Chrono Trigger Loops Chapter 3
By Reido Shougeki
Zac was hurtling through what appeared to be a tunnel of light. Shades of blue and purple flew around him. He managed to turn around far enough to see Niki behind him.
'Good,' he thought. 'At least she's okay.'
The tunnel abruptly stopped, sending the two sprawling to the earth in front of them. Niki was knocked out. Zac managed to get his head up to look around. They had landed in a green place. There was a bridge to their right, and a house in front of them.
Zac pushed himself up, limping to the front door. He knocked loudly. No response. He knocked again. There was an answer that time.
"Just a minute, Crono!" a female voice called from within. Zac blinked. Who was Crono?
The door opened. A teenage girl, no more than nineteen, stood in front of him. She had dark purple hair and glasses.
"I swear, you can be so im--" She stopped, seeing Zac.
"You aren't Crono..."
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"...and we ended up here," Zac finished, sipping the cup of coffee that Lucca had fixed for him. Crono and Marle were there as well. Niki was upstairs in Lucca's bed, still out.
"What'd you say this 'sphere' looked like?" Crono asked.
"Well, it was bluish-black with a light blue center." Crono, Marle, and Lucca exchanged worried glances.
"Gate," they said in unison. Zac was clearly puzzled.
"What's a gate?" he asked.
"A gate is a tear in space-time," Lucca said. "It can be opened with the proper device. But I thought only Lavos' influence could create them..."
"Next question; what is Lavos?"
"Lavos is an alien," Crono explained. "He looks like a giant porcupine. He crashes into planets and burrows underground, absorbing earth's nutrients. He hit Earth in prehistoric times."
"Wait...did that result in the Dark Ages?" Zac asked.
"Yeah, it did," Marle said.
"Heh, figures...in Science, we were talking about meteors. The Science book said something about a meteor crashing in prehistory, causing the Dark Ages. I had no idea it was an alien."
"But Lavos is dead...how could a gate be formed?" Crono scratched his head as he asked this.
Zac had an idea. "What if, and keep in mind, this is a big if. What if this Lavos didn't create the gates? What if some other force did?"
"Huh," Lucca said. "I never considered that possibility."
"But what could possibly be stronger than Lavos?" Marle said, doubtfully. "He killed Crono in one shot!"
"What?"
"Long story," Crono said.
"Lavos is dead, so something else must be creating the gates."
"Before Niki and I jumped into the gate, there was a massive earthquake. I think the lab exploded as soon as we got in."
"We've been having earthquakes, too. I wonder if all times have been having them?"
"There's only one way to find out," Crono said. "Lucca, do you still have the Gate Key?"
"Yeah. Looks like we'll be paying Gaspar a visit."
"Who's--" Zac began.
"Gaspar is the Guru of Time," Marle answered before he could finish. "He lives in the End of Time with Spekkio, a magical beast."
"Thanks."
Zac got up, limping to the stairs. He walked up them to Lucca's room to check on Niki. She was awake.
"Hey," she said quietly as Zac entered.
"Hey," he said. "Are you okay?"
"I'll live," she said. "I heard you talking to someone."
"Yeah. Crono, Marle, and Lucca. As it turns out, that portal we jumped in was a tear in time. We're in the year one-thousand."
"Whoa," she said.
"I think we're going to the End of Time tomorrow."
"Huh?"
Zac explained all he had learned downstairs. Niki listened quietly.
"So something besides Lavos is creating the gates?" Niki asked. Zac nodded.
"That's the theory," Zac said, standing. "Get some rest. We've got a hell of a trip coming up."
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Inoki stood in a dark room. Wisps of mist floated about, limiting vision quite a bit. A dark figure stood in front of him.
"Who's there!" he called out. The figure did not respond. Instead, he raised a palm to him. A bolt of light erupted from his arm, illuminating the area for a moment. As the bolt neared, Inoki saw something that made his blood run cold. Fuinaire stood before him.
The light struck him, sending him flying back into nothing. Fuinaire stood over him. He placed a hand to Inoki's chest, smiling insanely.
