Was this the afterlife?
It didn't seem likely.
Despite knowing an incoming attack was going to hit him, he did not feel any pain, nor were there any signs of inflicted injuries. Plus, he was still breathing.
He raised his head and opened his eyes, but he saw nothing. However, this nothingness was familiar. The only other time he'd seen this place was-
"Honestly! What were you accomplishing with that little stunt?! It's like you're trying to get me killed, you fool!" Byleth turned around, only to be met by a familiar sight: the girl from his dreams sitting on the large throne glaring disapprovingly at him.
"Well, it's fine," the girl sighed as her eyes softened. "After all, if you don't know the value of your own life, you're not going to protect it very well, are you...? Of course not."
With a giggle, the girl got up from the throne. "Well, then, I guess it's up to me to guide you from now on, right?"
"You can call me... oh?" she cut herself off as she caught a glimpse of something just behind Byleth.
"Haruki! Hey! Haruki, SNAP OUT OF IT!"
Byelth heard a voice coming from behind him, but what caught his attention was his brother's name being called out.
Immediately turning around, he first saw another girl. Although she had obviously different features compared to the one on the throne - that being the simple, white dress and long, blonde hair - she had the same ominous presence about her.
With tears welling up in her golden eyes, she was kneeling down next to the body of someone laying face-down on the ground - someone Byleth immediately recognized.
"Haru…? Haruki!" he quickly ran to Haruki and kneeled down next to him.
"B-B-Byleth…?!" the new girl called to him.
Byleth's eyes widened as she mentioned him by name. "How do you-"
"NOW ISN'T THE TIME FOR THAT!" she desperately interrupted him. "Haruki… H-he's not breathing!"
He furrowed his brow. Without another word, he turned Haruki around, only to have his mouth hang as he witnessed the state his younger brother was in. His skin was dangerously pale, and his eye… It was lifeless. Fearing the worst, he put two fingers on his neck.
No pulse...
"Haru… He's-" Byleth stopped himself and shook his head, ridding himself from thinking the worst.
Instead, he tried casting a simple healing spell. However, to his astonishment, the spell did not activate. He concentrated again and again, but to no avail.
Knowing that time was limited, Byleth alternatively performed mouth to mouth on Haruki, hoping it would at least resuscitate him. But no matter how many times he pressed down onto his chest, no matter how many times he blew air into his lungs, Haruki did not wake up.
As he began to think his attempts were all but futile, he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Glancing behind him, he saw the girl from the throne standing next to him with solemn eyes staring at Haruki. She walked forward and sat between Byleth and the other girl, with Haruki laying in front of her. She gently placed his head onto her lap and used her hands to gently caress his sickly pale face.
"As I thought," she whispered. "You poor soul…"
"What are you-?
"Heh-heh!"She chuckled and confidently smiled at the blonde girl. "Leave it all to me… Himari."
"Wha…!? How'd you know my na-" the girl, whose name must be Himari judging by her reaction, cut herself off as she witnessed the green-haired girl lean her forehead against Haruki's.
Byleth tilted his head, perplexed by the girl's unusual actions. If she was actually helping, he was not sure what her motive was for doing so. She was still an anomaly to him, after all. If anything, it should make him feel suspicious. And yet…
That was not what he was feeling.
He glanced over to Himari. The moment he did, she was already staring at him with a determined look in her eyes, giving him a firm nod and putting her full faith in the girl. In a way, he was feeling the same.
He must...
For a moment, all was quiet. That was until Byleth noticed one of Haruki's fingers slightly twitch. Before he knew it, his brother's chest began to rise and fall slowly, and his skin was returning to its normal beige color.
"Now then,"the girl said as she finally raised her head with her smile still present. "Isn't it about time for you to wake up?"
With those final words, Haruki snapped back up. He uncontrollably panted and heaved as he clutched his hands on both sides of his head. It was such a bizarre and rare state for Haruki to be in, but this was enough to help ease Byleth's mind; Haruki was alive and was returning to his senses.
