Chapter 6

Battle of Light and Dark

Serge…please help…me

In front of him, Serge could see her body, slowly being transformed. She was screaming, but no sound echoed in his ears, only in his head.

Serge…

Please help me…

Serge reached a blurry hand to touch her, but her figure became distorted and his hand grasped air.

Serge…

Help me…

Serge awoke with a start. Darkness surrounded him and he remembered where he was. He and Schala had traveled south earlier in the day and had stopped in a small clearing they found in the forest north of Arni. Schala had told Serge that they should head to Opassa Beach. She couldn't explain the reason, but she felt that something important was about to happen.

After she had explained all she knew of what was happening, Schala had went strangely quiet. They walked in silence, Serge's head full of thoughts of Kid and what was going on. He didn't know what Schala was thinking, but he figured it had something to do with how to resolve what was going on.

Beside Serge, Schala's sleeping figure was silent, her body seeming to be at peace.

Serge climbed to his feet, trying to collect his thoughts. Shadows of the trees given off by the moonlight were cast upon the ground as he began to walk through the forest. His mind still reeled from the information Schala had told him. Serge was having a hard time getting his mind off of the image of Kid and the Frozen Flame binding into one another.

His footsteps fell softly upon the ground and soon the trees around him began to thin and he cleared the edge of the forest without his knowing about it. His eyes were on the ground, but he wasn't paying attention to where he was going.

Soon his steps rang down upon sand and he began to hear the sound of waves in his ears. Serge came out of his trance to look around for a moment. He found himself standing at Opassa Beach. This fated place, where his adventure had all started. Serge somehow felt that he was meant to be here, but he didn't know why.

All at once he realized that he wasn't alone. The soft rumbling of the waves was the only thing that could be heard when a dark figure emerged from behind a nearby plant.

Serge's hand tightened on his swallow, which he had brought along on his walk. The figure's hand tightened on his weapon, a sword glowing with purple and black energy.

Lynx stepped into the moonlight, his cat hairs and dark cape blowing gently in the soft wind from the sea.

"Opassa Beach," Lynx began. "This is where your adventure began Serge. Years ago, you were attacked on this beach and later almost drowned here. It holds a special meaning to you. Your first contact with the Schala-clone was near here."

Lynx took a step forward. Serge stood unmoving, his weapon held ready. He was confused at Lynx's appearance but somehow felt relieved by it. Serge couldn't explain what he was feeling, but he felt as though time stood still.

"The winds of fate are stirring, Serge. You are the cause of the trouble, you and your kind. The human race has been a plague upon the planet, an alien intruder that has developed too fast. It is now time to rid the planet of this cursed plague forever!" Lynx's head suddenly wavered for a second and his grip on the Masamune loosened.

"FATE shall be restored!" he wailed. "The arbiter will be destroyed! FATE will be reborn."

Lynx's body convulsed and he fell to one knee. His hand attached itself to the Masamune once more and this time did not let go. Half his body seemed limp, while the other half stood rigid and proud.

"Come Serge!" he cried. "Feel the revenge of millions years of suffering!"

Serge didn't know what was going on it. It seemed like Lynx had been battling within himself about something. But the moment was past and Lynx now regarded him with deadly eyes.

Quick as lightning, even as the waves washed up onto the shore, Lynx attacked. Sparks flew as swallow met Masamune. Lynx attacked with a surprising fury and Serge defended himself against the rain of blows that sought to destroy him.

The Masamune sliced the air, its radiant energy glowing with rage. Serge's swallow defended each attack, the weapons recoiling with each hit.

The demihuman stopped his attack for a moment and stepped back. The two figures regarded each other closely for a moment. "Serge," Lynx began. "The planet…" he trailed for a second and his eyes wandered again. "FATE…" he shook his head, confused. "Come, Chrono Trigger! Your destiny awaits you!"

Lynx lunged once more at Serge, who was ready, a sudden energy swirling within him. The Masamune arced through the air and was deflected by Serge's swallow. Serge made his move, seeing an opening. He ducked inside and made his first offensive attack on Lynx, who wasn't prepared to defend the blow.

Serge's swallow flashed through the air and tore through fabric on Lynx's right arm. A snarl emitted from the demihuman's mouth. Blood began to poor from the wound even as Serge lashed out with the other end of his swallow. The second half of his blade tour through the cloak covering Lynx's back and buried deep into the feline's body.

A scream echoed throughout the beach as the sand was stained with blood. Lynx fell to his knees and his hand slipped from the Masamune. The sword came to rest in the sand just as a wave washed over it.

