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Chronomancer Chronicles

Prismaticia the Chronomancer of Colours

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Red

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Pretty, pink petals fluttered endlessly in the gentle winds. Clear rivers that carved paths all over campus were coated in a blanket of the petals. The faintest movement of a student would cause a flurry of pink to dance and swirl around their feet. Skies were perpetually blue during the daytime with the shimmering blue-green crystal star known as Chrysalis Core hovering high above them all. White and gold towers of Temporal were alive with activity. Evergreen climbing plans curled around white marble pillars. Golden arches opened ways to vast institutions of learning and pleasantly warm gardens. Flora from every Station on Tower Thirteen adorned plazas. Young minds wandered the gilded streets, eager for knowledge and advancement into the coveted title of Chronomancer.

Amongst them all the alabaster buildings was the prime institute of learning; the Academy of Time. An enormous ring of gold that was suspended over its structure, propped up vertically and visible from all over the city of Temperna. Thirteen spires rose up from the base of the Academy to just kiss the ring's edges; each one a personal study and laboratory for one of the members of the Thirteen - the most powerful Chronomancers in all of Temporal and indeed Tower Thirteen. Many aspiring Initiates would look upon the spires and hope to impress at least seven members of the seat so that they may join the ranks of the pseudo-immortal Chronomancers. It was with this drive that people from all over the world came to Temporal, studying to find that one special piece of knowledge that they could present to the Chronomancer Collective and be deemed worthy of being Time Locked.

It was the dream of every young Initiate to step through the halls of the Academy, enter the Assessment Hall and emerge as a Chronomancer.

The reality, however, even should one become a Chronomancer, there was no guarantee that they would be able to reside within the Academy and teach their techniques and philosophies to the next generation.

Such was the case for one Harm Chronos.

With a defeated sigh, the 6'1'' white-furred wolf slumped in his high-backed, velvety seat. The edges of the chair were trimmed with gold that would never flake off and the moment he removed his rear off the bright red cushions, they would be perfectly firm and fluffed as if fresh from construction. Naturally the handless-clock face of the Chronomancers adorned every part of the chair and the emblem of Temporal was emblazoned at the head of the chair which was much larger than he was. Wulfuns such as him usually grew to be eight feet tall and were generally built like tanks made of muscle. When the people organising his office heard that they were serving the Destroyer of Time who was a Wulfun, he was fairly sure they had expected him to be towering above them all with his chest bared. Few would have known as the infamous Destroyer was actually much shorter than any average Wulfun and made of lean, wry muscles or would be modestly dressed. Of course this could all be part of the politics that the Thirteen played given that he had split the council after Longinus had abstained from the vote leaving six voting for his promotion as a Chronomancer while another six rejected this application. The tie-breaking vote had to be cast to Haamiah the God of Time and it was the God of Time that gave the intrepid Wulfun his name. From Initiate 27182, he became known as Harm Chronos the Destroyer of Time.

There were still members of the Thirteen that bore a grudge against him and gave him these little inconveniences that would make eternity seem like torture.

One of these inconveniences was his appointment as the Executive Chronosphere Officer. Which was just a very fancy way of saying that he was in charge of giving the young Initiates their Chronospheres - spheres of compressed Time that the Initiates could use to power their experiments and studies. That was it. That was his entire job. No teaching. No researching. Just keeping tallies of how many Chronospheres were in stock, who requested spheres and submitting the application for said spheres to senior lecturers. He didn't even get to decide whether a sphere was provisioned or not; that was up to the lecturers.

More than once, he suspected that this was just a ploy from the Thirteen to make sure the controversy around his appointment fade into obscurity.

With what seemed like infinite boredom, Harm swung his legs absently over the edge of the enormous seat, his feet just barely grazing the polished, marble floor. The blue denim pants he wore were permanently Time Locked alongside the rest of his clothing ensuring that he would have to always wear it but at the same time, the clothes would never tear, fade or fall against the ravages of time. Many criticised his sense of fashion as other Chronomancers either chose to be Time Locked in the nude or chose some attire that would befit their moniker. He chose something what many called 'plebeian' with a pair of white and red sneakers, a white shirt tucked into his pants by a black belt and a brown leather, sleeveless vest draped over his shirt.

Of course there was the white and gold Chronomancer's Mantle that he would wear in times when he was to be seen in public but that was not part of his 'permanent' attire.

At the moment, he just sat in his chair, staring out the window and watching as the Initiates in their white robes milled about, enjoying the warm spring sun and honing their skills.

In his boredom, he almost missed the knock on his door. His brown-tipped ear flicked in the direction of the enormous wooden doors. The big clock on the wall indicated that it was currently around lunch time. Curious as to who would be knocking on his office doors while everyone should be eating, he jumped off his chair and waved a paw absently in the direction of the door. Those very same doors slowly swung open, reverting back to a time when they had been open. They revealed a short, young Scalion. Harm's first impression of her was that she was mousy and meek. Her posture was overly hunched forward and her long, black hair tumbled down past her shoulders like an ebony waterfall with the left side of her face covered so that only one of her sharp, green eyes were visible at anytime. Her scales were a pleasant shade of grass green with a lighter, creamier shade dominating the underside of her jaw. Like all other Initiates of the Chronomancers, she wore the long white robes with those ridiculously large, flaring sleeves that hung past her hands. The hood of the robes was drawn over her features making her short, square muzzle almost invisible to the eye.

“Master Chronos?" she asked in a whisper almost too soft to be audible.

Harm turned his chair around so that it faced the door and the Initiate. “Come in," he greeted, a pleasant smile on his muzzle. “How may I help you… erm…?"

“Initiate 76522, Master," she said in a courteous bow. She was clutching her books tightly to her mostly flat chest. Her steps were short, quiet and timid. “I… I'm sorry for the interruption but… I… erm… I…"

He cocked his head to the side, observing her with his sharp, golden eyes. “What's your name, young one?"

“Uh… Initiate 76522…"

Harm shook his head and beckoned for her to approach as he took up his seat, draping one leg over the other. “I never believed in the idea of the stripping one's former identity to become an Initiate. How can we learn from the past if we erase it?" He gestured towards her again, holding out a paw in her direction. “So come now. What is your name?"

Her soft brown eyes lit up a little as she sat down on the seat in front of his desk; a chair not as lavished as his own but still quite luxurious. “Sh - Sh - Shelandi."

“A pleasure to meet you, Shelandi," he greeted warmly. “Can I get you some tea? Maybe some biscuits? It is lunchtime, after all, and you must be starving. I know all too well how intense the curriculum of the Academy can be."

Shelandi kept her head low as she approached. “Ah… No thank you, Master Chronos. I'm just…" Then her stomach let out a loud rumble. Her eyes widened in surprise. The grass green scales on her cheeks began to burn brightly.

Harm smiled and waved his paw absently through the air. Teacups and a teapot sprang up from a cabinet behind his desk. They glided through the air smoothly and settled between himself and Shelandi soundlessly. The pot became filled with the flowery aroma of tea and within moments, it was emitting steam even though it was not exposed to any flames. Even without directly touching them, Harm directed the teapot to pour some of the amber liquid into Shelandi and his cups. A silvery blue tray followed shortly afterwards with an assortment of biscuits and cookies.

The young Initiate delicately gripped the cup and brought it to her lips. “This is amazing…" she commented. “What is it?"

“Incendian fireleaf tea."

Her eyes lit up. “I'm actually from Incendius…"

“I can tell," he responded with a faint smile.

“Really? How?"

“Little clues. You're from the south-eastern side of the Incendian mainland. I can tell from your accent. As a Scalion, you're cold-blooded meaning you'd have to stay somewhere perpetually warm which would exclude the southern parts of Incendius or the Sunless Lands." He reached out and gently took her hands. “Your palms are lightly calloused indicating you're used to working with your hands. I don't detect any perfume on you and your scales are a lighter green in colouration. This can only mean that you come from area known as 'Apollia's Belt'. That section of Incendius is perpetually in that pleasant state of spring. Not too cold, not too hot. Incendian Scalions predominantly come from there and if you came from anywhere closer to the capital of Corona, you'd be doused in obnoxiously sweet perfumes that Incendians are known for. Incidentally, Fireleaf grows predominantly in the southern part where it's much colder. I'm not surprised you're not familiar with it."

A thin smile touched her lips. “I honestly haven't travelled much until I came here…"

“Perhaps that's something you should change," Harm advised. “The present is where we can change the course of our future to make amends for our mistakes in the past." His eyes narrowed slightly. “Tell me, Shelandi, is that why you're here, on Temporal? Are you trying to make amends? Is that why you're after another Chronosphere despite the fact that you've already used up the four you were assigned for this year?"

She immediately straightened, letting out a faint 'eep' at his accusation. Paralysed and stiff as a board, she bowed towards him, almost slamming her forehead against his desk. “I'm so sorry, Master Chronos! I know Initiates are only allowed four Chronospheres for the year and we're barely a few months in but my experiments need that much Time to work!"

What 'experiments' could possibly use so much Time that it would consume four Chronospheres entirely?

The Collective gave every Initiate four Chronospheres per year and each sphere had at least a century's worth of Time. Before Harm came along, the construction of Chronospheres was an arduous process involving crafting the Spheres and letting them soak up residual Time from the environment. There were 'Chrono Farms' all over Tower Thirteen that were specifically built for this. One hundred years of Time would only take about a year to absorb a century's worth from the environment so long as that very same environment was under constant activity. Every choice, every action created branching timelines and the spheres were specifically designed to absorb any non-essential Time so as not to impact the timelines too much. When Harm introduced Final Hour, however, the construction of Chronospheres became far more effective and cheaper. Still, Chronomancers limited access to the spheres as frugality had been bred into the culture.

A single sphere as enough to give a student the ability to go through the exercises their classes demanded with Time to spare. The remaining three could be stockpiled for however long the Initiate wanted to remain in Temporal or until they became a Chronomancer. It was not unheard of for students to delay their eventual presentation to the Collective and the Thirteen so that they had enough Chronospheres to actually show off their experiment. Similarly, any Chronospheres that were left behind could be absorbed by the Chronomancer to give them more power when they were eventually Time Locked. Again, with the creation of Final Hour, that was no longer necessary but that limitation of an Initiate and their experiments still existed.

So what could you possibly have done that would warrant a fifth sphere? Harm wondered to himself.

“Why don't you tell me what you're doing with all that Time, Shelandi?" he asked aloud. His keen eyes caught the title of one of the books she was clutching tightly. “Applied Light Sciences? Are you planning to go along the same path as Photorius and try to manipulate light with time?"

She lifted her head very slightly. “Of sorts." Her voice sounded dry like she had been crying… or practicing this speech over and over again until she finally found the courage to ask the Destroy of Time for more Time. The irony was not lost on Harm. “Master Photorius developed the technique of using time to focus light until it became solid. He ran along the theory that light is made up of particles and those particles, when sufficiently condensed, would eventually become something solid. So he created a sort of 'light trap' by stopping time within a field. Any light that came to that field would stockpile with it those already in it and eventually he would condense all that light until it was solid."

“I remember," Harm said with a light smile. “I've had lengthy discussions with Photorius about the phenomenon. But what about you? What are you working on?"

Again, she lifted her head ever so slightly. “I'm… I'm looking into how to change the colour of things."

He gently tapped his cheek with a finger. “I see. So you subscribe to the theory that light is made of waves with a frequency and amplitude. You seek to manipulate the frequency of light and therefore alter the speeds at which light reflects off the surfaces of objects. By doing this, you will change the colour of something." His brown eyebrows rose. “I can see why that takes so much power to emulate." He lifted his paw, regarding the snow-white fur there. “White light is supposed to be the presence of all light but we only perceive 'white' because that is how our eyes have adjusted and evolved. To bees, for instance, it could be something else entirely as they see on the ultraviolet spectrum." Just by her startled jerk, he knew she hadn't considered this. “It could also be something else entirely to the colourblind. Perception is something very important to consider if you are looking into this field of research. What is brown to you…" He gently ran his fingers through his short, upswept brown hair. “… could be something else to someone. There are also the shades and hues in between."

Her eyes squeezed shut. Hope was fleeting from her posture.

“Even a relatively new Chronomancer like myself can tell that these are all factors and variables you haven't considered," Harm said gravely. “One could then easily conclude that you wasted those Chronospheres pursuing theories and hypothesises that were not well-formed or constructed. Anyone in my position would automatically deny you another Chronosphere on these grounds alone."

Shelandi let out a soft whimper then slowly rose from her seat. Keeping her eyes down, unable to meet his gaze, she said, “Thank you for your time, Master Chronos."

She turned to leave.

Just as a small, golden sphere rolled across the floor, sliding between her shuffling legs and stopping just short of a foot in front of her.

“Then again," Harm said, with a casual, warm smile. “I'm not just anyone."

Her eyes were once again bright and hopeful and she turned to him in surprise. “Master…?"

“Why don't you take a seat, Shelandi," he said gestured at the seat in front of him. “Why don't we discuss your theories? Maybe we can work out any other variables that you might want to consider so you wouldn't have to ask for another Chronosphere so soon?"

For the first time since their meeting, her face lit up with a smile.

“Thank you, Master!"

He held up a paw. “And don't call me that. I'm Harm Chronos. Just Harm is fine."

******

“Have you heard anything from Photorius recently?"

The avenues of the Academy were always beautifully lit and even after normal school hours, they were busy with students eagerly performing their experiments or studying. Between the mighty pillars, Harm strode with his white and gold Chronomancer's Mantle billowing behind him with every step. More than a few of those students peered over to where he was walking beside none other than a member of the Thirteen. The towering black-furred Wulfun, an epitome of his species, Longinus wore a different Mantle to Harm, one that clearly marked him as a member of the Thirteen thanks to the presence of it being more gold than white and with his name emblazoned on the back over the emblem of Temporal where Harm only had the emblem. Apart from that, the Mantles were the same down to the golden pauldrons on both shoulders that were held together by golden chains and a clasp both over his chest and across his back.

“The Light Builder Chronomancer?" Longinus asked, his deep voice like a rumble of thunder. “I admit I have not. He's usually busy with his own classes these days instead of experimenting. Though I've heard he's started filling his manor with semi-intelligent constructs of light." He gave Harm a coy smile and an expectant look with the same golden eyes all Chronomancers possessed. “Is this your attempt to once again ask for a teaching position?"

“I wish," Harm sighed, crossing his arms behind his head. “This Initiate came up to me earlier today. Shelandi was her name." Longinus coughed and Harm rolled his eyes. “Fine. Initiate 76522. She was looking into ways of manipulating time to change the colour of objects."

The member of the Thirteen and the one responsible for creating the Time Locking technique cupped his own chin thoughtfully and rubbed the blonde goatee there. “An interesting proposition. Though I must admit I can't see very many practical applications to it apart from some fanciful parlour tricks."

“Why does anything even need practical applications?" Harm complained. “Why can't we just do something or study something for the fun of it?"

“Easy words coming from the one who dared to ask the question, 'Can we destroy time itself?'" Longinus chuckled.

“Exactly my point! Realistically speaking, why would you ask a question that could undo Chronomancer society itself?"

“And yet you still twisted your application so that you could not only destroy some thing's time but also absorb it into yourself thus allowing you to bypass the limitation of Time Locking and increase your own limits." The towering Wulfun clapped Harm's back playfully. “You know the only reason why half of the members of the Thirteen voted against your promotion as a Chronomancer is because you were a disrespectful and unruly student?"

So why even bother point out that Shelandi's experiment has no practical applications when becoming a Chronomancer is all a popularity contest?

He decided to keep his thoughts to himself and glanced away with a sigh. “So instead Haamiah had to get involved. When the God of Time endorses you, the Thirteen can't do anything but make you a Chronomancer. Honestly, I half-expected to wake up dead or disfigured from my Time Locking ceremony."

“Is that why you chose to dress so casually?"

“It was sort of a giant 'fuck you' to those who wanted me dead. If they were going to kill me, they'd have to bury me in my best and if I was Time Locked in casual clothing, it'd mean they'd have to try and strip me which wouldn't work because these clothes would just fly back."

Longinus gave him a knowing smirk. “Is that really why you wanted dress like that for all eternity?"

Harm sighed and lowered his arms. The black-furred Wulfun was his mentor throughout his time as an Initiate. Often whenever he got into trouble for his disruptive antics, he had to report to Longinus. His tenure as an Initiate was far from ideal and many would argue his grades were dismal. However, each of the explosions, controversial questions and pranks he played were all part of his grander experiments. Longinus had an inkling about what he was planning but never quite caught on until the day of his application.

He had stunned everyone in his class when had asked to present to the Collective. Every one of his peers had expected him to fail spectacularly and more than a few had hoped to sabotage him. Pity none of them knew what he had developed. When he showed everyone what he had created - Final Hour - and subsequent spectacle that followed, everyone realised that Harm Chronos was not just some punk that had come off the streets and always wanted to be the centre of attention.

No, he was a cunning, conniving manipulator who had used his entire class as his test subjects. Of course that was also why Longinus had chosen to abstain from the vote. He was too close to Harm and didn't want that to cloud his judgement.

In all the scheming and backstabbing of the Thirteen and academia itself, Longinus stood as a resolute and honourable figure.

“Honestly it was just to gloss over the controversy of what happened," he admitted. “I'm probably not going to make any friends amongst the established Chronomancer so I was just hoping that maybe the students would see me as approachable if I dressed casually. Of course that point is moot because I don't have any students."

Longinus groaned and rolled his eyes. “And there we go. When will you get it through your thick skull." He rapped Harm's head with his knuckles. “All the teaching positions are currently taken. Not to mention that we need you to help oversee Chronosphere production and maintenance. As the leading expert in storing Time -"

“Cut the bullshit, Longinus," Harm interrupted with a bitter smile. “You and I both know this is all because the Thirteen are scared that I'd radicalise the students or something. I dared to destroy time after all, a supposed constant in all existence. I've read the reports. People are scared that if people subscribe to my theory, someone is going to kick off the apocalypse by unravelling time itself and killing everyone. They're scared that if too many people destroy bits and pieces of time, it'll affect Haamiah's Machine and we'd all be dead."

The towering Wulfun was silent for a long moment as they reached a mostly empty plaza. Chrysalis Core's rays were warm and the wind was gentle enough that it didn't pluck any leaves from the trees around them. It was a scene of serenity… or sinister silence. “Have you ever driven a vehicle before, Harm?"

The question was likely to lead to a metaphor but he decided to go along with it. “I've driven a Havenese aerial vehicle before and a Xaosian car. Moving in three dimensions versus just on a flat surface is quite a shock. Even harder because most people only look at what's in front of them or behind. They don't look for what's above or below."

“Have you ever done an extremely sharp turn?"

“There aren't roads on Haven so no. Contrary to popular belief, I don't fancy myself doing drag races through the night."

Longinus, paws behind his back, said, “Temporal is a lot like a car that has just made a sharp turn. Its passengers and momentum is stalled, shaken and somewhat disoriented. But after a few moments, it will correct itself and everyone will regain their bearings." Only then did he reach out and gently grasp Harm's shoulder. “Your introduction of Final Hour has caused the enormous train that is the Collective to make a sudden sharp turn. Right now, we are still in the midst of that turn and everyone, particularly the Thirteen, are eager to make sure that no one is lost in the madness. However, given time, we will stabilise and move on forward again. You just need to be patient. You will get your students. Just let the dust settle."

Harm lifted one eyebrow. “Wasn't this metaphor about cars a moment ago? Where'd the train come from?"

Longinus laughed but it was abruptly cut short by the sound of an explosion. Both wolves jerked their ears towards the east and turned simultaneously as black smoke began rising.

“That's in the direction of one of the laboratories!" Longinus exclaimed.

“I didn't know you guys added 'exploding the building' to the extra curricular activities after what I did. I'm touched."

Both Chronomancers immediately triggered the standard technique Fast Forward where they leapt forward in time to the point when they were already at their intended destination. They appeared in front of one of the massive multi-storey laboratories. The first floor was engulfed in flame and Initiates were rushing, coughing showing signs of burns or smoke damage to their robes. Other Chronomancers were already on the spot, trying to rescue the gathered Initiates or debating how best to stop the flames.

“If we stop the passage oxygen," Longinus announced, “the flames will die out on their own."

“And suffocate any other Initiates inside!" Harm protested. “There's also no telling the structural damage the fire would've done."

“Lord Longinus!" bellowed a Chronomancer. “We've sent for one of the water-specialist Chronomancers. They should be here soon! They can douse the flames!"

“But what if it's an electrical fire?" countered the member of the Thirteen. “We could only make it worse!" He cast his gaze around. “Does anyone know what experiments were being done in this place?"

Just like Chronomancers, Harm thought bitterly. More debating than doing. There's only one way to get through this.

He strode forward and immediately held both paws out to his sides. The air shimmered around him, forming a faintly orb of blue energies.

“Harm!" Longinus exclaimed.

“Stand back!" he bellowed. Slowly he brought both his paws forward, the energies from the orb coalescing at his fingertips. The crackling energies solidified into a glimmering spear of azure light encased by a faint, golden tinge. The weapon formed, he swung the weapon through the air. A wave of the same energy rushed forward from the swing and swept over the laboratory. Everyone held their breath as the wave washed over the flames and immediately cause them to dissolve into a flurry of black dust particles like someone had decided to blow away the flames into ash. The black dust curled and swept through the air, filtering through the cracked windows and shattered doors to gathered around Harm's palm. The smoke ceased as their source was gone. Not a single ember was left. Little by little, the migration of dark dust faded until all that was left was a single, solid, black orb in Harm's paws.

The Destroy of Time crushed the orb in his paw, absorbing the stolen Time into himself.

“What was that?" gasped one of the observing Chronomancers.

Longinus beamed with pride. “You have just lain witness to the might of the Destroy of Time. So great is his mastery of the technique he created, that he was able to selectively manipulate Final Hour to destroy just the flames while leaving everything else untouched." He padded over to Harm and clammed the smaller Wulfun on the shoulder. “Good job, Master Chronos."

The display probably earned him some popularity points but his concern was the people still left in the building. Though the structure was Time Locked and it would eventually recover, his use of Final Hour delayed its regeneration momentarily. Students could still fall to their death or if they had already suffocated from the smoke, every second would bring them closer to death.

“I'm going in," he announced. “There could still be people in there."

“I shall accompany you."

Action from a member of the Thirteen was enough to inspire and move others. Other Chronomancers followed them into the charred building. Students were found crouched in corners and helped out of the debris. Some had foolishly retreated upstairs and their lecturers were already reprimanding them for the choice. One of the students directed them towards one of the laboratories to the far end of the structure. Judging by the damage, it was a very powerful explosion. They came to Lab L-652 where the explosion seemed to have originated.

His heart sank the moment he saw the damage… and the people within.

“Shelandi…"

---

Orange

The incident at the laboratory was attributed to a gross miscalculation on the part of the Initiate 76522. There was no indication or inquisition on how she obtained another Chronosphere despite supposedly exhausting her entire stock. Harm was mentally kicking himself for not checking if she had exhausted her other four Chronospheres before granting her another. The experiment, while heavily damaged, showed signs of working for a few minutes before the eventual explosion that set fire to a large section of the laboratory. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt. Just burnt.

He felt guilty over what had happened. If he hadn't encouraged her, if he had done his job, none of that would have happened.

The door to his office slowly opened and a familiar reptilian face slowly poked in. Seated on his chair, resting his cheek against his knuckles and tapping his desk expectantly with a claw, he waited as Shelandi slowly approached with her head ducked, hood up eyes cast down even lower than the first day they had met. Even now, a week after the incident, he could still smell the scent of burnt hair on her. There was already a cup of tea ready of her, kept perpetually hot thanks to his Chronomancy. The tray of biscuits was primed for a mid-morning snack. The gentle smile on his muzzle was gone. Few knew the fact that he had been Time Locked with a soft smile on his muzzle so for him not to be smiling was evidence that he was deeply annoyed.

Shelandi took up the seat. This time, she didn't have her books to hide behind.

“Explain," was all he said.

She grimaced, shutting her eyes from his judging gaze. “It was my mistake, Master Chronos. I miscalculated the amount of pressure the prism could take and -"

“That was an honest mistake," Harm interrupted. “Progress cannot be made without a few errors. What I want explained is how you managed to start a machine that required five Chronospheres. As I recall, you came to me because you had exhausted your supply of the four you already had."

She lifted her gaze, tears in her eyes. “I… I admit I lied. I just -"

She's lying again.

“Did you know that Chronospheres have unique serial number?" His sharp eyes tore holes into her story and her resolve. The moment he uttered those words, her head fell back down, gaze on her lap. “You used one Chronosphere, the one I gave you. The other four came from Geonidus. From what I hear, you've been collaborating with him on your project. He is looking for ways to keep the earth permanently fertilised to ensure a perpetually plentiful harvest. You both connected over the fact that you both grew up from poor farming backgrounds on Incendius. Did he ever propose the idea of using Chronomancy to manipulate sunlight so as to compliment his fertility project? Sunlight and good soil is essential for growing crops, after all."

“No… but -"

“Of course crops are ultimately useless to Chronomancers since we have no requirement to eat," he added sharply. “So I've got to wonder why he would offer his Chronospheres for your use, jeopardising not only his career as an Initiate and a potential Chronomancer but his life after your reckless calculations."

“It's not like that!" she pleaded, her hands tightening into fists. “My experiment worked! I was able to turn red light into blue with just the Chronosphere you gave me, Master Chronos! But I grew excited and thought I could manipulate more light simultaneously so I asked Geonidus for his Chronospheres…" Her voice grew quieter and quieter the more she continued into her explanation.

“And then your prism shattered, the experiment exploded and you put dozens of students' lives at risk for your ambition," Harm concluded, his voice dripping with displeasure. “Chronomancers are guardians of Time and Tower Thirteen itself. We have a responsibility to check not only ourselves but the rest of the world. Do you know why I created Final Hour?"

“Because you dared to ask the question, 'Can we destroy time?'"

He bared his fangs. “That is the line the media and the Thirteen fed you. The real reason is to remind Chronomancers of their vulnerability." Shelandi gawked at him. “Chronomancers are not immortal nor are they invulnerable. There will always be some way, some one who will find a way to better you. Final Hour not only allows Chronomancers to absorb Time from other objects and permanently add that to their own stockpile but it also serves as a reminder that they can still die. Someone could steal their Time right out from them using my technique. We cannot become better if we do not accept our own limitations or we blind ourselves with denial over our own immortality. There is always someone better which is why we have to keep getting better."

Shelandi immediately bowed her head. “I'm so sorry, Master Chronos! I let you down."

She was genuinely regretful of her actions. It was eating her up inside. The bright, shining enthusiasm that he had seen in her eyes when he gave her the Chronosphere was flickering out. If not kindled, it would fade out completely.

I can't let that happen.

He sighed softly and eased his features, letting his lips gravitate back up to a gentle smile. “Look, I'm not mad at you for pushing your boundaries. I'm mad at you for thinking that you can just do anything you want and not keeping your ambitions in check. It's like of you stare at Chrysalis Core for too long. You'll permanently damage your eyes. Like I've told you before, look at your past, look at your mistakes. Don't just look at your own either. Look at the mistakes of others and learn from them. Do you know why Photorius has white hair?"

She was still unable to speak and shook her head.

“Because he spent so much of his energy applying his theories that all colour drained from his hair. He pushed himself so much that he was on the brink of dying. If his application hadn't been approved, he would have died. Hell, he had to be nursed back to health for a whole month before he was Time Locked after he made his presentation because otherwise, he would have been permanently locked in a state of near-death." He leaned forward. “Do you hear what I'm saying, Shelandi?"

Slowly, she nodded. “I need to be more careful…"

“Indeed. And I think the best way to teach you that kind of understanding is to add some extra lessons around the combat aspect of Chronomancy."

She jerked her head back in surprise. “Master?"

As part of the Initiates' curriculum, the would-be-Chronomancers were taught how to fight. It went hand-in-hand with Temporal's philosophy that a sharp mind matches well with a sharp body. It also helped teach Initiates just how powerful Chronomancy could be. Reckless use of time magic could have wide-ranging consequences. Little wonder why Final Hour was reserved for established Chronomancers and taught in personal lessons by those who already knew it. There were no books on the technique, no records. That way, no Initiate could accidentally stumble upon it and accidentally start absorbing Time from something they shouldn't.

“Responsibility," he said firmly. “Meet me tonight just at dusk at Callimaire Gardens. You're going to be putting in some extra credit."

That fire came back and her eyes lit up. “Thank you! Thank you so much!" She sprang to her feet and bowed towards him thankfully. “May I bring Geonidus?"

He was starting to think that there was more to their relationship than just colleagues or one formed from their bond as Incendians. “Sure. Just make sure no one else knows about this."

Mostly because I'm not meant to actually be teaching…

“Thank you again, Master Chronos!" She dashed happily towards the door. Her hood toppled away from her head, revealing how her hair had been singed at the tips leaving it slightly browned at the edges and only coming to her shoulders. Then she turned again, green eyes afire with passion. “Thank you!"

Then she was gone.

Harm sighed to himself and wondered if he had just made a mistake.

“You realise, of course, that she and Geonidus are in love."

The white Wulfun practically leapt out of his chair, scrambling towards one of the over-sized armrests and nearly leaping clear off.

“Mother Goddess!" he cried. “What are you doing here, Longinus?" He glanced at the door. “And how long have you been standing there?"

“Not long," chuckled the dark-furred wolf. “I saw Initiate 76522 leave and decided to Fast Forward to this moment. Then I simply replayed the last ten minutes privately in my own time-space bubble while I observed the facts." He gave Harm a knowing smirk. “Handing advice, Chronospheres and private lessons to Initiates now?"

Harm groaned and slumped into his chair. “Busted…"

The towering Wulfun grabbed the top of his head in one of his giant paws playfully. “Progress cannot be made without a few broken eggs. I can understand your inclination to push that Initiate along. She has a passion and drive that is quite fascinating. Her ideas are somewhat derivative and honestly useless but I think were she to persist, she would be able to push Chronomancy's innovation into light to new heights."

He perked his ears curiously. “You think so?"

“Don't you? Is that not why you are invested in her?"

The edges of his lips dipped downward. “Frankly, no. It's her recklessness that I want to temper. I don't know if you saw it, Longinus, but the remorse in her eyes…"

“What of it?"

