Cradle of Time

The Cradle of Time is a location from Tales of Legendia. The area is serves as the final dungeon for the character quest portion of the game. The background music for this area is distorted version of the Legendary Sorcerer.

Description
The Cradle of Time can only be entered through the Altar of the Sea. From the altar the area appears a swirling pattern in the sky. The entrance is one dirty trail way full of rocks, a few trees, and there is a teleport pad at the end of the trail way that leads to the next area. This is also the only area where a healing spot is located at. The next area is a series of repeating islands with distorted buildings stuck together that hold some of the previous bosses from the both the Main Quest and Character Quest. After defeating all thirteen bosses are defeated, the party is allowed to return to the entrance and heal. The final area where Schwartz is waiting for the party is a small island on the very distance of the cradle that has nothing really, but it is very similar to the outside of the Altar of the Sea.

History
Senel Coolidge and his party goes to the Cradle of Time in order to stop Schwartz. The party manages to find a way into the Cradle through the Altar of the Sea after defeating the Sea Gaet. When the party arrives the party looks at the area telling each other to be prepare and Grune asks the party if they would like to go back, but they tell her they going to finish what the came there to do. When the party arrives at the first teleport pad a Black Mist appears and vanishes after, Grune explains to the party that numerous monsters will be waiting on each level to fight the party and must be defeated to go on. When the party arrives at the next area they are attacked by previous bosses that they defeated before the first six levels include Citadel Turtle from the Waterways, Zephyr Lucifer from Mirage Palace, Chariot Gaet, Silver Galf, and Gold Galf from the Hidden Fortress, Diva from the Man Eating Ruins, and Dinowyrm from the Secret Passage.

When the party arrives at the next level Grune holds the party back, because she feels a strong concentration of grief and sadness. After Dark Senel and Dark Shirley appear before the party Shirley Fennes sees this image as her old self that fell into her weakness the party fights the shadows and defeat them. After defeating their shadows Senel and Shirley manage to use their Sacred Eres to put a rest to their past selves and move on to the next levels of battles. The next six levels include Fenrir from The Crags, Beezlebub from Secret Passage, Grand Gaet from the Great Hallow, Dragon from the Front Line Base, Crystarantula from the Crystal Forest, and Royal Automaton from the Wings of Light. After this the party is able to go challenge Schwartz in the final battle.

When the party arrives to the area where Schwartz is at Schwartz begins to the party on why they are they trying to save their world. The party begins to explains their reasons on why they are attempting to save their world, which angers her and attacks the party. After a long battle with Schwartz she suddenly stops and the exhausted party is starting to believe that their attacks are doing nothing. Schwartz tells the party that she shall be the planet's savior and Grune begins to tell her that she is wrong. Schwartz believing that the children of man have rotted her thoughts she believes Grune is no longer worth anything, Schwartz begins to unleash the Black Mist throughout the entire Legacy and sends replicas of herself to attack it civilians.

Schwartz begins another attack which is planned to kill the party, but Grune jumps in front of it and attempts to hold it back. The party begins using the Super Sacred Eres to help Grune and manage to hold back the attack, but after doing so their power seems to be getting weaker as Schwartz seems to be getting stronger. Schwartz attempts to attack the party again, but yet again Grune begins to block the attack. The party seeing that is not giving up inspires them to not to give up either and decide to help yet again using their Sacred Eres. The party's courage convinces Nerifes to give the civilians of the Legacy Sacred Eres of their own to defeat the Schwartz clones. With the help of their friends Sacred Eres, Schwartz' blast of power is destroyed, Schwartz explains that she will return the world to the Void. After Schwartz attacks the party in one final battle and is defeated. After her defeat Schwartz mask is severed in half and falls to reveal that Schwartz is actually another incarnation of Grune. Schwartz begins to disappears and warns the party that she is born from the deeds of man and she will return. Senel looks at her and tells her "We won't be seeing you again", Schwartz disappears into a storm of black feathers and dies. The party returns to the Altar of the Sea not knowing the outcome of their battle.