Aeon Legion: Labyrinth (65 page)

∞

It didn't take long to
organize her belongings for the trip back home. She took her
shieldwatch with her and concealed her aeon edge in a duffel bag
after taking it apart. Once she had packed everything, she called her
parents and told them she was coming home. After double checking her
bag one last time, she set off using the fadelines and faded into the
timeport. She found Orion waiting for her near the gates. Remembering
his rank, she saluted.

His expression remained stoic.
“At ease. May I have a word with you in private?”

She then followed him inside a
nearby building. Terra stepped inside a room with her sight on Orion
as the door faded in behind her.

“This will not take long,”
Orion said.

“Strategos?”

Orion gestured to Terra's
duffel bag. “Bring your aeon edge?”

Terra nodded.

“Smart girl.”

“Should I expect trouble?”

“Probably not, but it's a
good habit to keep your aeon edge handy at all times. I don't think
Kairos is interested in you and I would rather it remain that way.”

“So you are sure it's Kairos
then?”

“I never let emotions or
sentiment impede facts and analysis. All the pieces connect and the
final one fell into place when we found her DNA at the battleground.”

“Why tell me this?”

“I plan to watch you
closely, Legionnaire Terra Mason. You have inherited Kairos's aeon
edge and you are Alya's squire. I place little faith in fate or
destiny, but I trust in Alya's ability to find gifted squires. I
gamble that you will be a powerful asset against Kairos. However, I
suspect that Alya will try to fix this herself.”

“How do you know Kairos is
even a major threat? She is only a single person.”

“That one person saved this
city. She can also destroy it.”

“One person destroying the
city?” Terra mumbled while trying to wrap her mind around the
concept. The city seemed so vast and powerful yet she remembered the
duel with Cerberus. The sheer power and terror of that battle gave
her pause to consider. Perhaps Orion was right. There was also the
omen during the Trial of Truth. The omen that Terra had thought was a
warning about Hanns.

“I didn't come here though
to tell you that. I came here to warn you.”

“About Kairos?”

“No.
Now that a Legendary Blade has fallen, other villains will come;
monsters, criminals, mercenaries. Every nasty thing the Legion has
been hunting will come out like roaches in darkness and they will
come after
you
,”
he said, pointing at Terra.

“Me?”

“If they know that you are
Alya's squire, every temporal villain looking to become famous will
try to kill you. Be sure to keep your connection with Alya a secret.”

Terra nodded.

“Oh and one more thing. Keep
quiet about the identity of Kairos. That is an order. We are still
working on how exactly to tell the Legion and Saturn City that our
greatest savior is now trying to kill us.”

The door faded open as Terra
and Orion both looked to the archway. Alya walked in before glaring
at Orion.

Alya stood hands on hips.
“What's the matter Orion? Are you arresting my next squire as
well?”

Orion sighed.

“Come on, Terra,” Alya
said as she gestured to the fadedoor.

Terra turned to go.

“Terra,” Orion said.

She looked back to Orion.

“Never forget who the real
threat is. Kairos is out there and worst of all, she believes she is
Time's only hope. She will not hesitate to do anything to fulfill her
mission. She has to be stopped.”

Terra nodded before she walked
out with Alya. They both made their way to the gate.

“Are you returning to your
own time for a little while?” Alya asked.

Terra nodded. “To see my
parents.”

“Good. You deserve some
rest. Be sure to practice though. You still need to brush up on your
basic blade forms and it wouldn't hurt to practice your close combat
skills too.”

“I will,” Terra said
before glancing at Alya. “What will you do?”

Alya looked away.

“You are going to try to
find Kairos aren't you?”

Alya closed her eyes. “I
have to. I have to find her before the others do and figure out what
happened.” Alya opened her eyes and looked at Terra. “My first
squire, Tahir, saved me. He showed me what a true hero was. He saved
me, but died. All of them have died. Now Kairos comes back lost in
darkness. I have to save her this time.”

“I understand.”

Alya regarded Terra for a
moment and then smiled. “Crash. Here I am rambling about my issues
right after you just completed the hardest test of your life. Don't
spend too much time in the quarry again.”

Terra nodded and turned to go.
She stopped and then ran back to Alya, embracing her. “Thank you
for everything.”

Alya smiled as she hugged
Terra back.

After a moment Terra released
her embrace. “See you soon?”

Alya's smile faded. “Sure...
I will pick you up after I get a few things out of the way.”

∞

Terra felt strange coming
home, almost like it wasn't real. When she first arrived at the city
beyond time it was like a dream. Now it was like a dream returning to
reality as she stood in front of her parent's home. She ran her
fingers across the fence as she approached the door. Terra rang the
doorbell.

“Just a minute,” came
Beth's voice from inside the house. Seconds later the door opened.
“Who are... Terra! Is that you?”

“Mom!” Terra said before
embracing her mother.

“Um dear? Not so tight,”
Beth said as she choked in Terra's vice like embrace. Terra let go
and Beth regarded her. “I barely recognized you.”

Fred walked next to Beth.
“Who's that?”

Terra shrugged. “Dad. It's
me.”

Fred squinted, regarding
Terra. After a moment he smiled and embraced her. “Well if it isn't
the little dirt devil herself. What happened? Where did you get those
muscles?”

