Sage Frontier Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of two Fakes! ❯ Mission Impossible: Impossibly Awesome! ( Chapter 34 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own SaGa Frontier. SquareSoft does, and they said I can't own the deed to their offices.

 

The twins' power continued to grow when Rouge closed his eyes, lending Blue the strength he had to continue the spell. But there was a real problem that neither could ignore, and both feared it may severely interfere with their spell; neither had slept in a long time, and both were becoming exhausted. Just the effort of holding such a spell was proving to be taxing, and it drained Rouge considerably just to give Blue his energy. Likewise, Blue was having trouble holding their spell together. Everyone else watched with a mixture of worry or fear. Ciato even went to help, but Ildon stopped him. Even if Ciato managed to get to them, Mystic magic was different from their own magic. It wouldn't help them at all.

 

“Think they can do it?” Orlouge asked quietly, as Zozma and the Time Lord watched on, the brothers on the clock beginning to glow blue and red with their energy. Orlouge had sounded overly concerned, but Fuse seemed relaxed. He trusted his boys.

 

“They're my best soldiers. Wouldn't doubt `em for a second,” Fuse replied, a confident smirk on his face. But something told him that no one else had quite the same level of trust as he did. He looked up, wondering just what was wrong, and saw that Rouge was kneeling, his breathing labored. Likewise, Blue was affected similarly. Fuse's face paled. He'd never seen that happen before.

 

“They're running out of strength!” Zozma called out in alarm, and Fuse turned to him, his eyes wide. The Mystic sounded terrified as he spoke. Ciato hovered a little above ground, unsure of what to do. But like Zozma, he felt the power of both brothers dropping, nearly crashing. They would be dead if they didn't stop. He turned to Ildon quickly.

 

“He's right. We have to do something!” the white-haired Mystic urged. But Ildon remained standing, his arms crossed. It just wasn't that simple for them. They were Mystics, and it was still against the law to help humans. As an enforcer of Orlouge's, Ildon couldn't just break that law. He shook his head.

 

“If we do, we'll be thrown in prison for it,” he stated calmly, despite his own growing worries and inner conflict. Ciato lost it immediately, and grabbed the Mystic by his collar, pulling him into the air. He held Ildon close, close enough to feel the man's breath.

 

“I think I'll risk prison for them,” Ciato growled, eyes narrowing angrily, “I'd rather have some actual friends than die knowing that I couldn't save them. Besides, prison? Really? That's the best you can threaten me with?” Ildon bit his lip. Ciato wasn't kidding around now. Suddenly, there was a bright light atop the clock, and everyone turned toward it. Blue and Rouge were no longer there; instead, they had forced themselves to accept Aubergine's help before they killed themselves. Ciato's eyes widened in terror. The power he felt was astounding, even by Mystic standards!

 

“What the hell is that!?” Zozma asked, as the master that was Aubergine closed his eyes, his hands outstretched toward the Sand Vessel. Brilliant purple light surrounded him, exuding a power so intense that the room itself seemed to dim. Philippe and the Time Lord backed away, unable to handle the vibrations of power Aubergine gave off. Even Orlouge, the most powerful among them, was taken aback by the sheer power. It was like looking upon an avalanche: unstoppable, and so very, very vast. And with their minds so closely melded together, Aubergine was only slightly aware of his friends. He couldn't let his concentration waver. An apparition of Rouge appeared and looked to his right.

 

`They're scared, bro. What do we do?' Rouge asked his equally ghostly brother, who appeared next to him. Blue looked down sympathetically, but there was very little they could do. If they reverted before Aubergine finished his work, they would die.

 

`We have to wait,' Blue replied seriously, and when Rouge frowned, he said, `I know it's hard, but it'll be even worse for them if we die right now. Just trust me.' Rouge already did that, but he wanted to help his friends. They looked mortified. Even Ciato, whom he disliked to a certain extent, looked scared shitless. But he knew Blue was right. He just sighed, and they watched their fused form continue to work.

