Chapter 10 / The Dreamstone and Forgotten History

Melchior seemed to be curious to see us again when we appeared at his home once more. He greeted us with the same smile he had times before. We were at the very least, well rested. We stopped at the End of Time and like before took the time to rest. Lucca spent some time with Robo and she explained in more detail the events that had happened up to now. We had decided again for Robo to stay behind for now. So once more it was Lucca, Marle and myself that came to see the older man.

"Have you come back to see my collection?" Melchior indicated toward the many weapons that populated his home.

I shook my head and reached into my bag, retrieving both the hilt and the broken blade of the Masamune and placed it on the counter next to him. "I was wondering if you could answer a question about this sword."

His eyes widened as he moved to my side and ran his hand over the hilt, "This sword, it's the Masamune. How did you get this?"

"So you know what it is then?" Lucca spoke up. "Why is your name engraved in the Masamune?"

Melchior then looked to me and then the girls, "Your name is Crono, correct?"

"It is," I confirmed.

"The reason my name is on this sword is not a simple one," Melchior left the Masamune where it was but then moved to a chair and sat down.

"You aren't from this time period. You can't be, because we acquired the Masamune from the year 600AD," Lucca didn't skirt around the issue.

Melchior did not look surprised by Lucca's statement, "You can travel through time? You found a way to control the Gates?" He sounded incredibly impressed.

"We can only manipulate opening Gates, but it requires a location where that energy is present and stable enough to be manipulated," Lucca pushed up her glasses. I'm sure she would love to fully explain the Gate Key and how she got it to work. But she kept herself focused. "Can you tell us about the Masamune?"

"That sword is unique. The materials I used to forge the weapon are no longer able to be found easily in this time period. The blade is made of dreamstone, as you can imagine, it's properties are unique," Melchior started with a brief explanation.

"When we found the blade we were confronted by two beings named Masa and Mune, is that part of what makes it unique?" I asked.

He nodded, "Those children are what make the Masamune unique. It was only because of them that I was able to create such a powerful weapon. The dreamstone allows for magical beings such as them to be able to live inside of it and bestow power to their wielder."

"Can I ask why you made such a blade?" I followed up.

"That is not easily explained," Melchior averted his eyes. "I come from a time where Magic was common place, but it was also because of magic that things were unpleasant among it's people."

"I am interested in all of this too, but we don't have time for this," Marle was the one that spoke up. That was right... we were in a race against the clock right now. If we didn't hurry then we wouldn't be able to get to Magus in time to stop him.

"Melchior, can you reforge the Masamune?" Lucca asked.

"I could if I had dreamstone. Without it the blade will forever remain broken," Melchior answered. "You won't be able to find it in this time period. It was a glittering red stone, and it was once valued even more than gold. Once upon a time it was used as the reigning currency, unlike now. But you would have to go far back in our history to find it."

"How far back?" Marle asked.

"Long ago. Longer than you can imagine. The further back you go, the easier it will be to obtain," Melchior answered.

"I see," I gathered up the two pieces of the Masamune and returned them to my bag. "We'll figure something out. And then we'll be back." I turned and headed for the door to leave his home.

"I wish the three of you luck then," Melchior called out as we left.

I kept walking as Lucca and Marle caught up to me.

"So... we go through the other light, the one we haven't gone through yet at the End of Time. See if it goes back far enough?" Lucca asked.

"Unless you have a better idea," I shrugged.

"We have to find dreamstone, right? We don't have much of a choice," Marle sighed.

"At least the imps at Medina village seem to be friendly enough to allow us to use the Gate in their house. It has to be quite alarming to see people suddenly appear from no where though," Lucca commented as we were now heading back to that exact place.

"No doubt," I chuckled. "I suppose it makes sense that Melchior came from an earlier time. But I still want to know why he created the Masamune. Or how he convince Masa and Mune to merge with the creation of the weapon. Or if that is even how it works."

"A powerful weapon doesn't get created for no reason," Marle voiced my main concern. "So what was it that motivated him to create a sword with so much power?"

That was exactly what worried me.


"Hold on!" I yelled as I grasped Marle and Lucca's arms and desperately tried to pull them to me. We had gone through the last Gate we hadn't explored from the End of Time. What we hadn't expected was the other side of the gate being a complete free fall.

I somehow managed to pull the girls to me and put my arms around the both of them. Just in time for us to come crashing onto the ground. I took the majority of it by landing on my back, but the impact was lessened when all three of us rolled before coming to a stop, with me against the ground and the two girls on top of me.

"Crono! Are you okay?" Marle was already up. "O gentle waters, remove these wounds! Cure!" I felt the soothing comfort that came from her magic. The pain I was feeling instantly went away.

"Thanks, that helped a lot," I say as the three of us get to our feet. Marle also casted Cure on Lucca as well to help as we took a moment to note our surroundings.

"A canyon?" Lucca commented.

"How far back do you think we went?" Marle asked but was staying close to me, making sure I wasn't hurt.

I took a deep breath, "Is it just me or does the air seem different?"

"Yeah, though I'm not sure what the difference is. Cleaner, maybe," Lucca said as she pulled out her weapon.

There was something else, something malicious in the air. I pulled out my sword as well. "Come on out! We know you're there!"

So they did. Nearly a dozen creatures came from every direction. Nearly a dozen of them. They stood taller than us, easily and seemed to have scaly green skin. Muscular and menacing, their mouths were large and their teeth equally as large as they looked sharp. They each also had large strong looking tails that could probably serve as a weapon, but their hands were clawed, they looked incredibly deadly. They seemed to snicker and grin as they began to approach us.

Marle quickly readied her crossbow. But this was bad. They looked strong and on top of that, they were definitely smarter than normal monsters we had often encountered in our journey. they were evenly spread, there was no weak point here. Our only real hope was to be able to take two or three of them down quickly so we could escape. But the chances of doing that quickly diminished as they got closer. They tightened their formation but left themselves room to maneuver. This hadn't been the first time they've done this, it was too practiced. Too precise.

I tightened the grip on my katana and adjusted my stance. "Whatever happens, follow my lead. We have to break through. Once we do, run and don't look back."

"Crono..." Marle hesitated.

"No, we're going to get out of this," Lucca added resolutely.

Well, can't say I didn't try. I kept my focus.

However, the situation changed in an instant. I couldn't see clearly but something came from no where, like a bold of lightning. It hit one of the creatures sending it spiraling to the ground. Then whatever or whoever it was unceremoniously snapped the creatures neck. The creatures recognized the threat and half immediately turned to face it. But another fell, and then another. Whatever it was executed the creatures with terrifying efficiency. Two of the creatures bolted away down a different path and their assailant pursued them. The numbers had been cut by more than half. There was only four left that faced us.

I didn't waste the opening. I rushed forward and caught the first creature in its underbelly and pierced my sword into it. It tried to swipe down at me but a crossbow bolt wizzed by my head and into the arm of the creature. I shifted my grip and then pulled my blade across, it briefly met resistance but then it cut through and the creature fell off my blade and to the ground. The first one was dead.

