Chapter 9

"Hey, where's that healthy kid with the radical haircut?"

We all looked down, not wanting to trouble him with our worries. But he already seemed to know.

"... This is terrible news... I have nothing to give you but this song. It's called... "Memories of Crono". I wish I could lend a hand..." he said.

"Only if the Guru of Time was here..." I said, disheartened of our search.

"The Guru of Time, eh...? Heard of him, of course, but what do you want with him?" he asked.

"We heard that he knows where Crono can be found..." Marle said, crying softly.

"To bring back lost loved ones... It's what everyone wants... Crono must be proud... to have friends like you."

Gone back to his snoring, we left toward the Epoch, even more disheartened that the old man didn't know where he was. He was supposed to know everything that went on in the world, past, present, and future!

"Hey," he yelled toward us. I guess he wasn't as asleep as we thought.

"Here. Take this with you," he said, and pulled out a crystalline egg.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Let us call this the Chrono Trigger. It is pure potential. By unleashing a specific course of events, it can have a powerful effect on time. Ask the one who made the Epoch, your Wings of Time, how to hatch it... Like any egg, it represents a possibility... It may or may not... hatch. But the Chrono Trigger gives you the potential to get your friend back... The egg will have an effect equal to the effort you put into your search. No more, and no less. Don't forget that. As long as you keep Crono in your heart, the day you are dreaming of shall arrive..."

"What? You're Gaspar, the Guru of Time! All this time you were right here!" I exclaimed.

"Um... well... I believe that's what they used to call me... ages ago..." Gaspar stuttered.

We walked away to a corner of the square, where Marle sat, weeping.

"Lucca, Marle, I have to tell you something," I said.

"What? Is it about Crono? Do you know where he is?"

"Well, sorta. Look, I come from Zeal. You guys already know that, right?" I asked, and continued once they nodded, "You know Enhasa is the City of Dreams, right?" I wanted to confirm everything before I continued, "Well, I was born in Enhasa, which means that I was a Dreamer, someone who dreams up Zeal... So that was my job, and I did it well. But, the day that you guys came, I had a weird dream. I saw you guys, and you defeated the Golemtwins. I paid it no heed, figured it was a prank played on me by one of the others. A few nights after you were captured, and let free by Schala, I had another dream. This one... was terrible. I saw Crono..." I looked at them, and they were in shock. They knew what I had seen.

"I'm so sorry... I didn't know it was real, but maybe, just maybe, it was one of the many outcomes one action can cause, so maybe I could prevent it too. That was probably why I tried to stop you in the Ocean Palace. But, probably, deep down, I knew it was inevitable. I knew that Crono was your leader, and he would probably do anything for you, just as Schala would do anything for her people. So, I followed you, but it was too late. Lavos came, and destroyed my home, my family. You know how much it hurt, to see someone you loved die... I saw Schala use the last of her powers to get you out. No one ever knew, and I know that it would probably go unspoken... But I can't live with this guilt on my chest, knowing that I knew, and I didn't really try to prevent it..."

"You knew..." Marle said.

I nodded slightly.

"You knew, and you didn't tell us? You didn't try to stop him? Why...?"

Silence.

Marle got up and turned away, "Get out," she said.

"What?" I asked.

"I said, Get Out. I never want to see your face again."

"Marle!" exclaimed Lucca.

"That was your first time, wasn't it... Seeing a loved one leave... and remember..."
"That's not true! I remember..." Marle said.

"I've seen countless lives lost... killed by the Queen... Earthbounds... basically the same as us... toiling for us... When one rebelled, she killed his family... My family, killed, and thrown away, like farm animals. That hurt, you know! Then Schala came, and the Queen treated her so badly. But she wore a smile... never letting her emotions soak through. But you're a princess, like Schala, yet you're so different. You can't hide you emotions, not as well as your identity... You don't know anything of the real world..."

"You don't know the struggle! I've seen what happens to this planet, listened to the voices crying out for help..." she cried.

"The future you saw was nothing absolute. Nothing is absolute. Not even Crono's death is absolute. There are multitudes of choices, and we have to choose one path..."

"Stop it, both of you! This is not a pity contest! Rebecca, take Frog and Magus, and go. Follow Belthasar's instructions. I'll come with Marle after she's done," Lucca said.

"Fine," I said, and headed toward the Epoch.

