Chapter 2 - Death is a Learning Experience
Amelia paced around her apartment after getting back. Thankfully, the doors in her apartment didn't automatically lock when closed. She hadn't brought her keys with her when she had run out of her apartment.
Thousands and thousands of thoughts swirled around in her head. A whole new world had just opened up for her and she'd been thrust into the middle of it. Where should she even start?
Well, the most pressing matter right now was how she acquired this "Light magic" ability to reverse time when she died. Could it have been from when she was stabbed the first time? Possibly, but unlikely. That woman seemed to think that she'd had it since the start.
Who the hell was that woman anyways? She seemed to call herself 'Hope', but her actions were just the opposite. Trying to kill Ina'nis, Anni, was one thing, but just a random civilian was something else.
And who was Anni? What was she hiding besides the book? Did Amelia really know her at all? Seemed like she didn't. This whole situation was just one deadly surprise after another.
But the biggest question was one she raised herself.
Should she even go into work today?
Amelia had the excuse of not feeling well, since the ticking noise in her head was about to give her a migraine. If she avoided the situation entirely, she was practically guaranteed to live for another day.
But what about Anni and her workplace? It had taken a while after college to find somewhere in her field willing to hire her. Finding somewhere else after hers was destroyed would be a royal pain in her ass.
Also, Anni was going to die.
Even if she kept her job and they simply moved to another building temporarily, going to work with Anni there was going to be torture. She was the only person there that Amelia would even begin to think of as a friend. Everyone else just disgusted her with their complete lack of understanding and incompetence.
Should she fight with Anni to try and save her?
Her mind was screaming at her not to. It was stupid and risky with no benefit to herself in the short term. So what if she didn't have a job for a bit? She was smart enough that she could find another one eventually.
But her heart told her to fight. Normally, Amelia never listened to her heart. It was impulsive and usually didn't see the bigger picture or possible consequences. However, this time it seemed like the better option.
Anni was the only other person that she knew had magic. If she wanted to learn anything about her ability, she was her best shot right now. Letting her die would keep her in the dark about this power that she didn't understand.
Her logical mind couldn't comprehend how much she didn't understand. But her emotional heart could.
Quickly, Amelia put on her clothes and brushed her teeth. Without stopping to eat or give Bubba a treat, she grabbed her keys and headed down the stairs. She rocketed up the hill on her e-bike towards her work, determination filling her.
While on the ride over, Amelia remembered that she was going to encounter an opportunity to test a theory.
She scanned the cars around her and saw the drifter from before just a few cars behind her. She slowed so they got in front of her. Slowly, the ticking sound got louder. The car drifted into her lane and she nearly smashed into the back of them. Amelia then passed them on the shoulder and flipped them off.
The ticking sound was now quieter. Amelia's initial theory was confirmed.
The ticking got louder when she was in danger.
She didn't know how the volume actually translated to the amount of danger or how long it took to build. At least she had that now.
This also changed the lunch she had with Anni into something else. During that time, she had heard the ticking get louder and quieter. Had Hope been watching them? Was she debating on when to attack?
That behavior did reveal a few things about Hope's priorities, though. She didn't seem to want to hurt civilians. She probably assumed Amelia was in on it or wanted one hostage close to Anni. It was an interesting thought.
If she could figure out what Hope really was after, maybe they could avoid bloodshed all together. Amelia sighed and lowered her head a little. That seemed very unlikely. If all she wanted to know was where the book was, then there was no reason to kill Anni like that. She wanted to get the book and make sure everyone who knew about it was dead.
Amelia arrived at her work and locked up her e-bike. She became increasingly nervous going up the elevator. How was she going to talk to Anni about this? Would she ever believe her? Only one way to find out. The elevator doors opened and she walked into the office.
Anni walked towards her desk, completely oblivious to Amelia's approaching form. The detective tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump slightly.
Amelia was breathing faster now. Anni turned and looked at her inquisitively. She seemed to expect that it was Amelia.
"Oh hey, what's up Amelia?" she asked unprofessionally. She had picked up on Amelia's unprofessionalism and often slipped into it when talking to her.
"C-Can we talk about something important?" Anni looked slightly confused. Amelia sounded almost desperate to talk to her.
"Uh, sure. Is this about a case?" she responded. Amelia shook her head.
