The Edge of Forever
Part II: Converse Echoes
“Fei is bound…by the dark, cruel destiny of God.” – Dr. Citan Uzuki
Ayla had never seen a bigger riot in her life, not even from her son. To have such a thing, and indeed to experience disorder of this magnitude, she was quite young, perhaps thirty years or so. She and Kino had married soon after she had returned from fighting Lavos. He had been no warrior, but she had loved him deeply. They had shared endless I love yous, nights of ceaseless lovemaking – something she never would have thought possible with anyone, given her abnormal status as a woman warrior, and the strongest in the tribe, at that. They had shared a wonderful young son, and the pains and joys of parenthood. And they had shared the Name, the identity that terrified even the most powerful magic-weavers in history, beings far beyond the capabilities of anyone in Ayla’s tribe. For this reason, it only seemed natural for them to love each other. And because of this Name, they knew that their child would, in his own way and time, carry the fate of humanity. Accordingly, they had named him Crono, after the hero that had united them all against Lavos.
They had treasured him, and the boy did seem to miss his father, even at his nascent age. But, unlike Ayla at this point, he had no reason to keep score of the various fiascos of life, and she didn’t intend to give him one. But even so, nothing could have prepared her for this tribal conference, or more appropriately the mockery of one. The collective howl that the assembly was making seemed to generate its own heat, virtually negating the immense cold brought on by the night’s punishing winds. She could feel its hysteria, almost as if all their dreams were manifesting at once in reality. A certain aspect of the pandemonium called to her, though, as she would call to Crono to crawl over into her arms, to be breast-fed by her love and chaos.
What I wouldn’t give for…damn it, what were they…ear plugs. Yeah, ear plugs. And maybe a Sun Stone.
She was to remember that thought later.
After ruminating on the incredible din for another couple of seconds, Ayla decided that a fierce war cry would do to call attention to the front, and howled above the cacophony as loudly as she could. Her hopes that it would retain its effect in this setting were not in vain. Everyone in the assembly was cowed instantly.
“OK, listen up. I know you’ve all got grievances over something. I do, too. So I guess this meeting is now in session. What do the representatives of the clans have to say to me?”
Twenty hands shot up not one second after she finished. Ayla buried her forehead in her hands. The chieftain made a mental note to talk to Yan later about the dynamics of inviting someone to complain. One of the most prominent Ioka hunters and the leader of the Moon Clan, Ina, took Ayla’s invitation as an opportunity to exercise their own primitive form of democracy.
“OK. First grievance Ina have is what you do about hunting? Best hunters under Ina command no find food. Not normal. Hunting bad, gathering bad, sleep bad, everything bad.”
So what else is new with you people?
This was the only thought that poked through the storm of exasperation racing through her veins. For a couple of seconds, she contemplated splitting Ina’s head open and taking it as a trophy, or more accurately as a grisly reminder of the consequences of stupidity. But, much to the dismay of her homicidal instincts, she decided against it in the end. Instead, she performed a few breathing exercises, allowing her to formulate a response. “OK, let’s try this from the top. The animals have moved out because the plants are dying off due to the cold. This should seem obvious, but I can’t exactly control the weather.” Ayla threw up her hands in despair. “I don’t know how that gets lost on you guys.”
Ina, however, was undeterred by Ayla’s matter-of-fact objection to his objection. “Ayla no realize. Ayla gave rock away, and now life go bad! Stone is source of power! Ayla gave away tribe power!” Another agitated hunter immediately spoke up in Ina’s stead. “Ayla no lead anymore. Ayla become weak, unable to fend off cold and gather food! Tribe need new leader!”
Ayla let out an exasperated sigh. The things a simple party could lead to…In retrospect, it had been worth it for the world’s future, but still, saving the world was such a thankless job. Ayla snarled as she responded. “You know good and well that the strongest man or woman here is the leader of the tribe. It’s been our ancestral tradition. And I have fought creatures you can’t even begin to conceive of. Have you already forgotten that I defeated Azala and the Black Tyrano? Or do you need a history lesson?” She clenched her fist. Energy seemed to swirl around it where nothing had been before. Ayla looked down at her fist, shocked.
I never had any powers like this…not before. Why now?
