Amor Vincit Omnia Chapter 23
A Cruel Realization
By Minmei
"All right, you two lovebirds, break it up," ordered Gaspar jokingly.
Everyone chuckled at the tender little scene developing in the forest of 1000 AD. Robo was there, and everyone was relieved to have him back, especially Atropos. It actually seemed that she was almost happy, so happy in fact that she had thrown her arms around him and would not let go, despite Robo's protests. "I am just so glad you are here once again," the pink robot whispered, finally moving back and taking her place next to him.
"Lucca, I don't know what you did to these robots, but your influence is amazing," Crono remarked. A slight look of surprise crossed Lucca's face. She let out a small, uncomfortable noise. Gaspar turned to Lucca and said, "Yes, and speaking of, don't you have something to explain to the rest of us here?"
"Yes, and tell us more about that Nu you saw," Schala added. Lucca nodded, stood up, and adjusted her glasses.
"Yes, that…strange Nu," she repeated. "The one who suddenly appeared to me on Death Peak, claiming to be from the Cursed Woods."
"Wait a minute," Crono interrupted, the surprise registering on his face. "He was that same Nu we beat the crap out of?"
"Yep, that's him," she told Crono wearily. "That weird blue fellow. Such a weird character. He just keeps getting weirder and weirder." She sighed and folded her arms.
"Well, don't keep us in the dark," Marle said eagerly. "Come on, tell us what happened already."
Lucca moved her gaze to Marle, raised an eyebrow, then half-heartedly continued with the story. "Well, here this guy shows up, then he starts telling me that we're responsible for the world's dark future. I sure don't know what to believe anymore, but the last thing I need right now is more emotional baggage, so I accuse him of lying to me. Then he-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute!" Marle cut in. "What do you mean we're responsible for what happened?! It's this monster who destroyed the world, not us!"
"Yeah, well, according to the Nu, we aren't directly at fault…yes, the creature was the one that forced our planet into ruins, but he says that it was our fault the creature woke up."
Marle looked puzzled. "I thought Dalton woke up Lavos' son."
"He did. But it appears that it was our fault Dalton woke him up. It seems that Dalton had taken shelter in the mountain a few days before in order to spy on us in the forest, and to get revenge on me for whatever stupid reason it was, and he disturbed the monster the first night he was there. There isn't really a reason to why he chose to go off like that when we all were in there and not when Dalton woke him up the first day…but the Nu says the creature is capable of making its own decisions, and decided to go psycho on us a couple of days ago." She scoffed, the scowl becoming more obvious on her face. "How oh-so-lucky for me."
"Lucca," Marle started sympathetically, but Lucca brushed her off and continued.
"Well, anyway, Mister Nu says that if the creature had been left alone, it would have died anyway, so it was our fault." Her tone turned quite sarcastic. "Oh, but not to worry! Even though it was our fault, there still is a way to undo the damage! Aren't we just the lucky bunch? Wanna hear how to…save the world again?!"
Schala sighed. "Lucca, if you don't want to do this, then-"
"No, it's all right," Lucca told her. She sighed as well. "I'm sorry to sound like such a jerk, but I'm not in the best of moods at the moment…or even at the week." She cleared her throat. "Well, anyway, the Nu says that we must use the power of the pendants to weaken the monster, so I guess that, Robo, that you were partly right about trying to use Marle's…I mean, Schala's pendant."
Robo nodded. "But this Nu said 'pendants,' not 'pendant.' Does he mean we must use both pendants? And how will we do that if Marle's pendant is cracked?"
"Melchior!"
Everyone turned to look at who had made that outburst. Marle stared back and blushed. "Oh, um…well…" she started. "He fixed the Masamune, didn't he? He also created Schala's pendant using dreamstone, which the Masamune was also made of. And since my pendant is also made of dreamstone, couldn't he repair it too?"
"It seems that simple, doesn't it?" Magus threw in. "But let me ask you people something: How are you going to repair it when you don't have any dreamstone? Where would you find it now?"
"I guess that's something you'll have to ask Melchior, isn't it?" Gaspar answered him.
"What?" Magus looked confused.
"Tomorrow," replied Gaspar. "You, Schala, and I are going to take a little trip to our dear old friend Melchior. I see it worthwhile to take in this Nu's instructions."
