Chapter 7
Nothing to Fear but Fear
Itself
"Time check complete, no
exact reading could be acquired but judging from the appearance I would
approximate early B.C. periods." Robo stated as he look around.
"Big metal man right as ever." The trio
heard.
"Ayla? Ayla is that you?" Crono asked.
"Voice pattern confirmed, subject Ayla."
Robo stated.
"Yes, Crono. Crono now strong, but need
courage." Ayla said as she appeared in front of them.
"Ayla?! What happened, fallen friends is what
Frog said." Crono inquired.
"Land get cold, Ayla get sick. Ayla couldn't
fight new enemy, worse then reptite, looked like prism girl." Ayla said in
her normal charming way.
"Tempest, she killed you?" Crono said
pulling his lance hilt out in anger.
"Yes, but now me here to help you find
courage." Ayla said blowing a kiss to Crono. All the while Kain stood
dumbfounded by the beauty of this woman. The light that engulfed her was just
adding to the beauty he saw.
"Warning, abnormal heart rate detected."
Robo stated as his medical monitors were still functioning.
"It's nothing, I am alright." Kain said
try to hide what he was feeling. The ploy worked, though he didn't know whether
it was because he was good at masking his feeling or if it was just because
Robo didn't understand emotions. The thought passed his mind and he returned to
his lance. He knew there was no way it could ever be. He was no longer capable
of that kind of emotion himself. He knew he lost that ability when he tried to
kill Cecil and Rosa, which was the primary reason he went to Mt Ordeals that
faithful day. He just wished, dreamed that he could, but knew it wasn't
possible.
Meanwhile,
Crono and Ayla had continued their discussion about the circumstances of her
death.
"Me must get you to take trial now." Ayla
said stopping the discussion short.
"Of course, what are we up against?" Crono
asked. Ayla shook her head,
"Ayla not know, me just know that you must be
ready." Ayla said warily.
Crono just shrugged, "Alright, where do we
go?"
"Crono follow Ayla, Ayla show Crono and
friends." Ayla said running off in to the jungles that surrounded them.
"Come, we must follow her." Crono ordered
dashing after her. Kain was all too happy to obliged and ran after him. Robo
brought up the rear. They cut through the dense, green jungle and finally reached
their destination.
"This looks like Dactyl Mountain." Crono
said looking around at the red rock cliffs and yellow green grass.
"Yep, Crono must reach Dactyl peak alive. I
will be there, good luck." With that Ayla spun and shot up and was gone.
"Come on let's go. We have a job to do."
Crono said leaving, Kain and Robo followed shortly behind.
They ran to the next clearing; the same rock cliffs
surrounded them, but something was missing, there were no monsters.
"Robo, can you scan for signs of animal life
other then us?" Crono asked spinning his lance hilt.
"Affirmative, scanning." Robo answered.
"No other life signs found." Robo returned
after his scan was complete.
"Then why are we herrrrrrreeeeeee!" Crono
yelled as he fell down a hole.
"That opening was not there before." Robo
stated.
Kain was walking over to him and a hole formed under
him and he fell as well.
"What an interesting......" He was cut
short as he to fell through a newly formed hole.
…………………………………………………………………………………………
Kain dropped down onto the ground again.
"Sky? In a cave?" He looked around, the
sight was beautiful. Light of an unknown source shinning off crystals in the
rock walls making an exquisite rainbow effect on all of the surroundings. He
heard waterfalls in the distance.
"Where there is running water there has to be a
source." He ran to the place the waterfalls filled the river with crystal
clear, blue water. He looked around and heard some movement in the distance.
Instinctively he pulled his lance. He saw the figure clearly as it walked out
of the shadows.
"Ayla, you scared me for a second." Kain
said seeing that the figure was Ayla, the apparition who seemed to be Crono's
friend. He thought to himself,
"This isn't right, that's not the same woman I
saw before." Kain thoughts were broken as armor clad warriors dropped from
every direction. He knew these people, they were men and women that were under
his command when he was the dragoon leader.
"Guys,
how did you get.... huh?" His words of greeting were cut off as lances
were pushed into his face.
"Hey, what's?" Was all he could say before
another figure appeared through the waterfall.
"Interesting tactic to escape my ex-friend, but
it will do you no good. You're coming back with us to pay for your crimes
traitor." Kain knew the voice but didn't want to except it.
