Who are you?

Chapter 3

Our eyes locked, and the magnitude of the revelation echoed in the silence that enveloped us. Pregnant. The word hung in the air like an unwieldy anchor, pulling us both back to the gravity of our reality."Aleera, what does this mean for us? For our mission?" My voice quivered, fraught with a mix of elation and dread.

"It complicates things, without a doubt," Aleera said, her sapphire eyes tinged with concern. "But it also fortifies my resolve to protect our future—yours, mine, and our child's."

Just as she spoke, the pedestal holding the Scepter of Time shimmered, and a figure materialized. It was an androgynous entity, ethereal and radiant, cloaked in a robe of iridescent threads that seemed to flicker between time periods.

"I am Chronos, the Guardian of Time," the figure intoned, its voice reverberating through the realms. "You have ventured far, but to claim the Scepter, you must answer my riddles three."

"There's always a catch," I muttered, earning a stifled grin from Aleera."Speak your riddles, Guardian," Aleera commanded, her voice imbued with a regal tenacity.

Chronos raised a slender hand. "Answer these correctly, and the Scepter shall be yours. Fail, and you shall be trapped in a time-loop for eternity."

We nodded, our fingers intertwining, gathering strength from each other."Riddle one: I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with the wind. What am I?" Chronos asked, its gaze unwavering."An echo," Aleera responded. The guardian nodded, and a segment of the moat surrounding the pedestal drained, forming a pathway.

"Riddle two: Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?"

I thought for a moment. "The answer is 'ton.'"Chronos nodded again, and another section of the moat drained. Only one more riddle stood between us and the Scepter."Final riddle: I am taken from a mine, and shut up in a wooden case, from which I am never released, and yet I am used by almost every person. What am I?"

"A pencil lead," I answered, my voice tinged with hope.

Chronos smiled, an ephemeral grin that flickered like a candle. The final part of the moat drained, and we could now access the Scepter. "The Scepter of Time is yours. Use it wisely."As Aleera reached for it, her eyes met mine. "This is for us—for our family and our realm." Grasping the Scepter, a torrent of energy surged through her, cascading into me. It was an exhilarating, terrifying power, as if we were grasping the very fabric of time.

"Let's go home," Aleera said, her eyes glowing with a renewed determination.

As we stepped back through the portal, clutching the Scepter, we found ourselves back in the castle's war room. But we knew that despite our triumph, the hardest battles lay ahead. Our enemies were still at large, and we were racing against a ticking clock, made all the more pressing by the new life growing inside me."Aleera, before anything else, we need to talk about—"

"Our child, I know," she interrupted, her voice tender, her eyes softening. "This baby changes everything, but also changes nothing. I meant what I said earlier. I will protect our future at all costs."

She placed a hand on my abdomen, and for the first time, I felt a subtle flutter, as if our unborn child was acknowledging its powerful, enigmatic mother. My heart swelled with an emotion so potent it was almost painful. Love, mixed with a ferocious desire to protect our burgeoning family.

"Aleera, I don't know what the future holds," I said, my voice choked with emotion. "But I know that as long as we're together, we can face anything. Even in a world as unpredictable as ours."

Aleera leaned in, her lips meeting mine in a kiss that sealed our vows, a pact forged in love, and now bound by blood and destiny. We'd barely had time to catch our breath when the castle's warning system—powered by a complex matrix of enchanted crystals—flashed crimson. An urgent message appeared in the air, etched in glowing runes: "Intruders at the Northern Perimeter."

"Aleera, this is a direct assault," I exclaimed, tightening my grip on the Scepter of Time.

"I expected as much. Our enemies know we possess it now. They will stop at nothing to seize it," Aleera affirmed, her eyes glinting with a warrior's fervor.We made our way to the control room, where an intricate map displayed the layout of the castle and its surrounding territories. Holographic tokens represented enemy and ally forces, and right now, the enemy tokens were too close for comfort."Valeria and Ignatius lead the assault. They've joined forces," Aleera observed, her voice tinged with betrayal."Your former allies?" I questioned, already knowing the answer. Aleera had once mentioned how they were part of an alliance to safeguard the realm. That alliance was clearly shattered.

"Yes, and their treason comes at the worst possible time," she said, summoning her shadow blade—a weapon materialized from her own dark energy. "They won't hesitate to kill anyone in their path, even if it means destabilizing the realm."

As we moved toward the castle's northern wall, Aleera briefed me on an emergency spell she had prepared—one that could teleport us to a safehouse, should things turn dire.Reaching the embattlements, we looked down to see Valeria, a witch of air and lightning, conjuring tempests with flicks of her wand. Beside her, Ignatius—a fire warlock—sent plumes of scorching flames towards our defenses.I tightened my grip around the Scepter. "Time to use this?"

"No, not yet. The Scepter's power should be our last resort. Using it risks ripping the fabric of our reality," Aleera advised, her gaze locked onto the enemies below.

"So, what's the plan?""A two-front attack. I'll deal with Valeria; you engage Ignatius. And remember, incapacitate, don't kill. We need answers," Aleera instructed, before leaping off the wall, her wings materializing in a flurry of shadows.Taking a deep breath, I chanted a spell to coat my body in a protective shield and jumped down to join the battle.

Landing gracefully, Aleera immediately clashed with Valeria, their energies sparking in a cacophony of elemental fury. I focused on Ignatius, my heart pounding in my chest, both from adrenaline and the awareness of the life growing inside me.

Ignatius greeted me with a smirk, hurling fireballs in rapid succession. Dodging nimbly, I counterattacked with a torrent of ice shards, aiming to nullify his fire. We were evenly matched, but the strain was getting to me. The pregnancy was a vulnerability he could exploit, something I needed to guard against at all costs.

Our powers collided, creating an explosive burst that sent both of us reeling back. I saw Aleera, who had successfully subdued Valeria, now sprinting toward me. At that moment, Ignatius glanced at Aleera and then back at me, his eyes widening as if piecing together a puzzle.

"Is this the future you two are fighting for?" he sneered, gesturing at my abdomen.Ignoring his taunt, I concentrated, murmuring a spell that unleashed binding vines from the earth. They shot up, wrapping themselves around Ignatius, constraining his movements.Aleera arrived, her eyes narrowing at the bound Ignatius. "It's over. Your insurrection ends here.""We have questions, and you will answer them," I added, as Aleera invoked a spell to temporarily mute his magical abilities.

As we escorted our captives back to the castle, I couldn't help but wonder what had motivated them to break the alliance, to risk the balance of our realm.