do I wish you to read it. I do, however, use some of the ideas that originated there in the sequel to Planeswalkers. 

To Xenogears for inspiring oh so much in Twins of Destiny. 

To Emily, for inspiring (but hardly dictating the personality for) Sarah. 

To Robert, for inspiring Keith. 

To Robert again, for being an example of a "Tristan." 

To Lina Inverse, for being the badass, totally cool, take charge, don't take no shit, Mox-wants-to-be-with-you-badly, awesome character that you are. 

To Aragorn, Son of Arathorn, who had _no_ inspiration towards Aragorn Lestrides, but for being cool anyway. 

To Michael M., for printing out a copy of my story. Damn, was it long. 

To all of the screwed up kids in high school that inspired Tristan. 

To Mrs. Goddesfeld, for finally teaching me how to use a goddamned comma. 

To Mr. Kweller, for teaching me that the colors emitted by atoms is based on the energy they contain. This was why the colors of Force Tech changed about ten chapters into the book. Don't worry, I'm going to fix these. 

To Mr. Schmidt, for teaching me physics and letting me realize that Force Tech _wouldn't_ actually work with the e=mc squared formula. Oops. 

To Nanaki, _again_, for making up the word Lavoid. 

Finally, to everyone else who was a part of this whom I have not mentioned. If I've left you out for any reason whatsoever, please let me know. The idea here is that everyone who's had an impact on me gets mentioned. 

**First to add to my "addendum" of credits is the fact that it is required that I mention that Elosia is _not_ the same as Eolsia, the name that appears in whatever works of Paul Nathan's that it appears in. The spelling is just coincidentally similar, and as I have not actually read whatever work it is from, I am not copying Mr. Nathan's.** 

As one last thing, I just wanted to mention something. While normally a dedication goes at the front, before the title page, this is something written on the Internet, and so there really _isn't_ a title page. However, I would like to dedicate this book to Shannon, for opening my eyes as to how enjoyable life really is, for always being there for me, and for really teaching me that there is a 'Sarah' for me. I'd go on, but it would take me forever to list the things that I owe to _you_, so I'm going to stop now. Just know that this dedication is worth it. 

Keep close, ladies and gentlemen, as Twins of Destiny is already in progress, and it's going to kick ass. Until later, may you read swiftly and may your computer never crash. 

Peace Always, 

Mox 


	43. Credits

**Credits**

It's funny now, as I'm writing these months after I actually finished the book, but I really do believe that it's something that needs to be done. To my credit, I have competed my first novel at the age of 16, but to the credit of many others, I owe them much thanks. William Faulkner said that all authors borrow from each other, and I am certainly no exception. The list of people that have been an inspiration to me is countless, and they really need to receive their deserved recognition. They are as responsible for the creation of this book as I am (well, not _as_ responsible, but I owe them credit, at any rate). That, and some people may kill me if I don't finally point out that I borrowed some of their ideas. 

Looking back on the book, I can honestly say that it is one of my most important accomplishments up until this point in my life. That's a problem, however, as there's still much to fix as far as the correctness in spelling goes. Yes, I pay my daily (read: bi-minutely) sacrifices to the God of Typos, most noticeably in the early chapters. Granted, I am going to fix all of this, and a Corrected Text version will slowly be released over time, but at the moment, my attention has been affixed on other things. 

I'm saying this as a general thanks to everyone who put up with the at times horrendous spelling and grammar. I was just barely a sophomore when I started it, and I got better over time, but that still doesn't change the fact that if you got this far in reading my work, you stuck through all of the problems. Typically, one can judge how good an author is from his opening paragraph, but in my case, I'm not so sure. I really don't know how you, who has read this far, has bypassed my mistakes and looked deeper to the parts of the book which were better. 

With all of that in mind, the first person I want to thank is you. Yes, I want to thank you, the reader. An author is nothing unless people read what he writes, and you who have read this have made me something. In light of all the people who I owe thanks, I owe the most to each and every individual who took the time to read what took me so long to compile. So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all. 

There are, of course, many individuals who deserved to be singled out. 

Nanaki. All of you know who he is. If you don't, then I'm not exactly sure where you read The Planeswalkers. The deity that is Nanaki truly is a God among men on Icy Brian's RPG Page, and a God among fanfiction writers for anyone who has read his work. You can easily see his influence and the ideas that he created through my work. From the day I read Origin/Aftermath of Mount Woe, this guy has been my hero, and on top of all that, he's probably more humble than people who have done _half_ of what he has in and for the fanfiction world. 

You can imagine my surprise when he e-mailed me in November of 1999 to tell me that I was a good author. I can honestly say that it was the _second_ most flattering thing I've ever been told. 

He's basically been my motivation ever since. I had to do better because I had to live up to expectations. I had to write and I had to create. It was so uplifting for an upstart author like myself to be complimented by someone whom I had revered as some sort of holy figure. 

