Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy: The chronicles of Four! ❯ From 1991 to -2000 in ten seconds flat! ( Chapter 28 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any FF games or 8-bit. I must say I enjoyed your support, but do not fear! This is NOT the last chapter, just one that's CLOSE to the last.

 

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Only two hours had passed since Lulu entered the scene to aid Black Belt and Fighter in their battle against a horde of angered Oscars. And, within those petty two hours, Lulu managed to fry every single Mad Oscar with her Flare spells until nothing remained. Not even a tentacle was spared as Black Belt looked along the battlefield.

 

“Nice job! There's nothing left!” Black Belt exclaimed, “And look, some of the buildings were spared too!” He pointed to a group of five small houses in an area a little farther away than where they'd been fighting. Lulu flipped her hair.

 

“Naturally, that is the expertise I take in my work.” she stated, sitting on a rock, “Now, do you require my assistance still?” Black Belt put down a small brick he was examining and looked towards Lulu.

 

“Nah, I think we'll be okay. The biggest problem will be finding everyone. They all seemed to scatter randomly.” Black Belt replied, “I'll start looking. Thanks for your help, Lulu.” With that, Black Belt had strolled off, leaving Lulu and Fighter in a very awkward moment. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes until Lulu scooted off of her rock.

 

“Well... I'll be going now... It was nice meeting you... I think.” Lulu said nervously. She was about to dash off, but Fighter grabbed her arm.

 

“Wait! You don't have to leave yet! You can stay if you want...” he said quietly. Lulu looked back at him, and was about to cast another Flare spell, but decided against it when she saw the pitiful look on his face. She sighed.

 

“Fine... but what am I going to do?” she asked, plopping down on the rock again.

 

“You can keep me company as I tidy the place up for when BB returns!” Fighter said brightly, tossing a twig into the river. Lulu's sigh became much bigger as a sweatdrop rolled down her head.

 

“Fine. What shall we talk about then?” she asked, praying for the patience to put up with Fighter, or at least to not kill him. But Fighter proved to be intolerable, as always.

 

“Well, we can talk about swords! Do you use any?” he asked, and turned around, “Uh... Lulu? Where'd you go?” Unbeknownst to Fighter, Lulu had skillfully snuck off as he threw a bunch of sticks into the river...

 

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“WITH THIS ANCIENT LUTE, I UNLEASH THE GATES OF TIME!” Red Mage roared, as the Lute grew brighter and brighter. Winds began to roar loudly, picking up the dust from all around the temple, and knocking down the weaker parts of the walls, allowing the darkness from the outside to seep in. Thief, Black, and White Mage had hidden behind an old pillar to shield themselves from the falling debris, but they prayed hard that Red Mage's strength could see him through the spell. For minutes on end, the wind raged and the light from the Lute continued to grow brighter, but the spell didn't end. Finally, someone spoke up when the light became too strong to see.

 

“How do we know this spell is working!?” Black Mage asked, shielding his eyes as he searched for signs of his friends. Luckily, White Mage heard him, but the wind severely muffled his voice, and hers too.

 

“We must continue praying! I'm sure Red Mage has nearly unlocked the gate!” she called, and both Thief and Black Mage nodded. Thief put his hands together, and Black Mage closed his eyes. White Mage was muttering something.

 

“Come on, buddy. You're doing great... just a little longer.” Thief said, hoping that somehow, Red Mage could hear him too. Inside his mind, he could hear Red Mage saying that he was almost done, and giving him the thumbs-up. But as Thief felt the wind tugging harder at his sleeves, he was beginning to think that maybe Red Mage was too weak for this magic. But eventually, when the wind and the light died down, Thief was relieved to see Red Mage still standing in front of what used to be the throne. Battered, and a little shaken, but he was still there. Thief practically ran up and hugged Red Mage.

 

“You're okay!” he exclaimed happily, “I thought that was too much for you, buddy, but you did it! What did it feel like?” Red Mage smiled weakly.

 

“It felt... numb... I can't explain it, but I didn't really feel anything.” Red Mage said, “I just hope I did it right.” Black Mage had walked up and looked at where the throne was.