His eyes narrowed as he watched the door that Shelandi had departed through. “She regretted her failure."

“As anyone would. What is wrong with that?"

The fact that she didn't regret endangering the lives of others…

“If untempered, she would only become more and more reckless. That remorse would lead her to atone for her mistakes."

“Ah," Longinus mused. “So you fear she will find herself in a spiral of remorse and self-inflicted suffering." The powerful Chronomancer folded his arms. “A good thing then that you will be there to guide her, eh?"

He glanced up at the member of the Thirteen. “You mean you're not going to reprimand me for giving out private lessons or starting my own class?"

“A class would imply more than two people," teased the taller Wulfun.

Harm rolled his eyes, conceding to the jab with a faint smile. “I walked into that one…"

“Besides," continued Longinus, “who better to teach the reckless youth than the master manipulator who appeared to play the part of the carefree prankster when, in reality, he was using the entire campus as his testing grounds."

He tried not to let his tail wag too hard. This was what he had wanted since he had been instated as a Chronomancer - his own class. Sure it was only two students, but now he had the opportunity to inspire young minds and make a change for the future.

“You sure the rest of the Thirteen won't be pissed that you're doing this?"

Longinus' lips twisted slightly into a scowl. “Each member of the Thirteen is mostly autonomous. Though there are members that would insist that we pass every action of ours through each other, that is not the spirit of the organisation." His easy smile returned and he gave Harm a dismissive shrug. “Besides, Time is constantly moving forward, advancing. We can't keep our best and brightest in stasis forever. That would just be a waste."

He arched an eyebrow at the tall, black Wulfun. “This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with that display last week would it? That one where I used a focused version of Final Hour to get rid of the flames alone?"

His mentor chuckled softly and averted his gaze. “It certainly helped. News spread quite fast and it's evident that we're wasting your potential forcing you to do a clerk's job. That you were able to manipulate your own technique with little resources for research here speaks volumes of your ability to adapt and create. Just imagine what sorts of techniques you could come up with were you given a full suite and a class to bounce ideas off."

Harm slowly rose from his seat, giving Longinus an appreciative smile. “Thanks, Longinus. I really appreciate it."

Being so much bigger than him, it was easy for Longinus to reached down and ruffled Harm's hair playfully. Though every strand would only take a few seconds to revert back to its original position, it still annoyed him a little. He thought back to the times when he had just been an Initiate when Longinus ruffle his hair over and over again. To all those times when Harm had been battered and bruised after being bullied for the many times he had disrupted the class or just because some burly student realised that he wasn't 'anything special'.

The wolf known as the Sixth Hour had always been a friend and confidant to him. He never knew why Longinus had grown attached to him even though the black-furred wolf was someone of great importance amongst the Chronomancers. Many had argued that Longinus spent too much time with the disruptive prankster who clearly had a genetic defect but the member of the Thirteen persisted. Even now, as they stood forever locked in their bodies, Longinus still spent time with Harm.

It was nice to have a friend.

“Come on," beckoned the taller Wulfun. “Why don't we go for a walk? Let's get out of this office."

“I'd like that."

They didn't take more than two steps out of his room when they were interrupted by another member of the Thirteen. Harm's mood immediately darkened as he saw the child-like human in front of him.

Haais the Thirteenth Era - despite his name - was actually not the last member to join the Thirteen but one of the first. His innocent, pale skin and rosy cheeks hid a mastery of Time that many aspired to achieve. The foremost authority in timeline manipulation, Haais had gone to extreme lengths to develop a means of immortality. He had developed a means to reach back in time and alter his own genetics. After extensively studying the genetics of the seemingly ageless Angels of Haven, he had used what he had learned to give him the appearance of a prepubescent child with curly blonde hair just about 5'4'' in height. What he lacked in height, however, he made up for other cosmetic changes such as the thirteen pairs of wings that sprouted from his body.

Three pairs sprung from his back, permanently erect and actually incapable of flight. One pair sprang up from the back of his head and wrapped around his forehead like a white, feathery laurel. Another pair sprung up from the back of his neck and overlapped over his collarbone. Two pairs curled around his waist. There were two smaller ones springing from his ankles and two from his wrists. Feathers covered his ears, stretching back past his head to appear like one other pair of wings while the last pair - the only two wings that were actually useful - sprang from his back and was broad enough to take up the entire hallway. Apart from his Chronomancer's Mantle, Haais wore nothing else, allowing his wings to cover his modesty. He hovered perpetually off the ground.

By far the most extravagant of the Thirteen, Haais had been one of the six members of the Thirteen who had vehemently opposed Harm's appointment as a Chronomancer. He also openly despised Longinus whose invention of Time Locking had rendered his original research of agelessness obsolete. After all, why would you need to go back in time to alter your own genetics to become ageless like the Angels when you could be permanently frozen in the same state for all eternity? Officially, the two worked together to ensure that even though a Chronomancer would be permanently locked in the same body, Haais' techniques could make small tweaks and cosmetic changes should that Chronomancer fancy.

“Out to walk your dog, Longinus?" cooed the child-like Haais. His rosy lips curled upwards slightly in a smirk.

Harm's paws balled into fists but he refused to rise to Haais' jabs.

“We are out for nice stroll in the quadrangle," Longinus responded coolly. “You should try it some time, Haais. Hovering everywhere could leave your head so far in the clouds that you might find yourself incapable of being grounded in reality."

Ooooh! Snap!

Haais' left eye twitched slightly. “I could not help but overhear your conversation." His golden eyes narrowed upon Harm. “Taking students now, Destroyer?"

“Why not?" Harm answered with a shrug. “No harm could come from it, right? Worst case, with so many young minds working alongside me, we could render a few existing techniques obsolete. I'm sure you of all people would know what that's like."

Not my best work but it hurt him.

“Perhaps." Haais cupped his elbow in one delicate, almost feminine hand and then touched his lips lightly with his other hand. “Though you have never taken any of the teaching courses we offer, have you? As I recall, your grades at the Academy were close to dismal. I wonder what future we are leading our most treasured Initiates to if we are entrusting their education to someone so… below average."

“Perhaps that's what your education system needs," Harm answered, lifting his nose slightly. “For a long while, mathematicians only thought in positive numbers. Then someone proposed the idea of negative numbers. On one side, we have positive infinity and then we have negative infinity. I think we need someone to explore the other side of the spectrum and all that it entails."

“And that would be you? I suppose?"

“Who better than the Destroyer of Time?" Longinus responded haughtily. “Positive plus negative equates to zero, after all."

“Unless there is more positive than negative." Haais' eyes never drifted away from Harm. “Or the negative outweighs the positive. No matter how you spin the metaphor, it seems to portend a rather grim ending for the Collective, no?"

“Don't be afraid of change, Haais. Time continuously moves forward, after all. No second is the same as the last."

“What an astute observation from the one who challenged the Collective itself and spurned us from our complacency." Haais glided forward, making a beeline for the space directly between Longinus and Harm. Either the two Chronomancers gave him way or they were set for a collision course. Longinus gruffly gave way. “I look forward to your students' graduation… If they ever do."

Harm saved his scowl for when Haais was past him and could not see. “A pleasure to speak to you as always, Haais," he grumbled, gently patting Haais' back.

Longinus' lips curled upwards slightly and he exchanged glances with his smaller and contrastingly coloured Wulfun protege. Then he shrugged, swiftly raised his foot and gave Haais a hard kick to the rump. The angelic Chronomancer let out a yelp and spun around, staring at them both in anger. Then he noticed the small piece of paper that fluttered to the floor with the words 'Kick Me' attached to it.

“Very mature, you two," he scowled.

Harm offered the Chronomancer a helpless shrug. “Time may be constantly changing but that doesn't mean we can't be young again." He made sure that his smirk was very pointed and condescending towards the vain member of the Thirteen. “Right, Haais?"

******

When Chrysalis Core had finally set and plunged Temporal into near-darkness, the Station of Time was still awash with lights from its perpetually studious inhabitants. Since Chronomancers needed neither sleep nor food, the eternal guardians of time often continued to work into the night perfecting their techniques or learning new ones. Initiates often tried to follow the examples of their Masters' or partied all night. 'Preparing for Time Locking' they often said. None of the Chronomancers ever opposed the idea as some of them did the same when they were Initiates.

One would assume that the puckish Harm Chronos would have been much the same but when he had been an Initiate, he was never found in any of the big fraternity parties or hitting on the sorority girls. Those that were in the know would find him quietly on a small hill a far distance away from the Academy with a lemon tree perched at its peak. These days, the hill was called 'The Destroyer's Overlook' and many likened Harm to a lemon - sour to the taste but could be pleasant as well.

It was here that Harm took both Shelandi and Initiate 76959, originally known as Geonidas.

Now that he saw them together, he could clearly see what Longinus had been talking about. There was an attraction between the two though, at least to him, it seemed rather one-sided. Shelandi had her arms wrapped around Geonidas' thick, muscular arm. The coppery-skinned human had the lean, tanned physique of a man who worked the fields. His wavy, sun-bleached hair framed his chiselled features in just the right way to outline his high cheekbones, easy smile and bright blue eyes. The robes he wore were perhaps one size too small so that they could accentuate his tapering torso and broad shoulders. The human walked with purpose but was also almost dragging Shelandi along like she was some clingy pest that he kept around for his entertainment.

Curb your opinions, Harm told himself. Can't judge on first impressions alone.

“Welcome you two," he said, perching himself in front of the lemon tree. “I've read both of your transcripts. Geonidas, you seem quite adept in your physical classes."

The young man was stunned that Harm was referring to him using his original name. “Thank you, Master Chronos. It's an honour to be training under the esteemed Destroyer of Time."

You mean because Shelandi invited you in the hopes that it would please you and garner more of your attention.

He mentally kicked himself for making another bitter judgement.

“Shelandi, your academics are slightly above average but you're failing the physical aspect. So this lesson will be used to shore up your prowess in this aspect. Both of you."

“How shall we proceed, Master Chronos?" asked Geonidas eagerly. He was already producing a Chronosphere from within his robes. Curious given that he had supposedly exhausted all of his as part of Shelandi's experiment. Then again, Harm strongly suspected that Shelandi had lied about that and used her own Spheres in order to cast Geonidas in a must more benevolent light.

“Put that away," Harm said with a wave of his paw. “You won't be using Chronomancy for this."

“We… we won't?" Shelandi stammered. Geonidas hushed her sharply.

“You need to learn how to crawl before you can walk," he said, taking note of the reprimand. He gently rapped the tree behind him with his knuckles while holding out his other paw. A lemon dropped from the tree branches above him and landed in his paw.

“That was really well timed," commented Geonidas.

“Not really." He pointed upwards. In the trees above him was another Harm Chronos, dressed in exactly the same attire even down to the Chronomancer's Mantle. That Harm waved at the students happily before dissolving into a cloud of golden dust.

“Is… Is that a Timeline Copy?" Shelandi gawked. “That's Lord Mitosis' technique and is said to be one of the most complicated forms of Chronomancy to learn! It is what propelled Lord Mitosis to the rank of the Thirteen! How did you master it so quickly?"

He closed his eyes and gave her a warm smile. “A lot of Chronomancers make the mistake of riding the same successes that got them this mantle for the entirety of their careers." He gestured with his free paw at the cloak he wore. “Look at Photorius. He's just teaching the same thing over and over again while honing his techniques. But he's never branched out into other aspects or trained in other forms of Chronomancy apart from the basics that were taught in the Academy. Don't be afraid to break the boundaries, to shuck off the shackles of the norm and do something different, learn something new. Just because you earned that mantle, doesn't mean you can stop pushing the boundaries and learning something new."

Opening his eyes, he held out the lemon in front of him. “Okay. For today's lesson, all you'll be trying to take this lemon from me."

“That's it?" Geonidas scoffed confidently as he rolled up his sleeves. “Easy!"

Harm took a step forward, immediately triggered Fast Forward so that he appeared right behind Geonidas. “Remember when I said you won't be using Chronomancy?" he said. Glancing over his shoulder at the shocked human, he said, “I never said that I can't use it."

Then he zipped through time and appeared once more where he had been standing right beneath the tree this time with one of his arms tucked behind him. “To make things easier, I'll even keep one paw behind my back." His smile took on a slightly sinister edge. “Now then. Come and see if you can take this lemon."

With a scowl, Geonidus rushed forward, arms outstretched. As expected, the young man was trying to use brute force at first as a means to test Harm's limits. Shelandi hung back, watching with her hands tightly clasped against her chest.

As the sandy-haired young man approached, Harm remained still and waited until Geonidas was almost upon him. Then he simply tossed the lemon into the air. Naturally, his students' eyes went to the lemon, leaving his attention away from his now-free paw. As Geonidus rapidly tried to change trajectory to seize the lemon, Harm moved forward, seizing the man's face. He slipped one leg between Geonidus' and swept the limb out from beneath the Initiate. Time seemed to slow as he pushed Geonidus right into the ground with a deafening slam. Before the lemon hit the ground, Harm rose to his feet and snatched it from the air.

“Not a bad attempt," he said, absently tossing the lemon into the air. “But don't let your attention be taken away by something as trivial as your target moving. Eliminate the greatest obstacle that stands between your goal and yourself first before going for the gold."

Geonidus grumbled and staggered to his feet. “A fair lesson, Master. I won't make the same mistake twice."

Then the Initiate charged again. It seemed like the very same tactic but Harm immediately noticed how Geonidus' eyes were fixated just a little past him… at the tree.

Clever boy.

Harm humoured the young man and stepped aside to dodge the lunge. The lean Initiate slammed his fists into the tree instead and as a result, multiple lemons fell from the branches. No doubt Geonidus had expected him to be stunned by the sudden move and lose track of the lemon in his paw. Props had to go to the young man as he was incredibly fast for someone not using Chronomancy. From the tree trunk, Geonidus was suddenly on Harm, making another grab for the lemon.

Then Harm crushed the lemon…

… and lemon juices squirted into Geonidus' eyes.

“Yeeeeeow!"

The young man toppled to the ground, clutching his face as the juices seared his eyeballs.

“Again a very nice try. Clever too. But you failed to take notice of the fact that keeping the lemon has no value to me." With a flick of his ear, the lemon juices peeled away from Geonidus' eyes and the damage done to the young man's cornflower blue irises healed. The juices seeped back into the crushed lemon before the shredded yellow flesh inflated and reformed back into its perfect shape. The very same lemons that had fallen to the ground leapt off the grass and nestled back within the leaves as if Geonidus had never struck the trunk. “When you're approaching your goal, you've got to ask yourself two questions: What do I gain from this endeavour and what will happen afterwards? This is a battle, this is war. In war, you are in a constant juggling act. In one hand a sword, in the other a shield. In a third the people's hearts and in a fourth, your enemy's balls."

Geonidus propped himself up on his elbows. “With all due respect, Master Chronos, I only have two hands."

“Which is why you're juggling."

Shelandi chuckled at his humiliation and Geonidus shot her a piercing look that immediately silenced her.

“This is very much the same thing you're doing when you're studying to be a Chronomancer," Harm continued. “You've got to ask yourself what value your research will have to the Collective. Don't only think about what you're working towards either. Think of its scalability. You will be creating the stepping stone, the template, for which future generations and yourself can expand upon. How can my research be used?" To his left, golden light erupted and immediately solidified into a bright sword-like shape. Though shimmering and semi-transparent, the construct didn't actually give off any light of its own and didn't illuminate the area around him. In fact, it seemed to drain what little light there was around him to form the construct. Shelandi's eyes widened in surprise.

“Photorius' Solid Light Chronomancy!" she gasped.

Seeing that she was inspired, he continued. “How can my make my research distinctly mine?" Another solid light construct appeared to his right, becoming a shield. “How will my research inspire the next generation?" Above him the light formed a bright cartoonish-heart shape over his head. “And lastly, how can my research be used by others?" With a wave of his paws, the three constructs vanished in a flurry of golden dust. “Though given the topic of the fourth part of my metaphor, I'm going to do without the visual aide."

Shelandi nodded fiercely and too a step forward. “M - May I try to take the lemon, Master Chronos?"

“Of course," he said, holding up the lemon. “I welcome it."

With a nod, Shelandi closed her eyes briefly… then snapped them open again. She thrust her hands forward. “Levi Iaculo!"

Alarm bells immediately rang out in Harm's mind.

Shit! Luxmancy!

Immediately, spears made of shimmering light sprang up from behind her. Geonidus cried out her name but it was too late to cancel the spell. About three dozen lances appeared and they immediately rushed forward, hurtling towards Harm. He wouldn't have cared if the spears had hit him but his concern was Geonidus who was still crouched on the ground between them. There was little time to think and Harm immediately Fast Forwarded in front of Geonidus and draped his body over the young Initiate. The Lances of Light spell was devastating because of their tenacity; once launched the only thing that would stop the Lances from their goal was to strike the caster down or to counter the spell. However, Chronomancers could not use the Illuminus Weizar. With Shelandi standing just six feet away from Geonidus and eight from Harm, the moment those Lances lurched forward, Initiate 76959 would be shred into bits. Even if Harm Fast Forwarded to another location, the trajectory of the Lances would take them through Geonidus.

He made all these deliberations in a split second and acted half a second later. He Fast Forwarded right in front of Geonidus, draping his body over the young man. Pain erupted from his back and back as the spears pierced his flesh, cutting through his Mantle and his clothing. Geonidus went rigid in his arms as the spell pierced Harm's stomach multiple times, and dug deep into Geonidus' chest, puncturing his lungs.

Shelandi suddenly screamed.

“Oh… Oh my Goddess! I'm so sorry! Master Chronos! 76959! I… I didn't - I was just focusing on my target and… and…!"

Despite the injuries that would have killed any normal man, Harm rose to his feet. Even with thirty-six spears of light sticking out of his back and about half of those shooting out of his chest, he was unfazed. His concern was solely on Geonidus who was gasping for breath and gagging on his own blood in front of him.

Harm seized the spears sticking out of his chest and snapped them, the fragments shattering like glowing, white crystals. He tossed them aside, watching them fade.

Good. The spell is over. No other clauses that could potentially deal damage.

With a wave of his paw, Geonidus' blood began seeping back through the young man's wounds. The punctured flesh and organs began knitting back together and the young man gasped for breath, arching his back as his life was stolen from the cold grip of death. The young tanned human was left panting, clutching his chest and staring up at the sky with wide eyes.

“I'm so sorry!" Shelandi repeated. “I… I wasn't thinking! I just thought -!"

“You stupid bitch!"

Geonidus was suddenly at his feet, shoving Harm aside. The young man lunged at Shelandi and knocked her to the ground. He had grabbed her head and despite her screams, pushed his thumbs right into her eye sockets.

What the hell!?

Without thinking, Harm flung his paw in Geonidus' direction. He warped the young man back to the moment when he was just getting up and then used his Chronomancy to reverse his momentum and multiply it. This resulted in the angered, red-faced Initiate being slammed hard against the tree with enough force that the mighty tree trunk actually groaned in protest. Harm kept his paw held towards the furious young man who still had blood and Shelandi's eye juices dripping from his fingertips. He held Geonidus against the trunk, halting all time around the man's body so he could not move but still listen and hear.

“That was totally uncalled for, Geonidus!" he bellowed. Then he turned in concern towards his other student. “Hold still, Shelandi. Let me heal you."

Her eyes shut tightly and still dripping with blood, she curled up on the ground and just whimpered.

“That bitch deserved it!" Geonidus bellowed. “She would've killed you!"

“I'm a fucking Chronomancer!" he shouted back. “You think a few needles made of light would've killed me?" He released the Initiate, letting him slump to the ground. Then he turned towards Shelandi, gently stroking her hair as he proceeded to reverse the course of time and repair her eyes. “Go to the infirmary. Lesson's over."

“But -"

He shot Geonidus a piercing stare.

“I said go!"

---

Yellow

“It is very unfortunate what happened to those two Initiates."

Longinus' office was far more lavished than Harm's as befitting a member of the Thirteen. Where Harm had walls filled with Chronospheres behind glass cases, Longinus was adorned with banners, paintings and even souvenirs from his travels across Tower Thirteen. He even had carpeted floors where Harm had to suffer with cold marble. The chairs were even more comfortable. He was fairly sure they would vibrate on command.

“I never pictured anyone that passed the initial screening to be as hot-headed as Geonidus," Harm admitted. “Then again, we're in academia, right?" He felt terrible for making the joke and instantly grimaced. “Still, to gouge out your own girlfriend's eyes just because of a slight…"

“I'd be more concerned about 76522's recklessness," Longinus said, absently leafing through the report on the incident. “Using Luxmancy isn't forbidden. Everyone is encouraged to try and apply whatever knowledge they have to their research but I have misgivings about her experiments if she's as careless with her equipment as she is with her Light Magic."

Harm dismissed the thought with a wave. “I'm sure she knew she wouldn't do any permanent damage to me. I'll admit I'm a little pissed at her for putting Geonidas in danger but if the incident last night was any indication of their relationship, he clearly hasn't been treating her well."

Longinus sighed and leaned forward, tenting his fingers while peering at Harm intently. “Interpersonal relationships are to be discouraged not only amongst Chronomancers but amongst Initiates. You know why, right?"

“I do but I don't like it."

“Repeat it for me."

It was like he was being lectured by his mentor all over again. Longinus liked making him repeat the rules because he believed that it would ingrain them into Harm's head despite the fact he kept breaking them. “There's no guarantee the same person you're sharing a bed with will be there when you become a Chronomancer. There's also not guarantee that they'll make Chronomancer either. You could be granted all of eternity while they will be subject to their finite lifetime."

“Not how I'd put it," Longinus sighed. “A Chronomancer is eternal. When we get Time Locked, we make take on the burden of eternity. That means that anyone we may have affection for will die before our very eyes unless they become a Chronomancer as well and there is no guarantee that will happen. This is why we shred our Initiates of their former identities, giving them a number instead of a name and then assign them a new name based on their achievements as a Chronomancer. Who we were before we became a Chronomancer is irrelevant."

“I disagree. Our past is just as important as our present and future. If we don't know where we've been, how can we tell where we're going to be? How do we know we won't just walk the same path over and over again?"

Longinus sighed wearily. “I am not going to have this discussion with you again, Harm. That's how the Collective assigns new Chronomancers and how we treat our Initiates. It is part of the mental preparation for the loneliness that is eternity. I know you like to remind people of who they were before they became a Chronomancer or an Initiate, but we are forging young, impressionable minds here. A man who bears a grudge when they become a Chronomancer will have those feeling fester inside of them until the end of time. Vengeance, fulfilled or not, will leave someone empty inside and when you have all of eternity to live with that emptiness, it could do irreparable damage. Do you remember what happened with Entroclos?

Entroclos the Chronomancer of Entropy. He was crowned a Chronomancer long before Harm was made one and had served as a case study for the emotional detachment required of all Chronomancers especially to non-Time Locked individuals. His wife suffered from a degenerative disease that was slowly eating away at her flesh. It was never revealed exactly what it was and many theorised that she suffered from being an Animortis - a miserable creature who had mistakenly cast a spell of the Illuminus Weizar far beyond their means and had cut the spell at the last moment. The magical backlash caused the spell to imprint on their very flesh, turning part of or their entire body into a living embodiment of that spell. Nothing would control the magic constantly consuming the rest of their body and spirit to fuel the spell so they were slowly dying.

Entroclos devoted his study to properties of entropy and finding ways to stop or even reverse the degradation that naturally came with time and ageing. He succeeded, in part, and had come up with the techniques that allowed Chronomancers to reverse superficial damage in others - such as the techniques Harm used to heal Shelandi and Geonidas the previous night. However, his research was not enough to save his wife. Entroclos became obsessed with his research so much so that he put his wife in stasis until he could save her. He sacrificed countless students in his research, killing them in horrible experiments and even subjecting them to various degenerative diseases with the promises that he would reverse them were he successful.

When his monstrous acts were discovered, the Collective stripped him of his Chronomancer status and locked him in one of the anti-Time fields currently located in the dark depths of Narkathuul Prison - the prison for Chronomancers where they abilities were stripped and rendered useless. Entroclos still lived even though his wife was taken out of stasis and allowed to die peacefully with her family. To this day, he raged and ranted like a lunatic in Narkathuul alongside the other Chronomancers who had performed atrocities even the Collective could not stomach.

“How could anyone forget about him?" Harm sighed. “I visited him once. I was this close…" He held up his thumb and forefinger an inch away from another. “… from using Final Hour on him. Obliterate him so he'd finally know peace."

“Why didn't you?"

Harm lowered his gaze, regarding his paws thoughtfully. “Just doesn't seem right. The guy just loved his wife so much that he'd go to the ends of the earth to find some way to save her. Seems to me if he had just accepted her end and moved on, he wouldn't have been so miserable."

“Time makes fools of us all. More so those of us who have all of eternity." Longinus sighed and leaned back in his massive chair. It was actually the same sized chair as Harm but because of his Wulfun build, he sat in it comfortably. “Regardless, you need to enforce this lesson upon your students. No interpersonal relationships."

Harm lifted his gaze. “But Shelandi really needs that emotional support! She has fantastic ideas and the drive to see it through but she just needs that emotional pillar to keep supporting her or she'll topple."

“76522?" Longinus asked, surprise. “No. I was talking about 76959."

“What?" he blurted, utterly surprised. “Geonidus? The one that gouged out another student's eyes?"

“Yes," replied the Sixth Hour bluntly. “He has far more potential to become a Chronomancer than the Scalion."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Longinus, a member of the Thirteen, was actually endorsing the guy who had assaulting another student to become a Chronomancer! “You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

“Think about this objectively, Harm," said the taller Wulfun calmly. “76522's -"

“Shelandi."

“Her -"

“Shelandi," he growled.

Longinus sighed heavily and held up his paws slightly. “Very well. Shelandi's research is very limited, derivative and quite frankly useless. She is just changing the colour of objects. What practical purpose does that have?"

“How about tactical camouflage!" Harm protested. “Creation of artificial darkness? Ocular medicine! Maybe even the alteration of our perception to the point where we can see ultraviolet light or infrared! How about just the hell of it?"

“But did she come up with these ideas or are you feeding them to her?"

He balked. “I… I haven't even suggested these to her…"

“And that is why you are a Chronomancer and she isn't. I'm sure by now, you've already figured out how to make her experiment work and are already thinking well ahead to the other ways you could use it."

He averted his gaze, unable to admit that he had been thinking about ways to manipulate light so that the effect of Final Hour wouldn't be so visible. The drawback of his technique was that it was often a little slow to take full effect. If he could mask the drifting particles of raw Time somehow, someone could be drained of their Time without even knowing it. There was no reason to apply the modification to Final Hour outside of military applications but he had been considering it solely for curiosity's sake.

“I see by your look that you have," Longinus said patiently. “Any other mentor or perhaps another student would already have stolen her idea and made it work for themselves. That you're letting her figure it out for herself is going beyond consideration and into emotional attachment." The member of the Thirteen rose from his seat. “76959's has been progressing in his research even before your lesson. He is already thinking of other practical applications for his technique to keep soil permanently fertilised. He's even created propositions to turn a vast swath of farmland on Incendius which is heavily reliant on farming into an experimental field with weather controlling Chronomancy to allow the growth of crops that aren't native to the Station of the Sun."

Admittedly, that was a very ingenious way of implementing that form of Chronomancy. Not only was Geonidus thinking about cultivating crops but he was no doubt considering how the alter the chemical composition of the soil so as to allow for the development of non-native crops. That would revolutionise agriculture not only on his home Station of Incendius but all of Tower Thirteen.

Though he hated to think of it, Harm was already considering pairing him up with one of the other Chronomancers who specialised in weather manipulation and maybe even one of the Chronomancers who researched automation to create permanently pristine conditions for crop growth. Time Locking wasn't an option, naturally, since if they just Time Locked the soil, then the very nutrients used to grow the crops would be drained from the harvest back into the soil. Not to mention any form of growth would likely be killed when the soil reverted back to its natural state…

He shook his head free of the thoughts.

“Damnit…" he cursed.

“76959 is just a better student than 765 -" Harm shot Longinus a sharp look at the taller Wulfun sighed. “… than Shelandi. I am not suggesting giving up on the young Scalion but do not judge 76959 on a single outburst either. Invest in them both, Harm. Do that and you might just get a class of your own."

His ears perked up. “Wait. Really?"

Longinus gave him a faint smile. “Like Haais said, you haven't taken any of the teaching courses we offer so this one incident can be brushed under the rug especially since no one was grievously hurt. Your probationary period as a lecturer still goes on untarnished." The Sixth Hour walked around his horseshoe-shaped table and ruffled Harm's hair playfully. “Just don't let it happen again. Or if it does happen again because that's just your teaching style, make sure no one gets killed."

He gave his mentor a sarcastic stare. “What? You think that because I'm the Destroyer of Time, I'm going to purposefully expose my students to death to drive home a point?"

The black-furred Wulfun shrugged his broad shoulders. “Better than how Orgasmar teaches."

Just thinking about the Chronomancer who had opted to be Time Locked just at the moment or orgasm just made both Wulfuns' features sour and the duo let out a groan.

******

Temporal, in many ways, was just one giant university. The population was either divided into the Chronomancers or the Initiates. Everything was provided for the Initiates in terms of food and lodgings. Though every dormitory had its own style and sense of identity, they were all mostly similar. Students often chose living places that were either reflective of their backgrounds, their field or research or which Chronomancer they most admired. Shelandi - and Geonidus - lived in the Sunshine Dormitory. Located some distance from the Academy of Time, the dorms were styled after typical rural Incendian architecture. Though the wooden structures were all Time Locked to prevent wear and tear and modern comforts such as air conditioning, fresh water and internal plumbing were present, they were hidden to give a more authentic feel.

In reality, a 'Dormitory' could constitute as a town in its own streets, buildings, eateries and all the comforts of a regular town. Harm strode along the cobblestone paths of Sunshine where Initiates greeted him courteously with a bow and a curt 'Master Chronos'. Of course, he heard them muttering behind his back as soon as they thought he was outside of earshot range. The notoriety of the Destroyer of Time spread far and wide.

I wonder if anyone in the other Stations know who I am.

He left the musing on the wayside for the moment as he approached the little townhouse where Shelandi was staying. It was a simple three-storey, wooden home sandwiched between two similar structures; almost indistinguishable from its neighbours were it not for the golden number plates that hovered over the iron gate on their own and the number on the mailbox. He pushed open the gate and approached the wooden door, giving it a loud knock. There was no answer after about a minute so he knocked again.

