Chapter 7 / History of the Mystics

I wish the landings weren't so rough. But maybe it was just because of how we travel through time. It was like going down a slide with no way of knowing how or where you would come out at. Leaving it next to impossible to be able to adjust or determine how I needed to prepare for the landing. And it was also hard to tell exactly how fast we were going either. This time we came slamming down onto a wooden floor and I barely had time to turn as I tried to absorb most of the impact from the landing. Only a moment later had Lucca tumbling out and her falling on top of us. Yeah would definitely be nice to have a bit of a nicer landing.

"There has to be a better way," Lucca grunted as she pulled herself off of Marle and I and sat back.

"Yeah, definitely," Marle sat up and gave me room to sit up.

The room around us...wait had we come out of a closet? "There was a Gate...in a closet?"

"It's a china cabinet, actually," A new voice spoke and we turned to see two imps one, blue and the other an olive green, standing there. "And this is our home." The blue imp folded his arm. Mystics? I had never really met one before but they were hardly the antagonistic brutes that people liked to describe them as. I suppose there was a reason we didn't get along with them but considering their house and the way they dressed, it didn't seem like they were all too different from us.

"Yeah, we're sorry. We don't have any control over where this thing spits us out at," I apologized and got to my feet giving them a bow. Mother would never accept me being anything but a gentlemen until shown that someone didn't deserve it.

"That was crazy. Some sort of teleportation magic?" The olive green imp asked.

Lucca pushed up her glasses. "Something like that. We're still relatively new to magic."

"That isn't typically something humans can do," the blue imp eyed us for a moment.

"Yeah just like they don't come tumbling out of a china cabinet," I said as I got back to my feet. "Sorry about suddenly appearing like that. We'll get out of your home."

"Hold on," the olive green imp stopped us. Then sharing a look with the blue imp, he sighed.

"I suspect you don't know where you are," the blue imp said.

"No, not really," Marle answered.

"You are in the town of Medina. A village of mystics. We were founded by our ancestors when they lost the war against human kind some 400 years ago. You should be careful with the other residents. While they aren't necessarily going to be outright hostile they still hold a grudge against humans that pass through here. Most blame humans for our state, but to be honest I'm fine with how things are," the blue imp supplied some needed information.

"There is an old human who lives near the cave to the west. Regardless of how you got here, he should be able to help you out," the olive green imp added.

"Thanks," Marle smiled cheerfully. "But why are the two of you being so nice? I thought mystics weren't supposed to get along with humans?"

"That war was 400 years ago. While the rest of my kind may be unable to forget, I enjoy the life we have now. And I've never been wronged by a human. The most being the three of you suddenly jumping out of my china cabinet..." the blue imp chuckled and definitely seemed amused by the situation.

"I guess that means we shouldn't linger in town then," Lucca commented.

"Yes, I would stay away from the village leader's place. He's Ozzie the VIII. He's pretty proud that his ancestor served Magus," the olive green imp spoke up.

Magus, the leader of the mystics of 400 hundred years ago. A villain in the time of Frog, Queen Leene and the Middle Ages. Maybe that was a good place to start? It was as good as any. "Magus, huh? Didn't he disappear in the middle of that war and led to the Mystics losing?"

"We're led to believe he exchanged his life to create a creature known as Lavos, and that it will eventually wake and destroy humanity. But that just seems like some stupid myth to make those radicals sleep better at night," the blue imp was quick to dismiss it but...there was a word I hadn't expected to hear so soon.

"Lavos?" Marle was at my side. "So Magus created Lavos? In the middle ages?"

"I think that's enough reason to investigate it. We'll need the Gate that is at the fair," Lucca added.

"We better find a way back to Truce, either way," I said as I looked back to the imps. "Thanks for your help. I guess we'll be heading to seek this old man out west then."

"Of course. We hope you are able to find your way back home," the olive green imp gave us a bow and so did the blue. We returned the gesture and finally left out the front door of the home.

As soon as we were outside I noticed that night had already fallen. That made it easy to get my bearing and started walking west out of the village. The other girls being relatively close to me. Which I couldn't blame them, being in a village of mystics that may or may not want you dead wasn't the most comforting of things to deal with. And it felt out only moment of peace had been at the end of time. At the very least we were rested up so that was a plus. Probably the most comforting thing over this whole event was the fact that the grass was green, the sky was blue and the air smelled and felt normal.

Still, I would not be forgetting the oppressive atmosphere and smell of death that permeated the future time era. I couldn't. Just like I couldn't forget my feelings when I found out the truth. If that was our future, then what would be the point of living? Could I honestly push forward and live a honest and happy life with that kind of knowledge? No. It was an easy answer. We just couldn't allow that kind of future to come to be. Simple as that. The actual execution of that was something completely different though.

"Still, how could a mystic create Lavos?" Marle spoke up after we had all walked for some time in mostly silence.

"Even with magic involved, it seems improbable that you'd be able to create such a creature capable of such destruction," Lucca commented as it was obvious she was trying to think of how it could work.

"If magic power comes from the heart as Spekkio said, then that kind of hatred needed to wish for that scale of destruction would have to be equally as immense, right? I find it hard to believe that hatred for humans based on some old age bigotry is hardly enough hatred to create something like that," I scratched the back of my head and sighed. "But enough to die for it? Sacrifice yourself to eliminate everything? I mean it wasn't like Lavos' destruction was very selective, he killed everything."

