Filling in the Blanks

[Tiber]

Tiber sat in his temporary bed, his back curving forward like an old crusty man's. The small room that he called home for the time being was lit by only a single candle mounted on the brick wall.
The young mage's eyes zipped back and forth rapidly, line to line, page to page, tearing through the blue and gold tome that lay open in his lap.
He thought for a moment to step outside of his self-imposed prison to see if it was night or day, but as his eyes stumbled upon another interesting phrase, the thought vanished into the black roof of his chamber.
"yes.....yes" he muttered as understanding seeped into his mind.
"I have it!" Tiber yelled out, slamming the book shut and placing it on his bed.
His learning had been faster than expected. Already he had learned how to cast a better version of his slow spell. Instead of stopping everything in the fabric of time so that he could move freely, Tiber found that it would be much more economical just to stop a single object, or a couple that he needed, and let the rest of the world pass as normal.
The young mage was almost embarrassed at first to find out that what he had been thought was in most cases a colossal waste of energy.
Stepping out of the room in a hurry, Tiber was blasted with sunlight that filtered in through the few windows in Raistlin's Study. The boy had a difficult time adjusting to the brightness since his eyes had been trying to read in scarce light for at least a full day.
His hand stumbled over the desks, trying to feel for anything that would suite his need for a target.
"Ah!" he declared, skimming his fingers over a small orb. Tiber was sure the object was just a low level summoning crystal. Someone in the clan must have found it out in the fields and thought it was some long-lost gem of unimaginable power and wealth. Poor fool must have come to ask Raistlin what it was only to find it was some common object that could be picked up in any decent market.
Tiber gripped the smooth gem in his palm, wrapping his fingers tightly as he faced a window.
"Alright then.... lets give it a try"
The Chronos Mage began to mutter the spell he had just committed to memory. It was a more advanced version of the Stop spell. Like this other new skill it would allow him to target a single object. The chant to activate the spell was nearly the same, but with just a few minor adjustments and an extra couple lines at the end.
Once the cadence had completely left his lips, Tiber hurled the gem forward at the window and immediately tapped his staff on the floor, putting the casting to work.
The boy smiled for a moment as the gem stopped in mid air, but there was not enough time for Tiber to enjoy the moment as the spell wore off and the glass orb crashed through the window and began it's plummet towards the town below.
Tiber winced as he immediately turned around and stormed to his room, not even caring to look out from the shattered window to survey the scene below.
Something had gone wrong with his spell and he wanted to know why.
Tiber flung the book open on his bed and surveyed the spell.
"Everything is correct! What did I do wrong?" he said, the frustration rising in his voice.
As he looked at the end of the spell, he noticed something that he had not seen on his first read-through. The last few words were, as far as Tiber could tell, not common ending words. In the language of magic it would have been the same as to end a sentence with the word Upon
"What the..."
The mage turned the page over to see a different spell. It was then that he thought to look in between the pages. Spreading out the spine of the tome with his fingers, Tiber lowered his head to see the faint signs of torn pages. Their remains barely poked out from within their squeezed position.
"Oh man" he muttered, plopping down on the bed beside the open book. "I wonder if Raistlin even knows. I can't get any further now. Not without this spell, and especially not without these pages"
An idea popped into the boy's head as he looked at the book again. "Of course. I can use the past-sight"
It was a skill he had not trained himself on much, but it was one of the first he had been taught in school back on Shogun Island. The ability to see into the past was one of the building blocks of any Chronos Mage's training. From there one could learn to see into the future, and not long after, it was possible to see the third dimension. True Chronos Sight. The ability to see all things that were, will be, could and been, and can be.
For now however, Tiber was limited to just those things that had already passed.
Popping a Chronos seed into the mouth, the boy placed his hands on the book and bowed his head to concentrate.

[Chaos Creator]

-=Shadow was standing in the courtyard, waiting for a friend, when suddenly an orb fell directly in front of him and shattered upon the ground. Arching a brow, he looked upward, wondering why the sky was raining glass instead of it's usual liquid tears=-

What the hell...?

[Raistlin]

~The door to the forbidden lab of Raistlin opened. He stepped from the darkness to view the scattered glass upon the floor. He heard cursing from Tiber's room. He heard him mention past-sight. A simple technique for seeing what once was. Slipping through the door he came up behind Tiber.~

"Don't be to quick to look into the past. Even a skill as simple as past-sight can show you what you don't want to see."

