Prologue Part 2 --------------- "Get me Scythe! Now!" the voice boomed. "Yes, Lord," was the response. Within seconds, a vapor appeared before the booming voice's face and it slowly materialized into the faint figure of another man. "Yes, Lord? You summoned me?" the vaporized figure grimly responded. A sly, thin smile creeped onto the lips of the Lord. His disposition was obviously cunning. "Scythe, if you haven't guessed already, you are needed. It's the... the pendants..." he began. "Lord, but I... you know..." Scythe interrupted. "I know? What do I know, Scythe? I understand your opinion on this all, if that is what you mean? But, the truth of the matter is, we need you for this one. It can't be messed up again, Scythe, not again!" The Lord crashed into Scythe, easily establishing the urgency of the potential situation. Instead of beaming back... Instead of lashing back at his Lord, Scythe remained calm, despite his uneasiness. The pendants were obviously in danger of being found again, and he knew if they were placed into the wrong hands what the ultimate result would be. Many thoughts ran his mind, and while he rummaged through them, his Lord spoke once again. "Scythe, a new Empire has formed. There is again evil in the World of Balance. We have no more time to take chances. No more mistakes. I need to send the best we have! I need to send you! When I created the pendants so long ago, I never intended for them to cause the tremendous problems they have caused now and in the past. All I wanted was the power! But all I got was grief! It was wonderful for awhile, but they are too volatile, Scythe! Go! Find them! Bring them back to us here, where they can be safe again! The Empire will find them, Scythe! Our nightmares will be realized once again!" Through this dissertation, Scythe truly began to understand the urgency of the dilemma. A new Empire? What could it mean to them here? What if they did find the pendants? Their power was drained when magic died, right? "My Lord, why are you so concerned about the pendants, whose magic powers deteriorated when the fall of magic occurred?" Scythe asked, slightly overstepping his boundaries. The Lord shuffled in his place, while his aura seemed to dim for a second. Scythe noticed this, and immediately felt faint. "My Lord! What is wrong?" he desperately asked. "Scythe... Scythe... When will you just listen and not argue? When will you learn to believe me for what I say, and accept my orders how they are?" the Lord whispered. "I will now, my Lord. I will go. If the situation is as grave and urgent as you make it to be, I have no choice but to obey you. Please... please forgive me," Scythe dejectedly answered. "Oh, Scythe... You have been with us for so long, and time and time again you prove to me your worth. Someday, you too, will become an Overseer," the Lord said. The weight Scythe lifted off the Lord's shoulders was more than he could imagine. "Lord, that is my ultimate ambition. It is what I hope to achieve someday," Scythe couldn't think of anything else to say. Of the four Overseers, to be summoned by Kaz, the original forger of the pendants, back in the times of the legendary Light Warriors, whom Scythe was very interested in himself, was an extremely rare occurrence. Kaz preferred to keep himself in the Shadows, an area the four Overseers created to house themselves. No outsiders were permitted there. "Someday, Scythe, someday it will happen. One night, under the darkness our moon provides us, you will accompany the Overseers into the Shadows, where your dreams will become reality. As five, our number will be complete. The Overseers will remain in the Shadows, in peace.." Kaz professed. His aura again became bright, brighter than before, blazing with a brilliant crimson tone. The crimson tone, of course, came from the Fire Pendant Kaz once possessed. The prize possession he favored, the Fire Pendant was the most carefully and articulately forged pendant Kaz created. He treasured its worth and never let it away slip from his sight. The pendant allowed his rise to power so many years back. The other pendants, of Water, Earth, and Air were also his marvelous creations. He forged the pendants from the orbs themselves, which is why they possessed their great power. Kaz then returned the orbs to the earth where they belonged, but kept the pendants as his own. The three other Overseers were then given the remaining three pendants and were told to use them wisely, but as it turned out, none of them could handle the power anyway, and the pendants were then returned to the earth, possibly where they also belonged. Scythe became enlightened by Kaz's prophecy, as he had very much wanted to become an Overseer since his existence commenced. He still had many questions lingering in his mind. "Lord, I know there is more you can tell me about the current situation. What am I to do? Where am I to