Shortly after joining the Compendium I came down with the bug to write a Chrono-based fanfic. This is my first time writing a fanfic, or really even trying to write a story of this scale, period. I figured I would place my work so far here and see what you guys (and gals!) thought of it. Bear in mind that his is a pretty rough copy and I've yet to change much from what I orginally wrote. I'd really appreciate your comments and criticisms - just try not to be
too scathing.
Some notes on the fic before you begin - I haven't played the series in some time now (as I've mentioned over and over!) and I still feel as if my knowledge on the subject is a little rusty. For that reason, I have chosen to write about a timeline completely independent of the outcome of Chrono Trigger. Its based in a similar world, but different events will occur that will shape the world in a different-yet-familiar manner. Expect to see some characters you're already familiar with, some you've never met, and others you know but might have to squint to recognize.
What I've posted here is largely setup for the people that are imporant to the story. Plenty of writers have done a better job than I could describing the relationship between Janus and Schala, so I plan on steering clear of that.
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Something that happened today brought to mind one of the most interesting conversations I'd ever had with the three gurus. I can't remember precisely how the topic arose, but <Bel> began to speak of other worlds outside our own. He was convinced that somewhere, in a place beyond our reach, dwelled another Zeal, another Kajar and Enhasa, and even another me. The idea seemed silly at first and I dismissed it as the ramblings of an aging scientist, but the more he discussed these distant worlds, the more I began to question my initial impulses.
<Bel> claimed that for every action we make, there exists another world where we took a different course of action. As strange as it seems, his theory has some merit.
It is a curious thought that there exists another Schala pondering these same ideas at this very moment. Perhaps she ultimately chooses to reject <Bel>'s theory and go about dealing with more important issues. Or maybe she will consider these very thoughts tomorrow, or perhaps she has already arrived at her conclusion! A curious state of affairs, indeed!
In spite of all this, I wonder if there is something that transcends these worlds. I know in his lifetime, <Bel> discovered far greater things than he ever revealed to anyone outside his fellow gurus. I have this nagging feeling that <Bel> had even managed to transcend the very boundaries of time! Perhaps it is not at all out of the question for someone to visit another one of these mirrored worlds. Or better yet, perhaps there is a force - an entity that is capable of viewing these realities from some hidden vantage point.
There are so many things I could consider right now. Even with all of these choices creating new and indepedent worlds, I wonder if destiny forces some people to come to the same conclusions? Maybe a child will be born today or the day after, the precise details when may not matter - but is there something inescapable about our lives? Is that child doomed in some way or another to meet a particular demise or fated to fulfill a certain purpose?
At times I wish I had been born one of the gurus. Undoubtedly the world would be much clearer if I had their understanding. For now, all I can do is attempt to ponder the mysteries of the universe from my dreams. /
Schala took a few deep breaths before opening her eyes and throwing aside her bedsheets. As she sat up in bed, she rubbed her face, trying to make the transition from the world of dreams to reality easier on the eyes; yet as her vision became more clear, her thoughts became more clouded.
Such is the nature of dreaming. Schala mused.
For thousands of years humanity thought we slept to rest up for another day's activities. What a strange concept! Now we realize that we do not rest to prepare our bodies for another day, but rather we remain active so that we may gain more knowledge to dream with! For only in dreams is our mind clear of all distractions from the world around us... It is in sleep where we reason without error, in the darkness of night where we see most clearly! Schala stepped out of bed and did her morning stretches, the same stretches that became more difficult with the passing of each day. There was no doubt about it, she was getting old. At the age of fifty, she had reigned over Zeal for nearly thirty-five years. Just as she did every morning, Schala drew aside the curtains and opened up the window that lead to the balcony ouside. Before stepping outside into the open air, she waved her hand in the direction of a small music box, which began to fill the air with a soft melody that Janus had composed for her many years ago. Leaning against the balcony's guardrails, Schala looked upon her realm and felt the same joy that she had felt every morning when gazing at the Eternal Kingdom of Zeal.
Below her, a teacher was guiding his class into the corridors of Zeal Palace. Schala smiled as the children seemed to burst with anxiety at their first opportunity the see firsthand the wonders contained in the Palace halls. Being of royal blood, she never had the opportunity to go on such a tour and experience that anxiety, but she remembered seeing schoolchildren shuffle through the Palace long ago as a child.
Invariably, thoughts of her childhood lead Schala to thoughts of her mother. She never had the opportunity to know her mother very well, for she was murdered by a coalition of malcontented <zea> and <ear> when she was but <age> years old - or at least, that was what the Council of Justice claimed. Although she had personally condemned the accused to eternal inprisionment on the Mountain of Woe, Schala always felt as if she had merely provided a punishment to serve as a veneer for an otherwise unsolved mystery. Of course, she had never admitted these feelings to anyone, save Janus.