 

After several minutes, time seemed to have no true flow to anyone within the chamber. No one could recall how long they stood there, watching, waiting for the purple-robed master to finish his craft and let his single identities take control again. He worked as quickly as he could, sensing the constant danger his single souls were enduring. Every second he worked, their life was drained, and while he was saving them from dying quickly, he was causing them to die more slowly as well, prolonging their pain. And in his mind, the conglomeration of both Blue and Rouge's thoughts and memories, he refused to allow that. They both deserved to live, to see another day. Finally mumbling one more spell, he aimed the rest of his energy at the vessel. The clock face began to glow, and bright light enveloped the room once again. This time, it was so blinding that everyone down below were forced to shield their eyes. Even Blue and Rouge, normally unaffected by such things in their ghostly forms, backed away from the light. Aubergine, however, kept his eyes wide open as he looked upon the completion of his work. The clock began to spin quickly, the hands moving erratically, pointing to all hours while at the same time appearing to tell no true sense of time. The sand that had spilled was sucked back into the bottom chamber of the large hourglass, and continued moving against gravity, up toward the top chamber.

 

“What's going on?” Zozma had to yell over the howl of magic, “Everything's going backwards!”

 

“Time is repairing itself,” the Time Lord replied seriously, and everyone looked over at him, “Time's going to flow naturally now. They're doing it. They're actually doing the impossible!” Ciato looked over at him as the light continued to grow ever brighter. The impossible! How could two humans do such a task? Not even Mystics, not even the Time Lord himself, had ever been able to actually restore time. Time was a thing to be lost, no matter what you filled it with.

 

“How can this be?” Orlouge asked quietly, eyes wide as the light slowly faded, “To… to reverse such damage! And to restore time itself! Time Lord, how can two humans do this?” The Time Lord didn't answer immediately. He was watching as the effects of such amazing power took shape. Any damage that had come to his realm was reversing; shattered windows and crumbled walls were slowly going backwards, sucking back the dust and remnants of glass that had long since fallen until they were whole once again. Layers of filth ceased to be, and noises from long-dead specimens and clockwork machines began to filter through. Rumblings from said machines filled the rooms beyond.

 

“Amazing,” the Time Lord gasped, looking around, “Truly… I've never seen my realm in such a state for eons of time. How on earth… what have they done?” Fuse looked over at the old Mystic, realizing that, as time rewound, the old man was becoming more and more eloquent. The sight before the old cop made his mouth drop. The realm wasn't the only thing changing from the reversal of time. The Time Lord himself was aging backwards, his white hair slowly turning to a light blue, his skin becoming smoother, and his clothing less faded out than before. His smile, which had been but a wrinkle of its former self, was wide, his brows set in a way as to give an amused, knowing look. The transformation was astounding; he looked even more regal than Orlouge was.

 

“What the hell!?” Fuse blurted out, unable to believe for himself what had truly happened. But no one turned to him. They were too transfixed upon the Time Lord, who merely beamed as he realized just what happened to him. Finally, no longer would he have to suffer through the diseases of old age! He was back to his former self, all thanks to Aubergine. Slowly, he closed his eyes, his smile still soft as he silently thanked the mages responsible.

 

“I am young again,” he said quite simply, answering Fuse's question, “They've not only reversed the damage to my clock, they've restored what damage is associated with it! Time, quite literally, has been fixed. Even my corporeal form, which was aging due to the suffering my realm has taken over the eons of eras I've seen, is back to what it once was. Truly amazing!”

 

“But won't that affect our timelines, too?” Ciato pointed out, raising a brow, “Won't we disappear?” The Time Lord thought about that for a second. It was a valid worry. But they wouldn't be affected. His realm was outside of the scope of space; technically, his realm didn't even truly exist. It was literally a pocket of nothingness, where the fabrics of time had been compressed for all eternity. He shook his head.

 

“No. Time is a constant, like a river flowing downward. Your time cannot be erased. But my realm, beyond the continuum of space, can be manipulated without causing harm to you, or to any world at all,” the Time Lord explained, clasping his hands together, “As it is, if you were to ask a scientist, he would call you delusional, explaining that a world where its core clockwork is time itself would never exist. He would explain that time has no past or future, that it's just the now, to be wasted.” Unfortunately, such an explanation only proved to confuse the Mystic further. Fuse also seemed perturbed by the answer, looking to Orlouge for a further explanation. But the Mystic merely smiled, indicating to let the Time Lord go on. This was a rare opportunity, to listen to such a theory. Fuse just nodded and acted accordingly.

 

“But then if science can prove time doesn't exist, how come we have memory? And why use clocks at all?” Fuse asked, hoping that was what Orlouge wanted. The purple-haired Mystic gave no clue. The Time Lord chuckled softly, circling the bottom of the hourglass with a slender finger.

