PftA Book 2 - Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – Unveiled

It took three weeks for the first person to awaken in our office. Xavier Armsfield was a member of Alpha Group, meaning he was not part of any military but was likely still a government asset of some kind. I knew there were a few regular civilians in Alpha Group, but they were a minority. By the guy’s demeanor, I suspected he was part of one of the alphabet agencies, most likely NSA or CIA. Those seemed the most likely since they were about national security and intelligence, respectively.

But that was mostly conjecture on my part.

Rhona had been tight-lipped about his background when I asked, but she implied enough for me to be wary. Coupled with her blatant warning about government spies embedded in the program… I mostly tried to avoid the guy when I could.

The friendly Administrator also warned me that I would likely draw the interest of at least one powerful faction involved with the reintegration. Specifically, she mentioned a sect Time Mage who would likely try to recruit me as soon as my information was added to the database, which, apparently, she was delaying for as long as she could.

Now that others were awakening, it seemed a week was all the delay she could manage.

“Elder Henlen Kairos and Artificer Vasilla are requesting entry,” Lisa informed me as I carefully carved a new rune into a test base using a mana engraver. My focus immediately shattered, ruining the piece.

I struggled to reign in my nerves, but it was difficult. Kairos was a word related to time. The likelihood that this ‘Elder Kairos’ was the same sect Mage Rhona warned me about seemed pretty high. I suppressed the urge to teleport away and took a deep breath.

Rhona had claimed the sect Elder would want to recruit me, not that he was a threat. Everything would be fine, I told myself. I wanted to learn more Time magic anyway. Even in the Mages’ Academy, information was scarce. A sect dedicated to the pseudo-element might be my best option.

“Granted,” I silently responded as I set the now-ruined enchantment aside. It was a new iteration that needed to be tested before it could be added to the Tier One lexicon we were building. I’d have to start over later.

I looked up nervously as the door noiselessly slid open, and my superior stepped inside. Vasilla looked just as nervous as I felt. Seeing her so uncomfortable only heightened my unease.

Behind her was a much younger-looking man than I expected to see. I assumed someone with the ‘Elder’ title would look older, likely with wrinkles and a hint of gray. The man following Artificer Vasilla looked like he was in his mid-thirties – at most.

His pale skin looked like it had never seen the sun, and hints of shimmer were visible along the groves of his defined muscles. The man’s platinum blonde hair was pulled into a stereotypical cultivator’s bun, with shimmering strands peeking through the bound locks. Even without checking, I could tell the man had a strong Time affinity.

My supervisor glanced nervously at the powerful Mage standing next to her. I could feel the powerful aura radiating from the man, making me wonder how he could interact with the public without giving up the secret. Even if he had a disguise amulet to hide the obvious hints of magical color, his presence would alert all but the most unobservant that there was something different about the man.

“Emie, this is Elder Henlen Kairos. He is the current Patriarch of the Epíkairos Sect. They are known as masters of Time and Fate magic.”

I faced the terrifying man and forced myself to bow slightly, as I’d learned to do while living overseas. “Welcome, Elder. I apologize. I’m not familiar with the proper way to greet you.”

The pale man grinned and stepped closer. “There is plenty of time for that!” His eyes narrowed slightly before widening. His smile grew. “Oh, they weren’t wrong. I can see the Time mana rippling through you, too. Have you been casting… no, your mana pool doesn’t support the echos I’m feeling.”

My insides felt like ice at his comment. My entire body stiffened with his continued attention. I struggled to remain calm as Lisa informed me I’d been identified with a much stronger version of the spell than she could block.

The Elder turned to Artificer Vasilla. “Thank you for the introduction, Artificer. I’d like to speak with my future disciple alone for a moment.” He looked pointedly toward the door, leaving no room for argument or misunderstanding.

“O-of course, Elder Kairos,” she replied hastily while indirectly informing me of the man’s proper address. “I’ll be in my workshop next door.”

My supervisor retreated, leaving me alone with the powerful Mage. Though he’d broken through my identification block, I didn’t dare risk using the spell on him. Besides, it wasn’t like it would tell me anything I didn’t already know.

He was well beyond anything I could handle.

As the door closed behind Vasilla, a bubble of Time mana expanded, encompassing the entire room.

“It looks like we have a lot to discuss, little Time traveler,” he said with amusement before sitting in a leather chair that appeared behind him. Had I not spatially expanded the room, there wouldn’t have been enough room. Now, there was enough space for a full living room set in addition to my workstation and material storage.

