Chapter One: The Fateful Event

"C’mon Terry, you will be late for the Millennium Faire!" Cried Roslyn as she was dashing out of the door in her room. Following her was a small boy, no more than six years of age. He has green hair, emerald eyes, and pointed ears. He is dressed in a green tunic that was obviously made for someone much older than he. Terry ran down the stairs carrying a sword scabbard, way too large for his small frame to carry.

"Hey! Wait up, Papa’s sword is really heavy!" Terry shouted trying to increase his speed.

"Sheesh, ever since we moved here, it’s Papa this, and Papa that! Can’t you just have some fun?" Roslyn said, wondering why her little brother had been trying to lug that sword to the Faire in the first place. After their father died, he was obsessed with avenging their father. Roslyn thought he was weird, having this infatuation with avenging his father.

"Let’s go Roslyn, I am ready!" Terry informed Roslyn, with the sword now strapped horizontally across his back.

"Finally, we have to get to Lucca’s invention so we can get up front!" Roslyn said as she started running to Leane Square. A few minutes later they entered the area. Roslyn started looking around in wonder, taking in the sites of the Millennium Faire. Terry took two balloons tied to a fence post, and gave one to his sister. Then they started running up to the area where Lucca was going to display her invention. They ran straight through the racers, and past the market, straight up past the candy store, thinking they would get some on the way back. Before they could get there, they were stopped by a few individuals who said that Lucca was still setting up her machine.

"Oh man!" Roslyn exclaimed on her way back to Leane’s Bell.

"Hey, wanna try out Lucca’s training machine?" Terry asked, expecting to try out his sword skills.

"If you want to, but I want candy before-hand," Roslyn said, as she went to the candy counter, and shelled out 15 gil. Roslyn then ran to catch up with Terry, who was already on his way towards Lucca’s training machine. When Terry got there, however, he was informed that his friend Chrono was using the machine.

Terry kicked the ground, and asked, "When will he be out of there?"

"Any minute, it’s not a hard trainer," The man said.

"I wanna go somewhere else Terry," Roslyn told Terry.

"Oh, come on, I want to try my skills, besides, you got your can-" Terry was cut off by the guards leaving at Lucca’s machine. Roslyn was already half-way there when Terry started off, "Wait for me!"

When Terry and Roslyn got there, Lucca was standing at one side of the machine, gesturing at the other side, talking about some sort of teleportation device. Just then, Chrono came in with a girl.

"Anyone brave enough to try this out?" Lucca’s father called. After a little murmur from the crowd, the girl next to Chrono ran up to the pad on the left side. The machine started to do something, and the girl screamed, disappearing in a ball of blue light. The blue light looked full of splendors as it sparkled as it took the girl. Terry thought it looked strangely familiar to Him. He looked at it with wonder. Then, as fast as it appeared, it disappeared, leaving only the girl’s pendant on the left pad.

"All right, all right, nothing to see here," Lucca’s father called out, shuffling the crowd out into the square. Terry and Roslyn went into the square along with the others, but looked back as Chrono disappeared in the same blue ball of light. Soon after, Lucca ran out followed by her father. Terry started after them, asking what happened. Roslyn started running after her brother, trying to keep up with him.

When Terry reached Lucca’s house, he knocked on the door. After a few moments, Lucca’s father opened the door and said, "Hi Terry, how are you? Did you enjoy Lucca’s teleporter?"

"Yeah, it was awesome, I wanted to talk to Lucca about it, is she here?" Terry inquired.

"Yes, I will get her, she might not be able to talk for long though, she has to work out a couple bugs in it," Lucca’s father pointed out. Lucca’s father led them in, and soon Lucca came downstairs, having smudges of oil on her clothes.

"Hello Terry and Roslyn, what is new?" Lucca said cheerfully.

"Do you know what that blue light was?" Terry inquired.

"No, that’s what I wanted to find out!" Lucca admitted, "Though I am pretty sure it had something to do with that pendant Marle was wearing."

"Who is Marle?" Asked Roslyn, inquisitively, "Was it that girl Chrono was with?"

"Yup, Chrono said he was showing her around," Lucca added.

"Well, if you want to know, what happened with the teleporter had something to do with time," Terry informed Lucca.

"How did you know that?" Lucca inquired.

"I am not sure, but I do know that I have seen one before, I think my father showed it to me," Terry told Lucca.

With that information, Roslyn looked at Terry, and Lucca went to a book on time anomalies. She looked up a few things, and looked up, in thought. Roslyn went back to sucking on her candy. Terry was trying to look over Lucca’s shoulder.

