Chrono Corruption

Act 4: New World Order

Chapter 21: Heart of the Planet

*Darkness Beyond Time*

As Lucca opened her eyes, she took in the vast emptiness around her. She moaned as she tried to roll over and regain her bearings. She sat upon a floating geometric stone surrounded by a tempest of grey stormy clouds and a dark horizon. She rubbed her eyes under her glasses, "...This must be, The Darkness Beyond Time," she said in awe. "Marle wasn't kidding when she said it was dark and lonely here," she shivered. "...And cold too..."

The cubic stone she stood upon was lined up with multiple near-identical stones that moved in a strange pattern. Thinking back, Lucca recalled Ty's story, "Ty said that when he was here, he and Tomo were able to navigate their way out. Hopefully, I can take these stones to do the same!" she said strongly as she leaped to a platform when it came close. She continued hastily, leaping from stone to stone, careful not to fall off. Eventually, after a series of vanishing and reappearing platforms, Lucca arrived at a very large platform.

Chaotic two-dimensional monsters appeared and Lucca began firing on them causing them to shatter into sparks of energy, "These beings must be composed of pure energy! Disrupting the flow causes them to break up!" Lucca thought to herself. As she disposed of the minor threats, a massive one appeared. "Okay big guy, you want me? Come get me! Fire Blast!" she chanted as powerful blasts of heat erupted from beneath them. The blasts destroyed the monster causing it to dissipate. A portal, a Gate as it were, appeared where the creature stood. "There's my ticket outta here!" she said loudly as she dashed for the Gate.

*Ice Age*

Lucca stepped out of the Gate and ended up back in the Ice Age. A gust of frigid air swept past her legs, "Damn that's cold!" she said loudly. She looked around hastily for a safe retreat. "Well, it's obvious I didn't come here through a typical Gate. My origin point has vanished completely and I'm stranded in the middle of nowhere!"

She began to run frantically, looking for a warm place to hide. She ran and ran dodging blasts of frigid winds by ducking behind steep hills and the occasional large tree. As she leaned up against a tree, some snow fell from its branches and covered her head, "Yikes, ohh!" she moaned. As the gust died down she began to run again and as she approached a hillside she noticed two small lights that illuminated a small cave entrance. "Yes, signs of life... Now, if I can just... reach it!" she said as her increasingly numbing feet and legs began to give way. She kept her gaze transfixed on the two lights as she dragged herself closer and closer. Then suddenly, her numb feet tripped over an object hidden in the snow and she face-planted.

As she struggled to move, pain and numbness crept quickly into her body. "No..., it can't end like this... What a stupid way to go... after all I've... been... through..." she thought as she slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

*An Unknown Amount of Time Later*

Lucca drew a deep breath as she regained consciousness. She found that she could not move easily and was very weak. "Guh, w-what happened?!" she muttered frantically.

Then, a strange fluffy white creature came into her sight. It grinned cheerfully, "Wakey-wakey! You free from ice now?" the creature asked with a primitive broken speech pattern. The creature was not unlike a snowman in shape. It had small beady eyes, big white teeth, and even a large fluffy mustache underneath its little blue nose. "Listen all, strange human wake up! Unusual, yes? Ice make human die, but not this one!" it said as many others of its kind gathered around with sounds of curious interest.

Lucca managed to sit up and felt the warmth of a great power boiling from deep within her body and she noticed she had been enveloped in a golden gleam. The creatures' 'ohh'ed' and 'Ahh'ed' the spectacle as the first one she met spoke again with excitement, "You strange human, glow with light like sun! We take with us to see 'Heart of World'!" it said energetically.

"I'm in the Aura Surge state...," she said breathlessly to herself. "My hair is hot pink," she said as she examined a lock of her hair. "With no monster to use it on, I have a chance to study it for a bit! What an opportunity! Wait..., where did you say you took me?" Lucca asked regaining her focus.

