Released by Square in 1999 on the Sony Playstation,
Chrono Cross would be a spiritual sequel to Chrono Trigger. Written and Directed by Masato Kato, who wrote
the first game and also helped write Xenogears, the game would deliberately depart from the
conventions of the first game in order to tell a new story in the same universe. For story, the game features a young blue-haired
boy named Serge and Kid, a hot headed thief, alongside 43 other recruitable characters,
though only 3 are ever fielded at a time.For gameplay, the game utilizes turn-based battles,
with a stamina-based action economy for each character's turn, and encounters occurring
by colliding with enemy sprites on the map. Each character, ability, and spell in the
game corresponds to one of 6 elements in the game, and there is a field effect present
in all battles that dynamically corresponds to the types of elements used in battle to
help or hinder the player. Each character has a customizable grid wherein
spells, abilities, and battle items may be assigned to be used, as well as at least 3
signature techniques. The game also features an equipment crafting
system, a monster arena, and new game plus, which is needed to explore every route and
recruit every character across multiple playthroughs. The story only gets larger from here, so let's
cut it down to size with a RECAPitation. As the game begins, we meet Serge, a young
man living in Arni Village in the El Nido archipelago. One day, he meets with his childhood friend
Leena, learns of the ever important Records of Fate acting as save points around the world,
trains with the village Elder Radius, and works to earn komodo scales for Leena. As she muses about the future Serge suddenly
hears a distant voice call outto him. Strange visions hit him suddenly as stranger
energy surrounds him. As the world shifts, Serge collapses, and
coming to, he notes Leena is gone and gets up to look for her. When he returns to Arni, no one recognizes
him somehow, including Leena, though she says he looks a lot like a boy she used to know
who drowned 10 years ago. She points him to the boy's grave nearby,
and as he investigates it, it indeed has his name on it, with a death date of 10 years
ago. Suddenly, he's called out by a man named Karsh
who was somehow expecting to find him here, though as he encroaches upon Serge, he's called
out by a young girl. She leaps in to defend Serge, and after winning
a brief battle, she introduces herself as Kid. Now searching for clues on Serge's death,
they run into the bumbling guards Solt and Peppor who attacked him earlier, and make
it to Termina where they see its time for the Viper festival to honor the Leader of
the Acacia Dragoons, Lord Viper. There's to be an invite-only event at his
manor and Kid is keen to sneak in for her own reasons, but also to help find out why
they are after Serge to begin with. In Termina, they meet a ferryman named Korcha
and witness the soldier Glenn escort Lord Viper's daughter Riddel, who mentions how
everyone in the manor has been acting strange since a beastman came around. Finding a new ally and sneaking in at night,
they disguise themselves as guards and make their way to the treasury. After getting trapped and meeting the scientist
Luccia, Kid seems disappointed there's nothing called a Frozen Flame here, and they soon
encounter an old man who recognizes Serge. Calling himself the prophet of time, Belthasar,
he explains Serge is not from this world, but from a parallel one in another dimension. In this world, he died 10 years ago, yet somehow
he has crossed over into this world. Unsure of the reason why or how he died 10
years ago, they are interrupted by Marcy of the Acacia Dragoon's 4 Devas, and after defeating
her, the prophet advises where they can go next. They encounter a strange harlequin named Harle
who takes an immediate liking to Serge, and is the right hand woman to Lynx, a dangerous
person she warns Serge not to cross. Now sneaking into General Viper's office they
are caught in the act by Viper himself who is accompanied by Lynx. Kid immediately recognizes Lynx and swears
revenge on him, calling him a murderer. Lynx then calls out Kid as a member of the
Radical Dreamers band of thieves, and they clash, though this Lynx was just a shadow
copy. Lynx then speaks to Serge directly, asking
him what he wants and if he wants to erase his death from the history of this world. Peering into a strange artifact before him
called the Dragon Tear, Serge sees another strange vision of himself before the Frozen
Flame, and Lynx makes the bold claim the human world will soon end. Surrounding the party with shadows, Riddel
now enters the office and is quickly taken hostage by Kid. As they follow her lead to a cliff edge, Lynx
takes advantage of a distraction to throw a poison knife at Kid, who is struck and falls
over. He then approaches Serge, calling him the
Assassin of Time and literal Chrono Trigger, but Serge chooses to leap after Kid over the
edge. Hitting the water and falling unconscious,
Serge wakes up the next day in the care of Korcha and his mother, but Kid is still suffering
from Lynx's poison. A local doctor identifies it as Hydra venom,
and she'll die in 2 days without the antidote. The problem is the known antidote comes from