Seeing the spike of fear I was unable to hide, the man said, “No reason to worry. You look like a bunny ready to run at the drop of a stick. Here –” the Time Mage waved his hand and a matching chair appeared beside him “—have a seat, and we can discuss your accomplishment. Since I haven’t felt any Time branches being created since I arrived on Earth nearly a year ago, I must assume it occurred before my arrival? I can’t help but have many questions about how you managed what you have.”

I still hadn’t moved from where I’d frozen in place near my workstation. Should I just tell him? It was clear that he already knew something! Lying was out of the question. There was no way a high-tier Mage, the Patriarch of a sect, didn’t have some kind of truth-telling ability.

After a second of indecision, I released the breath I’d been holding and made my way to the chair. The young-looking Patriarch smiled. “Good. So tell me how you did it. I want to know everything.”

Seeing little alternative, I took a deep breath… and told him what he wanted to know.

I glossed over the events of the previous timeline, focusing on how I’d come up with the idea and what I’d done to accomplish it. I described the formation and the materials I’d used, along with the reasonings behind each of my decisions. Now that I understood more about runes and Enchanting, I was actually amazed the formation worked – a feeling I shared with the older Time Mage.

When I was finished, Elder Kairos stared at me with a strange glint in his eye, immediately making me grateful that I’d planned some contingencies.

“Jumping fifteen years into the past without any actual Anchor should be impossible. It almost certainly killed you in the other timeline. You know that, right?” he asked as if lecturing a misbehaving child.

I cringed slightly and nodded. “I assumed as much, based on the pain and soul damage,” I admitted. “Even when I returned, it still wasn’t fully healed, and I spent a long time in the… between.”

“Still, it’s impressive,” he said before looking at me with an arched brow. “You didn’t mention meeting me in the other timeline,” the Elder said leadingly.

“I didn’t. I mean – we didn’t meet before today.”

He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “I wonder how much your affinity improved from your endeavor. If I didn’t seek you out, your affinity must not have been strong before.”

I didn’t want to share more about my background or how I’d changed, but withholding the information seemed foolish at this point. Besides, seeing the man’s reactions to the information was helping me better understand my predicament. If he tried to capture me after hearing my response…

“I think it started at sixty-eight? When we updated our registration on Olym several months before the… event… it was seventy,” I answered carefully, watching the Elder’s expression for any clues about his thoughts.

He didn’t give away much.

I tried not to fidget at the stronger Mage’s continued scrutiny, but he saw my discomfort. “I assume you have a Time Anchor already set, and you plan to jump back and go to ground now that I’m aware of you?” he said nonchalantly, though his eyes betrayed his attention.

I couldn’t hide the guilty look on my face. That was exactly what I’d planned to do.

“Look, there’s no need for that. I am not a threat to you. If anything, I’ll be one of your staunchest supporters,” he assured me as he leaned closer. “Nobody else knows about your trip, right?”

“No,” I answered honestly. “I didn’t tell anyone else. I wouldn’t have told you either, but I didn’t see how to avoid it.”

“I don’t blame you. You shouldn’t tell anyone else. Ever. Especially not the part about increasing your affinity. Anyone who doesn’t realize just how ridiculous your success was might try to recreate it. I doubt you would be able to recreate it… Though, I suppose if anyone had a chance, it would be you.”

“So… what happens now?” I asked as I nervously tapped my finger against the smooth leather armrest. I had plenty of time to trigger my Time Return, but if I could avoid it, I would. With my higher affinity, I could go back to a preset Anchor nearly three hours in the past without causing a time branch. It had taken years of training to extend my Return to a full hour in the other timeline, once again proving how important affinities were.

Ever since Rhona warned me about potential unwanted attention, I’d ensured Lisa had me set a new Anchor every two hours. It gave me a bit of slush to work with before the previous Anchor expired, not that I wanted to use such a resort. If Elder Kairos could see the echoes of my return nearly two years later, he’d probably be able to sense such a significant shift in Time.

“What do you mean?” Elder Kairos said as if the answer was obvious. “You’ll become my disciple, and I’ll make sure you learn everything there is to know about Time magic. Once the portals open, you can officially join the sect as a core disciple. We have more information about Time and Fate magic than any other organization. It’s how we’ve remained successful for so many millennia.”

“I, uh…” I struggled to find the words. “I’m not familiar with sects. And… is it possible… to delay that?” I asked hopefully. Seeing his expression of confusion and annoyance, I clarified, “I made promises to my former party when they helped me obtain the materials I needed for the formation. I’d like to fulfill those promises, if possible.”