 

“I think you did. Take a look, guys.” he said. Right where Garland's throne once stood was a giant portal of darkness, that didn't seem to end at all. Mists of grey and purple swirled all around inside, covering a thick background of pure black, the purest black that anyone, even Black Mage had ever seen. Just the sight of such darkness sent shivers up their spines, to the point that a slight whimper escaped White Mage.

 

“Maybe... maybe we shouldn't go just yet...” White Mage hesitated, backing away, “What if we aren't ready?” Red Mage looked back at her, but the look on his face wasn't one of pity. It was of stern determination.

 

“You're questioning that now?” he asked, “We're literally a few steps away from Chaos, and you're just now starting to wonder if we're ready for it? It no longer matters if we are, White Mage. The fate of the entire world is in jeopardy. We can't question our strength now.” White Mage's eyes watered at hearing Red Mage say this, but she knew he was right.

 

“I know... but Red Mage...” White Mage began to sob a little, “It's just... we're all friends... we've been together since day 1. The thought that we might die... it's unbearable. I can't think of losing one of you!” She threw her arms around Red Mage and cried, soaking his cape. Red Mage hugged her back.

 

“WM... this... we've been faced with near-death situations before, and you were never so upset. What makes this any different?” he asked calmly, “This is no different from Kraken...” Black Mage snapped his fingers angrily.

 

“Yes it is. Don't try to tell anyone that it isn't, RM.” he snapped, “But you have a point. We've made a commitment to everyone in the world, and we can't go second-guessing ourselves. The question is not whether we're ready, but whether we have the willpower to actually believe we're ready. And I do.” White Mage sniffled, and Thief patted her back.

 

“We'll be fine! I know it! We've been through loads of trouble, and we'll get through this!” Thief said encouragingly, “And maybe... maybe we can save Kary and Lich this time too.” White Mage smiled.

 

“It would be nice to tell them how thankful we are...” she said.

 

“Right. So, let's go in there and save the world.” Red Mage said. Thief cheered madly and jumped straight into the portal, followed by Black Mage, who was laughing insanely. White Mage was about to jump in when she looked back at Red Mage.

 

“...how do you know we'll be okay?” she asked. Red Mage shrugged.

 

“I'm not sure. I guess I just know.” he said, and along with White Mage, jumped into the dark portal. The ride through time was smooth, but the darkness seemed to press up on everyone as though they were being squeezed through a tight tube. Flashes of the past and of the future flew by as they were sent through many different time zones. Red Mage saw the War of the Magi from 1000 years before, as Thief looked into the life of a great Paladin. White Mage saw a young man with an odd sword that seemed to double as a gun, and Black Mage muttered as he saw a cat-like creature with wings flutter by. Finally, though, the flashes thinned almost entirely as the darkness suddenly opened up into light. The four instantly felt the ground beneath them, and the room began to settle into their view. It was a dark little room, almost like one you'd find in a secret base. Controls littered one wall, as odd gadgets filled another.

 

“Where are we?” Thief whispered, looking around for any signs of other life.

 

“I don't know... but I hope we're in the right time...” Black Mage said, picking up one of the gadgets. It was a small blade, but there was a screen displaying numbers on it. He set it down, not wanting to disturb any more than he had to.

 

“The only way to know is to go and look. Come on.” Red Mage whispered, and walked out of the room and into the hallway. He noticed that the floors and walls were all made of metal, but the view out the windows lining the hallway reminded him of the Sky Tower. In fact, he was pretty sure they were IN the Sky Tower!

 

“No way! So this is what it looked like 2000 years into the past? Cool!” Thief exclaimed, but Red Mage covered his mouth.

 

“Shhh! Someone's coming!” he hissed, and dragged Thief into a small dead end with Black and White Mage. They listened for whatever was coming, and was very surprised at who they heard.

 

“I cannot believe he would do this to us! We were to protect the crystals... not to unleash the end of the world! Has he lost it!?” That voice belonged to Lich... or at least the Lich in the past. He walked right past where the four were hiding, and they saw Kary and Tiamat were with him. They stopped just ahead of the warriors.

 

“I fear he has been using us since the beginning...” Tiamat said sadly, “I fear, that in our attempt to save our world, Kraken used our greatest weaknesses to undo us.”

 

“But there must be something we can do! I will not be killed!” Lich cried. Kary calmed him down before speaking.

