Chapter 27: The Rest of My Life

Act One

No, the fourth wall has not been broken.

Remember, I was the one who pitched the story to the designers. But this really happened, except for the embellishments, which I mentioned several times before.

"You have a Time Egg?" Marle inquired.

"This is going a little too far," Gehrig said. "You know perfectly well I mean the game. For the DS."

"It's a game?" Crono inquired.

Gehrig stepped back.

"Mom," she called to Mary Ellen, "I need to talk to you."

Gehrig thus lead Mary Ellen a couple of yards away.

"We need to 302 these people," Gehrig whispered. "I think they actually think they're the Chrono Trigger characters."

"Agreed," Mary Ellen replied. "You can do the honors."

Gehrig pulled her iPhone from her jeans pocket.

"Hold on!" Mary Ellen whispered. "Look!"

Gehrig directed her attention to the Masamune on Glenn.

"They're armed!" Gehrig whispered.

Mary Ellen sighed, and placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"You know," she began, "that robot seems to be real. They don't seem to be controlling it with anything."

Gehrig turned to her mother.

"What are you saying?" she asked skeptically.

Mary Ellen looked at the spikey-haired teen and his ponytailed companion.

"What if they really are Crono and Marle?"

Gehrig almost wanted to laugh

"They're not real, mom," she insisted. "Their characters."

Then, she realized something.

"There's only one way to prove or disprove it," she continued. "They'll have to show us the Epoch."

"Their time machine?" Mary Ellen asked.

"It's the twenty-first century," Gehrig replied. "How else would they get here?"

"Good point," Mary Ellen whispered.

With that, they returned to Crono and his friends.

"You really are the Crono from Guardia, in the year 1000?" Mary Ellen began.

"That's right," Crono replied.

Gehrig placed her hands on her hips.

"I suppose you have the Epoch laying around somewhere, then," she said.

"You suppose right!" Crono insisted. He then turned to the abandoned Boscov's. "It's in there."

"Can we see it?" Gehrig pleaded.

"Of course!" Marle replied.

They thus led Gehrig and Mary Ellen into the empty anchor. Sure enough, the Epoch was there.

"Wow!" Mary Ellen said in amazement.

Gehrig turned to her mother, and looked at her as if to say: "It's a fake."

Crono sensed this.

"Want to see how it works?" he offered.

Gehrig gave another skeptical look.

"Yeah!" Mary Ellen replied happily.

Marle led the two women into the Epoch as Crono sat in the cockpit. He fiddled with the year gauge.

He then pressed the button.

September 5, 1986

Suddenly, the lights came on. There was furniture all around them. Towards the exit of the store, there were clothes, appliances, and oriental rugs.

"Oh my!" Mary Ellen exclaimed. "I remember the tiles and ceiling. This really is 1986!"

She hopped out of the Epoch and darted for the store's exit. Outside, everyone saw a statue of an eagle. But there were many more changes. There was a Bamberger's where the Macy's had been. There was a Gimbel's where the other empty anchor had been, and the escalators nearby were now red and blue. There were movie posters for Stand by Me on the walls. There was a ramp where the elevator had been, and the foot court had become a Woolworth's. Marle spotted a three-year-old boy disappear into a circular rack of coats.

"What a bad kid!" Marle giggled. "I guess now I know how my father felt when I ran away!"

"I haven't seen this in years," Mary Ellen said in awe. "I wonder if Chew Chew is still open?"

"Mom, we should go," Gehrig pleaded. "Before the Yellow Card Man says we shouldn't be here!"

"Okay, okay," Mary Ellen agreed. "I suppose we could mess up the timeline."

The four of them turned back to the store, which read "John Wanamaker" in cursive. As they passed through the electronics department, they could see a large group of shoppers staring at the televisions; a breaking news report was on. The headlines read: "Pan Am Flight 73 Hijacked. President Reagan to Address the Nation."

Back in the furniture department, Crono's second worst fears had come true; shoppers were checking out the Epoch.

"Hands off!" Mary Ellen suddenly shouted. "That's on loan from EPCOT!"

The crowd dispersed.

"Thanks!" Marle said.

The four quickly got into the Epoch. Crono reset the date and pushed the button.

September 5, Present Year

Suddenly, the lights were off again, and the store was once again abandoned. Lucca, Glenn, Robo, Ayla, and Magus had reappeared.

