Chapter 2: Shadows of the Lake

Tobal lay in the dimness of his bedroom, the air thick with the musty scent of old wood and the faint tang of whiskey drifting from the den below. The colonial uniform lay crumpled on the floor, the silver sword leaning against the wall where it had been thrown in frustration after the ball’s chaos. His face bore the dull ache of newly healed scars, a stark reminder of Becca’s fury. The hospital’s sterile silence still echoed, Fiona’s tearful departure a weight he couldn’t shake. He pulled the hoodie over his head, brown eyes staring at the ceiling, the dance replaying—Fiona’s fire in his arms, her kiss a spark, her whisper of something strange. The incident had plunged him into a deep disturbance, a refusal to return to Tavistock High, to face the whispers or the polished masks. School twisted his stomach, a prison he longed to flee.

In the restless hours before dawn, sleep tugged him into a dream. The oak box sat in the corner of his room, its carved glyph—a man and woman holding hands within a circled serpent, edges glowing faintly—casting a shadow of a memory he couldn’t grasp—his mother’s laugh, his father’s murmur, lost when he was 2. Its weight pulled at him, a mystery tied to Harry’s cryptic “Time broke that day,” a thread to a past shrouded in smoke and steel. The Wild called, soft and distant, a shiver pulling him half-out of body. Outpost steel flashed, yellow eyes glinted in the haze, then faded into a fleeting image of Harry laughing in cold water, a woman’s—Lilly’s—joyful laugh echoing before it dissolved. He jolted awake, heart pounding, the Wild whispering louder, a spark igniting his resolve to run.

Morning broke gray and cold, the Oregon sky pressing against the windows as Tobal slipped out of bed, his scarred face a stranger’s mask. The thought of school—of facing the aftermath—clawed at him, a prison he couldn’t endure. With a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, he crept downstairs, dodging the fifth step, the air heavy with polish and Harry’s silence. He grabbed a coat, the front door clicking shut behind him, and headed into the biting wind toward the frozen lake north of the estate. The snow crunched under his boots, his breath fogging in the chill, the Wild whispering through the pines—a call to escape the life Harry demanded.

Hours later, he stood at the lake’s edge, its icy surface gleaming under a weak sun, sundogs flickering on either side. Exhaustion weighed him down, the scars itching faintly, his resolve faltering. Then he saw him—an old man, stooped and weathered, fishing through a hole in the ice. His gray beard caught the light, eyes sharp beneath a tattered hat, a presence that felt ancient yet alive. Tobal approached, wary. “Who are you?” he asked, voice rough.

“Name’s Joe,” the old man rasped, reeling in an empty line. “Lost your way, lad?” His voice carried a knowing edge, a hint of something Tobal couldn’t place.

“I… I can’t go back,” Tobal muttered, the weight of his scars pressing down. “School, my uncle—they don’t get me.”

Joe nodded, eyes glinting like the ice. “The Wild’s got a hold on you, boy. Run if you must, but home’s where you’ll find your first step.” He offered a gnarled hand, and Tobal hesitated, then shook it—a grip that felt like time itself, a shiver running through him. Joe pointed toward the estate. “Head back. Something waits there—something you’ll need.”

Confused but drawn by the old man’s certainty, Tobal turned back, the lake fading behind him. The walk home stretched endlessly, the cold biting deeper, his mind a storm of doubt and determination. He slipped inside as dusk fell, Harry’s snores rumbling from the den. The house felt emptier, the attic hum louder, but he collapsed into bed, the runaway attempt a fleeting rebellion, a seed planted by Joe’s words.

In the days that followed, with his face largely healed as much as it would—scars now a permanent mask—Tobal found solace outdoors with Shadow. The estate’s grounds stretched wild beyond the manicured lawns, a sanctuary of pine and frost. He saddled Shadow, the black gelding’s sleek coat warm against the chill, and rode into the forest, hooves crunching snow. The wind carried a raw, earthy scent, and a deer paused, its eyes meeting his with a quiet understanding. Tobal dismounted, kneeling by a frozen stream, the ice glinting like glass. He traced its edge, feeling a pulse in the earth, a connection to the Wild stirring within. A fox darted past, its red fur a flash against the white, and Shadow nickered softly, nuzzling his hand. This bond with nature and animals grew, a refuge from the chaos, a whisper of something ancient awakening.

One afternoon, the house trembled with Harry’s rage. Tobal found him in the den, wheelchair jammed against the desk, papers scattered, a Federation summons crumpled in his fist. “They’re recalling me to the Outpost near Heliopolis,” Harry snarled, his voice a bitter growl, eyes blazing with resentment. “After all I’ve given—Lilly’s death, my legs—those bastards think I can still serve. I’m done!” He slammed the summons down, the scar on his knuckles whitening. Tobal stood silent, the air thick with Harry’s fury, a hint of his past unraveling.

Later that evening, at dinner, Harry’s bitterness spilled over. “I don’t understand what the Federation wants with a cripple,” he spat, shoving his plate aside, coffee sloshing. “Reopening that damn research—your parents’ work—after I shut it down. They’re dragging me back to oversee it, and I hate every second of it.” His hands trembled, gripping the chair’s arms, a mix of anger and guilt, the Outpost’s shadow looming. Tobal nodded, sensing a fracture in Harry’s control, a thread to the mystery of his parents.

