"Can you hear them, Toan? Voices of the trees... voices of the rocks... voices of the wind... they are all asking you to save us!"—Fairy King
Toan looked over the city of Queens. Even from here, he felt the flames and smelled the scorched bodies of Matataki. He couldn't tell how much of that was his imagination and how much of it actually reached him here. He turned to Xiao to ask for—
Remembered she was gone.
With a sigh, Toan squared his shoulders and continued into the city. It was the first stable site of civilization he found after meeting the Genie in Luneth's body and even though it appeared to be in the middle of a revolt, he wondered if maybe he could find some food. He'd found some berries and nuts to eat in the forest, but the plants were unusually barren around here. Perhaps it had something to do with the civil war going on between the fae in the region.
Queens was alive with the sound of chaos. People clamored, crowding in the streets, yelling for answers, for money, for jobs. They banged on government doors and broke windows with large stones. Toan kept his head down, avoiding attention.
A cat yowled and Toan started, expecting to see Xiao's spotted tan coat. Instead, a grungy, black cat darted past him and away from a group of thugs beating up an older man.
Toan drew his sword.
"Hey!" he said, rushing in, Chronicle at the ready. The thugs took a moment to notice him, leaving the older man to crawl away. Toan noted the blood splattered on the wall and bit back a snarl of disgust as he pummeled one of the thugs in the stomach with the hilt of his sword and smacked the other in the face with the flat of the blade.
They quickly scampered away, throwing insults behind them.
Toan turned to the old man, reaching a hand out. "Hello," he said. "Are you—?"
The old man grunted and slapped his hand away before grabbing a bag of coins from the floor before taking off himself, hobbling away despite his obvious injuries.
Toan remained, stunned. Enraged civilians continued yelling all around him and screams pealed through the city.
The Chronicle II felt heavy in Toan's hand. What was he supposed to do? He had to find a way to free Luneth and get the Genie out. But how could he do that without being able to even talk to anyone?
"Over here!"
Toan whirled. The thugs from before returned, this time bringing several friends.
Six men. Varying frames, most looking a little starved. One of them looked strangely like Jake from the Queens that Toan knew.
Oh, no.
In the dark of the alleyway, they threw themselves at him. Toan responded accordingly, dancing out of the way of one hit, then another, and another—
Bulky arms grabbed him by the throat and choked the life from his lungs. Toan managed a strangled cry and worked to loosen the arms from his neck to no avail.
"Nice sword," one of them remarked, pulling the Chronicle from his hands. They let out a startled cry and dropped it to the ground again as the sword pulsed a violent red glow. The guy gripped his burned palm. "What are you trying to pull, kid?!"
"Think you can just take our food from us, do you?" the Jake-lookalike asked. He pulled a small knife from his boot while the thug holding Toan pulled a cloth against his mouth, gagging him. Toan struggled as Jake pressed the knife to his face. "Think you can just make fools of us, do you?"
I can't die here. I can't die here. I can't die here. I can't die here!
Toan strained against the guy's grip even as the knife pricked the side of his face. It wasn't the first time he'd faced death. This wasn't any different from facing his first Master Jacket in the corrupted Beast Cave.
Getting worked up about it only decreased his ability to find a way out. He had to calm down and keep a level head.
Calm. Find a happy place. Happy place. Norune. Burning. No! Think of Xiao! She'd be laughing at you by now!
Toan fell limp against the thug. The knife paused. Calm. Don't do anything to elevate heart rate. Don't move. Focus.
"Uh, what's he doing?"
"I don't know, what do you think he's doing?"
Toan locked eyes with Jake. He didn't have much experience in dealing with criminals outside of gullible scumbags like King. He was more familiar with bloodthirsty monsters and timeless creatures.
But he knew that eye contact with any race was dangerous. It was a sign of aggression and defiance. And predators saw that as a cue to remind everyone of why they were the boss.
Jake growled and aimed the knife again before thrusting it forward.