"Crono, jump back!" Lucca warned. I did as instructed and as I did something else passed by me and towards the creatures. The moment it hit the ground it exploded into a ball of fire. This definitely caught them off guard.

"Hit them hard," I said as I dropped my sword and started to call upon my magic. I felt it swell through me, "Resound! Cry from the Heavens! Lightning!"

"Consume! Leave nothing behind! Fire!" Lucca added.

"Shiver! The bite of winter! Ice!" Marle casted her own magic. All of our magic connected with the green scaled creatures. I rushed forward and made sure they were dead.

As soon as I finished checking the last of the creatures and ensure it was dead I quickly turned and raised my sword. I found myself looking into sharp blue eyes with her hand at my throat, but my sword was at hers. Her hair was a light blond and somewhat messy, but it seemed to stay out of her way. Her eyes didn't falter as she looked into mine. Then she smiled and let me go.

I moved my sword away but still somewhat hesitant to lower my guard. Her outfit was definitely minimal, essentially only equal to a biking, but made of animal skin, and the same with her shoes. The distinct part of her outfit was the odd animal like tail she had wrapped around her and freely swung free behind her. She had clearly defined muscles and yet she was distinctly feminine, exuding both confidence and eroticism. In a word, she was intimidating.

"You strong. What name?" the woman asked.

"My name?" I blinked and she nodded. "Crono."

"Crono?" she tilted her head to the side and seemed like she was observing me. Then Marle was at my side and took my arm and boldly stepped in front of me, as if protecting me from this woman. But the woman only smiled bigger. "Crono, good name. Me Ayla. Ayla like strong man."

"Now listen here... Crono is mine, got it?" Marle glared at Ayla.

"You strong, too," Ayla smiled at Marle. "Ayla like strong person. Man, woman... both like! What name?"

"Marle," Marle said after a moment of hesitation. Ayla seemed like she was going to be somewhat hard to follow.

"And you?" Ayla was looking towards the only other person here.

Lucca pushed up her glasses as she walked next to me, "Lucca."

"Marle, Lucca, good names," Ayla nodded more to herself as if she had just come to a decision. "Where from?"

"Well, that one is a bit difficult to answer," Marle had eased up a bit, but still held onto my arm.

"We're from way after the day after tomorrow," Lucca said which made me raise an eyebrow.

Ayla tilted her head while looking at Lucca, trying to figure out what she meant but then she started to laugh, "You funny! Ayla like Lucca!"

"I'm not sure how I feel about this," Lucca sighed.

"We should consider ourselves lucky for starters. We owe her our lives," I comment but finding myself equally as flabbergasted when it came to Ayla. "Thank you, Ayla."

"Yes, thank you for your help," Marle added a bow.

Ayla seemed momentarily confused. Then she quickly dismissed it, "You all come village! Talk and eat. Dance! Drink! Fun!"

"Thank you, Ayla. But were actually looking for something called dreamstone, right now," Lucca was as polite as could be about it.

Ayla just laughed again, "Stone? Stone everywhere! Here, there, village... Ayla give you many, many stone! Ioka village this way! Follow Ayla! Yes?"

"Can we talk first?" I ask after a moment.

Ayla nodded before going over to one of the killed creatures and possibly looting it.

"I don't want to jump to conclusions but..." Marle whispered while keeping an eye on Ayla.

"Her comprehension seems to be high but vocabulary seems to be limited. This combined with unfamiliar creatures suggest that we have gone, way back in time. To be honest, I'm not sure if I could accurately place this time period. At least not yet, I need more information, something I could link it to," Lucca added

"This is clearly the earliest time period we've visited hough. Those creatures are too large to be mystics or any monster. In all the other places we've visited have had monsters that were similar in some way. There wasn't really anything that was truly unique. At the very least we can go with her and find out more about the time, and the kind of civilization they have," I suggest and giving a look to Lucca.

She sighed, "I suppose you're right. I'm not especially opposed to it. But remember, we might be in another time period but the flow of time still moves forward for the Gates. If we're here a week before getting the dreamstone then it will be a week later when we return to 600AD."

"I know but us rushing won't necessarily do us any good either," I reminded her. "We don't know anything and us refusing could be a major insult and make any other people from her village unwilling to help us if we need it."

"You're right," Lucca shook her head. "I guess we don't have much choice."

"Don't worry, Lucca. What's the worst that could happen?" Marle smiled.


There was no other way to describe it. Lucca was completely and utterly drunk.

"Crono... Hey... Crono, ya gotta try this stuff," Lucca slurred as she sloshed a cup of the drink towards me. Her balance was precarious at best and so I had to stop her from falling. "Whoa, the ground seems to be moving."

I sighed, "The ground isn't moving, you are. And how many of those have you had since the party started?"

"What? Why? I can handle it..." Lucca then released a massive burp which gave me quite the smell of alcohol.

"Clearly you are a picture of sound mind and body," I mutter as I put her back down. "You stay here."

"No, no, Crono! You stay here with me," She put her arms around my neck. "We don't get to spend any time together. I want to be with Crono too!" Her words slurred and now somewhat pouty. This was hardly what I thought I would have to deal with tonight.

It would be easy enough to call Ayla and her tribe, savages but the truth was they were the most advanced humanity was in this time period. And more than likely humanity hadn't been around that long. This likely was before the planet had suffered the ice age. Actually a lot of historians believed that humanity didn't emerge till after the ice age but that didn't seem true now. The climate of the world seemed much different, much warmer... which begged the question, what happens to cause the ice age?

It seemed that the tribe had learned a thing or two about ensuring their food was preserved, which of course led them to the discovery of fermenting and the discovery of alcohol. The fruity concoction was deceptive and likely had a much higher alcohol content than normal. But storing alcohol was better in terms of food storage because it never really went bad. As a matter of fact, alcohol typically got better with age. The food they were serving had also been well spiced and cooked. No doubt they used spices and other methods to help keep meat stay fresh. In terms of their ability to keep stores of food and maintain their livelihood, they were immensely impressive.

The tribe lived mainly in huts, made primarily of animal hide and using wood logs and then turning animal leather into long strips to tie them together. It seemed like they had a ways to go in terms of construction but priorities were different. Keeping a consistent food store as their population grew was important. And it seemed like the population was split in a few ways. Hunters, farmers and then warriors. Your strength was what determined your place in their society.

This place was a daily fight for survival, so there was little use for anyone that couldn't hold their own. But if you had earned your way for most of your life then the older you got you became a mentor for the young. Showing the younger generation how to be ready for the future. It was pretty impressive to see. Some of it Ayla had explained but mostly I had learned all of this by simply observing the members of the village.

And one thing they certainly knew how to do was celebrate. With a massive bonfire in the center of this gathering place, it easily lit up the whole area that had been cleared away for this purpose. What surprised me more was the music. Primitive, sure, but it was surprising to say the least. Even so the music was pretty catchy and somewhat hypnotic in a way. The atmosphere was definitely not what I had expected.

After a bit of effort I managed to pry Lucca off of me and took her drink away from her. But she was drunk enough that she became interested in the food they were serving. I'll have to check on her later.