I could tell he didn’t like that I didn’t instantly capitulate to his decree. The young-looking Patriarch huffed lightly. “Being invited to join my sect is a great honor, especially as the personal disciple of the Patriarch. I may no longer be the Sect Master, but the benefits to you will be no less. However,” the man’s annoyance at my lackluster response abated slightly, “I suppose I can’t fault you in wanting to keep your word. A small delay should be fine. How long will you need?”

“If the timeline remains the same, no more than five months. Everything I need to accomplish is on Pylos.” I looked at the pale Mage. “Where is your sect?”

“Your future sect,” he said, emphasizing the statement, “has many locations across the Alliance, but the main branch is on Aegeas. You won’t be able to go there until you reach Tier Six, preferably Tier Seven, to be safe. If you arrived any earlier than that, you’d need a mana barrier to avoid dying from mana poisoning.”

“How do people have kids there?” I asked as I considered the logistics. It didn’t make sense for planets to exist where people could only live there later in life. How would anything survive? Not just people. But plants and animals.

“Children born on high-tier planets have a natural immunity to mana poisoning,” he replied distractedly, answering my question before voicing his plans. “Instead of taking you to Aegeas, I’ll take you to Hadier. It’s an LT6 planet. That should be pretty close to the limit of what you can handle until you gain a few tiers. The Branch Master is one of my former disciples. He will ensure you are well taken care of.”

With a confident nod, the Elder stood abruptly. “Alright. Let’s go.”

I stood but didn’t move forward. “Ummm, Sir? I mean, Elder? I can’t leave. I have to work,” I motioned to the workshop around me.

“Really? What do they have you doing?” he asked as he took a step closer to my workstation, seeming to have only just realized the room's purpose.

As he looked at my failed enchantment, I answered, “I’m assisting with developing enchantments that can be used with Tier One materials to aid in the transition on Earth. Since I remember – distinctly – what it was like during that period, I’ve been able to present several blueprints for devices and enchantments that will help the natives adapt to the changes. For example…”

I carefully stepped beside the former Sect Master and grabbed the ruined enchantment. “This was supposed to be a rune that would focus cleansing. It was, ummm…for the bathroom.” I set the tile down and shifted awkwardly. “We ran out of toilet paper after a few months. It was pretty gross for anyone without the Cleanse spell.”

The Time Mage picked up the ruined tile. “Enchanting isn’t my strongest crafting skill, but this doesn’t look like it works.”

I shook my head. “I got distracted by your arrival and ruined it. I haven’t created a working version yet, but I’m close. I’ve already recreated most of the more common enchantments I remember from the previous timeline, like vehicle modification kits to allow for mobility, modified [Heating] and [Cooling] runes, [Light] runes, perimeter [Detection] wards, [Alarms], and [Structure Reinforcement] enchantments.

“I’ve also been training my Space magic with Mage Stella…” I trailed off uncertainly. I wasn’t sure if my new self-proclaimed Master was even paying attention. Remembering another time commitment, I added, “And I’ve been taking classes at Atlantis University, the Mages’ Academy, and the Enchanters’ Academy.”

Elder Kairos looked back at me. “Is that all?”

I wasn’t sure if he was joking, so I answered, “I have martial training three times a week with one of the trainers at the office, and I usually delve with my former guardian every Saturday. I spend Sundays with my family, usually. My brother is part of the military unit attached to the local Atlas office, and my parents will be moving to the area in a few weeks to be closer to us. Aside from that…” I thought for a moment. “No, that’s pretty much it.”

I didn’t bring up my time with friends since I was sure he wouldn’t care. Besides, I had enough on my plate.

After a moment of thought and a quick scan of something on his interface, Elder Kairos stored the leather chairs we’d vacated. “I’ll need to teach you how to effectively use your time. Since your schedule is already full, we should start with Time Manipulation. Come,” he said, holding out his hand, “I have a much more comfortable place for us to train.”

If it wasn’t for the promise of added knowledge and future strength, I might have bolted then. But knowing that response would put me against someone I couldn’t hope to match, I suppressed my instinct to control my destiny and reached for the Mage’s hand.

I had Lisa send Rhona and Vasilla messages to inform them of the development, but there was little they could do if my perception of the Elder was accurate. From the pressure he gave off, he was far stronger than either of the women. Considering Rhona was Tier Seven… I didn’t even want to think about how strong the Time Mage was.

A/N: The Interlude being posted to RR will have a few minor changes. Nothing big - Stella and Rhona aren't Academy friends, they are cousins. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!