Julia

  September 19th, 2024

  Arion stood by the fireplace, one hand on the mantle, the flickering light casting deep shadows on his face. The room was quiet, yet tension lingered, as if time itself had shifted. He had told them everything about the ancient kingdom of Aetheria, how the palace and temple that ruled side by side, the aethereal force that had protected his people for centuries. But doubt still thickened the air, each revelation met with silence.

  Julia sat on the couch, head propped on her hand, eyes heavy with thought. She hadn't spoken in minutes, simply absorbing. Across from her, Sam leaned against the wall, arms crossed, skepticism carved into every line of his face. He wasn’t buying it. Julia could feel his resistance towards the stranger.

  “So,” Sam began, his voice dripping with disbelief and sarcasm, “You expect us to believe that you’re some ancient what? A time traveler? A soldier from a kingdom no one’s ever heard of, who claims this crystal we found is some mystical artifact... No sorry, a divine gift from God?”

  “I gave you the truth, I don’t expect you to believe it, Sam,” Arion said, his tone calm but unwavering. “You asked me to speak plainly, so I've told you. My truth, your history.”

  Sam exhaled sharply as he paced in front of the fireplace. “Our history? You're from Four Thousand Five hundred years ago, from a kingdom that ruled with magic? And somehow, well ofcourse ‘magically’, you’re still standing here?” Sam looked at Julia with an incredulous look on his face as he continued, “I’ve heard some wild theories, but this, this is fairy tale nonsense.”

  Julia glanced up at Sam, raising an eyebrow. “Should we not at least listen? Isn’t that what we do? We don't dismiss out of hand.”

  Sam stopped pacing, glaring at her. “You can’t seriously be buying into this.”

  “I’m not saying I am,” she replied, her voice steady, “But I’m not throwing it out either. Think about it, Sam. The crystal we found. Remember the readings and the energy signatures. There’s more going on here than we understand. The least we can do is hear him out.”

  “I understand your skepticism,” Arion intervened, “You want something tangible to hold in your hands but what you call magic; we understood as a natural extension of the world we lived in. Aether wasn't some mythical force. It healed the wounded, powered our defenses and gave life to the machinery that sustained us. It wasn't a myth, it was our way of life.”

  Sam shook his head, “I maybe would have taken your word that this crystal powered your civilization somehow, I just don't buy it as divine. Maybe an accident of nature? Let’s say, a meteorite or some other freak event that your people found and figured out how to use?”

  Sam leaned forward as he chuckled, “But you’re telling me with a straight face that you still believe this is a miracle by some god?”

  “If that’s what you’re stuck on,” Arion replied, his voice firm. “I’ve seen enough to see how your science explains the world around us, how it fits together. But none of it negates the existence of a creator. If anything, it strengthens it.”

  “That’s where you lose me,” Sam said, throwing his hands up. “It’s just a rock, maybe from space. A lucky accident that your people stumbled onto and thought, ‘Hey, look! It glows! let’s worship this thing.’”

  “My belief is not the point here Sam, you’re missing the point,” Arion said, stepping forward. “The Aether was more than just a rock. It was conscious, it connected with whom it chose as its guardians, granting them its flow, it decided who bonded with it at what level. It wasn't worshiped, it was revered, understood and looked upon as a blessing from God.”

  Julia leaned forward, her gaze sharp and focused on Arion now. “You earlier said the Aether healed people?”

  Arion nodded, “It did. It could accelerate recovery, cured sickness faster than even any modern medicine. Our healers knew how to channel its energy. Healing was just one aspect of it. Those who connected with it, used to wield its flow in battle. We used its conductivity through green sand to power our lights and machinery. We defended our kingdom with it for centuries. Without the Aether, we wouldn’t have thrived as the capital for as long as we did.”

  “See, that’s if Aetheria existed at all,” Sam said quickly, tilting his head. “You still haven’t answered the real question.” He straightened, voice sharpening as his skepticism hardened into something more pointed. “Why should we believe you? You just waltz in here, claiming to be from the past, asking for this stone that could be worth billions. Why should we trust a word you say?”

  Arion’s gaze softened, but his voice remained steady. “I have no interest in wealth or power, it’s my duty to protect what’s left of my people… I know the Temple is no more, neither is Aetheria, but the Aether is—and so am I. As its last living Custodian, it is my sworn duty to protect it, until I stop breathing.”

  Sam’s expression darkened, a flicker of unease breaking through his usual composure. “That’s convenient, isn’t it? After we do all the work, you show up out of nowhere, claim to be the only one who can ‘protect’ it.”

