A Wrinkle in Time

[TheTaz747]

This is great, very intriguing and a creative combination of regular story-telling elements and names and abilities from Maple Story. Bravo!
And LMAO to the lez comment. Priceless!

[jiahao_94]

Wow, too bad the maple story anime isn't this good! T.T i think they should hire you to right it!! xD oh, btw... are they... lez...? o.o; (kira and lacus)

Kira is a guy, and Lacus is a girl.

You should watch Gundam Seed.

[jiahao_94]

Gah, I'll use a new post for the fanfic. Chapter 5 completed.

Chapter 6: The Jolly Roger
The ship sailed like a demon, traveling at a speed of about forty knots, a speed impossible without mechanical help, but there they were, speeding on the sea like a hurricane was pushing it. Drawing parallel to the cargo ship, the pirate ship let off three cannonballs, and the cargo spilled out onto the sea, floating because of the wood. Immediately, they unloaded lifeboats and threw down an extra, pushing it towards the people flailing about in the sea. They took all of five minutes to loot the cargo, and then the ship vanished back into the watery depths.

Lacus had been watching all of this silently, tears forming in her eyes. Noticing that I was looking at her, she bit her lower lip, trying to hold it in, but gave in, and started sobbing. Holding her to my chest, I felt the tears flow down my chest, and stroked her hair, making her calm down slightly. When she had recovered, she said that she remembered seeing the pirates before, seven years ago. They had taken care of her when she was shipwrecked, and they weren't like all the legends of pirates. There had been one particular pirate that had been especially kind to her, and she would never forget them, the crew that had been so kind.

Before she could break out from her reverie, there was a loud roaring sound, and Tim appeared, his expression fearful. Panting slightly, he said, "This is bad. I dunno what's happening, but we had better run. The Trading Company is catching up to us, for some reason... we need to get away, to somewhere that is safe, away from them."

I couldn't make head or tail of what was going on. The only thing I could make out of that was that Tim was a time traveler as well. He groaned at our bewildered looks, and dragged both of us up, running down the slope. Contrary to her expression, Lacus spoke quite calmly. "I think there's an easier way." Turning around, she walked to the end and jumped off. Gasping, both of us ran to look down, and to our surprise, she was uninjured, and smiling up.

Looking at each other, Tim and I jumped over the side, and as I free fell, I felt the adrenaline rush, the familiar feeling of excitement. Turning in midair, I saw the side of Orbis Tower flashing by, and I kept falling. Ten seconds later, I braced myself as I crashed onto the water below. Kicking once, I surfaced and was glad I'd not been wearing armor. With a sudden shock, I realized that I had left the armor behind. Heart dropping, I swam slowly towards Lacus.

Tim's PoV
Standing on the sea, I swam towards the snowy banks of El Nath. I thought through what Lacus had said earlier on; It wasn't possible that Lacus had been associating with pirates at eight; she was from the 21st century, and at that time, there were no pirates sailing openly on the sea. Why had she said she did? And she had spoken with such conviction.

The water was becoming icier as I approached El Nath. There were the signs of crystallized barnacles on the bottom of the sea, and soon, there was a small underwater field of ice that made progress easier. As I walked, I felt a sense of unbalance, and from the expression on the others' faces, I could tell that they felt the same way. Suddenly, the ice gave way, and getting dragged down into the water, I began to feel a sense of darkness... a sense of euphoria.

Omniscient Narrator
Under the surface of the sea, three figures floated, and the chain in Lacus' hands glowed, letting off a gigantic pulse of water that created big waves. The pirate ship that had just sunken for not long rocked, causing the crew to tumble slightly. The captain looked out, and saw the glow far off, near the port of El Nath. He thought he knew what that chain was, and risking everything, he set sail for the port.

[Timmias]

Time travelling is a nice idea cant wait to see what is next

[jiahao_94]

Please post, all the lurkers.

Chapter 7: The Chain of Destiny
Waking up, I felt myself on slippery boards, rolling slightly as the floor shook and the entire sky swirled. Pushing myself up gingerly, I saw that I was on the deck of a ship, and on the mast was a flag with the skull and crossbones. Immediately, I jumped up and drew my Dark Fairfrozen, looking around. From the bridge, a person with a jovial but thin face came out, grinning and asking me to relax. Watching me grip my weapon tighter, he reminded me that he had saved my life, and I stowed away my weapon, raising out my hand.

