

Common Inquiries

Table of Contents:

Chapter 01: What is the Dragon God?
Chapter 02: What is Radical Dreamers?
Chapter 03: What exactly is Flea's gender?
Chapter 04: Why did Schala's hair change color?
Chapter 05: What happened to the Masamune in El Nido?
Chapter 06: What exactly happened to Serge in 1006 AD?
Chapter 07: What is the connection between Kid and Harle?
Chapter 08: How is it possible Lucca was captured by Lynx?
Chapter 09: Why is the Dragon God called the Time Devourer?
Chapter 10: How did Guardia defeat Magus without Crono's help?
Chapter 11: Why isn't El Nido on the Chrono Trigger world map?
Chapter 12: Why are there so many differences between the dimensions?

Chapter 1
What is the Dragon God?

The Dragon God was a machine comprised of organic living tissue the Dragonians had built in their own dimension. It's purpose was to regulate and maintain balance between the six elements of nature. It resided in Dinopolis and was pulled along with the city into the human dimension as a result of the Time Crash, circa 7600 BC. There the Dragonians found themselves living amongst humans - a race that had become extinct millions of years ago in the Reptite timeline. Humans and Dragonians waged war against one another in what fans have unofficially called the "Polis War" (after the two cities involved, Dinopolis and Chronopolis). FATE issued fighter jets to fire on the floating Dinopolis, severely weakening the Dragonian base. The ice age the reptilian Dragonites appeared in also found them at a disadvantage for, being ectothermic, they could not tolerate the chilling climate. As a result humanity emerged victorious and FATE used the powers of the Frozen Flame found inside Chronopolis to put a seal on the Dragon God. This act split the Dragon into the six weaker lifeforms that we see in El Nido today. FATE was able to control the dragons by doing this and until 1020 AD had protected humanity by refusing the dragons to merge into their rightful form. The Dragon God's ultimate goal is to destroy humanity by reforming the human dimension into the one with which it is familiar - one flourishing with the Dragonian race.

It should be noted that the Dragon God additionally serves as another component of the Time Devourer. At some unspecified date the Dragon was engulfed by Lavos in the Darkness of Time, just as Schala had been. The details of this are unknown but many have surmised this occurred during FATE’s sealing of the Dragon since the Frozen Flame (a known link to Lavos) was used in this process. After this fusion had happened the six individual dragon gods, as well as the complete merged version, were only able to appear in the timelines as illusionary projections emanating from the Darkness of Time but ultimately created by the Time Devourer. Read futher for more information regarding the Dragon's association with Lavos. 

Chapter 2
What is Radical Dreamers?

The second game in the Chrono series, Radical Dreamers was a pseudo-sequel to Chrono Trigger. It was released in 1996 but was only available in Japan. In order to play the game one must first buy an add-on for the Super Famicom (the Japanese equivalent to the Super Nintendo). This device was called the Satellaview and it made it possible to download games via satellite onto a memory chip. Once saved, the games could be played at any time on the Super Famicom. No cartridges of Radical Dreamers were ever produced, and as a result the game is impossible to purchase now that the Satellaview service is discontinued. Now if one wishes to play the game he must emulate it on his computer. Until recently Radical Dreamers was only available in Japanese, but thanks to the work of the Demiforce team an English translation patch was released in April 2003.

At the time of its release Radical Dreamers was intended to be a short sequel to Chrono Trigger. While it makes brief mention of some characters, it doesn't continue the tale of its predecessor. Rather, it begins a new story with focus on Kid and Serge during their infiltration of Viper Manor, the sole setting of the game. The title eventually became the basis for Chrono Cross. A little while after Radical Dreamers' release the development team decided to remake it to include an expanded story and further ties to Chrono Trigger. With the advent of Chrono Cross as the primary sequel, Radical Dreamers has been relegated to a spin-off of Chrono Trigger more than anything else. In order to tie it into the series many fans regard its story as taking place in a dimension entirely separate from the ones found in Chrono Trigger/Cross. As a result, anything that happens during Radical Dreamers has no impact on the story of the other two games and in no way furthers the plot of the series. This retroactive adjustment does not dampen the story as Radical Dreamers is an excellent game and offers players a glimpse at the often ignored text-adventure genre.

