After the afternoon with Ether, the teens had much to think about, from Cron's abilities to those of the Timekeepers. Everyone thought it would be best that he didn't use any time abilities in front of anyone. And continue to let everyone think of Cron as Timeless.
Though some of him didn't want to be called Timeless, he would still be called that instead of a Timekeeper. The stain the word Timekeeper left on him was unwashable. The pain he felt that day and the loss of his dad were unforgivable.
The group was in a sour mood after their discussion with Ether. Fortunately, they were able to return to the academy before curfew. They wished each other a fair night and went to their dorms.
The following day, Cron went to his first class. He didn't have Lia or Omar there with him, so he was bummed out being alone. The people in the class knew Cron to be Timeless. And the small rumor about him having an Imbued Item lingered in the air. Though he was a bit worried about that, he knew if any teachers asked to search him, he was in the clear.
The Professor walked in. The ethics teacher's name is Professor Lev. He was middle-aged and wasn't fond of wearing the required robe. He put the robe on his desk.
Then, Professor Lev addressed the class. "Hello, everyone. If you recall, we discussed what we would study in this course on the first day of class. With that, I want to ask you a question. If we have time at our fingertips, why not commit crimes?"
A student raised his hand to be picked on. "Is it because other people have time abilities as well?"
"It is one reason," Professor Lev said. "But think of something else: why don't we commit more crimes?"
The same student answered. "Because it's bad?"
"Exactly," Professor Lev agreed. "Because it's terrible. Now, you may be thinking, that's obvious. But it's more than that! We can do whatever we want with time but choose not to because it's morally wrong. With the gifts we are granted, our job isn't to harm but to help. We are morally obligated to save as many people as possible because we can do so."
That struck a chord with Cron. That night, when he cast his Orgones, he vowed to save as many people as possible. With a smile, he was excited about this class and hoped to learn more about ethics and time.
"Now, please turn to page 14," Professor Lev said. "There's a situation where we can study. So, read and write down a paragraph about what you will do."
Cron eagerly turned to the page to study it. He was excited to learn more about what he could do with his time abilities. Since he has all types of Orgones, he could use them to save more people in a crisis.
But that made him consider keeping it a secret. How could he save more people if they knew who he was, and if the Timekeepers discovered him, how would he hide from them?
Cron had a simple idea: He would wear a mask. If his plan worked, he would have to go to the market to find something to cover his face. This would be perfect, as he could save people while keeping his identity secret from the Timekeepers.
After a few more classes, it was the lunch period. The students gathered around the academy, talking to friends and eating their food. Cron was walking on the lawn, where he was beaten up.
He thought about how intense that night had been and how, with a smile, he could finally do something to protect people from harm like that. He felt a new sensation of saving people.
Someone caught his eye as he turned around to walk to the lunch room. Cron knows all the colors of robes and their meaning. Robes in their society always meant. But someone wore a robe he had never seen before.
He was an elderly man with a long white beard. His maroon robe covered his face, making him stand out even more. His absence of time marks made him even more noticeable.
Cron was wondering who this man was when someone grabbed him. Cron looked wildly at who it was. It was Lia, laughing.
"You should have seen your face!" She said.
Cron instantly looked back at the maroon-robed man. Cron quickly spotted him. Lia looked confused at Cron's action.
"Uh, hello, what are you doing?"
"I'm sorry," Cron said, watching the maroon man walk suspiciously. "I think someone is not meant to be here."
Lia looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Cron pointed. "Do you see that man wearing a maroon robe?"
Lia looked at the man. "Oh hey, that's a weird one. I've never seen that before."
"Neither have I," Cron said. "But, do you think he's trying not to be seen?"
Lia scoffed. "In that robe, it would be hard not to notice him."
"I wonder where he's going?" Cron said to himself.
"Whoa, you want to follow him?" Lia asked. "Why?"
"I don't know, I just feel he doesn't belong. Like, what if he's a Timekeeper?"
Lia became serious. "That's something we don't want to point out, Cron."
"Let's follow him," Cron said.
"And do what? Get captured?"
"If he's a Timekeeper and he's planning something, we need to stop him," Cron said.
Lia didn't like the idea but wasn't about to let Cron do it alone. "Fine, but the moment something bad happens, we leave and tell my cousin."
"Deal," Cron agreed.
They tailed the maroon-robed man. Then, I followed him into a path I had never been down before. Soon, the man turned the corner and stood at a brick wall. Cron and Lia were confused about what he was doing.
Then, the man pushed a small stone piece into the wall. A secret door slid to the side, allowing the man entrance. He then followed a staircase down, but the door was open.
Cron and Lia ran to the open door. Then, both looked at it and then at each other. "Should we do it?" Lia asked.
"Yes, we need to see what this is," Cron said.
They then took a deep breath and quietly walked into the secret room.