Here begins Leena and Schala's quest to recover pivotal members of the previously eliminated adventurers. These members of their team will be crucial in order to show enough power to defeat FATE. The voting for the realms were a little different, but still worked in the vein of things. Users voted for which character they wanted to save out of all the innates and then he or she was added to the group. The story follows this format all the way up until the White Realm, so read, review, and enjoy!
Yellow Realm – Norris (Yellow Champion)
In the space beyond reality, a bewildered champion spoke to an eager cross-dimensional traveler. "You're Schala?! The one we rescued from the Time Devourer? How is this possible?" asked Leena.
"Yes, I am Schala, the one you freed from that eternal prison," the princess answered. "You are in the space beyond reality, so it is certainly possible to find me, but I never thought I would meet anybody in this infinitely large emptiness."
"Wow...so this is where you went..." Leena whispered. "Oh! I'm sorry! I never introduced myself. My name is Leena. Nice to meet you." She nervously extended her hand out to the blonde.
Schala shook it with a sincere smile and said, "The honor is mine. I am indebted to you and your friends."
"Oh, that's alright...Wait, that's it! You're the one that can use the Chrono Cross! It all makes sense!" Leena's eyes lit up in realization.
"What do you mean?" asked the confused Princess.
"Err...let me start from the beginning. But I'll have to keep it short, as we don't have much time," Leena clarified. "My friends and I were in this survival contest on this island and an evil cat-man named Lynx corrupted our Serge until his evil side, Atikon, took over his body!"
Schala sighed, "I sensed that something rotten was transpiring...and I knew in my gut that it was Serge..."
"Yeah..." Leena sympathized. "Atikon and Lynx terrorized the whole island until we killed them. When Atikon died, Serge came through and said his final words...He said, 'My father is waiting for me...' Serge's father is Lynx! He's in trouble and we need to help him and stop Lynx!"
"Oh my..." Schala gasped. "This is a very bad situation! Unfortunately, I do not know where to find Serge or Lynx..."
"I have the Chrono Cross! I wished for it when I reluctantly became champion, along with the one that can use it. That's you! I entered this black empty place and I woke up." Leena ran a hand down her smooth and flawless dress. "It's like it was a dream...but it wasn't. I don't quite understand it, but I have the Chrono Cross and you are here. That means this is true and we have to bring our Serge back!"
"Yes. It was your wish that opened the door that led me to you. Let me see that Chrono Cross. Maybe I can do something with it..." Leena stopped fidgeting with her dress and hesitantly handed over the precious item to the princess. Schala held it softly in her hands and closed her eyes. A few sweet musical notes floated out of the item and spread throughout the surroundings.
"Wow! Look, Schala, a door!" Leena gasped.
Schala opened her eyes and, sure enough, there was an open doorway in front of them. Nothing could be seen on other side, just a bright yellow light. "Leena, before we step through that door, I should fill you in on our environment. This is the space beyond reality, meaning we are not in the real world that you are familiar with. Anything goes here, so watch your step. Think of this world as a house. This is an endless house filled with an infinite number of rooms of varying sizes, from very limiting and constricting broom closets to master bedrooms of immeasurable dimensions. As for that door...it could lead into any possible room. There is no way of knowing until we step through, so we will just have to trust the Chrono Cross. Ready?"
"Yes," Leena gulped, swallowing back her fear of the unknown. She filled her head with the thought of Serge in her arms and found the courage to continue.
"Okay, let's go!" Schala said excitedly.
The two girls stepped through the doorway and into the unknown...
A yellow environment greeted them. It was a stone room, with walls consisting of enormous dusty yellow bricks. When Leena moved her feet over the floor she shifted the layer of dust, revealing a floor that was composed of the same material as the walls. Looking up, she saw a slanted ceiling, the low end on the far side and the high end over her head. Like everything else in the room, the ceiling was covered with a fine gray dust everywhere except the center. Attached flat to the center of the ceiling was a circular golden plate, about six feet in diameter. Amazingly, there was no dust at all on the gold plate: it was a flawless piece of treasure that shone brilliantly, despite the lack of light in the room.
