Chrono Origins: The TV Tropes version. (And other oddities.)

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Hello again all. It's me. Welcome to another unorthodox attempt at me making notes for my next story... since I don't have a reliable way of keeping notes. *cough*

With my last story, Sea of Dreams, it was a full-blown story synopsis. This time, it's the wonderful life-ruining magic of TV Tropes!

Disclaimer: Due to the nature of TV Tropes, there will be SPOILERS for a story that hasn't been written yet. Yes, it is madness. No, I don't give a crap.

Edit: Also, because there is no 'spoiler' type font or html that I know of around here, things that can be considered spoilers will be put in parenthesis.

Disclaimer 2: Because said story has not been written, I don't want to actually put this on TV Tropes quite yet. Not until I can find a way to get off my duff and start writing.

*record scratches*

…….

……wait a second. This spiel seems awfully familiar…

……Ehh. I'll figure it out later.

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Other notes: These Tropes will be written under the assumption that a fanfic and a fan game for this story was completed.

Obviously NOT the case, but I digress.

So let's start this bad boy!

General Tropes:

Golden Ending - This is one that takes a while to pull off. To start with, one has to witness all other endings in the Origins campaign. Then, one has to complete all of the Origins story sidequests, especially the New Game+ exclusives. In addition, a new choice during a late-chapter mission appears, leading to two extra chapters. If everything has been done correctly, Schala will eventually ask the party to help her enchant the amulet she'll give to Janus. This scene locks you into Another Path where Cain survives his fated death, and the second half of the game begins.

Grand Finale - Of the Chrono Trigger mythos. At least of the 'Lavos Saga'.

Multiple Endings - It wouldn't be a Chrono story without them.

Once More, With Clarity - At the start of the game, we see the massacre that is the Benedict Estate Incident, and a younger Cain slaughtering everyone he can find. All of this is from Schala's perspective, and is the cause of her 'power is evil' mentality, as well as the cause of her and Cain's strained relationship. However, upon witnessing the slaughter of countless Earthbound Ones at Priestess Olivia's hands and Cain's subsequent fury causes her to flash back to the Incident… and learn that she had blocked out the beginning moments when Cain had nearly died saving her from her father's killers.

Wham Line - “Inquisitor Cray! You are under arrest on suspicion of the murder of Commander Abel!”

(To be continued)

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Main Characters:

Cain Cray: The main protagonist of the story as a whole. Formerly a member of the Kingdom of Zeal's Royal Guard, he now serves as an Inquisitor investigating the assassination of King Zeal. Although young, he is a prodigy in the arts of magic and warfare. Having lived a troubled childhood, he tends to hold people in general with disdain to outright contempt, and prefers to solve problems with violence. The only person he seems to hold any affection for is Princess Schala…

Abusive Parents - To the point where Cain's very first memory is of his father screaming at a servant to toss the newborn Cain into the icy abyss below Zeal. Their 'relationship' (such as it is) only gets worse from there.

Anti-Hero - Oh, he starts out as one, but depending on several factors, may mellow out over the course of the story.

Badass Creed - Uttered by Cain before every major fight against the Conspiracy members.
- Cain: I am Cain Cray, Inquisitor in the name of Alphard Zeal. By the King's Law, you have been found Guilty of (insert various crimes here). In the Eyes of the Founders, you are beyond Mercy. *battle stance* From this day forth, your life is forfeit!

Barrier Warrior - Knows the single-target Protect spell as his only utility Tech.

Blade On a Stick - His equippable weapons are spears, though he'll forgo the weapon for some of his Techs.

Cain and Abel - Cain butts heads with the Alphard Coalition's commander enough times during the story to the point where the trope looks like it will be played straight, but it is ultimately subverted. Cain is framed for Abel's murder by Dalton, which leads to either his execution in the normal path, or his escape from Zeal in Another Path.

Defrosting Ice King - Cain starts Origins as a bitter and resentful young man whose only desire is to make King Alphard's killers pay. However, Eiric and the others of the Coalition as well as citizens of Zeal's Underground eventually break down the walls he's built up. By the time Another Path is unlocked, he's far more personable and heroic.

Dreaming of Things to Come - How Another Path starts. Vera sends Cain psychic visions of his death in the normal ending. Unfortunately, the details are all muddied, but it's enough for him to consider making different choices throughout the story. Wether he follows through is up to the player.

Eleventh-Hour Superpower - During the Final Battle with Manmon of the Endgame Path, Cain (at Serge's urging) opens the Six Gates in a certain order. The harmony of the song, the desperate hour, and Cain's desire to defeat his dark counterpart so he and his friends and loved ones can have a future awakens the power of the Chrono Cross and its corresponding seventh element within him. Cue Curbstomp Battle.

Freudian Excuse is No Excuse - Subscribes to this philosophy, ESPECIALLY when it comes to the Dark Wolf.

Good Scars, Evil Scars - Sports a large scar over his left eye. It makes him look badass, but it also reinforces people's already low opinion of him.

Happily Adopted - Cain is made a Ward of the Zeal family by King Alphard at age 12, and is the closest thing he's ever had to a normal and stable home life.

The Hero Dies - In the Normal Path, courtesy of a Sixth Gate empowered Dark Matter.

Humans Are Bastards - He's always had this mindset growing up, but it's at its worst when the story begins proper. Sadly justified as before he met Schala and King Alphard, all he's ever seen is the worst of human nature, and his job as Inquisitor doesn't help change his mind. However, he ultimately drops this after a certain event in Another Path.

