The Lost King

Chapter Five

I opened my eyes. I was in a large dome, with golden walls and intricate arches separating room from room. On one side, thousands and thousands of hourglasses, vibrant and beautiful, slowly ticked down. On the other side, gray, stale colored hourglasses lay cracked and spilling their precious sand onto the tiled floor. The swooshing sound of sand was the only sound to be heard other than my own heartbeat.

"Hello?" I called, surprised at how echoey the building was. I took a few steps, then actually started walking forward. Suddenly, another loud swooshing sound joined that of sand. I kept walking, hoping to find Krona before my ten minutes were up. I kept walking down the seemingly ceaseless hallway, until a large shadow with no apparent source loomed over me. I whirled around and screamed. Loudly.

"Oh! Sorry about that....I didn't mean to startle you and...Let's try this again. I'm Krona, the time Being. How can I help you?" A gigantic cobra the height of the room was before me, talking to me. She had yellow scales and opalescent eyes, which seemed to pore over my soul. Her black tongue flicked in and out of her mouth, which was large enough to probably swallow Setty if she really tried. Apparently, she was also smiling.

"I'm terribly sorry...I didn't mean to scream, Lady Krona. I simply came to ask for some guidance, if you have any." I said, bowing my head in respect.

"Yes! Guidance! Well, what do you need?" I looked up back into her pearly eyes.

"First of all, do you know why I am in a child's body?" I had a burning desire to know this. I was frozen in full adult form, but now I look like I'm 2 months old.

Krona's pearly eyes suddenly weren't white: they had turned purple with green irises.

"Astrom, King of Dynami! Hear my words!" She said in a sudden booming voice. "To keep the safe one alive, time had to be turned back! The sands moved too quickly back to be stopped! You are the product of a mistake by Future." The booming voice echoed around, and the glint in Krona's eyes made me nervous. The purple was gone now, and black gaping holes replaced it.

"Was Present being vague again? So sorry about that, Astrom. Now, you seek guidance? I can help you there." Another voice took place of the deep dramatic one. It was clear and musical, and reminded me of my mother so long ago. Everything about it was wise and truthful. Krona curled up, resting her head on the top of her coiled yellow body. "Let me see...Oh! You're wondering what you are to do when you reach civilization? Well, it is mutual between us that you must take back your kingdom. For that, you must rally enough resistance to power us back into this world. If you want your rightful place, then earn it. We are powerless in your world unless we use it for the benefit. For you to earn your place, you need your magic back. Apparently, Future would like to send you off...Goodbye, Astrom."

I had it figured out. Each personality and voice represented the past, present, and future. Future was mystical, Present was in charge, and Past told the truth. The things you learn...

"Good luck, Astrom! And sorry I made you a child, you wouldn't believe how hard it is to tip an hourglass just right with no hands. I'll start putting you back immediately. Major growth spurt coming right up! Speaking of hands, do you think Ilios would let me have a pair? I mean, she takes the form of a human and doesn't know the struggle..." I let her talk as I wished myself back to the real world. I need my magic...for magic I need a talisman blessed by all the Beings. All I needed was an impossible task.