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By ShadowStorm
A Chrono Cross Fanfic-Part II of "Mind From Body"
"Are ya sure he knows this stuff, mate?"
The waves broke onto the shore as they got off from the boat.
"Radius? Are you kidding? He knows everything about everything...Well, he did when I asked him advice before."
Radius’s hideout was extremely peaceful. Standing there, Serge nearly forgot about what he came for and felt very sleepy. Kid had to elbow him to his senses. "Whatcha standin’ round here for, mate? We should get goin’."
They walked up the path. Serge noticed Radius took good care of his lawn: All the grass was even, and there was a nice flower bed next to the shack. There was a mockingbird singing.
"He must’ve retired. It’s so quiet here," Kid said.
Serge nodded. Guille had gone back to Termina to sort out some business. Radius must have seen them coming, because he came out of the shack, now supporting himself with a cane.
"Serge! I haven’t seen you here in years!" His face wore a big smile. He rarely had any visitors to his small island. "You didn’t have a girlfriend the last time I saw you!"
Serge blushed. "Radius, she is not!" He wished people would stop saying that.
He chuckled. "Sorry about that Serge. Now, what did you need?"
"Well, we need to find out how to get to the Chrono Cross. We found out where it is, but it’s protected by a magical force field. With three empty pillars."
Radius eyed them suspiciously. "Now, why in El Nido would you need that?"
Serge started explaining. He told Radius about the encounter with the girl on the moon, (After explaining that he didn’t hallucinate) about the riddle and her plea for help.
"She never mentioned these objects that we’re trying to get now, though," Serge told him. "We thought you might know."
Radius rubbed his chin. "Come, I think I have a book on things like this
inside."
They followed. It was a very cozy and peaceful shack, nothing fancy, with a bookcase,
stove, bed, fireplace, and on the south wall, a set of a armor complete with a
heavy sword. Radius went to the bookcase and pulled out a thick, well-worn book
entitled "The Legends of El Nido." He skimmed through the pages.
"Ah, there it is. ‘The Chrono Cross.’ Let’s see....."
" ‘Back when the world was young, while the El Nido islands were still joined in peaceful harmony, the six Dragon Gods created an element of extraordinary power. They dubbed it the Chrono Cross. It could control the weather, read minds and hearts, and ultimately sustain life itself. But over time, it fell into the wrong hands. The entity FATE used this item to dominate the world, destroying whole towns, forests, mountains, and lives. Combining their power, the Dragon Gods waged war against FATE and its minions. In a confrontation that cost countless lives, the Dragon Gods imprisoned FATE in the Sea of Eden. To ensure that such a thing happens naught again, they hid the Chrono Cross deep in El Nido. Using its power, they created three Sacreds and three Guardians to defend them: The Moon guardian, Luna, the Wind Guardian, Gaia, and the Water Guardian, Bols. Only with the Sacreds could the Chrono Cross be released again. The Sacreds were objects of the Elements that held awesome power. Only by defeating the Guardians could one obtain a Sacred. The Three Guardians took to different dwelling places around El Nido; Luna, to the Forbidden Isle of the Damned; Gaia, to the sturdy and towering Gaia’s Navel; and Bols, to the lust, cool, and beautiful Blue Dragon Isle. By going only into the Sacred Altars could one challenge a Guardian, and if they proved themselves worthy and with pure intentions, they would obtain a Sacred. Once a Guardian was defeated, the Guardian’s dwelling place would vanish out of El Nido, until the bearer of the Chrono Cross used it for a pure purpose, and only then would they be allowed to return to El Nido.’"
Radius closed the book and took a sip of water. "Wow, we sure are gettin’ inta deep stuff, eh, mate?" Kid looked amazed at the tale she just heard.
"Yeah," said Serge. "This won’t be no cake walk, but we have to do it to release that girl, though we have not the slightest clue of where she might be."
"Well," said Radius. "I never imagined that you would be doing such a thing, Serge. As you said, this won’t be easy, so let me give you something." He walked to where he had placed his armor and sword. He took the breastplate and held it in his hand as if it was a piece of string. "Here, catch Serge!" He threw the armor to Serge. It was surprisingly light. "Light as a feather," he told him. "Put it on." Serge did so. Then Radius took the sword. "However..." He raised the sword and slashed at Serge. Serge stood petrified. "What the...!" As the sword hit the armor with a clang, it seemed to slide right off. Serge had hardly felt the impact. "It’s as strong as rock. This used to be mine in the old days, while I was still a Dragoon Diva."
"That’s impressive," Serge said. "But what about Kid?"
"Well, of course, Serge." Radius said it as if it was funny to even ask him. " I have something for her too. Come over here." Radius moved a shag carpet aside, revealing a trap door on his floor. He opened it and beckoned for them to follow him. Serge and Kid were amazed at the vast amounts of weapons, armor, talismans, charms, and various valuable objects.
"Whoa, do ya collect this stuff?" Kid asked him.