the bone of a Hydra, yet they were hunted down to extinction here in EL Nido. Strangely, they are visited by Harle, who
is glad to see Kid incapacitated, and leaves just as quickly. Weakly, Kid gives Serge her Astral Amulet,
telling him to take it back to where it all began, and Serge must decide on whether or
not to save her himself. They also learn El Nido is also called The
Land where the Dragons Sleep, as each island is named after a dragon and ruins of an ancient
race called the Dragonians. One of these ruins, Fort Dragonia, can be
activated by a relic called the Dragon Tear though its been thought lost for years. In town, they overhear Glenn talking about
how General Viper is now heading to Fort Dragonia under rumors the rival nation of Porre is
nearby looking into rumors of the Frozen Flame. They wonder what they plan to do with the
Dragon Tear over there and borrow the small boat they have been using. Glenn now approaches Serge, asking to borrow
a boat to Fort Dragonia, and since they are going the same way, decides to join forces. He advises they travel to a small island and
speak to his former mentor Radius, though they see Lynx has ordered that place to be
burned to the ground and Harle informs them Radius wasn't there. After she battles them to stall for time she
pulls away, and Radius now steps in, once village elder in Serge's world, but a hermit
in this one. Radius confirms Lynx is behind the recent
plotting, and explains that before he used to be quite the force with Zappa the blacksmith
and Glenn's father, but after Glenn's father died he retired and looked after the boys. However, Glenn's brother Dario was killed
out on a mission despite wielding the powerful sword Einlanzer, and being engaged to Viper's
daughter Riddel. Lynx then approached Viper and spoke of the
Frozen Flame's amazing healing abilities and wish fulfillment, and Radius now suspects
General Viper intends to overthrow the rival nation of Porre with the power of the Frozen
Flame. Porre has been using its military might to
bring suffering to the central continent of Zenan, but its still unclear what the General's
or Lynx's motives are, and Radius has no wish to fight. Following the Dragoon's ships to Mount Pyre,
they run into a pirate ship captained by a man named Fargo, who is suspicious of their
affiliation to Lynx. He poisons and captures them, and while he
sleeps Serge has another dream of a black panther. Waking up, Fargo's ship is attacked by a ghost
ship, and after helping the pirates out, Fargo gives them advice that in order to pursue
Viper and his men, they'll need to survive the heat of Mt Pyre. In order to do that, he suggests seeing the
Water Dragon and gaining his divine protection. With the Water Dragon of this world being
no more, and after seeing Belthasar's hidden Neo Epoch ship, they use Kid's Astral Amulet
and Serge as the link between worlds, and warp over to Serge's original world from Opassa
Beach. Heading over to the isle of the water dragon,
they deal with the dwarves invading the land and killing the native fairies, though it
turns out they were doing so because they were driven from their homeland by humans
to begin with. The water dragon recognzes the efforts of
Serge and bestows upon Serge a portion of his power that can even freeze lava, along
with a summon, that will aide him within Mt Pyre, where the Fire dragon dwells. However, the Fairies recognize that humans
are to blame for the Dwarves' suffering and now their own, and scorn Serge and his friends. Kid then suddenly collapses and has another
nightmare about Lynx in a burning orphanage, waking up suddenly in the night. She talks to Serge about how she was abandoned
as a baby and found and raised by a kind woman. One day, Lynx raided their home, burned it
down, and abducted the woman, and ever since Kid was on her own again living on the streets. She lived a harsh life unloved by the world
and has always made it a mission to one day get revenge on Lynx. Making it now to Mt Pyre, they encounter 3
of the 4 Devas, Karsh, Zoah, and Marcy who seek to bar their way. Pushing past them, Harle now appears to warn
him about proceeding further, and sincerely urges him not to die past this point. Now entering Fort Dragonia, they battle past
the many guardians and wards, and before entering the final door, Serge has another forboding
vision. Stepping within the chamber, Lynx and General
Viper are there waiting for them, and right when General Viper lets his guard down to
focus on getting rid of the party, Lynx warps behind him and literally stabs him in the
back. General Viper falls, and though the party
tries to fight Lynx, he steps back to question Serge's origins and significance in all this,
and mentions how a part of himself also died 10 years ago. He points out Serge cannot defeat him, as
denying him would also erase Serge's existence, and suddenly, the Dragon's Tear before them
lights up, and Serge sees his visage change into Lynx's. Serge stumbles back before looking up, as
its clear his mind has now switched bodies, and Lynx is now in Serge's body. Unnoticed by Kid, Lynx now urges the party
to attack Serge, and while they beat him down, Lynx now takes Kid's Dagger to kill Serge
as she hesistates in her revenge for Lucca. Suddenly, Kid pauses, as she knows she never
told Serge Lucca's name and realizes this must be a trick by Lynx. Acting quickly, Lynx then stabs Kid with her
