Zane Maddock moved through the training hall with quiet precision, his every action calculated. While the others often joked or expressed their frustrations, Zane's face remained impassive. His element, time, demanded focus, and he gave it nothing less.
As the others paired off for training exercises, Zane retreated to the far corner, where an ancient clock sat ticking softly. The sound was comforting in a way he couldn't explain. It reminded him of his parents—of the house where they used to live, the warm kitchen filled with the scent of his mother's cooking, and the sound of his father winding the grandfather clock every evening.
He shook the memory away. Memories were dangerous. They distracted him.
On the other side of the hall, Jasmine watched Zane from a distance. She couldn't help but notice how he seemed to keep himself separate from the group, like he carried some invisible barrier around him.
"Hey," she said softly, walking over to him.
Zane didn't look up from the gears he was studying, his fingers carefully adjusting the intricate mechanisms. "Shouldn't you be practicing?"
"I could say the same to you," she replied, sitting down a few feet away.
"I am," Zane said, his voice as calm and steady as ever.
Jasmine tilted her head, watching him. "You know, you don't have to do this alone. We're a team."
His hands stilled, but he didn't look at her. "A team doesn't change anything. At the end of the day, it's still your responsibility to control your element. No one else can do it for you."
"That's true," she admitted. "But it doesn't mean you have to shut everyone out."
Zane finally looked at her, his dark eyes unreadable. "It's better that way."
"For who?" Jasmine challenged, her voice gentle but firm.
He didn't answer. Instead, he stood and walked away, his footsteps as quiet as his presence.
Later that evening, as the group gathered around the fire, Orin presented a new challenge.
"You will face simulations of the Dark One's agents," they explained, gesturing to a glowing portal that shimmered ominously. "Each of you will enter alone. This will test your connection to your element—and your resolve."
One by one, the Guardians stepped into the portal, their trials tailored to their fears and doubts.
When it was Zane's turn, he walked forward without hesitation, disappearing into the swirling light.
Zane found himself standing in a desolate wasteland. The air was thick with ash, and the sky was a sickly shade of gray. In the distance, he saw a figure standing with their back to him.
His breath caught.
"Mom?"
The figure turned, and Zane's heart clenched. It was his mother, her face exactly as he remembered it—soft, kind, and filled with warmth.
"You've grown so much," she said, her voice carrying the same gentle tone that had soothed him as a child.
Zane took a step back, his hands clenching into fists. "You're not real."
"Why would you say that?" she asked, tilting her head. "I've missed you, Zane."
He shook his head, his expression hardening. "You're not real. You died. Both of you did."
Another figure appeared beside her—his father, tall and strong, with the same proud smile Zane had seen in old photographs.
"Why didn't you save us?" his father asked, his voice echoing through the wasteland.
Zane froze, the words hitting him like a blow to the chest. "I was a kid," he whispered.
"You could have done something," his mother said, her tone suddenly cold.
Zane's hands trembled, but he forced himself to take a deep breath. "This isn't real. You're not real. And I'm not that helpless little boy anymore."
The figures dissolved into shadows, their voices fading into the wind. In their place stood a dark, hulking creature with glowing red eyes.
"You can't escape your past," it growled, its voice like grinding metal.
"I don't have to," Zane replied, his voice steady. He raised his pocket watch, twisting the hands backward. The world around him slowed, the creature's movements becoming sluggish.
With a flick of his wrist, he sent a pulse of golden energy toward the monster, shattering it into fragments of light.
As the wasteland faded away, Zane stood alone, his face emotionless but his heart pounding.
When he emerged from the portal, the others looked at him expectantly, but he offered no explanation.
"What did you see?" Leo asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Nothing important," Zane replied, brushing past him.
Jasmine frowned, watching him retreat to his usual quiet corner. She didn't know what he had faced, but she could tell it had left its mark.
Orin's voice broke the silence. "You all did well. But remember—your greatest challenges are yet to come."
The group exchanged uneasy glances, the weight of their mission pressing down on them once more.
As the fire crackled, Zane stared into the flames, his expression unreadable. He didn't need to share his past with the others. It was his burden to carry, just as it always had been.