"Well, I guess you could say I did. But not anymore. I just enjoy living peacefully on this quiet island here." He walked to the upper right wall and took an object off it. He came back with a purple cloth, with sliver embroidery shining on it. "This is the Dreamer’s Sash," he told her. "It starts off any battle with your elements fully charged, allowing you to use your strongest techniques without having to gain power." He gave it to Kid.
"Hey, thanks, that will come in handy."
"Well," he sighed. "I suppose you two should get going. Unless you need to know something else."
"No," Serge told him. "That’s it. Thanks a bunch for the armor and sash."
"No problem. I have no use for them anyways."
"We’ll be heading to the Isle of the Damned first and get the Moon Sacred."
"Alright. Be extremely careful. These aren’t your ordinary every day monsters."
"We’ll be fine. Besides, we’ll be taking another one of our allies."
"Good luck! Make it out of there alive!"
"Let’s go get Razzly first," Serge said. "We could use all the help we could get."
"No prob, mate," Kid told him. "Just use me teleporter."
"Oh yeah, that little gizmo. Now let’s see, just push that button, and..."
A shimmering green beam escaped the teleporter, and a second later Razzly appeared on the stern of the boat.
"Hey, Sergey!" She seemed quite cheerful. "What’s up?"
Serge explained to her everything they’d found out from Radius. She sat with her eyes unwavering from him as he told her the story about the Chrono Cross. And they told her about Radius’s generous gifts.
"Wow, Serge, this isn’t going to be easy! I never imagined that’s what happened and how heavily it’s protected."
"Yeah, I know. We’re going to The Isle of the Damned first."
Razzly frowned. "That place? It’s full of demons and ghosts. I don’t see why Luna would choose to stay there."
"Yeah," Kid said. "But these guys ain’t human. Who knows what they were thinkin’?"
As Serge paddled to the north, the strong midday sun came in full force, making them sweat puddles. They all took off their Element belts, armor, and any unnecessary clothing. At least for now. Pretty soon the gloomy form of the Isle of the Damned came into view. Even in broad sunlight it looked creepy and forbidding.
They chose to dock their boat near the entrance, so if they had to make a run for it, they could do it fast. Disembarking, they slowly walked toward the entrance. "I don’t know about you, mate, but this place gives me the creeps." Even in the heat, Kid seemed to shudder.
"I couldn’t agree more," he said. "But like it or not, we have to get the Moon Sacred." They went on. Going through the first cavern, they encountered countless ghost, skeletons, demons, and monsters. As they went on, they became more tired and hoped they’d have enough energy left to fight Luna.
"Wow, mate, this place is full of mirrors," Kid exclaimed as they emerged into the second cavern. It was true. About 5 silver mirrors shimmered and gave light to such a gloomy place.
"Hmmm." Serge walked up to the nearest one and touched it. At first it seemed solid, but as he held it there, it sank into the mirror.
"Wow!" said Razzly. "You can walk right through them."
"Yeah, but we have to figure out which one to go through."
The first one led to a dead end full of ghosts, which had them bolting back quickly; they needed to save their energy. The second one led through a narrow tunnel which ended up going back to the room with the mirrors, except in a different place.
"We’re goin’ in circles, mate," Kid told him. "Let’s try the one under the pterodactyl skeleton there." This one seemed to bear some fruit. It led to a fairly large tunnel with two exits; one with light shimmering through it; the other was on a narrow strip of land centered above a small stream coming in from the ocean.
"Let’s try the one down there first," Serge said. "It’s more likely down there than in broad daylight."
They ended up on a cape overlooking the stream. Serge had taken a good guess; at the end of the cape stood a towering statue of a beautiful woman with long hair and a bow and arrow. "This must be it," Kid said. "But what do we do now?"
She had hardly gotten the words out of her mouth when the ground started shaking. Behind them they heard the rocks from the ceiling collapsing. "It’s a cave in!" Razzly shouted. "Let’s get outta here now!" But it was already too late. The heavy granite from above had already fallen and blocked their escape.
Then suddenly the shaking stopped. There was a last scrape against the ground as the last of the rocks fell. "Whew," Serge panted. "But how do we get out of here now?"
"Sergey...." Razzly had a pale expression on her face. "Look...."
The statue was no longer there. In it’s place stood a tall, beautiful woman that clearly depicted the statue. Her hair was long and silver, she had blue eyes, silver armor, and a blue skirt that touched her knees. They looked at her gaping for a moment, but they came to their senses when she spoke.