Humans Are Special - In Another Path, Cain attempts to convene with the Manmon Machine in Schala's place. The mass of information the Frozen Flame drives into his mind (not least of which are the events of Trigger and Cross, as well as his and Schala's canonical fates) includes the fall of Zeal… and the knowledge that humanity bounces back from it without reliance on magic. This knowledge resonates so strongly with Cain's core values that it verges on epiphany, and ultimately causes him to renounce his previous Humans are Bastards stance.

Knight in Sour Armor

Magic Knight - Focuses a bit more on the 'Knight' aspect, but he's definitely this.

Pelts of the Barbarian - Cain lines his robes with and sports wolf pelts and claws on his clothing as opposed to the rest of Zeal's silks, both signifying his personal connections with the Earthbound and making a statement to Zeal society that 'he's on their side, not yours'.

Playing with Fire - His elemental innate is red, and quite a few of his Techs utilize fire.

Properly Paranoid - Given his upbringing, Cain is wary of interacting with those he knows little of. Given that assassins are common overworld enemies, his wariness is rather justified.

Pride - His Fatal Flaw. Cain is powerful enough to bring the majority of Zeal under his boot, and unfortunately, he knows it. It fuels his preferences to fight his enemies alone, it causes him to see Schala as a Living Emotional Crutch, and it generally tends to bring out the worst in him as seen during one of his arguments with Abel. Thankfully, He Gets Better.

Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs - His Phantom Rush Tech is basically this. It's also his Signature Move.

Scars Are Forever - He gets his scar at fifteen protecting Schala from Benedict's hired assassins. It's still there two years later when the story begins proper.

Self-made Orphan - In Another Path, Cain ultimately corners and kills his father Chancellor Cray after his forces invade the palace.

Super Mode - The Six Gates. Cain acquires the powers of all elements and basically channels his inner Asura to become a walking juggernaut. He only uses this power when the group is facing a threat they couldn't handle otherwise, or if he is sufficiently enraged.

Take My Hand - Is offered a hand of friendship by Eiric upon the defeat of Pavlov and his summoned demons. Cain, despite his paranoia and misgivings, accepts it. (In the Original Timeline however, the offer is rejected outright, ultimately leading to that timeline's Cain becoming the Dark Wolf.)

Unstoppable Rage - Goes into one when witnessing particularly heinous and depraved acts. Went into one when King Alphard is assassinated, leading to the Benedict Manor Incident. Goes into another one when Olivia slaughters the Earthbound Ones and Underground refugees the party was escorting in Another Path.

Unwitting Instigator of Doom - His actions in the Benedict Manor Incident are ultimately responsible for Schala adopting her canon 'all power is evil' mentality, which bites the world in the ass when Lavos corrupts said mentality as the Dream Devourer in the Normal Path.

Variable Terminal Velocity: In Another Path, to save him from the Prophet, Eiric uses a force spell to throw Cain out of one of the palace's windows… where he proceeds to fall from the Zeal landmass itself to the surface. Justified since Cain knows levitation magic and can slow his fall considerably. The blizzards on the surface make it difficult to stick the landing, though.

White Sheep - As revealed in Another Path, generations of the Cray family were of the mind to usurp rulership of Zeal, believing the throne was theirs by right of power. Cain is the first of the family since his distant ancestor to actually be one of the good guys.

World's Strongest Man - Cain defeats every obstacle and enemy that crosses his path, almost to the point of being a Boring Invincible Hero. The trope is justified, as he is the product of generations of careful breeding to replicate the legendary powers of his distant ancestor. Ultimately subverted in the normal ending when the Prophet ultimately proves himself stronger and kills him.

—————

Schala Zeal: Princess of the Kingdom of Zeal. Kind and graceful, she tries to see the best in everyone around her. Unfortunately, this makes her a rather poor judge of character, as in her current state, the idea that her kingdom is rotting from within morally is anathema to her. She and Cain first met as children and became fast friends, but the death of her father years later and the violent fallout that followed have since driven a wedge between them. Wether their relationship will be mended or be torn apart forever will depend on Cain's actions…

Distressed Damsel - Is captured by Sigmund in Another Path.

Healing Hands - Knows the healing spells Recover, Recover-All, Raise, and Re-Raise.

Hidden Buxom - It's difficult to tell due to how baggy her robes are, but from the few chances we get to see the dress underneath, it's clear that puberty was quite kind to her.

Holy Hand Genade - She has two in the single-target Heaven's Gate and multi-target Luminaire.

Light 'em Up - Her innate color is white, and she has plenty of useful light-based spells.

Martial Pacifist - What Schala ultimately grows to become in Another Path after her naive worldviews are broken by tragic events and circumstances.

Sixth Ranger - Only in Another Path, after events from it force her to re-evaluate her 'power is inherently corruptive' beliefs. Also quite literal, as she's the sixth character to join the party.

Simple Staff - Carries on of these when she finally steps up to fight in Another Path. Instead of whacking the enemy, she fires a blast of magic from it instead. On a critical hit, the blast hits all enemies.

Together In Death - In the Normal Path, after the Ocean Palace Incident, she is reunited with Cain's spirit in the Darkness of Time, (where both proceed to sacrifice their souls in order to bring Kid into the world.)

White Mage - Schala's specialty is in healing and buffing, though she does have two attack spells.

(To be continued)

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Characters - Origins Scenario:

Party Members

Eiric Istane Guardia:

An Ice Person - Can imbue his arrows with Ice magic in one of his Techs, freezing and inflicting Stop on a single enemy.

