The Siege of Lost Time🔊

Atop the highest peak of Mount Chronos, on the outskirts of a tiny kingdom called Temporia, resided the sage of time, Chronus. This peculiar man possessed an extraordinary power, the ability to manipulate time. The King of Temporia harboured immense respect for Chronus but was envious of his power, which led to an unspoken tension between them.

One bleak evening, King Eon decided to seize control over time. He ordered his knights to ascend Mount Chronos and capture Chronus under the cloak of darkness. Meanwhile, the sage, with his age-old wisdom and foreknowledge, anticipated the King's move. He began to prepare himself for the imminent siege.

As the knights scaled the rocky terrain of Mount Chronos, Chronus retreated further up the mountain to his abode, a quaint old cottage. He lived with an unlikely companion, a small tortoise named Tik-Tok, who shared his wisdom and the ability to perceive the flow of time.

The knights forged ahead, cutting through the thick mist that hung over the mountains. Their illuminated torches danced in the soft moonlight reflecting off their polished armours. Simultaneously, Chronus began to weave a complicated spell, using each passing second to create intricate designs in the air.

Chronus' attempts weren't mere defence. He knew if his powers fell into the wrong hands, it could wreak havoc on the innocent citizens of Temporia. His primary concern was safeguarding his kingdom, even if it meant sacrificing himself. So, with the last of his waning strength, he worked on completing the spell.

King Eon, impatient and anxious, advanced with his contingent. His obsession for power had reduced him to a mere pawn in his game of avarice. He could barely recognize the man he once was – a noble leader who'd ruled the kingdom wisely, loved his people, and treated Chronus with respect.

Time was crunching as the strike of midnight approached. Just as the final chime of the clock echoed in the distance and the knights reached the peak, Chronus completed his spell. A piercing shriek echoed through the mountains, followed by a blinding flash of light.

When the knights regained their sight, Chronus was gone, and in that instant, they felt a ripple in the fabric of their reality. Everything around them had changed, and there, standing next to them, was King Eon himself. He had aged visibly; his eyes were heavy with regret. In his attempt to seize control over time, he had paid with his own.

Meanwhile, Chronus found himself in a different reality where time moved at a different pace. It was a solitary realm where he could no longer be threatened. He found Tik-Tok alongside him, conveying through his tiny eyes a sense of satisfaction. Even though Chronus was alone, as a person who could control time, he was never lonely. His heart, replenished by the freedom of solitude and the ability to experience time in its purest form, rolled on in the labyrinth of eternity.

Regaining his senses, King Eon redirected his contingent back to Temporia. His ill-fated expedition bore a lesson that power was not in cascading over time, but in travelling along with it. Meanwhile, Chronus, the sage from whom time was sought, was enveloped in the comforting cloak of eternity, liberated from the chaos of the world he'd left behind.

Eon's reign saw the dawn of a new age – an age where power didn't signify control, but humility and respect. And high on the peaks of Mount Chronos, a myth buoyed around – a tale about a sage who held time in his hands – a tale of freedom, power, and the wisdom of lost time.