 

“There is. There is a great flaw to Kraken's plans. He left a young man in charge of the crystals, and the young man isn't guarding them. If we take the crystals and hide them in the future with our orbs, Kraken cannot succeed.” Kary explained, “And we will warn the four chosen ones of the plan, as well. But we must not be caught!” Tiamat seemed to love the idea, but Lich wasn't convinced.

 

“It is a good plan, Kary, but how will we keep this a secret? What if he's listening right now?” Lich asked. Kary looked around for any signs of a pool of water, even a drip from the ceiling, or some soda from a stray cup. When she found nothing, she continued.

 

“He isn't. Now, I have found a machine to take us into the future. Come, I'll explain the rest on the way there.” Kary said, and with that, the three fiends walked further down the hall, leaving the four warriors to come out.

 

“So, that was the plan Tiamat was talking about...” Red Mage said to himself, as he walked out with Thief, “Well, at least we're in the right time...” Black Mage followed and looked around.

 

“But what do we do now? We still don't know where Chaos is!” he hissed, trying his best not to be heard be anyone except his friends. Red Mage let go of Thief and looked down both ways of the hallway. No one was coming, and he could see that Lich had just turned the corner far up ahead.

 

“We'll follow the fiends.” Red Mage finally said, “They may not lead us directly to Chaos, but they might have more information on him... and whoever is working with Kraken.” Everyone generally agreed that it was a good idea, so the four ran quietly down the hallway, making sure to keep a safe distance away from the three fiends, despite that they were on the same side. Lich pressed a button on what appeared to be a wall, and a secret elevator appeared, opening up. Together, the three fiends walked in and the doors shut.

 

“So much for that plan... they're gone now.” Black Mage commented regretfully. Thief's eyes widened and he ran to where the elevator was, pounding on the wall.

 

“What!? No way! Come back! Come on, help us out here!” Thief whined, but the elevator didn't return. Red Mage looked at the wall for a minute, and then at the button Lich had pressed. It was worth a try, so Red Mage pressed the button. For a minute, nothing happened, but then just as they had turned around, a small bell rang and the elevator appeared again. Thankfully, no one was inside. Red Mage ran in and held the door open.

 

“You all were saying? Anyway, get in. I can't keep this door opened forever.” Red Mage said. The other three ran on quickly, and the door slammed shut. Down the elevator went, into what looked like the farthest reaches of the underworld, and once again, the elevator suddenly stopped. When the doors opened, the four were mercilessly thrown out into the grey-tiled room. Red Mage got up and sniffed around.

 

“RM? What's up?” Thief asked, when he noticed that Red Mage was looking slightly shocked.

 

“This... it smells like the Earth Cave in here...” Red Mage replied quietly, “Is it possible Lich is in here too?” Black Mage got up and dusted himself off.

 

“The only way to know is to go and look.” Black Mage stated calmly, and walked towards the center of the large room. The walls made it seem like a maze, but the furniture stated clearly that it was a simple bedroom. There were small tables with flowers on them in the corners, and some lamps here and there. The most astonishing set was in the very middle of the room. It was fashioned much like a sitting room. There were three couches and a few chairs surrounding an old, but sturdy dining table. And, bent under the table, was Lich himself.

 

“Should we go and ask him what's going on?” Thief suggested in a whisper.

 

“What do you think!? Can we honestly go “Hello, neighbor!” to a fiend?” Black Mage called back, in a huffy sort of tone. White Mage ignored him and walked gently towards Lich.

 

“Excuse me? Lich, sir?” she called. Lich was obviously surprised as he slammed his head on the table. He crawled out and shook his head angrily.

 

“Huh!? Who's there?” he asked, and calmed down when he saw White Mage, “What in the...? YOU! You're the ones who made me explode into billions of pieces! While I'm glad you stopped Kraken, I learned explode was NOT one of my powers, and let me tell you it wasn't fun to experience it!” The four warriors were very shocked to hear Lich.

 

“Wait... you remember us?” Thief asked, “But we didn't exist in the past!” Lich gave him an odd stare, dusted off a couch, and sat down.

 

“That's true, but we fiends don't die. We simply get teleported back to the time we came from. It's hard to explain, but sit down. Tiamat already told me what's happened.” Lich said. The four sat down, but a horrible thought crossed White Mage's mind.

 

“Wait... that means... Tiamat died?” she asked, sadly.

