Chapter 6 / The End of Time
I woke up in my sleeping bag to notice that Marle had snuggled up against me at some point and was still asleep now. Her warmth was incredibly comforting and I think I understood why she was there. It had been quite an eventful day yesterday. I didn't move as I didn't really want to take the chance in waking up Marle. I was still tired and I don't think it was anywhere near time to actually wake up, but I was pretty sure I was woken by the sound of Lucca working away on Robo nearby. I could hear the sound of metal and her tools as she worked. I didn't open my eyes and instead just enjoyed the warmth of Marle as I listened to Lucca and Robo.
"Is repair possible?" Robo's voice could be heard. Which was already a sign of improvement. I'm curious how artificial intelligence was able to come about, but I'm also guessing if Lucca tried to explain it to me I'd not be able to understand it past the second sentence. And that might be me trying to be optimistic.
"Of course, just who do you think I am?" Lucca replied in her usual smug manner when she was boasting. "They simply managed to damage some internal wiring that caused you to short circuit and power down. I'm ensuring now that it can't happen again. You are not something that was ever intended to be a fighter. You or your brothers." Lucca's tone was the same as always. Presenting facts. She would have known just by her initial time fixing him what his functions would have been. It was no surprise to me that he hadn't been built for fighting. And I know that Lucca hated the fact that they had, or that Robo had to face his brothers.
"It is likely that my data banks are intentionally missing my original protocol settings," Robo said bleakly.
"It isn't missing, however you would be unable to access it as what you are allowed to in your personal files is limited. This was a feature done by your original creator," Lucca explained as I heard her put a tool down and switch to another.
"A feature? But wouldn't my creator want me to know my purpose?" Robo was puzzled.
"I found something among your files while I was reverting your behavioral protocols. Your creator intended for you to think for yourself. Your purpose and goals were something that you set for yourself, not by the people around you. Meaning the people you lived with here, was your choice. You helped them, because you chose to. You weren't programmed to do it. You, Robo, are a true Artificial Intelligence. One of a limited number created by one individual. However, I'm not sure what happened, but you, and your brothers were forcefully overwritten like every other robot in this time. So now that brings up what happens next. After I finish these repairs, what will you do?" Lucca had likely found those files the first time she repaired it, but likely hadn't read them until later. When she had free time waiting for us to return from the factory.
"You are inquiring as to what my plan of action is beyond this juncture?" Robo's voice was inquisitive. As odd as it felt, he had certainly shown me he was more than capable of thinking for himself. His hesitation in facing his brothers was definitely a very human like response. Even this question was thoughtful.
"There is a time gate beyond the door we opened. We aren't sure where it will take us, but ultimately our goal is to change this future. The world here is desolate and dying. We come from a past that is vibrant and alive with nature, and the landscape is a beauty to behold. And something that I have taken for granted in my time. I could hardly ever imagine all of that being destroyed, and yet its the truth, all of that is gone. And we've seen and met the ones that inhabit what is left of this world. The remaining humans that live here are hardly living anything we would call a life. I'm sure in your time when people lived here, they had been vibrant and happy and nature had still been plentiful. We want to restore that, make this place the way it should be once more and make it so this world as it is now, never comes to be. We have no idea where it will take us. Or what we'll be able to do, but the three of us each have our own reasons for pursuing it. I'm sure you would also want to restore this place. Or maybe you want to stay and help the humans that still live in this time. The choice is yours," Lucca said as she put down the other tool. "That is about all I can do with the damage you sustained with what I have. I guess the rest of it is up to you until I get some suitable parts."
"I shall have an answer for you and your comrades in the morning," Robo answered simply. "You should get some rest."
"I will. Good night, Robo," Lucca crossed over and I closed my eyes so she wouldn't realize I had been awake. She laid down on the other side of where Marle was. Marle snuggled closer, resting her head on my chest.
I was oddly comfortable with how we were right now. Before long I had fallen back to sleep in the now silent Proto Dome.
"Wake up, Crono. Crono!" It was unmistakably Marle's voice. I blinked my eyes open to see her forest green eyes looking down at me. She smiled, "Lucca wasn't kidding you really are a heavy sleeper." Oh, she had no idea.
"Only when I'm really comfortable," I grinned as I think she realized I was referring to the fact that she had slept so close to me. She blushed a bit but was accompanied by a big smile.
"Come on, you should see him. Lucca managed to make Robo as good as new," Marle helped me sit up. To which I then had to stifle a yawn before stumbling up to my feet and rubbing my eyes. Thankfully Marle decided to stay by my side and stabilize my uneven stance. I was usually a bit dizzy at first when I slept so heavily.
