Chrono Trigger: The Sands of Time

The Chosen; A chapter in which Magus learns what he must do to earn forgiveness…

The journey back to Guardia was longer, but still shorter than if they tried to fight the currents around the Mystic nation. They were to be on the ship for a week and it was far too long for Glenn to hold up the charade with Toma on board.

Toma, upon hearing the good news, felt that it would have been worthwhile to arrive with more materials to the Mystic nation. He dispatched a reliable aide to take a partial delivery and enter into talks with the chieftain. Toma was sure that their pride would cause them to refuse at first, but he was certain if the load was large enough there would be no way they could refuse their generosity. Glenn approved of the plan.

Meanwhile, Toma had been ecstatic and thought he went mad. He first thought he saw a ghost, but then remembered that while his form was gone, Glenn was not. He asked the gallyman to prepare something special and everyone had a private party in Glenn's quarters. Not only that, Glenn showed them the letter. The girls swooned, Toma swatted him on the back promising to give him pointers, and Glenn gave him a congratulatory s'more.

Meanwhile, Magus kept to himself in the corner and allowed himself the smallest of smiles.

A few days passed into the journey. Toma gave them the news that they were pulling into Denadoro for a brief visit; brief being the keyword. Chrono said nothing as everyone leaned forward to ask what Toma meant by being brief. Evidently, the economy of the town was in shambles and people were fleeing the town in droves. There was an issue with growing produce and the land gave nothing.

"Well, that is odd…" Glenn said. "I have visited that town frequently during our skirmishes with Guardia in the past. The land hath been fruitful. What has changed?"

Toma shook his head, "Nobody knows. They even brought in this lady who's been doing everything she can. She's got a knowledge of the land; a green thumb so potent you would think she was a Mystic herself. But even with that, everything shrivels and the land around the Denadoro mountains are turning into desert. Soon, nobody will be able to live there."

Marle and Lucca waved it off, "In our time, it's a ghost town. I'm sure it's just how it is supposed to be."

"'In your time'?" Toma asked, his eyebrow raising.

"Uh-" Lucca started clumsily, "'in time it will be what it is supposed to be!' That's what I meant to say! I mean, there's nothing you can do if things just happen, right?"

Toma nodded, "True, but it just seems...unnatural. Just last year their crops were at an all time high even with the war going on. There hasn't been any insect infestations from what I heard...It's almost as if the land were sucked dry."

"Well, I think it is definitely worth a look." Chrono said with a nod, his hands behind his head as he leaned backwards on a chair.

It was the night before they were to arrive at Denadoro. Chrono could feel that Magus would look at him throughout the days on the ship, a question on his lips. But it was so difficult to find a quiet place on a crowded ship. He could feel the eagerness in his desire to talk, but could tell by his frustration that it was meant to be a secret conversation.

It was for that reason that Chrono volunteered to take watch that night over the ocean from the crow's nest. The crew protested, feeling that it would make them inhospitable, but Chrono assured them it was quite alright.

It was the type of night he loved; the air was warm and gentle, the moon was full and filled the world with a mystical light. While they were not as visible due to the moon, thousands of stars dotted the night sky. The distant gases of forming galaxies that sat eternities away gave a section of the sky a purplish hue and Chrono thought on what mysteries lay out there and what he knew. He felt a pang of sorrow for those he left on the other side, their faces being so many that he could scarcely remember them while encumbered in his imperfect flesh. He thought of Elly and his father and smiled. Even though they were untold eternities away, underneath a sky like tonight he felt somehow close to them.

"You were expecting me, weren't you?"

He had been. Chrono had been cutting into an apple as he looked at the night sky. He offered a slice to Magus who took it. He sat with Chrono, both of their backs against a low-lying wall. Despite his pressing desire to speak to Chrono, the question he wanted to put forth now that he had the time was frightening. He had wanted to know the answer so badly, but now that he was on the cusp of knowing he was afraid to hear what the truth could be.

"I-..." Magus tried to say something but couldn't finish it.

Chrono was silent and then pointed to the sky with his knife, "There. That was another world that faced a calamity much like our own."

Magus raised his eye in confusion but still looked toward the sky. He followed the tip of the knife, knowing that Chrono was adjusting the knife tip to match his point of view. The knife point aligned just under a star in a cluster of hundreds. "Of course, that isn't really where the star is, you know. You are only seeing the light that took the lifetime of our planet to arrive here. It's actual location is over there and much further out." Chrono did not bother to align the sight for Magus. He only gestured in the general direction. "The light from the stars are not where we see them and the universe is expanding all the time." Chrono chewed a piece of apple and swallowed. He offered another piece to Magus and he did the same.

"I used to watch the stars with Schala." Magus began. "Sometimes the gurus would do the same. They talked about the universe and theories...but they were learned. They studied. You just know things."

Chrono nodded, "In many ways, I am an idiot."

Magus laughed, "How so?"

"I worry. I worry that what I saw wasn't real. I worry that everything that was shown to me was a trick. What if I was under the control of Lavos the entire time? What if he showed me what I wanted to see? What if there isn't anything after this?"

"Why in the world would you even think that?" Magus asked.

"Because I am just some kid who left his home and out of the billions of people who ever existed, I ended up on this journey. I was nobody special. I was just minding my own business, and then I had this journey with so much at stake. I just can't help but feel like I have been guided here, but what if it was by Lavos? What if he wanted this for some reason?"

"We are complete opposites," Magus said with a smirk, holding out a hand for another piece.

"How so?" Chrono asked, obliging him with another cut of apple.