 

“No, no, no! We don't die, I say again!” Lich scolded, “But anyway, yes, she did pass. Actually, it was shortly after you left.” Once again, another horrible thought crossed White Mage's mind, and apparently Red Mage had caught it too.

 

“Wait... if you all come back here... that means Kraken's back!” Red Mage exclaimed with fear, “Does he already know what's happening?” Lich gestured for him to settle down before explaining.

 

“Yeah, that old bottle of ink is back, but not to fear. He knows of our plans, but he doesn't know that you four are here. That measurement alone gives us three the fighting edge in our plan.” Lich said, “Now I'm guessing you want to know more about the plan, eh?” Black Mage shook his head.

 

“Actually, we just want to know where Chaos is.” Black Mage replied plainly, “Just tell us and we'll go and kick his ass.” Lich drew back a bit in shock, and then simply laughed at what he just heard. His purple hair shook as he laughed.

 

“You? Defeat Chaos? That is a good laugh, boy.” Lich commented, but then looked very serious, “But that won't be possible. Chaos is capable of total destruction once all of our powers merge together. He'll simply crush you all.” He looked at each of the warriors, wondering if he'd changed their minds. Unfortunately for him, he hadn't. Thief, either out of courage or stupidity, asked the next question.

 

“What if you refuse to help Kraken? Why can't you resist?” Thief asked sternly. Lich, this time, drew back in hurt. He looked down sadly.

 

“What do you call our plan? Do you not think we've tried? Kary has died a total of seventy-four times, trying to resist Kraken. He has an edge over her, and simply kills her over and over.” Lich explained, “And every time he does, his power grows.” Black Mage simply shrugged.

 

“He was a freakin' pansy when we fought him.” Black Mage concluded, “We'll crush him here if we have to.” Lich practically slammed his fist on the table, outraged with Black Mage's ignorance and arrogance.

 

“You are a fool! He was lulling you into security! His true power is here, where our origins started. Did you not realize that!? Do you not think?!” Lich asked angrily, and tried to calm down, “...listen... If you truly wish to stop Chaos, you must hurry down to the final chambers. We didn't expect you soon, so we thought to use our own crystals, hoping we'd be faster than the last time we tried this. But it will be easier if you bring your own crystals. Go now, and speak to Kary. She'll practically dance to see you all.” With that, Lich got up and helped the four to the lower staircase. He said his goodbye as they each passed, but Red Mage stopped before going down.

 

“Lich... I'm sorry for tricking you.” he said. Lich bowed to show no hard feelings, and Red Mage ran to join his friends. Down on the lower floor, it suddenly grew very warm, and the walls were tinted with red, marking that this was definitely Kary's floor. In fact, Kary was right there, waiting in what looked like another parlor. Except... she was sitting in a small pool of lava. But like Lich had said, she beamed when she saw the four.

 

“Thief! White Mage! Black Mage!” she exclaimed happily, “You're actually here!” But for her, the biggest surprise was seeing Red Mage, at which she exclaimed, “Red Mage!!”

 

“Kary! You're okay!” Thief called back, “I mean, Lich said you were okay, but seeing you in the flesh is so much better!” Kary had slithered out of the lava, so the four warriors ran to hug her.

 

“It's been so long! Tiamat told us that you were coming, so we hoped to get everything set up for that time.” Kary explained, “But tell me, how is your time?” Red Mage looked away sadly.

 

“Not good... everything's shrouded in darkness. Chaos is close to being resurrected, I can feel it.” Red Mage said, “Lich told us you'd take us to him immediately, but...” Kary stopped him, and held up one hand.

 

“Then it's even worse than I feared. Let's go talk to Tiamat right now then. If anyone has anything to stop Kraken's plans, it would be her.” Kary said, and led the four to yet another staircase leading downward. But this time the floor was empty, save for the large pools of water around. Everyone skillfully guessed that this was Kraken's floor, and they all were partly thankful that he wasn't around. Likewise, they also knew he was probably preparing to summon Chaos any second.

 

“So, I'm guessing that old ink stain is unleashing all hell as we speak?” Black Mage asked. Kary nodded, but she didn't look back as she spoke.