"I am the Guardian of the Moon Crystal, Luna." Her voice was soft, yet strong and firm at the same time. "If thy wish to obtain it, thy must prove yourself worthy of it." Her bow was ready, arrow at string. Serge drew his swallow, Kid her dagger, Razzly her wand. As soon as they did, Luna fired a well aimed arrow at Kid’s chest. Though she wore heavy armor, a small trickle of blood came as she pulled out the silver arrow. In rage, Kid ran up and got a few good slices at Luna, then jumped back and used her Volcano Element at her. The lava made her hit the cavern ceiling with tremendous speed, then plummet back down with a thud. But she was back up quick as lightning, with a small gash on her shoulder. Serge ran forward, but after his first hit, she knocked him sliding on the floor with a silver energy beam. She seemed fierce and quick to retaliate. She then raised her hands toward the sky. The ceiling above her seemed to melt away, revealing a celestial object in the now-starry sky: the moon. It glowed with intense radiance, blinding them and burning their skin. Razzly screamed in pain. After a few seconds it was over. Their skin smelt like burnt sausage, though it was really fine.
Razzly took her wand and waved at the ceiling. Once again, a humongous star crashed through and sliced at Luna, leaving cuts all over her. Serge seized the moment and used his Dash&Slash technique. His feet seemed to slide along the floor as he swept past Luna, slicing right through her armor. She screamed and fired a misguided arrow which nearly hit Razzly in the head. Serge jumped back and sacrificed the rest of his Stamina to use a FreeFall. Luna rocketed up through the cavern wall and thousands of feet into the air, then plunged back to the ground and crumpled the ground beneath her. Getting up with pain, she fired a multitude of arrows into the air which hit them with great speed: Kid got hit in the shoulder and thigh; Razzly in the rib, but Serge dived forward and spun his swallow at the armorless Luna. She grabbed her chest as blood splattered on the ground.
"Thy have defeated me," she said panting and on her knees. "Thy is worthy of the Moon Sacred, the Moon Crystal." She took out a shimmering silver crystal and gave it to them. Then, the island started shaking again. This time, however, Serge felt it lurch downward. He remembered how it had said in the story, "Once a Guardian was defeated, the Guardian’s dwelling place would vanish out of El Nido..."
"Guys, it’s sinking! Let’s make a run for the boat!" He was frantic.
"We cain’t!" Kid yelled back. "The exit’s blocked, mate!
They were already to their waist in water. Poor Razzly was struggling to keep her tiny form afloat. Suddenly, Serge saw something extraordinary happen. An enormous blue serpent crashed through the cavern wall and stood upright. Unlike the Hydra, it didn’t seem very menacing. Then the most amazing thing of all happened: It spoke to them. They didn’t see its mouth move, but it said in a strong voice: "Climb on. I will help you escape." They didn’t have to think twice. All three hopped onto its back. Then, it lunged into the wall and landed in the sea. It moved amazingly quickly and gracefully.
Serge looked back. He could only see the slightest point of the Isle of the Damned as it sank faster, and finally, with a groan, it disappeared. This caused an enormous tidal wave to rise and crash onto the nearby Earth Dragon’s Isle, blowing huge chunks of rock and sand from it. The three gaped.
But Serge turned his attention to the enormous serpent they were riding on now. He asked in a shaky voice, "Wh-who are you?"
Again the heard the same voice. "I am the Kraken, the sea serpent. Thy need not fear me. I sensed thy cry for help, and I came to thy rescue."
"But...you’re unbelievable! I’ve seen a Hydra before, but never a Kraken! I‘ve never even heard of such creatures!"
"I was one of the many magical creatures created in times past," it said. "Unlike my brothers, the Hydra, the Kraken are sea dwellers. There are very few of either remaining."
"Wow...well, I thank you for saving us. We would have surely drowned."
"There is no need for thanks. I see your intentions for getting the Cross are pure. I shall assist thy while thy get the next two Sacreds."
"Will ya quit sayin’ ‘thy?!’" Kid seemed quite irritated. "I thought Luna had been bad enough!" The Kraken made a sound which was supposedly a laugh.
They all sped through the ocean. Serge wondered what fisherman or bystanders might
think if they saw them. But his main focus was on the next Sacred. They could
never fight Gaia in this condition, so Serge told the Kraken to head to Arni.
What he would tell his mother, he had to figure out and quick.
"Alright, we should get off here, so nobody from the village sees you."
The three and the Kraken were at Oppassa. Dismounting, Serge felt a light breeze lick at his wounds. It felt good.
"Indeed, there is naught reason to raise the villagers’ suspicion. When thy is done, I shall be waiting here."
"Alright," said Serge. "And thanks again."
***
"So, this is your village, eh, mate?" Kid said. "It is kinda different than in my world."
"Yeah, but question is, what will I say to my mother? ‘Oh hi Mom, we just fought a legendary Guardian of the Chrono Cross?’ Pffft!"
"Well, simple mate, just say we were swooped down on by a huge bird in Fossil Valley."
"Hmmm, that’s not a bad idea."
They went into Serge’s house. Dusk was quickly approaching.
"Hi Mom, mind if I have a few friends over?"
"Well, of course not Serge." Then her eyes widened and she dropped her duster. "Sweet Dragon God, what happened to you all?!"
"Well, see, on our way back through Fossil Valley, we were attacked by this huge bird!" He tried to sound convincing as possible.