I instead decided it would be best to check up on Marle. I know she had taken the drink when Ayla offered but hopefully she wasn't too far gone. I'm not sure what I was expecting to be honest. I approached Marle as she was talking with Ayla, the two seemed to be talking about something. I couldn't hear what it was as I approached, Marle noticed me and turned towards me with the biggest smile.

"Crono!" Marle's smile might as well be classified as a weapon because I felt like I was caught completely off guard when I saw it. Not to mention the odd flips my stomach went through. Her green eyes shimmered in the light from the bonfire and she moved up to me and took my hand. She looked back to Ayla. "Thanks Ayla!"

"Welcome, Marle," Ayla replied and giving a small wave as Marle dragged me away.

"What were you talking to Ayla about?" I asked, curiously.

"Hmm, nothing really. Just clearing the air, I suppose," Marle said as she pulled me closer towards the bonfire. "Come on, Crono. Let's have some fun. Let's dance."

I eyed her for a moment, "How much have you had to drink, Nadia?" I used her real name to emphasize the point.

"A couple," she admitted as she let go of me and then spun in place, she put her hands behind her back and then leaned towards me and looking up at me. "I can handle myself. Although their drinks are definitely a bit on the strong side."

I couldn't help but sigh, "I thought your Father would be against you drinking at all, and you're telling me you've drank before?"

"Of course he is against me drinking," Marle giggled.

I facepalmed, "Yes, of course he is." And naturally if her Dad said no that means she would totally try it. I could see it, her Father telling her it wasn't a drink for her. And then she went off in a huff and then snuck into the kitchen and took some anyway. While I was thinking about this, Marle reached up moved my hand and then pulled me down into a kiss. Not caring about where we were or who was watching. And I couldn't help but taste the alcohol on her tongue. I don't know why I was surprised. This has been the way Marle had been from the beginning. Even still, she continued to surprise me.

Honestly, all of this was crazy. Time travel, a creature or being that was going to destroy the world, magic, war, desperation, love and family. How was I supposed to believe all of this? And yet, I only had one option, to get moving forward. Would any of it had happened if I hadn't met Marle?

She broke the kiss and looked up to me with concern in her eyes, "What's wrong, Crono?"

"You know, I feel like I haven't had a moments rest ever since I met you," I cock my head with a grin.

"And I feel I had not been living until I met you," Marle gave a surprisingly serious answer. "After Mom died, I'm not sure what I was doing. Trapped in the castle with just tutors and the brief time I was allowed to go out for training. But I was always accompanied by guards and teachers. I broke that cycle when I made a decision. I was going to take a day to do everything that I wanted. See the fair, maybe meet a guy, have some fun and then when it was all over I would be a selfish Princess and end my own life. Not following rules or a path laid out for me. I would show my Father that the only one in charge of my life is me! And if dying was the only way I could make that point, then I would. But do you know what happened? I met you."

Marle had raised her voice and her eyes held a lot of emotion. I feel like I had accidentally triggered this, but I doubt Marle being slightly inebriated was helping. "What did I do though? What have I done up till now?"

"Idiot! What do you think happened? I fell in love with you! While I was thinking of dying you... you changed that! I started to think, if I was with you, then... then I wouldn't have to feel this way! There was nothing for me! I was alone, in a place that everyone thinks is some sort of paradise. Guards, servants, people that would do whatever you asked. But there are some things in life that you can't just ask for! Don't you know that sometimes you don't know what you need until it's right in front of you?" Marle cried out as tears ran down her face.

"I'm sorry," I stepped forward and wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her against me. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

She shook her head against me, "Moron. They aren't bad memories. It might be difficult, and maybe a bit painful, but it is also because of all of that that led me to you. You, Lucca and even Robo. Everything we've faced since we've met, I don't regret a single one. And I never will, no matter what happens to us. Because this is a choice that I made the path I decided to walk. It was not decided by my Father, the chancellor, or even you, Crono. It was mine. So stop doubting yourself. None of this is your fault."

My fault? Was that what I had been doing? Doubting myself? Yeah, I suppose that was true. This girl seemed to be able to see better than I could see myself.

"I'm being quite the drag, aren't I?" I chuckled as Marle backed up and looked up at me. "How about we dance?"

Marle's eyes light up and a big smile appears on her face, "You aren't allowed to stop until I say so!" She declared.

"I wouldn't dream of it," I laughed as Marle proceeded to push me to dance.


I'm not sure how long we danced, but it was easily an hour or more before Marle was too tired to keep going. I was pretty surprised I had been able to keep up for so long myself. Marle went to Lucca. Lucca herself seemed like she had passed out at some point. Marle gave me a thumbs up though to let me know she was okay. I sat down as the bonfire was now slowly beginning to ebb away and the other villagers seemed to beginning to disperse. I watched as one of them, a rather strong looking young man looked at me before walking away.

I raised an eyebrow as he no doubt was muttering something about this whole thing to himself. I suppose it isn't odd for not everyone to be a fan of this somewhat unorthodox situation.

"Crono, have fun?" the voice of Ayla asked as I noticed she sat next to me.

"Yeah, I guess so," I said after a moment. "I didn't realize that I had been so focused lately. Then again, if I'm not I can't hope to protect Marle or Lucca."

"Crono think too much. Marle and Lucca, strong. No need to protect," Ayla said with a grin.

I chuckled, "Yeah, you're probably right. Marle made her own choice, and so did Lucca. I'm here too because I wanted to be."

"Crono, need stone?" Ayla then reached under her top and then showed me a large shining red stone and placed it between us. "Why need?"

"To help someone remember who they are," I smiled and looked to the bonfire. "All of us are more than just items we have. But sometimes, they help connect us to important memories."

"Ayla get," Ayla nodded. Though I'm unsure if she actually did get what I was saying but the confidence she had made it seem that way. "Stone proof of Ayla as Chief. Ayla not need though. But Crono drink with Ayla."

I see, she probably noticed I hadn't actually been drinking. I didn't want to insult Ayla or the gift she was giving us. She said that the dreamstone was proof of her as Chief. From the way it sounds, it was likely highly sentimental to her. Yet she was willing to give it to us, to people she just met. Honestly, I didn't get it.

"I don't mind, but Ayla, I have to ask. Why are you doing all this? A party and giving us the dreamstone? Why? We haven't even done anything for you," I look back to her.

For the first time I see a more serious look from her but she quickly shakes that away and smiles, "Reptites threaten all. Many scared to leave village."

"Reptites?" I repeated having never heard the word before.

"Crono won against Reptites. So Crono strong," Ayla said as if I should have already known this.

I think I was starting to get it, "Not many people can fight the Reptites, can they?"

Ayla shook her head, "Not all fight. Some hide. Ayla strong, so Ayla fight. Others scared, Reptites kill many, take others. So Ayla must fight."

"You had this party to give confidence to the ones under you. To show them that there are others that can fight the Reptites," I surmised as I put her words and meaning together. Ayla responded by grabbing two massive cups behind her and handing one to me.

"No more talk. Drink, Crono," Ayla insisted.

I guess I had hit the nail on the head. I picked up the cup. This celebration hadn't been about us, we were a way to show the people some confidence, that there were others that could stand against their enemy. The Reptites. I then quickly drained all the contents of the massive cup I had been handed. It went down smoother than expected. No wonder why Lucca had gotten drunk so quickly. Especially a girl that had never drank before and was more used to keeping herself buried in her inventions or books.