Chapter 3
What exactly is Flea's gender?

Most people look at Flea and assume he is female as he takes the physical form of one. Once he mentions he is actually a man mass confusion breaks out. Look at it this way: when Flea first appears in the Magic Cave he takes the form of an ordinary bat. When he appears for battle in Magus' Castle he changes into a human form. This leads us to believe he can assume any shape he desires as he is a magician. Note that the demi-human Sprigg could also change shape, so it is possible the trait is passed down through some types of demi-humans. It is also possible the female exterior we see is not even Flea's true form; it is impossible to know for sure what Flea really looks like. The bottom line is Flea claims to be a male in Chrono Trigger and is labeled as a male in Chrono Cross. Who would know more about Flea's gender than the man himself? Why he assumes the shape of a girl is unknown.

Chapter 4
Why did Schala's hair color change?

Many are perplexed by the fact that Schala's hair is blonde in Chrono Cross while it was blue/purple in Chrono Trigger. There are really two schools of thought on the subject:

It is rumoured that in the Japanese release of Chrono Trigger for the Playstation a citizen of the Dark Ages mentions the royal family (and perhaps many of Zeal's citizens) dye their hair a dark blue in order to differentiate themselves from the Earthbound ones and make clear their magical superiority. I cannot confirm whether such a statement was included in that version of the game, but the theory sounds plausible. After being confined to Lavos within the Darkness of Time for a very long period is it not unthinkable for the dye to have faded while the rest of Schala's body remained unchanged.

It has been said that in the concept stages of Chrono Trigger Schala's hair was designed to be blonde. The reasoning behind this was that her hair would be naturally blonde while she was low on magical energy. Once her magic powers had recovered her hair would turn blue to symbolize her strength. Before the final version of the game was released this plan was changed and Schala was given blue hair right from the start. This theory is also plausible as once she had merged with Lavos her strength would have been severely drained as she lost control, thus her hair would revert to it's natural blonde color.

Chapter 5
What happened to the Masamune in El Nido?

After it was used in the conflict with Porre in 1005 AD the Masamune was stolen from the battlefield by an unknown person. Within the next five years (give or take) it wound up in El Nido - how this happened is not revealed. The first place it is seen is in a cave at the top of Divine Dragon Falls, on El Nido's main island. Radius and Garai take it with them when leaving, whereupon Radius falls under the control of the sword's malicious influence and kills Garai. We don't know what year this happened, but it is presumed to have been between 1010 - 1016. The sword was discarded at the falls, but apparently an individual placed it on the Isle of the Damn because that's where it was seen in 1017. Presumably Garai's anger for having been murdered coupled with the Masamune's amplification of negative energy had an effect on the island which caused it to mutate into an isle of bones, tar, and the undead. Dario and Karsh ventured to the island then and found the blade near Garai's grave. History repeated as Dario picked up the sword, only to lose all control as the enmity dictated his actions. Karsh was forced to attack Dario. The blade was dropped and Lynx appeared to collect it. In Another World we don't know what he did with it, but in Home World he placed it at the entrance to Death's Door after he and the Acacia Dragoons ventured into the Dead Sea. This was to prevent any explorers from venturing into the area and causing trouble. In Home World the sword was purged of evil after its spirits awoke after Serge's battle with Dario in 1020. The sword's fate in Another World is unknown.

Chapter 6
What exactly happened to Serge in 1006 AD?

What transpired during Serge's trip to Chronopolis is critical to understanding the rest of Chrono Cross' plot as it served as the cornerstone for all the problems that were to come.