“Coming!"

There was a quite shuffling of steps and then the door opened.

Harm was surprised to find that Shelandi had cut her hair once more. Now she had a bit of a bob cut but one that still hid half her face.

“Master Chronos!" she gasped in surprise. “To what do I owe this honour?"

“I just wanted to check up on how you're doing," Harm said with a pleasant smile. “Is your vision alright? No lasting effects?"

“Oh… Uh… no." Her eyes fell as was always the case. “The nurses gave me tests and made sure that my vision was back. Better than ever, I think."

“That's good to hear." He held up a paw to prevent her from speaking. “Listen, I have my opinions about Geonidus but for the sake of professionalism, I'm going to keep them to myself. My concern right now is you."

“Me?"

He gestured past her. “May I come in?"

A blush touched her cheeks and she immediately stepped aside. “O - Of course, Master!"

Harm stepped inside her tidy little home. Everything was cleaned and he was sure the tables were polished to the point that if they were Time Locked now, they would forever stay in pristine condition. The environment smacked of someone who had an obsession with cleaning. In his experience, that was usually because that someone was either trying to wash themselves clean of failure or were desperately trying to control something in their lives since everything else was out of control. He brushed these thoughts from his mind. He was a Chronomancer not a psychologist and it was his job to look after his student not psychoanalyse every part of their lives.

I shouldn't even be here…

“Would you like some tea, Master Chronos?" Shelandi blustered, hurrying towards the kitchen.

“I'm a Chronomancers, Shelandi. I can't eat, remember?" He strode after her and plucked a cookie from where it sat on a plate on the kitchen counter. “Though I guess I could have one this time."

Shelandi stared at him, wide-eyed as he munched on the cookie and swallowed it. Ordinarily, any food he consumed would be regurgitated right back up as his Time Locked state denied him the pleasure of eating.

“Y - you can eat?" she stammered.

“Just a variation of my Final Hour technique," Harm said with a dismissive shrug. “I just use Final Hour on the food as it goes down my throat and hits my stomach. Haven't perfected it though. Only small things like tea and cookies I can 'digest' and only in small quantities. A full meal would take way too much concentration and defeat the purpose of the technique which is to reintroduce the pleasure of eating back to Chronomancers."

“Why would you want to make Chronomancers dependent on eating again?"

Harm chuckled. “You don't know what you're missing until it's gone. I've heard a lot of Chronomancers complaining about how they wished they could sink their teeth into a nice juicy steak or have some beautifully poached fish." He set down the cookie which barely had a bite in it as he worked to digest the small bit he had eaten. “Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about your experiment."

Shelandi turned away, unable to meet his gaze. “I was wondering about that as well, Master Chronos. I'm honestly not sure what to do. The Time requirements to manipulate light is just so great. You made it look so easy when you created those Solid Light constructs but for someone like me who hasn't been Time Locked…"

Her confidence was shaken. After the incident, that was no surprise but there was more to it than that. These were two consecutive failures. Everything was likely resting on how her third attempt would turn out.

“Have you given any thought to what I told you last night? About the applications of your technique?"

Shelandi lumped in of the stools around the marble kitchen island. “I suppose there's one way… Virtual invisibility."

Good. She's been thinking about this.

“What do you mean?" he asked, resisting the urge to give his thoughts on the matter he had already explored. She had to reach the conclusion herself. He couldn't feed her the answer.

“Total invisibility is only achievable through the Illuminus Weizar but that's because the Illuminated Word subverts the laws of reality to the will of the caster," she explained. “Achieving that through Chronomancy which is more grounded in reality is a lot more difficult."

“Then why would you hope to go down the path of Chronomancy if you can do the same with magic?"

“Because that's not the point!" she snapped hotly. Though her eyes were still cast down, he could see the fire and determination in them. “All my life, I was told I would never amount to anything more than a simply farmer's wife. I'd grow up helping on the farm, get traded off to some other family, birth children and then live the rest of my days out on a farm. I need to do this so that I can prove to myself that I'm not just… not just…"

Harm reached out and gently cupped her hand. “I understand. Honestly, I've heard far thinner excuses to be a Chronomancer. At least yours is tied to your self-worth. I've met Initiates who only want to become a Chronomancer to avoid the inevitability of death."

“Chronomancers can't die."

“Oh we can die," Harm said with a shrug. “I made sure of that." She gave him a puzzled look and he tapped the side of his muzzle coyly. “Final Hour can be applied to other Chronomancers. If a Chronomancer were so inclined, they could drain the time from another Chronomancer, absorbing all their Time into themselves. Of course, amongst the Collective who value knowledge above all else, that would be a waste of resources. A dead Chronomancer can't teach, after all."

“Oh… I see." Her eyes fell again. “I don't think anything I come up with will ever be as revolutionary as what you developed."

“Then don't compare yourself to me," Harm said. “You're better off finding better role models. Make your path on your own."

He eyes were not meeting his and it was clear his 'inspiring speech' was not reaching her.

Got to change tactics.

“Hey," he said. “If light is the fastest thing in existence, how is it that darkness always gets there first?"

Shelandi lifted her gaze and stared at him incredulously. “Darkness is the absence of light and…" Then she realised he was joking and actually cracked a smile. “Oh… Oh I see."

He shared the smile, gripping her hand tightly. “You know there are various conflicting theories of Time, right? There's the theory that Time progresses as strings that scatter, overlap and criss-cross over one another. There's the one where time is linear and just breaks off into different time lines with every choice we make or every major event. Then there's the theory that all Time is compressed into a single dot where everything that ever was and ever will be can be described in that single point. How can Chronomancers that subscribe to these theories can execute great feats of Chronomancy exist simultaneously?"

“I don't know," she answered, shaking her head.

“Exactly. We don't. And that's the fun of it. There is so much about the world we don't know but we can't find out what it is if we don't try." He shook her hand lightly. “What happened at the tree wasn't your fault. You couldn't have know how Geonidus or I will have reacted. I was the Chronomancer responsible so it was my responsibility to secure both of your safeties. You can't let that dishearten you. As I've told you many times before, look at the past, learn from it, grow."

She shook her head and turned away again. “What is there to learn from these mistakes? I've set fire to a lab. I nearly killed 76959. The only thing I seem to be good at is endangering people's lives."

“Maybe that's because you're looking at your problem from a single angle." He looked at the tea she had poured and gently pushed the cup towards her. He picked up the porcelain cup. “What colour do you see here?"

“It's brown," she said dismissively.

“From this angle, it's almost black," he said. “Light can appear as different colours depending on which angle its viewed from. You need to treat your outlook just as you would treat the light in your experiment. You need to consider it from all angles. If you just look at it from the perspective of the person making the experiment, you'll only see things from one direction."

Suddenly, Shelandi straightened. “Because light diffuses over time and distance." Her brow furrowed, her mind afire.

This is it…

“If I only change the colour from one direction like I've been doing, I'm not accounting for how the light will escape and be visible to other people in other directions!" Her eyes widened as she locked gazes with Harm. “I've been so stupid! I've been altering the light as it's reflecting from the target object! I should be altering where it hits the photo-receptors of the individuals viewing it!"

“Why?" he challenged.

She was suddenly on her feet, scrambling to look for a piece of paper or something to write on. “Because if I'm altering the light from the source, that is ridiculously expensive! If you take a red sphere, you've got light bouncing off its entire surface area into only Haamiah knows where! I am literally altering every photon, every wavelength on every bit of the surface of that sphere! The energy requirements for it are astronomical! But if I just alter the colours just before it hits the eyes of the observer, the energy requirements would be significantly smaller because I'm only targeting a smaller area, only a select number of photons!"

Yes! That's it!

“You'd have to figure out some way to detect who can see the object or else you could miss anyone seeing it from the shadows."

Shelandi nibbled at the base of her pen. “The eyes!"

“The eyes?" he repeated, trying to sound confused.

“Everyone's eyes gives off colour! Their irises! Light bounces off those irises and reflects colour! If I can find an algorithm that can detect the light bouncing off people's eyes, I could loop that in with my colour changing formula and…" Her eyes lit up and she was bouncing on the balls of her feet. A faint squeal escaped her lips and she flung her arms around his neck. “Oh, Master Chronos! Thank you so much! I know what I have to do!"

He laughed and gently patted her back. “Don't thank me. You came up with the idea."

Even though I may have prompted you a little.

Shelandi pulled away, gripping his paw in both her hands. “We've got to go to the lab right away! I want to test out my experiment!"

Her enthusiasm was infectious and he could only shrug and say, “Sure."

Even though he was the Chronomancer, he felt like he was the one being dragged across campus all the back to the laboratories. Though it was still an hour-long trip, Harm spent it watching Shelandi as she made adjustments to her formula and went through her calculation. Her thought processes were methodical and beneath the shy exterior, she as undeniably brilliant. Perhaps it came from the fact that she was an adept at Luxmancy that she was able to run through the calculations with such incredible ease.

By the time they reached laboratory L-652 which was now good as new, Shelandi had her formula down pat and was hurriedly making adjustments to her machine. The contraption looked like something right out of a steampunk fantasy. There were mirrors and lenses scattered all around a single apple sitting in the centre of a circle. She plucked her crystal tablet from the table and began keying in instructions for the machines. The nanites built into the very metal began reconfiguring themselves, changing, altering to her specifications.

Now that he could view the machine in its entirety, he could see why it had exploded in the first place. Her calculations were way off. But he wouldn't tell her that. She was on the right path and she had clearly learned from her mistakes.

“Damn…" she cursed. “I forgot that I don't have a Chronosphere."

“Not a problem," Harm said with a shrug. He approached the pedestal where a Chronosphere would have normally been perched and held out a paw.

“Master Chronos?" she gasped.

“Don't worry," he said with a smile. “I've got more than enough Time for this one experiment. Just tell me when you're going to switch it on and I'll power it with my own Time. I'll even provide feedback on how much of a drain it is on my strength."

Her eyes glimmered with thanks. She bowed ten times in rapid succession to him and then began the final adjustments to her machine. Once she was ready, she adjusted the position of the apple just a little and then looked to him to see if he was ready. With a nod, he gave her to go ahead and she switched on the machine.

The drain on his Time was significant. Manipulating light was no mean feat especially for a technique that was yet fully refined like Photorius' Solid Light. Still, it was manageable. A loud whirring noise filled the lab as the machine and its various lenses began to shimmer and shine. Then, right before their very eyes. The red apple… turned blue.

“It worked!" she exclaimed. “The prisms are only at a tenth of their capacity! Not to mention the Time drain isn't as much as it was before." She glanced over to Harm to confirm this and he nodded at her. “I just need to adjust it slightly and see if we can turn it fully invisible!"

“Alright," he said, gritting his fangs together. “I've braced myself. Go for it."

She tapped at the tablet and the machine suddenly began sucking away more of his Time. Again, it wasn't too bad once he got used to it but the drain was at least seven times more than the original. It was just the initial shock that got him. It was like someone was siphoning off his blood through his fingertips. It was all worth it, however, to see Shelandi's eyes widen and her jaw drop in astonishment as the apple completely disappeared from view.

“Hammiah be praised!" she cried, throwing her hands into the air. “It worked! And it didn't explode!"

“Thank god for that…" Harm laughed softly. He pulled his arm away from the machine, ending the experiment. “Oh and look. There's even a slight delay before the apple becomes visible again."

It was only about a second or two but it was significant.

“That could have other applications," Shelandi mused, tapping her tablet thoughtfully. “What if we could not only bend light to make objects entirely invisible but even delay the passage of light into the eyes of observers. Events that could end in the snap of a finger could be slowed down exponentially for the observer without having to literally slow down time." She turned to him, her eyes brimming with possibilities. “We could literally replay events without having to rewind time! It would be much a much cheaper alternative to reviewing results!"

“There we go," Harm chuckled, folding is arms. “There's the inspiration I was looking for."

Shelandi threw her arms around his neck again, holding him tightly. “Thank you so much, Master Chronos. I could never have done this without you."

This turned out rather well.

… which of course means something terrible is going to happen again.

******

“And then he used his own Time to power her experiment!"

Call it, Harm thought bitterly.

For the second time that day, he found himself in Longinus' office. This time, he was not alone. Alongside Shelandi, there was also Geonidus. Apparently, the young snitch had seen Harm and Shelandi travelling together from Sunshine and spied on them as they worked on her experiment together. Longinus had specifically mentioned not to give Shelandi any help and he was fairly sure he hadn't but by the barest of technicalities his actions could be construed rather negatively. Particularly since he used his own Time instead of a standard Chronosphere.

“I see," mused Longinus. “And what were the results of the experiment?"

Everyone turned their gaze towards Shelandi who had her head ducked meekly.

“Uhm…" she began. “… we managed to not only alter the colour of the target but also render it completely invisible…" She immediately lifted her head, meeting the gaze of the member of the Thirteen. “Please don't blame Master Chronos, Lord Longinus. He was only trying to help me! If I hadn't foolishly lost my Chronospheres -"

Longinus silenced her with a raised paw. He turned his golden eyes towards Geonidus.

“Initiate 76959," said the tall, black-furred wolf evenly, “exactly what are your complaints about what transpired?"

Geonidus seemed confused. “Are you kidding me? This is an established Chronomancer helping another student with their experiment! That's not allowed! Under Article 43-a of the Academy rules -"

“An established Chronomancer is not to aid a student in achieving Chronomancer status through providing assistance with their research," finished Longinus.

“Exactly! And the Destroy of Time did just that!"

The Sixth Hour rested his square jaw on a paw. “As I recall, Master Chronos is actually the Executive Chronosphere Officer." Geonidus' face fell and Harm tried not to grin too broadly. “It is his sole responsibility to provide Chronospheres to students upon the discretion of said student's lecturers which, if I am correct, he serves as in a dual role to both you and Initiate 76522. Is that correct?"

Geonidus was at a loss for words. “Uh…"

“So it seems to be that Master Chronos was actually doing his job by providing a steady supply of Time for Initiate 76522's experiment. Given the disastrous results of the previous experiment, I actually find his actions to be admirable. Not only could he have monitored the output of Time but he could have severed the feed any moment he thought the situation to be too dangerous. In this regard, he was acting in his capactiy not only as Executive Chronosphere Officer but as Initiate 76522's guardian. I see no conflict of interest here."

“But… but…"

“Initiate 76959," Longinus said calmly but his eyes were laser-like in their intensity. “I suggest you curb your feelings of jealousy and reconsider what it means to be a Chronomancer. I do not condone the espionage and attempted sabotage of another Initiate's experiment by abusing the laws we here on Temporal all adhere to. You may go. Count yourself lucky I have decided not to reprimand you any further."

“But -"

“You're dismissed, Initiate."

Geonidus, hands firmly clenched, got up from his seat and stiffly marched out of the office. He attempted to slam the door was met with Longinus' fiery stare so he caught it just before the loud bang. The member of the Thirteen then turned towards Shelandi warmly.

“Will you be submitting your application for this month's Assessment?" he asked.

“Uhm…" Shelandi, trying hard not to smile, lowered her gaze again. “There are still a few kinks to work out and I'd like to explore the other practical applications of my technique… But I'm confident that it will pass the Assessment, Lord Longinus!"

“Excellent. I look forward to when you present your findings. You may go."

Shelandi got up, her back straight and proud for once. She gave Longinus one bow and Harm three before she too left the office.

“Maybe I should go after her," Harm said, a faint smile on his lips. “Geonidus seems like the type to ambush her and try to throttle her or something."

“Please," answered his mentor dismissively. “You've already detected that I warped time from the moment he stepped out of that door. There's a whole hour between when he left and she did. If he's still stalking her up to now just to hurt her, he's not worthy to be a Chronomancer and will be expelled from the Academy." His eyes narrowed at him though. “As for you, though… You're very lucky things turned out the way they did. If you weren't…" He cut himself off and one of his eyebrows rose. “… you planned this, didn't you?"

“I don't make plans," he said confidently. “I just make people think I do."

Longinus ran a paw down his face and sighed. “Did you plan on 76959 snitching on you?"

“I admit I did not. Good thing I planned to abuse the loophole that I'm not only their teacher but also the guy in charge of giving a century's worth of Time to the students should they need it, huh?"

The black-furred wolf shook his head, an amused smile on his face. “You are one dangerous wolf, Harm. Did Initiate 79522's experiment drain a lot of time from you?"

“A decade's worth at most but that's only because her formula is still unrefined and we're relying on machines to do much of the work. If put in the hands of a Chronomancer and with a few tweaks, it'd be very efficient and very powerful."

“Good to hear." Longinus pushed a crystal tablet across his table to Harm. “Report to this address tomorrow morning. Make sure to have a lesson plan."

“A lesson plan…?"

He plucked the tablet off the table… and his jaw dropped in surprise. Longinus was giving him a class. He was going to be a teacher!

“How long have you had this in your back pocket?" he accused.

He only got a smile in return.

---

Green

“… and that is how we can create a perpetual loop that selectively locks certain properties of a Chronomancer's body in time." Harm stepped back from the giant, glimmering display of shining lights, arching lines and formulae. “It's a lot less like jumping back in time as it is creating a 'save point' in your life and slowly reverting the body back to that moment in time." He glanced over his shoulder at his students, an easy smile on his muzzle. “You know how it is. Your avatar dies in game but for some reason despite the fact you've been thrown back the last point in space that you saved, you've got all the items you picked up, all the experience points you've accumulated and all the bad guys are still dead."

His class chuckled at the metaphor and he could see the flashes of understand in their eyes. Despite his notoriety as the Destroyer of Time, people were already flocking to take his classes in what was quickly becoming known as 'Unconventional Chronomancy'. Unlike other Chronomancers who promoted their own techniques and research, he pushed the counter theories of other forms of Chronomancy. The official curriculum had pegged his classes as 'supplementary' and didn't really offer any grades for it but his students - and even some begrudging Chronomancers - admitted that his classes actually helped them understand their other classes.

Sometimes the best way to learn a topic was to explore why something didn't work as opposed to why it did.

“Excuse me, Master Chronos?" piped up a young man in the far back of the class. It pleased him that even though one would think that those that sat at the back of the class were slackers, those that sat in the back of his classes were asking questions and were as attentive as anyone else. “But how could Time Locking not only autonomously maintain a Chronomancer's body while knowing exactly what to maintain without doing something like… I dunno… wiping memories or causing horrendous growths?"

“An excellent question, Trevraieu." One of the other things about his classes was that he insisted on calling his Initiates by their real names. Other Chronomancers hated the practice but his students loved it. Made it more of a personal relationship between student and teacher. Harm stepped away from the holographic board and with a wave of his paw, dismissed the scribblings. Resting one leg on his broad, mahogany table, he struck a casual pose as he looked directly into the young man's eyes. “The answer is simple: formulae."

He let that sink in for a moment before he elaborated.

“Look around you. There is a formula for absolutely everything. The way light refracts through the windows. The chemical bonds between the atoms that make the marble between your feet. The striations of the wood on this table. If you look hard enough, you'll find there's a rhyme and reason to absolutely everything in this universe. Even something as simple as the swirl on a snail's shell or the patterns on a leaf can be broken down to a mathematical formula. I'm not saying it's simple. Far from it. However, our world is made of numbers; constants and variables. Our job as Chronomancers is to figure out what that formula is…" He lifted his paw as if to grab something from the air. Then he gave it a slight twist. “… and tweak it a little so that reality itself must adhere to this formula even for a brief instant. Chronomancy is all about understanding the maths behind the laws of reality and changing a variable, tweaking a constant or adjusting a formula to different results. You will hear other lecturers tell you that their form of Chronomancy adheres to certain laws but it falls upon you to challenge that. This class is all about asking why something is and why it can't be another way."

He lowered his paw with a faint, dismissive gesture. “Time Locking is much the same way. There is a certain formula that our bodies go through. It's called ageing." He smiled a little at his own joke, prompting some of his students to chuckle as well. “Time Locking forces certain variables as part of the ageing process to become constants. Just like the law of gravity. You can momentarily subvert the power of gravity by leaping up into the air but what goes up must eventually go down. Time Locking is exactly the same. Because certain variables have become constants, when a change happens to that constant either through damage or even just the natural progression of time, the formula will force a Chronomancer's body to return to that constant."

A loud, gong-like noise rang through the air and Harm perked his ears.

“Unfortunately that's all the time we have for today," he said. “We will be going over the properties of Duplication Chronomancy so please review how Millariar is able to replicate objects in the same time line before next class."

“Wait!" exclaimed a young girl near the front row. “Master Chronos, I need help on how Chronomancer's Fire works! Master Pyrannos just keeps trying to set me on fire!"

“Acceleration of molecules to generate heat," Harm answered curtly with a smile. “Friction, my dear Uriellia. Friction at an atomic level."

“Master Chronos!" shouted another student from the far back. “What about Master Evaryn's eternal flowers?"

“All related to Time Locking." He waved his students away, chuckling softly. “Save your questions for next class or feel free to drop by during office hours. You all need to get to your next class!"

As his Initiates departed with a groan he turned towards the board and waved a paw in the direction of the dancing lights. The display immediately vanished leaving him time to shove his notes into his satchel bag so that he could head off to his next lecture.

“You honestly seem to be enjoying your classes."

That was a voice he had not heard for over a year even though he had exchanged messages with its owner almost every week.

“Shelandi!" he greeted, turning towards the Initiate with a smile.

Initiate 79522 hurried to him, arms wide as they exchanged familiar hugs. Her posture was definitely stronger, her back straight and her head held high. Once again, she had cut her hair leaving the left side of her scaly features shaved while the right side still draped over her features only now it was more of a confident sense of style than an attempt to hide her features. The last year had done wonders for her figure as well. Her robes were less 'flat' than they were before. There were some wry muscles beneath the white robes as well.

“I haven't seen you in person in what seems like an eternity!" he exclaimed, holding her out at arm's length.

She laughed softly and brushed aside her hair. There was a light emerald lipstick on her lips and some bluish eyeshadow just beneath her brows. “I've been very busy unfortunately." Her eyes roved the large auditorium-like classroom. “I can see you have been too. Not too long ago you only had two students under your direct tutelage."

Harm laughed and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Word gets around that my class tends to help people understand the concepts that most other Chronomancers are so familiar with that they have difficulty explaining it to others. My unconventional thinking speaks to them, I guess."

“I think it has more to do with the way you teach." She folded her arms with a bright smile on her lips. “You really connect with your students, Master Chronos."

“Your flattery is clearly a gateway to a request," he accused playfully. He turned around and packed the last of his notes into his bag. “So when do I get to see you at the Assessment Hall where you'll emerge as 'Master Shelandi'?"

She rolled her eyes and walked beside him as they left the lecture theatre. “Not for a while yet I'm afraid. My research was temporarily stalled given the fact that I had exhausted all of my Chronospheres and Geonidus wasn't going to loan me any more of his."

“Yeah… Longinus wouldn't let me give you another one," Harm admitted with an apologetic smile. “Said that if I used my excuse as your lecturer too often, everyone else will expect the same. Plus after that first month, you weren't actually enrolled in my class."

The young, scaly initiate waved away his apology. “It's fine. It gave me time to think on the applications of my technique. I've actually been taking classes under Master Evaryn. Her classes in Assessment preparation are invaluable."

Evaryn was known as the Everblooming because of her revolutionary techniques to ensure that fruit-giving crops would perpetually produce fruit that were not only resistant to pests and disease but would consistently produce the same sized and quality of fruit every year. Its only downfall was that she had to research every single type of fruit down to the subspecies since each species had their own requirements. At the very least she had no shortage of things to do. From what Harm heard, she had taken hundreds of Initiates under her wing and was getting them to research each of the subspecies and then altering her technique to apply to the fruit. It was basically a guaranteed way to become a Chronomancer… even if they would forever be known as the 'Chronomancer of Miasman Golden Pears' or the 'Incendian Winter Watermelon Chronomancer'.

“Evaryn does have a certain flair in how she presents herself and how she works," Harm admitted.

She's also one of Haais' favourite pupils.

Just thinking of the deceptively innocent Thirteenth Era left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“But she has a lot of good points about the Assessment," admitted Shelandi. “You're trying to impress thirteen different people, each with their differing opinions. You need something to wow them." She gave him a wry smile. “Master Evaryn actually used you as an example, you know."

“Me?"

“Of course! Even now decades since you became the Destroyer of Time, people are still using the way you presented your findings to the Thirteen as a template on how to shock people and really make them think."

“I wasn't trying to turn the Assessment into a popularity contest…"

“But that's exactly what it is. None of the members of the Thirteen should be directly involved with you or have knowledge of your experiment." Shelandi's eyes turned off into the distance as they walked the gilded halls of the Academy. “If you stand up there, head bowed, meek and speak only in a whisper, no matter how amazing your discovery may be, you will never be accepted by the Thirteen. I mean you… you…"

Harm groaned at the memory. “I challenged Longinus to a fight."

He still remembered it clear as day. Yes he had a plan but looking back now, he realised just how much showboating he did to become the Destroyer of Time. Of course he did that all because he knew Haais and some other members of the Thirteen had been very vocal about Longinus' attachment to him. The challenge was meant to be a way to not only prove to everyone that Longinus was not favouring him but as a means to demonstrate Final Hour. Naturally his mentor had no choice but to accept the challenge but Harm proposed a twist to the challenge.

If Longinus managed to defeat him, only then would he be allowed to vote however he wished. However, if Harm defeated Longinus, then the Sixth Hour would be compelled not to vote for his appointment. That meant that the only way Longinus could vote for him was to hurt his pupil and potentially show the six allies that he had garnered that Harm was not worthy of their vote. Conversely, even if Harm won, Longinus would have to vote against him - or at least that had been the plan.

When they finally faced off against one another, everyone was stunned when Harm was able to stand toe-to-toe against a member of the Thirteen not only because he was able to execute multiple acts of Chronomancy but also because he was nullifying Longinus' Chronomancy and absorbing the Thirteen's energies into his own. The match only lasted five minutes but it was enough for Longinus to concede defeat. Of course, the black Wulfun had spent enough time around Harm to know how to defeat him anyway and instead abstained; pointing out the conditions of the competition was that he not vote for Harm. He didn't have to vote against Harm's appointment, just not vote for him. Even with the display, the votes were still divided evenly and he was fairly sure that was because Haais was blackmailing the others.

Still, even the Thirteenth Era would never imagined that the God of Time would have intervened.

“You know the Thirteen are actually considering putting themselves up for a challenge?" said Shelandi.

“Oh God…" Harm groaned.

“It's true!" she laughed. “They're thinking of putting this clause in the Assessment rules that if you aren't satisfied with the ruling, you can challenge one of the members of the Thirteen and if you last five minutes with them in combat, you will become a Chronomancer!"

“I'm worried what kind of precedent that'll set for future generations," Harm admitted. “We are an institute of learning and discovery not combat and warmongering."

“Aren't you the one that said that a sharp body leads to a sharp mind?"

“I was thinking more of doing push-ups and maybe running once a day not brawling with a member of the Thirteen!" Harm sighed and ran a paw down his face. “I guess I'll just have to teach extra hard so that none of my students will have to resort to that option." He immediately glanced towards Shelandi. “You're not…?"

She laughed, holding up her hands and shaking them. “No! Of course not! As I said, I'm still a long way away from even thinking about the Assessment!" Her features dropped as did her arms, her silhouette reminiscent of the day that she first came to his office. “Honestly, there are other initiatives for which the Initiates are trying to pursue the coveted Mantle. There is only so many things that we can discover as we are, you know? All the greatest research, all the biggest discoveries lie in the hands of the Chronomancers."

Harm remained silent.

“That's why so many students are so eager to attend your class," she continued. “They want to find other avenues to get Time Locked. When Chronomancers are made, they don't stop learning. They keep researching, keep studying. So many Initiates have had their projects rejected as 'bland' or 'derivative'. Your class challenges the norm and gives us hope of finding something else. If the path of the Chronomancers goes to the right, you dare to ask the question of what the path on the left holds."

She finally turned her gaze back to him, a wry smile on her lips. “It's why I've been working with 76959."

He started in surprise. “You're still with Geonidus!?"

Her sheepish grin spoke volumes. “I'm back with him. We… went our separate ways for a while after what happened over a year ago but then I caught him about to leave. He had given up and I pitied him. So we've decided to collaborate."

A collaboration project. Not a bad idea.

“How exactly do you think that'll help you with your Assessment?"

Shelandi lifted her head, looking towards the distance once more and appearing hopeful. “They say two heads are better than one and I think that's because when you have two people working together, you're constantly challenging one another and pushing each other's boundaries. 76959 challenges me. I'm working on my own personal project and he's still working on his but we're also hoping to present a collaborative project that is the fusion of our efforts. We hope that'll give us extra points."

It's a novel idea. You'd be opening the path to further research and if the Thirteen are anything, it's that they're hungry for more knowledge.

They emerged from the halls of the Academy into one of its beautiful gardens. Though externally, nothing seemed to change, Harm could feel there was definitely something different in the air. There was a sense of urgency. Students were rushing from one class to the other like bees eager for pollen or honey. Chronomancers were moving like they were being chased by a thunderstorm. Even the leaves themselves seemed on edge as they ruffled as if nervous for the future. In a place like Temporal where time stood still, it was like everyone didn't enough of it.

“And what exactly is this project?" Harm asked.

Shelandi suddenly grabbed his paw. “Why don't I show you?"

Her enthusiasm washed away his worries and he was being dragged all the way through campus back to her laboratory, L-652. To his surprise, all the mirrors, lenses and delicate equipment had been moved. There was now a large bed of soil at the very centre of the room where an enormous plant sat. There was no mistaking the sight of the ten foot tall and equally wide Incendian Millennium Bloom.

The plant looked like a large, peeled, straight banana with seven distinct leaves, each one a colour of the rainbow. Its centre stalk was pure white and sat perfectly erect while the leaves lay flat at its base. From what he read, when it flowered, the Millennium Bloom was one of the most beautiful sights in all of Tower Thirteen. Droves of people gathered to see the one in the Incendian Holy Gardens and it had taken centuries for the botanists there to organise the plans so that there would at least be one Bloom flowering per year. Evaryn had been consulted to help in this regard. Supposedly, the sight of the Bloom in flower could make people weep in joy.

