Empress of Time

Chapter 1: The Guild

I, however, chose a different path.

Coming from a family with little income to splurge on luxuries, I assured my mother and father that I only wished to attend college. Guilds are expensive to join and rarely accept members for free unless they wielded some sort of ancient magic type. They offered to save enough money so I could attend at a later year, but I knew that it would only burden them with all the debts they still had to pay. Thus, I continued to work for the family business by cleaning rooms at our little bed and breakfast inn while assisting with cooking in the kitchen. When I turned 18, I naturally assumed that I would go off and study at a local university...

Yet...

Here I am... 19 years of age, sitting on the green meadows that flow around the outskirts of town. With a book and pen in hand, I scribbled the last details of my newest discoveries. "No time limitations on plants," I mumbled aloud. I slapped my journal shut, standing up to stretch after a long day. "I wonder how much magic energy it would take for me to make these flowers blossom forever?" I then looked, noticing the sky's shades start to tint with hues of orange and pink. "I should head back into town before the BlackHoles come out." I picked up the rest of my belongings, racing down the hills as I headed for the protective walls that surrounded our little town. As my hands traced the stone, I took one more look back. "One day, I'll conquer the darkness," I told myself.

After rinsing my hair over the water well, I stepped back inside my cottage, taking in the scents of the evening air. Ever since I decided to move out and live alone so I could learn more about my powers, every quiet evening reminded me how alone I was. I've stayed close enough to subdue any concerns my parents had but also far enough to embrace the independence of fending for myself. It was an adjustment, but I believe it forced me to mature sooner than most young adults my age.

So far, I've enjoyed testing my abilities with plants and inanimate objects, manipulating their timelines. But there's still so much I don't know.

Tomorrow will be a new day, a new adventure, and a new start. I want to learn more about me, my powers, my past and--

How far I'll go.

Ryan

I met her at the local ice cream parlor in the market. She had an air of mystery about her. Long black hair, dark eyes, perfect body (I might as well add...) and a rare amulet around her neck. I only realized I was staring at her when she turned to look directly at me. She tilted her head, slightly confused as to why I had been staring for so long but then returned to her treat. I don't know how I knew, but I could tell she possessed powerful magic. I could just feel it. When she stood up to leave, we exchanged glances for another second, and then she was gone.

Kisa

This tall brunette kept staring at me. I felt so uncomfortable just knowing his eyes were daggering at me. I had no other choice but to leave, and yet, he still watched me go out the door. Did I look funny? Or maybe I smelled weird? Either way, he was so captivated by my presence... I didn't know whether I should have been concerned or not.

Ryan

I know this is creepy, but... I decided to stalk her. I mean, why not? I felt something odd about her and I'm dying to know why.

I pushed the door out and slowly crept behind her. She did seem extra careful, looking around her every few minutes or so. I followed behind her every step, pushing away the typical market crowd. As we made it further south, the crowd had vanished and she stopped in front of the city's wall.

What? What is she doing? She can't go out there, especially with all those Black Holeswandering around. She held her amulet in front of the wall, shining its brilliant light against the stone. All of sudden, the wall formed a gap before her. She carefully stepped through, looking behind before entered. She didn't spot me, hiding behind an old market stand. When she was far enough, I followed closely with the wall patching up behind me. I walked through the forest right behind her trail, keeping quiet. It was obvious she knew she wasn't supposed to be here, taking precaution as she traveled. As we turned into a corner, she suddenly whipped her head back, looking straight at me and pushed her palm towards my direction. How did she know I was here? I was extra careful not to make a sound. She unleashed a vast amount of magic behind me, transforming two BlackHoles into light. I was so concentrated on following her, I couldn't even sense their presence. I slowly crept out from the tree between us. She sighed and crossed her arms. "Who are you and what are you doing...?" she asked me.

"Stalking you." I automatically replied. She seemed a bit alarmed at my response but said nothing. I walked towards her. She flinched and moved back. "Wait! Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you," I assured her.

"Well, then... what do you want from me?" she growled.

Naturally, I didn't give much thought as to how I was going to respond. But I knew one thing for sure.

I wasn't going to let her leave.

"Come live with me."

"...You've got to be kidding me..."

I know I should have explained my intentions better. But it was too late. I went on to persuade her without giving any explanation. "No! I'm serious! We have plenty of empty rooms!"      

"NO! That's not what I meant... Geez who goes around asking girls to come to live with them for no reason?!" she spat. I was surprised she even bothered to continue our conversation.

"It's not like that! I have a ton of other girls in my house! You won't be the only one."

"...That's more of a reason to be concerned..." Her eyes darkened with scorn.

Eventually, I was able to squeeze in my reasoning.  "Wait, you've never lived in a guild house before?"

"...No?"

"That's what I'm referring to!"

"...Sheesh, why did you have to phrase it like that?!"

"Like what?"

"Like you were some pervert or something!"

"What?! I'm not a pervert!"

"I didn't say you were...exactly!"

"You did too!"

"...I'm not going to argue about this..."

"So you'll come?"

"NO!"

"What?! Why not?!"

"I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU! Don't you have any common sense in that twisted mind of yours?!" she yelled.

I stepped back, trying to alleviate the tension between us. Eventually, we both stood quietly. She glared at me, crossing her arms tighter. I had to take action quickly. "I have no choice then," I shrugged. Before she could react, I grabbed her waist and flung her over my shoulder. She gasped and started kicking and hitting me with her fists.

"What the heck?! Let me go!"

"Nah."

She wailed the entire trip back home, violently wiggling around under my arm. When we finally reached the guild house, I put her down. Tyler, who was watching from his window, jumped out of his room and ran over. The girl panted heavily and wiped the sweat off her face, cursing under her breath. "Man, Ryan, what the hell are you doing this time?" Tyler groaned. He looked down at the girl who seemed quite irritated by now. "What's your name?" he whispered.

"Kisa..." she answered slowly, still on high alert.

He held out his hand and pulled her up. "Sorry about that... Our boss isn't much of a thinker."

"I figured as much," she huffed.

"I'm Tyler, by the way. That's Ryan."

"I was going to introduce myself, thank you very much!" I frowned.

"No need... I should be getting home now," she sighed, brushing off her skirt.

"That's... not something for you to decide at this point," Tyler smirked, nudging my side playfully. He already knew where this was going.

"Trust me, you'll love it here," I nodded, tugging her towards our home.

"Isn't this KIDNAPPING?!" she wailed. "I'll call the police and--"

"In this town, we ARE the law enforcement," I snickered. "Have you already forgotten the role a Caster's Guild plays in every city?"

She looked towards Tyler to confirm who nodded shyly. Although we were both teasing her, I still wanted to show her how we could harness her true potential. As I dragged her in, her whimpering subsided and her eyes widened.

"Welcome to The Guild, Kisa."