But this left him with more questions than answers.
"What did you-"
"His soul was in despair," she cut in. "Something happened… Something so traumatic that made him nearly lose the will to live to the point that he ended up in that sorry state."
"...Something?"
"You really are dense," she frowned. "You should know what that 'something' was! You are partly to blame, after all."
Byleth pinched his chin, questioning what that "something" was and as for why he was to blame. It was strange; Haruki had witnessed and committed many things that any other person his age would and should never experience. But just like himself, Haruki was not normal by any means. So being traumatized? Something like had never happened to him. Not since-
Byleth's eyes suddenly widened. "Not since that day… That means-"
Once glancing back at Haruki, Byleth barely noticed that he was already up on his feet and standing in front of him. Before he knew it, he was blocking a perfectly placed roundhouse kick aiming right at his temple, resulting in him being launched away from the rest of the group and landed back-first onto the stairs of the dais.
"You… You really are... a stupid fool," Haruki scolded him, dispite still feeling weak. "The Hell... were you thinking... trying to shield that noble like that?"
So, his assumption was correct. Haruki saw everything… even that moment where he came so close to dying; that was of course if he wasn't killed, already. And that pained, worried look etched on his face proved his assumption more. Seeing that rare look on Haruki and realizing he was the reason for his inner-turmoil, Byleth began feeling this heavy burden building up inside of him.
Such a strange feeling. He did not quite understand it… But it was something his father had mentioned once before…
Guilt…? It must be.
"I'm sorry… Haru," was all he could say to him as he lowered his gaze.
After a moment, Haruki sighed and returned to his more serious expression, seemingly regaining his strength. "You should be sorry, dumbass. Honestly, it's like you have a death wish or something. It's so unlike you."
"Finally!" the green-haired girl exclaimed, clasping her hands in delight. "Someone finally understands! Although…"
"HAAAARUUUUKIIIIIII!"
"Byleth isn't the only fool who doesn't value his own life."
Before Haruki could turn around, Himari suddenly jumped onto his back.
"DUMMY! DUMMY! DUMMY! HARUKI, YOU DUMMY!"
"Oi!" he tried to shake her off, but she was surprisingly persistent.
"I told you to calm down! I told you to wait! But noooo, you had to charge ahead! Even after you've seen what was coming, you still forgot about that stupid bandit being alive! Are you trying to get us killed?!
"Haru… Who is this?" Byleth asked as he began to walk back toward the group.
The younger brother stopped his attempt to shake the girl off his back before answering. "How should I know? She suddenly started popping up after my dream."
"Your dream?" Byleth slightly widened his eyes.
"...Yes." Haruki turned away his gaze.
"Does that mean you finally remembered something?"
"In a sense... yes."
Before Byleth could ask anything more, the girl next to him clapped twice to get everyone's attention. "Well now, such an interesting turn of events. And it looks like we both have our hands full dealing with hopeless fools. Don't you agree, Himari?"
"There you go again!" the blonde girl leaned forward onto Haruki's shoulders. "How the heck do you know my name?!"
"Himari?" Haruki asked.
"That's right! The name's Himari!" she pointed at the green-haired girl. "Now then, please answer the question! My curiosity is eating me alive!"
"Hmph! It seems like we have a feisty one, don't we?" the green-haired girl slightly smirked. But it sooned turned into a slight frown. "But if I'm being honest, I'm not sure."
"What do you mean?" Byleth wondered.
"I mean what I said. I barely know anything… Just bits and pieces that pretty much includes just Himari's name, as well as my own."
"Amnesia…" Haruki emphasized.
It was an unfortunate situation. Byleth had hoped that he could find some clues about her, the situation, or perhaps even about himself by asking this girl. But if all she knew was her name, then it was another dead end. But it wasn't just that. Not being able to know their past, it must feel empty for the person who suffers through it.
That was what Haruki once said, at least. And that feeling showed across the girl's face.