But, nevertheless, it was effective in placating the complainant. Ayla’s gaze fixed on him for a few more seconds, and then turned to address the rest of the tribe.
Fear is a useful thing.
“Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, who wants to put forth a real solution? Infighting isn’t going to solve anything.”
Ayla searched her thoughts for the most readily available answer, even as several other hunters began to murmur amongst themselves, conferring on the nature of their tribe’s dilemma. Eventually, one of them came up with a satisfactory complaint.
“I know! Remember party for Crono, Crono friends? Ayla give Crono source of power! Ayla give Crono red rock because Crono defeat Ayla! Now tribe die! Ayla give away tribe power!”
Ayla narrowed her eyes at the offending speaker. “…you do realize that that’s a time-honored tradition of our people, right? I’m not about to give up any more than we have to of our culture for the sake of survival.”
The hunter scoffed. Ina looked on and merely nodded at her. “And what if we have to give up entire culture to survive? No give up who we are! I no give up identity! I fight until the end, like true warrior!”
The hunter raised her spear in a war cry. It was echoed across the chamber by several other Ioka warriors. Ayla surveyed the crowd – the angry mob was not of a particularly large magnitude, but at the same time it was far from trivial. Ayla furrowed her brow in anticipation of their next action. Then, suddenly, an idea hit her out of nowhere, the nowhere that was the darkest corner of her mind. She could almost feel the electricity in the air as she began to speak.
“Well…you’re saying I gave away the tribe’s power. Then at least grant me the opportunity to make up for my mistake.”
These words seemed as if they’d hit Ina, and all the hunters who were waving their implements of war like fans, like an out-of-control semi. Ayla used the chance to press her advantage in the debate, which was quickly growing tiresome to all involved.
“I don’t like having to have this meeting any more than you like taking time away from your families to be here, but a solution has got to be reached for our problems with hunger, that much is clear.”
Ina folded his arms in something resembling haughty disagreement. “Ayla right, but what solution be? Tribe running out of food. Might all die. No good.”
Ayla reached into the vastness of time for an answer. She found one in the practices of her Guardian descendants. “No, no good at all. Death isn’t on my list of life goals. Therefore, to that end, I will find a new magic stone for our tribe. Perhaps then our fortunes will change.”
Ina remained unconvinced, but, to Ayla’s relief, managed to express it tactfully. “You go get new stone? Find new power source? Will be dangerous. Magic stone hard to find, very rare nowadays.”
Ayla was unfazed by this possibility. Her gaze remained even as polished steel.
“I’m well aware of the risks, Ina, but the fate of our tribe far outweighs my personal welfare. I would sacrifice far more for all of you. All I require is some time to prepare, and we will have another magic rock to guide us and to give us power. Are there any objections to this course of action?”
Silence echoed as loud as a Lavoid’s cry through the assembly. No one spoke.
Paralyzed, perhaps? Or merely unable to come up with anything else?
Ayla sighed deeply. “I suppose, if there are no further grievances, that this meeting is adjourned. May the Divine be with all of us.” She bowed to the crowd of tribesmen, who began filing out of the Chieftain’s hut and back to their encampments. In retrospect, she was relieved that the issue of her dream the previous night had not come up in the meeting – however, she knew it was part of what was eroding their confidence in her. If she could be frightened to tears by a dream, no matter how terrifying, what good was she for helping the tribe? Ayla could see the point behind this avenue of thought, but paid it no mind for the time being. The meeting was over, and a solution had been reached. That was the important thing, for now.
It was a fairly long way for some of her kinsmen to return to their homes – Ayla hoped they didn’t all freeze to death on the way there, as the tribal caucus would then be for naught. Hey, they got here all right…what could happen?
She instantly choked off that train of thought. The wind began whipping around her, raging as loudly as she ever had.
Ayla, honey, why don’t you ever learn to not ask questions like that?
Darkness had risen over the ancestral homeland of the Ioka people. The pale white light of the lone moon howled to the clans, beckoning them, almost driving them insane with its simple presence. Amidst all the hardship the clans had been enduring, it remained pristine, peaceful, and free from the warfare and touch of the world of men and Reptites. And yet even then, there were those who succumbed to its deafening call.
Ina had been waiting outside for twenty, perhaps thirty minutes for the conference of tribal hunters to disperse. When he was confident that this was the case, he stalked out from behind the bush that had been concealing him, and casually strode towards his prey.