  Arion’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t flinch. “I led you to it, how would I know where it was buried if I was lying?”

  Sam’s jaw tightened, his tone rising now, anger creeping in. “Or maybe you’re not the savior you say you are. Maybe you’re just here to take it for yourself.”

  Julia shot him a look, her voice cutting through the thickening air. “Sam.”

  But Sam kept his eyes locked on Arion, breathing hard.

  Julia finally spoke again, “So let's suppose for a moment,” her voice quieter but more resolute, “What happens if we give it to you?” she asked, her face blank.

  Arion’s eyes met hers, a flicker of something vulnerable, something deep passing through them. “You help save the future from repeating the mistakes of the past.”

  For a moment there was silence, shortly cut by Arion’s voice, “What you found, it’s broken in half,” he said as he moved away from the fireplace. “You have one part of it. The other is with me.”

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Sam snorted, folding his arms. “If you have the other half, then show it to us?”

  “I didn’t bring it here,” Arion said evenly, meeting Sam’s stare. “I walked into this house alone, full of security, to meet two people I wasn’t sure I could trust. Two people who have been meeting powerful people looking for it. For all I know, you two could be working for them.”

  Sam's eyes narrowed. “So that’s it, huh? I get it now, you want the full artifact,” he exclaimed with a smirk. “That’s why you’re desperate. Get both halves, sell it at the highest price. Now it’s starting to make sense.”

  “Or maybe you’re projecting your material desires on me?” Arion fired back, “Or maybe it’s just your limited foresight.” Arion continued, his tone hardened, “For a man of science, you’re quite the simpleton.”

  Sam stiffened, glaring back, “Rich coming from someone who thinks a crystal is a time machine.” Sam leaned forward to look Arion directly into his eyes, “I’ve studied enough science to comfortably deny that claim.”

  Arion took a step forward, his voice steady but intense. “Then you’re missing something. Spacetime isn’t rigid, it can be warped, bent, even torn apart by immense energy. Mass and energy are two sides of the same coin. And Aether— or what you call ‘this crystal’, it wasn’t just immense energy… It was something far more fundamental.”

  Sam’s lips pressed into a hard line, unimpressed. “A rock can’t rip apart reality. No matter what fairy tale you’re spinning, it can’t create wormholes.”

  Arion’s jaw tightened, but his voice remained calm. “You assume the rules of physics are fixed because you’ve never seen them break. But what if they aren’t? What if the universe doesn’t just have one set of rules but many? Aether didn’t follow the same limits as ordinary matter.”

  Sam scoffed. “And what, you expect me to believe this one magical object rewrote the laws of reality?”

  Arion met his gaze. “Tell me, Sam, do you believe in dark matter?”

  Sam hesitated, then nodded. “Of course. It’s necessary to explain the universe’s structure.”

  “And yet, you’ve never seen it. No one has. It doesn’t interact with light, doesn’t behave like normal matter. But you accept it because the math tells you it’s there.” Arion stepped closer. “Aether is the same. Not just a power source, but a base— something that could manipulate spacetime itself.”

  Julia’s eyes narrowed. “So, when the crystal shattered…?”

  Arion exhaled slowly. “It wasn’t just an explosion. It was a rupture. Aether didn’t just unleash energy… it tore spacetime open."

  Sam intervened, "Theoretical… sure. But completely impractical."

  Julia’s voice cut through, thoughtful yet measured. “It’s theoretical, but so was relativity before Einstein.” She glanced at Arion. “If Aether was more than energy—it could be a conduit, a point where different realities converge?”

  Arion nodded. “That’s my understanding as well, Aether wasn’t just energy; it served as a bridge between realities.”

  Julia’s mind raced as the pieces fell into place. “So… when Aether ruptured, it tore spacetime…”

  "I didn’t ‘travel through time', time folded." Arion completed her thought, "One moment, I was in Aetheria, fighting for my life. Next, I was in the ruins of Mohenjo Daro in 1939...”

  Sam’s arms locked tighter across his chest, his voice sharp with doubt. “Nineteen thirty-nine? You sure don’t look like a hundred-plus-year-old to me.” He chuckled mockingly. “Feel free to take that as a compliment.”

  Arion’s voice grew uncertain. “I’ve aged slowly here, not sure why. Maybe time isn’t finished with me, or maybe because I was never meant to be here at all.”

