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. 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. "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. 'Apples 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 her.
"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,"
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.
"Your eyes can be tricked to easily. Be able to feel your allies out,"
"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. "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 north 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,"
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. 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. "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. 'Apples 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 her.
"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,"
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.
"Your eyes can be tricked to easily. Be able to feel your allies out,"
"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. "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 north 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,"