"Not really. I want to warn you about someone. They're coming to hurt us," Amelia said in an aggressive whisper. She really didn't want anyone to hear her. This could permanently stain her reputation with other coworkers. Anni recoiled and backed away slightly.
"Huh? Where's that coming from? Are you ok, Amelia?" Anni asked, confused by Amelia's declaration. To her, it made no sense. Amelia closed the distance again.
"Something bad is going to happen later today," Amelia pleaded with Anni. The other girl just stared at her confused and worried.
"What are you talking about? You really aren't feeling well today are you?" Amelia clenched her fist in frustration. She didn't want to seem crazy, but it looked like that was the only way. Plus, Anni was something crazy anyways, so hopefully she would understand.
"Anni, I can-" Amelia began, but stopped. It wasn't her own doing, instead the world around her froze in place. Everything slowly turned to various shades of gray, like the world had lost all its color. She couldn't even look around, but could still see straight in front of her.
The feeling of being watched flooded her mind. She could feel someone just behind her, out of her view. Amelia saw a shadow creep into her peripheral vision. It was a hand holding some kind of blade.
It wasn't either of the daggers that Hope used. Instead, it was long with an intricate design of swirling curves until it reached a circular grip. It almost looked like the hands of a clock, but way sharper. It crept closer to her until the tip pierced the skin just under her chin.
Amelia couldn't even scream as the blade proceeded to slice from just above her throat down into her chest. It split the skin slowly and painfully all the way down to her heart. The blade stopped and let Amelia soak in the agony of the cut.
Then, the entire blade was driven into her heart.
Amelia collapsed to the floor, coughing and hacking from the pain she was still feeling. She patted her hands all over her neck, chest, and heart. They were thankfully all still intact.
"Woah, Amelia are you ok?!" Anni asked frantically. They were getting a few looks from other people in the office, however no one approached them.
"I-I'm fine," Amelia replied between coughs. The residual pain was fading slowly. So she couldn't talk about her ability, huh? What a shitty power…
"Are you choking on something?! Should I get water?!" Anni continued to fret over Amelia. The detective laughed dryly and shakily got to her feet.
"If I was choking, I wouldn't be talking to you. I just swallowed the wrong way is all. I'll be fine," Amelia reassured her. Anni let out a sigh of relief.
"So, uh, what were you saying?" she asked, not knowing the hell Amelia had just gone through. Amelia glanced around, seeing everyone had returned to working normally. She didn't want to cause any more scenes.
"Let me just grab a case file and then let's go into a break room," she proposed. Anni thought for a moment before agreeing. Amelia grabbed the case file she knew was on her desk and walked into the break room she had seen Anni enter just before her. They had a few of them to help look through details with peace and quiet. Amelia uses them extensively.
"Are you feeling better now?" her coworker asked kindly. Amelia smiled slightly and sat in a chair opposite of her.
"I can feel the beginnings of a headache, but I'll make it," she responded, cheekily. It was doubtful that she could mention the ticking in her head since it seemed to be directly tied with her ability.
"Ah." Anni looked at the case file that Amelia had brought. Amelia passed it to her and she looked through it.
"Hey, do I seem different to you in any way?" Amelia asked Anni while she read through the police statements. Anni peaked her eyes over the top of the page and looked at her.
"Umm, I mean you are acting slightly differently. What was that ominous warning earlier about?" It seemed like Amelia could talk about her future experiences, but not about the ability that allowed her to experience it. A claim without any evidence, an argument with nothing to back it up. Amelia was afraid that Anni wouldn't like that very much.
"Oh, uhh that was just a slight panic attack from being late. I really don't want to have to deal with my boss about it," she attempted to brush it off.
"You sounded really scared. Did your emotions just overwhelm you or something?" Amelia was fairly sure that Anni was talking about her Light magic. It was likely that she could sense it and that was what she had been so concerned about last time. She could tell her that she had an affinity, but would that piss off that being again?
"I have been feeling slightly Light-headed recently." Amelia had to hold back a facepalm from the cringe she was feeling. She could only hope that Anni would see what she was trying to get at. The other girl glanced at the door, looking slightly on edge.
"I-I don't know if you should really go around telling people about that. It might get you in trouble. One of our bosses might send you home if they heard you were sick." Amelia felt like the first bit was directed at what she wanted it to be and the last was Anni trying to cover herself. It didn't seem like that being was going to come after her for telling about her Light magic. Amelia knew she had to push it.