 

“Ah, the age old question. Clocks are to help humans measure when their events take place,” the Time Lord replied, “You see, time and history go hand in hand. Science is contradictory that way. They value history, for the past attempts of the greatest in their fields, but they argue fiercely that time is meaningless in their fields, too. Nothing could be so further from the truth!

 

“Human memory is the strongest `pockets' of time we can have, because as long as there is more than one witness, we cannot change that particular event. And there is always more than one witness, even if we think we are alone. A person can try to change their memory through lies, but they do not truly change fact,” the Time Lord continued, “Time, as it were, is merely a way of measuring the when of when something happens. It allows… an organized way to view these facts, and puts human history into perspective. Without time, historians couldn't say for certain that man evolved from primates. We could argue easily that humans had always been just as you see them, and that evolution doesn't exist.” It was clear that this was too much for Fuse to handle at any given time. His eyes glazed over during the Time Lord's lecture. But Ciato had been paying attention, as had Ildon. Both of them glanced at each other in awe.

 

“So, in short, time pretty much holds together all of the races of the world,” Ildon concluded, “And every place, thing, and event that's ever happened, and when it correctly happened.” The Time Lord nodded, and Ildon said, “And because your realm doesn't exist on the same plane, it can withstand being reversed without harming us. It's on a separate plane altogether!”

 

“Exactly!” exclaimed the Time Lord, “Exactly right. There are six different planes discovered so far. The lowest one is hell, where nightmares spawn from the pits of darkness. Just above that is the world of the dead, where we all go when we finally pass. Then there is space, which allows matter to remain at all, providing the base for every star, planet, and world you see. Above that is the material plane, where plants, animals, humans, and everything that's `real' lives. Then there's the spirit world, where our incorporeal selves go when we die. Whereas our souls delve downward, our spirits go upward, allowing knowledge to continue onward for eternity. Higher still is the concept of Time, where I live, with few others to help keep the natural order of time. And then, lastly, is the plane of Magic. This is what spawns the other races, such as Mystics, Espers, elves, faeries, sprites, nymphs, and all forms of monsters. Each plane lives in harmony of each other, and yet separate of each other as well.” Ildon just smiled at the wisdom of the old Mystic's words. Never had he heard such information. Now, he was glad that time had been reversed for the poor lord. Imagine the eternal suffering on the man's soul, should he have forgotten such valuable knowledge! Ciato, however, still had his own questions.

 

“But how did Blue and Rouge reverse time?” he asked pointedly, “That is said to be impossible, even by your standards! How can it be so?” The Time Lord's smile became sly as he crossed his arms, leaning on his clock.

 

“Because their fused mind, Aubergine… is a master of all six planes,” he stated darkly, “They were created to become the greatest wizard in the entirety of the universe's frame. By splitting them as children, they were able to each learn a side of magic, each class of it relating to a different plane. And by fusing, they have fused all of the planes as one, allowing a being with the ability to traverse every known plane in existence. As such, he can do the impossible quite easily.” Ciato just blinked, nodding as he took the information in. The two brothers had quite a power at their disposal. Now he understood why Blue hadn't wanted to kill the Time Lord outright. He must've understood that.

 

“Speaking of impossible, my head hurts impossibly bad,” Fuse stated suddenly, “Can anyone spare some impossibly strong pain relief?” The Mystics just turned to him flatly. Considering the importance of their conversation, asking for pain relief seemed so… mundane. Not that they had any anyway. The Time Lord could've always reversed time if his headache got too bad. Ciato turned back to the Time Lord, completely ignoring Fuse's request.

 

“Ignoring the puppet for now, just how did the Magic Kingdom know how to make the ultimate being!?” the white-haired Mystic demanded, eyes widening as he spoke, “And what purpose were they trying to serve? A being to cross all six planes. They wanted something more, didn't they?” The Time Lord's smile grew grim, and his expression seemed to fade as he realized that Ciato was right. But he didn't have the answer. Even if he owned the vastness that was time, there were events even he couldn't begin to understand. He looked toward the top of his clock, where the two magicians in question had been. The light still hadn't completely faded yet, so he couldn't even see anything. But their power was still incredible.