"Well, I'm convinced," Gehrig admitted as she hopped out of the Epoch. "Sorry I had my doubts you were the real Crono and Marle."

"Why wouldn't we be?" Marle giggled.

"Well," Gehrig replied, "for starters, Lavos never came."

"It hasn't erupted yet," Crono informed her.

"Interesting," Gehrig observed. "In the game, Lavos comes in 1999. But 1999 came and went, and nothing happened. Not even Y2K."

"When was the game released?" Robo asked.

"1995, originally," Gehrig replied.

"That explains it," Robo said. "A lot of people thought the world was going to end in 2000, so I bet they put that right into the game."

"That sounds familiar," Crono said, thinking of his own time.

"Hey," Gehrig began with a grin. "There's a Gamestop here. Come with me, and you'll never believe what you'll see there!"

Act Two

Crono studied the DS package that read Chrono Trigger on the front. It featured him leaping at some strange creature, with Marle casting a fire spell, and Glenn, as Frog, crouching on the ground. There was snow everywhere.

"So this is the game they made, based on our adventures," Crono observed.

"Well, this is wrong," Marle added. "I can't cast fire. My element is water. Who drew this? More importantly, who told them about us?"

"Some guy named Fritz McPherson," Gehrig replied.

That's me, of course.

Lucca immediately turned to Crono.

"The guy we rescued from the dungeon at Guardia Castle?"

"I guess," Crono replied. "But how did he get here?"

I'll leave that for you to speculate.

Meanwhile, Marle turned the box over, and began to smirk.

"Guess who has purple hair?" she giggled.

Lucca peered at the back.

"No way!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"You guys," warned the clerk from the sales desk, "we can't have that many people in the store. You buy, or you go." He then turned to Ayla. "And you, missy, put some clothes on!"

Ayla turned to the clerk and glared.

"What did you say?" she demanded.

"I said Victoria's Secret's downstairs!" he shouted.

"You know," Robo began, "we probably should find some twenty-first century clothes. People in this era are quite judgmental."

"He's not kidding," Gehrig said. "Follow me. I know just the place."

She then led everyone out of the Gamestop.

"I actually look good with purple hair," Lucca said.

LATER…

"American Eagle?" asked Lucca in confusion.

"This is where people our age get their clothes these days," Gehrig said.

She then led them all inside, where the store was divided into a boys' side and a girls' side.

"You gentlemen can pick anything you want over there," she announced.

She then led Lucca, Marle, and Ayla to the girls' side, which was considerably larger.

"This might take a while longer," she said.

MINUTES LATER…

"Ow, ow, ow!" Marle exclaimed as she sported her new jeans and baby shirt. "These are so uncomfortable!"

"I'll have to agree!" Lucca sighed as she sported similar attire.

"I hurt all over!" Ayla exclaimed.

"Trust me," Gehrig insisted. "You get used to it. And Marle! Those jeans make your butt look incredible!"

"Thanks….?" Marle said in confusion.

At that moment, she saw a sign near the girls' jeans that read: Best Jeans for Your Butt.

"I guess you're right," Marle admitted.

"Crono will love it," Gehrig informed her. "Speaking of which…."

She turned to the direction of the men's area, and her heart practically skipped a beat.

Glenn was wearing a tank top.

Gehrig quickly walked over to him, practically ignoring Crono, or the fact that Magus had refused to dress with the times.

"It looks really good on you," she complimented with a smile as she gently touched his bicep.

"Thank you," Glenn replied nervously.

Clearly infatuated, Gehrig immediately tried to change the subject.

"Who's hungry?" she asked before stepping back to a neutral distance.

LATER….

After a two hour wait time, Gehrig, Mary Ellen, Crono, Marle, Lucca, Glenn, Robo, Ayla, and Magus were seated at the biggest table in the restaurant.

"I am confused about something," Marle said. "This place is called Olive Garden. Where are the Olives?"

"It's complicated," Gehrig replied.

Everyone noticed how rich the food was here.

"So," Lucca said, "we should pay our share."

"This is on me," Mary Ellen insisted. "I covered this months ago by doing little jobs."

"Like what?" Gehrig asked.

"Cleaning President Biden's desk," Mary Ellen replied.

"Right," Gehrig said, sarcastically.

