AJ looked over the towers of textbooks that filled his protégés' personal office. Weaving through them he found her sleeping in a mess of papers covered in scribbles. He shook his head at how unkempt she was. Picking up a paper, he could hardly read a word of what she had wrote. The few that he could make out showed that she most certainly had potential.
Her routing wasn't necessarily wrong. It just wasn't optimal. She was falling into the same pattern that many new analysts did. She was looking for temporary solutions. Routes that failed to look at the bigger picture. Being pacifist was the least of her worries. However, where she beat normal analysts was how many routes she was able to complete. From one decision she created 121 routes. 62 being unique endings. All of them being logically correct.
This was her first solo assignment and she was already excelling. In order to advance her studies, she needed to deviate from going through every single path and focus on a selective few. The best way to teach this was actually to remind them of a goal.
"Miss Cavallone." He loudly announced. She twitched in her sleep. "Miss Cavallone wake up!"
She shot up onto her feet a salute. "I'm awake! Oh, good morning Mister fish head."
"How is your assignment going?"
She gestured to her room with a yawn. If it wasn't obvious that she had been drowning in her work. "I'm getting there."
"Do you remember what I told you about not overcomplicating things? What is your goal here?"
She slumped onto the floor with a pout. "You mean your lecture about an anchor? I haven't picked one yet. Besides, what's wrong with covering all the bases. It didn't take me long to come up with all of this."
"Anchors are not only for your timeline management. And even though this mess of yours works for this particular assignment, it is not sustainable." She tried not to roll her eyes. It was hard to pretend to care. He had been stuffing her full of knowledge that he was starting to sound like a broken record.
"It's not that easy to pick a single one. There's so many people that I think would be good. It just doesn't fit."
"There's no need to worry over it so much. It can be a family, friend, even Number Five if you choose. I would suggest against these choices though."
"Why?"
"You are my student. And while I have the loyalty of many, I have an equal amount of enemies." He held up a sheet of her timeline routes. "Your work is beyond the average. You need to prepare yourself in the case of anything."
"You mean someone can target my anchor in order to sabotage me or you?" They did work with many assassins. Her anchor had to be someone close to her. Someone to keep her grounded. But if they were too predictable then it would cost them their life. Hers to follow not too far behind.
"What do you suggest then? Or should I say who?"
"Well, why do you find the need to investigate every single route?" She looked around the mess that she made.
It wasn't solely world history that she had to learn. Commission was made up of highly advance technology that was incredibly sensitive. The briefcases alone were filled with so many little parts that relied on materials farmed from a single time frame. That's not to mention that any small change she made in the timeline with said briefcases could kill thousands. Only after she almost flooded a whole country did she realize what AJ meant how dangerous and complicated their work was.
"I just want to make sure that I cover all the bases."
"Then is there someone that checked your work a lot?"
If there was something that Cielo needed it would be reassurance. Someone to tell her that they trusted her decisions. Someone that wouldn't tell her white lies but knew what they were talking about. AJ was like that. His teachings made sure that she knew when she messed up. However, AJ was not a stable figure to make her anchor. He did just say he had a lot of enemies.
No, she needed someone that was on a somewhat equal level to her. Someone that she held high up to respect but not naggy enough that they were insulting her intelligence. She needed room to try experimenting but a backing that would support her.
There had been one person in her normal life that fit that criteria. Making Lance her anchor felt like a privilege that she didn't like to give him. Not that his big ego would ever hear about this. "I suppose there is someone. But we weren't even close."
"All the better. Think of him for a moment. When he critiqued your work, how did you feel?"
"Annoyed. That's not entirely true. He's annoying. I knew why he was critical of my work though. And it's not like he watched my every moment which I appreciated a lot when I first started out. He took pretty good care of me." She picked up one of the papers. The last time she saw Lance was after Meritech burnt down. When he told her about the first time they met.
