Chrono Trigger: Time's End
Chapter 1:One Week After
Year:1000 AD
The gulls were calling to Crono, ushering in the sounds of a new day. Crono attempted to stay in the embrace of peaceful sleep in vain by smothering out the sound with his pillow. He gave up and flipped on to his side. He groggily managed to raise himself and with weary eyes managed to find his way to window. This had become somewhat of a tradition for him-he was rarely in his room anymore, but ever since that day, he made sure to uphold it. He threw opened the curtains and waited, poised, and listening. For awhile, he was somewhat disheartened. All he could hear was the sound of the joyful gulls. Perhaps today was going to be average after all. Just as quickly as he began to turn away, a faint sound rang in his ears. It was the sound of Nadia's Bell. It was always said that if you were to hear it's beautiful ring, your day would be filled with excitement.
The bell's ring lasted longer than usual. He hadn't heard it last so hard since his last adventure, one that spanned time. Turning slightly to the left, he scanned his dresser and slowly picked up a framed picture. Holding it in his hands, he could see the smiling faces of his friends. Ayla, the cave woman from 65,000,000 BC, a heart of unending energy. Frog, the honorable knight from 600 AD who was cursed with the physical form that of a frog. Behind the group stood Robo, a big hearted robot of the R series from 2300 AD. Next he saw the jolly look on his dear friend Lucca's face and beside her he saw the girl he one day hoped to marry, Princess Marle. But on the far right was a face that meant just as much to him. It was the smiling face of a youth that had gone on a great adventure-one that spanned time. It was sort of hard to believe that the same face, that of a late teenager, was the face of someone who had seen some many different and amazing things in his lifetime. It was himself, just a week back.
Yes, a week, Crono reminded himself. On that day the year 1000 started and the kingdom of Gaurdia threw a huge millennium fair. The planning for this monumentous occasion had started five years back, and as the year 999 slowly passed, anticipation for this day grew and grew. That day, he had met a girl at the fair. Everything seemed normal enough until they went to see Lucca's newest invention. Lucca was perhaps one of the greatest scientific minds of that age, and perhaps, even beyond. Her latest creation, the telepod, was able to move one person to another place by breaking them apart and rebuilding them. Crono gave it a test, and much to his surprise, and the crowd's, it worked! The girl, who had declared herself as Marle excitedly, ran to give the telepod a spin. Unfortunately, her pendant interfered with the energy fluctuation of the Telepod, causing a portal to open, and sucking Marle in. Lucca and her father Taban shooed the crowd and away and said they'd study the phenomena, but that Crono should go in after Marle. After all, it was his fault.
The Portal had sent Crono into a different land that was remarkably similar to the world he was used to. He was sent backward 400 years. During that time, the princess of that time period was kidnapped by a group of unruly monsters, but after they found Marle they called off the search. Crono, Lucca, and the faithful knight Frog managed to keep the flow of time straight…But after returning to the future, a tailspin of events sent them into the year 2300 AD, where they learned of humanity's fate. A parasitic creature known as "Lavos" entered the Earth's crust and siphoned energy from all creatures in it's goal to reach the ultimate form of evolution. But when Lavos had absorbed everything it had needed from Earth, it erupted from the ground with a force unmeasurable. The Earth was a mere shadow of what it once was. Crono and friends realized that by all means they must stop this event.
And against all odds and all sorts of fiendish villains and through all of the twists and turns and impossibilities, the strangest thing ever imaginable happened. They succeeded. Yes, that was the sort of thing people didn't even dream about. Crono knew that this would be the high point of his life.
Setting the picture down carefully, a sparkle caught Crono's eye. It was the glimmer of the golden pocket watch that had been handed down generation by generation. He picked it up and caressed it slowly. On the side it was encrypted with some strange symbols and a picture of the wheel of time. Oddly fitting for him, he thought. His thumb pressed down on a button and the watch flung open, revealing a very archaic watch. Sadly, it had stopped ticking long ago and the knob on top was no longer there, making Crono quite unable to wind it up again. It was strange though. Sometimes he thought it didn't look as if the knob was missing, but rather it had needed some sort of key or pin to wind. Crono sighed and put the watch back. Someday, he thought to himself, I'm going to fix that thing.
He couldn't spend an entire day in his room getting nostalgic, and so he continued downstairs. His living room was in perfect order and his mother was busily working on Breakfast.
