Originally published on Archive of Our Own and Wattpad on September 10, 2022

HOLO-LIFE MYTH

Chapter 1: The Pocket Watch

Tick

Tock

Tick

Tock

Tick

Tock…

The faint ticking of the pocket watch was deafening in the midst of my silent office. The outside is more or less the same, dead silent with a splash of lingering danger. The night, both dark and gloomy, only being lit by the gaze of the moon peering its face atop of the clouds that blanketed the world below. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared, with every passing day the chances of them coming to get us becomes higher and higher, who knows when? I just know that they're coming after us. My office is dimly lit with the only source of light being this lamp right on my desk, illuminating the papers that lie in front of me, waiting to be read and be analyzed.

Documents, dozens of papers containing crucial information, info gathered by my investigators that have returned not that long ago from their recent exploration on Mt Aion. We were desperate at this point, desperate for a saving grace, a deus ex machina that can turn the tides to our favor against the monsters who call themselves gods. Admittedly, the only reason we chose Mt Aion is because one of the investigators remembers an old folklore revolving around it. Uh-huh, we were *that* desperate. But then again, I shouldn't be complaining, the search actually gave us something and it lies within these papers:

"The rumored cave on Mt Aion exists, it is located in the eastern face of the mountain facing the sunrise. The approach to the location was a difficult trek, unlike other mountains in the Gandr Mountain Range, Mt Aion does not have a clear path, thick forests and rough rock formations disrupt any means of passage, although we have spotted some remnants of a pebble and dirt path, most of it has been reclaimed by the surrounding nature. The trek up the mountain is no different from any mountain climb with no notable difference. The cave itself, as we cleared the surroundings, seems to resemble a temple as we spot remains of a roof and colonnade, but despite the damage the entrance itself is mostly well preserved…"

The first paragraph already piqued my interest, but before I continue I've decided to gather some books and other documents as reference so that it could help me pinpoint just what exactly this thing is. I opened up the book and flipped through the pages, what I thought would be a quick read turned to just me turning pages for minutes on end, I was starting to

get skeptical, surely at least one explorer discovered this place already. I pulled out an atlas from a nearby bookshelf as well as a map from my drawer and yet, nothing, not even a single reference. I scratched my head, confused at my sudden revelation. Is the folklore on to something? No, it can't be, those are nothing but myths and made up stories, either it's been forgotten through the passage of time or this is a new discovery.

"… According to rough estimates, this temple seems to be between fifty thousand to sixty thousand years old, potentially older…"

What the… that's older than the oldest civilization on record. This is a major breakthrough, a missing piece of history! But, my excitement quickly dwindled down, I shouldn't get ahead of myself, I have bigger problems at hand that need to be taken care of first. I took a deep breath to refresh my brain before continuing, this is more substantial than I thought.

"… As we approached the entrance we spotted writings on the wall, the writings resemble no known ancient languages but we suspect it to be a variant of those. The interior of the temple contains twelve columns, a podium in the middle, and multiple wall paintings that cover the interior…"

Along with the papers, the document also includes pictures which I place on a cork board on the wall. The wall paintings are surprisingly well preserved with minimal damage to the paint and structure. Very strange, very unnatural, you'd think with a temple this old would be covered in dust or worse completely chipped away, but according to this picture, the temple is no dirtier than an attic or a basement. This definitely needs some research on its own, but I shouldn't get too far ahead of myself just yet. Anyways, the mural on the wall seems to depict normal daily lives of the common people back then; wake up, work on the field, feed the livestock, eat, so on and so forth, before finally sleeping and the cycle continues. Nothing really notable that deserves a deeper look. Now then, the pillars, a note beside the photo that dictates that along with the very intricate designs, each of the pillars are carved with numbers one through twelve, weird, but not that important so I simply shrugged it off. I moved on to the next photo and it immediately piqued my interest, the photo contains a podium presumably where the pocket watch once was, but it was the thing behind it that captured my attention. I looked at another picture which is much closer and clearer that the last, it was a giant a painting of a tall and slender woman who, from what I can see; wore a white corset and black skirt, in both hands held some kind of sword, her hair short and blueish, and then the thing that caught my attention the most is the giant halo behind her head which resembles a clock.

Who is she? I looked at the notes beside it to see if it could find some answers.

"… As we approached the center we found a gold pocket watch, undamaged and in perfect condition; at the very back of the temple stood a painting of a woman… unknown writings are written above it, most likely conveying the name of the woman… It bears no resemblance to any known religion nor any similarities as well, we hypothesize that the woman in this painting is some kind of goddess who was worshiped in this very temple. Needs further research."

That only gives more questions than answers. Just who is this woman? And what does she have to do with the pocket watch?

