Chapter 2

Tao made his way toward the temple. While the structure itself was in a wider clearing after the few trees that Tao passed through, the grass were short as if they had been meticulously kept. There were stone slabs that led the way to the temple base, but they were buried well in the ground that they seemed naturally part of it.

Tao took out his staff in case wild animals would pounce, even though he already has an inborn warning system. His gift, as the common people called it, was enhanced hearing which allowed him to catch minute sounds from as far as a kilometer away, being able to detect intruders coming at him from afar. This same gift, together with any sound source, could double as a biological sonar and has been a great asset in artifact retrieval missions.

No one could also deny that Tao's martial arts training was one step above all of his fellow hunters in the High House of Aku. He was already an expert at the age of seven, long before he was sought after and eventually recruited four years ago. Less than two years upon recruitment and at the age of 19, he became the youngest member of the three-man elite hunter team. Tao had quickly risen through the ranks upon joining, but it took a tragedy, the death of a former elite member, for Tao to become one himself.

The young hunter could blame it on youth or a cat's curiosity but he felt a stirring in his guts, his instincts, which made him make a move towards the temple. He knew he would be disobeying mission orders but Tao wasn't one to ignore his hunter instincts. When he stepped towards the sun temple, Tao realized that this wasn't any routine scouting and recon mission anymore. Their prize was here somewhere.

As he drew closer, Tao realized that the temple did not quite look like the usual Mayan pyramids that they have studied. In fact, Tao saw that the base wasn't even a perfect square and only two sides had steps. He also noticed that no foliage had encroached upon the temple itself, unlike other ancient structures.

Tao had stopped just in front of the temple base when he noticed something was out of the ordinary. He checked his comlink but it was silent, not even static could be heard. Looking down at his wrist, he saw that his time display was all zeroes. 

Tao looked back and saw the forest clearing where he landed. He judged that it would have taken him at most five minutes to walk the distance to where he currently was, and yet the angle of his shadow, relative to the sun, had not moved at all. Tao thought about going back, but the tug on his senses was stronger. He decided to investigate further.

The hunter stepped back a few feet away. After taking a long breath, Tao pursed his lips together and let out a loud whistle directed at the temple. He listened intently for the echo, which wasn't hard as the whole place was quiet, even for the sound of wild birds.

'That's strange,' Tao thought to himself. 'The whole structure is solid rock, except for some distortion at the top.'

From the echoes of his whistle, Tao could not even detect any traps on the surface which was something he was used to, especially when they were exploring ancient wats towards the southern part of the region.

No one knew why Tao was acting so recklessly that day. Not really thinking about safety, he put away his staff and slowly made his way up the steps of the peculiar pyramid. The whole structure itself was not that high, Tao judged about two hundred fifty steps to get to the top. It wasn't such a daunting task as all hunters were expected to climb that same number of steps without breaking a sweat on the first day of boot camp.

Tao's estimate was off by twenty steps when he reached the top of the pyramid. Up there, he saw a beautiful expanse of lush gardens and twin pools with a causeway in the middle. It really was no ordinary temple, but rather an open shrine. Tao saw that the towering structure in the middle acted like a sundial. This prompted him to look down at his own shadow. It still had not moved.

The hunter's instincts were going into overdrive. He saw something glinting near the base of the tower. Tao walked down the causeway and, upon reaching the tower, saw that it was a golden belt. The buckle was shaped like an hourglass, enclosed in a circle with twelve gems. Tao somehow knew that the object was a familiar sight. He was about to reach for the belt, when he felt a light breeze caress his nape. Tao drew his hand back and turned his comlink HUD back on. With the help of the anti-grav ers on his boots, he jumped high and backward.

Tao landed with barely a thud and immediately wrapped his hands around the newcomer, who was behind him moments before. He held the intruder by the neck, and grappled both arms at the other person's back.

"Who are you?" Tao hissed at the stranger in his clutches, as his comlink retracted back. He was unwilling to be distracted by the intruder's long hair which seemed to glitter with the colors of the rainbow in the afternoon sun.

"Let me go, guardian," said the other. Tao realized it was a man, a young man.

"You did not answer my question," Tao tightened his grip on the other's neck. "I will not hesitate to break your neck if you do not give me a proper answer in ten seconds."

"My name is Sehun, keeper of this temple," the intruder finally answered. "Now will you let me go, guardian?"

Tao loosened his grip and pushed the other man forward, making the latter stumble for a couple of steps. "Turn around and face me slowly."

The young hunter drew out his staff just in case the other man who introduced himself as Sehun would suddenly attack him. What Tao did not expect, though, was the ethereal beauty that appeared before him. Tao was right when he saw that Sehun indeed had fair hair that glittered with the colors of the rainbow. Another breeze had caught the other man's hair and Sehun had to pull away some of the strands that wisped in front of his face.