"Serge," Lynx sputtered, his breath coming in heavy gasps. "Is this the end of FATE?" He fell backward, his body landing softly on the sand. "Serge," he spoke one last time. "It's hopeless…the goddess of fate has fallen. The planet will win…the dragons…"

A strong wind rushed in from the sea as Lynx's body went cold. Serge lowered his head and sank to his knees. His body seemed limp and his limbs wouldn't respond. The sound of the waves pounded in his head as a single source of light now drew his attention.

Beside him, a green wisp had grown out of the ground and was floating upward. It began to spiral as more wisps emerged from the ground underneath. Serge stared, transfixed on what was happening. With all that was going on, he didn't know what was going on.

Eventually the points of light all converged to a spot and a figure started to materialize. Serge climbed to his feet once more and took a step backward, passing Lynx's unmoving body and the Masamune.

The figure grew in density until they were standing before Serge, who couldn't remove his eyes from the scene.

The person's back was to him, but Serge knew it was a man. The person was slightly hunched over, and the edges of his beard could be seen even from where Serge was standing. The man turned slowly and raised his head. Penetrating eyes that held vast knowledge looked at Serge and his mouth smiled. It wasn't an evil smile, but rather one of caring and understanding.

"Ho, ho, ho, my boy. Serge, didn't I tell you we would meet again, in one time stream or another?" Belthasar laughed gently, eyeing Serge intently.

Serge's mind went through a relaxing stage, having realized that this person was not an enemy. His hand slipped on his swallow and it fell to the ground, near the Masamune, which had lost its glowing energy.

"Time and fate are beginning to unravel Serge. The threads that hold them in a delicate balance are beginning to unwind," explained Belthasar. "Serge, 'Project Kid', the time project I planned out was a success, but nobody could've predicted what you would've done after the defeat of the Time Devourer in the Tesseract. It was believed that once Schala was rescued, she and her clone would become one again and the rift between the dimensions would be restored. Alas, it was not so. But from what I understand, you already knew that. Ho, ho, ho, I seem to be forgetting what time I'm in. Yes, you have already made contact with Schala. Ho,ho,ho."

Serge found it odd to hear the sound of pure laughter at a time like this. It rang in his ears, warming him.

"Serge, this dimension is becoming a battlefield that is becoming unstable. The Frozen Flame has chosen this place as its last stand against the planet. FATE had predetermined that this time would be where the final confrontation with the dragons would take place and hoped that its shell program would go unnoticed amid the turmoil. The planet has grown angry Serge. It is angry at the human race for causing all these problems and it is now trying to eliminate them. It is planning something. It is planning to draw the Dragon God entity of another era to this point in time. The problem with this is that this entity will not be a quasi-existence just so it can take shape. No. This Dragon God will be at full strength due to this very spot…"

Belthasar pointed at the ground beneath his feet. The green wisps were still swirling and dancing in the air.

"You see. This point, this place 'Where Angels Lose Their Way' is becoming a large dimensional distortion, but it is highly unstable. Due to the presence of the Frozen Flame and the anger of the planet in this time stream, this spot is starting to draw other dimensions to it, like a single point of super gravity. So if one wanted to travel here, all they would need to do would be to locate the area that this spot is drawing from in their dimension. This spot all started after Kid's world became slightly different than Schala's when they merged. The planet sensed the small rift here and was able to draw the highly advanced reptites to this time. This caused to a large tear in the fabric of the space/time continua. Like I said though, this point is fluctuating uncontrollably. Soon, another entity will pass through here that will cause such a rift in the fabric of time in this dimension that time will again be split in twain."

Even as Belthasar spoke to Serge, his form began to blur around the edges, shimmering slightly.

"I don't have much time left. Soon, I will be thrown back to the time from whence I came. Serge…" the old man's eyes penetrated Serge's and they held each other's gazes for a moment. Belthasar then smiled. "Yes indeed, you two definitely have the same eyes."

Serge raised an eyebrow in question. It seemed like an odd comment at a time such as this.

"Your eyes look just like another teenage man I knew. Of course, you know him as the first Chrono Trigger. Indeed, his path and yours were both destined to unfold in the way they did. Fate is unforgiving in whom it chooses to be a Chrono Trigger."

"Serge, it is truly a sorrow to hear that even though your efforts were successful in freeing Schala, things still turned out this way. The Chrono Cross's melody was trapped in the Tesseract by a being that also dwelt there. The enmity of the alien being of Lavos sought to keep the Chrono Cross's song from echoing throughout all of time. For, if it had, none of this would've happened and your task would be accomplished. Don't lose hope however, you did free Schala. She was the reason Dr. Lucca and I coordinated the 'Project Kid' plan. Unfortunately, predictions beyond the use of the Chrono Cross could not be made until the second Chrono Trigger actually activated the ancient relic."