"Anni, do you trust me?" she asked, throwing her coworker off. She put down the case file to focus entirely on Amelia. After a moment of hesitation, she answered.
"I think I do, but what is this about? You're being really cryptic." Amelia took a deep breath, preparing to have herself sliced open again.
"I have the sense that I maybe have some kind of affinity for Light magic…" Amelia trailed off, bracing herself for pain that never arrived. She let out the rest of her breath when she saw she was in the clear.
"Umm, uhh, wh-what are you talking about, Amelia? Magic? Don't be ridiculous, haha…" Anni made several hand movements to dismiss the topic. Amelia knew the reason Anni didn't want to talk about it was because she didn't want anyone to know she had magic. Normally, Amelia would have stopped pressuring her at this point, but the current situation didn't give her the luxury of time.
"Ina'nis, Priestess of the Ancient-" Amelia's statement was interrupted when Anni, Ina'nis, jumped over the table and slammed her palm over Amelia's mouth. She mumbled something, but no words escaped her coworker's fingers.
Ina'nis looked frantic, her pupils dilating in her irises. Amelia felt fear wash over her. She had seen what this girl was willing to do to keep her secret safe. Would she do something like that to her?
"Who are you? Why do you know that name?" The thousands of voices behind Ina'nis empowered the normally quiet girl's words. Amelia gulped.
"Someone is coming for you." Amelia spoke once Ina'nis' fingers moved enough that she could.
"Why are you warning me about something like that? And you didn't answer either of my other questions." Ina'nis didn't let up her intensity. It was a good thing they were in a soundproof room with only a tiny window to see in.
"My name is Amelia H. Watson. You've known me for the past 8 months since we started working together and now I need your help. I can't tell you how I know your name, though…" Amelia answered. Ina'nis continued to stare daggers into her before backing away. She climbed off of the table and sat back down in her chair. Amelia righted herself as well.
"If you wanted to get at me, I guess you already would have. There is no advantage for you to bring up my name and title like that," Ina'nis said to herself.
"I am warning you because you might die," Amelia answered the last question that had been asked of her. Ina'nis didn't seem frightened by her warning.
"Why should I believe you? Even if you don't mean any harm to me doesn't mean that you wouldn't lead me into a trap." Ina'nis seemed to be a very defensive person. Amelia sighed, putting her arms up on the table and leaned forwards on them.
"That case file you just looked over," Amelia pointed at the file on the table, "I think whoever did that is going to come after you for whatever you're hiding." Ina'nis blinked a few times before focusing back on Amelia.
"But why should I believe you? Is your Light magic letting you see that person? Is that why you're so good at detective work…?" Ina'nis began to put pieces together that didn't really exist. Amelia couldn't correct her flawed logic.
"Let's just do what we do best and investigate. I think you'll believe me when you see this case for yourself." Ina'nis sighed.
"There's only one way to find out," she stood from the table, "But do not call me Ina'nis, ever!" Amelia still wasn't used to that stronger tone. She nodded and they left the building.
Amelia wasn't entirely sure if the day would keep playing out the way it had before, since now she had heavily altered it. However, she didn't get the sense that their pursuer was being anymore aggressive. The ticking stayed quiet in her head.
The duo arrived at the first crime scene and began investigating. Just like before, nothing was found there that helped with the investigation. Ina'nis' attitude this time around was less frustrated and more confused. Amelia's earlier declaration was proving to be correct.
"I can't help but think you might be right…" she said quietly while they walked to the next place. Amelia tried her best to hold back any snarky remarks. Those were the last things that she needed to say right now.
"Something else is off about those places, besides the limited intrusion." Ina'nis pulled herself out of her thoughts and looked over at Amelia.
"Yeah…" Amelia was glad she could push Ina'nis down a thought process earlier than she had before. In her previous loop, she had obviously been troubled by something else and Amelia wanted to know what it was.
The rest of the crime scenes were the same as before. The two girls eventually found themselves hungry and stopped by the same Italian place as before. Amelia knew now not to get onto the waiter about her food, as she needed Ina'nis to really trust her.
They showed up earlier this time, despite starting the trip later. Since Amelia already knew about the lack of evidence, she could push Ina'nis to move on sooner. It might seem like she was being negligent to an outside observer, though.
The restaurant was even emptier than before. Only two other people were anywhere near them. Amelia was glad her and Ina'nis could have a conversation out of earshot of anyone else.
