Chapter 22: Lavos Beckons

Act One

August 27, 12000 B.C.

They found themselves between two statues of winged demons. The room they were in seemed to echo, and they had no doubt that they were at the bottom of the ocean.

The floors were made of dark gold. Alongside the floors were seemingly bottomless pits illuminated with bright yellow lights. Heat emanated from the pits.

"This is the Ocean Palace," Crono said.

"This is it," Marle added.

"If we do this right, Lucca added, "we can destroy Lavos now."

"And then crown a righteous queen," she exclaimed Marle said.

"Of course," said Crono, smiling at Marle.

"Say, Crono," Marle began nervously as she placed her folded hands behind her back.

I really should tell him, Marle thought to herself. Something tells me...

"What is it?" Crono asked.

No! Marle realized. I can't distract him now. The fate of the world depends on this!

"Never mind," Marle insisted as she shook her head. "I'll tell you when this is over."

Crono stood silently, still wondering what she had to say.

"We need to get to Schala before it's too late," Marle said. "And if she wants to kiss you, let her!"

"Come again?" the bewildered Crono asked.

"She'll be beyond grateful," Marle clarified.

"If we get to her in time," Lucca added. "Let's go!"

After descending a small set of stairs, Crono spotted a familiar, yellow figure blocking the doorway.

It was Mune. He still didn't seem to recognize anyone.

"The black energy grows," he said ominously. "Something scary is waking up!"

MEANWHILE...

In the new hall of the Mammon Machine, Queen Zeal stood proudly in front of the machine. This was her hour of triumph.

Before her stood Schala and the Prophet. Also there were Melchior, Belthasar, and Gaspar. Behind the gurus stood thirty Earthbound Ones, thirteen male and seventeen female.

"Schala," commanded the queen, "raise the power of the Mammon Machine to its limit!"

Schala stood in silence.

"Schala!" snapped Queen Zeal, "You dare to disobey me?!"

"All right, mother," Schala complied.

As the prophet looked on, one could tell he seemed somewhat disturbed. Although his face was not visible, the vibe could be felt by anyone present.

"Oh...what bright splendor!" exclaimed Queen Zeal. The incredible power of Lavos!"

Schala, meanwhile, let out a cry of pain, and collapsed to the ground.

The prophet, in an unusual act of compassion, ran to help her up.

Even Queen Zeal was baffled.

MEANWHILE...

Mune gave a one final look before spinning and vanishing.

A few yards further, at the doorway exiting the chamber, stood Masa.

"The ancient Red Rock has been passed down through the ages," said he. "From it, a magic pendant and a knife were made. We embody Melchior's dreams, sealed, within the knife. Now hurry if you plan to confront the queen. We're counting on you!"

Masa then spun and vanished.

With nothing further ado, they passed through the doorway one by one.

Act Two

The next room was much larger, but trouble was already afoot. Three menacing winged creatures were flying about; they were the size of a cat, red, and with one eye in the center of their heads.

One of them immediately dove after Ayla. Ayla was quick enough, and kicked the creature so hard it hit the wall, where it stayed for a few moments before sliding down, disappearing forever into the bright, bottomless pit. The second one cast a spark of fire in Crono's direction, and Marle shot it dead with her crossbow. Lucca quickly dispatched of the third one using her flare gun.

The third room was the smallest yet. As they made their way through, Frog accidentally stepped on a switch in the floor.

"Confound it!" he exclaimed.

Moments later, two identical creatures emerged from the wall. One was silver, and the other was green. Both hovered above the ground.

Frog quickly struck the silver creature, causing it to fall to the ground. In response, the green creature charged toward the called silver creature and disappeared into it, apparently sacrificing itself. The silver creature rose up briefly before Crono finally killed it with his sword.

Lucca briefly gave Frog the evil eye before moving through the doorway.

The fourth room had two more red scouts, which Crono easily dispatched of with his sword.

In the fifth room, the group found themselves at the top of a long stairwell. They cautiously descended them to the first landing, without incident. When they descended the second set of stairs, they encountered four Zealian thrashers. Ayla quickly knocked them off the stairs to their deaths with little trouble.

The second landing had an ominous looking gargoyle statue. The six of them instinctively ran past it, and, as they did, it began shooting fireballs at them from its mouth. Marle quickly cast ice on the mouth, holding off the fireballs long enough for them to escape to the next set of stairs.

