「The Eternal Library」The Cheshire Cat II

Chapter 2

"I see your owner enjoys classics like my uncle…"

Hoku remarks, referring to a thin gold disk with the word Cheshire engraved across the center.

It dangles from twisted pieces of red yarn around the cat's neck.

"Is he yours?"

Hoku asks, glancing above the creature's pointed ears.

Polaris is leaning against the backrest of a chair, with his arms smugly crossed.

"The cat? No… I thought he was yours."

He raises an eyebrow, slightly tilting his head as his eyes drop onto Cheshire.

"Mine?... I've never seen this cat, he just appeared on top of the stairs."

Dimples form at the corners of Polaris's mouth, and his expression gradually dulls into puzzlement.

"So it would seem...I found him in the same spot near the hearth."

"Hearth?"

Hoku walks up the last few steps, and the cat unexpectedly darts out of the doorway, whisking around the stair railing on the second floor before hurrying up the stairs.

'Maybe he doesn't like strangers...'

He looks back at Polaris, noticing that his fingertips have turned stark white from squeezing tightly on a brown box.

The box bore many scratches along the edges of the lid.

'No, these look more like gashes—they're too wide to have been left by a fingernail.'

'Someone was clearly struggling to open it. Is Polaris truly ignorant enough to use a blunt knife of all things? Or was he rushing?' Hoku quietly pondered, staring a moment longer.

"What's that?" Hoku asks, tentatively acknowledging the box.

"The watch!" Polaris answers modestly.

"Watch? What for?" Hoku approaches, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his coat.

The belt had become untied and dangled above the hem, ending just below his knees.

"I haven't told you much, have I?" He pauses, leaving a greater distance between them than he intended.

"You said you didn't know either," Hoku says.

Polaris stares at him, and a glint of surprise appears in his eyes.

"...But perhaps a margin more," he adds.

"I've repaired this pocket watch for you. Though… with the adjustments, it's become more of a compass." He deftly removes the lid.

'For me? Was I an anticipated visitor? But, that doesn't make sense.' Hoku takes a few steps back from Polaris, folding his hands in front of himself.

"How friendly of you..." Hoku forces a worried smile onto his lips before adding,

"Polaris, thank you for the hospitality, and I'm sorry for intruding—but I think I should get going."

Polaris lowers his arms, and concern thickens in the atmosphere as he opens his mouth, moving forward to slow Hoku from departing.

"Just a moment, won't you spare a glimpse at the compass? I polished the frame and hand-hammered the mainspring. Unfortunately, I couldn't entirely patch the glass that protects the dial." Polaris edges closer and rambles about the compass in a nervous voice.

Polaris falters, and the lid slips from his weakened grasp, hurtling to the ground.

"That's excellent," He says, casting a brief, deceptive glance.

"Goodbye then, sir." Hoku pulls his hands from his pockets and as he turns to leave, he hears a subtle shift from behind him.

He peers discreetly through the shorter strands of hair framing the side of his face.

"Wait—You can't leave—" Polaris pleads.

Bafflement nearly anchors him to stop dead in his tracks.

'His accent was fake?'

"Hoku!"

Hoku sprints through the rooms, fleeing from the parlor.

Thankfully, he can't catch much of Polaris's words as his voice trails off farther away.

His eyes quickly found their way to the door as he dashed into the hall.

Gradually, it became more defined as he drew closer.

'Please be unlocked, please be unlocked, please be—'

He extends his arm, leaning forward little by little.

His hand reaches the door just before the rest of his body collides with the surface.

The knob twists loose, and the hinges grind as the door swings open.

Instantly, a foul odor—defying the worst smell he had ever encountered—infringes his nostrils.

'Manure??'

Hoku cracks the palm of his hand over his nose. "What the hell is this stench?"

"Oi! Pick up your horse shit! Damned mackerel!" A deep, gritty voice bellows, startling him.

A cacophony of hooves mauls at the gravel beyond the fixed gate.

The sky resembled the late evening—early morning had long passed.

'Excuse m—'

A man with rife elderly qualities stands next to a pair of horses pulling the reins of a carriage with large wheels.

The scene is so strenuous that Hoku nearly loses his footing once again.

He stumbles further into the house, gasping for breath as the sound of something recurring catches his attention.

Hurled into a reverie of bewilderment, Polaris manages to sneak quietly after him.

He saunters down the lengthy hallway, looming closer until Hoku wobbles backward even more.

Hoku's eyes shortly meet Polaris', and he notices that the initial color of Polaris' eyes appears darkened.

"I can explain, I just didn't want you to panic right away," he says, wincing.

'Even the elegant mannerism in his vocabulary has changed.'

"You've had plenty of time to mull over your feelings, haven't you?" Polaris suddenly asks.

His lips purse and he appears to relax little by little.

"I've grown accustomed to it after so long. This isn't the first time we've had this conversation. However, you—you never stay the same. This would be the first that the two of us have met, 'Hoku'," he continues.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

A small vein swells in his jaw, vanishing when he inhales.

"It means the retraction of our future has finally reached 'Hoku's' universe. It's an unfortunate reality to recognize, but, your world is approaching an end."

The Memoir Chapter 1

Timesteam 'basics'

Objective 1:

Find your guide. The black cat with emerald eyes. He will show you how to escape the first paradox. Be in no doubt that you have acquired 'THE END OF TIME.' Otherwise, your sequence may end within the first few battles, absent of your highest-tier patrons.

Rule 6:

Killing yourself will not appoint you a domain in the stream.

-Redquadrant was extracted upon the various outcomes of futile attempts. Few made it, fewer were capable of constructing a shelter with their dreams beyond the central universe.-

[Personal letter to The Navigator of The Abundant Creator]

Subject A5157 has been acquired by Phanes. The companies have divided, and we've lost substantial support. You must dispose of the patients you remanded; our silent war will break out if the kid is found.

I will keep an eye out for emergency admittance in those medical facilities. If nothing comes up in three weeks, we will presume his death.

Get back to me ASAP,

Weather Ann Mare

<The sender has linked the following document> **Log of RedQuadrant:** Patient A5404 | Failure to adapt Patient A5483 | Failure to adapt Patient A5484 | Failure to adapt Patient A5157 | Disposed Patient A5156 | Disposed Patient A5149 | Failure to adapt Patient B0000 [Pending] **NOTICE:** This branch will be adjourned for two weeks, and all results will depict the dismantling/continuation of this research.....

Rule 7:

Lie to the navigator. Conceal an identity that differs from your original traits. The fourth wall will be activated upon the death of an anomaly. If you've failed to hide your identity from the magicians… your existence will be cleared from infinite universes.

-The Memoir Chapter 1 end-