Archer Archetype - Wields a bow and arrows.

Badass Family - Considering his family contains the likes of Ayla and Marle, this is no surprise.

Bottomless Magazines - No matter how many arrows he fires, his quiver never empties. Justified, since he replicates his supply with magic.

Handsome Lech - Downplayed. He's not a sleazeball, but he is a shameless flirt.

Healing Hands - His first Tech is Aura, and he ultimately learns Cure All and Arise.

Hero of Another Story - In Chrono Trigger. While Crono's group was infiltrating the Ocean Palace, Eiric was busy trying to evacuate the Kingdom. After Zeal's fall, he was out searching for survivors, explaining why the party never meets him. That there were ANY survivors left in Antiquity were due to his efforts.

Making a Splash - His innate color is blue, and his elemental attack line is Water.

Noodle Incident - Has been involved in more than a few, and no, he will not elaborate.

Only Sane Man - Like Cain, he seems to be the only other person in Zeal to realize something is deeply wrong with society.

Shipper on Deck - For Cain and Schala. In the Normal Path, he's the one who convinces Schala to try and understand Cain's views and mend their strained relationship. That, and he's the only person who catches on to the fact that the two engaged in 'shenanigans' before Cain's arrest and everything goes to hell.

——-

Zhao:

Blow You Away - His innate color is green, and he's a master of wind magic.

Cool Old Guy - The oldest of Cain's party members and a jovial guy all around.

Doomed by Canon - In the Normal Path, he and the rest of the Alphard Coalition is imprisoned in Mount Woe after Cain's death, and is executed before Crono's party ever learns of his existence.

Dual Wielding - Halberds with rather large axe heads.

It's Personal - When Isaac kidnaps his non-mage workers for the Underground's colosseum, Zhao takes it upon himself to rescue them.

Ultimate Blacksmith - Zhao is close friends with Melchior and taught the latter everything he knows about smithing.

——-

Eva: A young woman employed by the Alphard Coalition as its Spymaster. Cool-headed and aloof, she's introduced investigating strange happenings in the abandoned Benedict Estate. Able to manipulate stone and metal with her powers, she creates an armored humanoid golem by the name of Benmaru.

Action Girl

Blade Below the Shoulder - Has a baton attached underneath her armband that she can call to her hand with a thought. Said baton also conceals a hidden blade with which she fights reverse-grip.

Deadpan Snarker

Dishing out Dirt - Her innate color is yellow, and she can manipulate earth to create constructs.

Doomed by Canon - In the Normal Path, she and the rest of the Alphard Coalition is imprisoned in Mount Woe after Cain's death, and is executed before Crono's party ever learns of her existence.

Fragile Speedster - She can hit harder than the norm, but Eva is the fastest member of the party.

Ms. Fanservice

Ninja - The closest Zeal has to one.

The Puppet Master - Controls Benmaru with mystical wires when using him to attack.

Samurai - What Benmaru is modeled after, complete with stylized antler-horned helmet.

Secret Test of Character - Has been conducting one on Cain since even before the two meet, under the orders of King Alphard. The test is to confirm Cain's suitability to become the future king of Zeal.

Scarf of Asskicking - Sports a long on appropriate for her role as Spymaster, though it doesn't quite match her outfit.

Ship Tease - Between herself and Eiric.

Shock and Awe - Although she can create earth constructs, the attack spells she has that are governed by her innate are Lightning-based.

Tomboy and Girly-Girl - The Tomboy to Schala's Girly-Girl.

We Have Reserves - No matter how many times Benmaru is destroyed, Eva can just reconstruct him again.

——-

Tristan:

Blue Blood - He is a noble of quite high standing, and one of the few aligned with the Alphard Coalition.

Casting a Shadow - His innate color is black, and he utilizes the Dark series of attack spells, as well as Dark Bomb.

Doomed by Canon - In the Normal Path, he and the rest of the Alphard Coalition is imprisoned in Mount Woe after Cain's death, and is executed before Crono's party ever learns of his existence.

Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold - He has blonde hair and is one of the few nobles left in Zeal who still considers the Earthbound Ones people.

Royal Rapier - His weapon of choice.

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Important Characters

King Alphard Zeal

Mentor Occupational Hazard

Shipper on Deck - For his daughter and Cain to the point that he drafted up an arranged marriage for them.

We Hardly Knew Ye - He dies only a couple of chapters in.

———

Janus Zeal: Schala's younger brother and Prince of Zeal. Does not seem to have much empathy for others. Has a cat named Alphador that follows him everywhere.

Caustic Critic - Towards Cain, of whom he believes isn't worthy of his sister's time. Half the time, the feeling is mutual.

Cessation of Existence - Heavily implied to be what will happen to him should history go as it has in other timelines, his existence completely replaced by Magus. Saving the kid from such a fate ends up being another reason Cain resolves to kill the Prophet.

Sitcom Arch-Nemesis - He and Cain butt heads constantly to the point where it tests even Schala's patience. Played for laughs… at first.

Took a Level in Kindness - In Another Path, after Schala convinces Eiric, Eva, Zhao, Tristan, and even Cain to enchant the amulet she'll give her brother. It's enough to move even his stubborn heart.

The Unfavorite - The root of his issues with others, especially Cain, as he feels his parents  favored the Ward far more than his own son. These feelings get worse after the Queen goes mad.

