"Crono. Crono. Crono! Get your ass out of bed! I wanna go to the fair!"
The spiky hair boy rubbed his eyes and sat up. "But the melons haven't crowed
yet," he said in his semi-conscious state.
"They're called roosters, sweetie," Marle answered. "And they did. You slept
through them again. Now get up! I'm leaving in ten minuets with or without you!" At
that, The blond haired girl left the room.
Crono sat on the edge of his bed trying to come to his senses. 'Okay,' he thought.
'It's me and Marle's fifth anniversary and the king's having another fair to celebrate,'
He got dressed and went downstairs to find Marle waiting for him, arms crossed,
at the castle's front door. "Ready?" she asked.
"Actually," Crono answered nervously. "Do we have to go? I mean, you
remember the kind of luck we have at fairs. First we get sucked into a hole in time and
have to fight a giant spiky ball of evil. Then at the next fair, my mom gets sucked into the
same hole and we have to go to the end of time to get her!"
"I know," Marle said. "But it's different now. Lavos is gone and the gates are
sealed. Nothing can happen,"
"You're right," Crono said. "It's just that fairs make me nervous is all. I don't
want anything to happen to you,"
Marle smiled. "Awww, that's sweet. Don't worry," She pecked him on the cheek.
"Tell ya what. If Lucca has anymore inventions, I won't go near them,"
"Ok. You proved your point. I was being stupid. But can I at least bring my
sword. I'd feel better if I had it,"
"Now you're just being paranoid. Come on! We'll miss the whole fair if we stay
here any longer."
The two walked the familiar path to the fairgrounds. It had been six years since
the fight with Lavos, and five since Crono and Marle's wedding. The years had passed so
quickly but very little had changed. He was still the tough but kind kid with the
untamable red hair, and she was still the free spirited princess, although she was less
rebellious now that she was a little older. Not that she let people walk all over her, but she
was slower to argue with others just for the sake of argument.
They arrived at the fair without incident. The king had thought he was being
sweet by recreating the Millennial fair down to the last detail. He had even hired the same
racers as before. But although he thought it was a good idea to remind them of the place
where they met, the place only added to Crono's uneasiness at being there. He soon
relaxed, however, once he saw Marle's reaction. She was unfazed by its resemblance to
the beginning of their last adventure.
"I thought you two would never show up," a familiar voice behind them said.
"They turned to see Crono's oldest friend, the purple haired inventor, Lucca. "I was
beginning to think you had decided to spend your anniversary at home, or should I say, in
bed,"
Crono laughed. "Keep your mind out of the gutter, Lucca,"
"Single people don't have to," Lucca smirked. "And that means me. So what's on
the agenda for today?"
"Let's go see Melchoir!" Marle said. "It's been ages since we visited him,"
"It's been ages since we needed to," Crono added as they made their way to
Melichoir's tent.
The old blacksmith was overjoyed to see the three again. "My, has it really been
six years?" he said. "Seems like only yesterday I was reforging the Masamune in my
basement. But alas, the peaceful times always fly by to quickly, while war drags on
forever," He sighed and turned to them again. "But enough of an old man's ramblings! A
joyous occasion should be met with a similar attitude. Get out and enjoy yourselves!"
"Where to now?" Crono asked when they were outside again. If there was one
thing he had learned from the married life, it was that women must at least be offered the
opportunity to have their way. If not, chaos almost always ensues.
"Let's go bet on the races!" Marle said, practically dragging Crono off.
"Who'll it be?" the bookie asked.
"Ten on Cat-a-lack," Marle said.
"Same for me," Lucca added.
"Twenty on Green Ambler," Crono said. As the race began, Cat-a-lack jumped
out to a commanding lead, followed by Green Ambler. But just before he got to the final
turn, someone threw a ball of yarn onto the track. Cat-a-lack instantly began playing with
it, which, adorable as it may be, allowed Green Ambler to cross the finish line first.
"When will women learn?" Crono laughed when he collected his money. "Cats
are no good. Dogs are the way to go,"
"Excuse me, children," an old man's voice said from behind them. There stood a
bent figure hunched over a cane and covered from head to toe with a hood and cloak so
that no part of his body could be seen. "Would you care to help a poor fool to get back on
track?"
Crono thought for a second. "What the hell. I don't need this money," he said as
he handed the money over. "And by the looks of it, you do,"
"Thank you," the figure said as he grasped the money. "I won't forget this.
You're good people," With that, he turned and walked away.
"Okay, that was odd," Marle said. "Any idea on who that was?"
"I got nothing," Crono said. "Just an old beggar, I guess. Come on, let's find
something else to do,"
"Yeah," Lucca said. "Hey, let's go fight Gato!"
"Come on, Lucca," Crono whined. "The singing robot? That guy's too easy. I
beat him before I met Marle, and I was just a kid then,"
"You're only twenty-three now," Marle snorted.
"Yeah," Lucca said. "Besides, I fiddled with him in the past few months so now
he should be more of a challenge. Let's go," The three were startled by the sound of a
scream coming from the other side of the fairgrounds. A loud crash followed.
"What was that?" Crono screamed. Not waiting for a response, he took off in the
direction of the commotion.
"Crono!" The girls yelled as they ran after him.
'I hate fairs,' he thought. 'These kinds of things always seem to happen to me.
Just a normal day with my wife and friend. Is that so much to ask?' Finally, the three
came to Nadia's Bell.
In front of it stood a massive purple robot holding a microphone. With its free
hand, it smashed a nearby tent. Then it started to sing.
My name is Gato.
My singing is unequaled.
Forget about beating me.
I am no longer feeble.
"Lucca," Marle yelled. "What did you do to him?"
"Well," the scientist said nervously. "I may have adjusted his personality circuits
to make him more aggressive. But I didn't know it would have this much of an effect on
him,"
"Looks like we'll just have to take care of him," Crono said coolly as he reached
for the hilt of his sword. Suddenly realizing that Marle made him leave it at home, he
shrugged his shoulders. "More than one way to fight. LIGHTNING!" He concentrated all
of his magic energy into a massive bolt of electricity that struck the robot from above.
However, when the dust settled, Gato seemed unaffected.
"Yeah, umm… Crono," Lucca stammered. "You should probably know that I
isolated the magic resistant properties of those vests we got during out fight with Lavos,
reproduced them using synthetic materials, and combined them with the super strong
alloy of Gato's protective casing,"
"Huh?" Crono grunted.
"She says that he's immune to magic!" Marle yelled.
"Oh. Why didn't you say so?" Crono said. "What the hell am I supposed to do
then?" But as these words were being spoken, the cloaked figure from before jumped
over the three friends and stood between them and the crazed robot. "Get out of there, old
man! We'll take care of this!" Crono yelled.
The figure ignored him. "Leave them alone," he said calmly, still leaning heavily
on his cane. "Good people should not be made to suffer," The robot swung it's huge fist
at him. The figure jumped high into the air, landed on Gato's head, and sprang off into
the air before it could react. While in the air, he tossed aside his cane and cloak before he
landed facing the robot, revealing not an old man, but a young man dressed all in white.
His long blond hair was held to his head by a tattered red headband with its tails
extending down his back. His sleeveless shirt showed arms covered with scars, though
none of them seemed recent. He smiled slyly at the robot and said, "You're to slow. Give
up."
I will not give up,
You scummy lout.
We'll see who's laughing
When I knock you out!
The robot sang. With that, a door opened in Gato's chest and an extending boxing
glove popped out. It came right at the mysterious young man, but he easily sidestepped
the attack and severed the glove with his newly drawn sword.
"This is your last chance!" he said. Gato charged at him. The young man tossed
his sword into the air, then jumped just in time to avoid the robot's fist. He landed and
saw that the robot was charging again. Again the man jumped.
Gato stopped and laughed.
You lost your weapon
This is what I say
You are a fool
You threw your sword aw--!
But the last word did not come out. As he was speaking, the young man's sword
fell from the sky and sliced through Gato's metallic body into two pieces. "A fool I may
be," he muttered as he removed his sword from the robotic corpse. "But not today. And
never again,"
"Hey!" Marle yelled as he started to walk away. "You're not old!"
"Very observant," he said.
"You know what I mean!" Marle said, annoyed. "Why did you lie to us?"
"I don't recall ever telling you I was an old man," he said with a smile. "By the
way, here," he handed Crono a handful of bills. "I don't need this,"
"Then why'd you ask me for it?" Crono said with a confused look on his face.
