When I created my "Time Control," I had a rough idea of what I needed to do and how the "spell world" would have to look. It would have to somewhat resemble a clock, and my inherent talent and knowledge would fill in the gaps. However, for Theresa's future visions, I had no idea what her spell would entail. This is why many heroes, like Maze and Thunder, choose a basic element like lightning to cultivate—it's easier to envision a volcanic world of fire or a gaseous planet saturated in constant lightning. Future sight is something that no one truly understands, and a lack of knowledge can be dangerous. Theresa would have to rely heavily on instinct, and that scared me. Yes, she succeeded in the other timeline, but she was much older then and needed her power to see. Necessity is the mother of invention, after all.

  Theresa sat upon a boulder in the plains neighboring our village, called "Barrow Fields." The first time she attempted to meditate, she couldn’t quiet her mind and broke the process. There were many failures after that, and it took her over a week to learn. I believed her struggles stemmed from her childlike psyche, unlike the adult mindset I possessed. Focus is something learned over time. Wisdom is often attributed to age, but that isn’t always the case. Wisdom comes from painful experiences; once you walk a jagged road barefoot, you learn to protect your feet. A child can have strong willpower, but they often lose steam over time—unless, of course, they’re fueled by the imminent slaughter of Oakvale, like the previous protagonist.

  She was fortunate that all her biggest failures occurred long before she managed to cultivate a spell. A spell failure could result in a lethal backlash—a fact the game seemed to overlook. It’s no wonder so few became heroes; anyone who did was respected, regardless of their morals. This was also due to Weaver, the Guildmaster, who believed guilds should be impartial, offering quests from any source willing to pay. The soft-hearted but na?ve fool turned the Heroes Guild into mercenaries. Even bandits—one of the most common enemies in the game—could hire the protagonist to kill farmers as part of the main storyline. This inevitably placed the guild on a path to decline. There exists something called "Social Darwinism," which suggests that when one’s actions exceed what’s socially acceptable, someone will find a way to put an end to it. There is always someone who is stronger, faster, smarter, or more talented. Even if that’s not the case, the necessity of a savior itself will create one. I suspected this may be why I was here.

  Theresa was making progress in the development of her power now. I waited quietly in the shadows as she meditated, not wishing to distract her. If she could succeed, together we could foresee and alter events with precision. We would be true masters of fate!

  A girl and her two guards entering the other end of Barrow Fields interrupted my thoughts. I hoped it wasn’t who I thought it was. Ah, that’s right—the Grey family’s childhood home was also near Oakvale. I tried to ignore the group, hoping they would pass by, but no such luck.

  "What are you peasants doing here?" a girl’s voice said sharply.

  I turned to look at the source of the unpleasant sound. It was a young blonde girl in a slightly goth purplish dress. She was cute by most standards, but her arrogant attitude grated on me. Damn, it’s young Lady Elvira Grey! It could have been her older sister Amanda, but I doubted it. Amanda was supposed to be much softer and kinder. In the other timeline, she fell in love with a commoner before Elvira murdered her to secure the position of mayor.

  The game tells players that "Jack of Blades" convinced her to commit the murder. Jack of Blades was the game’s primary villain, whose full motives were never revealed. He kills the hero's whole family for a magic sword, but it’s never explained why he thought he needed it. It’s not even that much more powerful than legendary swords available for purchase in Bowerstone. His reasons for turning Elvira into a sister murderer also remain a mystery.

  In "The Lost Chapters," the added DLC that came later, it turns out Jack of Blades is one of three god-like void beings that appeared in Albion. He and the other two were defeated by my ancestor, William Black, known as the King of the Old Kingdom and the Archon. William defeats Jack when the void Being attempts to enslave him with a magic sword, stealing the sword later known as the Sword of Aeons, the very one Jack tries to kill my family for. It’s still not explained why Jack needs the sword or what these evil god-like beings desire. The fact that Jack will be part of the assault on Oakvale is disheartening. Such a powerful being will confront me, and I have little means to resist, even with my fate in my own hands.

  What’s more, Elvira Grey appears in Fable 2 as having become a witch, killed by Albion's inhabitants. Her remains were scattered across Albion, recoverable by the protagonist, "The Hero of Bowerstone." She seemed to have some special kind of relationship with death, not fully dying from being cut up into many pieces. I always guessed she was a death Witch or a necromancer who could still have children after being resurrected. Her children were also half undead. It’s pretty grotesque that both I and my descendant could marry this woman—well, that is in that timeline. Now that I think about it, I wouldn’t want to let Jack ruin this girl’s future either!

  “Hmph, too stupid to speak, peasant?” the brat questioned.

  “No, little miss Elvira Grey, just thinking about things you can’t even comprehend,” I replied, my tone condescending. She seriously annoyed me, but I figured I could at least convince her I wasn’t someone to be messed with. She had two guards with her, both of whom had long since taken an aggressive stance toward me since she spoke.