 

“Those two are the only ones who may know why this was,” he stated sadly, “And if I've watched them correctly, they both want to block that part of their lives out. Even though they were originally supposed to be just one person, having been separate has caused them to become friends, the best of friends. And they each have their own identities now, too. They don't want to give that up… and they don't want to accept the pain that comes with knowing that technically, they never should've existed.” Ciato just let out a heavy sigh, nodding as he too looked up to where the brothers should've been. He understood wanting to block out the pain of one's own existence. And he understood as well the responsibility of having such terrifying powers at his command. To think that Rouge had to go through it…

 

“Is there any way we can even help them?” Ciato asked. But the Time Lord just smiled weakly, patting the younger Mystic's shoulder.

 

“They need no help. They've chosen their path already,” the old Mystic stated knowingly, “And they're happy with it. Time heals everything. Eventually, they won't even remember why they can fuse together. They'll just know it's possible for when they're in danger again. That is the plus of being human, Ciato. Bad memories eventually fade.” Ciato just looked down, wondering just how true that would be.

 

Eventually, the light at the top of the clock faded, and the room began to return to its own natural brightness. But this time, all of the damage had been healed. The sound of the running machines in unseen rooms was perfectly clear, and somehow seemed to fit amidst the clock chamber. The sand spilled nearly silently within the hourglass, but since Ciato was closest to the clock, he heard every grain make a tink sound as it hit the glass on its way to the bottom. And the sound of the clock itself was audible; Fuse could hear every ticking second that passed on the clock face that kept the hourglass closed. But only one thing was out of place in the chamber now. Neither Blue nor Rouge could be seen, nor did they appear. Zozma looked around everywhere curiously, as he was the first to notice this. He saw running gears and clinking chains in the background; he saw sand spilling within the hourglass. But he saw no magicians.

 

“Where's Siegfried and Roy?” he asked, raising a brow as he looked at his fellow companions. Ciato blinked, and realized the red-haired Mystic was right. He looked up again, but neither brother was anywhere to be seen. Brows creasing, Ciato unfurled his wings and was about to jump up when Ildon stopped him, shaking his head.

 

“We shouldn't interfere!” Ildon warned. But as usual, Ciato would have none of his complaints. He yanked his arm away from the green-haired man.

 

“And you shouldn't be alive, but here you are!” Ciato retorted angrily, “They're friends, and I'm not letting them die because they don't know how to control their output yet!” Then, he jumped away so quickly, that Ildon had no choice but to let him go. Ildon just hung his head and sighed. Sometimes, Ciato was just a nuisance. But he did have a point.

 

Ciato flew up to the top of the hourglass, and landed on the rim in perfect balance as his black wings fluttered, scattering black feathers everywhere. He looked around as only a thin wisp of the brilliant light remained, in the center of the clock. There, he found not Aubergine, but Blue and Rouge sprawled on the clock face. Both were unconscious. But as Ciato rushed to their sides, he found they were alive. They had pulses. Albeit weak ones. He sighed, brushing Rouge's hair out of his face. That gave him quite a scare, to not see them. He bent to pick Rouge up, and then hesitated. Ildon was still right; he wasn't supposed to help them at all. Then he shook his head furiously. Since when did he ever listen to Ildon anyway!?

 

“Idiot,” the Mystic said gently, picking Rouge up and walking to the edge, “They're okay! I've got them!” In truth, he only had Rouge with him, but as soon as he got the man to safety, he'd go back for Blue. He leapt down, Rouge asleep in his arms, and handed the young magician to Fuse, who took him, and with the Time Lord, walked into the living room. Ciato flew back up and secured Blue, descending again and heading to the living room as well, with the others following.

 

“Anything else up there?” Fuse asked, as Ildon helped Ciato set Blue on a couch opposite Rouge. Ciato just shook his head, looking at both brothers with slight concern.

 

“Wisps of light, but nothing aside from them,” he replied, and Fuse noted the quietness with which he spoke. Everyone did. But no one dared comment. Even Orlouge understood the delicacy of Ciato's situation. Fuse waited patiently for a few moments, wondering if worry was what had slowed Ciato down. But the man didn't speak again, his eyes focusing entirely on the two mages. Fuse just sighed, and turned to the Time Lord.

 

“Well, Ciato says the clock didn't look suspicious, so I guess that means it's fixed,” he said simply, shrugging, “Anything else we should do before we head back to Virgil and tell him what we found?” The Time Lord motioned for him to wait a moment, and then went to properly lock the Time chamber so that no one else could accidentally get inside. Then he came back and shook his head, sitting on one of the plush chairs that adorned his living quarters.

