Specter of the Past Chapter 12
By KrossRodes
"What's going on?" Marle asked, not removing her fixated gaze from the dragon's glowing eyes.
"Will the one who broke the magical seal please step forward?" asked the dragon. It's voice rattled the remaining base of the workshop.
Marle took a small step forward and shakily said, "I broke the seal."
"So, you are a descendant of the Kingdom of Zeal?" responded the dragon.
"I am," declared Marle.
"Now, one of you must prove your magical ability and power to gain true possession of the Egg."
Crono took a bold step forward as he said, "I'm ready and willing. What must I do?"
The dragon raised its head to the sky, spread its wings, and said, "You must call forth your element! Call forth the power bestowed on you!"
As Crono raised his hands to the sky he closed his eyes and concentrated. Soon his entire body began to glow green and he started to float in mid-air. He continued his concentration as dark clouds gathered above him and a torment of wind surrounded him. When he felt enough bower was summoned he opened his eyes and aimed his hands at the dragon.
"I summon the power of lightning and thunder! Luminaire!" shouted Crono as the sky began flashing. Soon bolts of lightning were attacking the dragon and a bubble of light began to grow until the dragon was completely covered. There were three bright flashes and soon the sky was clear and all that remained from the attack was the dragon and the smoke from the brilliant bursts of electricity.
As Crono floated gently to the ground, the dragon said, "You have passed your test. You may take the Egg."
The dragon then turned into a mass of light and entered the Dragon's Egg. It glowed for a few seconds, then the light faded.
"I think it's safe to take the Egg," said Lucca after a few more seconds of waiting for it to throw a few more unexpected surprises at them.
Marle stepped up to the table and examined the Dragon's Egg before picking it up. As she held it in her arms she turned to the others and said, "This thing is a lot lighter than I had expected."
"Let's hurry back to Neo Zeal!" Crono said. "We don't want to waste any more time."
They all began walking hastily back to the Epoch, then Lucca turned back to Toma and said, "Bye Toma, and thanks for everything! Sorry about your workshop!"
"Don't worry about it. Just be safe and make sure you tell me all about the rest of your adventure," Toma shouted back.
They all waved and continued their journey to the Epoch. Soon they were there and all strapped in, including the Dragon's Egg. Crono set the dials and soon they were in Neo Zeal flying towards Serenity, where they were going to regroup with the others.
Not trying to waste any time, they landed as close to Akria's house as they could. When they finally entered her house Robo, Frog, and Ayla ran to them.
"Is that the Egg?" Robo asked as he pointed to the mithril that Marle was holding.
Before anyone could answer, Gaia hurried over to Marle, took the Dragon's Egg, and said, "It's been so long..."
Memories flooded back into Gaia's mind as she looked at a piece of her past.
"You passed the test I assume?" she said as she ran her hand across the black surface.
"I'm sorry to be rude, but we need to hurry. Time is wasting," Lucca said gently.
"Of course," said Gaia as she handed the Dragon's Egg to Lucca.
"Do you know how to use this to open the castle?" Crono asked Gaia.
She replied, "There are Mages at the entrance of the castle that will be able to help."
"Thank you," Marle said. "Now we must be going. All six of us should fit in the Epoch if one of us holds the Egg."
"Let us depart, then," said Frog.
They all said their goodbyes to Akria, Nova, and Gaia as the three wished them a safe adventure. Soon they were back in the Epoch with all six of them flying to the Queen's castle in Harmony.
The storm would have been impossible to travel by air had it not been for the Epoch's sleek design. It cut through the air like a warm knife in butter.
Once they saw the giant castle looming in front of them, they got out and headed straight for the large, black double door entrance. As they ran they had to cover their faces because of the fierce wind that howled around the castle.
Soon they found the four Mages that were trying to break the seal on the castle. They were in a circle holding hands and each was glowing a different color; red, blue, green, and yellow.
The group slowly approached the Mages.
Marle, who was holding the Dragon's Egg, said, "We have brought you a sufficient amount of mithril for your spell."
The four Mages paid no attention. Each had their eyes closed and was concentrating really hard on the spell.
"Maybe we should just put it in the middle of their circle," Lucca suggested.
So Marle stepped closer to the circle of Mages and placed the Dragon's Egg on the ground. Then she pushed it so it rolled into the middle of the Mage's circle. Once it reached the center, it began to glow purple and it stood on end. The Mages also began to glow the same color as they started to float in the air with the Egg spinning on its axis in the middle of them.
The doors to the castle began to glow the same purple shade as the Mages and soon the Mages began to chant. The words were unlike anything they had heard before.
The chanting continued for a brief amount of time, and when it stopped, the doors stopped glowing. The black color of the doors melted away to reveal a rich, gold color. Then, the Mages and the Dragon's Egg floated gently to the ground as the doors to the castle slowly sung open.
"Hurry!" said one of the Mages. "We can't hold the doors open much longer."
The group needed no further encouragement, so they all ran into the darkness of the castle. Fear and suspense struck them as the castle doors closed, but they all realized that they only had to face what they went there to do.
.