If Lucca was one more minute late...

Then Chrono heard her call him. She ran up to him, panting. "Sorry... I'm so late..." she gasped.

If you had been one more minute late, you would have had to find me! he informed her, angry.

"I said I was sorry! Gosh, you're impatient! Where's that riddle?"

Chrono handed her a small, black box. It's in there, but I can't open it.

Lucca turned it over in her hands, examining it thoroughly. She was about to hand it back when she felt her hands pass over a what felt like a button, barely visible. "What's that?"

Chrono looked at the little black tab. I didn't notice that before. Do you think we should pull it?

Lucca shrugged and nodded, yanking on it. "I'm not strong enough."

Chrono took it and pulled on it as hard as he could. The tab came off with a moments resistance. Lucca made a face. "Well, that did about as much good as kicking a tree stump, now didn't it?"

He shook his head. No. Something loosened. Chrono jostled the black box, trying to twist the two interlocking parts, his small, five-year-old face intent. Suddenly it came apart, collapsing under Chrono's force, and a small slip of paper fell out. While Chrono set the box aside, Lucca picked up the paper and read it out loud.

Lucca snorted. "Whoever wrote this certainly was not a poet!"

Chrono frowned, deep in thought. Before the square was built - Leene's Square-? Where they were now-? Lucca, what was here before Leene's Square?

"Truce Canyon. Why-Oh, no. No, no. Only over my dead body, Chrono."

That can be arranged, he motioned, grinning sheepishly.

"You're not going back there!"

It's not just curiosity! Lucca, I don't know what my voice sounds like! I'll go alone if I have to!

She sighed. "I can't stop you, but you're my only friend, other than Taban and Mother!" She hesitated. "You are my friend, aren't you?"

Chrono made a face. Of course! You're the first person who didn't call me a name because I couldn't speak! So are you coming, .or not?

She nodded , but clearly wasn't happy. "Oh well!" she said, angry at herself , "It's too boring here! I wanted an adventure!" Lucca looked at Chrono. "Can you manage to sneak out? Just after dark?"

Of course!

"Good. Meet me back here just after dark."

They went back to their homes. Lucca watched Chrono's expression, thoughtful. She wondered if he was going to get them in trouble, but remained silent.

Later that night, right before Lucca was ready to leave for the square, Taban decided to talk to his daughter. When she heard him knock on her door, panic swept over her for a brief moment, but she almost immediately regained her poise. "I'm coming!" she shouted, stuffing the little airgun she made into her backpack, shoved it into the corner of her bed that was up against the wall, threw a couple of pillows on it, then jumped off her bed and ran to open the door.

"Hey, little one," her father said, ruffling her hair. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," she said flatly, letting her father in.

Shutting the door, Lucca ran over to her bed, clambered up on it, and proceeded to bounce on the springy mattress. "What's up?"

"Don't jump on the bed, Lucca. I heard you got a friend."

"Yelp," she replied, ignoring Taban's command to stop jumping on the bed.

"Stop it, Lucca. Well who is she? I assume your friend is a she?"

Lucca continued bouncing. "No. His name is Chrono."

"Chrono? Isn't that the kid who was lost yesterday?"

"Yes." Lucca felt a pang of conscience, but tried her best to ignore it.

Taban started to reply when a sudden thought struck him. "Lucca- You've never jumped on the bed before."

Lucca immediately dropped to a sitting position giggling nervously. "W-who's jumping on the bed?"

Sighing, Taban picked up his daughter and set her down on the floor, then pulled the pillows off the backpack. as he picked it up, the airgun fell out. Putting the bag down, he picked up the gun, sitting on the bed. He turned it over in his hands, then looked at Lucca. "Where did you get this?"

Lucca shuffled her feet nervously, gulping. "I made it."

"Why?"

That Lucca would not answer. She bowed her head and remained silent. Taban walked over to the door, still carrying the gun, and said grimly, "You're not leaving this room until you answer me, young lady."

As Taban turned to leave, Lucca flung herself at her father with a tortured shriek, for a split second a small, wounded animal. Clinging to Taban's leg, she began babbling incoherently about Chrono and a riddle.

Detaching his daughter from his leg, he carried her over to the bed and calmed her down. When she was calm enough, Lucca told her father about their plan to go to Truce Canyon and try to break Chrono's curse. Taban listened in grave silence, and when she was done, he thought for a moment. "No-"

Lucca started sobbing again. "Father, I promised him! I promised! You have to let me! Please!"

Taban felt awful. He didn't want to see his daughter so unhappy, but still.... No one had been in Truce Canyon for at least a century! Lord knows what was back there... "All right, all right, stop crying. I won't keep you from going, but- quit crying, kid!- I'm coming with you."

"Father!"

"Lucca, neither of you have any experience! You're only five, for crying out loud, and I doubt Chrono's any older!" Taban snapped, exasperated. "Now, either I'm going or you're not!" Lucca lapsed into smoldering silence.

"Well?"

"Fine. I don't care."

Chrono could've sworn that the fountain was here...

"Hey! How'd you manage to get over here?"

Chrono turned to see Lucca running to him, followed by Taban. Whadya mean? he asked.

"You were going the wrong way! The square is north of here, not south!" Lucca half-laughed. Suddenly she sobered up. "I'm sorry," she apologized, seeing Chrono's gaze questioningly to her father. "He found my airgun."

That's okay, he motioned, although he was clearly uncomfortable around the adult. Well, let's go.

Allowing Taban to lead, the children began talking. Airgun? Chrono asked.

"Yes. I made it using a prototype Father made. It works pretty well. What about that thing?" Lucca asked, pointing at the sword strapped to his back.

Chrono clumsily drew the katana. Lucca giggled, as the katana was nearly as big as he was. "Can you use that thing?" He nodded, sliding it back in it's sheath.

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Soon they came to the back of Leene's Square, encountering a thick, solid wall of foliage.

It took them an hour to fight through it.

Finally, the trio emerged, exhausted, onto a cliff. They stood in awe at the beautiful sight. "Well?" Taban asked. "What do we do now?"

Chrono shrugged. Look for the next clue, I- Suddenly, he broke off in what would have been a startled cry. Lucca and Taban shrieked in terror. The cliff was collapsing beneath them!

Chrono made a desperate grab for the edge of the cliff, but the fragile stones crumbled beneath his grasp. The three of them hit the hard ground, head first, landing abruptly with a sickening thud. Searing pain exploded in Chrono's head before the darkness swiftly closed in...