"I found it, it’s a gateway!" Lucca finally said.

"So?" Roslyn asked.

"It’s a connection between two times, and we’ve got to see where this one leads. Thank you Terry, but I think it would be best if you went home now," Lucca advised.

Terry went back home, along with Roslyn, who was back to sucking her lollipop. Terry was wondering, ‘why would he have seen a time gate before?’ ‘Why would it have appeared now?’ And ‘What did my dad have to do with it?’ Terry thought about those things as he went to sleep on his bed, which was unusually uncomfortable.

Chapter Two: Temporal Displacement

Terry woke up the next day. He got up, looked around, and saw nothing familiar, his clothing, his bed, his room. The only thing he recognized was his sword. He got the sword, attached it to his waist, and walked out into the main hallway. What he saw was nothing like his old house, it was one level, with his mom sleeping in the main room, and Roslyn was in the next room.

"Wake up! Wake up! Everyone, the house, everything’s changed!" Terry yelled.

"Wha-what? The is nothing the matter, now, to bed with yee, for you have school this mornin’," Roslyn said.

"But, this is all wrong! My room is supposed to be on the second floor!" Terry exclaimed, confusion in his voice.

Terry gave up, and walked out onto the street, where there were supposed to be cobblestones, there were just plain dirt trails. Horses and drawn carriages were all he saw on the street, he ran to the Millennium Faire, seeing only an empty meeting area, not the usual Leane Square. Terry circled around, completely confused, when he ran to where Lucca’s teleporter was. When Terry got there, all that was there was the blue ball of light that was called a time gate. He walked into it slowly, mindful of where he was, and what had been happening. Terry saw a corridor of light and colors. Terry could not tell how long he was in the corridor, it seemed forever, and as if no time had passed at all.

Terry fell out of the gate in a clearing in the forest, Terry recognized this area as Truce Canyon. Looking around, he saw a path that looked recently traveled. He followed the trail, and when he got across a bridge, he was ambushed by two reptilian looking humanoids.

"Unga Kamungeru," Terry heard one of the creatures command. Terry felt as if he knew what it was saying, ‘Why are you here?’ ‘Give me your money, NOW!’ It had said. Terry tried saying no, but somehow it came out as an insult, and one of the creatures threw a rock at him. Before the rock hit him, Terry drew his sword, and sliced the rock in half before any of them knew what was happening. This spooked the creatures, and they ran away. Terry looked at his sword a moment, and then sheathed it. Terry continued down the path and into what looked like Guardia City. With the same strangeness that the Guardia City in his time experienced. He ran to where his house should have been. Terry knocked on the door, and a few moments later, his mom opened the door.

"Hello?" His mother’s voice was a dagger in his throat, since he knows that she does not recognize him.

"Hi, can you tell me what year this is?" Terry asked, keeping away his tears.

"Honey? Who is it?" A familiar voice came from the door, it was his father’s voice. Terry never realized that it had the accent of one of the reptilian creatures. Terry thought about a lot of things at that moment, mainly about the fact that his ears were pointy, his eyes' emerald green, and his hair the same color. He was always told he was half-mystic, but he did not even know what a mystic was.

"A little boy is here, he looks just like little Terry, do not you think?" His mother’s voice even sharper, now that he knows it was his mother.

"Really, let him in, let’s have a good look at him," His father’s voice, so strong. The last memories of his father were him sending his mother and he into the time gate. His father was half-dead at the time. Then, all of a sudden, two children ran out, one had emerald eyes, emerald hair.

"Roslyn?" Terry’s voice barely coming out.

"Who are-are you, and w-why d-d-do you know m-my-my name?" Roslyn said, her voice trembling with every syllable. As if he was hit over the head with a stone, Terry started crying and ran to Truce Canyon, followed closely by his family. He ran past the mystics that jumped out at him, and watched when his family got to them. Immediately, his father was pelted with a rock.

"STOP! STOP! STOP!" Terry’s voice cried out with an anger unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Terry’s voice turned into the rumble of thunder, his eye flared emerald, so that no white showed, and his hands charged with electricity. Terry drew his sword, his hands charging it with electricity. Terry ran up to one, ignored the rock that hit him, and sliced the mystic twice, clean through. He went up to the next one, slicing him once, still killing him instantly. Terry continued this way until there was only one left. He ran at it as his father took out a sword that looked like Terry’s sword, and sliced cleanly through the mystic. Terry swung at where the mystic was, his swing so wide he hit his father. He did not slice through father, but his wound would kill his father soon. Terry started crying more than he had ever cried before.