Janus! I nearly forgot! How could I..! Schala quickly undressed herself, bathed, and donned one of the simple gowns she always wore. Unlike her mother, she was a fairly modest dresser and was not given to wearing elaborate dresses and extensive amounts of makeup. She had even abolished the practice of dying the royal family's hair blue, for she found the process more of hassle than anything. Only Janus still continued to do so, which struck Schala as being odd, for Janus had no great love of his status as a member of the royal family.
/
After exiting her room and questioning the guards as to whether or not they had seen Janus nearby, Schala began making her way downstairs towards the main hall when she found who she was looking for.
"Janus! I'm terribly sorry I forgot about your request last night. I got too carried away in my dreams and failed to meet you as planned! Please forgive me, dear brother!"
Janus bowed his head in acknowledgement and replied slowly. "No need to ask forgiveness, sister. The Queen of Zeal is held to no schedule but her own. My thoughts can wait for another time."
"Perhaps you are right. However, I still regret making you wait without good cause."
"You said you were dreaming, correct? What better cause could there be?"
"It wasn't anything profound, I assure you. I was merely concidering something I had discussed with <Bel> several years ago."
Janus took a deep breath. "Now there's a person I haven't heard mentioned in some time; or for that matter, any of the gurus.
Schala bowed her head. "Yes, their disappearance still makes little sense. I wonder what became of them. I wonder if one of <Bel>'s experiments got the best of them.
"I doubt it. <Mel> always was the cautious one. He'd never have joined <Bel> and Gaspar on some far-fetched adventure. I don't believe we'll ever know what became of them. I suspect that they simply found somewhere away from the ongoings of Zeal and spent the last of their days enjoying a slower-paced life."
Schala nodded. "Gaspar never did seem to enjoy the public eye always being upon him."
The two continued walking down the spiral staircase that lead to the Palace's main hall. Just before Janus reached to open the door for his sister, Schala gently touched his hand and looked into his eyes.
"What is it?"
Schala took a few deep breaths before beginning. "Janus, do you ever fear that you will not be prepared when your time comes?"
"I will know when my time is at hand. The Black Wind shall tell me, and that will be all the time I need."
Schala turned away and took several steps towards a window. Janus closed his eyes and began to continue, even though he knew his sister was not pleased with his response.
"Brother, you're so cold. I often wonder why you are the way you are. Even though I feel a special bond with you, I never have been able to comprehend your thought process. You seem to care little for what the rest of Zeal thinks of you, as if you cared only for yourself."
Janus began to speak up, but forced down what he wanted to initially say.
"Why do you ask such a question?"
Schala continued to stare out the window into the blue sky beyond. "I thought of mother and father... And I thought of him. No one could have forseen the tragedies that befell them."
"There is nothing you can do to change the past. There is no reason to mourn what cannot be changed."
"You speak so matter-of-factly, yet I know even you continue to hold onto the past as if you could change it. I do not think that is what you truly believe."
Janus turned away so that both their backs were facing each other.
"Come Schala, there are important matters that you must attend to."
"Its not just the past that troubles me, but the future as well. I fear that in my efforts to ease the woes of Zeal, I have neglected the well-being of my children."
Janus looked back over his shoulder. "Perhaps this is best saved for another time."
Schala turned around to face her brother. "You are right. There are important matters I must attend to. Let us be on our way."
/
Schala and Janus entered the main hall and made their way to the throne room where several Zealian dignitaries were waiting. Unlike many others with positions of power, Schala preferred to do away with what she saw as unnecessary gestures and grandiose displays of flattery. No one bowed or dropped to their knees when she passed by; a simple bowing of the head was ample respect. Once Schala had seated herself on the throne, one of hte dignitaries approched her. Before recognizing the elderly man, she took one last glance at Janus, who had assumed his position nearby against of the chamber's columns. While he held no official rank in the Kingdom outside of being a member of the royal family, Schala insisted that he remain present at all official meetings, for she treasured Janus' advice over all others.
"Your majesty, many of your subjects have petitioned to meet with you. We have selected those whose issues are most pressing to speak in front of you today. We apologize in advance if you find our selections unworthy of your time."
"Very well. I will hear those whom you have chosen."
The elderly man bowed his head and returned to his post while motioning for one of his attendees to bring in the first citizen on the agenda. Into the throne room walked a young man dressed in the white and blue robes that only Zeal's brightest scholars wore. The orange scarf he wore around his neck indicated that he had overseen and conducted research that had been deemed noteworthy by the Council of Metaphysics.
The elderly dignitary spoke up in a deep voice that no one looking at him would have thought he would have possessed.
"Queen Schala! Your humble subject Methuselah wishes to address you!"
Methuselah approached the throne and dropped to one knee. Schala motioned for him to rise and the young scholar began to speak.
"I understand your time is short and you have many other subjects you wish to hear, many other matters you surely find more pressing. But I ask that you please consider what I have to say, for it is an issue that concerns us all!"
"Go on."
"Thank you, your majesty."
Methuselah blushed and turned aside to the throne room's windows, which spanned the entire height of the wall. The room presented those inside with a magnificent view of the Kingdom, a view only outdone by the balcony outside Schala's bedroom.
