[This was originally an AoE entry, but I thought I should probably submit it to the Fanfic section, as well. It's quite a different take on the world of EB, but here's the premise: What if the Chosen Four were enemies from EB? This simple question spawned a story in my mind unlike any I had written before, let alone anyone else. I wrote it over the course of a week, all 20 or so pages, and it took me about 25-30 hours, counting revisions and the like. I had to completely rewrite certain parts, and I feared I wouldn't be able to get it in on time. I did, thankfully, and won myself a badge. I apologize for all the spaces between paragraphs, saving as HTML in Word apparently uses < p > instead of < br > whenever you hit enter. Oh well, I hope you enjoy it anyway.]

The year is 199X. We see Onett, a small town in Eagleland. To the north, Ness’s house. It is a quiet house, though perhaps not quiet enough. One sound permeates the entire building, robbing a young girl of sleep and causing a mother to put a pillow over her head. Ness, by some twist of fate, has developed a cold, one that causes him to snore.

And so it is, by this twist of fate, that neither he nor his household is aware of the fall of the meteorite that hits the mountain just west of their house. He does not wake up, and he does not go to see it. He is unimportant to this story. So we will begin again.

----

The year is 199X. We see Onett, a small town in Eagleland. To the north and slightly west, Giant Step. It is a quiet place, one pulsing with hidden energy atop an unfrequented plateau. Only its guardian, and the denizens of the underground caves nearby, had any idea of the true power of the gargantuan footprint. He knew he had been placed at the mouth of the cave leading to the Step centuries ago to protect it, and wait for the coming of the Chosen One. He knew the nature of its power, and how to activate it, and even the reasons it might be needed. But he had no way to draw on the power, and had no desire to do so. He was happy to be its protector, to wait for the Chosen One to arrive. He would then test the One, and thereby end his term as guardian by receding into the mists of eternity.

He had struck fear into the hearts of many who had tried to scale the shaft leading to the top, knowing that only the Chosen One would have the courage to face him. Over the years he had grown to rest for an eternity, if need be, for he was unaffected by the passing of time. He lived to serve, and he served for all time. He was the Titanic Ant.

So it was that he lived in relative peace, commanding the lesser insects and vermin of the caves and tunnels to keep out the occasional pestering kid or unknowing adult. When the meteorite crashed into the hill just east of his post, a possible threat to the sanctity of Giant Step, he knew that it might prove a threat to the Step, and was wary. He was cautious, though, willing to wait.

It was then that the twist of fate took effect, when the fabric of reality shifted to another path. Imperceptible to mortals, it was nonetheless earth shattering.

Titanic Ant had pondered it, and, going quite against his character decided to look at the meteorite more closely.

"Antoids!" he called, and almost immediately 20 of his servants were by his side. "We descend on the forest of Onett. I must investigate this strange occurrence more closely." He flexed his insectoid legs and launched away from Giant Step, a score of half-foot-long Antoids scurrying behind. In less than a minute he was at the edge of the hill, and motioned for his Antoids to scare off the police and bystanders gathered nearby. Titanic Ant could not be distracted.

Shouts and the sounds of running feet were heard clearly for several minutes, before finally one of the Antoids returned to him. We have cleared a path, and beckon you forward, Master. The Antoids spoke not with words, but with their feelers, conveying their messages in an almost telepathic manner.

Titanic Ant nodded, leaping up the side of the hill. Nearly eight feet tall, he was an impressive creature, one possessing the strength of an ant multiplied hundreds of times, while also being more intelligent than most humans. And so he approached the meteorite slowly yet without fear, knowing that very little could challenge him.

A young boy slept against a tree in the last moments of night, and he motioned for his Antoids to bear the boy down the hill slowly, without disturbing his slumber. While they worked, he studied the pulsating rock, feeling its power. It would be unnoticed by the humans, but he understood ancient and powerful things, was sensitive to them; he started when the power changed abruptly, grew and then dimmed slightly. He took a long step back to see a small insect float from the smoldering stone.

"A bee I am… not," he said seemingly to no one in particular.

"Neither an ant am I, small bug," Titanic Ant said. "What are you, then, and why do you disturb this place?"

The bee-or-not studied him, then said, "I am Buzz-Buzz, and I bear the Sound Stone to the Chosen, aged guardian. I know of you, and I wish no conflict between us. I seek a young man, for my time grows short."

"I was once a young man," Titanic Ant mused. "But I do not see the one you seek. How is it that you come to us borne on a falling star, with knowledge of myself and the Sound Stone?"

"I come from the future, to stop a disastrous chain of events from taking place. Quickly, where can I find the one called Ness?"

Titanic Ant shook his massive head. "I know of no one by that name, but I have grown quite distant from my human neighbors over the years." He paused. "Does your coming signify the rise of a great evil, an evil the like of which has been seen but once before?" Buzz-Buzz’s reply was cut short by the Antoids return, diminished in number. A fierce monster of metal appeared near where we set the boy down, they sent. It blasted the boy and cut down two others apparently coming to its aid. Titanic Ant and Buzz-Buzz exchanged looks.

"Come," the monstrous Ant called as he sprinted down the hill, its deep voice rumbling. "Pray that we are not too late, small friend!" Buzz-Buzz hummed after him.

The machine met them on their way, marching toward the meteorite. Buzz-Buzz hissed, "Starman!" and they skidded to a halt.

"Buzz-Buzz, you are nothing but a useless insect. *whirr* I have destroyed the Chosen One, and now I will *click* crush you." It raised a pointy arm at the bee, but was knocked down by a fierce slamming attack from Titanic Ant.

The Starman Jr. assessed the newest threat. "New target acquired, filed for later use. *buzz* Eliminating primary target." Before either of them could react, a wave of fire emanated from the robot’s eyes, knocking Titanic Ant back and scorching the smaller bug to a crisp.

The Ant, not normally taken to violence, roared a challenge. "Antoids, swarm!" Within seconds the Starman Jr. was coated in black insects. All that remained visible was the silvery head, which was promptly crushed by Titanic Ant’s mandibles. The machine sparked and died, Antoids rolling off of its collapsing corpse like water.

But Titanic Ant did not savor the victory, for he was checking the apparently dead body of Buzz-Buzz. The bee, burned as it was, had swollen and split in its death throes, revealing a blue, pulsing stone that Titanic Ant recognized as the Sound Stone. He took it reverently and decided to return to Giant Step to ponder his predicament. Day approached as he slowly made his way back to his home.

Without a Chosen One, who could wield the Sound Stone? He would have to seek out another who responded to the Sound Stone’s power, yet even as he planned he realized the futility of this idea. Humans feared him, and there was no one he could entrust with finding a replacement youth. There was one human who wasn’t afraid of him, but only because he knew Titanic Ant’s true nature, not because of any particular strength, or, in this case, goodness, that the human possessed. His thoughts were interrupted when he reached Giant Step.

* * * * *

Frank Fly was lounging in the yard behind his arcade, admiring the beauty of his Frankystein Mark II in the early morning light. The way the crimson and orange played off the dull earthen tones of the machine was a sight to behold, at least for its creator. It was Frank’s pride and joy, and the real strength behind the Sharks, other than Frank himself, of course.

Sipping a soda and reclining in a lawn chair, he smiled at life. His Sharks had a choke hold on the town of Onett, using scare tactics and brute force to get what they wanted. The people were afraid, the police were powerless, and Frank had more power than the mayor, that rude slob of a man they called B. H. Pirkle. The pig didn’t know when to give up. All he cared about was power and getting reelected, just like any other politician. Frank gave himself a rhetorical shrug when he realized that he, too, really only cared about power. Well, power and money. And Frankystein Mark II.

A roar unlike any earthly beast’s tore through the dawn air, causing Frank to spill his drink, coughing and spluttering as jumped up. His sunglasses flew from his face, and he looked around hurriedly to see if anyone had seen him without them. He scurried to snatch them up.

There was only one creature he knew of that could make a sound like that, though he couldn’t think of a reason for it. A few minutes passed while he ran scenarios through his mind, wondering if his sometime friend had been injured. In answer to his question, he heard the screams of early morning townspeople as the massive insect bounded towards the arcade.

"Frank!" The Titanic Ant bellowed when he reached the road just north of the arcade.

"Care to be a bit quieter, Titan?" Frank replied coolly, clambering up the tall wooden fence. "You’re scaring the women and children. Not to mention you made me spill my drink."

"None of that matters," Titanic Ant gasped, showing an uncharacteristic human-like trait of fear, eliciting a similar response in Frank. The Ant was rarely afraid of anything. "A danger greater than me has arisen for these people, one bent on destroying the world." He paused. "A short while ago a traveler from the future presented me with information and a certain artifact: the Sound Stone. With it, indirectly, I tapped the power of Giant Step."

