I. Kain. Suddenly, and painfully, awoke. I stood up, looked around, and took in my surroundings. It was dark, and the visibility was poor. My vision was blurry, and the back of my head was throbbing. As I blinked a few times, and my vision began to come back to me. I looked to my surroundings once more.

I could just see the walls around me, but it was enough to know that I was in some sort of cave. I walked towards the nearest wall, and laid my hand on it for support. It was damp, a sign that I was either deep below the ground, or deep within these caves. Possibly both. I looked down, and saw marbled floor. The marble was grayish-white. It looked familiar, but in my state of semi-consciousness, I couldn't quite remember where I had seen this scenery before.

I got a grip of myself, I took my hand off the wall, and stood on my own two feet. My legs were shaking, and I was finding it difficult to walk. The blow to the back of my head, had caused somewhat substantial damage, but I was beginning to get my strength back. I looked around, and saw several murals, painted on glass. Then I remembered. This looked like the caves of the Oracle. But how had I come to be here? And how far in was I?

I strangely couldn’t remember how I got here, or why I was here. The blow to my head obviously had something to do with my memory loss. I just hoped it wouldn’t last too long. My eyes had either adjusted to the light, or I had been deceived at the dimness of the cave. I decided to walk around the corner, as my strength was nearly fully replenished. As I rounded the corner, I couldn’t believe what I saw. I had been right about my location, but I didn’t realize how far in I was. I was looking at the entrance to the Chronoplast Chamber. I was looking at the huge, cumbersome, light-brown doors, with the hourglass emblem, etched, timelessly into it very being. This was the entrance to my destiny.

I walked towards it, and stood in awe. I lifted both my arms, and shoved the doors open. They creaked, but gave way. The doors swung inwards, and revealed to me, my every dream. My hope and every passion. My future, past and present. The chamber represented freedom, knowledge, and power. Yet at that time, I didn't come close to comprehending the true power of Chronoplast. But I do now...

I remember being bewildered by its shear size, and beauty. One never did get over that feeling. I took a moment to reflect on the chamber. To call it magnificent would have been an understatement. The vertical, yet slanted pillars reminded me of times past. The mechanical, semi-lunar, timing switches, were astounding. Their gold pigment and encrusted jewels of untold value, amazing and enthralled even a highly traveled being.

The three stories, and the massive orb on the sealing, added to the sear scale of enormity in the chamber. The three protruding, stationary, spikes from the orb, where intimidating, and contradicted the feel of the chamber completely. The stairs leading up to the primary Chronoplastian portal, seemed endless, but they were finite compared to the chamber itself.

The deep orange illumination from the candelabra on either side of the mechanical devices, gave the second two levels a conflagrated feel. The star like pattern on the roof, gave one the sense of freedom, and lightheadedness. Unlike dizziness, but akin to the sovereignty of the soul.

The circular floor, with its rounded hourglass etching, was astonishingly simple, yet highly affective. The yellow light that was illuminated from the orb, was an onslaught, but somehow didn’t seem to dazzle the chamber.

I walked into the chamber. The Chronoplast was gleaming at me, calling me forth, to venture into its unfathomable bowels. I walked towards the middle of the hourglass, in the center of the chamber, and greedily soaked up the chamber’s aura. Its circular design, and gold tarnish had always truly enthralled me, and now was no exception. I stood staring at it. Bewildered.

I wondered how I had come to be here? How I had been struck behind my head? Who had brought me here? And why?

The Chronoplast disrupted my pondering. The portal was glowing blue. It was sucking up the essence the world, and seemed to be creating a void. An abyss. All manner of being, in the chamber, seemed to be hauled into the Chronoplast. The spikes above me started rotating, and the orb gleamed a bright, effervescent yellow. The switches turned independently. The orb glowed brighter still. Yellow lighting shot from emeralds atop each pillar, into the orb. Into the yellow globe of power.

As more of the switches turned, and clicked, choosing a sign, a destination. The spikes spun faster, and the lightning became more ferocious . One could feel the power building within the room. Suddenly a massive bolt of yellow energy hurled towards the 'X' on top of the primary portal, and orange, red, and yellow flames burst out of the blue portal. They lingered for a moment, then were sucked back into the portal, and changed its colour to yellow. The spikes from the orb rotated faster still, but no more lightning was seen.

I looked towards the portal, and saw it form a yellow void. Wrought of a flame like substance, the portal pulled the flames the in, and created a whole in time. A being was pulled into the portal, from the other side. Then was hurled out, into the air of my time, dangerously close to the orb and its spikes. The being was spinning uncontrollably, and I followed his path through the air. The was being flipped, like a toy, aimlessly through the air. But he somehow gained control. He was on the decent, and looked in control of his flight.

He had neared the orb, but was now in the air, behind of where I stood. I turned around to follow him. He spun once more, then landed abruptly on the marble floor. His feet hit, and he bent down onto one knee, and put his hand on the floor for support. His face was looking down at the floor, and a black robe covered most of body.

Who was this? And how had he managed that aerial maneuver?