Work Text:
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
That noise.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
That damned noise.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Xande glared at the clock that taunted him. It did not matter that the clock was merely performing its function, a function that it had performed since its creation and would continue to perform long after he was gone from this mortal coil. A time that was approaching closer and closer.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
“The students are progressing with their studies nicely.” Doga mentioned as the three students sat at a table, drinking tea. “Master Noah’s knowledge of magic has been quite helpful.”
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
“I had a lovely dream. I dreamed of a boy, as adorable as an onion, in blue clothes and wielding two swords. He and his friends were watching a magnificent castle, draped in golden clouds.”
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
“What of you, Xande? Is there anything you are appreciating more, now that you are mortal?”
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
“...”
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
“Xande?”
Xande ignored Unei’s call as he sulked out the door of the manor. The area was quiet, the whistle of birds mingling with the sounds of beasts that weaved through the grass. Xande ignored all of it. In his mind, ever since that ‘gift’ was bequeathed to him, the only sound he could hear was that damned
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
He felt alarmed. He needed to go somewhere. Do something. He did not know what to do or how to do it, but he needed to make haste, lest he drop dead soon.
...Haste.
Haste.
In the past, two of the world’s kingdoms had gone to war. This observation would be insignificant were it not for the consequences of the war; The kingdoms had taken the magic that Doga had developed and somehow refined and advanced it; The kingdom of Sasune had created the destructive Black Magic while the kingdom of Saronia had created the restorative White Magic. Of course, said magic was used to horrific effect during the war, but it was a curiosity nonetheless. After the war’s conclusion, the strongest and deadliest of the magics had been sealed in Eureka, while Doga had taken the somewhat less dangerous magics back for his apprentices to study.
One of those magics had been the Haste spell: A spell that increased the passage of time for its target. The very opposite of what Xande needed.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
‘Still… if magic can increase the flow of time… can it nor also Slow it? Or even Stop it entirely?’
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Ignoring the ticking that rang in his ears, Xande teleported away.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Xande threw the orb at the wall in outrage. Nothing worked; No matter what he tried absolutely nothing worked.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Despite his hopes, the mages were slow at deciphering the magics. None of them had created new ones in the time since the Sasune-Saronia war, forcing Xande to take matters into his own hands. Gaining a copy of the magic for himself, he began to toy with it, in hopes of figuring out how it was done and, more importantly, how to achieve the opposite effect.
However, whether it be due to the way the spell was created or Xande’s own mind being distracted by that infernal
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
He could figure out nothing. The spell was an enigma to him and he, Noah’s greatest student!, could not understand just how the spell did what it did. Learning its secrets would take time. Time that Xande did not have.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Xande growled. He needed to do something to regain his immortality, but what? Phoenix Downs were a luxury and too rare to even consider. The only resurrection spell was locked up within Eureka and even if Xande did have it, it would probably take even more time to understand than the haste spell did.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Xande stood outside of the Syrcus Tower.
He remembered a phenomenon that had happened centuries ago. The “Wrath of light” as it was commonly called. The Ancients of the bygone era had come to believe Light to be infallible and made extensive use of it. In their arrogance, they inadvertently magnified the link between the earth and the sun. Night, as it was known, was eliminated and Day became eternal. The sun, which one orbited the planet, stopped in the sky. Time ceased to exist.
And if time ceased to exist, Xande would not die.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Xande entered the Tower. He had already used his magic to summon a means to take care of the crystals of Earth and Water. Now, he needed to shift the balance.
Doga sat alone in the manor. The moogles were continuing their duties, blissfully unaware of what was about to occur. Doga himself could only speculate when exactly it would happen, but he knew that it was going to happen soon.
Doga’s thoughts turned to Unei. The image of her napping in her shrine came to mind. He wondered if she, currently in the dream world that Noah had left to her, would be touched by the phenomenon that Xande was about to unleash.
Xande… Xande had always been one to miss the forest for the trees. He was the finest of the three of them, but one did not become a star pupil of a great sage like Noah without heavy study.
Was Noah’s gift to Xande truly because Noah believed that Xande deserved? Or was it a message? A request? A statement; That Xande no longer needed to devote himself to his teacher and instead should make the most of his existence?
Doga fell into a coughing fit. Immortality, it would seem, did not stem the aging of the body.