Frank absorbed this new information quickly. Things the Ant had told him on previous meetings, of his past and the nature of Giant Step, clicked in his mind. He knew of the Chosen, and the Sound Stone, and many other things concerning the Ant. Frank wasn’t as bad as they made him out to be, except for his fascination with wealth, and he was genuinely concerned not only for the Ant, but for the rest of Eagleland. "Why come to me, then?" But he knew the answer.

"I may be strong, but I will need help, and you’re the only one I know that can help. I have a feeling that, by the prophecies, I will meet others, but I need you to come with me."

"What are you saying, Ant? That you’re the Chosen One, and I’m one of the Chosen Four?" Frank looked at the large insect inquisitively, but Titanic Ant merely nodded. That was all Frank needed, and he patted Frankystein, grabbed his jacket and left a brief note for his Sharks. Then he and Titanic Ant set off for Twoson, to find the second of His Sanctuaries.

* * * * *

They passed through the city without incident; being a Titanic Ant can have its advantages when you’re in a hurry to get through a mass of people. Needing to stop only to let Frank get a bite to eat, getting some food left by some very nice people as they ran screaming for the hills, they made good time through the city and into Peaceful Rest Valley. The local inhabitants all knew of the Ant, and let him and his companion pass easily enough. They even went so far as to hold off the minions of evil that had taken up residence, namely UFOs and other mechanized beings, but they met their first resistance when they came to Happy Happy Village. At that point blue-garbed cultists, apparently oblivious to the fact that they were attempting to convert an eight-foot-tall ant and a gang leader, swarmed them with buckets of paint and chants of "Blue! Blue!" Frank brandished a knife and they all backed away, but returned a moment later with intents other than conversion.

"What do you want to do, Ant?" Frank questioned, standing back-to-back with his companion, facing a circling mob of not-so-Happy Happyists.

"I was hoping we would not have to hurt any innocents. If they aren’t afraid of me, though, we may have no choice but to--"

It was at that point that thundering footsteps were heard behind the cultists and they all turned in surprise and fear. A huge rodent, taller even than the Ant, lumbered out of the cave that Titanic Ant knew to hold the Sanctuary. Mondo Mole roared at the cultists, a furry tower of carnage, and they ran to their blue houses, more frightened of a mole than of an ant. Go figure.

"I thought I sensed a kindred spirit," Mondo Mole rumbled. He approached the two others with extended, stubby arms. "How are you, Titan?" The two behemoths embraced, and then the mole shook hands with Frank.

"I’m well, Mondo, but Eagleland is not," he said gravely, then produced the Sound Stone. Mondo Mole gasped.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"It is indeed the Sound Stone, and evil gathers as we speak, traveling through time and space to find strength and more followers. Time grows short for us, and I must collect the melodies of the Sanctuaries quickly."

"Time," Mondo shook his head. "I must accompany you, then, as I once did." Mondo Mole stated matter-of-factly. "I can feel it is necessary."

"I was hoping you would," Titanic Ant replied. "It is the reason we were placed to guard the Sanctuaries, to watch for the Chosen Ones. And though you will let me pass without struggle, due to our old friendship before the transformations, I fear that the others may not be so kind. I can only hope that they see the urgency of the situation." He started for the cave. "Come, we must make haste."

* * * * *

A little while later, the melody of Lilliput Steps in hand, or, rather, in Stone, the three set off cross-country, deciding it would be faster to completely bypass Threed and its zombie infestation, and Saturn Valley, and go directly into the lair of the Trillionage Sprout. Encountering no resistance in the tunnel, they proceeded directly to the glowing light that obscured both the guardian and the Sanctuary.

"This is Your Sanctuary, but it is mine now. Take it from me, if you…." The light faded away, revealing a mound of dirt with a small plant sticking out of the top. "Titan? Mondo? What on Earth are you doing here? I’ve been waiting centuries to say that, and I wasted it on you." The Sprout spoke slowly, but the words flowed freely. Its bass rumble came from the earth itself, where the mound was firmly rooted.

"I have come for the Sanctuary, Sprout. The Chosen One has perished, and I have for some reason been selected in his stead. Frank and Mondo are accompanying me, and though I know you cannot do the same, I would ask that you let me pass unhindered."

"You know as well as I why you were Chosen, Titan." The mound shuddered, as if shaking its head. "Though I wish I could let you pass, I cannot disobey the guardian’s decree. Not even after all these years. You, who placed us here to guard these places so long ago, should know that best!

"This may be Your Sanctuary, but it is mine, now, Titan. Take it from me, if you dare!"

He put up a shimmering psychic shield immediately, but it would do him no good. Titanic Ant whispered, as he and the others descended on the Trillionage Sprout, "Sorry, my old friend. You have done your duty, and I must do mine." The Ant tugged at the sprout itself, while Mondo tore into the mound, and Frank whipped out his knives, severing the roots and finally cutting free the green sprout. The remaining dirt melted away, leaving the path open. Titanic Ant stepped over the boundary to absorb the power of Milky Well Hole.

* * * * *

Giygas felt the power of the Sound Stone growing, felt the earth uniting against it. It was one of the few that realized what had happened; that fate had twisted, and not in its favor. It did not know the full extent of the change, for though it moved within the river of time, that river’s many branches were closed to it, forcing it to move only within the "real" time stream. Even then, it could only move to certain points, certain times when it had been at its strongest. It longed to know, but realized that it could do nothing about it.

In this case, time had shifted quite drastically. Though time was constantly changing path, due to people’s choices, for some reason it had changed more than a simple decision or chance should have merited. It was one of those rare cases in which the entire fate of the world was affected by something as small as a head cold. Much like the stirring of a butterfly could start a tornado on the other side of the world, so could a minute detail shift the fate of the world.

Ness’s cold didn’t directly cause his demise, it had merely set into effect a chain of events leading to what could have been a catastrophic turn for the world. By not waking up, he had not visited Pokey at the crash site. Therefore it took longer for Pokey to think of some way to get Picky back. This slight delay had given the Antoids time to move the younger Minch to the bottom of the hill, causing Ness and Pokey, upon exiting the former house, to walk more slowly. They never reached the top of the hill, and Ness never spoke to Buzz-Buzz. While they were occupied, and Titanic Ant and the smaller bug were conversing, the appropriate length of time passed for the Starman Jr. to show up. Undefended, not even carrying his cracked bat, Ness and the others were destroyed quickly. Thus the story we know never took place.

The question, of course, is why Titanic Ant was Chosen to use the Sound Stone. Only I know that, for I am the Apple of Enlightenment. I move through Time the way you move through air; I have no boundaries, and I know all that has happened or might possibly happen. Some events are certain, while others can cause extraordinary change. At this point, Time branches into two, sometimes even three possible paths. Who is to say which is real? That is the one thing I do not know, for I am a creature entirely separated from Time, and though I know its doings, I do not know its inner workings.

