Time Waits For No One

Under the cloak of night, Tempus Lake lay still, its dark waters a mirror to the countless stars scattered above. Beside the lake rose the Lumina Monument, a towering crystalline pillar carved with the names of those who had given their lives for the Chrono Knights.

The knights approached in solemn lines, their usual armor traded for ceremonial robes of deep indigo. The civilians, gathered around the lake’s perimeter, held their breaths as they watched. This was the Tempus Rite—a night set aside to honor the memories of those lost to time, a night when the line between the past and present felt thin, almost touchable.

Among the ranks, Dax stood silent, a tempusite shard nestled in his hand. Tonight, it would hold a piece of him, a memory he hadn’t spoken of in years.

At the forefront of the ceremony, a raised platform held the highest-ranking officers of the Time Tower. High Arbiter Viktor Magnus stood at the center, his presence commanding respect. His elegant black-and-gray uniform, adorned with the insignia of his station, caught the light as he addressed the crowd. His graying black hair was parted to the side, and his pale blue eyes didn’t seem to have lost their edge with age.

Beside him stood Supreme Commander Ambrose Thane, his gaze calm and calculating, and Commander Lorne. Other commanders from intelligence and specialist divisions lined the platform, their ranks denoted by unique insignias. Erling Krause stood with them, his eyes surveying the knights with quiet intensity.

“We gather here tonight to honor those who have passed beyond the reach of time,” Viktor Magnus began, “To remember those who once walked beside us, whose courage shaped us, whose sacrifices echo in each step we take.”

He let the words linger, then nodded to the knights. “As we release our shards into the waters of the lake, we release them into the stream of memory. Though they are no longer with us, they remain in our hearts, guiding our way forward.”

After a respectful pause, Viktor Magnus gestured to Erling Krause. The captain of Squad AX stepped forward. His voice was calm but carried an undertone of resolve.

“Every knight here carries the weight of time on their shoulders. It’s not a burden—it’s a responsibility. Remember this: we stand here today because of those who stood before us. Let their sacrifices inspire us to fight harder, to be better, and to ensure that no moment is wasted in the defense of the chrono stream.”

Dax stepped forward, he clenched the shard in his palm, and a memory poured out—of late nights, whispered hopes, and a friendship that had once been unbreakable. He released the shard, watching as it drifted from his fingers and touched the lake’s surface. In an instant, it dissolved, releasing a plume of green light that rose into the air.

Beside him, Rhea released her own shard, her face unreadable, yet her hands betrayed a slight tremor as they let go. She’d never spoken much of her past before but her gaze betrayed way more than words were capable of. As her shard touched the water, it burst into soft purple light, and she looked away, her gaze lost somewhere far from the ceremony.

Chrono dissolution.

It was a long-standing tradition, but few fully understood the science behind it. Tempusite, a rare material capable of storing and channeling chrono energy, reacted uniquely to water. When submerged, the chrono energy within the shards dispersed harmlessly, creating a brief but dazzling display. Scholars hypothesized that water acted as a natural conduit for chrono energy, neutralizing its properties and returning it to the chrono stream in a purified state.

If the ceremony wasn’t so solemn, Mira would probably be the one explaining that to her teammates. Yet even she stood silent in the face of such a spectacle now. Likewise Jessie and Talia watched in quiet respect too, each feeling the weight of the ritual, of the lives honored here.

Neither of them had lost a comrade for them to share in the shard dropping part of the ceremony but their silence was enough respect.

One by one, each shard touched the lake, dissolving into bursts of color that rose into the air, until the sky above was painted with shimmering streaks—emerald, sapphire, amethyst, and gold, blending into an aurora that stretched across the night.

The knights lifted their voices, tones loud, unwavering.

“Ad Tempus. Ad Futurum.”

Their voices seemed to fill the night, a pledge that echoed across the lake and beyond, a promise that every fallen knight would be remembered, carried forward as a part of each one of them.

When the aurora dimmed, the ceremony complete, Dax and Rhea joined the rest of the squad next to the monument.

Jessie, always the one to lighten the mood, smiled, “So… I heard that sharing your past can boost camaraderie.”

Talia punched him in the arm, but Dax’s gaze still remaining on the lake softened.

“I had a friend, Reid Evaris. We were brothers in all but blood. Got out of our poor neighborhood together… Thought we’d see it all as Knights, side by side.” He paused, eyes shadowed. “But life has a way of splitting paths… He never came back from one of our missions.”

Nearby, Rhea kept her arms crossed, her expression distant. When Talia glanced over, Rhea shook her head.

“It was a knight who… gave his life for me.” She said, voice clipped. It didn’t look like the captain was willing to share more of her story.

Before anyone could speak again, a figure approached—the Supreme Commander himself. Thane nodded to the squad, his face unreadable, yet his eyes held a quiet understanding.

“Squad GX,” he greeted, nodding with his usual professionalism. There was a pause, and then he gestured for them to follow him a few steps away, leaving the main gathering to walk along a secluded path that wound around the edge of Tempus Lake.

When they were out of earshot from the other knights, Thane turned to face them.

“The path of a Chrono Knight is built upon sacrifice,” he began, his voice low yet commanding. “And tonight, it falls on you to bear a new burden.”

He reached into his cloak, pulling out a microchip. He held it out to Rhea, who took it with a nod, her palm wrapping tightly around it.

“This is your mission brief,” Thane said, looking at each of them in turn. “Starting tomorrow, Squad GX will join the special Aequitas hunting group I will be supervising.”

The squad exchanged glances.

“Thank you, Supreme Commander, we won’t let you down.” Rhea tightened her grip on the shard.

Thane gave a rare, approving nod. “Remember, Squad GX, you’re not just another team on this mission. You are, for lack of a better term, the vanguard. The Aequitas won’t stop until they achieve their ends, and right now, you’re among the few who have the skills, and the resolve, to stop them.”

He straightened, his eyes fixed on each of them. “If you’re not ready, if you have doubts, now is the time to speak.”

But there was no hesitation in the squad’s eyes.

“Good. Remember what you’ve seen tonight—the light of those who’ve gone before you. They live in the choices you make, in the missions you undertake.”

With that, he gave them a final nod, a gesture of quiet respect, and turned, leaving them to absorb the gravity of the announcement.

A/N:

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