"Crono, do get the table ready! I'm almost done with lunch!" His mother called.
The horrible sense of realization smacked into him at the speed of a charging Tyrannosaurus Rex. The clock read just a bit after noon. He had a date with Marle at two; who thankfully understood his problem with the infamous mornings. Crono shook his head rather grimly. He wouldn't have time to set up the-
Crono's thoughts were interrupted by an eventful thud at the door. Not the sound of someone knocking, but a sound almost as if somebody was attempting to ram the door down.
Spinning around quickly, Crono's mother shouted, "Crono, would take a look at the door please? I'm afraid I've got my hands rather full."
Crono's curiosity had been piqued and he swiftly obliged. Trotting to the door, he grasped the handle and turned it, and opened the door slowly…When it was finally open, a body of an unconscious man slumped onto the hard floor. Crono's mother was so appalled that she squealed out in anxiety and Crono took a few cautious steps back. As if the fact that the man had collapsed on their door wasn't disturbing enough, the man seemed to be rather foreign. The last Gaurdia needed was an incident with another country.
The man had long flowing hair that had a yellowish tan tint to them and it went to about his back. His complexion was very pale, much paler than the majority of the humans Crono had run across in all of the time periods-except perhaps the skin color of the mal nourished citizens of the future that once was. He wore a faded green robe that had patches of bright yellow in it and he wore a cape that was could be described as a light teal. In his left hand his hand sturdily clutched onto an elaborate staff. The staff was obviously carved of wood and had a long narrow shaft that bloomed into a strange pointed object at the top.
After catching their breath, Crono and his mother managed to get a hold of themselves. Crono dragged the man onto their couch and his mom quickly got a blanket and a glass of the water for the stranger. Crono checked the foreigner's pulse and it checked out okay. It was just a matter of time before he awakened. The pair waited for awhile, but after realizing that nothing was going to happen right away, sat down at the dinner table to eat a rather cold meal. Crono didn't say much; although that was completely normal for him. Crono rarely spoke.
After dinner, Crono's mother glanced at the stranger again. "Crono, he looks like he's utterly exhausted…Crono, maybe you should take him upstairs and let him rest in your bed. It's odd, I know…But it might work out for the better, you know? Need any help with that?"
Crono shook his head and managed to carry the man up the flight of stairs. Surprisingly, the man was very light. Crono estimated that the man couldn't weigh much more than 120 pounds, tops. Crono tucked the stranger into the bed gently and leaned the staff against the wall. The weary traveler's elegant clothes clashed with the simple brown blanket, but Crono figured that if he couldn't see it, it wouldn't bother him. Crono shrugged it off and quietly exited, continuing on his routines.
The day went smoothly, although somewhat awkwardly-it was a mellowing thought that there might be a dying prince upstairs. The clock clicked 1:52 and Crono figured that he'd best hurry to the castle. Crono rushed out the door only to smack himself in the face and run back in. He couldn't go anywhere without his trademark yellow scarf! Crono waved 'hi' to his mom and hustled back up the well-worn stairs. He reached into the dresser, wrapped the scarf around his neck, prepared to thunder down the stairs once more when…
"Where…..am…….I?" a gravely voice murmured slowly.
Crono could've fainted, but turned around. The odd man was indeed alive and speaking to him. His eyes were a little less than half open and he seemed to be trying to sit up, but gave a snort and laid back down.
"Where…..am…..I?" He asked again.
"Gaurdia village, in the residence of the-"
"When…am……I?"
Crono stood confused.
"When…..am……I?"
Crono did not reply.
"Listen…..boy…you…..you can…hear me…..When…am….I?"
Crono glanced at the clock. "1:57 PM".
"Don…'t……heckle….me…..What……year….is it?"
Crono's eyes grew large. "1000 AD."
"1000 AD…The….Millennium."
Crono nodded.
"Boy, come….closer….let me ….see you."
Crono took a few steps forward.
"Fog….It's all…it's all fog. I….can't…see. It's all fog."
Crono ran downstairs and made some herbal tea rather quickly. He managed to balance it and return to his room without spilling the small mug. He offered it to the man. The man's arm's shook violently and moved in a choppy, slow, pace. His arms didn't quite have the strength to lift it, so Crono had to assist him. The man took a few sips and breathed.
"That clears out the lunges, boy. What is it?"
"Special recipe."
"Hmm, I see. I'm starting to regain my strength."
"It does that."