 

“I believe we're all set,” the old Mystic replied, and then chuckled, “Though I suppose there's an arrest to be made?” He glanced at Philippe, who had remained absolutely silent in awe of the spectacle that Aubergine had made. The noble's face went white. And Fuse's ears just perked at the reminder. He took out his famed handcuffs, and without Blue to stop him, began to recite the necessities for making such an arrest.

 

“I nearly forgot all about that! Thanks!” Fuse declared, saluting the Time Lord just briefly before snapping the cuffs onto Philippe's wrists, “You are under arrest for vandalism and civil disobedience. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney, and on the off-chance that you can't afford one, which I find highly unlikely, I'm sure we can get someone to represent you in the name of the law.” Ciato and Zozma just watched, glancing at each other in amusement. They had both been through this multiple times, and both of them felt sympathy to Philippe for it, too. But neither moved a hand to help him. They wouldn't have been able to stop Fuse, even if they wanted to. Fuse was rarely persuaded to let a crime go.

 

“WHAT!?” Philippe screamed, eyes nearly popping out of his head, “What do you mean, vandalism!? The clock was already broken when I went in!”

 

“That's what they all say,” Fuse reasoned, eyes narrowing as he began to walk Philippe to the `front door' of the realm.

 

“No, I'm serious!” Philippe cried, “And what civil disobedience!? I attended my brother's court, and I even paid his stupid taxes! What about my rights!? He's the one charging me because of the merchant ships, which I accidentally crashed into! I did nothing wrong!” Fuse's eyes just narrowed further. It was pretty clear he didn't care about any of the excuses Philippe would give him, even if all of them were the truth. Right then, he had a culprit and he was so close to closing a case. He would get his man. Except that the Time Lord was currently walking toward him, too. He cursed. Didn't anyone understand what justice was!?

 

“I suppose you want to make a closing statement,” Fuse grumbled to the old mystic, “Make it quick.”

 

“Fuse, I don't think arresting the poor man is right… yet,” the Time Lord stated calmly, an amused smile on his face, “Why don't we go back and tell Virgil that all is well? I'm sure he would like this case wrapped up as much as you.” Fuse's scowl just deepened. He was trying to wrap up the case. But everyone else was trying to stop him. Couldn't any of them see how counter-productive they were being? He sighed.

 

“I'm trying to do that, pal,” Fuse replied in frustration, “I'm trying to book the idiot who broke your clock in the first place.”

 

“IT WASN'T ME!” Philippe screamed, eye twitching. Fuse just glanced at him, and whacked him upside the head, causing the noble to stagger forward, his braid flipping over his head.

 

“It's rude to interrupt us,” the cop scolded, and turned to the Time Lord, “Why can't I make my arrest!? You practically handed the guy over on a silver platter! What the hell's the problem now!?” Zozma, who'd been watching the entire scene, just snorted and walked over to see what he could do to alleviate the fight. Ciato didn't know just how helpful the red-haired Mystic would be, but he didn't move to stop him. He wanted to see if anything could actually deter Fuse in any way.

 

“Considering that you have two downed cops, and you still need to give Virgil his rings back, I'd say you have at least three big problems stopping you from going aggro with your handcuffs,” Zozma pointed out, “Not to mention that we don't even know Philippe's story. For all we know, he's actually telling the truth.” Fuse stopped and thought about that for a moment. Technically, he didn't really give Philippe a chance to redeem himself or prove his story. And technically, Philippe might've been right about the clock. The Time Lord couldn't prove that the noble was the one who'd broken it. A lot of the basis for Fuse's arrest was shaky. He sighed. If he wanted to be the world's best cop, he'd have to do things the right way.

 

“All right, we'll go see Virgil AGAIN,” Fuse reasoned, and then pouted, “But he keeps the damn handcuffs on!” No one pressed to complain, save for Philippe himself. After arranging for Ildon and Ciato to move Blue and Rouge, the Time Lord led them through the living quarters, down the halls filled with living monsters that watched their every move, and toward the `front door' where they'd entered in the first place. This time, the pedestal they'd arrived on was glowing a bright pink to signify that it was working. The Time Lord seemed especially pleased by this, and he motioned for them to get on. Then, with Orlouge's help, he chanted the spell to release the machinations within the pedestal to send them to Virgil's palace. With his renewed youth, it took but a minute to do so.

