Ghost Children
General Information
Chrono Cross
Full Name: Possibly Crono, Marle, and Lucca
Age: Indeterminate; they appear younger than the crew from Chrono Trigger
Species: Human
Home Area: Unknown
The Ghost Children are spectres of Crono, Marle, and Lucca that first appear to Serge in the Dead Sea. There, they accuse him of negating all their hard work to save the future and thwart Lavos. Miguel then cryptically dismisses them as echoes from ones far gone; they disappear with the destruction of the Dead Sea. They were next seen in Terra Tower, with Belthasar in the illusory Viper Manor library he created. The Crono ghost asked Serge whether he had the Chrono Cross yet, and noted that it could heal the dimensions. Later, before Serge made his final voyage to the Darkness Beyond Time, they appeared on Opassa Beach and amazingly revealed much information about Project Kid, Belthasar's planning, and Serge's ultimate purpose in using the Chrono Cross to free Schala from the Time Devourer. During the conversation, the Lucca phantom even interacted with Kid as if she were the genuine article. The children then ushered Serge on.
Theory and Analysis
The ghost children are a substantial enigma; each attempt to explain their origin has carried significant repercussions concerning other aspects of the series. For instance, if one believes them to be the real ghosts of Crono, Marle, and Lucca, it means that these three died before 1020 A.D. The problem of their existence was directly addressed in the Compendium article Salt for the Dead Sea.
~EXCERPT~
One of the more interesting and disturbing aspects of the encounter with Miguel is the presence of the three ghosts that appear to be Crono, Marle, and Lucca. They are startingly antagonistic, blaming Serge for the future destruction of the Home World. How that has been accomplished has been explained already; we now can focus on the ghosts themselves, and ponder how and why they exist in the Dead Sea. Two theoriest exist on the subject:
False-Trigger Theory by ZeaLitY
I believe that the images of Crono, Marle, and Lucca are real ghosts that realize the quest they have memories of has been totally negated in Home World, and take it out on Serge, who has caused this turn of events. However, this does not account for their appearance as youth.
Dream-Figment Theory by GrayLensman
I think the ghosts have to do with the planet's dream. Crono and the others were part of the planet's plan to defeat Lavos. When the plan was thwarted, and the planet's chamions eliminated (in some way), figments of the heroes exist within the planet's consciousness. The ghosts are simply representations of the planet's memories. The planet is still calling the shots in Chrono Cross, remember that. Chrono Cross opens with "but the planet's dream is not yet over." The entity displayed the ghost with exact purpose of guiding the new instruments of the planet's salvation.
~
GrayLensman's theory provides purpose to the ghosts, and both benefit from Miguel's quote that the ghosts are echoes from ones far gone. Chrono'99 rounds out the section by proposing that since Home World was created in 1010 A.D., the ghosts may appear 10 years old because of this fact.
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