"I feel like I've been through a thorough torture session. I don't remember much…Just waking up now. Tell me, what happened to me?"
"You collapsed at our door."
"Hmmph. I suppose. Ahah! What is this I see? Hmm mmm, hmmm mmm, color! Yes, I do believe that my eyes are regaining their former abilities, I do. Yes, I'm in a room, in a grubby pheasant like blanket." He paused. "Err….do excuse my rudeness, I'm afraid in poor shape, not in my usual surroundings, I'm certain you understand, hmm?"
The man turned around slowly, and when he laid eyes on Crono, he backed up to the wall. His eyes dilated and his entire body began to shake and he looked the spiky haired youth up and down, over and over again. Finally, he managed to raise a hand and point.
"You….Are…..Crono!" He managed to gush out in amazement between heavily labored breaths.
Crono stepped forward to calm the man but he scooted closer to the wall at every step while the intensity of his shaking increased. Then, the man seemed to calm down. He closed his eyes and relaxed his body and slowly laid down. He repeated the name softly.
"Terribly, terribly sorry. My mind must still be reeling, because for a minute my eyes glazed and I saw a..a…monster, yes, monster, that's the word I was looking for-a monster that I once encountered in my youth. It's a memory that haunts me to this day, I suppose you could say. Now, I'm certain you're wondering why I'm here, sleeping in your bed in your humble nest. Please, give me a few minutes to clam my beating heart and to collect my thoughts." The man said rather nervously.
Crono did just that. Crono pulled up the chair that sat in front of his clustered desk parked in front of his bed. He watched as the tired man mumbled to himself while his face went through phases of different emotions. Finally, he rolled onto his side to face Crono.
"Alright, I've got my story all together-as well as my wits. You see, I am dressed so elegantly because I am indeed a member of a royal family on a small island off the coast of the Median Continent. We're descendants from the Mystics and at the time, we didn't want to be associated with Magus's vile army. Our kin developed all sorts of foul derogatory names-Mystic, Demi-human, beastman, Enchanted toadstools-and some that I'd rather not say in front of youths such as yourself. We moved to the island. We've been very small and our population is dwindling. Nobody seems to want to come visit the quaint country of Sinurus anymore, so we decided that we must do something to attract attention worldwide. We would throw a large competition of swordsman ship. Now, I understand that you are the finest swordsman on the Gaurudian Continent, surpassing even that of the knight captain himself! I humbly invite you to come with me back to Siniurus, where you could stay as an honored guest in our palace. What do you say, Crono?"
Crono blinked.
"If it suits you best, you can consult with your mother for permission and that sort of thing. I guess that I get caught up into your fame and forget you're a minor. Here, be a good lad and help me up," the man added with a faint hint of a smile.
Crono complied and helped the prince up. As the man was finally walking, he hobbled about the room. Crono looked a little confused at him, but figured that the man had probably never seen the interior of a house like this. Crono tried to imagine what the house of a present day Mystic must look like-surely it would have some references to magic and other sort of things but…Crono's thoughts were interrupted when he realized that the man had paused in one particular spot. Crono walked over to look over the man's shoulder and was surprised to see the man's eyes staring intently at his golden pocket watch.
"It's been in the family for ages."
The man paused, and then stared at Crono, directly meeting eyes. "It's been there for too long, and rather unjustly. You see, back in the day of Magus, a tad bit before the climax of the war, around 599, a descendant of a friend of the family was locked in deadly combat with a human warrior. He was a rather quiet human by the name of Kronnus. The two fought bravely for twenty minutes before Kronnus dealt a surprise blow to Yurunzu, who dropped this very pocket watch-something his family held dear to him. As you know, Mystics put a lot of faith into the abilities of magic and believe that magic is deeply woven into every aspect of life, including time itself. The wheel of time is a very sacred symbol, to them you see." He reached out for the watch, still rambling on. "Why, I'm certain Yurunzu's family would be deeply in dept to you if they could have this watch back, and I'm certain they'd trade any treasure in the wor-"
Crono slapped the man's hand away. "No. I will not give it up."
The man stepped back. "But you don't understand! This could spark a whole religious war with the Mystics! It would spell the end of Gaurdia's 400 years long of peace! It-"
"I understand the complications, but the Yurunzu's family must accept that what has happened in the past, is in the past. There is no going back. You must live in the now."
The man's fists began to clench and his face curled into a hideous snarl. He shook his fists violently.
