After a few moments Tempest was sitting down holding an empty bag that once held what she thought was a lifetime’s supply of Kupo Nuts. And simply gawked at it in disbelief.
“Ahem! Kupo,” The leader moogle composed himself, “My name is Mogaire, and these are my siblings Monoore, Moony, Major, and Mogki, the rest would take too long to name…,”
“Well thanks for the introduction…let’s start with the basics of what you meant by the Crystal.”
“As I said, kupo, the Crystal is the creator of all life on Gaia and Terra, the two planets are psychically linked to one another…on one the birth of magic occurred, on the other…life, the two coalesced into one…sort of…and therefore life and magic coexist.”
“There was a time when the Crystal was the very nexus of life and existence, but something happened and it shattered into 14 fragments, humans somehow got hold of these crystal fragments and realized a fraction of their power, they named all fourteen of them and etched in each a symbol representing things they saw in the stars. Now, we moogles don’t know if that Zodiac stuff really works, but the symbolism seems to correspond to each of your personalities.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Just what I said, your defining traits, your most prominent emotions, kupo.”
“But not just that, kupo, the very elements dictate who you are…,”
“You said there were 14 fragments, I thought there were only 13, and even then, the 13th fragment wasn’t found until the Great Holy Knight Delita found it in his heart.”
“What you humans don’t know is that a solid stone isn’t the crystal at all, the very aura of the crystal is the power behind the crystal. That power existed in Delita, although it took a while for him to be aware of it, that’s how it is with all you humans, never looking on the inside, always fighting or arguing…”
“But why 14?”
“One thing you humans are is very superstitious…the 14th crystal was black and ominous looking, so the humans never touched it, it still retained its power, the same thing could be said about the 13th shard, unlucky number, but now something grand is happening.”
“I don’t know what you mean by grand…a demon known as Altima…,” Pharda flinched when he said the name, “is running loose in our world, doing whatever she pleases, and don’t make me say her name again.”
“I see…so that’s why you’re crossing the Snowfly Forest, trying to get to the Library of Ancients?”
“Yes, could you help us?”
“Save the world, no, that’s up to you, we can only help you get to where your going, that’s the purpose of a moogle, kupo, the only one who ever defied that rule was Mog himself.”
Fenris scratched his chin, “But Mogaire, you didn’t explain what’s happening with the crystal shards?”
“The crystal is coming back together, it’s mending, you can see it for yourselves,” the little moogle pointed at Pharda’s fused Zodiac Stone.
“Do you have any idea where we can find the rest of the shards and put it back together?”
“Not really, but I think the Library will help, kupo, and the fates, they’ll bring the shards together, basically bring you to the shards. Now as far as this fallen angel is concerned, where did she come from…,”
“According to legend she fell from heaven, despised God, and warped timelines, and now she’s killed our families and ruined our lives…,”
“Don’t be so sure, kupo, if you can pick up the pieces, no pun intended, I think you’ll do alright, finally, before you leave for the Library, I want to let you know something important…Gaia already may have said this, but I just want to stress it, kupo, the shards aren’t the source of your power, and even if she got hold of them, she could not use them.”
“The power lies in those who seek the stones for the purpose of preserving life, the whole purpose behind the Crystal, the quest here isn’t for the crystal shards, it’s for the crystal essences, the elements, you seek these powers, it doesn’t matter what evil gets in the way, they’ll come to you, whether you get the shard or not.”
“It may take days, it may take eons, but the crystal will restore itself, humans may be a catalyst, but only that, everything else is inevitable, kupo.”
“One of these days I’ll explain to you what the Pulse of Life is, but for now, I think you’d better get to that library. We’ve lost too much time.”
So the group marched through the Moogle Cave, and were just on the edge of Snowfly Forest when Mogaire caught up to them.
“Hey, wait up!!” The little creature was out of breath and heaving, “I forgot to give you this…,”
Handing them a small brown flute he said, “Blow on this if you get lost and one of my boys will come running, we have what’s known as Mognet, a way for you to always find your way…,”
“Thanks…,” Pharda replied, and with a smile he ushered the group onward.
It didn’t take them long before they came across the Library of the Ancients, the massive steeple suggesting it was once a large church or monastery. Pharda knocked on the large oak doors, but no answer came.
“What’s going on here? The Library wasn’t supposed to be abandoned? What’s going on?” Fenris complained.
A gruff gravelly voice came from behind them, “Not everyone who wants to get into the Library is allowed….,”
As the group turned about they saw a man with intense blue eyes, blonde spikey hair, face shrouded in a crimson cloak, and a metallic claw for a left hand, but most notably was his immense sword the he carried like a dagger, without effort.
“Who’re you?” Pharda quickly grasped the hilt of his sword.
“No one of consequence, boy..,” With that Pharda let his guard down, giving the mystery man a benefit of the doubt, “But, as I said before, only those who have a reason, get in..,”
“It’s urgent enough, old man,” Tempest said, her eyes icy cold blue like those of the stranger, “So what do we have to do to get in…,”
“Leave it to me…,” and using the his clawed hand, the stranger lifted a small pendant from his cloak which seemed surrounded in diamonds and a white crystal for a center piece. He raised it high and when the sun hit it a large flash of light hit one of the windows of the massive Cathedral Library.
Abruptly the massive doors opened and an elderly woman with a small frame and deep blue eyes looked at them.
“I see it’s urgent…,” The elderly woman said to the stranger, who nodded in confirmation.
As the six of them entered the Library, it didn’t even look like a library at all, now it seemed more like a massive Church than anything else.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” Andomiel asked, being as polite as possible, “Where is the library?”
“Downstairs…,” Her voice seemed to carry an ancient beauty to it, as if she was once the most beautiful woman in the world, a complete contrast to the tall stranger who seemed to lumber after them.
No one spoke at all during the walk downstairs, but it seemed that a holy place like this deserved such silence. As they reached the beginning halls of books, then the questions came.
“We…are looking for information on the Zodiac Stones…er…Crystal Shards…, can you help us find it?” Pharda was quite nervous with the odd spikey haired fellow marching behind them.
The elderly woman stopped for a moment, then abruptly stepped in close towards Pharda, intense blue green eyes focused in on his own, “I know who you are…and I know why you’re here…you’re the new braves…aren’t you?”
“Um…yes? How did you know?”
“Not important now…,” the woman replied, “I’ll find those books…, but I’ll need your help Pharda, and you…,” She gestured toward the stranger who nodded complacently his eyes flashing an air of awareness, as if he was being cautious.
“She knows my name?” Pharda shrugged and went along. The rest of the group stayed behind.