"Got any ideas?" she asked, referring to Hope. Ina'nis took a deep breath and looked around her.
"I guess I have to believe you now. There's just no other good explanation I can think of," Ina'nis conceded. Amelia was glad that the first step was over, but she didn't have much time to prepare. The ticking in her head was already getting louder and quieter. Hope was stalking them.
"I don't think they are going to wait very long. By just walking around the crime scenes, they probably found you already." Amelia pushed a few more ideas into Ina'nis' head. The other girl seemed worried by this.
"Why are you even talking to me about this? Wouldn't it be easier to just leave me alone?" Amelia sighed and smiled.
"If I just let you get attacked, then who would I work with on these cases?" Ina'nis laughed slightly. Of course Amelia would say something like that.
"I think you also want me to help you with that affinity you now have." Amelia nodded lightly. She would need help harnessing the power given to her. Well, she says given, but it is more like forced on her. She never wanted any of this.
"First, we need to beat whoever is after you without destroying the office."
"I should grab that book when we get back. It will help us." Amelia tilted her head.
"How so?" She was unfamiliar with what the book actually did. It was obviously important, since she and Ina'nis had already died once protecting it.
"It lets me channel my magic better. Normally I can only use basic spells, but with the book I can get more advanced with them." Amelia nodded along. "You're going to need to find something to channel your magic through, too. Raw magic tends to just dissipate into the environment without help."
"Like how a bullet needs a barrel to aim properly. Otherwise it just explodes in every direction." Amelia thought of it in terms she was more familiar with. Ina'nis nodded.
"We can take a few days off to find something like that. It'll be a small adventure for you to learn, as well!" Amelia was so glad Ina'nis was willing to help her. She was actually very talkative and energetic about these kinds of things.
Their food arrived a few seconds later and they both ate. Amelia was surprised that hers was better than it was before. Less people in the restaurant meant faster and better food apparently. She didn't need to complain this time around. The girls finished and paid.
Walking out of the building, Amelia heard the ticking steadily begin to rise in volume. Hope was closing in on them now and they were still in grave danger. Ina'nis seemed on alert, too.
"I think I can sense them, like when someone is staring at you for too long…" she whispered to Amelia. She rested a hand on her gun, just in case.
"I'll try and just shoot them, but if that doesn't work we need to force them out into the open. Close quarters seems like a bad idea, given our weapons and skills." Ina'nis hummed her agreements.
They eventually got back to the office before they had the last loop. Amelia didn't know if this was a good or bad thing. They might accidentally put others in danger if they were still in the office. However, it didn't seem like Hope wanted to hurt anyone else besides Ina'nis. Amelia had only been caught in the crossfire when she was forced to stay late.
Wait… did that mean that Hope could hear them right now?
Shit, she hadn't thought of that. Hopefully, she hadn't heard any of their previous conversation.
She moved close to Ina to whisper to her. "They're listening…" Ina'nis gasped quickly. They both had to make sure to not give up the ghost and let Hope know they were expecting her. If she changed her strategy, they would be in deep shit.
"Man… I'm going to hate writing this report," Amelia said slightly louder than she should have. Some of the coworkers around her murmured agreements or mockery. She rolled her eyes, keeping a facade up now was going to be annoying. The ticking was getting very loud.
"Yep, same here. Lot's of writing to do." God, these attempts at normal conversation were the worst. They got a few weird looks and sideways glances.
Amelia took deep breaths, sitting down at her desk. She pretended to do some work, not that she would have been able to anyways with how loud the ticking was. It was giving her a wicked headache now.
Ina'nis did something similar, but she sneakily got the book out when no one was looking. She then hid it under her desk. Somehow, it stuck to the underside. Amelia assumed it was some weird magic thing she didn't know about yet.
Slowly and painfully, all of the employees left the office. It was eventually just Amelia and Ina'nis. Once they were alone, both of them quickly stood up and put their backs to each other.
Amelia listened to the ticking in her head. It was loud enough to drown out all but her strongest thoughts now. Hope would be arriving soon. Ina'nis stood ready, arms extended out to her sides and book floating? next to her.
The air shifted and Ina'nis' fight or flight response kicked in.
"She's here," Amelia said simply. They both dove to the right as an explosion ripped apart the wall next to them. Hope emerged from the smoke covered in the dark cloak.
"Don't resist, Priestess of the Ancient Ones." Amelia took a deep breath, pointing her pistol at the figure. She had never had to pull her gun on someone before. The trigger was heavier than normal. She tried her best to mitigate the shaking of her hands.