I looked over and grabbed the golden watch and placed it in my palm. I find it very hard to believe this thing survived over fifty thousand years, let alone in perfect condition, and add the fact that pocket watches didn't even exist back then. I let out a sigh, I just can't wrap my head around this one, I have years of detective training under Holmes, solved dozens of cases ranging from petty thieves to serial murderers, and yet I'm dumbfounded by this simple object right in front of me.

Tick

Tock

Tick

Tock…

My brain is telling me to give up, but my detective heart yearns to solve this mystery. I should just continue reading the document, maybe I'll find something that could connect the pieces of this puzzle. I placed the pocket watch back on my desk and returned to the papers. Let's see, where did I stop?

"Further observations of the temple reveal that the building has a circular shape, rounded off with a dome-like ceiling. We are unable to come to any conclusion as to how they made the temple with such high accuracy, let alone surviving the test of time. Needs further research."

The more I read this the less I'm understanding any of it, this isn't answering any of my questions. I leaned back on my chair and groaned, I still haven't fully digested the information from the last paragraph, my mind is too occupied to absorb any more. Just who is she? What's her deal with this watch? What's the point of this watch anyways?! I covered my face and silently screamed my mind out. I stare at the ceiling for a few seconds, trying to recover any last bit of sanity left in my brain, while I was at it I took glances at both the pocket watch and the cork board, back and forth my eyes shifted from the two. The temple, the watch, and the woman, just what do these have in common?

The circular shape of the temple had to mean something, with such high accuracy means that it's not just a coincidence, as well as the peculiar numbered pillars that encompass it. I looked at the pocket watch once more; circular shape, numbers of one through twelve… it's a clock, the entire temple represents a clock, and the woman, she must be some kind of goddess of time that they worshipped, that leaves only one more question left to be answered. What's the purpose of this pocket watch? So out of place, such a modern device amidst an ancient building. My eyes can't help but stare at such an enigmatic device, as if there was more to this pocket watch, its tick and tock acts like a hypnosis, my mind just can't stop thinking about it.

Then gunshots

"Shit…" I mutter under my breath. Loud cracks followed by yelling and shouting made me tense. Quickly, I pull out my pistol hidden in one of my drawers and grab as many bullets as I can store in a pouch located on the inside of my coat. I double check everything, load my gun, and hover my finger over the trigger, preparing for an inevitable shootout. My heart raced and my breathing began to get heavy, I'm scared, despite how prepared we are for this

moment deep down we all knew we were going to lose no matter what. We can only delay fate so much before it finally catches up.

Amidst all the gunfire I can faintly hear their series of incantations shortly followed by screams. Chills went down my spine. Why am I scared? I wasn't like this moments ago, is it the thought of dying? The thought of failing to accomplish my goals? Or is it something more than that?… The fear of the unknown. I don't know what will happen to me, I don't know what they'll do to me, I don't even know who they are, are they even human? What's under those hoods that they hide behind? I wiped the sweat off my forehead with my arm, my heart continued to beat faster and my breathing got more intense. The screams and gunfire continue to fill the once silent air, but amidst all of the chaos my ears picked up sounds of footsteps and the door to my office bursting open. The sudden entrance made me aim my pistol at the door without second thoughts and almost pulled the trigger on the poor fellow, but my eyes immediately recognized their crocodilian features along with their beige inverness cape and matching deerstalker hat. It was an investigator. I felt a sigh of relief as I dropped my pistol wielding arm to a relaxed position.

"Miss Watson," The investigator breathed heavily at the door frame, having much trouble catching his breath to even speak. He looks like he ran a marathon to reach my office, "they're here, you have to get out of here quickly!"

Gunshots intensified outside and the feeling of dread only grew bigger. It took me a moment to even process what he even said in the middle of the commotion that's taking place all over us, "What about the others? I can't just leave them here to fend for themselves?"

"Don't worry about us." He insisted, "What's more important is not letting our efforts go to waste like this, we have to get these files to other resistance groups before they burn this entire building down!" All of the sudden we instinctively ducked our heads as we heard an explosive detonate outside, hopefully it's from one of our improvised grenades. Hopefully.

"There's a resistance group within Eien no Sakura Forest, a shrine maiden is leading that group and they need all the help they can get and we can give them exactly that."

I stood still completely conflicted and torn, but knowing that there's no other choice I have to act fast, standing here doing nothing will benefit no one, I have to take the risk. I immediately jumped into action and grabbed all the documents on my desk, as well as nearby files that are at arm's reach, and placed them inside a folder. I don't care if they get teared or crumpled, every second matters and I can't waste it worrying over every minor thing. Of course I couldn't forget about the pocket watch, my gut tells me it's important. Satisfied, I held my gun in my free hand and approached the investigator that was waiting for me at the door frame and gave him a nod.

"Let's go, the back door should be safe."