In the room with them was Geonidus. The young man appeared to be the same as ever albeit he now had his wavy hair tied back in a sensible ponytail that somehow made him appear more severe and serious. The moment the young man caught sight of Harm, his lips curled into a faint scowl.

“76522, please tell me you haven't gone blabbing to others about our project again."

Sounds like he's as domineering as ever.

“This is Master Chronos, 76959," she countered. “He was the one that helped me with my project."

“How could I forget?" The copper-skinned man sighed and turned his back to them. “Whatever. The lenses need calibrating. They're giving too much heat which is why I don't think it's blooming."

Harm arched an eyebrow in wonder. “You're trying to make it flower?" He glanced towards Shelandi, then past her at the seven remaining Chronospheres that sat in a storage unit. One of the Spheres was hooked up to the machines that led into the plant's tray. “Were I betting man, I'd say that you're trying to get the Millennium Bloom to flower and then plan to suspend it in stasis. Maybe even perform a mini-Time Locking ritual. The Bloom only lasts for about three days before it wilts and dies so Time Locking would be an incredible feat."

And it would meet Evaryn's requirements to become a Chronomancer.

“That's exactly right!" Shelandi exclaimed with a smile, pressing her hands together in tiny applause. “You really are amazing, Master Chronos."

“There's a problem though," grunted Geonidus. “We've discovered that the Millennium Bloom doesn't really flower every millennium or even every century as is believed." The young man held up a crystal tablet thoughtfully. “It flowers when certain conditions are met. Particularly around soil quality and light intensity."

Light intensity, huh? That's why you got Shelandi involved.

“The Bloom only flowers when it considers itself in danger," Harm said. “As part of its flowering process, it spews out spores that are laden with pheromones." He approached the plant, regarding it with his keen, golden eyes. “Contrary to popular belief, the Millennium Bloom isn't actually an independent plant. It's actually a parasite through all stages of its life. When it flowers, its spores induce a vague mind-altering scent that lures individuals to approach it. Nothing fatal to intelligent species such as us but its main purpose is for the spores to attach to creatures who would then carry it to various places. The spores will be distributed all around the world where it will then find the perfect place to settle - particularly any place where there are large numbers of other plants which it can sap nutrients off." He glanced at the tray which was absent of any other plants. “By depriving it of nutrients and intensifying the heat to simulate drought-like environs, you hope to make it think that it has to flower and release its spores."

“How did you know that?" Geonidus gawked. “That's a closely guarded secret of the botanists of the Incendian Holy Gardens. We had to pester Master Evaryn and even help her with her projects for a whole month before she told us that!"

“I've been around," Harm answered enigmatically, running a finger over the soft, velvety petals. “What is the point of preserving the Millennium Bloom, of Time Locking it?"

Geonidus was unable to answer so Shelandi stepped in. “It's 76959's only way of becoming a Chronomancer, Master Chronos. He's not confident that his nutrient-preserving experiments would be enough to get him through. So we're collaborating under a project for Master Evaryn to preserve the Millennium Bloom."

“Not what I meant," he said with a shake of his head. “That part was obvious. But if you were to Time Lock the flower, would it be to preserve the way it looks or the way it smells?"

The two Initiates exchanged glances.

“Uh…" Geonidus began.

“The appeal of the Millennium Bloom is that it flowers so rarely that Incendian botanists had to consult a Chronomancer on how to time one Bloom to flower every year," Harm continued. “Don't you think that if Evaryn wanted, she would have already Time Locked such a rare flower?"

Shelandi's gaze dropped for a second then her eyes widened as she look up again. “It's the spores!"

Atta girl.

“What?" Geonidus asked.

“We shouldn't be thinking about preserving how the flower looks. Master Chronos is right! Master Evaryn could do that any time she wanted! No! Think about it!" She rushed up to her partner and grasped his hands. “The Millennium Bloom has been flowering every year in the Holy Gardens for over a century now! Yet people still go to see it. It's not because it looks pretty!"

“Of course it is! Don't be stupid!"

“No! It's because of the spores!"

It was good to see Shelandi standing up for herself even against Geonidus' insults.

“The spores?"

“The spores with a faint mind-altering effect!" Shelandi exclaimed excitedly. “We should be looking at a way to preserve the spores in a certain area around the flower! That way people can experience its effects beyond the three days when the flower blooms!"

Geonidus blinked a few times. “By Haamiah's Golden Wings! You're right! That'd be a much more complicated and dazzling project! We'd have to calculate some way to stop all the spores from moving beyond that area! We'd still have to make the flower bloom though…"

Harm smiled quietly to himself. “You guys might want to turn up the heat in here," he commented, hugging himself a little. “I mean the Incendian Holy Gardens are basically a huge greenhouse and this place is freezing in comparison."

This time, it was Geonidus who caught on and he slapped his forehead with the heel of his palm in exasperation. “How could I have been so blind! It's not just the quality of the light or the soil! It's the temperature! The Holy Gardens purposefully cordons off the Millennium Bloom in its own exhibit and keeps the temperature lower than a normal greenhouse around the time of the blooming because they're depriving the Bloom of warmth as well! It's like you're tricking the Bloom into thinking that a blizzard is coming so it has to flower and release its spores or its species could die!"

He's not so dense after all… at least once he gets over his own ego.

“Let's get to work!" exclaimed Shelandi. She turned to Harm with a thankful nod. “Thank you again, Master Chronos."

Geonidus turned to him completely and surprised the Destroyer of Time with an earnest bow. “Yes, thank you very much, Master Chronos. I would be honoured if you would continue to advise us."

He smiled and folded his arms at the thought of being these two Initiate's sponsors. “I wouldn't want to steal Evaryn's thunder."

“Master Evaryn already has so many Initiates she's sponsoring. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

I guess the next step after being a lecturer is being a sponsor to some Initiates.

“Sure, why not?" he said with a shrug. “Welcome aboard the Destroyer's Train."

The two young Initiates immediately went to work trying to calculate the way to control the temperature around the laboratory. It was around that time that Harm realised he should've already been in his next class. So he quickly excused himself, wished the two good luck and left the lab. He didn't take more than a few steps when he felt the familiar sickeningly sweet and obviously feigned innocence of Haais the Thirteenth Era.

“Something I can help you with, Haais?"

Time had stopped around them, ensuring that their conversation remained private. Normally, such a feat would be extremely strenuous for a Chronomancer but for someone like Haais, it was child's play.

“You certainly are progressing rapidly, aren't you Chronos?" cooed the angelic Chronomancer, gliding out from behind him and positioning himself to block Harm's path. “Just a little over a year since your first class and now you're taking on Initiates as their sponsor. You know it takes almost a decade for most Chronomancers to even dare to think about being a sponsor."

“I'm not like most Chronomancers."

Haais gave his childish - almost feminine - giggle. “Clearly. You know the consequences of what would happen if a Chronomancer's Initiate fails the Assessment, don't you?"

“It looks bad on them. The Chronomancer is basically promoting the Initiate, putting their name and reputation on the line so that the Initiate can try to join their ranks." He gave Haais a dark smirk. “Must've stung when Longinus sponsored me, eh?"

“Only because none of your other lecturers were willing to sponsor a brat like you," countered the Thirteenth Era. “Longinus was taking a monumental risk."

“But it paid off, didn't it? Not only do Chronomancers get to break their limits from when they are Time Locked but a great many doors are opened to them now."

The one failing of Time Locking was that everything about that Chronomancer becomes their 'save point' including the limits of their powers. Before Harm came along, each Chronomancer was unable to do more than what Time they had accumulated at the time of their Locking. For those that had failed to stockpile enough Chronospheres often had only had a century's worth of Time plus what Time they had in their bodies. It meant that Chronomancers were forced to think of ingenious ways of using what limited resources they had to progress their research. However, when Harm created Final Hour, Chronomancers were able to absorb the Time off an object and add it to their stockpile, making that their new limit. In essence, Chronomancers now had unlimited Time.

“You think too highly of yourself, Chronos," Haais said sharply. “Power is useless without the right minds to use it."

Something about those words rubbed Harm the wrong way. On the surface it sounded logical and even aligned to his own ideals. That was why they made sure that the Initiates were always well-trained. The might of a Chronomancer in the wrong hands would be disastrous.

“On that we can agree on," he said. “Are saying that I'm not of the right mind?"

“One has to wonder," taunted the angelic Chronomancer, once again playfully tapping his lips. “Tell me honestly, do you think both 76959 and 76522 have what it takes to become Chronomancers?"

Whether it was a sense of pride or just his irritation at Haais, Harm said, “Yes I do. They're still a little rough around the edges and have had their confidence shaken but their drive, research and projects are more than enough to see them don the Mantle in my opinion."

Haais smirked darkly. “The human, certainly. But the Scalion? I think not."

It was clear that this was bait. Haais probably knew about his involvement with Shelandi and was trying to bait him into thinking she would fail. Regardless, it was painfully clear which way he would vote when it came to the Initiates' Assessment.

“I'm sure she can change your mind by the time of their Assessment."

The Thirteenth Era turned around, nearly swatting him with his wings. “We shall see. Your rapid rise to prominence has made us all reassess our criteria for making a Chronomancer, Master Chronos. Who is to say what we would expect of a member of the Collective by the time those two come before the Thirteen."

There it was again. As time restarted for him and Haais drifted off out of the laboratory building, Harm felt the winds of change shaking the entirety of Temporal.

And he didn't like where it was blowing.

---

Blue

Sponsorship was a very heavy burden especially so when one didn't exactly have a 'field' of focus. Harm was regretting aiding so many Initiates. Each student had their own theories, their own opinions and their own projects. For other Chronomancers like Evaryn or even the aggressive Pyrannos, Initiates with like minds or philosophies hurried to them. Everyone was thinking along the same wavelength. However, for the Destroyer of Time who specialised in 'challenging the norm', there fresh ideas were never in short supply. His only concern was with so many people clamouring to him, he had a clearer view of the direction which Temporal heading; the horizon that they were striving for.

War.

Where this mentality started he could not be sure but more and more, Initiates were asking the question of how their projects, their discoveries, could be used from a military aspect. Harm couldn't fault them. Chronomancers spent millennia quietly researching the peaceful applications of their skills. It was only natural to look in the opposite direction. That was his philosophy after all; question what is established. Chronomancy had been a tool for maintaining the norm, for stopping time as is. The questions over how Chronomancy could be used to change the world still needed to be answered.

He was always careful not to encourage the use of these techniques for violence or conquest.

“We are guardians of Tower Thirteen," he reinforced. “This Mantle represents the great responsibility on our shoulders to keep the Stations from tearing one another apart." He ran his fingers over the white and gold Mantle hanging from his shoulders. It had been almost three years since he first entered the classroom as a lecturer and perhaps it said something of his discomfort over where the Thirteen was leading Temporal that he no longer wore his Mantle traditionally. He had tied the sleeves of the Mantle around his neck almost like a scarf, letting the rest tumble along his back like a cape. The gesture had started one day when he had found himself late to a class once and he hurriedly donned the Mantle since he didn't have the time to put it on properly. It spoke volumes that he, a Chronomancer, had little time on his paws.

“Always remember that knowledge is a powerful tool," he said, holding his thumb and forefinger high for everyone to see. “But every tool can become a weapon with the slightest of tweaks. It is our responsibility to recognise when to turn a tool into a weapon and when to sheathe our blades. The greatest warrior doesn't need to draw a sword, after all."

The bell rang once more and he watched the weary, exasperated eyes of his pupils as they hurried out of his class. It had been the same for months. They were sharp and attentive whenever he gave them advice on how to think outside the box and to explain theories that would challenge existing forms of Chronomancy but when he reminded them about the ethics behind their power, they would drift off, stop taking notes and cease paying attention.

Maybe I'm being too moralistic. Perhaps I need to change my approach.

It was his last class for the day so he had time to reassess his curriculum for the following day. As with every day, he packed his belongings into a satchel bag and headed out of the lecture theatre. The Initiates were already out of their classes. Chrysalis Core had faded in the sky, plunging Temporal into a springtime darkness. The skies were now filled with more and more stars; lights from the various starships that the Thirteen had commissioned be built. 'For self-defence' they claimed. A wave of paranoia had hit all of Tower Thirteen the previous year when a full-blown demonic invasion led by a loose coalition of Demon Lords and Princes, had broken into Arret and tried to destroy the Holy Inquisition's headquarters. The Church of the Tower naturally upped its production of starships and Temporal followed suit.

That had been over a year ago yet Temporal was still building more and more ships with equally more Initiates being relegated to the research of better, more powerful ships.

What is happening to this world?

He found his way back to his office mulling over that one question over and over again. The cushions of his seat felt both familiar and alien, filling him with a constant sense of restlessness and discomfort like he didn't have the right to be resting. A nagging feeling told him he should be trying harder, doing something more but the more he tried to push his ideals onto the students, the more they rejected them.

Maybe I need to look at the top instead?

He leafed through the pages on his desk; proposals and research from his many sponsors. There was one from Initiate 85441. An avid disciple of Pyrannos, the young initiate was eager to catch the attention of his idol and had turned to Harm for ways to impress the Chronomancer of Endless Flames. 85441 - named Narothep - was researching ways to form a more efficient means of emulating the effects of Chronomancer's Fire.

One of the staples of Chronomancy when it was invented, Chronomancer's Fire accelerated the atoms in an object, causing friction and the appearance of golden flames and emitting heat. Pyrannos had been made a Chronomancer well before Harm joined for the discovery and had even been offered a seat on the Thirteen. However, the Equuis was a strong opponent of bureaucracy and the administrative responsibilities that came with being part of the Thirteen thus he refused the offer. He treated his Initiates just as harshly, pushing them to focus more on their physical qualities and drawing inspiration from practice rather than theory.

Narothep sought out Harm's help because he wasn't making progress doing in Pyrannos' way so he had hoped the Destroyer of Time could offer him some insight.

“'Black Fire'," Harm read aloud.

The technique was highly derivative of Chronomancer's Fire but worked on the principle that all matter was connected by atomic bonds usually formed from the exchange of electrons. If Narothep could somehow find some formula, some way to destabilise the electrons themselves, then he could effectively disintegrate matter itself. His theory was good and his formulae were decent but just skimming the paper, Harm could already see multiple errors that would lead to disastrous results.

“Getting there, Nar," he mumbled. “Getting there."

A knock - strong and excited - came to his door and he perked his ears.

“Office hours are over, I'm afraid," he shouted.

“You'll want to hear this, Master Chronos!"

That was a voice that brought sunshine and respite in the otherwise dark clouds on the horizon; a silver lining that had him believe that the future of Temporal was not guaranteed to be clouded in war.

“Shelandi?" he asked, rising from his seat. “What's going on?"

The bright-eyed Initiate opened the door excitedly, Geonidus right behind her. It wasn't that long ago that she had been so meek that opening that door would've been next to impossible. She bolted towards his desk carrying a crystal tablet as well as a binder filled with notes. Geonidus strolled casually behind her, head held high and a confident smile on his face. Both were absolutely glowing with pride and excitement.

“You finished your experiment?" he asked.

“Just finalised all the results this evening!" Shelandi exclaimed excitedly, placing a tablet in front of him. “We were hoping to present our finding at the next Assessment."

“That's fantastic!" Harm picked up the tablet, taking note that the next time the Thirteen would be gathering to judge the Initiates was only a few days away. “Have you practised your pitch?"

Geonidus set down his own tablet next to Shelandi's. “One of the reasons why we waited till now before we opted to put ourselves forward. We know that most of other Initiates who became Chronomancers have more… aggressive projects and demonstrations. We wanted to make sure that we impress the Thirteen in a way that shows that we think of the benefits first outside of the military applications."

“That's what I wanted to hear." He regarded the tablet, quickly scanning the results.

The Initiates had presented a very compelling paper not only on the nature of the Millennium Bloom but also the applications of controlled temperature, light and soil nutrients could be applied to the maintenance of a nation's agriculture and stability. They had even considered the influence of supply and demand in their experiment and provided solutions to the proposition. There was a very interesting concept of a tiered, compartmentalised structure that could have more floors of soil, light and water added should the demand for produce became greater than the supply. The failing of Time Locking something, after all, was that it would forever be suspended in that state for all time. If one applied Time Locking to an entire field, there would be no room for adjustments to a new crop and if one expanded horizontally, that would be ensuring that the land would permanently be designated for agriculture. But if, as the duo proposed, they expanded vertically instead, there was room both for expansion and destruction. The compartmentalised nature of the building also ensured that the crops could be moved from one location to another wherever there was demand.

It was brilliant and very well thought out.

But will the Thirteen actually approve this given that they seem to be pushing more for 'defence'?

Harm pondered if he should mention the idea. Perhaps they could spin the experiment in such a way that food was still a staple for non-Chronomancers such as the Initiates or their allies in the Church so it would be very beneficial if they had mobile agriculture centres that would keep their troops fed.

No. I don't want to promote that idea.

“It's fantastic and very thoroughly researched." He picked up a stylus and spun it in his paw briefly. “I take it you just need me to sign off on this?"

“Yes please!" Shelandi exclaimed excitedly. “We're still presenting our individual experiments, of course, but we wanted to show how both projects together could be used for the betterment of the Collective."

“Naturally." He found the form where he would give his signature. After a quick signature, dating the form and then printing his name, he handed the tablet back to Shelandi. Then he did the same with Geonidus' form. “We should go out to celebrate."

“Really?" Geonidus chuckled. “I never took you to be the partying type, Master Chronos. No offense."

“None taken. But this is more for your benefit." He handed the young man the tablet once more. “Once you get Time Locked, you'll never be able to eat again unless you want severe intestinal distress. Best to have a fantastic meal."

“We haven't become Chronomancers yet."

Harm stepped around his desk and rested both his paws on the shoulders of the Initiates. “No but you've made great strides even without donning the Mantle. That's an achievement in itself. Take pride in that. Even if the Thirteen don't recognise your achievements, don't let that deter you. What you have created here is nothing short of revolutionary. It's something that can be applied not only to Temporal but to every Station in Tower Thirteen. That is the sort of compassionate and considerate research that I would be proud to sponsor." He winked at them both. “And possibly get drunk over. So come on! Let's go get hammered! My treat!"

Neither of the Initiates argued especially since they weren't paying. Of course, being Temporal, decent alcohol was nowhere to be found. So he had to go elsewhere to properly get inebriated.

Harm waved a paw through the air. There was a loud ripping noise and both Initiates gawked as a tear cut through the space in front of them. This tear split open revealing a vast world beyond. Harm casually and easily stepped into the tear, his feet resting on a large, golden cog about the size of the entirety of the Academy.

“What…?" Shelandi gasped.

“You don't think I've just been coasting on my success with Final Hour, do you?" he said with a coy smile. “The final lesson I can impart on you both is to remember that despite being Time Locked, you can still grow and change. Don't stop learning. Don't stop developing. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that just because you become known as… I dunno…" He gestured at Geonidus. “The Richland Chronomancer or…" He waved towards Shelandi. “… the Spectrum Chronomancer, that you are restricted to just researching soil quantities or the different wavelengths of light. Branch out. If it interests you, go for it. You have no limits apart from those that you impose on yourself."

Geonidus poked his head through the tear. “What is this place…?"

“This is Haamiah's Machine," Harm answered casually. “The God of Time's personal realm that controls and oversees all time." He spread his arms wide and beckoned for the students to come in. “It's like the heart of our universe. So long as the cogs keep ticking, time will always flow. In some way shape or form, all Chronomancers tap into the innate energies of the Machine. Most don't realise they're doing it and sadly, a lot of Chronomancers these days even refute the presence of Haamiah but were it not for the God of Time, we would never have been become Chronomancers in the first place."

“You mean you wouldn't be one?" quipped the young man.

“Nope. All of us. We are only Time Locked by Haamiah's whim. With a single wave of his hand, Haamiah could destroy all of Tower Thirteen. Don't believe me? You've seen the relationship of matter with Time. The way light appears is controlled by Time. The richness of soil changes over time. He could stop it all. Freeze all of existence or just pluck out one cog and send the whole thing crashing around us. Existence is all an intricate machine. We are but cogs within it."

Shelandi took a tentative step forward, gawking at her surroundings. Beyond the twisting cogs was the blood-red clouds that only allowed little glimpses into the world below; a seemingly endless landscape of black sand. “How are you able to access this all?"

“How do you think the God of Time would react to the guy that invented a technique to destroy time?"

Both Initiates flinched and looked about ready to leap back through the gap.

“Relax, you two," Harm laughed. “Haamiah and I have a unique relationship especially since he had to be involved for me to become a Chronomancer. I get to drift in and out of the Machine, studying it and learning its secrets. It's how I've generally made my advancements in my research!"

Research I haven't revealed to anyone. Though you two wouldn't be the first Initiates I've brought through here.

“Just remember that even as you become a Chronomancer, there is always someone more powerful than you," Harm said, gesturing for them to follow him. “Too many of my colleagues these days believe themselves to be gods. They're not. Though Haamiah may be flawed, he still controls all Time and you can bet that if one of us were arrogant enough to try and usurp him, we would be trounced."

“Why?" Geonidus challenged. “You've clearly been able to access his Machine. With enough research, I'm sure you'd understand it and be a threat to him. You could become the new God of Time!"

Harm lifted a finger and waggled it over his shoulder just as another rip opened in front of him. “What do you think the God of Time does every day in the Machine? He's certainly not just sitting here waiting for someone to kill him. No. His understanding of the Machine is far greater than anyone else's and from here, he can see through all possibilities, all time lines, all futures, pasts and presents. If he were to be unseated, it would only be because he wants to. We are just lucky he doesn't pull us by any puppet strings and gives us some modicum of free will because, as I said, just the slightest movement of one cog could cause a chain reaction that could kill us all."

“That's… very scary," Shelandi admitted.

“I know most people don't like the idea of this constant looming threat over them, that there's this big guy above us all that can end us with a snap of a finger. But that's exactly what being an Initiate and having a Chronomancer sponsor you is. At a whim, that Chronomancer could kick you out and that's the end of it. This is really no different. Only Haamiah really doesn't care."

“Why wouldn't the God of Time care?"

Harm paused just in front of the next rip, pensive for a moment. “Maybe because he's just waiting."

“Waiting for what?"

He shrugged absently. “The end of time?"

Harm stepped aside and ushered the duo through the shimmering portal which only seemed to lead into some sort of cellar. The musky smell of wood and aged drinks filled the air as well as mildew. There was very little light. Even with the golden hue emitting from Haamiah's Machine, most of the cellar was shrouded in darkness. What little could be made out were the caskets stacked in racks across the walls as well as some smaller racks containing bottles.

“Where are we?" Shelandi asked, running her hands across one of the walls. It was made of grey stone and past the dust and cobwebs, one could barely make out the crude form of cement.

“Just beneath the High Fire Tavern," Harm answered with a mischievous grin. “On Incendius."

Both Initiates spun towards him, utterly startled.

“I – I – Incendius!?" stammered Geonidus. “H – How!?"

Harm placed a paw on his hip, giving the Initiates a cocky smirk. “I'm honestly surprised that no Chronomancer has drawn the link between time and space yet. Without going through the details, Haamiah's Machine is Time itself and naturally Time has an intimate relationship with Space. So by traversing the Machine and using these tears to cross vast distances in an instant. Ironically enough, Time doesn't flow in the Machine so as far as anyone is concerned, we've only been gone from my office for about as long as we've been talking."

“Th – Th – That's incredible, Master Chronos!" exclaimed Shelandi. “With a technique like that, you could literally cause starship travel and even the legendary Tower Express to be obsolete! Travel could be instantaneous!"

Question is, do I want that kind of mobility in the hands of the Chronomancers?

The ability to instantaneously appear anywhere at any time in the hands of the war-minded Chronomancers would be a terrible advantage that few could overcome. A Chronomancer could appear in one battlefield, dominate every opposition there and appear in another within seconds. Even if the battles were across the world from the other, a trip that could take weeks could be crossed in mere seconds. One could even strategically bomb locations by dropping explosives all over the world.

I don't think the Chronomancers are ready for that yet.

“I've still got some bugs to work out," Harm said with a sheepish grin. He hiked his thumb over his shoulder. “For instance, I don't know how long I can keep that open. So why don't we grab what we can and then run like hell?"

“Wait…" Shelandi glanced at the caskets and the bottles. “Are we… are we stealing all this?"

“Not really. The High Fire Tavern was built on top of the Inflammable Tavern which – ironically – burned down about a decade or two back. Incendians don't exactly have great record keeping and when the Inflammable burned down, they failed to notice that it had this rather hefty cellar here. So they just built on top of it instead. All this booze…" He gestured around him. “… is totally forgotten. I just dip into it whenever my students have reason to celebrate."

The portal behind him began to waver.

“And we're almost out of Time. Hurry it up, kids!"

Alongside Shelandi and Geonidus, they snatched one casket of the well-aged bourbon and four bottles of red wine. Geonidus rolled the casket through the portal and back through the Machine while Harm and Shelandi carried the wine. The portal into the buried, forgotten cellar vanished behind them as they passed back through the Machine. Neither of the Initiates that through the twisting cogs and gears, far in the distance, was a golden throne. The entity sitting there watched as they smuggled Incendian alcohol through his realm. Out of view of the Initiates, Harm gave a mocking salute to the God of Time, lifting the bottle in his paws as if to toast the deity.

Haamiah, as always, just watched.

Harm smirked to himself and returned to his office via the first portal.

“Okay, let's open this up!" he announced.

His two Initiates laughed gleefully as Harm produced several glasses and they set the casket on his desk. He had swiped a tap from the cellar and used it to puncture the casket, allowing them to pour some of the bourbon. With the glasses filled, they lifted their hands in a toast.

“To you both," he announced. “I have no doubt that you will don the Mantle. I predict that your future as Chronomancers is bright indeed."

“Is that meant to be a joke on our project?" Shelandi asked, lifting one eyebrow.

“Your project is not a joke. I'm just feeling proud of your accomplishments right now and I'm channelling my inner 'dad'. Teachers are a lot like parents, after all."

Geonidus took a sip from his glass. “Well I hope you don't mind me getting drunk, dad."

“Like parents, not saying I am your parent."

The bourbon went down like he was drinking liquid fire. Both the Initiates grimaced but the effects were almost instantaneous as they visibly relaxed in the chairs. For Harm, he employed his variation of Final Hour before his body began to reject the alcohol. There wasn't even a moment of inebriation as he didn't let it sink into his system.

“To collaboration and the new age of Chronomancers!" exclaimed Shelandi, filling her glass. Harm hadn't even noticed that she had drained her previous helping.

“Here, here!" announced Geonidus and he drained his glass – the first he was having. As he was reaching for the casket, he glanced up at Harm. “You're not drinking, Master Chronos?"

“Can't," he answered apologetically. “Remember, I need a lot of concentration to accurately absorb the Time of the bourbon as it goes down. I can't really take more than a sip or it'll be too much and I'll be throwing up whatever I drank."

Geonidus nodded empathetically. “A good technique takes time to research."

“That it does." Harm set down his glass, regarding the young man curiously. “From what I recall, both you and Shelandi are from farming backgrounds. Do you plan on returning to your hometown with this research to help them along?"

The young man rolled his eyes and took another sip. “No. The people back home are somewhat… narrow minded. They treat anything that isn't their tried and true techniques with superstition and sorcery."

“Most of what makes our world function is some form of sorcery," Harm snickered. “The Church of the Tower which dominates most of Tower Thirteen is based entirely around magic."

Geonidus grimaced and looked away, eyes cast to the floor and bobbing his head from side to side. “True but my hometown of Quiet Mills is very traditionalist. Magic isn't even used. It's just what you can do with your hands. It must be au natural."

The Destroyer of Time leaned forward on one arm, holding his glass by its rim with his fingers. “That's actually a misnomer. Modern farming techniques by its very nature requires a lot of interference. Most crops aren't meant to grow side by side in neat rows with carefully controlled waterways and nurtured soil. Whether we realise it or not, we're also actually inadvertently performing selective genetic engineering on the poor things. A lot of farm animals have been so dependent on modern agricultural techniques that they would die outside of their pens not to mention that they're so saturated with grown hormones that they'd probably give the first predator a heart attack the moment they are devoured."

“A reason why I left," Geonidus said. “I lived with a bunch of backwater hicks who were so oppressive towards any sort of technological advancement that they are still relying on the same antiquated techniques! Anything that even inches towards optimization is treated like a witch hunt!"

It was clear why the young man had moved all the way from Incendius and migrated to Temporal. Such creativity and ingenuity was stifled on the Station of the Sun. That yearning for knowledge was one of the reasons why the first Chronomancers first sought to explore the realms of Time. Curiosity ultimately drove Temporal but as with all things, it had to be tempered. If that desire was unregulated, it would lead to disaster.

“I'm sure it's not so bad," Harm said. “People change just at different paces. I'm sure your family would eventually see things your way once they see the progress you've made."

“I sincerely doubt it." Geonidus downed another glass of bourbon. “The moment I'm made a Chronomancer, I'm going to take my research to Incendius, buy my own plot of land next to my family's plot and built my own farm using the techniques I've learned here."

“Remember, you're a guardian of Tower Thirteen. Don't use your new rank and power as a means to pursue vengeance."

“It's not vengeance." The blonde-haired man downed another drink, grimacing as the burning liquid when down his throat. “This is making people who are too ignorant of their own stupidity to see that if they don't update their techniques, they are going to be buried under a wave of modernization!"

“You're certainly very passionate," Harm said with a smile, taking one more sip from his glass. He reached for the casket and pressed the tab on the tap. A soft splutter came out. Surprised, he knocked the side of the barrel with his knuckles, hearing only a hollowing banging. “Huh… There was a lot less in this than I thought."

Geonidus frowned and leaned forward. “You've only had that one glass, right?"

“And you've only had two?" Harm asked, pointing at him. Then he slowly swivelled his finger towards Shelandi… who was passed out in her chair. “I did not even notice her drinking at all…"

“That's an impressive skill," snickered the Initiate. He turned back to Harm with a smile. “Thank you for your time and guidance, Master Chronos. I could never have gotten here without you."

Harm returned the smile. “It was my honour and pleasure to see such bright, young people fill the ranks of the Chronomancers." He lifted his glass one more time. “To the future."

Geonidus returned the gesture.

“To the future."

