A/N: A friend told me that it's actually Krohnisfere, not Chronosphere, so I've changed it. I'm dumb)))
Why again, it had to be that date? Douxie kept staring at the screen of his smartphone as if hoping for it to change. Of course, no miracle could ever happen.
The young wizard felt his mind going in circles. Time travels usually required someone to focus on the exact time point. In theory, that had to be Jim as the one who initiated the leap to start with. The thing was that Douxie was more than sure that the Trollhunter would never have chosen this date - it was the one that put the teen in the most unfavorable position, not to mention everything else on top of it.
It could mean that one of the additional passengers was guilty of that complication. But who?
Claire? There was simply no way for that, the Latina would never put her boyfriend into the horrible position.
Himself? Douxie didn't remember thinking about any time period at all, but he also would rather choose some earlier date. Even a day or two prior would be better.
Bellroc? Actually, the ancient deity could have done that - all of the circumstances were just perfect for the Arcane Order right now. Add there some knowledge about the future - and the titans would rise way earlier this time.
No, most likely, the fire demigod had no idea about the time travel. Besides, who could imagine that it was possible to take additional people? In the end, all the current mess was simply just a horrible coincidence, a cruel twist of Fate.
The most important thing right now would be fixing all the disasters somehow. Merlin would have thought about all the factors and built up some kind of strategy if that had ever happened to him. Douxie wondered if he should or could do the same.
No. The point was that he wasn't like his master at all and probably would never become. The old wizard had always enjoyed thorough planning and was confident in his strategies - and often tended to get in trouble when something unpredictable happened. His apprentice, on the other hand, shined the brightest when it came to quick thinking and improvisations - those had always been Douxie's forte, even before he had met Merlin.
As the realization had hit the young man, he suddenly got a clear image of what exactly he could try. It was as if someone had whispered all of the following steps to him. The future was still salvageable, even if the plan was too risky. But well, outright crazy ideas had always worked the best for Douxie.
The young wizard ran up to one of the bookshelves, trying to find a tome he remembered seeing there.
"Would you finally care to explain your familiar what's going on?" Archie, who kept silent for a while, finally had lost his patience and jumped on Douxie's shoulder. "Because I don't like all those changes of expressions you've had in the last three minutes."
Of course, the loyal cat-dragon would have been worried - they had always shared everything, but now the young man was probably looking like a madman with all the previous running around the room, weird inquiries about the date, and suspicious silence afterward.
But were there any time to go into the details about the whole deal surrounding the Arcane Order and the time travel? There had been too many events to finish with it quick enough without confusing poor Archie too much.
"Arch, do you trust me?" Douxie inquired seriously, never stopping with his search.
"What kind of question is that?" the familiar sounded rather offended and leaped off the young wizard's shoulder to the shelf so that he could face him. "Should I remind you that I've known you for longer than any other single living being in this world?"
Douxie couldn't help smiling at that huffing tone. In the end, their relationship had always been the one of the true family, perhaps, even tighter.
"Then…" the young wizard took a deep breath. "Please, help me without asking anything. The world itself is at stake. I promise - when it ends, I'll explain everything and we'll laugh together."
"And you'll treat me to a lot of tuna," Archie added.
"Deal," somehow, it ended even easier than Douxie had expected. A part of him felt guilty though - if the plan he had ever worked, the cat-dragon wouldn't even be aware of all this conversation.
No, the young wizard swore mentally to tell Archie everything when they won against the Arcane Order. As for tuna… Well, there wasn't anything wrong with treating his oldest friend.
"So…" the cat drawled, definitely more motivated than some seconds ago. "What exactly are you looking for?"
"I've seen a book on bonding spells somewhere on this shelf," Douxie replied curtly, still looking through the multiple spines. He seriously wished that tome was a more distinctive and not generic one, easily lost among others.
"Not there, look higher," the cat sighed and leaped on another shelf, pointing out to plain-looking book. "But why do you need to create some magic bond?"
"Thanks," the young man reached for the tome and skimmed through it. "As for your question, no, I won't create a bond, I want to break one…"
In hindsight, he should have probably chosen some other way to word it, because Archie had clearly misunderstood and shut the book with a furious huff. Douxie couldn't even blame him for jumping to the conclusion. There was only one thing they both called Bond - their familiar one.
"Not ours, Arch!" the young wizard tried to salvage the situation as the cat-dragon was on the verge of starting an angry rant. "Remember Merlin created a link between him and me so that he always knew where I was?"
"Yeah, there was something like that after you caused an explosion in the barracks…" Archie hummed after thinking a bit. "But why would you even wish to break that one? I believe, without it, Merlin won't be able to find you when he finally decides to contact us…"
"Exactly," Douxie nodded, returning to the book. He had read it once or twice but had never taken much interest in that one as he had no need for any spell there.
