Chrono Trigger

The End of Dark Sky; the curse upon the world is lifted, but our adventurers' outlooks are darker than ever...

The pain was unbearable.

The emotional pain momentarily gave way to the intense physical pain Marle felt as she woke up. She could feel the puffiness of her eyelids and she knew at that moment she had been crying in her sleep. She had been crying in her dreams as well, so why not her sleep? Her first reaction upon waking up was to look around at her surroundings. No sooner did she try to contract her stomach to sit upright did she feel a shooting pain throughout her body. However, she was able to turn her head and saw the stiffened bodies of her companions. The only member of their party that was able to move was Robo, but his mobility was limited.

A certain realization struck her as she watched Robo acknowledge her. His legs had been dented, the bodywork had been greatly damaged, and his plating had been punctured in many places. Nonetheless, he kept a watchful eye over the others as they slept and she felt her heart reach out for him at that thought. She tried to speak but found her voice was very hoarse and did not carry well. Just as she was able to form words she heard the approaching footsteps of someone outside her field of vision. She did not see the person's face, but they rubbed a sweet smelling fragrance on her face that carried a pleasant and warming sensation.

"W-where are the others…"

"Sleep for now," the voice whispered, "you are safe."

Safe.

Was anyone really safe anymore?

"Crono…" Marle said softly, before losing consciousness again.

Although this had been the most severe trauma he had experienced, Glenn was more familiar to the stings of battle than the others.

He was the first to rise (besides Robo) and take in his bearings. He had noticed more than Marle did when she awoke for that brief moment. They were topside, and not just in a cave either. He could hear the occasional howling of the wind and could see the billowing of the curtains that blocked off the rest of the rooms that connected to theirs. The walls of their surroundings were made of large logs and a roaring fire was kept in the middle of the room. His fingers instinctively went to his side and he smiled. The Masamune was indeed lying next to him. This meant they were not prisoners.

Knowing this he let himself down slowly upon the bed of heavy furs. Although his heart was weighed down with sorrow, there was some comfort in the fact that he was warm and alive. The furs felt so good against his naked torso, (their caretakers did remove his breastplate armor) his bones groaned in protest to his movement and he did not wish to disturb them. He thought about his person and realized that his arm was still broken, although it had been set and put into a splint. No matter, he said to himself. He would heal himself once he got well or strong enough again.

Magic…

The thought inexplicably alarmed him into realizing that he had forgotten something. So bewildered was he by this sudden realization that he shot upright, causing a world of pain across his trapezius and stomach. He groaned, almost whimpered, from the pain. Even still, his eyes scanned across the room. The silver-haired fallen prince was nowhere to be seen. A sense of wonder and relief filled Glenn. As he let his eyes close he thought upon his friend who had given his life. Upon thinking of his closest friend he silently wept himself to sleep.

Ayla, for the first time in her life, felt very small. She was almost like a child again, and in the worst terms. She was frightened. Scared. Suddenly the prospect of death had become very real for her. Yes, she had always known that death in any case was a possibility. However, it is always jarring when the strongest person you know falls in any manner. Be it a righteous man indulging in sin or a peaceful man losing his temper and lashing out at others, it is strange feeling of disconnection.

All this time they had been pursuing a creature that was able to tear apart her (for lack of a better word) idol within a moment.

When did she stop becoming afraid of death? She wondered on this over and over again, and as she did she became increasingly horrified. She had come close to death. Several times. However, she paid those times no heed in the past. After all, her death did not occur and it did not do her well to think upon dying as she led her people to war. She had lost people under her command before. It was a heart-wrenching thing. However, never before had she ever lost a mentor, a leader, in battle.

Her mind went back to the first time she had met Crono. Despite her feelings of sorrow at the moment, she smiled as she recalled the look of fright on his face as she proposed marriage. It had seemed so long ago since they left her village. How far had they come? She had done it then merely for the sake of strengthening her tribe…but now…now that there was such strong feelings there…She shook her head of that idea, knowing how Marle felt about him. The idea of Crono becoming hers was only a fantasy now and in a way she was thankful for that. If she had felt so devastated over losing a friend, how horrendous would she feel had she lost her love?

She thought on Marle and felt great sympathy. And for some reason she even thought on Kino.

He truly loved her. She had known this. Part of her wished that he was there at this moment to comfort her, as selfish as that sounded. That thought made her feel even worse. She mused her own choice of words to herself sarcastically. "What would I say if he were here? 'Kino, I will choose you now that Crono is gone…how does that sound?'" She then thought very bitterly, "I truly am weak and selfish. Kino, I am so sorry…"

"Crono…why did you have to go? We need you…I need you."

"Why did I wait so long to say it?"

Lucca was unable to toss and turn. Just like the others, it caused her great pain whenever she did. Notwithstanding her pain, a part of her beamed with such love and happiness. All of her life she felt unworthy of Crono. She had never thought that he could feel that way about her. However, she finally had the courage to admit what she felt. Years of denial and fear crumbled within in an instant. It was then she realized, with some measure of relief, that she was able to be honest with herself.