"Oh dear, these creatures get more aggressive every day..." She went to get her First Aid Kit. After she had patched them up, she said, "I bet you all are hungry." Nobody objected. After a nice dinner of chicken teriyaki (which Serge had no idea his Mom could make) they walked up to Serge’s room sleepily. Serge handed them each a sleeping bag and he collapsed on the bed itself.
"Makes me wish I wasn’t the one who has to do all this," Serge murmured into his pillow.
"I know what you mean, mate, but you would have never met any of us."
‘"I don’t regret that. I just wish we had done it without having to go on this....escapade."
"I know what ya mean."
Razzly already seemed to be fast asleep. The night was extraordinarily starry.
"Ya know what I could use right now? I good joke." However, it seemed Serge had fallen asleep on her. She couldn’t blame him...with all the burden on him. She too had yet to get some sleep for tomorrow. It was easy.
***
"Oof!" Serge heard something or someone hit the floor with a thud. He looked down and saw the jumbled form of Kid on the floor.
"What in the Sky Dragon are you doing?" he mumbled.
"Uh, nothing, nothing," she said hastily. "Just a dream."
A dream? I don’t buy it, he thought.
"Say, where’s Razzly?" he asked.
"Down makin’ breakfast." Serge didn’t feel like breakfast. Not until all of this was settled. He got up, sheathed his swallow and Elements, and went downstairs to join Razzly and Kid.
"Hi, Sergey," she squealed. "I made sausages and eggs this morning!" Eggs? The sausages he could stand, but he despised eggs. He sat down. Kid seemed hungry. She practically stuffed the sausages down her throat, and slurped up the scrambled eggs. She followed it with a loud burp. "Excuse me." Serge laughed. After everyone finished their breakfast with some orange juice, they went outside.
"Nice day," said Razzly. "If it was raining, I’d be more in the mood to fight Gaia."
"Well," said Serge. "If we take care of him quickly we can come back for a swim. Arni has the cleanest, freshest water in El Nido."
"Hey! You three there!" A villager came up to them. "Did you hear about The Isle of the Damned mysteriously disappearing yesterday?"
"Er....yeah, we were on our boat and we saw it sinking in the distance."
"Sinkin’? Well, whatever. It’s real strange. Wherever yer goin,’ I suggest you be careful." He moved on to pass the news to the still uninformed.
"Looks like it’s gonna draw a lot of attention," Serge said. "Well, it’ll leave them wondering even more once they reappear again."
Kid nodded. "We should get goin’ mate. Besides, I think the Kraken is still waiting for us."
"Shhhh!" Serge saw a villager turn his head suspiciously. "Careful not to let anyone on to that, or they could figure out it’s us sinking the islands."
"And what’re they gonna do ‘bout it?"
"Well, they’d never leave us in peace. We’d have to move out of El Nido."
"Point well taken."
They borrowed one of the Arni villagers’ boat to get to Oppassa. It was much quicker, since he could just take it back when he dropped them off. When the Kraken had heard them coming, it hid deep underwater until the villager left. Then it emerged.
"Are thy--you--ready to leave for Gaia’s Navel?"
"Yep, we’re all prepared."
"Then climb on."
They moved southwest toward Gaia’s Navel. "Gaia is a lot faster and trickier than Luna. Do not let him fool you," came the Kraken’s warning. "If you must escape, just whistle. I shall be waiting."
Before they knew it, they stood by the towering mass of Gaia’s Navel.
"How do we get up there?" Razzly asked.
"Simple," the Kraken responded. "I will stand on my tail, and you can climb up." This was no easy task. The Kraken’s scales were wet and slippery, and there were few places were a scale provided a foothold. In the end they found themselves standing on the edge of the massive island. They felt sick if they looked down.
"When the island starts sinking, dive and I shall provide support." They looked around. It was quite a noisy island. There were birds singing, creatures squawking, roaring, and about any other noise you could think of. They started walking up toward a little stream. It was very narrow, more like a trickle of water from a big river. On the other side stood a very thick forest. Just from standing there, they saw a swarm of insects, rodents, and other creatures.
"Come on, mate," Kid said. "I’ll bet that’s the way." They crossed the stream and started walking up the forest path. The undergrowth was so thick Serge and Kid had their blades drawn and were slashing away at it. "Whew, it’s so hard to move, this has gotta be the way." Serge couldn’t have agreed more. The annoying mosquitoes made them all quite irritable. After what seemed like quite a while, they came into an open meadow in the center of the forest. The little stream ran through it on the west side. "Strange," Kid mumbled.
"Guys, I think we found it!" Razzly squeaked. "Look!" They did. Once again, there was a statue there. A man with short, curly hair, a sharp lance, and armor and gauntlets loomed over them. Serge drew his swallow, and the others followed his example. As with Luna, the ground started shaking, and trees started falling down. The amount of noise was earsplitting. After a few moments, the dust cleared, and Gaia stood before them. "If thy wishes the Wind Talisman, prove thyself worthy to me!" His voice was deep and husky, though he didn’t seem to old.
