Theodore Chrono

by Shanon Chong

  “Very sudden of you,” I murmured before giving my actual response. “No, I’m afraid not.”

  “Right, is anyone watching you right now?” I felt a single drop of sweat touch the floor. “Other than myself.”

  “I don’t know how many of your superiors are watching.”

  “Smart answer… Okay, let’s take a break. I want them to finish their final procedure on you before we have a real discussion” A small needle threaded itself through my skin, reaching a vein and injecting the same numbing agent they’d used previously. “You’ll probably be asleep for an hour or two.”

  My eyelids dropped, returning me into a state of rest…

  “Anton Arcanas, you really are the strongest from your nation…” an angelic figure stated,

  My head tilted up to face him. My ancestor remained standing, wounds covering his entire body. “Jeremy Aaris. I thank you for your compliment… Would you rather both sides back down or that we end each other’s bloodlines here?”

  “I doubt you could kill me.”

  “As do I.”

  “However, I will accept your offer. We will back away on the condition you fall back into Trailblazer territory.”

  “I will see to it.” Anton grinned. “I’ll beg for peace in front of the council.”

  “If the council is your governing body, I will seek to make alliances with your arcane nation.”

  “Call it Arcana. That’s how we refer to our motherland,” Anton said, revealing his deeply rooted patriotic nature.

  Jeremy’s good-natured chuckle resonated deeply. “Then call our nation Koyr. The wielders of primal energy.”

  “Then let us declare our friendship before our armies!” Anton shouted, making his voice heard across the battlefield. “I don’t think my superiors will like this…”

  “Nor will mine…” he paused giving his choice a final consideration, “I declare Anton Arcanas of the nation of Arcana my friend!” Jeremy shouted in agreement, and both sides went silent. “We will announce a ceasefire on the agreement that the nation of Arcana does the same.”

  “I, Anton Arcanas, field marshal of the Arcanan military force, declare peace with the island nation of Koyr!”

  A shout came from behind Anton. “Marshal!” Making a quick gesture to Jeremy to excuse him, he went over to the officer who had addressed him. “Orders from the Capital to retreat from the Zero warriors’ front and return to provide assistance against the Anti-Magic front.”

  “I’m afraid, Jeremy, I’ll have to meet you another time. Next time we meet, let us toast to our peace!” Anton declared to the figure behind him and looked to the horizon, where his army were preparing military vessels for traversing water.

  “Then let us make our peace,” Aaris replied with fervour.

  I slowly regained my hearing. A buzzing noise hummed in the background as I lifted my gaze.

  Slapping me lightly on the cheek, Alista peered into my eyes. “Theodore? Are you awake?”

  “Stop slapping me…” I groaned. “Can I be released now?”

  “Well, before that, I’ve got a question my superiors wanted me to ask.” Alista sighed. “It may be strange, but what have you been dreaming about recently?”

  “What?”

  “I know it’s an odd question, but I would appreciate it if you could answer truthfully,” Alista replied.

  “Sure,” I replied. “Well, my dreams have been about a distant ancestor of mine…Anton Arcanas.”

  “The field marshal of the Third Battalion?”

  “I don’t know enough about Anton to say.” I sighed, remembering the creation of peace between the two nations.

  “Well, he was rather influential. If you’d like to read about him, I’ve got some books about that time period,” Alista offered.

  “It's fine. The library in my room has plenty of books.”

  “Well then, I’ll ask the final questions.” Alista held his notebook in his right hand. “Do you think the Church is corrupt?”

  “I have no opinion on the Church, hell, I barely even know about them!” I said, looking at my arms, which were still connected to the operating table. “Could you release me, please?”

  “Oh, sorry. I completely forgot.” Alista fiddled with the shackles, removing them manually from my arms, legs, and torso. “I’ll ask the final question now. Did Hans Ghil mention anything about a connection?”

  “No.” Alista finished clicking open the last metal shackle. “What’s happening?”

  “Well, you’re free to go.”

  “Really?” I asked, dumbfounded at how quick the interrogation process had been.

  “After we release Harrold.” Alista sighed.

  “You trust a student to escort a titled mage?”

  “If anything happens within the Capital, he’ll die within the second,” Alista said ominously. “The containment facility is a short walk away.” He stood up straight and marched to the door of the small medical facility attached to the interrogation building. It was barely tall enough to fit Alista’s full height through. I followed behind him closely; his slender yet lean figure seemed almost stick-like in comparison to the other adults I had met within the Capital.

  An ominous wind blew past us as we approached the jail. Murderers, thieves, frauds, and anyone who had committed a felony would all go to the same place… The Arcana Correctional and Re-Education Facility.

  A small serving boy opened the pristine glass doors at the sight of Alista, revealing the interior of the large and long building, other than the door the building seemed rather new for the era. The building was made of an obsidian coloured stone, the detailing was done in a white quartz trim. A small reception made of quartz and glass greeted the two of us, and a receptionist waved to Alista. Walking past the reception desk, he set a single gold coin onto the quartz surface. Placing his finger to his lips, he gestured for the gate into the jail to be opened. The metal bars slowly rose off the ground, lifted by a hidden pulley system.