 

When they arrived back at the throne room, the first thing anyone noticed as they stepped off the platform and onto the marble floor, was that Virgil was no longer in his throne. The fires in the wall behind the throne had been doused, and the room was dark. The only light came from the platform itself, and when everyone was safely off of it, it simply blew out. Fuse frowned. This really wasn't a good time for Virgil to be stepping out for a coffee break.

 

“Hello?” Ildon called, as Zozma said, “Yo, Captain America! We got your stupid rings! Where are you!?” Orlouge and the Time Lord looked at each other, both wondering what might've happened to their friend. It wasn't like Virgil to just leave his palace, especially since that would mean it'd be unguarded. Fuse hummed, letting go of Philippe to go and investigate the throne. But there wasn't much he could do. He still couldn't see.

 

“Where on earth could he have gone?” Orlouge whispered to the Time Lord, “Do you suppose he was harmed?” The Time Lord shrugged. That was a slim possibility. Hardly anything lived in Mosperiburg, save for Suzaku. And the flaming bird was actually a friend.

 

“Doubt it, but someone might've actually come here,” the older Mystic suggested, “Maybe another Mystic. Or maybe even Kylin.” Orlouge considered that. But Kylin lived in another dimension, just like the Time Lord did. Why come down here? Either way, everyone got their answer within the next two minutes, for Virgil came back in holding a candle. When he saw them, he nearly jumped back.

 

“My goodness, I didn't expect you all to be back!” he exclaimed, and smiled, “All went well?” Fuse nodded and was about to speak when Zozma cut him off.

 

“Well, if you consider losing two mages, bagging a noble, fighting Mystic disputes, and then watching time being reversed `well,' then yeah, it went fine,” the red-haired Mystic stated. Orlouge snorted, and Ciato actually punched the younger Mystic in the stomach, causing Zozma to double over in pain. Virgil just blinked, but didn't dare to ask what Zozma was even talking about. He had a gut feeling that he wouldn't actually want to know. The sight of Blue and Rouge unconscious, with Philippe in handcuffs, and the Time Lord looking centuries younger, told him that Zozma's story rang true. He just chuckled. A long time ago, he would've involved himself in the same antics, too. Walking casually over to the throne, he sat, resuming his normal station as watcher of Mosperiburg.

 

“Then the realm of Time is fixed, I take it,” he stated obviously. The Time Lord smiled, nodding as he stepped forward.

 

“It's better than that, old friend,” the older Mystic said brightly, and then became serious almost immediately, “But we have another problem. It appears that one case has led to another, and I have no time to explain my foolish actions toward taking your rings. All I can do is return them. Forgive me, I wasn't within my right mind.” He held out all of the rings to Virgil, who had tilted his head, wondering just how long the Time Lord had aged in the midst of his broken realm. Just one day ago, the man was ranting and raving about nothing in particular, and now, he was completely sane. Virgil just waved the problem away easily, his smile serene as the fire in the wall behind him lit up, casting half of his face in shadow.

 

“Think nothing of it, my friend. Unlike us, your age is connected directly to the flow of time,” Virgil replied gently, and folded his hands in his lap, “Now then, what is the problem?” The Time Lord cleared his throat, not quite sure how to answer. Right then, they had a few problems that dictated where they should go next. But Philippe, ever the impatient one and wishing to be rid of his supposed crimes, stepped in and cut the Time Lord off before the Mystic could even speak.

 

“The problem is that my older brother's an ass!” the noble declared, and Virgil just sighed as Philippe went on another tangent, “He's raising taxes to pay for ships that I accidentally bumped while driving my boat! He's extorting cash from me, and this basket case of a cop is saying it's my fault!” He pointed directly to Fuse, who just raised an amused brow as Philippe explained his side of the story. Virgil just blinked again, his eyes narrowing flatly. As kind and understanding as he was, not even he felt he had the patience to deal with this case. Especially since Philippe wasn't the only one willing to rant. Fuse just shoved Philippe accusingly.

 

“Hey, technically it is!” the cop retorted, turning to Virgil, “Okay, this is what happened. This brat decided that he didn't want to take responsibility for his actions, so not only did he break and enter into the Time Lord's realm, he also broke the clock, too. So that right there are two strikes against justice.”

