Larkeicus

Larkeicus is an elderly Clavat who is the main antagonist of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time. He is voiced by Rokuro Naya in Japanese version. In the English version, Larkeicus has an accent that causes him to pronounce his "w"s as "v"s.

Prologue
Larkeicus is an immortal Clavat who gained his power 2000 years ago when he was hunting Crystals. He was once a respected scientist and had a Yuke named Veriaulde as his apprentice. He created machines that were powered by crystals. The power and efficiency of his machines led to a great civilization being built based on his inventions. This civilization allowed people to live with untold wealth and comfort, as Veriaulde put it, Larkeicus was "worshiped like a god". However, one day the crystals began vanishing for unknown reasons, sending the civilization into panic, without the crystals the civilization began to crumble, the citizens of the civilization collectively blamed what was happening on Larkecius. Larkecius began a mad search for more crystals, in time they learned that while the other crystals were disappearing, one crystal had suddenly appeared in a forest, they went after the crystal, according to Veriaulde they had only intended to "investigate" the crystal, but instead Larkecius killed the inhabitants of a village in the forest, Veriaulde attempted to stop his master, but was quickly knocked out. The only person who survived his attack was Sherlotta, who ran to the Crystal in the forest. Larkeicus pursued her, and the Crystal reacted to their presence. Sherlotta was given immortality and ability to spontaneously generate Crystals. Larkecius, on the other hand, found that the crystal rejected him, and could not power his machines, and would actually harm him, this crystal was, as Sherlotta later words it, "worse then useless" to him.

However, since Sherlotta could now generate crystals, he still had gained something out of the attack on the village. Larkeicus captured Sherlotta in the Forest and conducted experiments on both her and his student, Veriaulde. As an infinite source of Crystals, Sherlotta could be used to help Larkeicus obtain immortality. Unbeknownst to him, however, the Crystal's power had also affected a nearby cat. Sherlotta managed to transfer her consciousness to the cat and used it as a substitute body. Due to transferring her consciousness, Sherlotta's actual body became a lifeless puppet that could do nothing but create as many crystals as Larkecius wanted. The result of the experiments on Veriaulde resulted in Veriaulde transforming into a monster whenever he was exposed to crystals.

Over time, he concluded that the reasons for the crystals disappearance was caused by a shockwave that came from the future, as such, Larkecius decided to make preparations to stop this shockwave, he calculated that whatever sparked the shockwave occurred far into the air, and thus started plans to build a large tower to reach the point where the shockwave originated.

Master Librarian
2,000 years later, with the civilization he built having devolved into a simple curiosity for archeologists and treasure hunters. The hero first meets Larkeicus in the Town's Library while looking the crystal sickness cure for Eryll. The townspeople hold him in high esteem, referring to the Clavat as a "respected archeologist". Larkeicus agrees to brew this panacea if a buffasaur horn is brought to him. After the horn is retrieved from the Aqueducts, the old man finishes the cure and gives it to the hero, with the stipulation that some work must be done for him as payment.

The medicine is brought back to the Forest, and Eryll is saved. The hero returns to Town in order to pay back Larkeicus, who reveals the location of Ice Mountain and asks the hero to repair the ruins found there, along with those at Fire Mountain. As each ruin is fixed, it rises higher into the air atop a majestic pillar. The hero returns to the Library after the Fire Mountain pillar arises, and is thanked and dismissed back to the Forest by Larkeicus.

That same night, the archeologist ascends to the top of Ice Mountain and triggers a field of energy around the ruins at its zenith. The ruins atop both peaks fire a blinding beam of light at each other, meeting in midair and causing the Tower to materialize beyond the Gate. The hero is sleeping and is unaware of the old man's schemes; however, the crystal in the Forest begins to shatter. Sherlotta, who had been staying in the same hut as the hero, reacts adversely to the crystal's breaking, and as it splinters, she shifts her conscience into the cat.