~He leaned down and touched the book lovingly. He ran his index finger through the seem between pages.~

"Look at it. Does it look purposefully removed by a knife, or torn with rage and unthinkingly removed?"

[Tiber]

Tiber gave pause to consider the Arch Magus's query. The apprentice could not be sure if the question was rhetorical or a genuine mystery, but regardless he needed to examine further.
Again lowering his eyes to the book's level, the Chronos Mage stared.
"The page is clearly frayed and the edges of the tare are jagged. It is not the work of a knife....But at the same time there is no ink left on the remains. Whoever did this made sure that all markings were in-tact."
Tiber stood up and turned to face his master whom stood expectantly in the doorway.
"Neither occurred. It was not a professional job, but it was not done with malice either. I would guess that the pages missing were torn out carefully, but in a hurry....perhaps for fear of being caught."
The apprentice reached behind to scoop the book in question off of the bed. Holding it in front of himself, Tiber looked at Raistlin.
"I need whatever pages were inside in order to continue my studies. If you know what happened to this book then please let me know. Otherwise I would like to use past-sight and see where exactly these pages were taken."

[Raistlin]

~Raist turned from the room. Steeping over broken glass he looked out the window.~

"Things that happen in the world are done for reasons. Some of them can never be understood by others. Only the ones who conduct that act has the understanding to do it and know the reasons. It is the actions that happen on a whim that have no true bearing. Thus they can be undone."

~Raising his staff at the broken window. His lips moved in swift expertise as he moved his staff in a counter-clockwise motion. The window frame glowed and the broken glass shimmered. The glass lifted from the ground then floated back into place. The staff kept turning as the window came back together. In a burst of shimmering light the window looked as if it had never been touched. Raist lowered the staff, turned, then walked back to the room.~

"All events in this world happen. It's the moments that are meant to be that can never be changed. You can't undo what had to be done. It's known as... well you know what I'm getting at. If something was done for a reason then the future depends on it and you can't change it. One of the most important abilities of a Cronos mage is to be able to determine the difference between those moments. That's why there are rules to the Cronos art. I'm just telling you that you need to be careful how you use your skills. The Cronos stream can't take many ripples and hold it's stability."

[Tiber]

((ooc: sorry for taking so long....work, g/f, and apartment searching have taken every ounce of my time))

Tiber bowed his head in understanding of Raistlin. The Chronos stream, the very fabric of time was all too fragile for Tiber to play with, and he had been rather careless since leaving Shogun Island. However...

"But Archmagus, I do not seek to go back in time. I would not even if I had the ability. I simply wish to use past-sight to see when the page was taken, and by whom. That way I can be pointed in the right direction towards reclaiming the pages. My teachers at the Shogun Magi Academy always taught us that simple viewing Chronos powers were of no real effect to the stream. It is the actual spells that tamper with time that are harmful.

Tiber peered at the book once more, hungry to find out what he could.
"Without these pages my training is over. I cannot continue without the building block written on them."

[Raistlin]

"I am aware of that. I warn you that in searching for the answer you seek you may not like the outcome. You will understand why I am not more clear on my descriptions, but you'll have to see for your self then. By all means, do what you must."

~Raist stepped back and slipped into the shadows.~

[Tiber]

With the matter settled, Tiber turned to the book and eyed it with anticipation. His fingers tingled as he lay them down on the open pages. The boy's eyes closed as he bowed his head and fell to one knee. The skill of past-sight was one he still struggled with, but he knew with more practice he could get better. It was not a skill acquired through spell book or chanting. Rather it was an intuitive skill, requiring nothing but concentration.

There was a blinding light as Tiber's eyes opened, filled completely with the murky blue color of the Chronos Stream itself. He was unaware of the world around him. His mind's eye had been directed elsewhere. To a different place and a different time.

Instead of seeing the book's creation to start with, Tiber instead was given a feeling for it's entire life. It was as if a timeline had been made, in which the boy could pick and choose where to look. There were stronger feelings than others in certain places in the line. Those were the important events, the places he wanted to look.

Concentrating on one specific time, Tiber again felt his mind's eye transported in a flash of light. There he recognized Archmagus Raistlin, standing in the midst of an old library. His eyes combed the shelves, scanning the spine of every book for what would be the most suitable choice. All at once Tiber could see every book cover, every crack in the wooden tables, every nose hair of crusty old patrons, and all the drops of ink on the floor. His perspective was not limited to a single spot. Instead he sensed everything in the room. The entire scene was his to survey.

