Chrono Continuum Chapter 48

Crono's Personal Hell

By Cain

Pre-Time

Corea opened her eyes, and looked around. She was on a platform, with a fountain in the center. Everything was shining with a golden light. The stark contrast to her previous surroundings surprised her. Traveling inside the balls had been... grey. The only thing that any of her senses had registered during the journey was a feeling of in-between, neither least nor most. It was quite different from these beautiful, if deserted, surroundings. She turned, and found Thanatos dropping the other three balls, carrying her new friends. Once they appeared, they all took a moment to take in their new surroundings.

Ayla was the first to speak up. "Where this," she asked.

Thanatos, as usual, smiled. "This, my dear, is the Beginning of Time."

They all took a moment to accept that. Once again, Ayla was the first to speak. "Why here?"

Corea knew the answer to this one. "Because the End of Time was destroyed."

Ayla gasped, and Robo beeped in slight alarm. "Is that possible," the robot asked.

Thanatos stepped in here. "Not quite. It's not possible to destroy the End, but you could destroy everything there. I suppose they could return, but it wouldn't be very safe, especially with the chaos probably caused to the gates."

"Old man alright," Ayla asked, probably indicating Gaspar.

"Hopefully," Corea answered. "I can't say for sure. But I survived, and so did Rakin."

"Who Rakin," the cave-woman asked.

"Crono's son," Robo told her.

Ayla's eyes opened in surprise. "He and Marle have son too? He strong? How old?" Corea raised an eyebrow. Perhaps Ayla had been romantically involved with her dad. She looked over the cave-woman. If so, she could se why.

Robo seemed happy to convey this information to Ayla. "Yes, he's quite strong, and brave, like Crono was. He was born four years after our adventure, and is sixteen years old."

Ayla looked somewhat surprised. "It took four years?"

"Excuse me," Geddicus suddenly interrupted. "Thanatos, what's going on? Who are these people anyway, and what are they talking about?"

Thanatos nodded. "I can see there's a lot to tell, for everyone."

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1020 AD

"So, Rakin, you plan to challenge me?"

Before Rakin could answer, Crono stepped forward. "Not just Rakin. You'll pay for what you've done."

Lauren stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. "Are you trying to say you didn't like it?"

"That's beside the point," Rakin interrupted, realizing that that conversation would likely succeed in causing tention between his mom and dad. If they survived. "But, before we do this, I want to know something."

"Yes," Lauren asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What's your real name."

Lauren looked surprised. "How did you know I lied about my name?"

"It's simple now that I know. You always hesitated about saying it. And that night where you first told us your name, you just happend to have your hands up, where you could see your fake name written on the back of your hands. Hotwire spotted the writing on your hands that night, but I was too dumb to put two and two together, until it was too late. And I'll bet you just taunted those thugs, knowing I'd come by somehow."

The woman shrugged. "Alright then. My name is Parsa. I don't have a last name, so don't bother asking. And I," she stated, strinking a dramatic pose, "am the Almighty One's personal concubine, and upcoming wife. Kind of makes you wish you'd let me stay with you that night you had the chance, huh," she taunted him, smiling.

"Concubine," Crono spoke up, surprised, "You mean you're his call girl?"

Parsa blushed slightly at that. "I am not! Besides, who are you to make fun of me? You had the pleasure of receiving the benefits of my 'experience'. Look me in the eyes and tell me you didn't enjoy it," she dared him.

Crono's jaw tightened in anger. Rakin could see sparks crackling at the ends of the spikes of his hair. "You take on the form of my wife, cause me to commit adultery, and attack my wife and friends, and your main concern is whether or not I enjoyed it!!?" Small bolts of electricity began to flow from his sword and strike nearby swords and shields. "YOU HEARTLESS WIIITCCHHH," he screamed, and leaped at her, over the ring of fire, sword overhead, prepared to slice her in half.

At the last moment before the strike, Parsa put up a shield. Crono bounced off it, and landed on his back on the ground before her. Parsa threw her hand out, and a shard of ice flew towards him. He rolled backward, into a standing position, the shard landing right between his feet.

Meanwhile, Rakin had quickly located the nearest sword, apandoned near a campfire, and had grabbed it. He ran up behind his father, prepared to stand beside him in battle. But abruptly, Crono knelt down on one knee, and locked his hands together over his head. Rakin instantly knew what his dad had planned.

He jumped up, and landed on his father's cupped hands. Crono pushed up, and Rakin went flying into the air, towards Parsa. Looking beyond her for a moment, he saw his mother, casting a spell. A bright blue beam flew towards him, and struck his sword, causing it to glow blue. He looked down, and saw his father dashing as fast as he could towards Parsa as well.

Their swords hit Parsa's shield at the same time. For a moment, the shield held firmly in place, and the two swords remained where they were. And then the swords continued, and the shield shattered into hundreds of magical shards.

Parsa flew backwards, into a nearby tent, which collapsed. Rakin landed next to his father.

"Arc Impulse," Crono told him. "Too bad Frog wasn't here."

They both yelled, however, as they were thrown back by a gigantic explosion. They landed a few feet away, and saw Parsa, standing unharmed in the center of a burnt crater. Apparently, her shield had absorbed most of the damage done by the Arc Impulse.

With some effort, they stood, as Parsa floated out of the crater. She landed at its edge, smiling. And abruptly, she screamed. Rakin and Crono glanced at eachother, wondering if this was good or bad. Parsa's scream lasted only a few moments. When she stood, she had an expression of pain on her face. Maybe the Arc Impulse had done damage after all.

"It... has... begun," she announced.

"What has," Gaspar, staying a safe distance away, asked.

"I... am now... the Mother."

Crono's eyes widened in surprise, as did Rakin's. "The... Mother," they asked at the same time.

Parsa began to float into the air. "Yes, the Mother. I am now pregnant." She looked down at Crono. "And it's all thanks to you." She began to laugh. "And your children shall destroy you, and all you hold dear." Still laughing, she faded from site, and was gone.

Crono fell to his knees. "What have I done," he lamented.

Marle and Hotwire, helped by the others, came to the father and son. Rakin was trying to comfort his dad, but to no avail.

His mother came, and called his father's name softly. Crono looked up for a moment, and met her eyes, and then, looked away, ashamed.

Hotwire opened her mouth to say something, but Crono suddenly raised a hand to quiet her. He stood up, and looked around.

"What's up," Melchior asked.

Crono didn't answer, but instead got back down on the ground. He put his ear to the earth, and remained silent for a few moments. Then he looked up. "Demons. Too many to count." He pointed off in one direction. "From there."

Immediately, Rakin ran to a nearby flag pole, and began to climb it. When he reached the top, he looked off in the direction his father had indicated. He squinted for a moment, then leaned back in surprise.

"Well," Hotwire yelled, "Is he right?"

Rakin glanced at them. "Worse," he yelled back. "Much worse." And he turned back. They were getting closer now. Not a horde, not an army, but a legion. Not only did they cover the ground, they filled the sky. And at the front of the charge, more than twenty men and women rode on demons. Using his abilities to enhance his sight, he soon found that he recognized one of them, and could guess at the others. Adom, and the Hellbound.

Everyone's gonna die!
- Chief Irons, Resident Evil 2

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