Chapter 4: Time Changes All
                       ---------------------------

	Time passes... people change.  Or, at the time, that was what
Zap thought.  This world was dreadfully different from the serene place
he had grown up in.  The world he remembered was peaceful, expanding, and
embracing to the quest for knowledge.  This world was scarred, altered in
ways Zap never would have imagined.  Wars?  Magic? These were all terms,
although he knew what they meant, that were foreign to him.

	Zap and Koro, finished testing the new weapon, a remarkably well
crafted sword, decided it was time to move on.  The duo began the trail
south, to Jidoor.  Zap was constantly reminded of what Koro has told him
about the years past.  All of the destruction, descent, and evil that had
supposedly happened over time continually amazed Zap.  Before he had
awoken, things were a completely different shade.  People were pleasant,
Soldiers were doing local building contruction, and chances of a war were
unthought of.		

	Occasionally, Zap thought about the proud empire.  The trained
men, absolutely loyal to their leader; the distinguished scientists,
making breakthroughs in technology that could make this world into a much
better place...  However, there was a dark side to this matter.  The one
part of science that should not have been disturbed.  The Magitek Knights.

	Forged by scientists, infused by the essence of Espers, Gestahl
promised they would lead us to a much better world.  One where magic
would stave off conflicts, abandon the need to farm, and even relieve the
populace of the greed in life.  People could live without greed, hate, or
revenge.

	Shockingly, his current companion told him differently.  Koro
spoke of Gestahl as a power-mad dictator, wishing to take espers in order
to put the world at his crusted fingertips.  To further things, the boy
spoke of the catastrophic re-arrangement of the planet, starting from a
continent in the sky.

	Zap wondered what Gestahl's ambition really was.  Everyone
thought of him as strict, yet likeable; the perfect leader.  He appeared
to be creating powerful warriors in the effort to keep people from
misusing such abilities.

	Yet he looked far less capable of things like this than he
actually was. To the everyday townsperson, he was old and grey, with a
commanding voice to inspire his soldiers.  To the well-trained eye, he
was conniving, planning to rule with an iron fist, and feeling the youth
of a man in his prime.

	Now, things looked different.  Gestahl was using his people as
pawns, to move away all obstructions.  His only advisor was Kefka, the
apparent reject of the Esper tranfer technique.  Zap refused to think of
the transfer..it was too painful to bring up.  The memories continued to
flow.  Problems with the Magitek process, unpredictable magic effects,
brain deterioration... and finally, the continual hatred between all
enductees of the process.  Many feared another would use their powers in
a grab for power, and so they proceeded to destroy each other.

	To bring things to a close, Koro explained about the leaders
of the rebellion, stopping the so-called god Kefka from wiping this world
from existence.  Obviously, this all sounded a little far-fetched, but he
had heard more than a few people talk about this before, and a folk-tale
could not reach around the world!

		-*-

	"Let's try not to run into any Imperial solders, ok?" Zap
asked.  If there were any Magitek knights still around, he would have his
hands full, especially if his companion was not quite the fighter he
claimed to be.

	"Ya' don't like the empire either?" Koro asked, in a open voice,
determined to drag something out of him.  Patience was not an option.

	"Let's just say, until I find what I'm looking for, I'm a
wanted man, no matter if Gestahl is dead or not," Zap replied, in a
confidential tone.  Saying much more could be dangerous. To change the
topic, Zap skillfully asked, "Now how are your fighting skills, kid?"

		-*-

	Deep inside his mind, the pressure was being relieved.  Once
suppressed memories began to surface, altered by someone as nameless as
time itself.  Only fate would determine what these thoughts would mean.

		-*-

	"Attack!"  commanded Zap.  Koro, concerned at what Zap
was doing, unleashed a fury of slashes with his gleaming sword.  An
unarmed man would have quickly been slaughtered.

	Just as quickly, Zap blocked all of the slashes, and knocked
the sword from the hand of the boy.

	"Wha...?!"  Koro began to ask, startled by the counter.

	"Defense is everything."  Zap replied.  "In order to win, you
must be able to defend.  If you can defend, your opposition will
eventually make a mistake, one which could give victory.  A blind strike
can only earn defeat."

	-*-

	Evenetually, the duo arrived around the area of Jidoor.  From
the view of things, this was not the place of past ventures. There was
damage to some of the buildings, and none of them seemed to be of the
quality of before.

	Zap's senses told him to stay away for the time being.  The
occasional well-armed man gave more than enough evidence to stay away for
the time being.  His only lead to find out what exactly had been going on
over the few years began to appear when circling around the outside of
Jidoor.  A man walking with a... just what was that thing?