Swiftly the Archmagus grabbed for the shelf and ripped a book from it's tightly formed slot. Immediately Raistlin paced over to the nearest desk and opened the book, so engrossed in the tome he was, that he did not bother to find a seat.

This is when the Archmagus first discovered the book... I must look elsewhere

Again Tiber scanned the passage of time, but this time around he found something that he had not before noticed. A small branch off in the timeline. A split that was so subtle that he could not have noticed it before.

Ah, this must be it

Another flash of light as the scene changed in Tiber's mind. Now there were three figures in the very tower in which Tiber's body currently kneeled. It was only a year or two before current day.
One of the figures was again, clearly Raistlin with his distinguished hourglass shaped eyes. The other two stood opposite him, each with spell books in hand, appearing ready to do battle.
Both of the mages looked young, perhaps Tiber's age. One wore dark brown robes, presumably those of an earth-elemental mage and the other was covered in black, the tell-tale sign of the Arcane arts.
"You both know what you are getting into right?" asked Raistlin of the two younger mages.
The one in black robes sneered back, "You have crossed the line! We cannot allow you to see these pages!"
Raistlin walked towards them calmly as the duo slowly backed up.
"You fools don't understand that there is no such thing as too much power! Once I learn to completely manipulate time, then I will truly become untouchable. I can go back and right the wrongs of mine and other's pasts. I can truly become the greatest mage to ever live."
The brown robed mage shook his head as sweat began to form on his hairline. "But you already are! There are some things that should not be known by some people, and putting the power to change the world in your hands is,....I'm sorry but it is suicide. You could do anything."
Raistlin snickered at the thought. "Once I take those pages, then I will make it my top priority to make sure you both were never born. Now....If you dont mind I'll be taking back what is mine. You can run and live a few days while I learn the spells, or you can go ahead and end it here. Either way I will get the pages from you, and either way you will die for betraying your master like this."

Just as the action started in the Lobby of Raistlin's tower, Tiber's concentration began to wane. Everything became blurry as his focus began to black out. His eyes blinked rapidly as the blue in them disappeared and he returned to his current time. There was a hand on his shoulder, that of the Archmagus.
Tiber shot up from his knees to defend himself, but his master simply stood in place.
"Archmagus! Who were those two mages and what did you do to them?"

[YungGun]

~Yung Gun casually walked into the room where Tiber and Raistlin spoke. He stood in front of Raistlin and then bowed. He looked at Tiebr and smiled. He walked to the bookcase and instead of grabbing his usual fire book, he grabbed the water book. He then sat on the table and began reading~

[Raistlin]

~Raist looked at Tiber and thought about what he said. He figured it was gonna need to be brought up in time to someone. Who better would understand what went on then a cronos mage. His student to be specific. He'll understand.~

"Come. We must speak elsewhere."

~He took Tiber by the shoulder and led him back into his room. Stopping just inside Raist hung back and looked deeply at YungGun.~

"And you! If I ever get called to reverse damage done by a spell from you, I'll bind your magic and next time I won't convince Morge to let you go. I'll even hold you to the wall while he attaches the manacles. Now if I find you listening at this door, or trying in any way to listen to this conversation I'll turn you into a squirrel. Got that? Pay attention to those books. It's nice to help you learn how to control the fire within, but learning the opposite side of your magic is a great help. Get into that and study well. I'll question you on it as soon as you’re done."

~Swooping into the room he slammed the door shut and sealed it with a wizard's lock. He motioned for Tiber to sit on the stool by the bed and he took the one in the corner. He rested his staff in the corner just behind him. He settled himself in for a long story. He spoke in a quiet, calm tone.~

"The night that you speak of dates back to the time of the birth of magic for the Shogun Empire. I helped them get started and worked with the would be High Mages that would take the art to it's new heights. To get them started I wanted to just teach them what I knew. To my surprise they took to the skills with great ease. I was the one left in the wake of their skills. From what I taught them they found more. Common spells were manipulated and altered to either enhance, or reverse the former. As you can imagine, it enraged me. I had never really got myself engrossed into the cronos art. I figured just showing them a little bit of a useless art that I had no need of would get them to marvel in my skills. Little did I know that the cronos stream ran right through that island making their knowledge of that art so easy to grasp.

