The Time Stone, Third Edition (Extended Version)
Chapter 57

The winds blew over the small mountain overlooking the rolling hills, and the distant clouds foretold a major storm on the horizon, lightning and thunder beckoning amongst the treetops. Juan Carlos donned his Culto uniform and joined his cousin and their crew of Culto warriors. The caverns were high up in the hillside regions of the mountains.

“Is this where the item is?” asks one of the Culto warriors.

“The legend says it’s right here,” says the leader, holding the picture as he led the small troop of four into the cavern. “We are the guardians of the secret and are seeking our destiny.”

They approached a small cavern inlet and the leader reached into the rock face under a series of small stones and pulled out a box made of metal, with painted red and black symbols of thin coding lines and orbs symbolizing their ancient right, a dagger piercing a crescent object with a flash of lines emanating from the center. There is writing on the box that is foreign to them, etched in gold. The leader carried the box out of its hiding spot and opened it, retrieving from within it a small green pentagonal shaped emerald that glistened in the sunlight with five orbs etched inside of it. He held the object firmly in his grasp as it fit perfectly in the palm of his hand. It rotated and began to glow brightly, unleashing a single beam of golden light swirling and vibrating towards the back of the cave. Within seconds the entire mountain started to shake, rocks fell from the sky, trembling noises rumbled above, and the mountaintop exploded in a brilliant blast as the gilded light permeated the air above them in a sudden flash, making the entire crew cover their masks faces at the intense brightness. And what emerged from the rubble and soon fading light was a creature flying through the air, with the face and wings of an eagle and body of a lion.

“It’s the griffin” says the leader. They looks up in awe at it as they exit the cave and saw it fly over them and head towards the town.

“What incredible power.” Juan Carlos says.

“Come on” says the leader beckoning to them, and they began to run down the mountain after the creature, the storm on the horizon drawing closer to them.

“The storm is getting closer,” yells Mercedes staring up at the sky in front of the farmhouse.

“Help me get the animals into shelter.”

“Yes Ms. Hernando” says Mercedes running to help herd the sheep, chickens, and cattle into the barn shelter and then placing wooden crates and plywood sheets around it. They head into the house, but before closing the door shut, Mercedes sees an unusual sight, a weird looking creature flying overhead with long wings that look like an eagle, but it is a four legged beast. “What the heck is that?”

“Get in, child. The storm is coming. I am trying to reach Juan Carlos on his cell phone, but he is not answering.” says Ms. Hernando.

Mercedes looks out into the distance and sees a truck, with four men in it dressed in ninja garb shimmering in the daylight. She recognizes Juan Carlos who has taken off his mask.

“Oh my God,” she ran out of the house.

“Where are you going?” asks Ms. Hernando with a stern demeanor.

Mercedes ran towards the truck as it rapidly approaching over the hillside and the storm commenced, with winds blowing rapidly over the fields. She fought her way through the turbulent winds to the truck, which stopped as she approached it.

“Mercedes, what are you doing? You shouldn’t be here.” Juan Carlos says.

“What am I doing? Why are you with these men? Why are you dressed like that? They’re cold blooded killers.” Mercedes screams sarcastically and angrily.

“We don’t have time for this Juan Carlos. Finish her now like you promised,” says Julio, the leader.

“What?” Mercedes backed away. “Why did he say that? You want to kill me?” She began to cry.

“It’s complicated.” Juan Carlos uttered, and looking at her teary face he started to cry himself.

“Do it, cousin if you really want to be part of el Culto!” Screams Julio as he exits the vehicle with the others except for Juan Carlos as the others ran towards the far end of the town where the creature has landed and begun to wander. “Kill her, Cousin,” yells Julio in Spanish as he ran off with the others, armed and ready.

“You want to hurt me.” Mercedes looks Juan Carlos in the eyes and with tears in her own eyes, she began to back away. “I don’t ever want to see you again.”

“No” he grabbed her “I don’t want to hurt you. I was told to, but I couldn’t because I am in love with you too and I want to be with you. I don’t care if it costs me my membership in the Culto. I don’t need it.”

“They killed innocent people. Were you a part of that?” Mercedes cried.

“I was brainwashed by their ways. I know it is wrong. I just want you.” Juan Carlos begs.

“Oh Juan Carlos,” she softened and embraced him. The storm grew more fierce and louder.

“We have to go” she says.

“Get in” he says and she jumped into the truck as he hopped into the driver’s seat and drove it down to the house.

They saw the creature grazing in the distance and the crew of warriors running towards it with weapons. The creature became defensive and started to rear up on its hind legs and back down as it is beginning to retaliate forcefully, knocking them back one by one as they came and tried to attack it with their spears and swords.