Toan yanked away at just the right time, causing the knife to land in his captor's wrist instead of Toan's heart area.
Screams and curses erupted, and Toan scrambled free. He went for his sword and ducked out amidst the ruckus brought on by Jake's slip.
"What was that, huh?!" his captor bellowed.
"He yanked you into the way! Don't pin that on me!"
Toan wasn't off of the hook. They wouldn't stop until he was down for good, now. One of the downsides to dealing with predators—irrational anger and rage had a way of doing this to people.
So he did what all smart prey did. He ran.
Thankfully, he had one of them on his tail. If he could get hurt and play dead, maybe they would leave him—
A presence closed in and Toan turned.
Not one. Two.
Jake and one of his friends approached, murder in their eyes. Toan grit his teeth and stopped, turning to face them. "I never took you for a heartless killer," Toan said, spinning the Chronicle in his hands. "You were always a jerk, but never this petty."
"What's he talking about?" the friend asked.
Jake growled. "He's just playing tricks on you. Don't listen to him."
Time to figure something out. "Come on, Jake! Don't stoop to the same level as these guys! You're better than this!"
Both froze. "How do you know my name?" Jake demanded.
"We were…" Not friends. "Acquaintances. Before."
"Before what?"
Toan spread his arms in what he hoped was a placating gesture, though he kept the Chronicle gripped tightly in his hands. "You don't remember?"
More footsteps approached. Jake's face darkened. "I won't fall for that!" He rushed forward and Toan swallowed. This wasn't going the way he hoped.
The Chronicle vibrated as the now-four-man gang came at him. Toan slashed easily through two of them, who stumbled away, leaving Jake and the big guy that had held Toan. They hung back for a moment, darting glances at their comrades. Toan didn't take his eyes off Jake.
The big guy leapt forward, but Toan easily slipped out of his way and plunged the Chronicle into the guy's back.
That left Jake.
"What in the name of Terra?" one of the gangsters muttered. Toan spared a glance to see the guys he dropped stand again without a speck of blood on them.
Jake took the opening to get in a blow, cutting open Toan's side with his dagger. Toan cursed, leaping back. Despite the nonexistent reach on that knife, Jake proved surprisingly efficient, forcing Toam further back with a flurry of strikes aimed straight for Toan's chest.
Thankfully, Jake was distracted. He kept casting annoyed glances around him toward the other thugs.
Toan felt his insides twist. The Jake Toan knew wasn't the purest soul, but at least with King, he had some semblance of dignity to him. To see him stoop so low…
He didn't want to kill the guy.
Toan used the Chronicle to slap Jake's dagger from his hands, then cut straight through Jake's torso, which should have split him in half. The Chronicle had a habit of cutting through things like bone when other things couldn't.
But instead Jake somehow remained standing, though his eyes glazed over. Toan glanced around. The rest of the gang had retreated. Why weren't any of Toan's hits sticking?
"You…" Jake said, voice low, "…are the biggest weirdo I know."
Despite his instincts telling him to leave, Toan hesitated. Jake sounded… different. Somehow.
"Was this you?" Jake asked. "Did you take us all to this place?"
Toan slowly shook his head.
"Strange things happen around you," Jake continued. He stepped forward, hunched over as if in great pain. Perhaps he was. Toan did just slice through his ribcage. "Put me back." Jake didn't look quite so angry anymore. Just really, really confused. And… was that fear in his eyes?
"You remember now?" Toan asked. "You know me?"
"Terra, no," Jake shook his head. "But I've seen you before. And last time was bad enough. Is this a dream you've put me under? Are you trying to glean information from me? Because it won't work, all this mind-screwing stuff. Put me back."
The dangerous tone crept back into Jake's voice. He flexed his arms, straightening to his full height. The intimidator that worked for King was back. Toan could still beat him easily, if he had a working sword. But apparently the Chronicle wasn't entirely functional right now and he didn't like not knowing what Jake was capable of here.
Unsure how else to respond, Toan ran again.