"We in cave now, wait for storm to pass!" the monster said. "We find you in snow, frozen but glowing like sun! You stay frozen for many cycles of sun and moon! We not think you wake up though, so that make us happy!"

"Okay, but what is the 'Heart of World' you just mentioned?" Lucca asked, hoping for a more straight answer.

"Oh, that! It outside, it shine like sun! Like you!" the monster complimented. "Rest now, 'Heart of World' prettiest in morning! You want eat?" he asked.

"Um, now that you mention it, I am rather hungry...," Lucca said rubbing her aching abdomen. The creature's easily accepted her presence, "Um, by the way, what do I call you guys?" she asked quizzically.

*Next Sunrise*

Lucca awoke early the next day and stretched as she wiped the grogginess from her eyes. She noticed that she still retained her Aura Surge state. "Good, it's still there, but wow, what intense dreams!" she said quietly to herself. Lucca gazed around the cavern and her eyes were drawn to a brilliant aurora-like light emanating from the only entrance to the small cavern. "I think I'll take a look outside while these 'Snowmen' get a little more sleep!"

As Lucca left the cavern she found herself on a small narrow path that overlooked what resembled a quarry. Her breath was taken from her lungs as she gazed down into this quarry. Her eyes were met with a gleam of colors that danced across the sky as the morning sun hit the largest crystal she had ever seen in her life. It was as large as a three-story building. This massive stone absorbed the sun's light like a battery. Around the stone, much smaller crystals of the same type littered the quarry. "It's... the Sun Stone!" Lucca gasped. "But it's sooo big!"

In a rush, Lucca leaped from the path and slid down the slopes until reaching the lowest point. She then rushed up to the Sun Stone and its warmth was unmistakable. "This is incredible! This must be what the Sun Stone was like before the Zealian's used it to make their islands float in the skies!" she deduced. She bent down and picked up a palm-sized Sun Stone, "I wonder what caused this Sun Stone to come to the surface? Was it Lavos hitting the planet? If the Zealians can make entire islands levitate in the skies with this stuff, then I can make a new Gate Key! After all, I don't know if the others are even alright, let alone looking for me...," she said nervously, gripping the stone strongly.

*?*

A Rift opened amidst the ice-covered fields and Crono, Marle, and Robo emerged from it. It vanished completely leaving no trace of its existence as the party regrouped. Robo scanned the area, "Incredible! So this is the Ice Age? I can't quite pinpoint what year it is exactly, due to multiple factors, but hopefully, Lucca has managed to survive long enough for us to locate her."

Crono stood, determined, gazing at the aurora in the sky above. "She's fine, I've known Lucca since I was a kid. She was always the resourceful kind," he said confidently.

"That may be so, but even Lucca can only do so much by herself!" Marle said worriedly.

"Well then, if the FATE computer system placed us here, then how much you want to bet that, that's where she's been this whole time?" Crono said as he pointed to the large bright lights emanating from the mountain range before them.

"Wow, what pretty lights!" Marle said astonished. "Those torches up ahead are lighting the way to a cave entrance! Let's go see if Lucca's in there!"

Everyone agreed and began to follow Crono to the open cave. It was easy to spot now that the weather was decent.

As Crono and his party trekked through the chilly maze-like cavern, they fought their way through some resistance and eventually came to an exit that lead them to a large room with many sleeping snowmen. In the middle of that room, a familiar face could be sleeping on a flat stone that acted as a table. Many scientific instruments littered the 'table'.

Crono smiled, "There she is," he said with relief.

"Yes, we found her! That was easy!" Marle said hopping in place with joy.

"You should be quieter we don't-," Crono said as he was cut off by the Snowmen waking up. The Snowman Chief quickly took notice and made his way through the crowd of his groggy pack.

"Hello, hello!" he greeted with a rather jolly disposition. "You friend of Lucca?"

Robo whirred, "Incredible, my data says these creatures were just a myth! It's great to see that they are in fact real flesh and blood creatures!"