When I prophesied that a young man would save the world; I did not lie. To understand this, though, you must know more of the past. And viewing the past is much easier than seeing the future.

~~~~~

137X, Eagleland. A group of the foremost wizards and the like have gathered in Castle Threed to discuss a new anomaly in the time stream. Chronomancer Elec was quite disturbed, and though his odd practices were not always respected or even given attention, the others were bound by the code of their guild to listen when one of their own raised the alarm. Even if he was a Chronomancer.

"Come to order!" he cried from his platform at the front of the crowd. More than a hundred gathered before him, the most powerful men and women in the world. They stopped their conversations reluctantly.

"What is it, Elec? Why have you interrupted our studies?" a voice yelled from the crowd. The pyromancer known as Mad Dog raised a flame-swathed fist. His temper matched the element he had devoted himself to, though the others mirrored his emotions in less-volatile ways.

"Calm, friends!" Elec replied, raising both hands to quiet them once more. He flickered for a moment, repeated the tail end of "friends," though he seemed to not notice. It was a side effect of studying and trying to move within time. "I have called you all here because I have discovered a most intriguing shift in the time stream; not so much a shift, insomuch as what appears to be a creature of time itself, an entity moving within and through the stream, as though it were a part of it. As you all know, the likes of-" Flicker. "Likes of which is unheard of and most disturbing."

"What is the point of this?" a different voice called, seeming to whisper while raising her voice. The voice belonged to Dru, a witch of no small fame. She commanded the magic of death and decay like none other. And though she was not herself evil, she could not help but give off the impression of being so, involved as deeply as she was in her work. "We all often encounter strange things in our own studies. We do not feel so insecure about our own abilities as to warrant calling the rest of the guild for help."

"I second that," the one called Shrooom said. It seemed that the ones speaking up the most were the ones most in tune with their own powers and studies. Shrooom’s was, of all things, fungi. There was a wizard for everything, in those days, and it was not uncommon for them to take names reflecting their chosen study.

Elec looked perturbed. "I would not call you all here if I did not think it absolutely necessary! I’m appalled that you all have such little respect for me, but I have come to accept it. I would hope that you put away your reservations about me and listen to what I have to say!

"The beast would not be more than a curiosity, I suppose, if it had not been behaving in the way it has. I have monitored its movements, watching as it moved in and out of Time, into various realities. I marveled at the ability, but noticed a pattern: it was moving in and out of certain turning points in time, various crucial junctions. Upon discovering this, I took a few dangerous journeys through time to these points. I found them to be sites of massive carnage and destruction, and determined that they had all been caused by the beast." He finished, looking around expectantly.

"Why aren’t we dead, then, Chronomancer? If this beast has disrupted time!" Mad Dog called.

"The Earth feels no disturbances," the earth mage Sprout put in.

"Nor do the winds." The two weather-wizards, who monitored weather patterns and modified them to suit farmers and others, Thunder and Storm, always worked as a pair. From sharing power almost constantly, they had developed a sort of hive mind, speaking simultaneously.

"The animals are at ease," Mondo the beastmaster added.

Elec shook his head, flickered, and shook his head again. "You do not grasp the workings of time as I do. The disasters all occurred at junctions not connected to our own time. Time is a river, branching at countless points, forming new paths based on everyone’s decisions. All of these can be traced back to one point, stretching into infinite. Though there are many junctions, some are more important than others are, and these are the ones that the beast has attacked, though all have been separate from our stream. After the junction is destroyed, all branching paths out from it are likewise removed from the fabric of reality. I fear that soon, however, he will reach one of our junctions, perhaps dooming us all." At this, the crowds actually quieted down, all of them unable to come up with a retort and beginning to take him seriously.

"What can we do, then?" Dru asked quietly. "How can any of us fight what appears to be Time itself? I may not know much of time, but I specialize in death. How can you know that this "beast" is not a being created by Time itself to clean up its messes? By interfering, couldn’t we doom ourselves to a worse fate?"

"I’ve pondered that," Elec stated, "and it presents us with two choices: assume we die either way, or fight with what we can, hoping that if we succeed, we will survive. I feel that we must choose the latter, for if it is the former we will surely perish. By fighting, even if it does kill us in the end, if, in fact, Dru’s theory is correct, then at least we will have made an effort. At least we can try, at least make an attempt at saving ourselves. I think that we must have hope."

The crowd, though surprised by the rousing words of the normally soft-spoken, oft forgotten Chronomancer, they realized that he spoke the truth.

"Again," Dru asked, "what can we do?" The others all looked at Elec with sincere curiosity.

"Well, I know of only one being that might have even the remotest of chances of beating Time’s beast. With all of us backing him, we will have a chance."

"Who among us?" Mad Dog asked, thinking that surely it would be a wizard, especially one skilled in offensive magic. He looked for glory at every opportunity.

"None," Elec said, and his short pause allowed a few hushed speculations. "I speak of the Titan."

~~~

Titanic Ant, Frank and Mondo Mole had moved quickly, attaining the next two Sanctuaries within a week. In the process they had had to eliminate Shrooom and Dru, the former witch who had been transformed into a rat long ago. She had embraced death as a final release, being joined with her old powers once more, but Shrooom had not taken it quite so well. The Ant and Mole had never thought he was a very fun guy anyway.

With Rainy Circle and Magnet Hill behind them, they had but 3 Sanctuaries left to obtain. Titanic Ant felt drawn to the one called Pink Cloud, home of Thunder and Storm, the former weather wizards. Reaching Dalaam seemed at first a daunting task until Frank, upon hearing of the country’s location, simply stated, "We could just take an airplane." For not the first time, Titanic Ant was glad of his human companion, knowing that his and Mondo’s outdated knowledge of technologies would have proved to be quite troublesome.

So Frank commandeered a jet plane, and they left the main continent. Along the way, a question came to the Ant’s mind while pondering what Thunder and Storm’s reaction might be. He had always gotten along well with the weather wizards, but that had been many hundreds of years ago. He had not changed much, and he hoped that the joint mind would have remained much the same over the centuries. Would he have to fight them, or would they let him pass unhindered?

They saw, from several hundred feet up, the foreign landscape in the distance. It was then that Frank said, "Oh, I just remembered a little something." After a slight pause, he finished. "I don’t exactly know how to land this thing."

"Will that prove to be a problem?" Mondo asked, even more unknowing than his fellow Guardian.

"Most definitely," Frank replied sarcastically. "I think… if I can slow down… and kind of come in at an angle…."

* * * * *

Ten minutes later Mondo managed to pull Frank from the wreckage, mostly unscathed. They had "landed" on the top of a tall spire just at the edge of the floating continent. Titanic Ant had slid down a rope to the ground, looking for the Sanctuary as stealthily as he could. As you might be able to infer, an 8-foot-tall silver ant kind of stands out.

"What’s that?" a woman cried in a strange accent, then took off running. Titanic Ant called out to her, but she, of course, didn’t listen. You’d think foreigners would be more accepting of people who were different.

A minute after he located the three statues of rabbits outside the cave, he was joined by his companions, neither much worse for the wear.

"What do we do with these statues?" the Ant asked. "They are too heavy even for me to move, and they block the passage quite nicely."

"We could ask the locals for help," Frank put in sarcastically.

"Won’t be necessary," Mondo replied coolly, and focused of the statues. His voice took on an almost echo-like quality, and he said, "Beasts of the earth, I command thee to awaken from thy slumber and move from mine path!"

The rabbits shuddered visibly, then moved to the side as though they were alive and walking on their hind legs. There was no transition, they just moved, as if they merely been standing very still just a minute before. Then they were stone once more.

"How’d you…?" Frank asked, but Mondo just shook his head at him, looking tired. As if a mole ever looks tired. Titanic Ant was already moving into the caves, and they hurried to catch up with him.

They met no resistance whatsoever, all of the cave's inhabitants recognizing the power of a Guardian like their own and letting them pass unhindered. So it was that minutes later they stood before a glowing light that dimmed to reveal an amalgamation unlike any of the other Guardians.

Thunder and Storm, once separate beings, had melded together when transformed in a Guardian. It was determined later that this was due to the almost total sharing of their minds, working in tandem to increase their power many times over. They, or he, appeared the most human of any of the Guardians, though it was as two people joined in a most unnatural way.

"Hello, my old friends," Titanic Ant said cautiously.

"Greetings. And hello." They looked at both the Ant and the Mole. "For what reason have both of you come? Has the Chosen One arrived?"

"Indeed," Mondo said. "And the One is Titan."

"History has a way of repeating itself, doesn’t it, Titan? Especially when beings of Time are involved…."

Titanic Ant tilted its large head to one side. "What do you know of the evil I have been Chosen to fight?"

"The winds carry word of a creature… a "beast," as you might recall, one that carries with it the bane of existence, riding the currents of Time. It comes, Titan. It is here, and It has been, and It will be. Unless you can banish It, or by some chance destroy It, then we will all surely perish. This is a junction, my old friends, though you would be better off talking to Elec about that."

"So the beast has returned," Titanic Ant whispered. "Then you understand the urgency of the situation. We had to defeat both Shrooom and Dru to acquire their melodies…. What will you do? Let us pass, for I would not enjoy having to face off against you."

