Alex's POV:

I turn around and look at all the past possibilities. Every circular panel with blurred edges shows a different scene, some are almost identical. I look closely and go beyond my limits. A body can only see everything through its eyes but a mind can look everywhere within 360 degrees at the same time. Same with looking up and down - I start analyzing everything around me at the same time.

I let 70% of my attention focus on this task while the rest is in a fully danger-prepared state, scanning the surrounding for any small movement. This is not a place to relax after all. Some things in this weird space can kill you if unprepared. Oh. Like that black shadow that jumped out from behind one of the possible realities flying by. I immediately leave only 20% of my mind on trying to figure out the short films everywhere and the rest is now completely focused on the dark, somewhat see-through wisp of smoke/shadow-like figure with a wide open - filled with sharp, unrealistically long teeth - mouth. A wraith, also known as a specter - the mind eaters inhabiting this river of possibilities. I still haven't found out their exact origin but I have a few guesses. They could've been like me, trying to explore the unknown but eventually got defeated by the force of life's deadly pressure, turning into this terrible form afterwards. Perhaps they were always here, meant to be the guardians of the branches of reality, mindless beasts attacking everything and everyone they find that doesn't belong here. Or they were strong minds that got here but they got stuck for whatever reason - interrupted ritual or their original body's death? Killed by a wraith and turned into one? It's hard to say and frankly, it doesn't really matter that much. But...

They. Are. ANNOYING.

I quickly dodge and send a welcoming mana bullet at the black-gray guy. It screeches and disappears. But it isn't dead, I know. They are undying! I still remember the massive pain I felt when I first got ambushed by this thing. It started gnawing on my mind which is the worst experience of my life. When you get hurt, you feel physical pain and it can be unbearable sometimes, right? Like when your bone gets broken? But when a part of your consciousness is being torn apart from you, that is what you can call painful!!! I'm not a woman but I imagine that it definitely hurt more than giving birth and I blacked out for some time when my mind was starting to fall apart and I almost lost a part of myself! Thankfully I woke up in time to scare the bastard off me with some magic. But it turned out it barely works on these guys! I tried almost every type and element of magic on the wraith until I finally found out that my natural, condensed mana works the best and even somewhat wounds them! I still vividly remember the struggle for survival and the pain I felt that day.

Ugh. I feel like if I had my body right now, I would have shivers going down my back. Partly of residual fear after that traumatizing experience and most of all... fury and rage at these bastards that dared to hurt me like that!!!!!

The first specter came, they always hunt in groups though! That's why I know this is not the end. I hasten to look for the right moment in time for the midget. Perhaps... this wasn't such a great idea after all. My consciousness is screaming at me to do 2 contradictory things at the same time - run away from those pain-giving wraiths and fight, get revenge for what they did to me last time!! The second one is really tempting but I have to stay focused - there's a job to do after all! I came here for a reason!

I found something! A scene on one of the panels is showing the midget's death by laser at the party in the royal palace. That's not what actually got recorded in our reality but it's close. The time when Q really got shot got erased by me turning back time so it never happened. I quickly move to that area and shoot two mana bullets at once at the dark bastard that tries to ambush me while I pass by. It screeches loudly and dissipates completely, his remains spreading around the surroundings. Damn buggers are everywhere!

I 'fly' after the relevant moment in the past and intently watch the surrounding short films of different realities. Finally something close in time and space! I see me and Lucy arriving in the Blackhill kingdom, the fatty in the party with his ridiculous staff, the dead assassin falling on the roses in the garden and a little kid who soon finds his body and loudly screams on top of his lungs... Oops. Sorry, kiddo. I didn't want to give you a traumatic memory, it was an accident.

Oh. Three mana bullets and a short screech later, I find me pursuing 2 girls that fire a 'Luster' spell in my direction. I'm getting closer! And the next moment 2 specters at once try to attack me - I quickly dodge and shoot 8 spells - that's my plan, I'm trying to see if using more magic in my charms will work on them better. I think they started to scream louder than before. A shame I didn't have more mana the last time I was here.

Dammit! I lost the panel I saw last because of these damn bugs! I know it was close by though... I move around again and soon see a scene of Anaga's suicide on my shield, the person I'm looking for. Just the moment I wanted! Now I should look at the closest panels and the right one should be somewhere here... Yes! There it is! It's that aunt and she's...

...crying...

Suddenly I feel a jolt in my mind and I rapidly leave the deep meditation state. Not completely, but it's definitely not the same as before! Not good! I won't be able to focus enough to...

-IIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEIIAAAAAARGH!

Without warning, I unexpectedly scream in pain - I didn't notice a wraith closing in because I got distracted and it managed to scratch me with its sharp teeth. It hurts so much! I HATE this feeling! That's it! I'm done playing with these cockroaches!! I will not let you touch me again!

I charge a magic bullet. And charge it. And charge it. I do it for something like 2 minutes while dodging the damn freaks and then... I compress it. I put pressure all around the formation and make it even smaller. And smaller. I hear a buzzing sound of an overcharged spell ready to shatter and that's when I throw the unstable, full of my pure mana ritual at the nearest two specters. And at the same time, I jump into the panel I chose. Going through the barrier of the world on the other side, I watch as my dangerous present explodes and is bigger than I thought. It spreads everywhere I could see and takes out at least 10 of those creepy silent assassins. I didn't even hear a screech this time. Maybe I got them for good?

...

I feel much better now.