Prologue: Going Back
Day ???: Going Back
Ryan forced himself out of bed when he heard his alarm. Ever since the death of his alternate personality/best friend Edhas, he had to rely on alarms to wake himself up again. "Ugh, I haven't used an alarm since my first day at KFP," he muttered to himself. KFP, or Kiara Friend Phoenix was an international fast food chain ran by the phoenix Takanashi Kiara. Ryan worked at a special KFP, as it was managed by the CEO herself. The KFP Ryan worked at was a meeting place for all kinds of magical creatures, some examples being Calliope Mori, the current incarnation of death and the wife of Kiara, Gawr Gura, the Queen of Atlantis and a nine-thousand year old shark girl, Amelia Watson, the time travelling, trigger happy CEO of Watson Construction and wife to Gura, and Ninomae Ina'nis, the dad joke cracking host of the Old Ones who happened to be a complete chad, getting down with a fennec girl and an alien at the same time. Ryan had done a lot of things since being hired. He travelled through time, fought in a war against the United Nation's very own monster extermination group called the Magical International Liberation Foundation (MILF for short), conversed with angels, demons, and dragons, form his own harem of yanderes (which he tries his best to avoid), and fought with dragons, eldritch horrors, and the literal incarnation of nothingness. In his endeavors, he gained an alternate personality known as Edhas. Edhas was formed based off the memories that were forcibly repressed from Ryan's past. He was much stronger than Ryan, being the original owner of the body, but he was also more rash, perverted, and hot-headed. As time went on, the two became close friends, but Edhas sacrificed himself in the battle against Storm, a man that was once Ryan's ally, but was taken over by the void, or the nothingness that exists outside the physical constraints of this dimension. Ever since then, Ryan has been living day-to-day in a monotonous life. Well, living wouldn't be the proper term. He was doing something more akin to surviving, considering that the deep well of emptiness refused to fill itself with anything, no matter how hard Ryan tried to find something to make him feel whole again.
"I better get to work before Tenchou chews me out," Ryan sighed. With a snap of his fingers, he vanished.
-
"Morning Tenchou," Ryan droned as he appeared in the KFP, wearing his standard KFP uniform. The uniform consisted of jeans, brown shoes, and a white dress shirt topped with an orange vest. Ryan used to walk to work every day, enjoying the sights, but ever since Edhas died, the world seemed… gray to Ryan. Almost as if nothing mattered.
"Morning Ryan," Kiara walked out of the back room, a small smile on her face. Kiara was usually a lot more hyperactive, but she couldn't help but feel bad for Ryan's situation. She genuinely cared about her employee, but there was nothing she could do to help. Ryan felt guilty about constantly putting a damper on the mood, but there wasn't much he could do about it. It's not like he could just be happy and be done with it. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling alright," Ryan sighed. Kiara asked the same thing every day and Ryan gave the same answer every time she asked. "I'm sorry… I just…"
"It's okay," Kiara pulled Ryan into a hug. "I know things are still tough. You don't have to push yourself."
"Thank you," Ryan hugged Kiara back, burying his face into her shoulder. "Thank you…"
-
Ryan sighed as he walked out of the KFP, just recently clocking out. Today was fairly empty, as usual. Usually, the KFP only had a few customers per day, and today was no different. Calli, Kiara's wife stopped by briefly to see her wife before going back to work and Ina swung by with Nene and Polka and had their date at the KFP. "What should I do now?" He asked himself. He stopped, taking some time to collect his thoughts. "Maybe I should stop by there."
With a wave of his hand, a lavender portal appeared in front of him. He took a deep breath and stepped through.
-
In an undisclosed location in America, a lavender portal appeared as Ryan stepped out. He closed the portal without gesturing as he walked down the graveyard, stopping by a gravestone that was the fifth from the end. He looked down, reading the text.
Here lies Nyar Edhas
Friend, Brother, Protector, Hero
A true warrior until the end.
200X-202X
"Get up and fight. You will always have something to fight for."
Ryan heaved a sigh. He was the one who made the gravestone for Edhas back when he died. This graveyard was dedicated to the Masked Mages, a group that Edhas was a part of. Out of the seven of the Masked Mages, Stoj Grimm, Brianna Edhas, Reporter, and now Edhas have died in the past. The other three had found their way back into the land of the living. He could only hope that Edhas could find his way back to the living world as well.