"I believe thanks are in order," I said, shaking his hand.
"No problem..." he trailed off as I pushed back his sleeve. Beneath it, the letter "P" was tattooed ornately.
"Pirate?"
"Yes, as you obviously can tell."
"Have you met her before?" I asked, pointing towards Lacus. Studying her for a while, he finally answered to the negative. That threw things into more of a mess; I thought for ages as I leaned on the bars. Thoughts whirled in my mind; I was the only silent human on board. All the others were scurrying about like rats, working on the ship, securing the sails; Tim and Lacus were chatting silently in the cabin. The sky started turning darker as the sun traveled towards the west. The ship had been sailing towards the south-east for five hours, and now, we were drawing even with the El Nath mountains. Slowly, it made its way into the small river that flowed there, and approached the town of Mu Lung. Reaching out, I gently touched the icebergs that were so near to the hull.

Turning around, I walked towards the stern and looked at the setting sun. It grazed the tops of the mountains, making the snow blaze as they crystallized in the iciness of the night. I was desperate, desperate to understand what was going on, what was going to happen. In anger, I shouted into the night, and was surprised by a small gasp from behind me. Turning, I saw Lacus wincing, and I hurriedly apologized. Looking at her attire, I blushed. Her dress was pure white in color, and contrasting against the darkness of the night, it seemed to glow. Her facial features were thrown into stark focus by the moonlight above, making her gaze softer. She was, in all ways, perfect... but I had more things on my mind than that.

"Lacus... the necklace... what's its true power?"
"Her memory... there's something wrong with it," Tim cut in.
"What?"
"It's been modified by some force. I don't know what's happening, but maybe you might be able to."
"How?"
"Time."
I gasped. "Do you know what the consequences of meddling with Time are?"
"Yes. I'm perfectly aware of the repercussions."
"Then..."
"I'd go if it were me. But I can't."
"And why is that?" To me, it seemed as if he were trying to snake out of helping. He sighed.
"I am the Keeper of Time. I am not allowed to disturb its natural flow."
"WHAT!"
"Yes. Throughout history, there have been five Keepers, for Time, Space, Life, Death and the Gate."
"The Gate?"
"The Gatekeeper protects the gate to everything. Beyond the Gate lies the source of everything."
"Okay. And now... I must leave?"
"Yes. It's essential. She's the key to everything."
"Right."

Looking at Lacus, I prayed and started concentrating. The sound of thunder, and nothingness. Seconds later, I appeared on the top of one of El Nath's highest mountains. The water below was crisp and blue. In the distance, a small island floated, covered with straw huts. Beyond it was another one, barren. Far away, a large continent floated, covered with tall trees everywhere save for a rocky plain at the furthest end. This was odd. It seemed as if...

"Oh my..." I had traveled further back, before the four legendary Masters founded Victoria Island, before Omega Sector, before Ludus Lake, before everything. Korean Folk Town had just been founded, and it would be a few hundred years before Eos was built. I concentrated on the future, but it escaped me. Trying again and again, I began to feel chilled to the bone. When I fainted, the necklace let out a pulse that shook the snow.

[jiahao_94]

Honestly, I'm going to give up writing if no posts occur. It's really depressing to see all the posts made by myself.

Chapter 8: Athena Pierce
I woke up on a comfortable bed. Pressing down on it, I was surprised to find that it wasn't eiderdown, but straw. The room was spartan, and made entirely of straws; they had only one window, but from my position, I couldn't see out. Pushing myself up, I looked out the window; it was dark. Moonlight shone down on the garden, and there were faint sounds outside the house. Walking out, I was surprised to see a meeting directly outside the door. Stumbling, I tripped backwards over the threshold, and landed flat on the floor of the house. Embarrassed, I climbed up, and the leader adjourned the meeting. She was young, and appeared strong. A bow was slung over her back, but there were no arrows.

Before I could deliberate on this point, she introduced herself. "I'm Athena Pierce." I let out an audible gasp. She was the Bowman's job Master and one of the four founders of Victoria Island. Motioning me to sit down, she took a seat opposite me and started explaining where this was, and why I was here.

"So this is Korean Folk Town, and you found me along with...?"
"Grendel."
"Then the others..."
"Hunting. Wait. How did you know about the others?"
"Erm..."