"To test you," the young man replied. "I wanted to see if you were worth saving
from that robot. But if you'll excuse me, I have to find someone,"
"Wait," Lucca said. "So you knew this was going to happen?" He nodded. "How?
Who are you?"
"Sorry," he said. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I must find Lightning soon,"
"What do you mean, 'find Lightning'?" Marle said. That last statement startled
her. She knew that this probably meant Crono, since he used Lightning magic. No one
was going to take him from her again.
"The one who controls the fury of the heavens and uses it to battle evil," he said.
"I must find him. Do you know who he is?"
"Of course," Crono said. "I am him."
"Is that so?" The man said. He studied Crono for a second. Suddenly he smiled
and extended his hand. "I'm Trent,"
Crono was once again confused as he shook hands with the stranger. Everyone in
the kingdom knew him. After the battle with Lavos, he became quite famous. This fame
increased ten-fold when he married Marle. She was a princess, after all. "I'm Crono.
That's Marle, and the purple haired one is Lucca,"
Trent looked at the three for a second. "Judging by your expressions, I should
probably explain some things. Is there somewhere we can go that's safe?"
"Everywhere in Guardia is safe," Marle said matter-of-factly.
"Of course. How could I not notice?" Trent said. "I mean, I've been here one day
and already I've been in a fight. How about somewhere more private?"
"Crono's house is close," Lucca said.
"Fine. Lead the way,

"Now start talking," Marle demanded when they arrived at Crono's old home. He
had moved out when he got married. "Who are you? And how did you know that robot
would go nuts?"
"I already told you my name," Trent said. "Weren't you listening?"
"Don't be smart!" Marle yelled.
"Geeze, Marle. Calm down," Crono said. "He hasn't done anything," Marle still
glared at Trent. She just knew that this would end with Crono going off on some
adventure, and she refused to lose him again.
Lucca felt this way too, but she managed to remain levelheaded. "Where are you
from?" she asked.
"The mountain to the east of the castle," Trent said.
"Are you serious?" Crone said. "I thought no one ever went near there,"
"Well I do," Trent said.
"Does anyone else live there?" Lucca asked.
"Not anymore. My mom used to, but," Trent paused. "She died about ten years
ago,"
"I'm sorry," Crono said.
"Don't be," Trent said. "You were not at fault,"
"So what happened to you after your mother's death?" Marle said.
"Nothing. I kept living in the same house until now,"
"Why now?" Lucca said.
"About four nights ago, I began having this weird… thing. Call them dreams for
now. I saw a vast darkness gathering. When it filled the whole sky, it took the shape of a
man and walked across the world, bringing pain and suffering wherever he went. This
continued until a young man stood up and summoned the vary power of the sky to defeat
the evil. But sadly, the hero died as well during the battle. That is why I am here. One so
noble should not be lost to the world. I must help him!"
"And you think MY Crono is this hero?" Marle said.
"It could very well be," Lucca said. "We all know that Crono is capable of
stepping into the role of the hero. And this person did use Lightning magic. But how do
we know that your dream is correct?"
"Four straight nights, it has disturbed my sleep," Trent said. "One night and it
may only be cause for concern. Four, and it is a premonition,"
"So what do you want us to do?" Crono said. "Who is this evil you saw?"
"Hey, I haven't thought that far ahead," Trent said with a smile. "Give me a little
time," He began to walk out the door.
"Wait," Lucca said. "How did you know that Gato would malfunction?"
"I saw it in a dream," Trent said. "What else?" At the doorway he stopped. "By
the way, I'm sorry for telling you this on your anniversary, but it couldn't wait any
longer,"
"Don't worry about it," Crono said. Trent left through the door. "Wait a second.
Did we tell him it was our anniversary?"
"No, I don't think so," Marle said. "That guy is way to weird. Thank goodness
he's gone,"
"Yeah," Lucca said. "Well, I had better get to work on taking Gato apart. He
should still be at the fairgrounds,"
"Need any help," Crono asked.
"No thanks," Lucca said. "Go enjoy your special day. I'll get my dad to give me a
hand,"
'Stupid dad,' Lucca thought as she pulled the heavy cart up the stairs to the
fairgrounds. 'Going to Choras without any warning, and he takes the horse too!' Finally,
she reached the spot where the battle had taken place. She put the cart down and took a
minuet to catch her breath. The cart was really heavy, but it was the only one she had that
was big enough to carry the robot.
Lucca looked at the scraped Gato. "To big to pick up," she said. "I'll have to take
him apart and load him up piece by piece," She sighed. "This is going to take forever,"
"Hey," a voice came from behind her. Trent stood there next to her. "Need a
hand?"
Lucca jumped. "You scared the crap out of me!"
"Sorry," Trent smiled. "Thought you knew I was there." He leaned over and
picked up half the robot and tossed it into the cart. "This guy's really messed up,"
"Yeah, you really did a number on him," Lucca said. "It'll take weeks to get him
up and running again. Most of his internal circuits are fried and the CPU will have to be
replaced, not to mention the damage to his outer casing,"
Trent frowned as she said this. "I feel bad for making you do all that extra work,
but I didn't see any other way," He threw the other half of the robot into the cart. "At
least I can help you with this,"
"Thanks," Lucca said. "Don't worry about it. I'd have ended up messing with him
anyway. He's been a favorite project of mine for almost a year now,"
Trent started to pull the cart through the crowd. "Lead the way," he said. Lucca
walked next to him. "So you're some kind of inventor?"
"Yeah, I try," she replied. "I've wanted to be an inventor for almost my whole
life, but usually everything goes haywire and blows up. It can be really frustrating,"
"Then why do you keep building stuff if it angers you?" Trent said.
"Well, when I was little, my mom got caught in one of my dad's machines,"
Lucca said. "I tried as hard as I could, but I couldn't shut it down,"
"I'm sorry to hear that," Trent said. "Was she alright?"
"She lived, but she never walked again," Lucca said softly. "I guess I always
blamed myself for it, so I started to learn everything I could about machines. I just
wanted to make up for not being able to help her," Lucca paused. "I don't know why I
just told you that. You must think I'm weird or something. I mean, I just met you and I'm
telling you these horror stories. For some reason, I feel like I can trust you,"
Trent laughed. "Thanks. Where do you live?"
"Just a little ways more," Lucca said. The two walked in silence for a time, until
they came to Lucca's house to the south of Truce. "Just bring it around back," she said.
"Hey could I ask you a favor?" Trent said. He pulled a small flat rectangle out of
his pocket. Small white letters were on the side, but they had faded over time. Two gear
like holes ran through it. "Do you know what this is?"
Lucca took it and studied it. "Hmm… I don't know. Where'd you get this?"
"It was my mom's," Trent said. "She said that it was one of a kind. I just figured
that you could figure out what it was,"
"Well," Lucca said. "I can run some tests on it, but I've never seen anything like
this. It could take some time,"
"Don't worry about it," Trent said. "It can wait. I appreciate it,"
"Thanks for helping me get Gato back here," Lucca said.
"No problem," Trent said. "It's getting late. I should get going,"
"Where to?" Lucca said. "The inn?"
"No," Trent laughed. "That would take money. I don't have any,"
"So where are you staying?" Lucca asked.
Trent shrugged his shoulders. "I'll figure it out,"
"Well, then you're staying here," Lucca said. Trent opened his mouth to protest.
"Shut up! I insist," Lucca said.
"You're a bit pushy, aren't you?" Lucca smiled. "Well, it would be nice to have
some company," Trent said.
"Great," Lucca said. "Come on, I'll show you around," The tour of the house was
short, ending with the two sitting in the living room talking. "So what kind of stuff is
there to do up in the mountain?" Lucca asked.
"Well, I really spend most of my time doing nothing," Trent said. "That's the
great thing about living the simple life. You may not have a lot, but it's really easy to
maintain,"
Lucca laughed. "Yeah, but don't you get bored? I mean, if I'm not working on
something, I go nuts,"
"You're not working on anything now," Trent said. "You seem to be doing just
fine,"
"Don't be smart," Lucca said.
Trent's smile quickly faded. "That reminds me. That friend of yours, Marle. Did I
say something wrong? I mean she seemed to be mad at me. I don't know what I did,"
"Well," Lucca said. "You did tell her that her husband would die again. She's just
a little scared to lose him,"
"Again?" Trent was confused. "I don't get it," So Lucca told the tale of how
Crono died, and how they brought him back using the Crono Trigger. But, since Trent
had been so isolated all his life, the entire story had to be told before he could grasp what
had happened. Trent seemed most interested in the Crono Trigger though, and he asked
several questions about it.
