Thorne broke the silence in the meeting room by saying, "We will be preparing most of the Guardians, even some of the Elite Circle in this timeline. We must be able to prevent the greater destruction those Time Weavers could cause."

All the deities present nodded in agreement to Thorne's words.

"Fenrir, how is the chosen one progressing? We must prepare him to become Emperor as soon as possible." Kairos said to Fenrir.

"Ryan," Fenrir replied, "exceeded all our expectations."

All present listened to Fenrir's answer with curiosity.

"His progress has been rapid. Ryan has a natural talent for mastering whatever we teach him in a short time."

The gods and goddesses exchanged glances. Some leaned forward, and some crossed their arms.

"In a short period, he has mastered skills that for others, would take decades to master. This clearly shows that she is the person Chronos chose." Fenrir continued.

The gods and goddesses who had been quietly listening, turned a little boisterous with whispers between them, because the name Chronos, the supreme god of time, was mentioned.

"But potential alone is not enough. Ryan needs a challenge, to test his abilities. His first mission will determine if he is ready to face all odds."

The whispers turned into an argument. But Fenrir's words were true.

Aion leaned forward, looking at Fenrir.

"Fenrir," he said curiously, "tell us more about Ryan. His strengths. His weaknesses. We must know on whom we will rely for our fate."

Ananke, who was sitting next to Aion, said, "That's right. If Ryan is to inherit the title of Time Emperor, the leader of the entire Guardians of Time army, we must understand him fully. His potential. His flaws. Everything."

Fenrir thought for a moment. Then he took a deep breath and chose his words carefully.

"He is just learning the Earth element. His ability to interact with Earth is natural, more of an instinct."

Fenrir paused for a moment, then continued his words. "Ryan's potential is more than just being able to connect with the elements. He can quickly master the basic techniques of divine power. This talent is very, very rare to find anywhere. He will become very powerful if he is taught how to control all his powers."

Aion nodded slowly, and asked, "Then what are her weaknesses?"

Fenrir's voice changed slightly as he answered Aion's question. "Ryan is impulsive. Sometimes he acts without thinking first. This can get him and others in trouble."

Ananke replied, "Meaning, he's strong but also careless."

"That's right," Fenrir said. "She needs disciplinary guidance. Without it, his potential could turn into a liability."

Aion leaned back in his chair. "Very well. We'll try to make sure he can get what he needs."

Viracocha nodded. "Agreed. Ryan's growth guarantees his success in his first mission. However, this mission will also test his skills, strategy, and even teamwork."

The room was silent for a moment. The deities were thinking about what was best for Ryan's first mission.

Zurvan was the first to speak. "Ryan will have three tasks. First, he must go back in time with a team of his choosing, from the Guardians of course, and escort the Holy Healer Eira to Oakwood Forest. Eira's safety is paramount. Ryan must be able to protect her."

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"Secondly, Ryan must return the Oakwood Crystal to its place in Oakwood Forest. That artifact will restore the energy of Oakwood Forest. But now the place where the crystal is supposed to be is guarded by some kind of evil entity, so no one can return the crystal to its place. Ryan must defeat the guardian before placing the crystal back where it belongs."

All the gods and goddesses in the room agreed to Zurvan's proposal.

Manu nodded and said, "Ryan must be able to think ahead, stay focused and in control, and cooperate with his team members."

Then she turned to Fenrir, and said to him, "You as his mentor should be able to make Ryan understand what the consequences will be if he fails. And of course, you have to go along and protect him as Chronos has instructed. But you must minimize your interference in this mission."

Fenrir looked at Manu with a serious expression. He nodded, "I will prepare him. Ryan's success will also show the wisdom of Chronos who has chosen him, and will also be my success in guiding him. I will not fail."

***

Ryan stepped slowly towards his special training room. This is the first day in which she will begin to learn the water element, and the one that will teach her is no longer Terra, the Earth Goddess. He wanted to know who would teach him.

'Is it a god or a goddess again?'

What he thinks is true. When he opened the door of his special practice room, he saw a tropical island and a vast expanse of sea.

A woman with tan skin and long black hair up to her back, and wearing clothes only from palm leaves, sat on the edge of a cliff leading to the sea.

Ryan approached the woman, he already knew the identity of this woman. She is Akua, the goddess of water from Polynesia, to be precise from Hawaii. In Hawaiian mythology, Akua is a water goddess who has the power to control water, weather, and the sea. She is one of the most revered goddesses in Hawaiian mythology and she is often described as a beautiful and wise woman.

"Hello, ma'am..." but Ryan's words stuck in his throat when I turned to him. I didn't think she was so cute and sexy. The outfit turned out to be very minimal. His ears and face began to redden.

***

Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C.C.

The President of the United States is busy trying to explain to some world leaders on his video call line.

Exactly six hours ago, five huge circles, which netizens called Gates, appeared in the skies of New York, Mumbai, Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, and Paris. But unlike the gates that were previously in Al-Qusayr and Tokyo, demons and giant insects did not immediately appear from the Gate. But all those gates were just floating in the air with swirls of black and gray in them.

Now all the presidents and prime ministers, especially those in the cities where the Gates were located, gathered in video calls for meetings to discuss what they should do.

"F-22 Raptor, ready in New York, Mr. President."

"M1 Abrams, also ready in New York, Mr. President."

"All residents in New York are being evacuated, the estimated five hours New York City could be empty."

All the staff of the president also added to the bustle of the Oval Office, men and women in official clothes, and some people in military clothes also back and forth in and out of the room. It was so chaotic.

"All the gates are one to two kilometers in diameter. The largest is in Shanghai, its width reaches 1.78 kilometers." reported a female staff member regardless of whether her words were heard or not.

The president of China looked very tense in the video call. He already knows that. The Gate in his country is the largest of the five gates in other countries.

"But until now there has been no sign of the emergence of all the gates. Will there be more coming out than before?" A male staffer outside the Oval Office whispered, which was only answered with horrified looks from his colleagues.

"Can anyone find out where the people in Blue who showed up in Tokyo are?" The President of the United States shouted to anyone in the room.

All the staff and people dressed in military clothes paused for a short moment from all the frenzied activity. A man dressed in military clothes who seemed to have a high rank, replied, "We have zero information on them, Sir."

The president massaged his temples. He looked exhausted. It was late, and he had been in a meeting for the past six hours.

Suddenly, a staff member who had been watching the live broadcast on TV about the Gate shouted, "Look, The Gate in New York is starting to emit lightning!"

Everyone in the Oval Office stopped and looked at the big TV screen in the room.

Gate above New York, precisely above Legoland, began to emit lightning that flashed toward the ground.

Everybody was scared. Everybody was worried.

The faces of all the country's leaders in the video call meeting stiffened. But the Gate only emitted lightning, nothing came out of it.

The same thing happened to the other Gates.

It was the same thing that happened at the gates in other countries.

Suddenly, a man in a blue robe appeared at the side of the president of the United States. His long hair and beard were white and his eyes were blue. Everyone who saw it was shocked. The president jumped from his seat.

He said to the president with his hands clasped behind his back, "You better prepare for the worst."