Part 35: Echoes of Fatima

Chapter 34: Echoes of Fatima

Welcome back, everyone! Today, our story begins to take a strange turn.
Stranger than an airship crewed by talking cats?
Yep.
Stranger than the leader of said cats being a flamboyant eyepatched pirate guy?
Much.
Stranger than the time you had to fight a guy's hair?
Hmmm...
Fair enough. That was stranger. But what happened to us next in Fatima was pretty strange.

We rested up a while in Couscous Village. With Albijwaz defeated there was no more danger here, but we were no closer to finding answers about the Dark Prince. They suggested we go deeper into the continent, to places none of them dared.

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How is Croix...?
He seems to be doing better this morning.
But... he's quite drained, emotionally.
I see...





Yes, something. I'm not sure just what.
But I think it's something terribly important...
The more time passes, the more I feel myself overcome by an unspeakable
foreboding...
Every night I dream about dying...
T-that's just a dream! You shouldn't worry about it!
And every night the dream gets a little clearer...
I think my time is near...
You're not going to die!



So...
So don't talk about dying anymore!!
Thank you, Culotte.
You're just like a little brother to me.
A...brother...?





What are you standing there like a statue for?
Are you all right, Croix?
Yes... I'm fine.
Are you really-------
H-he's fine! Didn't you hear him?
What are you so worried about, Alouette?
It's just good old Croix!
Come on! Let's get going!


We'd heard about another village far away, in a land covered in dark energy. We figured if there was anywhere to look for clues about the Dark Prince it would be there.

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Is this some kind of illusion?
No. The dark energies influencing this area are terribly intense.
They're what's causing this strange weather.
Now that you mention it, the people here seem kind of pale...
Those are not people.
Is it a trap?
No, I sense no evil in them.
Only a terrible sorrow.
Ghost: What have you come for?
It's dangerous for living people like you to be here.
Hey, kid...
Are you a ghost by any chance?
Ghost: I sure am. You figured it out.
Aren't you scared of ghosts?
Well, not exactly... You might say I'm used to them.
Ghost: Anyway, you should really go home right away.



The Dark Prince was born near here?
Ghost: That's right.
Don't go near the hill,
Don't go near the hill.
What does the snow hide?
It hides the hill,
It hides the hill,
The birthplace of the Dark Prince.
Don't go near the hill,
Don't go near the hill.

So, naturally, we went straight to the hill.
Naturally.
Indeed. Clearly such strong indications that it is a bad idea mean it's vitally important to go there.
We didn't know it at the time, but we were about to run into an old friend again...

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Sister Alouette!
It's nothing. I just tripped...
...Let's hurry.



Dark Lord Seville Tempete!
Yeah, that's it!
You may have beaten me once! And you may have defeated my colleague Dana Albijwaz!
But I will have my revenge!!
Hyaa!
But don't worry.
I'll stop just before killing you. Master Noir's Orders.
Thanks a lot. Pardon me while I shed tears of joy.



Accept your defeat!



And so we once again engaged the Demon Lord, Seville Tempete. Just as before, though, he was no match for us. Little did we know that he still had a dirty trick up his sleeve.
He doesn't have sleeves.
You know what I mean.




Time to finish you off...
Repent!
W-wait!
Don't you care what happens to the people in the town?!
What?
What are you talking about?
You saw them. Even in death, they are tied to this land.
It's the dark energies that bind them.
If you were to kill me, it would cause a rift in the dark energies...
And they would disappear into the void forever.
You're using them as hostages?
Damn you demons. Why is it you can't move beyond one dirty trick after the other?



Sister Alouette. Isn't there anything we can do?
Prier. Destroy him.
Sister Alouette?!
Didn't you hear me, Prier? Destroy him.
Wait, Sister Alouette! What about the people...?!
They could never become human again. It's best for everyone...
This isn't like you, Sister...!
There must be some other way! We can find it together!
There's no time.



I hate it when you're like this!!



Stop!! Let me go!!
Ghost: Thank you.
Thanks to you, we are finally free.
I have something I want to show you.
Come with me.

The ghost led us to an odd tree at the top of the hill.

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Ghost:This is where the Dark Prince was born...
I have to go now.
Thanks again. We will be praying for your safety.



This tree...!
And this flower...!
I remember them...!
This place...
Um, Sister Alouette...
About what I said earlier... About hating you when you're like this...
(She ignored me!!!)
So what's the deal with this tree?



It looks like ancient Paprican.
Oh my!
What?!
It's Croix's name!
And next to it... Angelique.
A woman's name.
A man and a woman's name carved on a tree. Almost as if they were lovers...
C-Croix! Who is this Angelique?!
I don't know... Angelique...
It seems somehow familiar...
Damn it! I can't remember!!

Then things took a turn for the crazy.






What on earth?!
......
The only thing I can imagine...
Yes?
We're in a time slip.
You mean a time trip?
Yes.
Somehow we've traveled back in time.
Oh really? Intresting...



Perhaps the Goddess Poitreene had a hand in this...
This is hard to believe.
It sure is awfully sudden.
No. Sister Alouette is right.
I remember this place.
We are in the past.
Croix...
Hey! Wait a minute! Croix!!



We'd gone back as far in the past as we needed to,
We were about to witness the birth of the dark prince ourselves.


We headed back to Couscous Village, this time in the past. And that's when things all started to go horribly wrong...

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Just a darn minute! You're acting awfully friendly to someone you've just met!
Just met? It's true that I'm meeting you for the first time, but...
Croix is my fiance.
F-f-f-f-f-f-fia...
Fiance.
Whew. Thanks.
Fiance!!!!!!



We are travelers from out west.
And from the future...
Shhh!
Now that you mention it, the clothes and face do seem a bit different from my Croix's...
I'm sorry! I guess I made a mistake.
It's just that he looked so much like my fiance...
It's really quite amazing...
Let me introduce myself, then.
My name is Angelique. I live near here.



You're travelers? Why don't you come and stay at my house tonight?
I'd like to apologize for making that silly mistake, and introduce you to Croix.
He'll be so surprised...
...You love Croix very much, don't you?
Of course I do.
Well, I've got to start dinner.
I'll make a real feast for you all. See you tonight!
She's gone.
......



You're kidding! That would make you, like, an old geezer!!
Papillon!
......
Didn't you think that Angelique looked a lot like Prier?
Yes, I thought so, too.
Now that you mention it...
Croix was very surprised the first time he saw Prier's face.



And she's the girl from his visions?
Hey, Prier...
Uh-oh... She's Stunned...

That's about all for this time. But next time be ready, we get to witness the birth of the Dark Prince. Oh, and just as a word of warning, never time travel.
Oh?
Yeah, it's really lame. Especially if you go with someone who's going to complain every time you step on a butterfly or try to change history radically, possibly negating existence.
Those do both sound like a lot of fun.
The first one is. Sadly I never got to try the second one. I guess I can dream, though. Oh well, until next time.