"You don't understand the Importance of this piece! It means the world, heck, time to them!"
"I'm afraid that if you do not calm down I will have to ask you to leave."
The man let out a fearsome cry and leapt backwards and snatched his staff quickly. He held it forward threateningly. The staff began to glow an eerie shade of red and the man began to levitate, his eyes now turning an equally eerie shade of red.
"Prepare yourself!"
A wave of flames shot forth and scattered about the room. Crono raced to the stairs but with a wave of the staff a wall of flames blocked the staircase. Crono glared at the man sternly. With a lightning quick action Crono's sword was unsheathed and he had attained the battle stance. He lunged with blade pointing forward towards the stranger, but suddenly a force shoved him into the wall. He dropped his sword and started to choke from the smog of the fire. The man greedily swiped the pocket watch and closed his eyes, chanting something in another tongue. Crono reached for his sword and suddenly a stream of black lightning was flying directly into Crono's face. With a slash of his sword made out of Rainbow Shell the stream's flow was reversed and quickly struck the man's arm. The darkness flew threw his body like a current and suddenly it reached the watch.
In an instance, a great explosion erupted from the watch. The roof of the house was shattered into bits and pieces of lumber, scattering in every direction, the man was shoved into the wall behind him and the wall behind Crono gave out. Suddenly Crono was half on the floor while half of him hang out the window. The blood rushing to his head, he hurriedly sat up and glanced at was happening. The pocket watch was emitting bursts of electricity, and something else that Crono didn't think he'd ever see again. Time Gates. They were very unstable and appeared in different sizes and would stay up for different periods of time, but they were definitely Time Gates. Crono skillfully weaved in and out between the Time Gates with sword raised to deliver a final blow to the hostile stranger. The man was cowering in fear, his gaze shifting between the fluctuating Time Gates and the charging Crono. The blade was coming closer, closer, and it was about to stab him when…
A gate opened up where Crono was half standing, being sucked in neigh spontaneously. The man stood up. His mind raced to think of some action.
"C…C…Crono! You've destroyed my dignity alread-"
His sentence was not finished, for he too had been absorbed into a time portal. All that remained of the chaotic battle was a floor with miscellaneous items scattered about ablaze, and one wall standing.
Chapter 1:One Week After
Year:1000 AD
The gulls were calling to Crono, ushering in the sounds of a new day. Crono attempted to stay in the embrace of peaceful sleep in vain by smothering out the sound with his pillow. He gave up and flipped on to his side. He groggily managed to raise himself and with weary eyes managed to find his way to window. This had become somewhat of a tradition for him-he was rarely in his room anymore, but ever since that day, he made sure to uphold it. He threw opened the curtains and waited, poised, and listening. For awhile, he was somewhat disheartened. All he could hear was the sound of the joyful gulls. Perhaps today was going to be average after all. Just as quickly as he began to turn away, a faint sound rang in his ears. It was the sound of Nadia's Bell. It was always said that if you were to hear it's beautiful ring, your day would be filled with excitement.
The bell's ring lasted longer than usual. He hadn't heard it last so hard since his last adventure, one that spanned time. Turning slightly to the left, he scanned his dresser and slowly picked up a framed picture. Holding it in his hands, he could see the smiling faces of his friends. Ayla, the cave woman from 65,000,000 BC, a heart of unending energy. Frog, the honorable knight from 600 AD who was cursed with the physical form that of a frog. Behind the group stood Robo, a big hearted robot of the R series from 2300 AD. Next he saw the jolly look on his dear friend Lucca's face and beside her he saw the girl he one day hoped to marry, Princess Marle. But on the far right was a face that meant just as much to him. It was the smiling face of a youth that had gone on a great adventure-one that spanned time. It was sort of hard to believe that the same face, that of a late teenager, was the face of someone who had seen some many different and amazing things in his lifetime. It was himself, just a week back.
Yes, a week, Crono reminded himself. On that day the year 1000 started and the kingdom of Gaurdia threw a huge millennium fair. The planning for this monumentous occasion had started five years back, and as the year 999 slowly passed, anticipation for this day grew and grew. That day, he had met a girl at the fair. Everything seemed normal enough until they went to see Lucca's newest invention. Lucca was perhaps one of the greatest scientific minds of that age, and perhaps, even beyond. Her latest creation, the telepod, was able to move one person to another place by breaking them apart and rebuilding them. Crono gave it a test, and much to his surprise, and the crowd's, it worked! The girl, who had declared herself as Marle excitedly, ran to give the telepod a spin. Unfortunately, her pendant interfered with the energy fluctuation of the Telepod, causing a portal to open, and sucking Marle in. Lucca and her father Taban shooed the crowd and away and said they'd study the phenomena, but that Crono should go in after Marle. After all, it was his fault.
