The Chronicled Time...

(Doing this as a Solo.)

Gods...why do you torment your son so? He called out to them, desperate by that point. But also cold and numb, after the initial events of the cataclysm occurred, he'd seen friends and loved ones burn to ash. Yet somehow, he'd survived through the entire ordeal...maybe it was fate or something far more sinister at play. He'd buried every one of the villagers with his own hands, until they were calloused and caked dry with blood. He'd lost track of time by that point. Months, days, years...centuries...nothing mattered at that point any longer. He could no longer tell what time of day it was, or even if it was day or not. He'd seen his family and friends perish one by one as a result of the sundering of the great tree. During that entire ordeal, Elthas lost his voice in it's entirety.

He'd become mute.

What hurt him the most...was the point the gods made him their personal play thing. To torment and tease him at the crux of some twisted grand scheme. Elthas was tired and cold by that point, he'd lost himself during the burials. Maybe for good. He kept asking them, the silent judges of all mortal life...Why...why have you done this to us? Elthas looked up at the charred bark of the great tree, once it was his village's solitary protector and warded that section of Concordia Forest from the evils of the world. Now, it was just another empty carcass. Elthas stared at the tree for a long moment. At some point, something from the great beyond called to him.

You still live...do you want to know why this is? The Thayne asked of him.

Elthas did not know the name of that particular Thayne, only that there had been thousands in accordance to the Thayne codex scriptures. I need an answer why did you let me live? Elthas called out to the Thayne.

You are going to be broken, Son of Halm Belthasar. You are little more than a leaf in the wind...our play thing. To amuse us for all of eternity. The Thayne said to him.

Elthas thought about what he was hearing and looked down at the ground. You have already won why did you not kill me too?

We chose to let you live. You are not meant to know why yet. But you already know the truth of it. We let you live. Because we want you to suffer for all eternity, Son of Halm Belthasar, the great hero.

It was at that point something cracked in Elthas's mind. He took off running in a direction...somewhere...nowhere...

The voices in his mind laughed accusingly at him, tormenting him for the fact that he was cursed to have lived the cataclysm. Having watched, friends, family, loved ones suffering horrible deaths because of that event. As he ran, he heard The Thayne tormenting him, laughing at him.

You will live...Son of Halm Belthasar...son of the great hero... Was all that he heard from the great beyond.

He'd written a chronicle of the events of the cataclysm from the perspective of his people. He was certain very few such records existed with regards to the cataclysm, but none of that mattered. He simply ran, from the tormenting voices...that was all that was left to do. Run from his past...from the future, no, run from life itself. Maybe something would kill him along the way and end his misery and suffering...but he would not be so lucky.

"So...you got the stuff ready?" A man asked of his companions.

"That was an easy job, so of course." The second person said.

It was afternoon by that point, ash fall swirled through the air but they had engineered clothing to protect against the harmful burning effects of it. Their hoods were up casting shadows across their faces. "They were too far off the road..." The leader said calmly.

"Something troubles you does it not?" The second man said.

"Yeah we probably should not linger too much longer here...OOF." Something, no someone, slammed into him hard from their right and both figures rolled off some paces in opposing directions.

The man who was knocked down was their leader, and stood up looking at the stranger. "God damned Elf..." The man said carefully looking at the boy on the ground.

"No villages around these parts...?" The second man mused. "Fuck did he come from?"

The leader looked at his companions..."He looks like a stout one, but I have a weird feeling about this."

"Premonitions again?" The second man asked.

The leader nodded. "We take him with us." The leader walked over towards Elthas. "Hey...kid, nod if you can hear us."

Elthas blinked for a moment or two but nodded.

"Going to take you with us, it is not safe for you to wander about around here alone." The leader extended his hand out towards Elthas for him to take.

Elthas nodded once more and took the man's hand and the fellow helped him stand.

"What's your name kid?" The man asked.

Elthas motioned towards his throat that he was not able to speak, and just them remembered his journal. He handed the leader his journal.

"Holy shit...Belthasar House..." The leader's eyes went wide for a moment. "We hit a jack pot out here folks." The leader said. "You belong to Clan Belthasar, is that right, Elf?" The man asked. There was no hostility or malice in the man's voice.

Elthas nodded once more showing he understood what was being asked.

"Write your name down on this slip." The leader asked. And handed Elthas a small parchment and fountain pen.

Elthas scribed his name with the fountain pen in perfect common tongue, albeit stylized writing.

"Elthas..." The leader said reading his name out load, he knelt down int front of the boy. "You are going to be given a new name kid." The man paused for a moment. "We belong to Terrentius Estate, a guild operating around these parts. Forget your old life, kid. You are now one of us." The man said calmly as he explained what they were doing out there, that far off the main road. "You were running from something were you not?" The leader asked of him as they returned back to the Terrentius Estate charter guild. "My name is Xallvius." He said carefully saying the name to Elthas. "Your new name you will operate under from now on will be Xell The Swift. You understand me?"

The boy nodded.

And that is how it all began once more...