((FINISHED)) Rise of the Fiendlord

[Prince Janus]

Ch 13: Harbinger


        Zenan Bridge, 599 Kingdom Calendar

       
        *jiggle*

        *jiggle*

        Flea couldn't stop giggling.

        After hearing about Magus's spell at Mount Denadoro, Flea had been doing a lot of experimentation, and decided that if he couldn't repair his anatomy...   ...he would alter it. It all happened a few weeks ago, with a spell that began as an agonizing process and rapidly turned into a euphoria unlike any Flea had previously had the opportunity to experience. He was starting to like being a girl, but insisted he was still Flea, deep down.

       "Flea, please..." a fierce man in a dark red cape groaned. "I find it disgusting."

       "Hey, dude..." He smiled. "It's your fault."

        Ironically, Ozzie's chest was bouncing nearly as much, and nobody seemed to care, least of all Magus. In back, Slash and Axl walked together.
 
        The five fiends approached the bridge, and saw a small military gathered on the other side. "Look well," Magus called out. "Zenan Bridge is the chokepoint to Truce, and Guardia Castle along with it. Once we overtake this bridge, the castle will be ours. Burn Guardia Forest to the ground around it, then spread out:  Send teams of ogres into the surrounding mountains: I want fiends closing in on it from all sides, that includes snipers perched to monitor the main gate, as well as the towers. We five alone will enter the castle and execute the majesties. If you encounter the frog knight, you may engage him but do not, I repeat, do not underestimate him. Once this operation is finished, you may do with Guardia Castle as you please. I will be at my own, making the final preparations for Lavos. Understood?

       The fiends all just sort of nodded their heads. Good enough, Magus figured.

      "Alright then. You have your orders. ATTACK!!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------

       A small military camp was stationed on the other side of the bridge, with several knights moving back and forth across it. The knight captain was seen exiting a medical tent with a lieutenant at his side.

      "Listen well...  I have orders from the King to destroy Zenan bridge if necessary. We will be unable to reach San Dorino or Porre if that happens, but the castle's safety is paramount. Relay this information to your archers, and be prepared if I give the order, understood?"

       "Yes, sir."

       "FIENDS ADVANCING!"

       "Damn!!" Captain uttered. "Liutenant!! Scramble your men!!"

      Within seconds, swords and shields clashed. The knight's phalanx held for fifteen minutes before fiends began to compromise it. One soldier was actually crushed under his shield by the weight of an ogre, and the diablos had no reservations about climbing over their comrade.

      In the heat of things, nobody noticed a hooded figure freeze her way across this mess, and most assumed it was Magus.

      It definitely caught Magus's attention though, because he certainly didn't remember doing it, and it definitely came from the other side.

      "!!!   What in the..."

      It didn't take long before he eyed the hooded figure, still trying to avoid the conflict while desperately crossing the bridge. Magus kept back, intent on investigating this oddity.

      "That's impossible..." he muttered. "There's no way they could have a magician, especially one of that caliber..."

      As she fled, she tripped over a fallen fiend and landed backward, her hood falling back.

      ...

      ..."Huh... Human alright..." Magus pondered. "I didn't think any other humans could come so close to matching me...    heh, with her blue hair, and her bright, green eyes, she kinda looks like..."

 
      ...

      ...

      ...


      "...no..."

      Magus hovered above in silence, just staring at her.

     "It's not possible...   she's not...   no!! Dammit!! I thought I got her out of my head... Why does she haunt my vision???"

     "STOP IT!!" Magus screamed out loud, causing some of his subjects to look up in the sky at him in confusion.

     "Stop?"

     "YOU'RE DEAD!!! D-E-A-D!!! YOU'RE DEAD AND GONE!!! I'VE ACCEPTED THAT!! WHY WON'T YOU JUST GO AWAY!???"

      He was holding his head and thrashing about, screaming jibberish now. Slash, Flea, and Ozzie just stood there, their mouths hanging open. "Uhhhh....   Magus?"

     It was then that Magus noticed a large fiend approaching the young woman with an axe, laughing. "TIME TO DIE, HUMAN MAGE..."

     The poor fiend never even had time to know what hit him, before Magus struck him back with such force that he collapsed through the bridge's entire width, taking several fiends with him. Before she could fall in, Magus drew up his cloak and grabbed her at lightning speed, depositing her on the other side and then running away from both his soldiers and the girl.

     "BURN IT!!" came the order from the other side, as flaming arrows drove into the wood. Many of Guardia's soldiers were able to retreat from the flames, but several fiends either burned alive or drowned as the bridge rapidly collapsed. Everyone caught between the flames and the holes, well...        ...they fought for what they believed in and would be remembered.

     What should have been a long-awaited and carefully planned-out victory for the fiends turned to disaster as Magus had suddenly flipped out and abandoned them. And what was with that human mage? A good portion of the fiend's military force was actually lost along with Zenan Bridge, neither side was happy about it.

-------------------------------------

     "I don't believe it!!" Axl shouted, as they marched with what little was left of their forces. "TWO YEARS OF CAREFUL PLANNING GONE TO SHIT, THANKS TO HIM. Is he trolling us or something? I mean, why did he take off like that??"

     "It kinda looked..." Flea uttered, "...like he was having some sort of... panic attack or something. I guess even Magus can lose his cool in a battle."

----------------------------------------

     Whether Magus liked it or not, he would have to answer to his forces for what just happened back there. Naturally, Axl gave him lip, which only resulted in Magus stripping him of his command. Again. As for the others...
 
     "Hey... Magus..." Ozzie awkwardly smiled. "So uh... you wanna talk about what-"

     "No."

     "Oh.. ok...  you know, it's just that we had been planning that for a long time and suddenly you just..."

     "I saw a ghost, Ozzie. A phantasm from an old life."

     "Yeah..." Ozzie replied. "That mage. We saw it too...  hey, you're a..."

     "FIEND, Ozzie..." Magus shouted. "I'm a fiend."

     Ozzie whispered. "You're whatever she was, right? Hey, I saw her face. You two related?"

      Magus really did want to discuss this, or even think about it. Something he thought he had accepted and buried was now crawling its way back up to the surface, just like Lavos was going to, soon. "I saw her cast... I carried her across...   ...Ozzie saw it too...   am I truly going mad, or...       ...!!!"

 ------------------------------

         San Dorino Desert, 3 days later

         It had been nineteen years since Flea's manic rampage decimated San Dorino forest. Something deep underground dragged the trunks down, and shifting sands replaced the dirt. One poor woman lived in a small oasis, at the center of a dustbowl. Most people just ignored Fiona, or thought she was a lunatic to try and repair the damage. The fiends certainly didn't mind, as it made getting back and forth much easier.

         ...so when she received a visitor, she was rather surprised.

       "I am told you know about the Magic Cave..." a blue-haired girl inquired. "Do you know where it is?"

       Fiona nodded. "Where, yes. But please... don't be so foolish as to actually go near it."

       The mage insisted. "Don't worry about me. I might just be able to help with... all this. I just... need to talk to him. Magus."

       "You're the magician they're talking about up in town, aren't you?" Fiona said, backing up. "So what's the deal?? Are you a fiend too? Are you the reason this desert persists? Magic has never brought us anything but trouble. Please, be gone."