Bang!
Ping.
The figure intercepted the round with a dagger, deflecting it to the side. Amelia shot at least five more times, but they were deflected as well. Hope seemed amused by her attempts to kill her.
"That isn't going to work on me," she taunted. Ina'nis readied a spell in case the woman charged them. Amelia lowered the pistol slightly.
"Why don't you tell me why you want my book?" Ina'nis asked. Hope cocked her head to the side.
"I am here to rid this world of despair. Destroying the Ancient Ones is the first step," she answered. Ina'nis didn't have more time to negotiate, as Hope threw the dark dagger at her. She dodged it and the return shot as well. Ina'nis countered with a beam. Hope gracefully leapt out of the way.
"Don't get hit by the light dagger," Amelia warned. Ina'nis didn't entirely understand why that dagger would kill her so easily, but she trusted Amelia's judgment.
"I'm impressed by your knowledge of me. I thought I was being careful while stalking you both." Hope put a hand to her chest. Amelia let out a curt laugh.
"We are both investigators, of course we would figure it out," she said, letting her ego inflate her words slightly. The first time around, she was truly clueless about the attack.
"Let's see how much you know then!" Hope pointed her daggers at the both of them, but didn't throw them. Instead, beams of light and dark exploded from the respective daggers.
Ina'nis countered with a beam of her own. They collided and bounced off, one into the ground and the other into the ceiling. Neither Hope nor Ina'nis expected this. The Priestess reacted faster to this development and lashed out with several tentacles.
Amelia knew she couldn't avoid this attack, so she turned and braced herself to be hit. The beam glanced off her side. It felt like she was on fire, the beam burning through her clothes and into her skin. She bit down hard to not scream.
Hope was now distracted by Ina'nis' tentacles, completely ignoring Amelia. This gave the detective the chance to catch her opponent by surprise. She pulled her gun up and squeezed off several more shots. Hope heard the shots and reacted just in time to deflect them.
However, by reacting this quickly on instinct, it left her open for Ina'nis to attack. The Priestess took this opening and fired a beam that successfully hit Hope. She was launched through a wall and into another room. Amelia staggered over to her friend.
"Fuck that hurt…" Amelia said, trying to see where Hope had gone.
"We need to bring this outside." Ina'nis said coldly. It made strategic sense. Hope appeared to be a close range fighter, thriving on her daggers and quick reflexes. Ina'nis and Amelia were both suited for long range, having access to beam spells and a gun respectively.
"But won't people see us?" Amelia asked.
Ina'nis opened her mouth to say that it didn't matter now, but Hope emerged and beat her to the punch.
"There's a veil surrounding this place. No one is going to see us!" She then raised both her daggers towards them. Ina'nis grabbed Amelia with a tentacle and pulled her towards the large windows of the office.
One whole wall of the office floor was made of nothing but windows. It gave some great ambient light, but right now they were the only path of escape outside.
Amelia screamed as they smashed through them over 70 feet in the air. An explosion tore through the entire floor they had just been on. Glass rained down on them, giving tiny cuts and scratches to any exposed skin.
They flew towards the ground, but Ina'nis cushioned their fall with several other tentacles. Amelia hit the ground lightly followed shortly by Ina'nis. Hope was nowhere to be seen.
"Where the hell did she go?" Amelia asked.
"Stay on guard," Ina'nis commanded. While scanning the area above them, they both noticed the discoloration of the sky. Some kind of veil had been put around the area. No one seemed to be watching from any of the buildings around them, either.
A minute later, Hope walked out of the building on the ground floor. Both Amelia and Ina'nis were incredibly confused by this move. It had no apparent tactical advantage.
"What are you afraid of heights or something?!" Amelia asked aggressively. Hope seemed angered by this.
"Don't mock me!" Ina'nis fired another beam, which Hope dodged around.
Amelia kept her gun trained on where Hope probably was behind the beam. The light dagger suddenly flew out from the beam, heading straight for Amelia's stomach. She had mere moments to dodge, thankfully only coming away with a gash on her side. It hurt like a bitch and would probably need a couple stitches, but she was still in this fight.
Hope tried to get in close with Ina'nis again, but the Priestess used her tentacles to push her away. She needed a distraction to get in close. Raising a hand towards Amelia, she got ready to attack. Ina'nis saw this and assumed it was a beam, leaping in between them to intercept.
