Chapter 65.5: Bonus: Turn Back the Clock

Darkness was all I could remember of my past; occasionally, I would see flashes in my mind of a face that I could no longer remember. I had been defeated by some monster in the abyss after being separated from the others. Flashes of memories came back to me as our group was caught in a trap. I was in a group with Lysandra. I rose to my feet; I still wasn't used to using a human's form yet; it felt foreign.

Lysandra frowned as we both got off the ground, "Looks like we got separated, Quinn. What now?" We both looked around; it seemed we had fallen quite the ways yet remained unharmed. Something about that was odd; did some force break our fall? The room we landed in was barely visible; I had to change my eyes to allow dark vision. Lysandra held a flame out as we explored the dark ruins we fell into.

Water seemed to rush by us, but it fell in an odd direction. This entire place felt weird to me. It felt like we were in some kind of dream world that someone else had conjured in their head. I can't explain the feeling, but it was almost like my soul could sense something was off with this place. I could feel that Lysandra seemed more excited than anything; she was an honest woman. She mainly thought about things like fighting, drinking, or exploring new places. I would kill to have such a simple view of the world. Maybe one day that view will rub off on me. I had been born not from a mother, but I was literally created out of the earth. Humans were fascinating to me; I wanted to learn much more about this world.

Lucius flashed into my mind; that human hadn't shunned me like I imagined many would. I wanted to see our adventure through to the end. I spoke up, "We need to find the others. Separating into groups like this is less than ideal. Lucius is the type to do something reckless just to show off; he never fails to get hurt if we leave him alone." Lysandra smiled, "Yeah, that shrimp has gotten into the habit of getting roughed up a lot. Alright, but I call dibs on any enemies we see down here, got that?" She cracked her knuckles, giving me a cocky grin. I laughed, "All yours."

We walked along, and eventually, we encountered strange voices in the darkness. They whispered of kings and rage. Most of it was meaningless drivel, but it was still ominous. I might not feel fear, but I could sense a small bit of Lysandra's fear. She puts on a tough front, but from what I have gathered from her is she tends to not let her real emotions out. Almost like she is scared of the result of her emotions. I tried to calm her. I stated, "Just a silly scare tactic; a lot of weak monsters try to employ this sort of tactic to psyche out their enemies." That seemed to calm her nerves a little as she snorted, "I hope they aren't too weak; I need to be able to test some of my new power."

We walked for a long time; my human legs were starting to get tired. Just as I was about to suggest we take a break, I saw something that set me on edge. There was a person up ahead; they were kneeling down, blood pouring out of their stomach. I gasped, "Lucius?" No, this wasn't Lucius. He had the same blonde hair and blue eyes, but he was taller by a fair amount. Lucius also had a certain kind of aura, a good-natured aura, but there was always something else. A deep sadness in the pit of the boy that this man didn't have. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he blames himself for Era getting taken away. Or maybe he has always secretly felt he wasn't good enough. I tried not to pry into people's deep secrets; that was a policy I had.

The man in front of us was different. There was kindness, but that was only on the surface. I sensed a deep malice coming from him. Lysandra stepped forward. I sensed a disturbance in her mind, "Jasper?!" The man got up, a hole still in his stomach. He frowned once he saw Lysandra, "Why did you do it? Could you not hold back your rage? You killed me? Why?" Lysandra opened her mouth, "No, Jasper, I just... I lost control. Your sister, she... I wanted to win so bad!" Jasper mocked, "You got what you wanted, murderer." He began walking away. I tried to warn Lysandra, but she kicked her feet on impulse; she launched herself forward. I couldn't even keep up; I shouted, "Lysandra, wait! It's a trap; come back!"

I heard shouting from up ahead in the darkness. As I turned myself into a wolf, I needed speed here. Lysandra kept calling out, "Jasper! Jasper! I am here; please, I need to talk to you. I want to apologize!" I ran as fast as I could to try to keep up with her. I ran ahead into the endless void of a corridor. Does it even have an end, I thought as I ran. Finally, I got to a door. I turned back into a human as I noticed a key in the door. The key read: "Past." I think Lysandra went into here; damn it, I should have stopped her by force if I had to. This is a trap. I turned the key, and inside the sight before me horrified me to the core. I could see into the darkness due to my eyes; I saw Lysandra sprawled out, bleeding everywhere. God, gods! She is... no, she is still alive, just barely; she needed immediate medical attention.

I ran forward to try to help her, but the stone door pushed me inside; it locked once I was fully in the room. A voice echoed out, "Poor girl. Poor girl! She killed someone she was secretly in love with, how tragic indeed. The trauma, the drama, you could see this being a play of sorts, couldn't you, boy? Oh, why am I addressing you like that; how rude. Should I call you a monster? How about a disgusting abomination?" I chimed in, "A voice without a face – classic move for the phantom with stage fright. Should we call the play 'Coward in the Dark?'" The voice got a little annoyed, "Now now, insult all you want; I know everything about you already. How would you like to meet someone from your past?" I laughed, "Good luck; I can't even remember much about my past."

The voice mocked, "I can't help you with that. I am not a doctor, but I can see the memories from your past myself. Since I am so generous, let me jog your memory a little." Suddenly, in the center of the room, magic began to twist and form a figure. The figure was extremely unpleasant; it resembled me in every way. I laughed, "How is that supposed to jog my memory? You just cloned my human form." The voice chuckled, "Is that what you think? Look closer; maybe you only thought you made your human form unique. The truth is you subconsciously know this person; that's why you use their face." I looked deeper; some details were off. The person in front of me had a crown on, and they also had blonde hair, not white.

A memory flashed in my mind – that boy. I knew who they were at one point. Dammit, I can't remember their name, but my heart felt like it was being crushed. The voice added, "You might not remember who they are, but regardless, I think I will use them to destroy you. What tasty magic they had! I wish I could have been there to absorb it. Nonetheless, I shall mimic their power for you – no need to thank me." The boy in front of me raised his hands. I remembered this stance; he was holding a fan in one hand. Green energy glowed from the fan as he swiped the air, a slash nearly cutting me down. I transformed into a bird quickly as I escaped the blast; I then tried to strike the boy, but my attack did nothing. The voice in the darkness laughed, "You have no chance here, little birdie. Now please let me have your soul; its quality is quite high." I ignored him as I made another round in bird form; he fired another green wind blade at me, but I dodged.

The voice in the darkness did this dance with me for a while, but eventually, he seemed annoyed, "This is wasting my magic. Fine, you asked for it; I will use his other magic." Light began to form into the wind in a perfected manner. The voice mocked as the boy's hand aimed at Lysandra, "Ah, this magic is incredible. Why don't I try it on your friend first?" My anger flared up, "Don't you dare! You bastard, you are fighting me!" I tried to block it, but the boy in front of me raised his hands. The voice chanted, "Oh, I think this one goes like this: Cellular Annihilation!" A green beam fired out from the boy. I remembered seeing this attack before. I knew by instinct if that landed on Lysandra, she would instantly be dead.

My heart throbbed; I was a monster, sure, but I had feelings. Lucius – his soul is clean. That boy – I don't think I could face him if I let Lysandra die here. Without thinking, I jumped in the way of the beam. I could survive it as long as I kept creating more of myself. The beam dissolves targets at the atomic level; it would seriously injure even me, but I had to do this. Lysandra, we still need her. I felt immense pain for every section of my body as I flew to the wall on the right side of the room. My body began smoking as I returned to my human form. Out of instinct, my mind grew hazy as I faded into the darkness. That damn face – why did it pain me so much to see it again? I had lost as my mind, slipped into a haze again and I passed out completely.