———

Abel Lorre:

Badass Normal - Doesn't have a drop of magic in him. Doesn't stop him from doing his duty.

Doomed by Canon - In the story proper, he is the commander of Zeal's security forces. In Chrono Trigger, that role has become Dalton's. Doesn't take much to figure out something terrible happens to him in the interim.

Killed Off for Real - He is killed by Dalton in order to frame Cain for insurrection.

Poor Judge of Character - This man let Dalton of all people join the military. Ultimately subverted, as Abel justifies his decision by stating it would be better for Dalton to be in a place to be monitored as opposed to remaining a vagabond causing who knows what kinds of mischief. Unfortunately, this also serves to give the Chancellor a foothold in the military.

———

Gaspar, Guru of Time:

I Knew It - He had a feeling that Cain had been caught in some sort of temporal shenanigans for some time. Says this trope word for word when Cain finally gets the nerve to consult with him in Another Path.

Mr. Exposition - In Another Path, he is the one who explains the nature of the Time Loop Cain has been experiencing to the others.

Melchior, Guru of Life

Belthesar, Guru of Reason

Pitch: Proprietor of the Pitch Black tavern in Zeal's Underground, one of Eiric's favorite hangouts.

Viola: One of Melchior's students, who had recently given her a magic sapling to cultivate.

Canon Character All Along - She's the ancestor of Chrono Trigger's Fiona, complete with her magic sapling dilemma.

Small Role, Big Impact

Chief Imeric: The leader of the Earthbound Village Algetty.

Rickett: A young Earthbound hunter of Algetty and one of Cain's former hunting mates.

———-

Antagonists

Queen Samaela Zeal

Axe-Crazy - She loses it in Another Path when Schala outright refuses to power the Manmon Machine.

Be Careful What You Wish For - For years, she had wondered what drove her father mad enough to try and sacrifice her. She gets her answers in the worst way possible.

Fighting from the Inside - Subverted. We never see such a struggle on-screen. The only proof that she has been fighting (and failing) against Lavos' control is a letter found by the party in Another Path which basically spells out that trying to turn her back to normal is a lost cause and she needs to die to restabilize the kingdom.

Puppet Queen - What she ends up becoming to her Chancellor, Arvis Cray. Justified as she couldn't care less about anything other than Lavos. As long as he's leading the people towards her goal of immortality, she doesn't care how he runs the kingdom.

Warm-Up Boss - She is fought before the Prophet/Magus in the climax of Another Path in the Origin storyline. Justified since she was just stabbed with the Ruby Knife.

———-

Chancellor Arvis Cray: Cain's estranged father, and the architect of the schism between the Enlightened Ones and the Earthbound.

Compelling Voice - One of his greatest talents in magic, it installs an unnatural sense of charisma that draws all who hear his 'sermons' to listen, instilling a sense of More Than Mind Control. It is ultimately one of the major reasons he is a Villain With Good Publicity.

Hate Sink - This man is ultimately responsible for nearly everything that's gone wrong in Antiquity. He is the mastermind behind the death of King Zeal, inadvertently causing the Queen's madness and dependence on Lavos, and takes advantage of the situation to install himself as Chancellor. He proceeds to mold the masses towards apathy and glory with a platform of complete mage supremacy, all while plotting a Final Solution upon the Earthbound. And that's not getting into the shit he puts his own son through, both as a child and as a young adult. There is absolutely nothing redeemable about this man.

Karma Houdini - Subverted. In the normal ending, he gets away with all of his numerous crimes. However, it's heavily implied in a few alternate endings that he ends up vaporized in the initial salvo when Lavos destroys Zeal. Completely averted in the golden ending path where he meets a violent end at the hands of Cain, the son he had wronged since birth.

Karmic Death - As someone who used their Compelling Voice to sway the masses towards apathy and complacency, he's stabbed unceremoniously in the throat by Cain and chokes to death on his own blood.

Maternal Death? Blame The Child - Arvis was livid when his wife died giving birth to Cain, enough so that he would go on to gaslight the boy and make his life a living hell.

- The worst part is that he didn't do so out of love for his wife; she was an influential scholar and thus a major stepping stool for his political ambitions, and he saw her death by childbirth as Cain being a Spanner in the Works.

Villains Want Mercy - After everything he had done to destroy Alphard's legacy, when he is finally confronted and defeated in Another Path, he drops all pretenses of superiority and 'might makes right' philosophy and begs to be spared, all while unironically spouting why he deserves to rule and Alphard 'deserved' to die. To the son he abused. To the allies of Alphard. All of whose lives he personally made a living hell. Evil Cannot Comprehend Good, it seems.

————

The Prophet

Hero Killer - He kills Cain in the first ending, leading into the timeline of Chrono Cross.

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Dalton

Hero Killer - Although Chancellor Cray was indeed the mastermind, Dalton was the one who actually killed King Alphard.

Obfuscating Stupidity - Acts the fool to throw off suspicions of treachery. When confronted by Cain in the Ocean Palace however, he drops the mask entirely and shows his true competence.

———-

Sigmund: An assassin under Chancellor Cray's employ. He hounds Cain throughout the story.

Absurdly Sharp Blade

Ax-Crazy - During the final confrontation with him in Another Path, Sigmund drops all pretenses of sanity and goes nuts.

Birds of a Feather - He comes to believe that Cain is the same as he, desiring to see the world burn. To Cain's frustration, he isn't entirely wrong.

Blood Knight - Even before the reveal, it's clear he has a thirst for violence.