  “You can’t talk to the lady like that!” both guards shouted simultaneously, rushing at me with batons in hand. They intended to teach the "street rat" a lesson. Instead, I slowed time and gave them a lesson of my own—a lesson called "Never underestimate your opponent." It must have appeared almost instantaneous, but both guards fell to the ground after I delivered a soft tap to the inside of their knees with my tomahawk. A second later, the already-shocked guards realized their batons were missing.

  “Make even the slightest threatening movement against me, and this rock will get to know your skull more intimately,” I threatened. The guards didn’t move; they simply glared at me. The sweat on their foreheads revealed their fear of what I might do next.

  “How dar—” Lady Grey began before I interrupted.

  “Shut your mouth and listen!” I said, covering her mouth with one hand. “I don’t plan to hurt you, but if you disturb my sister’s meditation, she may die. If she does because of you and your pompous attitude, then you can bet I’ll exterminate you and yours.”

  I glanced back at Theresa, and she was still calmly meditating, seemingly deep in focus. However, that meant the risk was higher as well.

  I sighed in relief. “Phew.”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Lady Grey stood in silence, watching me for several minutes.

  “You genuinely care for your sister,” Elvira stated a hint of surprise in her voice. I was unsure whether it was a question or a statement of fact.

  “Yes, even though it puts my own life at great risk,” I replied passively.

  “If that’s the case, then why? Wouldn’t it be better to be rid of her?” the now curious noble asked.

  “Siblings always have differences, but it’s important to remember that you’re on the same team. You can always rely on your family when others may betray you. I care for my sister, and as such, she’s worth the risk. Also, fighting for what one believes in is how true heroes are made.”

  “Ha! So you think yourself a hero?” she scoffed.

  “I may not be a member of the guild yet, but I already possess the power of Will. Someday, there will be no enemy that can match me,” I stated, my conviction unwavering.

  Recently, I had tested a new way of using Time Control. Normally, when one slows time, they also speed themselves up to normal speed as well. This means “Will” power is focused on two targets, but it’s possible to focus on just one. By doing so, I could completely stop the time of a specific object. This discovery had two effects. First, an object whose time was stopped would be immune to damage until time resumed. Once time was restarted, the damage would instantly manifest. Second, there appeared to be a sort of equal and opposite reaction to stopping an object’s time fully. An object whose time was stopped could not be moved. This effect was likely always seen as a significant drawback to halting time, which probably contributed to why nobody ever did it. But a gamer knows how to exploit the rules.

  Its weakness was also a strength if you knew how to use it. As I told her that I believed my Will powers would grant me a hero's future, I used Time Control to halt time on the bottom of my sandals at brief intervals. Using this technique, I climbed invisible stairs and looked down at her and her goons.

  “Then… you plan to conquer the arena?” Elvira inquired, seemingly impressed with my display of power.

  “The arena? Of course, that won’t even be a footnote in my life’s story,” I mumbled, primarily focused on the vast amount of experience that fighting in the arena would provide. Slaying monsters there was a common endeavor for most heroes seeking

  “Then I’ll be rooting for you, farm boy,” Lady Grey said coyly, playfully running off.

  Her attitude had done a complete 180. I tried to recall a line I had seen after the arena quest in-game, where Lady Grey had introduced herself. She’d said, “I’ve always believed that only a hero who can conquer the arena can conquer me.”

  “See you tomorrow!” Elvira waved before dashing up the hill to her mansion.

  Ah hell! It seemed I might have met a few of her requirements for a spouse. The game always depicted them as needing to be arena champions, virtuous, and possessing a certain amount of wealth. As a talented youth destined to become a Hero Guild member, I met—or would meet—many of those criteria in the future. She probably saw this as some kind of predestined meeting. Now, I faced another problem, one that would be harder to deal with in the long run.

  “What’s your name, farm boy?” she called out one last time before entering her estate.

  I hadn’t planned to answer, but suddenly, my sister shouted, “His name is Arn!” Her eyes glowed green, revealing that she had not only succeeded in her meditation but was now peering into the future.

  All I could do after Lady Grey was gone was whisper, “What have you done, sister?”

  The game always imposes rather narrow limits on the potential of Will powers. In less than a month after gaining "Time Control," I discovered several uses that had never been implemented in the game. Unfortunately, I had only found one directly offensive application so far, and it was limited by circumstance. I could stop time in the air itself at a spot of my choosing. With this, I could create a shield that was fireproof, arrowproof, and blade-proof. However, like all time-stopping effects, it was incredibly Will energy-expensive, making it impractical for regular use.