"Yet the Mystics believe that it will only wipe out humanity? Do they hate us that much?" Marle spoke softly from next to me.

"It's prejudice inherited from their parents, and their parents before them. The same reason why most humans hate Mystics. Because its all we know of each other," I knew it wasn't the answer that was easy to hear. However it was the real truth of the situation. "I don't think even our history books tell of a time when we had even tried to understand each other. When our two sides met, it was always a battle that followed. The War of the Mystics didn't really gain either side anything. At the end, both sides were at the same place they had been before it had started."

"So in the end we are just perpetuating a continuous cycle of hate that we can't get out of," Marle shook her head. "And this Magus would give his life to destroy everything? Even though he would never be around to know if he succeeded or not?"

That was a concept that was hard to understand. Someone would have to hold more than just a lifetime of learned hatred or a twisted outlook on life to desire an outcome from a method that you wouldn't even be around to know if it worked. "It doesn't make much sense, I can agree with that. I would wager that there is a lot more to it than we could possibly know."

"Hence, why going to that time is our best option. If I remember correctly Magus disappeared shortly after our forces broke through the enemy siege and were going to make a charge at the castle," Lucca noted as we had been walking for some time now. The house that the old man lived in was coming into view in the distance.

"So what, are we planning to charge in too?" Marle looked over to me.

I shrugged, "It may be our best way to make a lead on Lavos. And if he did create him, we can stop it from happening. That seems a bit too easy but it is a place to start." The whole concept of go here and beat one guy to save the world seemed like an unlikely scenario that could feasibly play out for us. No, with how that old man and Spekkio had talked about Lavos, this would be no easy task that could be solved by manipulating events in time. But perhaps it could put us in a better position to face Lavos. Then again I'm not sure how we're going to face such a massive creature. The record we saw showed such a huge monster in a protective shell. There was no telling exactly what we would need to defeat it at the moment. The only option was to learn everything we could.

"It's better than not having anything to go on," Marle sighed a bit from my side as we were walking up to the door of the old man's house. She took my arm and leaned against me as we stopped. "Magus...do you think he truly wanted the world to be destroyed?"

"I wonder," I shook my head. "Maybe that is exactly how he felt at that time. But I think almost everyone has thoughts like that some days. Where you feel that the world is out against you and that maybe it would be better if the world was just gone. Or that things would be better without you in it. What sets people apart is what we do after that."

Marle rested her head on my shoulder, "Yeah, I think I can understand that. When my Father allowed for your execution to stand, when I though about what it would be like for you to die. I just couldn't imagine a world without you. I thought that if you were gone then maybe I should..."

"Don't you dare say that," I cut her off.

She nodded although her head was against me, "Yeah, I'm sorry. But that was how I felt at that time. So when Lucca showed up, she was my last hope. I couldn't join her fast enough. I had to save you."

It wasn't like I hadn't known that my execution would have a negative effect on her. That was the whole point of the Chancellor and King executing me to begin with. To scare her, to forever control her. Essentially to say, You can't have friends. You can't leave the castle. If you do, people will be punished with death. It was her first time she had ever left the castle, probably the first time she had ever dared to do something like that. Just to go to the Fair. But it was an event that would never come again. The threat of Lavos made that even more true than I liked. The destruction would happen in 1999...a year before the 2nd Millennial Fair could feasibly take place.

If I had died then, what would have happened? Not just to Marle, but Lucca as well. These are thoughts I shouldn't linger on, but the prospect of time travel and changing the future was why this thought wouldn't go away. We already had proved that time could be changed when we saved Marle. Because Marle's appearance in the Middle Ages had resulted in the search that would have saved Queen Leene to be canceled. Because of that change, Marle disappeared as if she had never existed. By righting the timeline and rescuing Queen Leene she was able to be brought back. And yet...there was a horrible experience she gained from that moment. She had been in a void, unfeeling and forever cold...suffering in that time in that place.

"You don't know what it was like there," Marle whispered from next to him. "Even now I can't properly describe it." As if she knew my train of thoughts she was talking about that moment. "You saved my life. You have only ever been kind, warm and accepting of me from the very beginning. Even when you found out that I lied to you and that I was Princess Nadia, you still protected me. If there was ever a man more honorable or more worthy of my affection and devotion, I don't know them. And if there is, they would have to beat you because I only feel alive and believe life is worth living because of you."

I blinked for a moment as she looked up at me. What was I supposed to say to that? That she only felt that way because of how protected she had been kept since her Mother died? That if she had a chance she would probably find guys way more worthy than me. "I think it is far too soon to be making any claims like that."

"Your actions have shown plenty about who you are as a person. Even though you are modest, its more because you are carefully observing the situation you are in. Not accepting what you see as the final truth. You're dedicated to your craft and absolute in your beliefs but you also have an open mind and willing to listen to others," Marle was smiling at me. She could disarm me with that weapon of hers. And I felt myself shaking my head.

I sighed, "I'm honored you think all this about me. Even still, don't you think it is too soon to be saying things like that?"

"She isn't wrong," Lucca said as she took a few steps towards the door to the house before turning back to Marle and I. "She described you pretty spot on. Though she could add that you sleep like a ton of bricks, take forever to get moving in the morning and could probably use more vegetables in your diet."