The Dragon - To Chancellor Cray. Is usurped by Dalton after he decides to break his leash in Another Path.

Dragon with an Agenda

Dual-Wielding - Twin katanas he imbues with destructive magics.

Duel Boss - Every fight with him is with Cain alone.

Four Eyes, Zero Soul

Godzilla Threshold - Once he decides to act on his own, he manages to kidnap Schala under everyone's nose. Since Arvis needs Schala alive to satisfy the Queen's quest for immortality (as well as keep his position and/or his head), Sigmund's defection forces him to team up with the Coalition to help find her.

Hard Truth Aesop - Delivers one to Schala during his Dying Speech in Another Path about the uselessness of pacifism in the face of monstrous cruelty. Due to earlier events in Another Path, Schala ultimately takes this advice to heart.

Katanas Are Just Better

Recurring Boss - Is fought no less than four times during the story.

Suicide by Cop - How he meets his end in Another Path, specifically to prevent a peaceful solution to the problems he caused.

Super Mode - To Cain's horror, Sigmund is also capable of opening the Sixth Gate, though this reveal doesn't happen until Another Path.

Victory is Boring - More along the lines of Peace is Boring, but the idea is the same. Sigmund is a fighter at heart and is not satisfied unless he's trying to kill someone. With Chancellor Arvis constantly one step ahead of the Alphard Coalition in Another Path, he decides to slip his leash and cause chaos.

Your Days Are Numbered - He is revealed to be receptive to the Black Wind, and taunts Cain with his impending death after his own in the Normal Path.

———-

Pavlov: A key person of note in the Regicide Conspiracy. Was appointed Minister of Finance by Chancellor Cray.

Villain With Good Publicity - The masses see him as a philanthropist. When Cain and Eiric investigate him, he's revealed to be an unrepentant demon summoner.

————

Isaac: A person of note in the Regicide Conspiracy, and the official 'governor' of Zeal's Underground. A sadist who owns a colosseum where he pits unsuspecting Earthbound Ones for blood sport.

Bread and Circuses - Basically his role in Chancellor Cray's schemes, desensitizing Enlightened Ones to the brutalization of the Earthbound.

———- 

Benedict: A noble considered one of King Alphard's allies. However, he ultimately lures the king into a trap where the latter perishes. He is killed by an enraged Cain shortly after.

Cruel and Unusual Death - Cain literally cooks him alive inside the cockpit of his robot.

Fat Bastard

Karmic Death

Meaningful Name

Olivia: Key person of note in the Regicide Conspiracy, and leader of the Church of Lavos.

Lavos

———

Other Characters

King Victor Zeal

The Six Founders

(To be continued)

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Characters - Trigger Scenario

Party Members

Crono

Marle

Lucca

Frog

Robo

Ayla

Magus

Important Characters

Antagonists

Dalton

Viper

Garai

(To be continued)

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Characters - Cross Scenario

———-

Party Members

Kid:

Do Not Call Me Paul - She does not like to be called 'Schala' by her allies. She clarifies that she borrowed her mother's name for public's sake until she could find a name of her own.

Heroic BSOD - Suffers one when she learns that not only Cain was her father and that she's therefor not a clone, but her longtime companion Guile is her maternal uncle and that he (as Magus) had a direct hand in her father's death. Serge ultimately snaps her out of it.

Hot-Blooded - Although she's mellowed out a bit after Chrono Cross, she still retains the fiery spirit (she inherited from her father).

Significant Wardrobe Shift - Possibly a necessity due to Guardia's cooler climate, but she's traded her tiny red blouse and skirt for a slightly more modest long jacket and short shorts, though she still keeps the cropped shirt. Harle lampshades the outfit, wondering if Kid was inspired by Amy.

——-

Serge:

Unwitting Instigator of Doom - Even with defeating the Time Devourer and freeing the fragment of Kid's soul pretending to be Schala, the universe decides to give Serge one final middle finger. Turns out using the Chrono Cross to stop the Time Devourer also freed the soul of First Timeline Cain, of whom proceeds to cause chaos for the rest of the game. Way to go, Serge.

Guile:

I Hate Past Me -

Leena

Glenn

Norris

Harle:

Canon Welding - It's all but stated that this is the Harle from Another Eden's Complex Dream, as she directly name drops Aldo and Fienne.

Significant Wardrobe Shift - Due to her new lease on life, Harle has ditched the clown getup that once defined her for a white sleeveless bodysuit that happens to 'conveniently' hug every curve and ditches the makeup, though she still keeps the teardrop.

Riddell

———-

Important Characters

Karsh

Zoah

Marcy

Dario

Steena

Radius

———-

Antagonists

Lynx

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Endgame Characters

——

The Paragon

Vera/Schala Zeal of the First Timeline:

The Atoner - For being the final straw that turned her timeline's Cain into the Dark Wolf.

Broken Bird - What she ends up being after The Reveal.

Bystander Syndrome - Like her main story counterpart, she wanted nothing to do with revenge for her father and focused on pacifism. Unlike her counterpart, this Schala took a belligerent, self-righteous approach to her dislike of power and corruption. When her timeline's Cain began abusing his power to the point of being a bigger tyrant than his father, she sanctioned an assassination on him, proving herself a hypocrite. Given her fate and everything she had lost since, it's pretty damn clear she wishes she could have taken it all back.

Canon Character All Along - She is the same Vera from Radical Dreamers.

