"CHAOS THEORY: A FINAL FAN-TASY FABLE"

(A.K.A. "FINAL FANTASY: EQUINOX")

PROLOGUE: The Four Light Warriors easily defeated the Four Fiends. Chaos attacked, and the heroes were nearly killed. The brave leader- Derek the knight- sacrificed himself, to stab Chaos's heart, killing him, and ending the 'Time Loop' paradox, plaguing the land. The planet of 'Wurhldae' was at last a peaceful utopia. Only goodness, happiness and fellowship were present.

CHAPTER I: After the private memorial service, for Derek, the remaining Light Warriors- Kegoshio (ninja), Zunarres (white wizard) and Truff (red wizard) were completely happy again. They had moved on, made new friends, and settled in the kingdom of Coneria, where their epic began. Garland- the man once known as Chaos- ruled side by side, with Sarah, the queen. Goltandu- an elderly wizard- even used a spell he created, to allow the warriors to be happy as long as they lived. True happiness and peace were achieved. However, years later, something went wrong. The world's citizens began dying randomly, and even disappearing! Clouds faded away, and some of the stars surrounding Wurhldae mysteriously self-destructed! The warriors themselves began feeling awkward and confused. Something also seemed to compromise their very happiness. They needed to investigate.

CHAPTER II: The heroes went to Goltandu, the wise conjuror, who was also bewildered. He had never seen such phenomena, nor had he ever read any prophecy regarding such supernatural activity. He also could not explain why his happiness spell was wearing off. Only one being could possibly have the answer, at this point: Bahamut, the dragon lord! Going to Bahamut's island kingdom, the warriors greeted him, but he did not recognize them. For without the Time Loop, he would not recall giving them their upgraded abilities. However, he knew in fact, why nature was becoming violent- the deity of nature- Kalderrah- was angry! Kalderrah lived in a supervolcano, below the Gurgu Volcano, and was the mother, of Malrith. It was revealed, by Bahamut that Chaos had competed with Kalderrah, to control the planet, but he sealed her away, in the supervolcano. With him gone, his magic was reversed, and she was free! She was bloodthirsty, for vengeance. It was up to the Warriors of Light to somehow defeat Kalderrah. Bahamut warned that they would need a fourth warrior; no questions asked.

CHAPTER III: Traveling home, the 3 remaining Light Warriors found the kingdom in ruins. It was mostly deserted, and Goltandu was dying. With his last few moments of life, the wise elder told them of a drifter, who had come to Coneria, not long after they went to see Bahamut. The sage sensed a hidden energy, within this lone newcomer- which could help lead the warriors to victory. After the elder's death, Kegoshio, Zunarres and Truff ventured out to find the individual in question. Traveling across the land, the heroes encountered a man, named Dave. Zunarres could sense a great power, within him! He apparently had no memory, as to how he got to Coneria. But he knew, that he was needed. He figured that after saving the planet, he could unravel the mystery, of how he got there, in the first place. Dave and the warriors were telepathically contacted, by Bahamut. He informed them, that Dave was the key, to reviving Derek! But this would be no simple feat. They were all given very specific instructions.

CHAPTER IV: Dave and Kegoshio embarked on a mission, to retrieve the legendary Four Elemental Crystals. Truff- utilizing his black magic- opened a portal, to the underworld. He and Zunarres traveled, downward to the abyss, where they would find the spirit of Goltandu. He was not allowed to leave the underworld, but claimed to have found peace. He could help the wizards locate and bring the soul of Derek back to the world of the living. After countless hours, Derek's spirit was found! He and the wizards emerged from the portal, and went to the Temple of Fiends, where they were greeted by Kegoshio and Dave. It was a truly joyous reunion! The still-undead Derek stood next to the black orb, and the other four- each holding an element crystal- surrounded him. The spirit of Goltandu contacted Zunarres and Truff, from beyond. The sage sent his energy into the young wizards, who in turn sent their magic into the four crystals. Derek picked up the black orb, and all of the magic, from the crystals and the wizards was transmitted into the orb and eventually the warrior's soul. After a few moments, Derek was resurrected! The Four Light Warriors were together again!

CHAPTER V: Dave and the warriors went to the Gurgu Volcano, in an attempt to confront Kalderrah. The demigoddess herself appeared, before them! Dave was instructed to go into hiding, as he was not able to help the warriors in battle. After an arduous, painful struggle, the warriors were able to put Kalderrah down for the count! But as she lay dying, the deity spoke of the essence, behind what was occurring across the world. She claimed that she had nothing to do, with nature's wrath. Knowing that Chaos was destroyed, she settled for the young warriors, instead. She specifically threw the fight, allowing the heroes to win. An unknown magic spell would allow her godly energy to ravage the rest of the world, after her demise. In her final breath, she told the warriors, to go back to Bahamut, to learn the entire truth about their mission. Also, it was revealed that Dave was far more powerful, and dangerous, than anyone had known before!