"Vegetables are hardly good to bring with you when you are traveling," I found myself being defensive with a huff.

Marle giggled from next to me and bounced in front of me, "I always had to be a good judge of character you know."

"I remember you saying that before," and it had been at a time I didn't know she was a Princess. Of course now it made a lot of sense.

"Helps that Crono is pretty earnest in his feelings. He's a pretty bad liar too. He once tried to hide the fact he had shattered his Mom's prized tea cup and well, it didn't end in his favor," Lucca was giggling as she was remembering that particular situation.

"Yes, is there anything else you want to tell everyone?" I mutter looking to Lucca.

She held up her hands in mock surrender, "Hey now, she will find out one way or another. Besides there isn't anything I could say that you would be ashamed of her knowing."

She was right but it was kind of embarrassing. "Look my point is..."

"I know, Crono," Marle had her finger on my lips to silence me. "This is you protecting me from you, right? Making sure I'm being cautious and questioning my decisions right? You want me to confirm my feelings and be one hundred percent sure."

I met her gaze as she moved her finger away from my mouth, "I don't presume to know anything. But I do know that you've been sheltered for most of your life. I want to make sure that you..." But I couldn't finish, I saw the anger behind her eyes at my words.

"That I what? That I'm not being a naive girl that is letting herself be swept away by my first relationship? I know you don't mean it that way. Why don't you admit the truth Crono!" Suddenly Marle was pushing me back and glaring at me. I didn't look away from her, I had chosen a bad way to express myself and this was my fault and I was paying for it.

"Alright, fine. I'm scared," My voice was even but a bit shaky. "How can I just stand here and accept what you've said when we're aiming to do something that we may not be able to do. And even if we do find a way to do it, that doesn't mean that we'll survive. But it's also not something we can just turn our backs on. I can't stop thinking about it. We have traveled through time, saw what happens to our world. Then we gain the ability to use magic and we plan to do what next? Storm off to face Magus who is one of the most feared Mystics who ever lived and nearly wiped out our country 400 years ago. And he might well be the one responsible for bringing about Lavos and the eventual future we witnessed. My only solace in all this is that I was able to save you. It proved to us that the future can be changed. But that doesn't make the dangers any less real. I watched you disappear in front of my eyes and it will be a cold day in hell before I ever let that happen again!"

Marle took my hands as they were shaking and every part of me wanted to run away. I could feel tears escaping my eyes now but Marle brought her left hand up to my cheek. But she also had tears falling from her eyes as well. What a pair we made. "Crono, we both have to risk our lives for this. To protect our future. Because I believe my future is with you. Its like what you asked me before if I wanted children. I do...I want to have many children. That's why we will change the future. So that we can honestly say that we didn't turn a blind eye to what will eventually happen. To safeguard the next millennium and beyond, that is our goal. And we will do it together or we won't do it at all."

"All of us," Lucca interjected. "Crono, I know its been hard for you. I don't think I have ever seen you so determined or terrified than when I met up with you after Marle had disappeared. You barely knew her and yet it seemed like saving her was all that mattered to you. You fought with a ferocity I had never seen. I know the two of you connected in a way I never have with you, Crono. But either way, we decided together to try and defeat Lavos. I want to believe we can do it. No matter what dangerous or outcomes could happen. Would you be able to go back and do nothing, and instead just live in fear of the future?"

I looked away and saw that during our conversation the front door to the house had opened and an old man stood there with a smile. "It seems quite a heated discussion you are having in front of my home."

The girls turned but I took a bow, "I apologize if we've been disruptive or rude in any sort of way."

"Yes, we're sorry," Marle added her own bow along with Lucca.

"Oh no, its quite alright," he dismissed it. "Why don't the three of you come inside?"

"Wait, aren't you Melchior? I thought you had a stall you ran at the Millennial Fair?" Lucca asked, which now that I thought about it he did look familiar.

"Indeed I am. Well don't just stand there, come on in and we can talk," Melchior turned and went back inside but left the front door wide open for us to follow. The argument we were having before hadn't been finished but for the moment I don't think any of us wanted to continue talking about it. We didn't avoid each other

As I looked to Marle she was smiling once more and reached up to wipe away some of my lingering tears. I did the same for her. She talked in a whisper to me, "Our strength is communication right? We both have doubts, so lets express them and carry the burden together. That's what real couples do, isn't it?" She then turned and walked into the house.

I sighed once more and looked to Lucca who was staring at me but re-focused when she realized I was looking at her. It felt like she had a lot on the edge of her mind but was unsure to say any of it. I looked back to the open door, "I can't say I've ever been good at speaking my doubts."

"I think I can take some blame in that. I was never there for you when you needed me. Especially after your Father disappeared. I was always so wrapped up in my inventions that I wasn't someone you could confide in," Lucca spoke softly. "And now it feels like I'm only getting farther away from you." She glanced at me for only a moment before heading into the house.

I turned and looked up into the sky. A clear day, with a blue sky. The sound of birds and insects could be heard. The world full of life and vigor. Blissfully unaware of the horrible future in store for all of us. What could I do to protect this place other than embrace my fears and charge forward? I needed to strengthen my resolve and get past my hesitation and fear of seeing Marle and Lucca hurt. It was a danger and possibility I just needed to accept. Because in order to save the future we would have to put our very lives on the line.