       Schala insisted.

       "I am quite nearly inclined to agree with you, on that. It's rarely done much good for me either, until now..."
 
        Schala eyed Fiona's outfit. It was fine for the forest, but not for the dry and brutal winds of the desert. She needed something that could breathe, but still protect her body...

        ...that's it!!

        "Here..." Schala smiled, pulling her old dress out of her pack. It was faded, and looked more brownish than it did purple, but it was still in one piece. "You can't save the forest dressed like that. Please, take this as a sign of my goodwill."

         Fiona was shocked and, needless to say, moved by Schala's generosity. She invited Schala inside, and tried the dress on: it was a little shorter on her than it was on Schala, but it still fit her well enough. Together, they talked about the Human-fiend war, and about the arrival of Magus. Fiona deeply feared that her efforts would be in vain if the fiends won, but Schala smiled and reassured her she could end it. "I just need to go and talk to him..." she smiled. "Please... help me do this."

         Fiona nodded. "Ok. The magic cave is north-east of here, past Mount Denadoro. Magus's forces greatly do not like humans though... if that's what you are..."

         "Don't worry", Schala smiled. "I'll be okay. Thank you, so much for this..."

         "And thank you, miss..." Fiona smiled. "...for these clothes. This is much better."

         With that, Schala was on her way again. After the horrific experience beneath Arris Dome, she felt a strong warmth in her heart again. Now, it was time to go and see if she could bring that same warmth to her brother.

         "Janus...           ...I'm coming."
     

[Prince Janus]

Ch 14: Reunion


        Magus was silently cursing. In all of his contemplation over recent events, he nearly forgot all about his ceremony. He now had to dedicate all of his time to the final preparations, and couldn't take an active part in the fiends' endeavors.

        Somewhere, deep within a dark chamber of his castle, he was slowly, meticulously, drawing a runic circle on the ground, in front of a demonic altar. He had been studying this for nearly ten years now - he didn't care who he had to pray to to make it happen, but Lavos was getting dragged up for a fight. It was that simple.

        Magus knew the words somehow, deep down. He had heard them during his... trip, many years ago.

        "Let's see..." he whispered.  "Nuega...  Ziena. Zieber...          and Zom. Nuega Ziena Zieber and Zom. That's how it begins...  and then you sacrifice the world... I wonder if any of them have figured that out yet?" 
 
        "Did you tell them, Janus?"

        Magus immediately whipped around in the direction of the voice.

        "What!!????  NO!!! IMPOSSIBLE!!!! You...  y-you...        you're...!!!!!!

      -------------------------

      ....The Prophet of Alucinatio.

      "This cannot be," Magus growled. "I watched them chop your head off in the town square."

      The Prophet nodded. "Indeed. They did chop my head off, and I died."

       Magus's eyes narrowed. "And yet here you are, walking and talking to me."

       The Prophet did not react with any kind of emotion, though he seemed to listen. "I am not here on account of your treachery," he spoke, "except to say that because of it, I did not get a chance to tell you one more important thing about your powers."

       "Oh?" Magus chimed with sarcastic interest. "And what is that?"

       "Although you may command the power of all the elements, you must beware. Power alone will never allow you to obtain that which you desire most. In time it becomes as a crutch upon which you lean, forgetting how you ever stood without it. Someday, you will be forced to give it up. When you do, I hope something of you will still remain."

       "Great," Magus replied. "Now leave."

       "There is... other thing, Janus..."

       "Yeah? What?"

       "I have a prediction for you. This is not a punishment or curse of any sort. It is, no more and no less, just a prediction."

        "Out with it..." Magus ordered.

        "Until you realize that you cannot accomplish any of your true goals by yourself, you will slowly and steadily begin to lose everything, just as you did instantly when your kingdom was destroyed. This, again, is only a prediction: there is no expediting it nor delaying it: they are merely two events which shall coincide."

         "Great. Now, will you leave?"

         The Prophet nodded. "For good. This is the last you shall see of me. Goodbye, Janus...."

        ...

       ...In that moment, Magus suddenly jolted awake. He had apparently fallen asleep in his hidden chamber, and someone was pounding at the door.

      "Magus!!! Magus, are you in there!! We need to talk!"

      "Oof..." Magus thought. "Not this again..."

      Magus angrily flung the doors open in Ozzie's face. "I already told you, I'M FINE. It was just... an episode. Nothing more.

      "Actually, I'm not here about that. This is something I thought you might actually find important."

      Magus took a deep breath, followed by a long sigh. "What?"

      "That mage girl we saw before is in the main hall. She's asking to see you."

      ...Tch!!! "W-the...  the mage... w-why did you let her in!?"

      "Well," Ozzie explained, "When the message was first relayed to me, I told them to chase her out of the surrounding woods. She was apparently pretty insistent though, and when she didn't get her way, she asked again...   ...and here's the interesting part," he carried on, while Magus continued fussing with his altar.

       "...She asked for Janus."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzhMdhtaeR4

       Magus suddenly froze in place.

       "Janus..."

       Magus walked back into the room some, to think. Ozzie followed after, unsure what would happen next.

       "It's her..." Magus thought. "It's actually her, isn't it? This isn't a hallucination, or a dream, or...    ...no, Ozzie saw it too... and she's asking for...    ...now, on the eve of my...   no...  no...      no, no no no no nononononononnonoooo...."

       Magus had apparently started thinking out loud. "Uh....  Magus?" Ozzie asked. "Are you ok? Seriously..."

       The Fiendlord collected himself, took a few deep breaths, and stood facing away from Ozzie, a certain excitement and terror in his eyes.

      ...

      ...

      ...

       "...Have my belongings moved out of my room," Magus ordered. "Give the room to her, and make sure it is tastefully decorated. Tell Flea that I want a wardrobe prepared for this woman. A TASTEFUL wardrobe. She is not to be harmed or mishandled in any way, got it? Treat her no differently than you would myself. Tell the fiends that my sister is here to assist with the final steps of my plan if you must... and Ozzie?"

       "Yes?"

       "Prepare a meal. Inform her that I shall sup with her tonight."

-----------------------------

        When they told Flea that Magus's sister had arrived, a sense of dread came over him: Two Maguses??   ....Magusi? Magi??  point is, the fiends were cursed. But no, actually, Flea found she was much nicer than her brother. The two of them hit it off rather well, and Flea was a big help as far as putting Schala in something fancy for supper.

         "Well," Flea smiled, "If that is all, I must return to my duties. I'll come and get you when chow's ready. Ciao!!"

         Schala bowed her head with a smile. "Thank you so much."

         ...and now, she was alone. Alone to think, and look about the chamber. Like much of the castle, it was a shadowy place, the kind which the warm glow of candles could never fully illuminate. The stone was black, and the carpets seemed to be the color of blood. The place would have been a goth's paradise, but it only reminded Schala about how she found him here.

        "Janus..." she thought to herself, a bit forlorn. "I should have done something before. Something to stop mother...  look what has happened to you... my sweet little brother. Look what the world has turned you into. The darkness which plagued you has finally swallowed you up... ...but here you are, treating me so kindly...   ...maybe something is still in there, reaching out? Maybe...  I can still save you..."