It wasn't until he told me what he thought of the end of Planeswalkers that he was responsible for the _most_ flattering thing I've ever been told. I managed to somehow influence him and his writing. It somehow made me more complete that the man who had such an impact on my writing could possibly be given ideas by me. Lord knows, Nanaki, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you've given to me and to my stories. 

Nightsong. Here's a guy who you may not know as well as you know Nanaki. We met in the Icy forums in a thread commenting on how people thought I was older than I am. He made a comment about my writing and invited me to the now defunct CTIS. I never did get there, but what I did get to was his new forum, the Fantasy Finale Arts forum. That's been a part of my life ever since. 

Night is probably one of perhaps five people that I can call "best friends." That, and he's a good author as well. Granted, the only thing you've probably read of his is Split Infinity, and he himself wishes he never wrote it, but he's really turned into a talented writer. You may have noticed reference to the Sol Dominion and to creatures called Eternals. These are creations of Night. The political structure that he named the Sol Dominion has been adopted into my stories. The Planeswalker Chronicles therefore take place around the time when this massive planetary empire was being formed. 

Cain. Basically Cain was one of the other people that served as inspiration to get me writing. He was the one who explained that travelers of the time stream are immune to the changes in it, and as you may have noticed, my entire book wouldn't make sense without that explanation. Also, I'm partially putting him third because he put _me_ third, and so maybe I'd get him back for it (Cain, you're third!). If you haven't read Chrono Comtinuum, you're missing something special. Again, another guy who's pretty damned modest considering what he's given to the fanfiction universe. 

The World of Imagination, which is basically a culmination of ideas that worked like this: Nanaki had some ideas, I borrowed some ideas, I made up more ideas, Nightsong took some ideas from both of us, then Cain took some ideas from us as well. This is a group I managed to coalesce because I was the only one who knew all three of the other authors at first. Granted, I take some credit for it now, but that doesn't alter what the World of Imagination is really about. The goal of this collection of writers and ideas was so that we could write in the same Continuum and compliment our works with each others ideas. It's already pretty cool, and will only be cooler as more authors end up involved. 

Icy Brian. To the man who's site got me into writing fanfiction and was first to post my work, Icy I owe you thanks, too. Respect this guy, ladies and gents. Unless you've tried to manage a website, you really have no idea how hard this guy works to keep this thing running. 

George Lucas. For letting me steal your light sabers and the Force, you are the man. I know I never received written consent, but I don't think you'll ever know about this, so it's okay. 

Frank Herbert. For being the God of science fiction that you are, I thank you. A generally amazing author, this guy's influence is in my work, too. Also, you'll see even more Herbert-esque stuff in Twins of Destiny, so I hope he doesn't mind. 

J.R.R. Tolkien. I'm not sure what the J.R.R. stands for, but I know that Tolkien is synonymous with Fantasy. I never really did like your battle scenes much, but for creating such a vivid world and inspiring me to action, you rock. You may have noticed I borrowed some names from you. I hope you don't mind. 

To Dr. Restaino, for permanently impacting my writing. This needs a little explanation. Back in freshman year, we had to write these autobiographies, and one of the pieces of advice he gave was, "Try to use dialogue to forward your plot." Well, Doc, you have probably had _the _most profound impact on my writing style, as I started to advance my plot with dialogue and I've never looked back. For all of you who noticed that most of this book _is_ dialogue, you can thank Dr. Restaino too. Have a great Retirement, Doc, and I'll miss you. 

Magic the Gathering. I don't play anymore, but that's been the source of a lot of things, most notably my pen name and the title of my first novel! The Mox Jet, if you didn't know, is a Magic card, probably worth upwards of $250 at this point. I never did get to own one, but its essence lives in my name. That, and Magic is the first place where I heard the word Planeswalker. Granted, I think the game's been going downhill for awhile and it's way to expensive, but the Magic connections in my pen name and my story title scored me some readers when I was getting started, so I thank you for that. 

Games Workshop, for creating Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warhammer 40,000. If you played either of these games then you've seen the influence, but if not, I'm not going to make a list as that would take to long. For the inspiration behind things such as the Winds of Magic, travel through (and the name for) Chaos, lots of weaponry that I have copied (or will copy), and for teaching me how to explain large scale battles, thank you Games Workshop. 

Square Soft, for making such kick ass games. Obviously, I owe a lot of my success to Chrono Trigger, as that set the stage for my fiction, but you can see (or will see) that I owe something to many games. From Final Fantasy 7, to Xenogears, back to Final Fantasy 6 and the forward again to Chrono Trigger, you guys are a huge inspiration. 

The Slayers, for obviously teaching me the magic spells that I use in my fiction, and for just being inherently cool. Dragon Slave!! 

Chrono Triggara, for always knowing what to say at the right time. 

The Matrix, for kicking so much ass. 

Nanaki again, for explaining what happened to Schala. 