Queens passed him by, its voices echoing after him. His heart beat in his ears, the stench of blood stuck in his nose. He tried to block it out with his poncho, but even it was stained red. …With his blood.
He gripped the sword harder in his hands as he ran. The Genie said he could use it to teleport somewhere else. To home. He could just be gone if he wanted.
What was the point of saving this world if he had to take lives in order to do it? Maybe he was better off in his own world and in his own time. Maybe this realm, or whatever it was, was doomed. Maybe… maybe there really was nothing he could do.
The sword vibrated violently in his hands, opposing the wish to leave. But it seemed to listen to his wishes, like how it didn't kill any of those guys. Toan felt… he could override it and leave this place. If he really wanted to.
… Could he? Toan ducked into another alley, this one empty of murderous gangs. He stared down at the sword. And slumped, sliding down the wall until he found his knees. The Genie was right. Toan didn't want to stay here. It was terrible and violent and disgusting.
Moments passed. Toan gripped the sword tighter. It resisted the wish to go back, vibrating as if to speak back to him.
You can still change this.
But could he? He didn't even have any friends or help this time.
No. But you can find them.
Toan looked down at the sword, which gleamed cleanly in the light. How? he thought.
I'll show you.
The sword hummed.
And the world around Toan vanished.
The Chronicle Sword took Toan to a shady town formed of dark and dirty streets with buildings that resembled worndown shacks. Rats scurried in the shadows and it smelled like manure and rotten food.
Toan swallowed as he walked down a small road, hidden mostly in mist. The place was foggy, which meant he was probably near a river, but he didn't recognize the place at all besides that.
Few wandered these streets, and those who did kept their heads down and their eyes shadowed. Everyone's clothes were dirty and their hair unkempt. Like one of the ghettos in Queens, where all the poorest congregated.
Beyond the unpleasant atmosphere and aroma, Toan wasn't sure who or what exactly he was looking for. The sword couldn't talk to him like a person, though it did seem to be at least partially sentient.
For once, Toan wished he still had a telepathic link to the Fairy King. He could use some guidance right now instead of these vague hunches, even if it meant an hour-long lecture.
At least this place was a little more controlled than Queens. The worst he got was suspicious and unwelcoming stares. His side still seeped blood thanks to his encounter with Jake and his goons.
That is, until a knife appeared at his neck and a girl's voice whispered in his ear, "Come quietly or you die here and now."
Just his luck.
Toan let her drag him into the shadow of a nearby shop, knife pressed to his throat.
She gestured for Toan to open the door and he did so, moving his arm carefully so as to avoid stretching the skin any tighter against the girl's blade. The door swung open, creaking, to reveal a modest butcher shop.
"You're closed," the girl said to the desk keeper. Toan recognized her voice, but she kept behind him, making it difficult to pinpoint where from without the benefit of her face. Coins clattered and shutters closed. Footsteps retreated as the shopkeepers opted to move upstairs. The girl shoved Toan into a chair and his breath caught as the back collided with his spine.
That was going to bruise. Toan rubbed at his back as the girl watched him. She pulled a second dagger and pointed both blades at him, eyes narrowed. The sky was overcast outside, casting deep shadows inside the shop. A fire crackled in the hearth, though, and that provided enough illumination to make out the girl's features.
She was in the cave when time changed—one of the Warriors of Light. He recognized the reddish hair, even though her clothes were drastically different. Black, sturdy trousers and a tunic replaced the gayish garb from before and her face was set in harsher lines.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"No one," Toan said quickly. "Just passing through."
"Yeah, right. You're dressed like you're from Norune, and Norune is part of the Empire. They're all just menial laborers, but I've been fooled before"
"Empire?"
"Don't play stupid! Did my mother send you?"
"No! I don't even know who your mother is!"
"Liar!" She slashed and Toan moved by instinct, yanking out the Chronicle Sword. It deflected her dagger. He stood and pushed her back, sword and knife scraping together.
"I'm not here to hurt you!" he said. "I'm your friend! I helped you in another life!"