"So you're saying that you can bring anyone back even if they're dead?" he
asked. "How do you get one of these?"
"Well, there are some limitations," Lucca said. "You have to have an exact clone
of the person, and they have to be important to the space-time continuum. Then you have
to go to Death Peak, which won't exist until 2300 AD,"
"Oh," Trent said, sighing heavily. "So you and Crono have been friends for a long
time?"
"Yeah, as long as I can remember," Lucca said. "He's always been there. I guess I
used to have a thing for him when we got back from fighting Lavos, but I never had the
guts to tell him," Lucca paused. "See, there I go telling you my darkest secrets. I don't
know why I keep doing that,"
"Don't worry about it," Trent reassured her. "It's not that uncommon to fall for a
friend. Especially when they've always been there,"
"I guess," Lucca said. "Did you ever want to be more than just friends with
someone?"
"I've never really had any friends," Trent said. "I come to town once in a while,
but mostly I live alone since my mom was killed," He stared at the floor.
An awkward silence followed. Finally Lucca spoke up. "You really miss her,
huh?" Trent nodded. "How did she die?"
"We were being robbed one night, and we tried to stop him," Trent said. "A fool
attacked her and killed her,"
"That's terrible," Lucca said. "I'm sorry,"
"Don't be," Trent said. "It wasn't your fault. Besides, you've kinda helped me.
This is the first time I've ever told anyone that," Trent let out as best a laugh as he could
muster. "I guess I kinda trust you too,"
Lucca smiled. "I'm glad. Well, it's late. I've better be getting to bed. You sure
you'll be ok on the couch?"
"Yes, don't worry," Trent said. "Good night,"
"Good night," Lucca walked up the stairs and into her room. The day had been so
exhausting that she had barely lain down before she was fast asleep.
Lucca awoke several hours later. The moonlight still trickled in through the
shudders. She sat up. An almost inaudible sound caught her attention. 'What is that?' she
thought. After waiting for a while and not hearing anything more, she gave up and tried
to go back to sleep. A few minuets later, the same sound came to her, this time much
more clearly. She found her glasses and made her way downstairs. There she saw Trent,
sitting cross-legged on the couch in the candlelight. His arms were crossed in front of
him, and every now and then he would twitch and emit a soft groan.
"What are you doing?" Lucca said. Trent ignored her. "Are you awake? Hello?"
She poked him, trying to get some kind of a response. "His eyes are open, but it's almost
as if he's asleep," she said to herself. "How strange,"
Suddenly, Trent began to shake for a second. Then he slumped forward and
sighed heavily. Looking up, he saw a very confused Lucca staring at him. "Hello," he
said. "Is it morning already?"
"Umm… what just happened?" Lucca asked. "I came down and saw you sitting
there. It was like you were asleep, except your eyes were open,"
"Oh, I should have told you," Trent said. "Sometimes I go into this trance, and I
try to find things in my mind," Lucca looked at him blankly. "Ok," He explained. "When
I'm in this state, I see these things. I guess you could call them visions. Most of the time,
I see something in the past, like old memories. Other times I see things that haven't
happened yet. When I do this, it's next to impossible to wake me. Understand?"
"Yeah, I think so," Lucca said. "But why were you making noise?"
"Sorry if I woke you, but if the visions are extremely emotional, I can have
physical reactions. I don't have any control over myself," Trent said. "Go back to sleep,"
"Ok," Lucca again walked up the stairs and went to bed

Trent awoke at sunrise the next morning, like he always did. Stretching, he
walked outside and looked around. He remembered that Lucca's house had been on an
island, and almost as soon as he stepped outside, he broke into a dead sprint toward the
water. As he neared the shore, he tossed his sword (which he had kept on him when he
slept) and shirt aside. Leaping into the air, he dove into the icy water. As he surfaced,
Trent gasped for air. He swam for a while before going back to shore. There he dipped
his shirt in the water, wrung it out and laid it on the ground to dry. Keeping his headband
on, he himself laid on the ground, spread his arms, and soaked up the young sun's rays.
After about ten minuets, he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. 'Must be
Lucca,' he thought. 'Hope I didn't wake her again,'
"Little early for a swim, isn't it?" A male voice said. Trent turned to see Crono
standing above him. "You could catch cold,"
"I've been swimming at sunrise since I was five," Trent said when he stood up.
"Hasn't hurt me yet. Good way to wake up," Trent put his shirt back on and grabbed his
sword. "Besides, if there's a better way to get your clothes clean, I'd like to hear it. What
brings you here?"
"I always go for a nice run in the mornings," Crono said. "From the castle, to the
bridge, to Lucca's house, and then back home. Marle said I couldn't sleep in anymore, so
I try to use the mornings well. What about you?"
"Lucca made me stay with her," Trent said. "Well, she didn't really make me. I
didn't put up much of a fight,"
"I see," Crono said. "Listen, I want to apologize for Marle. She was being unfair
the other day. It's just that, a few years ago…"
"Don't worry," Trent interrupted. "Lucca told me. Losing someone can be very
hard on you. Tell her not to think twice about it,"
"I'm glad you understand," Crono said. "Well, I'd better get going if I want to be
back in time for breakfast. See ya!" With that, the young man bound down the road back
to the castle.
"Let's see," Trent said to himself. "What to do now? I should probably go see if
Lucca is up," Trent walked back up to the house and took a look around. There was no
sign of her, so he sat down on the couch to think of what to do next. 'It would be rude to
leave without warning,' he thought. 'But I would like to do something for her,' Even as
he thought this, Lucca came stumbling down the stairs. "Morning," Trent said with a
smile.
"Hey," she responded. "Been up long?"
"Nah," Trent said. "Bout half an hour. I didn't wake you did I?"
"No, I'm usually up earlier," Lucca said. "Did Crono come by on his run?"
"Yeah," Trent said. "I saw him. We talked for a bit,"
Lucca walked into the kitchen. "Want anything for breakfast?"
"No thanks," Trent said. "Is it ok if I make you something?"
"No it's not," Lucca said. "You're a guest, and you're going to act like one,
damnit!"
"Ok, ok!" Trent said. "I get the point," Lucca came back into the living room
holding a cup of coffee. "So what's on tap for today?"
"I figured I'd work on Gato most of the day," Lucca said. "Unless you have a
better idea,"
"I was going to go exploring in the town," Trent said. "It's been about eight years
since I've been here, and that was only to steal some food,"
"Want me to show you around?" Lucca asked.
"No," Trent said. "I have been enough of an inconvenience. You may work. I will
find my way fine," He got up and walked to the door. "I'll see you around,"
"Bye," Lucca said as he left.
Trent walked through the crowded street. He looked around, then sighed. "This is
the place," he said to himself. "This is the place I saw last night. Now to wait," Finding a
nice shady place, he leaned against a building and shut his eyes. His vision had been of
this place, except there was a massive evil attacking the people. 'Could this be where it
begins?' he thought. 'The darkness will surface here? Perhaps I can stop it before it really
takes off,'
Trent was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice the young girl,
around five years old, standing next to him. "Hey mister," she said. "Are you awake?"
Trent snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at her. "Yeah," he said. "Just
thinking is all,"
"What are you doing here?" the girl asked.
"Waiting," Trent said. "Waiting for my cue,"
"Can I wait with you?" she asked. "Mommy's in the market and she's afraid I'll
get lost if I go with her,"
"Sure, kid," Trent said. "What's your name?"
"Sabbath," she said. "What's yours?"
"Trent," he said. "Do me a favor. When I say, could you run inside this building?
I'll tell your mommy where you are,"
"Ok, mister," Sabbath said.
Trent reached into his pack, pulling out an apple. He took a bite. 'Apple's from
the mountains always taste better,' he thought. Trent looked at his little companion.
"Hungry?" he asked.
"Yes," Trent handed her the apple. "Thanks, mister,"
"Call me Trent," A roar erupted in the street. Everyone began screaming and
running away from it. "Head inside, kid," Trent said. Sabbath walked in, munching
happily on the apple. When she was inside, Trent ran into the middle of the street. 'Time
to go to work,' he thought. Fighting against the crowd, he walked calmly toward the
source of the noise.
