CHAPTER 91: CHAPTER 90. POWER TO REMEMBER

Chronos didn’t even flinch.

The blob of water surged toward him; it wasn’t large but strong enough to drench him completely. Yet before a single drop could touch his golden armor, Chronos just lifted one finger, a small, almost lazy gesture.

And time itself obeyed. The water froze in mid-air, every droplet suspended like crystal beads caught in sunlight. They shimmered faintly, reflecting the soft blue glow radiating from his chest. The world went utterly still; sound, air, and even the faint heartbeat of the earth seemed to stop, swallowed by the weight of his command.

"Hello, Undine," Chronos said at last, his voice smooth yet resonant, echoing like a thousand tones layered together. His gaze swept across the space, calm but all-seeing. "And Tempest, Afrit, and you... Terra." His smile is small, faintly amused.

Undine’s eyes narrowed. "You could’ve told us, Chronos!" she snapped, the tension in her tone sharp enough to slice through the silence.

Chronos tilted his head slightly, his white hair glinting under the ethereal light. "And where," he said, that faint smirk deepening, "would the fun be in that?"

In an instant, the air rippled with divine energy as the other four spirit kings materialized beside Undine, each taking their humanoid form, their presence filling the balcony with elemental might. Fire, wind, earth, and water shimmered in unison before the golden figure of Time itself.

"Even if the four of you gang up on me," Chronos said, the gears turning behind his back whirring faster with each word, "it would make no difference. I am the pulse between seconds, the breath between life and death. None of you can touch me."

Terranova folded her arms and scoffed. "He’s right, as annoying as that is."

Afrit’s fiery aura flared. "You’re still as arrogant as ever, clock-face."

Chronos only chuckled, a sound that made the air hum. "Perhaps. But since you all seem to care so deeply for her..." His glowing eyes turned toward Vivianne, then flicked to Roxanne. "I’ll grant her one gift. A power that will help her and that stupid wife of hers later."

Afrit frowned, his flames dimming in disbelief. "Why do you keep calling her mate as stupid?"

Chronos turned his head slightly toward Roxanne, who had been quietly observing the exchange with her arms crossed. "Because she is," he said simply. Thinking about the hassle he needs to do because Roxanne didn’t want to move out from the North.

Roxanne blinked. "I didn’t know the spirit kings were this noisy," she muttered under her breath after Vivianne shared her senses with her, an invisible thread of energy that let her hear and see what the spirits did.

"We are not, usually," Tempest said, folding his arms, his tone sharp as the wind that followed him.

"It’s just that with Chronos here," Terranova added, her voice rumbling like distant thunder, "we lose our patience rather quickly."

Chronos gave them a smile, a small, knowing curve of his lips that carried both mischief and timeless fatigue. The faint glow around his form pulsed once, as though amused by their irritation.

"Is that why," Vivianne stepped forward, standing directly in front of the Time Spirit, "my alpha, Roxanne de Borgia, started doing things she never did in her first life? Like suddenly sending a marriage proposal to my brother?"

Chronos met her gaze, his eyes deep as collapsing stars. Then, with an almost tender smile, he said, "Yes, dear master of the spirit kings. I had to whisper through the threads of fate, through the spirits that linger around her mother’s house. I made sure her mother heard my voice and, well, pushed her into making that choice."

Afrit groaned, flames flickering faintly along his forearms. "You could’ve just told her directly, you know. Would’ve saved everyone a lot of trouble." Referring to Morwenna.

"Or talk to us." Undine said again.

Chronos turned toward him with that same serene, almost teasing expression. "She isn’t a bearer of the spirit kings. Mortals who look upon me, even with their spirit bearer power, tend to... break."

His gaze drifted toward Marvessa, who stood stiff as a statue beside Vivianne, her face pale and eyes unfocused. Chronos sighed, almost dramatically, and pointed at her with a languid motion. "Into that."

Marvessa’s jaw twitched, as if waking from a daze. She blinked rapidly, still trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Roxanne frowned, watching the exchange. "You just turned my wife’s guard into a puddle of confusion," she muttered.

Chronos tilted his head, unbothered. "Better confusion than oblivion," he said lightly, and the world seemed to hum again, like time itself was holding back laughter.

