Time.
An odd thing, in truth, yet it was filled with clarity for some. Of those were The Three. They were magic, thaumaturgic in essence, yet chronological in domain. Peculiarly, they all ruled over one date.
December 25th.
While it seems like an odd and familiar date to those who do not know its history, it's roots lie deep within. It started with a Pagan tradition, the Winter Solstice, and the date was placed within there by those of Christian and Catholic belief. Due to the significance of this date within biblical nature, chronological beings were born of it.
And they, in fact, all differed in their own ways.
One was Aksel Tranis, and he ruled over the past of the date. He wore a popes clothing and rode a white horse instead of any vehicle. To those who knew him, he was a religious eccentric, yet a generous man. He took every word of every gospel he knew as an utmost fact, which not infrequently caused others minor peril. Despite this, he was primarily known for doing good.
The second was Caroline Tilas, otherwise known as Ashli Anisto. Ashli was less eccentric than her past counterpart, yet she was overly focused on her work. Ruling over the Present of Christmas was a daunting task, after all, and she took more than one meaning of her title as literal. She functioned as the Santa Claus for orphans, using her arcane prowess to give every orphan she could possible give a present on the date a gift. These ranged from books to computers, depending on how the kids had behaved that year.
And then there was the last one, Vatlu Xian. Their domain was that of what not yet had come to pass, and it seemed to those who had met them that they knew everything that would happen in the future. They were often vague, preferring not be seen in public and refusing to elaborate on statements they made. According to people who have viewed them, their flesh was made of metal, accompanied by glowing white lights which laced their form like veins to a body. They reportedly had antlers which raised 2 feet above their head, which some said functioned like antenna. Most notably, they had two piercing light eyes which could be seen from miles, their left one red and their right one green. To those who frequently interacted with them, they said they functioned as a warning to not try to change fate. Nobody at the time knew what that meant.
Though, one day, they would.
And that day came sooner than anyone would have liked.
Eventually, on December 25th 2194, a machine was built. It was referred to as a "Global Chronotechnological Fullly-Technical Alteration Mechanism", which was just marketing speech so they wouldn't have to label it as a Time Machine. Colloquially, it was still referred to as one. Vatlu and Ashli realized what this had meant, and attempted to stop the machine from being used.
Valtu dawned a laser-enhanced rapier while Ashli opted for a more non-combative route. Unfortunately for reality, they were quite too late. The machine had been fired up to undo the attack.
Vatlu sat their rapier down in defeat, a somber failure crossing their mind. Ashli, on the other hand, sat down and watched the scene unfolding in panic.
Five seconds had passed since it activated. Nothing had seemed to happen.
Then ten.
Then fifteen.
Then twenty.
Then they heard it, a piercing crack. A loud humming came from everywhere.
Twenty-five.
Aksel entered the room, preparing a cross on the ground.
Thirty.
Everything became lighter and more contrast. The humming grew in decibel.
Aksel began to pray, and Vatlu counted the seconds. Ashli just listened.
Fourty.
They began to fade.
Time had began to unravel itself, except local to them.
They had ruled a date, but time was the ruler of everything.
Fifty.
Aksel nodded at Ashli, and Ashli nodded at Vatlu. Vatlu returned by standing up, waiting for the moments to pass.
Sixty seconds had passed since someone had changed fate.
And then everything went dark, and they cracked. They no longer existed, yet they had made an imprint.
They had become ghosts, and they had known it was fated to happen. It was written in the past, told in the present, and to happen in the future.
Ghosts.
And so did Christmas continue for eternity.