Thunder and Storm paused, appearing to converse telepathically. Finally, "We will join you, Chosen One, as we did long ago. We complete the prophecy of the Chosen Four. Take Your Sanctuary, and let us hurry to see Elec." Titanic Ant needed no further prodding.

~~~

Pooling their energies, the combined forces of the Eagleland Gifted Guild set about summoning their champion to face the beast from the depths of Time itself. Using their powers together, using a not-so complicated summoning method, they called forth the mightiest of champions, one possessing all of the greatest qualities a man could have: the Titan. He was a mammoth of a man, nearly 15 feet in height, and blessed with the strength, intellect, and courage of a hundred men. He was their champion, and their only hope against the beast.

He came from the horizon, seeming only a pinpoint as they all called out to him, lending him their power, beckoning him forward. Gradually he grew larger, until he was man-sized. Yet still he approached, until he stood before them. Silver of skin and golden of hair, his deep blue eyes pierced each of them to their very core. Never before had the world seen one such as he, nor would they again. If they succeeded, it wouldn’t have to.

"Hail, mages. Thou hast summoned me using thine powers, a call that I cannot refuse. From whence does the danger come, so that I might smite it!" Titan raised a massive fist for emphasis.

Elec the Chronomancer stepped forward, the already diminutive man looking positively tiny next to the behemoth. "Great Titan, we have called you to save us from a monster of Time, one seemingly bent on destroying the fabric of reality. We know that you, with our help, can stop it. You are our only hope! Will you?"

"Of course, little man." Titan’s booming voice echoed across the open plain, and he grinned broadly. "Fear not, for no man or beast can stand against me. I’m certain that we shall have no problem with this one. Where is it?"

A silence fell over the crowd, who had been discussing Titan, and all eyes fell on Elec. "It strikes me," Mad Dog said all too calmly, "that the beast has not actually come to our time. How can you know when it will arrive?"

"I can’t, because it exists inside of Time, but separated from it. I cannot predict its paths. But I have devised a spell for summoning it, much the way we called forth Titan."

Titan shook his head. "This, I do not like, Chronomancer. Fighting an attacking enemy is one thing, and even going to fight it on its own territory is brave. But inviting an unknown enemy into your domain is one of the most dangerous things you can do." At this, Mondo the beastmaster voiced his agreement with this.

"It will get here eventually, though! Don’t you see? From what I have studied, our place in time is not one of those junctions, at least not yet. In all likelihood, it will never come to meet us. It will instead attack one of our past junctions, killing us without a fight. Calling it here is the only chance we have against it!"

"You sound frantic," Dru said. "Frantic thinking can lead to dangerous situations." She turned to the others. "But I fear he is right! Desperate times call for desperate measures. If he can bring the beast to us, I say do it! End this one way or the other!" A few shouts of agreement followed, growing into a cheer as more and more of the gathered wizards shouting their encouragement and approval. Elec raised his hands to quiet the crowd as Titan stood and watched them silently.

"I’m glad to all agree, but we must ask the Titan if he is willing to fight the beast," he said, turning to the giant of a man. "Will you?"

He shrugged. "I am willing, though I would prefer not to. It seems to me the best course of action, though. Proceed with your magic, Chronomancer."

Elec nodded, then took several steps away from the crowd, motioning for them to stay put. Turning away from them, he raised his arms, letting the sleeves of his robes slid down. He called, "Ready your most powerful magics, my friends, for the time of battle is at hand! I fear he will not like being forced here, and we must strike quickly!" Abruptly he began to chant, flickering repeatedly, and for many it was the first time they had witnessed Chronomancy in action. It was a language foreign to them all, and while some phrases went by faster than any human should have been able to speak, others seemed to drag on forever. During the course of his casting, clouds began to gather.

Someone asked Thunder and Storm, "Can you do anything about those clouds?"

In reply, they got, "The thunderheads move of their own accord." At that point the winds picked up, and all around them the signs of Time being altered showed. In some places grass shot upwards, growing to several feet in height, while in others it receded into the ground. The sun, before the clouds obscured it, moved back and forth in the sky, shadows playing about wildly. Titan watched the clouds carefully, for they were the only things unaffected by the disturbances.

Suddenly lightning flashed all about them, coming in sheets that hung in the air for minutes after they should have faded, sometimes jumping up and down between the sky and ground before finally disappearing. Some of the wizards marveled at Elec’s hidden power, while others clenched their teeth in fear. They knew that this could not all have been from Elec, that there was another force at work.

The lightning came faster, or slower, for time had become relative, until all around them was what seemed like a wall of light. Then it swirled.

Like a tornado of photons, the lightning wall twisted and spun, curling around into and onto itself, forming kaleidoscopic patterns. The clouds joined in the chaotic dance, and for those who continued to watch, at the edges it seemed the light and water vapor melted together, swirling together. Before long, all noticed it, for their cylindrical prison had lost all semblance of reality, clouds and light mixing all around, to the sides and top, and even in some cases pulling green or brown from the ground, depending on what the ground had at that particular moment.

Elec threw down his arms, but the cacophony of sights continued of its own accord. "It comes!" he cried over the howling wind. "Prepare yourselves!" While several of the wizards had broken down, unable to stand the mind-warping effects of the Chronomancy, the majority began to glow, focus, pray, or whatever their method of drawing power happened to be.

For anyone watching from a distance, the column of light hundreds of feet in diameter melded with all of its surroundings, pulling in everything, including clouds, ground, and any other objects like trees that happened to be around. The cloud cover, a black and gray thunderhead, stretched for miles, as far as the eye could see.

From the furthest horizon, in every direction, tinges of red came as though from a setting sun. Yet as the streaks of red darted across the sky, they proved themselves not to be the soft colors of a sunset, but the crimson of blood. And as the swirling iris of red closed on the light column, all of the clouds took on the same curved pattern, repeated over and over, until crimson met bright white.

Thunder tore the sky, causing the air to shake visibly and staggering most of the wizards. Only two stood tall when the red streaks ripped apart the wall of light: Elec, holding his arms high and flickering so fast that he appeared only a dimmed figure, and Titan, who had somehow acquired a gargantuan war hammer.

It was at that point that the last vestige of reality was torn from the battlefield. The wizards closest to the lightning were instantly destroyed, while all the others reeled, blinded by the flash of blood light. Even Titan shielded his eyes, but Elec seemed immune to it all.

When the afterimage faded, the ground under them was gone; in its place was a twisted firmament of light, streaking chaotically and making it dizzying to look at one’s feet. Yet even worse was the air around them, which had been replaced by some thick red mist, obscuring everything farther than 5 feet. The only thing visible through the mist, the only thing that seemed solid, was undoubtedly the beast.

It too appeared made from the mist, but more distinct, and a deeper red, the color of dried blood. It moved fluidly, shifting randomly, making it difficult to follow. It appeared to move on four legs, but the "legs" flowed in and out of the main body, at times not even touching the ground but moving at an incredible speed. When it closed within 20 feet, it reared on its hind legs, and Titan could see that it stood nearly twice as tall as he did, shaped and curved like some hideous fetus. He looked upon it with fear and hatred, loathing its every movement. He raised the hammer, preparing to strike, when it spoke.

Its voice was unlike anything worldly, sounding at once like a bass rumble and a high-pitched whine, with varying notes in between shifting all over the scale as the horrible noise permeated each of their minds. "FOOLISHLY HAVE YOU SUMMONED THE DEATH OF YOUR WORLD. GIYGAS, EVISCERATOR OF TIME, IS UPON YOU. THERE WILL BE NO ESCAPE."

~~~

Thunder and Storm, one of the few Guardians who had maintained a semblance of their old powers, conjured the winds to take the new Chosen Four from Dalaam. In their wake they left a scene of chaos and fear.

Though they had had little contact with the locals, all of Dalaam was in an uproar over the arrival of horrible monsters that violated the sanctity of their most holy places. Foremost among them was Prince Poo.

"Father," he pleaded, "You must allow me to take vengeance! Not only did they infiltrate the Pink Cloud, but they also ruined the Mu training grounds! I have completed my training; let me go after them!"

"No, my son," the King replied. He sat in his throne at the ornate palace of Dalaam. Outside the barred doors, in the halls and antechamber of the palace, throngs of people milled about nervously, some demanding an audience, others seeking the assumed safety of the palace if the monsters were to return. One woman claimed to have been attacked by the silver ant, having only narrowly escaped with her life.

"WHY?" Poo shouted, enraged. "If you will not grant me leave to reclaim our country’s honor, then I will go without it!" His father raised a hand, but Poo had already gone through the secret passage leading outside.

Beside the King, a voice said, "I have a bad feeling, my lord," and was gone.

Poo closed the door quietly, trying not to attract attention. He checked his sword, making sure it was securely tied to his waist, then prepared to Teleport. Before he took one step though, the air in front of him whirled around, blurred, then revealed the Star Master. Poo dropped to one knee by reflex.

"Master."

"Poo, you may be a prince, but you must respect your father’s wishes. He is King." The Star Master placed one hand on Poo’s shoulder, but Poo shrugged it off, jumping to his feet.

"I am also a Mu warrior, and first and foremost among the Mu is honor! I have an obligation--" He glanced to the side, cutting off abruptly. Though clouds floated gently around the entire continent, one suddenly caught him off guard. It looked something like a deformed fetus, and though Poo wasn’t one taken to fancies of seeing pictures in clouds, the way it was defined against the other clouds was quite strange. As he watched, it shifted, changing color, and he gaped when it turned a deep red. The Star Master’s voice droned in the background, asking him what was wrong.

The crimson cloud seemed to pull at him, and he could hear another voice whispering in his ear. "Come, Poo. I will help you reclaim your country’s honor. Let me give you the power…." The cloud, no, the thing grew larger and larger, whispering repeatedly, promising glory and honor. Poo knew that this was what he needed, beyond a shadow of a doubt. He looked back at his former master, but his gaze shifted to the shadow of the palace. In the darkness was the creature, his new master, swirling in the blackness. He took a few halting steps toward the shadow, until he was standing nearly on top of it, when the twisting shape jumped away. Poo whipped around and saw the red creature hovering near the edge of the land.
Finally the Star Master seemed to notice it, and raised his hands as if to cast a spell. Poo couldn’t let him do that, couldn’t let him hurt his new master. The red swirl twisted further, turning into a swirling vortex. He ran, picking up speed, casting Teleport as he ran. Moving faster than any normal man could, he leapt into the air, kicked the Star Master and ricocheted, blurring and crashing into the cloud with a bright burst of light.