The moment I put it down, Ayla had a large cask and ready to refill it.

"Drink! Crono and Ayla have battle, who drink more!" Ayla said with a grin on her face.

Oh boy... I did not like where this was going as she topped my cup.


I don't think I had ever felt this bad in my life. My head felt horrible and the prospect of opening my eyes seemed like a bad idea all around. Still, I could hear the usual sounds of morning happening around me. And...hmm, it seemed my chest was heavier than normal. I tried to move my arm but... I couldn't? I opened my eyes and saw Marle snuggled against me, that wasn't unusual. But it seemed Lucca had as well. And... wait, was that Ayla on the other side of Lucca?

Then Ayla groaned and sat up rubbing her eyes. "Uhnnnn!" Ayla stretched out her arms. "Ayla, drink too much."

"Hmm..." Marle stirred from next to me. "Oh, good morning Ayla. Crono are you up?"

She turned towards me and then bent down and kissed me ever so briefly. Before sitting up herself and starting to stretch.

"Lucca! Lucca, morning time!" Ayla had pulled Lucca away from me and was somewhat pinning Lucca to the ground.

"God my head, and... Ayla!" Lucca cried out, but Ayla was grinning.

"Lucca strong, had many drink, almost more than Ayla," she smiled but Lucca was turning a bright shade of red. "Lucca good pillow. Ayla sleep like rock."

"I'm not a pillow! Get off me Ayla!" Lucca said but couldn't break from until Ayla released her. As soon as she did she sat up and did her best to stand but nearly fell over. Ayla was there to steady her. "Umm... thanks Ayla."

"I don't think I've ever seen you so carefree in my life," I comment as I was getting to my feet myself.

"Carefree? I'll have you know that I was simply respecting the customs of their village!" Lucca immediately got defensive. "You aren't innocent here either, you drank plenty yourself!"

I sighed and went to go pick up my things, "Anyway..."

"Don't ignore me! Crono!" Lucca came marching over to me. "I... huh? What?" Lucca's eyes widened as we noticed that a lot of our items were spread all over the ground.

I knelt down and grabbed my bag, "Everything I had is here, but what would be the point? Curiosity maybe? I mean we are outsiders."

"Yeah, my stuff is here too... just all over the place," Marle said as she was checking her stuff.

"It's gone!" Lucca's voice cried out once more but this time with panic. "Crono! The gate key! It's gone!"

"What?" I didn't want to believe it. If it was gone then.

"But without it we'll be... stuck here, right?" Marle looked to me and then we shared a look with Lucca.

"Gate Key?" Ayla asked curiously but then she looked to the ground. "Tracks. Maybe thief?" She looked around and yeah there was definitely some odd looking footprints around but... how could she make heads or tails of it? It looked like they trampled all around this place.

"Were we that out of it? But it isn't like all of us were that drunk. I would imagine someone would have noticed someone rummaging through our stuff," I could have sworn that Ayla still had a few people guarding the party, and no way Ayla would so comfortably sleep with all of us here at the grounds or even allow us to sleep here if she thought it wasn't safe.

"Reptites," Ayla said after a moment. "Tracks lead south. The forest."

Lucca stepped up, "We have to go. Without it we'll be stuck here."

Marle was looking around the grounds as well, "Ayla, was it really Reptites that you spoke of before that did this? If the ones we fought before are about the average height of an adult Reptite I seriously doubt they would have bothered to go through our belongings just to steal one thing and then leave? If they have been known to kill and take your people hostage then wouldn't they have taken the chance to kill you? The leader of one of the main human settlements?"

That sounded right to me, Marle had more than enough knowledge about potential schemes and betrayal's to the throne to realize when something like this didn't add up.

"Ayla knows," Ayla looked to Marle.

"In that case, we should get going," I mutter as I grab my head for a moment. It was going to take a bit to get over this hangover. But if we waited too long the thief might get too far away. What a complicated mess this has turned into. And Ayla, looked like she had an idea as to what this was all about. Suppose even in a time period so fat in the past it didn't mean that humans were all that different. Ayla wasn't that stupid though, she was aware that this was not done by Reptites.

We left the grounds, and headed south. Ayla would stop on occasion as we followed rather obvious tracks to the south. It was too obvious, but then again our brief encounter with the Reptites on our arrival didn't give me the greatest confidence that they would be all that good at stealth either. No doubt when Ayla had helped us it was because she had been tracking the Reptites that had entered human territory. They had been hunting for humans so Ayla had been taking steps to stop her people and likely other humans nearby from being taken.

As we continued to walk, Ayla led the way. She had a confidant stance, someone who was a leader, who was strong. Was it by choice? No. The world she lived in wasn't that kind. Even with the smiles and drinking and the message of hope she had wanted to convey, it was actually somewhat disheartening in a way. Was there anyone as strong as her? Being a leader was a lonely role.

"Crono," Marle muttered from next to me as she was watching Ayla.

"Yeah, I know. But we also have our own priorities right now. We can't do anything without the Gate Key. And even then it isn't like we can do much to help Ayla," I speak in a whisper. "She's strong, Marle. Even if she has a lot to go against. If she didn't find a way to make it then I doubt we would have ever been born."

Marle must have smiled a bit, "That is a good point. Still, she just seems so... lonely."

"The path a leader walks is not always one you can do with others," I say as we followed Ayla into the forest. Standing in front of us was a man wearing similar clothes as Ayla. I had seen him leaving the party last night. "Marle, I think she's just fine."

"Kino!" Ayla yelled in anger as she approached the man. And then without even a moments hesitation, she punched him. I couldn't help but wince hearing the contact and yet Kino barely moved. Both impressive, but Kino did not look back in defiance, no he kept his eyes to the ground, in shame. "What you do, Kino!? Say NOW!" Ayla's anger essentially simmered the air.

Marle, Lucca and I could only stand back as this happened.

"Kino take Crono stuff. Kino sorry," he seemed like he was definitely strong himself.

"Why take!?" Ayla anger did not diminish.

"Kino like Ayla best. But Ayla give Crono party. Kino mad that..." Kino was then punched again by Ayla.

"She is not one to pull her punches either," Lucca commented.

"Nothing hurts more than when the people we want to stand by our side, are the ones that understand that the least," I found myself saying.

"Crono..." Marle whispered.

My Father had left me behind. Of course, I was too young, and yet I had wanted to tell him to let me go with him. That I could use a sword, that I could help. But he was my Father. Of course he wasn't going to let his only son to charge off on a potentially dangerous mission. And one that he ended up never coming back from. Despite my own regrets, I knew my Father had made the right call. Still it doesn't stop any boy from wanting to go with their Father. What a ridiculous circle we often find ourselves in. Kino himself had been jealous, and couldn't understand Ayla's actions. He acted in anger, frustration and jealousy. I could relate.

"Kino, know why Ayla angry?" Ayla asked.