While the radiating gold plate on the ceiling seemed designed to attract all the eyes in the room, something else dragged the four eyes away from it. Standing in the center of the room was a short squat man with thick stubby limbs that poked out from his mighty suit of armor. However, these thick stubby limbs held such power in them that the very air seemed to waver in its movement. His face was characterized by thick eyebrows and facial hair that covered his chin. He had a small round nose and puffy cheeks. When he opened his mouth, a booming bass voice shook the dust off the walls and ceiling, "I've been waiting for you two girls! Congratulations to you, Miss Leena, the champion of our tournament! And welcome, Schala, the wanderer of space! My name is Mephos!"
"You know of us?" questioned Leena.
"Yes, my child," Mephos answered. "I have been watching you from the heavens for a long time. I am the god of earth and lightning, one of the seven gods of the universe. You have already met the supreme god of all and nothing, Trutin."
"Y-Yes, I have," Leena confirmed, a little intimidated by the imposing figure before her. "So you are one of the other gods...What do you want to tell us?"
"I am afraid I should ask you that first. What did you come here to say? What are your plans in my realm?" the yellow god questioned.
Leena took a deep breath to steady her nerves, "I am on a mission to save Serge and to foil Lynx's plans. However, I don't know where the two of them are, how to reach them, or what they are doing..."
"Alright, I will quickly fill you in," Mephos volunteered. "As of this moment, Atikon has begun the merging process with FATE in Chronopolis. Lynx and FATE will control all life on earth and eventually the universe if they are not stopped."
"That's horrible!" Schala exclaimed.
"Unfortunately, we gods are forbidden to directly interfere, so it is up to you to correct our mistakes. Of course, you need all the help you can get and we will aid you as much as we can."
"What will you do for us?" Leena asked in curiosity.
The god of earth and lightning lifted a mighty arm and pointed across the room. "Beyond are your sleeping friends. I am sure you figured out by now that the tournament was only a mental challenge, and your bodies were located outside of reality the whole time."
Leena nodded, "Yeah, I had that suspicion."
"The contestants are divided based on the elements they are aligned with; in other words, their innate elements," he continued. "Out there sleep the children of earth and lightning. You may select one to wake up. That person will join you in your fight to stop FATE, so choose wisely. Understand?"
The girls nodded.
"Before you go out there," warned Mephos, "you should prepare for battle."
"Battle? Why?" inquired Schala.
"I have placed a beast to guard the sleeping mortals in case of an intruder. Now it stands between you and your sleeping friends," Mephos explained soberly.
"A guardian beast? Could you elaborate a little, please? How do we defeat it?" Leena prodded.
The god of thunder and land shook his head, "I am afraid I cannot tell you anymore about the beast. This also functions as a test of strength, courage, and cunning. You will have to devise a strategy to reach your friends."
Leena sighed, "I knew you would say that...You can't give any hints?"
"The most I can offer is a riddle," he relented.
"I like riddles! I'm good at solving them, too," the princess proudly proclaimed.
"Me too! Bring it on!" yelled Leena, caught in the excitement.
"When darkness is all one sees, you must rely on other things. Your footfalls are like raindrops now, but to him they are thundering!" Mephos boomed.
"Hmm..." Leena thought out loud.
"It is time for you to proceed," Mephos interrupted their thoughts and walked toward the opposite wall.
"Wait! Can't we think about the riddle first?" Leena complained.
"No. You must hurry. Time is of the essence," replied the god.
"Where have I heard that before..." Leena muttered under her breath.
The opposite wall did not appear to be anything special, as there was nothing that set it apart from the other walls. However, when the god placed his powerful hands on the wall and pushed, a yellow light highlighting a doorframe appeared on it. He continued to push until the wall inside the light separated from the rest of the wall and moved forward. When it moved enough, he pushed it to the side and out of the way. The resulting opening emanated a wavering, pulsating yellow light. "The door is open and my job is done. Good luck on your mission." With those words, Mephos disappeared out of sight.
