True King, True Desire

Raid Event: Fractured Futures

Episode 3

True King, True Desire

Previous Quest

Shining Cyclops Assault/Beginner

Next Quest

Chronos Clash/Beginner

Summary

The prince seeks out the masked woman who looked like Zethia to get her help in altering the past. When he finds her, Chronos changes completely. After learning his true goal all along was to find and kill the woman, the prince faces off against his former dragon ally.

Dialogue

...... My liege? What is it? I still wasn't able to stop my father. He changed, just as I knew would happen. And now Zethia will... What am I supposed to do? How can I actually CHANGE these events?! Maybe this was a fool's errand all along. And yet, there is another who does the very thing you seek to do. Another who has cast off the yoke and seeks to disturb causality. Are you talking about Audric? Audric is another, but there is also one besides him—one you have already met. As you recently experienced, if one goes back in time, it is possible for the same person to exist twice in a single timeline. Now recall, if you will, the moment when your whole journey started... The same person existing twice... Wait, you're right! There was the masked woman— the one who looked like Zethia! If you reunite with her, you may well be able to introduce a larger change to the stream of time. So if I could convince the other Zethia to help me somehow... All right. Let's do this, Chronos! I inch ever closer to your true objective, my liege... Why have you come here? If you knew the powers you were trifling with... Stay alert, Brother. Something about her is not right. Yeah, that much is clear. ...You there! Identify yourself. I've no time to bandy about words. I will stop you from forging this dragonpact, no matter the cost! There! It's the us from the past. And there's the masked girl! At long last, I've made it... Chronos? No... No no... He's forged the pact again... Is there no changing this? I can stay here no longer... But I will return! Huh? More of them? Hyaaaa! Gya! Wait, what? How? I mean, HUH?! That's Zethia! But it's also not Zethia, because Zethia is standing over there and... WHAAAAT?! Nnngh... You weren't supposed to find out. But regardless...our time is up. We will finish this unpleasantness another day. Now, my liege! Let us follow the Auspex into the space between time and causality! Right! You there! Stop! Huh?! Zethia, wait! Is that you, Euden? Yes, but I'm not the brother you just saw. No... It can't be! I'm a time traveler just like you, and I also came here to— To twist time to your own ends! What? Now, my liege! Now is the hour where I will finally see your wish realized! Chronos? It can't be... Farewell, Auspex, traveler of causality... Aaaaaaaaah! What are you doing?! Stop! All will be made right now. This is my true liege's wish—as well as my own. I never asked for this! There is a you who is not you. A you who will one day no longer be you. That man is my true liege, and his will is the one I fulfill now. So the lord you serve is actually...HIM? Farewell to you, Auspex. You will go to your grave filled with regret for meddling in things far beyond your ken. Chronos! Why are you doing this?! Ridding the world of the Auspex is the key to my true liege's grand ambition. Wait, WHAT liege?! And what's this about a grand ambition?! It means you have been manipulated to serve his ends, Euden. Audric! From the very start, this dragon's goal has been to find the Auspex—the one who loosed herself from the yoke of causality. As such, he used you to achieve his aim. Is this true, Chronos?! ...... Now return to your original time—for you are the vessel who will one day become my true liege. So I'm not your true liege NOW? Enough. I have no intention of harming you, but you must return to your own time. I can't believe this! And now, Auspex, you will die in order to fuel the glory of my liege. Urgh... I will not allow this, Chronos! Will you never learn? The bonds which remain in that body are but weak dregs. Soon you will no longer be able to pursue me as you have been. Which is why I must use the time left to me to achieve my aims. A meaningless effort from a fallen king. You and the Auspex alike will meet your end this day. Now accept your fate! I won't let that happen! Why do you interfere? Surely you do not see my actions here as betrayal? It fills me with regret to have been used by you. But I tried just as much to use you—and your power—to achieve my own ends. So I can assign you no blame. Then why do you interfere? Because I won't hand Zethia over to you! I came here to protect my sister, and that's what I'm going to do! Euden! Prepare yourself then, my liege. You are but a vessel for my true liege, and for the sake of his glory, I will put you to rest!