"Oh!" she suddenly perked up. "Speaking of names, I nearly forgot to share my own!"She straightened her posture and cleared her throat. "You may call me Sothis. But I'm also known as… The Beginning."
"Sothis?" Byleth repeated.
"The Beginning," Haruki mused.
"Hmmm," Himari furrowed her brow. "Haruki! I don't have any cool names like 'The Beginning,' so feel free to give me one, 'kay?
"And that's my job, why?" he asked, visibly getting annoyed by the mysterious girl.
"Oh, don't be like that!" she began pulling his cheek. "We're bound together for now on, so of course it has to be you!"
"That... makes absolutely no sense."
"Huh?! Of course it does! You're just acting childish for refusing such a simple request."
"Now, now. Quit bickering, you two."Sothis intervened. "We don't have much time left, after all."
"Not much time for what?" Haruki asked.
"Isn't it obvious? I can't stall the flow of time forever!"
There was a brief moment of silence as the rest let Sothis' sudden words sink in.
"Stall-"
"The flow of time?"
"Oi, oi. What's this brat on about?"
"Brat?!" Sothis frowned. "Did you honestly think me a child?! A child who has the audacity to lie to you at a time like this?!"
"You said it. Not me."
"Phooey! This 'child' just saved your lives; yours twice for that matter! And what does that make you?"
"Oi… I'm not a chi-!"
"Hush, you!" Himari suddenly pulled on Haruki's ear. "After the way you acted back there, you have no right to argue!"
Byleth ignored the little scene happening next to him and responded to Sothis. "We're less than children?"
"Correct! At least you understand," Sothis' smile returned.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Let goooo!" Byleth saw Haruki beginning to pull Himari's ear in return.
Haruki sighed and spoke to Sothis. "What do you even mean by you saving us? Because the way we're sitting, It doesn't seem like we came out unscathed."
"I'm glad you asked, little one! And I would agree with you," Sothis pointed at Byleth. "After all, you threw yourself before an axe to save just one young girl."
"And you," Himari chimed in, now pulling on Haruki's hair. "You just had to ignore me, huh?!"
"..."
"Because of your foolishness, you had your spine severed and your head nearly split in two! After all that, you still refuse to call yourself a child?!"
"...Haru?" Byleth called his brother. This new revelation concerned him.
"What else was I supposed to do?" Haruki asked Himari. "You saw it, too, right? You really think I would sit around and witness him die like that?!"
"What were you even capable of doing?! After that vision, you were barely able to walk, let alone throw a knife from that far away!"
"But-"
"HUSH! I'm the one talking, right now!
"..."
"Haruki... You mentioned that you always follow the most logical approach. But let me tell you this: There wasn't ANYTHING logical about what you did! That was just pure stupidity!"
Haruki flinched at her blunt words. However, he did not deny it. He could not deny it. All he could do was lower his gaze and clench his fists. "It... was the only option I had."
"No," Himari finally got off his back and forced him to face her. "It was the only option you thought of. You were just not thinking hard enough, dummy."
The younger brother said nothing. While he agreed, Byleth was in no position to lecture him on the matter. Regardless, he noticed Haruki slightly lifted his gaze, but he was not expecting to be met with a smile from the golden-haired girl. Not only that, there was something about her smile that felt oddly calming.
"Damn…" Haruki sighed, "How pitiful can I be?"
"Are you alright, Haru?" Byleth asked
"I… I will be. This bra- Himari knocked me back to my senses."
"Hmph! And you should be grateful… but not just to me."
Haruki tilted his head before turning his gaze to Sothis, who was patiently listening to them. After a moment, Haruki's brow twitched, as if he came to a realization.
"So it was you?"
Sothis nodded. "If you are referring to pulling you out of your own self-loathing, then yes… It was."
"Now I get it," Haruki lowered his gaze. "So that's what you meant by saving me twice."
For a moment, he was quiet, with his gaze still fixed to the ground. After some time deep in his own thoughts, he sighed and raised his head to lock eyes with Sothis once more.