I was saved from answering by Grendel, who walked in at that moment. From my distance, I could feel his strong magical aura, but he looked odd without his gnarled staff, the crystal ball, his beard, his slouch... everything was different about him. It was hard to imagine that one day, he would discover the methods of immortality and continue to pass on his knowledge to his students. Currently, he was young and healthy, and it was hard not to find him a good companion. He was arrested in his movement when he entered the room, and asked sharply who I was.

"Kira... Yamato...."
"What's that?" he asked, not dropping his sharp tone.
"This necklace? It's a present from my friend."

Walking over to it, he held out his hand. As I handed him the necklace, I felt a sense of superiority and arrogance emanating from me. Even though I didn't much like it, it was hard to deny that even though he was around the same age as me, he already held great power, much more so than mine. After Grendel examined the necklace for ten minutes, he looked up at me with admiration, a look that unbalanced me.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"This necklace... It's amazing!"
"In what way?"
"Firstly, it grants the holder travel through Time. Secondly, if the owner or former owner were to be in mortal danger, this necklace would let off a pulse, attracting anyone who happened to be nearby. Thirdly, this is the key... the key to the Pirates' Lair."
"The Pirates' Lair?"
"In it holds all the treasure that it can hold, and the secrets of the pirates' success throughout the years... this is amazing. It's totally amazing!"

Before I could make a further comment, the necklace let out a pulse, and at the same time, my heart gave a wrench. There was blackness, and then I was in the middle of Korean Folk Town. Grabbing a small ship that was docked, I paddled like a bat out of Hell. In the far distance, cannons rang, cutting through the silence. Ahead of me, two ships were firing on each other, and fire erupted in a flaming lasso around the ships. The symbol of the Royal Navy was on one of them, and the skull and crossbones on the other. Suddenly, there was a sound of whizzing arrows.

Three dark figures appeared in midair, above and in front of me, facing the Navy ship. Purple dragons flowed around the first one, while Athena Pierce used a bow to fire a continuous stream of green dragon heads. Grendel was firing multi-colored bolts; there were thousands of throwing stars flying towards the ship, but no figure was in sight. Suddenly, a light voice said, "Gah, throwing stars in Dark Sight sure is tiring." A puff, and he was visible. Ten stars flew out at once from his hands, which weren't protected by gloves. For that matter, there wasn't even a claw on his hands.

"What are you doing here?"
"Ever since Grendel met this kid with a necklace that was the key to the Pirates' Lair, he's become a pirate, and made all of us follow it."
"Yeah, you really didn't want all the gold, Roy." Grendel commented with sarcasm.
"Quit quarreling and heal me, Grendel. I've been Roaring for the past ten minutes."
"Yes, Kon-san."

These were the four great job masters? They appeared to be nothing but precocious squabbling teenagers...

"Hey child! We didn't come here for nothing, you know? Go look for her!"
"Right!" I didn't want to know how they found out I was looking for her... probably one of Grendel's abilities... Running across the water, I was surprised that I could float. The necklace was pulsing more strongly than ever; she had to be somewhere nearby! In desperation, I dove under the water, which proved to be my undoing. The icy liquid splashed against my eyes, rendering me blind. Losing all sense of direction, I smacked against a steel hull and let out a silent scream, causing water to pour into my windpipe.

[Timmias]

Ok yet again I am thanking you for the chapter, my comments are so repetitive and original

If it cheers you up I can post random spam a very odd time ot give you something to read

[choji3d]

I ,lurker man, shall start posting.

Thanks for the chapter.

[gasy222]

lolz.......... Nice Pirates...... *Falls Asleep*
NOTE:Not from your Fanfic

[jiahao_94]

Chapter 9: Lacus' Subconscious

I woke up to find myself lying on a soft bed, facing Lacus. She was just a few inches away from me... Holding her gently, I thought about everything that had happened. Days had flashed by just like that; she had her memories messed up. What was happening to her? What was happening to the world? The natural order was collapsing, everything was messed up. What were the Keepers doing? They were supposed to govern the four areas of life... I noted interestedly that love wasn't one of them.

The necklace let out a small glow, enough to attract my attention. Before I could react, the light engulfed me, putting me in a small garden with a pagoda in the center. Cautiously, I tiptoed towards the pagoda doors. I was unarmed and defenseless, and it wouldn't do good to get into a fight. The door seemed to be well oiled, and when I got in, I was faced with a young girl and a bunch of pirates.

