Blast from the past.

After dealing with Mike's body, I returned to the infirmary to find everyone waiting for me.

"Hm? You guys didn't follow huh?" I noted with a dry chuckle.

"We were going to, but Dean Fogg stopped us." Quentin excused.

"I thought it was for the best. Besides, you didn't look like you needed any help." He probably wanted to help me keep my secrets.

Good man.

"You thought right. Not that it doesn't hurt to see that my friends wouldn't rush after me as backup." I flailed theatrically.

"You didn't exactly leave a memo when you left." Eliot shrugged.

"I did mention the Clean Room." I pointed out.

"Alright. We're bad friends. Not like you're any better." Margo said, annoyed.

"Excuse me?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You knew he was the Beast, didn't you?" Margo asked, "Quentin told me you did. You were playing mind games with him before he did... This." She looked at Eliot's wound with concern.

"I had my suspicions." I gave the diplomatic answer.

"And you chose to hide it. Like everything else." She snapped at me.

"Bambi...."

"No, El. You nearly died. You would have died, if Q hadn't brought you here.

And he let it happen."

"It's not his faul-"

"No. She's right. I knew it. And I didn't tell you. Why? Because I wasn't sure.

Imagine if I just accused someone at random of being the Beast? Would you believe me? What if it was someone you knew? Someone you liked?

And let's say you did believe me. Wouldn't it also alarm the Beast himself? And then we're back to square one. Or worse, if he went all out in eliminating us.

I played it safe, for Eliot's sake."

"It didn't help." Margo spat.

"Yes, Margo. It didn't. Sometimes you go to make sunny side ups and end up with scrambled eggs. Life's not fair. Accidents happen. And I'm sorry this happened. I really am." I put out some emotion, and I could see Margo soften up.

"Eliot is my friend too. My first real friend in years. I wouldn't let this happen to him if I could." I grit my teeth in an Oscar worthy performance.

I shook my head.

"What matters now, is what we do about it." I turned to Eliot, "You're not going to take this lying down, are you?"

"Hells no." Margo fired up, "I will find that Beast and I'll turn him inside out and ride him down Fire Ant mountain like a meat toboggan."

Eliot sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"No. But we can't go into this unprepared." He looked at Margo with a soft smile, "But I appreciate the enthusiasm."

"Alright. Let's talk about this after you get back on your feet." I said, "In the meantime, I'll keep working on the Beast Slayer Mk.1."

"Is that what you're calling the gun?" Margo asked

"It's what I'm calling the orbital cannon." I corrected.

I saw Margo's eyes sparkle at the words as she let out a small squeal she tried desperately to hide.

"I can't wait to see it."

"In time." I assured her.

.

On my way back to my room, I found Henry waiting for me.

"I take it you finished the memory search?" I guessed.

"Yes." He nodded, gesturing at a nearby bench.

We took a seat before he continued.

"On the surface," he began, "nothing seemed out of place. And no, before you ask, there are no signs of my memory being altered." He gathered himself as the unsettling nature of the topic at hand revealed itself.

"I didn't even catch it in the first few watchthroughs.

But on the eighth one, I found one thing. One person, that was different. They weren't here long, and they weren't very prominent but they were here."

This pattern. I knew it. I wrote it.

I sighed as it clicked into place.

Daniel not knowing me but knowing who I was, that look of revenge in his revenge in his eyes, how he didn't know I was immortal.

All these things lined up to a single conclusion.

And honestly, I'm ashamed it took me this long to figure it out.

"Let me guess. A girl. Brown hair. Sallow skin tone. Spent her first days in the library, then disappeared by the first week leaving no traces behind. And then the timeline got so hectic you couldn't keep up?"

"Yes, wait you know her?" He asked.

"No. But I think we're about to." I said, "Which timeline was this from?"

"Timeline 23." He said and I sighed.

"Of course it's Timeline 23. Of course."

"What's wrong with Timeline 23?" Yue asked.

"Oh my sweet summer child. You're about to find out." I turned to Henry.

"Bring out the Tesla Flexion. We need to meet someone."

.

The Tesla Flexion. Invented by.... Take a guess.

No. Not Nikola Tesla. Fred Flexion. Yeah. Don't know why he called it the Tesla Flexion for no reason.

Either way, the Tesla Flexion was an experimental setup that allowed for contact, well close to contact, across timelines. It consisted of a curtained off tent which created a closed boundary field where space and time are loosed.

Then, the pillars outside are used by two other magicians to cast a cooperative spell to summon the intended person inside the tent where one person can then go in and talk.

All the while the other two magicians have to maintain the spell constantly so the whole thing doesn't collapse and blow up on everyone, killing them. Which happened to it's creator and his associates the first time they tried it.

Of course, there are other rules.

You see this world's veraion of time travel works by the Principle of Superimposition. Or as I like to call it, stupid time travel.

I.e, no meeting yourself, no changing the past without changing the future, two people from different timelines cannot touch each other without things going kaboom, unless divinely aided.

Another reason I was looking for god seeds. Divinity makes you immune to the risks of time travel.

Even in the show, it was only with the help of a divine artifact, one of the Seven Keys, that people from another timeline, namely Penny and Marina from timeline 23 were able to cross over.

Or you could use horomancy. Sonia and Daniel Kikuno did exactly that after all.

Horomancy is broken af.

Divine power is still better though.

And thankfully, I had divine power.

So no worries on that end for me.

Now then...

I looked at Yue and Henry casting the spell as lightning arced across the enchanted coils wrapped around pillars- Oh. That's why it's called a Tesla Flexion.

The tent in the middle of the room began to light up, and the lights began flickering wildly as the silhouette of a woman appeared in the tent.

I didn't even need to look ag it however to know who it was. Just their presence was enough. With a thought I dispelled their tactile camo, as I entered the tent.

"So it was you after all, huh?"

She smiled brightly, as if she had expected it, and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"So it worked."

"Yeah, it did. And look at where it brought me."

"Back to me." She giggled cutely and I couldn't help but fall for her all over again as years worth of emotions rushed back through me like a tidal wave.

"You're so cruel....." I sighed, "Offee."

__________________

Offee is back bitches!

And so am I.

Did ya miss me?

Thanks for reading.

Donate your powerstones.

See ya later.