Echo

The soft crackling sound of burning incense filled the room. Thin plumes of smoke wafted to the roof, dissipating every five minutes, when the wind crystal would trigger. Kyor stared at the portrait of Marin and its shabby, damaged edges. If he’d known Marin was going to be chosen, and probably would never come back, he’d have volunteered. It was truly a peculiar thing, to value the life of another more than one’s own, but Kyor lived it. Marin had been a beacon of hope and light in the world, being positive and optimistic where no-one else would. Kyor had simply been extra baggage, or at least he thought of himself that way, even if Marin had said otherwise. He looked around the room. It truly was pathetic, wasn’t it? To the left of his bed lay a cupboard containing all he owned, and to the right was a small table with an old knife, its leather handle decaying with time, and several sheets of papyrus. All of this was illuminated by a small, floating ball of light in place of a lamp. Kyor stared at Marin’s portrait. Everything had been going well before Marin was chosen. If only she could be brought back, if only it hadn’t been Marin. Time passed, and before Kyor knew it, the sticks of incense had been reduced to a few short burnt stubs of wood. Kyor sighed, and opened the drawer, removing from it a small, purple book. He flipped to the page he was at before and started to read.

Kyor sat at the table. His left hand lay on a purple book, and his right hand lay on a green one. Similar scribbles filled both their pages. He took one last look, ensuring he’d be able to do this correctly- there was no margin for error when meddling with time. Closing both books, he picked up the knife, and cut into his hand. Not too deep to actually wound him, though he wouldn’t really mind if it did, but deep enough to draw out the blood needed for this level of dark magic. Drawing an oval on one of his precious papyrus sheets, he started writing hieroglyphs in his blood. If this worked, everything could be reset. Everything could be perfect once again, and his life and fate was a small price to pay for all that. He’d never forget the village’s reaction to Marin being chosen. There was clear outrage- how could they take their only healer for the war? But the Shemnijk had been clear. The crystal had spoken. And so, Kyor’s best friend, partner, and source of life and hope was dragged away to fight a war that hadn’t ended in a hundred years and didn’t seem to be ending anytime in the next hundred. But now, that could be undone. Kyor drew a hexagon inside the oval, the final piece of the ritual, and lit the papyrus on fire.

The fire burned the papyrus to reveal a white void inside. It had worked. Kyor breathed in and out, calming himself. Theoretically, he’d be able to transfer his consciousness in place of that of his past self. This would alter the timeline, creating a separate world, a world in which Marin never left the village. All he had to do was to follow the plan. Without any more thoughts of hesitation or doubt, Kyor jumped through the portal. In that instant, he felt torn apart; as if his mind was fracturing, reassembling itself, and fracturing again, over and over and over. The world itself shifted and readjusted as it felt the effects of Kyor editing the timeline. A cacophony of endless white noise resounded in the background. And it echoed, over and over and over. And just as Kyor felt he wouldn’t be able to take it anymore, as if any more time spent in this void would obliterate any last trace of his sanity, the world spun one last time, and Kyor was lying in his bed, in his room. But this room had sunlight streaming in through the window, plants growing on a small shelf, a cupboard with plenty of items messily scattered all about it, and a table with several books and sheets of papyrus, not to mention his new silver knife, which Marin had given him just the day before. It was done; his consciousness had been transferred.

Kyor opened the door and walked to Marin’s house. If he remembered correctly, he had a key in his pouch. He fished it out and unlocked the back door. The front door would lead to the shop, so Kyor had always used to enter through the back door. His hands tense and sweaty with anticipation, he slowly called out, “Marin?” For a few seconds, there was no answer. Then, he heard something break in the upper level. “Kyor!” Marin called out, hurrying herself down the stairs. “What’s up? You haven’t come this early in quite a while. Something on your mind?” Confused, Kyor asked, “What do you mean? Conscription’s today. I wanted-” Marin cut him off. “Conscription? Today? Kyor, I think you’re confused. Conscription’s in… about a month. Have you been meddling with time magic again? I’ve told you, that’s dangerous, and as much as I hate to worry about you so much, I’m worried about you,” Kyor stood in silence and stared at the floor for a few seconds, struggling to comprehend what had happened. Had he messed up the ritual? Probably. A month earlier… in hindsight, maybe he should’ve intentionally done this. An extra month to plan and scheme as necessary, to do anything that could mess with the Conscription and hopefully save Marin’s life. “Kyor?” Marin’s voice called through the silence. “Are… you alright?” Smiling for the first time in years, Kyor looked up. “I’ve never been better,”