own dagger, and takes down the rest of the party, but insists on finishing them off later. He turns to taunt Serge before moving to grab
the Dragon Tear, the key to the gate of Fate, as he is one step closer to the Frozen Flame. He invites Serge to come to the Sea of Eden
now, destroys the wards of the fortress, and binds Serge until he blacks out. Waking up now in the Post Impressionist scenery
of the Temporal Vortex, still in the body of Lynx, Serge encounters an unusual resident
named Sprigg who accompanies him and helps him get out of the strange Van Gogh realm. Harle is there too, knowing of the body swap,
and agrees to join him on his trip back to reality. Navigating past the MC Escher platforms, they
return back to the Hydra Marshes in Serge's home world. Returning to Opassa beach, Serge finds he
cannot open the dimensional gate anymore, and sees how unfriendly most people are to
demi-humans now. He goes to see his mother and convinces him
he's really Serge, and how he was told to go to the Sea of Eden. His mother somberly tells him that 14 years
ago Serge's father Wazuki and his friend Miguel, went sailing out in the middle of a storm
because of an emergency, and were tossed into the Dead Sea. No one dares to enter the dead sea, and though
Leena's father, Miguel, never returned, Wazuki somehow returned but was never the same. She points out that at the time, that area
was called the Sea of Eden and later called the Dead Sea. Radius now steps in, recognizing Lynx and
announcing himself as a former member of the Acacia Dragoons. He attacks, but afterwards, realizes this
isn't really Lynx. Seeing as the general has gone missing for
3 years in this world, he hopes to still save Riddel in the other world and joins along. Heading to Termina again for clues, they see
the whole city is currently occupied by Porre headed by a Commander Norris. Gaining new allies like the Dragoon smithy
Zappa, they find Viper Manor collapsed and ruined. Finding Commander Norris, he seems friendly
to Lynx, and reports the Frozen Flame has not been found here. Though he soon realizes this is not actually
Lynx, he is still friendly, and shares that it was Lynx who first approached Porre about
the exisitence of the Frozen Flame in El Nido. A few years ago, Norris was sent to confirm
the story, and learned General Viper and the 4 Devas disappeared into the Dead Sea, never
to return. THe group now thinks the Dead Sea may be the
clue they need but there doesn't seem to be a way into the Dead Sea anymore, though the
demi-humans of Marbule may known something. Norris volunteers to come along and confirm
the Frozen Flame, and after recruiting the alien Starky to their side, they make it to
the village of Marbule. They learn the demi-humans were forced here
by humans, and even then, pushed away due to the rich amount of magical elements here. Most of the residents left to work on the
Cruise Ship Zelbess, including a sage that might now of the way into the Dead Sea by
a means named Death's Door. They are met by a mermaid named Irenes (eRee-nes)
who also wishes to join them on the way to the Zelbess, as they find Fargo in this world
actually runs a casino cruise ship. Fargo still mournes the loss of his wife Zelbess,
Irenes's sister, along with his children Nikki and Marcy. Irenes reveals Luccia tried to save Zelbess
but could only save the baby Marcy who still lives. She seeks the restoration of Marbule, and
for that, Fargo needs to release the sage he keeps on this ship. Playing Fargo for access to the rest of his
ship, the group is conned by Fargo into betting and losing their boat. Stuck on this ship they suspect shenanigans,
and with the help of the show magician, are turned into cats in order to sneak behind
the scenes and foil the rigged games. They walk into Nikki the rock star figuring
out that Fargo is his long lost father, and whom also refuses for Nikki to learn the song
that can restore Marbule based on the pain in his heart right now. For now, the group beats Fargo at his own
game, and meet with the former leader of Marbule. He laments how the demi-humans have no future
and are at the mercy of humans these days, but sees how intent the group is to get into
the Dead Sea. He hands them the key they need to open a
new gate into the Dead Sea just as Nikki finds him, asking to learn the song of Marbule to
heal the pain in his father's heart and also cleanse Marbule of the lost spirits that roam
it. The old Sage agrees as the group continues
on. Now opening Death's Door, Radius is there
to greet them as they see the evil sword Masamune barring their way, and points out only the
dragon sword Einlanzer can break the seal of Masamune. He relates how Einlanzer is normally bestowed
to the strongest among the Acacia Dragoons, and for a while, that was Glenn and Dario's
father Garai. However, long ago when the two found the evil
sword Masamune, at first nothing seemd wrong, but then the malice of the sword brought forth
all of Radius's negative sentiments, including his jealousy of Garai and so he killed him
from behind with the Masamune, realizing only too late what he had done under its effects. Now facing the vengeful spirit of Garai at
his grave, they quell his rage by besting him in combat. Using its might to dispel Masamune Radius
