The Fall of Mana

Rand thought back to the beginning of his journey, the day everything began.

He awoke with his head pounding, his back aching more than ever before. “Ugh, what happened?” He grumbled. The sound of rushing water filled his ears, falling from the cliff he saw above. He fell from a log he traversed with his two friends, Jorn Effentyre and Kain Frostwane. He couldn’t see them above, they must have ran. They left him behind, probably mocking him as they always did. He was nothing to them, but they were all he had since his mother disappeared. He lived in the small town of Potos, a small forest village, he was but one of few young people in the village.

          He rose from the ground, not recognizing the region around him. He ran out from the water pond he fell in, attempting to dry himself off. He walked through the forest he hadn’t seen yet, birds tweeted overhead, flowers of reds, violets, blues and yellows flowed together in the sun, branches swished and scratched together, leaves rustling wildly as the gusts blew round them, all around and through his hair. He breathed in the fresh air, far from his town. It was forbidden to go into the forest, yet the three youths defied the rules.

         Rand was alone, now, he had to make his way back. The forests were thick in parts, uncrossable, filled with sharp brambles and poison ivy. He followed what path he could, leading him south down the riverside, but his town was east. It wasn’t entirely out of the way, so he did not worry. Eventually he came to a mighty sight, a massive waterfall crashing down almost two hundred feet, crushing the land below. At the bottom he saw a massive rock at the end of the basin, with a sharp, shiny glint of light shining from it. What is that? He thought. His curiosity pushed him to find out. He carefully climbed down the side of the falls, the sun-scorched red rock mountainside within the forest. As he approached, it became apparent, it was a blade.

A sword? He thought. It was magnificent, sharp as a dragon’s tooth, shinier than a gold coin. It had an inscription on it, ‘Mana’s edge’. Mana’s edge? He thought. What could that mean? He had heard the term mana before, ages ago, a mighty power brought forth a war between man and gods which almost ended the world, until the ‘mana knight’ Destroyed the mana fortress, man’s tyrannical weapon to control the land, and brought peace to the world.

This couldn’t be that weapon. There’s no way.

“Take the sword.” A voice said.

Rand was taken aback, jumping in surprise. “Wh-what?” He exclaimed tremulously.

“Take the sword...you must stop them...from reviving it…” The voice said again, a ghostly figure appeared as he spoke. He wore full plate armor, with a shining blade at his side.

Rand grabbed the sword without questioning the voice. He did not know why, but he knew he must. He pulled and pulled, grunting loudly. Finally, the blade was wrung free from the rock. A blinding flash of power rang out from the blade, causing it to age rapidly, becoming rusty, decrepit, but intact. What happened to it?

What was he supposed to do? At that time, he barely knew how to fight.

Rand stood over the massive violet dragon-like beast, fifty feet tall, teeth like razors, claws like blades. It sat near death, being the last of mana. His blade set at it’s chest, recharged with the pure power of mana. His father, the true mana knight before him, he learned, did the same. His mother disappeared to become the mind of the mana tree, the source of the power which was burned by the fortress in which Rand stood. He feared his choice as he glanced to popoi at his right hand, the sprite boy that travelled with him. Sprites came from the power of mana, if he destroyed the beast, he would go with it.
    “Do it, Rand. You know we have to. Don’t look at me like that.” Popoi said. Popoi attempted to encourage him. He had no fear.

Prim, on his left, had eyes filled with tears, realizing their friend would die. “No, you can’t!”

           “I said do it. We have to do it. To save everyone.”

Rand nodded, a tear formed at the corner of his eye. The beast’s eyes were upon him, unable to move with all the cuts and gashes the three had dealt. He raised the mana sword, striking the beast through it’s heart. A loud roar echoed throughout the land, the beast exploded with almighty energy, causing a mighty rain upon the land that would not end for days. WIthout pause, the fortress immediately began to collapse around them as mana was dissipating from the world.

           With haste, they ran from the disintegrating fortress. It floated above the land, but not for long. They traversed all ends of the world, charging the blade over years, ending the empire’s reign of mana forever. Ceiling stones, rungs of steel, copper and bronze fell all around them. They ran and jumped across crevices and platforms they saw before, floor caving in as they ran.

They escaped on Flam, a white dragon they befriended as they set it free. They barely escaped the fortress alive. As they landed, they set down in the snowlands of the north. Flam barely got them to the edge of the cliff, overlooking most of the forests, swamps and homes they saved below. They were finally free.

“It’s lovely out,” Popoi said. “It’s snowing here.” He smiled, knowing his time was at an end, body becoming translucent. He knew his fate, and accepted it.

Prim held him close, tearing up once more. “I don’t want you to go…” She said.
           “I know, Prim. But I did it to save everyone, not just me. I’m no longer an outcast of the land, maybe this time, they’ll remember me as something more.”

Rand hugged his friend as well, as his body slowly fell more into nothing. He slowly disappeared, and their grasps fell through the air as if he was never there.

“I won’t forget you.” Popoi said.

Rand and Prim stood staring into the distance, snow and rain falling across the land before them. Everyone was safe, no more beasts of mana would come forth. No empire could reign over them now.

          Mana ebbed, flourished, and ebbed once more.

Interpretation/alteration of: Secret of Mana, by former Squaresoft, now Square-enix.