A Different Approach

Zhajish's pleasant and patient demeanor didn't make the conversation easier to wrap your head around after you'd left. You could understand now conversations you'd overheard from other students or even faculty at the academy complaining about clerics and the like, wrapping up their magical prowess in claims of mysticism. And yet, you also recognized where they were wrong. It wasn't that those claiming divinity granted their ability to cast spells were merely doing the same thing from a different perspective or presented under different context. Although it is all magic at a fundamental level, magic does act on different rules in different context. It was on deeper reflection, thinking about Zhajish referred to magic and Vrishka, that you acknowledged this in of itself is a flawed perspective, or at least limited.

Magic behaves differently, you corrected yourself.

Having gone that far following his words, you took another step in the Mystsic's advice. Rather than trying to understand this from a magical or mechanical view, you needed to try to approach the question from a new set of eyes. You needed to understand time as Ihstar understood it. Or, given the mercurial and difficult nature of any God, understanding him in the way that his believers and religious attendants did.

It was time to understand it as a historian might.

That was easier said than done. Your research in the library here provided nothing of use, causing you to procure books on your own initiative, and expense. It was a minor miracle that you were able to find anything at all out here, given the distance from the heart of D'arcan and the subject. Though Ihstar created and governed an extremely important aspect of Time, and the trees, he was far more reclusive and quiet, with fewer religious devotees than others. Gods with far less importance, like Zrajil, the God of song and birds, was far more boisterous.

You scoured hard through your sole resource, a hefty book boldly bonded in white edifice, with ten concentric circles on the front. The unfamiliar names of people, places, and ancient events meant getting through it's pages was taking longer than expected. It was costing you your attention, to such a degree that you nearly jumped out of your robes when you realized that your boss had not only entered the room, but was close enough she could touch you.

"Gods!" You let out after loud yelp "Miss Fracila! I'm so sorry!"

"I'm the one who startled you Herida, seems like I owe you the apology. That is, unless there's something you need to tell me."

"No, I don't think so" you shook your gently "Nothing to report, unfortunately"

"So I've heard" Fracila sat herself on the edge of your desk, her feet still slightly touching the floor. "You haven't been telling anyone what you've been up to. Hard to do research while keeping secrets"

You smiled nervously, uncomfortable with the attention or the admission "That wasn't what I was doing." You paused and thought about it "Well, not intentionally. I still haven't come to any real answers, and it seemed prudent to wait until I had something worth sharing."

"I wouldn't worry about it Herida, you're not in trouble." She smiled and leaned gently towards you "If we're honest, it seems there's only one person who feels like they're being left out."

"Oh" You replied with a knowing frustration. "That's what he gets for trying to turn my project into a date."

"And to a tavern at that!" There was strong comfort in the smile that you two shared. "While I can understand you wanting to create some distance, I think it's time you learned something the Academy should have taught you a long time ago"

"Oh?" Your face scrunched in obvious confusion "What would that be?"

"To ask for help. For all of the benefits magic provides, wizards can't do everything all by themselves. Not even ones like you."

You blushed at the compliment, and how she began to look at you "You are too kind, but I guess you're right. Since you brought it up" You closed the book and slid it for her to see. "I don't suppose you could provide any helpful information, could you?"

She turned her head slightly to study the book's cover "Ihstar? Now that's an interesting topic. I feel that what I can provide isn't particularly helpful for what you're looking into, but could still help clear up some misconceptions."

"By all means" As you gestured for her to continue, the elf gently scooted herself closer, sitting up on the desk, squarely facing you.

"Alot of folks make false assumptions between Ihstar and my people. They think that because we live so much longer than you, and are usually found residing in his beloved trees, that we are a favored people to him."

"And the truth?" You asked

"The truth is more boring. Some Elves become devotees to him, believing we owe it to him. We often learn more about him than most. Because most everyone else forgets Ihstar, we look favorable in comparison. What many people do for worship isn't even correct, it turns out."

"Well, that last part doesn't sound boring at all. How can that be?"

The elderly elf tapped the cover of the book "This. Do you know what the circles represent?"

"I hadn't given it much thought, really. If I had to guess, tree rings."

"Most people do." She replied "It's actually showing Ihstar's creation, of an immense device that measures time. Each increasing large circle measures a different level of time. This is what most calendars are based on. Legends say that the furthest circle has still not made a full rotation since it was created, marking the first second of Time."

You smiled, intrigued "we both know how much faith to put in legends. Or, rather, how little. It seems to me to be a really strange thing to be up in the air. Wouldn't that be something we could easily deduce?"

"In another world, in another time, perhaps." She replied in a more serious tone than you anticipated "Like most of the great artifacts created by the Gods, the [Complete Chronometer](https://www.worldanvil.com/w/t-sara-darth-halford/a/the-complete-chronometer-item) is lost. Gone since the Fey Crisis. It once sat in the center of T'sara, which obviously, is now the deepest and largest ocean."

"Oh" You felt your body sink a little. Having researched in history as much as you have magic, you're more aware than most just how much of today's tumult can be traced back to the Fey and how they nearly destroyed the world.

"I wouldn't worry your big heart too much about it, young Herida" Fracila's gentle hand touched your cheek, having unconsciously sunk to the floor "Ihstar is a silent God, but he is as hopeful as he is patient. He assures those who listen that the Chronometer is still out there somewhere, still ticking away."

"I see why you're in charge" You smiled gently "You have quite the extensive knowledge, I wouldn't have known that by myself."

"I also know how to apply a gentle touch, when I need it" She said as her soft fingers dragged across the skin of your cheek "I'm here to help Herida. You never know what you might get if you don't ask."

Fracila walked away slowly, oddly so. Lingering in the door way, she turned back towards you, making a point to move her silver hair behind her long ears. Giving you a wink, she left to continue her duties. The gesture confused you, not the least of the feeling it caused inside you. You were quite sure that your boss was flirting with you, which was quite the surprise.