"I don't know why you bothered saving the likes of me. Nor do I know if I should be grateful or pissed off that you did… But you took the time to do so, regardless, so that just means I owe you."
Sothis widened her eyes as she was left dumbfounded by Haruki's words. No doubt, she was not expecting him to say something like that. However, Byleth was not surprised in the slightest. And judging by Himari's giggle, she was not surprised either.
"Don't worry," Byleth reassured the green-haired girl, "That is simply Haruki's way of saying his appreciation." he then bowed before her. "And I would like to show mine for saving us. Thank you, Sothis."
Sothis was taken aback once more. Before she had the chance to compose herself, Himari suddenly hugged her from behind.
"Hehehe! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Sothis!" she said in delight. "I still don't know what the heck is going on, but I do know that you saved all of us."
With the sudden barrage of praises, Sothis became so flustered that her face suddenly turned beet red, much to Himari's amusement. Although the Eisner brothers' reactions remained neutral.
"I-i-if you three are done, can we get back on topic, PLEASE?!"
"Hehe! Sorry! Sorry!" Himari let go of Sothis and returned to Haruki's side. "Got a little too excited there. But you're right, we don't have the luxury of goofing off."
Sothis sighed as she finally recomposed herself. "Like I said, You two would have died had I not intervened. I have stalled the flow of time for now, so all is well. Although, I have no idea how I managed that."
"Stopping the flow of time," Haruki mused. "Such a thing is highly illogical and completely insane."
"Are you really still skeptical?"
"You didn't let me finish… Stopping time sounds illogical, if I've heard about it sooner."
Haruki looked around the nothingness that was the strange realm and his eye stopped as he laid eyes on Sothis' throne. He gently touched his face near his eye, attentively looking at the strange structure. "After everything that happened these past few minutes, everything that we've experienced… Stopping time doesn't seem that far-fetched, anymore."
Sothis was caught off guard once more. But again, Byleth was not surprised that Haruki was willing to believe her words. While he rarely trusted anyone he did not know, if Haruki analyzed the situation and thought of the possibilities, there was a chance for him to believe them, no matter how unbelievable it may be. This case was no different.
"Although," Haruki continued, "You keep implying that we're running out of time. Does that mean you can't keep this going forever?"
"...Correct," Sothis nodded
"Hmm… This could be trouble."
"What will happen when time resumes?" Byleth asked Sothis.
"When time begins again, the axe will tear upon your flesh, and you will surely meet your end. The same could be said for the brash one."
"Damn, I hate being right all the time," Haruki pinched the bridge of his nose while Byleth widened his eyes.
"Honestly! You two buffoons just had to drag us into this, huh?" Himari chastised both of them.
"Indeed, it is clear as day that you two are brothers. Now, what to do…"
Byleth thought about it as well. If what Sothis said was true, they had to act quick before time resumes. Obviously, it won't do them any good waiting for their deaths. This was such a bizarre situation where no form of logic seemed to be applicable. He had to think outside the box. And he knew where to start. If Sothis had the power to stop time, then that must mean…
"Turn back time," Haruki suddenly said. It would seem he came to the same conclusion. "If you have the power to stop time, then there has to be a way for you to turn it back, right?"
Sothis' expression lit up. "Of course! I must turn back the hands of time."
"Aww, look at little Haruki. Being a smarty pants and all!" Himari lightly slapped Haruki's head, much to his annoyance. "You ought to use that head of yours more often, hehe!"
"I'll drop you if you call me little, again."
"Now let's see," Sothis reached out her hands and manifested what appeared to be a magic circle. Numerous glyphs and symbols were etched all over the circle. At the center of it was a larger symbol.
"Yes," Sothis continued, "I do believe it can be done. I cannot wind back too far, but all is well. You are now aware of what's to come, which means you can protect yourselves this time."
Byleth nodded then turned to his brother who was already worryingly staring at him.