CHAPTER VI: Returning to Bahamut's kingdom, the mighty dragon lord nervously told the truth, to the warriors. With all of the goodness and happiness which blessed the planet, and with no sign of evil or hatred, the universe lost its balance, between the light and the dark. With too much good and positivity, and not enough evil or negativity, the galaxy was in danger of a complete, irreversible collapse! Furious, the Light Warriors demanded to know why they were not told this, earlier. They were informed, that evil had to return, in its greatest form. Dave argued that Kalderrah was that exact form, but Bahamut retorted that there was a menacing atrocity, who was even worse than the fallen demigoddess! The terrifying final truth was that the warriors- along with Dave- needed to bring forth this monstrosity,... in order to restore the equinox, which kept the galaxy in existence. They needed to perform the unfathomable and the unimaginable: resurrect the Four Fiends!

CHAPTER VII: Returning to the barren Coneria, Dave revealed his own truth. He claimed to have come from a planet, in a galaxy several light years away from Wurhldae. This world was called 'Earth'. He stated that on his planet, magic was created by human technology. The warriors brushed off this idea as a fable and a lie. But the voice of Bahamut told them to listen, nonetheless. Dave was so bold, as to claim that the warriors' very abilities were created on Earth. Also, someone on Dave's homeworld even ordained the heroic defenders' quests! Dave spoke of mysterious 'attributes' which the Light Warriors gained, in their victories against evil, over time. These were the very same attributes, which augmented their magic, defenses and battle prowess. Dave finally revealed, that in order to successfully restore complete balance to Wurhldae, the warriors would need to reverse the flow, of their attributes, into the forces of darkness,... including the Fiends!

CHAPTER VIII: Dave pulled an electronic device, out of his pocket. With it, he could link the internal technology to the planet's power grid. This would enable the Light Warriors to reverse their energies! But the crew also needed to bring back the fiends. To do this, they needed to create their own disarray and havoc. They needed to become the very things they hated, and battled! Using black magic, Truff created disease and a few natural diasters; he then opened a portal, to the underworld, by which Zunarres- utilizing her white magic- could release undead hordes upon the land of the living! Derek ordered a sorcerer, known as "Mindflayer" to brainwash peaceful tribes into warfare, against one another. After several days, of havoc, the fiends emerged! There was enough hate, cruelty and pestilence, to allow their return. The time had come, for the heroic guardians to reverse their attributes. They defeated zombies, mummies, goblins and even dragons, while their powers were being fueled into the fiends. The goodly warriors were weakening, by the minute. As the fiends went in, for the onslaught, Garland and Queen Sarah appeared! They combined their energies, with the remaining energies of the Light Warriors, and created a whirlwind, which engulfed the fiends and sent them all through a portal, into exile! With the fiends gone again, it appeared as if the forces of goodness were victorious. Garland thanked the other heroes, for their help. But not all was right, just yet. Derek approached Garland, shook his hand, and mentioned that all "went according to plan".

CHAPTER IX: Derek revealed that he knew of Chaos's Time Loop, all along and that he secretly schemed to rule by the dark lord's side, one day! Derek carefully plotted his eventual return to Wurhldae, and Garland's conquest of the planet. Derek wanted to live and battle evil forever, so long as he did not do so, within Chaos's domain. Derek agreed to only fight evil in other realms. The once-noble knight of light did not want to grow old and useless, like he claimed the other warriors had. Bahamut and Goltandu knew this all along, but had to allow the events to unfold, up to this point. Dave confronted Derek, trying to reason with the disgraced soldier. Derek wanted no part of Dave's advice, and considered him now, to be a threat. Derek thrust his sword into Dave's heart, killing him instanty! This was Garland's contingency plan. He would never allow anyone- least of all, an archenemy- to rule at his side. He went as far, as to have the Mindflayer manipulate Derek, into thinking he would successfully conspire, with Garland. Derek was given false memories of the sinister scheme, for unrivaled control. Garland confessed that by killing Dave, Derek had restored Garland's ability, to become Chaos, and recreate the 'Time Loop'! Seeing the horrors around him, and having spilled innocent blood, Derek realized the error of his ways. Freed from Mindflayer's influence, Derek decided that he should die, for his sin. But rather than take his own life, he recalled everything he was told, about "order and balance". Bahamut informed Derek, that he could be placed on trial, for his crime, and that Queen Sarah could decide his fate. Derek was found guilty, of murder and sentenced to death, by the laws of the kingdom. Derek was executed, thereby severing the tie, between Garland and his deadly powers! The villain's plot was foiled, and he made his escape. Some time later,... balance was completely restored.

EPILOGUE: The remaining Light Warriors retained only a few memories, from their ordeal. Bahamut bid them farewell, and returned to his island. Goltandu returned to the land of the departed. But he was happy. The Light Warriors ended up in the majestically, beautifully restored Coneria. Kegoshio picked up the device, once belonging to Dave. There was a message on the screen, which read "load state". The ninja touched the screen, and their fallen comrade- Derek- magically appeared! They were given a message, by the kingdom advisor, that Sarah- the princess of Coneria- was being held hostage, by a renegade knight. The warriors sensed a perilous journey, ahead, but welcomed every moment to come! For some unknown reason, they were happier, than they had ever been, beforehand.