"Oh…I see." Magus understood perfectly.
"Then what are the rest of us going to do in the meantime?" asked Marle impatiently. "We've got to kill this thing already or we'll never save the world!" Gaspar glanced at Marle. "Take a break!" he commanded. "My goodness, the things youth does today. Yes, this is a very important matter at hand, but try not to worry yourselves sick. Worrying won't get anything done, and neither will rushing into things. And besides, you're all tired and weak. So rest, and we will start again in the morning." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Well, I've got something I need to get back in town," Lucca began, "So I guess I'll be seeing you guys in a couple of hours." She started to walk off, then suddenly turned around. "Wait. Does anyone else need to go to Truce?"
Crono stood up. "Yeah, I need to get a couple of things too." Ayla arose as well. "Ayla no like sitting around. Ayla come too." As they joined Lucca, Glenn slowly got up. "Wait," he said. "I believe I shall accompany thee on thine trip also." "Okay," agreed Lucca. "Come on, then, let's go." Together the four friends exited the forest.
***
"I'll only be a minute," Lucca called to Crono, Ayla, and Glenn as she slipped inside the front door of her house. Only a minute, she repeated in her mind. She ran across the room and up the stairs. As she approached her bedroom, she removed her headgear and walked up to the mirror. Ooohh, she thought, running a hand through her hair. What a day. Hardly a second passed when she remarked aloud, "What am I thinking? What a week!" Turning around, she let out a sigh and scanned the room for what she needed. There it was, lying on her bed. She scolded herself for leaving it there.
She walked up to the foot of her bed and picked up her Wondershot, although she felt she probably wouldn't even be needing it. Lucca thought about the confrontation on Death Peak, about the Nu who had accused her and her friends of being responsible for the world's horrid fate. I suppose in a way, we are guilty, she thought. Maybe we should not have been so sure it was all over. Maybe it really was our fault all of this happened…and all because we didn't know a certain idiot was spying on us? This is so confusing.
"Lower thine guard and thou'rt allowing the enemy in."
Even though that cathedral incident had occurred long ago, Glenn's words were still anchored rather deeply in her mind. These words of advice were now taunting her, as if to say that if she had not been so naïve, none of this would have happened, that her parents would still be-
Lucca swallowed hard and tried to forget the image of her parents and Robo being victimized by the son of Lavos. She shut her eyes and shook her head, then left the room. With her gear and weapon in her hands, she hurried down the stairs, her long, violet hair bobbing behind her. Lucca entered the kitchen and stepped up to the table. She set her helmet and her glasses down there. She then put down the gun, right next to the-
Lucca stared at the tiny object sitting on the table. Her mouth fell slightly open as the metallic item sparkled in the sunlight. The light shone through the window brilliantly despite her cloudy mood. The bright light continued to reflect off of the object, momentarily blinding her. Her mother's locket. "Oh…" she whispered softly.
Picking up the golden necklace, Lucca felt the sorrow sweeping over her again. Her heart began to twist in multiple revolutions. She held the small piece of jewelry in her left hand. Oval in form, it was slightly greater in size than most lockets. Lucca slowly and gently brushed her fingers over the inscription:
~To Lara~.
Lucca uttered a loud sob. "Oh, Mom," she wailed, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. She covered her mouth briefly to gain control of her emotions. As if that was a winning battle. Turning the locket over, she read the rest of the message:
May we always find the joy within each other, and in our dear little
girl.
Eternally yours,
Taban.
"Dad…"
Such tiny, blurred script, but she knew the engraved message by heart. Lucca had remembered the story her parents told her about that day. Taban had given Lara that locket on the day Lucca was born. They made a promise, much like a renewing of vows, to always love, honor, and cherish one other, and make the best possible life for their new daughter. And they had kept their promise, up to this day. That is, up to the day this Lavos had claimed them.
"Oh, Taban, just look at her. Isn't she the most precious little thing you've ever seen?"
"I think she looks just like you, honey. Beautiful inside and out."
