"Chronos: 1&2" by Gracia ´Gengar´ Soria

Chronos: 1. The Council

The street was completely dark. It was midnight, in a place were poverty and pain were usual. Santos was walking down the street, trying to make his thoughts back to normal. But it was hard.

Santos was a mage; and he was a very powerful one. That’s why he was the leader of the reformed council. The council... was going to gather for the first time in ten years; for the first time since the betrayal of Maiden. Maiden. Maiden... the memories filled Santos' mind while he walked down the street.

Maiden had been his disciple, his friend, his lover, and later on, the mother of his only daughter, Rainyday. Rainyday… was very much like her mother...

For a second, Santos allowed his mind to fly back to the past... to a time where things were better, when the council was new and filled with hope. All the members of the council were his friends. People he would give his life for, without hesitation. They were proud, proud to be different, to have learnt how to use the power of the universe to control reality; and so, they changed their names. Santos was barely aware that his own human name has been John, and he was fairly sure that Bluebell's human name was Alison. But that was not really important anymore. They were not mere human anymore, and so, human past was forgotten. They were mages: Bluebell, Hi-tech, Maiden, Kharma, and himself, Santos. They made the council, and since that very moment, their power grew to a level they could've never expected. They even learnt how to mix their strength to manage almost impossible tasks. It had been an amazing time for them all.

Maiden was the youngest of them all. She was 15 years old when she arrived, by the hand of her big sis, Bluebell. Santos was 43. But they fell in love almost since the very first second they saw each other. The top of that happiness, of that drunkenness of power, was Rainyday's birth. She saw the light for the first time in a stormy morning in the middle of July, but as soon as she opened her eyes, the storm stopped, and it was replaced for a soft wind, filled with crystal clear raindrops, fresh and delicious. That's how Rainyday got her name. The first child that was born out of two mages. The first child to never had a human name. Their love and trophy. Life was like a dream come truth.

...until Maiden betrayed them all. It happened in a second. It has not been a delayed movement; it had been fast and strong. One day, Maiden simply disappeared, taking Rainyday with her. A couple of hours later, Markus, Maiden's new lover, destroyed the council. Markus and his followers struck hard and strong, knowing quite well the weak points of every one of them. Bluebell’s weak will, Hi-tech's overconfidence, Kharma's phobias, and Santos' mind. Hi-tech ended up in an alley, lost, amnesic and alone. Kharma and Bluebell spent months in a hospital, trapped in coma. Santos escaped barely able to lick his wounds in a lost town in Mexico. The council was finished.

Ten years has passed. Santos was not a young man anymore. And they all gathered once more. Like in a prophecy, they all sensed the sudden disturbance. It had been like a scream, a thunder, rumbling all across the nation, the continent, the world. It was bad news. So they all came back, guided by the memories or the instinct. And they all went to Santos' house. In there, their old leader greet them. "I've been waiting for you." The council was back.

Chronos: 2. The Daughter

The council was back. Hi-tech, Bluebell, Kharma and Santos. This time there were four of them. But nobody dared to mention the name of the fifth member.

- I’ve been waiting for you – said Santos, their leader and the oldest of them all.

Bluebell could not contain her emotions any more. She crossed the room and embraced Santos.

- Santos, it’s been such a long time… -

Kharma did the same, tears rolling down her cheek. Santos enjoyed the soft embrace of both girls, feeling that somehow, his life was coming back. His eyes then found Hi-tech’s.

- Man… -

But Hi-tech only smiled softly, distant.

- I’m used to this, fella. And I’m used to find out pieces of my old life in places I could’ve never expected. Looks like you’re one of those pieces. Ten years ago I woke up only to discover that I had no idea of who I was or what I was doing there. I’ve been trying to find the answers following my instincts and the bits of memories that come to my mind some times. I can imagine you all sensed the disturbance and came here to find you, fella. I only came here because my heart told me to do it. -

Santos and the girls stood motionless listening to Hi-tech’s words. They knew perfectly what had happened ten years ago, and they realized the scars were harsh still in the council.

Kharma went close to the blond, charming guy that used to have the proud name of Hi-tech. She touched the soft hair and the tough hands.

- You’re back home, Hi-tech. We’ll guide you through all this. We’ll be your teachers like you used to be ours. -

And deep inside, Hi-tech found out that those three people were all that he needed.

All that evening the reformed council talked about what had happened in those ten years. Bluebell and Kharma had been together all that time. After they finally left the hospital, they moved to England, where they kept on practicing… but their power has been diminished by Markus, and it took a long time to go back to normal. Bluebell had some brain damage, and it was very hard for her to learn how to control her power. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, both girls had to escape from their own home and find a hidden place to stay. The reason: the neighbors had started to complain about weird phenomena around their house at night. Screams, furniture shaking, strange lights… like a poltergeist, a ghost rumbling across the house. It was Bluebell’s power, out of control. It happened for years… and even now, sometimes she had to run away from her own doings.

Hi-tech’s life had not been better. After Markus’ intrusion, he had to rebuild his life out of zero. He was quite aware that he was a mage, and his powers helped him a lot in a world that was unknown to him. He built a gadget he used to call the Memory-machine; it was the size of an eyeball, and was firmly stuck into his head, behind his left ear. Every time he catched a glimpse of his past life, he was able to record it in there, like part of a video. After all these years, he had built kind of a chopped movie that he was trying to fill a little bit more every day. Santos’ sudden entrance into his life had brought a real avalanche of memories to his mind. And the Memory-machine was having a good time.

And Santos… he was not so hurted as his partners. He escaped for years, improving his power, letting his rage flow until it became a strong determination. And when he felt he was ready, he looked for Markus and Maiden.

- My god… he was so powerful… why did you do that without us? You should’ve looked for us… we’ve been waiting for your call! -

- I know, Bluebell… but that was my choice… and my duty -

And despite all that they imagined… Santos won the battle. A huge scar on his right leg and a missing eye were the price. And Markus died on his hands.

- Santos… Oh, my god, at least you’re alive. I could’ve never resisted coming here and finding only your testament. But now I’m confused, Santos… I thought it had been Markus the one to blame for the disturbance – said Bluebell.

- Yeah, me too… gosh… but… what happened with…? – And Kharma stopped her words, a bit afraid of telling her name.

- Maiden escaped. I left her go. She was not very powerful. She never was. So I let her go. She took Rainyday … and her little sister Caroline with her. -

- Sister? -

- Yes, Bluebell. A sister. Markus’ daughter. I… I was quite aware that she was pregnant when she left, but I thought the baby was mine. Now I know she was carrying Markus’ daughter, Caroline. -

- A human name… – said Kharma, almost spitting the words, but she never ended the sentence.

- Jesus, man… the disturbance…! -

- Oh, Hi-tech… I knew you were going to get it. Caroline is the one to blame for the disturbance. – And Santos lowered his head in shame.

- Rainyday… my poor baby… - Bluebell started to cry.