Deadpan Snarker

God Was My Co-Pilot - No matter her origins or what she chooses to call herself, it is abundantly clear that she is an agent of Zurvan.

Heroic Sacrifice - In the Endgame Path, she finds a way to free Cain from the Negative Space Wedgie the Dark Wolf trapped him in. Unfortunately, said freedom requires the life energy expelled upon death, thus she offers herself as the sacrificial lamb, and Cain is forced to kill her.

Interrupted Suicide - Tried to drown herself at the North Cape after the Fall of Zeal, only for a force heavily implied to be the Entity to surround her in a bubble of air and transport her to the Sea of Time.

The Men in Black - She is basically an agent of Zurvan assigned to investigate events and situations that risk destabilizing the multiversal timeline. The events of Radical Dreamers was one such mission, but her biggest ongoing case is the time loop preventing Cain's timeline from splitting like it's supposed to. Hell, she even wears black robes.

Wham Shot - In the Endgame, she transforms from an old crone to a young lady. The Wham is that said young lady is revealed as an alternate timeline Schala.

Walking Spoiler - Considering her role in the series and her true identity, she's definitely this.

What Happened to the Mouse? - An optional conversation Cain can have with Vera has her tell of her role in Radical Dreamers and how the stand-off in that game's finale concluded. (She offered to bring Kid/Schala to Porre's Head of High Command who just happened to be a reincarnated Cain, in exchange for disbanding the Radical Dreamers. Considering Serge's claim during the epilogue that he never saw Kid again, it's heavily implied that she ultimately took Vera's offer.)

The Woobie

———

The Greater Scope Villain

The Dark Wolf/Cain Cray of the First Timeline

Became Their Own Antithesis

Broken Pedestal - Sees his (and any other timeline's version of Schala) as this after learning she sanctioned an assassination on him. Granted by that point, he had it coming, but it does push him from Jumping Off the Slippery Slope to happily taking a flying leap into crossing the Moral Event Horizon.

Cybernetics Will Eat Your Soul - There is not an ounce of living matter left of him. He is all machine.

The Dark Side Will Make You Forget

Determinator - The one trait he still shares with his heroic counterpart.

Fatal Flaw - As with his main story counterpart, it is Pride. It was Pride that drove him to reject Eiric's proffered hand of friendship. It was Pride that caused him to adopt his father's might equals right philosophy for his own ends. It is Pride that causes him to openly kill people who he thinks had wronged him (which in his eyes, means anyone and everyone in Zeal) in broad daylight because he believes nobody can stop him. (And ultimately, it is Pride that causes his downfall because his constant looping of time had made his counterpart immune to the adverse effects of Zurvan's potential awakening, allowing the latter to end him for good.)

Greater Scope Villain - Of the entire Chrono series up to this point. To wit…
- He was the one to summon Lavos in the original timeline in hopes of wiping out humanity, and thereby hurling the Gurus and Janus through time.
- Upon his death, his soul is absorbed by Lavos, but his will proves to be so powerful that it consumes Lavos', driving the creature into the destructive habits it's ultimately known for.
- He gains full control of Lavos upon its defeat by Crono's party and proceeds to purposely absorb a wandering Schala, twisting her morals and breaking her mind in order to make her view humanity and the world as he does, all out of petty revenge towards the Schala he knew.
- Finally, upon being freed by the Chrono Cross, he proceeds to alter events so every alternate timeline version of Cain dies, especially from the time loop our hero gets caught in, in order to siphon enough temporal energy to power the Manmon doomsday mech. Needless to say, almost every bad thing that has happened to any sympathetic character in the series can be traced back to the Dark Wolf.

Madden into Misanthropy

Nice Job Fixing It, Villain - Hey Dark Wolf. Remember all those times you put Cain through a time loop? You forced his temporal consciousness outside the normal flow of time, making him immune to being ret-gone, thus making him the only one able to stop your master plan.

Omnicidal Maniac - His ultimate master plan consists of using the Manmon war mech to travel to the depths of the Sea of Time and kill Zurvan, thus ending the Eternal Dream and killing every life in every timeline.

Satanic Archetype - Fallen Hero? Check. Corrupter of innocent souls? Check. Terrifying wolf motif? Check. Makes a deal with a fellow villain and then double-crosses them when they've outlived their usefulness? Check!

Then Let Me Be Evil

Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds - Arguably. While part of his situation was ultimately caused by his own choices and actions, it's impossible to deny the effect society's utter rejection had on him.

———

The Final Boss

Manmon, Herald of the End of Time

Humongous Mecha - With the Dark Wolf piloting from within the Manmon Machine, the Frozen Flame of Lavos as it’s power source, and the FATE AI as it’s interface, all protected beneath the giant construct.

One-Winged Angel - When the party causes enough damage and disrupts the Manmon Machine inside it, the backlash of Lavos' power transforms the mech and it’s pilot into a grotesque Eldritch Abomination, a true fusion of technology and Lavos biomatter. Cue the second phase of the Final Battle.

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Crowning Moment of Funny

———

One particular moment comes during the epilogue of the Golden Ending. Cain attempts to open the Seventh Gate a second time on a whim. However, since he isn't in the proper mindset, the built up power simply fizzles out, but not before giving him one hell of a headache.

Cain: *knocked on his ass* Ow, ow! Son of a…! Okay. Can't do the whole Enlightenment thing whenever you want. Good to know.

