SERIS VRITRA

"Seris, will you come with me to a time before strife?"

Though he asked me such a simple worded question, I couldn't help but instinctively flinch back in surprise. Though he asked a single question, he asked it while knowingly releasing a drop of his authoritative intent. Though he asked me a question, the thousands of questions I had about his state of mind and the actions he's taken throughout the decades, were swiftly answered with a few of his words.

"By the gods .....what has time done to you Arthur?" I asked him in a soft voice, grabbing the snot covered hand he had on my desk. I held it tight, making sure he could look at me in the eyes as he spoke, instead of once again breaking down in tears.

He took a few sniffles before he spoke. "It's quite funny actually. With every second that passes, my body grows stronger, instead of rotting with age. I don't tire nor will I ever fall to disease. Though I'm not immortal, I'm certain the only thing in this world capable of killing me is myself."

"What are you getting at?" I asked him.

With a soft voice he continues. "Did you know? I can't remember the last time I went to sleep. Time has withered my mind, Seris. Despite my two lives, I'm younger than you and many of the other veterans of the war, yet I'm the one who has already gone insane. Time has clouded my senses, my judgment and has devoid me of purpose."

We sit in silence for a moment, Arthur rolling his shoulders as he nervously waits for my response. I understood what he wanted. He wanted a second chance. A second chance to save his family, his friends, his lover. Even though doing such a thing -tearing the fabric of time and space to such an extent- could have irreversible consequences, he was ready to pay the price. More accurately, he didn't care what the price was, as long as he got what he wanted.

Despite all the risks he was taking, he was offering me a chance to go with him. I could see it in his eyes though, he wasn't here to ask for my permission or even for my opinion. Whatever his plan was, he had already spent the countless years on his flying rock debating on the moral implications and the complications that could arise on a personal level because of his actions. No. He sat in front of me to ask if I wanted to claim my one way ticket on his inter-dimensional train.

With bangs of blonde slightly covering his face he says. "I don't mind being nearly immortal. Though I dislike the thought of eternal life, I'm willing to be this world's guardian for as long as reasonably possible, even after my family is long gone. I'm willing to do anything for the prosperity of the society that I, we, created."

Within the eerie silence, the scared boy that was within Arthur Leywin, stated his one and only condition. "I know I'll drastically out live them. I know that unless I experiment on them, my family won't live for a fraction of my potential lifespan. But all I want, all I want is for my mother to die with a head of white hair, surrounded by her family as she closes her eyes with a smile on her face."

He looks up at the sky, seemingly talking to Fate itself. "Is that too much to ask for?"

I knew he wasn't talking to me. He was just reaffirming his reasons for his extreme actions. However, I couldn't help but want to rebuke him, to tell him to that he hadn't been the only one to have lost so much. To remind him how much I and many other had tried to help him move forward, the only way anyone could ever go. But we all had failed, without the capabilities to physically hold him down, no could help him if he himself didn't let us. Even that old elf had failed to impart any meaningful words into him, the man himself left in a state nearly as bad as Arthur's.

I glanced at a picture frame that sat at the end of my office desk. I was holding them both, my former student Caera and Arthur, by the shoulders in a tight embrace as we all had bright smiles on our faces. Arthur's bond and adopted daughter clinging to his back while the obnoxious wolf was howling upwards at Caera's side. The background of the picture littered with countless faces and important figures from Dicathen and Alacrya alike. It had been a great victory, driving the asuras out of Dicathen, laying the groundwork for a world that would value a person for more than just the number of spells they could spew.

Of course, there were many things I regretted, choices I'd rethink, sacrifices I shouldn't have made but even with the chance to redo all of it, I hesitated. If I went with him, not only would I have to relive all my achievements, but I would have to yet again experience the trials and horrors I overcame just to have the pleasure of peacefully living as an academy director. Choosing to go didn't guarantee a better future, if anything the trip could show me that our current world is as good as it gets.

There were so many things that could go wrong. As Fate has shown both of us, it didn't take kindly to being bent out of proportion. What if he makes a miscalculation? What will he do if the future he wishes for becomes unobtainable? What if his forceful movement of variables leads us to never even been born? Would he take us to an 'alternate timeline' where we would live side by side to our younger counterparts or would he 'reverse time' rewinding our mind and bodies to a time before we even met?

Reading the hesitation on my face, Arthur gave a stern laugh. "Your right. But wrong at the same time. Simply reversing time wouldn't have any side effects. I've reversed time for a few minutes to an hour without even feeling fatigue." He sighs before continuing. "The problem shows after the first hour. I start forgetting things. The more in tune with aevum aether a being is, the more information they can retain, but even I wouldn't retain my body or memories if I carelessly sent myself to the past. At best, I would carry some echos of info and a rampant feeling of deja vu."

"So you're saying your little science project could be all for naught if you make even the slightest error?" My face loose in disbelief. He was really gambling everything here. What was that expression from his world? Putting all his eggs in one basket?

"I get it. My 'little' experiment hasn't exactly been put to the test, but I think I deserve a little more cred-"

"I'll go" Cutting him short, I gave him my answer in a firm voice, mustering as much courage as possible.