"You must forgive me, your majesty. I do not mean to flatter you, but to find a woman of your years in possession of such beauty is a rare discovery."
Schala grinned. "As you were saying... My appearance is hardly an issue that the entire Kingdom needs to be concerned about."
"Indeed. Queen Schala, it is no secret among the learned that the Eastern Contients of Zeal have sunk two feet in relation to the rest of Zeal in the past year. There is no question what this drift is a result of. The energy of the Sun Stone is beginning to wane."
Methuselah turned back toward the throne. "For ages it has been the primary source of power for our great Kingdom. As hard as we have tried, no substance, no spell, no workings of magic have come anywhere close to generating the power of the Sun Stone. And who could blame us for our failures? After all, the stone's power is not of this world, but rather from a body far away."
Methuselah stopped and took a deep breath. "My Queen, as the Sun Stone's power fades, Zeal will fade with it. Already we are seeing signs of the fate that awaits us. If we do not find a new source of power, Zeal will fall from the sky and become a kingdom of eternal slumber! And I assure you, this will not be the kind of slumber were we may dream peacefully!"
"Very well, young Methuselah. I assume you are here because you believe you have found a solution to this problem?"
The scholar smiled. "Yes, your majesty. And while I have not been the first to research this new source of power, I believe I am the first who has learned to properly harness it!"
Methuselah looked out upon Zeal through the windows once more. "I have little doubt that you have heard of the creature known as Lavos?"
A murmur ran through the room at the very mention of the name. Schala was slow to respond.
"Yes Methuselah, I have heard of Lavos."
"And you are aware of the Mammon project?"
"I am indeed. I cancelled it shortly after I began my reign."
"Then your hesistance to address the subject is understandable. When humanity first laid eyes on the Sun Stone, we were fearful to touch it lest it reduce us all to ashes. But in time, our needs forced us to overcome our fear. Queen Schala, I believe our present needs are now compelling us to face the power of Lavos!"
Schala paused and began to reply when she noticed Janus adjust his position out of the corner of her eye.
"Janus, do you have anything to say?"
"Perhaps."
"Then please, your counsel is always desired."
Several of the dignitaries muttered undernearth their breaths, each of them secretly furious at the Queen's unparalled level of trust in her brother.
Janus stepped away from the column and stood in front of Methuselah, looking straight into his eyes. For three minutes, he said nothing.
"Janus?"
The Prince turned back to the Queen, looked back at the scholar once more, than spoke. "Perhaps this man is right. The sun has begun to set on the Kingdom of Zeal and its people. Lavos may be the power we seek, but this man is not the one who should lead the search."
Methuselah tried to speak up, but Janus continued on. "I do not see the glory of Zeal in those eyes, only his own."
Janus returned to his column and said nothing more. Methuselah, stunned by the Prince's statement, was searching for a suitable response, but nothing came but fragments of objections. Finally, Schala spoke.
"Perhaps Janus was too hasty in his judgment of you, Methuselah. However, I must ask you to stop your research and disregard all knowledge of Lavos. I do not expect this to be easy for you, but I cannot allow the Kingdom to be placed at risk. We know little of Lavos or what its intentions may be or what powers it may hold.
"But..!"
"This is not a judgment against your character. I hope to see more brilliant research from you and your peers in the future."
"I.. You.." The scholar stammered.
"Please, Methuselah - that is all."
Methuselah signed deeply and bowed once more.
"Yes, your majesty. I will see to it that the Mammon project is destroyed. I will send a report to the Council of Metaphysics once your will has been accomplished.
The scholar stood up and left the throne room as one of the dignitaries brought in another subject.
/
Methuselah maintained a straight face until he had left Zeal Palace and traveled through the gateways back to the plateau on which Kajar and Enhasa both rested. The scholar took a few steps away from the orange beam of light and then yelled as he quickly picked up a rock and threw it as hard as he could back at the gateway. The rock passed into the gateway and disappeared from sight. Methuselah found a few more rocks and kicked them about before throwing himself the ground.
"Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. The potential to truly gain immortality ruined by a timid old hag! And the nerve of that Janus to soil my name like that! If I ever had the chance, I'd..."
Methuselah grabed another rock, stood back up, and threw it at the gateway once more
"Yeeaah!"
The scholar stared at the beam for a few minutes before realizing that he was breathing heavily and had broken into a mild sweat. Methuselah wiped his face with his sleeve and looked up into the mountains at Zeal Palace.
"No need to worry. I refuse to let immortality pass through our fingers! Without the might of Lavos, this kingdom will fall into the sea and all our hopes and dreams will drown with it. If you do not wish to embrace immortality then I will let death claim you, Schala. One of your peers will be more than willing to rise to the occasion, and when they do, all of Zeal will see the brilliance of my work!"
A sinister grin ran across Methuselah's face as he walked away from the palace and began his trek back to his labratory in Kajar.
