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The Guardian Dragon Chronicles

Amendment

A chilling atmosphere flooded the room. Everyone felt it. The words just spoken were ice on their flesh.

"What the hell, Cid!?" Kardonyth asked. "There is no need to be an ass!"

"At least I have the patience to wait, and the courtesy to ask!" Cid cried. "For the most part, you handle love just fine, but if love is going to get in the way of Acorech performing his role, then I won't let it be! Everything I do, everything you all do, everything we do together, it is all for the benefit of our world! I never asked to know what I know, and do what I do, and sometimes I do not think I can handle it, even now I am beginning to become overwhelmed by the pressure, but I am going to push forward! We do not just help the world, we help each other help the world! You all are fundamental to my work!"

"You always reiterate how important your work is, but you always keep us in the dark!" Kardonyth replied.

"I always reiterate how imperative it is that you all remain in the dark," Cid replied. "If things came to light, even to you all, the world would be in jeopardy. For that very reason, not even the location of where I operate is known. It is because of that that I devised the glyph system."

"The treasures housed here hold the power of world domination, and their task is to keep them secured. How exactly does your work compare?" Sara asked.

"I cannot say," Cid answered.

"That is not good enough!" Sara replied. "If I cannot trust in what you do, how can I trust you to do this?"

"It is not enough that I helped stop Rak and save Gaia!?" Cid asked. "What I personally do is personal!"

"You do not get to give easy answers after having the audacity to threaten Acorech with removing his memories against his will!" Sara answered,

"Enough!" Acorech snapped. Losing his poise, he collapsed. "If Cid says there is hope, than I have hope. In the end, even if our memories are not connected, our hearts will be. I believe that, and so should you. I believe that we were connected by memories because our hearts were connected in the first place. They transcended the barriers of space and time, to be bound together. Our hearts went out, longing for someone in particular, even when we did not know who that someone was. When they found each other, they knew, and now we know too. Our love cannot come to an end; it is only just begun. These memories made for me of us, they are just us as a caterpillar. It is time for us to be a butterfly. I am giving up these memories, but I am not giving up on us."

"Yes, our love is no accident, it is meant to be. That is why I am fighting for it." Tears rolled down Sara's cheeks. "However, if our hearts were originally connected like you say, then we would have been naturally drawn to each other. Memories are the only thing connecting us."

"Memories are connecting us now, and they'll connect us still. Do it, Cid!" Acorech shouted.

Sara panicked, but Crystal restrained her. Cid took a deep breath, and cast the magic with surgical precision. Having memories ripped out of him was painful for Acorech. He screamed as it happened. Everyone suffered the consequences upon completion.

* * *

"I know about the cycle that you guys go through," Cid stated.

"You do?" Kardonyth asked.

"I know many things," Cid replied. "Mostly about the Collective Unconscious and memories. All our memories are connected, like links in chain. That is why our memory as a whole is referred to as a 'chain of memories.' In addition, we are linked to others by shared memories."

"'Shared memories?'" Kardonyth asked.

"This conversation we are having, we will both remember it, that makes it a shared memory," Cid answered.

"Now I get it," Kardonyth replied.

"The point I am trying to make is that memories are more important to you all than to everyone else," Cid said.

"How so?" Kardonyth asked.

"I know that the chain of memories you guys have is connected to the link that binds your body and soul together. What I do not know is how. More importantly, it is the dangers you ought to be concerned with," Cid answered.

"Dangers?" Kardonyth asked.

"It is because that they are connected, if any of you were to be renewed without any of your memories, that person would not awaken. If at any other time any of you had none of your memories, that person would be incapable of becoming a dragon," Cid answered.

"How would we not have our memories?" Kardonyth asked.

"What very little know is that there is magic that can manipulate memories, and among it is the magic to take away memories. I have come to know many things, especially when it comes to, like I said, the Collective Unconscious and memories. When I learned that your links of body and soul are cyclic and how it relates to memories, I felt obligated to share. Be wary of anyone that might know of the magic of which I speak, lest grave disaster ensue. No one must ever remove the memories of a Guardian Dragon," Cid answered.

* * *

"I never thought... you guys would have to experience these headaches once, let alone twice," Cid groaned.

"Wait... Now that I think about it... You should have felt the first one..." Kardonyth said.

"I was... sleeping at the time Rak removed Acorech's memories," Cid lied. An uneasy feeling swelled up inside him.

"You were sleeping?" Kardonyth questioned.

"Even I need rest!" Cid replied.

"Fair enough," Kardonyth retorted.

"Acorech's not waking up!" Calic exclaimed.

"What!? He should be!" Kardonyth responded.