         Schala looked out the window and sighed. It was a castle window, which did not come up to Schala's face, but sat in a deep recession of the thick wall, requiring Schala to lean in towards it. There was nothing to see outside, though. It was too dark.

         "I will be happier," she thought to herself, "when the sun rises. And of course, before that, when me and Janus finally meet. I'm here, Janus."

-----------------------------

         "She's here, Janus," Flea called out. "She's seated and waiting for you, like a pristine princess."

         "Ok... how do I look," he asked. "Do I look... presentable?"

          Flea eyed Magus over. He was wearing a black cape with a blue and gold doublet, along with blue pants.

         "A little basic," Flea shrugged,"But it'll do. Hey, it's just your sister, right? hehehe"

         "Yeah..." Magus sighed. "Just my sister..."

---------------------------

          Schala sat at that table for what seemed like an eternity, waiting for Janus to join her. Although she was raised to follow perfect manners, after awhile her patience was tested.

          "He is coming, isn't it?" She sighed. "He couldn't have forgot..."

          Flea came running back down into the black and red hallway, armor statues all around the fancy table. "Sorry!! He's on his way now," she spoke before leaving to give them privacy.

          Now, Schala could hear footsteps. A sudden fear came over her, as she realized Janus was finally on his way...   ...exactly how much had he changed? How was he going to react to seeing her?? He did... go through all of this because he still cared.. didn't he?

          Schala held her breath as he entered. Her eyes met with his, as he approached. From the look of it, he was holding his breath, too, and...          looked just as scared.

          A long silence filled the room as the two siblings just... stared at each other in an awkward awe and fear of each other.

         "Y-..." Magus muttered.  "You...   you're here."

        A slight smile formed on Schala's lips. "...Janus?"

        In that moment, for the first time in possibly decades, an honest smile appeared on his face. Not one of malice, or satisfaction. Just..     happiness. Deep down, he felt a little bit awful for trying to kill it for so long that he forgot how it felt...    ...he wasn't going to, but he wanted to cry.

        Schala stood up. "Oh my god...   I... I just..  I saw the amulet on the statue, and I just... and there was the history, and... and I did the research because I thought maybe... and you...   here... I-I-I... I had to...   oh god Janus...!!

        Magus's voice was breaking. "take the plate if you'd like...   but we can't stay in this room."

        Schala nodded, understandingly. "Let's go to mine."

        The two of them rushed urgently upstairs, looking as if in distress and slamming the door behind them...

         Schala felt compelled to spill everything about what had happened since the Ocean Palace. Mother... Belthasar...    How she discovered her little brother's whereabouts via the amulet... Magus couldn't help but laugh a little bit in his tears: having the image of his amulet sculpted into that immortal statue...    helped Schala find her way to him.

         "I'm so sorry, Janus..." Schala sniffled. "I-I wanted to come for you... to come, and just pluck you out of here... but this time period was as close as I could get, and I knew... if there was even a shred of you still in there... well... I had to try...."

         Magus thought about her words. She meant well, but there was a subtext to them, which reminded him of why he partly dreaded this moment: once he had accepted that his sister was gone forever, traces of him as Janus slowly began to fade as well. He was convinced that he'd killed the prince off for years... He always kept that amulet though, as a reminder of why persevered. He never expected, however, that one day he might actually have to answer to Schala, of all people, for everything he'd done.

         "Schala... about that..."
 
         "Shhhh..." she stopped him. "Don't. It's ok, Janus... I understand. I'm not proud of you, but...    ...I understand. You've always been a bitter person, and I'd hoped that the darkness would not consume you, poison your mind as it did Mother...  I am aware of what you're doing...  as well as what your goal is."

          Magus wasn't sure how to respond to that. "You must think so poorly of me..."

         "I pity you," she replied. "But I am not angry, or horrified. I'm just glad that you never forgot about me. You've done a lot of terrible things, Janus... but we can put that behind us now..."

          "Maybe you can..." Magus told her, "but the whole world knows my name now."

          "Then leave!!!" Schala insisted. "Janus, if you've made yourself the world's worst villain in this time period, then simply leave!! Go somewhere that nobody will care!!   ...come with me."

           "?"

           "The future..." Schala smiled. "It's not a glamorous place... or a pretty one...  actually it's... pretty bleak. Somehow, though...   I feel like you of all people might appreciate that kind of honesty in the world..."

            An amused smile crossed the Fiendlord's face. "Maybe...      ...I'll think about it, Schala."

            Schala curled up in her brothers arms for once, instead of the other way around.

           "...I'll think about it."

           ...

           
           Neither of them ever noticed that the door was slightly cracked open...

           ...or that Axl was listening in.

         

[Prince Janus]

Ch 15: Syntax

Medina forest, 599 Kingdom Calendar

     
         Two blue-haired figures were walking through the forest, light chatter amongst them.

        "Basically, I found light and dark themselves in what is called the 'mind's eye', and from there I was pretty much good to go..."
 
        Schala nodded. "Well, I'm not proud of a lot of what you've done, but I must applaud you on that, Janus... even if your understanding of it is still a little...    narrow." she said with a smile.

        Magus glared back at her. "...what do you mean 'narrow'!?"

        Schala rolled her eyes, standing on a fallen log and balancing herself on it. "Just because you learned fire and water out of books does not mean they were not also in the mind's eye. I remember doing that exercise myself, when I was about your age."

       Magus kept staring at her. "...I'm 30."

       "Look..." Schala corrected herself. "You know what I mean! when I was... the age you were... when... ...       ... ...when you left."

       The fall of Zeal was a bit of a sore subject for her.

       "It is impressive you were able to find huge bounties of both light and dark magic in there without any previous research, though..." she continued.

       "Heh," Magus smirked. "Maybe you'll have to teach me, sometime..."

       "hehehe...." Schala laughed. It was a forced laugh, for an uncomfortable or awkward thought.

       "yeah..."

-----------------------------------

       "Well," Magus smiled. "Here it is."

       Schala stared in wonder at the big blue pyramid of energy. "The barrier still holds, after thousands of years...    incredible!!"

       "I found it here way back, when I was still a child," Magus explained. "If this were Zeal, I can't imagine what Mother would do to me for going near it... but she's neither here nor there..."

       Schala continued just gazing in wonder at the structure. She rested her palm gently on the barrier's surface, and found that it held, as if the energy were a solid. She could even lean on it, as if it were thick glass. "Belthasar constructed this... he must have known it was still around, even from his perch in the future..."

       "You still have your pendant, right?" Magus asked. "We could break the seal and find out."

       Schala shook her head. "Unfortunately, I do not."

       Magus looked disappointed to hear this.

       "I sold it in Truce, for some provisions" she explained. "It's not like it had any more power to open doors, anyways..."

       "That's no trouble to me," Magus spoke encouragingly. "We could go and buy it back, easily."

       "Janus..." Schala stopped him, "If I could be totally honest, I *don't* want to see that pendant ever again. It was constructed to control the Mammon Machine, and has only ever brought me pain and misery. I'd just like to be rid of it."

       "So..." Magus sighed. "The Zeal North Palace ruins remain an enigma..."

       "Well," Schala replied, "Maybe that's exactly what they should be. Come on, Janus. Let's head back to your castle."

       Magus was about to move, when he suddenly stopped, dead in his tracks. "Wait...!!"

       ...