As the day started to pass and the people of the village started to wake up, Marin’s shop began to fill with people seeking medicine for their sick, healing water for their wounded, and totems of warding for their children. Marin worked tirelessly, keeping the little that she earned in a small brown box. Kyor’s corner, on the other hand, lay completely devoid of people save for himself. Not to his surprise- dark magic was hardly ever in commercial demand, and his unfriendliness made it even harder. Most of the time, he’d just either talk to Marin or help her organise the back of the shop. Once, as Marin was talking to an old man, Kyor just sat on his chair and stared at her. It felt so surreal to talk to her for the first time in years, but seeing her speak and act so casually, while he knew full well about what would happen on the day of the Conscription… it pained him, on a deep and inexplicable level. She had to know, at least. As the old man walked out of the store, Kyor walked over to her. “Marin,” he started. “There’s something I have to tell you,” “Hm? Kyor? I didn’t- oh, wait a second, there’s a customer coming in,” she said, as the little bell tied to the door started ringing once more. Kyor sighed. He’d have to try again later. Maybe tomorrow. For now, well… he had a month to do it, and besides, things were going well, and he was happy for the first time since the day of Marin’s Conscription, back in his reality. He didn’t want to ruin things- for both him and Marin.

Before he could even blink, he was lying back in his bed as the seven moons rose over the land of Pshelnika. He flipped the knife over in his hand several times. It felt amazing to finally see and talk to Marin again, but it hurt immensely knowing that it was the final month he’d get to do so. He wanted to make the most of this month, but was hesitant over telling Marin too soon, as he had no idea how she’d react to knowing she’d be conscripted. But she had to know, if he was ever to prevent the events of that year’s Conscription, which would eventually unfold, whether he liked it or not. He knew he would have to tell her. Eventually.

When Kyor showed up in Marin’s house again that morning, he was surprised to see her in full outdoor gear, complete with a wide-brimmed hat. “Kyor!” Marin called out, enthusiastically wrapping her arms around him. “Oh, I’m glad you remembered to come early today,” “Come early?” Kyor replied, slightly confused. “I just came early to talk to you,” Marin sighed, slowly releasing Kyor from her embrace. “You really have been messing with time magic, haven’t you? We have to go and climb the mountain today, you know, to get herbs among other things. Medicine doesn’t come out of nowhere, you know,” Kyor nodded apologetically, walking out the door. “Give me a few minutes. I’ll go back and get changed.” Marin laughed. “Alright, fine, but you’re taking the cart!” she called, laughing again upon hearing Kyor’s soft groan in the distance. Kyor trudged back to his apartment, looking dejected from where Marin was standing, while in reality he was happier than ever.

When Kyor returned, fully changed, Marin was waiting for him. He took the cart and followed behind his best friend, as they began their trek up the mountain. They talked as they continued up their hike. “Marin,” Kyor started, “here’s a question. What do you think would happen if you just… disappeared? Like, how do you think the world would change if you just disappeared one day?” “Me?” said Marin. “Well, I guess the village would need to find another healer. That would be hard. But that’s about all, really. I mean, it’s not like I intend on disappearing. The village needs me,” Kyor nodded along, concealing his thoughts: What about me, Marin? I need you too. “Well, at least people would miss you,” he said, trying to make it sound like a joke. “Come on, Kyor, you know that’s not true. I- You’ll always be my dearest friend, you know…” Marin replied, trailing off a little. An awkward silence hung in the air, lasting until it was broken by the sounds of Marin foraging through the nearby bushes for the herbs she needed, as they progressed up the mountain.

Hours had passed. As they walked down, Kyor heard Marin softly mutter, “Curious…” “Hm?” Kyor half-asked. Marin shrugged, simply stating, “Oh, it’s nothing much. It’s just that I found some berries growing at the top of the mountain that… don’t usually grow there. It’s interesting, I guess,” That was strange. Kyor didn’t remember this from the original timeline. He’d probably just forgotten, or maybe Marin hadn’t mentioned it back then. In any case, it wasn’t important. Kyor shrugged off the incident and followed Marin back down the mountain, lugging the heavy cart behind him.

