Timeless

Cron slowly walked to the stage. All eyes were on him, expecting him to show off his Orgone. But he knew very well that he couldn't cast an Orgone. There was deep fear running through Cron's body. But the biggest thing that annoyed him was the bullies.

The three bullies who shoved him out of the crowd were the ones who had constantly bullied Cron before. Since they got their Orgones, Derk, Rom, and Trey have been Cron's bullies. The joke about Cron being Timeless spread throughout their school.

They teased Cron by using their abilities on him. Since Cron could not cast an Orgone, he couldn't defend himself. And, of course, in Cron's luck, each of them had a different time abilities: Derk Slow, Trey Stop, and Rom Speed.

They would tag-team Cron just because they could, and nobody stopped them. Some didn't want to because they feared getting the same treatment, and others didn't because they weren't stupid enough to try.

Now, here Cron is again for another humiliating event. He stood next to Professor Dura. She tried to guide Cron where the Bouncy Ball bounced. Cron shuffled near it but didn't try anything.

Professor Dura tried to break Cron's tension. "It's okay to have stage fright. Let's try to get your mind off it. Could you tell me what an Orgone is?"

Cron may not have an Orgone, but he studied it in his classes. If he did have one, he imagined he would be a master caster. Cron nods to the answer. "An Orgone is an aura we cast for our time abilities."

"And what does an Orgone affect?" Professor Dura asked.

"Anything within our Orgone. And it can stretch as far as I can reach."

"Could you tell us about the term: Battle of Time?"

Cron nodded. "The Battle of Time is a cycle in which our time abilities affect one another. Or, in other words, beats another's Orgone. When two Orgones collide, it all depends on which time abilities someone has. Slow beats Stop, Stop beats Speed, and Speed beats Slow. But if they both have the same Orgone, then both Orgones are canceled, and no time abilities are active. Unless, of course, your Orgone was cast first before they collided, and the Orgone touched the other person."

Professor Dura clapped her hands. "Great! Now, how do you feel?"

After explaining an Orgone, Cron's stage fright was much lessened, but he still knew he couldn't perform his Orgone. "I feel better." He lied.

"Good, good, now feel free to cast your Orgone so you may demonstrate."

There was a sudden dread. Cron looked at the continuous bouncing ball. He knew he couldn't stop it unless he grabbed it. But if he doesn't do anything, the entire academy will know he is Timeless.

Cron stared at the ball for a long while. The continued bounce made him feel like he was facing a ticking time bomb. But maybe he was overthinking it. He thought about how to activate an Orgone.

Once you hit around age nine, you could cast an Orgone. It is described as an invisible force inside that wants to be let out. Once you push that force out, the Orgone is a part of you. You could only cast it for a few seconds, and once it's over, it would feel like you had run a marathon. Breathing exercises were vital if you wanted to maintain an Orgone.

However, Cron never felt that invisible force inside him, no matter how hard he tried to force it out. But today might be different. Under the circumstances, maybe he could cast an Orgone.

Cron stood there looking at the ball, trying to force his Orgone out. He wondered what time he would get. Family genetics usually passes it down, but he hoped to get Stop in remembrance of his dad. But what if he's got his mom's time ability? He wasn't sure what she had, but he hoped it was the same as his dad's.

Cron tried and tried again to force an Orgone out. But nothing was happening. The ball kept bouncing. Soon, Cron's face was getting red like a tomato. Then he started to hear laughter in the crowd.

"Look at Timeless, trying to fit in! How embarrassing!" One of the bullies said from the crowd.

"He looks like he's going to crap his pants!" Another said.

"It would be hilarious if he did," the third bully said.

The crowd erupted in laughter. They mocked Cron for not casting an Orgone, and Cron felt even worse than before. When the trio bullied Cron, it hurt, but no one paid attention. But here, he was in front of everyone, and the public humiliation was far worse than getting beat up.

There was one concerned soul in the crowd: Lia. Lia sincerely looked at Cron and then glared at the three bullies who said the word "Timeless." She would make sure they apologized to Cron in some way.

Professor Dura walked up to Cron. "Are you okay?"

In embarrassment, Cron shouted. "I don't have an Orgone, okay?!"

The crowd started to laugh at Cron's lack of an Orgone. Professor Dura was surprised at Cron's outburst. She wasn't sure what to say. In all her years of teaching, there hasn't been a student who hasn't cast an Orgone. This is very uncommon. She has dealt with students who didn't understand the fundamentals of an Orgone, but this was a new territory for her.

"SILENCE!" A voice boomed.

The gathered students quieted quickly. They looked to the stage to see a new man. An old man with a long white beard wore a dark purple robe decorated with multiple marks of time.

Professor Dura squealed and then bowed quickly. "I'm sorry, Grand Master Ronos. I was just about to-"

"No need to explain," the Grand Master said calmly this time. "What is wrong with the boy?"

A deep fear ran down Cron's spine. Cron knew the answer, but he was afraid of the outcome. Will he be told to leave right away or worse?

"Well, it seems this gentleman doesn't know how to cast his Orgone." She answered.

The Grand Master looked at Cron with a curious stare. He hasn't said anything to Cron yet. The Grand Master seemed to be in deep thought, studying Cron.

"Come with me, boy, we must talk," The Grand Master finally said.

"Oooooh," The trio bullies teased from the crowd.

The Grand Master looked back at the crowd. "And if I find out more of you use the word Timeless, I will kick you out of the academy myself! Do I make myself clear?!"

The entire room was shocked at the outburst. But the students all nodded and even mumbled agreement. The Grand Master then nodded and looked back to Cron. He gestured to Cron to follow him.

"Come along now, boy. Follow me to my chambers."

Cron gulped, worried about what would happen to him. He walked to the Grand Master expecting a punishment for the lack of an Orgone.