Finally, the people diminished and Trent saw what they were running from. A
huge dragon, three times the size of a horse, stood there. "Whoa," Trent said. "Wish I had
been able to tell what it was I would be fighting. Oh well," Drawing his sword, he ran
straight at the beast. With a roar, the dragon spewed fourth a rush of fire. Trent dodged to
the right and continued to advance on it. Finally, with a leap into the air, he brought his
sword down on its head. But instead of cutting it, Trent felt like he had hit a rock. He
clutched his elbow as he fell to the ground. 'Ok,' he thought. 'Skin's too tough. Maybe
his stomach's his weak point,' The dragon tried to stomp on Trent, but he rolled to the
side. He rose and ran once more at the beast. This time, instead of jumping, Trent ran in
between its legs and raised his sword up through the stomach. Trent smiled as he felt the
sword slice into it. The dragon let out a final roar as it fell to the ground. Trent jumped
out just in time to avoid being crushed.
Wiping his sword clean on the ground, Trent examined the animal. "I've never
seen anything like this," he said to himself. "Where'd it come from? I sure hope there's
no more of them,"
"Mister! That was so cool!" Trent turned to see Sabbath running up to him.
"How'd you do that?"
He smiled. "Glad you liked it," he said. "Let's go find your mom so she doesn't
worry," He picked the child up and placed her on his shoulders.
People began to gather around him as he walked away. One particularly important
looking person walked up to him and extended his hand to Trent. "I'm the mayor of
Truce," he said in an exaggerated diplomatic tone. "Allow me to extend my deepest
thanks to you for your actions here today. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see
such fine youth in my town,"
"I'm not from your town," Trent said as he walked past the man, ignoring the
outstretched hand. "I've got to get going, but tell Crono I said hi,"
After a few minuets, Trent and Sabbath were walking through the market.
"There's my mommy!" she yelled.
A woman ran up to them. "Sabbath!" she cried. "I was so scared!" Trent let the
girl down and walked away. "Thank you so much for bringing her to me," the woman
said, but he was already out of sight.
Lucca was down in her workshop trying to fix Gato. Sweat dripped down her
face, but she didn't mind. A tireless workaholic, she had been down there ever since
Trent had left that morning. Her concentration was broken, however, by the sound of a
knock on the front door. When she opened it, she saw Crono standing there. "Hey," he
said.
"Hey," Lucca replied. "What's up?"
"I was wondering, did Trent give you anything the other day?" Crono asked.
"Like a little rectangular disk?"
"Yeah, why?" Lucca asked. She didn't know why, but for some reason she didn't
feel like she should trust him. 'Nonsense,' she thought. 'This it Crono. He's my best
friend,'
"Could I see it?" Crono said.
"Sure. Give me a second," Lucca turned to go back down to her workshop, but
was startled by a sound from behind her. She turned in time to see Crono receive a foot to
the head and go flying. His attacker stood in front of the door. "Trent!" Lucca yelled.
"What are you doing?"
"Don't be fooled by a mere guise, Lucca," he said, not taking his eyes off Crono.
"Be able to feel your allies out. Don't rely only on your eyes,"
"What are you talking about?" Lucca yelled. "What's going on?"
"That's a stirring piece of advice, kid," Crono growled in a voice very different
from his own. "To bad your mother didn't tell you that, isn't it?" He laughed and
disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Trent turned to Lucca. "Are you alright?" he asked.
She nodded. "What the hell just happened? What's wrong with Crono?"
"Nothing," Trent said. "Except for that wasn't Crono,"
"I'm going to need a better explanation than that," Lucca said.
"Ok," Trent sighed. "That was Cloud. He's a wizard, but he doesn't use normal
magic. What he does is cast a spell called 'Illusion', which makes things look different
than they really are. That's why you thought he was Crono,"
"Well, how could you tell it wasn't Crono?" Lucca said.
"I've been around Cloud enough to be able to tell him apart from the ones he
impersonates," Trent said.
"One more question," Lucca said. "What did he mean by that last comment? The
one about your mother?"
Trent sighed. "Remember how I told you that my mom was killed when a thief
tried to rob us?" Lucca nodded. "Well, he was the thief,"
"So he killed her?" Lucca asked. Trent shook his head. "Then--" Trent shot her a
look that told her that this was not an area that she shouldn't ask about.
"Tell me something," Trent said looking off to the south. "What time do you think
it is?"
Lucca looked at her watch (home made of course). "It's almost noon. Why?"
Trent pointed to the horizon. "Then why is the sun setting?"
Lucca strained her eyes. It did look like the sun was going down, but there were
two problems with this. One, that was south and the sun sets in the west. And two, the
sun was above them like it was every afternoon. "What the hell?"
"I think we should go get Crono," Trent said calmly. "This could be bad,

"So why are we sitting here talking?" Crono said. "Porre is being attacked!"
"Calm down, Crono," Trent said. "All in due time. For now, we're going to need
help. Those people that helped you fight Lavos, is there anyway to get to them?"
"Not anymore," Marle said. "The gates are closed and Epoch was dismantled,"
"Umm… actually, that may not be entirely accurate," Lucca said. Everyone
looked at her. "I guess I kinda wanted to keep it around. Just in case. And it's a good
thing I did,"
"Wait," Crono said. "Why should we go and mess with time again? Can't the four
of us do anything?"
"We can," Trent said. "But they're probably going to do one of two things. One,
they're going to lure us away from the castle and then take it. Or two, they're after us.
They'll soon attack the town of Truce if that's what they want, forcing us to split into two
groups. It's simple divide and conquer,"
Everyone's face became grim. "These folks don't fool around, do they?" Crono
said. "Well, lets go girls. We need help,"
"Good," Trent said. "I'll hold down the fort here,"
In the largest woods in the year 605 AD, few people can be found. In fact, there is
only one that is a permanent resident here. He is short, and can often be found in a cave,
hidden by a bush on the surface. His name is Glenn, but everyone calls him Frog because,
well, he's a frog. Put under the spell of the wizard Magus some ten years ago, he has
been like this ever since. Today he is sitting in his home, relaxing from a day of
patrolling the forest. Suddenly, three people climb hurriedly into the cave. "Crono!" Frog
said. "It hath been sometime. What brings thee here to thy humble abode?"
"We got trouble, Frog," Crono said. "Big trouble. Grab your stuff and come on!
I'll explain on the way,"
"Say no more, friend," Frog said as he picked up his sword, the legendary
Masamune, and the four headed out.
In the year 64,999,995 BC, a tribe of primitive people enjoyed the first era of
peace for as long as anyone can remember, although the weather was getting colder and
colder. The leader of this tribe was a young woman named Ayla, a strong fighter who
helped defeat the Reptites. She took a walk on the outside of the village when she saw a
familiar group of people running towards her. "Crono! Lucca! Frog! What you do here?"
"We need help!" Lucca said. "Think you could give us a hand?"
"Ayla help! Ayla still strong!" Ayla said. "Kino lead tribe. We go now,"


In the year 11,995 BC, a shadowed figure walked across the harsh terrain. His
hair billowed in the air, revealing his pale skin and long pointy ears. He had searched the
earth time and again, but it was the only thing he could do. Searching for the one person
that mattered, and he would search until he found her. He was Magus, the most feared
wizard of the 7th century. Through the snow, he caught a glimpse of three figures up
ahead. "Crono," he said calmly. "Let me guess, you need help,"
"Yeah," Crono glared at him. Though Magus had helped them defeat Lavos, he
never forgot the pain he put them through. "Let's go,"
"The weak must always be helped by the strong, I suppose," Magus said.
In the year 2305 AD, life is much different from what it was the last time that
Crono and his friends visited it. Instead of the constant blizzard over the sparsely
populated wastelands, there now stood tall, majestic buildings. Trees and wildlife covered
the land outside the cities, free from pollution. In this world, life is more peaceful than
people could ever imagine, and humans and robots live as equals. In a field stands a lone
robot. He is on cleaning duty. In the distance, he spots a few figures walking to him.
"Crono," Robo said. "What are you doing here?"
"Need some help, big guy," Crono said. "Think you could spare some time?"
"Of course," Robo said. "I would like to see Lucca again,"
"Damn! Damn! Damn!" Trent said as he knocked another dragon's head off.
"Where the hell could they be?" He had been fighting for a good twenty minuets, but
how much longer he could do this he didn't know. He knew that Truce had been attacked,
but Porre was where the help was needed more. "Come on, guys," he said. "To much
longer, and I'll be screwed,"
"Hey Trent!" a voice came from behind. He turned to see everyone standing
behind him, weapons drawn. "Need a hand?" Lucca said.
"Hell yeah!" Trent said. "Crono, take half the folks and go to Truce. They've
been attacked. The rest of you stay here and help me,"
"Ayla think you give many orders for one Ayla know so short time," Ayla said.