What she learned in Commission was that he was meant to die that day. Thinking back, she joined Commission because she wanted to save people. Even before she joined she had already saved a life. She had saved Lance's life. She changed his fate that day. Saving innocent lives like she did with his was why she was trying so hard.
It was hard to say why she became a prothestist. Specifically, one for Meritech too. But Lance didn't fall into the same bubble of having fate decided on him. He hired her because he wanted to. They may not get along all the time but there was mutual respect. They worked individually while still being on one team.
"And if he saw your work now, can you imagine what he would say?" She cracked a smile.
"He would yell at me for wasting time and money on all these routings. That I should just do my job here and do my own business without interfering with yours. That I'm here for a reason."
Narcissistic, snarky, short tempered, underhanded, annoying, coward, and more. There were so many negative ways to view Lance. Cielo knew them well after working with him for years. Yet he knew her and her faults too. No matter how much she nagged him, he never took it out on her. He dedicated himself to his craft like her. Lance was soft hearted, afraid, and a normal person that did what he had to survive. He was what she used to be. What she wanted to be again. Normal.
Cielo went over to her desk and picked up a pencil. She circled one her routings before handing it to AJ to check. It had been the first one she came up with. At the time it didn't feel right to go with her first instinct. Yet when AJ gave his approval, she gained pride that it was okay for her to do as she pleased here.
"You have a wonderful anchor Miss Cavallone." His satisfaction in properly teaching her quickly disappearing when he was reminded the mess she had created. "Now only if you properly act the part you would be the most fitting to become a board member."
"You're the one that gave me a personal office. I just use it to my heart's content."
"At least fix your appearance outside this office. And set an alarm. You almost missed the seminar on the importance of the invention of sliced bread."
She quickly checked her watch. "That's not for another two hours."
"One of these days you'll miss it. My goodness you are a piece of work." Fondly playing her watch, she remembered back to before Commission.
Lance and all her friends and family were back in 2019. Including the Umbrellas. AJ had told her that checking up on anything in her previous life would hinder her learning. That didn't mean she wouldn't sneak a few glimpses here and there.
"Don't worry about me Mister fish head. Not even a rumour could keep me from doing well."
"That's a lie. From what I know Number Three's power is irresistible." AJ wasn't really one to joke.
"You are so boring sometimes. I won't be late to the seminar and I'll clean up my mess. Are we done here?"
"I expect all of these to be returned in the condition and order you found them in. Come to my office after the seminar to pick up a new assignment as well." She groaned loudly in protest.
Cielo had a lot of natural instinct when it came to Time management. She was easy to get along with and was able to adapt fairly well. She had a lot more to learn about everything that happens here though. Still, AJ had no idea just how much that actually meant.
Allison stared at the fencing of the backyard. It was peaceful here. Behind her was the house. Beyond that was the apocalypse. That was her work. She had given Viktor so much shit for ending the world through his inability to control his powers. Meanwhile she did it because she couldn't sacrifice her power. Because she was too blinded by her greed to listen to her siblings' pleas. If she had stopped in Oblivion, they could have created a proper new timeline. Instead they were stuck in these merging universe that kept changing by the hour.
She kept messing up. With Raymond. With Claire. Viktor. Luther. Sloane. All of them. If she didn't have her powers still, they would have left her to figure things out by herself. Even without her powers, Raymond still knew something was wrong. She couldn't control herself around Claire. At the end of the day, it was her mistakes that kept piling up.
Her life had so many happy moments. She had been married twice. Her pregnancy went without any major problems. She was famous. She was a hero. She could have been satisfied with the life that she had. She was nothing now. Not even her family cared about her. They cared more about the comatose body that almost killed Five than they did her.
There was a thought to walk out into the burning world. Would they even miss her? They went through this whole week without once thinking to look for her. When the world started ending, they cared for Ben who wasn't even technically family. It was bad to admit but she was jealous of outsiders Cielo and constantly angry Ben of all people.