It was then that both the Clines began to focus on Glenn. He was sitting politely, awaiting his food.

"So," began Mary Ellen, "I don't mean to be insensitive or anything, but….aren't you supposed to be a frog?"

"I was," Glenn replied. "But I'm human again. Mostly. I only turn into a frog at night, when the moon is clear."

"I see," said Mary Ellen.

"You probably have a lot of questions," Crono said. "Feel free to ask us anything. It's the least we can do for how you've taken care of us."

"I have a few," Gehrig admitted sheepishly.

"Go ahead," Marle permitted.

"So," Gehrig began, "if you change the past, does it change the present?"

"It certainly does," Crono replied. "It would be pointless to pursue Lavos if it didn't."

"So it's more like Back to the Future than the Marvel Cinematic Universe," Gehrig observed.

"Unless you time travel yourself," added Lucca. "Then, something that happened to you in the past will not affect you in the present."

"So if you went back and killed your grandmother," Ayla added, "you would still exist."

"Ayla," Gehrig then observed, "you're talking like the rest of us."

"I had to learn sometime," she laughed. "I have been listening to proper English for weeks."

"If you don't mind me asking," Mary Ellen began, "did you really live with the dinosaurs. I thought you and them were around at a different time."

"I was born in the prehistoric era," Ayla replied. "But my parents were from Zeal. They were sent back when the Ocean Palace disaster happened."

"Wow," said Gehrig. "That wasn't expected. But it makes a lot of sense."

"What we still never figured out was my father," Lucca said. "I'm getting suspicious he was born in another time as well. How else could he come up with all these inventions in the eleventh century?"

"I'd be curious, too," Mary Ellen said.

"Sorry we keep asking questions," Gehrig apologized. "I just never knew…um…"

"We were real?" Crono finished for her.

"Yeah, that's it," Gehrig said sheepishly.

Just then, the wait staff approached Gehrig with candles and a cake, and, to everyone's surprise, sang Happy Birthday.

"Wait a minute," Marle said. "It's your birthday?"

"Yeah, I'm seventeen," Gehrig replied.

Crono and Marle found it interesting, as none of her friends were there.

They ate through their food, getting to know Gehrig and Mary Ellen throughout the evening.

Mary Ellen kept drinking wine, and was visibly intoxicated within an hour.

"Mom," Gehrig began, "I'm driving us to the hotel."

"Nobody drives my Eclipse Cross but me!" Mary Ellen slurred. "I'll get an Uber!"

Gehrig sighed and turned to Marle.

"Sorry about my mom," she whispered.

"That's okay," Marle assured her.

She then remembered the seat next to her was empty, as Crono had excused himself to the men's room.

Now was the time to ask.

"So Gehrig," Marle began. "Mind if I ask you something?"

"Of course!" Gehrig replied. "Ask away!"

"I know there's differences between the game and real life," Marle began, "but….do Crono and I end up together?"

"You do," Gehrig replied with a smile.

Marle smiled back; her heart was happy.

The dinner continued to go smoothly for the next hour, until the moon cleared.

Glenn tried to warn everyone, but it was too late.

He was Frog again in seconds flat.

People in the restaurant began to scream.

"I'll take the check!" Mary Ellen announced.

Act Three

"Glenn is so hot!" Gehrig laughed. "At least when he's human."

"Agreed there," Mary Ellen admitted.

"He's too young for you," Gehrig commented.

"He's too old for you," Mary Ellen reiterated.

Lucca chuckled slightly.

They were in the Clines' hotel room, with Gehrig and Mary Ellen sitting on their beds, and Lucca propped up in a chair; her hair was saturated in purple dye.

That was Lucca and Gehrig's mutual idea; they had found the dye at Hot Topic before they left for the Olive Garden.

"There's one last thing we forgot to ask," Mary Ellen began. "But I didn't want to ask it in front of everyone."

"What's that?" Lucca asked.

"Who's Crono's father?" Mary Ellen asked.

"Taban," Lucca replied, without making eye contact.

"But, in the game, he's your father," Gehrig said.

"He's my father in real life, too," Lucca said.

"I didn't even know you were brother and sister!" Gehrig replied. "The game didn't mention that!"

Yeah, I kind of neglected to tell them.

"Did it mention our moms are twins?" Lucca asked.

Gehrig shook her head.