"Where am I?" Sara asked.

"Who are you?" Alakin asked.

"I could ask the same, but I asked a question already," Sara replied. "You know what, nevermind. First, I want to know if your friends with him."

"Acorech? Yes, we are. Are you?" Cid asked.

"I do not know. Perhaps..." Sara answered. "I feel like I know him, but... Call me crazy, but this is love at first sight. Whatever is wrong, I want to help."

"Let's take a step back," said Alakin. "How do we recognize Acorech? Rak removed Acorech's memories. Also, why are we here? We were going to join up in another world where we were going to fight Rak, and then suddenly we are all joined up here like nothing happened? What happened? What the hell is going on?"

"If he is not fighting us now, it probably means he is dead," Calic answered.

"How do we recognize Acorech? If we assume his memories were returned, why isn't he waking up?" Alakin asked.

"We all felt it. I took Acorech's memories. It had to be him. This is his room," Cid responded.

"You could not have taken Acorech's memories. Rak did that. Plus, why would you?" Kardonyth asked.

"I would not have, if they were his original," Cid answered. "The only reason I would do it is that there were other memories inside him."

"'Other' memories?" Kardonyth asked.

"The chances are extremely rare, but chances are that when Rak took Acorech's memories, he was given a new chain of memories. If he had another one inside him, and then his original one was restored, the chances are extremely high that his mind could not handle two. The synthetic chain is the one I removed," Cid explained.

"Didn't Rak erase Acorech's memories? Why would he give Acorech new memories?" Alakin asked.

"Rak must have led you to believe he erased Acorech's memories, but he must have just removed them, like I did. Rak would not have given him new memories, you can thank the Collective Unconscious for that," Cid answered.

"Where would Acorech's memories be taken to?" Kardonyth asked.

"No one can hold on to memories. If they are simply taken, not erased, they end up at the Memory Palace." Cid replied.

"Memory Palace?" Kardonyth asked.

"It is a place that exists outside of time, in the Zero Dimension," Cid answered.

"Zero Dimension?" Kardonyth asked.

"All you need to know is that being there too long is dangerous for mere mortals such as ourselves," Cid replied. "There are special groups of people, evolved, able to exist in the Zero Dimension without adverse consequences. The Memory Palace is maintained by the Keepers, one such group."

"So at one point, we were made aware that Acorech's memories were there, went there, and restored them?" Calic asked.

"No, we did not, Acorech alone did. I mean, he did as his other self," Cid answered.

"How do you know?" Alakin asked.

"I suppose that none of you have heard of the "Six Degrees of Separation?'" Cid asked.

"No," Alakin stated.

"What is it?" Kardonyth asked.

"It is a theory on the functionality of the Collective Unconscious," Cid answered. "Basically, every single person is connected to everyone else- In six degrees or less. We know Acorech personally, so we are separated from him by one degree. Someone who knows him, but not us, is separated from us by two degrees. I'll offer another example. One person's father is acquainted with another person's father, but they do not know that person. Those two are separated by three degrees. So forth and so on."

"What does this have to do with Acorech's memories?" Alakin asked.

"Based on the theory, a certain pattern holds true," Cid answered. "If someone's memories are messed with, the people least separated are the most effected, and the people most separated are the least effected. Well, not that people we do not even know getting effected would conversely affect us..."

"That does not answer my question," Alakin replied.

"I would like to think that the information I just conveyed will help with the information that I am about to convey," Cid retorted.

"And that is?" Alakin asked.

"Basically, the nature of tampering with memories defies reality," Cid replied.

"The Collective Unconscious 'defies reality?'" Kardonyth asked.

"If there is no memory of something, then it didn't happen. That is the 'logic' of the Collective Unconscious. That is why if someone has no memory of something, neither will those close to him. From there, the effects branch out. That is where the Six Degrees of Separation applies. The effects ripple like a drop of water falling into a pond, but I digress," Cid answered. "The reason why the consistency in our memories is broken is that we must have joined Acorech as his other self. I took his memories as his other self. Since Acorech doesn't have the memories of what happened, neither do we. There is, however, more to it than that. Acorech's original memories have all been restored. We should have the memories of what happened after he restored his, since as Acorech, he would have started accumulating memories again. We do not. Why?"

"Tell us," said Alakin.

"That is the heart of the problem, the reason why we have been having this whole discussion. Acorech is not unconscious because of what Rak did, this is not that time. This time, he is unconscious because of what I did. I took his other memories. He has no memory of restoring his memories, so his mind acts as though they have not been. His mind is trapped in a paradox that he cannot wake from. Subsequently, the memories he acquired after his restoration are 'dormant.' As opposed to being lost externally, such as being taken, his memories are lost internally. Just so you know, if lost memories recess too deep into one's mind, they are expelled."