Amelia knew it was a faint, though. She had seen Hope reach out for her daggers to retrieve them before and the light dagger hadn't come back yet. With a swift turn, she grabbed the dagger flying in from behind her and let it pull her towards Hope.
After narrowly missing Ina'nis, Amelia extended her leg out and kicked Hope in the side. The woman was caught off guard by this move and staggered backwards. Ina'nis grabbed her with several tentacles, restraining her in the air.
"Who are you and why do you want my book?" Ina'nis held a hand up at Hope, threatening to blow her away at any moment. Hope growled at her like some kind of feral animal.
"You don't get to act like you're in the right here, Priestess." The last word was said with so much disgust, it almost made Amelia gag. "You have brought damnation on this universe!" Ina'nis' hand flinched.
"What the hell are you talking about? I've done nothing like that!" she retorted. Hope only grew angrier.
"You have brought the Elder Ones here! I will kill you before you let them fully solidify and devour this universe!" Hope screamed. The tentacles holding her in the air split apart in a bright flash. She dropped onto the ground with lighting speed. The light dagger was yanked out of Amelia's grip and flew back to Hope. All of this happened before Ina'nis could fully react. It was simply too fast.
Hope had gotten stronger.
Ina'nis fired the beam, completely enveloping Hope's form. For a second, Ina'nis and Amelia both thought they had gotten her.
But a stabbing sensation in Ina'nis' gut said they hadn't.
Hope had used the light dagger to cut through the beam and plunged the dark dagger into Ina'nis' stomach. Amelia screamed out, but couldn't risk shooting with them so close together.
Hope then threw the light dagger and hit Amelia with the hilt, sending her flying. She impacted the side of a building with the wind completely knocked out of her. She struggled to breath and stand up.
"I have had enough of you two…" Hope said in a low growl before laying into Ina'nis. She broke the Priestess' nose, ribs, arms, and legs with several swift punches.
Ina'nis tried to put up some resistance with as many tentacles as she could muster, but Hope sliced them to pieces with ease.
With one last kick, Hope sent Ina'nis flying to where Amelia was just starting the get up. At the same time, she grabbed the floating book and prevented it from following the Priestess.
With a slash from the light dagger, the book was reduced to ashes.
"I-Ina-" Amelia tried to call out to her friend, but coughing began to ravage her lungs. Hope stalked over to them, slowly and confidently. She had beaten them again.
"Fuck it…" Amelia whispered to herself. She silently thanked Ina'nis for believing her and began to raise her gun to her head. She was going to die anyway, so why not choose the painless way out?
She squeezed both her eyes shut and the trigger at the same time.
But the bullet never tore through her skull.
Instead, her finger had slipped through the trigger. She tried to shoot a few more times, but the whole gun turned to slime in her grip. She opened her eyes and saw that Hope had closed the distance between them in an instant and grabbed the gun. Her pistol was reduced to a black goop that was absorbed into Hope's dark cloak.
"Damn…" Amelia said, before trying to sink down to Ina'nis' level. Hope stopped her by grabbing the collar of her shirt and holding her up.
"Why weren't you affected by the veil?" Hope asked her. Amelia tilted her head in confusion.
"I was already inside it. Plus, I knew you were here." Amelia said snarkily back. Hope tightened her grip on Amelia's shirt.
"No, humans are supposed to instinctively leave the veil when I put it up. You shouldn't be able to…" Hope trailed off, slowly realizing that Amelia wasn't a normal human.
"How come Ina'nis can notice it so fast, but you can't even when we are fighting?" Amelia asked, rhetorically.
"You have Light magic… How is that possible…?" Hope was in disbelief. Ina'nis on the ground let out a curt laugh.
"S-says th-the on-ne that-t has b-both L-Light and D-Dark-k." Hope raised the light dagger, threatening to kill the Priestess. Ina'nis didn't care. With the book destroyed it was only a matter of time before she died.
"Shut up down there!" she said in a rage. Turning back to Amelia, she grabbed her face and played around with it. "I'm glad I didn't let you kill yourself. You might be worth keeping alive…"
Absolutely fucking not!
Amelia began to struggle against Hope's grip, desperate to die.
"If you come nicely, I might even keep the Priestess alive long enough for you to say goodbye," Hope taunted, putting the light dagger dangerously close to Ina'nis' head. Amelia continued to struggle despite this.