"Jeez, you're a mess," Ryan turned around to see one of his best friends, Amelia Watson. Amelia Watson, in many ways, is the reason why Ryan was alive now. Back when he first started, he was shot in the head by MILF soldiers and if Amelia hadn't turned back time, he wouldn't be here today.
"I know," Ryan ran his hand through his hair, looking down. "It's just… he was a part of me, you know?"
"I know," Amelia walked up to Ryan, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You've done so much for me. I want to pay you back for everything."
"You don't have to," Ryan looked at Amelia, forcing a smile. "We're friends, remember?"
"I know, but it hurts to see my friend like this," Amelia sighed, shaking her head. "That's why I'm going to give you this."
Ryan's eyes widened in shock as Amelia stepped back, moving her hands to her chest. She gingerly took off her necklace, revealing a golden clock. This clock was Amelia's time travel device. Apparently, this this was the reason that she became a mage in the first place. She never took off her clock, but her she was, offering it to Ryan. "Really…?" Ryan managed, his eyes showing pure shock.
"I don't need it," Amelia said with a stern look on her face. "Thanks to you, I have everything I need in life. That namely being my wife, but you were the one who told me to marry her, which is the best decision I made in my life."
"Thank you," Ryan took the watch. As soon as Amelia let go of it, the watch started to glow. Ryan averted his eyes as the glow grew too strong for him to look at. When the light died down, Ryan looked back to reveal the clock had turned to a black wristwatch that was attacked to Ryan's right wrist.
"Huh?" Amelia tilted her head, confused. "That's never happened before."
"The clock morphs to fit the user," both Amelia and Ryan jumped when they heard a voice. They both turned to see Jack, also known as Dragon, the third member of the Masked Mages. Jack wore his standard blue trench coat with a checkered shirt underneath. His black hair was messy and his left eye was covered by an eyepatch, a scar visible from the edges. He wore torn, brown cargo pants and brown dress shoes. He stood at 6'5 or 198 centimeters, towering over both Amelia and Ryan. According to Amelia, Jack was the one who made the clock in the first place. "As soon as Amelia, gave you the clock, the official ownership shifted to you."
"B-boss!" Amelia stiffened. Ryan assumed she wasn't allowed to give the watch to anyone. "I-I can explain!"
"Don't worry about it," Jack sighed. "I feel like Ryan could use it more than you can too."
"Thank you, Jack," Ryan said, giving the tall man a soft smile.
"No problem," Jack said. "At least my biggest mistake could be used for good."
"Jack, I told you not to call it a mistake," Amelia pouted. "This thing has saved my ass more than once."
"Still," Jack sighed. "Whatever. Just imagine when you want to go and turn the knob."
"Okay," Ryan said. He opened his hand and a letter appeared in his hand. He handed it to Amelia. "Here. My resignation letter. I have been thinking about quitting for a while."
"Why don't you give it to her yourself?" Amelia asked.
"Because if I gave it to her myself," Ryan turned the knob on the watch and started to glow, "I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to leave."
"Make sure my past self shoots her shot, okay?" Amelia asked. "Don't let me down."
"I won't," Ryan smiled.
"My past self will know that you came from the future," Jack said. "When he confronts you, tell him that event 0 went through and you're back to save 5."
"Got it," Ryan said, getting the terminology. "I'll see you."
"You better hit me up for a drink," Jack said.
"That's a promise," Ryan said. With a bright flash of light, he was gone.
-
Ryan opened his eyes to see an endless black void. "This isn't the past," he said to himself. He instantly started to panic. He already had to deal with the void in the past. Was he dragged in here against his will by the void? There was a very real chance that he wouldn't make it to his destination if that was the case.
"Relax," Ryan stiffened as he heard a familiar voice coming from behind him. He turned around to see none other than Nuxanor, a pale man wearing a blue hoodie and black shorts, his skin as pale white as his hair.
"What do you want?" Ryan asked. He didn't exactly feel threatened by the man, as he wasn't against Ryan or anything, but he was still tense. As long as he had known Edhas, he's only lost a fight to one person, and that person was Nux.