On the third landing, there were more thrashers, which Lucca took care of with her flare gun.

Beyond were more stairs leading down.

Marle began to tremble. She realized how deep under the ocean they were, and how difficult, if not impossible, their escape route would be. At that moment, she lost her confidence, and buried her head in Crono's chest.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "This is almost too much!"

In response, Crono wrapped his arms around her and rocked her gently.

"It's okay," he assured her. "We'll get through this. Besides, I think you have something to tell me when we escape, anyway?"

Marle briefly blushed before kissing him. He really made her feel a lot better.

"Okay," she said as she began to breathe easier. "We do have to see this through. Let's do this!"

The six of them then descended the stairwell.

MEANWHILE...

"Ahh, I can feel it!" Queen Zeal purred as the energy continued to flow into her. "The pulse of eternal life"

"D...dark...force...wild energy!" moaned the distressed Schala. "Argh!"

The princess collapsed to the ground once more, and the prophet once again lifted her to her feet.

"The Mammon Machine!" exclaimed Melchior.

"Your majesty, it's too dangerous!" Belthasar added.

"It could destroy this palace!" Gaspar pleaded.

"Mother!" begged Schala.

"Don't stop Schala!" hissed Queen Zeal. "We're almost there. Immortality will be ours! Zeal will have the glory it deserves! Too long have I waited!"

Act Three

Crono, Marle, Lucca, Frog, Robo, and Ayla arrived at the final landing.

"I think this is the end of the stairs," Crono announced.

"Praise be!" Frog added.

"Please be okay, Schala," Marle said softly.

The six passed through the next doorway, and found themselves on a large, flat platform with four holes in the bottom.

Everyone except for Robo was quite baffled.

"What is this thing?" Marle inquired.

"We have this thing in my time," Robo answered. "It's called an elevator. Or in your part of the world, a lift."

"What it for?" Ayla asked.

"It transports us further down," Robo replied.

Marle began to tremble again, and, this time, so did Lucca. Everyone was slowly becoming aware of the actual danger they were all in.

Meanwhile, Crono spotted a switch in the middle of the elevator.

"Well," he said, "we can't stay here."

The remaining five gave their silent approval.

Crono pressed the switch, and the elevator began to descend.

Three thrashers immediately hopped onto the platform. Lucca got two with her flare gun. Ayla kicked the remaining one through one of the holes in the platform, causing him to fall to his death.

A moment later, two more thrashers and a scout landed on the platform. Robo destroyed the scout with a laser, and Marle took care of the thrashers with her crossbow.

After a few seconds, five more scouts appeared. Both Marle and Lucca fired their weapons like mad, wiping out all five in a matter of moments.

And then, the elevator stopped.

The door slid open, and Crono found himself standing four yards away from another glowing, seemingly bottomless pit. Below his feet lay a glowing, blue switch in the floor.

"Will this connect the bridge or summon more monsters?" Lucca asked aloud.

"There's only one way to find out," Crono said as he stepped on the button.

The floor lowered several feet. Then, a bridge slowly extended over the abyss.

"Looks like genius runs in the family," Lucca said with a smile as she patted Crono on the shoulder.

The six of them walked across the bridge, keeping their eyes peeled for any scouts or thrashers. But they managed to cross without incident, and were able to pass through the door to the next chamber.

And there, they spotted Dalton. His back was turned to them, but he was aware of their presence.

"You made it this far," he said. "Maybe I underestimated you." He then turned around to face them. "But this is the end! They will take care of you!"

"They?" Crono inquired.

In response, Dalton pointed his finger.

"Come, Golem Twins!" he commanded as a black portal opened.

This time, not one, but two golems emerged.

The one on the left immediately discharged an iron sphere from its mouth, compelling everyone to leap to safety.

"You're still outnumbered!" Crono announced as he cast lightning.

It struck the twin on the left, causing it to fall to the ground, dead.

The surviving golem twin suddenly cast lightning in Crono's direction, causing him to jump out of the way just in time.

"That was close," he muttered.

"Imitate this!" Lucca exclaimed as she fired her blaster at the remaining twin, killing it instantly.

Dalton was less than amused.

"They beat the Golem Twins?!" Dalton exclaimed.