"I wouldn't say as good as new. If I had more supplies then maybe, but he should function within his expected parameters," Lucca shrugged as she walked over. "As a additional precaution we should all use the Enertron before we go through the Gate. We don't know where it will take us or if we'll have a chance to eat or rest when we get there."
I nodded. It was a good idea. And I hope it would make me a lot less sluggish. So I stumbled back towards the Enertron and stepped inside. It closed and I felt the familiar sting in my arm and then the light mist. After only a couple moments I stepped out and like a dream I was wide awake. But my stomach grumbled in response as if to remind me of what it wasn't getting. Hopefully wherever we end up it was a place with food. I got out and then Marle used it, followed after that by Lucca herself.
We moved back to the open door to see Robo standing and looking at us.
"Good to see you up and moving again. You had us worried for a bit," I said. I certainly had no idea how robots work so saying if he had been in a precarious situation or not wasn't something I could really say. All of that was Lucca's territory and I was fine with that being the case.
"If Marle and yourself did not act as quickly as you did, I believe it would have been much worse," Robo commented. "Thank you for that."
"We're just glad to see you're all right. Lucca, your skill with machines is incredible," Marle turned to Lucca.
Lucca pushed up her glasses, "It wasn't that bad. But I'd rather avoid doing such extensive repairs over just regular maintenance. So Robo, did you make a decision?"
So getting to what they had discussed last night that I had eavesdropped on. Well I doubt Lucca would care if I had overheard. Still I knew Lucca cared quite a bit about making Robo make the choice and not just do as he was told. Which I'm guessing wouldn't be that hard to do. But if Lucca had read what the designers intention was, she would want to see those intentions fulfilled. As a creator and inventor herself, she would want to honor that.
"I have done many calculations as to possible options. Despite the probability of your goal being low in changing the future, it also has the most desired outcome. I decided that it was worth the possible failure to attempt. So I wish to ask permission to join all of you on this venture," Robo said and did a full bow.
"Of course you can," Marle cheerfully said from next to me. "We're going to need all the help we can get right?"
"That's true, plus having a robot on our side is definitely going to help," I echoed my agreement. "Though I wish you had evaluated or chances of succeeding a bit higher."
"Welcome to the group, Robo," Lucca said with a smile. "If we do manage to get to our time, we might be able to get some better parts, if we get the time."
"First things first," I said as I moved past them and inside the now opened door. The room was large and spacious and had apparently used for storage. Things were stacked all around and covered by sheets, but in the center of the room was that same unmistakable feeling that came from being near a gate. "Well, Lucca, want to open the way?"
"One Gate coming up," Lucca turned and pulling out the Gate Key and towards the anomaly. Suddenly it was there, as if it had always been. And without hesitation we all jumped inside.
As we traveled, Marle was clutching onto me as we tumbled out into a new place. But it was hardly some place we had expected. As we stood, it appeared we had come out of a pillar of light and we were on a strange balcony of sorts. Except surrounding us was nothing but darkness. Strange orange glowing lanterns were at each corner of the balcony and the pillars of light, to which there is three of them, were the only reason we could even see anything.
"I kinda expected something...more," I said as I moved over to the fence along the sides and out into what seemed like a never ending expanse of nothingness. There was a path behind us though that seemed to lead somewhere else. "Not that we know anything about where we are."
"Where do you think we are?" Marle was at my side.
"I think it would be more prudent to check the surroundings more thoroughly before we hypothesize," Lucca said walking towards the path behind us.
I watched as Robo followed Lucca and they opened the door. I sighed and merely shrugged, "I think she might have an idea actually."
"Seems that way, she just likes to know for sure, right?" Marle asked as the two of us starting walking the same way. Well, it was the only way to go anyway.
"Lucca doesn't like being wrong because she knows it leads to mistakes. Which is why she is somewhat hesitant about these Gates because she didn't have the time to study it before you know, you got pulled through one and I went after you. She went as fast as she could just to follow us, because of what she had figured out," I shrugged as we went through a now open doorway. Lucca likely found a way to open the gates with her Gate Key but wasn't able to spend the time to really figure out as to why it worked to begin with. And I doubt she was very happy with this fact. This area was large with a lone, what seemed to be, a light pole lighting the area. But more startling was the figure that stood there underneath. Lucca had stopped and I moved passed them and immediately up to the figure, mostly to put myself between the figure and the girls. Marle had willingly moved behind me, noticing what I was doing. Still, judging by the long cloak he wore he wasn't a threatening presence. This was proven further by the greeting we received.