One evening, Harry wheeled into Tobal’s room, the oak box balanced on his lap, its carved glyph—a man and woman holding hands within a circled serpent—catching the light. “It’s time,” Harry said, voice low, haunted eyes meeting Tobal’s. His hands gripped the chair tightly, shifting uncomfortably as a flicker of unease crossed his face. The box’s weight settled on the bed, a promise and a curse, and Tobal lifted the lid with trembling fingers. Inside, a yellowed envelope bore his name, sealed with red wax embossed with the same glyph, and nestled in dark green velvet, a large gold medallion with a heavy chain, mirroring the carving. He slipped it over his head, its weight pressing against his chest, a calm power radiating through him. Tears welled in his eyes, a shock of connection to the parents he barely remembered, his breath catching as he traced the glyph’s curves.

He broke the wax seal with a letter opener, hands shaking, and unfolded the letter, reading his parents’ exact words:

“Dearest son, Tobal, if you are reading this, we are dead. We wish we could have been there to watch you grow and share our love as you were growing up. Events happened to make this impossible. We promised to do one last mission that is very dangerous and are writing this letter in case we don’t come back. You are in good hands with your Uncle Harry and Aunt Lilly. They love you and will take care of you. We asked them to keep this letter and give it to you when you come of age.
You have the right to claim ‘sanctuary’ in the City of the Sun and find your true destiny, just as we have. It is our wish and dream that you be trained in the values and beliefs we hold dear. While we can not control the choices you make in life, we would like you to know what we believe; the things we feel are worth living and dying for. You may never know us, but you can know the things we love and care about. Perhaps someday you will learn what we died for.
Take this medallion and letter to the Antiquities Shop on 2424 Oak St., Old Seattle, Washington, and show them to the proprietor. He will know what they are and what needs to be done. Your Uncle Harry will give you an airbus ticket. We would like to tell you more but there is no time left. Give our love to Howling Wolf. He can tell you what you need to know.
Your loving parents,
Lord and Lady of the Sun, Ron and Rachel Kane.
Dated this day 25 January,
113th year of the New Eon,
sun in Aquarius, moon in Scorpio.”

Tears streamed down his face as Harry spoke, his voice heavy with a past he’d buried. “Your parents were research scientists in Heliopolis, a closed city-state on the West Coast,” Harry began, his tone guarded. “Their work was classified—something about energy and time, tied to the OAK Matrix. They believed it could reshape the Federation, but it was dangerous. An air sled accident over a lake took them when you were 2—no formal investigation, just a Federation cover-up. I found their bodies, floating, no marks, but something felt wrong. I tried continuing their research, but an explosion killed Lilly and left me paralyzed. The Federation shut it down, called it too risky. Some say it was sabotage—my orders pushed them too far.” His voice broke, a flicker of guilt crossing his face. “I’ve kept it secret, fearing the Federation’s reach. Now they’re reopening it, and you’re tangled in it. You’re going to Sanctuary directly.”

Tobal gripped the letter, defiance flaring. “But the letter tells me to go to Old Seattle,” he said, confusion and stubbornness in his voice. “I’m supposed to take the medallion and letter to someone my parents knew. That’s what I need to do first. They will know what I need to do next. That’s what the letter says.” He looked stubbornly at his uncle.

“There is no one to meet at Old Seattle,” Harry barked. “They are all dead! All of your parent’s friends are dead. They have been dead for fifteen years! I am buying you an airbus ticket for Heliopolis and that is where you are going. That is where the sanctuary program is. Do you understand me?”

“Yes sir,” Tobal replied meekly, shaken by his uncle’s outburst. Inside, he seethed, planning to exchange his ticket for Old Seattle—that’s where his parents had told him to go, and that’s where he would go.

Harry wheeled out, the door clicking shut, leaving Tobal alone with the box. Hours later, as midnight deepened, he sat on his bed, the medallion’s weight a silent vow. The air shimmered, and two figures materialized: Lucas, tall and stern with a warrior’s bearing, and Carla, her eyes alight with a spinner’s grace, timelines weaving faintly in her gaze. Time Knights from the future, they stood as echoes of the Wild. “We’re Lucas and Carla,” Lucas said, voice resonant. “Time Knights protecting the realms. We worked with your father and mother, Ron and Rachel, to set up a time portal on Gaia. They disappeared during the project, held prisoner still, alive but out of reach.”

Carla’s fingers traced the air, a temporal ripple shimmering. “The alignment isn’t right yet—nothing more can be done now. You’ll find help to rescue them, but you must trust the unfolding events. The medallion holds their legacy—your path begins here.”

They faded, leaving Tobal’s heart pounding, the Wild whispering louder, a spark igniting his resolve. That night, he packed a bag and slipped out to the airbus terminal, the estate shrinking behind him under a moonlit sky, Joe’s image and the Time Knights’ words lingering in his mind, a thread pulling him toward Old Seattle.