"And it seemed easier than last time," Crono said.

"All right," Dalton continued, "this calls for the Golem Boss."

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble.

No doubt, Lavos was stirring.

"What's this strange force?" Dalton said aloud. "Could this be Lavos's energy?"

"That's right," Crono replied. "And it has the power to destroy the world. We've seen it."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Dalton muttered.

"You're lucky George Lucas isn't born yet," Robo quipped.

The ground suddenly tumbled again.

"All my work will be in vain if I expire before I'm immortal!" Dalton sighed. "This is your lucky day! Bye-bye!"

With that, he darted past the six.

"Who's George Lucas?" Crono inquired, having turned towards his cousin.

"Probably a powerful king," Lucca replied. "Judging by how he worded it."

Crono stared at the doorway ahead. He then felt Marle take his hand.

He turned to see her, smiling at him.

"Let's go," she gently commanded. "Lavos beckons."

Act Four

The next room was very dark. As soon as he stepped in, Crono could see a greenish glow in the distance. A few feet away, he could see a strange creature identical to the one in the Keeper's Dome standing before him.

"This is the hall of the Mammon Machine," the strange creature announced. "Now is the time to turn back, nu!"

Interestingly, the creature jumped off the path.

Marle turned to Crono.

"No turning back," she said as she placed her hands on his shoulders. "I'm ready."

"Me, too," Crono replied.

Marle smiled and kissed him.

Just a few minutes more, she thought to herself.

As they broke the kiss, the roaring Mammon Machine sounded the hall.

The six of them then drew their weapons and ran to the glow. As they approached, the glow had turned out to be what they had been expecting it to be: the Mammon Machine.

Queen Zeal was there, along with Melchior, Belthasar, Gaspar, twenty or so Earthbound Ones, and, of course, the princess they had been looking for.

"We made it in time!" Crono announced.

Schala turned to face the six intruders. At first, her face expressed bewilderment, but, upon realizing why they were here, the expression changed to one of hope.

"Schala!" Marle exclaimed. "We're here to save you, c'mon!"

"Princess Nadia?!" Schala exclaimed, while attempting to maintain her politeness.

"We just made it in time!" Lucca added. "It's a pity, but I'll have to turn this machine off!"

"We shan't allow thee to meddle with Lavos, queen!" Frog exclaimed.

Schala was at a loss, and beyond touched; these six people she had barely known had risked their lives for her. She wanted to cry tears of joy, but, first, she needed to escape.

She seemed to have the prophet on her side as well.

And the gurus.

There was nobody allied with the queen in the room.

Schala suddenly felt a rush of confidence, and, before she could change her mind, turned and cast a spell, striking the Mammon Machine with lightning.

Electricity consumed the machine, sending out bolts and sparks in all directions.

"Help!" exclaimed Schala, who suddenly found herself dodging the bolts.

"Schala!" exclaimed the prophet as he pulled her to safety.

"What are you doing Schala?" Queen Zeal demanded. "I need your help here!"

And then, Ayla caught sight of two Earthbound Ones. She became tense and quiet, and tears began to form in her eyes.

"Ayla?" Lucca whispered.

The feral woman did not respond.

"I think those two Earthbound Ones are her parents," Marle replied. "Remember how Robo said that cave people and dinosaurs lived at a different time? I think they got sent back to the prehistoric era."

"So that's it," Lucca realized.

And then, the electricity on the Mammon Machine began to die down; it would shortly become functional again.

"Crono!" exclaimed Marle. "The red knife!"

"Use the knife from Melchior to stop the Mammon Machine!" Robo added.

Crono quickly withdrew the knife from his pocket and wound up his arm.

"Here we go Mune!" Masa's voice suddenly shouted.

"Ready, big brother!" added Mune.

Crono hurled the red knife at the Mammon Machine, striking it directly.

A blinding flash of light filled the room. When it dissipated, the knife had transformed into a familiar-looking sword.

"It turned into the Masamune?!" Marle exclaimed.

"The Mammon Machine?!" exclaimed Queen Zeal.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble.

"It's coming!" called the prophet.

"No, stop!" warned Schala. "That sword alone can't stop it!"

Another flash of light filled the room. It soon dissipated as well.

And there, behind the Mammon Machine, stood Lavos.

Act Five

The floor had become distorted and blue as Lavos let out a loud, hideous noise.