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Crowning Moment of Heartwarming

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Tearjerker

- The entire confrontation concerning Pontiff Olivia in Another Path. As in the Normal Path, regular citizens are driven into a frenzy by Olivia to 'sacrifice' the Earthbound and other denizens of the Underground to 'give more power unto Lavos'. Unlike the Normal Path, Cain decides to help Schala and the others protect the fleeing refugees instead of holding the mob off. Unfortunately, this allows Olivia to set a trap that ends up killing all of said refugees, despite the Coalition's best efforts. Cain is once more consumed by rage leading to a boss fight with Olivia, while Eiric and the others are forced to put down the maddened mob that have turned their sights on them. A single line from Eiric proceeds to hammer home not only the hopelessness of the situation, but forces Tristan, Zhao, Eva, and ESPECIALLY Schala to finally confront the reality that the 'paradise' they believed they lived in had become nothing more than a hypocritical lie.

Tristan: You aren't actually suggesting we put down our own people?!

Eiric: Take a damn look around!! These 'things' are NOT! OUR! PEOPLE!!!

- The aftermath of the above incident isn't much better. Cain is finally spent of his rage, but remains on his knees rooted to the spot as Eiric and the others prepare a funeral pyre for Olivia's victims. Schala walks towards Cain, only for him to weakly ask why people are so terrible. Everyone notices this exchange. Schala recognizes the question from back when they first met as children, only with the current situation does she finally understand the horrible weight of that question. It is only after the pyre starts burning that the dam Cain has been holding back his whole life finally breaks, letting out a howl of utter anguish. The ONLY silver lining for this terrible event is that it makes the party finally understand Cain and ultimately cements their loyalty later on when he needs them most.

———-

There's something inherently tragic about the time split the party tries to restore. Either Magus lives and Cain dies, or Cain lives and Magus dies. There is no Third Option to take due to all of the lives at stake. The story makes no secret of how Magus' actions as the Prophet all but destroyed Schala's life and inadvertently cost Kid her actual family, and appropriately judges him for it. However, the costs and the gains between the two timelines are heavily skewed against him.

Yes, Cain, Tristan, Eva, Zhao, Schala, and Janus all survive intact in Another Path, but Magus' reputation as a character plummets. Unlike the Main Timeline, Schala knows Magus tried to kill her beloved in Another Path, and thus despises him from the outset, which gets worse when she learns that her little brother will end up swallowed by time if Lavos is summoned. Not only that, but Frog ends up with little closure due to being replaced by Cain as Magus' nemesis. Though to be fair on the latter point, Frog concedes that due to their history, Cain has far more at stake defeating Magus than he does, and makes peace with it.

But worst of all, Magus is denied a chance to redeem himself. This is lampshaded by Guile in the finale, though he personally believes that Cain living would have been the preferred outcome. Again, there is sadly no middle ground, as too many lives are at stake on Cain's end, and on Magus' is the fact that he refuses to separate the Cain of his timeline that summoned Lavos and stranded him in the Middle Ages and the current timeline Cain.

There is no reconciliation. Only one or the other. Such is the Butterfly of Doom.

———-

The Normal Ending. Framed for killing Abel, Cain is isolated and realizes at this point the only way to survive is open rebellion. Schala is confined to her room and Eiric is spirited away from Zeal by remaining sympathizers. We see Melchior, Eva, Tristan, and Zhao arrested and sent to Mt. Woe, where the latter three are implied to be executed for treason. Cain mows through the palace defenses only to run into the Prophet/Magus. Not only is he capable of going toe-to-toe with the former, but Cain notices the amulet Schala was making for Janus at a critical moment and puts two and two together.

Cain's brief hesitation costs him, and takes a point blank Darkmatter, killing him. The only thing left of him is a familiar rosary amulet that falls to the ground. Meanwhile, Schala feels the full force of the Black Wind, realizing Cain has died, and breaks down weeping.

After a short cut to black, we see Lavos nuking Zeal to all hell, in far greater detail than in Trigger. Cut to later on, Eiric is at the shores looking for survivors. He sees Schala's pendant wash up on the beach. Picking it up, he laments that everything has been left up to him and sobs, realizing that all his closest friends are dead just before the credits roll.

As if the above weren't enough of a punch, the author set this scenario to the song of SiM's Sound of Breath.

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Crowning Moment of Awesome

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Nightmare Fuel

The Benedict Manor Incident. The event that signaled the beginning of Zeal's decline into hubris, and changed the lives of Cain and Schala forever, and not for the better.

- It begins with the young Schala stealing the recently discovered Frozen Flame from her mother's chambers and disappearing, sending her father and the Royal Guard into a frenzied search. What they didn't know was that she had stolen off to Benedict Manor, believing that one of her father's allies would be able to help. Unfortunately, Benedict had already been bought off by Arvis Cray, and decides the situation would be perfect for luring the King into a trap. All of this would be horrifying enough, but it gets worse…
- Long story short, the trap is sprung, and Alphard is separated from the guard. Although he finds Schala quickly, the King of Zeal is shot, and soon enough dies in Schala's arms. Some of Benedict's men then prepare to kill the distraught princess, but Cain intervenes, and is nearly blinded in one eye and impaled for his trouble. A terrifying situation indeed, but it gets worse…
- It's at this point that Cain's full magical potential awakens, opening the Sixth Gate. What happens next is a one-sided massacre by Cain against Benedict's guards… and Cain is laughing, reveling at the slaughter, as if finally releasing his all of his hidden grudges against society at once. Benedict tries to stop Cain's rampage with an experimental robot, but the latter takes it apart with ease, and with a deranged grin, Cain literally cooks the traitor alive inside the machine's remains. Schala, still rooted to her dead father's side, witnesses all of this, begging for it all to stop over and over. Unfortunately, this activates the Frozen Flame, bonding her fate to Lavos, and rendering Cain unconscious.
- Although Cain seemed to regain his senses later, he was never the same, while Schala was left afraid of him for at least a year according to Abel. Not only that, she came from the experience believing that power of any kind can only destroy, a mindset that would ironically nearly serve to destroy all reality millennia later…