"It is a pleasure to meet such spirited young people such as yourselves," Melchior seemed rather amused as we sat around his table. His house was for the most part normal. Except for the display of weapons and the obvious smell of fire and charcoal and other smells coming from his basement. This man was a blacksmith. "I hope everything is alright."

"We'll be fine. Besides, arguments and debates help make relationships stronger," Marle spoke and looked back to me. I had settled next to her at the table and she reached over and took my hand.

"That is certainly true. People cherish relationships where they can be truly open even if they disagree on a given subject," Melchior mused as he motioned to the tea on the table. "Please, help yourselves, I made plenty."

Marle reached over and began pouring the tea. I found myself watching her as I noticed how flawlessly and elegant at which she did so. Likely motions she had done so her whole life, no doubt taught etiquette for her time in the court. She noticed this and gave me a quick wink as she slid one of the cups over to me before sliding another to Lucca and then herself. I took a moment and then took a sip. My stomach grumbled in response as I realized it had been so long since I had last had anything to eat or drink. Other than the rations that Lucca had, but this tea was just the right mix of flavor and sweetness that I had to stop myself from gulping down the rest of its contents. Mostly because it would likely result in burning my mouth.

"You'll have to excuse us. It's been a while since we've had tea and it tastes utterly delightful," Lucca added to try and cover my likely offensive reaction.

Melchior just chuckled though, "Quite alright. It is much more enjoyable to be able to share a cup of tea with others for once. I am curious what brings you here. And from the direction of Medina. Not many humans ever go near the Mystic city."

"There was some circumstances for us appearing here," I said before taking a more modest sip of my tea. "Isn't it a bit inconvenient for you to live out here?"

"Perhaps, but I only head into town to sell my wares and then return home. As you've already guessed, I am a blacksmith. Very proficient at creating weapons if I may say so myself," Melchior shifted slightly in his seat as he looked towards me. "You three, I wager have seen a number of battles already."

"Not by choice," I commented somewhat quickly.

"Most battles do not come by choice, but necessity of our situations. While I was never a fan of war or battle, I learned how to create weapons so that I could help those that had the will to fight for what they believe in. You wish to protect these two ladies from harm, yet they desire to fight at your side," Melchior had definitely heard quite a deal more of our argument than I first thought, or perhaps he was just that perceptive of those around him. He closed his eyes, "I also sense the power of magic in the three of you."

"Huh? Melchior, sir...how do you..." Marle started but Melchior put up his hand to stop her.

"You'll have to forgive the ramblings of an old man. I have simply witnessed much in my long life on this planet. Whatever your goal is, I simply wish to help in my own way. The only way for you to travel is through Heckran Cave that is to the north of my home. It will get you to Truce. Beware though, there is a Mystic Cult that resides in that cave and will not hesitate to try and cut you down. No doubt that this will only be one trial on your road of many travels ahead," Melchior opened his eyes again. "And should you ever be in need of a blacksmith then I would be more than willing to be of service."

It felt like he knew so much more than his words would indicate. How much he knew was something he could hardly even begin to guess at. "Thank you, Melchior, and I'll definitely keep you in mind if I'm in the need of a blacksmith."

"Keep in mind that mystics are strong and will likely only be weak to magic. After all when they fought humanity, it was a time where they had long since forgotten magic. It is why Mystics were feared for so long. But it wasn't as if Magic was only exclusive to Mystics. I'm sure you'll find out much more along your journey towards your goal," Melchior seemed definitely amused by the conversation.

I shared a look with Marle and Lucca. It was obvious that Melchior wasn't going to share much more than he already had. The world might be much broader than I originally thought. I had never traveled to the different continents. At least not one I couldn't get to by a bridge. How much about the world did I not know? "There is a lot I want to ask about how you know so much. But that isn't really important. Instead tell us about Heckran Cave and the cult of Mystics that are there."

He nodded, "How much do you know about the one named Magus?"

I guess I wasn't too surprised to hear that name again so quickly. "A powerful Mystic that organized them and led a campaign against Guardia some 400 years ago. Up until he disappeared. After which the remaining army became disorganized and forced to retreat and abandon the war they had started."

"That is the broad strokes," Melchior nodded. "The truth being that before Magus, the Mystics were tribal by nature, and hardly close from any sort of unification. They often fought for territory on the outskirts of human society. Magus, however, seemed to come from no where and began to subjugate the tribes under his own banner. Mystics of all kinds became unified under one banner, and one belief. Magus used their hatred for humanity to make them aim for war. Before his war could get to its end though, he disappeared from within the depths of his own castle. Supposedly it happened when he used his power to summon a creature known as Lavos. Whether he was successful or not has remained to be seen but without his leadership his Generals couldn't hold the Mystics together and they eventually agreed to a cease fire. Not really an end to the war, and not peace either. So its been more or less a stalemate for hundreds of years. Some Mystics just want to live in peace...but then there are those that join the Cult of Magus."

"So a fanatical bunch of Mystics are in the cave that are still following what they believe was Magus' original intention. Which was to kill all humans?" I shook my head.

"From what we know from history there is nothing that can counter it, but it doesn't sound like anybody really knew what Magus' true intention was," Lucca commented, which was around the same line of thinking as myself.

"Is Heckran Cave the only way to get back?" Marle asked.