comments that a sword is a reflection of its wiedler and hopes that one day Masamune will
be freed from its darkness. Now crossing the frozen ocean of the Dead
Sea, they cross some strange ruins of a highway, with stranger robots that roam it. They find a computer with a display reading
2300 AD, indicating these ruins are somehow from the future. They learn that sleeping beneath the planet
crust is a fearsome monster named Lavos, but the power cuts out before they can learn more. Entering the tower of Geddon, Serge see the
spirits of three small children and follows them, leading him to Nadia's Bell enscribed
from 1000 AD. The children turn to Serge and explain that
they helped save the planet all for nothing, and because Serge ruined it all, is why the
world will end up ruined. But a man now steps out, saying those children
are just illusions and echoes from far away that should be ignored. He welcomes them to the Tower of Geddon, ground
zero for the Time Crash, and reveals himself to be Miguel, Leena's lost father and friend
of Serge's father. He then explains that 14 years ago, Serge's
father Wazuki, Miguel, and a deathly ill Serge were lost at sea and ended up here, where
a mysterious voice beckoned them closer. However, this Dead sea wasnt always like this,
changing 10 year ago into this still world where nothing ages, because where they are
now is a future that never happened. For every choice one makes, they make a new
future, but also eliminate a potential future based on the choice one didn't make. Such discarded futures are condensed here
in the Dead Sea, made possible by FATE which binds everyone. He invites them to stay here in this world
but Serge refuses, and surmises they're here to restore the dimensional distortion, and
the only way to do so is by defeating him here. Serge and friends emerge victorious, and Miguel
now speaks of a literal entity named Fate that Serge may be able to defeat and thus
create hope for humanity. He recaps again how where they are is the
ruined future of the world, as in 1999 AD, the alien Lavos will erupt out of the planet
surface after falling here and feeding on it from within for hundreds of years. The world was doomed were it not for the efforts
of another teenage boy and his friends cathcing a glimpse of the future and time traveling
across different eras to battle Lavos and winning. Of course, in doing so, they changed history
and disrupted cause and effect, and the future that was supposed to disappear is about to
be restored here with Serge as the trigger. He now mentions how 3 years ago the Acacia
Dragoons visited here, seeking the frozen flame but were all destroyed as only the chosen
one can approach the Flame. The ground begins to rumble as Miguel states
FATE has made its decision and is beginning its move, as it doesn't want the Frozen Flame
to awaken here and now. It would rather destroy the Flame and the
whole Dead Sea than allow that to happen, so he urges them to flee now as this entire
future will also be cast away. As they flee Miguel reveals that Serge is
the chosen one for the Flame and is the one who can choose the future now. Fleeing, it doesn't look like they'll make
it out in time, but the Wind Dragon now swoops in to save them as the entire Dead Sea is
annihilated behind them. He says the Dragons have an express interest
in Serge's actions now, and if he would choose to defy the goddess of Fate, then he should
now awaken all of the dragons of El Nido. With the dimensional distortion restored,
they leave Serge's home world for the other world now, and are surprised to learn immediately
that Lynx is using Serge's body to raise a rebellion and kill everyone on the island. Making it to Termina, they find a hideout
where the Acacia Devas are hiding out, as they learned what happened in the chamber
with the dragon tear, realized Lynx's betrayal and body swap, and were able to rescue General
Viper in time, though in that absence, the Porre military were able to successfully invade
Termina. Before they battle Lynx, Karsh insists they
rescue Riddel first, and they give Serge what shards remained of the Dragon Tear they could
recover. Joining forces, Serge is able to use Lynx's
body to move unsuspected among the Porre military, and speaks to the Commander Norris of this
world. He agrees to help rescue Riddel, and they
rescue a captured Fargo along the way. Distracting the army while she gets away,
they dash out, and meet up again at Radius's hideout. The next day, Kid storms the hideout, who
seems to be under some strange influence, calling out for Lynx, as the real Lynx mocks
them. He encroaches upon them when suddenly Fargo
swoops in to repay the rescue favor and gets them all out. In the moment of quiet, Serge's thoughts turn
to Kid, and Harle urges him to think about what's most important to him and seize the
moment. Viper has now recovered and informs Serge
that Lynx is now making towards the Sea of Eden, likely to pursue the Frozen Flame, as
he and Fargo, and the rest of the 4 Devas now lend their aide to Serge. Bolstered, the group pursues Lynx, but first
they must awaken all 6 Dragons in order to enter the Sea of Eden. The shaman who first told him about the Dragon
Tear recognizes the shard of the Tear on Serge, and gives him the Dragon Emblem that all other
