“Ancient? I’m sorry did you say Ancient?” Madison beats me to the punch.

  “I think my phrasing was failed Ancient, but yes that would be correct.” Nabu continues pouring the tea while we both just stare at him.

  “Let me get this straight. You, ancient? Like one of the OG gods who used the Diviners to like spread messages or scriptures or something? Like, those kind of Ancients? Or just some rando old guy?”

  Nabu places a cup of tea in front of me, a small smile on his face. He places another cup at the empty seat for Madison, and then one for himself. He takes a seat and begins sipping on his tea.

  The suspense is killing me.

  “Yes and no. It’s much less complicated than you would assume. I can assure you that I am no god though.”

  “So, the Ancients aren’t gods?” Madison makes her way to the other side of the table, and takes a seat. At some point she had turned her staff back into a bracelet and lowered her guard. My guess is it was around the same time he described himself as an Ancient. If he truly was one, there probably wasn’t much either of us could do to him if we had to fight.

  “They are, but not in the way that you would traditionally think of gods. The Ancients as you know them are merely just humans who have perfected their magic.”

  “I’m sorry, what?” I stare at him. So, the Ancients aren’t gods and they’re just run of the mill humans who are just good at magic? So these people destroyed the world over some average Joes?

  “Yes, the Ancients are human just as much as you and myself. The difference truly is the level of magic that they wield. When I say they have perfected it, I mean that. It’s so far outside the realm of what most people can even fathom. Thus they became known as gods.”

  Nabu sips his tea nonchalantly. He is giving us groundbreaking and history shattering knowledge and yet he is just acting like he told us one plus one equals two? Like, hello guy! This is big news, act like it!

  “And what year is it?”

  “3247.” Madison answers instantly. I didn’t actually know the answer to that question. Why did I not know that? I never actually thought to ask. As far as I was concerned it was the 2020’s. At no point did I even think the year here might be different than it was back on my Earth. I’m really bad at this whole isekai thing.

  “Hmmm.” He places his tea on the table and contemplates in silence for a few moments. “I have no idea when that is supposed to be.”

  “What is the last year you remember?” I ask.

  “3326, actually. Hence my confusion.”

  “Does the year count backwards here, kinda like B.C.?” I turn towards Madison, she shakes her head.

  “The last thing I remember was the fall of Tabathia. Shortly thereafter Lucias stopped by and asked that I place this library in stasis until the Magician and High Priestess return to awake me from my slumber. I assumed it would be Herc and Hitha, but it appears that I assumed incorrectly.”

  “Yeah, sorry. We’re the inferior versions.” I hang my head. I am not even comparable to Herc. Maybe someday, but not now. My hero era isn’t going so well.

  “Speak for yourself.” Madison smacks me in the back of the head. “Though you are correct, we aren’t as skilled as they were.”

  I shoot her a dirty look as I rub the back of my head.

  “How did you know who we were?” I ask.

  “A spell was to be placed on the mansion that only the High Priestess and Magician may enter. Lucias wanted to ensure that none could enter except those who carry that mantle.”

  “What’s in here that’s so special?” Madison slowly looks around the room. I do the same, trying to take in my surroundings. We both looked around the room when we first arrived but knowing that this specific room was frozen in time must of meant it was pretty important.

  “Knowledge. Over my long years I became a collector of rare tomes and histories. This is arguably the best library in the world; at least the rarest.”

  We both just look around the room, which is rather silly if you think of it. Sure, I’m looking at the books but what do I really expect to get from just looking at them? Nothing. These covers will tell me nothing, but for some reason I can’t help but looking on in awe. To think I’m sitting in a library the holds ancient texts.

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  “How do your powers work?” I ask, I couldn’t help myself. His title was called the Hanged Man. How does one come about that title when you can stop time.

  “Previously I described myself as a failed Ancient for I too have perfected my magic. Except, rather than making a perfect magic, I inadvertently created a perfect curse. During my studies and research, I attempted to grasp the unreachable, eternal life. I worked tirelessly to that end, and at such point, I succeeded, but not in the way I had assumed. I gained the ability to stop time in my vicinity, but I myself am frozen with that time. I will remain frozen in time until someone stirs me from my slumber. I have granted myself an eternal life, externally; though from my perspective times moves just as it does for every living being on this planet.”