Melchior nodded, "If you want to make it with any sort of speed, then yes. Navigating through the Cave can have you back in Truce within only a couple hours. If you are looking for a more conventional way back, you won't find one. The ports into all of Guardia have been locked down. At the moment nothing can get in or out without going past a military checkpoint."

That was a fact I wasn't really surprised by, but that did make the whole next part of this a bit more complicated. Even if we get to Truce there was likely somebody watching my Mom and Lucca's parents as well. Marle shifted in her seat next to me.

"So they are still looking for us?" Marle said with a whisper and so I reached over and took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Okay, so its basically our only option. Is fighting the only way we can get through? I'm guessing them being a fanatical cult doesn't give much room for negotiations," I looked back to Melchior.

"Unfortunately not. They are protecting the path for what they believe to be the path they will take when Lavos appears to take out the humans. Well, they've been protecting that path for a few years now. So they are pretty settled in there, The only one you need to worry about is Heckran. Though I'm unaware of how successful you can be trying to sneak by his underlings," Melchior admitted.

"We should get going then. If it takes a couple hours to get through the cave," I got to my feet and took a moment to give a slight bow to Melchior. "Thank you for your help."

He shook his head, "It isn't everyday that I have visitors. Especially ones that seem to be under a lot of stress. I don't think my old heart can handle whatever it is you three youngsters are facing, but you have each other, and its something you shouldn't forget. I wish you luck."

"Yes, thank you, Melchior for your kindness and hospitality," Lucca added her own bow.

"You are very kind. Thank you," Marle voice was almost formal as she took the lead to leave the house. I knew what was wrong so I quickly chased after her and out of the house. She was storming off.

"Marle! Marle!" I called after her as I picked up my pace. She didn't look back and kept walking off. "Nadia!" My voice louder and her hearing her real name caused her to stop and turn back.

"My Father he..." She was shaking as I caught up to her. I hesitated to hold her as I wasn't sure was something that she wanted. "I can just imagine both him and the Chancellor are using our disappearance to put a tighter grip on the people. The Chancellor has been pushing for him to regulate the trade in Guardia and probably pocket more tax money in his pocket."

"And your Father is falling for it. Likely still in shock that you ran away from him," I spoke softly. "Nadia, we can't..."

"I know!" Marle cut me off and then stepped against me. I instinctively put my arms around her as she did. "Mom would hate this, how much he has been manipulated by that man. He is nothing like the Father I used to know. Its almost as if he died along with Mom. But he can't do that. He's King, he is supposed to help the people, to help them feel safe. But no...this only makes people scared. Crono...he...I want my Dad back."

"We'll do what we can. But we've got a goal right? First we ensure the future and then we help your Father, okay?" I try to soothe her as she presses against me. Our next trial in front of us was the Heckran Cave. A cave full of cultist that follow the beliefs of Magus, probably the only true leader to ever rise among the Mystics. He had unified them and gave them a purpose before he had up and disappeared, leaving them without a leader.

Was this Magus really responsible for the creation of Lavos? Could someone hate the world so much to want to destroy all of it? That was the eventuality that we knew would happen. The question is could the creation of Lavos be stopped or was there much more to this that we didn't know?


"I just want it to be known that I dislike the fact we are in a cave that goes underneath the ocean. Do you have any idea how far down we are in the Earth?" Lucca said as we were slowly going along a cliff side with a loud waterfall not too far in the distance.

"And here I thought you would be impressed with that very fact, or how rare an opportunity it would be to experience something like this," I comment dryly as I help steady Marle as she steps forward and holding on firmly to my arm.

"If it wasn't for the cultist down here, this place could almost be considered romantic," Marle commented with a slight giggle as she stepped in close to me before finally clearing the last of the narrow section and to me on the more stable of places we had found so far.

"Yes, I can see the threat of the ocean suddenly pouring in from above you to be very romantic," Lucca said flatly as she jumped over and I quickly grabbed her arm and ensured she made it over safely. "Thanks." She said simply as she took a few steps into a more secure area, away from the cliff.

"Don't be that way Lucca. I mean it isn't every day you get to be in a place like this," Marle was trying to be encouraging but Lucca wasn't having any of ot. That was mostly because of a certain fact that Marle didn't know.

"Well Lucca is partially claustrophobic and doesn't do to well with water," I clarified as I moved closer to the girls.

"Just thinking about it makes it hard to breathe," Lucca admitted but tried to shake it off.

"I think it is more concerning that they have a back door into Truce. That puts us in a dangerous position as a country. Although it is benefiting us right now," I said as I moved up to a opening to go further in. This next section seemed open. No one was there. I felt hesitant to enter.

Marle leaned against me next to the opening and glanced in for a moment, "Think its a trap?" She asked in a hush voice as she was half readying her crossbow.

"Likely, its a good spot for an ambush. And seems to be the only way to get further back into the cave. Still, the room is limited so there isn't much they can do other than try and launch a surprise attack. Unless there are actual traps in there," I looked across to where Lucca was.

"We would have seen other traps up to here if there were any," Lucca said simply.

I figured that but I might as well ask just to feel confident about my thoughts. Still I guess it was all or nothing at this point. So I stepped into the cave and slowly pulled out my katana as Marle and Lucca stepped in behind me. It was a somewhat circular room but the collection of rocks and boulders would make it difficult to fight. But as soon as we made it halfway into the room, another presence made itself known.