"Cecil?" He muttered.
"That is king to you, garbage. Thank you miss
Ayla, your help was most appreciated." Cecil yelled out to a waiting Ayla.
"Yes, me thought he didn't have place here. He
love me, this teach him that that not possible for him." Ayla yelled back.
Kain just stood there, not knowing what to say or
do. "No, why?" Were the only words Kain could manage.
"Because traitor, this is your punishment. You
betrayed everything you believed in because your mind was weak. You allowed
Golbeze to control your mind and committed atrocities to numerous to count. I
am going to enjoy watching you rot away in a small cell in Baron, stripped of
any dignity you once had, the laughs and screams of children walking by you as
they watch what's left of your rotting carcass wither away into
nothingness." Cecil said laughing.
"Wait, even after what I have done, Cecil would
never say anything like that. This is fake, who are you?" Kain regained
his confidence and stood his ground. The lances that held him in his place
disappeared. Cecil's image bent and when it came back into focus he was tied
up. He turned around and saw the same fate befall Ayla.
"You couldn't have just excepted what your eyes
saw, but no, you had to be Mr. Spoil-my-fun. You always were the most annoying
thing to control, always having your pangs of conscience, it was
sickening." A new voice rang out. Kain knew this voice and drew his lance.
"Zeromus, you were destroyed!" Kain said.
"No, only laid into dormancy, now I am free. I
will start with this world, darkness shall fall, and I shall be a god
again." Zeromus's screams filled the entire cavern.
"You won't go anywhere but to your doom
Zeromus." Kain said beginning at his opponent.
"Are you saying that you have the courage to
fight your greatest foe all alone. I can take control of you and destroy you
from the inside out, is that what you want?" Zeromus said calling forth
his energy.
"My duty as a dragoon is to protect my friends,
if that means losing my life, then so be it!" Kain said jumping. He lunged
his lance at Zeromus. It struck with a thunderbolt. The sound reverberated
throughout the cavern and Zeromus hunched over. Kain landed and immediately ran
over to Ayla. He used his dagger to cut the ropes that bound her.
"You do well dragoon." Ayla stated as the
cave disappeared as well as Zeromus and Cecil.
"What happened where did everything go?"
Kain said dumbfounded.
"Was never there, that was trial of courage,
and you pass." Ayla said in her normal way.
"But I saw them and you and...?" Kain
stopped as he remembered what had been said.
"You said about me loving you, Cecil said I was
a traitor, why?" Kain continued.
"Those were dragoon man's worst fears. Being
believe traitor by your friend and not ever being able to love again. You
overcame and protect where needed, proved not a traitor to self. Of other, not
able to love..." Ayla stopped. She jumped out of the tree that she was
sitting in. She stepped in front of him and gave him a passionate kiss.
"That also not true. Dragoon man wait, Crono
and Robo done soon, they come, I must go." Ayla said running away in her
normal animal like way.
Kain sat down on the clearing where they group first
fell through. He had a new sense in him, a feeling of being complete. For the
first time since before the crystal wars he felt... whole.
…………………………………………………………………………………
Robo was able to slow his descent using newly gained
thrusters. He looked around him and saw what look to be Guardia Dome.
"Analyzing... Complete, multiple anomalous
readings but no true life signs." Robo stated completing his scans.
"That is because you destroyed all those
wretched organic imperfections Prometheus." Robo heard a voice resound in
his cpu.
"Gato, but how, how did I get here?" Robo
ask dumbfounded.
"You have been lost for so long Prometheus, it
is time to restore your programming to make you recall who and what you are. My
killing machine, because of you I was able to rid my world of the infernal
humans. We are now and always will be the superior beings. I must thank you,
you were a proficient and obedient killing machine." Gato said as a light
shinned near his feet. Lucca's body lay there burnt and broken.
"Now only one human remains, you must finish
the job you started." Gato's voice sent sabers of pain through Robo's cpu.
"Negative, I would never...." Robo
couldn't speak. This was his master, his creator. Would a man speak to disobey
the word of his god and creator? He could not, he dared not and yet this was
Lucca, his best friend. Could he throw away everything she meant to him he
asked himself. He thought about it. He just stood over her lifeless body not
moving.
Gato shook as he saw that his servant wasn't
listening. "Do it! You cannot resist me!" Gato screamed.
Robo lowered
his gun, it was aimed right at Lucca's head.