They stood for a moment, blades locked together. Toan glanced at the glowing, red lines running through the Chronicle and thought of what it did to Jake. Would it do the same thing here?
His train of thought derailed when the girl used her free dagger to stab him in the shoulder.
The Chronicle dropped, metal ringing like crystal as it clattered to the ground.
"I'm not playing around," the girl said, a dangerous edge creeping into her voice as she kneeled down to Toan's level. She kicked the Chronicle away and lifted one dagger to the edge of his chin, forcing Toan to look her in the eye. "No more playing dumb. Who do you work for?"
"No one," Toan managed, shutting one eye against the pain in his shoulder. It felt like his whole arm was on fire. "The Dark Genie…"
"You work for the Genie?"
"No!" Toan bit out. He clamped his teeth shut, a cold sweat dampening his skin. He was going into shock. "No. It sent me here, taunted me with…"
A blue light appeared in the girl's hands and Toan scrambled back, earning himself a small cut from the tip of her dagger. If she was as powerful here as she was when Toan saw her before, then—
She easily stopped him, whipping her hand to his shoulder. Toan shut his eyes and set his jaw, ready for more pain and possibly death, but instead felt a soothing coolness flood his system. He blinked his eyes open, looking between the cure and the girl. She didn't look away from him. "I'm not going to kill another one of the Genie's victims."
Toan stilled, watching the flesh knit together at his shoulder. "Wow," he said. "I've never seen that before."
She glanced at him, then pulled her hand back. The coolness left, as did the pain. Toan rolled his arm in its socket, marveling at the smoothness of it. The wound in his side also vanished. "Thanks," he said. "It feels great."
Then the dagger appeared at his throat again. "Really?" he asked.
"Now you know," the girl said. "I'll kill you if you're not who you say you are."
"I kinda got that in the street…"
"Answers!"
Toan sighed, glancing longingly at the Chronicle II. If only he could get in just one swing… "Okay. Fine. Just… a little space, please."
The girl narrowed her eyes and took a step back. She kept close to the Chronicle, though, so it didn't help any in that regard. "I'm from Norune," Toan said. "But not the Norune that you know."
"Time traveler?" the girl asked. "Haven't seen many of those around."
"Not just time," Toan said. "I stepped into this timeline from a completely different one. I think. He was really unclear on the specifics…"
The girl frowned. She didn't look convinced. "Where'd you get the weapon?"
"Fairy King."
"Ha ha. Not funny."
Simba didn't exist in this timeline, Toan realized with a sudden chill. Or, not in the way he used to. Here he and the Dark Genie were one and the same. Toan had a sneaking suspicion that telling this girl that things were different for him would prove futile at best.
At worst, she would probably lob his head off right there and then.
"A friend," Toan corrected. "I'm not sure about its origins, but the man who provided it to me died around the same time." It was technically true. "I've kept it safe with me ever since."
"Okay, fine. What does it do?"
Toan shook his head. "It's kind of strange. Sometimes it kills people, sometimes it revives them. I'm honestly not sure how it works."
"Really."
"Yes," Toan said, gesturing. "Try it, if you're so unsure. Take it across your arm or something. Perhaps you have a bruise you want to fix? It seems to work depending on what you want it to do."
The girl gave him a flat look. "I have healing magic."
"But it doesn't use mana!" Toan huffed, then slumped. "Fine. I'll test it. Just to make you feel better."
The girl looked thoughtful for a moment, then picked up the Chronicle and tossed it at him. Toan deftly grabbed it in one hand just before something flashed in the air. He hauled himself to his feet, locking eyes with the girl. She shrugged.
"Barrier," she said. "Not exactly going to let you kill me with that."
Toan reached out a hand to touch the air, and felt it press against something hard. It felt like… something the Fairy King would make. He'd never seen another human do something similar. He looked at the girl again. Her red eyes reminded him of someone else…
"Well?"
Right. Toan took a deep breath. He didn't know what it would do to someone who already remembered, so he found himself a touch hesitant. But it was the best shot he had.
