The Guardians of the Unchanging Time

The towering structure, an ancient fortress of timelessness, loomed under the weight of centuries. Within its impenetrable walls, the Twelve Time Guardians dwelled, their roles etched into the fabric of eternity. They were beings of immense power, yet shackled by the laws they upheld—unable to change time, nor interfere in the human world.

-At the topmost floor sat Aldrae, the Guardian of the Future, his ever-shifting eyes reflecting countless paths yet to be taken. His power allowed him to see every possibility that could unfold, but he was cursed never to act upon it. Aldrae watched in silent agony as lives, wars, and even entire worlds unfolded, trapped in their inevitable fates.

Below him, on the third floor, resided Eira, the Guardian of the Present. Her task was to oversee the moment as it occurred, yet even she could not alter the now. She felt the pulse of life, every heartbeat and whisper, but the flow of time was relentless, and she remained bound to witness it without intervention.

On the second floor, the Guardian of the Past, Veltrion, gazed into the depths of history. His domain was the forgotten and the known, every event ever recorded imprinted into his mind. Veltrion held the knowledge of all that had transpired, but his power could not rewind even a single second of the endless river of time.

The remaining nine Guardians each commanded lesser aspects of time's vast domain:

Ithis, the Guardian of Cycles, watched the ebb and flow of repeating events, aware that history often repeated itself in new forms.Torva, the Guardian of Mortality, presided over life's end, understanding the finality that awaited every living being but unable to affect their fates.Serephor, the Guardian of Continuity, ensured that once something began, it followed its course to completion.Daeva, the Guardian of Ruins, controlled the entropy of time, watching as all things slowly decayed, disintegrating into nothingness.Zerin, the Guardian of Stagnation, represented the moments frozen in time, never moving forward or backward, locked in eternal stasis.Aurin, the Guardian of Memory, held the power to recall any event but had no control over its permanence.Thoran, the Guardian of Beginnings, stood watch over the birth of all things, unable to prevent or change the dawn of a new era.Xyla, the Guardian of Time's Rebirth, oversaw time's cyclical nature, ensuring that destruction was always followed by creation.Lirien, the Guardian of Shadows, existed in the liminal space between timelines, navigating the unseen and unknowable.

-The Guardians, despite their dominion over time, were prisoners of their own realm. They could not harm humans, nor could they interfere with the mortal world except through subtle means. Most agonizingly, they could not disobey their master, Gersong, who held the true power over time and space, binding the Guardians to their roles.

Though each Guardian possessed extraordinary abilities, they were bound by laws that chained them to their eternal roles. The tower was both their domain and their prison, preventing them from altering the very fabric of existence they had been entrusted to oversee. Their master's will was absolute, and rebellion was unthinkable.

Yet deep within the walls of the tower, a shift was beginning. Leegna's presence, his defiance of time's natural flow, had created ripples that even the Guardians could not ignore. A force was rising—a force that would challenge the very foundations of their existence.

Beneath the weight of time's unending flow, the Twelve Guardians had one master—Gersong, the true ruler of time. While each Guardian held dominion over aspects of time, they all answered to the one who bound them to their eternal roles, ensuring the cosmic order was maintained.

-Gersong was not a figure of benevolence, nor cruelty. He was an entity whose will was absolute, whose grasp on the dimensions of time and reality was unrivaled. He seldom appeared in a physical form, preferring to exist as a force of omnipresence—a being that simply was, beyond the comprehension of even the Guardians. His power surpassed anything they could fathom, and his word was law.

Legends within the tower whispered that Gersong had been a mortal once, like the Guardians before they were elevated—or imprisoned—into their timeless roles. Yet, those who dared to speculate on his past found themselves ensnared in paradoxes, for Gersong's history was hidden deep within the folds of time itself. Was he an ancient sage who conquered time? Or a being born from the first breath of the cosmos?

Regardless of the truth, Gersong's rule was unquestionable. It was he who decided that the Twelve Guardians could never interfere with the mortal realm beyond their tower. He ensured they could never alter the flow of time, even when they saw the tragedies of the world unfold before them. To Gersong, time was sacred, unchangeable by anyone but himself.

There was one law above all others that he imposed: None could change the past, present, or future.

-This command was not merely an order—it was woven into the very essence of time itself. Any attempt by the Guardians to manipulate time, even in the smallest way, would result in their immediate dissolution. It was why they were forever confined to their tower, unable to even visit the human world, except in whispers and dreams. The walls of their prison were as impenetrable as the flow of time they governed.

Yet Gersong's greatest mystery was his own inactivity. Why, when he held all power over time, did he not interfere in the world's chaos? Why did he allow the Guardians to remain bound by their roles, unable to act when calamities threatened all existence? These questions lingered in the minds of the Guardians, particularly Aldrae, the Guardian of the Future, who saw all the devastating possibilities but could never change them.

-Though Gersong's presence was rarely felt directly, it was undeniable. The Guardians spoke of his power only in whispers, and even their grand tower paled in comparison to the enormity of his true realm—a place where time itself folded and unfolded according to his will. It was rumored that Gersong could be watching at any moment, but no one, not even the Guardians, knew his true form or his ultimate goals.

For Leegna, this was the looming force that stood behind the Guardians—an entity whose power far surpassed their own. The tower was only the beginning, a step toward something far greater. Gersong's shadow loomed over all, a silent reminder that time's master would not be easily defeated.