"What...?" My reactions weren't fast enough to avoid what happened next. A flash and a bullet lodged itself in my arm. There was a smell of sizzling flesh, and I shouted in alarm when it exploded, inflaming my entire arm and causing a giant hole. Cursing, I ran to the right, away from the pirates and behind a pillar. Gunslingers... Cursing again, I disengaged the remaining pieces of lead and left the dark corner. Rolling and running proved to be effective, and when I reached the staircase, they disappeared. I wondered why the hell I was risking my life for this...

The second level featured another series of pirates, this time without a staircase at the end. Raising my Dark Fairfrozen, I was preparing to cast a Dragon Roar when a hand stopped me. "I don't think that's a good idea." Grendel's Thunderbolt crackled as it flew down from the sky, cutting the pirates slightly. There was a shimmer, and they vanished, flashing as they teleported around the room. With apparent ease, Grendel casted Fire Arrows all over the room, destroying much of the flashes, but a particularly quick one evaded him.

Again, that quick flash. Again and again, he teleported around the room, and this time, he let off a gunshot that nearly impaled Grendel. Dodging quickly, he charged a large bolt of energy and fired it, but still, it missed, and this time, the pagoda shook slightly. Ignoring Grendel's advice, I casted Dragon Roar, but no purple dragon nor ensuing roar came out. I felt giddy. In returning to the past, I'd changed events; I'd made the four brethren stay behind, and they didn't find Victoria to spread their teachings... therefore... every single person's powers were gone, and I was the cause of it.

Concentrating, I tried to teleport back in time, but it only left me weaker, and I leaned against a pillar. I regretted having taken that necklace. I regretted doubting Lacus. I regretted everything I'd ever done. What was the point of making two good friends and falling in love with one if I had to die for it? Slowly, the world turned black; Every second was torture.

As I hit the ground, my world turned black. Everything was back in its natural order, the way life should be. What an irony. Before full unconsciousness set in, someone shook me, and my eyes snapped open, my body rejecting the fact that my mind had not shut down. My whole body felt like it was tearing apart with strain, and I wanted to lie on the ground forever. Grendel was gone, and so was the flashing pirate. All that was left was a long ladder in the middle of the room.

Holding my head gingerly, I climbed up the long ladder and reached the top. The room was gigantic, almost as big as the ballroom, which was extravagant compared to the sole thing it held: a floating crystal in the center. Tentatively, I took a few steps towards it. I was now in reach of the crystal, but when I reached out my hand for it, I felt a magical barrier around it. By now, after around half an hour in this place, I had my suspicions of what the place actually was. Taking off my necklace, I put it to the barrier, and it crashed. Gently, I removed the crystal. It vibrated slightly, and then shattered. The entire structure started shaking, and I wondered if I did anything wrong.

It vanished entirely, leaving me in total darkness. Two seconds later, I was standing on the deck of a navy ship, shaking slightly from the cold. My wrists were cuffed together, and for a moment, I couldn't catch head or tail of what was happening. Lacus looked blankly back at me, and I started to get angrier.

Chapter 10: The Purpose of the Chain of Destiny
Before I could react, the captain pointed me out and asked me to leave with him; the rest were moved into the prison. Dragging me into the cabin, he bound me to a chair and started his interrogation.

"Where did you get that pendant?"
"Dunno." I answered somewhat sullenly, and he gave me a slap.
"Don't lie. This is the property of the Navy."
"No, it's not."
"Do you know what this is?"
"No."
"This is the key to the Dimension Gate. You do know what that is right?"
"No."
"Stop lying!" Another slap.
"I really don't know."
"This is the key to the power which controls life. The key to restoring balance. The key to get rid of pirates forever."
"Then?"
"There is a soul within this thing. The soul is the true key. The possessor of that soul has to be killed to unlock it."
"Then?"
"Do you know whose soul it is?"
"No."
"The girl in your team. Lacus Clyne."
My eyes flamed. "No one threatens her and gets away with it."
"There is nothing you can do about it. Bring her in!"

She was dragged in, and her eyes made me feel even angrier. It had a submissive look, and to see it was tortuous. As the dagger got closer to her, I got progressively angrier, and the ropes started smoldering. In his pleasure in the torture, he'd missed all of that, and was shocked when, in a large lasso of flames, the ropes burned up and I stood up. His movements were arrested, and his eyes were locked on the Pendant of Destiny, which was glowing, contrasting against my black robes.