Toan tested the sword on his arm, barely touching the skin with the edge of the blade.
Nothing happened.
He cut deeper, pressing the blade straight through his flesh. Something inside him vibrated, resisting the motion, but the skin didn't split open or spill blood. Toan held in a shaky breath, watching the metal drop straight through him.
The girl raised an eyebrow.
"See?" Toan said, letting the Chronicle fall idle at his side. "Harmless."
The air around him flashed again, Toan found he could pass through the air now. The girl regarded him with suspicion, but the previous hostility had all but vanished. "Try it," Toan said, pointing the blade right at her. "It's actually kind of weird."
Her eyes flickered toward the orange-lit blade that Toan held mere inches from her chest. "Weird," she said.
Toan nodded.
And lunged.
The girl whipped up her daggers, but it was too late. Toan plunged the sword clean through her person.
And like before, nothing happened. Or, the sword cut through her, but it met no resistance. It just kind of… passed through her image, leaving Toan to trip and hit the ground, Chronicle clattering in front of him. He scrambled to his feet again, watching the girl. It would be awkward if it didn't work. But at least she wasn't dead.
The girl blinked, red eyes refocusing. She breathed harder, and then looked at him as if seeing for the first time. She ignored the sword behind him and took an unsteady step toward Toan.
"Who?" she asked. Her face went pale. "No. This—this isn't right. This isn't—"
"It wasn't supposed to happen," Toan said. He knew the feeling. "Now, please remind me, which one were you again?"
"... Refia," she said as if she was just realizing it herself. "Heir to the Raybrandt line. Fugitive. Blacksmith. Princess. Warrior of Light. No. None of those. No. All of those. What—what was that?"
"I'm not sure, actually," Toan said. "But you should probably sit down. Sounds like you need a moment to process this."
"I… we were in the cave."
"Yes."
"Fighting the black knight."
"Yes."
"And then… Something happened. Luneth disappeared."
"And now we need to find the others and bring them back." Toan sighed, taking a seat again. "I'm hoping that once we're all together again, then we can find a way to help Luneth. I'm still working this all out, honestly."
Refia settled into a chair, eyes darting about. "What's wrong with him?"
"The Dark Genie has him as his vessel." Toan said. "I can't touch him and I don't know how to get him out of Luneth's body, but maybe the others will have an idea. Problem is, my sword can take me places, but I can't control when or where. It took me to you, but I don't know how to make it do that again."
"I might," Refia said. "I've been time-traveling for the past… I don't know how long. It's impossible to track. But I can get us where you need to go. My family has connections and resources, and I didn't leave them empty-handed."
"You left? Left where?"
"Mother didn't like the fact that I couldn't rule like she could, so she ordered me killed, along with my father. So I ran away."
"The Empire you mentioned?"
Refia nodded, expression hardening. "Aga's been hunting me across the ages, trying to fulfill the Genie's orders. I've barely been able to stay in one place longer than a week before he catches up to me. Speaking of, you should also probably watch yourself. If the Genie knows you're on the move, he's going to want to track you down and kill you, too."
"He didn't kill me when I got here."
"This timeline is different—"
"It was in this timeline," Toan said.
Refia did a double-take. "What?"
"When I talked to Luneth—or, the Genie in Luneth's body—he said he wouldn't kill me. Not that I believe him. He's probably already changed his mind."
"Then we should get moving," Refia said, standing. "Who do you want to start with?"
Toan shook his head. "Anyone would be a big help. I was thinking maybe Arc should be first, though. He might be best for figuring out what to do about Luneth, and I figure freeing Luneth takes priority."
"Well then," Refia said. "We'll have to get some information first."
"Information?" Toan asked. "From where?"
Refia grabbed her dagger again and jammed it into the table, eye twitching. "From my lovely mother."
"And how will we do that?"
"I have my ways."
