Chapter 16: The Truth About Chronos: Family Portrait

This image is...Professor Chronos and his family, right? That kid and the baby... Is that really me? And Feinne? I can see their names here. Eden (age 3)... Cecile (age 0)... Eden and Cecile... Are those the names Feinne and I were born with?

Whoa, what was that?!

Doesn't seem like a regular blackout...

What is it this time?

Only a hologram. According to staff records, this is likely Professor Chronos and his wife, Madoka.

That means... These are mine and Feinne's parents...

Eden, Cecile, you've done well to make it this far. This message is set only to play when a member of our family is in the room, so I know it must be you watching this.

The picture speaks! What futuristic sorcery is this?

It was selfish of me, but I wanted to give you children some kind of hope for the future. I managed to develop a prototype, the Alpha Geo. I implanted a piece into your newborn body, Eden. It took three years, but I was able to make improvements, and placed a new Geo Prisma in Cecile as well. If you're watching this, the world is surely facing disaster. But you two are the key to our salvation. Then again, if my project succeeds there will be no danger, and you can live in peace like normal children.

Hello, Eden and Cecile. I wish I could be there in person and see how you've grown. I'm sure you've both become wonderful young people. Your father and I both think the world of you two.

Eden... Cecile... I love you both so much... Please, live a good life...

Madoka, it's time. We have to go.

All right...

Aldo... We'll be outside if you need us, okay?

Amy, I do not detect anything that requires our attention outside of this room.

Can it, Riica! Just give him some space. You too, Cyrus.

......

Thanks, everyone. I feel like we haven't seen everything there is to see yet. We should keep at it. There's got to be a hint about stopping the timequake somewhere in the professor's notes.

This has been left undisturbed all these years... Let's take a look.

Yet another mysterious chamber. What is this place?

I believe we are looking at the prototype cores used to develop Xeno Prisma. Their degradation has reached critical levels. Returning them to regular operating condition is not an option.

There's two of them. Xeno and Geo, right? Chronos was working on these cores when he disappeared... Did he discover something he shouldn't have?

Something as fundamental as prisma breaking down like this...

Yikes! What the heck is that?!

Intruder Alert! Terminal Core Breached.

Must be part of the facility's security system!

Terminal Core Must Be Preserved. Maximum Force Authorized. Initiating Expulsion Protocol!

Brace yourselves, here it comes!

Whoa! What's happening now?!

I think we've awakened a sleeping beast.

Irregularity detected in the prototype prisma. A huge surge in energy from another timeplane is headed this way!

The shock must be making the whole system go haywire!

Gravitational wave detected in the Xeno Prisma's orbit. The temporal distortions are getting worse!

No! Has the world started coming apart already? We can't be too late!

No, no, no! This is not good!

What's going on here? Something's wrong with the Xeno Prisma!

Emergency. Xeno Prisma within Elzion have become unstable. The situation cannot be contained.

What are those kids doing up there?! What is happening?!

Hmm. It seems to have calmed down for the moment.

What was that just now?

The Xeno Prototype is breaking down. That energy has resonated with prisma in the city, further warping spacetime. A way to the Corridor of Time Layers has opened... A gateway connecting another plane of existence to our own. You might just be able to dissipate the timequake across dimensions and mitigate the damage!

Who are you?!

How about it, Eden? Can your Alpha Geo prevent this disaster? If you're going to try, do it soon. You don't have a lot of time left.

Wait... Are you...?!

Are you all right, Aldo?

......

I see... So Professor Chronos developed a means of traveling through time.

And what we're seeing in the sky is...the "Corridor of Time Layers," was that what he called it? This is what's going to save us from the timequake? How is that supposed to work, exactly?

We'll have to go right inside and erase the distortions from there.

I can barely believe it... How will you be able to get there and back safely?

I...I don't know. But if we don't do something, the timequake will happen just the same, and that'll be it for this world. The Oracle said we don't have much time left, too. We can't afford to wait.

How are we even supposed to get close enough? The warps in spacetime are so bad all our airships are grounded.

There may yet be hope. Use my matter transmission engine. It breaks down objects and people into a beam of light and sends them across great distances. We haven't had any need to use it since we ceased communication with the surface. It shouldn't be too hard to estimate the opening's coordinates. We can get you there in the blink of an eye.

A "beam" for moving people? It sounds incredible...

Worry not, Cyrus. The technology was mastered centuries ago. It is completely safe.

Then we're agreed. Can we use it now?

Are you sure? We have no way of knowing what may befall you in there, or if we'll be able to get you back. Most of the city is on lockdown, but I can give you access to Gamma and Theta District.

I guess you're right. We'd better make sure we're prepared.

Tell me when you're ready.