"Hey!" Himari pulled Haruki's ear once more. "You know your brother better than anyone. Have faith in him. Focus on doing what only you can do."
With a bit of hesitation, Haruki sighed and nodded at Himari's reassurance. "Well, I'm ready."
"Likewise," Byleth added.
"Good… Now go… yes, you who bears the flames within, and you who bears the light of guidance. Drift through the flow of time to find the answers that you seek."
With that final declaration, the magic circle began to rotate counterclockwise.
"Oi, what did she mean by-"
Haruki was not able to finish his sentence, as the flow of time began to wind back. Once it stopped, Byleth was once again next to Dimitri. However, Byleth quickly began to run toward Edelgard. He saw the bandit leader jump back onto his feat, preparing to charge at the noble girl. He now knew what was going to happen, and he was not going to make the same mistake twice.
"Tha- gah!" Once again, the excruciating headache returned. Haruki dropped his knives and stumbled onto one knee with his nose bleeding, unable to get up, just like before.
"H-hey! What's wrong?!" Claude, who was most certainly alive, asked him as he knelt down beside him.
Haruki raised his head and saw everything playing out like last time. The bandit leader charged at Edelgard, with the latter standing her ground with a dagger in hand.
"Well, damn. She actually pulled it off."
His instinct was to once again run after Byleth. However…
"Trust him, Haruki."
He now knew what needed to be done. Haruki quickly kicked Claude away from him. Not a moment later, a hatchet slammed in between them. Rolling away from the attack, Haruki caught sight of the bandit approaching him.
"You piece of shit," the bandit cursed him as he lifted his hatchet over his head. "You… You ruined EVERYTHING!"
Unlike last time, Haruki failed to grab hold of a knife. As a result, he was defenseless… mostly.
He still had one last trump card, but it was one he simply hated. Not to mention, he wasn't sure if it was wise to let loose now. What if-
"Do it…"
"Huh?!"
"I grant you permission to do it this once!"
"How do you… Wait, why do I need your perm-?!"
"DO YOU WISH TO DIE A SECOND TIME?!"
"Like Hell I'm dying here!" Haruki rolled up his sleeve, revealing the fully bandaged left arm.. Despite the grueling pain, he concentrated his magic to the arm. He could feel the burning sensation welling up as he prepared to unleash the brutal force of his dreadful power. He only had one chance; there won't be a third!
"YOU DI-"
But he never had the chance to strike. The bandit was stopped in his tracks when a lone arrow went right through his skull, permanently silencing him. He finally collapsed revealing the one responsible for his death.
"Talk about a close call." Claude sighed in relief. "But did you really have to kick me that hard?"
"Oh, if he only knew," Himari commented. "You can relax, Haruki. It seems we're fortunate enough not to use THAT."
Haruki also sighed as he relaxed arm, dispersing the magic away from it. As he did, a sudden clanging noise caught their attention. What they saw was the bandit leader launched into the air and Byleth, sword in hand, standing in front of Edelgard. While Claude stared in disbelief at the spectacle before him, Haruki felt nothing but relief.
"Well, then. Now it looks like we're about wrapped up." Claude walked over the corpse and offered a hand to Haruki. "You alright, though? You gave me a scare when you toppled over like that."
Haruki stared at the reached-out hand. After a moment, he slapped it away, which was received by an awkward chuckle from the archer.
"I'm fine," Haruki told him. "Just go on ahead. Gotta catch my breath."
"Well… if you say so." Claude shrugged before giving him a salute, "just make sure you get your leg checked, okay?"
Haruki's eye slightly widened as he saw Claude jog back toward Byleth and the two other nobles. he then he rolled up his trousers. Sure enough, there was wound on his right ankle. Haruki turned back to Claude's direction with a wider eye. For him to notice his injury, It became apparent to him that this peculiar noble had a set of sharp eyes - likely sharper than his own.