In 1006 Serge was attacked by a wild panther while playing near his home in Arni. He was poisoned by the beast and it is presumed local townsfolk came to his aide as he was only three years old at the time and completely unable to defend himself. After the animal was chased away Wazuki, Serge's father, set out to sea with his friend Miguel in order to seek medical attention. The shamans of Guldove and practitioners of Termina would be of no use, so they set sail to Marbule in order to meet with the demi-human sages there. During this time Schala reached out from her imprisonment in the Darkness of Time in order to help Serge. This interference into the timeline caused a magnetic storm which ravaged the islands. Consequently Wazuki's small boat was blown off course and came to rest in the entrance to the Sea of Eden. Because of the severity of the storm, the entire Chronopolis facility was forced to shut down. This also disabled the defensive barriers put in place to hide the complex. Thus it was easy for Wazuki's party to enter both the Sea of Eden and eventually Chronopolis without incident. Once inside, Schala's voice spoke through the Frozen Flame and called out to Wazuki, urging him to bring Serge near. The Flame instantly cured Serge of the toxin, but it is also had a hidden consequence. The Flame granted young Serge the powers of the Arbiter of Time. As the security systems rebooted the FATE supercomputer began to function once more. During this startup the hidden Prometheus Circuit activated, disallowing FATE access from the Frozen Flame. Now only the one designated as the arbiter could open the security lock to gain admittance to the treasure. They key was, in essence, Serge’s body as a DNA and retinal scan were required to enter the room in which the Flame was kept. Moments before, Wazuki's presence near the Flame caused him to become psychologically unstable. FATE immediately took hold of him and began to manipulate his body into a feline form, the image Serge then associated with fear after his recent encounter with the panther. Wazuki's metamorphosis didn't take hold immediately though. He remained human long enough to take his child home and to explain the recent happenings to his wife (thanks to Link Kain for this correction). He then left his village to presumably continue his transformation in private. It's unknown how long this took, but the first known appearance of Lynx was in the year 1010 when he attempted to kill Serge.

Millennia earlier, the computer used the powers of the Flame to divide the Dragon God and seal its powers. While FATE lost its grip on the Flame, this sealed remained. In the brief period the supercomputer was offline the dragons had realized their chance for escape and pooled what energy they could muster into creating Harle, the 7th dragon. While the dragons were still confined under the lock FATE had placed upon them, Harle would work on their behalf to recover the Flame from within Chronopolis so as to free them entirely. We are unsure if Kid was created during this timeframe as well. Perhaps she was, and sent two years into the past so she would grow to one day free Schala from the Time Devourer.

As the arbiter, Serge alone held the power to use the Frozen Flame in order to form a link with the Time Devourer. Though it is somewhat ambiguous as to what Serge’s destiny is, many have gathered from Belthasar’s commentary that Serge’s role is to bind to the Devourer, completing its development and releasing it from imprisonment within the Dakrness of Time to cause everlasting ruin upon the world. This act jeopardizes the future in which Chronopolis was built; if the Time Crash never occurs then FATE's existence becomes uncertain. To avoid a monumental paradox FATE orders Lynx to eliminate Serge so as to avert the future’s destruction. This also creates a problem for FATE, as without Serge's body the computer will not be able to access the Flame. Regardless, the preservation of both itself and the future takes priority.

Meanwhile Serge spends the next four years growing up in Arni with his mother. In 1010 AD while playing at Opassa Beach he is confronted by strange men under the command of Lynx; their objective is murder. At the same time Kid travels back in time from 1020 AD to rescue Serge. In one dimension she manages to fend of Lynx and his henchmen and save Serge from drowning. This timeline becomes Home World and in it Serge continues to grow and proceed with his life. In Another World either Kid never made the journey or she failed in the rescue and Serge died. In this reality the threat he posed is averted and Chronopolis remains intact inside the Sea of Eden. However in Home World the future is uncertain. Until Serge makes a crucial decision the future hangs in limbo, but leans toward destruction, as can be evidenced by the Dead Sea.

Chapter 7
What is the connection between Kid and Harle?

