Bevale Castle

The six companions of the Holy Order of Talamasca picked their way through the wreckage of the ancient castle in the kingdom of Andor. They passed charred bodies twisted in agonizing poses that looked like they had died instantly, begging for mercy from the gods that had forsaken them.

The companions climbed across a crumbling marble colonnade and stopped before the throne of the forsaken king. His crown lay in the dirt, covered in his own blood.

“We failed,” Chloe whispered as she stared in horror at the crumpled form of the headless king lying beneath his golden throne.

Talasin Ward, a Crimson Hunter of the Fifth Order, placed a scarred hand on her shoulder. This had been his king, his people. Chloe reached up and took the man’s hand in her own to calm his anger and soothe his despair.

The Talamasca had fought, bled and sacrificed for ten years only to be crushed at the end.

“Betrayer of hope,” she whispered.

Talasin stared at her then shook his head, “We were not betrayed. We were simply too weak.”

Chloe didn't agree with that, but she said nothing. Her suspicions didn't matter anymore. They had lost the war, and their lives would be over soon enough.

Evelyn Mews, the last remaining Cleric of the Third Order, knelt down beside the king, “How could this happen?” she asked in a voice so low it was barely audible.

“We never had a chance,” Talasin replied through clenched teeth. “We learned of Malice too late. If the Talamasca had another year to prepare-maybe then things could have been different.”

Chloe had remained strong throughout it all, but at that moment, looking at the remains of the king she’d fought for, her strength finally gave in. She slumped down into the charred throne and stared out over the horrific scene.

The far wall of the castle had been shattered by dark magic, and pools of miasma covered the floor. Through the hole in the wall, she could see the city burning in the valley below.

She knew that this same scene would be mirrored all throughout the whole land of Ivalice. No human would be spared, for all she knew they were all that remained of her race.

With nothing left to do, Chloe summoned the Aspect of the Goddess, hoping to see something amongst her divine abilities that could save them.

[Aspect]

[Name: Chloe Porter]

[Race: Human]

[Class: Paladin of the First Order]

[Abilities]

- [Ethereal Armament of Light]

- [Divine Senses] (Activated)

- [Holy Hands]

- [Sword & Shield Master] (Tier 9)

- [Divine Smite] (Fifth Augmentation)

- [Dual Spell casting]

- [Divine Health] (Passive: Aura)

- [Sacred Oath]

- [Judgement Hammer] (Armament Enchantment)

She shook her head, feeling hopelessness set in as the Aspect of the Goddess disappeared from her mind's eye.

“With the king dead, we are the new rulers of the human race,” said Talasin.

“The rulers of ourselves, you mean,” said Chloe. “We are the last of our race.”

“That's not the point,” said Talasin. “The king’s crown has the power to change one mistake, but it can only be used by the king and at a great cost.”

Chloe swung her gaze to the one eyed man. She had come to love and trust him more than any other. “Which mistake would we change? There was no one mistake that lost us this war?”

Theomar the Giant, Archon of the Sixth Order and high Mage of Caldura, cleared his throat. “There is only one thing that could have turned the tide of this war. If we were warned of Malice’s return earlier-things would have been different. When the war broke out, my own order was divided by internal politics. We were weak and ill prepared.”

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“We need to go back to the beginning,” said Sylvia Gremlock, the Lore Master of the Fourth Order. “It began with brother Cassadin.”

All eyes turned to Chloe.

“Why me?” she asked.

“In our darkest hour, you are our final hope,” said Talasin. “You were the only one there when brother Cassadin died.”

Chloe knew this all too well. She had lost her sister in that fight. It had taken her years to convince the order that she was not mad with grief and that the Dark Lord had actually returned.

“What can I do?” she asked.

Talasin knelt before her and said, “We could send your mind back in time to that precise moment.”

“Will this work?” asked Chloe. She didn't like the sound of this plan. She knew enough about magic to know that there would be a heavy price to pay for a spell of this magnitude.

“It will work,” said Uriz Dominus. “You would have control of your past self for only a minute. We would send you back to the very moment Malice and brother Cassadin appeared in your world. You could use your magic to shield him long enough for him to escape and return to Ivalice.”

“But what would it cost?” Chloe asked.

The five companions remained silent.

“That much,” said Chloe.

Talasin nodded slowly. “We are already dead. The Harbinger is heading here as we speak. It is only a matter of time before the last of humanity falls.”