 

“Yes, he is. Now is the most vital of times to stop him, and we may have enough speed to do so with you all.” Kary explained, slithering across the open room towards the other side, where another staircase lay, “Down here.” They walked down the stairs and were greeted with a large room that looked vaguely like Tiamat's chambers back in the Sky Tower of present. And, like Lich, Tiamat was in the middle of the room, on her bed. She looked to Kary when she heard her.

 

“Kary? Is everything okay? You weren't nearly this fast in finding your crystal last time.” Tiamat stated, and she sounded a little shocked. And then she saw the four Light Warriors.

 

“We have to hurry, Tiamat. Kraken's already grasping the future in darkness. These four have seen it firsthand.” Kary replied seriously, “But I'm sure we can stop Kraken with their crystals as opposed to ours. But to do this in time, we need to distract Chaos.” Tiamat got up off her bed and nodded with agreement.

 

“Yes, of course. Shall I explain the plan?” Tiamat asked. Every sat down to let her explain. “All right. The powers of the crystals are nearly unlimited, as you all know, but only the fiends can unlock this power. That is why we are of the elements. We are not normal fiends.” Tiamat explained calmly. White Mage gasped.

 

“Of course! That's why the crystal of fire reacted only to Kary, isn't it?” she asked.

 

“Yes. As such, only we can stop Kraken from resurrecting Chaos, but to do so, we need a distraction.” Tiamat said. Black Mage sneered at her.

 

“Then why drag the four of us into it if you never had any intention of letting us fight? What's wrong? Don't think humans are strong enough!?” Black Mage spat angrily. But Tiamat kept her temper.

 

“As I've said, only we fiends can unleash the powers of the crystals, so only we can seal them up as well.” Tiamat replied calmly, continuing with her plans, “But there will be fighting for you all, much fighting in fact. For, you are the key instruments to the success of this plan. We need a distraction, and you all are it. You will be the ones to hold Kraken off while we seal the crystals up.” However, Thief found the flaw in that plan.

 

“But how can you seal up the water crystal if Kraken's fighting us?” he asked. This time, Kary answered.

 

“We won't. Instead, I'll petrify it with my Break spell.” Kary said simply, “With its current power, the water in the world is in perfect proportion for the amount of earth around. Petrifying it will leave it in its current state, and if the world became unbalanced, it will be simple to fix.” Black Mage confirmed that what Kary said was true, and it all seemed like a good plan now. Tiamat walked into a corner of the room and came back holding a shining sword made of the strongest metal anyone had ever seen. It shimmered and glowed with the colors of the rainbow as light reflected off of it from Kary.

 

“Take this. This is the legendary sword, Masamune. It was forged with the very powers of the fiends, so it will be most effective against Kraken.” Tiamat said, and handed it to Red Mage, “You have proven yourself time and again, Relik of the Red Mages. We have seen you take lead of your party, regardless of any danger.” Everyone, even Black Mage, smiled as Red Mage took the sword. It felt amazingly light, yet he could also feel its power coursing through his very veins. Kary slithered up, a tear in her eyes.

 

“Red Mage... please be careful.” she said, “You all need to be careful... Kraken will be over 100 times the power he was in your time...” Red Mage patted Kary's shoulder.

 

“We'll be fine.” he reassured her, as Black and White Mage walked to the last staircase. They waited for the other two to say goodbye to both Kary and Tiamat.

 

“Don't worry! We'll kick Kraken's sorry shrimphole into the bucket!” Thief said, “But... this might be the last time we see you... so... goodbye, guys. Make sure to remember us if you make it to the 2000 year mark!” Tiamat laughed, and promised to do so.

 

“Try to visit us too!” Kary added as she waved. Red Mage promised her he would at least try, and the four walked down the stairs, preparing for the final battle.

 

“So... are they really going to do it?” Lich asked Tiamat, as he walked down the stairs. Every step he took rattled his bones. Tiamat nodded as she looked down the now empty staircase.

 

“Yes... now is the time of our success...” she replied, placing the crystal of wind on her altar, “Let's pray that they can do this.”

 

“I know they can.” Kary stated determinedly, “I know they'll give it their all...”

 

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Well, now is finally the moment of truth. With only one battle left to wage, can our heroes defeat Kraken and stop Chaos's resurrection? Can Kary, Lich, and Tiamat seal the crystals within the time limit our heroes can buy? Or will Chaos be summoned, regardless of the efforts against it? Find out next chapter, so click that review button!