 

“I DIDN'T BREAK THE GODDAMN CLOCK!” Philippe screamed for what felt like the third time in the last hour. Everyone just stared, unable to believe that the two of them were bickering in front of the three oldest Mystics in existence! And yet, they were. The exchange went back and forth for minutes on end, with Fuse determinedly trying to defend justice, while Philippe continued to plead that he didn't do anything wrong. And it didn't look like it'd end anytime soon. When they finally starting insulting each other outright, Virgil stood up and clapped his hands. And when that didn't do anything, he finally rose his voice.

 

“ENOUGH!” he cried, and immediately, all noise ceased to exist. Even the fire seemed to resist crackling in fear of angering the normally-gentle Mystic as he said, “It doesn't matter who is right. Both of you, refrain from this childish nonsense at once, or leave my palace! Now, does anyone aside from myself have an idea as to what to even do to solve this!?” He wasn't even surprised when everyone except for Fuse raised their hands. Shaking his head in absolute disbelief, he pointed to Ciato and said, “Tell us your opinion.” Ciato just snorted, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

 

“I think we should skip the justice bullshit and just get to Hahn Nova again,” the younger Mystic suggested almost sarcastically, “You know, get the facts straight from the idiot who caused this mess in the first place.” Virgil just stared for a long moment. As much as Ciato annoyed him, he had to admit that the guy was brutally blunt sometimes. And he was right. If they were going to solve this case immediately, they had to go right to Hahn Nova and confront Gustave. He sat back down in his throne.

 

“I'm inclined to agree,” he said tiredly, “Now, tell me you're able to get there.” This time, Fuse beamed. For once in his life, he could one-up all of the Mystics by raising his hand and saying `Yes I do!' right in their faces. And not one of them could argue with him, either. He raised his hand high and proud, like a little five-year-old answering their first math question on the first day of school.

 

“Of course I can! I'm a cop. I have a plane,” he said proudly. But his pride was short-lived as he looked back and saw that both Ciato and Orlouge had gone pale at the mention of his vehicle. He had a feeling something happened to that plane, and he asked, “What's wrong with you two?” And to his horror, he found he was right.

 

“That was your plane?” Ciato asked, and when Fuse nodded stiffly, the Mystic laughed and said, “Well… we used a Nightmare from our Phantasm Shot spells… and they might have crashed into your plane when we landed.” Fuse's eyes widened in absolute fury, twitching every few seconds to show just how unbelievable such luck could've been. Not only did they destroy his one chance to show Silence that humans would always be better than Mystics, but they would very possibly get him fired for it, too. It wasn't technically his plane, after all.

 

“You crashed my plane!?” he demanded, and went completely ballistic, “YOU IDIOTS! That's government property! I can't just replace it! Do you have any idea how much one of those things even costs!? Damn it, I don't make enough money just to buy the front tires, let alone pay for the whole ship! That's it, you two are under arrest for assaulting a cop and destroying government property! And you confessed, too, so don't even try worming your way out of this!” Everyone just glanced at each other, many of them fearing for Fuse's mental stability as he stormed over to Ciato, reaching into his pocket. Unfortunately, he didn't have any spare pairs of cuffs, so in the end, he simply tied Ciato's hands with the Mystic's own hair. Ciato simply winced as the knot was pulled.

 

“Don't you think you're going a little overboard?” he asked, as Fuse went to try and tie Orlouge up next with the man's own cloak, “We didn't mean to crash, and technically, you violated a parking law. You can't park outside when the person's driveway needs to be cleared of snow. And if you haven't seen, Mosperiburg is full of snow. Your plane would've been in direct violation and confiscated anyway.” Fuse opened his mouth to scream again. Then he shut it. Ciato was technically right; Virgil's residence did need to be cleared to park safely. And that point alone would nullify Fuse's arrest. His brows creased as he stamped his foot.

 

“Damn it!” he hissed, and then grumbled, “We have no way for all of us to get there, Virgil…” Virgil just chuckled. Somehow, he really shouldn't have been too surprised. His smile returned, and he breathed deeply as he beckoned for Fuse to step forward. The cop did so.

 

“I expected as much from you,” the Mystic replied gently, “Therefore, I will allow passage from Suzaku.” Fuse's eyes widened. Suzaku!? The flaming bird of DEATH!? Fuse couldn't think of a worse chariot for himself or his two downed soldiers. But he couldn't raise a hand against it. The Mystics would definitely outnumber him in a vote, and all of them could safely ride the phoenix. He just sighed and nodded. Zozma's grin was by far the biggest as he jumped up and rushed to the door leading to the long hallway that wound downwards.

