Diverting Armageddon Chapter 2
Grave News
By Citadel
"Crono! You're alive!" Roland exclaimed.
"Jeez! You had me worried sick!" Crono's Mom added. Crono had just walked in the door. His parents had been at the table talking uneasily about useless things. They were waiting for either their son to walk in the door, or the world to fall into Armageddon. they were overjoyed to see their son.
"Yeah, I'm back," he said with finality.
"Lord son, I can't believe that you actually killed Anoctium!" Roland gushed. "You're powers must really be something.
"Well, I wouldn't really put it that way," Crono uneasily answered. "We didn't exactly kill Anoctium."
"Huh? You let him live?" Roland questioned.
"You mean the shape changing guy?" Crono's Mom asked.
"Yeah, him," Crono answered. "We didn't kill Anoctium, we kinda joined forces."
"Excuse me?" Roland said with disbelief. "Anoctium is a terrible, no good, horrible, very bad demon from places that I cannot even begin to comprehend. He must be destroyed! Anoctium will turn on you and stab you in the back son! How could you do such a thing?"
"We were battling, Fuerte and I. The three of us were exchanging blows right and left. Neither of us was gaining an advantage. I was trying my best and using my best powers, but none of them were strong enough to take down Anoctium. Even with Fuerte's power backing me up, I was too weak to take him on.
"Eventually Anoctium had something go wrong with his spell and he had to get Marle out of the way of the spell before the Daemon Trainer entered the World of the Damned."
"Isn't that what he wanted?" Crono's mother asked.
"No, it wasn't. We stalled Anoctium for so long that his plan to destroy the Daemon Trainer fell through and he had to stop the spell prematurely."
"So why did he want to kill the Trainer if he was resurrecting it?"
Crono sighed. "Because the Trainer was forcing him to do it or Anoctium would face punishment of some sort. Anoctium was only a pawn. Anoctium's plan was to call forth the Daemon Trainer, and while the Trainer was between the worlds he'd shut the gate and trap him there forever. With the absence of good or evil, Daemon Trainer would just fade into nothingness."
"Ingenious," Roland gasped. "I never would've thought of that."
"It took Anoctium 2500 years to think of that one. But by our interfering he nearly came into this world. His coming through the gates and Anoctium's spells totally ripped apart any seals that had been placed between worlds. Now the portal to the Palace of Eternity is accessible from either side, without the use of super spells. We inadvertently have made it possible for the strongest demons in existence to come back to the world of the living."
Roland sank into his chair. He stared blankly at the chair in front of him. "Is there even a thing we can do about it? We've released the worst possible things--I mean the second worst possible things into our world."
"Yes, there are some things we can do. That's where Anoctium comes into play." Crono sighed again. "This is the part I hate. I want to kill Anoctium more than anything in the world, but I can't because he knows more about my powers than even you do, Dad." Roland raised an eyebrow. "For instance, did you know that there are four sides to the Bearers of Light's powers?" Roland shook his head. "Holy, shadow, regenerate, and destruct."
"That's news to me," Roland responded.
"Yeah, not only that, but Anoctium can even identify the Bearers by the type of magic they emanate. He marked Janus as a Bearer."
Roland's eyes widened. "You're kidding!"
"Nope. He has shadow." Roland raised his eyebrows in amazement. "Wow, that's really interesting. I never would've thought that Janus, of all people--"
"Anoctium also knows of powerful weapons that can be used to stop the demons from entering this universe."
"Wow." Roland said with a lack of enthusiasm. "Then what?" Crono looked puzzled, so did his Mom. "Then what, huh? After you defend the first onslaught they'll send a second. Then a third. Then more, and more and so on and so forth." Crono's face went pale. "Do you think that there is an end to this? What Anoctium has done is he's created an endless war. There is no end to this war because the demons will keep pouring out. Even IF you were able to hold off the demons, what then? Fight for the rest of you LIFE? You couldn't possibly do it. But even if you could, what happens when you, or Janus, or any other Bearer dies? What then?" Roland shook his head in frustration. "Damn that demon. He's put a curse upon this universe. Upon EXISTENCE!!!!" Roland screamed. He shot up from his chair and marched to Crono. "Where is he? In fact, where is everyone else?"
"The survivors are at the End of Time; I had to come back to talk to the two of you." Roland's face lightened.
"Survivors?" He asked cautiously. "How many didn't return?"
"Three. Frog, Lucca, and Robo."
"Oh Lucca," his Mom sobbed. "She was so kind, and smart. I loved her like she was my own."
"I loved her too Mom; she was almost a sister to me." His head sank, his chin hit his sternum. "I can't really even believe she's really gone."
"Robo and Frog too? God, what a waste." Roland shook his head again. His red, graying hair waved around his head. He ran his hands through it and cleared his throat. "Okay. We've got a problem here. Now that we've won a battle the war has just intensified." Roland seemed to ponder his words. "I'm going back. Take me back to the End of Time."
"No! You can't leave me again!" His wife pleaded.
"I must!" He rushed over to her and held her tightly. "I must leave," he whispered in her ear, "I have to go back. I'd take you, but if you were to die--" He hugged her tightly. "Please understand that I do not like this course of actions. I'd rather stay here and not have to go, but the forces that be have decided that I get no rest in my age." He delivered a quick smile and turned to Crono. "We must depart. There isn't a second to spare." He and Crono rushed out of the house. Roland paused as he was exiting the door and blew a kiss to his wife. It shoved daggers into his heart to leave her again.
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