  The building from there was made of monotonous grey stone. The rooms that lined the walls were well lit, with neatly made beds in each cell. The large institute was split into three blocks that housed incrementally worse criminals. The separation between the first block and second didn’t seem to exist. The only indication of the change was a large number two, followed by a second number plastered at the entrance of each cell. The rooms remained the same. None of the cells with occupants were dirty or even untidy; the only difference was an isolated washroom located in the corner. Some prisoners were huddled in the corners of their cells, some were thin to the bone, but most of the prisoners were relatively well kept and well fed.

  “Where’s Harrold?” I wondered aloud.

  “He’s in the third block. Treason is not taken lightly.” Alista continued walking, passing several guards mingling around the entrances of cells. The large iron gate that separated the second and third block rose slowly after Alista handed his security badge to the officer operating it.

  “Take care, sir,” the officer cautioned. “They recently added a new criminal to the block.”

  “What’s he convicted for?” Alista said, making conversation as the iron gate inched up.

  “Parricide. Slaughtered his father, mother, and uncle, who were all visiting at the time.”

  “Sounds like a horrible case. Who was assigned to deal with it?” Alista asked, making his way to the gate and impatiently tapping on the rim of the table. I didn’t understand much of their conversation other than the fact that they’d had an investigator sent to ascertain what had happened.

  “Loes was assigned when they started initial investigations. Then they had Fargon join in to assist with the recovery of the criminal.”

  “I’d to know more about this, Gerry. Let’s meet at…eight at the Bunker’s Entrance?”

  “Are you kidding me? I can’t afford that.”

  “Sure. I mean, you should have applied for an administrative job.”

  “Nah, I can’t
handle people above me.”

  “I’ll talk to you later.” Alista turned to me. “Theodore, do not make eye contact with anyone but Harrold, okay?”

  “Why?” I asked quickly, not the kind to easily listen.

  “They’re the worst people society has to offer,” he stated. “I mean, you heard what we were talking about, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Kid killed his family. Imagine that but times fifty, because that’s what’s in every single cell.”

  “There are only fifty cells?”

  “There aren’t that many people in the third section. Anyway, Harrold is just there, cell 316,” Alista explained. “Excuse me. I have to talk to Harrold now.” He gave me a small bow and turned to face the solid metal door. “Master of Crimson, Harrold Bloodwind, you are free on probation to serve as a teacher for the Royal Academy until further notice.”

  “Finally,” a sarcastic echo resonated through the door. Alista frowned as he grabbed the handle, activating a magical biometrics system that confirmed his identity. The door slid open to reveal Harrold. “Oh, it’s Theo. You going to be my chauffeur or something?”

  “What kind of greeting is that for the one that got you released?” I asked. Tilting my head slightly, I watched Harrold with my right eye. “Let’s go. Mrs Indallias will be pleased with your release.”

  “Old Steph will be happy?” he said with a grin. “Oh, how I’ll remind her of her compassion later,” he added deviously, slapping Alista on the shoulder.

  I pointed to the closed gate that separated the sections.

  “Oh, the door will open soon… Feel free to talk,” Alista said as he took a seat on the reflective stone floor. The interior of the building had been kept in its best condition for the few years it had existed. “If you have any questions about…anything, I’ll try to answer them.”

  “Who got Harrold imprisoned?” I inquired to spark some conversation.

  “The Church brought irrefutable evidence to the table… I just couldn’t… No, the council did not have the means to confirm Harrold’s innocence.”

  “Look, I can’t change the fact that our enemy is amazing at making his way into dreams!” Harrold said defensively.

  “They can’t tell anything except for the fact that you had contact with the enemy.”

  “Unfair judgement! Fair judgement doesn’t exist with the Church’s existence,” Harrold angrily replied.

  “Look, I understand the fact that they have their significant downsides, but they have convicted actual criminals before an incident has happened before.”

  “With the assistance of senior investigators and long-time track records of proven insanity,” Harrold retorted.

  “Look, I was planning to visit the Church tomorrow anyway,” I said quickly, interjecting before Alista could refute Harrold’s argument. “I’ll go and see what they had in terms of solid evidence.”

  “I’m personally coaching you now, Theo. You can’t just decide what you want to do,” Harrold said as the three of us walked to the gate. Noticing my jaw dragging across the ground, Harrold spoke again. “Oh, Steph never told you…”

  “Theo,” said Alista, “I’ll mention this before you get hospitalised again. But no…absolutely no strenuous training for one month.”

  “What am I going to do for training?” Harrold said, dumbfounded. “I need to start getting the basics in his head.”

  “Let him visit the Church, okay? He can’t use any major magic for a month.”

  “One month, Theo… I won’t let you get weak,” Harrold declared. Then he turned to Alista and whispered something completely inaudible.

  “He should be able to do light exercise, jogging, pushups, sit-ups, and squats maybe. I can confirm it for you; I will just send Mrs Indallias the response… It may take a day.”

  “I’ll give Theo one day of rest. Then, based on the ‘doctor’s orders,’ I’ll figure something out for the coming months,” Harrold concluded. “We’ll be off. Do you want to escort us?”

