"Circles are complete with no break in the process. Time is like a gigantic circle. Thus the 'end' of time is also the 'beginning' of time. We are now both before time begins, and after it stops. From our vantage point we can reach into any point in the timeline and view what is happening. Great power certainly, this knowledge; however, it is limited in its uses. We cannot betray the office to which we have been charged."
"Petty hints and clues, intimations of a greater truth than can be seen outright, these are our weapons. We hide behind a cool façade of unfeeling slave driver or cruel noble. Not so much because we delight in such things, but because we are so helpless to prevent or assuage."
"No greater feeling of helplessness can be construed. To see, to know, and though with the ability to aid to be prevented from offering it for fear of the retribution swift and sure to follow even the starting of the venture. And to die in such a state is worse than useless."
"To be a guardian of time, that never ending cycle of death and rebirth, is to be submitted to horrors unimaginable. Better it should be to submit the protection of such a priceless treasure to animated statues; for that is what many guardians become after witnessing the mortality of those under their watch. Many others have gone insane and abandoned their post, oft times commiting suicide by attacking those who placed them in their stewardship."
"Seeing such things, it is inevetable that the gods would seek to place this important task on themselves, for the power of time is inherently great, and who wields it commands great respect."
"Why is it that former mortals have been relegated to this position? Perhaps it is because we understand the futility of all our efforts, the courage that keeps our spirits alive in great tribulation. Or mayhap it is our kinship with those who die, the ties of blood that bind us to those we guard. It could be that the dead make better guards than the living; immortality is after all, nothing more than a living death, at least for those who have lost all hope."
"Hope. Yes, that is why we stand here in the bleakness of this existence, looking down still upon those under our care. Why we drop hints, clues, and riddles. Why we laugh and weep, rejoicing in existence and regretting the pain of loss. Our elder served in a generation of greatest achievement in his world, only to see it fall apart before a predatorial power. He does not despair however, and continues to provide others with a beacon throughout the ages."
"She saw the machinations of a great kingdom of order, filled with light and color, only to have it fall into darkness as those with evil intentions brought about its downfall. Her dreams to bring about the same again in her world may or may not come to pass, yet she still perseveres on. She guards well what she has been given."
"For my part, I have roamed the worlds, seeing much, and bound now to little. All I once knew are dead and gone, or at least that is my condition to them. For though I may walk yet the worlds, it is now without notice, as is the fate of all who tread that path outside of time. And indeed, all who were my closest friends have gone on to the gods, leaving me outside of any warmth of love and companionship. But still I hold to hope, knowing that love never dies."
"We stand together now, we three. Something more than guardians we have become. Though perhaps it will take us centuries to determine exactly what."
"We have time."
"For us, the quest is only beginning."
Finis
This story takes a view on what it might seem like to those immortals who stand outside of time, guarding it for all other mortals. Or to help guide them, as the case may be. Two of the characters (though unnamed, it should be pretty easy to figure out who they are) are from real games and/or anime series. The third is a character of my own creation and as such is under my complete control. It was inspired by thinking too much about the 'gates of time'/'end of time', and the conjecture that they are both portions of the same space...
Comments and/or criticism is welcome and encouraged. Other fictions based along this line of thought are scheduled to follow, though how much time they will take is yet unknown. Again, thanks for viewing this, hope you enjoyed the read.
Trevor X1