       ...

       "We... are not alone..."

       Schala began looking around, unable to spot anything. Magus however, stayed perfectly still for several moments, before suddenly reaching out with a palm and suddenly dragging a figure before him, seemingly out of thin air.

       "...Axl."

       Axl squirmed, trying to free himself. "Hey, I have a right to be in these woods too, you know!! Let me go!!"

       Magus dropped Axl before him. He wanted to put the fear of god in Axl's heart, but with Schala present, he felt too awkward about it.

       "Axl..." Magus sighed. "What are you doing here?"

       "Look..." Axl replied. "You've been acting weird since before *she* showed up. Some of the fiends are... you know... starting to ask questions."

       "Dammit..." Magus thought to himself. It was happening. Schala's arrival was beginning to undermine his plans. God bless her for doing it but...      it wasn't affecting his work well.

       "Everything is fine, Axl. My sister is someone I haven't seen in a long time, is all. We have a lot of catching up to do. Why don't you run back Ozzie and the others, and tell them I said this?"

        "Not so fast," Axl pressed. "...why aren't you mad at me? You're always mad..."

        "Axl..." Magus continued. "Truthfully, your poor attitude, insolent and insubordinate though it may be, reminds me greatly of myself at one point in time. Perhaps someday, you too may become the fiendlord. Until then, I need you to just have faith in me, alright? I will raise Lavos, and the world will be yours."

        Axl sighed, uncertain about this. "Alright..     ...I guess. I'll leave you two alone, then."
   
       ...and with that, he simply disappeared. Magus and Schala returned to the castle in relative silence.

        "...            ...Janus?"

       Magus nodded. "Yeah?"

       "What you said back there, about Lavos...  you are *still* planning to do it?"
 
       "I am," Magus told her. "Lavos destroyed our kingdom, Schala. I can't let him get away with that."

       Schala shook her head. "It doesn't matter, Janus. Lavos is the reason the future is so bleak."

       "All the more reason why I must succeed," Magus argued. "I will destroy Lavos, and then you and I may return to your future, to find it a more pleasant realm."

       Schala shook her head. "No, you don't understand..."

       "Then what?" Magus grilled her. "What do I need to understand?"

       "Just..." Schala thought to herself. "Please, Janus, don't obsess over Lavos. That's what happened to Mother."

       Her words seemed to get through to him...        ...for a moment.

       "...            ...             ...I will destroy Lavos."

       Schala sighed. "Janus, you thick-headed fool" she thought to herself. "I only hope you can see the error in doing this, before it is too late."

       "I must be attended to by my generals," Magus spoke. "I will again have Flea accompany you for today, since you seem to be hitting it off well."

       "Of course..." Schala said, sadly and deflatedly. "Well," she thought to herself, "it was nice while it lasted..."

        Alone, she sat in her room. It was nice of him to make sure she wasn't lonely, but still, she came for him and now he was blowing her off. Worse yet, he was crazy-obsessed over ending Lavos, and she couldn't find it within herself to tell him the truth: that his obsession was going to get him killed sometime next year. The year 599 was almost over, and once it was? She didn't know how much time she would have before he began his spell.

        "One way..." Schala thought to herself. "One way or another..."

        Once again, Axl was eavesdropping.

         "I cannot let him bring forth Lavos."
       

[Prince Janus]

Ch 16: Strain

A few weeks later

     Axl was sat in the mess hall, his feet up on a table. There was a large turkey leg in one hand, and a beer in the other. Slash looked annoyed with him.

    "You know..." Slash chided, "There are things you can be doing besides sitting around. Just because you have less responsibility doesn't mean you're free to do what you want."

    Axl just shrugged. "Doesn't bother me. Unlike the rest of you, I don't fear Magus-"

    "Or respect his title, clearly."

    Axl smiled. "He's not gonna do anything to me. Especially now."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Come on..." Axl grinned at Slash. "You have to have noticed. Ever since that girl showed up, he's gotten...    ...soft."

    "Uh... yeah..." Slash replied. "I don't think he's gotten soft, Axl. I THINK he's trying to focus his resources on Lavos. We've got a lot of time before Zenan Bridge is fixed, and right now he's laying everything onto his enforcers - us."

    Axl didn't respond.

     "Which means," Slash continued, "Shape your ass up or I'll cut it off."

     When Axl again refused to respond or even sit right, Slash brought his sword down right between the fiend's legs, narrowly missing his crotch. "AH!" Axl jumped, falling back in his chair with a crash.

      "SO STOP MOUTHING OFF."

      Axl looked up at Slash, who was ready to put the fear of god into him. "Hell no!! I'm not following that crock of shit, and neither should you!! Slash, slash listen..."

     Slash grabbed Axl by the neck and started to squeeze...

     "N-neither of them... a-are... who they..  they say..."

     "Huh??" Slash asked, slowly releasing his grip.

     "Magus...    Schala...  they...   they're frauds!! They're frauds, I'm tellin' ya!"

     "Kid..." Slash rolled his eyes, "I've known Magus longer than you, and that's still young compared to how long Ozzie and Flea have known him. Why would he spend TWENTY YEARS orchestrating a fraud? He is the very reason Guardia is taking fiends seriously in the first place! Nobody cared about us before, nobody thought we could organize any of this!! THAT FIEND in the cape is the sole reason we've gained anything!"

     "Dude, Slash, he's not even a fiend. His real name isn't even Magus! It's Janus Zeal."

     Slash tilted his head. "...alright... I'll give. Where the hell are you getting all this?"

     "Well, you see, I was..."

     Before Axl could continue, footsteps were coming down the stairs. In the spirit of confidentiality, Axl shut his mouth. Not long after, Flea appeared, along with Schala.

     "Afternoon, boys..."

     Slash rolled his eyes. "Afternoon, ladies"

     "Oh?" Flea scoffed. "I only see one lady here."

     "Yeah whatever" Axl shrugged. He gave Schala a brief glance. "Hey," he said.

     "Hello there," Schala smiled. "I don't think we've been introduced. I am Schala, Magus's sister. And you are?"

     Axl didn't answer. He simply got up from the table, glaring at her, and left.

    "Geez," Flea said, shocked. "The hell's eating him?"

     "Just some conspiracy bullshit", Slash shrugged. "Find anything in Choras?"

    "I don't want to talk about it", Flea sighed. "I just wanna sit here and chill with Schala, because for once Magus isn't lighting fires under my ass to get things done."

    "That bad huh?"

    Schala just watched the two go back and forth.

    "Kids are the worst part", Flea groaned. "Harder to hit, and way too stupid. Thankfully I managed to keep the Naga-ettes fed well enough."

    Schala gulped as she realized what Flea was implying: they fed children to monsters. She knew her brother was involved in some pretty terrible things, but never really fully considered what that meant until now... or that even now, he was still giving commands to do so. He was still Janus though, and she needed to get through to him one way or another...    she was scared though: scared that, in order to stop him, she might have to harm him... or worse. And what of his generals?

      "You ok, Schala?" Slash poked. "You've been awfully quiet. You know, if I didn't know better I'd think you'd never spilled blood before."

      Schala thought back... back to the Ocean Palace. She could hear her mother's voice, screaming at her. She could barely see through all the tears, screaming, and pain... she had to continue with the machine. There was no "stop". No stop at all... thus, because she didn't stop, she raised Lavos to the surface and destroyed her kingdom, along with so many Earthbound...