"It’s what we’re here for," Kid snarled. Gaia had his lance drawn and pointed. Serge dived under Gaia’s legs, then slashed from behind. Gaia moaned, then swung the blunt end of lance and knocked Serge onto his back. He raised his lance and tried to thrust at Serge, but he rolled away, gave another slash, and jumped back. Gaia put his hands together, spun, and out emerged three clones of himself. It was quite a useful technique, but Serge thought quick and yelled, "Quickly, attack the one in front of you!" Kid was the one who hit the real one, the one to the right. She had cut his stomach. It had been a good slice; blood emerged from the tear in his armor. Gaia was infuriated, but know new better not to try the same technique twice. Quick as lightning, he thrust his lance at Serge. He hit his shoulder, and even with all the armor he was wearing, the slightest of bruises were still irritating. Razzly waved her wand and used an Upheaval Element. The spikes sliced through his armor and knocked him slightly into the air, then plunging toward the ground.
But he was quickly back up. He jumped into the air, landed behind them, then knocked them all down with his lance. Waving his hand in the air, he used a Tornado element. Their lungs were squeezed in the pressure, making no room for air. They rocketed into the sky and came crashing down at tremendous speed. While Razzly used her HealAll Element, Kid used her Volcano, burning through Gaia’s armor. He screeched and thrust at Kid’s chest with his lance. Before it sank any deeper, Serge cut off the blade and quickly pulled it out. Razzly waved her wand, and the familiar star fell onto Gaia. He used his broken lance to support himself.
"Thy have shown extraordinary skill." He pulled out a narrow green slate. "Thy prove thyself worthy of...The Wind Talisman." Just as Serge took it, the island quaked below them.
"Come on, let’s run to the edge!" Kid shouted. They fought their way back through the forest quickly, ignoring scratches and bruises. They made it out so hastily it seemed like no time at all. "Over there!" Serge yelled. They sprinted to it, and just as they jumped off, the ground splintered below them. The whistling air and the noise of the quake made their ears buzz. As the water drew closer, Serge saw the Kraken coming up from below.
Splash! They sank deep into the water from the fall. They could see Gaia’s Navel sinking ever deeper. About a split second later, the Kraken rose them onto its back and swam to the surface. They were gasping for air. Gaia’s Navel was nearly completely sunk. "The wave this makes will flood all of El Nido!" Serge told the Kraken.
"Then I shall counter it." With tremendous force, the Kraken dived underwater, and quickly came up again. It was amazing. Two of the biggest waves Serge had seen in his life came up in front of them, each going toward each other. Then it happened. They heard a crackling sound as they collided together, knocking even the massive Kraken back. The waves created be the collision certainly weren’t as big as the original, but they flooded must of Marbule and blew chunks off of Blue Dragon Isle. Eventually, the sea started to subside.
They gaped.
"Unbelievable," Serge mumbled. "Well, at least Blue Dragon Isle won’t be too bad."
"Yeah," said Kid. "But we cain’t go to your mom’s again, Serge. I’ll bet anything she won’t buy the huge bird story ‘gain."
"We could go to Blue Dragon Isle to rest," Razzly said. "Besides, we have to get the Faeries to another island for a while."
"Yeah, but all the uninhabited islands are disappearing," he said. "Unless they can manage on Earth Dragon Isle for a couple of days."
"They could, with each Faerie taking their own set of supplies."
"So, do thy wish to go to Blue Dragon Isle now?" The Kraken had already turned in its direction, like it knew the answer.
"Yep."
Serge hadn’t been in a while. He was quite taken aback when he saw it, remembering its beauty. It was such a very peaceful island, with trees, caverns, and plenty of sunshine and water. An ideal paradise.
They got off. "Remember, I shall wait here again. If you’re in deep when the island starts sinking, just whistle."
Hopping from stone to stone, they felt many suspicious heads peaking from the caverns above. As they drew close to the island center, many fluttering creatures came up in front of them. Faeries. "Razzly!" the one in the center squealed. "We haven’t seen you in years! Where have you been?" She was dressed in a sparkling blue.
"Big sister!" Razzly was jumpier than usual. "I went to look for the legendary Hydra! Though I had to kill it...." She frowned. "A new one was born! So the forest is safe!"
"Well, at least you’re alright... Oh my!" Her eyes widened when she saw Razzly’s wounds. "What on Earth happened?"
"Well, my friend Sergey can explain."
Serge sighed. He told everything starting from saving Kid, his encounter with the girl on the moon, about the Chrono Cross and Guardians, and about the current situation. "Well it’s no wonder," her sister squealed with agitation. "So crazy...but I believe you. Well, you’re all welcome to rest up here. And of course, discuss this whole moving thing."
