Young kids whispered about Kayden Almerth.
They said he was a weirdo. That the 79-year-old fossil had lost his mind decades ago.
Their parents had seen him grow up, they constantly told the kids. Kayden Almerth was not a bad person. He had just had a sad life. The Skylands were no place for a man like him.
The few ones who’d gotten close to him said otherwise.
Kayden Almerth had only ever had Bakor as a friend. He had always been lacking something, those few ones knew.
He was waiting for someone.
And he was working on something big.
Kayden didn’t care. Let them think what they wanted, he always told himself. He didn’t care if they thought of him as the local crazy uncle or mad scientist.
79 years. Kayden had spent his whole life searching for something. Eventually, he’d started remembering. Now he had the key. He’d cracked the code.
Kayden had erased Lauren with the Oath of Megalo. Was the world at peace now? Looked like it. Was he happy? Like heck he was.
He had made many promises throughout his many lives. He still intended to keep them.
After all, he was still the Timewatcher.
It was a sunny spring’s day when 79-year-old Kayden took the leap. He didn’t leave a note or anything. He didn’t need to.
Kayden breathed in deeply –at his old age, he still could, if barely– and activated the machine he’d salvaged from the depths of this Skyland’s core. The TimeSwitcher.
This old man still has the spark in him, he thought, and grinned. He’d finally do what he’d needed to do all along. Lauren Lerahen… I’m coming.
– – –
Kayden Almerth ran after Lauren, chasing her and Bakor through Edge Garden One as he laughed. He was nine-years-old. Ripe with energy.
“Hey, kid,” a voice called to him as he ran.
He stopped, frowning, looking around.
A tall old man was crouching next to him with a warm smile.
“Check this out,” the old man said, pointing at his brown eye, and then at his blue one.
Kayden hesitated, but then leaned forward, amused. “You’re like me.”
“Yeah,” the old man agreed. “This won’t take long. I just want to tell you…” the old man looked down, then back at Kayden’s face. “Take care of Lauren. Take care of Bakor. Take care of all your friends and friends-to-be. Cherish them. Love them. Protect them.”
Kayden tilted his head, not understanding. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because you will suffer,” the old man said, “and you will feel pain. But you have the power to help others, Kayden. To make the world a better place. Not because of any special abilities, but because you are a good man. You’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t do your very best. Trust me, I know. Remember you love your friends every single day. And never, ever, give up. You can be a hero, Kayden. Never stop trying. And never forget.”
Kayden stared at him for a while, until Lauren called out to him from afar.
“Yeah!” Kayden said, looking over to her. “I’m… coming.”
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The old man was gone.
“Who was that?” Bakor asked Kayden as he joined back up with them.
“I’m not sure,” Kayden admitted. “But he talked pretty.” He looked at Lauren, and then at Bakor. He smiled. “I think I want something new now. Let’s become heroes, okay?”
– – –
Kayden sat on the edge of the world, his legs hanging over infinity. Being an adult was hard, he decided. Just a few weeks in and he already wanted to be a kid again. At least he hadn’t jumped down from the Skylands or anything yet. He’d been close, though. He laughed at his thought.
“Hey, Lauren,” he told the young woman sitting next to him. “What do you think is down there?”
“Down where?” Lauren asked, tilting her head.
“Beyond the sea of clouds.”
Lauren shrugged, then smiled. “I don’t know. Why do you ask?”
Kayden smiled too. “Well… Wanna find out?”
– – –
ABOUT 215 YEARS LATER
Abner Chafter turned away from scrubbing a wooden mug with a wide grin at the call of his name.
“Come on!” a drunk patron was calling, stumbling back and forth with each swing of the Wandering Wonderinn. “I bet I can beat even you at arm wrestling. Free drink included!”
He shook his head with a booming laugh. “Ya know, I’ve never been the brawling kind. I don't fight, I feed.”
“Then where’d the chest scar come from?” another drinker complained.
Chafter winked. “Heartbreak. But you can try my Right-Hand Man.”
The self-sufficient, fedora-wearing right hand nearby hopped on a table.“Bring it on!” he exclaimed, eliciting laughter from the patrons and hesitation from the challenger.
“You have way too much fun from letting him defeat customers, old man,” Varokan called out from the kitchen. The masterchef always kept eyes on the food and ears on the gossip.
“Heh,” Chafter said. “I’m just waiting for someone, you know. I’ll recognize him in action.”
A portrait hung on the wall behind Abner Chafter’s head. A young man with dark hair, a brown eye, and a blue one. ‘Timewatcher’ was written below the face. Below the name, ‘Wanted: Alive.’
A treasure from a time long gone. An expectation.
– – –
Merdilen crossed the sky on Haroken the dragon’s back with a grin, holding the Mimicker sword high over his head.
“I’ve been thinking lately,” he said, loud enough for Haroken and the Mimicker to hear him over the wind, “and I believe reaching the Skylands would be a worthy goal. I know I’m kinda new in this world, but… well… I think there’s something else up there, waiting to be explored.”
“For sure!” the Mimicker exclaimed. “I’ve always felt attracted to them.”
“Yes,” Haroken agreed. “They feel special to me for some reason too. Why, I wonder.”
“I guess they’re beautiful,” Merdilen said, and smiled. “I think that’s enough.”
– – –
Tham stared up at the sky as he leaned against the tall tree at the top of the hill.
“I wonder what’s up there,” he said, pointing up at the faraway floating landmasses known as the Skylands. “Did these explorers really come down from them?”
“No clue,” Hassah said, leaning against the tree next to him while idly strumming her lute. “Maybe?” She smiled. “It’s a fun concept, don’t you think?”
“Yeah,” Tham admitted. “It must feel good to be like them. Appearing in history books is no small feat. ‘The first Skyborn explorers to reach the surface.’ What were their names again?” He looked down at the thick book on his lap. “Kayden Almerth and Lauren Lerahen.”
He smiled widely as he got to his feet
“What is it?” Hassah asked, lazily looking up at him with a smile.
“I think I want to be an adventurer too,” Tham said. “Maybe even a hero, like Dad. What do you think?”
Hassah nodded. “I think you’d do great.”
“We’d need a team,” Tham then said. He pulled Hassah to her feet. “Come on,” he laughed. “I can’t do this alone.”
“And a name,” she added.
Tham looked at her. “What about… ‘Skyguard’?”
“I gotta admit it’s got a nice ring to it,” Hassah said.
“Yeah,” Tham grinned. “For some reason, it’s a name I’ve been dreaming of for a while. Let’s go, Hassah.”
Tham looked up at the beautiful sky, and smiled.
‘Skyguard.’
It sounded nice.
It sounded heroic.
It sounded timeless.
THE END