"This is it!" Crono announced as he drew his sword. "For everyone's future!"

Lucca immediately fired her blaster as Marle fired her crossbow; both apparently had no effect on Lavos.

Suddenly, Lavos fired beams of light into the air, which quickly turned a hundred and eighty degrees and headed towards the ground.

"Destruction rains from the heavens!" Crono exclaimed.

Everyone jumped in all directions as the beams struck the ground.

"Stand back!" ordered Robo as he opened his shoulder cannon.

He fired missiles directly into Lavos' shell, but they did no damage.

Lavos fired more beams into the air, with some striking and leaving holes in the ceiling.

"It's going to breach the hull!" Robo exclaimed.

The beams came raining down again, with everyone jumping to safety once more. Unfortunately, Robo wasn't quick enough, and was struck directly. He was immediately consumed in electricity.

"Robo!" Marle exclaimed.

She suddenly remembered their first encounter with Prince Janus.

He said one of them would die soon.

Perhaps it was Robo.

But, to her relief, the electricity stopped.

"I-I'm okay," he assured everyone.

He then tried to move, but was unable to do so.

"R-regeneration in progress," he announced. "Estim-im-im-imated time ten minutes."

"We may not have ten minutes," Crono said as he drew his sword.

Frog drew the Masamune as well.

"Prepare thyself, Lavos!" he declared as he charged the creature, swinging at one of the spines with all his might.

The Masamune bounced harmlessly off the spine.

"Confound it!" Frog exclaimed.

And then, a loud, high-pitched sound screeched through everyone's ears. All six fell to their knees, then to the ground.

It had been Queen Zeal who had cast the spell.

"Foolish ones," she taunted. "Lavos can't be destroyed."

She slowly approached the creature, briefly stroking its "nose" before climbing its spikes and mounting herself above the "nose."

The prophet, Schala, Melchior, Belthasar, and Gaspar, along with the Earthbound Ones, looked on in terror. They would not dare voice their mutual, unanimous conclusion that the queen had gone insane.

And then, someone else began to approach the creature.

"I've waited for this," the prophet said as he produced a scythe that the six fallen heroes recognized in an instant.

Dear me! Frog thought. The entire time!

The prophet slowly removed his cloak, allowing to fall to the floor.

Marle gasped as she confirmed the prophet's true identity.

"I've been waiting for you, Lavos," Magus continued. "I swore long ago that I'd destroy you! No matter what the price! It is time to fulfill that vow. Feel my wrath, Lavos!"

"What do you think you can do?" demanded Queen Zeal as he approached. "A false prophet! You'll be a snack for the great Lavos!"

And then, the Magus felt two hands grip his arm.

"Mother, please stop!" pleaded Schala as she held Magus back. "This power can only end in ruin!"

"Get away from there, Schala!" demanded Queen Zeal. "The almighty life force of Lavos lives in all of us.. You are a part of it! You cannot change fate now! Oppose me and I will destroy you also. You have now outlived your usefulness. You know what I promised to do once that happened. Time to die!"

And then, Queen Zeal began to cast a spell.

Schala suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest. It was so unbearable she collapsed to the ground. She didn't want to cry in front of everyone, but, seconds later, the pain of her mother's spell won out, and her eyes expelled the tears they were producing.

"No!" cried Magus. "Schala!"

"Come Prophet," taunted Queen Zeal. "Feel the power of Lavos!"

She briefly released the spell from Schala and turned to the traitor.

Magus felt it immediately.

"Aaah!" he exclaimed. "My powers are being drained!" Despite this, he continued to step forward. "I won't...be beaten! I survived the darkness to defeat you, Lavos!"

Schala, meanwhile, had come to, but lacked any will to escape.

"Take this, Lavos!" Magus shouted as he cast a shadow spell.

The spell had no effect on Lavos, nor the queen holding its leash.

"What?" exclaimed Magus. "It doesn't work?"

"Foolish one!" cackled the queen as she cast a spell immobilizing him. "Your measly power can't touch Lavos!"

Magus was unable to move. He suddenly felt himself, along with Schala, being drawn toward the creature.

"This is from me to you!" the queen continued. "You shall enjoy eternal life as part of Lavos!"

Schala and Magus drew closer to Lavos.