Dragon Shamans will recognize and respect, and thus he will receive aide in his homeworld. As they travel, they learn from Solt and Peppor
that Karsh was accused of killing Dario on the Isle of the Damned, as even though they
were childhood friends, they were both in love with Riddel though it was Dario she chose. After their engagement was announced, Karsh
and Dario went on a mission together, and things get blurry as they spotted the Masamune,
Dario was struck down, and Karsh questions if he was possessed while killing his best
friend, or if it simply brought out the hatred and envy already in his heart. Still, after the battle with the Shaker brothers,
Karsh insists he did not kill Dario though cannot say why for now. Returning to the cruise captain Fargo, the
pirate Fargo chastises his other self and takes command to move their ship to Marbule
to save the demi-humans there. Acting as the literal and symbolic bridge
between humans and demi-humans, Nikki heals the ill will within Marbule and helps awaken
the Dragon beyond. Visiting the Dragon Sage of this world, she
helps clarify Serge's mission to seek the 6 dragons of this world, and to help do so,
will lend Serge the Dragon Tear of this world. Now returning to the Water Dragon, it says
they will help Serge if he truly will challenge the goddess of fate, tests his might, and
once satisfied, gives Serge his blessing. Doing the same for the Earth, Green, Black,
Fire, and Sky Dragons, they open the way to the Sea of Eden for Serege. Along the way, on an isolated island, they
are shocked to find Dario alive yet suffering amnesia. As they try to help him remember, the Masamune
suddenly manifests and is wielded by Dario. Radius realizes the evil blade never disappeared
earlier, but instead returned to it rightful owner, and Karsh now reveals that on the Isle
of the Damned, it was Dario who took the Masamune and became overcome by its darkness, and begged
Karsh to end him before the spiteful hate of Garai would seek to kill Riddel. Karsh knocked Dario over the edge but never
confirmed he died and Lynx would blackmail Karsh with this knowledge as he claimed the
sword for himself. Facing the sword and Dario now, they defeat
the pair and cleanse the sword of evil once and for all, as the internal spirits of Masa
and Mune come to their senses and realize their deeds. Fusing with the spirit of Doreen, Serge's
signature weapon the Sea Swallow now transforms into the mighty Mastermune. As a result, Dario's memories come back to
him and he apologizes for the past. They show him the aftermath of this world's
dragoons and how everyone died, and Dario now resolves to make good for lost time and
rebuild the Manor since he is not yet ready to return to the battlefield. With the blessings of the Dragons, the Dragon
Sage Steena now grants Serge the Dragon Tear of this world as well as her personal aide,
as they focus on getting Serge back his original body. Opening the Fort Dragonia of this world, they
are quickly met by Lynx who spars with them a bit before moving on. Serge continues and places the Dragon Tear
upon its altar, resulting in a light appearing. The light begins to narrate, relaying how
all life came from the ocean, then learned free will, evolved into land creatures and
for a while, the world was dominated by the dragon lizards and the more evolved Reptites. However, when Lavos fell from space, it's
impact ended the age of dinosaurs, and coming into contact with Lavos, the apes of the age
were transformed into modern humans. Because of Lavos's influence, humans would
quickly populate and flood the world, and devour the resources of the planet like Lavos
itself. With this, the Dragon Tear flashes and absorbs
Serge, transforming him back into his original form, and shattering on its own. Steena points out that the shards left behind
by this world and the other's Dragon Tear are the shards of love and hate that when
combined, will be a legendary force known as the Chrono Cross. With the dragon relics in hand, the enter
the Sea of Eden, this world's version of the Dead Sea, and oppose the three fates that
seek to test them, opening up the way to the future ruins of Chronopolis. Within they see ghosts speak of experimentation
with the Flame and how something called FATE assured everyone how everything would be fine. Within this advanced city they learn that
originally El Nido was nothing but ocean, and the archipelago was artificially made
by FATE 10,000 years ago. The Dragon Isles, the use of elements, and
every single record of fate in the guise of save points scattered in the islands was all
predetermined and designed. The research staff who left the center had
their memories erased, and started new lives out in El Nido, with FATE monitoring, controlling,
and guiding them and their descendants through the records of fate for the last 10,000 years. The paradise was in harmony until one day
14 years ago, when Serge came into contact with the Frozen Flame. There were doubts that the experiments with
the flame allowing them to control time was the wrong choice to make, not to mention the
risk of the energy released by the Flame overwhelming everyone. The spirits about reflect how easy it is to
clone people and rewrite memories, or control emotions and personalities, and thus, FATE
directly connects to every person who comes in contact with a Record of Fate and imprints