"My mom hates Crono," Lucca sighed. "She doesn't even care he's her nephew. Every time she sees him, it reminds her of my father's fling with his mom."

"Looks like we've got a Game of Thrones situation," Mary Ellen said.

"So Crono's both your cousin and your brother?" Gehrig asked.

"Half, yes," Lucca replied.

"Wow," Gehrig said. "That's complicated."

"But enough about me," Lucca asked. "You're not from around here, are you? Where are you from?"

"Los Angeles, actually," Gehrig replied.

"And you came out here for your birthday?" Lucca asked. "What's out here?"

"Some of my old friends and cousins," Gehrig replied. "They were all going to show up, but they canceled one by one."

Lucca gave her a sad look; she realized Gehrig was really trying to be cheery for them, despite her situation.

"That's terrible!" she said. "I'm so sorry!"

"I think we all just lost touch during COVID," Gehrig continued. "We couldn't really see each other. And the other thing that scares people away from us."

"Other thing?"

"Last year, for my birthday, my mom took me here. We went to New Hope and got our cards read. But the psychic recognized my mom for having a fling with her eighteen-year-old son the year before that."

"Don't blame me!" Mary Ellen protested. "He was hot!"

Gehrig sighed.

"Anyway, she cast a curse on both my mom and I."

"What kind of a curse," Lucca asked.

"She said we'll never die," Gehrig replied. "Well, sort of. We'll die, but, no matter how many times we do, she said we'll just be born again. First my mom, then me. We might even spend time in Heaven. Or maybe the other place. But, in the end, we'll just be reborn again. And on this will go until the world ends. Which is supposed to be tomorrow, right?"

"Not if I can help it," Lucca assured her.

LATER…

It was now late at night, but Crono was wide awake. Frog had gone to sleep, and Magus was starting out the window.

Tomorrow would be a big day. By the time the sun set that evening, either Lavos, or himself and his friends, would be destroyed. The moment he had anticipated for a month was less than twenty-four hours away.

Realizing he would not be able to fall asleep any time soon, Crono left his room, and took the elevator down to the lobby.

Marle stood there in a white tank top and a pair of black pajama bottoms. Once she noticed Crono was there, she smiled, tiptoed up to him, and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Can't sleep?" she asked with a smile.

"Not really," Crono replied.

"Neither can I!" Marle giggled as she kissed him. "Up for a little you and me time?"

"Sure," Crono agreed.

Marle kissed him again and led him onto the sofa.

"I never thought I would come to a place or a time like this," she began as she placed an arm on his left shoulder and rested her head on his right.

"Neither did I," he said as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "Not to mention, we're kind of famous, even though everyone thinks we're fictional."

"You know, I wouldn't mind living here," Marle continued. "These pajamas are so comfortable! And the technology is here, without all the cruelty. There's no hunger. There's little sickness." She paused, and lowered her head. "But, I'm a princess, and Guardia is where I belong."

Crono nodded, and kissed her on the head.

"But in the thirty-five days I've known you," she continued, "there is one thing I'm sure of."

"What's that?" Crono asked as he stroked her hair.

Marle realized that, at this point, it was useless to hide any feelings from him. She looked at him with sincere, moist eyes.

"I can see myself spending the rest of my life with you," she said.

"So can I," he replied. "And I don't ever want to be apart from you again."

Marle smiled as she pressed her lips against his. She then buried her head in his shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Just hold me like this," she whispered. "For now, that is. We'll talk more when we get back. But I guess there's something else I really want to ask of you."

"Go ahead," Crono permitted.

"Please don't distance yourself from Lucca," Marle pleaded. "She loves you a lot."

"I won't," Crono assured her.

"She can be the cool aunt!" Marle giggled.

Crono felt his mouth dry.

She was already thinking about getting married and having children with him.

And yet, it felt right. It was something he wanted.

Just then, the front glass doors slid open, and the pajama-clad Gehrig appeared in the lobby.

"Sorry!" she immediately apologized upon seeing the tender moment. "I didn't realize you were down here. "I had to make a Wawa run."

"No worries," Crono assured her.

"But you two really are a cute couple. Taylor Swift could so write a song about you two," she giggled.

With that, she walked over to the elevator and stepped in.

"See you tomorrow!" she said before the door closed.

"Who's Taylor Swift?" asked Marle. "Is he powerful and famous?"