"Can you move, Crono?" Marle weakly pleaded. "Please help Schala! We can't leave her here!"

"Stand up, Crono!" Ayla commanded. "Ayla no like lose!"

Crono slowly stood up.

"P...please escape...Crono!" Schala pleaded. "Humans can't hope to defeat it!"

He then turned to face the Queen.

"So!" Queen Zeal growled. "You are Crono. Why don't you do as Schala says, and run away, yelping in terror? Isn't your life precious to you?"

"Isn't your daughter's?" Crono retorted.

"This is your final warning," Queen Zeal declared. "Either leave now, or be destroyed."

"Never," Crono defiantly refused. "I'm putting an end to this now!"

"My boy," Queen Zeal lamented sarcastically, "that was the last mistake you ever made!"

Act Six

Crono still didn't move. He refused to abandon his friends. He refused to abandon Schala. He refused to abandon the future.

He especially refused to abandon Marle.

He took a step forward. The spell was still affecting him, but he knew what he had to do.

"Haven't given up yet?" Queen Zeal taunted. "What do you hope to do? You challenge Lavos with that battered body of yours? Well then! See the power of Lavos and feel his wrath!"

Crono drew his sword.

"Crono!" Marle exclaimed.

Queen Zeal extended out her hand.

And then, Crono suddenly became stiff. As everyone looked on in horror, his body raised off the ground, with his arms stretched into the air.

Queen Zeal had seized him with a spell.

It was the same one she had killed poor Arhmal with.

"Crono!" cried Marle once more.

But all she could do was watch.

"You were fairly warned," Queen Zeal declared.

With that she made a fist.

Crono suddenly felt his life, and his mind, fading away.

FLASHBACK...

"One among you," Janus announced, "will shorty perish."

...END FLASHBACK

And, as everyone watched, Crono crumbled into dust.

"Crono?" Marle called in a trembling voice. "Where's Crono?!" And then, the situation hit her. "Nooooo!"

And then, a rumbling sound began. It was soft at first, and gradually grew louder. But it wasn't coming from the ground; it was coming from above.

It seemed to be the sound of a hull breach.

Any time to grieve would have to wait.

"The Palace is collapsing!" Robo exclaimed. "We must escape now!"

"This bottom of ocean!" Ayla protested. "What can do?"

And then, Schala slowly rose to her feet. She looked solemnly at everyone.

"The last of my pendant's power will send you to safety," she announced.

"My lady," Frog began to protest, realizing the situation.

But he stopped.

There was nothing he could do.

Schala was sacrificing herself.

Ayla looked on at the poor young woman. It broke her heart, but she understood. It was the least she could do after their daring attempt to rescue her.

"I know you can't forgive her," the doomed Schala continued, "but please don't hate mother, or our kingdom."

She then cast her dying pendant on her friends, one by one.

First, Robo vanished.

Then, Frog vanished.

Next, Ayla vanished, just as she gave one last, longing look at the Earthbound Ones.

Finally, poor Schala directed her attention to Marle and Lucca. Both women were trembling, and seemed to be losing touch with reality.

Schala first grabbed Lucca's hands and raised her to her feet.

"This isn't the end," she assured her.

A moment later, Lucca was gone.

Schala then raised Marle to her feet and embraced her.

Marle was trembling, and didn't hug back; she couldn't even if she wanted to.

"I'm so sorry!" Schala said tearfully. "Now, off you go!"

She then spotted Magus, who had also attempted to save her. She raised him to his feet, and could see tears streaming down his face.

"No," he said softly as he shook his head. "Not again...I can't...lose you...again..."

Schala quickly sent him off, not understanding what she meant.

She then gazed at the pile of ash that had once been her red-haired friend.

"Crono..." she said softly.

She wished there was something that she could do, but even her powers were not enough. This was how it would end.

With nothing further ado, Schala turned to face the creature that had once been her mother. There was nothing to say; the queen was well beyond redemption. She could not waste the last minutes of her life pleading for a change.

Just then, the Mammon Machine roared again. Its functionality seemed to have been restored.

"A dimensional warp!" Gaspar observed.

"This power is beyond human control!" Belthasar added.

"No!" exclaimed Melchior. "We'll be dragged into the warp!"