The Portal had sent Crono into a different land that was remarkably similar to the world he was used to. He was sent backward 400 years. During that time, the princess of that time period was kidnapped by a group of unruly monsters, but after they found Marle they called off the search. Crono, Lucca, and the faithful knight Frog managed to keep the flow of time straight…But after returning to the future, a tailspin of events sent them into the year 2300 AD, where they learned of humanity's fate. A parasitic creature known as "Lavos" entered the Earth's crust and siphoned energy from all creatures in it's goal to reach the ultimate form of evolution. But when Lavos had absorbed everything it had needed from Earth, it erupted from the ground with a force unmeasurable. The Earth was a mere shadow of what it once was. Crono and friends realized that by all means they must stop this event.
And against all odds and all sorts of fiendish villains and through all of the twists and turns and impossibilities, the strangest thing ever imaginable happened. They succeeded. Yes, that was the sort of thing people didn't even dream about. Crono knew that this would be the high point of his life.
Setting the picture down carefully, a sparkle caught Crono's eye. It was the glimmer of the golden pocket watch that had been handed down generation by generation. He picked it up and caressed it slowly. On the side it was encrypted with some strange symbols and a picture of the wheel of time. Oddly fitting for him, he thought. His thumb pressed down on a button and the watch flung open, revealing a very archaic watch. Sadly, it had stopped ticking long ago and the knob on top was no longer there, making Crono quite unable to wind it up again. It was strange though. Sometimes he thought it didn't look as if the knob was missing, but rather it had needed some sort of key or pin to wind. Crono sighed and put the watch back. Someday, he thought to himself, I'm going to fix that thing.
He couldn't spend an entire day in his room getting nostalgic, and so he continued downstairs. His living room was in perfect order and his mother was busily working on Breakfast.
"Crono, do get the table ready! I'm almost done with lunch!" His mother called.
The horrible sense of realization smacked into him at the speed of a charging Tyrannosaurus Rex. The clock read just a bit after noon. He had a date with Marle at two; who thankfully understood his problem with the infamous mornings. Crono shook his head rather grimly. He wouldn't have time to set up the-
Crono's thoughts were interrupted by an eventful thud at the door. Not the sound of someone knocking, but a sound almost as if somebody was attempting to ram the door down.
Spinning around quickly, Crono's mother shouted, "Crono, would take a look at the door please? I'm afraid I've got my hands rather full."
Crono's curiosity had been piqued and he swiftly obliged. Trotting to the door, he grasped the handle and turned it, and opened the door slowly…When it was finally open, a body of an unconscious man slumped onto the hard floor. Crono's mother was so appalled that she squealed out in anxiety and Crono took a few cautious steps back. As if the fact that the man had collapsed on their door wasn't disturbing enough, the man seemed to be rather foreign. The last Gaurdia needed was an incident with another country.
The man had long flowing hair that had a yellowish tan tint to them and it went to about his back. His complexion was very pale, much paler than the majority of the humans Crono had run across in all of the time periods-except perhaps the skin color of the mal nourished citizens of the future that once was. He wore a faded green robe that had patches of bright yellow in it and he wore a cape that was could be described as a light teal. In his left hand his hand sturdily clutched onto an elaborate staff. The staff was obviously carved of wood and had a long narrow shaft that bloomed into a strange pointed object at the top.
After catching their breath, Crono and his mother managed to get a hold of themselves. Crono dragged the man onto their couch and his mom quickly got a blanket and a glass of the water for the stranger. Crono checked the foreigner's pulse and it checked out okay. It was just a matter of time before he awakened. The pair waited for awhile, but after realizing that nothing was going to happen right away, sat down at the dinner table to eat a rather cold meal. Crono didn't say much; although that was completely normal for him. Crono rarely spoke.
After dinner, Crono's mother glanced at the stranger again. "Crono, he looks like he's utterly exhausted…Crono, maybe you should take him upstairs and let him rest in your bed. It's odd, I know…But it might work out for the better, you know? Need any help with that?"
