He'd spent much too long on his Wonder.

A part of him wondered if this was even worth it; whether the task set to him by Chronos - his princess - would even do him any good at all. It had been so long, after all, since he had let anyone in. A long time since he had done anything in regard for anyone other than himself, and definitely a very long time since he had given consideration to anything that Chronos said to him, mainly because after she had disappeared, a part of him had gone with her.

And with Tolliver, who had been gone for six days. Tolliver, with whom Fritz shared half of his heart with, Tolliver with whom Fritz was the most connected to out of anyone in the world. His twin brother was just that - his twin brother, held together by bonds that were unable to be broken, regardless of where they were in the world. But Fritz had broken apart after Tolliver had disappeared, and the rest of them were gone too - Chronos, the other Chronos knights; he could not recall when the last time he had communicated with any of them.

Maybe that was why it was so painful now; why getting up in the morning had hurt as much as it had. All had felt lost, all had felt like nothing more than a distant memory to be eventually forgotten, mingled within the sands of other lost thoughts. There was no one and nothing left but himself.

(He was being arrogant, and he knew it; it was not as though he was any more important than any of the others, and yet here he was acting as though it was only he and his problems that mattered in the world, which was a selfish and vain thought. It was rather much to consider that he was more worthwhile than someone else just because of something like this.)

"You are being rather maudlin."

Celsus twisted his head around.

"I don't recall asking your opinion."

The smile on Aurelius' lined face was slightly patronizing. "I don't recall asking you to come visit while you were wallowing in self-pity. You have been here for too long and lived too much to be acting like a child, Celsus. You cannot possibly hope to be more than you are if you insist upon putting yourself in such a situation."

He scowled. "I'm not a child."

"Then stop acting as one," was the countered argument, said with mild amusement, much to Celsus' displeasure. He pushed himself to his feet, looking irritated, and ran a hand through his hair, which was loose and down to his shoulders, falling free about his face. Aurelius stood a few feet away, hands at his stomach with his fingers laced together, looking rather frustratingly calm. Celsus gave him a disgruntled expression, which only made his ancestor smile more.

"Come now, Celsus, do not look so much like a half drowned wet cat - "

"Excuse me - "

" - you are here, at your Wonder, and you have managed to make yourself out to be a rather impressive fellow."

Some of the tension eased from Celsus' shoulders. He shifted his feet and exhaled a small breath. Aurelius was watching him carefully, but he was still smiling, as though Celsus was not behaving like the spoiled brat he knew he currently was. It made him feel marginally guilty, like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"There isn't anything impressive about me," he muttered, and Aurelius' answering laugh made him jerk his head up.

"My child, you have done many great things. Do not discount them because you do not feel they were worthwhile. You have made it to become a Knight, have you not? You were a weak Page when we first spoke; you struggled a great deal, and you were cocky and much too confident in your own abilities, which I must say was rather unappealing."

"Yes, thank you."

"But you made it farther," Aurelius continued, as though Celsus hadn't just interrupted him. "You pushed yourself as far as you allowed yourself to go. You came from nothing, and became everything. Or rather," he amended, with a slight smile. "You can become everything, should you wish to. I know that your Princess has given you a task."

Celsus gave a slow nod. "She has, though..."

He trailed off. Aurelius gave a not-so-patient, "And?"

"And I don't know!"

The outburst came from him without intending. Celsus' face grew a little redder out of embarrassment, but he couldn't stop now, after he'd started.

"I feel lost," he said hotly. "And I'm angry all the time, and I don't know how to stop that. I went from having everything to having nothing again, and I know that's not really true, that I have a lot of things - I have Tolliver back, thank heavens - but I don't know what else there is to do now that I'm so...so out of it. I'm angry at everything, at everyone for leaving me, but most of all...most of all..."

He heaved a pained breath. Aurelius was still watching him.

"I'm angry at myself," Celsus spat out. "I was supposed to have done more, I was supposed to have been more, but instead I lost it, I messed up and everything was all over the place, and I made a giant bloody mess of everything. I could have been so much, and I wasn't."

He sank down, head in his hands, bent over. There was silence for a few moments, a silence that stretched throughout the crowded wonder like a mist, and then the soft and gentle sound of his ancestor's voice permeated through that mist, Aurelius' voice rather quieter than usual.

"You are not something to be ashamed of," he said softly. "You have done well, my child, and you must recognize that it is something to be proud of."

A bitter laugh escaped Celsus' throat. "I'm trying, I'm trying."

"Who sent you here, Celsus?"

There was a small pause. He took a deep, shuddering breath.

"My princess."

"And that is?"

"Princess Chronos."

"Yes. And would she send you, if she did not have the faith that you would succeed?"

This time the silence was ringing. Celsus lifted his head a few inches, his hands falling away, blinking rapidly. It felt a little difficult to breathe, and he tilted his gaze up to look at Aurelius, who was staring down at him with the kind of intensity that was almost intimidating in its strength.

"...no," said Celsus softly. "No, she wouldn't."

Aurelius stepped back, looking satisfied.

"Why are you here, Celsus, Knight of Chronos?"

He stood slowly, on legs that trembled a little, but the look on his face had morphed into something else now. In his eyes he could see the Wonder around him, could see every nook and cranny, could see the pages of every book and every journal without having to open them. Celsus took a slow, faltering step towards one shelf in particular, and a hand reached out, skimming over the covers. He stopped on one near the bottom, and pulled it out, the book falling open in his hands, and on the page to the right was inscribed the Chronos sigil. It seemed to burn a bright, golden glow, beaming up at him, and the warmth spread from Celsus' fingertips up throughout his entire body, until it felt as though it had encased not just his body, but his soul as well. He reached out a hand and touched the sigil; a thrum went through him, pleasant and hot, and then he was everything all at once, and he couldn't quite distinguish himself from the Wonder of Celsus.

And then all at once it was done, and he collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily, his face pale, but his eyes still burning with that same glow that had been threaded throughout him just seconds earlier. Celsus felt drained, and somewhat startled, but as he looked up at Aurelius, who was beaming proudly at him, he could not help noticing that he felt, at the same time, more than he had been.

"Congratulations, Celsus Knight of Chronos," said Aurelius, with a deep bow in his direction. "Now, answer my question. Why are you here?"

There was a pause, and then Celsus dragged himself to his feet, somewhat unsteadily, holding onto the bookshelf for support. He heaved in a breath, and for the first time in what felt like a very, very long time, a smile spread across his face; a smile that turned into a grin as his fingers fell away from the shelf.

"I am Celsus, and I am here to protect my princess and the people of this world."

Aurelius' expression could not have been more satisfied.

"Good."