"Go to that bridge, there will be a sphere of light, go run into it, you will be in the future, go, now," Terry had trouble saying it through his tears. His family ran toward the gate, more afraid of Terry than anything else. His father shuffled by.

"I am sorry, I am sorry," That was all Terry could say. He stopped crying after more than twenty minutes. He finally got up, and ran to him old home, and slept there.

Chapter Three: The Day and Twelve Years After

Terry awoke from a frightening dream. He got up, and ran out the door. Terry ran out to Zenan Bridge. It was surrounded by troops from both sides. The Guardian troops tried stopping Terry, but he ran across faster than any of them could catch. On the other side of the bridge, the mystics under Magus’ control threw spell after spell at him. The spells that hit were ignored by Terry. Terry ran across the bridge until he got the end, it was slippery and cold. He fell and slid to the end. He slid until he crashed into the back of a net, before he could react, the mystics wrapped Terry up in the net, and kept him from moving. Once the mystics had Terry in the net, they knocked him out using a club.

Once Terry awoke, he was in a huge room, light only by torches. At the end of the room was a man, his skin was a ghastly white, his hair was a wispy blue. Terry could not see his eyes well, but he knew that they were not completely human.

"I am Magus, and who might you be?" The man who called himself Magus smirked at Terry, and performed a grand bow.

"I am, I am Terry, why am I here?" Terry said, his eyes starting to water.

"You’re here to become my student, my pupil if you will. My henchmen speak highly of you, you ran across Zenan Bridge and lived to tell about it. That in itself is strange," Magus sounded as if he were speaking on an equal level of Terry, which he found to be unusual.

"Why would I want to become your student?" Terry asked, with a lot of bravado.

"Because, you are special Terry, you are the only Mystic-Human crossbreed, and you have powers that surpass both. I have taken it upon myself to teach you," Magus informed Terry, as if he was already supposed to know it.

"I do not want to be special, I want to be a kid, I want to have fun!" Terry shouted.

"Then fun you shall have, chronus reverbum transcentes cabazu!" Magus chanted his spell. A ball of blue light came around Magus and Terry. Then images came to Terry of thousands of battles, the bloodshed, the destruction. Terry was molded into the warrior that soldiers admired, and dreaded. To Terry, 12 years had passed of Magus’ teachings and exercises over and over. His mental shielding battered, destroyed ad Magus made Terry his warrior of destruction, Terry’s skill with his sword was refined, his magical skills were formed, and made powerful. All this happened in only a few seconds of real-time. Terry came out a man, 18 years old. His eyes were an even brighter emerald, his hair down to his shoulders. He wore an emerald tunic, lined with sapphire blue. His cape was a long, flowing forest green. He wore pants that were baggy, the color was a deep marine blue, they came down into shin-high boots, that were worn and a light brown. He hung his sword at his waist. He came out of the ball, and smirked.

"So, Magus, what are your orders?" Terry asked.

"All I want you to do is take out a little swordsmith, Hunter," Magus said, smirking as well.

Chapter Four: The Time is Now

Magus turned to face Ozzie, "Go to Zenan Bridge, and stop any Guardian resistance."

Ozzie nodded, and disappeared in a flash of light. Magus walked to a window, and looked out to see his lands.

Terry, now known as Hunter, walked up, "Please, tell me more about my mission, great Magus."

"Well, I’m sure you know of Melchior, the infamous swordsmith, I believe he lives in your time," Magus said, knowing already Hunter’s answer.

"Yes, of course. He made the Masamune, did he not?" Hunter inquired.

"Yes, but he made a sister sword, the Murasame," Magus said, while Hunter unsheathed his sword, "Yes, your sword, the Murasame,"

"You gave me this sword, how could it have happened, you never told me you went to 1000 AD," Hunter said, not showing any emotion.

"I did go to the future, and brought you back that sword," Magus said, maintaining his control over Hunter.

"All right, how can I get to the future, the gate I used is closed off," Hunter informed Magus.

"Use this one, temporum chronetus sirenom!" Magus chanted, a small time gate opened behind Magus, who had not turned from the window. Hunter sheathed his Murasame, and ran into the time gate. Hunter entered the corridor he had gotten used to under the service of Magus, but this time his corridor was small, and after a time Hunter could not comprehend, it merged with another time corridor. In the time it took to enter the corridor, he exited inside a cabinet. After gathering himself, he kicked open the door, and jumped out into a kitchen, where two mystics were engaged in lunch.