The parallels between these two characters are remarkable. When taken to Termina's fortune teller both girls are given nearly identical predictions. Though Harle wears makeup, we can still see she bears a striking resemblance to Kid if we only look to the contour of her face and figure. Both characters show affection toward Serge and even recite a similar catch phrase. This is far too much to be merely a coincidence. I'm confident Squaresoft designed the two to be symbolically opposed, and these aspects just help to drive the point home. The problem then comes from trying to explain plot-wise how they can be connected. We can look to the source of their creation to find that both originated from the Time Devourer. The basis for this idea is simply:

• Schala is connected to Lavos
• Lavos absorbed the Dragon God
• The Dragon God created Harle

The Dragon God, Lavos, and Schala all merged to form the being known as the Time Devourer. Since the Dragon God had a direct link to Schala in this way it therefore used her body's DNA as a blueprint to design Harle. Kid also came from Schala so the similarity in appearance need not be explained further. Since both characters came from the same source, it is then not curious that they should share some of the same mannerisms and feelings. It is as though Kid represents the human half the of the Time Devourer. Created by Schala, her goal is to achieve peace on behalf of mankind. Conversely, Harle represents the dragon, or inhuman, side of the Devourer who works to achieve a world free of humans - a world that perhaps can again be repopulated with Dragonians. So in a sense, both Harle and Kid are clones of Schala.

Chapter 8
How is it possible Lucca was captured by Lynx?

Many find the idea absurd that the magic wielding, gun carrying genius could have been taken down so easily by one such as Lynx. Understand that even though Lucca participated in the battle against the world-destroying Lavos, she was still helpless against Lynx because of the children living within her home. Had Lynx threatened to harm them Lucca would have reluctantly complied as she did not wish them to be hurt. Though some speculate that perhaps Lucca did resist, and the fire erupted as a result of her own magic. At this point we cannot be certain as to the cause of the fire, though it is generally accepted Lynx started it, as it makes little sense for Lucca to have. Yet even after the incident occurred she was helpless to escape because Lynx stripped her of her glasses; we can see them lying broken on the orphanage's floor when Serge rescues Kid. Without her glasses Lucca would have been unable to see clearly, thus being incapable of aiming her gun or finding her way to safety. Perhaps Lynx also tranquilized Lucca to avoid any problems during the trip to Chronopolis. At this point the specifics of the attack are unclear.

Chapter 9
Why is the Dragon God called the Time Devourer?

This is difficult to explain and does not have a clear answer. Let me first dispel a rumour which states that the being atop Terra Tower should rightfully be called the Fused Dragon, or as some say, the Lunar Dragon. I have on good authority statements of those who have played the Japanese version of Chrono Cross citing that the creature is in fact called the Devourer of Time (toki wo kurau mono) . No errors in translation were made, so let us now see why this Dragon God is also referred to as a Time Devourer.

First let us be clear on our definitions. For this piece I will use "Time Devourer" to refer to the Lavos/Schala hybrid found in the Darkness Beyond Time, and "Dragon God" to refer to the Dragonian‘s biological supercomputer. Belthasar tells us that the Dragon God was consumed in the distant past by the Time Devourer. Since the Devourer exists independent of the timeline in which the Dragon God exists we have to find a way to explain how the two came into contact. We also know that the Frozen Flame provides a link to Lavos, or more correctly, the Time Devourer. The hypothesis that is commonly accepted is that when FATE used the Frozen Flame to divide and seal the Dragon God a link was formed between the Dragon and the Devourer. As the two became connected Lavos, in a sense, "devoured" the Dragon God and the two became merged physically. From that point onward the six dragon gods of El Nido were merely temporal projections originating from the Darkness of Time. Because of this they physically existed in both Home and Another Worlds, but by the same token they also did not truly exist there, so to speak. Their true body was apart of the Devourer inside the Darkness of Time. Because they were projections they were not subject to the laws of physics that everything else must obey.

As a result they were not fully confined to any one dimension. It is likely that before the time split of 1010 AD all six dragons resided on El Nido, each to their respective isle. When the dimension became divided the dragons, either by choice or by force, were also divided, three to a world. The dragons also appear to be able to drift between the two dimensions, as seen when the Sky Dragon appeared in the Dead Sea of Home World. Shortly before the dragons merged all six congregated in the skies of Another World.