The Faeries certainly had interesting living places: caverns. At first glance it seemed very outlandish. But inside it was definitely cozy, warm in the winter, cool in the summer. They had good blankets, mattresses, and pillows made of fine silk. They had leather sofas, oak tables and chairs, and silverware made of fine china. It was amazing how well they lived using resources only from that island. Serge, Kid, Razzly, and her sister went to the topmost cavern of them all, with a little trickle of water pouring out of it into the river below, like a small waterfall. There, over a nice dinner of trout and vegetables, they discussed the plans for temporarily moving from the island.
"I see," Rosetta said, Razzly’s sister. "Since the island will sink, we’d have to move to Earth Dragon Isle?"
"Yeah, but you’ll have to take plenty of water. There is little over there." Serge gestured outside. "And, of course, you have plenty of water to take from here."
She nodded. "Alright, I’ll go tell everybody else this news so we’ll be ready by tomorrow morning." She fluttered outside.
"Guys, I haven’t been home in a while," Razzly said. "Do you mind if I go spend some time with my friends?"
"No, go ahead Razzly."
"Well mate, it’s too early to hit the sack yet," Kid said. "What should we do?"
" Have you been here before?"
"No."
"Well, we can go look around. I’ll show you the ‘sights.’ " So they did. The island was, of course, very beautiful. Plants and foliage were fresh, green, and abundant. It was full of waterfalls and hidden caverns. The creatures seemed quite peaceful, so it didn’t ruin their stay there. But the night was approaching quickly.
"Mate, we should head back," Kid told him.
"Yeah, besides, no good getting lost here. It can get pretty chilly at night." They headed back. But something caught their attention at the corner of their eye. Bright lights were flashing in the sky for brief moments, then disappearing.
"Wow, a meteor shower," Kid said in awe. "Let’s watch, mate." They sat down onto the cool rocks. As the night passed on, the meteors became brighter and bigger as they rocketed into the midst of Earth’s atmosphere and back out. They were like shards of the stars.
"Beautiful, eh mate?" Kid said softly.
Serge said, "Yeah, but..."
"But what?" She had rested her head on his shoulder.
"Not nearly as beautiful as you." She jerked her head off his shoulder.
"Do you really....mean that, Serge?" There was surprise in her voice. She stared into the cerulean eyes. He placed a hand on her cheek.
"Yes." He pulled her to him and kissed her. He ran his fingers through her soft hair, smelt her friendly perfume.
The meteors shone a brilliant silver on them.
***
Serge awoke to a deep rumbling that had awakened him from a deep sleep. Thunder, he thought. He tried to get up, but something held him down. Kid.
He tried to nudge her awake, but then a crack of thunder that shook the ground practically made her jump off.
"The hell, mate...?" When she realized she was naked, she found her clothes and started getting dressed. He got up. There was a strong wind blowing. As they saw another bolt of lightning, rain started to pour like it was meant to fill canyons.
"This can’t be good," he mumbled. "Let’s go get Razzly."
Razzly had been awakened by the storm as well and looked quite ready.
"It’s crazy out there," Serge yelled over the wind. "To imagine, we were nearly caught out there."
"You were...sleeping out there?" She asked, confused.
"We were watching a meteor shower, and I guess we drifted to sleep." Razzly eyed Kid’s wrinkled clothes and untidy hair.
"Right..."
"Will the Faeries be able to make it outta here?" Kid asked.
"Oh, yeah, our boats may be small, but are very strong and durable." Serge had his doubts about that, but didn’t have much choice but to trust them.
"Let’s go find Bols!" Razzly said. Serge thought it a good a time as any, so he nodded and they set off. Though they had no monsters to fight or mosquitoes to swat, the wind and rain more than made up for those inconveniences. Along the way, they stopped in a cavern behind a waterfall to rest and dry their clothes.
"Neva in my life have I seen this kinda storm before," Kid retorted, squeezing the water out of her hair. "The Gods be damned if we get outta this without drownin.’"
"Couldn’t......" Serge stiffled a sneeze. "...agree more."
"I just hope we can even see Bols in this storm," Razzly said. "I can only suppose his altar is where the Blue Dragon God used to live. It’s right up ahead, so let’s rest up."
After warming up by a nice fire Kid made with her Fire Elements, they went back into the raging storm outside. It didn’t seem it had simmered down any. If anything, it had grown even more violent. "Hey, Razzly," Serge yelled over. "Remember when you said you’d be more in the mood to fight a Guardian while it was raining? I think you got your wish!" It wasn’t exactly the time for jokes, but it seemed to add a bit of humor to the situation. The water was up to their ankles. It took most of their energy to push against the powerful winds. Serge was sure they had all caught colds. Going down the stone ladder, they did all they could to stop the winds from blowing them to oblivion.
"There it is," Razzly panted as they entered an area in which a waterfall raged won into the sea, blowing boulders down with ease. Sure enough, on top of the waterfall, stood another tall statue, seemingly unaffected by the storm. Serge didn’t bother trying to see what he looked like, but just drew his swallow and walked up to it. Then, fast as lightning, water burst open the statue, causing a tremendous pressure that flung Serge into Kid and came near enough to knocking them both out.