"Ayla no like..." Kino started but Ayla stepped towards him and did something quite different. She kissed him. Kino's eyes widened with surprise. I feel like Ayla was taking a page out of Marle's book. No doubt the woman Chieftain had taken notice of Marle and I's interaction last night.

Ayla pulled away, "No, Kino. Wrong. Ayla like Kino best. So Ayla no want Kino do bad thing! Bad thing not good! Kino not know. Crono and friends beat many Reptite. Show village! Reptite can be beat! Ayla need Kino!"

"Ayla," Kino spoke her name but could not find anything else to say. He turned to look at me. "Crono, Kino sorry." Kino bowed to me. I was a bit surprised, did out concept of manners originate from here? Then again, no harm no foul in my eyes. If Kino had the Gate Key then this mission accomplished and... Wait. Kino wasn't looking at me.

"Kino, where is it?" I asked him, but he stiffened.

"Give thing back to Crono," Ayla demanded.

"Kino attacked by Reptites. Reptites take thing. Went to Forest," Kino told us.

Reptites? No wonder why Kino was already crestfallen before we had even shown up. It wasn't just he was ashamed of his actions, it was because it had gotten worse than he had intended. Even now Kino kept his eyes to the ground. No one felt worse about this than Kino.

"Kino go back to village," Ayla said in a calmer tone. She must have realized that Kino didn't fight back against her because he felt he had deserved it. "Ayla go with Crono and friends and get thing back. Kino protect Ioka."

"Okay, Ayla. Kino go. Ayla stay safe," Kino said before rushing out of the forest and heading back to the village.

We watched as he left.

"He going to be okay?" Marle asked.

"Well he took two of Ayla's punches and didn't seem like he was injured by the Reptite attack before. He likely unintentionally dropped the Gate Key in the struggle," I comment as I pulled up my katana.

"Kino is Ayla's man. Ayla have baby, then Kino Chief," Ayla stated plainly.

I couldn't help but laugh, "Sounds like he didn't have much choice in the matter."

"In a world like this, everyone has to be that strong to survive. Ayla, Kino, their whole village," Lucca commented.

"Next time, Ayla. You should tell Kino what you're doing. Trust and love requires communication," Marle said this to Ayla.

"Ayla knows. Ayla fix when back at village," Ayla instead turned her attention to the path leading deeper into the forest. "Reptite tracks keep going. Crono, Marle, Lucca, follow Ayla."

Following her wasn't easy. Ayla could move quickly but fortunately it meant any monsters we fought along the way had a lot more problems due to Ayla's quick speed and our precession with our weapons. Weapons weren't that developed in this time but Ayla might as well claim fame for developing the first martial art. Her strength was something that was hard to describe, and her movements were never wasted. Using only the minimal amount to dodge and then quickly dispatch her enemies. And she did so with her bare hands.

Ayla was equally impressed with us and the use of magic. The first time we had used it she had stopped and asked a bunch of questions.

"What Marle do?" Ayla asked after seeing an ice spell.

"It's called magic," Marle smiled. "It's a power we all share."

"Lucca magic too?" Ayla looked to Lucca.

"Yes, as well as Crono," Lucca pushed up her glasses.

"Crono too? Ayla like magic," Ayla seemed pretty impressed by the display but even still she refocused herself as we made it to the deepest part of the forest and found a cave. "Reptite lair."

Inside the cave was well lit, and the structure of it... better made than I had expected. It seems the Reptites were smarter than I gave them credit for. Even if they didn't know the purpose of the Gate Key it would definitely look like something of value. And if humans are the main enemy then... of course they would take it. It continued farther in, the monsters were stronger and we even ran into groups of Reptites.

Ayla never hesitated to act as we continued on. She was also surprised by the fact that a lair for Reptites had been so close to her village. I wonder if she had been looking to see if the villagers she said had been captured would be here, but no such luck. Well either way, Ayla was cautious but moved with purpose. We descended further and further into the cave.

We entered a larger room after a while. And standing before us was a Reptite that had much more intricate clothing. "What in the world is this thing? Could those filthy apes have crafted something this advanced?" His speech was clear, more diverse than Ayla and the people of her village. This kind of threw me for a loop.

"Azala!" Ayla took a battle stance so I went on guard as well.

Azala regarded us with apparent disinterest but that changed when he did a double take of us. "It seems that you hairless apes are cut from a finer cloth than Ayla. That could make this easier. Tell me, apes, what is the purpose of this device?" He turned to us and in his hand, wait, claw? Either way he was holding the Gate Key.

I shrugged and looked to Lucca.

"It's a device that detects and opens Gates in locations where a time space distortion has previously materialized or has amassed that energy. Essentially forcing them to expand briefly to allows us to step in and travel through time," Lucca gave a purposefully all too brief and confusing explanation of the Gate Key.

Azala looked taken aback and glared at us and then the Gate Key, but clearly didn't understand anything that Lucca had said. So he decided he was being made fun of instead, "Lies! Do you take me for a fool? No one would talk so easily if... whatever you said was true!"

"You asked us to tell you the purpose of the device, and I did so. What you do with that knowledge is up to you," Lucca pushed up her glasses as she pulled her weapon out from her bag.

A flash of irritation crossed Azala's face and then he called out, "Come, Nizbel!"

It wasn't like we were going to be able to avoid violence, but it would have been a nice change. Still the next thing the ground seemed to shake as something came charging in. I grabbed Marle and we dove to the side, both Ayla and Lucca jumping to the other as this massive creature bull rushed themselves into a wall with a loud crash. It then turned back towards us and let out a deafening roar. It was bipedal and seemed to have muscle after muscle stacked on each other. And also had two massive horns on its forehead. Intimidating didn't even begin to describe the presence of Nizbel.

"Okay, now what?" Marle asked a bit sarcastically as we jumped back up to our feet.

"Now, fight!" Ayla yelled as she charged in towards Nizbel.

Marle sighed as she pulled up her crossbow and took aim. "Not really what I meant."

Ayla was landing punches and kicks, but mainly kept Nizbel focused on her, which was good. But Nizbel's hide looked especially tough, I wasn't even sure if my sword would be able to get through it. I readied my sword and as I did Marle took the opportunity to fire a crossbow bolt, but it merely grazed Nizbel and seemed to do nothing at all. It wasn't like I thought fighting a Reptite would be easy but...

"Ayla, back up!" Lucca yelled and tossed something towards Nizbel. Ayla jumped back just as the object exploded into a fireball against the Reptite. But when the smoke cleared he still stood and instead roared once more with more ferocity. And started to charge towards us.

Ayla then jumped forward and landed quite the devastating kick to Nizbel's face and sent him spiraling away. Well, he was vulnerable so I took a shot.

I put my katana away as I quickly chanted a spell, "Resound! Cry from the Heavens! Lightning!" The magic came crashing down from seemingly nowhere and hit the Reptite. It let out a howl of pain, electricity sparking around him.

"That did it!" Marle grinned.

But Nizbel was pulling himself to his feet, though obviously in pain.

"Crono! Hit Ayla! Lightning Ayla!" Ayla turned to me. I blinked at her. Hit her? I... wait. Maybe like how Marle had given my sword the power of her magic before?