Allison used to think that she was the good one in the family. The one that kept her head on despite everything. But it was Cielo that tried to make her see that she wasn't as good as she seemed. Cielo recognized that in herself. That's why everyone wanted to save her. Because she was normal and knew that she was less than what ever was controlling their fates. They actually wanted her around even without powers. Allison's powers made them afraid of her.
Viktor quietly stepped out into the backyard. He had called out Allison once that went deaf to her ears. She just kept staring out. Lost in her thought. Viktor had been looking for her but didn't know what to say.
Luther had hit the mark yesterday. To some degree, they all wanted to at least be civil. Though that felt so distance. This was their sister. The state that she was in now showed that she was resentful of herself. Did Viktor forgive her for everything? About the end of the world, yeah. About Harlan, he wasn't sure he could ever look at Allison the same after that.
He tucked his hands into his jacket pockets and sat down next to her. She immediately straightens up and tried to speak only to mumble against the tape. "It's okay. You can remove the tape."
She looked at him to get reassurance to which he nodded. The whole purpose that he had come here was to have a chat to finally settle things done. He didn't fear getting rumoured.
Once the tape was off, and the pain from ripping it off settled, the two sat in silence. Trying their best to ignore the world burning around them. There was a lot to say. Lots of words that might accidentally slip out. Hurtful and unnecessary words was the last thing they needed right now.
"I guess I owe you some more apologies."
"No, Allison you've apologized enough."
"I don't think I have."
"Then... can I apologize as well?" She didn't refute. "I'm sorry about... making my problems almost seem more important than yours."
That kind of apology wasn't what she was expecting. She wasn't expecting any apology from their side of things. Yet ever since their fight at the Sparrow Academy, a certain sentence stayed with Viktor. Helping Viktor was always the priority over anyone else. They had to keep him happy. Try as they could to help Allison, they were all second to Viktor and his explosive tendencies. That was never Viktor's intention. Sometimes it just got a bit, complicated.
"I always looked up to you. In 2019 we kept getting closer and I relied on you so much. But when you needed me, I was hardly there. I hid things from you, thinking that I knew better. Everyone was worried about me but we kept saying that you would be fine. We believed in you to get back up because you were strong. I tried to be the bigger person for the wedding. Looking back, you did too. Then I said that I forgave you, expecting the same. I shouldn't have expected that. To be honest, I didn't forgive you."
Their roles were as following. Viktor was the misunderstood villain that with a helping hand could do amazing things Allison was meant to be the kind, strong sister that took care of everyone. lf Viktor could forgive and forget than so could she. When that wasn't the case, their relationship became what it was today. And they blamed her as if he never made a mistake just as damaging. As if she had never went through a struggle.
"Harlan's death didn't do anything. He was innocent through it all and he was never meant to die so painfully. I was the reason why he got in dragged in. But... it was because of my care for him that made it seem like I valued him over you."
"I didn't think that." She sighed. "Viktor, we all knew why Harlan was important to you. You were you with Sissy and him. His powers were similar to yours and in your eyes, he was still the same scared kid in the barn. I genuinely wanted to help him too. But what hurt the most was that he had to tell me about our moms. If we talked about it as a family, there could have been another way. After everything we went through-"
"A week Allison. We met for a week in 1963, most of it I didn't have my full memories. Getting my memories back, remembering what I did, I didn't want to add to that list by admitting anything about Harlan." The guilt of ending the world never left him. He didn't want to be known only as the ticking bomb in his family. He wanted to help them.
"So you just wanted to swipe it under the rug? Let him slip away while we clean the mess?"
"What would have knowing done? What would have changed?"
"It would have," the desperation in her voice reminding her how Cielo spoke to her, "we would have changed. We could have grown to be someone that asks for help. As a family. But you took that choice away from us that I was left alone to make the decision."
Any anger that started bubbling immediately disappeared. Neither of them at any point had ever asked for help. Viktor was powerful. He was also Number Seven. The one that never got to go on missions or participate in any training. He was constantly alone. He never learned to ask for help because he was always in that bottom position.