We landed right next to Death Peak in 2300 AD. We walked into the huge dome building next to it and encountered yet another Nu.

"On Death Peak you will find the power to restore life. But to activate this power, the deceased must be important to the space-time continuum. And you MUST have a clone identical to that person. Only then, can a Chrono Trigger work its magic. Need a clone? The magician, Nolstein Bekkler could whip one up in the wink of an eye. Bekkler loves festivals. Find a festival, and there, too, you shall find Bekkler!" said the Nu.

"Okay. So I guess this means that we need to find this Bekkler guy, and have him give us a clone of Crono. So, have any of you guys seen a fair, anywhere?" I asked.

"Aye, Methinks I saw a great celebration in Crono's time," Frog said.

Magus just ignored me.

"Okay! To 1000 AD it is!" I said, and hopped into the Epoch.

We finally found Bekkler, in the Millenial fair in Crono's time.

"Welcome to Nolstein Bekkler's lab. The spine tingling show is about to start! So! You want a Crono Clone? Normally I'd never do this, but today I'll make an exception. Challenge me, and I'll give you a clone. The longer you stay in the game, the lower my price will be," Bekkler said, and laughed maniacally.

Magus was gone, Frog was staring around the place. I stepped forward and handed Bekkler 40 Silver Points.

"Copy every movement of the Clone! Ready..."

Crono walked out of the door.

"Go!!"

Crono started laughing. I forced myself to laugh, too. He raised his right arm, then left, followed by looking surprised. I followed all of these to the best of my ability. Then Crono started doing movements faster and faster, and I started to falter. After what seemed a few decades, I failed.

"That'll be 11,000 gold pieces," Bekkler said, and I gave him the money.

"The Clone will be at Crono's house," he said, and disappeared.

I sighed and turned to Frog.

"Come on. Let's go."

We embarked on the long road to Crono's house, picking up Magus, who was looking out on the sea. After a few hours of travelling the road, we reached the town of Truce. We headed over to a green house on a hill, with smoke coming out from the chimney. I told Frog and Magus to wait outside, and went inside.

I couldn't see anyone in the kitchen or the living room, so I went up to a room on the top floor. Crono's mom was cleaning up his room, with his cat curled up on his bed.

"Oh, hello! Is Crono okay?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah. He's doing... fine," I said nervously.

"I hope he's behaving. Tell him to be good, all right?"

"Um..." I said.

"Yes, dear?" she asked.

"Can we borrow this doll for a bit?"

"Go right ahead, dear," she said, and got back to dusting his stand.

I grabbed the clone and started to leave.

"Stay out of trouble, now," she said, and started to make his bed.

I went back outside, and separated Magus and Frog. Frog went to one side of me, and Magus continued his quiet demeanor. We hopped into the Epoch, and headed toward 2300 AD. Then we went back into Belthasar's dome, and talked to the Nu.

"Enough. The time has come for you to attempt Death Peak. It's the only chance you have of reviving your friend. The last program I've implented in this creature's memory banks will help you up the mountain. Stand back," the Nu said.

The Nu went back into a room, and three blue colored dolls zoom out and back. That's... a little weird that those dolls are the program.

"The three entities you saw will help you climb Death Peak. This ends my message. Now I must ask you for a favor. This creature has executed its program. Please let him sleep. The switch is on his stomach," the Nu concluded, and fell asleep.

"Typical," I said, and switched the Nu off.

"Next stop, Death Peak!" I said, and ran out of the door, with Frog and Magus close behind me.

"Rebecca, stop!" yelled someone in the distance.

"Hm?"

Two figures ran toward me from the sewer. It was Marle and Lucca.

"Took the gate, right?" I yelled.

"Yeah! We're here to take the place of Frog and Magus! I bet they're giving you a lot of trouble," Lucca said.

Frog and Magus flew off toward the sewers and were gone. Lucca, Marle and I walked toward Death Peak.

"So this is Death Peak..." I whispered, as I looked up at the towering mountain that didn't look so friendly.

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Author's notes: Wow! My longest chapter yet! Sorry if there was some confusion with this chapter. Next Chapter: Reserrection and Desertion I hope this next chapter will satisfy any need for adventure. Why haven't you reviewed? Please... review... Reviews are the only thing keeping this story and others from dying out...