Space, Time, and Death Prologue
By BluePard
"We used to joke that together we would conquer three great challenges: space,
time and death."
--Al Hibbs, NASA scientist
"Not a cat?" Lucca glanced at the sleeping purple and violet form. It certainly
looked like a cat.
"I suppose most cats where you come from answer questions...?" Magus narrowed his eyes at them.
"Behavior is inconsistant with that of a cat; however, outside appearance is feline." said Robo.
"She's a dream, like Masa or Mune. They were Melchior's dream; she is my father's." Magus sighed. "He wanted to be sure that they were doing the right thing by harvesting Lavos' energy. Father wanted to call down some oracle or deity to confirm it, but of course such a thing doesn't exist. It's just a dream--a dream which became Alfador."
"So, she's a... an oracle?" Crono knit his brows.
"You might say that."
Marle drew her knees to her chest, as if sensing the oncoming climax of a ghost story. "And she said...?"
"She said it'd kill us all."
The group sweated for a moment, and not from the heat of the campfire. Alfador raised its head and mewed angrily.
"Ch'. I suppose you want me to say in your melodramatic way?" The cat nodded. "All right. What she said was..."
"Someday, the force which holds Zeal up in the sky shall drop it, and none
on Earth may slow the impact."
King Zeal was startled, but the emotion showed only in a quick, slight widening of his eyes. Beside him, the Queen's eyes had narrowed. She turned and focused them on her husband.
"So... this is my gift? This... impertinent, disrespectful child?!"
"I am sure she has your best interests at heart, dear," The King's words were soft and flitting, and the two young children peeking out from where they hid behind the throne could not even catch them. "She was designed to care about nothing but the ones I love."
"This is why I speak, my Queen," said Alfador, bowing. "I mean no disrespect. But Lavos--this force you are tapping into--is a ravaging one. It shall consume you and destroy you and, through you, destroy every thing you care about--your husband, your children and Zeal."
The Queen's fists clenched. Behind her, two unseen children huddled a little. When the King and Queen began to talk in hushed whispers again, Alfador pulled down her eyelids and stuck her tongue out at them. The eldest giggled, quickly supressing it.
"Come on, let's wait for her in the hallway," she whispered, awkwardly stepping over the little sibling lying on the ground and peeking into the throne room from under the hem of her robe.