  Then, I tried freezing a thin line of air, thinner than a hair. I aimed to make it as close to a molecule thick as I could, but I had no way to confirm how close I actually got. To test its effectiveness, I threw a beetle into the invisible blade. The insect was cleaved in two, dying before it even knew what had happened.

  Thus, I had created an offensive "Time Blade" that could take out an enemy—if they ran into it themselves. As General Ackbar would say, "It’s a trap!" That is, of course, assuming they didn't have good armor or a defensive spell.

  It was a useful skill, but it required several seconds of intense focus to maintain. The only real advantages were its lethality and low Will cost. I knew I would have to spend more time figuring this out. If I focused solely on time magic, I risked losing my chance at success. The same held true if I wasted my time researching another power. Time magic was the only Will power that Jack might not be able to simply overpower in combat.

  The game always made switching between Will powers a hassle. I suspected this was due to the need to change which spell world I was focusing on at any given time. A master wizard could probably do this almost instantly, but I was nowhere near that experienced. If I were to choose another power, it would likely be "Physical Shield," as it would maintain itself once activated. I couldn’t buy armor, and as long as I had Will energy, I wouldn’t have to worry about damage. The only downside was that my "Will Pool" was still small. It was growing, but I was still a child, and Rome wasn't built in a day.

  In frustration, I pulled at the collar of my suit. That's right—this "suit" was what I was currently wearing. Next to me at the table sat my sister in a lovely yellow dress. Across from her sat Elvira Grey. Behind her, Ronald, her butler, along with her guards, set the tea and china on the table, bringing the food provided by Lady Grey’s entourage.

  This was one of many "playdates" that had begun after that day in Barrow Fields. My parents were surprised when Elvira had a suit delivered to our home on my birthday. Everyone was shocked, except Theresa, who seemed to have known this would happen. At first, I thought it was just her future sight, but I later learned she had been corresponding with Elvira. They had been writing letters back and forth about me. Now Lady Grey, seemingly obsessed with me, knew where I lived and when my birthday was!

  It got worse; she now invited herself over for these "playdates," and I had to endure this uncomfortable, frilly suit. There was no greater injustice in the world! I had hoped my parents would intervene, but they seemed pleased that their "handsome son" had won a lady's interest. My mother kept saying things like, "Oh, aren't you two such a cute couple?" Damn it, Mother, this girl is a psychopath!

  Normally, our mother was away most of the time due to her guild duties as a hero, but it seemed Elvira had managed to secure some kind of request for absence from her father, the Mayor of Bowerstone. Trying to ignore her at one of our mandatory tea parties, Elvira revealed my secret.

  “Since Arn already has a Will power, doesn’t that mean he should start guild training soon?” Lady Grey directed the question at my parents.

  I felt their eyes on me as I choked on my scalding tea. “Come again?” My mother asked, while my father stared, slack-jawed.

  “Since he can manipulate time, wouldn’t that put him near guild graduate level?” Elvira clarified, seemingly unaware of the implications. My parents didn’t know I could control time; even if they had seen me use "Time Control," it remained invisible to them. Only I could see my magic at work, while Theresa knew my secret and, for some reason, had shared it with big-mouthed Lady Elvira.

  “Can he?” my mother asked, visibly trying to gauge my abilities.

  “This is a ridiculous accusation, mother. I barely know this girl, and she claims I can manipulate reality itself,” I attempted to sound as genuine as possible.

  “Oh, so it is true!” my mother chimed in.

  “Damn it!” I shouted, then slowed time to a crawl.

  Changing my uncomfortable shoes back into my sandals, I rushed out the front door. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with this right now. I didn’t understand why Theresa was causing this chain of events. I knew she could see the future, but why couldn’t she talk to me about it first? Having the wool pulled over my eyes felt like a betrayal.

  I’d deal with this in a couple of days, but first, I planned to hide out at the demon door in Barrow Fields. Those sentient magical doors couldn’t be forced open, and I had an idea of how to get it to let me in. Plus, I needed the Will Master’s Elixir inside to increase the size of my Will Pool.

  Ah, that's right the grey family's childhood home was also near Oakvale. I tried to ignore the group hoping they would do the same and pass by but no such luck.

  Damn, its young Lady Elvira Grey! It could have been her older sister Amanda Grey but I doubted it. Amanda's supposed personality was much softer and kinder. Amanda fell in love with a commoner in the other timeline before Elvira murdered her for the position of mayor.

  where else could I get others to put experience on a platter before me and pay me to get it? I climbed down from my pedestal of time because my Will energy was low.

  Ah hell!!! Looks like I may have met a few of her spouse requirements. The game always showed them as being arena champion, being virtuous, and having a certain amount of wealth. As a talented youth who would become a Hero guild member I met or would meet many of these requirements in the future. She probably felt this was some kind of predestined meeting. Now, I've got another problem and this one is gonna be harder to deal with in the long run.

  Damn it, mother, this girl is a psychopath!