January 21, 2022

Nickolas Anderson

Chrono Trigger

Epilogue

Lavos was dead, the future changed, and the planet saved. Crono and Marle could be together forever. And yet, an odd twist of fate could end up undoing all that the heroes accomplished...

Scene One

"My research has determined it... This place is where Schala resides."

A Gate opened, and Magus stepped out into a black void. He readied his scythe.

"Wherever she is, I shall find her. That has been my only purpose since defeating Lavos."

He turned on his heel, but stopped dead and readied himself. Before him was a small creature, three times his size and resembling Lavos. Well, it looked more like a spawn, it was so small. What caught his eye was the bubble above it, and the woman contained within.

"SCHALA!"

Schala floated above the Lavos-spawn, encased in a blue bubble. Magus snarled and drew his scythe.

"Damn you! How many times do I need to kill you, you bastard?!"

He roared and swung the scythe, only for it to break apart as it reached Lavos. Shocked, he fell back and onto one knee. The beast roared and blew him backwards.

"What the hell is going on?!"

A soft voice reached his ears.

"Janus...?"

Magus rose to his feet.

"SCHALA!"

Inside the bubble, Schala opened her eyes.

"Janus, how did you get here...?"

Magus frantically rushed forward.

"Schala, I'm here! I'll get you out of here, I...!"

Schala shook her head.

"No power exists that can save me. There is nothing that you can do that will change this truth."

Magus fell to his knees.

"Wh-what... What are you saying?! Schala?!"

Schala extended her hand.

"I pray only that you find peace before the Time Devourer ends all... I'm sorry, Janus. This is goodbye."

Magus clenched his fist, hard enough to draw blood.

"No! You can't! I only... I've only lived to be with you!"

Schala gestured, and Magus fell into a Gate. As he did, tears welled within her eyes and she began to cry. Then, all of a sudden, she stopped.

"That voice... a child...?"

Deep within the Gate's abyss, Magus floated in an empty stupor.

"Nothing...? NOTHING... I can do... can save you, Schala...?"

He scowled, and gnashed his teeth.

"To hell with it then. I've no reason to exist if I can't be with you. Better that I return to nothing than to live without you... No... Maybe I could find SOMETHING to aim for... But... What...?"

The Gate opened and Magus fell onto the forest floor. He forced himself awake, and stumbled back to a seated position. He looked strangely at his hands.

"What in God's name am I doing here...?"

He paused.

"For that matter, who in God's name AM I?!"

Slowly he rose, a look of dismay on his face.

"I... feel... like I need to look for something. But what kind of enigma could I seek...?"

Scene Two

"Okay, part one, yeah... Part two, hell yeah... I've got this down! Gonna show those punks what it means to cross me!"

In the Porrean mayor's mansion, he was going about his duties. Then, a green Gate appeared and Dalton walked through it. The mayor skittered to the wall.

"W-what the hell is...?!"

Dalton smirked. He held out his hand and created a fireball, then enclosed it in a clear barrier, made flowers grow from it, and collapsed it with a sparkle of feathers. The mayor gaped.

"That's amazing! Can you teach me to do that?!"

Dalton nodded.

"That and more. Tell me, what kind of metallurgy do you folks have on hand? I've got a few recipes that I'm DYING to teach you..."

Scene Three

"What do you mean, leave?! I ain't leaving!"

The Guardian military general sighed.

"We need to keep you safe, Your Majesty! If you die, the whole dynasty would end!"

Crono clenched his fist.

"You think I can't take that punk and his flunkies?! I killed a freakin' GOD!"

Marle shook her head.

"The kingdom needs us. We can gather our strength and rebuild."

Crono growled.

"Come ON! I'm not going any-"

A punch to the gut knocked the wind out of him. He glared at the assailant.

"Some son you are!"

As he fell into Marle's arms, the prince grabbed the Masamune from its ceremonial pedestal. He nodded to Marle.

"I won't fail you, Mother."

Marle smiled.

"I know, son..."

The royal family left, and the crown prince stood at the doors of the throne room as Dalton burst in. He snarled, and drew the Masamune.

"You won't get away with this!"

Dalton sneered.

"Try and stop me, squirt."

Scene Four

Yellow, Red, Green, Blue, Black, White...

And a color unknown to the naked eye.

A great flash burst through the darkness, as the world's inhabitants covered their eyes. One was a young man with a bandanna, holding a bizarre double-sided polearm weapon; he held the strange device that started it all.

Another was a young blonde girl, a tomboy clearly, holding a dagger. She was dressed in red and wore a small pouch on her belt.

The third was the strangest, an older man with violet hair and wearing a silver mask. He held a sterling silver staff, and was dressed in silver and gold.

Within the source of the light, a twisted form writhed. It was a vile creature, looking like an unholy crustacean with a blue bubble above it. The bubble held a young girl, blonde, covered in a simple white robe. As the demonic hellspawn shriveled to nothing, the girl shimmered.

Her body glowed, and what was once a child became a beautiful young woman with purple hair, dressed in ornate purple robes. She opened her eyes, and smiled gently.

A smile passed the older man's face, as his mask cracked. It shattered, and a new man emerged: muscular, pointy-eared, dressed in robes identical to the young woman's. He turned to his companions and smiled, then turned to the woman and nodded.

The young woman turned to the others and smiled. She extended her hand, but the young blonde shook her head.

"I don' think so. I like bein' me too much for that."

Schala smiled.

"You are you, I am me. Nothing can change that now."

Kid turned to Serge, a smile on her face.

"It was bloody good knowin' ya, mate!"

Serge smiled.

"I'll never forget you, Kid."

Lowering her head, Kid eyed Serve mischievously and smiled.

"I don' know when, but... I'll find ya someday. Count on it."

He extended his hand and intertwined it with Kid's. They tightened their grip and smiled.

"It's a promise."

Kid widened her grin.

"And Radical Dreamers keep their promises, mate!"