******

The Assessment Hall was probably one of the most well-known location and highly advertised location in all of Temporal. Tours passed through the enormous circular chamber with thirteen enormous chairs positioned in a circle. The towering seats all stood at least 20 feet tall legs while the backs were another thirty feet. Banners symbolizing each member of the Thirteen hung over each of the chairs. The emblem of Temporal was emblazoned on the floor at the very centre of the chamber. Where there should've been a fourteenth chair, there was a narrow doorway where Initiates could step in to be assessed.

Above the highest tops of the chairs were various viewing platforms. Each alcove was beautifully decorated and with brilliant, silky white curtains trimmed with gold. The banisters and seats were angled in such a way that every seat could see centre of the chamber ensuring that the Initiates and their projects could be seen. Naturally the chairs were very comfortable. There were various tiers of alcoves, stretching up to six above the thrones of the Thirteen.

Harm positioned himself right over the entrance so that he could get the best view of the Initiates. Of course it was not necessarily a view he would've appreciated. The Thirteen were being incredibly harsh of the Initiates today. For something that happened only once a month, the members' criticisms were brutal.

“This research is highly derivative and ultimately has now benefits to the Collective apart for satiating your innate curiosity." Haais sat at the centre most seat and despite his appearance, he was in no way angelic. “How in the world does using Time to maintain the level of friction on ice in curling rinks benefit the Collective?"

“Maybe introduce a different culture to the Collective?" Harm muttered quietly to himself. “For a nation that prides itself in being culturally diverse and accepting of all Stations and its peoples, we only added a hockey rink a year ago…"

The Initiate began to stammer an excuse but Haais cut him off. “No. I will not have you waste any more of this Collective's time with this inane, trivial joke of a paper." He made a dismissive wave in the man's direction. “Go. Leave."

“But -" protested the Initiate.

“Next!"

With a simple wave of his hand, Haais sent the Initiate flying back out the entrance alongside with the machines he had used to for his demonstration. More than a few of the observers winced at the display. It was reinforcing the power and authority that the Thirteen had over all the other Chronomancers. There were other – family members, friends and fellow Initiates – who were sitting in the alcoves. A small group rose up from their seats, covered their heads and hurried after the Initiate that had just been brutally ejected from the Hall. If the leadership of the Chronomancers wanted to portray an air of superiority and elitism, they were doing a very good job of it.

The entire Hall was silent as the next pair of Initiates entered. Harm forced himself to exude an air of calm, hoping against logic and his own abilities that his temperament could somehow psychically be absorbed by Shelandi and Geonidus. Both the young Initiates had their hoods up as was the custom while they wheeled their device into the centre of the room. The large mechanism was about as large as the two of them combined and consisted of various glass panels arrayed in a spherical design around a single Chronosphere. His keen ears picked up mutterings of a 'disco ball' but he ignored them. The Initiates, in a perfect dance, handed out crystal tablets with their research to each member of the Thirteen. Of course they couldn't physically give the blue-green slabs of cyber-crystal to the elite members of the Collective. They just had to hold them up to the members and each member would use their Chronomancy to summon the tablet to themselves often with their own flair. Haais, lauded the creator of Chronological Gene Splicing, twisted his fingers which mutated into long, spindly tentacles that easily reached down and grabbed the tablet from Geonidus' hands. Longinus, creator of Time Locking, snapped his fingers and the tablet shattered. The shards swept up to the black wolf's paws where they immediately reformed.

Then it was time for the presentation.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the Chronomancer Collective," boomed Geonidus as he stood beside the device. “Esteemed members of the Thirteen. I am Initiate 76959 and this is Initiate 76522. We are here to present our project entitled the 'Prism Project'."

Haais audibly groaned. “Haamiah's Wings… where do these Initiates come up with these ideas?"

Unperturbed, Geonidus continued. “We took the principles of Light-based Chronomancy developed by our predecessors such as Masters Photorius and Luxmina to develop a means to manipulate light and to automatically regulate it for the purposes of maintaining the optimal intensity and heat for crop growth."

“We also applied this research to the Millennium Bloom under Master Evaryn's guidance," continued Shelandi. “We not only managed to Time Lock the notoriously difficult flower but also maintain its soil quality to ensure that it is able to keep blooming forever."

“Trivial at best," boomed Advent the Fourth Second. “Another curiosity with little practical applications."

“If you will permit us," Geonidus said, pointing at the tablets in their hands. “This research has infinite applications. We've developed designs for a mobile agriculture platform that would allow the Collective to maintain nourishment for people who are not Time Locked. Using the very same principals that from our combined research, we are able to ensure that the plants could not only flourish in perpetuity but also feed the Collective and its allies."

“Impressive," rumbled another member, Arthur the Second Epoch. “You address the problem of sprawling farmland as well. If the source of our resources are constantly moving, it would be difficult for demons to attack or even corrupt. You also thought about building upwards instead of outward."

“By controlling the quality and quantity of light we are able to maintain the optimum environment for plants to grow," Shelandi said enthusiastically. She tapped a few keys on the device and the machine began to whir to live. The audience gasped softly as a gentle, warm glow began emanating from the device. It was clearly white and bright but not at all blinding. “Famine would be a thing of the past. Maintenance would also be low as the very nature of Time Locking would ensure the soil and light devices would never need to be maintained. It is just a matter of harvesting the crops which automatons could easily do."

Haais yawned loudly. “Well researched and certainly well thought out. However, the point is moot if everyone is already Time Locked."

Shelandi started in surprise and even Harm cocked his head in surprise. “I… I don't understand."

“Of course you don't," sighed Haais. “The ultimate goal of the Collective is to educate not to enable ignorance. Why should we waste our precious resources on feeding those who would not have our help?"

“I concur," rumbled another of the Thirteen, Wroth the Eleventh Chapter. “While it is a very considerate project, if we were to simple hand this technology to the people, they will never have learned it for themselves and would simply expect us to do everything for them. This would breed complacency and ultimately utter dependence on Temporal."

“Let's not forget that there are bigoted morons out there who would not take this research even were it offered to them for three," agreed Gabriel the First Moment.

No… Harm thought miserably. He glanced towards Longinus. The Sixth Hour was woefully silent.

“I see no point in this research," concluded Haais. “Rejected."

“A moment, if you will!" Geonidus pleaded.

Shelandi shook her head and gently gripped his shoulder. “It's over, 76959. We should go."

He shrugged her off. “There's another aspect of my research you haven't read yet."

Haais' eyes narrowed dangerously even as he lifted the crystal tablet lazily. “And what would that be?"

“The defence aspect of it." Geonidus moved confidently past Shelandi and began tapping at the keys. “The device regulates light in an automated way and as such, with a few tweaks to the program which I made, you could have automatically do something like this."

The device suddenly began to whir to life loudly, the panels of glass around it spinning madly around the Chronosphere. Harm grimaced when a flash erupted from the device and suddenly, it went dark. This lasted all for a second. Then, all the mirrors suddenly angled themselves behind the Chronosphere, pointing at Haais. A single beam of light erupted from the Chronosphere, struck the mirrors and slammed right into the crystal tablet in Haais' hands. Before any members of the Thirteen could react, the device was rapidly reorganising the rest of its mirrors and shooting a laser right at the tablets in their hands. In the span of thirty seconds, there wasn't a single tablet remaining.

The Thirteen were in shock and as were the audience.

Harm's jaw dropped.

“An automated laser turret…" whispered one of the Thirteen, Uriel the Third Minute. “One with a 360-degree range and split-second timing and targeting."

“Being Time Locked, it can focus its light and fire it all infinitely," exclaimed another excitedly, Ghost the Tenth Century. “This could revolutionise our defences!"

A third was already rising out of his seat, Dodge the Fifth Event, and gliding towards the device. Geonidus stood aside, beaming proudly and smugly as he let the elite member of the Collective examine the device. Shelandi just stood to the side, utterly in shock. “Lasers would lose strength over distance but with the Time Locked nature of this device, that would not be a problem. This is incredible!"

“Simply dropping one of these in the middle of a battlefield would guarantee victory. Its size could also play a factor. Imagine making a portable version of this and one linked to the mind of the wearer. You could effectively shoot lasers from your fingertips without ever needing to expend your own Time!"

Haais was beaming, his eyes glinting with pride. “I've heard enough. In light of these findings, I vote to promote Initiate 76959 to the rank of Chronomancer."

“What of the other?" Longinus asked.

The Thirteenth Era scoffed. “It's clear that only 76959 developed the actual practical applications of this research. 76522 was only concerned with trivialities that had no lasting worth to the Collective."

“You can't be sure of that. The tablets were destroyed."

“Then let us base our decision on their character," Haais answered darkly. “The girl just stood there timidly and was willing to surrender after our criticisms. Only 76959 stood his ground. Tell me honestly, Longinus, which of them would you prefer to be a comrade and part of the Collective."

Bastard!

Harm was out of his seat a moment later and before anyone could react, he was standing at the centre of the Hall between Shelandi and Geonidus.

“I can personally attest to the fact that Shelandi - Initiate 76522 - was the one that did the research on light manipulation. Geonidus - who is Initiate 76959 - is the one that did the research into Time Locking plants and soil qualities! Ask Evaryn! Geonidus was under her sponsorship first before Shelandi joined the project!"

Just the smirk of Haais' lips told him he had just played into the angelic Chronomancer's hands.

“Be that as it may," cooed the Thirteen Era, “it isn't a matter of who came up with the initial concept but ultimately who put it into practice. I've already made my case on how I find the other research to be trivial and my colleagues agree. It is this research" - he gestured at the device - “the creation of an automated laser turret running perpetually that piques my interest and which I enthusiastically dub initiate 76959 Illuminas the Everlight Chronomancer. All in favour?"

“Aye!" boomed Ouija the Seventh Occasion.

“Aye," agreed Mitosis the Eighth Millennium

There was a pause from Schism the Ninth Occurrence before he too shouted, “Aye."

Father, the Twelfth Cycle joined his voice with the rest of the Thirteen. Longinus was the lone holdout but regardless of his vote, twelve of the members of the Thirteen had already voted to promote Geonidus to the rank of Chronomancer. There was no way around that. The black wolf sighed heavily and gave both Harm and Shelandi an apologetic look before he too raised his paw.

“Aye."

******

“You know there were concerns that you were withholding research and information from the Collective."

Harm sat with the back of his chair to the door. Out of Longinus' view, he closed his fingers around the small, blue, spherical orb in his paws. “I assume that was from the multitude of spies that Haais as made of the Initiates?"

“Haais isn't the only one who has been curious what the Destroyer of Time has been up to all this time," answered the towering, black-furred Wulfun. “You know I trust you innately but the others…"

Harm's other paw closed around the armrest of his chair, claws digging into the wood. For some reason, even though the furniture had been fully Time Locked the wood was not healing. “You also know me better than anyone else in the Collective. What's your take?"

“You mean of your ability to traverse Haamiah's Machine with ease? The fact that you're performing research on the Machine?" Longinus sighed heavily. “You know Temporal was built on the premise of science and logic not faith and belief. The Thirteen think you more like a fanatical priest than a scientist."

“The Thirteen?" he repeated. “Does that include you?"

His mentor was silent for a long moment. “I will confess that I am somewhat concerned. You are tampering with forces beyond our understanding…"

“Beyond your understanding, perhaps."

“… and that is why we are concerned. If you would share your research with us, maybe the rest of the Thirteen would look favourably upon you."

Harm bolted to his feet, still staring out his window and refusing to look at Longinus. “And why should I care what the Thirteen think of me?"

“Harm…"

He held up his paw, somehow being able to silence even the elite of the Chronomancers. “Longinus, my friend," he began in soft, even tones. “Answer me truthfully." Only then did he glance over his shoulder at the wolf behind him. “Do you believe I could have reached this level of knowledge without the Chronomancers?"

The towering, black Wulfun frowned. “Yes. With ease. But it isn't what you have wanted. You have always wanted to teach. To change the future. Why, I cannot fathom, but you have wanted to influence young minds and show them that they are not confined to stagnation. I believe that is why you created Final Hour and why you have pushed for your own teaching tenure. You would never have achieved this with the Church and their self-obsessed doctrine. You came to Temporal because you recognised that we, as Chronomancers, push the boundaries and ask the questions others dare not."

“Do you think I was too fast?"

“Pardon?"

“Do you think I was impatient? Should I have started out with something simple, mundane, something that would have attracted the attention of the Thirteen and slowly worked my way through their ranks as their friends and colleague instead of the outsider trying to force change upon them?"

Longinus let out a soft laugh. “I don't think any other way would have changed the Chronomancers. I am over five hundred years old and even we Chronomancers are subject to the fallacies of complacency. I will admit that for the majority of those five hundred years, I lived every day as if it were just like the last. Then you came along and brought colour and light into my otherwise dull existence. Your shenanigans and pranks kept me on my toes and that honestly made me look forward to every day that rose… even if it meant I would have to clean up after your mess."

Harm let out a soft chuckle and turned away from Longinus again. “Keep talking like that and you'll make me think that you have romantic feelings for me." He wrung his paws together in frustration. “Though don't think I didn't miss your slight reference to Shelandi's experiment."

“It is a shame what happened to her. 76959 employed rather cut-throat methods to become a Chronomancer and I have no doubt that he was planning this from the start. Their research smacked of someone who had carefully considered every angle. He was likely the driving force behind delaying their presentation at the Assessment Hall all so he could conduct his own research and ultimately undermine 76522."

“He stole he research," he growled. “Knowing full well that the Collective was favouring more aggressive tactics and results, he took shoehorned her into sticking with the incredibly beneficial and life-affirming project while he created an autonomous laser turret." He spun around, finally facing Longinus. “Is that really the kind of person you want in the Collective?"

Longinus sighed heavily and ran a paw down his face. “You are the instrument of change, Harm. The more you want things to stay the same, the more they change and the same is true. Not too long ago, you wanted the Collective to change course. Remember? Your actions were what caused our car to take a sharp turn. The passengers and driver are disoriented but now they see the course in front of them and are following it."

“And what exactly is that course, Longinus?" he demanded, placing his paws directly on the table. “The Chronomancers are becoming more war-like. They remind me of the early Church which sought a path of conquest throughout the Stations and brought tragedy and tears to almost every corner of Tower Thirteen. Is that the course the Collective is on right now?"

The member of the Thirteen shook his head. “No. Of course not. We are still the guardians of Tower Thirteen. Our primary goal is the pursuit of knowledge. We just can't pursue knowledge if we're dead."

Harm narrowed his gaze, a dark feeling bubbling in his stomach. “If 'we' are dead," he repeated. “But what of the rest of Tower Thirteen and it's people? What of them? Can we still pursue knowledge if they are dead?"

“Of course know. Fresh perspectives and new members of the Collective is the backbone of Temporal." Longinus' eyes darted briefly to the side. “It is just the opinion of the Thirteen that the Initiate program be more… spread out instead of being limited to Temporal. Built academies on all Stations. Maybe more than one. Impose the rule of law and science to the ignorant masses and ensure that they aren't at each other's throats with their foolish wars and petty arguments." Longinus gave him an encouraging smile, placing a paw on his chest. “We are the guardians of Tower Thirteen, after all Harm. We must protect the people even if it means protecting them from themselves."

Harm let out a mournful sigh. He lowered his head, shutting his eyes and truly feeling that pit of sorrow deep in his chest.

“Longinus, my friend…"

The door to his office suddenly burst open. A young Initiate burst in. By the light, white armour he wore, the man belonged to the campus security force. “Master Chronos! Lord Longinus! There's been an incident!"

Longinus lifted an eyebrow curiously. “I suspect there's a reason why you would come directly to us?"

The man nodded slowly. “It's… It's about Initiate 76522…"

Harm pursed his lips.

Shelandi… What have you done?

---

Purple

Once Temporal had been a centre for learning and the advancement of knowledge.

Now, it had devolved into what Harm considered various 'war bands' that were all working towards a singular goal. In the back of his mind, he knew what that goal was but it was never publicised. The Thirteen were after conquest and they had ramped up competition between the factions in an attempt to stoke the flames of ambition. On one level, it ensured that the Initiates were now more motivated than ever pursue their research to become a Chronomancer. They guarded their knowledge jealously. Perhaps Geonidus' promotion to Illuminas has taught the Collective that the world of academia was filled with just as much backstabbing as the corporate world on Xaos.

Above them all stood the sponsoring Chronomancers who gathered students under their wings, pushing them to become Chronomancers at a gruelling pace while adding to their own power. There was a certain prestige that came with having an Initiate rise to the rank of Chronomancer while under one's tutelage. That bond between teacher and student would never fade and that only made said Chronomancer's faction grow stronger.

The crystal tablet in his paws reported on Photorius' Legion of Light ramping up development on Illuminas' Automated Panoramic Laser Turrets or APLTs. Initiates in that faction were working to develop better ways to deploy the turrets while also creating more advanced versions. Apparently, the Legion's leadership were working on 'Prism Towers' which were meant to be far more dangerous versions of the APLTs. Meanwhile, Evaryn's Earth Eternal Faction was forcibly evolving certain carnivorous plants to become deadly to intelligent creatures. Even Millariar the Counting Chronomancer had his own faction known simply as Infinity and they were developing ways to replicate weapons quickly and efficiently, turning each Initiate into a self-sustaining factory.

The Chronomancers were going to war.

Harm Chronos would have nothing to do with it.

He disbanded his classes, handing his resignation to Longinus but kept his office doors open to those who would seek his counsel. Everyone knew that he was one of the few Chronomancers left that preached peaceful research but with the Thirteen constantly dangling the promise of semi-immortality for anyone who contributed to the 'defence effort', few ever visited him. Once again, he was relegated to being the Executive Chronosphere Officer and handing Chronospheres out to the sponsors or lecturers that needed them for their students. It worried him that the consumption of the spheres had jumped up so quickly.

“It'll happen soon," he said sorrowfully. “I honestly don't know when but very soon."

“You've got to have a little more faith in your colleagues, Harm," came the gentle, masculine voice from the tablet. “I'm sure the Chronomancers are just trying to shore up their defences. Everyone is."

“That's what has me worried, Lumire," he confessed. “All of Tower Thirteen is acting like they're different nations readying themselves for war against one another. They're not acting a single world anymore."

“We never were a single world," said the handsome, golden-haired member of the Custodia Deos. “Everyone has some sense of national identity bound to their own Stations. Further, each person will always be divided by where they grew up, how they grew up and who raised them. Trying to pigeonhole everyone into compliance because we just so happen to exist in the same shattered world floating in the middle of the Void would be a task even the Gods would find impossible."

Harm offered his friend from Haven a wry smile. The one form of solace boredom and insanity was the 'pen pal' he made in Lumire Ehrlich. A member of the esteemed Custodia Deos on Haven, Lumire was one of the elite soldiers of the Church of the Tower that specialised in 'Divine Magic' otherwise known as Deomancy or the 'magic of creation'. With his use of the Illuminus Weizar, he could literally create something from nothing by simply using his words. His blonde hair was cut short as was typical of a soldier and he had the square jaw of one who had to endure physical exercise almost every day. Those sharp, cornflower blue eyes were always so mirthful and full of hope that even though Harm knew everything he said was unlikely, he couldn't help but believe them even a little bit.

“Gods?" he repeated. “I thought you only believed in one God?"

Even without a video, he could feel Lumire rolling his eyes. “I'm not a fanatic like others of the Church. I know the Apostles are creator Gods alongside Athena, the Mother Goddess. The Church just muscled them out in an attempt to centralise believe. You know they're actually trying to preach that Haamiah is one such Apostle?"

“There'd be a few here that'd be offended about that… if they were religious and even considered Haamiah."

“I have no doubt."

Harm set down the tablet and gazed mournfully off into the distance, peering out his window. Those same cherry blossoms were there as they always were year around. It was a perpetual spring on Temporal, after all. Though the scene seemed the same as it always did, there was a hidden menace behind it all. “Sometimes I wonder if Haamiah had a greater influence in Temporal, the Chronomancers wouldn't be so geared towards war."

“You really think The God Who Doesn't Care would lift a finger even for his 'chosen race'?"

Harm took a few moments before he replied. “I suppose your right. People would just find a way to radicalise whatever Haamiah preached or did. Use it to justify their war or something."

“Harm, war is inevitable but you can't go around suspecting everything is turning to battle. Maybe some of your Chronomancer colleagues are just exploring the possibilities. There's no guarantee that they'll use it let alone use it to conquer Tower Thirteen."

“Your naivete is charming as always, Lumire," he muttered sarcastically.

“I admit I don't know them as well as you do but I choose to believe in the good in people. I mean, there has to be some good Chronomancers still out there, right?"

Harm closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair with a sorrowful sight. “I honestly don't know, Lumire. I honestly don't know." He opened one eye, gazing at the tablet. “Any progress with that immigration request, by the way?"

“The paperwork was only submitted last week! You've got to give the immigration office some time to process this. I mean, it's not every day that a Chronomancer let alone the esteemed Destroyer of Time asked to migrate to Haven."

Harm chuckled softly. “Just a week, huh? God… feels like an eternity."

“Just try to keep your mind off it, okay, Harm? There is no reason why you would be denied entry. I don't see why the Thirteen would reject your request either."

He pursed his lips. Every fibre of his being knew that the Thirteen would try and stop him from leaving Temporal for some reason. They could not stop him from resigning from his position and there were no laws preventing him from migrating to another Station. Countless Chronomancers had returned to their home Stations before to continue their research though in recent days, most of them have been recalled all according to the Thirteen's mysterious plans. None have actually left in a while but that was not because there was a mandate or martial law. It seemed that I was just some general understanding by the Collective. Longinus would likely try and plead for him to stay, trying to appeal to his emotions. Haais might try to restrain him by force but that was why he had applied for immigration to Haven first. If the Thirteen opted to stop him, he could claim asylum with Haven and that could easily spark an international incident.

As powerful as the Chronomancers were, they were still vastly outnumbered by the troops of Haven 100-to-1.

It was a very dangerous gamble but it was one he had to take. If Temporal really was going to war and aiming for a path of conquest, he had to start preparing the other side. Maybe if the Thirteen realised that the Church was far more well-prepared than they first realised, they would not be inclined to go to war.

But there's a problem with the Church. Many as they may be, they are far too spread out.

The differences between the two forces coincidentally placed them on opposite sides of the spectrum. On the one side was Temporal which had powerful but few elite troops in their Chronomancers. They only had a single area to defend in Temporal. Even if the Church were to invade, they would be hard pressed to breach Temporal's defences given that the Station of Time was so well defended and its defenders needed neither sleep nor food. In a war of attrition, Temporal would win easily. On the opposite side, the Church of the Tower had billions of people under its wing. Though not as well-trained as the Chronomancers and certainly not as powerful, their sheer numbers made them a force that gave the Collective pause. Unfortunately, they also had eleven other Stations to defend and their numbers, as large as they were, had to be spread out across all those lands. They were also factitious. As Lumire mentioned, each member of the Church had their own identity and loyalty to their homes. Chronomancers and their Initiates were stripped of their identity and became only loyal to Temporal. It would not take much to cause internal strife within the Church.

All of this he kept to himself. Lumire was a good friend and he would rather not break the illusion of his migrating to Haven by some of his ulterior motives.

There was a soft beep from his tablet. A personal, direct message. Curious, he tapped the blue-green screen. It was from Longinus.

Just a single line.

79522 has just applied for Assessment.

“Shelandi…" he whispered.

“Shelandi?" Lumire repeated. “Isn't that the Initiate that got shafted when her colleague stole her research four years ago?"

“That's the one," Harm answered grimly. “But there's more to it than just that."

“Oh?"

Harm leaned back in his chair, picked up his tablet and read that line over and over again. “Geonidas would become Illuminas a week after the Assessment. I tried to comfort Shelandi and even made an appeal to the Collective but Haais rebuked me. Said I was letting my emotions get the better of my judgement and discerning what was best for the Collective."

“What did you do?"

“Comforted Shelandi. She was heartbroken and felt betrayed. I thought I had encouraged her to keep going forward and at the time, she seemed to have taken to my platitudes well. That is until the night before Geonidas' Time Locking."

“What happened?

“I was having a chat with Longinus at the time. I had hoped to appeal to him and get him to change his mind about Illuminas. Shelandi confronted Geonidas at his townhouse. There was a fight. From what I was told, Geonidas didn't take too kindly to Shelandi's accusations and he attacked her first. The detectives at the scene discerned exactly the same thing. Geonidas brought out a chronoblade - that's a weapon forged from compressed Time. Will never get dull and ridiculously sharp. He swung at Shelandi and she defended herself, naturally. During the fight, Geonidas dropped the weapon and Shelandi swung at him. When the authorities arrived, Geonidas was unconscious on the ground with a ragged scar on his face."

“Now ordinarily, that'd count as assault but I know the Collective has different rules. What happened?"

Harm allowed himself a soft growl. “Haais oversaw the trial personally and looked gleeful at the development. He used it as an excuse to curb any of my protests going forward, saying that 'justice had been done'. He banned Geonidas from getting his face fixed meaning that when he was Time Locked, he'd forever have that scar on his face. Shelandi was acquitted given that she was only defending herself and whatever appeal I had died that day." Harm lowered the tablet on his desk one more time. “Shelandi dropped out of my tutelage from that day on and she's been working on her project."

“Sounds like she's back on her feet. Nothing to worry about."

There was something in Longinus' tone within that message that just sparked the dread in Harm's heart. If his friend and mentor had meant this to be a celebratory occasion, he would have been more jovial about it. But those six words came across as grim and oozed with dread.

“I hope that's all there is to it, Lumire," he sighed softly. “I really hope you are."

******

Assessment day once again. That time of the month where Initiates brought their findings to the Thirteen and hoped that their research would somehow benefit the war effort. A stark contrast from four years ago, the Thirteen were admitting more and more Chronomancers to their ranks. Eight in ten Initiates were being made Chronomancers. There was something to be said that the alcoves were mostly empty now since joining the ranks of the Collective no longer seemed such a high achievement if almost everyone could join.

It let a bitter taste in Harm's mouth that so many of these violent projects were being accepted and Chronomancers being made of their inventors.

Are they shoring up their ranks? Did they notice that the Church has the numbers so they're trying to compensate?

The dark cloud was breached by the memory of Lumire's words. Hope. Keep hope and believe in the inherent benevolence of the Collective. Unless they started acts of aggression, there was still that hope that all of these projects were just for the purposes of curiosity and knowledge.

Shelandi stepped in and Harm's ears perked up. She had shaved her head entirely or at least cut her hair short as he couldn't see any of her dark locks flowing out from underneath her hood.

“We meet again, Initiate 79522," Haais greeted with a smirk. “What do you present to the Thirteen and the Collective today?"

The Initiate bowed and began handing out her tablets. “My original research was based on the idea that one could alter the appearance of any object by manipulating the frequency of light waves with Time. It works on the theory that -"

“Yes, yes," sighed Mitosis. “We're all familiar with the theory that light acts as waves. There is also the opposing theory that light acts as particles. We've also had more than enough Initiates experimenting with light since you were last here." He glanced lazily at the tablet. “Your research proposes using Chronomancy to provide some form of camouflage by altering light." He threw the tablet to the ground, shattering it completely. “You are aware that superior Initiates to yourself have already created complete invisibility with Chronomancy? Why would we want to take a step back and settle with camouflage?"

Harm was already rising out of his chair.

“Costs?" offered Uriel. “Her research does suggest that this would be far more cost-effective than tactical invisibility."

“That's barely a reason to make her a Chronomancer."

Shelandi's voice suddenly emerged from right beside Mitosis. “Then perhaps you should have read the rest of my research, milord, instead of shattering it on the ground."

The Thirteen jerked in surprise as the image of Shelandi at the centre of the Assessment Hall wavered and vanished. The Initiate was suddenly perched beside Mitosis, hanging on one of the tall spokes of his chair and her dark eyes levelled with him.

“What!?" gasped the Eighth Millennium. He immediately swatted at her only for his hand to pass through her image.

Again, Shelandi's image vanished and she reappeared once more at the centre of the Assessment Hall.

“My research doesn't just allow one to manipulate the colour of an object but also delay its passage through space," she announced fiercely. “This allows me to create 'after-images' or even 'recordings' of myself. I can move my light waves even as I stride across the room." She began walking in a loop around the Assessment Hall and as she did, images of herself were being frozen in mid-stride. It was like someone was taking still photographs of her as she crossed the chamber. “As the light gets trapped in my Chronomancy, other light from other sources bounce off that light, allowing me to maintain the illusion in other's eyes. All the while, I am allowed to move with impunity, totally invisible to everyone else. This goes a step beyond mere invisibility and cost effectiveness."

Shelandi was once again at the centre of the room and she lifted her hand towards the ceiling. All her images shot towards her fingertips in streaks and ribbons. “Each of these snapshots are able to absorb more light, trapping more energy for me to manipulate which I can recall at any time!" She then levelled her hand at Mitosis, light streaking out of her palms in a dazzling display. The member of the Thirteen stared at the miniature-sun, unperturbed and smiling. “With this technique, you are able to passively gather the energy required for a laser while repositioning yourself for the perfect shot. You aren't causing yourself to become invisible, you are merely redistributing the light that would make you visible somewhere else so that you can use it later!"

Applause from a single source rang across the hall.

Haais.

“Bravo!" exclaimed the cherubic Chronomancer. “A brilliant display of ingenuity and forward thinking. I am convinced. I vote that we promote Initiate 79522 to Chronomancer, giving her the name Prismaticia that Chronomancer of Colours."

Mitosis, at least, was impressed. “Seconded."

One by one, each member of the Thirteen voted for Shelandi's promotion. On one of the far seats, Longinus looked towards Harm. The white Wulfun did not respond in any way.

“This is absurd!"

The protest came from the alcoves. There was a brief flash of white and suddenly, a blonde-haired, tan-skinned man with a vicious scar running down the entirety of his face was beside Shelandi. The scar never looked to have healed properly, slicing into his lips and giving him a permanent scowl. Though he wore the Mantle of a Chronomancer, to Harm, Illuminas would always be a child.

“Her research is unimaginative and derivative!" shouted the Everlight Chronomancer. “Instead of focusing light as we would do with Master Photorias' solid light techniques, she is merely delaying its movement! It's absurd that she should become a Chronomancer on these grounds!"

Haais leaned forward, a dark smirk on his features. “Is that the green of jealousy I hear, Illuminas? As I recall, your own research depended on you creating a machine to do your bidding whereas Prismaticia allows her to manipulate light with her own skills."