"What else?" Nux shrugged. "I want to go with you."
"Is that even possible?" Ryan asked, tilting his head, slightly surprised. "Why do you want to go back?"
"Why not? It'll be fun," Nux said, causing Ryan to facefault in response. "Plus, I have business in the past as well."
"What business do you have?" Ryan asked skeptically, narrowing his eyes. Knowing Nux, his definition of 'business' was making a cult named after one of the most basic names ever and taking over the world.
"Storm was my friend," Nux said, causing Ryan's eyes to widen. Not because Nux was friends with Storm, but Storm was way too broody to make any kind of friend, so Nux considering him a friend was something completely out of the blue. "Plus, I just sat on my ass making YouTube videos while shit was going down. I want to be more involved. Maybe I could do some good."
"That makes sense," Ryan nodded. "I guess you can come with me."
"Thanks," Nux smiled. He walked up to Ryan, putting a hand on his chest. A small blue flame formed at the palm of his hand, slowly entering Ryan. "Here's a little present for you."
"What is it?" Ryan asked, putting his hands on his chest, wondering where the flame went.
"It's basically an on/off switch for you magic," Nux said. "Storm designed the barrier, so naturally I could bypass it."
"Why should I turn my magic off, then?" Ryan asked. "What's the point of the off switch?"
"With the barrier, people can't detect that you're a magic user," Nux explained. "Remember, everyone thinks you're a normal human at this point and time."
"Fair enough," Ryan smirked. "Thanks, Nux."
"Well," Nux returned the smirk as Ryan's world started to envelop with a bright light. "Let's get to the meat and potatoes, shall we?"
-
Omake: Moving Forward
Kiara was starting to worry. It was 7 am and Ryan was supposed to show up to work three hours ago. She had probably called Ryan about a hundred times. She was considering going to his apartment to see what was going on. She was fearing the worst. As she prepared to exit the joint, the doors opened.
"Hey Kiara," Amelia walked into the restaurant, her hands in her pockets and a serious expression on her face. "You're probably wondering where Ryan is."
"Yes!" Kiara exclaimed. "Do you know where he is?"
"He asked me to give you this," Amelia took out a letter, handing it to Kiara. "It'll tell you where he is, I think."
"You think?" Kiara raised an eyebrow at Amelia as she opened the letter, staring to read.
"Dear Tenchou,
You're probably wondering where I am, right now. Truth is, I decided to go on a journey. I don't know exactly where I'm going at this point and time, but I know I need time to discover myself. To be honest, I'm not sure if I'm going to come back. Losing Edhas taught me something. It taught me that I don't know myself as well as I thought. I need to take this time to discover who I am. I'm very sorry I couldn't tell this to you personally. Call me selfish, but I didn't want to see you cry. If I did, I'm not sure I could ever leave. I'm sorry, but I have to do this. The break room is yours to ground pound Calli in now. I guess this is goodbye for now. I hope to see you again.
Your Little Egg,
Ryan Shade
P.S I just found out my destination. Looks like there's not really a way to come back here. I guess this goodbye forever. I really didn't want it to come to this, but it doesn't seem like I have a choice. Just know that from everyone I met, you were and have always been my best friend. Thank you for everything.
P.P.S My last wish is to never let Nyanners into the bathroom ever again."
A tear fell down Kiara's cheek, falling onto the paper as her hands started to shake. "That idiot," she said to herself. As tears started to fall freely, a small smile grew on her face. "They grow up so fast."
"I know," Amelia chuckled, her inner gremlin coming out. "What are you going to do now?"
"I don't know," Kiara said, shaking her head. "I'll probably take a break from this KFP for a while. Spend some time with Calli."
"Sounds fair," Amelia said. "I await the reopening."
-
A few months later (AN: This segment will be written in the first person. I will explain why in the announcement after this Omake)
The blaring sound of an alarm snapped me from my sleep. I groaned, rolling around in bed before turning off my alarm. I stood up, groaning softly as I stretched. Today was my first day at work. Apparently, there was a KFP not too far from my place that closed down a few months ago that was doing a re-opening. They were looking for employees, so I decided to apply. There was really nothing to lose, considering that the list price was significantly higher than what a normal fast food would normally pay. I was delighted when I got the email saying I got the job. Getting paid 100,000 yen a week… that was 5,200,000 yen (about $52,000) a year. That was amazing pay for unskilled labor. I even got all of the KFP Phoenix Revival Healthcare, which was rated as the best private healthcare service in the world. I looked at my clock.