"Thanks for your help..." Schala said softly. She turned to Leena. "Ready, Leena?" Leena nodded and they advanced through the doorway.
On the other side, there was a similar room, only many times larger and without a roof. Instead of a stone floor, there was sand. Sand. And more sand. And sand on top of that. There was no beast in sight.
Schala looked around, a bit flustered. "I don't see any sleeping people or a beast."
The two girls walked out further. "Yeah. They must be either below or above," Leena pondered.
"I would say below. This is the realm of the god of earth, after all," Schala guessed.
"You're right, Schala. Good think—Woah!!"Leena screamed along with Schala. Immediately in front of their path a round smooth head sprung from the sand. Its mouth hung wide, revealing sharp teeth. On its head were two little ears that twitched at every little sound. The girls stepped back to avoid being bitten and ran backwards. The head submerged beneath the depths of the sand.
"That must be the beast! It looked like a hippopotamus!" Schala screamed in fear. Beneath their feet, the sand shook and shuffled.
"The sand is dropping! It must be the beast! Look out!" Leena cried out. The beast's head reappeared in front of them and nearly took a bite out of them. "Don't stop moving or it will get us!"
"Think of the riddle," the princess suggested. "It's the only way!"
"'When darkness is all one sees, you must rely on other things.' What does it mean?!" Leena panted.
"The beast! It can't see beneath the sand, so it must rely on other things. Another sense!" Schala exclaimed.
Leena grabbed Schala by the arms. "I've got it! The beast uses its sense of hearing to find us! 'Your footfalls are like raindrops now, but to him they are thundering!' It listens to our footsteps!"
"Great job, Leena! Target the ears to disable its senses!" Schala praised. The two girls stood, waiting in anticipation for the guardian to strike. It didn't take long for it to poke its bulbous head and snap at the girls.
"Now!!" both girls announced. They each jumped in opposite directions and aimed their hands carefully. Out of their hands shot balls of flames that burned the sensitive little ears to a crisp. The hippo howled in pain and dropped below once more. The sand continued to drop.
"It has no idea where we are since it can't hear us," Leena stated.
"Right," Schala agreed. "Let's wait for it and blow it away!" The champion and the princess stood their ground, elements ready. Only a few seconds passed before the guardian's head reappeared, this time in full rage. However, it was nowhere near the girls, who were prepared for it. Together they launched a massive burst of wind at it, blowing the hippo completely out of sight and out of mind. Not only was the hippo blown away, but so was the sand, and what wasn't blown away was drained away. The girls found themselves on the stone floor once again.
"Wow...here they are," gasped Schala. All the yellow innates were lying on the floor, surrounded by a bubble of light that kept the sand out. "Who are you going to wake up, Leena?"
Leena was walking towards one particular bubble with an object in her hand. She stood next to it and looked at the resting person inside. Perfectly healthy. She placed the object on the bubble and touched the surface. Immediately, it disappeared and the object fell onto the person's lap.
"Good morning, Norris!" Leena called out with a smile.
Norris brought his hands to his eyes and wiped out the sleepiness while sitting up. He then brought his hands down upon the object in his lap. "Urghh...Where am I? What's this?"
"Orlha wanted me to save it for you. All that's left is the barrel, I'm afraid," Leena informed.
"What...? Ohh...right. It's coming back now." Norris stood up and looked around.
"Look at this!" Schala pointed. The two others turned towards the indicated direction. Another door had opened up, this time emanating pulsing red light.
"We need to move on. We'll explain everything on the way, Norris," Leena said.
"Alright. I'm ready," Norris yawned. He stretched himself out and the threesome entered the rift.
Unbeknownst to them, the other seven bubbles disappeared and seven people sat up, yawning...
By: TenkoStar17