Potential

Fear and shock filled Ojero. Time magic was one of the rarest elements, and anyone who was gifted with the power was someone to fear.

It was one of the few elements to be classified as a mythic power, and couldn't be learned by anyone. You had to naturally be born with the talent, unlike most elements.

Rumors about time mages were popular, as there was estimated to be less than one hundred throughout the entirety of Voretia.

Some were rumored to be powerful kings and others were said to be terrifying tyrants, but one thing was constant: Never mess with a time mage.

Although Ojero was filled with fear, it felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. 'If this man is a time mage, he could have killed Orpham and I in an instant. He must want us alive for a reason, so Orpham should be fine!'

The paladin watched Ojero through his helmet, expecting the look of shock. Seeing it put a smile on his face, he always liked to see the stages of shock and horror when people learned of his time element. They would always spend a while trying to remember if they somehow insulted or angered him.

What the paladin was not expecting, however, was the smile that slowly grew across Ojero's face. The reaction was so unexpected, the paladin recoiled, causing the Tome to shake in the air, causing Ojero to look up in surprise.

"You are a time mage?"

The paladin quickly collected himself.

"Yes. Time is the element I specialize in."

"Then what about the 'Constant Control Path?' What is that?"

The paladin tilted his head to the side, confused at the basic question.

"It is my path of development. Have you not learned of them?"

Ojero's face fell as he heard this.

"No, my father was going to teach us soon."

The paladin did not respond for a few seconds out of respect.

"Paths of development are the archetype you choose for your element. Each element you gain has multiple archetypes, some even having dozens. However, you only can pick from certain archetypes that your body and Tome will allow you."

"My time archetype is constant control. It allows me to control the flow of time in small areas, but I can do it rapidly. I can not control time flows that are days or weeks in the past or future, but I can speed up, slow down, reverse, or stop anything that is happening or happened recently, such as you trying to attack me."

The paladin then demonstrated, pointing at an area of the clearing they were in, and miraculously grass began to reappear. The grass then disappeared again, showing that the paladin reversed his magic.

Ojero starred with rapt attention, his momentary sadness gone with this distraction.

"How many elements can you control?" Ojero asked with excitement.

"It is rude to ask someone for all of their elements. All you need to know is that I have a powerful grasp of time and light magic." The paladin responded, his tone never changing.

Although Ojero heard no change in the paladin's voice, he still felt like he was just harshly rebuked, and recoiled momentarily.

"I'm sorry." Ojero muttered out quietly.

The two sat there in silence for many minutes, before Ojero finally grew bored of it and spoke up again.

"How do I find out which elements I have talent for?"

"I have to meet someone on our way there. She knows how to test your magical potential and can tell you which elements you have the highest amount of potential with."

The excitement within Ojero grew.

"Well, I bet I'll have a high talent in light magic!" Ojero announced, while waving his right arm, summing a small wave of light.

The paladin let out a chuckle, one of the first signs of emotion Ojero ever saw from the armored warrior.

"I could already gauge your potential for light when we met. I could sense the trace amounts of the element from you and your brother. Your talent for light is small at best. The only reason you can summon it naturally is due to your ambition to fit your family's mold."

For some reason, the paladin's words angered Ojero. He had worked hard to summon the light, and here this man was saying it wasn't all that great.

"What do you know about anything?"

"I know the talent for light. We had to study the Guestinos before our mission. I know your lineage is full of very talented light mages such as your father, but not you. Your brother, however, was bursting with light magic. I guarantee his element alone will carry him far."

"I can see it in your eyes. You craved attention and acceptance from your family. You wanted to fit in, to follow the footsteps of your ancestors. To control light and bend it to your whims, just like the great Multo. Sorry kid, you just don't cut it."

Ojero was growing angrier by the minute, and was growing tempted to lash out and attack the paladin, just to satiate his rage.

Then he looked down, and once again saw the hourglass on the paladin's tome, and realized the hopelessness of it.

Ojero's shoulders slumped, as he lost the drive to fight back.

The paladin shook his head.

"You give in easily, child, you need to change that. Just because your talent for the light is weak, does not mean your talent for the other elements is."

His words cheered up Ojero a little, and gave him a new thought.

"Wait, if you can sense my talent for light magic, can you sense it for my other elements?"

"No. I can only sense elements I have proficiency in. Now, it is time to sleep. We must rest for our journey."

Without another word, the benches of earth sank into the ground, while two sets of two earth plates rose up around Ojero and the Paladin, forming two earth tents.

Light coalesced on the ground around Ojero, and he felt himself sink into it slightly.

'It's soft? How?'

Ojero turned to ask the paladin, but earth rose up, encasing both of their tents on all sides, locking them in their separate 'bedrooms.'

Ojero, not wanting to spend the energy to yell, simply fell to the light bed with a sigh, and before he knew it he was asleep.

The paladin, however, was very much awake, sitting in his tent.

His helmet was removed, revealing short blonde hair and a youthful face. He looked thin, not weak in any sense, but not as big as someone wearing that armor appeared to be.

His eyebrows were knit together, as his sharp blue eyes stared in the direction of Ojero's tent.

'His potential for time magic… is enormous. I never thought I would meet one with a higher potential than *him*. This could change things, many things…'