"5:00?!" I shouted. I was supposed to be at work in half an hour. I threw my clothes on my back and dashed out the door.
-
I ran into the alley that the GPS led me to, not even questioning why it led me to an alley. As I ran, I stumbled as nausea hit me like a truck. I pushed myself to my feet, looking around. I didn't see anything that would trigger nausea, so I shrugged it off, continuing the journey to the KFP. As I reached the other side of the alleyway, the KFP revealed in all its glory. It didn't look all too different from a normal KFP, but something felt… off about it. I walked over to the KFP and opened the door.
"Hello…?" I said warily as I stepped in. "I'm here for the new KFP job…?"
"KIKKERIKIII~!!!" I jumped back in shock as none other than Takanashi Kiara herself ran out of the back room to greet me.
"CEO?!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!"
"Just call me Tenchou while you're here," Kiara said. "I'm going to be your manager, after all."
"Really?" I asked, my jaw slack.
"Really," Kiara said. "Now, let's get to work."
-
I panted in exhaustion as I looked at the clock. 5 pm. The day was finally over. Kiara was practically a slave driver, making me do unspeakable things. The people who came in were anything but ordinary either. I'm pretty sure working here for just a day already traumatized me. As I turned to see the corkboard to my left, I saw something interesting.
There was a plaque that said "Best Egg" followed by two pictures. One of them was of a man who couldn't be any older than me, his hands shoved in his pockets as he looked at the camera with a deadpan expression as Kiara was midair, as if to tackle him. The plaque below the picture said, "Ryan Shade". There was another picture next to Ryan was a man that looked exactly like Ryan, but with purple eyes. The shot was taken up close. The man had a feral smirk on his face as blood dripped down his forehead. He was holding a white sword in his right hand and he was in a fighting stance. The plaque said, "Nyar Edhas".
"Hey Tenchou," I called over.
"What is it?" Kiara asked, walking over to me.
"Who are these people?" I asked, pointing the two people on the corkboard.
"Oh, them," Kiara smiled fondly, as if remembering a fond memory. "They were my employees before I closed the first time. They were the best employees I've ever had. I'd be hard pressed to find better employees. They saved my life more than once, without even asking for extra pay!"
"They sound like nice people," I smiled, wondering what they were like. "Do you know where they are now?"
"They're no longer in this world," Kiara said, her smile fading.
"Oh," I looked down as well, feeling guilty that I brought them up. "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Kiara's smile returned quickly. "I'm sure they would have wanted me to continue running this place. Now prepare to come early tomorrow, newbie! You have some big shoes to fill!"
I groaned. Working here would definitely be an experience.
-
Announcement
Now, some of you are probably wondering what the whole point of that Omake was and I wrote it like that. I've had plans to announce something like this since the end of KFP, but I felt like this was the best place to put it. I want to expand KFP to you guys! I honestly don't know if anyone would join this or if anyone even cares, but I'm going to be putting this out anyways. I want to encourage people to write more, so I'm deciding to do this. This timeline of KFP is up for grabs! Anyone can write using everything I've built up with KFP, adding it to the official KFP canon. I'm going to be opening up the KFP collection for anyone to add to. If you write using any of my material, I will naturally want to add it to the KFP collection, but if you don't want to add your work to the collection, then that will be completely fine. Of course, I will ask for permission before I do anything like that. If you want use any of my OCs in your fic, then you have my full permission. If you have any questions or want to ask about a certain character or anything that has to do with KFP, feel free to email me at ofaruleafodrools@gmail.com or message @burningryan854 on twitter. I'm excited to see what you all will put out! The main collection will be happening on Archive of Our Own, but I will be making a collection here on WebNovel as well. Thank you for reading!
Also I'm launching this a bit earlier than I intended, so I might catch up with my backlogged chapters. I intended to do this because I want to be caught up by part 5, but that may mean my normal upload frequency might slow down after a bit. Thank you for understanding!