It was a face unlike Tao had ever seen before, having the softness of youth but with toughness in those eyes that were shaped as if they were in a perpetual smile. The thin robes on Sehun could not hide the lithe, hard body that they wrapped around. Tao was awestruck and unable to say anything for a few more moments.

Clearing his throat, Tao managed to find his voice once more. "Where'd you come from? The whole place was deserted when I arrived. I would have heard your footsteps."

Sehun gave the other one a soft laugh in reply. "No, you wouldn't. I am a child of the winds. That is where I come from."

"A-are you a nymph?" Tao stuttered, unable to think of anything else, mesmerized by the beauty before him.

"Don't be silly." The toughness in Sehun's eyes returned. "I already told you I am the keeper of this temple, guardian."

"You have addressed me by that title three times," said Tao. "My name is Huang Zitao and I am a hunter, not a guardian."

"It is a pleasure to finally meet a fellow guardian, Huang Zitao," answered Sehun, with a bow. It was a gesture that Tao was not used familiar with, as all the people in the High House were very informal with each other except when they were addressing the house leader.

"J-just Tao would be fine," said the hunter. "You must have me confused for someone else. I am only here on a recon mission for an artifact in this area."

"The artifact you are looking for is right there." Sehun pointed back towards the bejeweled belt.

"I-I'm not sure," Tao faltered. "The client did not exactly specify a description, just coordinates for this location."

"That is the artifact you are look for," Sehun insisted. "You were led here to find it, guardian. Take it. It's yours."

"No," Tao shook his head. "The artifact is for the client."

"I doubt this client you are talking about could find any use for your belt other than being a fancy trinket," Sehun scoffed. "It only works for its true owner and that would be you, Tao."

"You don't understand -" Tao began to argue but was quickly cut off.

"But I do understand," Sehun interrupted. "Way more than you can at the moment. I am keeper of the Temple of Time for a reason. I have been waiting for you to come and take what is rightfully yours, in your duty as a guardian of the Tree of Life."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Tao exclaimed, shaking his head. "I told you I am a hunter and I am under legal obligation to give that artifact to the client, if it really is what I've been looking for."

Hearing the hunter's words, Sehun immediately assumed a guarded stance. "Then, I will not allow you take it."

"You just said that artifact was mine to take," Tao scratched his head.

"You do not understand the consequence of your actions should the weapons of the Sons of Gaius fall into the wrong hands, as you have been thinking of," answered Sehun, palms open and raised in front of him as he bent his knees a little.

"Can't we just talk about this?" asked Tao. "I am not here to desecrate your temple or something. I just need that artifact to earn my keep."

Sehun could only glare at the other man, and muttered aloud. "I can't believe you got reincarnated into this body, Janus."

"Janus this time? I told you my name is Tao."

"I forbid you from claiming your belt until you've regained your memories."

"Now, look here." Tao took a step forward, before realizing it was a mistake.

Suddenly, the wind picked up and Sehun moved his hands in a circle in front of him. Just as quickly, he spread them outward and released a concentrated ball of air towards Tao. The hunter was not prepared for the show of power and he was blasted backward, falling in a heap on the causeway.

"What the heck was that?" Tao said, as he struggled to stand.

"I don't know how you got into the time bubble that protects this temple but I am halfway convinced you are not Janus' reincarnated avatar," Sehun declared, before he moved his arms again just as before and sent another ball of wind towards Tao.

This time though, Tao was ready and he managed to dodge the attack in time. "I do not understand you at all, but if you want a fight, I'm going to give you one," he said as he reached behind for his staff.

"Still a staff, Janus?" Sehun mocked. "You're not going to reach me with that."

Tao saw a different circle this time from Sehun's movements. The other man moved his arms back and punched the air in front of him at the same time, making a whirling cylinder directed against Tao. The hunter dodged it and launched himself to the air. Tao held his staff to strike as he plummeted down but Sehun blocked it with his palms. Tao saw that gusts of wind had formed a barrier to protect Sehun. While the motion stunned Tao for a moment, Sehun changed his stance and, with a kick, he sent a blast of wind upwards. Tao was knocked far away back onto the causeway

The hunter groaned in pain as he lay in a heap once more. He had lost his grip on the staff, which was now lying uselessly beside him. Tao tried to roll sideways to get up but did not realize he was perilously close to the edge of the causeway. With a yelp, Tao slipped into the water.

When he was fully submerged, Tao's body stiffened all at once and he was bathed in bright colors. He felt his mind being bombarded with random images; visions of a nuclear war, of twelve people, of a great tree atop a mountain, of destruction. The vision ended in a blinding light.

When he regained his senses, Tao swam quickly back to the surface. Breaking through the water, he took a deep breath as if he were born again.

On the causeway, Sehun was holding out his hand to help the hunter out of the water. "Welcome back, Tao."