look? Please, clarify these things." Scythe requested. "Yes, Scythe, there is more I can tell you. There are some items that do need to be straightened out." At that, the Kaz's voice became deeper, and more concerned. His face grew very grave and his aura dimmed slightly. "Please, tell me, Lord." "Scythe, magic.. magic, has returned to the World of Balance." he began. "Magic!! But how, my Lord? I thought ..." Scythe interrupted. "Please!" Kaz screamed back, "Let me finish!" At that, Scythe silenced. "It is not important HOW it has returned, but WHY. That will be another mission of yours while you are there. You must find out why this has happened. I do not feel the magic on the World of Balance is at all powerful yet, though, and I hope it remains that way, but this is why the pendants need to be accounted for. When magic power grows, so does the power of the pendants." Kaz proclaimed. Scythe grew uneasy. "Ahh, now it has all come clear. Why did you not tell me this first? We could have avoided all the dramatics, and I could have been gone already!" Scythe sarcastically remarked. He didn't mean to sound cruel, or overbearing, but he did mean to hold his ground. "Ha ha!" Kaz's laugh echoed. "You are as impatient as you ever were, Scythe! Why the sudden rush? If I can remember correctly, the first time I mentioned pendants, you were ready to run out of my sight! I am proud to see such a change in your attitude towards this." Scythe bathed in the sudden compliments, but the task at hand was beginning to set in while Kaz continued. "You have become a true warrior, Scythe. I am proud to call you my son in our cause. Are there any details you would like laid out before you depart?" Kaz inquired. As a blankness settled over Scythe's mind, his instincts told him not to say "no". Pondering, the simple-minded questions began to make their way forward. "What am I to arrive there as? Human, animal, what?" he asked, feeling quite foolish. "I have though about this for a long time, Scythe. You will go to the World of Balance as a strong, rugged, grave looking human. No one will bother you, that I can promise. You should be pleased with your appearance. I wish I could go with you, I really do, but you can not attract any unnecessary attention to yourself." Kaz replied. "Well, I suppose that won't be too hard, but I really have no clue when it comes to humans and their traditions and ways. Ay, I hope I don't make a fool of myself there, trying to interact." Scythe worried rather simplisticly. "Are you forgetting the point of your mission!? You are not there to impress people, let alone interact with them! Only in dire situations are we allowed to interfere with the lives of humans. Please, Scythe, do not burden me with this unreal logic!" Kaz lashed out as an answer. "I am sorry, Lord. Please forgive me, I am just slightly confused. You are releasing me into this world without even giving me an idea of where these pendants can be located? Where am I to start? Where am I to look? How is this possible?" Scythe pondered. He fidgeted as Kaz answered. "Scythe, this is indeed not a situation that is bringing ease to me. It is true, I have no idea where the pendants will "pop up" so to say. After Kefka .. destroyed the balance of nature and ruined the world, the land trembled and broke apart, deteriorating all chances of the pendants being located where they were originally hidden. All I can tell you, Scythe, is that I seem to have a special attraction to Flare, the Fire Pendant. I can honestly say that it "talks" to me, even so many years after I bore it and . I can feel Flare reaching out to me, it is closer to us than the other pendants, it must have risen above the rest. I believe it will be found in the mountains.." "My Lord! THE mountains? I am sure you can tell more than that. Think about how many mountain ranges I will run into there! I ..." Kaz interrupted, "Please!! Stop!! Did I say this was going to be an easy task? I don't remember doing anything of the such! Flare is above the rest, in the mountains. What mountains, I do not know. That is for you to find. Once Flare is found, it will "guide" you to Tidal, Quake, and Cyclone. Once they are recovered, Scythe, you may return, to better, happier things. Now, as much as I hate to say it, it's time for you to go. There truly is no more precious time to waste." "Yes, my Lord. I suppose you are right. Please forgive me, I guess you must think of me as a coward. I.. I.. I really think I am scared, my Lord." Scythe admitted. "Scythe.. We are all scared.. It is FEAR that will get us through this. I wish you luck. You will be given the sword that I and the Overseers have forged over the years. It is called Eternal. Please, use it wisely, and remember your fear. It will be your greatest asset. We will be watching over you, Scythe. You will shape our destiny. Now, you must depart." "Yes, my lord." Scythe's quest had begun.