Allison was equally powerful in a different way. She was independent, and reliable. Moving at her own pace. Comparing herself to the vigilante living in a gym basement or the drug addict or even the hybrid astronaut, Allison was the most put together. She never could ask for help from them.
Diego tried. Lila tried. But those were things that helped them. They didn't get her. None of them knew what it was like to raise a child then lose it. Get married to someone of a different timeline and be forced to leave them. She had her problems and they had there's. When they came to her for help, she couldn't appear weak. She was there for them, not the other way around.
Decisions made as a family hardly ended well. They were all stubborn. They all had strong opinions that barely, if ever, aligned. The few times they've ever come together was to help Viktor stop ending the world.
"I get why you don't forgive me about Harlan. I don't forgive you for putting me in those positions. But more importantly, I don't forgive myself for what happened."
Killing Harlan, disrespecting Luther, yelling at Viktor, betraying the family, siding with Reginald, rumouring Claire and Raymond constantly, those were all her choice. Small decisions that snow balled up to explode to all over her. Even if it didn't, she hated the version of herself that she was forced to see every time she looked into the mirror. Pretending that she was happy and doing the right thing while everyone kept saying that she was wrong.
What was she supposed to do though? She was the only one taking action. No one knew what the answer was. Yet she knew she was doing the wrong thing.
"I hurt so many people. I used Claire and Raymond as reasons, weapons for my own mistakes. I go around pretending that I'm better than everyone else when I'm just as confused. I'll never be able to apologize to any of you enough. I take no pride in what I did in the past. I want to change." Allison wiped a tear away.
"Change can mean a lot of things."
"I know."
"Being best friends seems out the window."
"I know."
"But we can be siblings." She turned to him in shock. "Yeah, there's a lot that I think can change in you. I want to change too. But unlike dad abandoning us to choose the Sparrows over us, I don't want to change our family."
"What does it even mean to be siblings?"
He leaned back onto his hands. "As the black sheep of the family I probably know the least about that word. I don't know you as well as Raymond did. I don't know the side that you raised Claire with. I would never let you touch my stuff but I would run into a burning building to save you. Maybe siblings is just a word to mean that I hate you more than anyone. It also means that I love you more than anyone."
Allison finally saw the tears in his eyes as he turned to her. "I hate you. Nothing you say will make up for the pain you caused all of us. I won't erase the care that you've given us for so long. I understand the pain you were in. If you ever try to rumour me against my will, I will fight back with everything I have. But I will never purposefully hurt you. I hate that I love you."
It's hard to fully forgive someone. It takes days. Countless shows of grief and even more shows of wanting to reconcile. This one conversation wasn't going to solve their problems. They've made mistakes that will not define them nor their relationship. They wanted to earn each other. It was a start to want change. In both of them.
"I hate you too. I love you more though."
"Then?"
She stuck out her hand. He met her half way through to shake it as if this was a business proposal. "Siblings."
Viktor suddenly tighten his hold. His attention turning to the yard. Almost like he was looking for something. "What's wrong?"
He placed a hand on the side of his ear. "I thought I heard Harlan just now."
"Harlan?" She looked around the same. Viktor turned to her.
"You... you sound like Harlan."
"Uhh thank you?"
"No I mean, your voice... it sounds like his Marigold."
Each person had a distinctive sound. Harlan taught him that. For Viktor and his siblings, it sounds liked the flowers ruffling in the wind. Harlan was similar but not quite the same. His was almost muted. A flower that didn't fit into the field of the singular type.
"You can hear Marigolds? I mean I- I did get my power up through Harlan. Could that..." Viktor held his breath at the thought.
Marigolds were, at their core, life. Harlan's life had remained with Allison. It was not the same as having the boy back. Not in the slightest. But it was the only thing they had to honour him. In this universe where the boy probably lived in with his terrible father until the end, a part of him could continue with someone that cared about him. That was the only thing she could give him.
