Untangling Time

Chapter 1

Upon a patch of grassy land, a man in his twenties rested peacefully, basking before the setting sun. He is named Razz.

He opened his eyes slowly as the bushes behind him rustled.

We lost, Razz. The man, named Kiu, sighed. Again.

Well, thats to be expected. Razz said as he sat up. So when will the fracture begin? Razz asked as he slumped back into his earlier resting position.

Just about now.

As he finished talking, Razz saw a glimpse of a huge white crack across the orange skies then everything went black in their vision. Light has been frozen and they cant move. All they could perceive was the continuous sound of shattering crystals. Next was the nauseous feeling of time travel.

-- -

Time fractures. A phenomenon that makes the whole world jump timelines. The term was coined by Landrus Erton, a scientist who discovered the temporal element—Timium. It causes massive cracks to the skies, thus earning the word fracture.

Time fractures work by making the whole universe spin at the speed of light using a timium chunk. And as the warp begins, light solidifies and everything goes dark. The solidified light is subjected to pressure until cracks. But by then, the time warp is finished.

Fractures occur naturally, but without anyone controlling the chunk, the coordinates of time warp would be random. So two parties fight to determine who will control the chunk.

---

Birds chirped and leaves rustled. Razz has regained consciousness. He opened his eyes and viewed nature silently. He was startled when someone gagged nearby.

It was his little sister, Faira.

Hey, Faira! Razz chuckled. Seems like youre still dizzy from the warp, huh? He then walked towards the young girl.

Shut up. She glared at him for a moment then she continued to mind her business.

He just continued smiling as he watched his sister throw up.

Is this fun to watch for you? Faira asked, as she stood up and wiped her lips.

Not really. Whats the date? Razz asked he slumped down the grass. Day 27 of Year 44. Faira answered quickly.

We went to the future. Razz sighed. Isnt that obvious? Faira rolled her eyes.

Razz just dismissed the harsh personality of his sister. Instead, he asked, Where are we?

Were in Reinan. Faira grunted, annoyed.

Reinan is the capital of Pernice, the enemy territory. Why the hell are we in here? Razz thought, as he finally laid down the grass, weaving a huge sigh.

You look so bored, how about a quick battle? Faira suggested, looking at Razz with a smug smile.

Loser has to deal with those guards. Razz pointed to the soldiers guarding the Reinan gates. This made Faira laugh softly. Deal.

Razz is a timebender, and so is Faira. All elites of the world are called timebenders. They have elemental powers called sgmoi. They were named timebenders because they had to study Gyratory—the art of rotation. Timebenders study it to be able to control the timium chunks next warp coordinates.

Timebenders are classified into six types of sgmoi, namely; Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, Psyche, and Spirit. Razz has a wind-type sgmoi while Faira has a psyche-type sgmoi.

Oh, and you can start now. Razz reminded Faira while still in a cozy position on the grass.

Arrogant as always, but Ill be taking up on your offer! Faira spread her psyche to get a better perception on her surroundings, then she shrouded psyche around her fists. It made her fists faster and heavier. But that whole process took up almost 2 seconds.

Razz didnt waste time though.

As Faira was gonna begin her attack, a voice whispered behind her ear. I couldve killed you if I wanted to. This made Faira turn around immediately with a punch that could send an elite flying. But that punch landed on nowhere. Razz simply made the wind vibrate that way near her.

As Faira realized the trick, she immediately locked her eyes on her brother, now smiling with his eyes closed, his finger pointing upwards. On top of it was a wind blade, spinning rapidly but quietly.

Lets begin then. Razz said.

This annoyed Faira more than ever, but she calmed herself down. Then she focused her psyche around Razzs neck, gripping it tightly.

Thats not gonna work, you know? I have a wind-type sgmoi after all. Razz mocked her.

That wasnt my purpose, idiot. Faira smirked, as she dashed towards Razz at an incredible speed, then she punched Razz at the gut. His wind blade immediately vanished.

It hurt like hell on Razzs part. Normally, if you were punched in the gut, air would escape your lungs but that wasnt the case. Faira then smirked triumphantly and mockingly at his brother, who was quietly shaking in pain.

That was painful. Razz grunted, then he smiled. A glint of malice flashing in his eye. How about this? Razz then did something to the air around Faira.

The moment Faira breathed in, she squeaked and she was forced to drop down. What d-did you do? Faira asked, breathless.

Ill tell you if you surrender. Razz smiled. Like hell I would! Faira then rushed to punch Razz repeatedly on the gut. But her punches slowly lost power.

Damn it, thats really painful. Razz grunted, but he was smiling. Faira was losing strength. Faira, just give up already.

Faira was on the ground, crouching. He looked at his brother and shot a final glare and then tapped the ground three times.

There. Razz made the air around Faira normal again. Haha! You lose again! he celebrated as the grip on his neck faded. Faira was panting heavily.

Ill win next time. She said, still chasing her breath.

I look forward to that. Razz looked at her with a mocking smile. Then she focused her psyche on the two guards near the Reinan gate. Soon, the two guards unsheathed their swords and began fighting.

Mind control sure is handy. Razz mumbled as he began walking towards the gates. Its not fun to do you know. Faira complained. Every time I do that, I get to feel everything on my target—their body, their stench, their dirty thoughts. Its really gross.

Razz just stayed silent though. Then Faira sprang up with a question, What did you do to make me feel like breathing in fire?

Oh, that? Razz answered, You see, the atmosphere is not purely made of oxygen. Oxygen is actually in little amounts in the atmosphere, just about twenty percent. Pure oxygen is poisonous so I condensed oxygen around you. Clever, no?

Wind-type sgmoi is pretty overpowered dont you think? Faira sighed.

Who knows? Razz replied thoughtlessly. Putting his hands behind his head, he inhaled calmly. I mean, psyche-type sgmoi is damn too annoying in a fight.

Razz then sighed.

And here we go again, fighting for the sake of our own selves and our own world. If only that chunk didn't exist, then everything would've never had a need to be fixed in the first place.