The Chronicles of Earth and Time

Chapter 18

Aevum slowly made his way down the hallway leading to the library of the palace. He had just spoken with the elves and was told by them that both he and Terra were needed in the throne room. Aevum figured it was probably about addressing the ruins of the Time Castle. He still had not figured out what he was going to do about that. The main tower of the castle was still intact and Aevum was just not really concerned about the rest of the castle.

As Aevum entered the library, he found Terra sitting at one of the nearby tables surrounded by several stacks of books. She was currently absorbed in a huge book that sat in front of her and did not seem to notice that anyone else was in the room with her. Aevum smiled softly at the sight and decided to stay quiet as he approached her. He quickly covered her eyes and kissed her on the cheek. "Guess who," he teased playfully as he kept her eyes shielded behind his hands.

"Callum?" Terra guessed with a mischievous grin on her face. Aevum frowned and uncovered her eyes. Terra turned to see the shocked look on Aevum's face.

"Callum? Who is Callum?" Aevum asked feeling betrayed. Terra stiffened a giggle until she started full out laughing at the look on Aevum's face. "What?" Aevum asked confused by Terra's reaction.

"There is no Callum, Aevum." Terra explained as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I would never betray you. Besides, I don't even know a Callum."

"Alright you got me, but I was this close to going off and looking for Callum." Aevum stated as he held his thumb and forefinger very close together for empathies. Terra laughed as she hugged Aevum as he continued to say how she was the only one for him and that "Callum" would never get between them.

"Alright, Aevum, I believe you." Terra laughed as she let go of Aevum and walked back over to the table and began sorting through the books.

"So, what are you doing?" Aevum asked as he joined Terra at the table.

"I am researching a way to create new spirits to assist in the passing of the seasons and a way to create new creatures." Terra answered as she began putting away unwanted books.

"I can understand way you would need to create new spirits, but why new creatures?" Aevum questioned as he picked up one of the books to examine its contents.

"Well, I decided that I am going to release the elemental stones back into the earth where they came from. I need creatures to guard the stones in case anything happens to them. I also want to create something to guard the volcanoes in case Ustrina tries to use them to escape." Terra answered as she began looking through the bookshelves.

"What made you decide to release the elements back into the earth?" Aevum then put down the book and began helping Terra carry the books that she was grabbing off the shelves.

"Well, Ustrina's element is within the earth where it originated so it only makes sense to allow the other elements to join Ustrina's. It's where they truly belong anyway." Aevum thought about how Terra explained the elemental stones making them sound as if the elemental stones were more than just objects. Terra made it sound as if the stones were alive in a way that he would probably not ever understand even if he tried. "Could you set those books on the table, please?" Terra asked as she set the last book on the now large stack that Aevum was carrying now.

"Why are you doing all this research though?" Aevum asked as he set down the large stack of books causing dust to fly in the air. "It sounds like you already know what you're going to do." He added with a cough.

"Aevum, Gaia didn't leave me any instructions." Terra said with a frown as she turned away from the bookcase to face him. "I have no idea how to be Mother Nature. I have no training and I have no idea how I am going to pull off creating entirely new creatures and spirits." Her hand fell into her hands as she struggled to regain her composer.

"Terra, I'm sorry." Aevum apologized as he grasped her shoulders gently.

"Why are you sorry?" Terra asked puzzled.

"I had training to be Father Time. I know what to do and how to do it."

"I know, but it's not your fault that I had no training. The Mother Natures before me were all created to be Mother Nature. I was created to be an elemental not Mother Nature. I was just a last resort. You shouldn't have to apologize for that." Aevum thought for a moment until a thought occurred to him

"I know this is a longshot and it's against the rules that Aion taught me, but does Gaia have a hidden room?" Aevum asked as he thought about the hidden room that Aion had just underneath the tower. That was why Aevum had been so grateful that the main tower had survived during the fight and why he had not been concerned about reconstructing the rest of the castle.

"A hidden room?" Terra repeated as she pondered at his question. "Why would she have a hidden room?"

"Well, Aion had a hidden room and I thought maybe Gaia did too. There could be documents and books on how to harness the full powers of Mother Nature." He explained thoughtfully as he thought about what a nature spirit would want to keep secret from the rest of the world. Terra thought for a moment realizing that Aevum could be right. If Aion had a secret room then Gaia might have too. All she had to do was figure out where the room could be. Suddenly, she heard the door to the library open causing her to snap out of her thoughts.

"Father Aevum? Mother Terra?" They heard a voice call throughout the library as it grew closer.

"Over here!" Aevum called back as they saw Aria round the corner of one of the many bookcases.

"Hello, Aria." Terra greeted warmly as she began marking the books that she deemed useful. "You know you really don't have to call us that."

"But you are Mother Nature and Father Time now. To us elves, those are your official titles now." Aria explained as she made her way over to the table. "Aevum, did you forget that both you and Mother Terra were summoned to the throne room?"

"Oh," Aevum then turned to Terra playfully. "Terra, we were summoned to the throne room." Terra rolled her eyes at Aevum then looked at Aria.

"Well, now I know that we have been summoned." Terra said as she made a sideways glance at Aevum who just shrugged. Aria gestured for the two of them to follow her as all three of them made their way down to the throne room. To Aevum and Terra's surprise Aria suddenly ran ahead of them down into the throne room. "Aria?" Terra questioned as Aevum and her struggled to catch up with the fast moving elf. Soon Terra and Aevum were making their way down the stairs into a dimly lit throne room.

"Hello?" Aevum called into the large room as they both made their way toward the only light in the room which happened to be Mother Nature and Father Time's throne. Neither Terra nor Aevum had sat in Aion and Gaia's former thrones. They knew that the thrones were technically theirs now, but they did not earn them like the superiors before them had. In the past, Terra was told that the thrones were pasted down to the apprentices of Mother Nature and Father Time through a crowning ceremony that was also the passing of the powers of nature and time. It was the proper way of earning the thrones in a way that was completely different than how they earned their positions.