One Master plummeted, falling into the infinite clouds below Dalaam. With his passing, a new master smiled, opening its new eyes.

* * * * *

Not the Giygas you thought you knew? I see many things, many possibilities. The Giygas that fell under Pokey’s influence is only one possibility. Without Pokey, in this time stream, Giygas maintained his sanity.

But what of the ancient, animal-like Giygas? At this point in its life, the "beast" of Time was like a child, uneducated and desiring only pleasure. And what made it happy was the destruction of worlds. Over the "years," the real Time outside the time streams that you mortals live in, he aged and gained intelligence and cunning. After the battle with the wizards of early Eagleland, he was really forced to reassess his tactics.

I’m quite enjoying this little tale. What do you think? E-mail masterofblades@hotmail.com . All will be revealed in due time.

* * * * *

Pressing for speed, Thunder and Storm lifted Titanic Ant, Frank, and Mondo Mole over many miles, passing over Summers, Scaraba and the Deep Darkness, which, without the Eagle Eye, was an impenetrable swamp of shadow that absorbed all the light that hit it, until they arrived at Tenda Village. The Tenda were a byproduct of the transformations into Guardians, placed to help guard the final Sanctuaries. Over the centuries, however, they had forgotten their role as the warriors of good, losing their courage and strength, regressing into cowardly little creatures that stayed, for the most part, in their caves.

They did, however, still recognize the power of the Guardians. When the Chosen Four entered the caves, each of the dull green creatures’ eyes turned to their former masters. The Guardians held their attention unwittingly, but did not mind. Mondo sent out a short telepathic command, and they all gathered before the Chosen.

"Hello, small friends," Titanic Ant said. "Though you may not remember us, you recognize our power. Though we wished we had time to speak to you all, we must move quickly. Where is the place that has been set away, to be kept away from outsiders?" As one, all of the Tenda pointed southwest, to a cave slightly set apart from the rest of the town. Titanic Ant thanked them, but they remained glued to their former masters, following them all the way to the small room, in which sat a solitary rock.

"Hello, Titan," the Talking Rock said. "You come for Lumine Hall."

"Indeed, wise rock of the ages. You know much."

"I am of the Earth," it replied simply. "Earth was pained by the loss of the Trillionage Sprout, though it knew that it had to happen." There was a slight pause, as if the Talking Rock still mourned the earth mage’s passing. Then, "It is nearly united with you, Chosen One. Your divided powers have almost all been returned to you."

"Indeed," Titanic Ant said, trying to decide on what to say. "It is as I told the Tenda, though I wish it more for you: we have no time to talk. Will you allow me to move you?"

"Do what you will," the Talking Rock said. "You are right about your time in more than one way, though. The beast has indeed returned, and is gathering power. You can not afford to lose, for in all of Time, you are the only one prepared to stand against it. Even now it has gained much strength, acquiring a host through which to focus its raging powers. Move quickly, for the fate of the world rests in your hands."

Titanic Ant nodded, but wasted no time inquiring further. "Thank you, Timeless One." Getting a hold around the base of the rock, the Ant lifted the weight easily, then set it down gently several feet to the side. Where the rock had sat, slightly smaller than the base of the stone, was a hole. Power came from the hole in waves, and the silver ant looked at his companions. Frank pulled off his sunglasses and shrugged, willing to go wherever the ant was. Mondo looked unwilling to confront the next Guardian, but nodded his agreement. Thunder and Storm smiled and nodded with both heads. One by one they descended into the lair of the former Chronomancer, Electro Specter.

~~~

Red mist howled with the wind as the beast now known as Giygas tore into the ranks of the wizards. It had darted around their group, disappearing into the mists and reappearing on the other side of the throng of wizards. It roared, and those closest to it were felled instantly. Some wizards panicked, seeking escape from the endless plain of anarchy. The beast devoured them shortly seconds later. Titan couldn’t say that they were "eaten", as they were just absorbed into the swirling maw of Giygas. The wizards’ champion shouted his own challenge, raised his war hammer, then leapt towards the monster.

All around him, words of power echoed over the cacophony of wind and the howling of the wounded. Many-colored energies blurred past him, careening around Titan’s own massive form towards the beast. Though all of the past minutes’ events had only left Titan slightly off-balance, it was at that point that his mind began to reel.

The massive blood-red curve of Giygas blurred further, dodging around the blasts, at times opening around them or just absorbing them. Some spells were activated anyway, exploding violently with light, fire, or sound. Giygas seemed to teeter slightly, but looked none the worse for all of it. Another volley ended similarly before Titan reached his foe.

He swung his hammer as mightily as his rippling muscles could manage and actually connected with the beast. It seemed that the beast was not a figment of the fog after all. Titan smiled and raised his hammer once more.

Giygas screamed in pain, its form disrupted by the wound. It slowly began to unravel—but was rapidly restored. As Titan’s joy faded into horror his eardrums ruptured, blood oozing liberally from his now-deaf ears. A wave of evil burst from Giygas’ "mouth," and he was launched backward. Time seemed to slow, and he saw each of the wizards beneath him as he gently rolled in midair, belly-down, until his gaze met the Chronomancer’s. It was then that he realized time really was slowing down, and he felt as though he floated through jelly. Elec moved normally, though, and he spoke as he moved between his ever-slowing compatriots.

"You are our only hope, Titan. It is because of this that I am going to send you back in Time, to save you from your fate so that you might save us all. I have watched, analyzing each of Giygas’ movements and abilities, and determined that only by several wizards giving you their power, infusing their own strength into you, will you be able to destroy the beast. Tell me of what happened, and also instruct these wizards to help," he said, time having nearly stopped. He proceeded to name each of the future Guardians in their current forms. "No matter how they have acted before, they will do as you ask. I know this because of the Apple of Enlightenment’s prophecy: ‘8 shall Choose to stand united as One, imbuing their powers into their Chosen One.’" Time stopped, then began to reverse, Titan moving backwards, droplets of his lifeblood gently rolling back up through the air to his body. Still Titan moved independently.

"You are the Chosen One, Titan. Invoke the prophecy, and all of them will join you. Go now, then and always, protecting the world." Titan lurched, spinning around to his back once more and flying feet-first into Giygas. His hammer returned to his hand, Time flying backward for him. His hearing returned with all the sounds inverted. He struck Giygas in reverse, watching as he did everything in reverse, yet retaining all of his future knowledge. After one flying leap backwards, Time blurred, and he shifted hard once before his vision failed, everything moving too quickly for him to see.

SNAP. Elec threw down his arms, but the cacophony of sights continued of its own accord. "It comes!" he cried over the howling wind. "Prepare yourselves!" While several of the wizards had broken down, unable to stand the mind-warping effects of the Chronomancy, the majority began to glow, focus, pray, or whatever their method of drawing power happened to be.

"Wait!" Titan called, feeling the impending doom approaching. The red clouds were about to hit the wall of light… then what? He struggled while all those around him paused in their preparations.

Then it hit him, and he chanted, "8 shall Choose to stand united as One, imbuing their powers into their Chosen One!" His vision blurred, and everything came back to him. "Elec, you sent me back to--"

"I know," Elec called, and suddenly he, Mad Dog, Dru, Sprout, Shrooom, Mondo, and Thunder and Storm were circling him.

"I don’t know why I know this, but," Mad Dog started, then they all said as one, "Titan, I Choose you to use my power as you would, to save us all from the coming storm!" In a trance, auras appeared around each of them, a different color for each. In the above order, they were blue, red, black, green, beige, brown, and bright yellow. All of these auras began to meld, flowing slowly into Titan, who also began to glow a brilliant gold.

"We haven’t much time," Elec strained to say, the invocation draining his power and strength away. At that point, the world exploded as Giygas made his entrance.

~~~

Titanic Ant and the others, having passed through the entire dungeon before Lumine Hall with no trouble, approached the Electro Specter cautiously. Formerly known as Elec, his involvement with Chronomancy and the aftermath of the original battle with Giygas, including the transformation into a Guardian had left him a mere "specter" of his former self. He flickered in and out of the time stream chaotically, most times barely able to hold a thought in his head. Titanic Ant wondered if they might catch him at one of his most stable and lucid times.

"Elec?" Titan asked tentatively when he saw the silver-blue creature that the Chronomancer had become. It turned its metallic head, flickering back and forth before finally letting his gaze rest on the Chosen Four.