The thought crossed my mind and the words appeared in my head. "Marle, Lucca, you hit him after Ayla, got it?"

"We're on it!" They confirmed in unison.

I raised my hands towards Ayla, "Channel the power of Thunder through her body! Lightning Charge!"

Ayla was then struck by a bolt of lightning but instead of striking her, it surrounded her and she had quite the grin as she charged towards Nizbel. She hit the Reptite again and again and each time more of the lightning that surrounded her slammed directly into Nizbel's body. He growled in pain and when Ayla had finished she jumped back just as the girls had finished their own spell.

"Consume and Shiver! Antipode!" Lucca and Marle cried out as their combined magic attack hit the now vulnerable Nizbel. And just as it cleared I had pulled my sword back out and charged Nizbel. And ran him through with my sword. I'm not sure why it was so effective. Either way, Nizbel was dead and he fell back onto the ground. Azala looked stunned at what we had just done. A group of "apes" had defeated his muscular monstrosity of a minion, who was now dead.

"How? How do you apes have so much strength?" He let out a low growl as he took a hesitant step back away from us.

"Give thing back Crono now!" Ayla demanded.

Azala looked like he was weighing his options. His eyes flicked to the door behind him, "Very well... You've won for today. But such an impressive show of strength will not change the future. Reptites are the way of the future and this world belongs to us." Azala then tossed the Gate Key to the ground and then turn and quickly ran through the exit behind him.

I watched Azala disappear out of view as Lucca rushed up and scooped up the Gate Key and did a quick inspection of it.

"I don't see any exterior damage. To be safe I should do a full analysis when we get back to Ioka Village," Lucca said as she put it into her bag.

"Ayla, is it alright to let Azala go for now?" I asked the Village Chief.

She nodded, "Azala smart, use traps for escape. Ayla fight only when ready." It seemed like she had been fighting the Reptite for quite some time.

"He was the leader of the Reptite's?" I asked her.

"Yes," Ayla answered simply. She turned but something in her motion caught my eye. I turned just as Ayla stumbled and then she collapsed but I was there to catch her.

"Ayla!" Marle rushed to her other side. She quickly checked Ayla's pulse and then sighed in relief. "She's fine, but she does feel like she is burning up a bit. She might be a little sick."

"We should take her back to the village, and then we can treat her properly," Lucca said as she pulled out her weapon. "Don't worry. Marle and I can handle anything that gets in the way."

"She fought pretty hard for someone that likely had a hangover," I muttered as I looked at Ayla's face. Despite being unconscious she looked like she was burdened with something. I adjusted her in my arms and pulled her closer to me. It had to be hard being a leader, especially when every day had its own challenges. And with all of that when did she ever have time for herself?

"I think I understand what she probably feels," Marle said as we all started to leave towards the exit. "I never held that power but one of the things that is constantly imposed on me by all my tutors was the amount of weight that is on my shoulders. For Ayla it has to be worse. She is responsible for so many people that don't have her strength to fight. I think that party last night truly was one of the first times in a while that she has enjoyed herself. Probably why Kino felt so threatened by you. If anyone knows what Ayla has gone through it would be him. Though she probably wanted him to celebrate with her, not to stand around and watch. And she wasn't going to go out of her way to tell him either."

"And I would assume that Kino thought that it was no time for a party and that they needed to keep their guard up. A difference of opinion by the strongest couple in the village," I chuckle a bit as I think about it. "Kino will learn. There is a time to plan, a time to fight, but there is also a time to remind ourselves why we fight. Take the time to enjoy yourself with the ones you love."

Marle glanced over at me, "When will we get time to do that? Even last night we had a goal in mind."

I shrugged and was unsure how I could answer it, "After we stop Lavos from being summoned, I hope." That was if Magus was the one that brought forth Lavos. All we had was rumors, and the truth of it was, that the day we would be done fighting could be a long way off.


"She looks a lot better than she was," I said as I approached where she was laying in the Chief's tent.

Marle looked up at me from Ayla's side and nodded, "Looks like the Cure spell did wonders for her. She started resting a lot easier."

"Kino thank Crono," the young man named Kino, who had to be about the same age as Ayla, bowed to me. "Kino thank Marle and Lucca too!" He bowed to the girls. Lucca who had been sitting nearby with a number of tools out as she was looking at the Gate Key.

"It's fine Kino. But next time there is a party, ask Ayla to dance," I comment with a shrug.

He nodded and looked back to Ayla. I took the chance to move over to Lucca and sat down.

"A cursory glance didn't show any damage, and looks like my diagnosis should almost be complete," Lucca comment as she had a couple wires connected to the Gate Key and her small scanner device was attached on the other end. It seemed to be spouting out numbers or something at her but it didn't make any sense to me.

"So now we just take the dreamstone to Melchior and have him reforge a legendary blade... then take it back in time to give it to a bipedal frog swordsman in hopes that he can help us get into the lair of the ruler of Mystics. And just on the off chance that Magus could be the one responsible for summoning Lavos, even though it doesn't show up until the year 1999...just a year short of 1300 years later. Just what are we doing Lucca?" I find myself sighing at the ridiculous nature of the statement I had just made.

"Don't forget about how we're changing the timeline by fixing the Masamune," Lucca pointed out as she kept her eyes on her scanner and was pressing a few buttons here and there as the readout on the device continued. "What will happen in the present day with the Masamune present? What will happen between the year 600 and 1000? Does the presence of that sword change anything? More than likely it will. Crono, everything we do, every little thing we change could have impacts in countless lives. There is no way we can calculate how far reaching the things we change will go. Look at what we went through. If we hadn't arrived here, what would have happened? Ayla would have likely killed the Reptites that had attacked us and then simply continued her fight with the Reptites. The party last night wouldn't have happened. The fight between Ayla and Kino wouldn't have happened. But something else would have. We could have unknowingly had adverse effects on hundreds of generations of humans after Ayla. But you know we can't worry about that. We have to keep going."

"Lucca," I averted my eyes from her this time. "I get it. Just like before, we can't think about it. We do what we have to, because as long as we can avert Lavos destroying the world then it will be worth it. No matter what happens to us at the end, right?"

"If we reach the end of this journey and we make it back to our time, we may never be able to return home. We could forever be wanted criminals for kidnapping a princess. And just like you, we know what they would do."

"Yeah, they wouldn't have a problem executing us and trapping Marle in her room for the rest of her life," I muttered.

"That won't happen," Marle interjected into the conversation and sitting down next to me. "We don't have to go back, even after we stop Lavos. And we will stop Lavos. We can find a quiet place to live out our lives in peace. That wouldn't be so bad, would it?"

Lucca stopped and looked up to Marle and then back at the scanner as it beeped. Pressing a few more buttons on the scanner, "No, actually it wouldn't be a bad life at all. But we'll decide that only after it comes to it." She then disconnected the wires from the Gate Key. "Analysis complete. It checks out, the Gate Key is working within acceptable parameters. Though I would likely prefer to be more thorough if we are able to. But we should head back to Melchior and get the Masamune reforged."

"Crono," it was Ayla. I turned and saw Ayla looking towards me. "Crono leave?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I have things to do. Promises to keep."