      "More blood than you can possibly imagine", she uttered, lowly. "I've done this before, long long ago. Trust me: Magus will do it, but I'm the experienced one..."

      Maybe she did belong in a place like this.

      "Um... excuse me..." she spoke, apologetically. "I need some time alone."

      ...and with that, she urgently left the room and all of its company, dashing back to her room to think.

      "He's really going to do it, isn't he...  he's going to bring it forth... why? What will he accomplish? Zeal can't be brought back, and I'm *right* here... he's so insistent though... He's not going to stop if I just ask him to. No...  I can see it now. He's become ruthless and cold...

      ...just like mother."

      Schala sat on her bed, with her head in her hands, face in her palms, thinking about the painful future she had to get through. "I have to stop him... Janus, I'm so sorry... but you've gotten out of control. This wrath and fury are not you, Janus...   this cruelty... and to think you believe you can simply *fight* this creature? After what I went through...   you know I witnessed this creature's power. If I simply tell you, maybe that will be enough... but what if it isn't?? You've become a monster - I can't allow you to simply stay here and continue! I've gotta do what I should have done with Mother....   I've... I have to...       ...oh Janus... I'm so sorry for this..."

---------------------------------

      Magus was at his altar when a loud knocking came from the door.

     "DO NOT DISTURB ME", Magus hollered. "YOU FOOLS DO NOT COMPREHEND THE INTRICACY OF THE UPCOMING CEREMONY!!"

    A voice responded. "Janus? It's me..."

     Magus suddenly went very soft. "s-Schala?? ...come in."

      Schala walked in, looking very nervous and upset. "I need to speak to you..."

[Prince Janus]

Ch 17: Collapse


    Keeper's Dome, 2299 Kingdom Calendar

     Belthesar's eyes went wide.
 
     "Zeal..." He shuddered... "What have you done?"

      Queen Zeal stood firmly. She was still Belthesar's Queen and would not bend to him. "I have made a decision for the sake of my family, Guru of Reason. Schala has done nothing wrong, and I will not allow her to suffer alongside us. If she desires to be with her brother, than we cannot stand in the way."

      Belthesar shook his head. "This was not supposed to happen...   she was supposed to be here, where she couldn't... 

      ...

      ...

      ...this'll ruin everything... especially if Janus is prepared to..."

      "What are you talking about??" Zeal demanded.

      "She's the flame's arbiter, right? If Janus raises this beast, she could be... I'll have to change everything...  write history from the future...    it can be done... its just..."

      Zeal sighed and left him rambling. He was making less and less sense as the days passed. At times she did regret losing patience with him as she tried to provide company, but as his mind deteriorated more and more, she knew things would only get worse and worse.

     "...and if I could establish contact with her, then...!!"

     ================================

       Magus's Castle, 599 Kingdom Calendar

     

          Magus felt a pit in his stomach.

          He knew exactly what Schala was going to say, and had been dreading it since the very moment Ozzie confirmed she was alive and well in the middle ages.

          "You don't like this, do you Schala?" He sighed.

          Schala said nothing.

          "...You don't like what I'm doing here. You think I've become a monster who stalks victims in the night and spills blood because his favorite color is red."

         Schala looked aside. "Your change in appearance does suggest it..."
 
         Magus thought deeply about how to reply to this. He didn't want to argue with her, but needed to persuade her to at least leave him be.

        "Janus, I..."

        "Look..." Magus spoke, still trying to find words. "There was a time, long ago, when I didn't want to do any of this... a time when I would cry myself to sleep, wishing you would just come and take me away, like it was all just a bad dream...    but that was a long time ago, Schala. I came to accept that you were dead and gone...  that I was on my own."

        "But Janus, now I-"

        "No..." Magus told her, softly. "No words you speak at this point can ever persuade me...    No, perhaps I ought to say that no action, no power on this planet remains which can stop me now. So long as you are without power to match, my fury will know no rest until Lavos's last moment is filled with pure terror and regret as I bear my scythe down upon it."

        "And why??" Schala demanded, tears streaming down her face. "To what end? For me?? For a kingdom wracked with corruption and foolishness? Janus, I'M RIGHT HERE!! "

        This next part was the hardest for him to say.

        "...P-please...      Return... R-return to your own time now. You cannot stay here, dwelling on this. Please, get out of my castle and leave this time period."

        Schala's vision was blurred with tears. Did he really want her gone that bad??

       Magus couldn't stop the tears, and was getting tired of trying.

       "Schala...  thank you. But I am the boy I was no more. Back to mother, with you...
 Live...    be strong..."

       Schala attempted to protest this, but suddenly found herself being moved out of the room by an unknown force, the door slamming shut behind her. She slammed her fists against it as much as she could, calling out for her brother... calling out for Janus...    ...but there was no response.

       Janus was truly dead, and Magus did not want her. Desperately trying to contain her sobbing, she left the castle and began making a long, sniffling, tearful trip back towards Truce.

      "So..." she whispered, under the pale light of a full moon.

      "You mean to tell me that no matter what I say, no matter what I offer... there is nothing I might do to stop you?"

      "What purpose, then, is there to remain here... I couldn't stop mother...    I can't stop you...      you tell me not to dwell on this, and yet... Have you even considered how I could possibly live a life in that place, that awful place where people die and are brutally murdered every day... knowing I could have saved your life..."

      Schala reached Zenan Bridge. Reconstruction had begun, but the bridge was still totally out. Unlike Magus, Schala did not possess the ability to fly, and certainly would not be able to swim the gap. She could possibly produce another ice bridge, but did not want to draw any attention, especially right now in her vulnerable state.

       "What do I do..." she thought to herself.

       ...and then...

       ...something, just...

       ...clicked.

       Schala dried her face and furrowed her brow, eyes remaining closed. Taking a deep breath, she sighed.

        "Very well, then..." she spoke.

        "Currently, I am the only person in this time period who I believe comes close to matching your power, right? By now, you've seen fit to eliminate all else... I'm the wild card, though... and I'm not even sure you can hurt me."

        Schala re-braided her hair and glared in the direction she came from, a green fire in her eyes.

        "If it is the fate of this world to be destroyed, then I will not let it happen without a fight."
     
        "If I am doomed to perish for daring to change it, then so be it!!

        "...but if I can change history, you shall bet your own ass that I will do it!
         Whether your like it or not...   I'm coming, Janus."

       

[Prince Janus]

Ch 18:

Schala vs. Magus


         Ozzie, Slash, and Axl were outside on the fortifications, surveying the woods.

         "What are we supposed to be looking for, anyway?" Axl asked.

         "I'm not sure..." Ozzie told him. "Schala left in tears, and then Magus gave orders to make sure nobody gets in or out."

         "Heh.. told you she was no good. Glad he came to his senses"

         Flea watched them laugh and converse upon their upcoming victory, with some sadness and contempt. He, for one, kinda liked her.

         "Yeah...     came to his senses..." he thought.

         "Hey," he called out.

         "Flea," Slash called back, "Where you been all this time? Silent vigilance, eh?"

         "Yeah... something like that..." Flea replied. "I'll be scouting the outer perimeter. Axl, try not to shoot me with that crossbow eh?"

