Corvus stood before the Orb of Time, his hand hovering just above its swirling, iridescent surface. The orb pulsed, its temporal energy fluctuating wildly, as if it couldn't decide whether to accept him or reject him. The air around them crackled with temporal distortions, making it difficult to even focus.
"It's… resisting," Corvus said, his voice echoing strangely, stretched and compressed by the time anomalies. "It's not… rejecting me… but it's not… accepting me… either."
Elara, her silvery aura flickering erratically, approached cautiously. "Perhaps… it requires… a specific… attunement," she suggested, her words broken and disjointed by the time shifts. "Something… beyond… elemental… magic."
Borin, seemingly less affected by the temporal distortions – perhaps due to his connection to the Stormforged System – grunted. "Time… tricky… thing," he said, his voice surprisingly stable. "Maybe… needs… strong… will."
Drake, his connection to the Void giving him a measure of resistance to the temporal chaos, studied the orb. He could feel its power, its potential, but also its… indecision. It wasn't a simple matter of elemental affinity, like the previous artifacts. This was something… different.
He looked at Corvus, his face etched with frustration. He knew Corvus desired the orb, understood its potential. But Drake also sensed that it wasn't… right. It wasn't *his* to take, but neither was it Corvus's.
A strange thought flickered through his mind, a memory of the Keepers' words, *"The path to power is not always clear. Sometimes, destiny chooses… a different hand."*
He stepped forward, placing his hand on Corvus's shoulder. "Corvus," he said, his voice clear and steady, "I don't think… it's meant for you."
Corvus looked at him, surprise and disappointment evident in his eyes. "But… I can feel… its power…"
"I know," Drake interrupted gently. "But I think… it's more than power. It's… destiny."
He turned to Elara. "Elara," he said, "try."
Elara looked surprised, but nodded. She reached out, her hand glowing with a faint, silvery light. The Orb of Time pulsed, its energy swirling more intensely. But then, just as it seemed like it might accept her, it… recoiled. It was a gentler rejection than she had experienced before, but a rejection nonetheless.
"It's… not… me… either," she said, her voice filled with confusion.
Drake looked at Borin. "Borin," he said, "try."
Borin looked surprised, then hesitant. "Me? But… I… already… have… system."
"Exactly," Drake said, grinning. "You already have a system. And maybe… *that's* what it needs. A connection… beyond… magic. A… vessel… already… attuned… to… power."
Borin shrugged, then stepped forward. He reached out and touched the Orb of Time.
The effect was instantaneous. The orb pulsed once, a wave of temporal energy washing over Borin. But instead of rejecting him, or even just accepting him, it… *integrated* with him. The erratic fluctuations smoothed out, the temporal distortions subsided, and the orb glowed with a steady, golden light, merging seamlessly with the faint crackling aura of lightning that already surrounded Borin.
*Notification: "Orb of Time Acquired. Temporal Energy Integrated. Chronomantic System Enhanced (Borin)."*
*Notification (Borin): "Chronomantic System Enhanced. Temporal Energy now directly linked to Stormforged System. New Skill Unlocked: Temporal Overload."*
Borin stood, his expression unchanged, but the aura around him now pulsed with both lightning and temporal energy, a swirling mix of power. He looked… different. Not magically different, but… *destined* different. His existing connection to the Stormforged System had become a conduit for the Orb of Time's power, creating a unique synergy.
Drake grinned. "Well," he said, "looks like destiny… chose… a different hand. Or… a hand… already… holding… a hammer. Congratulations, Borin. You're now… officially… a time… *and* storm… lord."
Borin simply nodded, hefting the combined power within him. "Time… for… next… artifact," he said.