Chrono Compendium
Kajar Laboratories - Fan Works and Submissions => Fan Fiction => Topic started by: chronotriggerfreak on January 04, 2004, 08:11:46 pm
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Chrono Trigger: Into the Dream
A Chrono Trigger Novelization by Chris Thomas Forrester
PROLOGUE: THE RESTLESS EVE
"Good night, Mom," said Crono. Crono was a seventeen-year-old boy, although in his own opinion he was more quickly coming of age than anyone was willing to admit.
"Get some sleep, now, you hear? I don't want you griping at me when you oversleep on the eve of the Fair," his mother replied predictably. Crono's mother, Gina, was one of those people who refused to admit that Crono was maturing.
Crono groaned in exasperation. "Good night, Mom." Crono and his mother resided in a dual-level house on the northern Zenan continent.
Night had befallen the Zenan mainland. Ordinarily, the onset of darkness and the unveiling of shimmering stars embedded into the heavens as eternal guardians of the evening hours brought a hush to the bustling villages of the continent, but this night was not so ordinary. If anything, the silvery luminescent orb climbing into the sky amplified the aura of excitement that now settled most heavily on the quaint village of Truce. Even as the overhead lamp blinked off in young Crono's bedroom, dozens of other lights remained bright across the suburban district. All but a few belonged to Guardian citizens, who now eagerly anticipated what awaited them where the few - enormous strobe spotlights that pierced the night and caused stars to flee - originated: Leene Square.
For weeks on end, various people - entertainers, merchants, and representatives from the castle - had flocked to Leene Square, the cultural and economic hub of the Kingdom of Guardia. There, an assortment of tents, stalls, and booths had been raised, and aesthetically colorful decorations strung from every treetop, big top, fence post and lamppost. Merchandise was brought in from foreign nations across the ocean upon Mr. Melchior's instructions and Norstein Bekkler's routines were practiced fervently. No one but those involved had been allowed within sight of the Square until the day of the Fair. That day was mere hours away for Crono and thousands of others.
"Ha," thought Crono, taking a deep yawning breath. "I doubt I'll be getting any sleep tonight, Mom." No sooner had he thought this, though, than he yawned once more and plunged into subconsciousness, despite the brilliant glow from Leene Square that pierced the translucent drapes veiling his window.
Crono found himself in an abnormal swirling vortex. Unlike the black of midnight, there were no stars visible on this plane, and what he assumed was the sky did not, in fact, appear black. Instead, a strange mix of various shades of blue and violet surrounded him, broken only by mysterious silvery-white lines that stretched on into eternity. He saw no end to anything; it was as a bottomless pit - an incessant abyss.
Crono nearly toppled himself to the ground as a voice suddenly boomed throughout the abyss, echoing off of nothing, saying, "The Time has come, Chrono Trigger."
Crono carefully stepped backward, although he wasn't sure if direction existed any longer. The voice spoke again, causing him to trip, teeter for a moment, and then fall forward upon his hands and knees. "The Time of Mending is upon you. The first stage is yours, but the second belongs to another."
Crono raised his head, glanced around, and began to cry out, "What's going on?" However, he could not speak; no sound projected from his lips in the vortex. Suddenly, a shadowed figure appeared before him. Over a matter of minutes, the figure slowly took the form of the most astoundingly stunning girl Crono had ever perceived. Her vivid golden hair was pulled back and held by a small gold band into a neat ponytail, removing any possible shroud on any of the perfected contours of her face save for a few loose, and short, bangs. Her mellow blue eyes shimmered with the most life and energy Crono had ever seen in a teenager, save his friend Lucca. She wore a sleeveless, shoulder-less white top - rather revealing, but Crono didn't mind - and matching baggy trousers, whereas most girls he knew wouldn't be caught dead wearing much more than a simple skirt, and perhaps tight pants beneath that. Including her gold band, she adorned herself with much precious gold jewelry: a waist ornament and accompanying chain dangling at her right hip, twin bracelets on both of her wrists, and an upper right arm band. A leather quiver full of crossbow bolts was slung around her waist, and she held up a crossbow of quality bronze craftsmanship against her right shoulder.
Crono tried to cry out to this girl, but he still could not speak. The voice echoed one more, proclaiming in its ever-cryptic manner, "The girl holds the key to the first stage, Chrono Trigger."
Crono shook his head in futile despair, but the voice continued. "Find her, use it, and begin the Mending." As it continued to speak, other figures join the girl: Lucca, his childhood friend; a bipedal frog wielding a mighty sword; a strange robot, likely one of Lucca's machines; a primitive-looking woman, wearing little but cloth rags and swinging a club ferociously; and a final figure - shadowed and cloaked, but seemingly important. Behind these, more, less definitive shapes began to form, but Crono had trouble recognizing any of them, as he still riveted his attention on the beautiful girl. The voice droned on as the shapes grew and detached themselves from the abyss. "The others will assist you, but they are only pawns. The Mending is your purpose, and so it should remain."
Without warning, all the silhouettes vanished, and the voice gave on last instruction to Crono: "Awaken, Crono, and enter the dream."
Crono opened his eyes and discovered that he was once again wrapped snuggly in his massive covering of sheets and blankets. Thin rays of daylight pierced the cloth curtains over his window, and he soon heard gentle footsteps in the stairwell. "Crono!" his mother yelled, as though it was the tenth time she repeated this. "Crono!" Crono, however, didn't acknowledge her, as he was struggling to remember the events of the previous night's strange dream about a beautiful girl...
Dreams are journeys that take one far from familiar shores, strengthening the heart, empowering the soul. Does this, in fact, mean that Crono's awakening from a restless eve ended one dream only to begin another?