“My research is entirely different!" barked the human Chronomancer. “No matter how skilled we may be, one cannot match the lightning-fast reaction speeds of a computer! That is why my APLTs are in such high demand!"

“Perhaps but it would just be as easy to stop a moving target in time and then shoot them with a laser than rely on a machine to do it."

“That's not the same!"

Haais chuckled gleefully. “Exactly. Just as dear Prismaticia's research is different from anything that has gone before her."

Illuminas spun around to face the soon-to-be-Chronomancer. “I will not let this hack into the Collective! Not after what she did to me!"

The Everlight Chronomancer suddenly lunged at Shelandi, the young Initiate lifting her hands in a desperate attempt at self-defence.

WHAM!

A Chronomancer may be Time Locked and their body will always revert back to its state when it was Locked but they could still feel pain. So when Harm's fist dug deep into Illuminas' diaphragm, the Everlight Chronomancer felt every bit of it.

“I suggest you go back to your seat, Illuminas," growled the Wulfun. “I think this Hall has had enough of your theatrics."

The young man, his brown eyes now turned gold by being Time Locked, snarled at Harm with his teeth bared. “You dare touch me!?"

Golden flames erupted from Illuminas' fists and he swung them at Harm. It was a predictable move and just like that day when he had challenged the young man to steal a lemon from him, Harm dodged the attack deftly, dancing back and placing himself between Shelandi and the furious Chronomancer.

Longinus was leaning forward in his seat. “Chronos, Illuminas, stop this! The Assessment Hall is a place to celebrate our achievements not to brawl over another's promotion!"

“Let the boys have their fun," snickered Haais. “If we are to work as a Collective, such petty grievances must we worked out. There is clearly some animosity between the Destroyer of Time and the Everlight Chronomancer so why not let them work it out?"

The black-furred Wulfun was out of his seat. “Fine but I am not letting an innocent Initiate get caught in the crossfire!" Longinus was gone, disappearing and immediately reappearing beside Shelandi. The big wolf wrapped his arms protectively around the young Scalian and gave Harm a warning glance.

Harm understood that glance fully. Haais was testing him. Whether this was a test to see his combat prowess or how he aligned with the rest of the Collective was yet to be determined but the Thirteenth Era would benefit over whichever outcome arose.

“You've had this coming for a long time, Chronos!" snarled Illuminas. The golden flames in his hands intensified and grew, lengthening into two, fiery rods.

Elemental Shaping combined with Chronomancer's Fire, Harm observed. Combining two fields of research into one. He's definitely grown stronger.

A vicious cry erupted from Illuminas' lips and he charged at Harm, brandishing the two rods just as Longinus bolted away in a blur of black and gold. Typical Chronomancer tactics. As with their approach to projects, Chronomancers had to consider every angle and never take anything for granted. This extended to combat. Attacking at full speed, using Fast Forward and striking an enemy when they couldn't possibly catch up or detect the attack in time was reckless. There was no telling what tricks the foe may have. So Illuminas was using a flash but basic attack to test the waters as it were.

Predictable.

Illuminas swung with his right arm first, hoping to do a follow up blow with his left. Harm immediately stepped forward, closing the distance between them well before the Everlight could strike him. This shocked Illuminas and allowed Harm to seize his wrist, keeping that flaming rod from striking him. With his other paw, he let loose a quick jab right into Illuminas' face. There was a sickening crack, a burst of blood and even a few winces from the audience and the Thirteen. Still holding onto Illuminas' arm, harm turned around, draping said arm over his shoulder and then threw the Chronomancer over his shoulder and into the ground. The tiles on the ground shattered and cracked while a few of the audience members gasped.

“Gravimetric Chronomancy," whispered Haais from where he sat on his throne. “The ability to manipulate gravity and even the velocity of a moving object using Time. Impressive, Chronos. Very impressive."

“Even more so that he was able to employ it so quickly," Ghost hummed. “I've known other Chronomancers who would never have thought to use that to increase the impact of a blow."

High above in the alcoves, Longinus returned with Shelandi by his side. The others in the seats were already sending texts and messages to their colleagues. Harm Chronos was fighting against Illuminas in the Assessment Hall. Suddenly, there was renewed interest in the Assessment. More than a few were already taking videos of the scene especially when Harm slammed his foot against Illuminas' neck, forcing the other Chronomancer to gag and spit out blood.

Harm released the man's arm and turned away, dusting his paws theatrically as he strode away a few feet. “Stay down," he warned.

Already, Illuminas' wounds were healing. A Chronomancer's regenerative speed was a result of Time Locking and was directly related to the amount of Time he had in store. That speed was based on how much Time was missing from the overall stockpile. The more was missing, the slower the regeneration meaning that even the most grievous of wounds would heal nearly instantaneously if the Chronomancer had an immense amount of Time stored. For Illuminas' nose to reset and all the blood he lost to pool back into his body like little, red bullets, he must have had an immense amount of time stored.

Just what have you been doing, Geonidas?

“If you think that will stop me…" snarled the Everlight Chronomancer, rising to his feet. He let out another cry, this time, charging forward with both of his fiery rods lifted into the air. The blonde-haired man launched into the air, propelling himself almost twenty high with Chronomancy before adjusting his trajectory so that he was angled straight at Harm.

Still predictable.

Illuminas came crashing back down, faster than a bullet. Dust was kicked up and parts of the Assessment Hall floor was completely disintegrated with the impact. A haze momentarily hung around the crash site with every member of the audience leaning forward in anticipation. As the dust cleared, they all collectively gasped. Illuminas was staring straight forward, wide-eyed, with Harm's paw wrapped around his face. The Destroyer of Time had angled his body to the side, completely avoiding being struck by the two fiery rods by just taking a few steps to the left.

“Cool off."

Suddenly, Illuminas' features erupted in a burst of ice. The blood vessels in his face burst, his eyeballs cracked and a thin layer of frost rested in his hair. The golden flames in his hands dissipated as he fell to his knees and slumped to the floor.

“Time Freeze," Haais hissed, his grin growing broader. “By slowing down the interaction of atoms in objects, you are able to cool matter. Chronos applied this to the water particles in Illuminas' blood and body, thus freezing it and creating ice."

Worth mirrored the Thirteenth Era's dark smile. “Chronos is certainly skilled in selective targeting to the point where he is able to apply even the most basic of Chronomancy techniques to devastating effect. To be able to target certain compounds in an infinitely complex structure like the human body is nothing short of astounding."

For the second time, Harm turned his back to Illuminas and began striding away towards the exit. The entire Hall had fallen mostly silent even as more Initiates started entering to see the aftermath of the battle. His keen ears picked up the faint cracking of ice. The damage he had inflicted was substantial and yet the Everlight Chronomancer was already recovering.

Where did he get all this Time?

“Don't you dare turn your back on me."

Illuminas was already on his feet even as flakes of ice were falling off his flesh. Harm didn't stop his slow walk out of the Hall. He closed his eyes and shoved one paw into the pocket of his pants.

“I said," snarled the enraged Chronomancer. Golden flames erupted all around him, shooting outward from his shoulders and fingertips and encasing his arms entirely. Those same flames lashed out into the air around him, hovering for a moment before reshaping themselves into curved, star-shaped blades. “Face me!"

The Everlight Chronomancer charged, screaming at the top of his lungs. He launched himself into the air, propelled by accelerated time and speeding at the back of the Wulfun faster than any human could manage naturally.

Harm merely lifted his free paw, pressing his thumb against his middle and index finger.

Click!

A simple snap of a finger.

That was all it took.

All the flames around Illuminas suddenly turned black. All momentum the Everlight had ceased abruptly leaving the Chronomancer hovering in midair, stunned and with his lips peeled back in a confused snarl. An invisible wave of force spread from Harm's fingertips like it was a delayed shadow of the sound that emanated from the snap of his fingers. This force spread wide, blowing aside the blackened energies that had engulfed Illuminas. All that power, all that Chronomancy, was instantly turned into black dust that swirled in the air. Streams of dark dust fluttered towards Harm's outstretched paw where it became a single, black dot no bigger than a marble. He closed his fingers around the sphere, never once ceasing his stride out of the Hall. The moment his fingers shut around the sphere completely, Illuminas hit the ground with a mighty whump.

“Did… Did he just nullify all of Illuminas' Chronomacy with a mere snap of his finger?" Advent whispered.

“He truly is the Destroyer of Time," added Ouija. “He did not even take the challenge seriously."

“Wrong." Longinus was back in his seat, surprising the rest of his colleagues. “Do not mistake control for complacency. Harm took the challenge very seriously."

“How could you tell?" Haais asked, seemingly pleased with the results.

“He wasn't smiling."

Harm disappeared into the adjoining hallway. There were about a hundred Initiates waiting in the chamber, all lined up and waiting for their turn to meet the Thirteen. All of them had their tablets in their hands and watching the scene unfold from those that had taken a recording. The moment they saw him, the immediately pressed their backs against the walls even if the hallway was over thirty feet wide with more than enough room for him to walk past them without any risk of collision.

“Master Chronos."

He lifted his head just as the Initiates gasped. Haais hovered in front of him, blocking his path thanks to those enormous wings of his.

“Haais," Harm answered, unwilling to reply with any sort of honorific towards the deceptively angelic Chronomancer.

“Your display was nothing short of outstanding," said the member of the Thirteen. Once again, he made that childish gesture where he touched edges of his lips with a finger. “You displayed the use of techniques that were only recently developed but deployed them in new and inventive ways. You used Variable Shift to avoid Illuminas' attack didn't you?" He glanced to his left at the Initiates. “For those of you who are not in the know, Variable Shift is a technique wherein the Chronomancer reaches backwards in time and adjusts some variable. It works on the idea of Chaos Theory where even the smallest change can have drastic effects in the future. It is a complex technique and one that was only very recently perfected by Probalias the Variant." Then his eyes shifted back to Harm. “Yet you were able to employ it without Illuminas noticing. You just moved him slightly to the left, didn't you? Two feet am I correct?"

“Why are you asking me questions you already know the answer to?" Harm answered.

“Just because we know the answers does not mean we do not seek validation. We are scientists after all and confirmation is the only way we will ever find the proof we seek." Haais gave him a thin smile. “Which brings me to my next point. You see purpose and validation, do you not? Ever since you resigned from your post as a lecturer, you have been struck by the same lethargy that plagued you all those years ago just after your promotion to the Destroyer of Time."

Harm knew exactly where this was going and he despised Haais for trying to play him.

“I have an offer for you," said the Thirteenth Era, holding out a hand. “Come back to teaching. This time, you will be the Battlemaster. The one and only Battlemaster."

“Battlemaster?" he asked.

“Yes. What you displayed out there was something far beyond my expectations! I would love for you to teach the next generation and even the current generation of Chronomancers how to think and adapt like you did. How to stay in control, how to coolly apply techniques with precision and efficiency. You could once again be the catalyst that spurs exponential growth in the Collective! You wouldn't just be teaching Chronomancers how to use others' techniques but also teaching them how to use even the most basic of Chronomancy skills in new and inventive ways! You are the future of the Collective!"

Flattery. All empty flattery designed to mask the fact that Haais wanted him to train Temporal on how to become better killers.

“No thanks."

The Initiates exchanged glances, gasped and gave him puzzled looks.

“Very well," sighed Haais. “Perhaps I should offer you a seat on the Thirteen then? Though we will be the Fourteen instead." Haais beamed at him. “Perhaps you should be the Fourteenth Revolution?"

Now the Initiates were very excited. No new member had joined the Thirteen in over seven centuries. Now they were witnessing the induction of the latest member, the Destroyer of Time himself. It was clear, however, that Haais had always intended to bring him into the elite of the Collective. Even then, it was clear that he intended to keep Harm occupied and limit his vision of the inner workings of the rest of the Collective. Train the next generation, don't worry about where Temporal was headed. He would have Harm believe that he was helping steer the Chronomancers to a better future all to ensure he didn't stir up trouble elsewhere. Nothing worse than an unknown variable.

Harm's faint smile returned and he reached for Haais' hand.

The Thirteenth Era's smile grew broader…

Smack.

… until Harm slapped away his hand.

The Destroyer of Time brushed past Haais, striding away down the hallway.

“I'll just stick to my job, thanks," he said. “Besides, 'Fourteen' just sounds weird to me."

---

Indigo

Narkathuul Prison.

Its hallways were pitch black save for the small, golden lines that crisscrossed the dark stones that made the walls. No Chronomancy could ever be worked within its chambers thanks to powerful anti-Time techniques placed there. In effect, any who was placed within one of its small, dark cells were considered dead to Temporal even if they were a fully-fledged Chronomancer.

The same was true for Harm Chronos, the lone and remaining occupant of the Prison.

Twelve years ago, the Chronomancers had declared war upon Tower Thirteen and began their conquest of the other Stations. It had been a sudden and unexpected attack and one that Harm hadn't anticipated entirely. He knew that it would happen just not when. The signs were all there and he had attempted to warn Lumire and the Church leadership but he was ignored.

As he had feared, the Church was divided into different factions and the Chronomancers had immediately worked to increase those divisions. With many Chronomancers still embedded deep within enemy territory, it had been easy for those very same Chronomancers to stir rebellions, disrupt supply lines or disseminate false information. They created back channels to Temporal and in the blink of an eye, the Collective had begun its invasion.

Harm only learned about it when campus security charged into his office, slapped a few time dampeners on him and hauled him towards Narkathuul. All this while Haais accused him of treason. No trail. No jury. Just arrest and permanent incarceration.

Every day of those twelve years, he had watched and listened as the war turned in Temporal's favour. Chronomancers were brutally capturing citizens of the other Stations and forced them to work for them, effectively becoming slavers in the process. Those that they saw had potential, were tortured until either their minds were broken or they became conditioned into compliance. Only then were they allowed to become 'Initiates' and start conducting research on behalf of the Chronomancers. They weren't even truly researching anything that drove their own curiosity. The Chronomancers dictated what they wanted discovered and if those results did not match up to what they were hoping for or if the experiment failed, the Initiate was struck by Final Hour, their Time absorbed into the Chronomancer. It didn't matter if the initial idea was impossible or the concept was flawed to begin with. Anything short of a success was considered a failure and punishment was death.

Needless to say, not a single new Chronomancer had been inducted.

Footsteps warned him of a visitor. Harm refused to face the bright, gold cell bars that glistened with a faint starlight. He continued to stare at the wall in front of him. There were no windows. Not even a bed or a toilet. Just a single, empty cell where he was expected to languish for all eternity.

“Incendius is putting up quite a fight."

Longinus. Despite supporting the war entirely, the Sixth Hour still took the time to visit Harm every day and give him reports on what was happening. Some hopeful part of Harm maintained that the black Wulfun was telling him all this in the hopes that he could stop the Collective but with each passing minute, that part's voice was falling quieter and quieter.

“Incendius doesn't have the largest star fleet of the Church but they make up for it in their tenacity and identity. So long as the Sun Spire stands, every Incendian will fight with everything they've got."

Longinus pressed his back against the bars, folding his arms. “We know that. They guard that thing jealously. It would be a simple thing to just go up to Corona and bring it down."

“That would be the biggest mistake you'd ever make."

“Indeed because the moment we destroy it, no Incendian would ever see the way of the Collective and die fighting. We aim to enlighten them into realising that there is a much better way of living under the Collective than by believing in their Sun Goddess or under the oppression of the Church."

Harm could not help but utter a soft laugh. “You really believe that, don't you? You honestly believe that you're liberating Tower Thirteen. Even though you're capturing people, turning them into slaves, brainwashing them and then forcing them to work for you under penalty of death! What kind of liberator are you?"

“The best kind," Longinus answered sharply. “The kind that sees the world for what it truly is and hopes that once all of Tower Thirteen has been brought to heel, this war can end and we can enter an age of enlightenment. This is a necessary evil, Harm. We are putting an end to war, strife and suffering. We are leading all of Tower Thirteen on the path to immortality. Who wouldn't want that?"

“An eternity built on sin is no paradise, Longinus. The tower built on the skulls of the fallen will topple under the guilt of those who made it."

His mentor sighed heavily. “Harm, I still hold out hope that one day, you will see things our way. All the other Chronomancers that had been imprisoned here in Narkathuul had already been freed. Only you remain!"

“You can hope, Longinus, but just as my hope for the Collective had been dashed the moment you all went to war, yours will go unfulfilled."

The Sixth Hour sighed heavily. Like every day, this was where their conversation on the topic ended. So instead, he diverted his attention to another.

“The Vampiri forests are really quite nice this time of year. Being in perpetual dusk makes it quite beautiful. We're studying how it was made like that and suspect there may have been some form of Chronomancy employed."

“You should ask their leader. I've heard he's millennia old."

“We intend to. At least once we find him. The forests are incredibly dense. As tempting as it would be to destroy them all in a single sweep, we want a world to return to after we win the war, after all. There is much to learn given the right environment and I have no doubt that once we install Academies in all the Stations, we will advance Chronomancy much father than we ever could by simply staying here in Temporal."

As tempted as he was to antagonise Longinus further, Harm found himself growing weary. “What about the Lupus? And the Darkened?"

“The Custodia Lupus are ferocious and tenacious. Their fortresses are quite formidable but they will run out of supplies soon enough. What little the Vampiri and the Church can sneak in using their magic is barely enough to keep them supplies and strong for much longer. As for the Darkened, they have not shown any antagonism towards us thus far so we won't be attacking until the rest of Incendius is conquered."

How far the Chronomancers have fallen that they are ignoring an unknown variable. There would have been a time when even a small advance team would have been sent out to at least ally with the Darkened. They were the most feared species in all of Incendius, after all, so having them break past the souther borders and attack on a second front would not only sow terror on the Incendians but also alleviate some strain for Temporal's forces. Now, however, the Chronomancers were so arrogant in their approach that they immediately considered the Darkened as hostile and a force to be ignored until made a threat.

“I grow tired of this," he admitted. “End this, Longinus."

His mentor shook his head. “No, Harm. I know you will see things our way one day. That is my hope."

******

The thirteenth year of the war.

Countless lives lost. Stations invaded. Chronomancers growing stronger and stronger with each passing day.

And still Harm stood with his back to the cell, facing the empty wall.

When Haais arrived, it was a rather unexpected visit.

“I was expecting Longinus," he admitted.

“The Sixth Hour is currently preoccupied with a naval battle against on Incendius," yawned the angelic Chronomancer. “Our starships far outmatch the wooden toys of the Sunless Lands but their navy has somehow concocted a spell that allows them to deflect any lasers that we throw their way back at our ships. Annoying but hardly inconvenient. Longinus is trying to recruit them and can't afford to spend the time to come here while he is in the midst of negotiations."

“The Incendians will never surrender."

Haais waved his hand absently through the air, dismissing the notion. “Yes, yes. I know. So long as the Sun Spire stands, those annoying gnats around to keep fighting. It doesn't really matter. Every day that passes, we either kill them, absorb them or recruit them. Those insects can only breed so quickly, after all, and their numbers are already dwindling with each passing year. Soon, they will have no more troops to defend their borders." The Thirteenth Era grinned darkly. “Those that do give birth are more than happy to join us anyway. One of my favourite tactics is the dangle the prospect a better life for them and their children in front of their faces. Often times, that's all it takes for one of those filthy peasants to come crawling to me."

Harm growled. “You're sick, Haais."

He got a short laugh for that.

“That is where you are wrong, Chronos. A 'sickness' is an oddity in the body that is thus expelled. The Collective is the body. You are the oddity. Everyone else is compliant, all moving in a single, cohesive direction. You are the sole hold out. You are the sickness."

“Then excise me," Harm snarled. “End this, Haais."

This time, the Thirteen Era threw his head back and let out a dark laugh. “Please. After all the protests, the showboating and disrespect you've thrown at me over the years you really expect me to just kill you? No, Chronos. I want you to suffer. I want you to watch as the Collective take over all of Tower Thirteen. I want you to watch your own failure. Even when all is said and done, I want you to sit here and forever remember that you were powerless to stop the Chronomancers from conquering all of Tower Thirteen."

He was silent for a long moment prompting Haais to let out a bitter laugh.

“Have I scared you, Chronos?"

“I little," Harm admitted. “I must ask, Haais, what do you plan to do with eternity?"

The Thirteenth Era was puzzled by the question and his confidence wavered a little. “Pardon?"

“After you conquer the world. What then? What will you do with the eternity you have left?"

The golden-eyed angel rolled his eyes. “Oh, I don't know. Maybe take on the demons of the Void. With the power we would have gathered from all of Tower Thirteen, the demons won't stand a chance. After that?" A dark grin touched his lips. “Perhaps I will challenge Haamiah for his throne."

“I was afraid you'd say that." Harm sighed heavily. “So the cycle continues."

“What?"

Harm shook his head and waved Haais away. “Nothing. Go away, Haais. Either end this or go away."

The Thirteen Era smirked. “You know what I'm going to do, Chronos. I wish for you to suffer. In fact, why don't I bring in someone who will help you?"

His ears twitched backwards when he heard some footsteps approaching. It was not a pattern he recognised.

“Greetings, Master Chronos."

His eyes widened momentarily and he was almost tempted to turn around. “Shelandi…"

“It's Prismaticia," corrected his former Initiate. “Or have your forgotten that I've become a Chronomancer now in your long years of incarceration?"

The bitterness in her voice spoke volumes of just how far she had fallen. The fact that she had come in at Haais' bidding also betrayed just how far the Thirteenth Era had sunk his hooks into her. He wished he could weep for her. Some part of him wished that he could convince her denounce the Collective and help him fix what had become of Temporal but he knew that it was futile.

“You disappoint me," he admitted.

Prismaticia frowned at him. “I was never trying to impress you."

“Not entirely what I meant." His eyes fell to the ground, a stark contrast to when they had first met when it was her that could not meet his gaze. “I feel like I should plead for you free me, plead for you to help me fix the course of the Collective and Tower Thirteen… but I know it's futile. This time line does not allow for your redemption."

“You can still peer into other time lines even while in there?"

Haais scoffed. “He's trying to rattle you, child. It is impossible to use any form of Chronomancy within these cells. We even made sure to nullify any use of Final Hour, ironically, with a derivative of Final Hour. He is being kept imprisoned by his own technique." The Thirteenth Era smirked darkly. “How does it feel, Chronos?"

His shoulders sagged. “Like I am falling and there is no way I could avoid my fate."

“Yes!" laughed the member of the Thirteen. “You have surrendered! Embrace your hopelessness, Chronos. Perhaps then I might give you the sweet release of death."

“Don't put words in my mouth, Haais." Slowly, Harm turned his head. For the first time in thirteen years, someone on the other side of the bars saw his eyes; those intense, fiery, laser-like eyes that immediately gave both Haais and Prismaticia pause. “I am lamenting my destiny because now, I am absolutely sure that it leads to me destroying you all."

Haais was the first to recover and gave an unconvincingly confident scoff. “Please. You can't do anything from in there."

“So you say but rest assured, I will kill you all. I will be the Destroyer of Time. Your only hope of survival is to end this." He shifted his gaze towards Prismaticia. “I won't make an impassioned plea for you to free me, Shelandi. Instead, I am going to plea for you to end this. Because if you don't, I will kill you and I don't want to do that."

The Scalian lifted her chin. Now a fully fledged Chronomancer, she donned the Mantle quite traditionally. Beneath the Mantle, she wore plain white pants and dark boots that rose up to cover her calves. There was a shirt of some sort over her chest with short sleeves. Uniquely, seven ribbons of differing colours tumbled from her shoulders beneath the Mantle and gently grazed the ground beneath her. Somehow, she had grown her hair again, this time it came out as seven distinct spike that formed a sort of halo around her head. Each spike was a different colour of the rainbow. This was not the doe-eyed, bashful Initiate that head meekly asked him for a Chronosphere years ago.

“Do your worst, Chronos," she snarled. “You were always too soft. In the world of academics, there is only that which is proven true and everything else which is false. Your ideals are the latter." She folded her arms at him. “Allow me to enlighten you about something."

He just watched her without a reply.

“You remember that day I came to you for a Chronosphere? That accident at the laboratory? I lied to you. I expended all my Chronospheres on my experiment. It wasn't Illuminas' sphere that was destroyed in the experiment. It was mine. I had to wait an entire year until I got another Chronosphere to continue my research."

Again, he remained silent.

“When you took us for our first lesson? I wanted to kill Geonidas! If you hadn't protected him, he would never have stolen my work and I would've been without his dead weight!"

He refused to reply.

“And that day that Illuminas stole my research and claimed it as his own? I learned something then that I could never have learned under your tutelage." She stepped forward, almost right in front of the bars. “Knowledge is power but to get that knowledge, you have to be ruthless. Illuminas pounced while I sat back and followed your ideals of peaceful research. I naively believed that he was my partner when he was just using me."

No response, just a silent stare.

Then she took one more step forward her muzzle pressed against the bars.

“And you want to know something else?" she hissed. “The day before Illuminas was to be Time Locked, the day that he attacked me. That didn't play out exactly as you may have believed."

Silence.

“I attacked him. I was the one that brought the chronoblade and I was the one that gave him the scar and knocked him out. Then, while campus security was making their way to me, I used my technique to bend the light to make it appear like he had attacked. Even when they used Time Tracing to display the events of the past, I just had to change how the light was displayed in the vision to convince them that he was at fault. It was all me. I attacked first and then I played you and everyone else into believing that I was the victim." She smirked at him. “Turned out quite well especially when you fought so bravely to defend me."

Harm closed his eyes and turned his head back towards the blank wall.

“I see you've made your choice. I hope you can live with it."

******

Fifteen years.

After fifteen long years of imprisonment, the campus security - now calling themselves the Securitus Tempus - slapped a few anti-Time shackles on Harm and dragged him all throughout Temporal. The golden bands prevented all forms of Chronomancy save for his Time Locked state. He suddenly felt weak and a little helpless. The golden light in his eyes faded, leaving him with his natural bright green. They forced him to walk from Narkathuul on foot, dragging him by golden, unbreakable chains. Initiates, Chronomancers and their slaves stood on the sidewalks, hurling insults at him and even rotten fruit. The Securitus Tempus had made a show of stripping him of bits and pieces of his Mantle every few blocks he walked so that everyone could see that he was no longer a Chronomancer. They would have stripped him naked if his clothes weren't Time Locked alongside him.

All throughout the long trek, he kept his eyes closed.

The warmth of Chrysalis Core felt so good on his fur. He could smell the eternal cherry blossoms in the air even with the vegetables and fruit being hurled at him. His ears picked up the gentle lapping of the rivers even through the screams of the crowd. Quietly, he prayed. Prayed for forgiveness; not for someone to forgive him but for the power to find forgiveness towards the Chronomancers and Temporal for what they had become. He prayed, prayed hard. Pleading quietly for that spark of hope that Lumire spoke of to shine through the dark stone that had formed around his heart.

Forgive them. Please, forgive them.

“Traitor!" screamed the crowd.

“Destroy the Destroyer!"

“Kill Chronos! Kill Chronos!"

The jeering continued all the way to the Assessment Hall where those in the alcoves booed and screamed for his execution. There, surrounded by the members of the Thirteen and secured by the Tempus, he was forced to stand.

It was Longinus who lifted a paw to silence the crowd. The event was televised all over Temporal and even the bases and outposts of the Chronomancers all over the world.

“Harm Chronos," boomed the Sixth Hour. “You are hereby formally accused of treason, conspiracy against the Collective and disruptive behaviour. It is the opinion of this council that you be sentenced to death, the first ever execution of a Chronomancer on Temporal."

The crowd began cheering.

“Kill him!"

“Kill the Traitor!"

Please. I have to forgive them.

“However," boomed Longinus, once again silencing the crowd. “In lieu of your years of service towards the Collective and your contributions to our knowledge, we are willing to offer you leniency."

Now the audience was turning against him, booing him and shouting about conflicts of interest.

“Silence!" Haais boomed through his wide grin. “Chronos. Prostate yourself before this council. Pledge yourself to the service of the Thirteen and Temporal and we shall allow you to rejoin your fellow Chronomancers. Admit to your crimes, plead guilty and then from this day forward, work towards the betterment of Temporal and the Chronomancers."

I must forgive them… but can I…?

Harm, eyes still closed, slowly bent his right knee. Silence suddenly fell upon the Assessment Hall and perhaps even all of Temporal as the mighty Destroyer of Time fell to both his knees in front of the Thirteen. Haais, who had fully expected him to be defiant to the end, lost his smile while Longinus breathed a sigh of relief. Their awe intensified when Harm bowed his head, pressing his template against the floor in the ultimate sign of humility.

Can I forgive them?

“I…" he began. “I… Harm Chronos, the Destroyer of Time."

It would be so simple.

“Admit to having attempted to sway the opinions of impressionable Initiates against the wishes of the Chronomancer Collective and the Thirteen."

Just forgive them.

“I admit to raising rallies counter to the agenda of Temporal."

I have to forgive them.

“I confess to conspiring with members of the Church of the Tower and to arm them against the Chronomancers."

So easy.

“I am guilty of trying to bring Temporal down from the inside."

Right?

“And I… I pledge from this day forth…"

Everyone in the Hall, Chronomancer, Initiate, slave or otherwise, held their breath. It seemed like all of Tower Thirteen took a collective breath and waited for Harm Chronos to finish his pledge.

No.

He lifted his head, his eyes shining with the gold of a Chronomancer but more. Placed over his eyes, just inside his irises, was the handless, numberless clock face of Temporal - the undisputed emblem that represented Haamiah, the God of Time.

“… to destroy you all."

Haais was instantly on his feet. “Kill him! Quick!"

Before any of the members of the Securitus Tempus could react, ragged tears ripped through the air, peeling open and revealing the ticking cogs and twisting gears of the Machine. Gold and white blades descended from the tears. Harm instantly got to his feet just as the blades impaled the Securitus team around him. Even with all their powers of Chronomancy, the team were halted where they stood, frozen in Time. He held out his restrained paws and one blade sliced right through the chains, freeing him instantly from their grip. He seized the enormous sword that was as thick as his arm and rose up past his hip. With a simple slice, he severed the chains that held his ankles.

Haais screamed in frustration and flung both his hands forward.

“Haais! Wait!" Longinus cried.