Now to answer this question. Since the Dragon God eventually became a part of the Time Devourer we can rightfully refer to the "Dragon God" seen in Chrono Cross as being the Time Devourer since by this stage it is only a projection emanating from within the Darkness of Time. Confusing, yes? After the Dragon God is defeated atop Terra Tower it can be seen to fade out of existence temporarily. This is because it does not exist in the dimension in the way Serge does. With its temporal projection destroyed the representation of the Dragon God disappeared. To full destroy the true Time Devourer, the being that absorbed the Dragon God, one must travel to the source: the Darkness of Time. Incidentally, because of their merger the Time Devourer can be seen to have a tail. As neither Lavos or Schala had a tail, many believe this was formed as a result of the consumption of the Dragon God. Note that even though the Dragon God was a projection, it still retained its own will and original personality. It acted on its own desires, not those of Lavos.

Chapter 10
How did Guardia defeat Magus without Crono's help?

To answer this we must first look to the events of the original timeline. We know Guardia won the war against the Mystics in 600 AD even before Crono was teleported there to lend a hand as the people of 1000 AD mention their kingdom's victory. Before Crono's interference with the past it is reasonable to assume Magus was not defeated by Guardia at all. Recall what Magus was doing in the year 600 when Frog and Crono showed up at his castle: he was summoning Lavos in order to destroy it. It is quite reasonable Magus performed this ceremony in the original timeline as well. With no Crono around he was allowed to finish the ritual, whereupon he was transported to the blue water-like distortion where Lavos resides. The plan backfires as Magus is not powerful enough to defeat Lavos. Rather the opposite occurs and Magus is obliterated, just as he nearly was in the Ocean Palace after history was changed. Thus Magus is killed in the original timeline. With the leader of the Mystics gone Ozzie would likely assume control, but would quickly lose to Guardia as he would make a horrible leader. Thus the Mystic forces crumble and Guardia is able to secure the land.

After Crono discovers time travel he is able to interrupt Magus before the summoning is complete. As a result Magus does not meet Lavos. Instead he is teleported to 12,000 BC due to the massive Gate that formed as a result of the summoning gone awry. In Zeal he became the Prophet and took to advising Queen Zeal so he might have a chance to destroy Lavos in another way. In this case Magus also disappears from 600 AD and the Mystics lose under Ozzie's leadership.

Be advised not to fall under the misconception that Frog was responsible for defeating Magus originally. The possibility of this happening is near zero for many reasons. To begin with Frog was an emotional mess. He blames himself for letting down Cyrus and further reprimands himself for failing to protect Queen Leene. Without the hero medal he feels he can do nothing, and it would forever be lost to him had not Crono retrieved it. Rather he probably would have spent his time sulking in his foxhole just as we saw him do for nearly half of Chrono Trigger. Secondly, Frog was without the Masamune. The sword was only repaired as a result of Crono's trip to the prehistoric age. Without the blade Frog would have been unable to break the seal on the Magic Cave. Even if he somehow accessed Magus' island in another way, it would be virtually impossible for him to sneak into the castle undetected. Rather he would have been forced to fight a myriad of Magus' followers. It is extremely unlikely he would have had enough strength left to face Magus after all this, especially when we consider Frog would have never been to the End of Time to receive any form of magic.

Chapter 11
Why isn't El Nido on the Chrono Trigger world map?

Regardless of how diligently one scours the map it is assured he will fail to locate the string of islands that is El Nido. This is due to the simple fact the archipelago did not exist prior to the defeat of Lavos, which is to say, during the entire timeframe in which Chrono Trigger occurred. Nearly everything we see in Chrono Cross owes its existence to Crono’s victory over the beast. The death of the extraterrestrial prevented it from wrecking havoc on the planet. With the apocalypse averted human culture was allowed to prosper far into the future.

