Chapter Two: Han's Dream
Han opened his eyes. Everything was so blurry; he couldn't tell where he was. He sat up, shook his head, rubbed his eyes, and stood up. Everything came into view.
"I'm not in Sullivan's room, that's for sure." Han said to himself with a puzzled expression on his face. "Where the hell am I?"
The whole area seemed to be… well… weird. The whole area was black, and he was standing on nothing. Images of what seemed to be different eras wised by him. He saw an old street light up ahead, with a bucket on the side, 4 doors, and a strange old man who seemed to be napping while standing up. He walked forward as rainbow footsteps appeared after each step he took. It seemed to be all a dream. Everything was just so unreal; the black background, the strange street light up ahead, it was all so strange. He kept walking until a brick, golden ground was in front of him. He took a deep breath, and walked onto it and approached the sleeping man. The man seemed old and strange. He was wearing an old hat and jacket. Han walked up to the man.
"Um… hello." Han said.
The old man awoke his name with a scream and startled Han.
"Who are you?!" the man screamed.
"I was going to ask you the same thing!" Han screamed.
"You look… strange. Your soul seems… so… strong."
Han raised an eyebrow wondering what this guy was saying. He began to question if he was dead to himself. Was he being sent to hell or heaven, or was this purgatory? He was confused.
"AH YES!" The old man said with a big smile, "So you are the one!"
"What do you mean? What the hell am I doing here?!"
"YOU have been brought here, to the Bend of Time. This is a gateway of time. But we mustn't sit here and chat, you have been brought here for a reason. Go forward, to the door, and enter."
Han shrugged and walked over to the door. He looked back and the man nodded for him to open it up. He did so and a big flash filled his view. He was standing on nothing again and the whole place was black. He looked around and heard a voice similar to the one he heard early at the doc and over at Sullivan's house.
"I've been waiting for you Han." The voice said in a comforting way.
Han looked around to find a girl who seemed a year or two older than he. She was dressed in what seemed to be a princess's dress. She had long blond hair, bright blue eyes, and stood around Han's height. Han wondered who she was, and then he figured it out.
"Are you…" Han was interrupted
"I am Princess Schala." She said with a smile. Han stood there with his jaw dropped. He had heard many legends of this princess but could not believe he was standing in front of her. He then fell to the ground and became dizzy. Everything he saw began to swirl and he felt like he was going to pass out. Still, he managed to wipe up enough courage to speak with Princess Schala.
"Am I dreaming?" Han asked, still shocked.
"Yes," Schala replied "in a way, you are. Your soul has left your body and brought you here, to me."
Han then raised an eyebrow and realized that this was definitely a dream. "What kind of crap are you talking about? This isn't real, it's all a dream! How the hell is this real in the first place? Maybe this is a prank by Sullivan. Maybe he made another one of his weird inventions that make me have weird ass dreams. Hell, how can you convince me that all of this isn't a dream? What the hell is wrong with me, am I going nuts?!"
"Relax," Schala said in a soothing way "you are not in any danger, but existence is." Schala's smile went off her face as she began to explain. "You may think your world is safe, but you do not know the whole story. Of course, 20 years ago, FATE was destroyed and I was rescued by a young man named Serge and his partner, Kid. But you do not know the legend of Crono. I am sure you have heard of Lucca and how she had built a device to travel back into time with Crono and others to save the world. They did, but you do not know how. They were the true ones who killed Lavos and saved this planet. Your world has been saved twice, and now it will be three times."
Han scratched his head and wondered. The he asked "How three times?"
"Another evil act is in the works as we speak. An evil man is trying to create another Lavos in your time. I'm not sure if he is exactly creating one, but he is trying to get one on the planet again. Why? He wants to draw power from this planet with the help of this new Lavos so he can return to his planet with enough energy to rule all existence and time. If he does this, he can create another FATE or be FATE himself. I also have reason to believe that he is hunting down the Frozen Flame to do this."
Han listened in horror and had so many questions to ask.
"Frozen Flame?" Han questioned "Wasn't that just a made up story?"
"No, it is real," explained Schala "and it is in your era as well. If this man gets to the Frozen Flame, he can wish for anything."
"Who is this man?" Han questioned.
Schala paused and took a deep breath before she said the name.
"Vern. An evil, cold-blooded, nasty man. Worse than the Lynx you hear about in you world today. This man has the appearance of a human, but do not be fooled, it is a mask of what he is not."
"So why did you pick me to do this? I mean look at me, I'm not very buff, and in fact I'm not strong at all. How can someone like me do a job like this?" Han questioned.
Schala could understand how Han was feeling and explained everything the best way she could. "The body does not matter. It's the soul. The soul is you. With out your soul, you are nothing. Your body is just a matter of cells that you use to interact with life." Schala paused and laughed. "This all sounds so weird, I know, I was sixteen my self once too. What I'm trying to tell you here is that your soul is stronger than any other person's I've seen thus far. I have looked through many times and portals and I have found you, the one who will save us all."
Han got a little dizzy and thought he was going to hurl. All these things raced into his mind, he didn't understand any of this.
"So what am I going to do?" He said in a worried but serious voice.
Schala stared at him "You will save all of us from Vern. There is a man I know over on a small Island in a small town called Arni. Go there and look for a blue haired man. Show this to him." Schala gave Han what appeared to be a pendant of some sort.
"Tell him everything I have told you, and he will guide you to the right direction." explained Schala.
"Ok, but how am I going to get there?" asked Han.
"Trust me" she giggled "you'll know when you awake. By the way, your friends, Rad and Sullivan, shall accompany you. They too have very strong spirits and I feel they will be of great assistance in your long journey. And be careful, equip yourself, you will run into trouble. Now go, hero of existence, save us all."
The room began to blur and Schala's voice got dimmer and dimmer.