The next morning, the hero awakens, unaware of the calamity that has just occurred. The black cat appears and runs off into the forest, with the hero in pursuit. At the placid pond, the crystal lies rent into tiny pieces, with only a faint bead of light at its nucleus. Eyrll is there and asks the hero to gather the shards of the Crystal Core in order to restore the crystal and the village residents, who have all mysteriously vanished except for the hero and Norsy.

Following a suggestion from Norsy that an archeologist might know what's going on. The Hero returns to the library and meets Larkecius again, Larkecius describes the history of the ancient civilization, and how it was destroyed because the crystals disappeared. Larkecius notes the irony of this, because if it weren't for the crystals what he was trying to do couldn't be done, following this, he summons several minions and attempts to kill the Hero, but is instead killed himself. However, being immortal, the fact that he "died" was of little meaning, and when exposed to the Hero's fragment of the Crystal Core he is revived, and proceeds to taunt the Hero over the fact that the Hero wasn't familiar with immortality. This did not go on for long, however, as the crystal that revived him begins to harm him, alarmed, he throws the crystal away from him, and warns the Hero that if the Hero was the one who causes the shockwave from the future, then the Hero would die the next time they met, saying this, Larkecius warps out of the library.

Final Battle
Larkecius does not reappear until the very end of the game, at the top of the Tower. He appears immediately following Sherlotta 's request for the Hero to kill her true body, which was being kept at the top of the tower for Larkecius' crystal generating needs, because if she's dead then no more crystals can be created, and Larkecius' plan cannot be completed, Larkecius stops this before anything can come out of it, and argues with Sherlotta over the exact nature of the crystal's disappearance, Sherlotta stating that they disappeared because the world was ruled by corruption, whereas Larkecius insists that the disappearance was scientific in nature, Larkecius then denounces Sherlotta's faith based argument, and insists that his argument is the accurate one.

Following this, Larkecius absorbs a large amount of crystals from Sherlotta's lifeless real body, and attacks the Hero, but is defeated. Larkecius applauds the Hero's strength, but notes that he was prepared for such resistance, and turns and absorbs a large amount of crystals from the real Sherlotta, transforming into a new monstrous form, and transporting himself and the Hero to an otherworldly arena to fight, despite this power, Larkecius is defeated again, and regresses back to his human form. Surprised, but not concerned, Larkecius states that no matter what, it is impossible to defeat him, because as long as he has the puppet Sherlotta, he has access to an unlimited supply of crystals to revive and empower him. Sherlotta attempts to attack him but is swiftly knocked to the ground, and once again absorbs crystals from her, so many crystals that Sherlotta loses her hold on the body of the cat that she was using.

Larkecius believes his victory to be guaranteed, but with her loss of control over the cat's body, Sherlotta's consciousness returns to her actual body, grabbing Larkecius from behind, Larkecius yells that she's only a crystal-generating puppet, in response Sherlotta generates a large crystal, the exact same crystal that appeared in the forest 2,000 years ago, both Sherlotta and Larkecius realize that the reason that that one crystal suddenly appeared when the others were disappearing was because Sherlotta had made it 2,000 years in the future. At Sherlotta's insistence, the Hero shatters the crystal to Larkecius' chagrin, Sherlotta notes that Larkecius was correct in believing that the crystals disappeared by the actions of the future, and asks Larkecius if he ever wondered why the shockwave originated so far off the ground. Larkecius realizes that she's referring to the Tower, and Sherlotta observes that it's unlikely something could have happened this far above the ground without the Tower. Sherlotta states that the actions of the Hero were not the cause of the shockwave from the future, rather, it was Larkecius' obsession to save the crystals that led to their disappearance.

Larkecius refuses to accept this, insisting that he couldn't be the cause, but this proved to be of little importance anymore, the crystal completely crumbles and sucks Larkecius, and the Tower into it, and the crystal is transported backward in time 2,000 years.