"How do we 'fix' him?" Sara asked.

"I'd have to take his actual memories, and then restore them myself. Only then will his mind register that they have been," Cid answered. "I don't want to risk us forgetting anymore, so I will have to bring him to the Memory Palace, and then act."

"I am coming with you," Sara stated.

"What?" Cid questioned.

"I want to be there when he wakes," Sara answered.

"Very well," Cid replied.

"We never did figure out how she fits in to all this," Alakin stated.

"Isn't it obvious?" Cid asked as he opened up a portal. "She originates from Acorech's other memories. Besides, you will have the details in a few minutes."

Cid picked up Acorech, and accompanied by Sara, entered the portal. They entered the Memory Palace, and "discovered" what had transpired. Sara screamed at the horror before them. The rubble was nothing, but the plethora of corpses unnerved her.

"I remember now," Cid said. "I mean, I don't remember what happened, I remember being summoned by the Council, arguing, and how furious they all are that the Keepers are all dead."

"Council? 'They?'" Sara questioned.

"You will know what I am talking about in a few minutes," Cid replied.

They made their way to the lift stop, and "discovered" that it was broken.

"Damn!" Cid exclaimed.

"What does this mean?" Sara asked.

"It means that we'll have to drop down through the big hole behind us," Cid answered.

"I do not like the sound of that, but anything for... Acorech," Sara replied.

"Take him," Cid urged. "I will drop down, you will drop him down, I will catch him, then you will drop down, and I will catch you."

"Sounds like a plan," Sara replied. She took Acorech into her arms. She became consumed by her love for him. Her cheeks glowed from the hot blood that filled them. Her heartbeat almost doubled. She brushed his hair from his face, an act which transitioned into caressing his cheek. She gave him her undivided attention. It took a few seconds for it to break.

"Hey!" Cid shouted for the third time. "You want to get this over with, don't you?"

"Sorry," Sara hurried over to the hole. She dropped Acorech down, and when Cid was ready, she dropped down.

"The pedestal is broken," Cid examined.

"Pedestal?" Sara questioned. "What about the shelves?"

"Normally, the pedestal is where Acorech's memories would manifest," Cid answered.

"I am confused," Sara replied. "Why wouldn't his memories end up on a shelf?"

"I can appreciate that memories are automatically alphabetized, but in a sea of memories, any one person's can be hard to find," Cid answered. "The Guardian Dragons are 'tagged' with a special spell. Their memories will not end up in a regular container on a shelf, they will be in a chest on a pedestal. Acorech's pedestal is broken."

"What difference does that make?" Sara asked.

"Normally, the pedestal would be tethered to Acorech's mind," Cid answered. "In general, the force that pulls in sundered memories to this place is like gravity. However, in a separate process, the memories will default to their designated shelf space. The spell that was cast on the Guardian Dragons, it spawns a pedestal, which, as long as it is linked to the person's mind, will pull their memories to itself. A broken pedestal means a broken link. Now that Acorech's pedestal has been shattered, it is no longer tethered to his mind. Therefore, the memories have nowhere to manifest since Acorech is yet under the spell. I would renew the spell, but I am afraid of an anomaly occurring. It is extremely unlikely that would happen, but I would not discount it. I would rather err on the side of caution. The pedestal cannot be repaired either. I am going to have to produce a substitute. I am going to have to craft a special summoning circle, and successfully tether_that_ to Acorech's mind. Only then can I safely remove his memories."

"It sounds like success is not guaranteed," Sara said.

"It will be difficult to achieve," Cid replied. "No offense, but I'm going to need my space."

"None taken." Sara backed up. "Do what you have to do."

Cid's hands became illuminated by a magical aura. With them, he painted the ground with magical energy. When the rune-filled circle was complete, he took a deep breath. He aimed one hand at it, and the other at Acorech. He was completely focused. The circle grew brighter. When it began to hiss, he knew the link was made. He did not hesitate to rip Acorech's memories out of him. A chest formed in the center of the circle. He started to walk towards it.

"Wait!" Sara shouted.

"What?" Cid asked.

"I want to be the one to restore his memories," Sara answered.

"Very well," Cid replied.

Sara, bringing Acorech with her, approached the chest. She opened it, and it disappeared. Seconds later, Acorech awoke. Sara, holding his hand, looked into his opening eyes.

"You're right," Sara said. "A false past doesn't matter; only a true future."

"You're right," Acorech said. "All that matters is that we love each other."

Sara and Acorech kissed.