Crono spoke directly, "Yes, she is our friend, will you let us see her?"

"Yes, yes, please do, hmm, me need more rest...," mumbled the Snowman Chief as he sat back down and closed his eyes.

Crono and company maneuvered their way around the fluffy creatures and made their way to Lucca, who was still sleeping peacefully. Crono nudged her shoulder, "Hey Lucca, time to get up! We're here!"

Lucca stirred as if she were startled and frantically searched for her glasses. She placed her glasses on and gazed at her friends standing before her. She instantly became overcome with emotion, "YOU GUYS! Please tell me this is not a dream!" she said as she gave both Crono and Marle a big hug. "I held out hope for so long that one of you would come at least, but the three of you, including Robo?!"

"Sorry it took so long, we had to help Robo out of a jam!" Marle said.

Robo approached, "Lucca, you have matured since I've last seen you! Your hair is shorter and your features are more feminine."

"Robo...," Lucca blushed, but then took a concerned tone of voice, "And just what happened to you? You're a mess!"

"Um, no need to worry so much!" Robo said downplaying the situation. "Crono, Marle, and Mister Garet helped me out quite a lot! I am grateful for their assistance!"

Lucca adjusted her glasses quizzically, "Garet? Is that a new friend of yours?"

"Yes, he is a cyborg that was placed in the Grobyc program," Robo began. "In the future, he was a soldier that was nearly killed in the line of duty, but I oversaw his reconstruction, so I am very grateful to him."

"Incredible, I never thought of attaching machines to flesh like that!" Lucca said astounded. "Er, we'll have to discuss this later! We have much to catch up on and even more to do!"

"I was about ready to ask you what you've been doing this whole time," Crono started. "It looks like you've made this little hovel into a makeshift lab."

"When I first arrived, I nearly froze to death, but my body achieved the Aura Surge state and I managed to survive being frozen solid with it," Lucca began. "When I awoke, these Snowmen brought me here and I was thawed out. I was still in the Aura Surge state so I took the time to study it for a bit! Enough of that though, we can talk about that later. First and foremost, I simply must show you what lies outside! Come with me!" she said excitedly.

Intrigued, the party followed the excited scientist. Outside, the party stood in awe. "Incredible, the Sun Stone in its raw state!" Robo whirred.

"Well, one thing's for sure, we won't be moving this one to the Sun Shrine!" Marle joked.

"No kidding, but luckily for us, it looks like it has plenty of energy!" Crono surmised.

"Indeed, I cannot even measure the output," Robo stated. "My sensors are all maxed out."

"Anyway, I took the time I spent here to study this massive rock," Lucca started. "I attempted to use the tools and instruments I brought with me to make a new Gate Key from it but I was unsuccessful for the most part. However, I did create a new type of circuit board from it! It still needs some tweaks and I need at least one more part to complete this prototype."

"One more part? What is it?" Crono asked.

"Well, you see, the Sun Stone emits such strong energy impulses, that I need a resistor strong enough to slow that energy flow down," Lucca explained. "I've managed to isolate some ore I need in a nest that this massive firebird lives in, but the Snowmen say that I shouldn't disturb her rest. If I do, she could become hostile and I don't really want to face her alone if she does! The Snowmen say she can eat fire!"

"That's okay, with us here it should be a piece of cake!" Crono said optimistically.

"Before that, though, I have some questions," Lucca asked quizzically.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" Crono replied.

"What have you been doing this whole time? How did you find me?" she asked.

"We caught up with Belthasar at Chronopolis and he explained everything," Crono began. "Apparently, after throwing us all into separate eras, Dalton stretched space-time and now four of us can go through without arriving at the End of Time. He also went into a deep sleep, so we're using this time window to gather everyone up, so we'll be ready to face him as soon as he wakes up!" he finished with a clenched fist.

