twincityhacker: The situation with Joel's family is explained in the next chapter. It'll all be clear then.
This is another short chapter. 7 will come ASAP.
As the group stepped into the portal, it did not react like all the other portals had. Electricity crackled all around them before they were sent reeling through a vacuum of red light.
They were then thrown onto a cobblestone platform. Three pillars of light rose from another platform above them, which was connected to the first platform by a flight of cement stairs. A golden metal fence surrounded both platforms. The platform they were on had an old street lamp in the center. Underneath it was a sleeping old man. Behind the lamp were a wooden door and a bucket.
The old man awoke with a start. "More guests?!"
"Guests?! Where are we?" Mike gazed at their surroundings. The platforms were levitating in a midnight blue atmosphere littered with gray clouds. The place looked like something out of a bad LSD trip.
"You've reached the End of Time. You see, the Conservation of Time theorem states that whenever more than three beings step into a time portal, they will end up at the time-space coordinates of least resistance. Those points are here."
"If we're at the End of Time, could we go to another time?" Joel asked.
"See those pillars of light over there? Each one is connected to a different era. All periods of time connect here, but some of the gates aren't open yet."
"So then, let's find a portal to the year 600." Joel began to head towards the stairs.
"Wait a minute," said the old man. "Before you go tearing back and forth through time, I suggest that you two humans take a look at what's inside the room behind me." He gestured towards the door, which then opened by itself.
Joel and Mike walked through the doorway to find another platform. In the center was a small animal that appeared to be some type of ape.
"What is that thing?" Mike asked.
"It's a monkey," Joel replied.
"It can't be. Maybe it's a gorilla."
"I am NOT either one of those!" the creature shouted in offense. "I'm Spekkio, the Master of War!"
"How can a tiny little thing like you be the Master of War?" Mike muttered.
"You wanna take me on, punk?!" Spekkio yelled. "I can kick your ass from here to Guardia Kingdom!"
"Guys..." Joel said in an irritated tone. "What did we come in here for?"
"Well, you guys must be strong in will and mind. That's why the Old One let you through. He wants me to give you the power to use magic."
"Magic?" Mike repeated.
"There are four elements: Water, Fire, Wind, and Shadow. The guy with the sword is `Water.' The punk with the stick is `Wind.' Now, close your eyes..."
As the two closed their eyes, they were both enveloped in blue light. The light vanished after a few seconds.
"There. Now you can use magic. Long ago, almost everyone knew how to use magic, but then people began to abuse their powers. So, you two are almost the only humans left who can use it."
"Who else can?" Joel asked.
"Magus, from the year 600. He's leading the Mystics in a war."
"Hey, Joel." What Spekkio had said made Mike remember what Joel had been talking about. "What were you saying earlier?"
"I heard that the Forresters harnessed the power of Lavos. I thought that maybe it had something to do with how Magus got his power."
"Hey, you're pretty swift," Spekkio said. "I heard that Magus brought forth Lavos, who destroyed the Earth in the year 2133."
"And the power of Lavos was harnessed by the Forresters?" Joel guessed.
Spekkio shrugged. "How the hell am I supposed to know?! Do I look like the Encyclopedia Britannica to you? If you go and fight Magus, I think you'll find out."
"Then let's go," said Joel. "We'll have to leave the 'bots here for a little bit, since more than three can't go through a portal at once."
"You're fighting for the future so you can go home, right?" Mike said. "What did you mean when you said that?"
Joel hesitated. "I'll tell you later, OK?"
"Yeah, that's fine. Just don't keep me in the dark." Mike opened the door and walked out. He then spoke to the old man and the `bots.
"We're going off to fight Magus. We'll be back as soon as we can."
"You're just leaving us here?!" Gypsy cried. "That's not fair! I wanna go, too!"
"You guys can't all fit in a time portal," Joel said as he walked out of the doorway. He turned to Mike. "Shall we get going?"
"Sure." The two climbed the flight of stairs before stepping into one of the pillars of light.