"But Ayla want fight, and good fight here," She ran into a large group of monsters,
throwing all of them in every direction.
The rest of them ran in different directions. Crono, Marle, Magus, and Robo all
heading north, while the rest stayed with Trent. Lucca and Frog kept casting level 2
magic on groups of monsters, while Ayla and Trent did the hand to hand fighting. Most
of the monsters were dragons, like the one Trent had fought in Truce, but some were
monkey type animals with huge wings. Ayla took care of these by pulling huge rocks out
of the ground and throwing them at the monkeys.
Trent looked around. The arrival of the others had turned the tide of the battle for
a while, but now the monsters once again had the upper hand. 'I've got to do something,'
Trent thought. 'If things keep going this way, there's no way we'll survive,' He noticed
how much the monsters seemed to focus on him. This gave him an idea. "Lucca, could
you use one of those bombs on these things?"
"Well yeah," Lucca said. "But not if we are all in the middle of them,"
"Don't worry about that," Trent said. "Just get one ready," After getting a good
running start, he leapt off a dragon's head and cleared a good twenty feet before he came
down. Almost all of the monsters followed him. He ran for a few seconds until he felt
that he had a good enough distance between the others and himself. "Now Lucca!" he
yelled. With that, he dove headfirst into the group of monsters. At least twenty dragons
fell before he was overwhelmed. Their claws dug deep into his arms and chest.
Suddenly, Trent felt a wet, sticky tongue grab his back and yank him back to the
others. Lucca threw a Napalm into the center of the group of monsters, destroying most
of them. Ayla and Frog finished the rest of them off with hand to hand fighting. Lucca
stayed near Trent, who could barely stand. "Here," she said as she handed him a full
tonic. "This'll help,"
Trent drank it and felt his strength return to him. "Thanks," he said. "Is that the
last of them?"
"'Tis," Frog said when he came back. "And might I say, that was indeed a brave
thing thou did. Foolish, but brave nonetheless,"
"Thanks," Trent smiled. "I think. Come on, we got to see if Crono and the others
are ok,"
"Crono no need help," Ayla said. "Crono strong. All strong,"
"Well, I'd feel better if we check," Trent turned and sprinted over the bridge to
the north.
"Though nigh to death, the boy can't wait to return to the battle," Frog said to
himself. "He would make a fine knight,"
Crono looked over the town of Truce. Some buildings were in ruin, but for the
most part they had arrived in time to save it. "These monsters were tough," he said to
himself. "A lot tougher than I expected," He sighed. "At least everyone is okay. I sure
hope they're doing ok in Porre,"
As if in answer to his question, Trent came bounding up the path to the town.
"Hey," he said. "How goes the good fight?"
"Done, for now," Crono said. "How's Porre?"
"A little better than Truce," Trent said.
"Where's everyone else?" Crono asked. "Are they ok?"
"They're fine," Trent said. "I'm a little faster than them,"
"Oh my god!" Marle said when she arrived. "What happened to you?"
Trent looked at himself. He hadn't noticed how much blood he had lost in the
battle. "I'm fine," he said. "Lucca gave me a full tonic. Is everyone ok here?"
"Yeah," Crono said. "Looks like you were right about the divide and conquer.
How'd you know what they were going to do?"
"I just thought of what I would do in that situation," Trent said. "Here come the
others. We need to talk,"
When everyone gathered together, Trent spoke up. "Guys, as much as I wish it
was, I don't think that we've seen the full strength of our enemy,"
"Who might that be?" Magus asked. "You seem to have a lot of answers for
someone we barely know,"
"I don't know who what we're up against, but I plan on finding out soon," Trent
said. "Lucca, you told me about the old man at the end of time. Do you think he'll know
what's going on?"
"Maybe," Lucca said. "I think you should go there,"
"I'd rather someone else go," Trent said. "I may be needed here,"
"But if you go, you can ask Speikko to give you magic," Lucca said. "Come on,
we can take Epoch,"
"Ok," Trent said. "We'll be right back,"
Lucca and Trent boarded the Epoch and quickly set out for the end of time. "Hello
Lucca," the old man said. "Long time no see,"
"Hey Gasper," Lucca said. "Sorry for disturbing you, but we've got a little
problem,"
"Yes, I know," he said. "It's already happened," He smiled. "Who's your friend?"
"I'm Trent," he said. "I'm kinda new here,"
"I see," Gasper said. "Well, head inside the door up there, and you'll get what you
came for,"
"Thanks," Trent said. He and Lucca went inside.
"Well, well, well," voice said as they entered the room. "I am Speikko, God of
War!" The figure of a huge monster formed in front of them. "Lucca, it's been what?
Five years?"
"I wish I could stay and chat, but we just need you to give this guy magic so that
he can help us," Lucca said.
"Ok," Spekkio said. "No one ever comes just to say hello, do they? Walk around
the room clockwise three times, kid,"
"Is that really necessary?" Trent said.
"Well, no," Spekkio said. "But it does entertain me,"
"Ok then," Trent smiled. "As long as it has a point,"
He walked around the room and then stood before Spekkio. "Hmmm…" The God
of War said. "It seems that you have a very peculiar aura about you. One that I've never
seen before. I think I'll call it 'White' magic. Ready? Ipso Facto Meanie Moe Magico,"
A bright light surrounded Trent. When it faded, he stood there, just as before.
"Are you sure it worked?" Trent said.
"You doubt the god of war?" Spekkio said. "Of course it worked! Care to try it
out?"
"No thanks," Lucca said, pulling Trent by the arm. "We really need to get going,"
"Come back to see me when you get the time," Spekkio said. "I'd love to study
this new magic you have,"
"Sure thing," Trent said.
They walked out the door and got ready to bored the Epoch when the old man
said, "Hey,"
"What?" Lucca said.
"I'd like to talk to your friend here before you go," the old man said. "Give us a
minuet,"
The two walked aside. "Well, what is it?" Trent said.
"I just thought you might want to know that I looked it to it while you were in
there with Spekkio, and there is no record of you before or after this little skirmish in
1000 AD," the old man said. "Care to explain?"
"Well," Trent said. "I was raised in the mountains, so no one really knew me
anyway. As for after, your guess is as good as mine,"
"I think it means that you will not survive this fight," the old man said. "I just
thought I'd give you fair warning,"
Trent thought of this for a second. "Well thanks," he said. "But I've got to get
back. The others may need me,"
"You would be willing to die for these people you barely know?" the old man
said.
"If need be," Trent said. "Doesn't sound like I have much of a choice. Besides, no
one will miss me. Crono and the others are the only people I've met in years,"
"As you wish," the old man said. "I see you will not be deterred,"
"See ya," Trent said as he and Lucca boarded the Epoch and took off back to their
own time.
"Glad to see you again, sir," Robo said when Trent and Lucca arrived in 1000
AD. "And you Lucca,"
"Hello, Robo," Lucca said. "Where is everyone else?"
"They all went to the castle for the night," the robot said. "I remained here to
inform you of their location,"
"Ok," Trent said. "Let's join them,"
The three began the short trek to the castle. "Trent, what did the old man want
with you?" Lucca asked.
"He told me that I would die if I continued to fight here," Trent said calmly.
"What?" Lucca exclaimed.
"Yeah," he replied. "The old guy told me that as far as history goes, I never
existed before or after this started. The before I get, but the after means I died and no one
cared to tell anyone,"
"How can you be so calm about this?" Lucca said. "If someone told me I was
going to die soon, I'd flip,"
"It doesn't matter if I die," Trent said. "No one would cry. I've only known one
person before yesterday, and she's dead,"
"I would!" Lucca said. "I can't believe that you would think that! You're my
friend, and I won't let you die,"
Trent gave her a gentle smile. "Don't worry," he said as he put his arm around
her. "It's not my time yet. I won't go without a fight," He paused. "Don't tell the others
about it though,"
"Why not?" Lucca asked.
"Cause I can tell most of them don't trust me," Trent said. "I just need them to
think that I'm in this thing all the way,"
"Ok," Lucca said. "Did you hear that Robo? Don't tell anyone,"
"Affirmative," Robo said without turning to them.
Crono and the others stood before the king in the throne room. Crono stood in
front. He had just gotten done explaining what he knew about the situation to him. "I
want you to know that every last one of my troops are at you disposal, Crono," King
Guardia said. "I know that you can do it,"
"Thank you sir," Crono said. He never really got used to the king being his father-
in-law. He still tried to act as dignified as possible around him.