Schala knew her end was near. She had never felt more certain about it. She had no questions on what death would be like; she knew there had been a time before she was born, and to her that was nothingness. She did not speculate about an afterlife, either; as all major religions we know today were still thousands of years off, she felt there could be none.

And then, she heard the sound she had been dreading.

"Schala!" cried a familiar voice.

Schala turned to see her brother running to her; he had entered the Ocean Palace and somehow made his way to the hall of the Mammon Machine.

"No Janus!" she cried. "Stay away!"

"But-" Janus began.

And then, there was a flash of light.

Suddenly, the ground was distorted and blue throughout the entire room. Lavos was bearing down on everyone once more.

Everyone stared at Lavos in fear.

It had already killed Crono.

There was no way of telling what it would do next.

Suddenly, a dark vortex appeared below Melchior.

"It, it's a-" he began.

Melchior disappeared into the vortex, and the vortex closed.

A moment later, the same kind of vortex appeared under Gaspar.

"A Timegate?!" he exclaimed.

Gaspar disappeared into the vortex, and the vortex closed.

And then, the same vortex opened under the Guru of Reason.

He knew his fate immediately.

"No!" cried Belthasar.

Belthasar disappeared into the vortex, and the vortex closed.

The vortex then opened again, but, this time, under the Earthbound Ones. They all cried out in terror before the vortex closed.

Finally, the vortex opened under poor Janus.

Schala's mouth went dry. She knew what was about to happen to her brother, and she knew she was powerless to stop it.

With Queen Zeal having gone insane, she was the closest thing he had to a mother, and she had failed him. It was the worst feeling she had ever felt.

"Schala!" cried Janus as he disappeared into the vortex, reaching in vain for his sister as he did so.

"Janus!" cried Schala as she tearfully ran to him, though the vortex had long closed by the time she had arrived.

All she could do was sob where she stood.

She turned to face Lavos, and her ex-mother, who was sitting on the creature as if it was her horse.

And then, finally, Princess Schala felt the end coming. She felt her body begin to stretch toward the creature; in a few seconds, it would all be over.

This is it, Schala thought to herself. I tried my best to be righteous.

And then, Lavos sucked her up, her stretched body disappearing into the foul creature in less than a second.

Queen Zeal was left alone in the crumbling palace.

A FEW MINUTES LATER...

Lavos raised its shell above the ocean's surface, and immediately began firing its beams into the sky.

It took less than five minutes for it all to happen; the beams tore through the floating ground as if it was clay. The floating islands were divided into two, then four, and then eight. As the beams split the islands, they began to lose their altitude. At first, they began to fall slowly, but, as the effects of gravity began to tighten their grip, the fall accelerated.

There was sheer terror in Enhasa. The whole town awoke from their slumbers, right before they cried out as they plummeted toward the ground.

There was sheer terror in Kajar. The whole town ceased practicing their magic spells, right before they all scrambled to find a spell that could keep their city afloat. But they could find none as they plummeted toward the ground.

Dalton, meanwhile, made a run for the Blackbird, pushing his way through anyone who tried to stop him.

There was sheer terror in Zeal Palace. Everyone was panicking, hoping for a solution. But there was no escape. In fright, the Palace residents accepted the fate they were powerless to stop as they plummeted toward the ground.

They hit the ocean.

Everything and everyone sank to the bottom.

MEANWHILE...

A lone Earthbound One was staring into the ocean when he noticed the water suddenly rise. Although he had not been educated, he knew exactly what was happening.

"A tidal wave!" he exclaimed as he ran to Alghetty to warn the others.

LATER...

Marle was in a black abyss, with minimal sense of awareness. She felt as if she was trapped in an eternal nightmare.

"Crono...Crono...!" she thought.

The sight of him disintegrating in front of her was the worst tragedy she had ever been through.

It was worse than losing her mother as a child.

Finally, reality faded into view, and a familiar face was standing over her.

It was the village elder from Alghetty.

"You're awake!" he greeted. "You were delirious. We found you washed up on the beach. Thankfully, we found you all before you froze!"

Marle sat up. She scanned the hut she was in. She spotted the elder, along with Lucca, Robo, Ayla, and Frog.

No one else.

"Crono!" exclaimed Marle. "Where's Crono?"

"We found no one else," the elder said solemnly.

Marle lowered her head and closed her eyes.

"So it wasn't a dream," she whispered.