"Greetings, it has been some time since I've seen a guest. Much less a number of you. Please, you can relax. I am not someone you need to fear," his voice was clearly that of an old man and his white silver beard can be seen from underneath the hood, though he made no movements to reveal more of himself.
"I doubt you'd ever get many guests here. Which...where is here anyway?" I asked and relaxed my guard. Marle moved back to my side as it seemed obvious there wasn't any reason to worry about this person.
He chuckled a bit which turned into a cough, "Excuse my manners, it truly has been a long time since I've had guests. This place is known as the End of Time. No doubt you traveled here from a different era through one of the anomalies that can be found throughout the world. There was a man who informed me that time itself had distinct rules. One of them he referred to as the Conservation of Time. When the amount of travelers or mass exceeds that which the energy of the time warp in which they are traveling through, they will instead end up in the place that has the least resistance in regards to the space-time continuum."
"So in other words, it couldn't handle the amount of mass we had and so we ended up in the place that is essentially out of the influence of the space-time continuum. Since the End of Time no longer has a way to affect the continuum on its own, and acts as a catch-all for what the space-time can't handle?" Lucca pushed up her glasses. So what? The End of Time was like a garbage dump for whatever a time gate didn't know what to do with? I don't know if that made a stupid kind of sense or I just wasn't capable of participating in this discussion. Lucca seemed to be right at home with this kind of discussion. Can't say I'm surprised by that fact. "I half expected something like this, but I had no means to see if different time warps had a different amount of energy, although their signature is identical."
The older gentlemen seemed amused by Lucca's speculation. I was completely lost in this conversation. "Indeed, the amount of energy available can be immensely different depending on your entry point. Tell me, where did you all come from?"
"The three of us came from the year 1000 AD. But we just came from the year 2300 AD and that is where Robo comes from," Marle answered. I eyed her for a moment. Had she been able to follow all that? She did have a better education because she was royalty. Probably had personal tutors and...so what was I? The brute? I sighed realizing I was just getting annoyed because I didn't really understand the whole thing. I was probably just over thinking it all.
"Ah, a warp from that part of the future would likely not be as strong. I'm afraid most portals past 1999 AD will lack sufficiently energy to transport more than the three of you. I am no expert in this area though," the old man shrugged. "You would need proper equipment and formulas in order to determine what the maximum or minimum capacity of a time warp is. And likely it would be far too time consuming to be worth while, as each time warp is transfixed to a different location in time."
"I see, so would it be possible if we traveled separately?" Lucca asked.
"More feasible, but each use of a time warp will cause it to be unstable for a time. Though given a period of time of inactivity will usually stabilize it," The old man answered.
"So it is more effective for three people to travel together, but once we do it will be some time before we can use it again? Or rather use it safely? Perhaps that was the problem when you went after Marle, Crono. You entered the portal only mere minutes after she did but you must have actually arrived hours after her because after her initial travel the time warp was unstable," Lucca turned to me.
"Yeah that seemed kind of odd to me. Do these time gates continue to progress time forward then? I mean they must or else we'd always end up going back to the same moment in time, right?" I asked, which was probably more amazing how I was able to understand any of it.
"Quite an astute observation. You are correct," the old man chuckled. "Time progresses normally in every time line that you visit. Because the flow of time is always moving, never stagnant."
"Until it ends," I frown.
"All of it has balance. Where time flows freely means there is a place where time has stopped. The same is the nature of all things of all worlds, not just our own," he spoke softly. "You four did not travel through the gate by accident it seems. While there has been many that have mistakenly ended up here before, you seem to have more purpose."
"That's right, we're going to change the future. We're going to prevent the Day of Lavos," Marle declared without any reservations. It was fine, this old man hardly seemed like he couldn't be trusted. If anything he simply seemed amused by our youth and our goal. I could see the edge of a smile from underneath his cloak.
"I see, if that is indeed the quest you've decided to undertake, then you should venture into the door behind me. Just you three. Your friend here would gain no benefit from visiting him. Inside is a good friend of mine and will no doubt be able to help you," He held a cane in his hands and rested both of his hands on it as he leaned onto it.
"Well, Robo, why don't you keep him company while we check it out, alright?" I turned to Robo for a moment.
"Affirmative, I shall remain on standby for the moment," Robo confirmed what I said before Marle, Lucca and I walked over to the lone door on the side of the large room.
"Someone that can help us huh? What do you think?" Lucca asked me.
"He doesn't have anything to gain from stopping us. If anything I believe he actually wants to help us," I said as I reached out to the door.
"I agree, he kind of gives off a feeling like that," Marle said. "We should be cautious, but I also want to be able to trust people too."