Toan stepped carefully around the plants and husks that littered the ground, many foreign to him and he learned the hard way to avoid plants that he didn't know. Those King Pricklies back in Wise Owl did more than one number on his hands and if Renee ever looked beneath his gloves before the reset, then…
Oh, man, he would have gotten it.
"Watch your step," Refia said before speaking with the town keeper that asked a questions before reluctantly letting them in. Toan thought he caught a glimpse of coins sliding across the counter, but he stopped questioning the girl after the incident back in what remained of Brownboo.
This little settlement mirrored certain aspects of Norune, but otherwise looked unfamiliar to Toan. They traveled near the coast and Refia called it the "Brink" or something. Toan assumed it was some dramatic play on the fact that it was close-ish to the ocean.
This was another quiet town, with foggy and stained streets that very few traveled openly in. The homes were small and placed close together despite a certain standoffish attitude to the place.
He missed Norune.
Refia knocked on the door to one unimpressive door and got no response. She waited for a moment, knocked again in what had to be a deliberate pattern, and got a visor slot to open. Blue eyes stared at them before cracking the door open. "Refia?" asked a pale guy in tough clothing. An older version of Max. "I thought we agreed, no contact?"
"Things have changed, Father." Refia gestured. "But we should talk inside."
Toan leaned over to her. "You said Monica killed him?"
"She also ordered my death, and here we are. But again. Let's talk inside where spies won't report our treasonous behavior and end this all before it begins."
Toan nodded. "Right."
Max took them to a tiny room with a small table and checked all the windows before he sat them down. "Toan, I didn't think I'd see you again."
"You know me?"
"In more ways than you might realize. Your version here died, I think, but I remember you from… some timelines. Not many."
"You remember already?"
"I guess." Max sighed and leaned back in his seat. "The Fair King unlocked something in me before all… this… began and it's done more than let me travel through time."
"You can travel through time?"
"Isn't that what he just said?" Refia asked. "We don't have time for questions. The Genie will catch on any moment and we have a lot of work to do. Father, can you take us to a vulnerable point in Mother's life so we can rescue her as well?"
"Rescue?" Now Max looked confused. "You want to save Monica from the Genie?"
Refia nodded. "Basically. But it will a little more complicated than that."
"Taking one of the demon's pawns can't be simple." Max let out a slow breath. "But you think we can save Monica?"
Refia gestured to Toan. "I recovered my own memories of the old timeline – it only makes sense that we can do that for the others."
"I suppose, but… man. I hope you're right. I would give anything to have my old Monica back."
"Then we'll do it." Refia stood. "You have a time in mind that'll be at least possible to work with? Some time when she's less possessed or something?"
"You can't get to her before possession. But I think I have something in mind."
Alarms blared.
Monica's eye twitched as a female, robotic voice said, "Warning: intrusion detected. Warning: intrusion detected. Warning—"
Someone had gotten into the palace, apparently. Fine. Monica would have them beheaded within the hour. She snapped the pencil in her hand as the warning repeated itself.
"Will someone shut that wretched noise off?" she yelled.
"We're trying, Highness!"
"Stop trying and just do it!"
She left the throne room, a dozen guards rushing after her. If there was someone coming for her, then odds were that their target was the room they were in. Better to get out and find somewhere they didn't expect her to be.
"If you see anyone," she said to the two flanking her, "Shoot first, ask questions later. I can't have anyone getting in the way this time."
"Yes, Highness!"
The hallways were lit with red—they entered lockdown. If she didn't hurry, Monica could get stuck in the hallway instead of her safe room and that would just be unacceptable. She quickened her pace and the guards matched her.
"Mom!" A girl's singsong voice. "Mom, where ar~e you?"
Monica froze as a strawberry-blonde girl appeared in the corridor. She looked to be in her mid-teens. Monica didn't know who she was, but she looked strangely familiar. A lot like Max, actually.
You're not going to risk it all on a lost child, are you?
"What are you waiting for?" Monica asked, directing her attention to the guards. "Kill her!"
