"Okay. What's a Time Guardian..?
Paser looked at Ryan and grinned.
"Did you know that all the gods in this world have something in common?" he asked, a mischievous glint in his eye.
Ryan's brow furrowed.
"Yes. But how does that relate to my current situation?" Ryan answered hesitantly.
"They control the same attributes, just under different names," Paser replied, leaning back as if he had just dropped a bomb.
Ryan nodded slowly. He could feel the gears turning.
"For time, life, and destiny, the Egyptians had Ra, Khepri, and Thoth. The Greeks had Chronos, Zeus, and the Moirai. The Norse? Heimdall and Frigg. The Hindus? Kala, Mahakala, and Kali. The Romans stuck with Saturn and Janus. The Celts? Crom Cruach and Brigid. In Mesopotamia, there was Enlil and Shamash. The Aztecs worshipped Tonatiuh and Quetzalcoatl. And in China, there's Zhong Kui and Xiwangmu…"
Ryan interrupted, impatience creeping into his voice. "Babylonians have Zervan. Persians have Zurvan. Slavs have Veles…"
Paser chuckled. "You're quite the scholar, I see."
Ryan frowned.
"I'm just an archaeologist."
"Oho, that's good. So, do you remember the hierarchy of the gods?"
"Yes…of course. There are the Supreme Gods like Zervan, Kala, Chronos, and Zhong Kui. Then there are the Primary Time Gods like Ra, Tonatiuh, Saturnus…wait a minute."
Ryan paused, his brow furrowed. "Two days ago, I had a vision. The gods surrounded me, and Chronos, he… there was a blue sphere from his hand, it went into my chest…"
"That's when you awakened," Paser said, a knowing smile on his face.
Ryan's eyes widened. "Awakened…?"
"That's when the gods gave you the power of time."
"The power of time? So, you're saying Chronos gave the power of time to me?"
"Exactly."
"Damn it, can you explain in more detail?" Ryan grumbled, frustration bubbling.
Paser chuckled, "You seem like an impatient person."
"I'm indeed impatient if you explain like a kindergarten teacher..."
Paser chuckled.
Ryan frowned, feeling like a toy in Paser's hands. 'This guy... I just met him and he already thinks of me as a toy or something...'
"See, the Supreme God, in this case, the Lord of Time, Chronos, has a group... you can call it a small army... people who are chosen to be the Guardians. We are often called the Guardians of Time."
"The Guardians of Time must guard and maintain everything in the universe with its original destiny. Not only in this world, I mean this earth, we also have to maintain the balance of every dimension."
"So all Time Guardians have powers over time... a small part of Chronos' power... such as moving to other times, dimensions, or spaces, stopping time, and a few others. However, we have to fight humans or other beings who have the same abilities or those who are greater than us. Therefore we will get training in skills based on our preferences, such as elemental magic, swordsmanship, archery, and so on. We will work together with other gods and goddesses as well."
Ryan blinked. "Time Guardians? So, I'm one of them now?"
"Yeah! You're part of this special group, chosen to regulate time and maintain order. But from what I've heard, you were specifically chosen to be the Time Emperor."
"T-what time? B-but why me?"
"You'll find out soon enough." Paser interrupted.
Ryan shook his head, half amused, half annoyed. "So, I'm supposed to be the Time Emperor? What's next? Do I have to wear a robe like I see in the movies?"
Paser snorted. "Not a robe, but maybe a cool watch. You'll need it."
This was way beyond his wildest imagination. What dragged him into..?
"Ryan?"
"Ah... yes?"
"Any more questions?"
"Why me?" Ryan asked quickly, his voice filled with a hint of panic. He didn't want to be cut off again, sent back to the present suddenly, like last time.
"You've had a time stamp since you were a baby."
Ryan's eyebrows rose. "Since I was a baby? Really?"
"Yes. The timestamp will take effect, like the same dream until you wake up. After you awaken, you will never have that dream again. The dreams would be in random forms, nightmares, good dreams, you name it."
