As Tenzin Bog gathered his staff and tried to find the words to ease the deadly silence, Chidai interrupted the stillness. “col guardians” on me. Ruthgar send word to the queen. Bog-dan focus on the watchers. let’s find that son of a “colshard” who did this and sprung into action.

A dozen or so guardians jumped off from around the ridge. axe in hand, each in their favored glissading positions as they raced forward towards the misty ponds.

Chidai had to burn off some ash to speed up her sprint. “frigkizzbad. What have you started Lance 😬” she cursed as she came down the steep slopes. She was gone before Ruthgar could muster a retort. Bog stood up with a faint smile on his lips, eyes showing just a tinge of parental fondess! Leave it to his eldest to be the first to gather her wits when something unexpected happens. She was after all the first one to quickly recognize heartstrings as soon as they turned blue. “She will be fine Ruth. Go to the queen. I know just the bunch to send to scout”.

Ruth nodded and took off into the night. Bog made haste. He was about to open a pandora’s box and it was best he reached them first.

****

She wouldnt have been the only one to recognize those trademark remnants. But as his foster sister, she would be the only one who wouldnt use it to her advantage. Well she hoped it wouldnt come to that. He was barely that anyway. How long had it been since she last climbed the cracks of asgarhtia. Duty and honor are gonna be tested tonight, she taught noticing the glacial blue glow beginning to pulse again.

She just wanted to arrive first to ensure nothing was tampered. Heartstrings and Hope had both been unleashed. “To what end” must be solved correctly. The fate of their very way depended on it.

“Focus” she reined back her thoughts as she arrived at the same time as Ashamar. That startled her. If he made it here in time, he must have intuitively reacted to the events as they unfolded and took this logical conclusion. The efficacy chilled her to the bone. Emerging talent, just as she had heard. Things could get messy if he saw a different light here, she thought.

“Heartstring - just like when Lance struck that tree in class, it kinda felt like time unravelled onto itself and momentarily I was floating in nothingness. It’s that isnt it?” he asked with eyes pausing for corroboration.

Chidai sighed. Before she could reply. “Must have had a reason. Look at where they lead to - the prince’s heart”. She gazed towards his left, in the direction of his stretehed ice axe. “Its frozen. There is no heart beat, but I can still sense aaa life-force?. If we can even call it that… Why is he playing with time this way. How far do you think he’ll go”. She started to develop a level of admiration. “Remarkable” she exclaimed out loud before she could stop herself.

Ashamar nodded towards her, “So whats our plan now?”

****

The son of a colshard. A boon, a curse. A double-edged sword. Back in its sheath now.

That was a delicate gamble, Lance thought as he landed on the soft patch of snow at the bottom of the Towers of Wind in Samada. He must hurry now to make himself be there at the right time and place to kickstart this hail mary of a domino effect. I hope this works. A terrible price had already been paid. He hoped it wouldnt come to more.

Being a rider of time, the blade let him burn time essence: all the life-force. He used this in battle, to achieve superhuman feats. Like heartstrings struck his opponent and attached these blue strings to their heart, freezing them in time, which he converted to gain a time-skip. But at the same time he also needed a space-skip. So he had unleashed hope to turbocharge this skip and spring shoot him into the training grounds of the Fahdurians. 10 winters ago. Light have mercy. The man had nearly become death himself … destroying the very fabric of time space.

The cost has always been the same. What giveth, also taketh. The blade drained both their life reserves. After all it’s hope that kills you!

He still had to find One. Unravelling his last act would require a boundless energy source. Something way beyond his reserves.

His life depended on it. No turning back now.