"This must be some kind of joke," A large creature came from the far side of the room. Despite his appearance he had no problem speaking. "Mere humans dare to come through Heckran Cave? My cave?" Creature was about the only way I could describe him. He had 3 large claws and several spikes coming from his back, and his skin seemed scaled and a pale blue in color. He also had two pretty large tusk as well. So with all that to consider he was pretty intimidating, and was probably twice as tall as I was.

"Considering you plan to use this came to invade my home town, I don't think it should be that surprising," I put my hand on the hilt of my sword and eyed him for quite a long time as I slowly positioned myself in a place I could defend and strike in the most open part of the area. Meanwhile both Lucca and Marle hung back and moved to different sides. They could get some height and gain some advantage in this situation since they both used long range weapons. "You could always leave this place and we can forget all of this happened."

"Ha, pathetic weak humans. Lord Magus would have done well to wipe out your sorry excuse of an existence four hundred years ago," he growled in a strange aggressive but proud manner. He stepped towards me. "But you have it mistaken. Stepping into this place has sealed your fate. I will kill you for the sake of all Mystics! So that this path will be the method we will attack your species when the time comes!"

I expected him to charge forward and attack me with his large claws but that isn't what he did. Instead he used magic. A blast of water came rushing at me. I quickly jumped to my left and managed to dodge it and when I looked back I could see that the magical blast had taken a good chunk of stone off one of the rocks.

"Heh, looks like I'm a bit rusty. This might hurt a bit," Heckran growled as he launched another jet of water out. Then he launched several attacks again and again. I never thought I'd be so worried about getting hit by water until this moment. I was more surprised on how quickly he could launch magic attacks.

"Consume! Leave nothing behind! Fire!" Suddenly Lucca's voice could be heard over the rush of attacks at me as a ball of fire hit Heckran and forced him to stop his onslaught.

"What? How could mere humans..."

"Shiver! The bite of winter! Ice!" Marle hit him with a blast of Ice that continued to send him reeling.

I might as well add my own to the mix, "Resound! Cry from the heavens! Lightning!" Then as if appearing from the sky, a bolt of electricity hit Heckran and forced the creature down to his knee for a moment.

"You dare defile a power that is the Mystics by birthright! I will kill you three for your insults!" Heckran then slammed his claws to the ground, and a rush of water came from him in all directions. I quickly turned and jumped towards a rock, and then launched myself backwards and towards Heckran.

Lucca and Marle both launched another blast of Fire and Ice at him as I came down with him and struck down with my katana. I struck his side and cut him, but it was too shallow. Despite having taken more magic attacks he rapidly attacked me before I could do anything, with his last swipe catching my side as I tumbled away. Heckran went to attack before I could recover but both Lucca and Marle stepped in front of me.

"Consume and Shiver! Antipode!" The girls both spoke with conviction and suddenly Hecktran was covered in a thick ice, only a moment before being assaulted by an intense fire. The ice shattered away under the assault and Heckran collapsed back. He didn't look like he was holding on by much with that attack. I got to my feet and stepped forward with Heckran still somehow heckling at my feet.

"Lord Magus should have wiped you all out when he first summoned Lavos," Heckran growled but he had no energy to lash out at me. "Even killing me here won't stop Lavos or the glorious plan that Lord Magus set into motion. You worthless mortals will perish."

I then stabbed my katana into his back and with a twist, Heckran died. "We'll see about that."

After re-sheathing my sword and us taking a moment to recover our breath, we moved into the next room to see...a hole with water?

"It's like a whirlpool," Marle was leaning in close to inspect it.

"I see, so this tunnel covers the most of the distance underground, but then there is a natural current that can rush you to the surface and..." Lucca's eyes widened. "Oh, no no no...don't tell me we have to go in the water." She was panicked and looked over to me.

"Well you are probably right. Which means we don't have much of a choice. And with how strong that current looks it doesn't seem like we can second guess ourselves either. It's a one way trip," I pulled Marle back just out of concern of her slipping in.

"I'm not exactly in the best attire for swimming," Marle commented. "In this outfit you'll totally see right through it."

"Well I'll make sure I don't..."

"Oh no, its fine if you see me, Crono," Marle quickly dismissed my thought. I raised an eyebrow at this. Was she saying she didn't care if I saw her naked. Still she ignored me and pressed on, "I'm just worried about other people that might see us."

"You can use my other shirt for the meantime. We'll have to find a place to dry out all our stuff when we get out," This was kind of a pain, but when you are in a hurry I guess you can't complain too much.

"Crono, I can't do this," Lucca spoke louder than before. I looked at her, I knew that look, she was terrified.

"Lucca, yes you can. And I will be here with you the whole way," I moved towards her with Marle at my side.

"We'll both be there, okay?" Marle added. "Actually, Crono, can you leave her to me? And think you can manage to handle all our stuff?" Ah, I knew what she was getting at.

"Yeah, it isn't a problem. Compared to the training Mom used to put me through the extra weight still won't come close to slowing me down," I gave a smile. Marle then handed me her crossbow, bag and quiver. After which she took my extra tunic that I had taken out and wrapped it around herself and tightly before turning to Lucca who stood there somewhat slack jawed.

"No, nonono, we can't seriously be doing this," Lucca shook her head and stepped back but Marle grabbed her then quickly pulled off her bag and weapon and tossing it over to me. I was ready for it and caught it with my right hand. Marle then pulled off Lucca's helmet and pulled off the goggles. She handed me the helmet as she turned back and put the goggles on Lucca's head. The ones she had made for everyone for the Jet Bike. Marle also slipped hers on as well.