Han opened his eyes. Everything was so blurry; he couldn't tell where he was. He sat up, shook his head, rubbed his eyes, and stood up. Everything came into view.
"I'm not in Sullivan's room, that's for sure." Han said to himself with a puzzled expression on his face. "Where the hell am I?"
The whole area seemed to be… well… weird. The whole area was black, and he was standing on nothing. Images of what seemed to be different eras wised by him. He saw an old street light up ahead, with a bucket on the side, 4 doors, and a strange old man who seemed to be napping while standing up. He walked forward as rainbow footsteps appeared after each step he took. It seemed to be all a dream. Everything was just so unreal; the black background, the strange street light up ahead, it was all so strange. He kept walking until a brick, golden ground was in front of him. He took a deep breath, and walked onto it and approached the sleeping man. The man seemed old and strange. He was wearing an old hat and jacket. Han walked up to the man.
"Um… hello." Han said.
The old man awoke his name with a scream and startled Han.
"Who are you?!" the man screamed.
"I was going to ask you the same thing!" Han screamed.
"You look… strange. Your soul seems… so… strong."
Han raised an eyebrow wondering what this guy was saying. He began to question if he was dead to himself. Was he being sent to hell or heaven, or was this purgatory? He was confused.
"AH YES!" The old man said with a big smile, "So you are the one!"
"What do you mean? What the hell am I doing here?!"
"YOU have been brought here, to the Bend of Time. This is a gateway of time. But we mustn't sit here and chat, you have been brought here for a reason. Go forward, to the door, and enter."
Han shrugged and walked over to the door. He looked back and the man nodded for him to open it up. He did so and a big flash filled his view. He was standing on nothing again and the whole place was black. He looked around and heard a voice similar to the one he heard early at the doc and over at Sullivan's house.
"I've been waiting for you Han." The voice said in a comforting way.
Han looked around to find a girl who seemed a year or two older than he. She was dressed in what seemed to be a princess's dress. She had long blond hair, bright blue eyes, and stood around Han's height. Han wondered who she was, and then he figured it out.
"Are you…" Han was interrupted
"I am Princess Schala." She said with a smile. Han stood there with his jaw dropped. He had heard many legends of this princess but could not believe he was standing in front of her. He then fell to the ground and became dizzy. Everything he saw began to swirl and he felt like he was going to pass out. Still, he managed to wipe up enough courage to speak with Princess Schala.
"Am I dreaming?" Han asked, still shocked.
"Yes," Schala replied "in a way, you are. Your soul has left your body and brought you here, to me."
Han then raised an eyebrow and realized that this was definitely a dream. "What kind of crap are you talking about? This isn't real, it's all a dream! How the hell is this real in the first place? Maybe this is a prank by Sullivan. Maybe he made another one of his weird inventions that make me have weird ass dreams. Hell, how can you convince me that all of this isn't a dream? What the hell is wrong with me, am I going nuts?!"
"Relax," Schala said in a soothing way "you are not in any danger, but existence is." Schala's smile went off her face as she began to explain. "You may think your world is safe, but you do not know the whole story. Of course, 20 years ago, FATE was destroyed and I was rescued by a young man named Serge and his partner, Kid. But you do not know the legend of Crono. I am sure you have heard of Lucca and how she had built a device to travel back into time with Crono and others to save the world. They did, but you do not know how. They were the true ones who killed Lavos and saved this planet. Your world has been saved twice, and now it will be three times."
Han scratched his head and wondered. The he asked "How three times?"
"Another evil act is in the works as we speak. An evil man is trying to create another Lavos in your time. I'm not sure if he is exactly creating one, but he is trying to get one on the planet again. Why? He wants to draw power from this planet with the help of this new Lavos so he can return to his planet with enough energy to rule all existence and time. If he does this, he can create another FATE or be FATE himself. I also have reason to believe that he is hunting down the Frozen Flame to do this."
Han listened in horror and had so many questions to ask.
"Frozen Flame?" Han questioned "Wasn't that just a made up story?"
"No, it is real," explained Schala "and it is in your era as well. If this man gets to the Frozen Flame, he can wish for anything."
"Who is this man?" Han questioned.
Schala paused and took a deep breath before she said the name.
"Vern. An evil, cold-blooded, nasty man. Worse than the Lynx you hear about in you world today. This man has the appearance of a human, but do not be fooled, it is a mask of what he is not."
"So why did you pick me to do this? I mean look at me, I'm not very buff, and in fact I'm not strong at all. How can someone like me do a job like this?" Han questioned.
Schala could understand how Han was feeling and explained everything the best way she could. "The body does not matter. It's the soul. The soul is you. With out your soul, you are nothing. Your body is just a matter of cells that you use to interact with life." Schala paused and laughed. "This all sounds so weird, I know, I was sixteen my self once too. What I'm trying to tell you here is that your soul is stronger than any other person's I've seen thus far. I have looked through many times and portals and I have found you, the one who will save us all."
Han got a little dizzy and thought he was going to hurl. All these things raced into his mind, he didn't understand any of this.
"So what am I going to do?" He said in a worried but serious voice.
Schala stared at him "You will save all of us from Vern. There is a man I know over on a small Island in a small town called Arni. Go there and look for a blue haired man. Show this to him." Schala gave Han what appeared to be a pendant of some sort.
"Tell him everything I have told you, and he will guide you to the right direction." explained Schala.
"Ok, but how am I going to get there?" asked Han.
"Trust me" she giggled "you'll know when you awake. By the way, your friends, Rad and Sullivan, shall accompany you. They too have very strong spirits and I feel they will be of great assistance in your long journey. And be careful, equip yourself, you will run into trouble. Now go, hero of existence, save us all."
The room began to blur and Schala's voice got dimmer and dimmer.