"Promises?" Ayla asked.

"Something I said I would always do. And I have a friend that needs help, even if he doesn't know it," I smiled slightly thinking of how oddly stubborn Frog had been when we last saw him. Still, I doubt he would react the same with the reforged Masamune in hand.

"Crono, come back?" Ayla asked.

"We'll definitely come back," Marle turned to Ayla.

"Indeed," Lucca got to her feet and pushed up her glasses. "I learned a lot from your strength Ayla. Thank you." Lucca bowed.

Marle jumped to her feet and bowed as well, "Let's party again next time!"

Ayla grinned, "Yes! Crono, Marle, Lucca, come again. Have party! Drink! Eat! Dance! Fight! Fun!"

Ayla and Kino both gave us a small wave as the three of us left the tent and then put Ioka Village behind us as we returned to the canyon that we had arrived from.

So we were going to head back, until we got to the base of the canyon and found ourselves looking up.

"Don't tell me. The Gate is actually up there... like the middle of the air," Marle said with an obvious dread in her voice. She knew what Lucca was going to say before she did, and just as Lucca opened her mouth, Marle spoke out again, "No, no, I'm not ready for this. We have to go jump off a cliff to get into a Gate now? Crono..."

"Whining to me isn't going to make it suddenly appear on the ground, you know," I sigh but it didn't stop Marle from grabbing my arm and looking at me as if she was basically telling me to carry her. Well that was probably exactly what she was trying to say to me.

"It shouldn't be bad. It isn't that high up. I mean the landing had been a bit rough, but we'll be coming out at the end of time so it's just a short drop and then we'll be there," Lucca said this but I think she was trying to psych herself up over the drop. Honestly, I probably wasn't that great at heights either... but I should probably not let the girls know that at the moment.

"I think I see a ledge up there, shouldn't be too hard to get to. I think," I comment and pointing to something a bit higher up.

"Crono," Marle pouted.

"It will be fine," Lucca said but then no one moved.

I sighed and started moving and dragging Marle along with me. "Come on you two."

"R-right," Lucca followed me as I took a path that went up.

Marle didn't resist me but she definitely was not looking forward to this. The path was pretty steep but it wasn't difficult. Thankfully getting to the ledge I had found had not been hard at all.

"I'll open the path," Lucca said as she pulled out the Gate Key and then held it towards the wide open space beneath the ledge. And thankfully the Gate opened without hesitation.

"Crono... I don't want to..." Marle started but I quickly pulled her and Lucca towards me and then without any warning I pulled them both with me off of the ledge. "AHHHHH!"

It was only a brief feeling of vertigo before we entered the Gate. And then that similar feeling of going on a slide came and then we came tumbling out at the End of Time. When we came to a stop both of the girls were on top of me.

"Crono! You jerk!" Marle said as she sat up.

"I was completely unprepared for that!" Lucca added as they both turned towards me as I got up myself.

"But it's over now," I pointed out.

Marle crossed her arms and looked away from me. Apparently not happy with me. I shrugged and got to my feet. As I did I saw Robo there to greet us.

"It is good to see you all again," Robo said politely. "Was your mission a success?"

I nodded, "Yep, one chunk of dreamstone later and we can finally get the Masamune reforged. Hopefully this will convince Frog to help us."

"He will," Lucca said as she stood up and adjusted her glasses. She took a moment to take a deep breath, likely still trying to get her heart rate under control, no thanks to me. "I don't think he'll turn down the chance to face Magus with the Masamune."

"Let's hope not," Marle said and turned towards me. "Don't do that again."

"I will do what I have to, if it means keeping you safe," I countered as I wasn't about to make a promise I had every intention of breaking if the situation called for it. "And we are on a time limit. We don't have the luxury."

Marle sighed, "I know you're right. Sorry. You just... really caught me off guard."

"That was kind of the point," I scratched my head. "Robo, wait for now. Though depending how this goes we may be back sooner than later."

"As you will. I shall remain on standby for when you have need of me," Robo said politely. I didn't particularly like leaving Robo here but there wasn't too much choice with the way the Gate's worked. For now we needed to keep moving forward.


"Dear me, you truly found dreamstone?" Melchior blinked, finding it hard to see the stone laid out on the table of his workshop along with the pieces of the Masamune. "With this I should be able to reforge the blade to be whole again. How in the world were you able to retrieve both the Masamune and dreamstone?"

"It wasn't easy. Had to face some unique enemies along the way," I answered him honestly.

His eyes lingered on me for a moment before looking back at the blade, "This world is full of many unbelievable tales and mysteries. Many are probably best left unanswered. I will do as I said I would and reforge the sword. Please, make yourselves at home. This will take time."

"If you don't mind, Melchior. I'd like to lend a hand," Lucca offered.

"An extra set of hands would do well. And the three of you can use magic yes?" Melchior asked straight out.

I blinked, "Yes."

"That will make this process better then. You remember meeting those two?" Melchior's question was vague but it sparked an image in my mind.

"You mean those two beings... Masa & Mune," I answered.

"Those unruly children can be a handful but they are the core of this weapon. Magical beings that give the Masamune it's power. It is what makes it different than any normal blade. Though most humans are incapable of even seeing them. Humanity has long since lost that power although they still feel that power radiates from it. The Guardia line had long since handed the sword down to its most renowned swordsman for generations, ever since the birth of the Kingdom. Although, I suspect you had thought of that much, Crono," Melchior explained as he put his hands out and over the hilt of the Masamune.

"You know quite a lot, Melchior," I was beginning to wonder where the old man came from. He was too knowledgeable to be just some random old weapons smith.

"I'm simply an old man that knows too much about the weapons of this world," he shook his head.

That might be how he felt but he seemed to be much more than that. We knew he wasn't from this time period, and came from when humans having magic was common place. But clearly that was not something common in the present time. So what happened? If he came from the past then how far back was it? Melchior was likely pulled into a Gate at some point and ended up here. But he had no means in which to return to his own time, so he settled in. Either way there was definitely more to Melchior's story. I seriously doubted he was a simple old man that knew too much of weapons.

"Come on, Crono. Let's get out of their way so they can work," Marle took my hand and pulled me away towards a pair of chairs in the corner.

"So how are you going to fix it?" Lucca asked Melchior.

"We'll have to refine the dreamstone, and then we'll have to head them all to properly meld it. But then I must ask you to use your magic to help properly forge the blade. Do not worry, I shall guide you through the process," Melchior said as he scooped up the supplies and went to his forge that he had started up.

As I sat down I watched as Melchior and Lucca began to work. "The Masamune, huh?" I mutter.

"If we had the Masamune in our time, I think Sir Lazarus would have been the one to use it," Marle commented.

I blinked, "My Father?"

"Well, your Father was the best swordsman of all the knights. It definitely shows in you," Marle said as she looked to me.

"Me? No. I only learned the basics from my Father. Everything else I learned from Mom. She was always stronger than Dad anyway," I shrugged at the thought.

"Yes, but it was your Father who was a knight in service to my family. That's why he would likely be the one to hold it," Marle assured me.