"AHH! First a pointy red-haired freak comes out of there, now a pointy-eared green--hared freak comes out," One of the mystics said.

"Yeah, you’d think there was some gate here of something!" The other mystic said.

"I am sorry, I didn’t expect to end up in a closet," Hunter said while running out the door.

"Damned humans, not even staying long enough for tea!" The mystic said under his breath.

Hunter ran out of the door and found a village full of mystics. He saw one of them, it looked familiar. Hunter tried to remember who, it was just at the end of his memory.

Hunter cried out, "WHO IS IT!!!!!!!!!!!" Hunter fell to his knees, trying to remember who it could have been. Some of the villagers looked at him, and one offered his hand to bring him up.

"Are you all right? You look lost, who are you?" It was the mystic who looked familiar to Hunter who had offered his help. Hunter looked at the mystic with fear. He then ran off towards a mountain in the distance. About a mile from town, Hunter ran into a little house, a man dressed in black robes was getting a bucket of water from a well just outside of it.

Hunter walked up to the man, "Excuse me, but are you the famous swordsmith Melchior?"

"Yes, but I wouldn’t say famous, I only made two exceptional swords," Melchior said, being humble.

"Yes, the Masamune, and what was it? Murasame?" Hunter asked, making sure it was indeed Melchior.

"You wouldn’t believe how much Dreamstone it took to make it," Melchior responded, his bucket coming up from the well. Melchior took that small bucket, and carried it heavily toward his home. Hunter followed the old man, wondering why Magus had said to kill him.

"I was wondering if you had any information on where the Masamune was being kept," Hunter asked.

"Well, it’s broken, the two pieces are here, I sent a few kids back to get some Dreamstone to repair it," Melchior said, hoping to get some Dreamstone so he would not have to wait long to fix it.

"I’m sorry, I can’t help you much on that," Hunter said, now knowing why Magus wanted Melchior destroyed, "But I can help you with something."

"And that would be?" Melchior inquired.

"It seems my master does not want you fixing that sword, so I decided that I could help you in observing his wishes," Hunter said, his hand on the hilt of Murasame. Melchior grabbed a sword that was on a rack on the wall.

"So, I guess this means a duel?" Melchior asked, pointing towards the door.

"Certainly," Hunter informed, heading outside. Melchior unsheathed his sword, and threw the scabbard to the side. Hunter threw his cape to one side, and unsheathed Murasame.

"Murasame! How could you have gotten it, I gave that to a mystic that lived 400 years ago!" Melchior exclaimed, severely baffled. Hunter then remembered the mystic who helped him, and remembered the mystic he had killed in Truce Canyon, not remembering his name. Hunter brushed his thoughts aside for the oncoming battle.

"I killed him, and stole it," Hunter told Melchior, bringing Murasame to ready position, his right hand out, holding the blade straight up. Melchior brought the sword up, and took a strong downward strike at Hunter, using all his force. Hunter dodged to the left, and brought Murasame to Melchior’s back. Before Murasame could connect, Melchior already had his blade parrying the blow. Hunter quickly brought Murasame to Melchior’s head, but Melchior was too fast for that as well. Melchior brought his blade under Hunter’s arm to Hunter’s side. Hunter took the blow, and jumped ten feet away from Melchior. Hunter sheathed his sword, brought his cape around him, and poked his hand through the cape.

"Cambustion faeynri efriti!" Hunter shouted as gouts of green flame came from his hand towards Melchior, knocking him on his back.

"Unfair, I thought this would be an honorable duel," Melchior hollered, getting back to his feet.

"It is, you may use magic, should you have the knowledge," Hunter said, mockingly.

"All right," Melchior said, raising his sword above his head, "Blitzkrieg emblazen cloutos!" Finishing his incantation, a hug streak of lightning came down from the sky and hit Melchior’s sword, shattering the blade. When Hunter looked at Melchior’s weapon, about to laugh at the spell failing, Melchior’s blade was replaced by a bolt of lightning, no longer than 5 feet.

"Let’s finish this," Melchior said, swinging his blade almost too fast for Hunter to see.