"There's no time for romance! I mean, there's literally no time," Cid said. "We have to get out of here. When we do, then you two can enjoy each other's company."

"Yeah," Acorech arose.

Cid opened up a portal, and the three returned to Acorech's room.

"Welcome back." Alakin smiled.

"Thanks," Acorech responded.

"So now your memories have been 'perfected.'" Kardonyth said.

"Yeah," Acorech responded.

"In case you have not noticed, Cid, ours have yet to be," Kardonyth stated. "None of us have memories of Gaia from before the Memory Palace."

"The enigmas persist," Cid replied. "Memories should have already been fabricated to fill the holes in our memories."

"Has the Collective Unconscious given up on us?" Alakin laughed.

"When the totality of Acorech's memories was removed, to everyone else, it was simply as if he did not exist. However-"

"Then why is it not as simple as Acorech's other self not existing?" Kardonyth interrupted. "Why can't we have any memories of Gaia without Acorech as his other self?"

"That is something that I do not know," Cid answered.

"Did something so incredible happen on Gaia that the Collective Unconscious cannot amend it?" Calic asked.

"Wait a minute!" Acorech exclaimed. "Sara! What do _you_remember?"

"Um... well..." Sara felt pressured. "Crystal came to me seeking refuge, and I gave it to her- Invited her into my home. I asked Zade and Teri to stay over as well. 'The more, the merrier,' you know? The next day, Kardonyth shows up. Naturally, having been reunited at last was a tremendous relief for them. Finding Crystal was Kardonyth's priority, and having accomplished that, he then relayed a message to Cid. Shortly after that, Rak showed up in town and fiercely demanding the whereabouts of Crystal and Kardonyth. When we could no longer hide, Kardonyth put up a fight as best he could. I could no longer contain my curiosity, and demanded details. Kardonyth explained everything. That is when the others arrived. In the midst of a fierce battle, Rak confessed that he did not erase Acorech's memories, that he had only removed them. Rak, desperate, went after the memories, and we followed. That is basically what 'happened.'"

"I recall none of that," Crystal said.

"Neither do I," Kardonyth replied.

"None of us do," Cid replied. "This is perplexing- Another paradox. Shared memories that aren't shared."

"Why am I the only one who has memories!?" Sara asked. "I know the memories are fake, but still... it is unsettling!"

"Unnerving indeed..." Cid replied.

"No one else has these memories, so what difference does it make if they were to be taken from me?" Sara asked.

"Do not discount your friends, they probably have them as well," Cid replied. "Besides, more than enough discord has happened on account of messing with memories, and I refuse to do any more myself."

"Very well," Sara replied.

"Yes, now that the issue of memories has been put to rest, let us address the matter of the rebellious sentiments which have arisen out of Acorech's crisis," Cid stated.

"What are you talking about?" Kardonyth asked.

"I am talking about you four being the Guardian Dragons," Cid replied. "You now lack confidence, and the desire to continue. How can people have faith in the Guardian Dragons if they do not have faith in themselves?"

"We have failed two peoples. We have not just failed ours, we have also failed Gaia's," Calic replied. "I presume faith has been lost already."

"Don't you dare be presumptuous! Do not be taken by foolishness, let your wisdom prevail! It is as clear as day that failure brings you no satisfaction, no relief, so will you continue to fail? Don't focus on what has already been done, but on what has yet to be done! Being a Guardian Dragon does not mean being perfect. Do not give up after one mistake!" Cid addressed. "Everyone! You seek successors? That warrants no sympathy, only pity and contempt! You perceive to have perpetrated egregious sins? Then do not burden others with your redemption! Your redemption is _yours_alone to attain! Do not let failure, doubt, love, apathy, or anything else keep you from your destiny. The roles you fulfill are not yours to surrender, but when the time is right, you will be absolved."

"You speak as though you were some sort of prophet. Arrogance! Do not presume to know everything!" Kardonyth replied. "You speak to inspire us, but you speak as though you understand what it is like to be us. You don't know how much longer we will be. You don't know what it is like to mysteriously wake up in this role without consent, without any memories of any sort of childhood, without any apparent family. We had to become each other's family, we adopted you into our brotherhood. Your friendship is appreciated, but if we are to take your words to heart, your words must be chosen more carefully."

"Do my words really upset you that much?" Cid asked.

"Yes," Kardonyth answered. "You have no right to talk to us as if you have firsthand knowledge of our existence!"

"I agree," Acorech said. "You are overstepping your boundaries, overreaching yourself."

"If you truly care about us, do not argue against our longing for retirement," Kardonyth pleaded.

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND YET!!!?" Cid screamed.

To be continued...