We rushed down the illuminated hallway, a stark contrast from my dark office that I spend most of my time in, my eyes took a quick moment to adjust to the change in brightness. Gunshots echo through the enclosed space with frequency increasing by the second, I tried my best to ignore the cacophony of sounds and instead tried to focus on the escape plan. As we make our way downstairs I see Investigators running up and about the hallways, equipped

with guns ranging from standard pistols to submachine guns, the corridors feel crowded because of that and all the stuff scattered around the place doesn't help either. Our base of operations is nothing fancy like an underground bunker or a secluded hideout in the middle of nowhere, it's just an old apartment building with narrow walkways and many rooms. We've decided to go for the "hidden in plain sight" approach while pretending to be a regular private investigator agency. Well, we are a private investigator agency, fully licensed and everything, but with the amount of non-detective work we've been doing and the numerous close calls we've gotten, it's a surprise we even made this far, but I guess we pushed our luck a bit too far this time.

It didn't take long until we reached the backdoor exit and with a hasteful push of the door we were finally outside. The cold night breeze hit my face and the damp smell of the alleyway entered my scent, different from the comfy indoors, but one thing stays the same and it's the feeling of dread, the still very audible cracks from the firing guns didn't help make the situation better. We wearily looked around our surroundings, our heads turning left then right at the dark alleyway.

"Looks like the coast is clear." The investigator said as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead. I looked at him with worried eyes, realizing what the next step of the plan was.

"I guess this is where we part ways, huh?" I asked, even though I know the answer. He nodded, "Yup."

I took a deep sigh, knowing that this is the last time I'm going to see my team is hard to accept. They've been there for me and I've been there for them, I know it's cliché but we've always had each other's backs, especially through dark times like these. A breeze of cold wind blew past us as it softly whistled as it traveled through the alleyway, but something felt off about it, a subtle mumble accompanied the gusting wind that was too quiet for me to hear clearly. My eyes darted everywhere, left and right, trying to figure out where the mysterious whisper came from or if it's even real to begin with. I looked at the investigator and he didn't look bothered by anything so maybe it's just my mind playing tricks in the midst of my paranoia.

Then a violet pentagram glows brightly amidst the dark shadows of the alley, and without a moment's notice, a tentacle shoots out towards us, swinging its octopus-like limbs across the tight corridor. I quickly dodged it, but my unaware investigator unfortunately didn't and was thrown towards the brick wall behind him.

He yelped in pain as I pulled out my pistol and took potshots in the dark. Panic sets in once more, pentagrams continue to appear as chants and incantations echo throughout the narrow alleyway. The barrage of noises makes it harder to pinpoint where the voices are coming from. I hear gunshots, but they're not from my own, I looked to my right and saw the investigator struggling to stand up with his revolver at hand.

"Go! I'll keep them busy for as long as I can!"

I didn't even hesitate, the second he finished his sentence I ran as fast as my legs could possibly go. Into the darkness I went, the alleyway is barely lit as moonlight, hardly even

reaching the path ahead, I didn't even know where I'm going at this point nor do I even care as my only goal now is to get as far away as possible from those damn cultists. Left and right, I ran aimlessly for what feels like hours in this labyrinth of trash and filth as evident by me occasionally kicking a few empty cans and a few plastic bags as I made my way through this narrow alley. Sweat began dripping down my chin as exhaustion ran through my body, and my legs started to feel fatigue as I continued to run. Once more I turned to another corner, gods knows how many times I did that, and there I finally saw it, the exit, the other end of the alleyway. I mustered all the energy that's left within me as I close the gap between me and the open streets.

I made a full stop as I heaved a heavy breath, I leaned to the nearest lamppost. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and once more felt the cold night's breeze hit my face, chills went down my spine, whether it was from fear or just the cold, maybe even both. I looked around the seemingly dead looking streets, the difference is like night and day from where I was a few moments ago. Soon my adrenaline filled heart slowly calmed down to a more stable heartbeat and the fog of desperation that filled my head soon dissipated.

I'm trying my best to keep myself from verbally shouting, but as reality slowly seeped in, I don't think I can keep my rage inside, "Eien no Sakura is an entire channel away from this forsakened city, how the fuck am I even gonna get there if these persistent, overzealous, motherfuckers just can't give up a chase"

"Three years, three goddamned years of this fucking hell since that octopus looking monster took over the world and forced everyone to worship it and it's fucking religion." I still remember the day that happened, armies reduced to nothing and governments forcing to capitulate, all of that happened in one week, not to mention the many cultural and religious genocides that happened afterwards. Absolutely no place was spared from the brutal takeover, from the cold environment of Unylia to the arable lands of Pekoland. Of course, many people resented this and formed resistance groups around the world, one of them was us, the Watson Investigations Agency or what the public called us, the Investigators.