"Dragon Roar."

A dragon of the purest black coiled around me and let off a loud roar that shattered the dagger and the cabin furniture. The captain was immobile, totally stunned by its force. Taking the chance, I got Lacus out of the way safely, then released another Roar and ran. The Navy would be after me; that I was sure of. It was a matter of how much head-start I got, and I was determined to have as much as possible. Jumping, I was surprised by a hand to my shoulder. There was a compressing darkness, and we were on solid ground in the middle of El Nath, along with the whole pirate crew. Tim panted slightly, apparently having expended great effort in teleporting the whole crew through space.

"Thank God he taught me some tricks..."
"Who?"
"Keeper of Space..." he said, rolling his eyes.
"Am I supposed to know?"
"Well..." he mused slightly. "No."
"That's the point."
"No, it's not. It's how we run."
"Is that how we do things now? Run? With no purpose in mind?"

Ignoring me, he twirled his hands and caused a shimmer to spread, freezing time everywhere around us. All movement stopped. The trees ceased to wave around, bending in an absurd position; the cool winds stopped blowing, the small crest of soft snow frozen in time. In the presence of such magic, the pendant glowed, and Tim grabbed it from my neck. Opening a portal, he pushed Lacus and I in, following behind. We landed on a path, the floor made of glittering black crystal. Walking in slightly, we were faced with a gigantic robotic like creature, except it was rectangular, more sideways than tall. In its left hand was a blue saber that threatened to chop down at any time.

The Gatekeeper.

"Defeat this."
"What?!" I exclaimed.

Tim remained silent and pushed me forwards. Uncertainly, I stabbed thrice at it, but every single hit of the Spear Buster was blocked. Again and again, every hit of mine was parried. Soon, the Gatekeeper seemed to tire of the game and slammed his giant weapon again and again, causing shockwaves to emanate throughout the room. It was all I could do to block them with my spear, but it left me totally open, and I wasn't surprised when two cuts appeared on my arms. My grip around the Fairfrozen slackened a little, and giving up, I unleashed Final Berserker.

For the second time in my life, I used it in a battle, and this time, my body was not so forgiving. Dragging myself, I chopped up the Gatekeeper in twenty seconds. Collapsing, I lay prostrate at Tim's feet, but he didn't look forgiving in the least bit. Picking me up by my collar, he pushed me into the gate. At the end was a pathway, with a room at the end. In it was a man which was looking into a cauldron, a cauldron which was bubbling with green liquid.

"The Cauldron of Life." He proclaimed calmly, not turning. I remained silent as well.
"Master?"
"Very well. This is what will happen. Your memories will be wiped and stored in this pendant. When you turn sixteen, you will have your memories returned. Before then, you MUST achieve mastery of every single class and at least learn every skill. Then, we can begin battle."
"Battle?"
"You haven't told him?" The Gate Keeper looked accusatory. Tim bowed slightly, and began to speak, but was cut across.
"Never mind. I'll tell him myself. What happened quite some time ago was that this girl here was spirited back in time as an experiment. An experiment that went quite wrong, and sealed part of her soul, her true soul, into this pendant. As a result, her memory was cleaned out, and she began to construct false ones in her desperateness to get a past. The head of the lab was angry at the experiment results having escaped him, and mobilized his forces to find you. That was the assassination attempt on you; luckily, he failed due to this pendant. You managed to control, to an extent, time traveling, but messed it up when you traveled too far back. And now, there is only one way to repay that."
"By doing things all over again."
"Are you ready?"
"I have only one request."
"Yes?"
"Can we... Lacus and I... still remain friends?" Tim allowed himself to grin slightly, and even the Gate Keeper smiled slightly. Before he could answer, Julian tripped into the room and shouted, "They're here!" Nodding his agreement to my request, Tim held the pendant tightly and started chanting a string of magical words. Light erupted all around me, and coalesced into a crystal of pure blue. That was the last thing I saw.


AN: Spoiler: Chapter 11 will have them start in school. Oh yes, most of the fanfic writers here are obsessed with school. And FYI, this story, up to now, was set in Maple.

AN2: Wow, Revolt of the Archers is one of the most godly fictions I've ever read, taking into account Harry Potter.