         "Oh, don't worry" Axl smiled.

         At this point in time, Schala had already made her way back to the forest surrounding Magus's castle.
 
          "I'm not aiming for you..."

--------------------------------------------

          Flea pulled his cloak up, glancing around nervously as he emerged from the shadows of the outer wall's nooks and crannies, a door closing behind him. "Something's wrong..." he thought to himself. "I need to find her..."

          Flea combed the dark forest with a small lantern at her side to guide the way. For just a brief moment, not too far in his search, he thought he saw a pair of bright green eyes staring back...   

          ...and believed it was his imagination for only a few moments after, as suddenly he was assaulted by a cloaked figure with a knife.
 
          "My fight is not with you," they said, "But stand in my way, and you'll be breathing steel. got it?"

        Flea remained very calm and moved slowly.

        "Schala..." he whispered. "this is a bad idea..."

         "Silence," she hissed. "Take me to Magus."

          Flea did not listen, and only spoke further. "Don't do this, Schala. They're going to kill you if you approach. Trust me: Just turn around, and walk away. I don't want you to get hurt...   ...please."

         Schala pressed the knife closer to Flea's throat.
 
         "Schala... I think of you as a friend. I want you to live, Schala. Please... I won't tell anyone you were here, if you just leave."

         Schala's green eyes seemed much brighter than ever, piercing Flea's soul with a sharp glare. "You are a murderer and a monster. Not my friend."

        "So is Janus...   ..yes, I know his name...   I knew him, anyways...    Schala please..."

         Schala's furious, piercing glare did not cease.

         "...not a soul, Flea. You will not tell a soul..."

         And with that, Schala simply walked away. Sighing sadly, Flea returned to the castle...

         ...falsely assuming Schala intended to leave.

-----------------------------------------------------

         Nuega, Ziener, Zieber Zom....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi1AAOjRxVc

         Outside Magus's castle, a lone figure sprinted towards the front door. A fiend with a crossbow tried to shoot her down, but was suddenly pounced upon and grabbed by the throat. When he realized what was happening, he was already being used as a hostage by the young woman, screaming orders for the others to stand down. Ozzie ordered Slash to just run Axl through, as he was no big loss. Slash hesitated though, and Schala was already gone.

        An ogan fell to the floor in a dark, candlelit hallway, blood spilling from the lacerated remains of what used to be an eye. Deep down, she hated what she had to do, but she knew in her heart that it was up to her to stop him. More fiends were chasing her down the hallway, Ozzie and company included, and yet more were as fried corpses stenching the foul hallways. They called out to her, tried to kill her... they failed. All who stood in her way met a grisly fate. Her pure, kind soul slowly began to find the task easier and easier than she would have liked...

         Cast open the gates which lie betwixt Heaven and Earth...

         With the castle on high alert now, she climbed outside the tallest tower, knife in her teeth. She never looked down: there was no down. Only up. Only Magus...  never again would she allow that to happen... not from Mother, and not from Janus. She knew it in her heart.

         Her heart was pounding out of her chest. She was almost there.

         Magus was just at the end of the hall. She had to do it tonight. This was the night he...!!

         In exchange for the life of this planet, bring forth...

         

         "JANUS!!"

         
         Magus brought his arms to his sides and lowered his head in frustration and disappointment. He had been practicing the words over and over and over in his head, trying to memorize them for the day in a year when he would bring forth Lavos... how many times would he be interrupted?

         "You should not have come back here."
 
         "Janus..." Schala tried to speak, her voice quaking not from the onset of tears, but from the fear in her own heart at what she was preparing to do. "I love you, Janus. I always will, no matter what you do."

          Magus did not respond.

         "But you leave me no choice. One way or another, you're coming with me."

          To this, Magus turned around. He'd never really seen Schala angry before, and frankly it did shock him, deep down. Had he really pushed her so far?

          "I will not be moved."

          "..and I will not be denied, Janus", Schala replied. "Listen to me, damn you!!! I have history to support me on this! In the year 600 AD, you do indeed come to face Lavos again, just as you did before...   but your power is not enough. It is not even a fraction of enough. You are killed, your castle is destroyed, and... over a thousand years from now, Lavos will still exist...   to bring forth the rotting world I now call home... couldn't you have figured that out, Janus?? You were never going to succeed in this."

          "You can't prove what happened. Can you? My future is not set in stone."

          "I don't care what you think", she said, lunging for his arm. "You're coming with me."

          No sooner had Schala grasped Magus's arm than he violently pulled it away and struck her across the face. For a moment, Magus was shocked at what he had done, but refused to stop now. If he did, he'd regret it all too much to continue.

          "You will NEVER LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME AGAIN!" He shouted.

          Schala's eyes narrowed in determination and grabbed his hand. This time when Magus reacted in wrath and fury, Schala moved in on him and grabbed at his arm harder. "Janus Zeal, that is enough!!" she screamed. "I will march you to that gate, even if I have to break you in order to do it!! You are not the one in power here...

          Magus pulled away, but Schala's grip was surprisingly strong.

          "I am not bending Janus. Not this time. Don't make me shove you all the way there."

          Magus replied only with some strange words. "
fulgur odiose confabricatus"

          "...what?"
 
           Suddenly a sphere of lightning launched Schala away from him and dissipated. She sat on the ground looking up at him, but her resolve was unfazed.

           "fulgur jaculum"

           A bolt of Lightning arced around Schala and converged into an arrow-like bolt as it struck Magus in the chest, sending him staggering backward, considerably. When he looked up, she was standing over him, energy crackling around her, and her eyes were completely white and glowing.

          "I am the ranking arch-sorceress of the Kingom of Zeal... Schala called out, as if a ruler making a declaration. "Do not dare to defy me, warlock."
 
          Magus responded in kind, levitating in the air. There was a dark energy around him as his eyes went completely red. You will pay for this insolence...

          Darting at his sister, Magus grabbed her by the throat, carrying her to the ceiling and unloading a Dark Bomb spell right into her face. Momentarily blinded, she responded by grabbing his head and nearly freezing it solid. It was enough for her to escape, before she violently kicked him in the stomach, with every ounce of magic power she could. Once she landed, she quickly threw a barrier of flames over herself. Magus tried to penetrate, but the sphere exploded outwards and he was launched back again.

          Not wasting any time, Schala immediately encased his body in ice. With Magus immobilized, Schala levitated him in the air and began to leave with him....   

         ...she wasn't entirely surprised though when he escaped.

         He lunged toward her again with a punch, but she dodged and grabbed his arm.

         ...By this point, a large crowd had gathered in the room to watch. Sensing this, Magus responded by whirling his sister around and tossing her into the air, before suddenly hurling a large ball of lightning right at her, blasting her into the ceiling which suddenly smashed open, allowing moonlight to pour into the now open room.

         Pale moonlight was replaced by a bright flash as the lightning ball suddenly exploded, and Schala sailed to the ground. It seemed she was beginning to understand flight magic, herself. Awkwardly, she tried to throw her arms around Magus as tight as she could, tackling him to the ground.

         "Nggh... Look at you!!" Schala cried out. "Look what you're doing!! Attacking me... striking me...        Janus, what has happened to you??"