its programming on them. In another vein, given how Lavos is an alien
life form, modern humans being mutated by Lavos's influence are abnormalities of the
world too, in a way. It explains why humans are such incomplete
contradictions, and do not fit in naturally with the world. In fact, 12,000 years ago the magical city
of Zeal had an encounter with Lavos, resulting in Zeal disappearing completely ever since. In another timeline, Lavos brings the apocalypse
in 1999, though this facility exists in the timeline where Lavos was defeated before that
happens. The scientists here are still studying the
works of Lucca from the first game, as during the 11th century, she allegedly utilized miniature
black holes by means of a Time Egg to realize time travel. According to her theory, by rotating a single
point of supergravity, a ring can be formed, acting as a gate between dimensions and enabling
travel between space-time. There is a legend that this Time Egg existed
during an ancient dynasty, but there no proof such a kingdom existed to these scientists. Rather, when they noted an unusual gravitational
field in El Nido, was when they built the artificial islands and Chronopolis, all to
prepare for their grand time experiment. In fact, this time research lab appeared out
of nowhere in 2300AD and was headed by Belthasar, who vanished one day, leaving the others to
continue his work. In the same year of 2300AD, a large-scale
prototype supercomputer named FATE was completed by integrating the old Mother Brain computer
into more powerful circuitry. Acting as the main computer of Chronopolis,
FATE watches everything in El Nido through the Records of Fate in both parallel worlds. Controlling everyone through these records,
it is able to maintain a stable and harmonious environment in both worlds by puppeteering
people and avoiding contact with the main continent so as to avoid altering history
and forming a paradox. However, since the formation of the Dead Sea
10 years ago, FATE has been unable to control the events of Serge's home world, though it
could still receive data through the records of fate. In addition, it also managed to bind Miguel
to the Dead Sea as a watchman. They find some curious memoirs of someone
from Radical Dreamers that is likely from yet another parallel world they don't know
of yet. Entering a biologically locked area labeled
Project Kid, Serge is somehow authorized to enter and recognized as the last Arbiter and
Chrono Trigger, thus explaining why Lynx needed Serge's body. Entering the room, they at last see the fabled
Frozen Flame, which turns out to be a piece of Lavos broken off during the prehistoric
age. Revealing himself, Lynx chooses now to expose
his true identity as the human incarnation of the FATE supercomputer, it's own living
avatar. On the fateful night 14 years ago, Waszuki
and Miguel carried a deathly ill Serge here who was attacked by a panther demon. The poison in Serge was too much for the doctors
in Arni, but the Sage of Marbule could heal him so they set out to sea and got caught
in the storm. Due to the storm, the facility was offline
for about 10 minutes, but by then Serge came into contact with the Frozen Flame, which
healed his body, and the rebooted security system locked in Serge as the only arbiter
allowed access to it. Reason being, this event triggered a hidden
stand alone circuit in FATE kept hidden since its time as Mother Brain, which would cause
FATE to malfunction deliberately. In truth, this hidden circuit was based on
the initial circuit board made by Lucca, that not even FATE was aware of by design, and
aided in part by Belthasar. Bringing this Prometheus circuit out, who
was Robo from the first game, it urges Serge to end the fight between FATE and the Dragons,
though Lynx orders FATE to terminate Prometheus once and for all, ending the rogue element
finally. Lynx now ascends into a larger cybernetic
form, and Serge finally battles the true physical manifestation of the overlord supercomputer
behind El Nido, destroying the foe for good. As FATE realizes its own death, Kid now wakes
up from Lynx's spell, and seeing the Frozen Flame, leaps on top of it. Harle now appears to urge her not to make
things worse but Kid ignores her, as around the world, the six Dragons sense that FATE
is finally no more and the time is now to make the next move for the planet. Now, a massive tower rises swiftly from the
ocean, spreading its wings to reveal the new Terra Tower. Kid then reveals that in 2400AD, during a
counter-time experiment, the flame goes out of control, ripping apart the dimension and
causing the Time Crash. Caught in this, Chronopolis is sent back 10,000
years into the past, perhaps due to Lavos calling back the flame to itself. She theorizes that Lavos may then have seen
the possible future that some adventurers may defeat it in the future, and thus made
a backup plan. Regardless, at the same time, another city
from a different dimension's future was also sent back in time, Dinopolis. In the same vein as Lavos, Kid conjectures
the planet may have called back Dinopolis to itself as well. Either way, it wasn't the Dragon Gods who
sealed the Frozen Flame, but FATE who used the Frozen Flame to seal away the dragons
in slumber. Now that FATE is defeated, she realizes there