"My, my," Himari's voice echoed inside his head. He was beginning to grow accustomed to hearing the girl's voice. "What a carefree boy. It's like getting close to having your head chopped off was just a game to him. But it seems we now owe him for helping us."
Haruki did not respond. Instead, he diagnosed the severity of the wound. Luckily, it was not deep; not deep enough to have Alexia needing to heal him. He proceeded to grab a bottle a vulnerary and a clean roll of bandages out of his satchel. He then gulped down the bitter drink and wrapped the wound with the bandages. If he's lucky, it should fully heal by the end of the day. Although, he won't be able to put much weight on it for now.
"...How annoying," he laid down flat onto the grassy plain as he looked up to the night sky, which was now turning to early dawn. He huffed as he messaged his temple, still feeling the effects of the so-called vision. "That took more effort than it needed to."
He then turned his head to look at the body of the bandit. Focusing on it, he did not sense a hint of aura… This time, he was dead.
"Well, of course he's dead! There's literally an arrow going right through his head!"
"Just making sure," Haruki replied.
"Honestly! What goes on in your head is a complete mystery to me… You can be so reckless yet oh so very cautious."
"Can you blame me?"
"I… I guess not. So much has happened tonight, after all. Far more than we could ever imagine."
"Hmph. That's an understatement," he said aloud as he turned his head back toward the sky. The stars slowly disappeared as the rising sun broke through the horizon. Along with it, a gentle ball of light manifested. As it dispersed, Himari appeared, sitting cross-legged on the grass next to Haruki.
"I had a feeling you'd say that," Himari sighed before letting out a giggle. "Your mind's running in circles again. It gets so cramped when you do that."
"Is that why you're out here?"
"Can you blame me?"
"...Guess not," the boy rolled his eye.
"Hehe! Good! But you know… I can't blame you for having your head jumbled up with a bunch of questions."
"..."
"As you would put it, it's logical to feel that way. Who wouldn't be after everything that happened?"
"You… Sothis… Stopping and reversing time, and the ability to see visions. It's all so hard to wrap your head around."
Haruki, now feeling a wave of fatigue flowing through him as his eyes began to feel heavy, slowly turned his head and spotted his father joining Byleth and the rest, along with three new individuals. Allies of the nobles, no doubt. Two of them tended to the nobles, while a middle-aged man who dawned white-cladded armor was speaking with his father and Byleth.
"I… wonder…"
"Hm?"
"Why is all of this happening…? Why… now...? What's… gonna happen, later…? It's so annoying… not knowing anything."
"Dummy," Himari lightly flicked Haruki's head. "Didn't I tell you I'm on the same boat as you? And now we know that Byleth and Sothis are experiencing the same thing. That just means that we're all in this together. We don't have to solve this mystery alone! You don't have to solve it alone. And… we don't really need to rush, either. I can tell you're exhausted, so STOP thinking about it and get some rest! After all, you've… Oh."
"Zzzz…"
Himari simply groaned as she saw Haruki fast asleep next to her. "I didn't mean now, you dummy."
Along with being exasperated with Haruki's carelessness, she couldn't help but let out a sigh from seeing him still furrowing his brow in his sleep.
"Jeez, you could at least look like you're enjoying a nice nap," she said. "Ugh, I really am going to have my hands full, aren't I? You should be grateful, though. Because this time… I won't be just a bystander."
"Zzzz…"
"Huh… Bystander. Why… did I say that?"
With the help of Sothis, Haruki and Byleth managed to avoid there untimely demise. But along with it came with a slew of mysteries. Who is Sothis? Who is Himari? Bending the flow of time? Visions? Haruki is going to have his hands full figuring out everything... After he takes a nice little nap. But once he wakes up, he will come across a place that will drastically change his and Byleth's fate.
Not much to say, this time around. Work has been busy, but I still manage to find time to write, which is a good thing. I have a bunch ideas for this story that I cannot wait to put into words! Anyways, feel free to give out some comments and feedback on the reviews!
As always, thank you for reading, and I'll see you next time.
-JQ