“I then realized there was only one way to get things back to where I wanted them. I had to verse myself on every aspect of the art first and best them before they got too good. I want to the Great Library of the Gods. I had already created my own versions of the other arts’ books. I didn’t have time to try and study and make my own version, so I stole the Book of Cronos from the Gods. I made quick my escape, but was noticed by 2 well up and coming wizards. They spend a few years tracking me down and finding a way into my tower without dying. Once inside they went for the book. I came out of my lab just as they got it and were heading out. I blocked their magical exit forcing them to have to confront me. Knowing I would have no problem ridding myself of them I had no fear of conflict against them. I disarmed them with 2 easy spells, but what they said then was what made me change my strategy.

‘Vanquish us and you’ll bring down the vengeance of the Gods. They know where we are. If we don’t bring the book back they’ll come themselves and bind your powers. There is no keeping that book for you. The spells in there were never meant for human eyes.’

“I agreed that it was not for any average human, but I can control it. I opened the book to that page and on the other side of it was a spell unknown to anyone other than the Gods. They figured that only a God could use it. After checking it I found that there was also a reversal spell for it on the same page. After studying the spell I removed the page and recited the spell. Just before finishing I stuck the page in the pocket of one of their robes. When I recited the final verse they were gone. That is were your page is at. I hadn’t studied the book much due to being chased by them, but I also don’t know how you’ll be able to retrieve that page either.”

~Raist finished and just stared at Tiber looking for his reaction to the events he unfolded before him.~

[Tiber]

Tiber was both relieved and anguished by the story he had been told. On one hand he was grateful that Raistlin had not killed the men. He was at least not a complete monster. On the other hand however Tiber was frustrated by the obstacle that stood before him. How could he possibly find two mages without known names, who's only identifier is a page that may or may not still be in their possession. And could Tiber find the men and their page, what if they were to put of a fight. The Chronos mage's skills had certainly advanced, but they were still miles ahead of him.
"No matter how daunting a task," Tiber declared to the archmagus as well as himself, "I have no choice but to take up this challenge. I either find that page or give up my life's work as well as my father's only hope at coming back to a world without Izlude."
The boy stood up and tightened his Chronos robe around his body, getting ready to leave.
"Archmagus, I will start my search at the Library of the Gods, where you stole the book all those years ago...However I know not what direction to head in. I have everything I may need, so if you would not mind I would appreciate if you could teleport just myself to the Library."

[Raistlin]

"First of all, that library is only accessable by the Gods. I was there per a request of the...... well of reasons I'm not rightly sure I can divulge. You won't find them without knowing how short I made their lives. At one point they'll be alive and living out their existance. The next they will be getting birthed. I wanted to prevent them from being there when I got this book. They couldn't exist if their lives didn't last that long, but they still exist, just not on this plane of time. They are in a loop of time where they can't go on with out repairing their life line. And I for one refuse to do that. I won. I have the power now. The Gods be damned too. They can't keep books and magic from those who are supposed to worship them and serve for them. I will have what I lay claim to. And that is all the knowledge of magic to this, and any other world I choose."

~Raist slammed his fist down on the arm of the chair he sat in. He had a venomous stare that pierced the darkness of his hood.~

[Tiber]

The apprentice had been humbled. How could Tiber have assumed that Raistlin would be so willing to help him. After all, the Archmagus put the men in that spell for a reason other than to serve as a training exercise for any Chronos mage that happened to come by.
As Tiber stood, implanted in the wooden floor, unable to move out of Raistlin's glare, he wondered what it was he could possibly do. He himself did not completely understand the spell that Raistlin had cast.
If the two mages were constantly re-living their lives to a given point before they saw the Archmagus steal, then where could the page be? It of course was not in the Chronos Book.
"So..." the apprentice cautiously threw his thoughts out into the damp air of his master's room, "... If I understand this spell you speak of, then the page does not exist in this time. It's existence depends solely on the playing out of the mages' lives. If they are allowed to live to the point of that spell, then they should come back to this time, as well as the page that the bore."
The whole concept was something Tiber had never encountered in his years of study. Though he had never tampered with it himself, he knew that it was possible to deal in other times. The Archmagus had created his own plain, but what could the ramifications be to the Chronos Stream?
"Master...I trust you realize what kind of damage such a spell does to the fabric of time. Creating such a twist destabilizes the very stream that we need. In my limited experience, I'm not even completely sure that it would be possible to undo such a spell without causing massive damage to the stream. If their lives are made into a straight line once again, then will they not re-appear in this very tower as they were at the point the spell was cast? Such an occurrence is dangerous as they would be out of their own times by years. Or could it be that once their lives are re-opened then they will never catch up to us as they are already behind. And in that case there is no hope of getting the page back as it will always exist years after our plain."
Tiber's head began to ache with all of the possibilities. He could not stand this conundrum that his master had created. Even if the Chronos Mage did know what was going on, and how to solve it, it seemed that there was little hope of getting the Archmagus to cooperate, and free the men.