"Yes, sorry. Considering what we've been through and seen thus far I don't want us to be blind sided again," Lucca admitted, which I could hardly blame her for. We saw that even in the future in a world that bleak that someone had still tried to use and control the ones still alive.
I opened the door and we stepped inside. Inside was a small creature. The rest of the room was empty, but surrounding the small creature looked like images that hung in the air...and each one showed the pictures of battle. He spoke as we entered the room, and despite being a small furry and relatively harmless looking creature his voice came out deep and was somewhat intimidating. My mind recoiled by what I saw with my eyes contradicting what I was hearing.
"It's been some time since I've felt energy like this," the creature seemed amused. He turned and looked towards us. "Tell me, young ones. How do I look to you?"
"You look small and fluffy, can I pet you?" Marle eagerly moved forward. But the creature held up his hand to stop her, but I think Marle was going to burst from being overloaded by something so cute.
The creature laughed, and then with another wave stood a much older and markedly human form. He had a rugged face with long black hair and shortly trimmed. "My name is Spekkio. I'm a God of War, from this place I am able to watch battles from all points in time. The form you saw me in before is a technique to show your personal strength. If you saw me as something small and fluffy with no experience of battle, then that reflects your own. That doesn't mean your experience thus far has been for naught. What you three lack is a skill that has long since been forgotten in your time. The power of magic."
"Magic? Most of that comes from tales form the war against the Mystics," I shook my head. "You're telling me its real?"
"Indeed, that is why the old man told you to see me. All three of you have a vast potential within you. And I see many battles in your future. But as clever and impressive your martial prowess might be, it will not be enough against the enemies you will face. First, I wish to know your names," Spekkio folded his arms looking to each of us. Now that I noticed his clothes were a black and red, and seemed similar to the Guardia's Royal Guards that were near the King.
"I am Crono," I supplied.
"I am Marle," she said from my right.
"I am Lucca," she was on the left side of me.
"There are four elements of magic, each of you were born with a different affinity. The four elements are fire, water, light and shadow. Magic is not used with your mind or muscle, but your heart. Your emotions influence you and guide you. It is your job to control it, and not let it control you. It is a power that can easily be abused if you allow it. In the past it was those that let it control them that ultimately led to disappearance of magic entirely, for the fear of its use. Support each other, and do not let your friends follow that end and you will be gifted with the strength to persevere. Crono, you are aligned with the element of light. What it encompasses is for you to discover. Marle, you are aligned with the element of water. An element linked to the beginning of life itself. Your ability to heal others is linked to this, and will greatly expand as you explore your abilities and strive to help those around you. Lucca, you are aligned with the element of fire. And element often tied to progress and technology. Your intuition and research will help you along your path, but do not lose sight of your heart, for that is where your true strength lies. Though your cleverness is definitely a weapon, do not let it cloud you from your own desires. Now all three of you come and sit before me and close your eyes." Spekkio himself sat down and crossed his legs and closed his eyes. I only hesitated for a moment before sitting and closing my eyes.
The moment I did the world around me turned white. and I was sitting, fully aware as if I had been transported to a different place all together. "How is this even possible?"
"This is my domain. A place of reverence, penance and reflection. The domain of War does not just encompass battle but all aspects of it. I've seen many from your family line, Crono. All of them have been honorable," Spekkio came walking into my view. "You as well have walked a firm path as a warrior of honor. Guided by your heart and convictions. Fighting only for what you know to be true. Questioning the motives of others and trying to be understanding, yet cautious and ready to react if things go in a direction you did not expect. All good traits. You and the young woman Marle have a fate that is inexplicably tied together. Your goals and battles will change with time, but I can see that you will remain honorable and firm. Yet there is a part of your mind the plagues you."
My Father immediately jumped to my mind. Spekkio smiled. I shook my head, "I don't believe my Father died the way that the Guardia military told Mom and I. My Father was stronger than my Mother, and no one is stronger than her."
"And you are aware of your family history. Long have you been knights in the service of Guardia. More often times you were the best Guardia had in its defenses against the forces that would do harm against it. So if your Father did not die protecting a supply run to Porre, what do you believe happened?" Spekkio was now asking for me to speculate on my Father's death. Something I had often done growing up but kept to myself.
"I think that my Father was taken off guard. Betrayed or something along those lines. I just don't see my Father as a person that would be killed by bandits attacking a supply caravan," I admitted. It was something I never spoke of or even allowed myself to think about.
"I see," Spekkio nodded after a moment. "The faith you have in your Father is strong. Perhaps along your journey you will find many truths about the world around you. Heed the advice of your Mother, Gina. Don't dismiss what you see or the words in front of you, but keep your mind open to other possibilities. Your element of Light will help you to find the truth you seek. Use it like you would use your arms to swing your sword. Much like your very muscles you must use it for it to become stronger. Remember, your heart is the source of your magic, which means you must be constantly aware of your feelings."