"That may be helpful," Trent said as he barged into the room with Lucca and
Robo. "I think I've got a plan,"
"Who are you?" the king growled. "Guards!"
"It's ok, daddy," Marle said. "He helped us before,"
"Well then," King Guardia said. "Introduce yourself before you address me
again,"
"My name is Trent," he said. "I'm here to help,"
"And how might you do that?" Magus said. "We've known you all of a day and
you start ordering us around,"
"'Tis true," Frog said. "As much as I hate to agree with the likes of thee,"
"Do we really have time for this?" Trent said.
"Give me one reason I have for trusting you," Magus said.
"Give me one for not," Trent said.
Lucca jumped between the two. "Guys," she said. "Calm down. We're going to
need everyone to get through this,"
"Trent," Crono said. "Tell us your plan,"
"Here it is," Trent said, turning away from Magus. "It's clear that who ever did
this was after us. Otherwise they would have attacked the castle when we were all at
Porre. Instead they went after Truce. Chances are, they want Crono more than anyone,"
"Why is that?" Marle asked.
"Cause he's the leader," Trent said. "You lose your leader, all hell breaks loose.
So this is what I want to do. Send out word that Crono and one or two others were killed
in the battle. Then the eight of us go into hiding and wait for them to attack again,"
"How do you know that they will?" Crono said.
"Because, they will think that they have us on the run and will want to wipe us out
before we can regroup," Trent said.
"Makes sense," Magus said. "If it was me, that's exactly what I'd do,"
"How doth thou know so much about the ways of evil?" Frog said.
"Just try to think of what would be the best way to crush someone," Trent said.
"The biggest problem is, we don't know who we're fighting. But that'll have to wait.
Hey, your highness," he said turning to the king. "How fast can that army of yours get to
Porre?"
"It is a day's march, but it will take sometime for them to get assembled," King
Guardia said. "Why?"
"Damn," Trent said. "To long. The town would be reduced to nothing by that
time,"
"What do you suggest then?" Crono said. He was the only one, besides Lucca,
that really trusted this newcomer.
"I don't know," Trent said.
"Oh so he doesn't have all the answers," Magus said.
"I haven't heard any from you," Lucca said.
"Give me until morning," Trent said. "I'll figure it out. For now, I suggest we get
some rest. Tomorrow may prove worse than today,"
"I agree," Marle said. "I'll show you to your rooms,"
"Wait," Magus said. "Someone should share a room with the new guy,"
"My name's Trent. Feel free to use it in place of 'new guy'," he said. "What are
you afraid of? From what I hear you weren't exactly a good guy before,"
"I have proven myself," Magus said. "I have yet to see you fight,"
"Yeah?" Trent said. "Well if you were in Porre you could have seen me. You
might have even learned a thing or two,"
"Guys," Lucca said. "I really don't see why we should fight like this. I'll stay with
Trent if it'll make everyone feel better,"
"As you wish," Magus said. "But watch him close,"
"What the hell was that all about?" Trent said when he and Lucca were alone.
"Do I have to take on a whole army for that guy to get off my case?"
"You already did. Remember?" Lucca said. "It didn't help. I wouldn't let it get to
you, though. Magus is… well, Magus. No other way to describe him,"
"The others don't trust me either," Trent said. "Marle's thinks I'm the cause of all
this. Ayla doesn't like to be bossed around. Frog wants to trust me, but he thinks I'm bad
news," He sighed. "The only ones that doesn't think I'm going to turn on them are Crono
and Robo,"
"What about me!" Lucca said. "I trust you,"
"I know," Trent said with a smile. "But you're my friend. I guess I kinda take you
for granted,"
"Well, don't let it happen again," Lucca said. "I'm going to bed. See you in the
morning,"
"Ok," Trent said. "Remember that if I look like I'm out of it, I probably am,"
"Sure thing," Lucca said as she put out the light. "Night,"
Trent waited until he knew that she was asleep, then he walked up to the window
and opened it. He climbed out, but then turned and said, "Good night. Hope I'm still
around when you awake," Then he looked down. 'Great,' Trent thought. 'I'm like four
stories up. I've got to be alone for a bit. Well, it's closer to the roof. So looks like I'm
climbing for a while,' He jumped up off the windowsill, and reached up till he caught a
loose stone in the wall. Trent found another loose stone and started the long climb up.
Soon he approached a window. Inside he could see that a light was on, and heard
two people talking. "I don't want you to go!" It was Marle. "I won't lose you,"
"Listen, I nothing's going happen to me," This was Crono. "I promise,"
"That's what you said last time," Marle said.
"I've got more help than last time," Crono said.
"Who? Trent? I don't think we should trust him," Marle said. Trent felt himself
grow angry. "He knows way to much about them to not know more than he's telling us,"
'I've heard enough of this,' Trent thought. He climbed around the window and
continued to make his way up the wall. Finally he reached the top. "Now to get down to
business," he said. "Let's see what this magic can do," He made a fist and concentrated.
Before long his hand began to shine with a white glow. He pointed at a nearby chimney.
A blast shot out and the chimney exploded. "Whoa," Trent said. "This stuff might come
in handy,"
"How very impressive," a voice came from behind him. Trent turned to come face
to face with his one enemy, Cloud. He was not in any facade, but his true form. He was
short, only three feet tall. His deep sunken eyes gave his bald head a sickly look. His blue
skin was mostly covered with a robe. On the front, it had a strange symbol, a star that had
each point colored differently. "It seems that you've learned a trick or two, kid,"
Trent stared at him. "What do you want?"
"I want to make you a proposition," the wizard said. "You see, I've got this
problem. You have something I need. It's a small black cassette. It is vital to my plans.
You give it to me, and I'll tell you something you want to know,"
"What could I possibly want from you?" Trent growled. He had hated this man
since he was a small child.
"Tell me," Cloud said with a smile. "What do you know about yourself?"
"What the hell kind of question is that?" Trent said.
"Just tell me," Cloud said.
"My name is Trent, and I was born in the mountains. And now, I will kill you!"
With that, he lunged at Cloud and drew his sword.
Cloud laughed as he flew over him and hovered behind him. "Wow," he said.
"You really know nothing. First of all, you will never kill me. Second, you're name's not
Trent. And finally, you were born in a city known as New York, not your precious little
mountain,"
"What are you talking about?" Trent yelled. "Tell me!"
"Sorry, but that's all you get for now. Give me what I want and you'll know all
there is to know," Cloud said as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Come back here!" Trent yelled, but he knew it would do no good. Cloud always
disappeared like that. He sat down away from the edge of the roof. He felt another trance
coming on, and he didn't want to fall off. He felt the normal dizziness overwhelming
him, then he saw nothing.
His vision soon returned, but it was not his eyes that were working. It was his
mind that he now saw with. He saw a city. Not a town like Truce or Porre, but a true city,
who's buildings towered far above the ground. "Where am I?" Trent said. Up ahead, he
saw a woman's figure standing with her back turned to him. He knew he recognized her,
but it seemed that she was from a past life. A time lost to him. As she turned, Trent
realized where he knew her. "Mom!" he cried. "Wha—How?"
She shot him a look and then said, "Who are you?"
"What do you mean?" Trent said. "I'm your son!"
"My son is just a child," she said. "Get away from me!" The vision began to fade,
and then an object filled all of Trent's sight. It was the small rectangular thing that he had
found in his mother's possessions when she died.
Suddenly, the trance ended, and Trent awoke to find himself still on the rooftop.
He was slightly shaken by the vision he had, but he had grown used to them over time.
"I'd better get back," he said. "I don't want them to think that I ran off in the middle of
the night,"
After a short climb down, Trent reached the window that he and Lucca had been
sharing. But as he neared it, he noticed that the light was on. 'Great,' he thought. 'Now I
got to explain what I was doing on the roof in the middle of the night,'
As he entered the window, he saw that Lucca, Magus, Robo, and Frog were all in
there, waiting for him to return. "Hi guys," he said calmly. "What's up?"
"Care to explain this little endeavor?" Magus said.
"Actually, I'd rather not," Trent said. "I'd kinda like to go to sleep,"
"I am sorry, lad," Frog said. "But an explanation shall be required to satisfy mine
suspicions,"
"I went to the roof," Trent said. "The fresh air helps me think,"
"And what was all that noise up there?" Magus said.
"I was testing out my new magic," Trent said. "I don't want to be in a battle and
not know how it works,"
"And the voices we hath heard?" Frog said.
"I talk to myself," Trent lied. He didn't want anyone to know what had really
happened up there.