"Why am I so interesting?! If you can use both, then why am I so special to keep alive?!" Amelia screamed at her. Hope pulled off her dark cloak, revealing her heterochromatic eyes and feminine face again.
"I am not human, despite my appearance. Same with the Priestess, even though she probably still thinks she is," Hope explained.
"Fuck you…" Ina'nis wheezed out on the ground. Blood loss was starting to make her delirious. Hope paid her no attention this time.
"Human's rarely have magic and if they do it was always Dark. Never have I met a human with a Light affinity. You are exceedingly rare…" Hope's voice lacked the distortion from her cloak. It pissed Amelia off even more than it did before.
The detective wanted to scream that this Light magic wasn't her own. It was forced on her for a reason she didn't know. Sure she was rare, but it came at the cost of death.
"I bet the only reason you have both Light and Dark magic is your daggers, huh?" Amelia couldn't let herself be captured, though. As much as she hated dying and the risks associated with it, it was her only way out.
"What?!" Hope got in her face, giving Amelia a very deep look into her two colored eyes. She had thought this the last time she died, but Hope was beautiful. She couldn't possibly begin to fathom why she would try and kill them.
"I mean, you swing them around like they're your only means of attack. You barely use normal spells," Amelia continued to taunt her. Hope pulled away and let go of Amelia's collar. The detective's legs wavered under the weight of her body, but she remained upright.
A small dark cloud materialized just in front of Hope's hand. When she reached in, the dark dagger appeared in her grip. With the light in her right and dark in her left, she crept back over to Amelia.
"These are not the sources of my magic." With a swing faster than Amelia could comprehend, her left forearm was completely removed. She looked at it, feeling no pain and seeing no blood spill from the wound. "Your Light is fighting against my Dark to keep you alive now. I can say for certain that I will win if we were to…" Hope's bragging and posing trailed off as she looked down at the dark dagger.
The blade was now chipped and dull. Only the very tip remained sharp.
"Heh, looks like you aren't as good as you think…" Amelia began to feel woozy. She knew this wouldn't kill her, only knock her out. If she was going to die, it needed to be now.
"Are you really human?!" Hope screamed at her, putting the dark dagger right in her face. Amelia chuckled.
"You know, I'm not too sure."
And with a lunge, Amelia forced her eye into the tip of the dagger. The Dark magic flooded her skull, destroying the Light magic just fast enough to kill her brain.
For the second time that day, Amelia Watson died a painful death.
Amelia woke up gasping for air, shooting up right from the…
Floor? Why was she on the floor? Shouldn't she be in her bed? And why was everything so bright?
"Got you this time," a voice said off to her right. Amelia flicked her head over and saw that she wasn't alone in this place. Someone was sitting at a large, elaborate desk staring at her. They stood up and walked over to where Amelia was sitting.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Amelia was half worried that she had actually died. There was a possibility that her ability had been a one off and now she was permanently dead.
"My name is Ouro Kronii, Warden of Time. As for where you are, consider it my office," Kronii spoke in a mature, but almost sarcastic voice. Amelia stood up before Kronii would have been on top of her.
"Am I dead? What happened to my-" Amelia asked in a panic. Kronii motioned for her to calm down.
"It's ok, you're ok. You aren't dead, but you shouldn't talk about that. I could get into a lot of trouble for talking to you." Amelia took a few deep breaths, steadying herself. She closed her eyes and reopened them to fully clear her mind.
Looking around, it seemed like she was in an infinite white plane. The only things that seemed to exist in it were herself, Kronii, and that desk. Amelia looked closer at the Warden of Time's desk and noticed two bladed weapons mounted to the front of it. She recognized them.
They had cut her open when she tried to tell Ina'nis about her ability.
For the second time ever, Amelia felt like she was in the presence of someone better than her.
"I-I…" she stuttered. Her heart was filled with a mix of rage and dread. If she spoke about her ability here, would she be killed? Was this a test?
"Jeez, you look like you just saw a ghost," Kronii commented. Amelia stood, frozen in fear and anger, just staring at Kronii's blades. Eventually, Kronii knew she would have to speak first, "I bet you're wondering why I brought you here." Amelia lightly nodded, gently pulling her attention away from the mounted blades. "You are here because you are special and you know why. I need your help to fix some problems before they get out of hand."
"W-Why can't you do it yourself?" Amelia asked, shakily. Kronii put her hands together and interlaced her fingers.