"I understand, to be able to use my magic, means staying true to myself, and my Family. And not allowing myself to venture from that path," I said as I looked up to Spekkio.
He chuckled. "You are a smart young man, and merely lack experience of the world. But you shall gain that in time. I look forward to seeing you grow. Now close your eyes, Crono. This time I want you to envision what light is to you and give it form."
I closed my eyes. What could represent light and was strong? No it couldn't be just strong but fast. I thought of something bright, strong and fast...an image came straight to my mind exactly of that very thing. My eyes flew open and I was back in the original room where we had started. I held my hand out and I saw golden sparks of electricity sparking from my palm. I silently got to my feet as I felt it was what I needed to do.
"That's good, Crono. Now you must find a way to channel that energy outward to strike your enemies," Spekkio guided me. "Speak words that come from the heart, and claim your power."
Words from the heart? I could feel it, my power waiting to be released, but it needed something...a catalyst in which to strike out. This was similar to how techniques worked. And if that is true then all I needed was to trust my instincts and speak clearly. "Resound! Cry from the heavens! Lightning!" I pushed both my hands forward as if I was striking outward and the golden electrical strike hit the ground in front of me.
"Good work, Crono. Perhaps you should step back as the young women finish," Spekkio said and I did so. I noticed both Lucca and Marle were still sitting in their meditation.
I took a moment to relax and take a few steps back and towards the door as I watched both Lucca and Marle likely being shown both something they needed to learn their power. Still, magic worked like my techniques, but I could feel that energy in a much different method than when I used my tech Slash. There was a form of energy that channeled into my sword when I used it, but the energy when I used my magic was a lot different. Almost as if I was pulling from a different source that I never knew I had. But yet it felt inexplicably tied to who I was and had been there waiting under the surface. In a place I hadn't been able to reach until Spekkio helped me to get there.
Lucca was standing to her feet now. Spekkio seemed impressed, "Now Lucca, speak from your heart and strike outward!"
"Consume! Leave nothing behind! Fire!" Then coming from her out stretched right hand a ball of fire erupted out and hit the ground. It quickly disappeared but it was more than enough.
"You have done well, Lucca. Rest now, while we wait for your last companion," Spekkio smiled and indicated towards me.
Lucca walked back towards me but she looked absolutely exhausted. Now that I think about it, using magic had certainly done a number on me as well. "That was certainly a unique experience," Lucca said as she was obviously trying to catch her breath. "I suppose we just need to wait for Marle."
I nodded, "Yeah." I could only imagine what she might have to talk to Spekkio about when it comes to her own motivations and goals. Mine were probably too straight forward, with only my real question being about the real fate of my Father. Marle was royalty. Her real name was Nadia Guardia, Princess and heir to the throne of Guardia. The weight on her shoulders was probably more than I could really understand. And yet it was this same girl, no, this young woman that sacrificed so much to save me, to be with me. No if I truly cared for her, if I truly wanted to be with her. Then I needed to support her. I couldn't let her do it alone. I found myself walking towards Marle.
I knelt down behind her and slowly wrapped my arms around her shoulders and leaned my head in next to hers. "Nadia, I'll help you carry your burden." I said in a whisper. "I'll be here by your side. Don't try to carry the kingdom on your shoulders on your own."
I then got back to my feet and stepped away from her, I looked up to see Spekkio smiling. Only a moment later Marle was rising to her feet and she looked back at me, tears in her eyes, "Thank you, Crono."
I nodded, "This power is your own, but your future is not your burden alone to bear. It's both of ours, right?"
She smiled, "Yes!" She turned back to Spekkio.
"Now, Marle! No! Nadia Guardia! Use the words within your heart and claim what belongs to you!" Spekkio's voice rang out.
I could feel a brisk cold air gather around Marle and gather in her hands that she held in front of her. Her whole body seemed to glow a pale blue. "Shiver! The bite of winter! Ice!" The gathering energy sprang out from her hands and slammed onto the ground, as it was briefly covered in ice before it shattered and disappeared. Marle looked uneasy and so I stepped forward and pulled her into my arms. Lucca approached on her other side. "Crono, Lucca, I was able to do it. I'll show him. I'll show my Father how strong I am and then..." Marle then collapsed fully into my arms, passed out from the exhaustion.