“Ina hope catch you after conference.”
The other hunter turned around, somewhat dumbfounded.
She is same one…so beautiful…so wise.
“Who are you?”
Ina bowed and responded. “Me Ina. Leader of Moon Clan. See you speak out against Ayla. Strong willed, to stand up to her. You have courage.”
The other, dumbfounded, merely nodded her acceptance – shy as she was now, everything Ina was saying was true to the last. “Who are you?” Ina asked the young warrior. She hesitated a moment before responding.
“Me…Me Cera. Warrior and hunter of Sun Clan. Cera recognize Ina…”
The huntress paused. Ina could sense what this meant. The Sun and Moon Clans had not always been the best of friends – this was common knowledge amongst the clans of the Ioka.
“Ina know your clan not agree with ours sometimes. But clans must unite, otherwise all die. You know this.”
Cera turned away from the elder hunter momentarily, before sighing deeply to herself. “Cera not know how to help tribe, but Cera see what wrong. More wisdom needed to survive. Problem is, where we get it? Wisdom not something that can be hunted.”
Ina scratched his head. “Ina know. Ayla warrior, though. Thinks with fists, not brain. Fighting is what warriors train for, but Ayla like fighting more than rest, always fighting something. Ina know too, but no make war upon Ayla – not only she too powerful, but also war is fruitless. Must convince people, though, to find other way besides fighting with selves. Tribe grow restless. Need other solution.”
Cera looked upon Ina with a gaze that belied her internal calculations. “New energy source? Perhaps. But Cera no have power or knowledge like Ayla. What we do?”
Ina took Cera aside. “Walk with me, Cera. Together, we will find way.”
As anxious as she was to make it back home, Cera could not help but be taken aside by the hunter commander. She allowed herself to relax slightly as he reached for her hand. A slight smile graced her face.
It took all of three minutes for Ayla to approach the “door” of Yan’s hut. She could feel a hearty fire burning inside – with as little clothing as she wore on a fairly regular basis, that would be quite a relief. She heard Yan’s feet making contact with the dirt floor as he got up to move the curtain.
“Ayla! Come in out of cold! You freeze! Let me get soup. Come, come.”
Ayla did as the elder asked of her. She hastily stepped in out of the biting frigidity that was the atmosphere these days, and sat down on a bed made of piles of bearskin stuffed with grass and leaves of all kinds. She could hear Crono crying in the other room as the servant was apparently trying to change him. She was glad she didn’t have to do it for once.
Yan shortly returned with a bowl of his famous poi and set it down before Ayla. She immediately dug in, wolfing it down as she was known to do.
“Wow, Ayla really hungry.”
“Naw, ya think?”
She winked at him as she devoured the rest of the poi, feeling its warmth settle into her stomach. Combined with Yan’s fire, it was enough to blunt the biting cold somewhat, much to Ayla’s relief.
“Yan, I need to talk to you. I think you might be the only one with enough experience and wisdom to help me.”
Yan laughed heartily as he gulped down some poi. “Wisdom, you say? Yan have wisdom like Reptite hatchlings survive earthquake.”
Ayla frowned at him kiddingly. “No, really – it’s enough that I should have to conduct that meeting at all, but those dreams I’ve been having…”
Yan sat up now. If he was a dog, his ears would have perked up as if he’d been offered some fresh-cooked bacon.
“Strange dreams hurt Ayla. Not like you. Ayla strong. But Ayla never told Yan much of dreams. Tell old Yan now. Yan see if he can help.”
Ayla sighed deeply, and began to tell her story.
“OK. Remember the last time I came to you with a weird dream, when Crono and his friends had all spontaneously appeared on the Mystic Mountain and you told me to go check it out and I saved them in doing so?”
Yan nodded, listening intently. He was known for his ability to do this – it made the people who told him their stories feel comfortable.
“I’ve been able to reorder my thoughts now, and it’s become clearer to me. This one was about one of the places we visited in time. Or maybe it was some kind of allegory, I don’t know. I just feel that it means something terrible is about to happen to our tribe, something that I can’t stop.”
Presently, Yan interrupted her. “Ayla say we all die in dream. How tribe die? Ioka strong, no die without fight.”