"Viktor, can I try something?"
It was nice to see his sister confident again. "Yeah. I trust you."
The two shifted to fully face each other. Allison placing a hand on his shoulder.
Face it head on. Don't advert the eyes that watch so intently. Know the coincidences. Make mistakes to learn. Try for the unknown no matter how scary. Embrace it and grow. With her reflection so clearly seen in his eyes, he showed his trust in her. She trusted herself.
Like an old song, the words flowed out of her with a tune. "I heard a rumour that I gave Harlan back to you."
Allison's throat started to glow a soft yellow as it did when she received the boost. The light moving with her voice to reach his ears. They heard the rustling of flower petals rubbing together. A comforting sound to replace the fires that crackles around them.
As her sentence came to end, and her voice started to die down, Viktor knew that his powers had fully returned. Not because of Harlan's Marigold or Allison giving it to him but because of the love the two had for him. Her act of returning Harlan's remains was filled with love and trust.
Both of them were dangerous. Apocalypse causers. But they were family. Siblings. Unlike them as kids, this time they'll choose to stay together. Through the hatred and love, they would be by each other's side.
"Thank you. Thank you Allison." Between the apologizes and forgiveness, there was gratitude. There was love. Sometimes instead of saying sorry for mistakes, say thank you for letting change in.
"I'm sorry for the wait. Thank you for trusting me."
Love was funny. Happiness and pain on the different sides of the same coin. It was possible to hate someone at the same time as love them. These two were constantly playing on that seesaw. It didn't have to be one trying to please the other. They had to meet in the middle. Only then can love actually grow. They wanted their love to grow.
"Allison." They raised their heads to see Lila and Luther standing inside. A blue fish floating over to circle around Allison. "Cielo needs to be rumoured to wake up. So Lila needs you to be in the basement."
Viktor stood up. "Allison can do it."
"Are you sure?" They looked down at his hands glowing. Rather than it usually being used as a threat, he showed it as a sign that everything was okay. If anything went wrong, he could stop it this time. He collected his soundwaves back into him and nodded.
"Yeah." Viktor was fully bloomed. If he said that Allison can control herself, then they would trust in that.
"Then let's get this show on the road."
Walking into the basement, everyone had gathered again. All eyes on Allison. It was familiar yet so long since they saw their sister hold her head high with pride. An act from their resident actress. They knew that she was scared.
One look at Five made her even more nervous. But all he did was nod and stepped aside. AJ disappearing the moment he took Lance away.
Cielo and Allison didn't really get along. Like her siblings had experienced, Cielo had tried to reach her hand out for her. Allison had been too lost in her own problems to see clearly that she was only trying to help. Now it was her turn to save Cielo.
She took a deep breath. Even without Harlan's power in her, she felt stronger than ever before. She can wake up Cielo. "I heard a rumour that you woke up."
Everyone held their breaths. Yet nothing happened.
Allison turned to Five with a bit of panic. "I can- I can try again. Umm I heard a rumour that you weren't in a coma."
He didn't say anything nor move at Allison's few attempts. Even when Lila had tried to tag team it, they had no effect. He was trying his best not to show his disappointment. This was just another dead-end. It shouldn't be surprising at this point.
"I'm going to get some air. Watch over her for a bit." She bit her lip but understood. He looked back at all of his siblings. They pitied him knowing the pain that he harboured by himself. He blinked away.
"He shouldn't be alone right now." Diego said as he moved to go after him when Lila held onto his arm.
"I'll go."
"You sure? Shouldn't you stay with Cielo?"
"She's got you guys here. And, I know how Five feels right now." He felt her subtlety tighten her hold on him. Five wasn't the only one banking on Allison's powers working.
"Take care of him for us." She gave him a peck on the cheek and blinked out.
The rest remaining in the room were enveloped in silence. AJ had very clearly said rumour with the implications that it would wake Cielo up. Allison had a whole touching moment with Viktor that allowed him to bloom. She, herself, should have full control over her powers again. Cielo should have woken up!
