Amor Vincit Omnia Chapter 25
More Than a Reunion
By Minmei
"Hmm…"
The old man examined the sword on the wall and smiled proudly. And why shouldn't he? He had, after all, created it. He might have given it to that one spiky-haired boy…but oh well.
Suddenly, a roar overhead was heard. The man turned around in surprise, for it was a sound he had not heard in quite a while…
"What are they doing back?" he asked aloud. And then…
(Knock knock)
"Come in!" called the old man. The door slowly opened, and the blue-haired mage slipped inside.
"Oh, hello there again," greeted the old man. "Is there something you needed, young man?"
"Actually, Melchior, there's something we need," the mage answered.
The old man cocked his head. "Come again?"
Magus pushed the door open slightly, as if to let someone else in. He appeared to exchange words with someone else outside, then he turned back to the old man. He pushed the door even further. "You see, my sister and I need some help, and I'm afraid you're the only one who can help us."
"Your sister?" asked Melchior.
The mage nodded, and a tiny smile seemed to cross his face for just a moment. Suddenly, a young woman with lighter blue hair walked in. Melchior's jaw dropped.
"Sch-Schala?! I-i-is it really you?!"
The young sorceress smiled warmly. "It's been a long time, Melchior," she said. She walked up to the Guru of Life and embraced him.
Melchior's mouth remained open, his eyes widened in shock. "Schala…"
Schala pulled back. "Hello, Melchior."
"H-h-how did you-I mean, where did-w-what-"
"Janus brought me here," Schala told him, beaming at Magus.
Melchior frowned. "Huh? Janus? Is he here too?"
Schala glanced at Melchior briefly, then looked back at Magus with an expression of confusion on her face. "Didn't you tell him?" she asked him. Magus blushed and lowered his gaze.
Melchior blinked at Magus. "Y-you mean…you're Janus?! Well, why didn't you say anything, my boy?"
Magus rolled his eyes and a look of embarrassment covered his face. He had no idea what to say. "I-I didn't-"
"Oh, you know Janus," Schala interrupted, trying to answer for Magus.
Melchior frowned again. "Actually…no, I don't."
"I mean that…he isn't one to be open about a lot of things," Schala finished.
"Oh," said Melchior. A pause. "What…happened to the both of you anyway?"
Magus and Schala both sighed.
***
"My goodness," Melchior said finally. "That's…quite a story. So, the amulet you gave Janus pendant of the girl Marle brought you back."
"Yes," replied Schala. "And now it's cracked…"
"…and you need it with your own pendant to use on the son of that…monster," Melchior finished for her.
Schala nodded. "So could you repair it for us?"
Melchior sighed. "Now, you know I need dreamstone in order to fix what I had already made from your family's rock. And I used up the last of the stone your friends gave me to repair the Masamune."
Schala's eyes dimmed. "And since we have no dreamstone, you can't repair this pendant."
"No…"
"Oh," Schala sighed, lowering her eyes to the floor in disappointment.
"BUT," Melchior continued, "There is a way you can obtain the stone."
Magus and Schala both turned their gaze to the old man. "Huh?"
A smirk formed on the old man's face. He began to think about what he had done in Zeal, just before he was transported to this era from the Ocean Palace. He cleared his throat. "Well," he started, the grin growing wider, "before I went down to the Ocean Palace, I was carrying what was left of your family's dreamstone, and-"
"But I thought you already used it up," interrupted Magus.
"Convenient that I happened to have it stored up, isn't it?" said Melchior, winking at the blue-haired pair. "No, actually, as I headed towards Zeal, I stopped at Kajar to give to the merchant for safekeeping."
"Merchant?" questioned Schala. "You mean the Nu there?"
Melchior nodded. "Precisely. So if you were to travel to our old era, as you have mentioned, and you find him there, you can ask him for it."
Schala shook her head slowly. "But what if he doesn't give it up to us?"
"What do you mean?" Melchior asked, tilting his head to the side.
"I mean, what if he doesn't want to give the dreamstone to us because he thinks he can only give it to you or something? He is a loyal creature when asked to safeguard something."
"Oh…I see," Melchior said. "Hmm…" He walked over to the table and picked up a notepad and a writing utensil. He scribbled something onto the pad, tore off the sheet, and folded it in half. Looking up, he handed the piece of paper to Schala. "Now, when you find him-I assume you know how to find him?"
"Yes, of course," responded the blue-haired man.
"Well, when you find him, give him this note. He'll understand what to do when he reads it."
"Okay," agreed Schala, retrieving the paper. She was tempted to look at it, but instead looked back at Melchior again with a new question coming to mind. "What made you decide to give the stone to the Nu anyway?"
"Oh," said the old man. An uncomfortable look crossed his face momentarily before he answered her. "Well…like you said, he's quite the loyal Nu, and I knew I could trust him with the rock. And besides, I know the queen would never take what was left of my possessions if I didn't have them on me…oh, I'm sorry, Schala."
