Ch. 4: The Time Shear

"Knoll? Knoll!" said a voice.

I turned around…the voice was coming from a fellow magician… I realized that we were in the royal library of Grado Castle researching ancient tomes.

"Oh, pardon me…," I said.

"Lord Knoll, that book must be interesting if you were absorbed in it for so long. What is it called?" he asked.

"This tome is called the Chronomicon…," I said as I handed it to him, "it was…well…a forbidden book from the royal library, but I received special permission from Prince Lyon to research it."

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have been able to even touch the Chronomicon, but Prince Lyon was desperate to help his country ever since his father's health was failing…

"This book must be quite old… The pages are ripped and turning yellow…and dusty too, but it is definitely a tome of dark magic," he threw it back to me.

It had been nearly two years since I had passed the exam… Yet its memories were still fresh in my mind. I remember the peevish, ornery Kaito's exam and the interview with…but now is not the time for a reminiscence, I should not be recollecting past events when duty rests on my shoulders. I began reading the book again… The Chronomicon was written in the ancient language. It was an extreme effort to decipher a single word… It seemed impossible to translate the book…, but for Lyon and the citizens of Grado…I persevered. Soon, I was able to decode parts of it…and my understanding of the Chronomicon increased. But, inside the ancient tome…there was one page that held my attention. It was called Shalis Tiempe…The first word means "to cut" or "to slash"…

'It allows the caster to summon a sword or a lance of darkness, perhaps?' I thought.

But I gasped as I read the second word … Tiempe means…

"Lord Knoll!" I turned around again. It was the magician who I had talked to earlier, "Prince Lyon is here!"

I saw Prince Lyon coming into the Royal Library. He was late today, since he was attending his ill father.

I muttered, "Thank you; but next time….please do not bother me when I am focused…"

I resumed reading the Chronomicon. Like I said earlier, Shalis means "to cut/ to slash", but Tiempe means…time

'Cut…Time…Cutting…Time… this spell can cut time!' I thought.

I began reading about the Shalis Tiempe which I had dubbed the "Time Shear"… The spell slashes time itself and creates a small fissure in the fourth dimension. Through the opening caused by the spell, one could predict--and even prevent--events in the future… I stared in disbelief at what I had discovered… I relayed my find to Prince Lyon.

"A spell that can foretell the future? Impossible!" he exclaimed at the news.

"…..The enchantment is quite complicated," I stated calmly, "we may be unable to reproduce this ancient spell…"

"What are you saying, Knoll!" he yelled, "We can use this spell for Grado's benefit. I will never be as great a ruler as my father…, but with this spell, I can help my people."

"…………," I knew he was right.

The next day, Prince Lyon made an announcement to the other royal magicians.

"Everyone…Lord Knoll has discovered a spell entitled the Time Shear. It causes an opening in cause and effect. By using it …we can predict the future."

Several of the magicians were astonished.

"Foretell the future? Is that even possible?" exclaimed one sorcerer.

"Yes it is possible, but it is quite complicated…even for Lord Knoll and me," said Lyon

"But what's the point? If it's too difficult for even for you and your main researcher, how do you think we will be able master it! I think it would be a waster of time," said another magician. Unfortunately, many shamans agreed with him.

"Everyone! Think about our countrymen! The fate of Grado is in our hands! What if a massive earthquake strikes Grado, or what if a storm destroys all of our ships! With the Time Shear we can help the citizens of Grado."

"But….," one mage began to say.

"What was the purpose of our dark magic research! It was to prove that our magic of darkness had good uses, was it not? With this spell we can achieve our goal…"

"……!" Most of the other magicians and I were surprised. Lyon was such a bashful youth, but to help his people, he could express his thoughts so well. With his honest words, I believed that even the most notorious bandit would drop his weapons and become a normal farmer.

"He's right!" yelled one magician.

"Yeah! Let's do it, for Grado!" yelled another.

"For Grado!" yelled the other sorcerers.

A rare smile appeared on my usually solemn face.