To Smoke Jag, with whom I'm not only forming a revised copy of Planeswalkers, without (hopefully) the typos, but for being my designated proofreader for  Twins of Destiny. 

Dr. Schlick, for teaching me how to fence, and therefore teaching me how to write sword fight scenes. 

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, for showing me that Force Tech _must_ exist in real life. 

Fencing in general, again, for teaching me how to write fight scenes. 

My Dad, for teaching me all sorts of cool martial arts moves, _also_ helping me to write fight scenes. 

Mr. Jordan, for teaching me how to play the trombone. I know that's unrelated to the story, but I feel it's worth mentioning. 

Krazy Sam, for being cool when she's not turning the IRC meetings into something less pleasant…and for making me that Tifa Cake. 

To NeoKefka, for being a nice guy and a good writer who's entrance to the World of Imagination made it official that we were going places.. 

To Gasper, for always being around in the IRC meetings to chat about personal stuff and to let me pimp my RPG-whores to. I hope you're still enjoying them! 

To Mike Collins, for complimenting me enough to actually get me to visit the Fantasy Finale Arts Forum and the CTIS and therefore letting me meet some more very cool people. 

To Max Zheng, for instructing me in some of the more interesting techniques in writing and for having whatever it took to write the sofa bed scene. 

My Super Nintendo, for all the good times you gave me. 

My Playstation, for all the good times you gave me after my Super Nintendo got tired of giving me said good times. 

My computer, for being there when I wanted to write. 

IRC, for letting my meet some pretty cool people. 

Nightsong again, for being the first person to want to use my ideas in their own writing, which is the biggest compliment a writer can get. 

Anyone who picked on me in elementary school. Your actions probably drove me to the introverted personality that was required to write this. Thank you, and fuck you. 

To my brother, for allowing me to test out some of the techniques I _wanted_ to use in a fight scene but wasn't sure if they were physically possible. 

For my lack of social life that was also required to write this. 

For my existence of a social life _now_, which is much more fun than writing sometimes was. 

To God, for giving me such an overactive imagination. 

To God again, for letting me _have_ a social life now. 

To Tenchi Muyo, for inspiring the Black Wings through his own Light Hawk Wings, and for generally teaching me how _not_ to pimp it. 

To Gundam Wing, for just kicking ass. 

To DBZ, for teaching me how to draw anime, and therefore how to draw Jack's hair. 

To Chrono Trigger, for giving me a story to write. 

To Super Mario RPG, for being my first Role Playing Game. 

To Final Fantasy 7, to first inspiring me into fanfiction. Granted, Final Conflict will probably never be finished, nor do I wish you to read it. I do, however, use some of the ideas that originated there in the sequel to Planeswalkers. 

To Xenogears for inspiring oh so much in Twins of Destiny. 

To Emily, for inspiring (but hardly dictating the personality for) Sarah. 

To Robert, for inspiring Keith. 

To Robert again, for being an example of a "Tristan." 

To Lina Inverse, for being the badass, totally cool, take charge, don't take no shit, Mox-wants-to-be-with-you-badly, awesome character that you are. 

To Aragorn, Son of Arathorn, who had _no_ inspiration towards Aragorn Lestrides, but for being cool anyway. 

To Michael M., for printing out a copy of my story. Damn, was it long. 

To all of the screwed up kids in high school that inspired Tristan. 

To Mrs. Goddesfeld, for finally teaching me how to use a goddamned comma. 

To Mr. Kweller, for teaching me that the colors emitted by atoms is based on the energy they contain. This was why the colors of Force Tech changed about ten chapters into the book. Don't worry, I'm going to fix these. 

To Mr. Schmidt, for teaching me physics and letting me realize that Force Tech _wouldn't_ actually work with the e=mc squared formula. Oops. 

To Nanaki, _again_, for making up the word Lavoid. 

Finally, to everyone else who was a part of this whom I have not mentioned. If I've left you out for any reason whatsoever, please let me know. The idea here is that everyone who's had an impact on me gets mentioned. 

**First to add to my "addendum" of credits is the fact that it is required that I mention that Elosia is _not_ the same as Eolsia, the name that appears in whatever works of Paul Nathan's that it appears in. The spelling is just coincidentally similar, and as I have not actually read whatever work it is from, I am not copying Mr. Nathan's.** 

As one last thing, I just wanted to mention something. While normally a dedication goes at the front, before the title page, this is something written on the Internet, and so there really _isn't_ a title page. However, I would like to dedicate this book to Shannon, for opening my eyes as to how enjoyable life really is, for always being there for me, and for really teaching me that there is a 'Sarah' for me. I'd go on, but it would take me forever to list the things that I owe to _you_, so I'm going to stop now. Just know that this dedication is worth it. 

Keep close, ladies and gentlemen, as Twins of Destiny is already in progress, and it's going to kick ass. Until later, may you read swiftly and may your computer never crash. 

Peace Always, 

Mox 


End file.

Chrono Trigger, Fantasy, Sci-Fi