         Magus growled. "I told you...    J-Janus is dead!!"

         "No, he is not..." She replied.

         "Janus died in the fall of Zeal..." Magus insisted. "I exist now only to bring the same misery and torture down upon that beast!! And not even you can stop me!!"

         "SHUT UP!!!" Schala screamed, beginning to levitate again. The two figures clashed in the air, over and over again like balls of light. One was eerie and purple, while the other was blindingly bright. "Your petty, selfish revenge is a cost without reward!! Janus Zeal would never approve of what you've done!! Do you think you honor him??"

          Magus responded with a well-timed punch to the stomach.

          Schala nearly threw up a little blood from that.

          "nnngghh...!! D-damn..." she muttered, falling to the ground."

          Magus closed in on her, as the crowd watched, eagerly.

          ...it was time to finish her off.

          Grabbing her by the neck, Magus lifted her into the air above him. To this, Schala did not struggle any more. She did not thrash her legs about, or even try to pry his hands open. She only rested her whole body and looked him in the eyes, defeated.

          "You truly want me gone this much... do you?"

          "I wanted you to leave me," he replied. "I didn't want it like this."

          At this point, fiends were shouting and chanting. "DO IT!!! DO IT!! DO IT!! DO IT!!"

          Schala could see tears in her brother's eyes. Deep down, this was all painful enough for him. All the harm he brought to her... what he was doing now... She knew that Janus was definitely still in there.


          ...
         

          "very well," Schala replied.  "If Janus is truly dead..." she spoke, calmly, "Then I, as well. Just squeeze, fiendlord. Squeeze, and end it all."

          The chanting of fiends was getting louder and louder all around him. His heart was racing. His tears flowing. He didn't even care about that anymore. He had hurt Schala badly, and now he was going to kill her...

         "My god..." he thought to himself...    "what am I doing..."

         His fingers were shaking around her neck...    ...but no matter how hard he tried, he just...

         ...couldn't....

         ...squeeze.

         "NNggh....." he struggled...   his expression grew angrier... and angrier... mostly at himself. "Just squeeze, dammit!!!" he thought... "Why won't you do it!!!  Why...   won't... you........"

          "uuuuuuuaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

          ...He did squeeze, yes...    ...but not her neck.

          Janus couldn't take the guilt of what he was doing anymore, and held her tightly in his arms, breaking down into heavy sobbing.

          It was over, and he had lost.

          "Schala..." he struggled to speak, in painful remorse. His sister was beaten, and bloodied... He threw those attacks at her, he punched her hard in the stomach... he struck her across the face...  Schala, of all people.

          "I'm so sorry...."

          For once, she was smiling again, with tears in her eyes as well.

          "Hush...   Janus, it'll be ok...  it's ok, now...   hush..."

          The confused and angry cries of the fiends simply faded away around them. Janus just felt horrible for what he'd done to his dear sister, but had been so... convinced... and knew that if he stayed here any longer, his desire to bring about Lavos would only grow...

          "Schala..." he begged amidst sobbing. "Please... we have to get out of here... before I..."

          "I understand..." she whispered soothingly, holding his head in her arms. Then, she began softly humming an incantation...

          In a flash of light, both of them were gone.
 
          Axl stared on from a distance, realizing the fiends were about to lose the war.

[Prince Janus]

Ch 19: Conclusion

Zenan Plains, 599 Kingdom Calendar

   

   Schala dare not look back. She was happy and victorious, but also weak, injured. She and her brother both. They could only go so far on magic alone, and knew that the fiends would likely be looking for them, but if they could just get through that gate, they would be home free.

    Magus dare not look back, either. He didn't exactly fear the fiends, but he knew what he was leaving behind, and was afraid he might change his mind about this.

     Suddenly, Schala stumbled in front of him. Magus quickly caught her, and helped her up.

     "Let me help..." he whispered. "My magical strength is greater, after all."

     "I-I'm ok..." she tried to say, bravely. In truth, she took quite a beating and had hardly anything left. Magus realized this and, despite her protests, picked her up and began carrying her into the air. The land shrank beneath them, as the night air grew cold. Wrapping his cloak around her, he sailed toward Truce Canyon, where it all began.

      "How amusing," he thought to himself, "that my quest for vengeance in this... 'primitive' era should begin and end in the same place."

----------------------------------------------------

            "LET ME GO!!"

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

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

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

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

---------------------------

       "Gods..." Magus thought to himself. "Was I truly so insolent? It... embarasses me to have been that child, so long ago... ...but, if Janus is alive, then I must bear it."

        Schala was sleeping peacefully in his arms. Below, unknown to either, a lone figure was racing across the land, following them.

----------------------------
 
     ...Janus had no memory of what came after. One minute he was screaming for Flea to stop, and the next...    ...Flea was on the ground, in the fetal position... he was screaming, crying, and...     covering his smoking, smoldering crotch.


     ...there was blood.

    "Oh shit."

    "UUUWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" screamed Flea in pain and terror "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOZZZZZZZZZZZZZIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *sob* OOOOOOOZZZZZZZZIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!"

--------------------------------------

    "I almost forgot how unbearable he was when we were young...   that he is the same child I so horribly mutilated all those years ago..."

---------------------------------------

     Janus found a sword to his throat.

        "You fiends are a blight upon our kingdom", the Sultan shouted. "I should have you executed one by one, like vermin past the threshold of my home. What have you to say in your defense?"

         "Not much..." Janus smiled, "...except that I intend to lead you to the rest of them..."

          Within minutes, guards had raided the den, slaughtering some students and arresting others. Those latter, along with the Prophet of Alucinatio, were then summarily and publicly beheaded. Janus couldn't help but smile as he watched, a necessary bridge burned so that he may reign unopposed.

-------------------------------

         "I led Slash and myself to slaughter with my new abilities, shortly after..." Magus kept thinking to himself. "Did the Sultan and his family truly deserve such a fate? His bigotry was violent...as was that of the inhabitants of Zenan. Schala would not agree with me...  but not only does she forgive me... she was willing to forcibly pull me away from that. To think, perhaps I did not truly understand my sister's love until today... for if I cannot forgive myself, then at least she does."

         Magus's mind turned further back, to his departure from Zeal.

-----------------------------------

"Hmm...! A Dimensional Warp!!"

    "No!!! We'll be dragged in!!"

     Janus cried out Schala's name.

     "NO!!" she screamed. "JANUS, STAY AWAY!!"
 
      He was confused at first, thinking she meant to protect him. But she didn't understand: he came to save her, and that's what he was going to do. He wasn't afraid. The Gurus were rattling off about holes in the air swallowing them up, and before Janus realized it, he was being dragged away as well.

      "S-... Schala!!???"

      "JANUS!!" Schala screamed. She reached out for her brother, but their fingers only touched before he was suddenly and violently sucked in.

---------------------------

       "Lavos..." Magus growled. "How dare you do all of this... and to think, where we go, you have already had your way with the rest of this planet... it is insulting...

        ...taunting...

        ...mocking me for my fai-"

       Magus stopped. Taking a breath, he looked down at his sleeping sister.

       "...no... perhaps that's what you wanted. After all, she says you lived, and I did not. Perhaps this is my victory..."

-------------------------------------------------------

        After some time, Magus and Schala arrived at the canyon. Magus quickly took a look around, making sure no one was there before turning to his sister, leaning on him.