Evelyn picked up the dead king’s crown and said, “The five stones in this crown have the power to change one mistake. It was a gift given by Belladeon to the first king. No king has ever used the gift, for obvious reasons.”

It kills the user, Chloe thought. What king would sacrifice his own life to change a single mistake.

Talasin took the crown from Evelyn and slowly turned it in his hands, inspecting each jewel set into the golden crown. “One jewel for each of the sacred orders,” he said in the same tone of voice he had used to instruct the students at the academy.

Talasin helped Chloe to her feet and she leaned heavily against him. She stretched up her hand, ran it through his curly hair, pulled him in close and kissed him full on the lips.

They finally parted and Talasin smiled at her sadly. “If you save Cassadin,” he said. “You would not have acquired his Spatial Armament and you would have never come to this world. We would have never met.”

“So this is goodbye,” Chloe said, and she felt a lump rising in her throat. She had fought together with her companions for years and grown to love each one of them.

Talasin placed the crown on her head and said. “I love you, Chloe Porter.”

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Seattle - Chloe’s Bedroom

Chloe sat on her bed, listening to her favorite band, ‘Murder! Death! Kill! And reading a fantasy manga about a ninja who’d retired to become a flower arranger. She was just getting to the part where the ninja was about to propose to the clumsy milkmaid when her bedroom door flung open.

Her sister Hope entered the room with a towel wrapped around her and her wet hair dripping on the carpet. “Have you heard from Michael?” she asked. “He told dad that he’d be back from his training camp today.”

Chloe looked up from the manga. “Nope, heard nothing.”

She hadn't spoken to their brother all week. They were triplets, but Michael had always been a bit distant from his two sisters.

Michael was the kid sitting alone in the corner and torturing flies whilst Hope and Chloe were making mud pies and pretending to be elves.

The older the siblings grew, the greater that distance had become, until Chloe thought she really didn't know her brother anymore.

“I hope he hasn't done something stupid again,” said Hope. “You know how worried dad gets.”

“He’s just going through a rebellious phase. We all went through it.”

“Went?” said Hope. “He's been like that since mom died.” She shook her head. “For over a year, he’s worn nothing but black. He even changed his name to Morbidie.”

“It's a catchy name, and wearing all black makes laundry so much easier.”

Hope frowned at Chloe. “How am I the only sane one in this family?”

Chloe laughed.

“Just so you know, we need to leave early,” said Hope, adjusting her towel. “We have to walk. Dad doesn't want us drinking and driving.”

“Then why doesn't he drive us?”

“The game has already started,” Hope said as she headed out the room. “It will take the house catching on fire to get him off that couch now.”

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Chloe, Paladin of the First Order, braced herself for the coming fight. She knew that any mistake she made would lead to her swift death. She muttered the benediction under her breath and prepared to cast Sacred Oath.

The light of the dimensional magic faded, and her eyes widened as she took in the red curtains, the anime girl bed covers, and a manga, with a picture of a ninja holding flowers, lying in her lap.

“Oh crap!”

This was not the battle scene she had expected.

Something had gone horribly wrong. She was meant to be sent to the moment Malice arrived in her world. But she didn't have time to worry about that. She only had a minute before her old mind wrestled back control of her body.

She tossed the manga aside and hunted for a pen. She tossed books off the side table and a glass of water smashed on the floor, sending shards of glass in all directions.

She began to panic, but quickly went through a mental exercise in her mind to focus her mind. There was no pen in this damned room. With no other choice, she picked up a shard of glass and began writing on her hand.

Pain lanced through the palm of her hand as she carved the first letter into her skin.

S

“Holy shit, this hurts.”

She cut the next letter in her hand, and then the next. Blood ran down her arm and dripped on her white sheets.

Save C

She paused and hesitated for a moment. There was only one thing she truly regretted. It was the death that led to her joining the order in the first place. Besides, she thought, without her powers there was no guarantee that she could save Cassadin.

“Forgive me, Talasin,” she said, and then she gritted her teeth and changed what she was about to write.

Save Hope

A knock came at her bedroom door, and Chloe looked up from the bloody mess that now covered her sheets.

The door opened and Chloe’s breath caught at the sight of her sister, alive and looking as full of joy as always.

“Hope,” she breathed. Her hands began to tremble as her old mind wrestled back control of her body. Her time was over.

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