I picked her up into my arms as Spekkio approached us. "As I said before, your magic is like a muscle. You'll need to use it to become stronger. As you do you'll begin to figure out stronger ways to use it, as well as new spells that will come to you. Though it can be a little bit alarming when you first awaken to it. So I recommend you all rest before you continue on your journey. Also if you gain more companions on your journey then bring them here. I shall see if I can bestow them with magic as well. You will need all advantages you can get against Lavos."
"I..." I paused. "Wait how did you know that?"
"I am a God of War!" Spekkio laughed. I was kind of curious on how a God of War would end up at the End of Time but it was hardly my pace to ask a question. Whether he was a God or not, he had given the three of us the ability to do magic. Which now that I thought about it, might be useful when if we ever have to deal with Mystics, considering they could do magic. Like Spekkio said though, we would need practice to be able to use it successfully. And we needed to know how to best use it in battle. Seemed to me that we had just added something else we needed to work on when training. To which training was something we would probably have to keep up with in some capacity. Spekkio now smiled at us and it seemed almost, prideful, as if he was happy to see us come to this point. "When the three of you vowed to make it your fight, I heard it. And I knew I would meet you here. I told you before, my domain is over all aspects of war, not just the act of war itself. Your resolve and determination are well within my domain of knowledge. The path will be full of trials, but keep your heart true, and you will be fine, I'm sure."
"Crono, lets go set up a place so we can rest," Lucca said and pulling me back towards the door to exit the room. I gave a final bow to Spekkio, which came out as more of a nod considering I was now holding Marle. I turned and finally left the room, with Spekkio behind us. As we went through the door, we appeared back in the place with the old man and the light post. Robo was slightly alarmed by seeing Marle in my arms. "Don't worry, Robo. She's just exhausted." Lucca quickly explained. "Can you help me set up a place to rest?"
With Marle in my arms I moved to one of the sides and looked out into the endless darkness. "So this place...is like the opposite of our world? Time has stopped here, while Time flows on there."
"Yes, everything is with balance. Just like for a time, magic had been common place and covered the world. But then the misuse of that power eventually caused it so that no one could wield it. Spekkio took that gift away from humanity, deeming them unworthy to hold the power of magic. However, your goal to face and defeat Lavos is noble and something he wishes to support. As you suspect, many people once enjoyed such powers." The old man spoke moving next to me.
"You seem to know quite a bit. I suppose you had to tumble through from a different era to come to here," I asked looking to him.
He chuckled, "Yes, it was quite a long time ago though. I can't say I remember all too much about my life from before. Besides I feel a odd sense of serenity in this place, so I never ventured away from here. All points in time eventually lead to this place, just by the nature of how it all works. Either way I'd like for you and your friends to think of this place as your base. I'm sure you'll be coming through here quite often."
I looked at him for a moment, "I thought we only came here if the portal doesn't have enough energy to send us directly to its other connected place in time?"
"Actually you pass by here every time you go through time," he said seemingly amused.
I would have scratched my head if I hadn't been holding Marle in my arms. "So basically we always come here because all points of time are connected here? But when we exceeded what the energy of the gate could handle we came here, but since we've ended up here once we will always end up here?"
"More or less. I wish I could give you a specific reason as to why, but when you come here once, you tend to end up back here eventually," the old man did sound like he desired to tell me more but was likely unable to. Time travel definitely had to be hard to figure out...much less naturally occurring time warps.
"I suppose this would make a decent base, but are their any others actively time traveling?" I found myself asking.
"Actively? No, I would imagine not. There are rare occasions where some individuals end up here, but I have helped them to return home and I never see them here again. Many do not even realize exactly how they ended up here or what had happened. I simply guide them back from the pillar of light from which they came," he said with a smile.
"Crono, I got the sleeping bags laid out over here. Should be enough room for us to get some rest. I'm going to turn in too," Lucca said with a yawn.
The old man smiled, "Yes feel free to rest. No doubt your bodies are adjusting to the magic Spekkio has unlocked. It was a power all of you always had, but your bodies were closed off to it. The main difference now is your body must adjust to its reintroduction to your system. It will take time. Please, rest. You are safe here. Your Robotic friend and I can watch over you."
I nodded, "Thank you." I paused for a moment, "You never told us your name."
He laughed, "To be honest, my young lad, I have long forgotten my name. I have been in this place for a long time. Time does not flow here, so I couldn't begin to fathom the amount of time it has been since I came here. However, if you and your friends are around I'm sure that maybe even that will return to me in time." He chuckled once more.