Mercedes and Juan Carlos watched as the creature maneuvered around them, as the storm and winds blew fiercely and the rain started to come down in a torrential downpour.

“We should help.” Juan Carlos says.

“How can we do that?” Mercedes yells.

They sit in the car by the house, as the creature pounced on Julio with its front claws and squashed him like a grape, splattering his insides all over the field. The others began to run, but the creature flew up and swooped down in an instant grabbing one with its beak and piercing the warrior’s heart. The third stands in paralyzing fear as the creature reached with its beak and grabbed the spear from his hand then lunged forward and stabbed the warrior knocking him to the ground. The creature roars up loudly with a screeching howl in the rain as it stands over all three victims. Juan Carlos and Mercedes stand in shock as the creature laid its eyes on them and began to run towards them seeing Juan Carlos’ ninja garb glistening even in the glooming darkness.

“I think it recognizes you as one of them, Juan Carlos. Take off the suit” Mercedes screams.

“I don’t have any clothes under it” he whispered.

“Run in the house,” screams Mercedes. They ran to the door and banged on it loudly. “Ms. Hernando, let us in please” screams Mercedes again and again as Juan Carlos yells.

“Ma, open the door.” They look back and saw the creature approaching and ran around the house. Juan Carlos knelt on the ground as he and Mercedes ducked down below the back of the house near the shelter. “Will you marry me?”

“What? This isn’t the time or the place.” Mercedes yells as the rain poured down on them.

“It won’t be any better … I realize I want to spend my life with you. I think that is why we were meant to meet and why you were meant to come here.” He speaks sincerely.

“I …” she turns as the winds howled blowing at them and the rain poured onto them, his wet face before her and drenched clothes as wet as hers, their hearts racing, and eyes twinkling for one another as the griffin roars in the background, coming around the side of the house. “The answer is yes, but let’s gets out of here!”She screams, as he smiles and kisses her on the lips.

“Come on, we are going to have to act like a true team to survive this.” He got up and grabbed her hand and they ran around the other side of the house as they saw the griffin approaching them. They ran hand in hand in the pouring rain and strong winds to the open field where they saw Juan Carlos’ fallen former comrades. They saw something glistening on the ground near one of them, and Juan Carlos was shocked to see the small green pentagonal emerald lying there. Juan Carlos picked it up. “What do you suppose…?”

“That is beautiful” says Mercedes. Then as they admired the object and the five orbs etched into it, they both turn to see the griffin charging towards them. The griffin approached and they ran in separate directions trying to confuse it.

“Here, you want this?” Says Juan Carlos as the creature ran towards him first stopping before him roaring loudly. “You got to get to me first.” Juan Carlos shouted as he moved back and forth turning his hands and the object, rotating unknowingly. Within seconds a beam of golden light swirled and pulsated out of the object and into the air before them. “Whoa” yells Juan Carlos as he tossed the object forward as far as he could and Mercedes ran and caught it with both hands. The creature turned towards it as the light suddenly exploded between them and a portal vortex presented itself. The rain began to subside and the winds calmed down, but the roaring portal intensified in swirling wind and brightness of every color of the rainbow reflected from a hot white halo of light. The creature turns to Mercedes and ran at her. She turns and runs away, even as an idea strikes her.

“Juan Carlos, I’ll distract this creature while you use those weapons to get it into the light.” He nodded in response without saying a word. He saw the griffin running and about to catch Mercedes and snap her to bits with its beak. He ran over to the beast and reached out and yanked its tail causing it to pull back and roar loudly turning with sudden chagrin.

“Come on big fella,” he yells as the beast turns to him with an arrogant glare of annoyance and then charges him.

Mercedes called out to the beast “Hey, come here. Look what I got” she yells waving around the object and the creature turns in confusion. The creature snarled at Juan Carlos, but turns to chase after the object. It charged towards Mercedes again as she waved her arm out with a determined glance. Juan Carlos ran to the creature. “Uh oh” Mercedes felt the object slip out of her hands and as she fumbled to get a grip on it she twisted it and another beam of light emitted from the object and struck the griffin, causing it to grow in size enormously. Both she and Juan Carlos stand in shock at this immense creature before them. “What the …?” They uttered simultaneously as the creature maneuvered around one heavy footstep at a time. Mercedes strained her neck looking up.

“What do we do?” Juan Carlos says.

“Come to me.” says Mercedes, moving back as the creature marched toward her, closer and closer to the portal of light. As it is inches away from it, it changed into a ball of light and is sucked into the portal of light that faded seconds later.

“That did it!” she screams, as Juan Carlos nodded and the two ran to one another and kissed and embraced, the object glowing brightly between them in the setting dusk. That night, time hung back the moon.