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Fridge Brilliance

Fridge Horror

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YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary)

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Soundtrack List

Disc 1:

1. Origin's Dawn (Title Screen)
2. Dreamers Forward (Theme of Chrono)
3. Guardian Qualification Exam
4. King of the Hill
5. Unexpected Threat (Battle Theme 1)
6. Royal Family of Zeal
7. Schala's Theme (Origins)
8. Corridors of Time (Origins)
9. Janus' Theme
10. Alphard's Theme
11. A Precious Memory
12. Conspiracy
13. The Frozen Flame
14. Unfortunate Crisis
15. The King Falls
16. Oath of Vengeance
17. Inquisitor
18. Eiric's Theme
19. The Underground
20. Mansion of Demons
21. Judgement
22. Spear of the Executioner (Boss Battle 1)
23. Uncertain Doom
24. The Sixth Gate - Awakening
25. A Hand of Friendship
26. Cain's Theme

Disc 2:

1. That Incident Years Ago
2. At the Bottom of Night (Origins)
3. The Darkness of Man
4. Followers of the Late King
5. Zhao's Theme
6. The Guru's Lessons
7. The Sixth Gate - Manifestation
8. The Last Forge
9. Colosseum
10. The Assassin (Sigmund's Theme)
11. Cats Rolling across the Floor
12. Eva's Theme
13. Nobility
14. Tristan's Theme
15. Returning to the Scene of the Crime
16. Mechanical Foresight
17. Fly! Benmaru!
18. The Manmon Machine
19. Zeal Palace (Origins)
20. The Earthbound and the Enlightened
21. The Prophet Arrives
22. Those Who Sold their Souls to the Beast
23. No Mercy (Battle Theme 2)
24. Cain's Determination
25. Agree to Disagree
26. The Price of Mercy

Disc 3:

1. Sealed Door (Origins)
2. One Last Moment of Calm
3. A Reason to Live other than Revenge
4. Star-Stealing Girl (Origins)
5. The World Crashing Down Around Us
6. Kingdom Trial (Origins)
7. Rebellion
8. The Black Wind - Confrontation with the Prophet
9. Magus' Theme (Normal Path Final Boss)
10. Prisoners of Fate (Origins)
11. History's Refusal to Change (Normal Path End Credits)
12. Vera's Theme
13. Another Chance
14. Bonds of Camaraderie
15. Exodus
16. Dog Eat Dog (Boss Theme 2)
17. The Sixth Gate - Howling Rage
18. Tears of the Proud Wolf
19. A False Paradise
20. Dreams of the Future
21. Those Who Wish to See the World Burn (Final Battle with Sigmund)
22. Middle Ground
23. The King's Final Wish
24. A Place to Belong
25. Abel's Last Stand
26. Fighting to Live

Disc 4:

1. The Unforgiving Snow
2. The Mountain of Woe
3. Prison Break
4. The Ultimate Golem
5. An Encounter with Heroes (Crono's Theme)
6. Bringing Down the Mountain
7. The Killer Revealed at Last
8. The Rebel Army is Born
9. War Against Paradise
10. Undersea Palace
11. Not My Family
12. Inheritor of Dreams (Battle Theme 3)
13. The Inquisitor's Final Judgement
14. Heirs of Alphard's Will (Battle Against Queen Zeal)
15. Mutual Hatred - Cain VS Magus (Another Path Final Battle)
16. I Never Said We Were Done
17. The Conductor (Theme of the Dark Wolf)
18. The Madness of Space and Time (Cain's Path)
19. The Siege of Guardia (Crono's Path)
20. Beneath Viper Manor (Serge's Path)
21. Theft of the Frozen Flame
22. Lynx
23. The Tower of Gheddon - The Black Omen Reborn
24. Sin and Punishment
25. Shattered Mirror - The Dark Wolf’s Face Revealed
26. Vera's Regret

Disc 5:

1. Yin and Yang - Cain VS the Dark Wolf
2. A United Front (Endgame Path)
3. The Path to the Sea of Time (Final Dungeon)
4. Memories of the Wolf (Boss Battle 3)
5. Together We Stand! (Battle Theme - Finale)
6. Last Moments - Cain and Schala
7. At the Precipice of Destruction
8. He Who Abandoned Humanity (Dark Wolf Final Battle)
9. Twisting of Time
10. He Who Shall End the Dream
11. Manmon - Herald of the End (Final Boss 1)
12. The Entity Awakens - Cain's Purpose
13. Cast unto the Realm of God
14. Desperate Struggle (Final Boss 2)
15. Time, Life, Harmony (Life - Another Promise)
16. The Seventh Gate
17. The Enlightened One (Final Boss 3)
18. Manmon's End
19. Parting Ways
20. Awakening From the Dream
21. A New Timeline
22. Schala and Eiric - Passing the Torch
23. The Epoch - A Debt that needs be Repaid
24. To the New World
25. To Far Away Times (True Ending Credits)
26. Epilogue - A Life Worth Living