Here's the next part. Kinda short, but important.
Joel picked up a blueprint on the desk. "She mentioned Lavos. Does this mean Pearl has anything to do with it?"
Mike shrugged. "Maybe. All I know about Lavos is that Magus summoned it from within the earth and it caused the Apocalypse in 2133." He paused. "Speaking of Magus...we never did find him."
"Did he die?" Joel asked.
"You and I were the only ones in the cave. There's no way to be sure what happened to him."
"Never mind Magus, I'm interested in finding out what's going on here." Joel showed the blueprint to Mike. "This is the plan for the Ocean Palace. It's being built underwater, which is impossible. The weight of the ocean would crush it immediately."
"You said these people were quite advanced," Mike stated. "Maybe they found some sort of material that is resistant to a lot of weight."
"There's also the Mammon Machine. I'm curious about it. There's a lot of stuff here we don't know about. We'll have to do some research before we can even consider challenging Pearl."
"You want to fight her?!" Mike couldn't believe what he had heard. The Joel he knew was very passive.
Joel clenched his right hand into a fist. "She took my family away from me."
"Calm down." Mike placed a hand on Joel's shoulder. "I know how you feel, but we shouldn't do anything that will draw attention to us here. Who knows what may happen?"
"Yeah, you're right." Joel paused for a few seconds before speaking again. "Why don't we split up and meet back here later? We'll be able to find out a lot more if we work separately."
"I agree, but what about Schala?"
"We'll talk to her when she comes back. But for now, we're on our own. I'm going to go check out the Mammon Machine."
"Okay. Just come back here when you're done." Mike poked his head outside the door. "I'm wondering about the Prophet. If he knows everything, maybe he can tell us what happened to Magus."
"All right. See you later." Joel headed out the door. Mike made his way to the desk before sitting down in the chair. He pulled the pendant out of his pocket.
Schala had a pendant exactly like his. It was the chain that bound them to one another. What did Fate have in store for them? Was she going to be important to what would occur in the future?
Mike shoved the pendant back in his pocket before standing up and heading out the door.
***
Joel slipped past the people in the hallway before heading through a small doorway. The size of the anteroom he had just left was a sharp contrast to the size of the machine within the room he had just entered.
The Mammon Machine was a large glass cylinder that held a large red rock. The top rim of the cylinder had a reverse pentagram etched in the glass.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Joel gasped when he heard a voice behind him.
"Uh...yeah." Joel hesitated before speaking to the man. "What's that rock in the middle?"
The man shrugged. "Only the Queen and the Sages know for sure. She had the Sage Chekov make a few pendants out of that rock, though."
"I see. What was the machine designed to do?"
"After the Ocean Palace is completed, it will be moved there and used to summon Lavos. However, the construction of the Ocean Palace is behind schedule. Those goddamned Earthbound Ones can't do anything right."
"Summon Lavos?" Joel repeated. "Why?"
"Lavos will bring eternal life to us Enlightened Ones. We shall have the glory we deserve."
Joel gazed absentmindedly at the Mammon Machine. He knew that Mike wouldn't be comfortable having a piece of a machine capable of destroying the planet. The best thing to do would be to destroy the pendant. However, if they did, they would be stuck in their current time period. Also, Mike would be very reluctant to part with the pendant. It was all he had left of his family.
***
Mike was slumped over the desk, reading from a large book he had found on the shelf. He had found the castle's inhabitants to be very inhospitable, so he had returned to the room he had met Schala in to do some research.
According to the book, Queen Katarina had designated three Sages to guide her and her kingdom, the Realm of Zeal.
Staniv, the Sage of Life, was a genius in the field of medicine. He had developed many vaccines to cure various diseases that plagued the kingdom. However, Queen Katarina had refused to let him help the Earthbound Ones. His current project was the Phoenix Egg, a relic that could restore life. Since he and the other Sages vanished from the kingdom after Pearl's ascension to the throne, such a thing could probably never exist.
Chekov, the Sage of Time, was a battle hardened warrior who designed weapons for Zeal's military forces. However, he also worked on many projects that could benefit the Enlightened Ones, such as pendants made from the core of the Mammon Machine.
Finally, there was Ivanov, the Sage of Reason. His expertise in engineering was second to none. He had led the construction of the Mammon Machine, and assisted Princess Schala in the planning of the Ocean Palace. He was responsible for the elevator that connected Zeal and the world below.
"Mike, we're back." Joel stepped into the doorway. Schala stood behind him.
Schala walked over to the desk. "Michael Nelson, correct?" Mike jumped when she said his name. "I knew it was you. Your friend Joel here has confirmed that for me."
"How do you know me?" Mike inquired.
"I might as well be honest. There's no point in mitigating this." Schala gazed into Mike's eyes. "The fire that killed your family was intentionally set."
Mike gasped. "Then...my pendant..."
"Pearl sent the Observer there to annihilate you and your family. She figured that you could cause her some problems in this time period, so she decided to have you killed. She gave the Observer that pendant you have and had him set that fire. However, when he escaped, he must have dropped that pendant."
Joel interrupted Schala before she could upset Mike any further. "Wouldn't she try to kill me, too?"
"Official records state that you are dead. She must have assumed that you are." Schala turned to Mike again. "The Observer blocked all the exits from your house. How did you escape?"
Mike didn't answer. He swore to himself he would not break down in front of Schala.
"He wasn't there," Joel replied.
"Well, that's fortunate for all of us. I need your help."
"What do you want us to do?" Joel asked.
"The three Sages are not dead. They've just been sent to different periods in time. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like you two to rescue them so we can all kick Pearl out of Zeal. I have located Chekov. He is in Guardia Kingdom, circa the year 600. Could you two help me? I would go myself if it were possible."
"This is our chance to avenge our families," Joel stated. "I'll do it." He turned to Mike. "What about you?"
Wordlessly, Mike rose from his chair and ran out the door. His hands shielded his face.
"Mike!" Joel cried. Mike ignored him and continued running down the hallway. A door then slammed in the distance.
"Oh, no." Worried, Joel shook his head. "Excuse me," he said quickly before running after Mike.