"I am Bols." The youthful voice rang out even through the storm. "If thy wish to obtain the Cerulean Pendant, defeat me."
They said nothing but just drew their weapons. Through the storm, it was hard to see anything, much less the figure that stood before them dressed in blue armor himself. Serge flung himself at Bols. His swallow didn’t do so much as scratch the armor, before Bols flung him away with another flood of water. Then Kid used her Volcano element, though powerful against Bols, it was weakened by the downpour. As Bols landed, he got up as if unaffected. Razzly beat at Bols with her wand, but to no avail. Bols hit Razzly away with his staff like she was a piece of paper. She groaned as she landed on the slippery rocks.
"That’s it!" Serge hissed. He took his swallow, and, after taking careful aim, flung it at Bols head. It pierced through his helmet instantly. As he went to his knees, Serge saw a gigantic tidal wave coming up from the raging sea.
Serge sank into darkness.
There were birds singing. Serge tried to open his eyes, but they felt heavy as lead. He plopped down again and allowed sunshine to warm his body. He lay on the beach for an eternity, until he heard someone mumble, "Are we in heaven.....?"
"No, we ain’t in heaven," someone else replied. "Fortunately, we’re still alive." This time, with effort, Serge sat up and opened his eyes. Kid was sitting on a rock, eating a fish. Razzly had just come to. The Kraken was in the shallows, casting a peculiar gaze at him.
"You’re finally awake, mate," Kid said.
"Where...are we?"
"We’re on Oppassa. After that wave knocked us out cold, the Kraken here caught us just in time and carried us here."
"But...what about the Cerulean Pendant? And my swallow?"
"He found ‘em floatin’ around in the water. We’ve got them." Serge plopped back down again. That was a relief. But all of his energy had been drained by the winds, the fight, the wave. At least it was full sunshine now.
"Fell asleep during a meteor shower, huh?" Razzly mused. Well, it was half-true.
"Hey, aren’t we late for something?" Serge said.
"Huh?"
"The Chrono Cross, remember? We have to get it now."
"Oh, yeah. When should we get going?" Serge got to his feet. The swallow and the last Sacred were at his feet. He picked them up and sheathed them to his belt.
"Shall I give you a ride there?"
Serge sighed. "Alright, but make sure none of the villagers see us...Not that I care." The others cast a look on him that suggested his was crazy. "Did that just come out of me?"
"I think that wave hit him harder than I thought," Kid said. They climbed onto the Kraken’s back. He sped to an area just south of Hydra Swamp, where they got off. "I’ll wait here," he said. "Be extremely cautious." Serge had no objections to that. They headed northwest, to where the cave was hidden behind the waterfall. Once they were there, they went through without hesitating. But then, Serge was blinded by a bright light. The three Sacreds were shining in response to the Chrono Cross.
They walked into the cave. As before, the three pillars were still there. Serge took out the Sacreds and placed them on the pillars, each on its corresponding pillar. They felt a sinking feeling overtake them. They were being pushed into the ground with a tremendous force as the Sacreds shone and an earsplitting shattering sound reverberated in the cave. Then, it suddenly stopped. The three pillars had disappeared, along with the Sacreds. The Chrono Cross shimmered in the center.
"Whoa," Kid panted. "What was that?"
"I don’t know," Serge told her. "But we released the Chrono Cross." Serge walked up to it and picked it up. It shone with the colors of the Elements as he held it in his hands.
"So, what do we do now?" Razzly asked.
"Go back to the place where this all started," Serge muttered. "Oppassa."
***
As the Kraken turned the bend leading to the peaceful beach, Serge automatically noticed there was something different there. As they jumped down, Kid gasped and pointed. "Look...." Where the first portal had stood leading to the next world, there was something different. Serge went to get a closer look. It seemed like a hole in the sand. Looking down it, there was pure blackness coming from it. It was endless. Serge couldn’t have seen the bottom with a telescope.
Kid walked over next to him. "Wow, mate," she said. "It’s so...deep. What do we do, though?" Serge stepped onto the hole. He felt its energy, but it seemed pretty solid. He took out the Astral Amulet. Nothing.
"Why don’t you try the Chrono Cross, Serge?" Razzly called to him.
"Alright, come over here." Once they were all standing on the hole, Serge took out the Chrono Cross. It shone a brilliant white, but it didn’t feel hot like the Astral Amulet. It was quite cool, in fact, or so hot it felt cold. The blackness surrounded them, and Serge found himself falling at a breakneck speed. There was just darkness around him, not the slightest glimmer of light.
The landing was sudden, so much so that Serge was out cold until another jolt woke him up. Kid had landed on him. "Ah!"
She rolled of with a grunt. "Sorry about that, mate," she said, shaking the dust off her skirt. He looked around. They seemed to be in an enclosed space. They were standing on solid ground, but looking through the windy-like dome, Serge saw a stream of blue and black. It was amazing, but Razzly seemed nowhere in sight.