"I... cannot! I will not! It is time I avenge
her death Gato!" Robo stated turning and laying down a barrage of fire
against Gato. Each blast just passed through its target. Robo continued to fire
as the area went black. Ayla appeared before him, he jumped up and fired some
more rounds at her, with the same results as before.
"Register subject Ayla, apologies for firing,
but where is Gato?" Robo asked realizing Gato was gone.
"Big metalman never here. Metalman face his
worst fear and overcame. I knew he would. Come join Dragoon man, we wait,
Crono's test much more difficult.
……………………………………………………………………………………
Crono dropped but, like a cat,
was able to land on his feet. He looked around and saw nothing, desolate
blackness. He heard footsteps approaching from behind him. Instinctively he
placed his hand on the leathery hilt of the shinning lance, turning to see a
sight that surprised him.
"Lucca?" He said dumbfounded. She said
nothing. He looked her over and saw something different in her. The
happy-go-lucky expression was gone. It was replaced with a distant almost black
expression, as if she had been possessed by a demon. She walked up to him and took
the lance from him.
"I was wrong, you didn't deserve this."
Lucca said coldly.
Crono could only scough and wonder, "What do
you mean,... Lucca?" He said with a quivered in his voice.
"Don't
you dare say mine name again, you do not have the right to have those words
cross your lips." She said angrily.
"What, why?" He said taken aback.
"It was
your fault I died, you didn't have the strength to face me, you're weak and
pathetic. I still don't know why I called you friend for so long." She
said turning her back on him.
"What... Why would you say such a thing
I...?" He said as his eyes brimmed with tears.
"You call yourself a warrior, thou can't even
stand up against the peltings of a little girl, thou art more of weak nave then
I thought." Frog appeared, he too with the same dark and demonic demeanor
as Lucca.
"If thouest had the strength of a true warrior
thouest would have been the victor over Magus and I would live, but look at
thee. You sit here sniveling and crying because thouest lost a friend,
pitiful." Frog and Lucca surrounded him.
Crono could think of nothing to respond to this.
"You no strong, you weak, like reptite."
Ayla stated running at him from behind them.
"You can't stop prism girl, you too weak."
Ayla said laughing.
Crono fell
to his knees. These were the very people who had supported him through the
battle with Lavos, even put their lives on the line to bring him back from the
dead. But, now they said that he didn't have the very strength they were trying
to give him.
"You sit on your knees crying and you thought
you deserved a princess, ha!" Marle appeared behind and kicked him to the
floor.
"Bow before me like the weakling peasant you
are." Marle screamed.
Crono flipped back to his feet and dried his eyes.
"No! Lucca, your death was not only inevitable
but also necessary to make me take this trip through time in the first
place." Crono said ripping his Lance back from her. Lucca disappeared in a
screaming light.
"Frog, there was nothing we could do, Magus had
already beaten you." Crono said turning to Ayla as the image of Frog
dissipated.
"Ayla, how was I supposed to stop the natural
flow of time to save you? You knew from our travels that an ice age was going
to start." Ayla's image disappeared. Now only the image of Marle remained.
"And you, I won't even dignify you by calling
you Marle. She wouldn't say those things to anyone let alone the man she loves
and the man who loves her, be gone!" Crono said slashing his lance blade
across the image.
"You do well Crono." Ayla said walking up
from behind him.
Crono didn't turn, 'I said begone!" Crono
stated angrily.
"That Ayla not me, came from Crono's mind. I
real Ayla, here to tell you pass trial. You show courage enough to know deaths
not your fault. Come, we go meet metal man and dragoon man." Ayla said as
she led him back out.
……………………………………………………………………………………….
They all came together at the peak of Dactyl
Mountain.
"So how did it go for you Crono?" Kain
asked.
"Hard, but I am here aren't I." He responded.
"You passed trials, you show courage, but two
still remain. Even worse then this. Luck be with you." Ayla said as her
image jumped into the lance like usual but this time a stream of light jumped
into Kain as well.
"I will be with dragoon man, me love you, if
you love me." Her voice resounded loud enough for only him to hear. Kain
lit up, a new power filled him, he was now complete.
"Are you done now?" Crono asked jokingly.
He threw the lance to form a gate.
Robo and Crono jumped through the gate as Kain stood
there and looked the land over.
"I could learn to live here." He said as
he jumped through and it disappeared behind him.