"The Cho-Chosen Four have-ave arrived, it-it seems." He shifted several times, repeating what he had last said. "I foretold your coming, Titan. I did not know that you would arrive so soon, or with-with so much strength behin-hind you."

"We have come for the Sanctuary, Elec."

The Specter cut him off, flickering rapidly several times before speaking. "I know why you have come, Chosen One, just as I knew what to-to do all those-ose years ago. But you can’t spare a ‘Hello, my friend, how are you doing after all these years?’"

"I apologize, but I did not know whether you would respond coherently. Sometimes--"

"I know what I do! These past 700 years have passed by in a long blur, my body flickering in and out of time, back and forth between the present and the just-past, while my mind has remembered it all. I lost my patience long ago, but I did not lose my sanity." He managed to go a whole statement without flickering, but proceeded to flash violently, even appearing across the room for a half-second before returning to his place.

"This place," he continued, gesturing several times around the glowing chamber known as Lumine Hall, "holds the last vestiges of my previous power. I stored it here long ago, after getting it back from you, knowing that I could not control it any longer. One cannot-not work with Time as much-uch as I have and maintain one’s sanity. I gave it up in time, but the side effects st-still linger.

"You see, you can use my knowledge-edge one last time, Titan. Giygas has acquired a host, a powerful young body that he can channel his ener-energies through. By storing his power in a physical mind, he has also managed to stave off delirium. However-er, if you can destroy the body, he will no doubt try to flee. His mind will rapidly collapse from the sudden randomness of his power. It is then that you should strike with the collected energies of the Sound Stone, and destroy the Eviscerator once and for all."

"Won’t the Sound Stone shatter, though, when all the melodies…." Titanic Ant trailed off.

"That was the plan, wasn’t it? But you cannot absorb your powers in your current form. Therefore, the Sound Stone will become like unto a weapon, to be used only against the beast."

It struck Titanic Ant and the others that Electro Specter had not flickered in some time, and just before any of them could ask another question, he flickered once, twice, then vanished. A minute passed, and he stayed gone.

"We mourn the loss of friends when there is time to stop," Titanic Ant whispered, head downcast. "Come, friends, through Lumine Hall and onto the final Sanctuary!"

* * * * *

Poo disposed of the last Tenda with a swift kick to the head; his leg moved faster than his eye could follow. The Prince would never commit and atrocity such as the total genocide of a race, but Poo’s mind was not his own. Giygas inhabited him fully and completely, shutting the young man’s mind out from his body, pushing it past its normal limits with the enormity of his power. He had moved nonstop, following the Chosen closely. Not closely enough, for somehow they continued to gain distance ahead of him. He would catch them soon enough. Then he would destroy the one who had banished him so many years go. He would have vengeance.

* * * * *

Lost Underworld was Elec’s last act before giving up his power to Lumine Hall. It was a pocket of time from millions of years ago, pulled somehow from the past and into the present. It showed the true power of the Chronomancer, one who had once been regarded as one dabbling in meaningless tricks. As Thunder and Storm carried them over the heads of dinosaurs, Titanic Ant marveled at the strength of his old companion, whom he assumed finally vanished into the mists of time.

The silver insect could feel Fire Springs calling him, the final power spot, and the completion of the power he had once wielded, borrowed as it may have been. Clutching the Sound Stone tightly, he could feel energy seeping out into him like heat, permeating his body with a tingling heat. Yet it was superficial; he knew now that he would never again wield that power. He did not dispute the master of Time, yet he wondered. The Sound Stone as a weapon? They had never anticipated that. Then again, they hadn’t anticipated the Titan becoming the Chosen One again. He doubted that even the Apple of Enlightenment had predicted that particular twist of fate.

They descended on Fire Springs Cave with grim determination, knowing that Mad Dog would probably put up the most fight of any of the Guardians.

* * * * *

Poo/Giygas raced through the caves before Lumine Hall, wasting no time on the various creatures that lived there, pausing only long enough to pick up the Bracer of Kings, something that the Prince’s mind told him would help him. As if he, Giygas, the Eviscerator of Time made corporeal needed help.

Running a little further, he came upon the Lumine Hall. He felt a strong presence, one akin to his own being. Time magic was at work in this room, but it was merely passive. Only watching.

Something on the wall caught his attention. "Only Watching…." The words scrolled across as if made from tiny lights, though it was not a projection, nor was it a part of the wall. What manner of sorcery was this?

"What Manner of Sorcery is This?" scrolled across the wall. "My Thoughts? On the Wall? Where is the Chronomancer?"

"Here, beast!" Poo whipped around, eyes blazing with hatred. Near the far wall was a metallic-looking person, tinted slightly blue, who flickered occasionally. "I knew that you would come."

"I seek the ‘Chosen,’" Poo growled in a voice not his own. The irises of his eyes swirled red, and for a few moments resembled Giygas’ silhouette. "But I will delight in destroying you first."

~~~

Minutes later, the rest of the wizards had been all but decimated. It hadn’t taken long for them to exhaust themselves with their magic, all of it merely glancing off of or being absorbed by Giygas. Only the circle of seven, with the Chosen One in the middle of them all, stood untouched. With the transfer of power nearly complete, Giygas turned on them, howling with glee at the carnage it had reaped. It approached with lightning speed, having for some reason ignored them for the preceding part of the battle. When it closed to within 20 feet, however, the tables turned; the transfer completed.

None of the wizards is exactly sure what happened in those next few moments, feeling quite sick and disoriented, and the Titan remembers it only as a blur. What they saw, however, was no less than awesome.

Titan doubled in size in an instant, roaring a battle cry. He flung his mighty hammer, now little more than a simple carpenter’s hammer to him, with deadly accuracy and power. It glowed a bright gold, much like its owner, and when it hit Giygas, who was approaching rapidly, it exploded in a shower of sparks. Giygas’ entire left side had evaporated.

But before it had any time to ponder what had happened, Titan was upon it. The glowing, silver-skinned behemoth struck 7 times, each time his entire body glowing a different color, charged with a different energy. He shouted, "Earth and all the elements, and every other power that be mine to command, lend me all of your strength!"

The first punch was beige, covering the beast with strange mushrooms that sprouted from the mist, followed closely by green, which caused vines to sprout violently from the Chosen One’s fist, surrounding the red swirl. Before the vines had even tightened around it, another fist struck, red, and Giygas erupted into white flame that engulfed the various growths. Giygas’ cries didn’t phase the champion.

Fists blurring, Titan was surrounded by yellow, and lightning forked down from somewhere in the sky, striking Giygas all over its demented body. This was followed swiftly by the brown attack, and for a moment Titan’s fist appeared to be the head of a wolf, tearing away a part of Time’s monster, the howl of a hundred wolves blending in with the already incomprehensible screams from Giygas.

A fist came in fast, and Titan was obscured by black. "DIE!" he bellowed, fist striking hard and causing Giygas to fly a hundred feet back, slamming into the twisting light firmament to lie still. The Chosen One raised a black-swathed hand in triumph, but Giygas stirred. It blurred, righting itself and screaming a challenge, tattered as it was.

Titan roared back, consumed with an inhuman rage and surrounded himself in blue light, playing his trump card. He shifted, and then his fist was planted firmly into Giygas’ head. Reality bent, rippling outward, and then Time’s beast was gone.

~~~

"Mad Dog!" Titanic Ant called loudly from about fifty feet away from the Sanctuary. He could feel the power pulsing just away from him….

"Titan," the former pyromancer’s gruff voice called back. "Hello." A large dog about the size of a horse trotted out from behind the largest rock in front of them, a dog clothed in red flame. All of its fur, if it had ever had any, was long since burned away. "And I go by Carbon Dog now, for I am one with my element."

"It has been a long time, Carbon Dog."

"Not nearly long enough for me, Titan. If it hadn’t been for you, I’d still be human. Long dead, perhaps, but I would have gone down as the champion so long ago, not you."

Titanic Ant shook his head in wonder. "You truly think that you could have stood up to Giygas?"

Carbon Dog merely shook his head, snorting flame. "Perhaps not, but an eternity of nothing would be better than this fiery Hades you’ve sentenced me to."

"But, you’re one with your element," Mondo said from behind him. "Isn’t that what you wanted?"

"I’m one with it, true, but without my magic! And without my power, I'm tormented constantly from the scalding heat all around, even emanating from my own body! Though I’d learned to tolerate a good deal of heat in my studies, nothing prepared me for this. And I’m a dog!"

"I had no idea," Titanic Ant said truthfully. "I did not know that you had to suffer so much."

"Well, I have, and I do. But now, I will give you your comeuppance. This is Your Sanctuary, insect, but it belongs now to the heckhound! And after years of purgatory, I’ll send you to, well, it won’t be heaven!"