"Come on guys," Lucca said. "If he was helping our enemy, do you think he'd
have come back? I mean, he has enough information to do some serious damage,"
"Very well," Magus said. "But be warned boy, I will watch you. And Lucca, be
careful. There is a great secret he hides. I feel it in him," With that, he and the others filed
out the room.
"Thanks for sticking up for me, Lucca," Trent said.
"Don't thank me," Lucca said sternly. "Explain. Now. I heard two voices up
there, yours and one I didn't know,"
Trent sighed. "I guess I can trust you. The other voice was Cloud,"
"You mean that wizard that poised as Crono?" Lucca asked. "What did he want?"
"He wanted that thing I gave you," Trent said. "I don't know why. He said he'd
answer all my questions if I handed it over,"
"What questions?" Lucca said.
"I don't know," Trent said. "I don't care. I know who I am, and that's enough. If
he wants something, it can't be any good. Next time I see him, I'll make him pay,"
"Pay for what?" Lucca said. "I'm confused,"
"Don't worry about it," Trent said. "We should get some sleep,"
"You know, the others might trust you more if you weren't so mysterious," Lucca
said.
"It won't matter tomorrow," Trent said. "Go to sleep,"
"What are you talking about?" Lucca asked. He just ignored her. Realizing that
she would get no more information from him tonight, Lucca lay down and tried to fall
asleep. It took some time, but eventually she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
Lucca awoke late, feeling the mid-morning sun on her face. She sat up and saw
Trent standing in the corner with his head leaned forward. "Morning," she mumbled.
"What are you doing?"
"Thinking," Trent said, looking at her.
Lucca looked at him. After last night, she knew that he wasn't going say much
more. He was troubled by something, but she didn't know what. Then she noticed that his
shirt was no longer stained red with the blood of yesterday's battle. "Did you wash your
clothes or something?"
"They're new," Trent said. "Marle had them made for me. Yours are over there,"
He said pointing to the corner.
"So those are all new clothes?" Lucca said. "They look just like your old ones,"
"Yeah, everything except the head band," Trent said.
"Didn't she make you one of those?" Lucca asked.
"Yeah," Trent said. "But this one is special. It's made of the dress my mom wore
when she was killed,"
"What?" Lucca asked. "Why on earth would you keep that around?"
"I have my reasons," Trent said ominously. "Hurry up and get dressed.
Everyone's meeting soon," He left the room.
"He can be really annoying sometimes," Lucca said as she dressed. "He seems so
distant. I guess that is to be expected, though. He lived alone for so long, it's amazing
that he communicates as well as he does,"
Lucca went downstairs to the throne room, only to find that everyone else was
already assembled there. "So what's up for today?" she asked.
"Trent hath told us to meet here," Frog said. "I know not what he plans,"
"I doubt that it will be for the good of us," Magus said. "Where is the boy?"
"I don't know," Lucca said. Trent walked into the room. "Trent. What's up?"
"Nothing," he said. "Is everyone here?"
"Yeah," Crono said. "What's your plan?"
"I have discovered who our enemy is," Trent said. "He is a wizard named Cloud.
He is not particularly powerful as far as magic goes, but he is very cunning. He can cast a
spell known as 'Illusion', which will make himself and others appear different. Do not
trust what your eyes perceive. If you are wise enough, you will be able to see through his
disguises,"
"How do you know all this?" Crono asked.
"I have my ways," Trent said.
"What should we do?" Lucca said.
"You? Nothing," Trent said. "I thought that Cloud would want Crono, but I see
now that I was wrong. I am his target. I will find him and defeat him, alone. Goodbye,"
With that, he turned and walked out of the room.
The others stood in shock for a while. Finally, Lucca snapped out of it. "What?"
she said, running up to him. He stopped in the doorway, but did not face her. "You mean
you're just going to leave us? Just like that?"
"I will not put you and your friends at risk," Trent said. "I am going to do this
myself,"
"What about you?" Lucca said. "What makes you think that you can beat him
alone?"
Robo joined the two at the doorway. "Lucca is right. The odds of you surviving
are impossibly slim,"
"Oh well," Trent said. "I'll figure it out. I do need one thing from you, Lucca.
That thing I gave you. Can I have it back? I don't want him attacking you for it,"
"Sure," Lucca said as she dug around in her pocket for it. "Here it is. What do you
suppose he wants it for?"
"I don't know. No way to tell without knowing what it is," Trent said.
"That is a audio cassette," Robo said. "I was commonly used in the late 1900's to
store sound, such as music and information,"
"How do you know?" Trent said, finally turning to them.
"I have had various data on past machinery uploaded into my memory," Robo
answered. "If you will give me an hour or two, I will make you a device that will play
you the information stored on this cassette,"
Trent thought for a second. "Ok. Lucca, you've got the tools in your workshop,
don't you?"
"I'm sure I do," Lucca said. "Come on, let's go!"
"There. Done," Robo said as he made some final adjustments with a screwdriver.
"Hurry, play the tape," Trent said.
"Be polite," Lucca scolded. "You've waited an hour. You can stand to wait
another five seconds. Here goes,"
She pushed the button. A voice cracked through the speakers. "Hello, Trent," It
said. "I guess you've figured out what this thing is, so lets make this short. I'm your
father. I know you never knew me, but I have a good reason for that. You see, you're not
from where you think you are. In fact, you're not even from WHEN you think you are.
You were born in 1985 in New York City. Don't bother looking at a map. It hasn't been
discovered yet. One day, about two years after you were born, I found this portal that led
to the year 979. Your mother and I were always the adventurous type, so we decided to
pass through it. Unfortunately, I became very ill. We tried to go back to our own time,
but the gate had been sealed somehow. Now, in my final days, I am recording the truth
about your past to you. And if you ever feel the urge to go back to your own time, the
gate is located approximately 200 yards to the east of the house, at the bottom of a deep
valley. If you go, find a man named 'Rocko Wolf'. Goodbye, son,"
Trent stood silent. "This is crazy," he murmured to himself.
"What are you going to do?" Lucca said.
"I'm going to go find Cloud," Trent said. "We've got a little score to settle,"
"Ok," Lucca said. "Let's go!"
"I said 'I'm going'," Trent said sternly. "You're going to stay in the castle where
it's safe,"
"Why can't I go?" Lucca demanded. "I want to help you,"
"I will not put you in danger anymore," Trent said. "I'll be back. I promise,"
Lucca looked at him. She saw that she could not change his mind. "Ok," she said.
"Where are you going?"
"There's an old castle over by Choras," Trent said. "Cloud's been know to hang
out there. I'll try there first," He got out and started to walk out. "Promise me you won't
follow,"
"What makes you think I would?" Lucca said.
Trent smiled. "You were going to, weren't you?"
"Maybe," Lucca said. "I just don't know why you refuse to let me help you.
We're friends remember?"
"I know," Trent said as he walked out the door.

Lucca ducked down in the bushes outside the clearing. 'He couldn't pick a place
with some nice live underbrush to camp, could he?' she thought. 'I feel like I'll make to
much noise if I move at all. It would also be nice if I knew where we were. I know we
started south a few days ago, but I have no idea how far we've come,' She contemplated
the last few days. She had left only a few minuets after Trent, hoping he wouldn't get too
much of a head start. She knew that she promised not to follow him, but she couldn't bear
to let him go and face this guy alone. Promise or no, she would help him.
Suddenly, the smell of roasting meat rose into the air. Lucca's stomach growled
so loud, she knew Trent had to have heard it. All she had eaten were the dried fruit she
had grabbed before she left, and she was becoming tired of those very fast. Lucca turned
to look at Trent. 'That's odd,' she thought. 'Why is he making so much? There's more
than enough for two people there,' He started to turn, but Lucca quickly ducked behind
the bush to avoid being seen. 'That was too close,' she thought. She felt sleepiness sweep
over her. Trent had been moving so fast for so long that Lucca was starting to wonder
how long she could keep up with him. He began moving shortly after dawn, and only
stopped once or twice during to day.
For some reason, Trent began to laugh. 'What is so funny?" Lucca thought. It
wasn't an all out laugh, but it still surprised her.
"You know Lucca," Trent said. "If you're hungry, you can come and eat. No
point in hiding in the bushes if I know you're there,"
Lucca was caught off guard by this. "How?" she said, stepping forward. "How did
you know?"
"Well, first of all," Trent said. "You're not a stealthy as you think. I've known
you were following me since I left. Second, you talk in your sleep,"
"I do what?" Lucca said. "What kind of things do I say?"
