Chapter 3
The Time Gates and their Guardian
The place was gloomier than usual if that was even possible. The dark clouds of fog were dancing their usual slow dance. Like millions of snakes they enveloped my body the moment I teleported onto this secluded area. I couldn't see anything, but that did not stop me. I had been here enough times to know where the Time Gates were with my eyes closed.
I walked for some time concentrating on Setsuna's wave, and soon it became warmer and I opened my eyes in front of the heavily ornamented Gates of Time. Setsuna was standing on her usual spot a little left or right; depending from what side you looked at her, of the Time Gates, with her Time Staff in her right hand.
I hadn't seen her for 8 years, and during this time period she had aged considerably. Her once shiny green hair was completely white now. A fact that surprised me to no end as the Guardian of Time is immortal she is not supposed to age. Was it because of the recent events in Crystal Tokyo or the Evil called Sauron had somehow laid its hand upon her as well. I screwed up my eyes and upon closer inspection noticed something strange about her staff as well. The Garnet Orb was missing.
"Hotaru". She greeted me with a whisper.
"Setsuna. What happened?"
"Sauron attacked Crystal Tokyo.
His dark waves practically destroyed the city killing everyone. The senshi tried to protect the princess, but he took their star seeds as well as the princess'. I couldn't do anything as I was here trying to eliminate the gaps in the time flow, that were created by his invasion."
"What about Uranus and Neptune? Why didn't they help? Where are they Setsuna"?
"They are in Middle Earth. But do not trust hope, it will deceive you.
Here. Take this key. When you enter the Time Gates you will find yourself in a white hall with numerous doors of different sizes and shapes. The key will open the door leading to Middle Earth. Be careful when you reach there. No one can tell where and when you will appear."
I looked skeptically at the small key that could easily be mistaken for a rotten piece of wood, but when things involved Setsuna nothing could be surprising.
I looked at Setsuna hoping that she would say something else. Tell me what had happened to her talisman? Had Souron taken it away?
Show me the exact location of the star seeds or where the outers were, or tell me about this wizards that I had to find. Were they on our side or on the other side? Was there even an our side in this strange world called Middle Earth? Maybe there were two sides fighting against each other, who would equally consider me as an enemy? Questions seem to enter my mind repeatedly from some fathomless well.
I didn't know which one to ask and then suddenly I remembered something that she had said. "Do not trust hope it will deceive you" I opened my mouth to ask what she meant, but it was already too late. She had raised her staff and was opening the Time Gates.
"Hurry. I cannot keep them open for too long."
I looked at her, and smiled. Gripped the small distorted key in my palm and started walking towards the Gates.
"Hotaru." Setsuna's whisper nearly gave me a heart attack.
"Yes. Setsuna mama."
"Your senses might deceive you. Trust only your star seed."
"Thank you Setsuna."I thanked her. Though I had no idea what she was talking about.
"I will find the star seeds and I will find your talisman"
The Time Gates slowly closed sealing the path Hotaru had gone through. Everything returned to its normal routine, and the only thing disturbing the slow dance of the foggy clouds was the whisper of the Guardian of Time.
"Thank you firefly, and may Selene and Chronos guide and protect you through your journey"
I stepped through the Time Gates and was momentarily blinded by a white shine, which slowly became tolerable as my eyes started to adjust to the whiteness of this place that I was in.
All around me were endless rows of doors hovering a couple of inches above the ground. To tell the truth I was starting to panic. How was I going to find THE one door that would lead me to my destination? I took a couple of deep breaths and calmed down, deciding to think rationally. I opened my fist and looked at the ugly small key. According to its appearance I needed a small wooden door. I looked at the rows of doors in front of me. The first row consisted of tall beautifully adorned golden doors. I decided to exclude this row.
The second row consisted of silver doors decorated with all kinds of jewels. I walked further. The doors in the third rowwere made of iron and reminded me of some medieval castle's doors. I continued walking through the endless rows excluding one after another for this or that reason. Finally I reached one that consisted of small and deformed pieces of wood hanging in the air. I felt my star seed's warmth flicker telling me that I was close. I decided to follow Setsuna's advice and shutting all other senses, focused on my star seed's wave and started to walk between the small doors. A couple of minutes later I felt the familiar warmth spread through my whole body. I stopped in front of a small piece of wood that had the exact pattern of a rotten wood as the key in my hand. I looked intently at this masterpiece and found a small crack that distantly reminded of a keyhole.
I held my breath and slowly pushed the key into the keywhole. The key fit the crack perfectly and encouraged by this I turned it. For a moment nothing happened. Then suddenly the door started to shake. The old wooden bark started to dissolve leaving in its place a beautiful golden door. "Well, not everything that shines is gold or in this case, not everything that does not shine isn't gold." I muttered. The golden door started to open slowly and without any warning I got sucked into a warp of time and space, that would hopefully take me to Middle Earth.