* * * * *

Electro Specter collided with Poo/Giygas with what would have been destructive for both of them if not for two things: Poo, infused with the beast’s power, could withstand almost any blow. And it just happened that Elec flickered at just the right moment to send the former Prince sailing right into the wall.

Wasting no time, the former Chronomancer whirled around and lashed out at his opponent, landing a blow squarely to the back of his head. Poo smashed into the wall again, spat once, and before Elec could attack again, spun and struck over and over, the young man’s fists blurring as he connected again and again. Elec grunted in pain with each blow, and couldn’t manage to get a hit in edgewise while Giygas’ host continued to pummel him. Finally, he smacked Poo in the side of the head, spinning the young man around. Unfortunately for the Specter, Poo blurred, turning the spin into a roundhouse kick. Elec put up an arm to block, and suddenly he was one limb short of a tree.

Horrified at the oozing stump on his shoulder, he only looked up in time to see a flash of light as a mass of star-shaped energy twirled in at him. Finally he could rest.

~~~

With Giygas’ passing, the swirling environment vanished. Titan, still pulsing from the final punch, was feeling severely disoriented. His head spun from the close proximity of the Time shift, and it took him a moment to recognize the plains they had been standing on less than a half an hour before. He and the surviving wizards realized soon after the high price they had paid for their victory.

The red mist and chaotic ground may have been somewhat of an illusion, but it had left several after-effects. The grass on the plains had been completely scorched off. The air buzzed with residual energy. And everywhere was carnage. The bodies of friends and guildmates lay scattered about the field in pools of dried blood, and in the near distance, Castle Threed was ablaze. Some of the more weak-stomached mages relieved themselves of some extra weight while Titan made his way over to them.

"You did it," Mondo said to him when Titan knelt down to get closer to them.

"We did," he replied. "I merely served as the focus for all of your powers." All of the mages looked up at him. "I fear that now, however, I will not be able to return your powers to you fully. I don’t think that’s what was intended by the prophecy, in any case.

"Using the knowledge that came with these powers, I have devised a plan. I only banished Giygas, made it so that he could not return to our time or any of our junctions for many hundreds of years. However, one day he will return. When that happens, none of us will be around." He gestured to the scattered corpses. "Wizards are an endangered species, now. You seven are the most powerful men and woman on the planet, or would be with your magic.

"Here is my proposal: I take your magics and divide them between several places around Eagleland, where they can be stored for that day when Giygas returns. At that point another Chosen One will arise, able to use the spots to absorb this power that I now possess, to use it in whatever way he can to defeat the beast.

"As for you and I, we will be forever tied to these places, because they hold our very lifeforce. It will thus be necessary to transform ourselves into some form that will not age as our human bodies would; forms representative of our powers so that we can watch over the "sanctuaries," if you will. To await the coming of the Chosen One, to test him and prepare him for the battle that most assuredly will come.

"I know each of your hearts, and I know that this is a tough decision. But what have you in this world? The guild is destroyed. It may be my nature to wish more for the good of our descendants than for myself, but I know that you will all do the right thing." He finished pleadingly, looking hard into each of their eyes as they pondered. He knew that he would be giving up a great deal, and would be one of the guardians of these places. He also knew that it had to be done.

"I will do it," Elec said finally.

"I, too, agree," Dru whispered. One by one, each of them nodded or voiced their acquiescence.

"Then it is agreed. We have many plans to make, as to where these places will best be placed. I can lend you your power temporarily, to make any preparations for the spots, but it will only be for a short while. My thanks be to all of you. Come, friends, and let us prepare for eternity.

~~~

The Chosen quickly dispatched Carbon Dog, finishing him off, ironically, by throwing him into the lava he had once worked so closely with. They were surprised, however, when he reemerged, transformed into solid diamond.

"What the…?" Frank wondered aloud when the crystalline canine pulled himself from the molten rock. "How can we beat that?" He looked at his own pitiful knives.

"I don’t think we’ll have to," Mondo said, using his retained animal empathy. Though Diamond Dog wasn’t technically an animal, Mondo still managed to sense his intent.

The former pyromancer shook off the remaining droplets of lava, then looked at the Chosen Four, standing together. His eyes narrowed, and he growled deep in his throat. Then he smiled a dog smile. "Don’t fear me, Chosen Ones. You have done me a great favor, and I thank you for it." Noticing their blank expressions, he continued. "I can’t feel the heat anymore! Being immune to the heat, only feeling the pain, the fires didn’t hurt me. They merely changed me into a creature even more tolerable of the heat. I don’t feel it, anymore!

"Take the Sanctuary, Titan. You’ve earned it, whether you meant to or not."

"Thank you, my friend," Titanic Ant said. He glanced at each of his companions, who followed him as far as the bridge to the small island amid the heat where Fire Spring lay. He strode forward, clutching the Sound Stone tightly. He had almost reached it when something like glass shattering came from behind him, causing him to whip around.

A young foreign man wearing baggy white clothes with his hair in a topknot stood, arm out and palm extended as if he had just struck out. Underfoot were millions of tiny shards of diamond. Titanic Ant saw that each of the other Chosen was shocked.

"What--" Titanic Ant said, but cut off when the boy swept his gaze quickly over them all, coming to rest on him. His eyes blazed with an inner crimson fire, a color he had seen only once before.

"Titan!" the boy roared, while at the same time Titanic Ant cried, "Look out, friends! It is the beast inside his host! Hold him off for just a few moments!" Poo blurred at the Chosen, but Titanic Ant was bounding the last few yards to the Sanctuary, felt its power seeping into him through the Stone. He heard a bit of a song in the back of his mind. Suddenly a wave of nausea swept over him, and the world around him spun. Could Elec have been wrong? Would he have to combat his own personal demons before the Sound Stone gave him his power?

The nausea passed, however, and realized that Elec had told the truth. He was a creation of Good, and had no "evil half." Though they had made it so that the Chosen One would have to purify himself before gaining the power of the Sanctuaries, the twist of fate that had placed him back as the Chosen One, had caused all of this to happen, also changed the workings of the Sound Stone. It vibrated in his hand, buzzing with the power of the earth, and all of the powers that once belonged to eight mages. He turned slowly, gripping the Sound Stone. This time, Giygas would not escape.

~~~

One passing of the moon later, all the preparations were made. Some of the mages chose places they felt comfortable in, others chose places that already possessed a power of their own. Some created their Sanctuaries from scratch.

Elec took his temporary power and, working with Mad Dog, created his Sanctuary with an intent other than storing his power. He created it as a gateway to the past, a small pocket to seclude Mad Dog’s Sanctuary, to make it most difficult to acquire. In the caves below a village of small people who foraged out of the nearby swamp, Elec created Lumine Hall. Mad Dog placed his Sanctuary in a cave of intense geothermal activity, christening it Fire Spring.

Dru retreated to her usual isolation, going somewhere that most would never dare to tread. She chose the sewers beneath Castle Fourside, so named because of its square shape. Other castles in Eagleland at the time had four sides, but Fourside was the first and largest. In the middle of the castle was a spot of some renowned power, a large metal chunk that possessed the property of magnetism. She ordered it secluded from the rest of the castle and chose it as her Sanctuary.

Thunder and Storm, as their last great act, worked with Sprout to pull an island from the earth, setting it in the sky amid an ocean of clouds. One of these clouds they separated from the others, giving it a unique coloration and channeling much power into it. Thus was Pink Cloud created, and with it, the entire country of Dalaam.

Shrooom chose a place where fungus thrived, a spot where rain always fell, causing the immediate area to be constantly damp. This Rainy Circle was most conducive to his powers. Similarly, Sprout picked the Milky Well Hole, a place where sweet, milk-like water bubbled up from deep within the earth. It was a place of great Earth magic, protected by a group of strange people who didn’t seem to understand the concept of individuality. Like the Tenda, they would soon be transformed by the magic of the Sanctuaries.

Mondo chose a cave past a secluded, hilly area where many animals thrived. Summoning some of the woodland creatures, he created Lilliput Steps, his Sanctuary.

Last was Titan. After learning the mages’ choices and their locations, he said his good-byes and retreated to the forest west of Threed. Venturing far, almost all the way to the coast, he found a system of caves where large insects known as Antoids resided. He felt somehow akin to them, with their loyalty, great strength and hidden intelligence. He stopped on a small plateau, seeking refuge from the rain, and accidentally stepped in a large puddle of mud, imprinting his footprint deep into the soil. He made Giant Step his Sanctuary.

When at last he decided on this, he recalled all of his power back from his companions. He focussed, channeling his power through the earth to each of the Sanctuaries, through the wizards who acted as conduits, becoming for a few brief moments the focal points of their power once more. Letting them hold it for a few long moments, he reached out for a boulder, channeled some of his own innate power through it, using threads of each of the other magics. Humming a short tune while he worked, he compressed the rock to almost a pebble to him, a stone of about 4 inches in diameter. He finished both the song and his work at once, and realized he had keyed the stone to music. He dubbed it the Sound Stone, and flung it as far as he could into the ocean to the west. He knew, somehow, that it would be recovered in time for Giygas’ return.

Telling the others of what he had done using their link, he bid them all good luck and fare well, then pushed all of his gathered powers through them, into the Sanctuaries. In that moment, each of them was transformed, their link to each other being broken, forming a new link to their Sanctuary. Each of them became, in that instant, a beast representative of their power or true nature, one immune to the effects of Time. All of them cried out as one and their shouts shook the whole of the earth, letting every inhabitant of Eagleland know that the work had been completed. Their descendants were safe from Giygas for all time.

As side effects of the magic, two races were forever changed, the Tenda becoming fierce warriors that would answer to the Guardians, and the ones now known as Mr. Saturn. Castle Threed had been al but destroyed, and its inhabitants set about rebuilding. The plains south of the town, now a forest, absorbed the corpses of the dead wizards. It would be later that one would come along and misuse the dead.

Titan, now the Titanic Ant, sighed when it was completed. He’d lost a good deal of size and power, but knew that he had done the right thing. He set about gathering the native creatures to his service, creating his defenses, and began the long wait for the Chosen One.

