Just a thought...

[alternate solution]

I was thinking about the Fall Of Guardia, and Masato Kato's comment that Porre had help from "outside the normal flow of time". Could that just be interpreted to mean that Porre's rise was just another part of Belthasar's plan, and that he either directly or indirectly helped them in their rise?

This might have been brought up before, so forgive me if it has.

[Chrono'99]

Here's what he says (just for reference):

MK: Actually, this is not explained in any of the games, but Porre had some kind of intervention or help originating outside of the original flow of history. But if I start to explain this, it will take me a long time to finish, so I'll stop myself here. (laughs) As it doesn't directly have anything to do with the story of Cross, we cut the details out of the game.

It's pretty vague so yeah, Belthasar could have been involved. However, Kato does say the fall of Guardia has little to do with the story of Cross... so if it were "just another part of Belthasar's plan", I believe it would have been simply explained in Cross. In my opinion, Kato speaks as if the fall was part of something really complicated but really separate from Cross (from Project Kid).

But Kato's comment is vague so, it's really up to interpretation...

[Zaperking]

It's sounds more like and excuse because they can't think up a reason for it, they just wanted it to happen.
It would certainly be harder to think of Guardia coming to El Nido get attain the Frozen Flame, and the whole Porre going to El Nido in 900AD.

[Chrono'99]

Mmmh, no it would be much easier to have Guardia come to El Nido, to have Guardians instead of Porreans (and to still have Crono and co. not involved for the same unknown reasons). It would have been simplier and much "closer" to Chrono Trigger that way.

[Romana]

I was thinking about the Fall Of Guardia, and Masato Kato's comment that Porre had help from "outside the normal flow of time".

It'd be cool if they were saving that explanation for a game between Trigger and Cross.

[Crazyswordsman]

Here's my thoughts on the Fall of Guardia.

If Guardia fell, then the royal line would be broken.  However, remember that Doan is a decendent of the Guardia line.   So obviously someone survived, and it's clear that neither Crono nor Marle survived, as we see their ghosts in Chrono Cross. -CSM

[Chrono'99]

Here's my thoughts on the Fall of Guardia.

If Guardia fell, then the royal line would be broken.  However, remember that Doan is a decendent of the Guardia line.   So obviously someone survived, and it's clear that neither Crono nor Marle survived, as we see their ghosts in Chrono Cross. -CSM

Doan exists in the pre-Time Crash timeline. We have absolutely no idea if the Guardia line went on to Doan in the timeline featuring El Nido and Belthasar's influence.

[alternate solution]

Here's what he says (just for reference):

MK: Actually, this is not explained in any of the games, but Porre had some kind of intervention or help originating outside of the original flow of history. But if I start to explain this, it will take me a long time to finish, so I'll stop myself here. (laughs) As it doesn't directly have anything to do with the story of Cross, we cut the details out of the game.

It's pretty vague so yeah, Belthasar could have been involved. However, Kato does say the fall of Guardia has little to do with the story of Cross... so if it were "just another part of Belthasar's plan", I believe it would have been simply explained in Cross. In my opinion, Kato speaks as if the fall was part of something really complicated but really separate from Cross (from Project Kid).

But Kato's comment is vague so, it's really up to interpretation...

Ah ok, it probably wasn't directly part of Belthasar's plan. Perhaps just an unfortunate side effect then, since it occured in the timeline with the Time Crash.

[CyberSarkany]

These "ghost" don't mean they are dead(because they are, as Miguel states, a distant echo or something[to lazy to quote it again], not actually ghosts).

[AuraTwilight]

Here's my thoughts on the Fall of Guardia.

If Guardia fell, then the royal line would be broken.  However, remember that Doan is a decendent of the Guardia line.   So obviously someone survived, and it's clear that neither Crono nor Marle survived, as we see their ghosts in Chrono Cross. -CSM

Doan exists in the pre-Time Crash timeline. We have absolutely no idea if the Guardia line went on to Doan in the timeline featuring El Nido and Belthasar's influence.

I agree completely. To say nothing of the possibility of some member of the royal line escaping while Guardia falls without being Crono or Marle. Maybe a nursemaid took their newborn infant and raised him herself in secrecy.

....

 So he can one day take back the kingdom, reconcile paganism and Christianity, and pull the Masamune out of an island due to the help of a time traveling Magus, who makes a round table for the King and his knights (One of these chairs being enchanted to kill whoever sits in it for some reason, and Magus sits in it and goes kablooie. The curse is broken by Serge, a knight of a pure heart, and helps the heroes find the Holy Grail, which is offered by Schala in her transcendant godliness) and then when the new king dies and leaves descendants, his evil half-sister fairy queen witch bitch will suddenly turn nice (WTF?) and carry his corpse to El Nido to be buried.


Oh, and my theory is that the CT ghosts are ghosts, but from an alternate timeline. Either that or the whole echoes of the past thing is a METAPHOR for ghosts, which are mere echoes of the once living person.

[Daniel Krispin]

Where'd you get that from? Pretty funny. Actually, if you consider the Frozen Flame the holy grail of the Chrono world, it might almost work (it is kind of, eh?)

I honestly think the intent is that they are dead. However, the nature of this is that it can easily be reconciled otherwise. 'We no longer exist in this timeline' is very ambigious. After all, every time the Seven went to the End of Time, they no longer existed in the timeline, did they? All it might mean is they have been taken out of time's flow... ready to jump back in where needed.