"So we're on a tight schedule then?" Lucca said as she adjusted her glasses in thought. "As much as I want to finish this circuit board, we can go back first if you want, but I think this tech will be really useful if I can bring it to Chronopolis. It's up to you Crono."

Crono took a moment to think, but then settled on an answer, "Nope, no backtracking, let's get it done while we're here," he said.

"I was hoping you would say that!" Lucca said with relief. "Don't worry, with all of us here, I can make this quick!"

"Well then, is everyone set?" Crono asked. All agreed in unison.

With that, Crono and his party entered the quarry below, navigating the steep ledges and tight turns. Once at the bottom, they began to make their way around the Sun Stone and head north into the caverns on the other side. "Oh, watch out, there are some nasty bugs that live in these small alcoves. They like the light the Sun Stone gives off," Lucca warned.

Just as Lucca said, large beetle-like monsters made this burrow their home. Their hard shells even had Sun Stone shards embedded in them. "Also, these guys will explode if we kill them. The Sun Stones in their shells explode when they take too much damage!" Lucca explained.

The party agreed with a mutual nod as they made their way passed the volatile creatures. They had to pick their fights wisely as every explosion caused the cave to rumble and moan. Robo analyzed the surroundings, "Caution, this cavern has a 71% stability rating. It is steadily decreasing the more of these 'Sun Weevils' we terminate. If this reaches below 20% then we must escape for fear of a collapse!" he explained.

"Ugh, then let's dodge the rest of these bugs! I really want to get my hands on that ore sample!" Lucca said with urgency in her voice.

As such, Crono and company dodged the rare, yet mildly tempered creatures with careful movements and precise timing. After finding themselves traversing the maze-like tunnels they finally came to a large open room with the sun shining down on a large crimson bird with rainbow-colored wings. It was sleeping soundly. All around the bird's nest lie scattered deposits of a mysterious dark-colored ore.

Marle perked up, "Wait, this bird... Could it be, the legendary Phoenix?!" she asked in awe.

"Lucca said the Snowman mentioned that it can consume fire," Robo recalled.

"Wow, its appearance even matches the legends!" Crono noted with a joyful smile.

"Huh, I guess I was so caught up in my research that I didn't bother to make the connection!" Lucca said while scratching her head.

The large bird stirred, sensing the presence of intruders in its territory. As it began to raise its head, Crono and his party readied themselves for a fight. However, the gleaming prismatic stone that Spekkio gave them resonated with Spekkio's voice, "Wait, hold it! I never thought you guys would come across one of my old pals like this!" he said cheerfully.

"Huh? Old pals?! Do you know this bird Spekkio?" Marle asked quizzically.

"Of course! "We are both spiritual entities after all! We aren't limited by mortal boundaries."

The Phoenix bellowed loudly and its call echoed loudly throughout the cave. Spekkio's spirit emerged from the stone in Crono's bag as a sphere of light and approached the irritated Phoenix. "Easy girl, it's me, your old pal Spekkio! Remember?" he said as his spirit danced in front of her. She blinked a few times and calmed down a little, realizing who it was. "That'a girl, boy, you're awfully irritable aren't you? What's got your feathers all ruffled?" he asked. She murmured and cooed sorrowfully and Spekkio listened carefully. "Uh-huh, I read ya loud and clear, well, you see these guys right here? They are all about that kinda thing. I know you don't like fighting very much, but your power could really come in handy down the line!"

"What's she saying Spekkio?" Crono asked with confusion.

Spekkio paused as he came back down to Crono, "Ah, she seems to be really irritated by this continental shift that was caused by the Red Star all those years ago. She shows concern that the Red Star's power is harming the planet and its many ecosystems, like an invasive species or somethin'!

"Well, that's what Lavos 'is' really," Lucca stated. "And it's latched itself to yet another parasite from our world."

"Well, you're in luck, cause I convinced her to lend a wing so to speak!" Spekkio claimed. "Not all my buddies like this are offensive like I am though. I am the Master of War after all. She on the other wing is more about healing folks. You won't have to prove your strength with her or anything!"