"Your being incredibly stupid. Running away from the problems you have, being unbelievably selfish in putting everything we're built on the line just for the small chance of fulfilling your sole wish. Your arrogance in thinking you'd be able to handle everything on your own, even though it was such a mindset that so many of your problems rose from."

His face changed from the blank and calm expression he had carried throughout the conversation to one of slight shame and anger. "In all honesty, it's quite refreshing. For the first time since I've known you, all the power you've accumulated is finally being used for you. I just wished you decided to be so selfish in a different way, maybe using all that punch to invest in some better clothes or makeup."

"I thought I was more than pretty enough for you already." He said with a smug grin that hid the relief he felt at my acceptance.

"Maybe if you trimmed your hair and put on a dress, I'd consider asking you for a date." Smiling at his old teasing nature showing itself again, I stand up from my chair to give him a firm hug.

"So. Is this just a date between the two of us, or are you bringing a third wheel?" As we separate from the hug, Arthur lifts an eyebrow, clearly enjoying himself for the first time in forever.

"I thought you were already seeing someone? Surely you aren't someone so disloyal?"

"We had just met, so I'm sure she won't be feeling too bad about being ditched."

"Well to answer your question, yes I am bringing a third wheel with us. I just have to see if I can even find him first. It shouldn't take long though, this time I might actually bother to fly and teleport around." A slight frown crossed my face when I realize who he was referring to.

"Well good luck on your little quest. I just have one question, when will we be leaving?" I asked him

He manifested and threw a matte black ring at me that lacked any engravings and a sense of style. Before I could ask he said. "By week's end. If you'd like more time just think about it while focusing on the ring."

For the first time since he got here, his body completely relaxed, allowing his shoulders to even out, giving him a familiar sense of confidence.

"Well, it was certainly nice seeing you again Seris, but I hope to see you never again."

As he teleports away with a childish laugh, I playfully scoff at his words.

"Smartass"

VIRION ERALITH

The cries of the restless beasts, startle me awake, forcing me to move my ancient, creaking bones. I grabbed my sturdy wooden cane, dressed myself and made my way to the small empty campfire. I throw in a few logs of dry wood, providing the spark of heat with a snap of my fingers. As I wait for my morning tea to whistle, I partake in my daily activities.

An infant Sonic Hawk, its right foot torn off by a hungry plant while its beak was cracked and chipped. I had found this little one with its wings splayed out on the ground in a puddle of its own blood. It had taken him a while to accustom himself to my attentions, but eventually grew comfortable enough to rest on my shoulder.

A Whiskered Wolf, who eyes were glazed over and left with hardly functioning ears. I admired this ones wisdom and intelligence, learning how to navigate itself with its lesser senses, never making the same mistake more than once.

I continued to walk around my cozy cabin, whose perimeter was surrounded by beasts of all shapes and sizes. Some were simply here to rest, trusting me and the others enough to let their guard down, while others carried nasty gnashes and purple bruises. I patched them up with bandages and stitches, on occasion getting my hands dirty to realign bones or pop them back into there sockets.

After finishing the usual rounds, I pick berries from the nearest bushes, ensuring to do my best in picking at least one per every ten that had the right fluid to provide me with a pleasant drink in the evening. Grabbing a few leaves and grubs to stock up on my essentials, I slowly make my way back into the cabin.

Bah, this dreaded old ass of mine.

I conjure two cups of clay, swiftly giving them that satisfying ceramic clink with a wave of my hand. Without turning around I spoke for the first time in what felt like years.

"Would you like a cup of tea? Or do you still have a thing for that horrid thing called coffee?" I heard a quiet laugh, involuntarily smiling to myself.

"That depends, do you have any coffee beans laying around?"

"No, sadly they're not always available on the market. Quite the exquisite bean indeed."

"Well then yes, I'd very much like a cup of tea."

With two steaming cups in one hand, I sit down at the only table in the house, conveniently designed to comfortably seat two people.

We sit there in silence, slowing sipping away at our tea. He finishes his cup first, but declines my offer for a refill. The entire time, our eyes never met, with his darting around from my cup to warm flame from the camp fire. My eyes make their way from his golden and white streaked black horns down to his traditional elven attire. It had been ages since I last saw anything even remotely resembling good fashion taste. Sleek, elegant robes fitting perfectly against his lean but strong frame. Olive and green colored stripes with a very familiar white fur pelt, slung over his shoulder. His hair tied into a knot by a gold ornamental pin.

"Your missing the gloves" I said to him once he finally looked me in the eyes.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not injured this time around." Well, at least not physically, I thought to myself as I finished my tea.

Without warning he started to speak. "Gramps, I have no right to ask anything of you after everything you've done for this world." He paused, allowing his predictable suspense to rise. "But I'm going to do it anyways. Gramps, will you come with me to a time befo-"

"Before strife." I finish his question. He looked slightly annoyed, as if people have been cutting him off often recently.

"Strife will always exist Arthur, all we can do is live through it." He looks a bit downtrodden, but gives me that wry smile I've always disliked.

"And living through it is a pain in the ass." He sighs, probably thinking he's guessed my response to his unfinished question.

"But anyways, between one former king to the next, how many rounds do you think it'll take for us to land at the happy ending?"