 

“Hell, yeah! Giant flaming chickens!” the red-haired Mystic declared, throwing the door open, “Come on, everyone! Last one there has to ride on its foot.” Then he ran out of the throne room, leaving everyone else to stare in absolute bewilderment.

 

After bidding Virgil a farewell, as well as returning the rings to restore Margmel, Fuse led everyone down the halls and through the front entrance toward where Zozma ran off, with Ildon and Ciato continuing to carry Blue and Rouge. Orlouge and the Time Lord decided to come along, even though the Time Lord no longer needed their assistance; they just wanted to keep the Mystic princes in line, which Fuse knew would be a task worth their weight. They continued on, with Ildon wondering just where Zozma had gone to, when they saw him in the frozen courtyard outside. And he wasn't alone. As though it knew by some mystic force that it was needed, Suzaku was waiting outside patiently, even as Zozma was dancing around it, making a big deal over the phoenix. He stopped only when he saw Orlouge opening the door, with everyone stepping outside after him. Zozma just gave the thumbs-up.

 

“Tell me this won't be totally awesome!” he dared, as Ciato just grumbled, pushing past him to lay Rouge safely on the bird's back. Ildon wasn't nearly as enthusiastic as he handed Ciato Blue next.

 

“Oh sure, and when one of us falls and breaks our backs, it's going to be just dandy,” the green-haired Mystic stated grimly, “Yeah, I'd love to see you explain to White Rose just how Ciato managed to die.” Zozma just chuckled as he clambered onto the bird's flaming back, but Ciato just looked down and glared at his cohort, who was grinning triumphantly. Oh, how he wanted to destroy that grin!

 

“Why the hell would I die!?” Ciato asked, as Orlouge helped Fuse up next, “I can fly, you idiot!” Unfortunately, such obvious facts never worked when it came to putting Ildon down. He crossed his arms, his grin merely widening as the Time Lord jumped up onto the bird. For just a minute, the two opposing Mystics glared, one angry, the other smug. Then, Ildon spoke.

 

“You can't if I break your wings off,” he said, and climbed up as though that were the end of the argument. To which, it was. Ciato would've gladly pushed Ildon off of the bird, but in his extreme excitement, Zozma refused to hear that there was an argument brewing behind him. He took Suzaku's reigns and led the bird upward, where it soared through the clouds, eventually leaving the blankets of snow that seemed to eternally cover Mosperiburg in its winter plight. Fuse simply looked down, watching as the mountains sped right past them, the white blanket beneath soon turning to a pale green, and then to a sandy color as they flew ever westward, toward the coast. Owmi came to view, but they passed it in a simple instance, and sped ever onward, out onto open sea. In the bright sunlight, the ocean was amazing. It shimmered merrily, and the rays even caught onto Ciato's white hair. He merely muttered under his breath, though, even as Zozma just laughed at him tauntingly. Make that two Mystics Ciato wanted to push off and into the water.

 

“So… how long until we get there, boy?” Fuse asked, knowing that any second, Ciato would actually act on his murderous ideas. Zozma merely grinned, looking forward, where the sea seemed to stretch on forever. No ships were in sight, either in the sea or in the air. That was good. There was nothing to impede them. And the wind was working with them, as well. He gave another thumbs-up.

 

“Maybe three hours if Suzaku decides to stop for something,” he replied, and just for show, angled the bird to continue going upwards, “Hang on tight, my good men!” Unfortunately, the only ones who didn't complain about the man's maneuver was Blue and Rouge. And that was only because they were unconscious. Fuse just let out an audible sigh. This was going to be a very long three hours, especially if no one dared to take Zozma off as the pilot. And it didn't look like anyone would.

 

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

 

With the Time Lord's realm saved, Margmel will be able to be restored, too. But that doesn't mean crime rests, for as soon as they save the Time Lord's realm, Fuse immediately makes another arrest that will force them to head back to Hahn Nova, where their sequel counterparts dwell. Can they find clues to prove Philippe's innocence, or will there inevitably be a court to send someone from SGF II to prison? Will either Blue or Rouge wake up during the flight there? And will Ciato push both Ildon and Zozma off the bird? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!