"I was so certain I was going to do everything that was required of me. I believed in everything and didn't question it at all. I believed I was good enough. But I wasn't. Maybe, in a strange way, you understand what I feel. Maybe you are worried because where I ended up is where you will end up." Magus ate his apple and finished this last statement with a slightly bitter tone.

"What if I lied to Marle because I was lied to? What if there is nothing after this?" Chrono asked, his voice somber.

"If that is the case...well...can you remember what life was like before you were born?"

"I suppose not."

"Well, maybe that is what it will be like. Maybe it won't be that bad. Maybe it will be like going into a numb sleep. But I don't think it will be like that." Magus said with a nod.

"What do you think it will be like?" Chrono asked.

"Exactly like how you describe," Magus responded, "because I believe in you."

Chrono took the core of the apple and threw it into the ocean. He looked at Magus and said, "Thank you. It does make me feel better to hear that."

They were quiet for a moment longer and enjoyed the night sky. Finally, Chrono breathed in deep and started to speak. "I know you are concerned with what I said about what happens to us after this life; about how our faults hold us down and keep us from moving forward. I know the thought of eternities, bound by your many sins, frightens you to the core."

Magus nodded.

Chrono sighed, "I have seen what your fate will be should you go the way of the world without answering for what you have done. You will indeed have the blood of those you slain cry against you. Your soul will break from the pain you have caused. You will see countless souls whose estate have been frustrated by your taking of lives. You will drift through eternity, unable to open your eyes to see that even all your crimes in the vast eternity were just a drop in an endless sea. That is because, as Glenn was, you cannot forgive yourself. Because you cannot forgive yourself, you will be unaware of those who call out to you, and you will not be reunited with them."

"Schala," Magus uttered, "I am so sorry…"

"Magus, there is hope." He rose his head. "There is a reason why we go through life, not being able to have the answers. To know the truth of all things and then to work against that truth magnifies your culpability. You are more able to forgive yourself if things are committed in ignorance, but it is more difficult if you sin with a perfect knowledge of things. However, the burden you bore brought these opportunities into place and a pathway has been opened to you. You will have your chance at redemption...but the road is long and tough…"

"What do I have to do?"

"You will go back to your time at the completion of our journey, but before you do, I will give you a blessing. This blessing was shown to me by the one who told me of your fate and commanded me to relay this to you. This next part will stay between me and you. If you tell these secrets to anyone else, you will never see Schala again...the amount of time in the eternities have nothing to do with it."

Magus leaned in, his face panicked, "What do you mean."

"You must swear to me or walk away. I will let you make the choice."

"Spare me." Magus said with a scoff, "I swear."

Chrono smiled at Magus' love for his sister, but grew serious again. "The eternities are not just this timeline alone. The universe is more vast than you can even imagine. When you change time, that altered future doesn't just simply vanish. You fracture it and it breaks into thousands of pieces that grow and grow. They become their own universes and their own realities. Lavos existed as we did at one point in time, but became what he is now. He knows that other realities have formed and as long as he exists in all those realities he will always be a threat. However, in an unconscious sense your sister knew this. She didn't just prevent Lavos from awakening. She sealed him away with her soul."

"Do you mean to tell me that she's trapped?"

"Yes, but so is he."

"So, what must I do?"

"You will go back to your time, and as I have said I will give you a blessing. The blessing will keep you. You will live throughout the millenniums, serving mankind. You will help restore the damage that Lavos caused. You will roam the earth, having no home nor close friend. In time, you will lose sense of who you are. You will serve mankind with such diligence that your devotion will consume all sense of your self; you will find peace within your soul and find joy. It is around that time that you will meet a youth. You will embark on an adventure with him and during that adventure your memories will return. It is then and only then that you, him, and a group of adventurers will face against Lavos one last time. The mantle shall be lifted from you, and the scales will fall from your eyes. At long last you will be reunited with Schala and your will have earned your own forgiveness."

Magus laughed, "Ah, that's all I have to do, huh?"

"I didn't say it would be easy."

"So, she will be okay? Can you swear that to me?"

Chrono mused for a moment. What he had said to Magus about his fear of everything he sensed being an illusion was a worry to him. However, as storms of uncertainty filled his mind he felt a calmness within himself. He felt as if it was an answer. "Yes. I swear it." Chrono said with a nod.

They stared at the sky for quite some time longer. When Chrono yawned Magus offered to take his spot. Although Chrono tried to object, Magus insisted saying that he had plenty to think about. After several more attempts, Chrono listened and went below deck.

Magus stared at the star that Chrono pointed out as he reached into a sack that contained more apples. He felt a sense of fear and excitement. It felt as if he were walking to the gallows and yet was getting a reprieve all at the same time. It was strange that he was to receive the immortality his mother sought after, yet he did not want it. He did not want to carry the mantle anymore. However, he thought on his sister and said to himself that for her it would be worth it.

He thought upon how strange it was he crumpled under his initial calling when there was so much at stake. However, he thought of his sister and felt a determination stronger than anything he had ever felt. He was not strong enough to save the world, but he would be strong enough to save her.

Even if it took millenniums for him to be strong enough to do it.

He stared at the stars.

A day would come where he would be floating under the same stars he looked at now. The boy Chrono spoke of would be there with a girl who had a fire in her eyes. The boy would be rowing against the current toward an island where destiny awaited them. Magus would be a different man, searching his mind, oblivious to the countless eons he had spent looking, trying to remember what it was he was supposed to find. A green haired youth, a soldier of great skill, who bore a striking similarity to Glenn, would ask him what he was thinking about.

"Nothing," Magus would say. "I was just trying to remember when I last saw the sky just like this."