"With my position as Warden of Time, I'm not allowed to influence the timeline in any major way. I can only give tiny nudges to mortals in hopes that they do what I want. Honestly what I'm doing is a massive risk. One misunderstanding and I'm a goner." Kronii laughed the last part off. Amelia awkwardly joined in for a bit.
So that was why she wasn't allowed to tell anyone. She wasn't really supposed to have the ability, so she was being forced to stay quiet. Still though, she didn't have to be so aggressive about silencing her.
"C-Can I talk about that stuff in here with you?" Amelia asked. It would be nice to talk to someone about dying twice so far. She didn't know how much her mind could take if she was forced to internalize it all.
"I've seen all your previous loops, so don't worry. Although, I wouldn't mention your ability in case someone is eavesdropping." Amelia shivered slightly.
"Alright, WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!" Amelia let out the anger she had been holding in. It was sickening to her that she was being put through that hell without any knowledge as to why.
"Woah, alrighty then. Being aggressive with someone you just met is not how you impress them. Especially since we are going to be working together for the foreseeable future." Kronii was not taking Amelia's attitude. The detective took a few moments to bottle up her rage before speaking again.
"What the fuck is going on?" Amelia didn't spare the language, though. Kronii sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. This was going to be a fun relationship.
"You know that Elder thing that girl was talking about?" Amelia nodded.
"Yeah, blaming that shit on Ina when she has nothing to do with it."
"I wouldn't be too sure." Amelia clenched a fist, but decided to hear Kronii out. "Truthfully, I don't know why the Elder Ones are coming. It could be something I did, something the Priestess did, or even something you did. But it is coming." Kronii sounded genuinely frightened by even the thought of the Elder Ones. If what was practically a god was scared of it, what did that mean for the rest of the universe?
"What are the Elder Ones?" Amelia asked wearily. It was an answer she didn't want, but knew she was going to need.
"It is an entity that consumes entire timelines." Amelia gulped. No wonder the Warden of Time was scared of it. "No one really knows why it does the things it does or acts the way it acts. All I know for sure is that it is bad, bad news for us."
"And you want me to try and stop it?" Kronii crossed her arms and nodded. Amelia wanted to just let her jaw hit the ground. "Even with my new Light magic, there is no way I would be able to beat something like that! We're… we're going to die…" Amelia felt all the energy in her body begin to fade as the true scale of everything washed over her. She felt her legs become weak and her body started to sway back and forth.
"Shit…" Kronii said, grabbing Amelia to keep her upright. "You need to get back to the timeline. We've spent too much time talking." Amelia felt her eyelids begin to flutter close. Kronii shook her to stay awake just for a moment longer. "If you remember anything, you need to reveal who that mystery girl attacking you is!"
"Hope…?" Amelia looked drowsily up at Kronii, "How is… that supposed to… help…?"
"Rescue will come if you do. Just let us see her from up here," Kronii said, gesturing to the white void around her. Amelia saw the edges of her vision becoming darker by the second.
"Ok… I'll… try…" Kronii let go of her and she plummeted into her bed.
Amelia sat upright quickly, almost fully awake. She just had an incredibly vivid dream, meeting with a god of some sort. Bubba jumped up onto the bed and walked over to her. Amelia just let him get his morning kisses in.
"But that wasn't a dream…" she mumbled to herself. The ticking in her head was still there and the words spoken to her were far too real. The Warden of Time had chosen her to fight her fight in the mortal realm. Everything was going to end if she didn't, so it wasn't like she had a choice now.
Normally these save the world stories start with easy quests, like saving some kittens or finding a lost kid. But her first goal was going to be tough…
Reveal who Hope truly is.
Author's Note: I was not expecting to write this much for the second chapter. It probably could be two, but I wouldn't know where to split it. Either way, I bet you all will enjoy a long chapter.
Some more explanation on Amelia's ability and it seems even closer to Return by Death from Re:Zero. Amelia can't talk about it to anyone. Kronii seems to have plans that she isn't privy to just yet...
The Elder Ones have been revealed and with that the main plot of the story. Our group of idiots are going to have to stop an unstoppable, timeline-destroying force. It seems impossible, but they still have some time. For now though, Amelia has to survive Hope's attack and save Ina'nis. It won't be easy, but she has no other choice it seems.
Next Chapter: Revealing Hope
Any feedback/criticism is appreciated!