Love on the edge of forever

Love on the edge of forever

Christopher Good

ClarionStarlite@aol.com

Author's Note: These next few updates are just corrects to spelling and grammar and things like that. I also altered Cain's name. For those of you who haven't played FFIVj, its still Kain. In addition, the ulterior motive of this is to get the story back on the first page. The reviews have been rather low and I want to hear more of what you think.

  From where the original left off...

            Crono, Marle, and Lucca jumped into the Epoch.

"Where do you think that gate led too?"  Marle asked as Lucca prepared them for temporal incursion.

"There is no way of actually knowing that. The only thing we can do is to go through each separate time period and search." Crono stated connecting the restraining harness.

"That is going to be difficult. Due to the fact that the gate was so weak it could have sent your mother anywhere, we will have to do a search of every single year from the beginning of time!" Lucca stated completing the preflight checks.

"If that's what it takes that's what it takes. Set temporal control for coordinate zero, era the beginning of time, time frame, year 5,000,000,000,000 BC, month January, Day 1, punch it!" Crono ordered as Lucca entered in the final coordinate and turned the time key. The epoch speed increased and the jump was initiated. They appeared in a completely molten sub-world.

 "Nothing could have survived down there." Marle said stating the obvious. "Lucca, do we have anyway of getting a closer look, without becoming fried chicken?" Crono asked hoping that nothing was given the opportunity to survive. Whether because the gate didn't lead here or that anything that entered died immediately without suffering.

"We can't fly lower, but we might just a have a detection device... ah! Here it is." Lucca stated ending her search of the Epoch's command console. Instantly a three dimensional rendering of the planet appeared before them. "Lucca does it again." Marle said gleefully. "I don't see anything." Crono said saddened.

"Let me change the detection parameter to look for organic material."  Lucca said as she played with the command pad. "There, that should do it, anything?" Lucca asked looking up. The scan images was blank, this was a truly barren place.

"Let's go, we have a lot of searching to do." Crono said sitting back down.

"Yeah, it's not like we have all the time in the world...." Lucca said jokingly.

"Funny Lucca, very funny, just punch it."           

Chapter 1

Casualties of War

           

            They searched for days. Time period after time period always hoping to find something. They didn't. The only conciliation was the fact that they got to meet with all their friends from the battle with Lavos. They pushed on each time hoping, each time seeing what their world has been.

            They reached the year 998 AD.

"Be careful, from what Baltesar was telling me when we first met was that if we went back to a time period stretching from two years before our time to up to sixty years after we must avoid all contact with ourselves or it could irreparably damage the time stream. Especially if we do something to prevent our developments into the warriors necessary to defeat Lavos." Lucca warned as she opened the protective bubble that served as the cockpit for the Epoch.

Crono jumped down off the vehicle. He looked around. "I remember this place...." Crono said jokingly.

Lucca was not so whimsical. "Something's not right. I don't know what it is but I know something's terribly wrong here."  The group looked around and saw nothing. A cold wind began to blow, first slowly, but then it increased and became faster, colder and more vicious.

 "What's going on?!" Crono asked unsheathing his katana and thrusting it into the ground to hold himself up against the winds.

 "These winds are equivalent to those on Death Mountain!" Lucca said stringing a grappling line to the ground.

 Marle was struggling to hold herself on the ground but it was no use, she lost her grip and flew backward. Crono sensing what had happened (sensing because the wind blotted out all possible visibility) reached his hand out and latched on to Marle's hand.

"Crono, how.... why?" Marle said dumbfounded.

 "You once said to me that you would never let me go, I make the same promise to you. I will never again leave you or let you go!" Crono screamed as the wind howled louder. He pulled up until they were face to face.

"Marle... I love you!" Crono stated. Marle looked at him for what seemed like forever.  Crono couldn't stand it, "I understand, I am simply a common kid from Truce wanting a princess, boy aren't I foolish. I honestly thought that someone like me could even hope to have a chance with a girl as beautiful as you. Your golden hair, eyes that shine like emeralds, like I could ever hope to have such a vision of absolute beaut...." Crono couldn't finish. They looked deep into each other's eyes; Marle wrapped herself around him and passionately kissed him.

"What... what did I do to deserve that?" Crono asked dumbfounded.

"NO! This is not the way I had seen it at all!" The voice rang out from every direction stopping Marle before she could answer.

"Winds of the mountain of death I bid you dissipate!" With this voice's command the wind ebbed and Crono and Marle fell to the ground.

They got up and saw a familiar figure before them. "Schala!" Crono yelled.

"No, I'm afraid she no longer exists. I am Tempest! I am the mistress of time. I hold powers that Lavos could have only dreamed about." Schala stated.