is nothing now to stop the Dragons from carrying out their revenge against humanity on behalf
of the planet. On cue, the Dragons arrive outside Chronopolis
and fuse their bodies into one, forming the singular entity called the Dragon God who
swoops in and steals the Frozen Flame. As Kid now collapses, Harle bids farewell
to Serge, revealing to be on the side of the Dragon God and leaves to join it. As the party regroups, everyone realizes the
Dragons had been using them this whole time. Kid also seems to be possesed by something
from the past and a powerful item like the Dragon Tear or Masamune may be able to dispel
it. Seeing her, Mastermune recognizes Kid as a
princess who is being bound by the past and is beyond their ability to help, though they
recognize Kid's amulet as an incomplete Time Egg likely made by Lucca. Realizing they can use this to travel to her
past, Mastermune warps Serge to the point where Lucca's orphanage was set fire by Lynx. Passing by a destroyed Gato, they run into
Lynx and Harle there among the destruction, who warp away with Lucca as they rescue a
young Kid from the fire. Despite saving her here, they unfortunately
must abandon her again in the past as the time travel effect runs out. Back in the present, their plan worked as
Kid returns to them, and she now receives a memento Letter written for her from Lucca. Within, Lucca reveals to Kid she was one of
the adventurers who changed the future in order to save the planet from Lavos. While she doesn't regret this, knowing what
she knows about traveling through time, she wonders what became of the future that was
supposed to happen and where did it go. After all, in creating a new future and saving
so many lives, they destroyed another future and caused so many deaths of those in the
future to be. In the back of her mind, she always worried
that one day, someone from the timeline she helped end may also travel back in time to
terminate her and her friends as revenge. As such, she assures Kid that should something
terrible happen to her, she was always prepared for it, so don't let it burden her. She then hints about Kid's true name and heritage,
noting she's nothing like the girl she knew, and trusts that Janus is likely not too far
from her now, keeping her safe. Finishing the letter, Kid reconciles that
part of her past as she accepts Lucca's death and is prepared to move on. Now entering the Divine Dragon Falls, Serge
uses the altar to reforge the shards of the Dragon Tear into the Chrono Cross, and while
thinking of how to reach the flying Terra Tower, their ally Starky the alien recovers
an antigravity device from his ship. Installing it onto their boat, they now make
flight into the starry sky and safely land onto Terra Tower. Within, strong wardens block their way, viewing
humanity as a plague to be rid of. Serge hears a voice that tells him how this
tower is a fortress belonging to the ancient Reptites to be used a symbol of revenge against
mankind by the Dragons. Robbed of their future because of Lavos and
the apes mutated by Lavos, the original dominant species is here to claim their due. Climbing the tower, they are surprised to
find themselves in an area identical to Viper Manor with Belthasar present. In the ancient magical kingdom of Zeal, he
was the Sage of Reason until the Queen of Zeal tried to harness the power of Lavos herself,
resulting in a series of events that had him flung far into the future. There, he studied the science of the future,
and combined it with the knowledge of Magic he knew that was lost in the future. This research led to Chronopolis and the eventual
Time Crash. He made his own time machine named the Neo
Epoch and traveled back here on his own to learn of Chronopolis and FATE'S plan. More to the point, he reveals how Terra Tower
actually IS Dinopolis, a city of the Reptites, which is from another dimension's future. It's the castle of Queen Azala's descendents,
who evolved much more closley to the planet, and was pulled back 10,000 years ago into
the past to counter Lavos pulling Chronopolis 10,000 years into the past. The two cities waged battle against each other
until Chronopolis emerged the victor, and FATE sealed away the fortress. As for the Dragons, they were the true opponents
of mankind while FATE was attempting to protect humanity, and are originally a living accumulation
of the planet's energy. The dragons were originally one organic machine,
the Dragon God, used by the future Reptites to control the powers of nature. In order to seal the Dragon God, FATE divided
it into 6 weaker plasma life forms, and sealed those away, where they took the forms of Dragons
by their own choice. With FATE now gone, the seven dragons are
now reunited, as he now reveals the hidden seventh dragon who was able to work to free
the other six from FATE, who was created by the six during the ten minute outage of Chronopolis
during the storm 14 years ago, who they know as Harle. He accepts all this as the planet doing its
best to remove the unwanted humans from its surface, but regardless, Serge can still fight
for the future of mankind. The apparitions of Crono, Marle, and Lucca
are nearby and recognize the Chrono Cross in Serge's possession, teaching him how to
use its powerful healing property. Bidding them farewell, Belthasar takes his