Of course, the pain was renewed when she realized that her feelings were expressed too late. Even then, if she had told Crono before his death, she knew it would have been too late. By her uncertainty and hesitancy she had passed on something greater than she imagined. There were no ill feelings towards Marle. She knew Crono loved her. Although so much could be said in those brief moments before he offered himself as bait, she guessed at his true meaning. She knew him well enough. He honored his commitments, and he made a commitment to Marle.

So yes, he did love her. But she knew what he really meant: "If I had known I would have told you I felt the same way…if I did not belong to someone else I would have been with you."

Marle was braver than her. She had confessed to Crono and made more of an effort for his affections. Lucca had learned a very valuable lesson within those crucial moments. She would never leave things unsaid again, no matter what the result may be. That is why within the enormous pain that engulfed her there was a feeling of self-affirmation. Even with his death Crono had protected and guided Lucca. And then she realized. He was gone. There was no more guiding hand, no smiling face, no more embraces in her weak moments…

How sick it must have made her feel when she realized that she would rather have Crono and take him for granted than to not have him at all!

"I am alive."

This was truly a marvelous thing. And how could it be possible? The powerful magnetism that engulfed them in the Ocean Palace should have scrambled his circuits. He should be a hunk of metal at this point. Yet, he was cognizant. Yes, he was immobile and would be until Lucca came back to full consciousness, but he still existed. He found it strange that his friends were in deep sorrow. They bemoaned their own fate instead of appreciating the sacrifice that was made for them. He understood, of course. A great feeling of loss was present within him, but his love for Crono and his newfound appreciation of life overshadowed his sadness. While his companions bemoaned the fate of their shepherd he reflected on the great gift he had given them.

"It is good to see that you are able to speak."

If Robo were able to blush he would have done so. Instead, he focused his eyes on the single-armed man who slowly sat before him. His face bore many fresh scars and he walked with a limp that would follow him for the rest of his life. Nonetheless, he still held the same demeanor that suggested fierce faith and the loyalty that defined him. Robo inclined his head and said, "Thank you for visiting me again, Gaway."

"I'm only happy that you are in the mood to talk." Gaway said, wincing as his weight moved on his ribs.

"Please don't mistake my silence before as rudeness…I was only working my way through grief…It is still strong, but I am alive and for that I'm thankful."

Gaway laughed and said, "Despite how it all turned out, I am pretty enthusiastic about it myself."

Robo could tell that he was partially lying, but said nothing about it. Instead he said, "I heard some of the attendants talking about you. It seems the people are pretty set on you leading them."

"I question their judgment," Gaway said quickly, "I don't know what a cripple can do for them."

Robo's voice was sorrowful, "I truly hope you do not think that."

Gaway sighed, "Sometimes I do…I'm so tired and I want nothing more for it all to be over…But there is still work to be done…"

"You are right…about both of us." Robo said with a nod.

"So you still plan to go after Lavos?" Gaway said, astonishment in his voice, "ALL of you?"

Robo looked toward his group and shook his head in uncertainty, "I cannot speak for them. It doesn't seem like their hearts are in it anymore."

"I can't blame them…" Gaway said remorsefully.

"It might be the end of the journey for them, but I cannot stop now."

"Why?" Gaway asked, "Why are you so eager to keep going?"

Robo thought for a moment and only said, "I do not know…I just feel like I must."

Gaway chuckled knowingly, "I can't say I'm surprised. I don't know why I said yes when they asked me to do some of the things they asked of me…I still don't know."

Robo only said, "You are a good man…you cannot help but say 'yes' to those who need you."

Gaway nodded and stood on his feet. "Well, maybe it is me who needs them…maybe it makes me feel like I am still needed."

"You are still needed." Robo said gently.

"Well, I should be going." Gaway said with a voice that suggested he'd rather stay. "We are still finding survivors everyday; washing up on the shore, walking in groups, trapped in rubble…"

"Very well." Robo said.

"I'll explain the situation when you all wake and are ready."

Gaway left the room. As Robo sat alone he reminded himself once again: "I am still alive. WE are still alive."

The next few days went by slowly. The party was able to stay awake for longer periods of time as healers came and tended to them. Glenn did not have to worry about his broken bones nor did the others. They had repaired them at last and explained that they would have done it sooner had it not been for the fact that there were many others who were on the verge of death. "We are so sorry, but you were strong enough to survive your injuries" they explained, "it was uncomfortable for you, but if we exhausted ourselves on healing you others would have died while we recuperated."

Gaway would come and visit, also looking better each time he returned. The story about his escape from the Ocean Palace was an interesting story to hear. It had taken thirty men to kill one of Dalton's creations, and that was in a narrow chokepoint. Had it not been for the strange change in pace Dalton would have finished off all the men. Instead, he took his minions and left a single creature behind to battle them. They had dispatched the final doppelganger, but only eleven of the men were left standing. By that time the palace began to collapse. They ran toward the exit, finding that Dalton's soldiers had made it that far into the Ocean Palace. However, they were no longer concerned with following orders. The worry of being buried alive turned the narrow halls and stairs in the lower decks into a meat grinder. Men trampled over other men as the glass domes separating the icy deep from their fragile bodies began to crack and burst. Thankfully, Gaway had found a special warp point that had taken them back into the kingdom of Zeal, atop a tower path that stood over the kingdom. He was there just in time for its destruction.