But the Thirteenth Era had already flung all his wings forward, sending sharpened feathered of glistening light and Time hurtling towards Harm. The Destroyer plucked the blade off the ground and swung it at the feathers. The weapon didn't even have to touch the projectiles before they lost their glistening white lustre and all momentum. They simply drifted to the ground like normal feathers.

“What…?" whispered the member of the Thirteen.

The other swords embedded in the ground - and the Securitus - lifted off the ground. Still dripping with blood, the sliced clean tears through the space behind Harm. The portal beyond showed an enormous horizontal cog with a single, enormous pendulum swinging back and forth behind it. Just in front of the pendulum was one, high-backed, golden throne.

On the throne… hover Haamiah, the God of Time. Ever enigmatic, the God of Time hovered over his throne, never actually sitting upon it. It seemed that he was made purely out of a white, long-sleeved cloak much like the Chronomancer's Mantle only with ribbons of gold marked with arcane runes raped over his shoulders and dangling over his wrists; wrists that were hidden within the folds of his enormous sleeves. No part of his body was visible, no feet, legs or arms; it seemed that the robes were big enough to cover everything. Even his features were hidden by a big, deep white hood lined with gold. The only thing visible through the hood was the same golden eyes that Harm now possessed. Behind Haamiah hovered an enormous golden ring shaped just like the same handless, numberless clock face that adorned his and Harm's eyes. It was positioned in such a way that it looked like a halo behind his head. Springing from his back were an array of more than six dozen swords all of different sizes and shapes but all arranged in such a way that they appeared to form three pairs of bladed wings.

The hovering swords in the Hall floated quietly through the portal, quickly repositioning themselves to fill in the gaps in Haamiah's wings.

Harm turned his back to the Collective and the Thirteen, both metaphorically and literally. He released the sword in his paw and it quickly followed the rest of its brothers to reform a part of Haamiah's wings.

“Count every second you have," he warned. “All of you. They are numbered."

He took a step through the portal, stepping into the Machine.

“Time waits for no man… and Haamiah's patience has run out."

---

Black

“We're heading to Apollia's Belt. There's a Chronomancer that's been causing all sorts of havoc down there."

Lumire had to shout over the roar of the dropship's engines. The technology of the Church was nowhere near as advanced as the Chronomancers of Temporal even in the short year and a half since the Destroyer of Time had defected spectacularly. But in that time, the Church had made advances thanks to knowledge of Harm Chronos. The war was finally starting to turn thanks to the anti-Time techniques and skills that the Destroyer had armed them with. Of course the Church leadership was at first dubious about the Chronomancer's intentions but when Lumire had vouched for him and even explained how much of the technology he had given the Church before the Chronomancers' attack had come from Chronos, they relented… with some conditions.

Harm sat at the far end of the dropship, far from anyone else. A black collar was wrapped around his neck, his own invention. At the command of his handler, it would shoot out anti-Time spikes that would sever his head from his shoulders, ensuring that it would never regenerate again. It was the only way he could assure the Church that he was working with them instead of against them. While he still wore his usual attire of a brown vest, white shirt and blue pants with sneakers, he now had a black cloak reminiscent of the Paladin's coat draped over his shoulders. It was ironic that the garment was, in a way, a direct opposite of the Chronomancer's Mantle that he had once been so proud to receive. There was also a golden chain wrapped around his waist which carried a black and gold bar at its end.

“We've identified the Chronomancer as Prismaticia the Chronomancer of Colours," Lumire continued.

At the name of the Initiate that he had once trained, Harm lifted his gaze, ears perked.

Lumire stood at the head of his team. As a member of the Custodia Deos, he wore thick, clunky golden armour. A white cape tumbled from his enormous, golden pauldrons that were shaped in the image of the Mother Goddess. The emblem of Haven was emblazoned in gold on the coat. The insignia of Tower Thirteen was drawn on his breastplate - alongside the anatomically correct muscles. On his right hip, he carried an immense machine pistol and on his left, a large hexweave vibro blade. He always carried with him a large staff that was topped with Tower Thirteen's insignia and with sacred texts written in parchment ribbons rolling down from its base. He was currently carrying his helmet which had a wing-shaped visor on it in his free hand.

“Anything you can tell us about Prismaticia, Harm?"

All eyes turned towards the traitor Chronomancer.

“Prismaticia is…" he began.

“We can't rely on his counsel," scoffed the silver-haired woman who stood beside Lumire. She was dressed in even bigger armour than him which suited her position as an Inquisitor. Aria Valkyrie was a member of the Angel race that Haais was so obsessed with. The armour she wore was completely silver and unlike Lumire's was internally powered. A crystal generator ensured that the bulky servos and mechanisms would with her instead of sapping her strength to move the power armour. It gave her strength many times greater than the average Angel or human. Like other Inquisitors, she had one of her eyes replaced with a cybernetic, red eye but ever since she was graced by a Valour - Gungir - she had that eye replaced, giving her a pair of bright purple eyes once more. Ordinarily, Inquisitors were forbidden from possessing the sacred weapons of the Mother Goddess but when the divine decided that Aria should have the enormous spear tipped with a crystal spearhead, no mortal could object. Slowly, Aria was being trained in the ways of the Paladin whilst still serving her role as Inquisitor to Lumire's small strike team.

“He is one of them," she spat.

“Harm hasn't led us astray so far, Aria," came a soft, gentle voice from Lumire's other side. The medic of the team, Celeste Sen was a dark-haired, almond-eyed member of the Clericus Deos. Where the Custodia Deos like Lumire were warriors, the Clericus filled support roles and were effectively priests. She wore no armour and was just draped in the gold and white robes of the Clericus Deos. She bore an enormous book almost the side of her torso on her back; her talisman which she used to channel her spells from. Like Lumire, she also bore a staff but this one was even more ornate possessing the emblem of Tower Thirteen on the base and a large crystal statuette of the Mother Goddess at the head. The grip was guarded by a golden ring and spiked on the edges for added defence. She was the smallest of the group of warriors, comparable to Harm, but she was also the fiercest.

“I still don't trust him," scoffed the Angel. “But I suppose whatever he can offer is fine even if it is false."

Harm glanced at his paws, wringing them together. “Prismaticia is a specialist in light-based Chronomancy. She became a Chronomancer on the merit of her ability to manipulate light and colour to the point of creating false images of herself and moving around undetected. No doubt she's grown stronger since then. Likely an expert in using solid light and other forms of Chronomancy that would allow her to generate or devoid an area of light. Like many of the other Chronomancers we've faced before, she is not to be taken lightly. Don't rely on your eyes."

Lumire nodded with a smile. “Right. Same drill with the other Chronomancers we've taken down. Keep her expending her energy. The more energy she spends, the longer it'll take for her to recover. Alpha team will engage her in close range while Beta team will drop the Advent Cage to keep her from escaping and then join in once done. Gamma team will strike from a range while Delta team will hang back and provide support."

Alpha team was Aria's team. Delta was Lumire's. Gamme and Delta were under Celeste's supervision.

Harm was not assigned to any team.

“Just remember folks," Lumire continued, his voice rising in crescendo and his confidence inspiring the soldiers around him. That was the power of Lumire. Even though they were facing a monumental task, he was still able to keep his easy smile and radiate and aura that assured everyone around him that everything would be alright. “Keep your guard up. Watch each other's back. Alpha and Beta teams, look for an opportunity to use your Lances of Longinus. Gamma team, keep up the pressure and Delta team, don't take any unnecessary risks."

A shout came from the cockpit. They were just a minute away from the drop zone.

Just a minute away from Prismaticia.

Harm glanced out one of the small windows which was really just a glass slot barely big enough to peer through. They were hovering over what appeared to be some farmlands. Shelandi had been from a farming community. This particular farm had been abandoned a long time ago, its owners and farmhands fleeing in fear at the advance of Temporal's forces. There was no tactical reason for the Chronomancer of Colours to even be in this area and yet here was where Shelandi had set up her base of operations. That much was obvious from the constantly shifting colours of the grapevines that sat in neat rows along the gentle curve of the valley. Towering mountains rose to the north and south, the signature feature of the landscape known as Apollia's Belt. Because of the mountains, the valley was perpetually locked in a state of permanent springtime much like Temporal. This made it one of the most idyllic and beautiful farmlands in all of Incendius.

Now it was a graveyard and a gaudy testament to Prismaticia's arrogance. In the darkness of the night, Prismaticia's glowing grapevines gave off an eerie aura that was as beautiful as it was ostentatious. She might as well have announced where she was to the rest of the world and issued a challenge for all to attack her.

A loud metallic clanking filled his ears and this was quickly followed by the roar of rushing winds. Aria stood beside the open door, the wind whipping her long, silver hair braided into a single column around.

“Alpha team!" she cried. “Let's go!"

Ever headstrong, Aria leapt out of the dropship even if they were a good fifty feet off the ground. Her power armour cushioned the fall with ease and the nine remaining members of Alpha team charged out one by one, leaping out of the dropship and conjuring something to help them land. Some summoned velvety parachutes with a wave of their hands, other shouted commands in magic and created large pillows where they were to land and some even momentarily grew crystal wings to allow them to glide safely in the bushes.

Once the dropship actually landed, Lumire gave the command and his Beta team of seven soldiers including himself charged, rushing in the opposite direction to Aria and her team.

A gentle hand rested on Harm's shoulder, bringing himself out of his revere.

“This Prismaticia is someone special to you, isn't she?" Celeste asked.

He dropped his gaze, once more finding interest in his paws. “Every Chronomancer is special in their own way. I just had the dubious honour of knowing this one more so than the others."

Her hand squeezed on his shoulder a little tighter. “You didn't make her a monster, Harm. People are responsible for their own choices. You can't blame yourself for what you did or did not do and wonder if you could have steered them in another direction."

Wise words. One you've repeated to me over and over again before we hunt down a Chronomancer.

Celeste pulled back as both Gamma team and Delta team began charging out.

“Hopefully we won't need you out there," she said, her pleasant aura of warmth and hope easing the cold of his heart. He let it thaw the icy coating a little and allowed himself to feel a little bit of trepidation at facing Prismaticia.

I don't want to face her.

Gunfire began ringing out in the fields and he glanced out the window.

Out in the fields, Prismaticia and her faction known as the College of Colours were dodging and weaving through the grapevines while hurling Elemental Chronomancy at the approaching Alpha team. Fire, lightning, ice and even shards of earth were bombarding Aria and her team. Thankfully, as deomancers themselves, Alpha team were easily able to conjure shields that could cushion some of the blows. With one hand lifting the massive tower shields made of crystal and white steel, the members of the Custodia Deos lifted their machine pistols and fired. The Initiates loyal to Prismaticia fought back, trying to work around the advancing row of soldiers. A stark contrast from when Harm had been on Temporal, each Initiate now wore a number of Chronospheres around their bodies in accordance to their rank. Even the most basic of Initiates had one Chronosphere while the highest rank had all four; one dangling from their neck, another placed as a buckle on their belt and two hanging from their wrists. It was disconcerting that even as the Initiates exhausted their supply from the Chronospheres, they wantonly used Final Hour to drain the time from the grapevines around them to resupply their spheres.

I did this. If I had never invented Final Hour, it would never have come to this.

One of the Initiates - a three-sphere one - had managed to make it around Aria's combat line. With a grin and flung his hands forward at the group that he thought had their back to him. Gunfire roared and the man was immediately torn to shreds by a hail of bullets from Gamma Team which stood protectively around the dropship. Gamma team worked fast. They used their deomancy to create huge chain guns and even set up kinetic barriers around the dropship to avoid any stray shots. All the while, Delta team provided magical healing; throwing light, ethereal green bolts at the troopers that showed any signs of injury. When the barrier was set up, Delta team immediately went to work maintaining it while Gamma went back to building more weaponry to support their comrades on the front line.

It was a well-oiled machine.

But the Initiates were much more powerful and more specialised.

A four-sphere Initiate recklessly absorbed a large chunk of the grapevines around her, leaving the ground barren around her. She immediately gathered the stolen time, the black dust swirling around her, and used it to create an immense ball of golden flame above her head. The fireball - at least twenty feet wide - instantly became the target of Aria's Alpha team. The angel commanded them to fire upon the Initiate. Their bullets ceased five feet away from the Initiate, dissolving into the storm of black time and feeding the Initiate's growing power.

Thwack!

The Initiate's eyes went wide even as all brain function ceased. There was a large, bloody hole right in the middle of her forehead. Her arms dropped and so did the fireball. The instant it hit the ground, golden flames erupted in all directions, washing over the grapevines. Without a mind to control the Chronomancer's Fire, the flames spread and caused the grapes to immediately catch fire. The golden fire died quickly but gave way to the roaring red of natural flames. Beyond the conflagration, Lumire and his Beta team could be seen charging into the scene from behind the Initiates, adding disarray into the one-time students' ranks.

Upon seeing this, Aria immediately called for a charge and the slow advance of Alpha team was discarded in exchange for speed. The armoured soldiers roared and immediately hurried to meet up with Beta team. What had begun as exchange of magic and gunfire from a distance immediately turned into a melee. Alpha team drew large spears that reflected their leader's choice of weapon while Beta team resorted to blades just like Lumire. The Initiates fought bravely but they constantly forgot about the presence of both Gamma and Delta team.

Harm watched the grim - yet familiar - scene as an Initiate let out a cry of victory when he pierced a soldier's armour with a well-placed spear of ice. His body abruptly contorted to the left as a high-speed bullet smacked into his flank and sent him tumbling to the ground. The soldier grimaced, yanked the ice blade out of his shoulder and was immediately engulfed in soft, green-white light from Delta team. His wounds healed immediately and then he returned to the fray.

That was the failing of the Initiate system that had been installed by the Thirteen. Everyone is out for themselves and that means they barely have any sense of camaraderie or teamwork. The Church's troops, however, were well-trained and worked together, watching one another's backs. There was some irony in that. Once, he had considered the Church's weakness to be infighting and a factitious mindset and the Chronomancers to be superior in their single-minded pursuit of knowledge. Those ideals seemed to have flipped. Now it was the Church that was fighting in cohesion while Temporal was scattered and pursuing their own selfish desires.

Of course, none of that mattered when a Chronomancer stepped onto the field.

Harm's eyes widened and focused solely on where the air shimmered and rippled like water. The illusion was dropped and the spiky-haired Scalion draped in the Chronomancer's Mantle joined the battle. She had changed somewhat in the years he had last seen her. The same smug, confident, condescending look in her golden eyes, the same spiky multi-coloured hair all remained but now, her once green scales shifted from colour to colour with frightening ease as she flaunted her control over light and colour. Strapped across her back were two enlarged sickles with golden blades and white handles; likely chronoblade-based weapons.

“How far you have fallen," he sighed heavily.

On the field, Prismaticia lifted her head arrogantly while her Initiates immediately disengaged from the Church's troops. Aria and Lumire gathered both Alpha and Beta team, forming a single line of soldiers. Alpha team once again generated shields, crouching down to protect Beta team who brought up their machine pistols at the ready. Lumire, armour already coated in blood, lifted his sword towards Prismaticia while still holding his holy staff.

“Prismaticia of Temporal!" he bellowed. “You are hereby charged with crimes against the Church and all of Tower Thirteen! Surrender yourself to the grace of Her Ladyship the Mother Goddess!"

Suddenly, Lumire found himself staring at a pair of golden eyes just inches away from his face. Prismaticia had crossed the distance between them, bypassed his defensive line and appeared right in front of him. Her spindly fingers yanked off his helmet. A forked tongue snaked out and gently tasted Lumire's cheek.

“Weak. All of you are weak."

With a simple flick of her wrist, an invisible force erupted from her and launched every member of the two teams away. Lumire was sent crashing through multiple grapevines and even Aria was thrown back into the ground. Their line had been shattered.

“You put such faith in your 'Mother Goddess'," Prismaticia scoffed. “You hope that she will intervene and save you or that your faith in her will somehow give you the strength to fight." She vanished again, reappearing over Lumire with her heel pressing on his throat. “Allow me to enlighten you to the truth of this world: you cannot rely on anyone else but yourself. You need to be your own shining star because the moment you show any sign of weakness, someone else will outshine you. They might even steal your light for themselves!"

“For the Tower!"

Aria's battle cry interrupted Prismaticia's lecture. The Angel was in the air, the spear-like Valour Gungnir in her hand. She struck… only for the crystal tip to collide with some invisible barrier.

“Solid Light Chronomancy," Harm whispered softly. “But she's altered it so that the barrier is invisible as well."

Prismaticia clucked her tongue in reprimand to Aria. “Didn't anyone ever tell you not to interrupt your teacher?" She flicked her wrist again and Aria was thrown back, father this time, and with enough force to send her burying into the ground a few feet. The Chronomancer's golden eyes turned towards Lumire once more who was barely able to breathe. “Now where was I? Ah yes…"

Then Lumire held up his machine pistol, levelling it directly at her.

“You were about to die!"

He pulled the trigger. The bullets burst from the barrel but only bit into the air. Prismaticia was gone.

Coughing for breath, Lumire got back to his feet. “She's got a barrier around her!" he bellowed. “But it's only effective about three from her! Get past that and she's vulnerable!"

Harm clenched his fist.

That's it, Lumire. You've got this.

Prismaticia reappeared beside her Initiates. “Oh, how clever," she cooed. “You discerned by barrier so quickly. The others who tried to kill me didn't even get that far. You have potential."

Others. The Church had likely sent other teams to strike down Prismaticia but had obviously failed. That had been her strategy with her glowing plants. It was obviously an act of Chronomancy and there was added insult that she had altered a place that was so idyllically Incendian. Morale would be lost of the Chronomancer of Colours held the valley for much longer. So the Church would be compelled to send wave after wave of troops to try and oust her. Which was exactly what she wanted. She would wipe the out, absorb some of them and maybe even recruit others. It was all another ploy to gain more power.

“I cannot say the same for the others, though," Prismaticia sighed. “That Angel is miserably outclassed."

Aria suddenly burst from the ground, screaming in rage. With a cry, she leapt upon Gungnir, using the magical spear like a board. “Gungnir!" she cried, immediately activating her Valour. The divine weapon sprouted glow, white, feathery wings from the base of the spearhead and immediately launched into the air. The weapon charged at Prismaticia with Aria onboard.

“How asinine." Prismaticia let out a little yawn, folding her arms in boredom.

Aria flung back her hand. A giant, white, crystal fist appeared just a few inches from her shoulder, mirroring her movements. The Initiates around Prismaticia cowed but the Chronomancer of Colours stood her ground, staring at the attack with lazy half-closed eyes. When Aria swung, her magical fist came crashing down and struck Prismaticia's barrier. There was a brief flash when the light emanating from the fist reflected off the panels that made up Prismaticia's shield. It appeared she had surrounded herself in a collection of square panels to make the barrier.

Not to be dissuaded, Aria pulled her fist back again and with another cry, summoned a second fist with her other hand. She unleashed a brutal barrage of punches, her crystal fists striking Prismaticia's barrier with loud, dull gong-like sounds.

Crack!

What hope Harm had that Prismaticia's barrier might be shattering faded when he noticed that it was Aria's crystal limbs that were showing signs of weakness.

“Now I'm bored," sighed Prismaticia. “Go away." She flicked a finger in Aria's direction and like the other times, the Angel was hurled back with incredible force. This time, Aria crashed right into Lumire, sending the two team leaders all the way back to where Gamma team had set up their defences.

“Attack!" Celeste cried.

Chain guns, artillery and magical spells fired off from Gamma team while Delta provided support for the retreating Alpha and Beta. Prismatica coolly strode towards them. Bullets, fire, lightning, lasers and even explosives merely bounced off her seemingly impenetrable barrier.

“Is this really the best the Church can muster?" sighed the Chronomancer of Colours. She was now just sixty feet away.

“Keep it up!" Celeste pleaded. “Keep firing!"

“When will you learn?" Prismaticia held out her hands in exasperation. “None of this will breach my barrier! Tenacity will only get you so far!"

Fifty feet.

Aria scrambled to her feet and spat out some blood. With a frustrated scream, she yanked one of Gamma team's chain guns from its mount and fired it directly at Prismaticia.

“Now this is just getting sad."

Forty feet.

Lumire propped himself up on his staff, teeth grit together. “You will not win this day!"

Thirty feet.

Prismaticia rolled her eyes. “That is one of the things I despise about your religious types. You're so set in your ways." A dark smile touched her lips as she ceased her approach at twenty feet. “I will enjoy breaking you free of these misconceptions."

Then Celeste held up one hand towards the air. “Now!"

Harm lifted his gaze. His heart froze. For the first time, he noticed the immense, metal and crystal spear hovering above Prismaticia. That had been what Delta team was working on. A huge hundred foot-long spear. Prismaticia was just turning her head when the spear descended. The Chronomancer's Initiates cried out a warning but it was already too late. Harm leapt to his feet, feeling the rush of victory as the spear pierced Prismaticia's barrier and slammed right through her chest. Shock was plastered on her features as the huge spear cut right through her chest, ploughing through her chest cavity and striking the ground hard.

“Yes!" Lumire cried. “Alpha team! Move in! Get her with the Lances before she recovers!"

Something's wrong…

Then Harm saw it.

He immediately rushed towards the door.

“There's no blood!" he cried. “It's a fake!"

Far too late.

As Alpha team moved in, the image of Prismaticia shattered in a blinding burst of light. It had just been a decoy, a play of the light. The sounds of hard fists striking flesh, bending metal and sending bodies crashing to the ground rang out in the burst of light. When his vision stopped shimmering, Harm saw Prismaticia standing well as ever beside the spear that had been created by Delta team.

“Truly impressive," she said. “But not good enough. Just for that, I think I'll kill you now."

Prismaticia held out her hand, levelling it directly at the gathered teams. Light gathered in streaks at her palm, immense heat radiating from the developing orb strong enough that Harm could feel it from where he was standing.

I don't want to face her.

The Chronomancer of Colours grinned savagely.

But I have to.

A laser beam, as wide as a person, erupted from her palm. Aria barely had enough time to step in front of the rest of the team and quickly conjure a shield…

… but Harm stepped past her…

…and simply snapped his fingers.

Click!

The entire beam froze just inches away from from Aria's shield before turning black, all light fading from it. As if becoming solid, the light itself crumbled into dust and was swept by some unholy winds straight into Harm's waiting paw. Like so many times before, the black dust formed a sphere as small as a marble, hovering just inches over his paw pads.

Prismaticia's confidence shattered for a moment, her muzzle opening in surprise. Even the Initiates were shocked and began whispering to one another.

“You…" whispered the Chronomancer of Colours. Then she broke into a brilliant grin. “I almost didn't recognise you! With that cloak, you looked like another Paladin! When you appeared, I thought you were just a cowardly child trying to avoid the fight! But it's you!" She laughed, pointing a finger at him. “It's actually you! The Destroyer of Time! The Traitor Chronomancer! Harm Chronos!"

Aria seized his shoulder, trying to pull him back. “We don't need you!" she hissed.

He glanced towards her. “Please, Aria. Let me do this."

The Angel lost her composure. There was no intensity in his eyes. There was no fire. Instead, there was sorrow and a quiet plea. More, there was an infinite pool of pity to be directed at the Chronomancer of Colours. It was the look worn by a warrior that must do draw his blade and bear the burden of that act. That sword was weighed down by all the unreachable futures, the unfulfilled hopes and the lost possibilities. Yet somehow, Harm Chronos was strong enough to hold his head up and wield that blade against his own kind.

Aria's fingers slipped slowly from his shoulder.

“Go," she whispered.

He gave her the faintest touch of a smile before turning his gaze back to Prismaticia.

“It's been a while," he announced, striding forward. “Shelandi."

Prismaticia rolled her eyes and made a helpless gesture. “How many times must I tell you? I am Prismaticia the Chronomancer of Colours. Have you gone insane in your old age?"

“To me you will always be Shelandi of Incendius," Harm answered, placing some distance between himself and Aria.

A dark scowl touched her lips. “Do you think yourself special? Just because you were the sole Chronomancer to defect? Even with all your showmanship and flashiness, you are just another Chronomancer. Worse, you have fallen far behind!" She lifted her arms into the air. “In the years since the war began, I have absorbed so many and learned so much! I have so much more Time than you! I can see it!"

There was no denying it. A dark aura hung over Prismaticia like all the ghosts and spirits of the unfulfilled futures she had absorbed to make herself more powerful clung to her body. It was like she was just another clump of raw time made of the crystallised black dust vaguely in the shape of his student with only golden eyes peering occasionally through the haze. Were on to compare them, they would not be able to see a single trickle of time from Harm. If one were to look hard enough, they would perhaps see the edges of his silhouette vaguely sizzling with Time but otherwise, he was just like the rest of the world. It was only natural since he had never absorbed any living beings using Final Hour. From all reports, Shelandi had absorb thousands. Those capable of choices had a greater potential in Time than inanimate objects and when a Chronomancer stole the time from them, they were also absorbing that potential.

To Prismaticia, he was but a speck of dust at least in terms of raw power.

“I pity you," sighed Prismaticia. “So proud in your ways that you won't surrender even though it's painfully obvious that you've backed the losing horse. Perhaps you've prolonged the inevitable with all the technology you've given these miserable animals but you've only increased their suffering." She made a gesture towards the injured members of the Church. “They will die, Chronos."

Harm closed his eyes. With his left paw, he reached beneath his sable coat and retrieved the gold and black bar hanging from a chain. Much like a butterfly knife, the bar split open down the middle and it did so, a long blade unfurled. The shortsword was silver in colour with a golden edge. Eight golden spokes radiated from the pivot where the grip spun, each one shaped like an archaic clock hand. With a click, the two edges of the grip locked into position and he lifted his blade, Timekeeper.

“That is just sad," sighed Prismaticia. “Showy as always but that's clearly just a chronoblade. Well allow me to show you my chronoblade." She reached over her shoulder, drawing one of her sickles. “Prismarc." The curved silver and gold blade glistened in the faint light of the glowing grapevines. “Allow me to give you this one mercy in lieu of our former interaction as master and student." She gave him a mocking bow. “I will give you the first blow. See if your limited perspective and abilities can breach my defences."

Harm, still with his eyes closed, advanced. No wild cry, no charging run. Just a stead, casual stroll toward his former student. Aria took one step forward but Celeste grabbed her hand, shaking her head to allow the Destroyer of Time this moment with his former student. The Initiates questioned the sanity of the Destroyer and some were even placing bets on how long it would take for the Chronomancer of Colours to destroy him. But with each step, their confidence wavered. Even Prismaticia's own cockiness gave way to caution as Harm Chronos approached her barrier.

Then, just ten feet away from the edges of her barrier, the individual panels of that made her shield lost their invisibility. The three-foot wide and six-inch thick hovering panels of solid light reappeared, golden in colour and semi-translucent. As Harm took another step forward, the plates visibly cracked before shattering with another step. Prismaticia took a step back in surprise as Chronos just walked right through her barrier, his mere presence seemingly destroying them. Then he was standing in front of her, just about three feet away. Only then did he open his eyes…

… and it was a gaze that she immediately despised.

“You dare pity me!?" she howled. She swung her sickle at him -

CLANG!

… and he blocked the blow with Timekeeper.

“This isn't pity, Shelandi," he mourned. “It's pain. Sorrow. Regret." For a moment, his eyebrows fell and his features turned to one of fury. “Anger. Hatred. Revulsion." Lightning-fast, his other paw snaked out and seized her chin, forcing her to arch he neck back. “Because of the choices you've made, I must now bear the burden of killing you!"

She snarled at him. “Sentimental old dog!"

The two Chronomancers then pulled away from one another, their bodies becoming a blur until they were about twenty feet from one another. Harm's features lost their anger and hate, becoming a still and unreadable.

“This ends now, Chronos!" she howled, drawing the other half of Prismarc. “I will have the honour of ending you!"

Harm lifted his free paw towards her, palm up as if welcoming her towards him. It was a position reminiscent of that moment when he had challenged her to take a lemon from his paw all those years ago. “End this."

She charged forward, no use of Fast Forward or any other form of Chronomancy; just propelling herself on her own two feet. Typical Chronomancer tactics. Harm lowered his paw bolted forward to meet her. She screamed like a banshee and swung her sickles like a lunatic, a crazed grin on her features while her eyes were wide, focused. Harm kept his features still even as he ducked, blocked and dodged each of her blows. His counterattacks, however, seemed half-hearted. She swiped at his waist and he would immediately block with Timekeeper. Her other sickle would arch towards his head but he would just twist away, spinning under her arm until he was just behind her. He them smacked the base of her neck with the pommel of Timekeeper. Nothing damaging. Almost a teasing tap that caught her unawares.

Prismaticia snarled and spun around, swinging both of her sickles in an arch, parallel towards one another and with the express design to slice him from one shoulder to the other. Harm tossed Timekeeper into the air, the golden chain sailing along with the blade as he deftly crouched to the ground, almost pressing his body flat to the ground. She failed to notice that one of his legs had slipped between hers. As Primsarc flew over his head, just barely grazing the tops of his ears, he rose back to his feet, sweeping his leg upwards and taking hers out from underneath her.

In a single, smooth movement, he grabbed the grip of Timekeeper as it fell. Prismarc had caught the golden chains of the sword so as he grabbed the blade, he gave it a yank and abruptly changed the trajectory of Prismaticia's swing. This knocked her off balance and gave him time to twist the chain of Timekeeper around one of her sickles. His former student hit the ground with a loud 'oof' and he pulled at Timekeeper, yanking one of Prismarc's sickles away from her hands. He grabbed the weapon in his free paw while he jabbed Timekeeper into the breast of the multi-coloured Scalian. Prismaticia never got a chance to scream as he swung the sickle towards her neck. There was a burst of blood and a gasp from the Initiates.

Harm looked down upon the Chronomancer of Colours and turned away back towards Aria and the others. He got no more than five steps away before the sickle in his paw began to sizzle and burn. With a gasp, he was forced to release the blade. It never got to hit the ground as it immediately swung towards the raised hand of Prismaticia.

A severed head and a stab through the heart. Healed in less than fifteen seconds.

The Chronomancer of Colours rose her severed head mending itself back onto her shoulders with frightening ease.

“Still up to your old tricks," she sighed. “Making do with what little time you have so resorting to ingenious ways of using it." A dark grin touched her lips as she slowly rose into the air. This was a skill he hadn't seen her use before. Likely some form of Wind-based Chronomancy that propelled her into the air. With her sickles at her sides, she lifted her arms as if to cleave the world in two in one swing. Streaks of light gathered at the central curve of her sickles, forming glowing orbs of light. “I see I shall have to educate you on the truth of this universe."