leave as the group approaches the summit of the tower. The true Frozen Flame now appears before them,
as does the Dragon God, as the two forces clash to determine which dimension will continue
to live. Serge edges out a win, but the Dragon God
merely pulls back for now. Belthasar now comes in, saying the form they
just fought was merely one the real Dragon God uses to appear within this dimension. The real Dragon God was consumed by Lavos
in the distant past within the darkness beyond time, and furthermore, the Frozen Flame is
merely a splinter that broke off of Lavos eons ago. However, the one who connects with the Frozen
Flame essentially connects to Lavos itself, gaining immense power. The Time Devourer is a new fusion of the beasts,
and once complete, will consume all of space-time. Now giving them a time egg of his own, he
urges them to use it to free someone in particular, while Terra Tower collapses and falls before
transforming into a new final stage. Returning to where it all began, he finds
the spirits of Lucca, Marle and Crono there, and Lucca tells them the true beginning to
this tale is back with the destruction of the Kingdom of Zeal, when Princess Schala
was sucked into a dimensional vortex along with the Lavos Mammon Machine. Because of this, the two became fused into
a being that would become known as the Devourer of Time. Her mind split, the part that wanted to destroy
everything which stayed with Lavos, and the part that wanted to save everyone including
herself. As she fell through the time gate, she heard
young Serge's crying echo through time, and at that point herself and Serge's stories
began to intertwine, with the past and future beginning to intersect, and the world became
divided into two. She too travelled 10,000 years to make contact
with this dimension, and this is what caused the raging storm that occured that fateful
night when FATE's system malfunctioned for a few minutes and Serge was led to the Frozen
Flame. Schala would clone herself and send her copy
to this dimension bearing her ancient pendant, which would protect her in life or death situations
by rewinding time a little bit until out of danger. As suspected, this daughter/clone of Schala
is really Kid, and in that vein, the Project Kid that Belthasar started existed to lead
her to this specific point in time with the Chrono Cross. In fact, in the future, Kid is meant to travel
back 10 years from now and save a young Serge from drowning, and be the one to call him
as Serge stood with Leena here on Opassa Beach since the beginning. Now, they must save Schala who has been merged
with the Devourer of Time in the darkness on the other side of time. Serge can now determine how the new Lavos
will evolve from here, whether Lavos will devour all time in the future and send the
world into everlasting death, which is the future Belthasar saw for his world in 2300
AD. Crono then mentions Serge was drowned by Lynx
in this world 10 years ago, because when Prometheus broke the link between FATE and the Flame,
FATE then worked to eliminate all obstacles in its path to get the Flame again. Meanwhile, the six dragons would make Harle
to also gain the Flame, and would trick Lynx into joining forces as his subordinate, all
so they could lift the lock on the Flame Prometheus placed. At first, they tried abducting Lucca who could
lift the lock but she refused to cooperate and died. They then waited for Serge to appear as FATE
calcualted Serge would try and cross dimensions here. To make things worse, Lynx was actually constructed
from Serge's father Wazuki. In saving Serge, being too close to the Flame
made his mind unstable and over time lost his soul, allowing FATE to easily assimilate
him and transform him into its own avatar deliberately in the image of a panther, Serge's
worst fear at the time. Meaning, despite surviving the ordeal in Chronopolis
to save Serge, Wazuki would eventually be claimed by FATE and be sent to kill Serge. With that, Serge and friends confront the
Time Devourer with Schala will encased upon it, and with the song of life, they wield
the Chrono Cross, shattering the claim Lavos has on the ancient Princess. As things settle down, questions of the meaning
of life, the universe and everything come up. It's revealed that time that was once divided
will be unified again, and Serge will lose all memory of this whole adventure as he will
return to his own time. The difference is, this time he will be able
to live his own life free of fate. As the game ends, friends and allies all say
goodbye, as Serge now wakes up back on the beach with Leena after fetching her some Komodo
scales, with his recent adventure still fresh in his mind. We now see that Schala Zeal, aka Kid, has
recorded their adventure in a journal with the promise of them finding each other somehow
without memories, as we now see a wedding picture of Serge and Kid, and scenes of Kid
still searching in order to keep her promise across time. Chrono Cross has enjoyed the success of selling
over 1.9 million copies worldwide. Though a tad late, a heartfelt Thank You to
every sub that has helped this channel reach past the 40k mark. I sincerely appreciate the patience and enthusiam
of the community that supports and shares every adventure in this RECAPitation journey. Next RECAPitation will be: Suikoden 2