"But," Lucca began, "when we tried to get to the Ocean Palace we were told there was only one entrance: the warp point in the throne room."

"Yes," Gaway remarked. "It was the only portal that led into the Ocean Palace, but it seems that Dalton had counted on something like this and placed various exit points."

The days turned into a week, and during that time many more people visited. Although it was mostly survivors who uttered thanks and praises, these were not words they wanted to hear. This meant nothing. Instead, it seemed to infuriate the party even further. Where were these people when the fighting was going on? Whose side were they on? Why do they love the Earthbound so much now that they are at their mercy? It came to a point where the party, save Robo, collectively told Gaway that they did not want any more visitors. He nodded in understanding and made the announcement to their attendants. Even still, the party was very interested in the rescue efforts.

Gaway had been a very effective leader. Within the first few days there was nothing but chaos. Nobody worried about saving the lives of those who fell or escaped from Zeal. It was Gaway who calmed the people down, organized parties, and sent teams to search the desolation that surrounded them. Very few were saved at first, despite their toil, however those who survived the destruction of Zeal gathered under Gaway's lead and aided in the recovery. With their skills, the meager hundreds a day became thousands, which in turn helped many others. Although it did not change Lucca, Marle, Glenn, or Ayla's heart concerning the Zealians, Gaway told many stories about how the two long opposing foes began rejoicing over lives and sorrowing over deaths no matter their origin. The "gifted ones" began to fight just as hard to save the life of an Earthbounder and vice versa. "I had never seen such frank forgiveness. I had never seen such mercy."

"Realizing that you worshiped some evil, murderous son of a bitch after he kills all that you love can do that to people." Lucca would comment under her breath.

Looking back on it, they could smell the change in the air and sense the desperation. When the most lives were saved, the air became heavy and thick with smoke. Thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of fires, lighted the camp while people gave aid to the dying. However, as their wounds mended, they found others and the camp grew bigger. It wasn't until Gaway spoke one day about having enough people to build more permanent homes that the air began to clear and things began to relax. All of this had happened in the course of a week. At this point the party was able to wobble in place, using magic to heal their own wounds more effectively than those who attended them could dare to hope. Within a week and two days they were well enough step outside.

It was not even a whisper to the beauty that Zeal was. There were still people, ragged and bony from lack of food. The roads were dirty ruts of mud and slush. The air was still thick with smoke and haze. Yet, the sun was out and people were busy, even laughing again. Even those who still had injuries helped in any way they could. They could hear the sound of cracking whips and the whinny of nearby horses as they dragged fallen logs to construction sites and the steady digging for water.

Gaway looked no more different than any other of the people walking down the road. He occasionally pat a random person on the back or gave an order to a worker in passing. He turned to the group and said, "You cannot see it now, but out further beyond this settlement are the farmlands. Tilling the soil was the first thing we have done. Next comes water and cultivation, and then permanent lodgings. It is taking much longer than expected."

"I noticed that," Lucca said, pointing to an obvious native of Zeal. "Why aren't they using magic?"

"From all their years of relying on the power of Lavos their magic has grown very weak, maybe even to the point where it cannot recover. It is very much like a man who has allowed his legs to atrophy. Hopefully, it will return in time…however, magic has been a large part of what caused this turmoil. Either way, we must learn to work the land again as a whole."

Lucca later mused on why it had not come into her mind before, but she felt a strange mixture of incredulity and shame when she laid eyes upon the Epoch and realized that she completely forgot about it. She let her fingers run up and down the smooth surface, the face of it being warm in the afternoon sun. "How did it get here?"

"When the dust settled and people began gathering together, it just simply appeared here in the morning, almost like it followed you here."

A great sense of cheer and relief filled the party when they realized that their return home was made sure. They followed Gaway back to their lodgings, the brief walk already taking their toll on them.

Finally the day came where Marle and Glenn were able to put more effort into their healing sessions without feeling tremendous exhaustion or pain. Lucca, in her spare time, was able to outfit Robo with rigged plates and unsteady legs. It was awkward and it required Robo to make some delicate "recalibrations" but he was able to walk with greater ease. Lucca informed him that there would be no crazy acrobatics until they returned to their era and gave him proper replacements.

Robo had noticed with some dismay that nobody had breached the subject of Crono or the idea of pursuing Lavos. He sensed their hearts were still heavy but he could not tell without asking what their thoughts on Lavos were. Instead, he waited patiently and focused on these strange stirrings that came to his mind as he helped the people of the settlement. Two weeks had passed, and finally, one night, as they gathered around the fire, the dam broke.

Author's note: Been a while, huh? Sorry. It's all school. However, on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have an hour and a half where I wait for my next classes to start. It takes me about two to three hours to write a chapter, I think. I really want to get this story done, so don't count me out yet. Thanks to those who keep reading. If there is anyone who is still reading after all this time of no updates, that says volumes more than any review. Thank you, and I hope the wait was worth it. :)

P.S. And please pardon the cliff hanger...it just seemed a good time to break.