        "What do we do now?" he asked. "How do we make it appear?"

        Schala smiled. "With this", she said as she produced the small metal wand and pressed a button.

        Magus jumped back in alarm, as a familiar blue void of doom appeared. He'd seen this before: it spat him out in this hell, decades ago. And now, he was going to a time period even worse off? Willingly? But if Schala was there, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

       Reminding himself that this was a good thing, Magus took Schala's hand and nervously approached the gate.

      "It is... safe, right?"

      Schala nodded. "It's safe, but... once we cross, I need you to destroy this gate key for good once we cross. Belthasar will be unhappy, but... I think it needs to be done, and I have barely the strength to hold it up."

     "Just a little further then..."   Magus smiled, holding her hand.

     "Just a little further..."



     
      ...





      ...they never entered.

     
      Just as they had taken one step, Schala suddenly lurched forward, screaming in agony. Alarmed, Magus knelt down to help her, confused as to what happened until she was laying on the ground...  ...with an arrow in her back.

      Magus's vision went red.

      "Schala..." Magus begged. "You have to get up... we're almost there..."

      She was too weak though, and the arrow...  it pierced something important. She couldn't breath, and she was bleeding profusely.

      "Janus..." she gargled, before blood fully filled her lungs and throat... "I-....ah-... I...  I-"


       ...


       ...

 
       ...and she was gone.

       literally three steps to safety, and she was gone.

       "No..." Magus whispered. "This cannot be... not when we were so close... not when I was willing to redeem myself...    !!"

   ----------------------------------

              "Until you realize that you cannot accomplish any of your true goals by yourself, you will slowly and steadily begin to lose everything, just as you did instantly when your kingdom was destroyed."

--------------------------------------

      "Is this your idea of a joke!!??" Magus shouted to the sky. "I wasn't alone!! She was helping me, and you took her!! I TRIED TO CHANGE!!!!!!!!     I TRIED TO CHANGE!!!!!"

      Looking down at the gate key, Magus angrily squeezed it, until it crushed to pieces in his hands. Then, he looked to the sky, his eyes filling with tears. "I...   tried..."

      "Yeah..." a voice called out. "..but that doesn't work so well for the rest of us."

      Magus whipped around, his eyes redder than usual, to see none other than Axl, holding a fired crossbow.

      "You did this..." Magus growled lowly.

      "I did," Axl replied. "I had to. She was bringing you down, and this was the only way to stop her. But it's okay now," he smiled. "You're going to bring forth Lavos, like you said you would. Like you promised us... without interruptions this time...          right?"

      ...

      ...


      ...Without fanfare, or words, Magus immediately compressed his scythe into nothingness, much to Axl's awe and confusion... before Axl, suddenly, felt something deep within his body.

      "M-Magus???"

      Magus stared at him, blankly, replying only with one word.

      "WandaIn..."

[Prince Janus]

Ch 20: Epilogue


    Magus wanted to bury Schala, but had neither the time nor strength to do so. It disturbed him to have to incinerate her body, as it truly felt like she was disappearing from his world. However, there simply was no alternative, and he refused to simply dump her body in the woods for someone or something to find.

    "I'm sorry..." he uttered, under his breath. "With you... I would have done it. But what point is there, now? I return to a woman I feel I never truly knew...    an old man I have no fond memory of, seeking to dictate my life, if your words are true...   and a world where Lavos already won..."

    "Well," Magus thought to himself, "Maybe my fate is to perish. If so, then I must simply laugh. But nothing stands in my way now. I will have my revenge."

    As Schala's ashes scattered, Magus stood up and retrieved his scythe from the burst-open chest cavity of what used to be Axl. Then, with Axl's remains wrapped up in his cloak, Magus returned to his castle.

=============================

Keeper's Dome, 2299 Kingdom Calendar

    Queen Zeal had a nightmare the night before, and her feelings did not subside when she awoke. An intense, unbearable feeling came over her, and she needed to speak to Belthasar.

    "Belthasar..." she muttered, dragging herself out of bed toward his side.

    "Your Ma-Zeal?" he muttered. "Why are you awake so early?"

     Zeal sat down in a chair. She was trembling and wrapping her arms around herself, hunched over a bit and looking very distressed.

      ...

      "Zeal?"

      ...something chilling escaped her lips.

       ...

      "The Black Wind howls...                   ...Schala has failed."

       ...

       Belthasar stood there for a moment, processing both the gravity of her words, and what to do for her in this difficult moment. Finally, he just sat down with the Queen and held her in his arms, trying to comfort her as the weight of things began to hit him. He knew he was losing his mind... that he would likely never get to leave this time period...   but when the time was right, he hoped Schala and Queen Zeal one day could....               

        ...that unfortunately never came to be. As the day passed, Queen Zeal spent far more time around Belthasar than normal. She smiled sincerely through all of his controlling and insufferability, just wanting to spend time with him, as if she knew something was coming that he did not. When she went to bed that night, she thanked Belthasar for always being loyal to her kingdom... and for trying to stop her in her moment of weakness. She apologized to him profusely for that, seeking any kind of redemption or forgiveness she could, so she could have a clear conscience.

         Sure enough, she did not wake up the next morning.

         Belthasar was now completely on his own, aside from his mechanical Nu.

=======================================

          Magus's Castle
 
               600 Kingdom Calendar

 
           Axl's rotting skull was no longer recognizable on its wooden stake outside the entrance of the fortress, and Magus had ordered it to be removed.

           Schala's arrival a year ago had sown some distrust. However, what happened to Axl sent a clear message to the other fiends that Magus meant business, and would not be crossed.

           ...still, Magus thought deeply about her. There was nothing left of her, now. Nothing but the pendant...

           "The pendant..." Magus uttered out loud.

           "Huh?" Ozzie perked up.

           Magus stood at his demonic altar, the site where he would summon Lavos. Thinking deeply, he turned to face Ozzie.

           "The battle at Zenan Bridge... the fiends who successfully crossed have camped together right? Where are they now?"
 
           "Well..." Ozzie thought to himself, "They're holed out in the old Manolia Cathedral. Why?"

            Magus steepled his fingers and rested his forehead upon them.

            "...My sister sold something of great sentimental value to me: a pendant, which a brilliant blue stone. I want it returned to me. I don't care who bought it, who you have to kill, I Want That Pendant."

            "Not a problem," Ozzie smiled. "Yakra is over there now. I'll let him handle whoever has that pendant."

            "Excellent," Magus spoke. "Now, leave me...   the time is almost upon us, and I need solitude."

            Ozzie nodded silently, and left the room. As he did, Magus took a moment to let the sound completely die from the room, until he was in complete silence and darkness, before his demonic altar, to practice in peace. Turning away from the entrance, he raised his hands out to his sides, palms up, and began chanting again.

            ...
 
            "Nuega, Ziena, Zieber, Zom...

 


      Rise of the Fiendlord

         2018-2019 Captain B

                The End

[Redline57]

Awesome story, great job! But why did you change the picture at the bottom?

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Nice! Congrats on finishing the story!

[Prince Janus]

Awesome story, great job! But why did you change the picture at the bottom?

I don't remember doing so, but if I did it was probably because the original image didn't work.