Around the year 2400 AD the government funded research facility Chronopolis was constructed on a small island in the midst of a barren sea. Experiments within the laboratory were conducted under the utmost secrecy and it was for this reason the structure was isolated from the rest of the world. Chronopolis researchers dedicated themselves to the study of time manipulation but during an accident the facility was sent 10,000 years into the past in an event known as the Time Crash. Finding themselves stranded in what is presumed to be the year 7600 BC, the laboratory employees chose to utilize the incredible technological resources at their disposal to artificially construct islands in the vicinity of Chronopolis. The goal was to create a habitat in which the scientists and their descendants could live. Having their memories of the future cleared, they populated the islands and placed themselves under the guidance of the FATE supercomputer. Under its supervision residents were discouraged from leaving the islands so as not to risk causing a paradox through contact with the mainland. This is the story of El Nido’s creation and why its presence was only introduced to the timeline after the end of Chrono Trigger.

If, hypothetically, one were to find an up to date map of the world El Nido should be found in the seas west of Porre and east of Choras, based on the glues given in Chrono Cross. It is likely found near the equator, as it does have a tropical climate. Keep in mind that the island chain is very small when compared to the mainland, so it would appear as but a mere speck in an all-encompassing sea. View the map I have created showing the approximate location of El Nido.

Chapter 12
Why are there so many differences between the dimensions?

One of the most noticeable aspects of Chrono Cross is the attention devoted to the differences which occur between the dimensions of Home and Another World. While there are a multitude of ideas as to what could cause these disparities, the fact remains that Serge’s existence played an integral role in determining the fate of all the residents of El Nido.

Superficially it seems absurd to attribute such things as Gogh’s financial status or Skelly’s occupational choice to Serge, especially when one considers the boy does not know these people nor does he have any authority over the decisions they make. However there is one entity that does: FATE. The supercomputer uses the Records of Fate found throughout the islands to steer people into making certain choices. This is done to deter anyone from venturing to the mainland and disrupting the recorded history of the world. As a consequence of Serge’s survival in Home World FATE is gravely affected. In this dimension the Dead Sea forms, replacing Chronopolis and nullifying FATE’s existence. Because of this, residents of El Nido stop receiving counsel and are for the first time allowed to make choices of their own accord. As a result Gogh chose to live humbly on the income from his paintings instead of being swayed to gain profit through forgery, which is his destiny in Another World. In this, the dimension in which Serge dies, the Chronopolis facility continues to exist as the future has been secured due to the removal of the arbiter as a threat.

To be sure, many of the discrepancies can be traced to General Viper’s governing presence on the islands. Without his leadership the Porre military quickly occupied the area and the economy turned sour, affecting many locals. Orcha, no longer employed as Viper’s chef, returned to his home in Guldove. Zappa closed shop as he could no longer supply arms to the dragoons. Solt and Peppor found their way into Sneff's troupe after the Acacia Dragoons disbanded. Without the occurrence of the annual Viper Festival characters like Nikki never traveled to Termina, which caused a cascade of even greater differences. To date it is undetermined what role FATE, or more specifically Lynx, played in influencing Viper’s actions. The actions of Home World’s Lynx were considerably different from those of his counterpart. In that dimension he allied himself with the general and convinced him to journey into the Sea of Eden. It was there the dragoons perished in 1017. However in the other dimension the voyage was not made and Viper owed his continued existence to this. The reasons for this difference in behavior elude us and any ideas put forth would be entire speculative. It is probable his failed attempt at killing Serge, in combination with FATE’s destruction, spurred Lynx to take other actions.

Of course not all differences can be blamed on Serge. Other contrasts can be attributed to the presence or absence of a regional dragon god. Each of the six dragons represents a force of nature and can, to a limited extent, control the environment. One such case involves the abundance of water on Home World's Water Dragon Isle. The blue dragon‘s residence there allows for rains to come, whereas in the alternate dimension a drought as occurred. Another example comes from the claims of one native who states it is because of the Red Dragon that local temperatures are higher than usual. The archipelago is not natural in any sense of the word and its climate is directly correlated to the dragons. This is why so many different ecosystems can be found within such close vicinity to one another, such as the arid Earth Dragon Isle’s being only a few miles from the humid Hydra Marshes. The dimensional differences page has a more complete listing of the changes found between the worlds.

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