"Okay, you're going to be with me the whole time okay? All you need to do is hold onto me and kick. I'll take care of the rest. No time to think, okay? We just have to do it. Trust me, I'm confident in my swimming skills," Marle was now pulling Lucca's hair back to put it in a ponytail much like her own. Lucca was mostly just blankly letting it happen. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"This isn't funny, Crono," Lucca observing my laugh must have been enough to bring her sense back.

"It kinda is. I mean Marle's affinity is to water and yours is fire. In a odd way it makes sense why you are so hesitant to water and Marle is willing to dive right in," I mused with a half grin. Coincidence? More than likely, but hey who wasn't to say that our elemental affinity didn't help develop our personalities and interest. Not entirely but it affected us on some level. If it was a part of who we are, and our own power we were born in, then it made enough sense to me. "Just relax Lucca, we don't really have a choice, and there wouldn't be any reason for them to guard this place otherwise."

She sighed, "I know that. Logically and based on the strength of this whirlpool, it must move at a significant speed. Though I wish we didn't have to go into this blindly."

"Like going into a time gate?" I reminded her.

"Okay so maybe this isn't the most reckless thing we've ever done so far," Lucca admitted and turned back to Marle. "Alright, lets go quickly before I lose my nerve."

Marle took her over to the edge where the whirlpool was then looked over to me. "See you on the other side." She gave me a wink. "Alright Lucca, on three and we jump in. One, two...three!" Both Lucca and Marle took a deep breath before they jumped into the whirlpool and quickly were out of my sight.

I adjusted all the equipment on me as I approached the swirling pool. Everything was as secured as it could be. I tightened my bandanna on my head just in case and slipped on my goggles before I took a deep breath, and unceremoniously jumped into the pool. The moment I was under the surface I was swept down but then it immediately changed directions. I started to kick my legs to go with the current and tried to get a grasp of where I was going. Before I knew it I was going at an incredibly fast speed. And I could see sunlight coming down through the water. The movement was making me head towards land, as I could see the depth slowly disappearing as I approached the coastline. At this speed I would be there before I would even come close to needing air.

Suddenly the current whipped up and I followed it all the way to the surface. The force of it was such that it sent me launching into the air and out of the water. The momentum with all the extra luggage made me tumble a bit in the air but at the last moment I managed to flip onto my feet and slide to a stop on the beach on my feet. There I saw Lucca and Marle standing a few feet away.

"That was madness! We must have been going close 30 or 40 kilometers a mile..." Lucca was stabilizing her stance by leaning on her knees. And apparently trying to figure out how the whirlpool had so much force to make it a viable shortcut.

"Crono, Crono! That was so much fun, we have to do that again," Marle came bounding up to me with a grin.

"Yeah sure we just have to make our way back over to another continent and sneak past a cult of Mystics who want us dead. Oh and your Father closed off all the ports because they are on a manhunt for us because I'm sure he wants me dead and you locked in a tower," I was trying to be playful but her reaction was exactly the opposite and she frowned and looked away. "Sorry, I was trying to joke but..."

"No its fine," she shook her head. "I mean it sounds funny. Who would have thought my life would become this? Not me. You know Father wasn't always so protective. Mom died of an illness and ever since then he was just distant. Do you know he never bothered to show up to check up on Mom? And now all this. Maybe a part of me is flattered that he would do all this to try and find me. But I couldn't say what his reasonings for wanting to find me is for my safety or just to get to you at this point. You're the one that corrupted the mind of a princess you know." While she had started off kind of somber she ended in a more playful note and gave me a small smile. But I could tell that the whole thing was more taxing on her mind than she was telling me. And it sounded like she resented her Father for whatever had happened around her Mother's death.

"Me corrupt you?" I shook my head. "The moment I met you, I knew you wanted adventure. The way your eyes lit up with everything we did together that day. I didn't think much of it at the time other than how attractive it made you but I realized when I learned you were the Princess that what I had seen was a girl that could finally be herself. And it was your Mother that had encouraged that growth in you. She was the one that pressed you to learn so much right? Like the crossbow, swimming, horseback riding and who knows what else."

"I also know a bit of fencing, you know," Marle said proudly with a slight grin. "Although I was always better with a crossbow. Most of my instructors thought it was ridiculous because a crossbow requires a lot of strength to properly use so they always wanted me to focus on fencing. But something about using a crossbow that always interested me. Well, Mom told me you can't always rely on a ranged weapon in fights, which is true."

"Oh you can use a sword too?" I can't say it wasn't too surprising. Fencing was typically seen as a practice done my nobles. A sword style that was effective as it was elegant. Well there was always pros and cons to every style of fighting. "It makes sense. But we shouldn't stay here long. We'll have to find a spot we can dry our clothes and change, as well as make sure the equipment is still good. We weren't in the water too long but still we should..."

"Crono! We're close to my place," Lucca was pointing off into the distance. I looked to see...it was the top of her house. Couldn't quite see it from over the ridge, but I knew it well enough to know where we were. If we're on the beach close to her house, then it was possible that Guardia Knights could be patrolling the area.

"We have to get off the beach. Come on, lets go," I said as I took Marle's hand and Lucca was rushing to catch up.