Shots fired, their deafening blasts suddenly filling the corridor. The girl whirled at the sound and the bullets stopped at an invisible barrier. She played with wind and space.
The girl stepped forward and said with a loud voice, "I was hoping we wouldn't have to do it this way, Mother."
She shouldn't be here.
"You shouldn't be here," Monica said.
Refia continued to come forward, barrier moving just ahead of her. The bullets did nothing with that thing up.
She was blood, alright. No one from another line could use those powers.
"We need information, Mother," Refia said. "I was wondering if you would comply."
Monica hissed. Anyone descended from the Raybrandt line was notoriously hard to kill. Her father would be hard enough to get rid of, and he wasn't even descended from Ruby.
And it looked like her daughter deliberately came back at a time when their ages and experience would be matched, if not outright favoring Refia's side.
"Where do you keep Arc?" Refia asked. She looked so calm behind her barrier, as if she didn't have a dozen experienced rifles trained on her person, waiting for the precise moment when she would waver and be shot dead on the spot. "You told me about him once, said he was valuable. You told me to be careful with him, so as to not lose the scientist behind our armies."
"By the Stones!" Monica swore. Apparently her future self hadn't been concerned with keeping her daughter from being able to overturn Monica's entire regime that she spent so long establishing. Centuries of work! Gone!
"Where is he?" Refia repeated.
"The mage was a gift to Flagg, and Flagg doesn't tend to divulge the location of his assets." Not to mention that the man was extraordinarily difficult when it came to "disrupting his careful conditioning" of said assets.
"Toan," Refia called.
What? Wasn't that the name of the mage's older child? The dead one?
A guy appeared, one she guessed to be from Norune. Only the Noruni colors were partly hidden under a dark cloak. Monica took out her sword as the brat charged. Rifles readied. The Norune kid would lose the protection of the barrier as soon as he passed Refia. Monica would just have to figure out what to do with the girl after Toan was a bloody mess on the floor.
Refia moved with Toan and the barrier shifted with him as he leapt forward, sword out.
Ammo hailed as Monica whipped out her sword to block Toan. Metal screamed as their blades collided. He glared at her, hatred burning in his eyes.
Monica twirled his blade out of the way with hers, but he simply used the motion to twist back at her.
She wasn't going to let this get in the way—everything was already lined up for Seda's murder tonight! She had patricide to commit, and then an empire to run! After that, she even drew up liner notes for total domination of the timeline.
Not tonight!
Monica lashed out, punching toward Toan with her sword and forcing him back. It was reckless, she left herself more open, but—
He slapped her sword away and dove in. Monica barely had time to deflect again before the sword landed in her chest and the world swam in her eyes. It didn't go dark, like it did last week when a servant tried to kill her. She'd promptly had that servant flayed, but it wasn't before she'd experienced a short kind of death. The Genie had brought her back screaming.
But this was different. Strange memories came to mind, memories she didn't like. Memories of a world that wasn't red, a world where she recognized the feeling of… trust. A world in which she was all too often…
… Powerless.
She looked back up at Toan. The corridor was silent. Her guards must have been knocked out. The evil gripping her heart hissed in pain. She cried out and lunged again at Toan, but he easily deflected. Because she was weakened, reeling, failing to control the shock—
The sword sliced through her again, this time silencing the Cloud and bringing a strange flood of clarity to her mind.
Monica wobbled on her feet. She looked at Toan. Then to Refia. Toan poked her again with the sword and it rippled through her insides. She yelped, scrambling back. It felt so weird.
"Monica?" Toan tried. They'd never gotten to know each other at all. As it was, most of what Monica knew about him came from the Genie's knowledge. She knew he was dangerous, skilled, and determined. Like a cockroach.
"Maybe," she responded. "That's… a strong maybe."
"Okay, guys." Max appeared around the corner, smoking gun in hand. "Got the other guys. Oh, hey, Monica!"
She cringed at his stupid grin. "… Hi."
"Enough of that," Refia said. "Let's try this again. Where is Arc?"