"Care to explain?" the cat raised his eyebrows in puzzlement. "Funny thing, right now it sounded like you don't want your master to find you, which is nonsense as you want to prove yourself and…"
Oh, yes, the young wizard had somehow forgotten already that not that long ago, he had been following Merlin's order to a letter as he had been waiting patiently until his master bothered to contact him. In hindsight, was it a reasonable decision? Who knew…
Douxie had always wondered if he could get involved earlier - there had been so many opportunities for that. Like the time when Claire had gotten possessed - hadn't he noticed that things had been wrong back then?
Or the young wizard could have come to the Trollhunter's team even earlier than that. Jim could have used any help back when he had been struggling with his newfound responsibility as the protector of both human and magical worlds. Yet Douxie had been only observing, either himself or with the assistance of Archie.
No more running.
Nari had made it her resolution back in that horrible future they all wanted to change. Douxie kept thinking about what his one could be in the current situation. No more ignoring? No more neglect?
Merlin probably would have never approved such an approach. At this point of time, the old man had still been thinking of his apprentice as a reckless child and most likely would have dismissed any of his ideas or plans.
However, Douxie right now had already received the approval he had always dreamed about. He had proved himself to be a mature person and a true master wizard. There was no time to explain everything to Merlin and probably face some opposition.
"I'm breaking the observation spell," the young man claimed, no doubts present in his tone. "Even if Master will strangle me afterward."
There were some good chances for that kind of outcome, especially knowing what exactly Douxie was planning to do. Or at least, the old man could temporarily seal his wayward apprentice somewhere so that he could rethink his behavior.
"Getting in trouble?" Archie hummed skeptically. "Is it even worth it? Besides, even if you break that spell, Merlin will still be able to check the last location where he sensed you…"
"I know," Douxie nodded and turned to his familiar, his eyes dead-serious. "So, please, can you cover for me?"
"Cover?" the cat repeated in confusion, and then realization hit him. "Oh, no, I'm not doing that!"
"But I haven't even explained it fully!" the young wizard argued back.
"No point, it's written all over your face. My answer is no. Even if I can shapeshift into you, I won't do that. You can try to bribe me with tuna or something - it won't work!" the familiar started to pace angrily.
"Archie…"
"What 'Archie'? Do you know what Merlin will do to both of us if he catches us? And he will! I'm not a good actor, and I cannot impersonate you properly! Not to mention that I cannot maintain that form for too long. Besides, I tend to throw up when I'm nervous - do you think I can keep calm while facing furious Merlin?"
The rant was long and displeased, yet Douxie somehow knew that despite all the complaints, the cat-dragon had already agreed to participate. And the next sentence only confirmed all of that.
"You know, you're abusing my kindness."
"Sorry, Arch," the apology escaped the young man's lips unwittingly. Perhaps, he was actually too used to his familiar sticking to him no matter what. Perhaps, at some point, he had started to take it for granted.
"Nevermind," the cat sighed. "We're both so dead afterward, so I hope it is at least worth all the trouble…"
"Thank you, Archie…" Douxie smiled at him, hoping that those words conveyed everything he wanted to put into those. Back in the future, he had never got an opportunity to show his gratitude. It was a silent oath never to repeat those mistakes.
There was only one more thing the young wizard wanted to address. His mind trailed to Zoe - there were so many things he wished to tell her as well. Probably, if the hex witch were present, he would have already done that, but…
"There's a thing about Zoe," Douxie started hesitantly.
"I won't deceive Zoe," Archie interrupted. "End of discussion. I won't anger the only person who gets my food preferences right!"
The young wizard nearly laughed at that statement. It was so bizarre that the cat-dragon was willing to pull a risky stunt to trick Merlin, yet was so against lying to the hex witch.
"No, there's no need for that," Douxie smiled wistfully. "Just tell her that… That I'm sorry for everything…"
In the end, it turned out too difficult to say, so he went for the more neutral words. Maybe it was for better, something like that was meant to be said face to face, not delivered via the third party.
"Tell her yourself," Archie scowled, obviously catching that something was wrong. "When you're back, just go to Zoe and say everything you want to tell… And don't make such a face - it's like you consider never returning!"
Perhaps, his familiar had already understood everything - he had always read Douxie like an open book. It was obvious that the cat-dragon wanted to add something else, probably to demand some answers or at least reassurance, yet he kept silent. Oh yes, hadn't the young wizard asked to trust him without asking any questions? Archie was simply keeping to his part of the deal, even if it didn't sit well with him.
Douxie tried to ignore the pang of guilt and turned his full attention to the book. It wasn't that difficult to break the observation spell - Merlin hadn't chosen anything too elaborate, so his apprentice could easily dispel it with his vambrace only. Most likely, the old man could never have imagined him doing something that rebellious.
He raised his hand, whispering the formula and dissolving the invisible bond. Douxie had never realized that it was so warm and comforting - at the moment, the loss of it felt no different from having a comfy muffler snatched during the freezing day.
Yet it was his decision. This kind of sacrifice meant nothing, knowing how many lives could be saved…