"What was the meaning of this?!"  Marle said stumbling to her feet.

"It is very simple princess, I want you destroyed so that I may have Crono for myself." Schala yelled releasing the winds again. The wind was more focused this time. It placed a noose around both Crono and Marle.

"If you didn't allow it to look like an accident, I guess I will just have to take the direct approach!" Schala growled.

"Gateway, open!" She screamed as a familiar blue gate open beside her. 

"Now you will be lost in time forever. I and Crono will live happily ever aft... ahh!"

Schala was cut short by a solar energy blast hitting her from the side.

"Sorry... small breeze was it, but I can't let you hurt my friends." Lucca said turning her gun too automatic. In spite of this pelting it did not loosen Schala's hold over Crono and Marle.

"My name is Tempest you annoying insect! Be gone!"  With this Schala's eyes transformed into ice crystals. A pulse was emitted, striking Lucca with a direct hit. Pain rippled through her as she felt her body freezing. The blast dissipated, there stood a frozen statue of what was once Lucca.

"Humm..? How do I improve on this work? Oh yes I know." Schala cocked her head and the frozen statue of Lucca flew across the valley. It crashed into the mountain cliff, shattering. "Humm... yes I think that will work. I call it, Shattered Hero. Hum ha ha ha ha ha!" Schala cackled. 

"Lu..cca.... no."  Crono said as he struggled with the wind noose.

"Oh yes, I was having so much fun with the other one I forgot about you two. Now it is time for you to disappear into the void miss princess." Schala lifted her hand and with it Marle went.

 Crono still was holding her hand. "I ... wi..ll .. never ... le..t go!" Crono forced out beyond the grip of the noose.

 "I ... lov..e y..ou!" Marle gasped his hand as the force of Schala's magic overpowered Crono's grip. Marle flew into the gate, which closed behind her. She was gone.

"Now that that is done..." Schala began but was unable to finish. Crono with katana still in hand cut through the column of wind that served as his captor. The line broke and he fell to his knees gasping for air.

"Oh yes. I forgot about your sword, the Rainbow, made from the only thing that can nullify my powers. I should go back and destroy the cursed prismshell, but there will be time for that later." Schala said shrugging her shoulders.

 "No, you have destroy my best friend and sent my love to who knows when; you will not leave this valley alive, I swear it! On the soul of Lucca I swear to avenge her!" Crono said stumbling to his feet. He charged. Schala split in two and appeared behind him.

She blasted him with a focus whirlwind "I don't want to have to hurt my precious, don't force me to." Schala said calmly.

"You have already done far more to me then physical pain ever could hope to do. I am sorry Schala, you have been destroyed. I must now destroy this imposter in your form, this Tempest. Defend yourself you creature of absolute darkness, for you will not leave this field." Crono said getting to his feet.

He charged at her again. She simply did her vanishing act again but this time made more of a point. "We could have been so good together, but if that's the way you feel so beit!" Tempest scream as she summoned her full wind power into one focused blast. The blast struck Crono like an asteroid hitting a planet. He was thrown back into the mountain cliff. He was hurt and he knew it. His battle was over, there was no way he could have the strength to get back up let alone fight.

"Good bye sweet prince. I shall miss you." Tempest stated as she drew on her ice crystal power. Just as she was about to discharge it a lance flew in front of her and stuck into the ground between her and Crono. "Who dares?!" Tempest screamed as a figure appeared above her.

"Stand down witch!" The figure yelled down.

 "Come here and make me." Tempest challenged. Crono knew his life had been save for the moment but wondered whom his savior was and if he had enough power to fight her.

"Be right there." The figure said casually. He jumped off the cliff. Crono thought to himself, he's done for. But no, the man dressed in plate armor covered in the scales of a strange,... what looked to be lizard, landed like a cat, no damage at all.

"Very good trick, Mr. Dragon, you jump but can you fly?" Tempest said levitating.

"No, but who needs flight to win a battle? Oh, and by the way, it is Dragoon, get it right." The dragoon said drawing his lance from its resting point.

"I will worry about the boy later, I'd rather handle a man." Tempest said her eyes still glowing like diamonds.

"Do what you will." The dragoon said getting into a fighting stance. Tempest didn't respond with words, she fired a beam of ice at him. He jumped, towering over everything including the valley. He launched his lance at his assailant. It struck and ran through her mid-section. She fell to the ground gasping for air.

The dragoon landed, "Surrender, you are defeated."

Tempest got to her feet. She looked at the lance and pulled it through her and out; she froze it and shattered it, she then healed herself. "I don't think so, I am the mistress of time how do you think it would look if I lost to someone like you!" Tempest said blasting the dragoon with a wind blade.