"I'd imagine he is," Crono replied.

Marle then sat up.

"I should probably go to bed myself," she said. "We've got a big day tomorrow."

She stood up, turned around, bent down, and kissed him again.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you," he replied.

Marle trotted into the elevator, blowing her love a kiss before the door closed.

A moment later, the other elevator door opened; It was Lucca.

Like Marle, she was in a tank top and pajama pants. But something about her was radically different; her hair was now purple.

"Hey, Lucca," Crono greeted.

"Hey there!" she greeted back.

"What happened to your hair?" he naturally asked.

"Gehrig dyed it," she replied as she walked over to Crono and sat down next to him.

"What are you up to?" he inquired.

"Looking for pains in my butt," Lucca replied.

Crono scratched his head.

"In a hotel lobby in the middle of the night?" he asked in confusion.

"I found one, didn't I?" she laughed.

Crono laughed back and playfully punched her shoulder.

"Did you notice there's no thirteenth floor here?" Lucca asked. "Gehrig said it's because people won't sleep on it. They think it's bad luck."

"Do you believe them?" Crono asked.

"Not really," Lucca replied. "And I'm not sure if that Entity discussion we had a couple of days ago really holds up. Could something really be creating those Gates?"

"They have to come from somewhere," Crono replied. "Is it hard to think there might be a higher power watching over us?"

"I don't know," Lucca replied as she shook her head. "I mean, I've gone to Mass just like everyone else, but I don't know. I just don't know."

"What would it take?" he asked.

"A special Gate for me," she answered. "One that would take me back and prevent my mom from getting her legs crushed."

Crono then noticed the flat rectangular device that Lucca was holding.

"What's that you got?" he asked.

"It's called an iPad," Lucca replied. "Gehrig said everyone in this time period has one. It has this game on it called Temple Run. Want to play?"

They played for an hour. As they did, Crono remembered how, throughout his seventeen years, he always had a good time with Lucca.

She was his cousin, and, though they never acknowledged it, she was also his sister. But, most importantly, she really was his best friend.

"How's Marle," Lucca suddenly asked.

"She's good," Crono replied. "She's been all over me."

Lucca smiled.

"This girl wants to marry you," she suddenly blurted out.

Crono laughed a sigh.

"Well, don't you want to marry her?" she continued.

"I think so," Crono replied. "But…I've only known her for a month."

"Crono, my boy," Lucca chuckled, "some things just work out that way when you're not expecting it. The good and the bad."

Crono was somewhat used to Lucca's occasional maternal affection, since she was two years older than him.

It did raise a question.

"Well, what about you?" he asked.

"What about me?"

"I don't see why you can't find someone," he clarified.

"Me? Get married?" Lucca asked. "No thanks. I don't fancy cooking and cleaning for a man who's probably not as smart as I am."

She was then silent.

Crono felt uneasy, and he realized something. One day, her parents would be gone. When that happened, he would be all she had. She didn't seem that close to Ayla or Robo, and she certainly wasn't friends with Glenn.

He would be her only friend and relative.

"I don't think I would go well with one person," she finally added. "I'd prefer to help a lot of people."

"Are you sure?" Crono asked. "I'll bet there's people in this era who won't keep you in the kitchen.

"I'd be happy being the fun aunt," Lucca insisted. "Trust me."

She then got up, hugged Crono, and pecked him on the cheek.

"Don't stay up too late, okay?"

"I'll try," he said as he stood up himself. "But hey, I've already been killed once. What's the worst that can happen?"

"That's not funny," Lucca reprimanded as tears threatened her chestnut eyes. "I can't lose you again. I love you too much."

"I'm sorry," Crono apologized as he pulled her in for another hug.

Lucca then stepped back and looked at him sincerely.

"Once this is over, I'll fix things between you and my mom," she announced.

Lucca entered the elevator, and the door closed behind her, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

"Nah," she laughed to herself. "I don't think I'll ever get married."

It was then that she noticed that there was a thirteenth floor after all. It was strange; she could have sworn that button had been missing before.

Curiosity got the best of her; she pushed the thirteen button, and the elevator began moving up.

The door opened, and Lucca stepped out of the elevator.

It was a small room with no decorations, but Lucca's attention wasn't focused anywhere near it. There was a Gate in front of her, and it was wide open. But the background in this Gate wasn't blue; it was red. This was not like a traditional Gate; Lucca was wondering if it was suddenly there just for her. Without thinking twice, she stepped inside.