"Oh, thank you dear. I know she'll bring us many years of joy…we'll all be together for a very long time, the three of us…"
"But how long did you expect that to be?" Lucca demanded weakly of the "memory," her voice unstable. She remembered how many times her parents told her that same story, over and over. She also remembered the looks on their faces right before the horrible incident occurred. And Robo, he cared so much…he showed more compassion than some humans did, in fact. Robo tried to save them from disaster. But poor Robo had been caught in the path…
"I'm sorry, Lucca! I did everything I could for them, for you..."
His panicked words bounced off the walls of her mind, each echo adding to the guilt she had already put so harshly on herself. "I'm so sorry, Robo," she suddenly said, the anguish very much evident in her voice, her eyes now full of tears. Even though he was back, she still felt so awful, that it was her fault he had almost been erased from existence. Lucca was so grateful he had been revived. She sniffled. So grateful, now that she had lost her parents…
She opened the locket with her fingers. Inside, was a little picture of her parents together, smiling. They looked so happy. The picture had been created by one of Taban's inventions that allowed a real-life drawing of people to be displayed on a special little sheet of paper. The tears rolled down Lucca's cheeks as she thought of the many times she had seen her parents smiling and laughing together. She thought of how lucky of a child she was, and how foolish she was not to realize how good her life had been, with two living, loving parents. Crono didn't have a father, and Marle's mother had died very early. She should have been more grateful.
She should have been-
The tears continued to slide down her face as it all sunk in. The tears she could no longer hold back. The tears she allowed to fall. "They're gone," she whispered, finally coming to this unmerciful realization. "Oh my God, they're gone. Mom, Dad…they're…gone…" Not able to stand the grief anymore, she snapped closed the locket and lifted her face upward. "Oh, God, they're really gone…" She violently pounded the table with her free fist in anger, as if to punish it for her sudden loss. She uttered a small cry of anguish, but in actuality, not even feeling the physical pain of the impact.
Shutting her eyes, Lucca sunk slowly to her knees. "Why did this have to happen…?" She clutched the necklace in her hand, bowed her head, and sobbed quietly, the pain in her heart becoming unbearable.
"Lucca…?"
The voice came in the direction of the front door. Lucca rose her head to see a concerned Glenn looking down at her. "Oh, Lucca," he said gently, tilting his head slightly to the side in worry. "Glenn…" she murmured, her tone rising from susurration. "They're gone…" She looked at him as if she expected him to tell her otherwise, to say it wasn't so, to maybe inform her the tragedy had never taken place. Instead, Glenn walked over to Lucca and knelt down beside her. "I am sorry, Lucca," he whispered sincerely. "I know thou art saddened by this tragic turn of events. I am sorry they hath departed in such a manner-"
"But WHY?!?!?!" wailed Lucca, her shocking lamentation reverberating throughout the entire house, unleashing all the rage and torment she felt in her soul. She cried even harder, furious and shaken at the injustice of it all. "Why…them?! It could have been someone else…!" She began breathing in short, high-pitched gasps. "It's not fair! It just isn't fair! Why did it have to happen to them?! Why?!"
"Why?" she was seeming to beg of Glenn. The loud sobbing eventually died down to silent, choked out breaths. "Why…?" she asked, her voice barely audible.
Glenn took a hold of Lucca in his arms. "Lucca, I am sorry," he said after a brief moment. "I am truly lost for words. I feel 'tis nary a thing I can say to maketh everything better for thee. I know naught what I may do…"
"Just hold me," Lucca whispered, moving her arms around him. She tightened her grip on his shoulders and hid her face in his right shoulder. "Please, Glenn, just stay here and hold me," she pleaded. "I need you so much, especially now. I need you now more than ever."
"Anything for thee, Lucca," he told her softly, stroking her hair. "Anything at all."
***
"Got everything you need?" Gaspar asked the quartet as they approached. They all nodded.
I do now, Lucca thought dreamily, cracking a hint of a smile as she looked at Glenn for just a second.
Gaspar turned his face to the blackened skies, then looked back at everyone. "Then go to sleep! This day has been long enough already."
Lucca smiled at Gaspar briefly, and then walked inside the forest to join her friends.
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Sheesh, what a chapter, huh? Stay tuned for…for…well, what may be the weirdest chapter of all. Eh? What do I mean by that? Sigh…I said stay tuned…! :P
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