He jumped, narrowly escaping it. "Can't we talk about this?" He said warily.

Crono had watch the events unfold. He felt both sadness and rage over the destruction of Lucca and the loss of Marle. He knew that his savior now needed saving himself, but he was too damaged to help. All he could do was hope for a miracle. Just then he saw something shimmering in the ground. He drug himself over to it and found Marle's pendent.

"Tempest said the only thing that can nullify her powers was prism power." He thought to himself. He hadn't held the pendent since he had received the rainbow.

"Maybe… just maybe?" He thought grabbing for the pendent. The katana immediately reacted. Crono felt a power that was beyond his imagination flow through him.

An image of Melchior appeared before him, "Crono I was hoping for the day when you would unlock the Rainbow's true power. Lucca is gone, sadly there is nothing I can do for her, but Marle and your mother are alive. You must use the power that you have unlocked to find them. The man who is fighting Tempest is from another space-time, his name is Cain. He will be a powerful ally; you both need each other in the battles you face ahead.  You now have a new power to aid you in those battles.... arise Prism Knight!" Melchior said as a bright light enveloped Crono.

He felt stronger, he still was injured but he felt he had the power to compensate. He stood up and the rainbow was gone. In its place was a sword; the type of weapon that frog used. He looked himself over. He was cover in a hard armor that was the same color and design of the prism shell. His attention returned to the battle just in time to see Cain jump out of the way of a wind blade that instead tore through the Epoch. It exploded throwing the nearby Cain into the mountainside. He fell to his hands and knees.

Crono knew he had to do something. "Hey Tempest, how about you pick on someone your own size." Crono said spinning his newly found sword like he was an expert swordsman.

Tempest turned around and gawked at Crono's armor. "Ooo, pretty colors." Tempest said jokingly.

"Funny, laugh at this!" Crono said firing a beam of pure prism energy from his gauntlet. Tempest dodged knowing its composition.

"Where did you pick that up?" Tempest said summoning her powers.

"Go about two doors down and take a left, you can't miss it." Cain chimed in.

"Who asked you!" Tempest said blasting a freeze bolt at him.

 Crono launch a prism bolt, nullifying it. "Tempest, your fight is with me!" Crono said charging her. She teleported, but this time Crono was ready. He spun around creating a blade of prism energy, which launched against Tempest. The strike knocked her into the side of the valley. She lay there for a moment, when something strange happened. The color of Schala returned to her. Crono moved towards her, sword still at ready.

"Cro..no?" Schala whispered.

Crono lightened for a moment then went stone again. "Nice try Tempest." Crono said continuing his advance.

"Crono please, I am sorry for what she did to you. You are right to advance. I cannot maintain control for very long. You must destroy me before she has a chance to take over again. I beg of you, destroy me, while you still can!" Schala said in tears.

 Crono lowered his sword. "What happened to you?" Crono asked bending down.

"When Lavos attacked, I was not killed, I was merely absorbed into the mammoth machine. When you, Robo, and Marle destroyed it on the Black Omen, I was released, but with no memory. When you defeated Lavos, somehow all the power he had in him, all the darkness, was transferred through that infernal machine and into me. I regained my memories, but they were suppressed by the hatred and evil. Thus, Tempest was created. She is the combination of my powers and Lavos's. The only catch is that my natural light nullifies her dark powers. You call this power prism. I.... ahh!" Schala stopped short and screamed in pain. "I am losing control, do it now!" Schala said as her color began to fade.

"I am sorry for what I must do." Crono said raising his sword.

"Too late." Tempest said blasting him with a wind blade. It wasn't as strong as it was before, but it was still enough to send pain through his injuries. He winced but pulled himself together and blasted Tempest again.

She fell to the ground. "This isn't over Crono. You will be mine!" Tempest said opening a gate and disappeared.

"Your right, this isn't over. I will avenge Lucca and bring back Schala and Marle." Crono said clasping his fist.

"You're going to need help with that." Cain said brushing himself off.

"You just got whipped, do you honestly think you have the power to fight Tempest." Crono said sheathing his newly forged sword.

"Strength isn't everything you know. You can't fight this battle alone and besides these gates are my only way home." Cain stated looking annoyed at the rainbow-clad hero.

 "Come along if you wish, I don't baby-sit though." Crono said raising the pendent.

"Umm, if you remember I am the one who saved your life." Cain said running up next to him.

"That's why you're still here." Crono said as a gate formed in front of them.

"After you." Crono said motioning Cain forward. He ran and jumped into the gate and Crono followed. The gate shut behind them. Thus the adventure begins.