Everything felt like there was still hope for a brighter future, but then it all came falling down, big resistance groups fell one after another causing smaller groups in a fit of confusion and panic. We knew we were next eventually and it happened, and now they're all dead, they're all FUCKING DEAD! Because those bastards just wouldn't give up, they just…

"Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!"

Then I heard footsteps.

Oh fuck. Great, I alerted them, I guess it's time to get out of here while I still have the lead.

"She's over here!"

"Don't let that girl get away, the retrieval of the relic is our utmost priority."

The relic? Do they mean this pocket watch? But it's just a normal watch, why would they want a regular old time keeping device? Unless, there's more to it than meets the eye. The empty, open street is not the ideal place to run away from something, especially if that

something has some kind of ancient magic bullshit up their sleeves, and just as I said that I saw an oh so familiar violet pentagram appear dead ahead. A tentacle rushed towards me, I braced myself for and leaped over it. I landed, though it was rough and I almost stumbled, I was able to dodge the attack, it seems clear to me that in order to get out of this alive I have to go on the offensive. I prepared my pistol, hastily looked back and fired two quick shots behind me, it missed, I fired my gun once more with another two shots, and it missed them again. Damn it! I can't just go wasting my bullets with blind shots like these, I have to atleast get one of them. Once more a violet glow appeared ahead of me, a tentacle appeared from it and swept across the street, with little time to react my self-preservation instincts kicked in as I slid under the tentacle and completely dodged the attack. Although I was significantly slowed down by this I was at least unscathe, though I can't say the same for my surroundings.

I resumed running, but I can hear footsteps not from my own getting too close for comfort. Once more I readied my pistol, silently praying for a miracle shot out of this situation, and with a deep breath I aimed my pistol, then fired two shots. I heard a thud and another yelped in pain, I dared look behind me and saw one of them dead and the other wounded while the rest of them seemed to have slowed down. Relief came, then a confident smile formed on my face, grinning from my luck and fortune.

Then I felt something grab onto my ankle and all of the sudden my face met the cold asphalt. I dropped everything in my hand, the important documents are now scattered all over the streets, and the pocket watch fell out of my grasp and away from my reach, yet my pistol stayed firm in my hands. I felt something tugging my right leg, I turned over and saw a tentacle as it swirls along my limb with a strong hold. Quickly, I aimed my pistol and emptied the rest of the magazine in it, in the end the tentacle fell limp and freed me from its grasp. In the distance I saw cloaked figures quickly making their way towards me, panic sets in as I hastily stood up and grabbed the pocket watch. The papers? Fuck it, it's clear they want this watch more than those damn documents.

I kept running, pushing my legs to its physical limits, staggering more and more after every step that I took. I'm tired, my heart pounding and sweat dripping down my face, my body can't take it anymore, I'll collapse to the ground before they even get a hold of me at this rate. The chase kept going and I don't even know where I am anymore, I almost stumbled to the pavement if I hadn't grabbed onto something. I looked around my surroundings, there's not enough light for me to see where I am exactly, is this a plaza? A roundabout? I don't even know, but it's an open area for sure. The atmosphere became ominous, I looked behind me and saw a statue, a sculpture depicting a petite, long haired girl with a halo on her head cradling a book. There was just enough light to see the details engraved in the statue, but I can't help but stare at the book.

The eye, the eye engraved on the book felt like it's staring at me, watching me and my every move. Chills went down my spine, my breathing became heavy, not because of tiredness or anything… It's because of fear. Whispers surrounded me, all gibberish and nonsensical babbling, but eventually coalesced into one clear voice.

You can't escape me…

The whispers suddenly dispersed and the sound of footsteps once more filled the silence that was left. I reloaded my gun and took potshots in the dark, but in the end it was a pointless endeavor, they not only have me surrounded, they outmanned, and outgunned me. This is the end, my fate is sealed. All of our efforts, all of our sacrifices, everything that we have worked so hard for are all for nothing.

"I'm sorry."

I looked at the pocket watch that's still firmly in my grasp, staring at its ever so mysterious aura. Why do they want you so much? The gold encrusted exterior shone at moonlight above. What secrets do you have kept within you? The moving hands accompanied by the ticking sounds continued to capture my gaze. Footsteps came louder as they closed in on me, my eyes went back and forth between the watch and incoming cultists. I place my thumb over the crown on top of the watch as if it told me to do so.

Tick

Tock

Tick

Tock

Tick

Tock…

Then I pressed down on the crown.

My vision is suddenly engulfed with a blinding blue flash, I immediately recoil at the sudden change in luminosity. In a split second I can feel my body get thrown out by some kind of force and when I opened my eyes and all I saw were white sand and a few seashells before my body hit the ground as I failed to react quick enough and brace for impact. I tumbled and rolled for a few feet before my tired and hurting body finally stopped at a rest.

Then my vision turned black.

Author's Note:

The HOLO-MYTH series is now being transported to FanFiction! HOORAY!

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