"See you in Hell, Inoki." He thrust his hand forward, tearing through his heart.
Inoki sat up in bed, sweat dripping down his face.
"He's free," he said quietly.
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The next morning found Crono, Marle, Lucca, Zac, and Niki walking towards Leene Square, north of Lucca's house. Zac had changed back into his street clothes, those being a jacket, a white sleeveless, and a pair of jeans. Niki was still in her jeans and a pink sweater. Zac had equipped himself with one of Crono's old katanas, Niki with a spare gun Lucca had.
"I'll have to tell Dad about this," Marle said.
"You know what he'll say," Crono said.
"Never stopped me before, did it?"
"Good point."
The group turned westward, heading towards Guardia Castle. Zac and Niki stared in awe at the structure.
"Wow," Zac said, obviously dumbstruck by the sheer size of the royal home.
"It's a pain to clean," Marle said as they entered Guardia Forest. The maze of trees was still populated by Rolys, although not as densely. The group navagated the maze quickly, getting to the castle in under a minute. As they entered, they were stopped by the royal guard. Seeing whom it was, they were allowed through to see the king.
"Nadia!" King Guardia XXXIII said, using Marle's real name. "Who are your new friends?"
"This is Zac," Marle said, motioning to him. Zac bowed to the king. "And this is Niki." Niki bowed as well. "They are from the future."
"Nadia, my daughter, you have some strange friends. No offense, Lucca," he added quickly, glancing at the inventor.
"None taken," the purple haired teen said.
Marle explained the nature of Zac and Niki's arrival over one thousand years in the past to her father. Guardia listened quietly.
"So, you are off to find the source of these...gates?" the king said as Marle finished.
"Yes, sir," Zac said.
"Very well, Nadia. You may undertake this quest."
"Wha--you're actually letting me go?"
"You'll just go against my wishes if I say 'No,'" Guardia said simply.
"Thank you, Daddy!" Marle ran up to him and kissed him on the cheek.
The group was leaving when Guardia stopped Zac.
"Sir?"
"You take care of Niki."
"Got it."
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A few hours later, Crono and company stood in Leene Square, where Lucca's telepods sat during the Millennial Fair. A gate rested in the northern end.
"Exactly where we left it," Crono said. Lucca held out a device that reminded Zac of a remote control, but it was shaped like a key. She pressed a button, causing the gate to open. Everyone stepped in, the portal closing behind them. There was darkness. Zac could not see a thing.
"I think it's broken," he said.
"Give it a second," Crono's voice replied.
As he said that, there was the sound of glass shattering. The black world turned blue and purple. Zac found himself lifted off the ground and thrown forward at unbelievable speed. The fabric of time could be seen all around him.
"This is wild!" he said excitedly, although no sound came out. He looked at Niki, who was beside him. She looked a bit queasy. He smiled at her. She returned the smile, though it was weak. The other three disappeared ahead of them. Zac then began to panic. They were gone.
‘What if I never get out of here, what if we’re just stuck, looping in this place forever?’ All thoughts were erased from his head as he fell downwards. He landed in a pillar of light, glancing about. Niki came in shortly after him, landing behind him.
“Where are we?” Zac inquired, not really requiring an answer. The place was dark. The only light coming from the eight other pillars around him, and what appeared to be a street lamp ahead of them. Zac stepped forward. The sound echoed off nothing and into nothing as well. He opened the gate in front of him, waiting for Niki to enter before him.
“Oh, such a gentleman,” she said sarcastically, causing Zac to release the gate, hitting her in the butt. She yelped, jumping forward. Rubbing her injured pride, she stomped towards the light source. Zac grinned evilly as he exited the gate. An old man in a brown suit and hat stood under the street light, sleeping, his body weight supported by his cane. Crono kicked him rather harshly.
“GAH!” the man shouted. “Who’s…? Oh, it’s you, Crono.”
“I have some friends, Gaspar,” he said, motioning to Zac and Niki.
“Oh?” Gaspar said, looking to the newcomers. He smiled. “Welcome to the End of Time.”