The Phoenix cooed as she leaned in over Lucca and opened her beak. A shiny crimson stone, shaped like a perfect sphere dropped out of its mouth a Lucca clumsily caught it. She adjusted her glasses and gazed into the stone. It shined like burning coals in a hot campfire. "This is just like the one you gave us Spekkio!" she said with realization.

"Yep, sure is! However, unlike me, who can be summoned by anyone with Magic, only wielders of Fire Magic can summon her! So like any grand spirit, she likes a grand entrance! So make sure you bathe the battlefield in flames before you try and call her up. Her Dawn Wing power can revitalize fallen friends and scorch foes so use it when you need a little extra firepower!"

"Wow, thank you!" Lucca said with determination as she gazed into the majestic bird's eyes. "You won't regret this!" she said as she began to turn and walk away.

"Um, Lucca? Aren't you forgetting something?" Crono asked with a smirk on his face.

"Uh, oh yeah, the ore sample!" Lucca said as she took out her hammer. She hastily approached a nearby node and began smacking it hard and it proved its sturdy nature. After a couple of hits, she managed to take a chunk off the node and picked it up. "That should do it!"

"What's so special about that stone anyway Lucca?" Marle wondered as she looked it over in Lucca's hand. "It looks like a plain old dark rock to me!"

"Heh, looks can be deceiving, eh Marle?" Lucca began with a proud look. "This rare earth metal is called 'Denadorite' in our time and was called so after it was located on Mt. Denadoro in Irma's era. However, the mineral is so rare to find in our time that Mt. Denadoro was exhausted of it, so all the Denadorite that was ever mined is kept deep in vaults of aristocrats, politicians, and general bigwigs across the world. It's even valued above Gold and Mithril Silver because it is so rare!"

"Mithril Silver?" Robo hummed curiously as his data files searched for a match. "Oh, you mean 'Titanium'? Mithril is also known as Titanium in my time."

"Oh, I didn't know that," Crono said astonished. "Boy, we're learning all kinds of stuff today, aren't we? But, what's Denadorite used for anyway?"

"I'm not totally sure, that's why I want this sample!" Lucca stated. "Anyway, we got what we came for, and then some, so let's leave here, shall we? I can make a better analysis at Chronopolis!"

"Robo, can you scan for a nearby Gate anywhere?" Crono asked.

"Please wait," Robo said as he searched for a nearby signature. He suddenly came to a stop, "Yes, I found a Gate, but it is nowhere near our current location. It lies back south near the equator. This is unfortunate..."

"Ugh, all the way back that way, huh," Crono said a little discouraged. "I should've known..."

Just then, the Snowman Chief and some of his people came into the cave behind them. He was carrying Lucca's equipment in a satchel. "You come see firebird? She pretty, yes?

"Um, yeah, very pretty," Marle said childishly.

"Leaving now? We have your stuff. Want back?" the Chief asked innocently.

Lucca grabbed her things with a smile, "Yeah, sorry for leaving so abruptly, but I have to get going now. Thank you for grabbing my things. Our only problem now, is how do we get back to the equator?"

"No worry! Going to naval of world? Ask firebird for ride! She fast!" the Chief claimed with a big toothy grin.

"That's a great idea!" Crono said with a snap of his fingers. "Spekkio, could you ask the Phoenix for one more favor? Please?"

"Sure!" Spekkio agreed as he spoke to the Phoenix once more. The Phoenix cawed strongly and spread her wings as she stood up tall in her nest. Spekkio came back down to Crono, "She says she's good to go. Says she wants a little exercise anyway!"

"Thanks, Spekkio, you're the best!" Crono said thankfully.

"Heh, don't you know it! You guys are a riot, call me again if you need me!" Spekkio finished as he vanished back into Crono's bag.