"Where...are we?" Kid seemed just as bewildered as Serge. Then she let out a short gasp.
"Mate, behind you!" She dived at him and knocked him to the ground before Serge heard an earsplitting blast.
"What the..." He looked behind him. A huge form loomed over them. It had six legs, no eyes, a pointed snout, but the most amazing thing of all was on its back. It carried what looked like a crystal shard bigger than it was. Inside was...
"It’s the girl, Kid! The one I saw on the moon! Except..." She wasn’t conscious. She just floated there lifelessly. The wind in the dome got stronger, and as that happened, Serge saw pictures flashing through the dome and out again. He saw himself once or twice...but it was years before he had even met Kid.
"I think we’re in the stream of time!" he yelled to her. Weapons drawn, Serge twirled his swallow at...the creature. Though it wore no protection, its hide was as tough as a dragon’s. It stayed in one spot. It had no physical attacks, but as it used a Tornado element, Serge realized that it had extra-powerful Elements. Serge skidded when he landed, chaffing his back. Struggling up, Serge used a FreeFall on it. When it plunged back to the ground, it shook it so that Serge could barely keep his footing. Its gigantic body was no joke to lift back up, so in the time it took it to do that, Kid managed to get several slices with her dagger at it. She jumped back as it used an AquaBall element. Landing on Kid, the tremendous pressure practically drove her into the ground. She got back up, shoulders bruised and panting for air. Serge used a HealAll element, but in the process was blasted back by its AquaBeam.
Kid seemed to be taking something out of her glove, when Serge saw she was using her RedPin. The sharp needles pierced through its hide, making it screech in agony. Serge used the moment to slice it with his swallow, knocking it back to the edge of the dome. Staggering back on its last two legs, something clicked in Serge’s head. The thing would be sucked into the flow of time. He quickly took out the Chrono Cross and held it in his hand. It seemed to freeze. The giant crystal glowed in response to the Chrono Cross. With a shattering sound, the crystal broke into tiny glimmers. Then its body was stretched longer than Serge imagined possible. It disappeared.
"Look..." Where it had disappeared, there stood the girl. Her long silvery hair touched her waist, and her sparkled like silver.
"Serge, it’s nice to see you again," she said. Then, she looked at Kid. "Oh, my daughter..."
Serge jerked his head toward Kid in surprise. "This is your mother?!"
She shook her head. "No! What are you talking about?!"
She laughed at them. It sounded rather strange, after Serge’s first encounter. "Here, let me explain."
"My name is Schala. I am from the magical kingdom of Zeal, of 12,000 B.C. Serge, on that fateful day 16 years ago, you were attacked by a panther. I sensed your cry of help more than 13 millenniums away. I used my power to create an entity to use its power to aid you. It provided enough time for your father and Miguel to reach the Sea of Eden, where you were magically revived by the Frozen Flame. This entity was Kid." She nodded at her. Kid just gaped. " You might call her a clone. The entity manifested itself into a mere baby, supposedly abandoned in the Forest of Guardia. She was found by a young lady named Lucca, which had 4 years ago saved the world from Lavos, a parasite from beyond the stairs that was sucking its energy and creating more of its own, with Princess Nadia and a friend named Chrono. But little did they know Lavos still had plenty life force left. He lied beneath the earth, waiting. When I created Kid, he sensed the power and entrapped me, using my powers to try and destroy the world. He became the Time Devourer, the monstrosity that you, hopefully, have destroyed for the final time. In 2015, when Guardia fell, along with King Chrono and Queen Marle, Lucca was shortly afterward killed by Lynx, after he attempted to release FATE from its sentence of eternal imprisonment. Kid had to flee from Guardia, and decided to join the Radical Dreamers of El Nido, a gang striking fear into locals and were master thieves. Shortly afterwards, Kid met you, Serge. After you saved her from the deadly poison, I decided to enlist your help. And, you were very successful." She stopped. From the expressions on their faces, Schala could tell they couldn’t believe what they were hearing.
"You...you mean I’m a clone? A copy?" Kid’s voice was very shaky.
"My dear daughter...though that my be true, you still have your personality, your traits, fears, and technically your life. Many I do have, many I don’t. So though I may have to return to Zeal, you shall stay here, and start your own life." She smiled at her. Serge thought he saw a tear escape Schala’s eye. Kid hugged her.
"Thank you..."
Then she walked over to Serge. "You remind me of my dear, dear, brother at Zeal, Janus. Please...take good care of Kid. I must return home. It has been 16 years." She smiled at him. "Goodbye, Serge, Kid..."
She disappeared into the flow of time.
***
"It’s so pretty, Serge!"
On Cape Howl, where they first met, Serge gave Kid a sparkling diamond ring.
"Are ya crazy, mate? How much Gold did this cost?"
"9,000, but that’s not much..."
"9,000.... I don’t believe it...thank you, Serge..." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. As she rested he head on his shoulder, a soft breeze blew through Cape Howl. It whispered its soft message.