"I love you. I'll always love you, you know that." Artemus whispered softly, his cheek pressed to the top of Garrett's head as he gently swayed them back and forth, back and forth, Erin watching from the old recliner before the fire, waiting for her turn to comfort her brother.

Typically, Garrett was always a bundle of excitement whenever he returned from one of Keeper Vairia's lectures, moreso recently as the discussion of the Sneak Thief was still occurring…

But that night, Garrett returned somber and uncertain, whereas before he would have all but skipped into Artemus' quarters, Erin hot on his heels to listen to her brother re-explain Keeper Vairia's lecture.

Instead, he approached on silent heels, Erin a little shadow behind him who darted to the seat as soon as the door was closed as Garrett walked to Artemus, suddenly small.

The first thing Garrett did was press his forehead to his Keeper's chest and loop his arms around Artemus' middle. Garrett could tolerate affection in front of others, though Artemus knew his boy secretly loved to be held, but Garrett was rarely the one to initiate such displays…

And the first thing Garrett said to his Keeper was a heartbreakingly soft;

"Please don't die Pa…"

And with those words alone, Artemus knew exactly which story Keeper Varia told the history class that day…

Five years after the fall of Father Karras and the Mechanists, Balance returned to the city, the Pagans were able to regain much of their lost land while the Mechanists were forced to withdraw.

There was no such thing as peace in the city, but a sort of calm did settle among the streets.

A dullness settled, the people were content, but Keepers were growing anxious…

During the five years of calm, the Keepers received another prophecy, a most concerning prophecy detaining something only known as 'The Dark Age'

With no other information available regarding what exactly the Dark Age detailed, the Keepers were left largely at a loss. Scholars poured over ancient texts to gather a glimpse into the future, they monitored the ever churning waves of the Primordial Sea, desperately looking for some sort of clue.

And in the end, after years of research, the only lead the Keepers could find was a myth, a singular legend, hidden among millions of words and thousands of years.

An ancient book, lost to time.

But as he so often did, the Sneak Thief found the impossible.

And with the book recovered, the Keepers rejoiced, the mysteries of the prophesied Dark Ages would soon be unveiled.

The book however offered no easy answer to the Keepers' questions, only a single, ominous warning that once again left the Keepers scratching their heads…

The Sneak Thief however was not one to sit idle and simply wait for fate as the Keepers so often did.

The warning the book offered was simple and surprisingly, not classified.

"When the process of time ceases, the evil one will be pointed out for all to see."

Artemus knew the warning by heart, and he knew what the Sneak Thief's response to the omen was.

While the Keepers were content with waiting for the supposed 'cease of time' the Sneak Thief was not, the Sneak Thief took matters into his own hands.

The Sneak Thief ceased time.

Not literally, though Artemus knew that Keeper Vairia had a flair for the dramatics, so he would always pause for a moment or two after declaring that a lone thief managed to halt the tides of time.

What actually happened was far simpler, the Sneak Thief simply collapsed the Stonemarket Clocktower, which, while incredibly destructive… Served the omens' purpose well enough.

However, the man, the evil one foretold in the omen, was a very powerful, influential man who easily turned all accusations away from himself.

The First Keeper of olde was a bitter man, vicious with his words and wit, he guided the Haven with an iron fist cradled in the softest of furs, and the moment the Sneak Thief dared to accuse him of being the prophesied 'evil one', he closed his hand, the soft furs lining the inside of that iron fist guarded the Haven and the Keepers from harm while shutting out everyone else, the Sneak Thief included.

For a while it seemed as though the Haven fully intended to cut itself completely free from the rest of the City, something that they would be hypothetically capable of.

From an old journal written by the Sneak Thief, he detailed his frustrations with the First Keeper and his cowardly decision to hide away while the rest of the city suffered when the Haven could help abundantly.

It was that journal that was used in a court hearing against the Sneak Thief, some few shy weeks after the Haven sealed its doors, Interpreter Caduca was found murdered in her chambers, a true tragedy for the Haven, one that would begin the division of the Keepers.

Despite initially deserting the Haven, the Sneak Thief remained a well adored person among the Keepers, while few agreed with his methods, many agreed with his view on the Haven's passivism, believing that, while the Keepers were responsible for documenting and recording the histories of the city, should the Haven have the opportunity to prevent disaster, they doubtlessly should.

Others were far less keen on following the opinions of a traitor, and the First Keeper rallied those who despised the Sneak Thief as he did together as a unified front to bring the Sneak Thief to trial for the murder of Interpreter Caduca.

It was all houndshit.

The Haven had been put into lockdown, no one could get in, no one could get out, and it was made sure that the Sneak Thief was already out when the gates were sealed.

It would have been impossible for the Sneak Thief to get in, and it was well known that the Sneak Thief was no murderer…

Still, the First Keeper played his hands to those he knew would support him, and thus, the Sneak Thief was brought before row after row of cruel Keepers and made to stand for a mockery of justice.

What the First Keeper failed to take into consideration were those whom stood with the Sneak Thief. Among his little gaggle of supporters, the First Keeper's word was law, clear and simple, no one spoke against him, no one disobeyed.

That was far from the case when it came to those who resented the First Keeper.

The Sneak Thief had few allies within the Haven, but those he did have were loyal to a fault, and played a critical role in the Sneak Thief's escape from prosecution within the Haven, and further guiding the Sneak Thief's quest.

Once free, and with the aid of Keepers willing to go against the code of observance, the Sneak Thief made his way all across the city, from the city's heart where the Keeper Library resided, to the Shalebridge Cradle.

The Sneak Thief did many, many things during the onset of the Dark Ages, things that the Haven deemed blasphemous, sacrilegious, impossible and even spiteful…

Artemus could recall himself staring wide eyed at Keeper Dhonova, at the edge of his seat as he listened to her explain how the Sneak Thief managed to travel between the Tides of Time to slip into the past, an impossible task for a mere mortal, and an incredibly dangerous feat to boot…

But he did it, and it filled Artemus with such awe and wonder and glee that he couldn't help but grin like a fool in the middle of class…

What Keeper Dhonova said next however, stole Artemus' breath away...