"All right, sounds fun, Precipitae ilos nuve!" Hunter yelled, as he swept his hand across the battlefield, shards of ice pouring out of his hand, forming a layer of ice throughout the area. Hunter smirked. He jumped up, taking a downstrike at Melchior from the air. Melchior was barely able to block it, but fell on his back form the force of the blow and the ice. Hunter was able to stay up, and swung at Melchior while he was on the ground. Melchior rolled out of the way, and looked confused about why Hunter was able to stay up, and not be electrocuted by the swords clashing. Melchior got up, slowly. Hunter looked on as the old man got to his feet.

"Aero shavash," Melchior uttered, holding his sword out like a lance. Melchior dashed at Hunter too fast for Hunter to get out of the way, and Melchior ran him through. Hunter only felt as though he were lifted by the hilt however, knowing that he was immune to magic. Melchior threw Hunter off of his hilt, and Hunter hit the ground with a thud. Melchior ran to the well, took the rope off the bucket, and was running at Hunter. Hunter got up to find out that Melchior was running circles around him, tying him up in the rope to the bucket at the well.

"Try to be immune to that!" Melchior said, triumphantly.

"Now, where am I supposed to put you when the kids arrive?" Melchior pondered, "I know, the secret passageway behind the bookcase."

"Why don’t you finish me off?" Hunter yelled at Melchior.

"Because, Terry, I want to know more about what happened to you," Melchior said, looking at the confused Hunter.

"Who is Terry? My name is Hunter," Hunter asked Melchior, trying to piece together all the tidbits of memories he had together.

"You were at the Millennium Faire, 6 years old, with a sword strapped to your back, I thought it was Murasame. I asked your sister where you were the next day, she said you ran off during the night," Melchior informed Hunter. Hunter closed his eyes, shocked by all this information, and all he could see were flashes of his father, the sword, his sister, and the gash he made in his father’s chest. Hunter could not recognize a single face in there, but he remembered the gash.

"I am sorry, I am sorry, father," Was all Hunter could say, not knowing what he did. "Let’s get you inside, and clean you up. I’m sorry, but I’ll have to put you in the secret passageway beneath the bookcase, because I’m expecting some company soon," Melchior informed Hunter. Melchior then dragged Hunter back into his house, and started bringing Hunter down into the passageway.

"I am sorry father, I am so sorry," Hunter said, half-way through his tears, he continued this way for hours.

"Could you fix it now Melchior?" Hunter heard a familiar voice saying this, but could not place it.

"I can certainly try, Lucca" Hunter heard Melchior say. Hunter knew that he should know who Lucca was, but could not. All the while, Hunter heard in another room the sounds of a hammer hitting an anvil, working on a sword.

"Well, Chrono, it was the best we could do," Hunter heard that voice say. Hunter recognized the name Chrono, as someone who Magus was getting unhappy with. Hunter thought about Magus. Hunter could no remember anything about who he was he before he met Magus. Hunter tried and tried to remember anything about before Magus. Hunter failed at every lead. Then, Hunter heard Melchior open the hidden door.

"Time to have our little chat Terry," Melchior said to Hunter. Melchior dragged Hunter out to the table that was in the basement, and ungagged Hunter.

"What do you think you’re doing? Gagging one of Magus’ top warriors?" Hunter demanded from Melchior.

"Well now, wouldn’t you have casted some cock-eyed spells at me if I hadn’t?" Melchior mockingly said.

"Of course, but why I got in this situation is beyond me. Now, why do you think I’m this Terry person?" Hunter asked, hoping to sound as though he already knew the answer.

"At the Millennium Faire, I saw you with your sister, Roslyn, you two were running after Lucca and her father. I think it had something to do with her machine," Melchior informed Hunter.

"The, the Fair at Leane’s Square?" Hunter asked, partially regaining his memory.

"Yes, you were there, you had the Murasame on your back," Melchior informed Hunter.

"N-n-no, that was my father’s sword," Hunter said, in a timid weak voice.

"Your father’s sword was the Murasame, he got it from me just for you, he was going to teach you how to use it," Melchior said.

At that, Hunter started crying, "I killed him with this sword, 5 years after he died, I killed him in a time gate," Hunter was trying to sound like he knew what he was doing. Melchior frowned, "No, he made it through the gate, he moved here, trying to avoid getting seriously wounded again. He never told us how he was hurt in the first place."

"I saw him in the square?" Hunter asked, his tears starting to dry up.

"Yes, and if you promise not to hurt me, I’ll untie you to go see him," Melchior said, with a smile on his face.

"I think I would like that," Hunter said, while Melchior was untying him. Hunter got up, and started walking out the door with Melchior.