"What's the plan then? Wouldn't they be watching Lucca's house?" Marle asked.

"Maybe and maybe not. You have to remember there has been increased monster activity so the army already had their hands full before. And locking down the ports will take another chunk of those guards. Doing all that and trying to do patrols isn't really feasible," I pointed out as we moved over to the ladder that Lucca's family had on the cliff side of the beach. It wouldn't take us long to get to it. I was somewhat disturbed by how close we were to Lucca's house. I mean, if they did use that way to invade Guardia...it would put Lucca's family in the direct path of harm. Hopefully us killing Heckran puts a stop to any plans of that.

"Also many of the Knights are not too fond of the Chancellor or the King, to be honest," Lucca spoke as she finally caught up to us. Marle gave her a look but Lucca had a grim look on her face. "Most of them know Crono, or rather Crono's Father so I doubt any are even putting much effort into searching for him."

"Ah, right. Crono's Dad was a respected Knight. I don't think you ever said what your Father's name was, Crono," Marle asked a question I hadn't expected. I looked at her for a moment before looking towards the ladder we were getting close to.

"His name was Lazarus," I spoke it just loud enough for her to hear. Then I heard her audibly gasp.

"Sir Lazarus was your Father?" her response surprised me.

"Wait, you knew my Father?" I returned with a question of my own.

"Of course I did. He was Mom's most trusted bodyguard and..." she squeezed my hand. I had nearly forgot I had taken her hand earlier. "..your Father was the only one there for me when Mom died. But then soon after he was sent out on a mission and..."

"...He didn't come back," I finished for her as she nodded a confirmation. Something seemed incredibly off now. It was too much of a coincidence. We arrived at the base of the ladder and so we stopped. "I'll go up first and I'll motion when its safe." I felt myself shiver as a cold wind passed by. I looked at the girls as I realized they were definitely cold as well. "I hope your parents won't mind the sudden company."

"Just hurry up and go," Lucca muttered through chattering teeth.


A/N:

Sorry about the long wait. Things in my life have been crazy to say the least. Between working a ton of overtime and my volunteer work, its made it difficult to keep up with everything. Plus at the moment my Persona 4 Fan Fiction takes a bit more priority over this one. (Until that one is finished, which I will then focus on this one) But here it is. It's got a lot to it, although maybe not as much progress is made here as some may like. Anyway lets talk about it a little bit.

So we learn about the Mystics. I realize that the DS translation refers to them as fiends and although that may fit the original translation better I don't really think it works too well. My reason for this is it sounds kind of demeaning, and while some of them might make a point of pride to have such an intimidating descriptor, I think the word Mystic just works better. Because Mystic doesn't really tell you much of anything about the race. Plus Mystics as a whole incorporate a ton of different species and is more of a collective than one race. We learn here that there was a great leader named Magus (the one and only) that supposedly created Lavos. Obviously we all know the truth of that detail, but this is the first time Crono and crew hear of it. And since they had zero to work off to begin with, it gives them a starting point to start their investigation into Lavos. I feel that how this information comes across the game actually lends credence to the possibility of their being a entity or higher power that leads Crono and them on their quest. Along the way subtle methods and sometimes not so subtle ways put Crono and company right where they need to be to get the next part of information. And likely why Lucca began to believe this later on (if you finish some of the side quests anyway). So they have a destination but have to get there.

Heckran Cave could have had any number of things happen inside. But realistically I just don't see them charging right in like they do in the game. Instead I had them pretty much stealth their way through the cave up until Heckran. A little easier to do narratively when you don't have to worry about leveling or developing magic. That will be done differently in this story. A lot of it has to do with how magic works in Crono Trigger with how it is described by Spekkio. He says that magic comes from the heart, which is what I covered in the previous chapter. So I'm going to attempt to tie it in with each characters personal growth. Which might be rough considering the characters we have to juggle and our limitations for time travel. Which I might change once they get everyone's favorite time machine, Epoch. Who says I can't have more seats on that thing? Lol. Anyway...

We learn that Crono's Father is named Lazarus. Is there any special meaning in that? Well maybe. Looking up the meaning of the name might give you some indication as to what his Father would have been like. And is there a deeper connection between Crono's Father and Marle's Mother? Well that will have to wait till much, much later. But it will come up again. Additionally I realize that I haven't given anyone surnames and its intentional. It's actually really simple. Only royalty has a surname. That's why the only characters that get surnames are Janus and Schala Zeal and Nadia "Marle" Guardia (Notice this trend actually extends to Chrono Cross as well). Instead most families outside of royalty keep dedicated family trees and records of their past. In this way everyone is able to prove who they are descendant from. This will likely come into play at some point in the story.

So Crono, Lucca and Marle will be at Lucca's house to start the next chapter. And with them having to figure out how they are going to get into the fair and to the Time Gate so they can head to the middle ages again. After all they are all wanted by the Knights and some of them are assigned to guard the fair after all. Or maybe the fair could be closed due to those events. I wonder...

I hope to have my next chapter up within a months time. I hope your all understanding and know that I'm not abandoning this story. There is a lot I want to do here but, real life has had nasty tendency to get in my way lately. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you have the time, leave me a review. Let me know what you think, what you like or dislike. Maybe even post a theory on what you think happened to Crono's Father Lazarus. I'll see you all next time! Thanks again!