"Mostly you just moan. Sometimes you say things like, 'I'm sorry. I shouldn't
have let you go,' or stuff like that,"
"Huh. That's interesting," Lucca said.
"Well, eat up!" Trent said as he handed her a part of the meat he cooked. "You
must be hungry. I know you haven't hunted or cooked since we started,"
Lucca quickly dug into the meat. She didn't know what it was, and she really
didn't care. It was food, and it wasn't dried. "If you knew I was following you, why
didn't you stop me?" she asked when she was done.
"Well, I wanted to see if you could keep up with me," Trent said. "And I figured
you'd turn back after a while. Now it's pretty obvious you won't. You've followed me all
the way to Porre so I guess you'll probably want to come with me to Choras,"
"Trent, I don't want you to do this alone," Lucca said. "I know I can help you if
you'll just give me a chance,"
"Well," Trent said. "I guess you can come. I could use the company. I've kinda
been missing having someone to talk to. Get some rest. We'll head into town early to get
some supplies,"
"I don't have anything to sleep on," Lucca said. "I kinda left in a hurry,"
"Neither do I," Trent said with a smile. "Make do for tonight. I'll find something
in town that should help,"
Lucca nodded as she lay down. A great weariness swept over her and she drifted
off to sleep. As she closed her eyes, she saw Trent standing over the fire. He was
humming softly, a song she never heard, but it sounded strangely calming.
Trent sat up for several hours after Lucca fell asleep. 'I should send her home,' he
thought. 'She's in to much danger if she follows me,'
'But I need her nearby,' another part of him thought. He had often had
conversations with himself, simply out of a lack of others to talk to. This is what had kept
him sane over the years following his mother's death. 'I can't go on if she's behind. I'll
be to distracted,'
'Why will I be distracted though? Why would I think of her while she's away?
I've only known her for a short time,' he thought. 'Damnit! Why did I have to come to
help them? They don't need me, and they sure don't want me. Why don't I just go home
and live my life alone?'
'Because it's not the right thing to do,' his other half thought. 'I was not raised to
let others suffer, even if they don't want me around,'
'I know,' he thought. 'But it's so hard,'
'Get over it!' his other half almost yelled. 'If I don't do it, no one else will. And if
I don't, something may happen to Lucca,'
'No!' Trent thought. 'I will fight on! Even if it means death, I will keep her and
the others safe,' Satisfied at his new resolve, Trent's conversation with his thoughts
ended and he lay down to sleep.
"Crono!" Marle yelled. "I told you he was no good! Now he's run off, and
Lucca's gone after him!"
"Marle, I don't think he's run off," Crono said. "I know it looks bad, but he
doesn't seem like the type to abandon a fight. I'm sure he'll show up again,"
"Yes," Magus said. "Although I'm not sure what side he will be on,"
"Ayla no like new guy," the cavewoman said. "He give many orders. Ayla not
like being bossed!"
"I know he hath some great secret he hides," Frog said. "But my instincts say he
poseith no danger,"
"Robo," Crono said. "Did they say where they were going?"
"Trent said something about finding Cloud in the ruins north of Choras," the robot
replied. "They did not leave together. First Trent left, then Lucca followed him,"
"Well, if they want to get to Cloud, they'll have to get to Choras," Marle said.
"The only way to get there is to take the ferry in Porre,"
"Something tells me he'll go through the woods to avoid being seen," Crono said.
"That'll slow him down a lot. He may not arrive in Porre for a few days. So we've still
got time to get to Choras before them,"
"What are you talking about?" Frog said.
"I mean that this guy knows more about Cloud than we do," Crono said. "If we're
going to beat him, we'll need Trent,"
"Why can't we just attack Cloud ourselves?" Magus said. "We don't need that
weakling,"
"Magus," Crono said. "You remember what happened when you attacked Lavos
by yourself? You were no match for him. But when we stood together, nothing could stop
us,"
Magus snickered. "Poetic, yet unmoving,"
"Crono," Frog said. "We cannot all follow Trent,"
"Yeah," Marle said. "Some of us have to stay and protect the castle,"
"Right," Crono sighed. "I'll go after them with Epoch. I should be able to reach
Choras before them. Everyone else stay here in case of another attack," He started to
walk out the room.
"Crono!" Marle said chasing after him. "I'm not letting you go alone. I'm coming
too,"
Frog shook his head. "Thou hath placed much trust in a stranger," he said. "May it
not prove ill,"
Lucca's eyes opened as she felt the sun beat on her. She tried to get up, but her
back hurt. "This roughing it stuff isn't working," she grumbled as she pulled the stick she
had slept on out from under her. "If I don't get some coffee soon, I think I'm gonna die,"
"Good morning," Trent said cheerfully. "Sleep good?"
"Humph," Lucca grunted. "What time?"
"Not a morning person, eh?" Trent laughed. "I don't know what time it is. About
a half-hour past sunrise, I suppose. Come on. Get up,"
"Let me guess," Lucca said. "You want to go to town now,"
"Of course," Trent said. "If we don't, we'll arrive in Choras at dark. I'd rather be
there during the day to catch Cloud off guard,"
"Ok," Lucca said. "I'll get a cup of coffee at the inn,"
Lucca sat at the bar, sipping her coffee contently while Trent sat next to her
impatiently. He had agreed to wait for her to finish, but only if she would hurry. Seeing
that she wasn't going to rush, he became restless.
Suddenly, he felt a tug at his shirt. He looked down to see Sabbath, the little girl
he had met in Truce, standing there, smiling. "Hey mister!" she said. "I remember you.
You're the guy who sleeps standing up and fights dragons,"
"Sabbath!" Trent laughed. "What are you doing here?"
"Me and mommy live in Porre, but we go to Truce to visit my uncle," Sabbath
said. "Mommy's scared to go back after the last time,"
"Well, you tell mommy that no one's going to hurt you," Trent said. "I'll make
sure of it,"
"Trent, is it true?" Sabbath said. "Is it true what mommy says?"
"What does she say?"
"She told me that you an angel. She said that you were sent here to protect us. Is
that true?"
"Tell mommy that I'm just an ordinary kid," Trent said. "But if you're ever in
trouble, I'll be there in half a second. Now run along. I've got to take care of some
things,"
"Ok," the little girl said. "Bye mister,"
"Bye," Trent turned to look at Lucca, who was giving him a little smile. "What?"
he said.
"Care to explain that?" Lucca said. Trent told her what had happened in Truce the
other day. "Why didn't you tell anyone what happened?" She said when he was done.
"I didn't see why I should," Trent said. "I saw that place being attacked in a
vision, so I went to help. When it was done, I left,"
"I see," Lucca said. "Those visions really tell you the future, huh?"
"Or they make me relive the past," Trent said.
Lucca paused. She had a pretty good idea as to what he meant, but decided to not
bring it up. "Well, I'm done with my coffee," she said. "So lets head over to the market,"
"Lucca," Trent said outside the market. "Why don't you go ahead and handle the
supplies. I don't have any money. You know what we need, right?"
Lucca nodded. "Food, blankets, and some tonics. Anything else?"
"No," Trent said. "That'll be fine. I'll wait for you out here," Lucca walked
inside. Trent leaned up against the side of the building and watched the people walk by.
They all ignored him. Trent had always been able to fade into the background when he
wanted to, causing most people to overlook him. He began to think about the next few
days. He wanted to arrive in Choras before dark, giving them time to scope out the area
before dark. He had never been there before, but he knew enough about Cloud to know
that he frequented the town.
Trent was startled out of his thought when he felt someone nudge him. He looked
up to see Lucca standing there. "Done?" he said.
"Yeah," Lucca said. "This should be enough to last us for a while. What were you
thinking about?"
"Just what we're going to do when we reach Choras," he said.
"And what might that be?" Lucca asked.
"Go find Cloud, find out what he's doing, and then stop him," Trent said.
"Sounds easy enough," Lucca said. "Let's go. The ferry leaves soon,"
Trent sighed. The sun sparkled on the water, and a school of fish could be seen
just below the water. He had never been on a boat before, but he wasn't taking the time to
enjoy it now. He was too preoccupied with what they would find at the other end of the
ocean. Leaning on the rail at the edge of the ferry, his thoughts swirling around in his
head, he felt himself slip into another trance. His vision faded, and was soon replaced
with the sight of himself lying in a bed, screaming in pain. Next to him, His left arm and
chest was bloody and heavily bandaged. Suddenly, he stopped screaming, and slipped
quietly into a sleep.