Belthasar's shape blurred further and Serge could see through him at some spots. The distortion of time that Belthasar was standing on was swirling like a vortex.

"Ho, ho, ho," the old man then laughed. "My, my. I do get lost in my ramblings. Serge, this has all been a long way of saying that I have come from beyond the darkness of time to give you something." He reached into his robes and produced a sphere with intricate lines running through it. The blue sphere glowed with a gentle light.

"Well, Serge. Looks as though my time here is all but up. This is the Dragon's Tear. It is the only thing I can give you in hopes that you will succeed." Belthasar extended his hand outward and his body began to flicker all the more. He now looked like a ghost, his robes shimmering in and out of existence.

Serge regained his footing and stumbled forward. His fingers closed around the glowing orb and its gentle light immediately went out. He looked down at it in dismay, wondering what had happened.

"Ho, ho, ho," the old man laughed gently. "Looks as though without a Dragon God entity to support it, the Dragon's Tear doesn't have much effect in this world. Fear not though. There will be a solution to your problem."

Serge looked once more as the lower half of Belthasar began to disappear. The old man sensed what was happening as well. "Serge…you are this planet's last hope to set things right. Across the dimensions you have traveled, only to end up here where it all began. Humanity's fate, the planet's fate, now lies with you, Chrono Trigger…" the words echoed through the air as the figure of the man disappeared entirely.

Serge took a step back and peered down at the Dragon's Tear, which appeared lifeless in his hands. As he stood listening to the waves wash onto the shore, he heard footsteps approaching from behind him.

He turned and saw a face. For an instant his heart lifted as he thought that he was looking at Kid.

"I heard what he told you Serge. Truly, the gurus of Zeal were very wise," Schala said, her voice trailing off with sadness. She walked towards him, stopping at his side to lay an arm on his shoulder.

Serge felt comforted, but not healed. His body felt refreshed and he no longer had trouble standing but his mind was still clinging to the words that Belthasar had spoken to him. Once more, the future of the human race was depending on him.

Schala lowered her hand and continued walking, stopping next to Lynx's body. To Serge's surprise, she began to cry. Tears wound their way down Schala's cheeks as she lowered to her knees. "I feel so sorry for him…" she sobbed, looking down at the feline's unmoving form. "He didn't choose to be this way. His mind was corrupted against his will…and he died by that corruption."

Serge walked and knelt by her side, his turn to comfort. Schala leaned her head to his shoulder, trying to compose herself. After she did so, she stood back up. "Serge, there is still something you need to do here…"

Knowing what she meant, Serge gathered himself and walked to the other side of Lynx's body, where the Masamune remained in the sand. Holding the Dragon Tear in his left hand, Serge leaned over and grasped the hilt of the spiritual blade with the other.

His body recoiled. His mind felt as though an untold number of tiny needles were trying to pierce it. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the pain stopped and he heard voices around him.

"Aaaahhh. Mune, look, a new master!"

"Yeah, I see him. Hey Masa, do you feel like we've met him before?"

"Yeah, I do. He looks familiar."

"Hey! Show some respect, both of you!"

"Yikes! It's Doreen!"

"Show some manors in the presence of royalty!"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you blind? Princess Schala is right in front of you!"

"Whoa! It is Schala! What is she doing here?"

"While you two were messing around in your bad dreams, I caught some of what is going on. Schala is here to help our new master."

"Hey, if Schala is helping him, we'll do our best too. Come on Masa!"

"Let's go Mune!"

"May our powers help bring an end to this conflict…"

Serge's hand slipped on the weapon as it hovered into the air. The menacing outlook of the weapon was beginning to change. The purple and black energy that had surrounded it was gone and only the blade remained. Tiny energy beams began to converge on the weapon from all sides.

Serge raised his hand to his head to shield his eyes from the light. It enveloped the surrounding beach like a fire and just as quickly, was out again. He looked above him to see a new weapon, glowing with a white light.

"Yeah, Masa! I have a good feeling about this master!"

"Me too, Mune! He is going to set things right!"

"When Masa and Mune combine powers, nothing can stop them! For the dreams of Melchior and our new master!"

Serge's hand clasped the handle of the new weapon and stood with it and Dragon Tear in hand as the sun began to rise above the horizon of the sea behind him. Schala looked at his for a moment, and a smile formed.

"Serge…the fate of the world hangs in the balance. I know you can set things right…"