Terra smiled. “I've been
exercising a little.”

Beth beamed. “Good. You
needed exercise. Come in. We are getting dinner ready.”

Terra walked in before putting
her bag down. “Need any help?”

Fred shook his head. “It's
about finished. You can go relax. I am sure you are tired from your
long trip. By the way, how were classes? You make any friends?”

Terra smiled. “Yeah I made a
few friends. I met a lot of interesting people. Saw some really cool
stuff.”

Beth moved Terra's bags. “Meet
any young boys?”

“Yeah I met a few, but I
kept fighting with this German guy. There was another boy. He was
nice until...” Terra frowned after remembering Zaid.

Fred nodded. “It sounds like
you at least worked hard and met some interesting people,” he said
before walking into the kitchen.

Terra then heard the
television playing in the living room.

Beth turned to Terra. “Could
you turn off the TV in the living room? Your father left it on
again.”

“Sure,” Terra said as she
walked to the living room. She paused when seeing that a documentary
played. Terra recognized the Nazi soldiers marching in the
background.

“World War Two,” the
narrator said. “It is considered the defining event of the century.
The Nazi party that seized control of Germany would become the most
infamous villains of history. How could they have not known that
their legacy would be one of horror, terror, and destruction? Do we
all have the same capacity for self delusion and evil? When does one
become the villain without recognizing it?”

Terra grabbed the remote and
turned off the television. She had quite enough of Nazis for the rest
of time.

T
ime
King Endymion
enjoyed the clear day in Saturn City as he sat across
the table from his squire Caelum. They played a game of chess with a
holographic projection displaying the board and pieces before them.

He gazed out over his
mansion's grounds before checking the time by looking at the huge
hands that loomed over the city. Then he shifted his attention back
to Caelum. As always, Caelum played with skill, but Endymion needed
only three more moves until checkmate. Still, Endymion found himself
impressed by how much Caelum had improved since their last game.

Caelum
frowned as he looked at the board. While a handsome youth of twenty
years of age, his body was rather scrawny with sandy blonde hair and
sky blue eyes. Caelum reminded Endymion a little of his own lost son
who died centuries ago during the first Kalian attack on the city.
A
smart boy,
Endymion thought,
but
still in need of much improvement.

Caelum
made a move, but his grim expression betrayed his realization of
having lost the match. “Master,
Hanns has
failed.
I told you he wouldn't make it far. A single tiro defeated him I
hear.”

Endymion moved his next piece
which he knew put him two turns until checkmate. As usual, Endymion
took great care in his appearance even in a private setting such as
his mansion. His short, well groomed and immaculate silver hair
shimmered and contrasted with dark eyes. Though he wore casual robes,
they were edged in gold designs ornate enough for a king. He stood
taller than Caelum, but not by much. However, there was no mistaking
the presence he commanded. When Endymion entered a room, everyone
took notice. After all, he was a Time King, the last one in fact, and
soon that title would be more than a relic from a lost golden age.

All the other Kings and Queens
of Time had died or were forced to give up the title. Only Deucalion
and Pythia survived to relinquish the title willingly before
rejoining the Aeon Legion. Time King Endymion, alone, still held the
title. It had required a lot of political maneuvering to prevent his
arrest and execution at the Legion's hands.

Caelum glanced to Endymion and
scowled. “You wasted a good shieldwatch on him, Master.”

Endymion
smiled. Caelum needed to work on his charm more. The boy was
charismatic enough in a public setting, but all that appeal faded
outside the public eye.
One
more thing to work on
,
he thought. “To me, a shieldwatch is a mere trifle. The artifacts
you recovered are far more important. Hanns was a good distraction
and a single lost shieldwatch for the spoils I gained from Tartarus
was a cheap trade. Besides, I like Hanns. He will be useful to me in
the future. I will need men like him to reclaim what's mine.”

Caelum grimaced as he glanced
back down to the chess board. After a moment he made another move.
“How do you know he will serve you? He seems loyal to his nation.”

Endymion grinned. “Oh he
will join me. Hanns hasn't realized yet that he has nowhere else to
go. The thousand year Third Reich doesn't quite live up to its lofty
goals of longevity. I intend to make a nation that will never end,”
he said before putting Caelum in check. “I also forgot to commend
you on your little excursion into Tartarus. You did well. Those in
the Legion still haven’t figured out who ejected Tartarus from the
city and you were never spotted.”

Caelum looked at Endymion.
“You think they will discover that the Singularity Thief was the
one who broke into Tartarus?”

“Eventually. They are slow,
but Orion will figure it out. They won't discover that the
Singularity Thief is you, so you shouldn't worry. So long as we
remain inactive for now, Orion will be too busy with the death of
Cerberus to bother with us.”

Endymion stroked his chin
while wondering. Who could have killed Cerberus? Cerberus was as
nasty as the myth he was named after. The bloodshed left on the
battlefield by that man made even Endymion cringe. He couldn't think
of anyone capable of killing a monster like that. Perhaps Tyche or
Reva, though both of them have been missing for centuries. Endymion
himself could do it, but it would gain him nothing. There was one
other.