The door is massive, and probably barred from the inside. Xellos thought he could hear chanting from within. He couldn't find an alternative entrance, besides windows many feet up.

Xellos looks for any way to enter via those windows. If he finds one, he uses it. If he doesn't, he looks for something to stack and stand upon.

The windows were much too high. The chanting seemed to get louder.. and Xellos recognized it.

Time magic.

Xellos didn't really liek the sound of that chanting, so he hurried up and decided to use his powers to age the door at such a rate that it would crumble into dust in a few seconds.

And it did.

Inside, Xellos saw himself.

Yes, he looked.. older. In the eyes. His hair was streaked with grey. His face was creased, and he had slight stubble. But.. it was him. His garb was impressively exotic, jade black on blood red, and he held an elaborate watch made of silver in his hand. When he saw Xellos, his face turned white.

"Friend! Beware the bear!"

And he was gone, zipped into another time-stream, past or future.

He left the watch.

Xellos didn't even think, and picked up the watch and examined the timepiece.

The watch's face was in the image of a majestic, silver bear, the ticking and tocking of the clockwork moving about it. It had fifteen numbers, the twelve standard subjects of time plus three 'extras': TL, IT, SH. The rest of the numbers were in Roman numerals.

Xellos wondered what the extra numerals could be. He shrugged, and looked around, trying to see if anyone important-looking could help him.

There was no one about, only the stench of burning copper - the stench of time-travel.

Xellos tried to use his powers to see back in time, so he could see what had occurred in this temple.

Xellos fell into visions..

The world turned.

Xellos saw that this temple had been created by him twenty-five years ago - an older him.

He saw that it was created for.. some purpose.. that he couldn't quite discern.

He saw that, underneath the ceremonial alter, hid a non-Conclave approved Gate of Ornathros.

Xellos headed over to the ceremonial altar and tried to push it over/out of the way so he could get to the Gate.

It was made of solid stone. It would not budge even the tiniest bit. IT had been designed, Xellos realized, not to be moved.

Simply activating the Gate may make him an enemy of the Conclave.

Xellos placed his newly-acquired timepiece onto the altar, and tried to figure out a way to activate the gate.

The alter looked back at him, mockingly.

Xellos shrugs and places his hands on the altar, and activates his time clairvoyance power.

Xellos saw himself.. seconds in the future.. saying the words, "I declare myself an enemy of the Conclave," .. and the gate opened.

Or was that, like so much else, another future, another stream?

Xellos, unable to think of anything else to say, decided to repeat the words. I declare myself an enemy of the concalve

The alter disappeared - just like that, it was gone. It was replaced by a deep, wide pit - where the alter was gone - and inside that pit, what appeared to be a well of rippling, black water.

Xellos decided it would be a smart idea to immerse himself into the pool of water.

It hurt like hell - pains rushing up and down his spine, his arms, his legs, like blades stabbing repeatedly - and his head was filled with a thought -

- a thought -

back?

or forward?

Xellos managed to ping back a thought. Back

How far -

- back?

To when this realm began.

A twisting thing - time, like noodles -  a maze - cannot escape - Xellos - xellosxellosxellosxellos -

And he was there.

A Realm.. completely unlike Aldith as it was today. He was in a long, dark, cramped corridor - astoreroom, of sorts. He was surrounded by bronze weaponry, and the room was lit by a single candle. He could see a door a few feet ahead of him.