First, I'll put the essential.

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Trigger or any of its characters. They are the rightful property of Square-Enix. Cronus, Rhea, Prometheus, Epimetheus, Dione, Phoebe, and Coeus all belong to Greek Mythology, while Jonas and Ian belong to Wayne Kramer. :P

Please be sure to note this should you ever take the chapters and show them to another without including the intro.

Now that that's been taken care of.

It seems as though one of the events most frequently discussed in the Chrono universe is the campfire scene, as this is when the group contemplates the existence of a possible "entity." An entity which might have opened the gates in the hopes that Crono and company would discover the doomed future and attempt to prevent it.

Who ever might have imagined that one little scene could open up to so much speculation? I do not know if whether the creators expected this scene to have such an impact on fans of the series, but it certainly has.

If there is such an entity, who (or what) could it be? Could this being be a god of some sort, or could it be one of the characters you see in the game? Or could it be the planet itself?

I have wondered this myself, and for me, things became even more complicated when the supposed purpose of Lavos was revealed at the end of the game.

Now, I presume that most of you have finished the game and still remember it well, because you may recall that just before the final battle with the Lavos Core, our heroes suddenly speculate that the meaning of life was to be harvested and used by Lavos.

I thought this was rather interesting. Now if both of these theories are true, then I couldn't help but ask my fellows the following questions: If the purpose of life was to be harvested, then why did The Entity want to stop it from happening? Why did it think life was to be saved? What would this accomplish?

If the harvesting theory is incorrect, then what was the purpose of Lavos? Where did it come from?

If The Entity theory is incorrect, then why did Lavos have to harvest so much energy? To nurture its spawn? Then what was the purpose of the spawn? To mature and invade other worlds? Then what was the point of this cycle?

(Bear in mind that life may not have been created by Lavos since life was clearly around before the parasite entered the picture)

If neither of these theories are true, then once again, where did Lavos come from and did it try to do what it did? Where did the different Gates come from? Why did any of this have to happen?

I asked these questions on the Chrono Trigger Novel Project's message board in a topic which I entitled: Lavos and the Entity.

After taking in what the others had to say, I finally presented my own thoughts on the matter. In my explanation, their really was an outside force guiding the group, and they were actually wrong to speculate that Lavos was meant to harness the planet's life energies.

I don't know how many of you will approve of my take on the matter, but this is basically what I put down (Those of you who want to read the story without having anything spoiled may want to skip ahead, as this is pretty much the fanfic in a nutshell).

Nobody knows even to this day what the meaning of life is, but according to early legend, back when the universe was still young, there was once a powerful group of beings sent by the all mighty Creator to bring life to its universe. These powerful beings had many names, but we will refer to them as the Titans.

After giving life to the first world they encountered, one of their number left a guardian race behind to watch over this planet. An immortal race of super powerful parasites which got its energy from the very life force of the planet they inhabited. This race came to be known as the nelcro.

However, the Titan's first experiment failed. The nelcro proved to be brutal and simple minded. It turned out they all couldn't share one planet without tearing each other to pieces. Recognizing this mistake, the creator of the nelcro went back to exterminate them. This one Titan would later become known as the Entity, guardian spirit of the universe.

Despite the nelcros' powerful abilities, they still couldn't oppose even one of the god-like beings. Soon, almost the entire race was wiped out. Afterwards, the Titans decided they would try again, but this time create races that were smarter, less powerful, mortal, and didn't draw energy directly from the planet they inhabited. So, the Titans moved on to other planets with better potential than the first.

However, as hinted above, the entire race known as nelcro wasn't completely obliterated. Unknown to the powerful Titans, there was a survivor. And that survivor, following instinct, left its home planet in search of a new one where it could breed. That surviving parasite would later be named Lavos, the mightiest of the nelcro.

Still convinced that there was no threat now, the Titans gave life to new planets that would later be home to all sorts of different creatures. When their work was finally finished, the Titans got ready to leave the physical realm and return home where they could take their proper rest.

But before they left, the guardian Entity had a sudden sense of foreboding. Using its vast telepathic abilities, the Entity found what was the matter.