  “As long as Theo is within the Capital, we’ll know where you are.”

  “Well, then we’ll return to the academy.”

  Harrold and I headed north of the institute, making our way toward the northern suburbs of Arcana’s Capital. His constant pace reminded me of the family home’s metronome for the old piano that sat in the living room, ignored by everyone in the family after my mother’s death. The piano’s keys had gone soft over the years, and dust covered the upright instrument. However, the metronome, I had played with. The constant “click-clack” of the upright hand as it swung side to side had left me mesmerised at the time… Well, until Rachel had broken it, promised to fix it, and then proceeded to never return it.

  Harrold turned to look at me; I, too, stared him down. He had blemishes on his skin next to his hairline, barely noticeable to the naked eye. His hair wasn’t tidy; however, that was expected of a magician who had been held captive for a week without the knowledge of the outside world.

  “Theo, what do you think is the meaning of life?” he asked as we entered the Northern District, letting me appreciate the runic globes that lit the streets. “Is there any God in your eyes?”

  “God? If God existed, then he didn’t do too good a job with this world.”

  “Does the Church of Nine Tails even pique your interest?”

  “Just following my old man’s beaten path.”

  “Be careful, Theo. Every executive within the Church wants the strongest man’s head…” Harrold declared quietly as we entered the street that Mr Rhimmage had led us down to reach the Bunker’s Entrance.

  “I know what they want; I’ll figure something out… My grandfather slaughtered a few. He was fine until he died.”

  “If you want to mess with the Church…be inconspicuous. Be the tourist from a small town out north.”

  “That’s a strange way to say it, but okay,” I replied, pushing open the large metal gate that led to the school and allowing Harrold to pass before closing it behind me.

  “Go to sleep. I’ll talk to you more tomorrow night… Days and night will pass quickly when we get to training. I won’t even get you started on magic for a month; only theory for you!” He chuckled jovially as he opened the front door.

  “Wasn’t that ordered for my health and safety?”

  “To use stronger magic, you need a good base to build on.” He paused, thinking of an example. “Look at Rachel. She’s built her body to be equal to that of a knight protecting the king.”

  “Tell me tomorrow in the evening. It’s only been two days of classes, and we’ve already reached the weekend.”

  “You won’t be part of that class anymore… You’re getting trained to figure out what your strengths are.”

  “What about my classmates? My teachers?”

  “I’m only taking you during fundamentals class.”

  “I look forward to it… I’ll see you tomorrow after my little trip.”

  “Make sure you’re ready to work yourself to the edge.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” I said dismissively.

  I took the back exit of the main building to reach the dormitories. I walked up to the third floor and knocked on the door, praying Rachel was still awake.

  “Theo?” Rachel inquired as her footsteps neared the door. “Is that you, Theo?”

  “I’m back,” I declared as she opened the door and slung her arms around me.

  “Did they do anything to you?”

  “My ribs, my ribs,” I said, coughing and gasping for air.

  “They broke your ribs?” she said in horror, releasing me from her death grip.

  “You broke my ribs!” I retorted angrily. “I’m fine…they even treated my wounds.”

  “Sorry…I was just worried,” she said with a small grin as she led me inside. “You doing anything tomorrow?”

  “I’m going to look around the Capital.”

  “The Church, right?” She paused. “You never let go of even the smallest g
rudges, do you?”

  “There’s no enmity between the Church and me… I’m just curious.”

  “Get changed; just get some rest…” she said, leading me to the walk-in closet and closing the door on me as I entered. “I’ll give you some privacy,” she said quietly. “I’ll be in the room.”

  I grabbed a long-sleeve, button-up pajama shirt with small wings embroidered across the torso. Then I quickly put on the matching pants.

  I quietly opened the closet door, stepped into the room, and then closed the door behind me. Rachel lay on the bed, reading what looked like a novel. I looked around, searching for the room’s small heater, which she had relocated. Sliding into bed, I realised I wasn’t tired.

  “Theo,” Rachel said, placing the book she had in her hands on the bedside table.

  “What?”

  “Can I hold you?”

  “Why are you so intimate all of a sudden?”

  “I-I… We’re betrothed, aren’t we?”

  “We are, but didn’t you say that you didn’t really feel anything for me?”

  “I-I was just lonely, okay?” Rachel stammered, her face slightly red from embarrassment.

  “Fine, just go to sleep, okay,” I said, accepting her warm embrace as I attempted to enter the realm of dreams.

  Chapter 13: A Solemn Conversation

  “I can’t sleep!” Rachel declared, sitting upright. “Right. I’ll go get myself some milk.”

  “Wait, wait for me!” I fumbled at the sheets, following suit. “I’m getting up!”

  Rachel sighed as she walked through the doorway. Entering the kitchen, she poured the entire bottle of milk into one large mug. “Anything you want to do at two in the morning?” She glanced at her pocket watch, verifying that the time matched the clock on the wall.

  “Is it warm in the library?”

  “Probably. Are you suggesting we read or something?” Rachel responded sarcastically. After rinsing her cup, she turned to add, “I mean, even if it’s cold, we can just move the heater.”