Xande stepped past the dragon statues and beyond the mirror. He entered the final room of the Syrcus Tower and stopped in front of a massive pit. He began to channel darkness into the room.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
North of Argus, two men were preparing for their experiment. The components were being placed into the ground.
“It should be ready soon.” The younger man reported. “Still, I can’t help but notice that this invention seems a bit inspired .”
“Guilty as charged.” The older man laughed. “Can you blame me? It’s always a challenge, to replicate miracles with technology. But I’m not one to back away from a challenge.”
“Yeah. Who knows? If it works, maybe you’ll find a way to fix the sun one day.”
“Ha! Sounds like something to shoot for!” The older man looked critically at the device. “Hrm… It’s not much. But it’s a starting point. We can refine it later.” The older man looked to the younger one, who playfully nodded. “Alright! Let’s give her a whirl!”
Xande continued his ritual. The room grew darker. The pit that Xande stood in front of became filled with darkness.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Cid Haze, airship engineer of Saronia, flew his airship through the skies. He had a fulfilling life; If he wasn’t working with the engineers to bolster Saronia’s already impressive fleet of airships, then he was ferrying passengers with his own personal airship, and if he wasn’t doing even that, he was meeting with researchers about any new airships which had been salvaged from the Ancient Ruins.
The Nautilus, one of various airships that had been found, had been resurrected by Cid and was currently in the finishing stages of being polished up. She was practically flight ready right now, but Cid felt that the design left room for further improvement. If all went well, then not only would the Nautilus be the fastest airship in the world, it would also have the ability to go underwater.
Cit greeted his latest passengers, a fair-headed woman with her son. They joined the mass of passengers from all walks of life, whether it be families from the big city or single passengers from quieter villages. Flying through the hole-filled mountain range, Cid’s airship aimed in the direction of the kingdom of Argus, close neighbor to the kingdom of Sasune.
Slowly, out of the portal came a mysterious figure. A woman, wrapped in a robe of some sort and backed by a brilliant light.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
The water maidens moved as quickly as they could. The beast that attacked the crystal of Water had been forced back, but it was too late. The crystal was broken. The darkness was beginning to encroach upon it.
They had no other option.
As the five water maidens got on the boat, the youngest gave a silent prayer, praying that the light would remain long enough for them to return.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
The woman opened her robe. Darkness poured out, washing over Xande and covering the room in suffocating, pitch black darkness.
Then, it ended.
…
Xande fell to his knee as the room abruptly snapped back to how it was prior to the figure opening her robe. He suddenly felt a strange weariness, as he had awoken from a long slumber, yet could not quite fully wake up.
“What…what has happened…?” Xande moaned as he tried to get his bearings. “Has time frozen? Yet, why do I continue to move…?”
Time continues to flow.
“What?” Xande pulled himself up and glared at the figure. “But the balance has been disturbed! Both the Earth and the Water crystals have been corrupted by my hand! Their light has been stolen! A flood of darkness should be the result!”
The balance has been restored. Thanks to the Warriors of Light.
The entity looked downward towards the pool, prompting Xande to gaze as well. The portal now displayed an image. It was the image of four people, lying unconscious in beds. The four were young by the span of a normal mortal’s lifespan, the majority of them barely being halfway through their teens. For Xande, whose life spanned thousands of years they were practically barely born.
“You mean to tell me that these four youths are the Warriors of Light?!” Xande asked in disbelief. This had to be a sick joke! Fate could not mock him like this!
They have been chosen by the crystal of Wind, to return the balance to normal. An unforeseen consequence of your actions has allowed the crystals of Wind and Fire to remain connected to the sun. Thus, they and the location they inhabit, were spared the halting of time . The entity explained. We have taken measures to deter their progress, but little has worked thus far. If you seek to halt the flow of time once more, then the Warriors of Light must be eliminated.
Xande tried to think. This being felt the need to protect the world’s imbalance by opposing the Warriors of Light. Was this being also involved in the Wrath of Light, earlier? If so, then that would mean that this entity could wish to destroy everything…
And yet, as Xande began to grow cautious of his new sudden collaborator, it started again
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
And again
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
And again
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Xande grit his teeth. He needed that accursed ticking to stop. He did not care what he needed to do, what needed to be sacrificed, he merely wanted it to cease forever. He shall gain eternal life once more, even if he himself would not be aware of it.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
“Tell me. What can be done to stop them?”
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
The Cloud of Darkness gave a knowing smile.