She swung one of her sickles at him. An arc of light like a bow of lasers launched towards him. It was as fast as a laser but Harm was still able to casually bend his body to the right and avoid the blow.

“No matter how clever you are, no matter how smart you think you are, you will still be overwhelmed by raw power!"

Prismaticia swung her sickles in rapid succession, launching a barrage of crescent-shaped light at him.

She still hasn't noticed.

Harm strode towards her. As the arcs bell upon him, he vanished from sight, becoming a blur of movement as he Fast Forwarded to another position. Prismaticia was more than capable of keeping up with his movements, cleaving swathes of destruction through the colourful vineyard. Grapes and ever-changing leaves were thrown into the air, burnt away by her blistering attacks. Entire sections of the vineyard were reduced to barren ground with a swing of her sickles. But she never hit him. Not once.

Her glee quickly turned to frustration. No matter how often a Chronomancer employed Fast Forward, they still needed to consciously trigger it. Harm Chronos should not have been able to dodge her attacks since they were effectively lasers. Even the greatest of Paladins could only last a few seconds before they were eventually struck down!

“Why!?" she demanded. “Why can't I hit you!?"

She's growing frustrated. Good.

Harm moved, suddenly leaping towards one of the arcs of light racing at him. For a second, her eyes widened in victory… then she watched him land casually on the crescent like it was just another platform.

“What…?"

There was no time to react. Harm Chronos danced from one bow to the other until he was right in front of her. In that moment of panic, she immediately lifted Prismarc to defend herself, crossing the two sickles in front of her face. The pain that erupted was from her belly. Timekeeper was embedded to the hilt into her abdomen. Her eyes looked past her sickles into the pitying golden orbs of her former mentor. That lasted for all of a second. Gathering her strength, she swung at him…

… only for Harm to swing his own blade straight upwards, cleaving her in two from abdomen all the way to the top of her head.

With no mercy to spare, Harm twisted his body in the air and slammed his foot directly into her chest. The divide down her body became clearly visible with the blow as she hurtled towards the ground. Not more than a few feet away from where she had hovered, Harm appeared beside her. He held out his paw towards her body. Golden flames erupted from his fingertips, launching her towards the left in a fireball. As her charred and sliced body hurtled towards the ground, Harm reappeared in the path of her trajectory. He caught her by the arm, using the momentum to spun her through the air. In that one movement, gold-tinged ice gathered around them both and immediately encased Prismaticia in a solid block. He hurled that same block towards the ground. She slammed into the earth with a thunderous boom. Harm chased after her, gold lightning dancing along the length of Timekeeper.

He slammed the blade hard into the block of ice, immediately shattering it and scattering the pieces all over the devastated vineyard.

“Chronomancer's Fire, Time Freeze and Time Shock," Celeste whispered softly, clutching her staff tightly towards her chest.

Harm emerged from the small crater his impact had created and once again began his return to his Church allies. Not even seven steps away and already the small blocks of ice that had scattered across the vineyard began rolling across the ground and flying past him, reconstituting the Chronomancer of Colours.

She's not weak enough yet.

It only took another eight seconds before Prismaticia had regained her ability to speak.

“I see I will have to take this a little bit more seriously."

From over his shoulder, he could see her body recovering at a rapid rate. Even with all the devastation he had inflicted, she was recovering with frightening ease. Not fast enough, though, that he didn't catch the moment when her exposed ribs were covered by her scales or when her leg began rebuilding itself from the bone, muscle, blood vessels and finally her scales. Even her hair was reconstituted which told him that she had definitely fallen under the influence of Haais who specialised in reaching back and altering body features to overcome some limitations of Time Locking.

Prismaticia lifted her sickles, casually holding them in her hands. The glow of the leaves on the grape vines faded, plunging them into a degree of darkness.

“Wait…" Lumire gasped. “She was maintaining the effect on the grapevines up until now?"

Aria gripped Gungnir tightly, her power armour creaking with the effort. “She was. Which means she no longer has to devote so much of her power to keeping up the illusion. Now she's more powerful than ever." She lifted her voice. “Be careful, Harm!"

With a flick her head, her Mantle returned to her even after it had been destroyed by his attack.

“Let us begin in earnest!" she cried, lifting herself up into the air once more. Again, orbs of light gathered in the curves of her sickles. This time, those orbs lifted away from her weapons and hovered over her shoulder. A loud keening noise filled the air. Concentrated beams of light erupted from the orbs, shooting straight towards him. Harm immediately leapt aside only to feel the heat of another beam coming at him. It was one of her crescent lasers. He leapt into the air, tucking his body into a tight ball and vaulted over the crescent. He dashed across the vineyard, becoming a blur. She naturally launched more crescents at him which he ducked under. That keening returned and he barely had time to Fast Forward across the field again.

I see…

The orbs were somehow autonomous. They were firing lasers at him after a brief charge up while she was free to continuously unleash a barrage of light crescents at him. With a laugh, she created another two orbs, bringing her total to four. The first two fired first and this was quickly followed by the second two. All the while, she launched sickle attacks at him, forcing him to keep moving.

Somehow, she's learned Illuminas' technique of creating an autonomous turret and performed it without creating a machine.

There was brief moment when she gathered more light to create another pair of orbs.

If she keeps creating more of those spheres, I'm going to be overwhelmed!

He tried to get close but the six orbs immediately fired at him, forming a cage of light that swept across the ground and forced him back.

“Can you keep up!?" Prismaticia laughed. “Nothing can out run light! Nothing!"

But she still hasn't noticed.

There was only one window of opportunity he could see and he had to take it. Kept running, dodging her attacks even as she swivelled around and unleashed barrage after barrage of beams at him. Her confidence was mounting again and with it, her interest in seeing him suffer. A crushing defeat was the only thing that would satisfy her. It was this that though that she summoned her fourth pair of orbs.

Now!

Harm charged forward, using Fast Forward to immediately appear right beneath her. She grinned as her orbs targeted him and fired their beams. Six pillars of light descended upon him. He flung Timekeeper into the air at her and then dodged to the right. Strangely, the beams closest to Timekeeper abruptly ended while the other four kept sweeping back past him. The orbs themselves kept firing, seemingly following the same path as the others but for a moment, it seemed like there was a barrier where the lasers abruptly cut off. Prismatica stalled in midair, surprised. Pain erupted from her chest when Timekeeper pierced her lungs. Blood erupted from between her lips.

He tugged at the chain of the weapon, dragging Prismaticia back down to the ground with enough force that she actually bounced off the earth. The white Wulfun with golden eyes raced towards her, pulling Timekeeper from her chest and sweeping behind her. He planted his foot and used it to pivot around, using his momentum to slam Timekeeper to the hilt right through Prismaticia's heart.

“You…" she gagged, a dark grin on her lips. “Your sword… It cancels out Chronomancy within a range without hindering your own."

“Now you finally get it," he whispered into her ear. He lifted his free paw, making sure that she saw how he had his thumb pressed against his middle and index finger. “Too little, too late."

Her eyes widened in terror.

Click!

Golden flames immediately engulfed her from head to toe. Her screamed cut through the entire valley. She failed in desperation, unable to execute her own Chronomancy because of her proximity to Timekeeper. Even the battle-harden Aria Valkyrie grimaced at the sight of the beautiful if gaudy Scalian engulfed entirely in flames. Prismaticia's silhouette was barely visible as she was consumed. Even as the Chronomancer's Fire ate away at her flesh, she continued to flail and resist. He desperately seized Harm's face, trying to claw out his eyes. Flesh muscle were burnt away leaving only her fingertips to graze at his flesh. The golden flames did not burn him though her bones did rake across his flesh drawing blood. He never flinched, not once.

“Master Prismaticia!" cried one of the Initiates.

She seemed to hear his voice and reached out to them, perhaps pleading for help. All futile. Harm's Chronomancer's Fire ate away at the last of her nerves and organs, leaving her nothing but a perfectly bleached skeleton. Even then, he continued to burn her away until nothing was left.

For the third time, he strode away from her, heading towards the Church.

He got about twenty steps away this time.

“Harm!" Lumire cried.

He didn't need to glance over his shoulder to know that Shelandi was already reforming.

Even after complete disintegration, it only took her about a minute to start recovering.

It was the screams that followed that he did not expect.

He flung around, eyes wide in horror. Prismaticia's barely formed skeleton was reaching out towards her own Initiates. The men and women who had placed their trust in her screamed in terror, desperately trying to get away from her as their flesh, bones and even their clothing blackened and dissolved into a cloud of dust streaming towards the Chronomancer. One of them even turned to her, eyes wide and mouthing 'Why' before she was absorbed in the cloud of raw Time particles.

She was sacrificing them through Final Hour to absorb them.

You truly are a monster, Shelandi.

The black dust accelerated her recovery and within thirty seconds, she was back to form albeit without Prismarc as it had been consumed by Harm's attack. Prismaticia rolled her shoulders, sighing contentedly as the last of her Initiates was absorbed into her flesh. She ran her hands through her hair, turning the raven locks back into the spiked, multi-coloured pillars. Only then did she turn back towards Harm, her eyes glowing brightly with stolen Time.

“Now that I understand how your secret weapon works, it will be a simple matter to counter it," she said confidently. “You may be able to negate all forms of Chronomancy in the field of effect of your blade but it won't stop the effect Chronomancy has already had on the environment. If I, for instance… do this!"

She flicked her wrist at him. A beam of light streaked towards his face, just barely grazing his left cheek. The smell of burnt fur didn't last as his body immediately began to repair the minor damage.

“See?" she taunted. “I lost control of that laser the moment it passed into the field of your sword but it didn't stop the beam from following its already intended trajectory." She folded her arms confidently. “Your advantage is gone."

Harm shut his eyes and let out a resigned sigh. “No. You have just made the biggest mistake of your life, Shelandi."

“I am Prismaticia!"

Only then did he turn towards her. “You killed your own Initiates."

“What of it?" she scoffed. “They devoted their lives to me. They were mine to do with as I pleased."

“They were looking to you for hope and guidance!" Harm roared, showing the first signs of emotion since he began the engagement. “You were their teacher, their leader! It was to you that they put their destiny in and you just used them like cattle fit for slaughter!"

A cruel smile touched her lips. “Have I touched a nerve, dear Master Chronos? Do you regret how you failed me as my teacher?" She spread her arms, bearing her chest towards him. “Look upon what your hand has wrought! Does it make you despair!?"

Harm tightened his grip on Timekeeper. “It makes me weep for you. Because now I have no reason not to utterly crush you. I had hoped you would die with dignity but now, I will fulfil my pledge the day I turned against the Chronomancer Collective and completely destroy you!"

Prismaticia doubled over, her lips peeling apart in a manic laugh. “Are you serious!? You're one advantage is known to me and I already found a way to counter it! What hope do you have of defeating me?" She held up her hand, waving it at him. “Wait, wait. Please, give me that line that you were 'holding back'. Why? Because I had Initiates behind me? Is that the only reason you were holding back because some non-Chronomancers were behind me? If you had just let me known, I would've killed them sooner!"

His features relaxed back into his unreadable mask. “You truly are a lost cause, Shelandi."

Then he slowly passed Timekeeper from his left paw to his right.

The multi-coloured Scalian lifted an eyebrow. “Is that it? You're just moving your sword from one paw to the other? That is you 'unleashed'?"

Celeste shook her head and took a step back in fear. The rest of the team did the same and Aria began ushering the Church soldiers into the dropship.

“She doesn't understand," whispered the priestess. “She really doesn't understand."

Lumire nodded as he gently pulled her back towards the dropship. “Harm is right-handed."

Harm Chronos swung his sword upwards.

There was a moment of utter silence only breached by the immense pillar of golden light that erupted from his upwards swing. The pillar cut through the sky and scorched the earth in front of him. It cleaved right through the vineyard, sliced clean through the mountains and even burst out from the other side. The sky was split in two and the blast was visible from many miles away. Prismaticia's right eye widened in horror… her left could not as it - and her entire left side - had been consumed by the single, powerful slash.

Then sound returned.

It sounded like the Gods themselves screamed in agony. Lumire was forced to his knees and he had to yank off his helmet and plug his ears to drown out some of the unholy scream. Aria held Celeste tightly as the priestess cried, blood pouring from her ears. What cry she could muster and even the roar of the dropship was completely drowned out by the roar of the golden light.

Slowly, the blistering pillar faded.

Prismaticia began reforming immediately, just forty-five seconds to fully reform but the effect on her psyche was beyond repair.

War is a juggling act.

Harm immediately vanished and reappeared in front of her. She barely had the time to lift her hands to defender herself before he plunged his sword right through the quick barrier she had erected, piercing both her hands and leaving the tip of his blade just an inch away from her eyes. Then he unleashed another blast of blistering, compressed Time. This one was more focused, just a single beam that cut right through her face and left her utterly headless.

In one hand, a sword.

He kicked her away. Her features were already reforming as she was sailing through the air. Before she could regain her bearings she collided with his back, making her gasp. An immense force pressed on her from all sides. She screamed in terror as gravity itself began compressing her. So close to Timekeeper, she was unable to escape and could only cry in terror as her bones, flesh and muscles were crushed down into a single, bloody pulp. It was an agonising minute before her cries ceased but another two until she had been compressed into nothing more than a bloody ball the size of his fist.

That ball hit the ground and Harm strode towards the dropship. This time, he got a full fifty paces away before she was rising again.

In another, a shield.

She lunged at him, blistering blades of light emanating from her hands and another dozen swords of light hovering over her shoulders, ready to strike him.

He snapped his fingers.

And all the light vanished.

In a third, the people's hearts.

As she dropped to the ground, he spun around and pierced her skull with Timekeeper, shoving the blade right through her muzzle and letting it emerge from the back of her head.

“Block your ears," he warned.

Celeste shoved her hands over her ears as another brilliant beam of golden light burst from the base of Timekeeper's blade, this time taking almost entirely of Prismaticia's torso with it. Harm let the damaged body fall to the ground. This time, he only took a few steps back. Just for her to fall outside the influence of Timekeeper. As her body began to reform, he could clearly see the terror on her features. The widened golden eyes, the quivering lips, the way her hands scrambled across the ground in a desperate attempt to flee from him.

And in a fourth… your enemy's balls.

Now she understood.

Perhaps in sheer numbers alone she was superior to him since she had absorbed so much more Time over the course of her career but in every other aspect, he was far superior. Her confidence was unfounded, built on lies. Though she gave herself a boost by dropping the Chronomancy on the grapevines and even absorbing some of her Initiates, he was far stronger.

“How…" she demanded, tears welling up in her eyes. “I have the Time! How are you faster, stronger and more powerful than me!?"

He regarded her with that pitying look. “Because I have a purpose beyond my own selfish desires."

Her eyes fell past him and onto the members of the Church. “Oh… I see." A dark grin entered her features. “Then what would you do without that purpose?"

Suddenly, the air rippled around the dropship. Three versions of Prismaticia burst into existence, the air rippling around them with a burst of a golden lightning and a sound like peeling thunder. One still held both halves of Prismarc, one only had a single sickle while a third launched herself at Lumire with beams of scintillating light shooting from her fingertips.

Predictable.

CLANG!

To counter each of them, a version of Harm blocked each of the blows and knocked them away. The prime Prismaticia let out a short 'ha' and immediately turned into a blur, lunging at the vulnerable members of the Church with crazed eyes. Harm shut his own eyes…

… and immediately stood in front of the Lumire, spreading his arms wide to defend the young warrior. Pain exploded from his chest as Prismaticia plunged her fist, encased in a layer of blistering light, right through his chest, up to the wrist and with her fingers bursting from his flesh.

“Harm!" Celeste cried.

“You were always a sentimental fool," laughed the Chronomancer of Colours. “You put value on such temporary things. They will die and you will always live on! When they are dust, you will still stand. Or you would if I wasn't going to kill you!"

A faint smile touched his lips.

“That's where you're wrong."

He seized Prismaticia's hand and gave it a hard yank, pulling her entire arm right through his chest and forcing her to draw closer towards him. Though it tore through his organs and his blood splattered over Lumire's shocked expression, he could feel her body against his back.

“My experiences with them make me strong," he said through gritted fangs. “Even if they will die, I will always carry them with me. All the memories we share, the pain we've suffered together, I will never forget. They will live on so long as I remember! I will carry them within my wings and continue to fly from now till the end of time!"

He reversed his grip on Timekeeper and immediately plunged it right through his own chest. In doing so, he pierced Prismatica's chest as well, shocking her. Her chin settled on his shoulder, blood bursting from her lips.

“And the same is true for you, Shelandi," he whispered softly. “No matter what you've become, I will still remember you as that young, doe-eyed girl who knocked on my door and asked for help."

She grit her teeth and began pulling her hand away from his grip and his chest. “That girl is dead."

He let her go and she staggered away out of Timekeeper's influence. Her and her alternate selves from different timelines gathered around her. Harm and his alternate did the same, his wounds starting to slowly heal.

“Do you honestly believe you have the power to defeat all four of us?" she snarled. “I can even bring more versions of myself into this time line with all my Time. You're aware of how the Timeline Link works, aren't you?" Her dark grin widened. “We bring different versions of ourselves from other time lines into this one temporarily, expending our own time to preserve them here for as long as possible. But the constant drain on our own resources is immense as they aren't meant to be here. In a war of attrition, you would run out of Time faster than I would even with the same number of clones!"

The hole in his chest was just starting to close.

“You should look at your alts a little closer, Shelandi."

“What?"

“Each of them is battered and bruised." His eyes drifted from one Prismaticia to the other. That dark cloud of Time had significantly diminished in all of them. “That means that no matter what time line you reach into, I am still beating you."

Her eyes widened and she exchanged glances with her alternates. None of them denied it.

“Now look at mine closely."

She did… and her jaw dropped.

“They're… they're not alternates."

“No," he answered menacingly. “Instead of reaching into alternate time lines to bring into this time, I merely spread myself across this one time line into five different versions. We all share the same consciousness. Of course, it's different from Timeline Link. The technique that Mitosis developed allowed for a set amount of Time to be expended for the initial pull of an alternate and then a set amount again expended to maintain them in this time line. However, my technique, the Chrono Clones, divides my Time across the timeline depending on how many clones I make."

Prismaticia smiled darkly. “So your power is now only a fifth of what it was before."

“Harm - " Lumire began but he silenced his friend with a lifted paw.

“You're forgetting one thing about Chronomancers," Harm chastised. He pointed at his almost completely healed chest. “Time Locking."

“What about it?" Prismaticia asked lazily. Then it hit her. “No…"

“Yes." With his chest fully healed, Harm - all five versions of him - lifted their instances of Timekeeper, pointing the blades at Prismaticia. “Even though I may have divided my power across five different bodies, because of my Time Locked state, I am recovering that Time back."

Aria lifted her head, a cocky smile on her features and one directed at Prismaticia. “That means…"

“That within a few moments," finished the Chronomancer of Colours, “you'll be five times stronger that you were before!" And that was the moment when she cracked and panicked. “Attack!" she screeched. “Attack now!"

Harm, all five of him, charge clashing with all instances of Prismaticia.

“You shouldn't have let me monologue," warned the Destroyer of Time.

“You tricked me!" she scowled. “You were just buying time so that you could recover!"

He gave her a kick, sending her crashing back. All his other instances did the same. Weakened as they were, Prismaticia could barely fight back. They all crashed together in one pile. Another failing of Timeline Link was that each instance was unique, slightly differently minded and thus could barely coordinate with one another. Unless a solid relationship was formed between the two instances, they would act independently. Since she had summoned her alternates in a desperate act, none of them were coordinated. They fought against one another, scrambling to rise to their feet. Too little, too late.

Harm charged a them, bolting forward while a brilliant golden glow encased Timekeeper. All four of his auxiliary bodies rushed in beside him, each of them fading into his form and adding their power to his. With each clone merging with him, the glow around Timekeeper grew more and more intense. Prismatica, in all her incarnations, screamed, holding out her hand in a desperate plea for him to stop. Lasers burst from their fingers but missed him as he ducked and weaved beneath the beams.

Just five feet from the pile of Prismaticias, he planted his right foot, holding Timekeeper like a bat in one paw.

“I will end this," he whispered softly.

Then he swung the blade in a wide arc. Prismaticia screamed as blistering light erupted from the swing of his blade. Her entire form vanished into the blinding golden light of the slash that arched on a diagonal. The blast cleaved right through the nearby mountain. A ravine that was twenty feet wide was created by the swing alone. Strangely, there was no high-pitched keening that made ears bleed.

Only silence.

… followed by chilling laughter.

A thin beam of light pierced his chest, shooting right through his heart and forcing him to stagger back.

“Did you forget what my initial project was, Master?" laughed Prismaticia, standing in midair several feet away. “I can manipulate light to deploy decoys and make you believe that I am somewhere when, in reality, I am somewhere else."

Harm's heart was already restarting but he was reduced to panting for a few moments past the pain.

“I didn't forget," he wheezed. “Whatever else may be said, you are very clever Shelandi."

“The name is Prismaticia!" she howled. Another beam shot from her fingertip and shot right through his right shoulder. “We could stand here for all eternity, Chronos. My supplies of Time are far above yours and while you may use your cheap cloning technique to exponentially increase your own power, you would have to stand there for eons before you can even come close to where I stand!"

“You're right," he grimaced, straightening. He pulled his free paw from his bloodied shoulder and held it out against his chest. Faint bolts of blue electricity danged from his fingertips, coalescing into a single sphere that rapidly expanded. A beautiful, blue, transparent orb appeared, just hovering over his palm. Within it, was a single, golden cog. “But I never wanted to defeat you in a war of attrition."

“What…?" she whispered, fear flashing before her eyes.

“All I wanted to do was to slow you down. Reduce your time enough so that you won't be able to outrun this." He held out he orb.

“What… What is that?" she gasped. “I've never seen that…"

“The is the ultimate anti-Time technique," he announced boldly. “The Time Bomb. By sacrificing some of my own Time, I am able to create this orb that will destroy anything it comes in contact with from this time line and all other time lines! You and all your other versions will be completely annihilated."

Her eyes widened in shock. “That's why you used your Chrono Clones… You needed the Time to create that Bomb!" Then she grinned savagely. “You'd still have to hit me with it first."

“Which is exactly why I only brought it up now when you're weak enough that you couldn't even maintain your own Timeline Links."

A realisation dawned on her. While her reserved of time were still far superior to Chronos, he was right. The battle had taken its toll on her and though she appeared as healthy as if the battle had just started, her reserved has been severely diminished. It would take longer for her to recover from any damage and given how the battle had progressed so far, all Chronos would have to do was to strike her down as he had been doing so far and then hit her with the Time Bomb.

“You're bluffing," she hissed. “No weapon is that powerful."

“I am the Destroyer of Time. Take that gamble as you will."

Then he charged at her, vanishing from sight.

Prismaticia had barely a second to react and in that moment, she threw her head back and let out a cry of desperation. Blinding light the might of the sun erupted from her body, filling the entire valley.

Harm closed the distance to her, fighting against the all-consuming white.

“I will always remember you, Shelandi."

He planted his foot hard into the ground.

“Both this version of you and the one the one that happily passed out drunk in my office."

Then he turned, facing Aria and the others.

“For all your faults, your sins and the futures that would never be fulfilled…"

He flung the Time Bomb at the dropship.

Aria managed to see the flying blue ball, her jaw dropping in shock.

“… I just want you to know one thing…"

The Time Bomb sailed past Aria's left ear… only to be caught by Harm right behind her. There, it was stopped just inches from Prismaticia's face who had snuck into the dropship while everyone was distracted by her display.

“… I will always carry you within my wings."

He slammed the Time Bomb into her face, pushing the orb down her gaping muzzle. The flesh it touched was immediately dissolved, breaking apart into little specks of white dust that faded into the Time Bomb. Her golden eyes widened in terror… and a single tear dripped down her scaly cheek. He drove the Time Bomb over her skull with ease and then dragged it all the way down her body, every inch of her vanishing into the flurry of white, snow-like dust. The scales on her body stopped changing colours the moment he erased her torso from existence. The light erupting from where she had made her last desperate ploy faded as he dragged the Time Bomb over her arms like an immense eraser across a pencil drawing. Aria, Lumire and Celeste turned in time to see him sweep the Time Bomb over her feet, ending the deed.

Harm fell to his knees, the Time Bomb vanishing from his grip. Once again, he shut his eyes. Then he threw his head back and let out a mournful wail, tears streaming down his face.

Those versions of Prismaticia that had been momentarily stolen from their timelines all fell to their knees at the same time. They seized their heads, screaming in agony and defeat. Their features turned white like they had been transformed into snow before being blown away by the winds of time.

In some alternate timeline, in a version of Tower Thirteen where Prismaticia had been swayed to fight along side him, the Chronomancer of Colours suddenly stumbled. Both she and the Destroyer were fighting an army of Initiates and her sudden weakness concerned Harm. He ran over to her, catching her as she fell into his arms.

“Prismaticia!" he cried.

A gentle smile touched her lips… and she reached out to cup his cheeks gently. “You did what you had to do…"

Her eyes closed… and her body dissolved into a flurry of white dust, her hand the last to disappear.

That Harm screamed in sorrow.

In another timeline, she stood at the altar as she and Geonidas had just been announced man and wife. As they were about to kiss, she collapsed, falling into his arms to the gasp of the crowd.

“Shelandi!" he cried. “What's wrong?"

Tears in her eyes, she could just whispered one thing before she and her white dress vanished into a burst of white. “I love you."

In a third, Shelandi - never having become a Chronomancer - raced to the edge of a ravine. The strong, farmer girl stared defiantly at the heavens.

“I will not die because of the mistakes of someone else!" she screamed.

Knowing that it would all soon come to an end, she hurled herself boldly off the cliff.

Moments later, her shattered, broken and dead body lying at the bottom of the ravine dissolved to the effects of the Time Bomb.

In the prime timeline, Celeste gently placed a hand on Harm's shoulder. But that wasn't enough. So she dropped her staff and immediately wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing her cheeks against the crook of his neck.

“I'm so sorry," she whispered.

He opened his eyes a little, staring at the sky as the darkness of the night gave way to the grey of dawn. “It never gets easier."

“Maybe you should've done a better job of being a mentor to her, then," Aria said.

“Aria!" Lumire snapped.

“Doesn't mean I'm not thankful that you're on our side," grunted the Angel. “Good job, Chronos."

Lumire knelt down beside Harm, resting an armoured hand against his shoulder and smiling at the Chronomancer in gratitude. “Thank you, Harm. You saved us today."

As the tears he had spilled began streaming back into his eyes thanks to being Time Locked, Harm recomposed himself and reached out, holding the hands of both humans who comforted him.

“It's not over," he said. “But at least we'll see tomorrow."

---

White

Centuries had passed. Or was it millennia?

She wasn't entirely sure. Suspended in the limbo between timelines, she was only peripherally aware of the passage of time. Time existed for her and within this space but it was muted. Haais once explained to her it was the place where Haamiah knew of and was directly connected to his Machine but where he did not care for. So it was here that she had set up her Chrysalis; her Chronomancer Chrysalis. All part of the technique that Haais had developed in the closing moments of the war that Temporal was doomed to lose ever since the Traitor Chronomancer had turned against them.

Time Compression he called it.

She sacrificed a fragment of her existence and placed it within the gap within the Machine. Her consciousness was still connected to her main body so she was painfully aware of when she ceased to exist at the hands of the Destroyer of Time. However, this part was out of his reach even with the effects of the Time Bomb. All because she wasn't part of any time line. But there was more to Time Compression than merely secluding herself away from Harm Chronos' devastating anti-Time techniques.

Much more.

Haais recognised the danger that Chronos posed so the only way he and a select number of Chronomancers could ever hope to defeat him was to become like gods, to surpass even Haamiah. The original design of Time Compression was to allow her consciousness to start absorbing all version of herself across all timelines much like how Final Hour worked. However, this allowed her to also absorb their memories, their experiences and their knowledge. She would know everything her alternate versions knew. Every technique they may have ever created would be at her fingertips. More, she would have all the Time they had absorbed in their lifetimes. Even those version of her that had not become Chronomancers would be integrated into her essence.

Naturally, that was all derailed when Chronos used his Time Bomb. All future instances of her were eliminated so she was forced to only absorb any past instances. But that would still be more than enough to destroy him. For all intents and purposes, she was a goddess; a being that had acted in countless timelines and was thus outside and beyond time itself. Even Haamiah could not reach such heights!

Then… Chronos had to die.

Something happened. She was not sure but for some reason, everything about him got muddled. Though she still remembered him, it was like he had been extracted from all timelines and existed only in memory.

She mulled over this for a few more years before the call came.

Haais was calling them.

It was time.

Prismaticia the Chronomancer of Colours awoke once more.

Compressing all the Time she had absorbed into a single body, she emerged from her Chrysalis, a shimmering tear in space and time. She was not the absolute perfect version of herself. All version of her had been compressed into this single form and it was perfect. She breathed in the air of Tower Thirteen once more, opening her fully-golden eyes to the light of the Sun Spire once more. There no pupils, no white sclera. Just all gold. Her hair had once again changed, this time becoming seven differently coloured bands that tumbled all the way down to her feet like a silky rainbow. The Chronomancer's Mantle that hung on her shoulders hugged her features and gave way to the immense, semi-translucent hands made of solid light that hovered behind her like a pair of wings. Her nails glimmered with the colours of the rainbow, each one extending at least a foot from her cuticles like massive claws made of solid light. A solid gold halo of gold that appeared like the handless, numberless clock of Haamiah hovered over her head.

Confusion immediately struck her.

“And here I thought you were dead," she sighed, regarding the Wulfun in front of him. There was a strange collection of people in front of him. A demon and even a Fallen. Even stranger was that the Destroyer of Time seemed to have developed a red coat over his normal white colouration. Strange considering how he should have been Time Locked but then again, this was the Destroyer of Time. Nothing could be taken for granted.

“No matter," she giggled. “I'm honoured that you came here to meet me when I awoke." She slowly lifted off the ground, her 'wings' spreading wide. “Let's pick up exactly where we last left off."

The bare-foot Wulfun in front of her drew two long, thin blades made of a strange, white material.

Blue flames erupted from the base of the blade and encased the swords.