I was too tired to press it further and followed Lucca back to the corner where she had set up or sleeping gear and pillows. I carefully knelt down and placed Marle down. I didn't realize until then how she had been clutching onto my shirt. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," I whisper. Marle eased up and allowed me enough space to ease down next to her and pulled part of the sleeping bag over the two of us. My head hit the pillow and I looked up into the nothingness that surrounded us here. As the old man said...there was an odd sense of serenity here. Before long I had fallen asleep, and once more with Marle snuggled up against me.
I was sitting up with Marle still snuggled up against me when we woke up. She lazily looked up at me as we slowly became more aware of the world. I looked up to see Lucca standing and observing the two of us. She giggled a bit. "You two look cute waking up together in the morning."
"Mmm, Crono makes a good pillow and blanket. I was nice and warm and comfy all night," Marle giggled and playfully placed a kiss on my cheek as she got to her feet. "But definitely slow moving in the morning."
"You have no idea. There was one time where I literally dragged him out of bed and he didn't wake up till we were halfway down the stairs," Lucca and Marle were both giggling now.
"I'll have you know that you also caused me to bruise up because of that too," I grumbled as I wiped my eyes.
"Greetings. I assume your rest was much needed?" Robo asked as he approached and offered a hand to help me up. I took it and he pulled me to my feet with minimal effort.
"Yes, thank you, Robo," I said as I yawned and stepped towards the girls. "So what's the plan?"
"I was talking to the old man and he informed me that one of the pillars of light leads to our time, but in Medina Village," Lucca supplied.
"Wait, isn't that where the Mystics live?" Marle asked.
I nodded, "Yeah but they also may hold a different perspective on Lavos. Assuming its something they know about. Either way, we should try to get back to Truce and make sure my Mom and Lucca's parents are okay."
"If we can get to my house there is a few things I want to pick up so I can properly maintain Robo. Plus if we can connect the time warp at the fair to here that would be a benefit to us as well. Let's see if we can't learn anything else in the process as well," Lucca pushed up her glasses.
"It seems you have some good objectives to complete," the old man slowly walked towards us, assisted by his cane.
"Let me guess, you want to warn us about traveling in groups greater than three because we can't predict the stability of the time gates?" I said somewhat dryly. I had been thinking about it, but I didn't know a good solution to it.
"For your best interest, one of you should remain here," the old man approached me. And seemed to be eying something on me. "Young man, what is that in your pocket?"
I looked at him for a moment before pulling out Marle's pendent from my pocket. He seemed somewhat surprised. "It belongs to Marle. It's been in her family for generations."
"Yes, I have no doubts about that. It also holds power, but I suspect you already knew that," he chuckled. Did he know what it was? Well he had seen a lot, no doubt. And no telling what had happened here at the End of Time.
"Well, it is this thing that kind of got us all in this whole mess. Though we really haven't had time to really think about why it happened," I shrugged.
He motioned for us to follow as he went to the far side of the main area and showed us a mirror. "The power of the pendent shall link you here, to this mirror. Using it shall allow you to communicate with us at any time."
The pendent glowed in my hand. It seemed rather convenient but, how was that even possible? Honestly should I even bother questioning it at this point? Let's count the crazy things that have happened so far. 1. I ran into a Princess who I didn't know was a Princess at the time. 2. Lucca's crazy teleport machine actually works. 3. Marle's pendant reacts and for some reason causes her to go through time. 4. I find out she's a Princess because she gets mistaken to be her ancestor. 5. She disappears and I have to go save her ancestor to save Marle. 6. That actually worked. 7. I get arrested for kidnapping upon returning Marle to the castle. 8. I get sentenced for execution. 9 Princess instead teams up with my childhood friend to break me out of prison. 10. We actually managed to escape. 11. We run and escape through a Time Gate and end up in the future. 12. That future sucks and we eventually find out its because the world gets destroyed by a creature known as Lavos. 13. We gain a robot companion. 14. We end up at the End of Time. Yeah so telling me that the pendant has power is probably not as crazy as some of the other things on this list. Another thing...thinking about all of this so far gives me a headache.
"I'm sure you have many questions. All I can say is that I have seen that pendant before in my life, and this mirror was one of the few things that has landed here at the End of Time. They resonate with each other which allows for messages and images to travel across time and space. Beyond that, I'm afraid there is not much else to tell," the Old Man offered a soft smile. Considering he wasn't even sure how long he had been here, I wasn't all too surprised by his inability to give a solid answer. And even if he just didn't want to talk about it, I was okay with that too. He had been supportive and helpful so far, and he didn't really have anything to gain by doing so.
"I guess that just leads us to one last question," I said turning to the girls and Robo. "Who should remain here?"
"I shall be the one to remain," Robo said without hesitation. "If you are returning to your own time, then you already know what you have to do."