"But my wife is fine?" Vivianne asked, confusion creasing her brow. Her gaze flicked toward Roxanne, who stood calm but tense.

Chronos looked at Vivianne for a long moment, and when he spoke, his voice carried a strange fondness, like someone who had seen the same story play out countless times, always with the same stubborn hearts. "Her blood is what makes her fine, the royal blood and the finest demon’s blood," he said simply, his tone echoing through the still air. "Did I not tell you before? The two of you were meant to be together from the very beginning."

Roxanne frowned slightly, glancing between them. "Yes, you said that I was stupid, stuck-up, that stuck-up North. Which is why it led to Vivianne’s misery in her first life."

Chronos gave a quiet hum, a sound both amused and ancient. "Now, you’re smart." His eyes glimmered faintly, golden light shifting beneath his skin like the ticking of unseen gears. "You were born under her star, Roxanne de Borgia. When fate spun its thread, yours tangled with hers long before either of you took your first breath. That is why your marking on her is what she needed, and her heat will soften your rut."

Vivianne’s eyes widened, her lips parting. "Oh, you mean we both are drawn to each other because of that?" she whispered, almost to herself.

"Drawn?" Chronos chuckled, the sound deep and layered. "No, my dear spirit bearer. Bound. Time tried to tear you apart once, and none of us lived well that time apart. She was miserable with her power, her rut that was destroying everything. And you are destroyed by your own power."

Marvessa, still half-dazed, muttered under her breath, "That’s... kind of romantic, actually."

Chronos arched an eyebrow, amused. "Romantic? Hardly. Inconvenient, maybe. Complicated, definitely." He looked between Roxanne and Vivianne again, a flicker of exasperated affection in his eyes. "But I suppose even the universe grows tired of repeating mistakes. So this time, I gave you both a chance to get it right."

Roxanne stepped closer to Vivianne, her expression softening despite herself. "So what you’re saying," she murmured, "is that all of this, her memories, the changes, even Dietrich’ madness, it’s because we were supposed to find each other again?"

Chronos smiled faintly. "Exactly. Destiny remembers what mortals forget."

Vivianne’s eyes hardened, the weight of purpose returning to her voice. "Then tell me," she demanded, "how do we destroy Dietrich?"

Chronos tilted his head slightly, as if amused by her boldness. "Destroy him?" he echoed. "With four spirit kings bound to your will and your mate’s power intertwined with yours, his fall is inevitable." He raised his hand, time itself seeming to bend around his movement. "I will grant you something greater, a power to remember."

Light gathered at his fingertip, pure and golden, spiraling like strands of a cosmic thread. "Not everyone can stay sane carrying the memories of their past life," Chronos continued. "Most mortals crumble when they see what their souls once endured. But you, my dear bearer of the spirit kings, have endured worse."

He touched her forehead gently, and the moment his finger met her skin, the world seemed to stop breathing. A ripple of energy pulsed through Vivianne, cold and warm all at once; flashes of her past life flickered in her mind. Her breath hitched, her knees trembled, but she stayed standing.

Chronos watched her with quiet admiration. "See? Even time itself bows to your will."

Roxanne, who had been holding her breath the entire time, finally spoke. "You’re not... bonded with her?"

Before Chronos could answer, Terranova stepped forward, her voice steady and grounded like the earth she ruled. "Chronos can never be bonded. He isn’t a spirit that exists within the circle of creation. He’s a creation, the breath between life and death, the pause between heartbeats. To be bonded with him..." She glanced briefly at Vivianne, her tone softening. "...would mean losing your physical form. Your body would dissolve, and your soul would scatter into the threads of time."

Chronos gave a small nod, confirming her words. "She speaks true. I am not a being meant for mortal hearts. I just... maintain the balance of their stories." His gaze lingered on Vivianne, almost wistful. "And yours, Vivianne de Borgia, has always been one of my favorites."

Roxanne frowned faintly at that, possessive heat flaring in her chest. "That’s not something a married spirit bearer needs to hear."

Chronos chuckled, the sound echoing like the chime of a thousand clocks. "Ah, jealousy, the one force even time cannot erase."