With that, Lucca said her goodbyes to the snowmen and the Chief was more than happy to let everyone know of her departure for her. Crono and company climbed onto the Phoenix's back and after securing themselves, she spread her wings and jumped through the sunroof catching the first gust of cold air in the morning sunrise.

*Equator*

Everyone disembarked, thanking the Phoenix as she began to rise into the skies once more. Quickly, she was out of sight. Crono and his party gazed at the Gate that overlooked the Temple of the Red Star. It was sealed by Dalton's curse as expected. "So this is what Dalton is trying to do? Prevent anyone from traveling through time?" Lucca asked.

"Yeah, but luckily, Belthasar made us some Time Eggs that can break the seal and open these Gates!" Marle said energetically.

"Nice, leave it to that guy to figure out such a solution!" Lucca said with admiration.

"All right, let's get back! I'm getting pretty hungry," Crono said as he lifted the Time Egg. It floated and Marle's pendant gave it a charge as the party whispered their wish into it. The egg shattered and Dalton's seal went along with it. The party cheered as they activated the Gate Key. Like they were taking a photo, they all struck humorous poses as the Gate closed, sending them through time.

*Chronopolis*

Back at Chronopolis, Lucca was astounded by all that she could see. As she was like a child in a candy store, she bounced around wanting to fiddle with every machine she could get her hands on. Finally, they managed to escort her to the chamber of the Frozen Flame. There she met Garet and they briefly exchanged a conversation about how he met Crono. Lastly, Belthasar debriefed her on everything that has happened up until her rescue.

"Thanks, you guys, I really don't know what I would have done without all of you!" Lucca said gratefully. "Now that I'm caught up on everything, I'm going to head to the nearest material science lab and analyze this Denadorite. You guys go ahead and bring someone else home! We can't go back with four people anyway. Nevertheless, I suppose I can break away from my studies if you need my help that badly!" she laughed heartily. "Now, I'm gonna go update my equipment, so that when you do call, I'll be ready!"

Melchior responded to Lucca's last comment, "Oh, that reminds me!" he said as he approached her. "I keep forgetting to give you this," he said as he handed over an old ornate lockbox that contained a magical scroll inside. "That magic scroll is called, the 'Smith Spirit'. I can't help much in battle anymore, but I'm still a fine craftsman. That scroll can summon a Dream Spirit, not unlike Grand and Leon that can forge equipment for you!"

"Thanks, um, how does it work?" Lucca asked quizzically.

"Oh, allow me to demonstrate!" Melchior said strongly as he rolled the scroll out on the floor. The magical symbols gleamed and a magical being resembling the spirits of the Grandleon appeared.

"Hello, how may I assist you?" the spirit asked kindly.

"Ahem, spirit, please make some new equipment for this young woman here, she needs a new gun and clothes," Melchior asked politely.

"With the right materials, I can make just about anything!" he said. Crono handed over some copper and golden cotton and the cartoonish spirit went to work. He spawned an anvil and forge and a few other things he needed and within a few moments. he created a Sunspot Pistol, a Sunveil Hoodie with matching shorts, and an Ibis Scope.

"Well, that takes care of that! What a nifty thing!" Lucca said as she took the equipment.

The spirit and his tools vanished into thin air and the scroll rolled itself back up to Melchior who then handed it to Crono. Crono took it and stored it away. "Thanks, Melchior, that will certainly come in handy!"

"So, who are you guys going after next?" Belthasar asked curiously.

"Well, I think we should go pick up Glenn next. He should be easy to locate and I really want to know what's wrong with Guardia in the Middle Ages!" Crono said seriously.

"Glenn? What's he doing stranded in the past?" Lucca asked.

"We aren't sure," Crono said. "But we'll ask him as soon as we find him!"

With that, Crono and his party, consisting of Marle, Robo, and himself headed back to the Rift Generator Room. He took another Time Egg and the scientist activated the machine. "All right, let's go and see our old pal Glenn!"

*End of Chapter*