"It does make the most sense for it to be us," Lucca added.
"Alright then. Looks like you're on standby here for now, Robo," I said with a sigh.
"Affirmative. I wish you all safe travels," Robo gave a bow to us. The three of us headed up to the area where we had first arrived and the pillars of light.
"The pillar of light to the left is the one we want to take," Lucca said as we approached it.
"Well, keep your guards up. Returning to our time means we might have to deal with the Guardia military if we go back to Truce. I find it unlikely that they would just give up searching for us," I said as we all stood around the light. "This is it huh? We have a goal, and now we can use magic. Things sure haven't been short of interesting, that's for sure."
"That's right, we're going to do this. We're going to do all we can to stop Lavos and save the world," Marle cheered. "Don't worry, Crono. I know with us, together, we can do this."
I nodded, "As long as we continue to support each other. Alright lets go, back to our time!" It all seemed so surreal to have such a goal. Who aims to save the world? Or to try and destroy a beast capable of destroying the world? Was it even possible? Just where would this crazy journey take us? We had met a God of War and come to the End of Time. A place that would normally never be believed it exists until you see it for yourself. What would we have to do? What opposition would we face? Could the ability to travel through time be what gives us the advantage or be the thing that ultimately ruins the end goal? I guess there was only one way to find out. Because there was no way in hell I was going to let the fate of this world lie in ruin.
A/N:
Well, I think it's pretty obvious the things I've changed in comparison to the game. And I think its because I wanted a bit more meaning and importance tied to them gaining the ability to do magic. The End of Time is a pivotal location in the Game, for a few reasons. For one, until you get the Epoch getting to the right time era that you want can mean quite a bit of traversal. And that isn't necessarily the most fun thing to do. Fortunately Chrono Trigger doesn't have overworld encounters. But this does leave a lot of just dead traversal time where nothing is happening which can be hard when you are trying to write and don't necessarily care making huge jumps from one place to another. And trying to write in things that happen along that traversal time can also be pretty boring too. Not true all the time but for me, it seems like a waste of time to try and force additional scenes when they don't do much for the characters or plot. Anyway, let me swing back to my original point.
The End of Time was something I wondered a lot about how I would handle, and Spekkio. Granted he fits the humor of the game, he refers to him in the English version as a "Master" of War, not a God. Not to mention he doesn't have a human form. So I instead looked at him from a different perspective. How could Spekkio actually do what he does? How can someone gift an individual with the ability to do magic? And even if he was basically only unlocking a innate talent for it, that was still something that no ordinary individual would be able to do right? Plus if his appearance is based on your own inner strength, that means that throughout the game, we never see what he really looks like. Not to mention a magic enchantment to do that seems like an odd thing to have if you are simply a Master of War. But on the flip side that seems like something a God of War might do in order to evaluate his followers. Spekkio also makes a comment that he can watch battles from all across time from this location, but we don't really get a feel as to why he would care to do this. Yet his personality makes him seem easily entertained and not as brutish as a Master of War might be. And another thing, Magic is usually never governed by someone that claimed to be a Master of War. Typically it is associated with someone that is wise, or understands the elements. But if you make all aspects of War part of his Domain, I think it starts to make a lot more sense. Magic, strategy, wisdom, resolve, justice, vengeance. All things that encompass war, including people's beliefs. Because of how I approached it, Spekkio needed to be a little more wise than he is perceived in the game. And I wanted to emphasize just how personal magic is. Spekkio is the one who informs the player in the actual game, that magic comes from the heart. It's a minor detail. But he literally says, "Magic needs power of the heart." This changed my entire approach of Spekkio and that it would be something he revered and would rarely if ever just give to anyone.
So who knows, by proxy Spekkio may make appearances in other areas as a result, if I care to explain the other details I go over in this chapter. I also wanted to write this as a bit of a transition chapter. They made a decision but they are also aware that they aren't sure what kind of a task they are undertaking and how massive it will be. Not to mention they don't had a slightest idea of where to really start. So, they plan to head back to their own time in order to maybe find out something about Lavos and what his state would be then.
As always I appreciate all my readers who take the time to read this. Chrono Trigger is one of my favorite games, if not my favorite game of all time. I played it to death as a kid and it was there for me when I was going through a rough time. I care deeply for these characters and this story. Which is part of why I also hesitate when writing the characters and any changes that I do. At the same time I want to give them a more realistic tone than the original game did. I suppose only you the readers can tell me if I manage to get somewhat close.
Please let me know what you think. Your reviews keep this Fic going. And hopefully you are enjoying the changes I've been making. And if you don't, well let me know that too! Once more Thank you for your time and I'll see you next month!