So Tiber only stood in place, his hope crushed by the stubbornness of his master.
"Well, Archmagus. We seem to have come to a point where I am unable to do anything without your knowledge or cooperation. There are still many years before I learn how to travel back in time, and your reasons to keep the men in a loop seem stronger than your desire to train me. Without that page I am afraid that my training under you has come to an end.
Tiber walked over to his master, who's eyes continued to glare at him all the way. It was almost as if the air around the older mage was warmer, lit by his pure rage.
The boy knelt to one knee in front of the Archmagus and bowed his head.
"I humbly seek dismissal from your services." Tiber stated as his left hand emerged from his robes and quietly slid across the few inches of floor towards the Archmagus's Robe.
"It has been a pleasure to learn what I could from you, but it seems that my time here is finished."
He placed his index finger on the frayed edge of the robe, below the Archmagus's line of sight, which was blocked by his own knees. Tiber would just need a few seconds. It would have been quicker had he consumed another Chronos seed, but then his plan would have been obvious. He meant no harm to the master, and if everything went right he would not even notice.
"So, Archmagus Raistlin, I officially ask you now to answer my petition of leave. If you would have me stay then I will, but I sense that my welcome is worn, and no more skills are to be had by myself in this tower."
Tiber continued to keep his head down and his face out of sight. He closed his eyes and began to make slight movements with his lips, doing the most he could to make himself still and silent.

[Raistlin]

~Tiber's eyes flashed white. They bubbled and flowed like an untamed waterfall. To his eyes he saw Raistlin lean back and begin to speak, but his words were not understandable. Then he recognized that it back-wards speech. Time was flowing back, or more appropriately speaking, he was moving back through the time stream. He looked around and saw himself back where he was seated earlier. His movement back sped up and events started to blur. A hand rested on his shoulder. Tiber turned his head to see Raistlin standing over him.~

"The true measure of a mage is what he is willing to do for what he desires. You are far from being finished with your training. This proves that. Watch and I will show you what it is you seek."

~Time slowed and Raist pointed a slender finger out of his sleeve in front of them. Tiber turned in time to see the black and brown robed mages from his previous vision lying on the ground. Raistlin was standing over them saying something. He stooped down and got back up. He said one final word and the two on the ground vanished. A slight flash of light shimmered from under the archmage's robes. He opened them slightly and removed two large flasks of glowing water. He turned and cradled them under his arm.~

"You see now, Tiber," Raist continued speaking over Tiber's shoulder, "what has been done? The spell is known as captured time. You understand now why it was found on the page just after the stop spell. I captured their life streams at a point in time before they were known to the Gods. Then bottled their lives in order to hide them in limbo. This spell is one of few in existence that can be used against the Gods. That is why they dispatched these two to get the book back. It's too dangerous in the wrong hands, but removing it from existence would make them not even miss it. Therefore they won't seek me out anymore. Besides, if they knew why I wanted the book in the first place they would strip me of my magic. Some may even take my soul to torment at their will. You are the one and only person alive who knows any of this. I reveal it in hopes that you can understand the dangers of knowing too much. You must be exhausted by now. You may blink."

~When Tiber did he found himself back in his room of the tower on his hands and knees. His eyes were clear and he looked around to see that nothing had changed. As if he had never left. He looked up at Raist who was breathing heavily. He lurched over and was crippled by a burst of coughing. He retrieved a napkin from a pocket and covered his mouth. Wiping his mouth he replaced the cloth quickly into his robes. It was a brown cloth so the speckles of red were not as noticeable.~

"I must boil some water to make my tea. Would you like a drink?"

~He asked that as he strode past Tiber leaning heavily on his staff. He pushed through the door and pulled a cord. A low leveled mage in apprentice garbs hustled into the study from the entrance door on the other side. The lowly mage bowed before his teacher.~

"Fetch me a pot of hot water, and be quick about it."

~He coughed a little more as the student hustled out to do as ordered.~

[YungGun]

~Yung Gun looked up as a low level mage was summoned into Raistlin's room. Yung Gun was well aware of the tasks that Raistlin had the his lower level mages do for he was once in that class. As the mage exited Raistlin's room, Yung Gun looked at the mage and smirked. The mage looked back with anger~

*Shame* He thought

~Yung Gun then went back into his book and started concentrating on making a water ball in his hand~