Chapter 1

In a tightly compacted box is a boy in prone. He looked no older than six, and his body that was smaller than an average six-year-old served as prime-evidence. The boy laid in a vampiric posture as he laid down and had no power to move. He didn’t know how long he’s been in the box or how he even got there. Thinking about it, he doesn’t even remember anything before being confined in a box. It was as if he just appeared there. What he does know is that his name is Chrono.

“Chrono, Chrono, Chrono,” He would repeat to himself. He didn’t want to forget that word; his special word. As he looked around, this box that he was seemingly jailed inside felt as if this was his own world. A world of his own. A very lonely world. This didn’t last long. The box which had shown no movement from the outside began to move.

“Hey! You missed one!” A grumbling voice resounded from the outside. Chrono’s ears perked up, and his eyes began to mist. So he wasn’t alone. This deep angry voice made Chrono tear up, and he wanted to burst from the box and hug the person, but he was unable to. The box wouldn’t budge no matter how much he kicked and thrashed.

“You sure boss? It doesn’t look like any box that we’ve stored. Look, it doesn’t even have a label!” A confused voice replied, and Chrono felt as he was pointing.

“Don’t mind the little things. Just throw it in there.” The voice replied sharply, and heavy footsteps could be heard stomping away.

“You’re the boss.” The other voice sighed and gave a humph and tossed the box into what seemed like a vehicle as the vibrations of an engine can be felt below.

“For such a small box to be that heavy.” The voice heaved with the sound of sweat hitting the ground being heard moments later.

A small alarm rang out, and the voice exclaimed “Looks like it’s lunch break already,” before running out.

Chrono’s body slammed as the box hit the ground and his hands that were once hinged to his shoulders fell and hit the surface of the box. Though he had been in the box for quite some time and his body was in contact with the box. He had never actually ‘felt’ the box with his hands. When his hand touched the box, a pulse of white fired from where his hand touched and spread throughout his body and the box. It felt that his body had synched up with the material of the box causing the box that once confined him to break apart. The pieces that broke apart dissipated into nothingness as if it was data being erased.

A feminine voice then rang out inside his head

“Host connected. Synchronizing user’s body with Temporal Essence.”

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“Synchronizing complete.”

A holo-projection projected from where his hand touched and a figure cloaked in a full robe appeared before him.

“Hello, you must be confused and have no idea of who you are or where you came from, but that is okay. It is for the better. We had done all that we can and followed the instructions you left behind us. This is the best we can do for you. I wish there was more that we could’ve done. Like you’ve always said, go where the waves take you.”

The holo-projection ended, and Chrono was left in silence. If only he had heard this voice first. This beautiful symphony that played in harmony with each word. Chrono began to feel as if life wasn’t fair, but he was grateful nevertheless.

He turned his attention to his body, “This feeling,” he said. The feeling he had in his body was new yet familiar as if it was always a part of him.

He then turned his attention to his surrounding. He was in a more open area when compared to his box, but it was still contained. Around him were crates, containers, and trunks of varying sizes. He didn’t know how to feel of it, being confined in a bigger space, but he knew he had to find those voices. He needed to thank them for freeing him and to tell him where he was, and more importantly if they knew him.

“Let’s see,” Chrono said as he began to look around. Walking corridor after corridor, he finally arrived at the steps of the stairs. Looking up, he saw a metallic platform that had a door embedded in its wall. Carefully placing one foot after another, he climbed the stairs and approached the door. The door had a wheel positioned in the middle and on the wheel was an arrow pointing right. Deciphering what it meant, he tried to turn the wheel right but the wheel was tight, and it wouldn’t budge. Growing confused, he opted to try it left, and as it did, the door began to loosen and open. When the door fully opened, a narrow and tight hallway appeared in front of Chrono. Lights dangled from above grimly and at times the area would shake causing the lights to fly around.

“Never venture never learn.” He said and braced himself. He walked forward keeping an eye for any movement and made sure to pay attention to the vibrations of the floor. After passing through the hallway, past other sealed tight doors on the side of the walls. He arrived at an intersection. To the right was a sealed door and to the left were stairs that headed up. Not wanting to open a closed door to who knows what, Chrono headed left and ascended up the stairs. The room was much more open than the previous room. Replacing one of the walls is curved glass that curved to one corner, to the other with the morning sun’s gaze penetrating through the glass. Chrono stepped to the edge of the glass and peered outside. Tall, large trees stretched to the skies nearly reaching the vehicle he was in. The visible soil looked rich and full of light, while bountiful vegetation clung to the surfaces of the tree. A tall brown mountain cradled a waterfall that fell from its cliff and fell down to a snaky river. Though there was vegetation, no signs of other life were visible. No birds in the sky, no insects that made their trees their home, and no animals that traversed the roots that sculpted the landscape.

Chrono’s eyes were practically touching the glass as he gazed out of it. It was too beautiful. Far better than the box he was in. Then again, there were no comparisons to a plain black box and natural scenery. Watching his figure from afar, was a reasonably tall man on top of the stairs; His long grey beard stretched to his chest and an eyepatch on his right eye that emphasized his career choice.