  Nabu stares into his tea for a long while after describing his power. It’s not a lull of contemplation, but rather one of sorrow. He gained a great power but in doing so, existence passes him by. With the blink of an eye lifetimes can pass before him. Those he love slips through his fingers without him ever noticing.

  “In my attempt to ensure that I got to experience time, I ensured that I would be the only one who could never experience it. At least not in the way that I would choose.”

  “I—” Madison opens her mouth to say something but she stops. It’s clear she is trying to think of the right thing to say, but what the hell do you say to that? Sorry that you cursed yourself and cause you activated a spell you might not see someone you love ever again? I don’t think saying that would even be remotely helpful.

  “I’m sorry.” Nabu looks at me strangely, unsure why I’m apologizing. “It couldn’t have been easy.”

  “The hubris of man.” Nabu smiles, but its not one of genuine joy. It feels much more like a smile in the face of death.

  The silence hangs heavy in the air, no one truly knowing what to say. We just met this man not long ago and yet he has laid something so tragic at our feet. I didn’t know how to react to it, and I don’t think Nabu knew either. He has only just awakened, and we have no idea how long he has been frozen here. Finally, Madison breaks the silence.

  “The Ancients have been forgotten about. The Order of the Saint is the dominant religion and anything that existed prior to that has been destroyed. No one knows how long they have been around, since you know, lost history and all. We can safely assume though that it’s been several thousand years.”

  “I see.” Nabu nods gently as he takes in the information. He claps his hands and just like that it looks like the depression fades away. “There is nothing I can do about that, all we can do is move forward.”

  “I— Shouldn’t you grieve? You just found out people you cared about died thousands of years ago. Doesn’t that mean something to you?” I snap at him. It wasn’t my intention, its just his turn around felt callous. Heartless even. Did he not care for those people?

  “Of course I will grieve them, but that will not in fact change anything. It will not change that they have long since passed and I can do nothing to affect that history. Me losing myself in that grief will only sully the little bit of time I do have in this life. My existence may span eons but my time is still very short. If at any point I must use my power again in the future, then I may never see the same faces ever again. I must cherish the time I have with people rather than grieve when they are no longer there.”

  I can’t bring myself to argue with him. I will never understand how he walks through the world, I can’t. He spends his existence in spurts throughout time, how could I understand that? I have just experienced so much loss to the point that it has almost swallowed me whole that I can’t even fathom not grieving people more; so much so that I’ve even lost myself to that depression.

  I’ve spent so much time walking hand in hand with depression and loss that I think I started to just assume that it was the norm. Then when the time came that someone would die, the normal thing was just to get lost in grief. I mean, someone that was a part of your heart is now gone forever. You will never lay eyes upon that person ever again, how could you not fall into despair?

  But it doesn’t change the time you had with them. They are not removed from your heart just because you will never see them again. That doesn’t matter one bit because the history you shared with one another will always exist and no matter how hard you try, you can’t change that. So rather than mourn the loss, he chooses to focus on the time he does have with people. Perhaps that’s something we should all try to do. Especially me, and especially now.

  “As happy as I am to have visitors and to be cured of my slumber, I am curious as to why you have made your way into my home?”

  Madison and I both turn towards one another. I’m guessing we are having the same thought. We came here for completely selfish reasons, and as far as we can tell, he is genuine. So, it’s a bit rude to just waltz into this man’s house and ask for his help. Especially since to use his power means he has to put himself in stasis again.

  “A friend of ours was stabbed in the chest. We have stopped the external bleeding, but we don’t know how bad the damage is. We were looking for the Hanged Man’s power because we heard it could stop time.” Madison pauses, she looks like she doesn’t want to say the next part. “We wanted to stop time on him until we could get him to a skilled healer.”

  Nabu sips his tea, but doesn’t immediately respond. Madison and I both just slowly alternate between looking at him and then at each other.

  As each second passes, the tension in the air becomes thicker. I have no idea what he is thinking, and I feel like we just asked him for something terrible.

  “This was before you we heard your story—”

  “I’ll do it.” Nabu interrupts me before I get a chance to finish. “I will be glad to help your friend until you can find a healer capable of healing him. I just ask that you bring him here so that it can be done away from potentially prying eyes.”

  “Of course.” I respond immediately. “We will do anything.” I should feel bad that this man is willing to freeze himself to help Avis, but I can’t. If this means we have a chance to save him, that’s all I care about in this moment. I will deal with the consequences of that once he is completely healed.

  “Thank you, thank you so much!”