Bones of Power The Summoning of a Time God

"John! Get down from that tree this instant!"

The branch began to creak the moment Mother started to yell across the yard.

"Don't worry, Mom, I'm fi—"

My vision blurred. The moment I blinked, the blue sky, with clouds moving with the wind, came into view. The grass gently brushed against my back and scalp.

Footsteps rustled through the grass as fast as a galloping horse.

The view of the sky was suddenly replaced by a vicious, tiger-like face—my mother.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing dangerous things? Just look at your leg!"

Mother knelt close, placing her hands on my broken ankle. A green glow appeared from her soft, warm hand.

But why does it still hurt?

"Mother, could you not grip my ankle so tightly?"

Her tiger-like face turned into a ferocious dragon.

"I'm sorry, Mother! Please spare me!"

A woman in butler attire appeared from the yard.

"Miss Snow, the Queen has requested your presence."

"That old hag? What does she want with me?"

"You should be referring to her as the Queen, Miss Snow."

"Who cares? It's just a formality. She's still an old hag to me. Thank you, Lisa, for letting me know."

"It's my duty—no need for thanks."

Lisa turned her head toward me.

"Greetings, John. How are you today?"

"I'm fine, thanks to Mom. She healed me up pretty well, though it’s always painful when she does it."

The soft hands of my mother became rough, squeezing my cheeks.

"That's because you never listen to your mother's warnings."

The hands finally released my poor cheeks.

"I’ll go see the Queen now. Lisa, watch over him and make sure he doesn’t do anything dangerous."

"I will, Miss Snow."

"Please don’t squeeze my cheeks, Lisa."

"I won’t, John. Your mother told me about your condition—how you gain a superpower every time you break a bone. Do you feel any changes after your mother healed you?"

"Oddly enough, I don’t, Lisa. It’s super weird."

Mother said not to do anything dangerous, meaning I can't go out to hunt monsters or leave the castle. That leaves me no choice but to spar with someone to figure out my new superpower. And I know just the perfect person for the job.

"Can we spar, Lisa? Out of all the maids and butlers in this castle, you're the strongest."

Lisa and I headed to the training grounds to figure out my new power. It was a spacious room, with stone walls from floor to ceiling, and racks of weapons ready for use.

"Alright, Lisa, the goal of this spar is to figure out my new powers."

From the other side of the room, Lisa stood tall and strong, ready to begin.

"Lisa, you will go easy on me, right?"

From the look on her face, it seemed like she was ready to let off a lot of steam and take this seriously, using all the strength she gained from her adventuring and hunting.

"Of course, John," Lisa smirked.

"Okay, as soon as this coin lands, that’s the signal to start."

I flipped the coin into the air, and a loud ring echoed through the hall. But then, everything froze—light, dust, Lisa—nothing moved.

"Hello, John."

A human? I didn’t hear a single footstep, yet he stood behind me without a sound. Just how?

"I’m not human, but a god. A time god."

"Can you hear my thoughts?"

"Of course. You summoned me."

"I summoned you?"

"Yes."

But how? Wait—is it because I broke my ankle?

"Yes, it is because you broke your ankle that I was able to be summoned."

"It’s weird having you hear my thoughts."

"If you're a time god, can you make all the temporary powers from the bones I’ve broken permanent?"

"Of course. I am the time god, and you summoned me. Is that all?"

"I can ask for more? Holy crap!"