Ayla closed her eyes, allowing a tear to drip from them. “No, you don’t understand. We had absolutely no chance against them. I barely even know what they are, and I killed dozens of them. When I began attacking them in my dream, they became giant war machines.”
At this, Yan’s face curled. “What is word ‘machines?’”
Ayla searched for an explanation. “Truthfully, I’m not quite sure myself. Let’s just say that in this case, they were great beasts of war and leave it there.”
Yan nodded approvingly. “OK. You finish story now.”
Ayla resumed her tale. “So I tried to fight the machines, and defeated a couple of them, but then they all exploded. And then I drowned in blood. After that, I woke up and instinctively reached for Kino, but all there was was a corpse that kissed me. Then, I woke up for real.”
Yan’s face was now furled even more than earlier. “Most interesting dream you have, Ayla. Terrible dream…Yan never have one. Not know what to call it, but Yan help if tribe is threatened. Yan practically raise Ayla. Not let Ayla fall now.”
Ayla reached over and hugged Yan, burying her face in his shoulder. “I know you will.” She paused for a second, and breathed deeply. “You can help by telling me where to find another magic stone. To me, the Red Rock was merely a sign of my power and leadership. I’m not traditionally a superstitious person, but…when I was fighting through time with Crono and his friends, I saw things that go beyond all our experience, things I can’t ignore. I saw the true power of the Red Rock – I saw other things as well, materials empowered by the essence of the Divine. We used those materials and the magic within them to find and destroy Lavos. I know that the stone I had does have power. What I don’t know is where to get another one, and how to use it. You have any ideas?”
Yan put his hand on his chin thoughtfully and hummed “Dah, da da da da da da da dum…”
Ayla’s eyebrow raised curiously. “You thought of anything yet?”
Yan abruptly cleared his throat. “No, Yan just like sit there with hand on chin going ‘da da da da da da da.’”
Ayla buried her head in her hands. She had it there for about five seconds when Yan piped up again.
“Yan have idea. Yan no know stones, but Yan sure Ayla has knowledge inside of her. Ayla think. Then Ayla find way.”
Ayla began running through her entire journey through time. “Well…we did come here once to put the Sun Stone in the Sun Keep and leave it there for…quite a long time. However, if I remove it from the Sun Keep it might disturb the timeline, and I don’t want that.”
Yan scratched his head. “OK. No take Sun Stone...I guess? Other memories from adventure come back? Ayla concentrate – Yan go get second helping of poi for both.”
Yan got up and left the room momentarily, apparently convinced that some poi might help her remember. Ayla wasn’t so sure, but it sounded better than nothing. The only other memory she could readily find was of the future Tyrano Lair, and of the Rainbow Shell it held. She wondered why it would be there…perhaps the Reptites had something to do with it? It might placate her tribesmen for the short term, but Ayla was interested in more than mere political solutions. She was interested in saving her tribe from the ice age that Azala had prophesied…unfortunately, any knowledge he might have had about the Rainbow Shell had died with him. However, there were still a few Reptites around that might know something, at the lair they maintained inside the Great Forest.
Is that the only way…?
Almost unnoticed, Yan returned with another cup of poi. Setting it down in front of Ayla, he asked “Did Ayla think of something?”
Ayla looked at him intensely. “Yes, I have. I’m going to have to ask you to take care of Crono a while longer.”
Yan looked intrigued by this. “And where Ayla going?”
A smirk made itself known on Ayla’s face. “I’m going to pay Azala’s flunkies a visit. See you soon.” Ayla began bounding out the door like a rocket. She didn’t even make it to the threshold, however, before Yan put his hand on her shoulder.
Still quick as ever…
Yan looked at her lovingly, and embraced her. “Be careful, Ayla. No want lose you.”
A tear silently erupted from Ayla’s eye. “If I don’t come back, you have to take care of Crono. He holds the future of our tribe…no, our world. Which means that right now, you hold that future.”
Yan closed his eyes. “Yan understand. Come back soon, Ayla. May Divine go with you.”
She reluctantly broke the embrace and nodded her head. And then she was off, leaping between the trees and vines like a goddess of the primordial jungle.
Kino…
For once in her life, she hoped that she didn’t see him too soon.
~Fin Part 2~