~~~~~

Funny how things tend to come full circle, isn’t it? I’ve seen many interesting things in my studies of Time, but this stream always draws me back. Perhaps you, too, are drawn here for this same reason? My prophecies always come true, in one way or another. But to complete the circle, won’t Titanic Ant have to beat Giygas again? Yes. So I will leave you with the end of this tale, the culmination of the Twist of Fate. Until next time, mortals.

* * * * *

Frank’s knives were quick, but Poo was faster. With the power of Giygas behind his every move, he was a force to be reckoned with, and Frank was afraid the prince had not revealed his true power.

"Stand aside!" he heard Titanic Ant bellow, and just in time, as Poo released some sort of blast that Frank would not have been able to avoid had he not already been moving away. He jumped, tucked and rolled, coming up beside Thunder and Storm, who at that moment conjured lightning from somewhere. Poo’s shirt was singed by the bolt of electricity, but other than that appeared unharmed. The weather wizards looked appalled.

The attack had distracted Giygas’ host, though, and Titanic Ant took the opening to go barreling into Poo from behind. Poo went sprawling, sliding next to Mondo, who proceeded to jump up and throw himself down on the prince. Giygas roared from somewhere deep within the young man as Poo coughed up blood.

Apparently enraged, Giygas gave even more power into his physical host, and Poo threw Mondo off of him and into the boulder Carbon Dog had been hiding behind before. The rock shattered beneath the gargantuan’s mighty weight, and as he sat up, the possessed boy was upon him.

But Frank had formulated a plan. He quickly explained to Thunder and Storm, who nodded energetically. The crime lord flung one of his knives with deadly accuracy. Before it hit Poo, however, lightning struck the small projectile, over and over until it planted itself firmly in Poo’s back. The lightning continued to strike, Giygas unable to absorb the damage since it was being conducted directly into his host’s internal organs. Two screamed as one until Poo’s heart gave out, shocked into stillness. The lightning, though, continued to strike, attacking now of its own accord, and in a most gruesome and uncalled-for moment, the former Prince of Dalaam exploded.

The Guardians all shielded their eyes, knowing what was about to happen, but Frank was caught unawares. Reality shifted, and it seemed as though the walls of the cave shattered, cascading down in endless waves of stone to let in a curling red mist. Wind howled as the mist swept in.

Titanic Ant looked and saw that lightning continued to strike, and realized that Giygas was drawing on it as he had long ago. "Thunder! Storm! STOP THAT LIGHTNING!" he cried over the wind.

Thunder and Storm nodded their assent, and raised their collective arms. The winds slowed some, and the lightning forked off in other directions, but was out of their control. They shrugged, looking ashamed and horrified all at once. Then their element turned on them, the wind becoming suddenly violent. It lifted them off the ground, and slammed them against the wall opposite from where Mondo lay bleeding. Blackness took them swiftly.

Seeing that both Guardians had sacrificed themselves to help, Frank took a reckless initiative. Knowing that Titanic Ant would have only a moment, he called out, "Ant! Prepare the Stone!" Screaming a cry of defiance, he drew his other knife and threw himself into the maelstrom of light.

Titanic Ant heard Frank vaguely over the wind, telling him to get ready to strike. He knew that whatever Frank was planning, he might only have a moment to strike. He raised the Stone to his forehead, and struggled to concentrate over the bright light and howling wind.

It was then that Frank flung himself on top of Poo, using his knife to draw the electric bolts for a few moments. Before Titanic Ant could release the attack of the Sound Stone, however, the beast erupted from the remains of its host, and Frank suffered the same fate as his fellow Chosen. His burned, limp form was thrown backward, over the lava and the bridge connecting the main cave to the Sanctuary, to skid to a stop near a ledge several yards away.

Giygas reared, a tower of crimson terror. He screamed inhumanly, then spoke in a rumble that shook the core of the mountain.

"TITAN! YOUR SOUL WILL BE MINE!" Giygas lunged for Titanic Ant, and at that point Titanic Ant realized that Giygas was right. He felt several familiar presences with him, then, and grinned as he channeled all of his lifeforce into the Sound Stone, releasing its energy, multiplied by the innate energy of the former Titan, longtime Guardian, and twice-Chosen.

"Vengeance," both of them whispered at once. Then the Sound Stone shattered, and the Eviscerator of Time shrieked, trying to pull back. But the combined power of eight heroes was two fast, 8 colored streaks lanced towards him. Each of the Guardians, having given forever to their cause, now gave each of their lifeforces to the attack, striking Giygas all at once. The beast had no time to block, and could not absorb the eight pure spirits of good. Eight united as One. Time warped, and the beast was annihilated.

Frank had awakened to find himself lying in his lawn chair behind the arcade. It turned out that the Sharks, searching for their leader, had suddenly come upon him just south of Onett. They said they had heard of the battle with Giygas, and Frank’s involvement in it. They assumed, when they found him unconscious and bleeding slightly, that he had been trying to return to them. In reality, he knew that he had been placed there, somehow.

All of the Guardians were gone, and with them, the former Sanctuaries were drained of their power. Frank was the only surviving member of the Chosen Four, and he realized that Fate must have placed him there knowing that the other three would perish, that someone had to tell the tale. His part in the battle had been key, however, and he felt pride in knowing that he had helped save the world.

He was given many honors, and historians from around the world contacted him to find out the story behind the destruction of the Eviscerator of Time. He and the Sharks cleaned up their acts, and he helped each of them go straight. When election time came around, he defeated Mayor B.H. Pirkle by almost twice as many votes.

Dalaam was reportedly in an uproar. When the King heard of his son’s part in the near-destruction of Time, he himself died of a heart attack. The Union of Mayors of Eagleland was working to set up a new government there.

The Tenda, somehow cured of their shyness, had opened trade with the various cities, and were attempting to catch up on several hundred years of isolation.

You’d think that perhaps the Mr. Saturns would be affected by the loss of their Sanctuary, but the only thing that happened to them was they discovered that Peanut Cheese Bars dipped in Milky Well water was quite the treat.

Threed’s zombie problem suddenly vanished, which historians attributed to the loss of the Sanctuary’s power.

Summers and Scaraba, the cities least affected by the Chosen Four’s plight, still suffered from the Kraken’s attacks. They wondered why the "heroes" couldn’t have at least taken care of that little problem for them.

In Winters, the Starmen inhabiting the caves below Stonehenge suddenly ceased functioning, and Dr. Andonuts took several of them for research, eventually improving the lives of all of Eagleland’s citizens with the newfound technology. His son remained at Snow Wood Academy, feeling somehow empty, feeling there was something he should have done.

In Twoson, young Paula Polestar single-handedly destroyed the Happy-Happyism cult when she was kidnapped and held for several weeks by Carpainter. She reportedly developed strong Psychic abilities, and several gentlemen in suits visited her shortly after she returned home. Her current whereabouts are unknown.

As for Ness, he got over his cold several days later. He lives a fairly normal life and is enjoying life as a teenager in high school. He is reportedly very charismatic, and gets just about everything he wants. No one ever seems to remember exactly why they gave him anything, though, remembering only a brief purple light. Of course, no one mentions this to anyone else, not wanting to damage Ness’s reputation. Deep inside, he knows that he could use his powers for some good, but can never figure out what he needs to do. He has not gotten sick since his last head cold.