Luther raised his head away from where Five stood to look back at Cielo. Letting out a scream that had everyone back on alert. They looked to Luther. Then at the direction he was facing.
Straight as a ruler, Cielo sat up from her case. Her body remained still as only her head turned almost a full 90 degrees to face them. There was nothing written on her face. No happiness, confusion, anger, or anything they could read. She just sat there. Staring at them. Scanning them each individually.
"Cielo! You're awake!" Klaus was the first to pounce at her for a hug. Only to end up suffocating like the rest of them had before. Cielo rolled her eyes and pushed the choking body off of her.
"Klaus!" Diego created an air pillow to gently set him down. Giving enough time for Allison to grab him and drag him away from the case.
"Relax. The boy is bloomed and immortal. He will live. I imagine that Death quite likes his visits."
Allison snapped her head when Cielo threw her legs over the side of her case. One look and she knew what was happening to her. "It's you again."
"Nice to see you too. This is the first time meeting all of you together like this. I should greet them properly. No?"
By now the others had realized that something was wrong with Cielo. Her usual warm eyes looking down at Allison with disgust. She showed no remorse for almost killing Klaus either. Almost like this was a different person entirely.
"I heard a rumour that you stopped moving!"
There wasn't a chance to recollect themselves when she started to stretch out the body's unused limbs. "Nice try. No human conciseness to manipulate."
Hoping out of the case, her body was in surprisingly good condition. Everyone standing on guard to what was approaching them. "Last time you let me out you had paralyzed the body beforehand so I thank you for all your mistakes. Not many people get an audience with me. Four fully bloomed Marigold children. I should be honoured."
It turned to look at the aliens. "And then you two. Never seem to learn do you?"
Abigail became at a loss for words. This was it. The moment that they've been pouring days into. Years. So when 'Cielo' went to grab Abigail by the arm, she could only fall at the sudden pull. It glared down at her grovelling at her feet. "Interesting as this may be I have no care for someone who continuously breaks my rules. Should I kill you again to really send the message?"
None of the children knew whether to help Abigail or let it unfold. On the one hand, Abigail was their abusive father's wife. She had helped carried out multiple experiments on their friend and drugged Lance with no issue. But they had really no idea who she really was. They could see the complete defeat she displayed. To be knocked down so fast, that was cruel enough.
On the other hand, this was Cielo. They think? They came here to save her. And they did. Sort of.
The person didn't flinch when Reginald's blade landed on its neck from behind. This was the first time that they've ever seen Reginald's true form. That was the hand that killed Luther. It was a physical show that he was really an alien. This fight wasn't one that the children could interfere with. The stakes were too high and they were too lost to understand.
It looked down at the blade then back up to it's owner. "You realize that what you're doing is futile, right? You can't win."
"I've been trying this long. Each attempt getting closer. Don't test me."
It leaned closer into the blade. "Then do it. You won't kill this body. You've been keeping her alive for this exact moment. You wanted me here. Why so upset you got what you've been trying for all this time? Do you genuinely think in this human body that I can kill your significant other?"
"You haven't exactly been kind to us."
"I could say the same to you. Who is going to back down first in this situation? I already know the answer. Do you?"
Their eyes met. It was taunting him as it had been for years. But he couldn't kill Cielo. She was a controllable vessel that they were learning more and more about. This was the only state that it could be vulnerable. If Reginald killed her, he would lose the only way to contain that knowledge.
He clicked his tongue and slowly retracted his arm. Her face cracked almost like it was trying to smile. "Good boy. Sorry that I'm not that easy to kill like Jennifer was."
"Jennifer?" It snapped her neck to look at Ben speaking out. Finding their new target, it skipped over to him. Reginald just left to pick up his wife.
"That name should sound familiar to you out of everyone. What was your name in this universe? Justin? Jason? Edwin? Ah it doesn't matter. You're gonna die anyways. Humans are funny like that."