Crono shook his head and managed to carry the man up the flight of stairs. Surprisingly, the man was very light. Crono estimated that the man couldn't weigh much more than 120 pounds, tops. Crono tucked the stranger into the bed gently and leaned the staff against the wall. The weary traveler's elegant clothes clashed with the simple brown blanket, but Crono figured that if he couldn't see it, it wouldn't bother him. Crono shrugged it off and quietly exited, continuing on his routines.
The day went smoothly, although somewhat awkwardly-it was a mellowing thought that there might be a dying prince upstairs. The clock clicked 1:52 and Crono figured that he'd best hurry to the castle. Crono rushed out the door only to smack himself in the face and run back in. He couldn't go anywhere without his trademark yellow scarf! Crono waved 'hi' to his mom and hustled back up the well-worn stairs. He reached into the dresser, wrapped the scarf around his neck, prepared to thunder down the stairs once more when…
"Where…..am…….I?" a gravely voice murmured slowly.
Crono could've fainted, but turned around. The odd man was indeed alive and speaking to him. His eyes were a little less than half open and he seemed to be trying to sit up, but gave a snort and laid back down.
"Where…..am…..I?" He asked again.
"Gaurdia village, in the residence of the-"
"When…am……I?"
Crono stood confused.
"When…..am……I?"
Crono did not reply.
"Listen…..boy…you…..you can…hear me…..When…am….I?"
Crono glanced at the clock. "1:57 PM".
"Don…'t……heckle….me…..What……year….is it?"
Crono's eyes grew large. "1000 AD."
"1000 AD…The….Millennium."
Crono nodded.
"Boy, come….closer….let me ….see you."
Crono took a few steps forward.
"Fog….It's all…it's all fog. I….can't…see. It's all fog."
Crono ran downstairs and made some herbal tea rather quickly. He managed to balance it and return to his room without spilling the small mug. He offered it to the man. The man's arm's shook violently and moved in a choppy, slow, pace. His arms didn't quite have the strength to lift it, so Crono had to assist him. The man took a few sips and breathed.
"That clears out the lunges, boy. What is it?"
"Special recipe."
"Hmm, I see. I'm starting to regain my strength."
"It does that."
"I feel like I've been through a thorough torture session. I don't remember much…Just waking up now. Tell me, what happened to me?"
"You collapsed at our door."
"Hmmph. I suppose. Ahah! What is this I see? Hmm mmm, hmmm mmm, color! Yes, I do believe that my eyes are regaining their former abilities, I do. Yes, I'm in a room, in a grubby pheasant like blanket." He paused. "Err….do excuse my rudeness, I'm afraid in poor shape, not in my usual surroundings, I'm certain you understand, hmm?"
The man turned around slowly, and when he laid eyes on Crono, he backed up to the wall. His eyes dilated and his entire body began to shake and he looked the spiky haired youth up and down, over and over again. Finally, he managed to raise a hand and point.
"You….Are…..Crono!" He managed to gush out in amazement between heavily labored breaths.
Crono stepped forward to calm the man but he scooted closer to the wall at every step while the intensity of his shaking increased. Then, the man seemed to calm down. He closed his eyes and relaxed his body and slowly laid down. He repeated the name softly.
"Terribly, terribly sorry. My mind must still be reeling, because for a minute my eyes glazed and I saw a..a…monster, yes, monster, that's the word I was looking for-a monster that I once encountered in my youth. It's a memory that haunts me to this day, I suppose you could say. Now, I'm certain you're wondering why I'm here, sleeping in your bed in your humble nest. Please, give me a few minutes to clam my beating heart and to collect my thoughts." The man said rather nervously.
Crono did just that. Crono pulled up the chair that sat in front of his clustered desk parked in front of his bed. He watched as the tired man mumbled to himself while his face went through phases of different emotions. Finally, he rolled onto his side to face Crono.
"Alright, I've got my story all together-as well as my wits. You see, I am dressed so elegantly because I am indeed a member of a royal family on a small island off the coast of the Median Continent. We're descendants from the Mystics and at the time, we didn't want to be associated with Magus's vile army. Our kin developed all sorts of foul derogatory names-Mystic, Demi-human, beastman, Enchanted toadstools-and some that I'd rather not say in front of youths such as yourself. We moved to the island. We've been very small and our population is dwindling. Nobody seems to want to come visit the quaint country of Sinurus anymore, so we decided that we must do something to attract attention worldwide. We would throw a large competition of swordsman ship. Now, I understand that you are the finest swordsman on the Gaurudian Continent, surpassing even that of the knight captain himself! I humbly invite you to come with me back to Siniurus, where you could stay as an honored guest in our palace. What do you say, Crono?"
