There was darkness. Serge opened his eyes. His vision adjusted as torches were lit one by one, showcasing an ancient mural. Two words filled his head. Fort Dragonia. This was Fort Dragonia.

This was Fort Dragonia?

A figure stood in front of the mural. He was very tall and regal – but his face was shrouded in shadow. Serge took several steps forward and the shadows ebbed away.

The man was a demi-human. Fur, soft and sandy-colored, covered his face…

…Lynx…

The man's face reminded Serge of something… The boy watched as the fur turned black and the clothing fell away as he was back on the beach, a carefree toddler again.

The werepanther pounded upon the sandy shores, claws out, hunger in its eyes. It was the predator, and he was merely the weak and helpless prey…

Sharp dagger-claws pierced his skin, ripping into his flesh. Clawing and clawing, a demon cat from hell, those green eyes showing no mercy. Those green eyes paired with black fur, the lust for dominance shining through the slits of the pupils…

Serge passed out as the villagers drove it away with torches. His mother picked him up as his blood dripped onto the sand like some kind of freakish urban art…

And suddenly, Serge was back in this Fort Dragonia again, and the figure before him began changing. Fur melted away, showing weather-beaten skin, blue hair in locks, deep blue eyes…

Serge squinted. His father?

"D-Dad?" The word felt strange in his mouth, as if only now he was learning to speak it.

He held his father in an embrace.

Wazuki hugged his child tight to his chest. "My son…" he said, letting go of the embrace to look at Serge. "You must persevere. You must find the Chrono Cross to save this world…

…the Chrono Cross…

Then his father became Lynx again. Serge ducked and rolled on the stone floor as the demi-human swung his weapon, but the blue-haired youth began to fall as the floor beneath him disappeared.

Oof! He had hit something soft. His hand felt the coarse sand. Serge was lying on his back, looking up to the sky.

Even without sitting up, Serge knew where he was. This was Opassa Beach! What a relief! Now if he could just get up then maybe he could figure out what was going on.

"You alright, mate?" A girl's face hovered above him, a kind face with a long blonde braid running down the back of her head. She smiled at him, but it was a half-smile, a sad smile, showing hurt and pain.

"Who are you?" Serge managed to spit out.

"Didja get too much sun, Serge?" The girl helped him up. Her hand was warm, almost as warm as the sun-baked sand. She turned away, then glanced back half-sideways at Serge. "I'm Kid."

…Kid…the tough girl with the one long braid…they would save each other's asses time and time again…

Kid and the beach disappeared again and there was a swatch of whiteness. Serge opened his eyes to be blinded by bright sunlight. He felt water rocking underneath him. He was on…a boat?

The blue-haired youth looked down and sure enough, he was swaying on a rickety boat. To the left of him was that girl…Kid. To the right, crouched on the bottom of the boat, was a spiky-haired boy who was maneuvering the oar. Serge somehow knew that his name was Korcha.

The kid named Korcha spoke up. "Well, there's Termina," he said. It was a little ways off, but visible on the horizon.

Serge squinted. He'd been to Termina before…it didn't look like this, did it? But it had been a long time ago.

Before he could think about it anymore, Serge watched as Kid jumped off the boat. "Betcha can't beat me to the docks, Serge!" she said.

Serge looked at the churning waters. He remembered almost dying in the sea – but that somehow seemed far away. He jumped in the ocean and began swimming.

But something was wrong. The water was boiling! It bubbled on his skin. Serge tried to swat it away as he looked up and saw a large wave headed toward him. It washed him away, and Serge was rolling and rolling in the hot-cold wetness of the sea…

rolling and rolling and rolling… THUNK! Serge opened his eyes to see the hardwood floor of his bedroom. He must've have fallen out of bed! Serge stood up. His nightclothes were dripping wet. He went over to his bed and discovered that his sheets and pillow were equally wet.

They smelled like sea water, salty and warm and foamy.

Serge changed into a clean shirt and some shorts and hung up his night clothes and sheets on a clothes-line. He opened the shades and looked out to the ocean and the sands of Arni Village. Serge wondered why everything had been wet, and wondered about the dream. His father was…his father was a demi-human. No, he had seen his father in the dream though. A girl, Fort Dragonia…the Chrono Cross… Serge could almost hear those words whispered on the wind of the sea. What did this all mean? He was so confused.

Serge spotted Leena on the docks. Leena? Wait, oh crap! He had agreed to go get Komodo Dragon scales for her today.

The blue-haired teen craned his neck out the window. The sun was high in the sky – it must be at least noon!

Serge grabbed his bandana off a hook and scrambled down the stairs. No time to worry about weird dreams today! He had important stuff to do.

But fate had different plans for him.

A/N: Please review! I hope you enjoyed it.