Ryan's heart sank. "So my nightmares..."
"Oho... you are very unlucky to have nightmares." Paser chuckled, clearly enjoying the chaos of Ryan's situation.
Ryan frowned, silently cursing the gods in his mind.
"Great. Dream lottery," Ryan muttered sarcastically. He felt a wave of relief. His nightmare problem was finally solved. However, a deeper problem loomed ahead.
"I'm a Time Keeper...? Do I have to fight? But I don't know any martial arts." Panic gripped him.
Suddenly, Paser stood up with a calm demeanor. "I think your time here is up. I'll return you to your current era."
"What? You haven't finished your..."
"The god Anubis will come to see you. He will bring your mentor to you."
With a wave, Paser added, "Goodbye. I'll see you again another time."
Ryan could only stare at Paser and his room which were starting to fade.
***
Ryan's body turned into a blur, and in the blink of an eye, he found himself back in his room in the Luxor villa. He blinked a few times, confused, then sat up in bed.
He reached for his smartphone and checked the time.
'11:25 PM. So, it only takes about thirty minutes for 4 hours in Paser time?'
His dinner was around 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM, and he fell asleep around 10:45 PM.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, he felt a mixture of confusion and exhaustion. He got up and drank a glass of water, the cool liquid refreshing his parched throat. He put the glass on his desk and sat down in his chair, staring blankly at his papers.
'Hmm…'
He took out some blank paper and a pen and then began to write down his thoughts.
'Let's see…'
- Paser
- Guardians of Time
- Supreme God
- Emperor of Time
- Power of Time
- Dreams
Ryan massaged his temples, trying to relieve the drowsiness. He stood up and walked to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. The clock read 11:46 p.m. The villa was silent; no one else was around.
He returned to his desk, coffee in hand, and continued his scribbling. His mind danced around the concept of Paser, the Time Guardian.
>Paser - the Time Guardian - lived in England in 1804.
Ever lived?
He paused, questioning Paser's existence.
>Guardians of Time
What did that mean? What kind of creatures there in Guardians of Time?
>Supreme God - Paser said Chronos chose the Guardians of Time.
Chronos (χρόνος) : Titan god of time, who rules over the cycles and seasons of the universe. Often depicted as a bearded wise man carrying a sickle or scythe.
>Time Emperor
What is the power of time? Time travel?
>Dreams - Paser mentioned that all Time Guardians are chosen from babies.
Ryan's heart was pounding. His nightmares - were they really the signs of the chosen one?
He took a sip of his coffee, letting the warmth spread throughout his body. He played with his pen as he read his notes over and over.
***
Unbeknownst to him, the shadows in his room moved. A jackal-headed human figure emerged from the shadows.
"Ryan," he called, his voice deep and rough.
Ryan's heart was pounding as he crawled backward, his eyes glued to the figure's canine face.
"A-A-Anubis?" he stuttered.
"Lord Anubis." The figure said.
"Oh, I-I apologize, Lord Anubis. W-what brings you here?"
Anubis' deep voice echoed like thunder. "Since you have awakened your power, we will show you how to harness it, and make you stronger. Paser has told you, hasn't he?"
Ryan swallowed. "Y-yes..."
Anubis raised his right hand. Suddenly, another figure emerged from the shadows.
"A dog? ...Wait, that's a big wolf!" Ryan's eyes widened.
"Fenrir to be exact. He'll be your mentor." Anubis explained.
Ryan blinked in disbelief. "Fenrir? B-but he's so big..."
"Don't worry. He can hide in your shadow. Prepare yourself well, Ryan. You must become strong to fulfill your destiny."
With that, Anubis disappeared into the shadows, leaving Ryan shaken and confused.
Ryan took a deep breath.
He glanced at the big wolf, who seemed to be observing him.
Ryan took a deep breath.
This was going to be a strange adventure.