Suddenly, she was in familiar surroundings; it was her bedroom. But she immediately noticed that it was arranged differently than when she had last left it.

It was arranged as it had been when she was a child.

On her bed was an open diary.

Cautiously, Lucca picked it up and read the entry.

June 24, 990

Dad promised to go hiking with me, but blew me off again, due to his work. I hate science! I loathe it!

"Did I make it back...to that moment?" she whispered.

She nervously stepped out of her bedroom and into the hallway.

Over the balcony, she could see her mother, still able to walk, as well as her nine-year-old self.

"I did," she whispered.

Meanwhile, Lara walked over to the machine that would cost her her legs in a matter of moments while holding her broom.

"What is this thing?" she asked out loud. "Taban says to keep away from it, but it's so dusty."

Lara then stepped onto the belt, and began to sweep.

"I'll just…"

The belt, and Lara, began to move.

"Dear me!" Lara exclaimed. "My skirt...it's...I'm stuck!"

Lara struggled to escape, even if it meant tearing her skirt, but her skirt would not tear.

"Lucca!" she cried. "Lucca, help!"

The nine-year-old Lucca began to pull on her mother's skirt, but to no avail.

"I can't pull it out!" cried Lucca.

Lara quickly eyed the console.

"Lucca!" she cried. "Enter the password! Stop this machine!"

"But I don't know it, mommie!" the nine-year-old Lucca objected.

"But I do," called the nineteen-year-old Lucca from the balcony.

The adult Lucca immediately darted down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Who are you?!" the child Lucca demanded.

"A science-lover," the adult Lucca replied.

With that, she eagerly entered the password.

"L-A-R-A," she whispered.

The belt suddenly stopped.

Lara covered her mouth and sighed in relief.

"Oh thank you!" she sighed.

"Happy to do it," the adult Lucca sighed as a tear of relief rolled down her cheek.

Lara then tried to pull her skirt out again, but it still wouldn't tear.

"But," Lara continued, "how am I supposed to get out of here."

Lucca tried not to giggle when she realized the only solution.

"You'll have to take off your dress," Lucca informed her.

"But all my other dresses are hung to dry outside!" Lara objected. "And my husband won't be home until late!"

"Then I'm afraid you'll have to spend the rest of the day naked," Lucca truthfully informed her.

"Ew!" cried the nine-year-old Lucca.

"She is right," Lara admitted.

"And I think that's my cue to go," the adult Lucca said as she mounted the stairs to her bedroom.

Sure enough, the open red Gate was still there. She stepped through, and found herself on the thirteenth floor of the hotel again. The Gate closed, and Lucca entered the elevator, taking it back to her room floor.

Just out of curiosity, she re-entered the elevator.

But the thirteenth floor button was gone.

A tear rolled down her face; what had just happened was, no doubt, a miracle. And she realized that she might indeed be watched over after all.

It gave her hope about tomorrow.

But on her way to her room, she passed Magus in the hallway.

He walked right by her, as if he didn't even see her, or as if he was trying to avoid her.

Instead, he disappeared straight into the elevator.

Lucca suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

The elevator went down to the basement. It stayed there for a few moments.

"What could he be doing down there?" Lucca asked herself out loud.

Then, it hit her.

"The Epoch! The Epoch's down there!" she exclaimed. "He's going to steal the Epoch and strand us here!"

She began to run toward the elevator.

Then, it began moving up again.

Lucca stopped in her tracks, realizing it was almost certainly Magus who was ascending.

Her suspicions were confirmed when the door opened; Magus exited the elevator and walked in her direction, this time acknowledging her presence.

"Shouldn't you be getting some sleep?" he said.

Lucca wasn't easily fooled.

"What did you do with the Epoch?" she demanded.

Magus stopped.

"You still don't trust me, do you?" he inquired. "So be it. I am sorry to disappoint you, but I was simply retrieving my amulet."

He then produced the amulet he had mentioned.

"I'm sorry," Lucca apologized.

"Well," Magus continued, "sleep well."

He then walked off.

Lucca was still suspicious. To be safe, she went down to the basement herself.

Sure enough, the Epoch was still there.

Lucca, however, continued to feel uneasy.