  He met Sam’s eyes. “I’ve lived for decades here looking for the Aether; hiding, learning your technology, your science, your society... I had no choice but to adapt. But make no mistake… I am not of this time.”

  Sam sneered, “Alright, let’s say I entertain this madness for a second. This, Aether? How does it work? What’s your explanation?”

  Arion exhaled, choosing his words carefully. “The crystal— both halves of it, isn’t native to this world. Its properties don’t defy physics; they simply operate on principles we don’t yet understand.”

  Arion continued, “Everything you see; matter, light, even thought, it all comes from something deeper, something unseen. A field that stretches through all space, beyond atoms, beyond energy as you know it.”

  He let the words sink in before continuing. “Lets forget Aetheria for a moment. Even in your history some cultures have called it the 'Akasha', others called it luminiferous-ether. Some ancient cultures believed it was the bridge between the physical and the divine. Some of your scientists once considered it as the medium through which light itself traveled.” He tilted his head. “Few others like Nikola Tesla thought it was the key to unlimited energy.”

  “The Fifth Element?” Sam whispered. “And you’re saying this crystal is the physical embodiment of it?”

  Arion met his gaze, his tone steady. “I’m not proposing anything.” He tapped the floor lightly. “It has always been here. The only difference? Your modern science dismissed it and stopped looking for it.”

  Julia’s eyes flicked to Sam as her voice dropped, barely above a whisper. “Sam… even if a fraction of this is true, it could change everything.”

  Sam’s gaze lingered on her for a moment, his jaw tight. Then he shook his head, trying to push away the thought clawing at the edge of his reason. “When it ruptured, by some miracle, you just happened to be standing in the exact spot where this ‘rift’ opened?”

  Arion’s expression darkened, the firelight catching in his eyes. “The rift didn’t open by itself…” His voice softened, but the weight behind it pressed the air out of the room.

  Silence lingered for a few moments, then Arion turned to look at them as he studied them, “Tell me this, did anyone at the party stand out? Anyone asking about the crystal? Anything that felt suspicious?”

  Julia’s eyes flicked toward Sam, a split-second hesitation passing between them.

  "You still don’t trust me," Arion said as he smiled, but there was no warmth behind it. “I’ve laid everything out, unarmed, vulnerable. I’ve given you the truth as I know it. Yet, even with Dale’s diary, even after what you’ve witnessed, you still resist.”

  Julia stayed silent, fingers gripping the couch.

  Sam pressed his shoulders back, defiant, “You’re asking us to believe something that rewrites everything we know,” Sam shot back.

  Arion’s gaze flickered with frustration, but he forced himself to stay measured. “Fine, You don’t have to believe me. Just tell me about the party.”

  His voice was low, weighted, “You know I’m not here by coincidence. If no one had prodded about your dig, you wouldn’t have invited me. Someone’s interested in what you found. I need to know who.”

  Julia hesitated, “Nobody seemed particularly interested in the crystal,” she said carefully. “But everyone we spoke to was curious about what we uncovered.”

  Arion didn’t waver. “There’s always someone in the shadows,” he murmured, voice barely louder than the crackling fire. “1965 like i said, those digs weren’t just about curiosity. They were after something. Then, the excavation stopped—no follow-up, no explanation. Dale vanished, and so did whatever he found.”

  Julia’s voice cut through the tension, quiet but firm. “Whatever they found, it could not have been the crystal,” she said, studying Arion. “I have it. And if you’re telling the truth, the other part… well, it’s with you.”

  "Unless..." Arion froze. A realization settled over him. “What if it didn’t just break in two? What if there’s a third piece?” His gaze flicked between her and Sam, calculating but with a hint or urgency, “I need to see the crystal you have,” he said finally, his tone controlled but urgent.

  Sam’s stance didn’t shift, arms still crossed, “You think we’re just going to hand it over to you? Not a chance.” he said coldly. “Not until we know you’re telling the truth.”

  Arion exhaled slowly, then straightened. “Then I’ll bring mine,” he said. “You can see it for yourselves. But I need to see yours to make sure.”

  Julia exchanged another look with Sam. He said nothing, but the tension in his jaw was sharp. After a pause, she nodded. “Alright. If you show us your half, we’ll show you ours. But only then.”

  Sam’s voice was colder. “And don’t try anything clever.”

  Arion gave a faint smile curling his lips with no humor in it, “I don’t need to be clever with you two. Because now I see… you’re just as lost in this as I am.”

  The room fell silent. The deal was made.

  ***