"Where are we?" Lucca softly inquired. "Is this the Earthbound Village?"

"This island was the only refuge left," the elder replied, "after the Ocean Palace disaster."

"'Tis a pity," Frog muttered.

"Metal bird?" Ayla asked. "Place that float in sky? All gone?"

The elder nodded.

"Melchior!" Lucca suddenly exclaimed. "Where's Melchior?"

"When the disaster struck, an eerie, black portal materialized," the elder replied. "It consumed Gaspar, Belthasar, and twenty or so of us who were kidnapped and sent to work on the Ocean Palace. Melchior tried to save Janus, but he was also dragged in."

"A black portal?" Robo echoed. "No doubt, a Gate made by Lavos!"

"What about Schala?" Lucca inquired.

"I don't know," the elder sadly answered. "No one has seen her since."

"We have failed," Robo lamented. "This era, too, has fallen into ruin."

"Where Epoch?" Ayla exclaimed. "Epoch alive?"

"Your ship is quite sturdy and safe," the elder assured them. "It's almost as if it followed you here."

There was a long silence.

Then, the sniffling began.

Lucca, Robo, Frog, Ayla, and the elder turned towards it source.

The sitting Marle was clutching her legs, with her head buried in her knees. Her head was shaking, and the sounds of weeping were audible.

"Marle..." Robo began. "This isn't like you at all."

Despite everyone else's own feelings of loss, the sight of the grieving Marle was so heart wrenching it was quite painful to watch.

"Thou hast lost thy friend before thine eyes," Frog lamented. "No words can comfort thee."

Marle slowly raised her head. Tears were streaming down both sides of her face. Her eyes were bright red.

It broke everyone's heart to see her in such a state.

"Marle cry, make Crono sad," Ayla suddenly declared. "Ayla no cry!"

And then, Lucca sprang to her feet, and began to March out of the hut.

"Lucca," began Frog.

"Don't touch me!" she snapped before disappearing through the doorway.

"Don't take it personally," Robo assured him. "She is grieving as well. Everyone does so differently. She has reached the anger stage."

"Oh, this must be yours," the elder observed as he handed Marle a familiar object.

"My...pendant," she whimpered. "The one Crono held for me."

"Young lady, I found it on your shoulder, almost as if it were guarding you," the elder said. "It was at your side, like a guardian."

"Take all the time you need to rest," the elder said. "I will be in the commons."

For a long time, nobody said nor did anything.

Then, finally, Robo stood up. He feared for Lucca's safety, and, as it was against his programming to allow harm to come to a human being, went to check on her.

Ayla, meanwhile, fell back to sleep; exhaustion had overtaken her.

Then, Frog stood up. He checked the Masamune, and remembered whom he was pursuing.

He slowly walked toward the exit.

"Wait," Marle pleaded. "Please don't leave me!"

Frog turned to his grieving friend.

Magus, if he was even alive, could wait.

He walked over to her and sat down.

Marle, not caring he was a slimy amphibian, buried her head in his shoulder.

"I never told him," she sobbed. "I never told him."

MEANWHILE...

Lucca stood alone on an unrecognizable, icy shore, staring into the ocean freezing ocean.

She was at a complete loss; she had awoken full of hope that morning; and would go to bed that night with more despair than she had ever expected to feel.

Lavos was seemingly immortal; their best weapons seemed to have no effect on it. They made their best effort, but the future refused to change.

She knew what would happen tomorrow; each would take the Epoch back to their respective times in defeat. All would know the world's impending doom.

And she would be without her best friend.

At that moment, she heard the clanking sound of a metal creature approaching. She knew exactly who it was.

"Lucca," began Robo, "we did our best."

"It's over," she sighed. "The fat lady is singing. Zeal was destroyed. Alghetty was destroyed. Schala died anyway. And...and..."

The worst of it finally hit her.

Lucca then fell to her knees. The tears she had been holding back for Crono finally escaped.

"He was...my baby brother..." she cried.

Robo stood and hesitated; Frog's attempt to comfort her did not work out well.

"At least that horrid queen got what was coming to her," she tearfully groaned.

"Lucca," Robo began. "I know I can't take the hurt away. But you'll have my complete attention."

"I may as well get used to it," she sobbed as she looked at him with eyes nearly as red as Marle's. "I'm an only child now."