Lavos, the survivor, was somewhere within the universe, having escaped death.

The Entity soon realized what that meant. The parasite would invade one world and consume it, then give offspring which would in turn invade other worlds and consume them as well.

The mistake was on the verge of being repeated.

Unfortunately, the Entity couldn't go off and search for the creature now. The first ages of creation had ended and the force called time was about to kick in. The Titans could no longer be supported in the physical realm now that it was changing. They had to leave, whether they liked it or not.

And the Entity was told that until the last parasite was crushed, it could never rest with the other Titans. But when things really began to look hopeless, the Entity (with a little help from a fellow) came up with a plan. Back in its own realm, the Entity's powers over the physical plane were nearly diminished, but if used properly, there could still be hope. It watched as Lavos headed for the first world it would absorb. A world that was home to creatures such as reptites, nu, and humans. The Entity decided that if it could not destroy Lavos directly, then it would use the inhabitants of the first planet the parasite invaded against it. Sure, Lavos was still more powerful than any mortal, but if the Entity brought all of the greatest individuals together throughout the history of the planet and pinned them against the parasite, then maybe the little blue world would stand a chance.

So, the Entity let history play itself out and found the perfect warriors.

In the year 65,000,000 B.C., the reptites seem to realize that an Ice Age was going to occur once the "Red Star" would hit the planet, and result in there not being enough food for them and the humans. The two races battled for their very survival, trying to eradicate the other before the beginning of the Ice Age. In this time period, the Entity found a physically strong, fearless female leader of the humans.

In 12,000 B.C. (way after the reptites population was snuffed out of existence), it found a young boy and three wise men with enormous magical power, all of whom could play a major role in the destruction of Lavos.

In 600 A.D., it found a swordsman who could use a blade which worked against the forces of magic.

In the year 1000 A.D., it found three teens who all had very unique talents. One was a girl with a vast understanding of the natural order and science, another was a very enthusiastic girl who owned a powerful pendant and shared a long ancestry with several famous leaders. The final one was a boy who was very skilled with a sword, had strong magical abilities if awakened, and would be willing to make any sacrifice for the sake of others.

Finally, in the year 2300 A.D., an era already consumed by the enemy of all life, the Entity found one last suitable fighter. A robot.

Convinced that it had found the right specimens, the Entity knew exactly how it could bring all of these powerful mortals together. It would open rips in the fabric of space and time, which would later be called Time Gates, and use them for the groups chronological transportation. However, the first few gates would need a powerful source of energy in order to be opened.

The Entity rewound history back to 12,000 B.C., when the magical kingdom of Zeal was about to fall to Lavos. Using Lavos's radiated power in its own favor, the Entity created these time gates that transported the three gurus and the child to different eras, where they could play out their roles. The child was transported to 570 A.D., where he would grow up to become the most powerful magician the world had ever known. When the boy did mature, he turned the young swordsman of that time into a humanoid frog. This had not been a part of the Entity's plans at first, but the transformation enhanced the fighter's abilities even further, making him a fearsome opponent.

The gurus, meanwhile, were transported to different time periods where they would act as guides and give important items to the group responsible for destroying Lavos.

Then, fast forwarding to 1000 A.D., the Entity watched as the three teens took part in some show where the owner of the pendant would supposedly be transported from one gadget to another. Using the power radiated from the girl's pendant and the transporter, the Entity opened yet another rip in time which would eventually set in motion the downfall of Lavos. And, with its grasp over the physical realm strengthening with every time rip it made, the Entity soon began placing these time gates in particular spots where (and when) they would benefit the team most, the need for a power source becoming obsolete.

"And thus, it begins!" as Cronus states at the end of the story.

When Wayne Kramer (the Chrono Trigger Novelist for those who don't know) read this, he suggested it was worthy of being fanfic material. I was surprised by his suggestion at first, but then decided to go along with what he said.

And so, after working on this for more than a year, I proudly present you with the finished product.

This is my first true fanfic, and I pray you enjoy it. Also, don't hesitate to give me any feedback should you feel inclined to.