"What are you?"
"Me? I'm glad you ask, Bobby! Like all of you I have many names but I guess the best one to say would be Time."
Time? Like the Time? Cielo's body was calling herself, Time?
It circled around him. He didn't know how to take the situation. For as long as he could remember, the name Jennifer resonated with him. A face too blurry to properly draw but a name so clear. If this was truly Time, it could answer everything. Who was Jennifer? How to save the world? Where was Oblivion? Where were the Sparrows? Instead he remained a deer caught in headlights.
Her steps came to a stop behind him. She leaned forward, her head hovering around his shoulder. "So tense. Are you afraid? Don't be. I won't hurt you little Marigold."
"Doubt it." He bit back yelling at it just in case.
"Suspicions are good. Curiosity killed the birdie and satisfaction brought it back. You have been brought back so many times that even I have difficulty tracking you. What a horror of an anomaly you are." Ben panicked at those words. The difference between how the real Cielo and this version had said it was night and day.
It appeared in front of him. A hand ghosting his chin. Raising all the ends of his hair in fear. "Hey, do you want to know how you died?"
The mention of the death of Ben made the Umbrella males tense up. Their bodies starting to shake violently. Ben clutched his heart. Unexpectedly even Abigail was shuttering in shock. All of them falling to the ground. The only ones standing were Allison and Reginald. Neither of them understanding why they were all in pain.
Allison stood around in horror and how badly they all started to scream. "What are you doing to them?!"
"Don't shift the blame. This is your doing. Resetting bodies will let heal many things. Including any altercations. Tattoos, injuries, DNA mixing, and finally brainwashing. Souls retain memories that can never be changed. They are merely remembering what you have yet to realize."
"About what? What brainwashing? What are you doing to them?!"
"I am merely a bystander." Time threw her head back to look at them. Twisting itself to properly stand up to face them. "To the two that have reset the universe to your own desires, this is the consequences of your choices. Forcing a life upon them as you desire; this is the reality."
"Stop it! I didn't mean to hurt any of them! I'll take on the pain! Just leave them alone!"
Time shook her head. "I already told you that I play no part in this. She has already told you many times what you are missing. How you have all failed. Now all that left is? Come on, finish the sentence."
Through Allison's panting breathing and the other's screams, she tried to think straight. She was the only one that had contact with Time before. And though her contacts with Cielo was limited, she remembered every single one because it was always revolved around one thing. The end of the world and how to save it.
All that was left? Oblivion.
No, no that couldn't be the only thing left! If this was the coincidence for trying to force their beliefs and desires onto others, then this wasn't the answer. Letting her family die again couldn't be right. When literal Time stood before them, she went silent.
A glass mug shattered onto the floor. The rest of the room shaking with it. Viktor's body glowing in a blue and white light. The air around Diego becoming tighter. All the while Klaus had wisps of ghostly suffering filling the gaps between their struggles to breath. The longer that this went on, the more in danger they were in. No matter the power, Marigolds were dangerous. Whether they like it or not.
"It seems our conversation is coming to an end."
"Tell us Time! How do we stop the world from ending?" Reginald spoke.
It watched over this scene. It was entertaining interacting with the Marigold children and such. Anything more would be interfering with their decision. Time has and should never have a say in what happens next. It will survive regardless. Only those that live can decide what is to become of this world.
"All that is left is Oblivion."
Those in pain couldn't hold themselves back anymore. A shockwave rippled out through the entire world. With the combination of all their powers, all of them were pushed to exhaustion. Passing out as a result. Every one else in the room suffering in the same fate from the overwhelming pressure.
Cielo was the last remaining. Her head drooping as she struggled to stay steady on her feet before ultimately falling to the ground. Heavy eyelids trying to stay open to no avail. There were two flashes of blue. Concerned words spoken but not fully heard.
A hand tried to reach for her only to retract. For the first time since her body had awoken, a kind smile graced its face. Forced but still full of heart.
"Sorry..."