"Either way, there was a reason the sword became a myth. It was around the middle ages when the sword all but disappears. I imagine that it has something to do with what happened to Frog. He had one of the pieces of the Masamune. I would imagine that whenever he had been turned into a frog was when something happened to the Masamune. So what happens if we restore it? Does that mean the Masamune will find its way to our time then?" It was more rhetorical in nature. There was no real telling what kind of impact it would have.

"Or maybe, we were always meant to restore the Masamune," Marle suggested.

I raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"It's just a thought. But what if we were meant to change time?" Marle laid her head on my shoulder as we continued to talk.

"You mean, if there is some higher power that wanted us to take the mission of fighting Lavos... and fixing the things through time in the process?" I wasn't sure I cared for that idea. "No, I like to think that we weren't meant to do anything. These are our choices."

"Okay, well what I mean was that this all could have started because of something. Something that isn't easy to explain. How could anyone anticipate what happened at the fair? That my pendant would react to Lucca's device and send me through time? You made a choice then, but the situation could have been the intention of intertwining our lives together," Marle said as her hand took mine and intertwined our fingers together. "If you hadn't come after me, I would be gone. But then us finding a different Gate, that led to the future. Those moments could have been intentional for us to find. Though the choice was always ours to make."

The concept was a simple one. There was no such thing as Fate... but could certain events be transfixed? A fateful encounter, a moment in which a decision must be made that can change someones life.

I shook my head, "It doesn't matter to me if these were situations that I was supposed to make a choice on or not. My decisions wouldn't change. Either way, we will do what we believe is right."

Marle giggled from next to me, "You are surprisingly obstinate sometimes. You aren't one that is religious in anyway, are you?"

It was a good question, "It isn't that I don't believe in the possibility of a higher power. But I prefer to keep my faith on something I have control of. My own skills and decisions I make. Life is too short to waste time on praying to someone that more than likely doesn't care if my life is a good or a bad one."

"I think I remember Sir Lazarus saying something similar," Marle commented.

"Yeah, because my Father is the one that taught me it," I say with a sigh as I looked to Melchior and Lucca as they continued to work. The thought of time travel being a tool had crossed my mind since our journey started. And Lucca and I's discussion we had just a bit earlier had come back to my thoughts. I had entertained the thought of being able to save my Father. A ridiculous notion that I shouldn't even think of. And yet, I couldn't help it. The truth of the matter was, we never held a funeral for my Father. Had never even considered doing so, even after the Military showed up to say he was dead. Perhaps Mom and I were just in a continued state of denial. Some odd thought that maybe he was just gone on a long mission. It was stupid of me.

"Crono?" Marle must have sensed the change in my mood. "Sorry I don't mean to keep bringing up your Father."

I shook my head, "No it's fine. I just had some stupid thoughts in my head about what other things we could potentially change. I'm sure every kid would dream about getting their parent back if they lost them in some form or another."

"Yeah I get it. I had the same thoughts, about my Mom," Marle spoke softly. "But that's impossible, right?"

"It seems like the places we can go to are transfixed. I doubt we have the free form to do anything like that. The most we could do would try and leave a message but, considering the amount of time that would pass, there is no way we know they would get it. But it's more than that," I said and took a breath. "Do we really know what happened around the time your Mother died? Or my Father? Without knowing exactly what happened, what could we say that would change it?"

"Yeah, I know. Mom died from a sickness but, I was young. And with everything we've seen I'm not so sure if it was that simple. But your Father's death is probably more suspect. Sir Lazarus was too skilled to be sent on some convoy detail," Marle commented and shook her head. "It's only because of you that I began to start questioning things. Maybe Father does have a reason to be so protective of me. But even if he does, it doesn't excuse him trying to kill you."

"That is the point though. What don't we know? How much of history has been forgotten? As we continue to go through time and change it so we can face Lavos... how much will we possibly lose just to guarantee we have a future?" I put my arm over Marle and pulled her closer to me.

"But we have to, even if we lose everything. That's what we have to accept. That's the truth of what we decided, right?" Marle allowed herself to snuggle close to me as Melchior and Lucca continued to work.

I didn't say anything and just got comfortable as I felt so tired all of a sudden. Could we even succeed against something capable of destroying the world? What would happen when we finally saw what Lavos even was? I don't know why, but my blood went cold as horrible possibilities flooded my mind.


A/N:

While writing this fan fiction and also replaying that section of the game, it surprises me how some of the more pivotal plot points in the game tend to go by so quickly. Despite the significance of the Masamune the actual history and creation of the sword is never quite explained. We do get a taste of how powerful the sword is with some of the feats it is able to accomplish though. Some of which I'll explore in the next chapter. But for the most part the sword is given a unique name but is never that elaborated on. Also I find it strange that the name Masamune is a reference to the ancient Japanese swordsmith named Gorō Nyūdō Masamune, and yet the Masamune itself in the game of Crono Trigger is a double edge broadsword and not a taichi or a tanto which is what the swordsmith was primarily known for. And the only swords in the game close to that are Crono's but Crono uses a katana which is an eventual evolution of the taichi. Anyway I just thought it was interesting that such a significant sword is actually quite different from what it references.

I think another thing that somewhat bothered me is how much Melchior doesn't say, as he obviously knows quite a bit about the Masamune. So I made him a little more obvious in the story that he knows quite a significant amount more than he lets on. Plus I feel like there should be a bit more curiosity on Crono and gang's end when they face Masa & Mune just to claim the sword... and to know that there is a process in which beings can somehow live inside of a object exists should raise some eyebrows. I didn't go too much into it for this chapter but I'll likely explore more of it soon. Moving on...

Ayla has made her debut, and she's definitely fun to have around. More so is trying to write her dialogue because there is just a lot thinking involved when having to write her. Keeping her language simple and eliminating say all conjunctions from her speech. Going over the dialogue and that was definitely one thing I noticed. Though I feel the more time Ayla spends with the group she will pick up new words and be able to have more complex sentences later on in the story. Also a definite lack of Pronoun's as well. While it can come off as them talking in third person, but if you notice every is always called by their name in all prehistoric speech. (Actually there are few exception I believe in random NPC's but all the main dialogue of Ayla and Kino for example never use pronouns that I have seen) It was definitely interesting.

Ayla always came off as a bit carefree when I originally played through it when I was a kid, but having played the game so many times in my life I've begun to see it a bit differently. And mostly it is that Ayla wears confidence like a mask to be an inspiration to her people. She's strong out of necessity and as evident through the game, she values strength over everything because she has to. The constant threat of Reptites and the threats of nature all posed considerable challenges to her people. And humanity was split in that time period, those who choose to hide from the threats and then Ayla and her tribe that decided to fight it. This conflict in politics is something that is present all throughout humanity and this is no different. So at times, I want to have Ayla's exterior of strength to occasionally show cracks, and show just how heavily it all weighs onto her. And I hope I was able to convey just a part of that in her first appearance.

Next chapter will likely be a big one. Frog gets the Masamune and we charge into Magus' Castle. This is where I feel the plot will definitely start to kick up. I think a lot of you are waiting for Magus. Well I am too as he is one of my favorite characters, as well as Schala. Well, I hope you are all looking forward to it, and I'll see you next time.