Schala's expression softened. "It's all right," she assured him. "I realize that Mother did such horrible things before she-" Schala swallowed hard-"departed from us, but I know deep down inside that she has a good, kind heart, and would never have done those things if Lavos didn't…" She trailed off, but it was obvious what she wanted to say.
A long moment passed. Finally, Melchior spoke up. "Well," he started, "you know I'll be waiting here. When are you going to run your errand?"
"As soon as we've had a proper reunion," replied a voice from outside the door.
Melchior's eyes widened again. That voice, he thought. That…familiar voice. Can it be?
The old man with the coat entered the room. He tipped his hat. "Long time no see, old friend," he greeted Melchior.
Melchior was speechless.
"Well, good!" laughed Gaspar. "You've always had something interesting to say to me!"
"I-I-I j-just can't…believe…every…one…is c-coming…back," sputtered Melchior. "Gaspar…it's been so long."
"That it has," agreed Gaspar. He turned to Magus and Schala. "Why don't you two go on ahead?" he instructed them. "A friend and I need to catch up on old things." Magus and Schala nodded, said goodbye to Melchior, and walked out of the house.
A minute later, the Epoch passed overhead.
Gaspar and Melchior took a seat at the table. Melchior started to tell Gaspar everything he had done in the time span the Gurus three had been divided, but Gaspar put up a hand to silence him.
"It's all right," explained Gaspar as his friend eyed him strangely. "I already know."
.
In 12,000 BC…
"Janus, where is that Nu anyway?" Schala asked as the duo flew over the frozen surroundings.
"Well, the last time I remember, he was still in the Last Village, selling old weapons," answered her step-brother. "Remember, things are a lot different now than from what you used to know."
Schala sighed. "Yeah…"
The Epoch passed over the North Cape and the Commons area. Magus landed it in front of the hut where the Nu had been selling the weapons, in the Last Village. As Schala began to climb out, Magus stopped her.
"Wait," he said, taking a hold of her arm. Schala turned to look at Magus as he handed her a long, dark blue cloth. "Put this on," he instructed her.
Schala frowned. "I don't understand, Janus," she said, eyeing him in confusion.
Magus took a deep breath. "You know that the villagers will be happy to see you, right?"
Schala shrugged. "I…suppose…"
"And they'll want to keep you here for a while because they will want to know what happened to you."
Schala's mouth fell open as she began to realize what her brother meant. "So what you're trying to say is…"
"We can't have that," he finished for her. "That is, if we want to hurry up and get this thing fixed."
"I'm sorry, Janus," Schala told him, retrieving the thick scarf from him. She tied it around her head and tucked her hair underneath the cloth. "I wasn't thinking."
"It's all right," he said, managing a smile. "Heh, now you look like one of those Enlightened Ones." Schala cast him a strange look, wondering what he was implying.
Magus cleared his throat. "Okay, all set? Then let's go."
***
"Yes?" called out a voice from inside the hut as the blue-haired pair approached. Magus pulled back the flap and peered inside. Staring back at him was the large creature blue creature known as the Nu.
"Yeah…um…we're not here to shop," Magus said uncomfortably. "Oh?" said the Nu. "Then what are you here for?"
"We need…something of yours."
The Nu gave Magus a long stare. "And what is it of mine that you need?"
"The dreamstone."
The Nu gaped at them, completely taken by surprise. After a moment of silence, he unsteadily asked, "And what do you know about it?"
"We know that Melchior gave it to you for safekeeping, and now we need it to repair this." He held out the damaged pendant to the Nu. The Nu, having no idea what to say, reached up and held the small necklace in his blue hand. The chain was still flawless, without a scratch or evidence of deteriorating. The same could not be said about the stone, which was cracked, the cut penetrating at the bottom and branching out as it split up the middle.
The Nu scowled at the broken medallion. "This was the same pendant that one girl was wearing," he commented. "The one that looked very much like Schala's. What happened to it?"
"Well…" started Magus, turning to his stepsister. "Give it to him," he instructed her. Schala nodded and handed the Nu the piece of paper. "To make a long story short…well, just read this." The Nu took the note and opened it.
My most loyal servant,
thank you humbly for your duty in guarding the stone. But your time has been served. Please give these two what they ask for. Explaining why would only stall the time needed in accomplishing what I must do.
I shall always be in your debt.
~Melchior
The Nu blinked twice, then turned around to rummage in a large bag he kept nearby. Magus and Schala exchanged glances as the Nu came back with a red stone. "My apologies," said the creature as he gave them the dreamstone. "Please, take this stone and do whatever you need to do."
Magus and Schala nodded. "Uh…thank you," Magus said, taking the stone from the blue creature.
A smirk crossed the Nu's face as the duo exited. He knew he had served his master well.
***
"Good!" said Melchior as Schala and Magus entered the house, holding both the cracked pendant and the dreamstone. "Now, bring them over here." The pair obediently carried the items over to the table as Melchior brought out the needed tools…
.
Hmm…well, I've run out of things to say *snicker*. Chapter…uhh…um…er…whatever it is, next!
.