Crono blinked.
"If it suits you best, you can consult with your mother for permission and that sort of thing. I guess that I get caught up into your fame and forget you're a minor. Here, be a good lad and help me up," the man added with a faint hint of a smile.
Crono complied and helped the prince up. As the man was finally walking, he hobbled about the room. Crono looked a little confused at him, but figured that the man had probably never seen the interior of a house like this. Crono tried to imagine what the house of a present day Mystic must look like-surely it would have some references to magic and other sort of things but…Crono's thoughts were interrupted when he realized that the man had paused in one particular spot. Crono walked over to look over the man's shoulder and was surprised to see the man's eyes staring intently at his golden pocket watch.
"It's been in the family for ages."
The man paused, and then stared at Crono, directly meeting eyes. "It's been there for too long, and rather unjustly. You see, back in the day of Magus, a tad bit before the climax of the war, around 599, a descendant of a friend of the family was locked in deadly combat with a human warrior. He was a rather quiet human by the name of Kronnus. The two fought bravely for twenty minutes before Kronnus dealt a surprise blow to Yurunzu, who dropped this very pocket watch-something his family held dear to him. As you know, Mystics put a lot of faith into the abilities of magic and believe that magic is deeply woven into every aspect of life, including time itself. The wheel of time is a very sacred symbol, to them you see." He reached out for the watch, still rambling on. "Why, I'm certain Yurunzu's family would be deeply in dept to you if they could have this watch back, and I'm certain they'd trade any treasure in the wor-"
Crono slapped the man's hand away. "No. I will not give it up."
The man stepped back. "But you don't understand! This could spark a whole religious war with the Mystics! It would spell the end of Gaurdia's 400 years long of peace! It-"
"I understand the complications, but the Yurunzu's family must accept that what has happened in the past, is in the past. There is no going back. You must live in the now."
The man's fists began to clench and his face curled into a hideous snarl. He shook his fists violently.
"You don't understand the Importance of this piece! It means the world, heck, time to them!"
"I'm afraid that if you do not calm down I will have to ask you to leave."
The man let out a fearsome cry and leapt backwards and snatched his staff quickly. He held it forward threateningly. The staff began to glow an eerie shade of red and the man began to levitate, his eyes now turning an equally eerie shade of red.
"Prepare yourself!"
A wave of flames shot forth and scattered about the room. Crono raced to the stairs but with a wave of the staff a wall of flames blocked the staircase. Crono glared at the man sternly. With a lightning quick action Crono's sword was unsheathed and he had attained the battle stance. He lunged with blade pointing forward towards the stranger, but suddenly a force shoved him into the wall. He dropped his sword and started to choke from the smog of the fire. The man greedily swiped the pocket watch and closed his eyes, chanting something in another tongue. Crono reached for his sword and suddenly a stream of black lightning was flying directly into Crono's face. With a slash of his sword made out of Rainbow Shell the stream's flow was reversed and quickly struck the man's arm. The darkness flew threw his body like a current and suddenly it reached the watch.
In an instance, a great explosion erupted from the watch. The roof of the house was shattered into bits and pieces of lumber, scattering in every direction, the man was shoved into the wall behind him and the wall behind Crono gave out. Suddenly Crono was half on the floor while half of him hang out the window. The blood rushing to his head, he hurriedly sat up and glanced at was happening. The pocket watch was emitting bursts of electricity, and something else that Crono didn't think he'd ever see again. Time Gates. They were very unstable and appeared in different sizes and would stay up for different periods of time, but they were definitely Time Gates. Crono skillfully weaved in and out between the Time Gates with sword raised to deliver a final blow to the hostile stranger. The man was cowering in fear, his gaze shifting between the fluctuating Time Gates and the charging Crono. The blade was coming closer, closer, and it was about to stab him when…
A gate opened up where Crono was half standing, being sucked in neigh spontaneously. The man stood up. His mind raced to think of some action.
"C…C…Crono! You've destroyed my dignity alread-"
His sentence was not finished, for he too had been absorbed into a time portal. All that remained of the chaotic battle was a floor with miscellaneous items scattered about ablaze, and one wall standing.