Hours turned into days. While in the shop, Kyor had tried to tell Marin about what would occur on the day of the Conscription, but he could never find the right time to do so. She always seemed so happy, and he didn’t want to break it all by telling her she was going to be conscripted into a never-ending war with an incredibly high fatality rate. It always went the same way- Kyor would finally force himself to begin to tell her, and then she’d just look at him and he’d go to pieces. He couldn’t tell her; he couldn’t bring himself to. Maybe it was out of care. Or maybe it was out of cowardice. But either way, he knew that she had to be told, and that he was starting to run out of time. That was why he’d come here, back in time, in the first place, right? Right?

Kyor walked in through the door. “Kyor!” Marin yelled excitedly. “You know, you’ve been coming here early an awful lot. And I know this might sound silly, but… I’m really thankful for it. Seriously, I feel like we kind of… drifted apart after you started practicing dark magic. Like, it had an effect on… Ah, what am I even saying?” Marin laughed weakly. “I don’t know, Kyor. I’m just happy that you’re here with me,” She smiled. “Anyway, I- we should be going. You remember that old lady who lives on the outskirts? She’s desperately ill and needs medicine and treatment, and she can’t come here. I mean, not that you have to come or anything, but-” “Of course I’ll come, Marin,” “Great. Because someone has to carry the medicine, and, well, since you don’t have healing magic…” “That’s what you wanted me along for? You never change,” Marin laughed. “Come on, Kyor. We don’t have time to waste,”

As they trekked through the rocky hills that surrounded the village, Kyor’s memories of that day began coming back. Marin had tripped and had a bad fall while walking, and Kyor had been forced to carry her and the medicine to the old lady’s house. Back then, they’d barely spoken on the journey, and when they did, it was charged with awkwardness and tension. But now, things were different, and the timeline was being changed. Marin finally seemed like herself, the way Kyor’d always remembered her. Happy, full of energy and life, and willing to do whatever it took for those that she cared about. As they walked, laughing and joking as they did, Kyor spotted a sharp rock up ahead. He knew what was going to happen barely a second or two before it did, and as Marin tripped and fell forward, then backwards, Kyor was able to quickly react, bend down, and catch her. “Oh my- Kyor- I nearly-” Marin quickly said, pulling herself up and out of Kyor’s arms. “It’s alright. Are you hurt?” Kyor asked in response, to which Marin shook her head. “Great. If you’re alright, then… let’s continue,” Kyor said, as they continued walking on. He remembered that initially, Marin’s own injuries had made her unable to tend to the shop for a day. But he’d saved it; he’d fixed things. That was good. He hoped.

Things had gone better than they originally had. Marin had managed to get to the old lady’s house and heal her as necessary. Still, though, something felt off to Kyor. Something about Marin and that rock. He wasn’t exactly a scholar of time magic, having learnt everything he knew about it from a few old books that were probably written before the capital was destroyed. But it couldn’t possibly be that bad. After all, he was a prodigy at his art. While Marin had gifts for life and healing, Kyor’s magic was dark magic- a rare and unstable form of magic, but an extremely powerful one if used properly. He’d never had a teacher, due to how rare finding someone who just happened to be able to perform dark magic was, so he’d learnt his art the same way Marin had learnt hers- books and self-tutelage. However, while if Marin made a mistake, the worst that could happen was a wound not healing properly, Kyor’s blunders had far worse consequences. As such, he’d always had to be extremely careful with his magic. Maybe he shouldn’t have opened the portal. But he still felt it was worth it. Marin was back, and he couldn’t be happier. It had to be worth it. It had to be.

Kyor watched the man leave. “Goodbye!” Marin cheerfully called after him. “Goodbye to you too- Goodbye to you too!” the man responded as he left. Kyor’s eyebrows furrowed. Had that man said the same thing twice? Well, he was probably referring to Marin and Kyor separately. It probably wasn’t important. Marin stretched her arms. “Well, he’s probably the last one today. I’m going to close shop. Want to join me for dinner?” she asked Kyor. After a moment’s hesitation, Kyor shrugged. “Sure,” he replied. As the seven moons began to rise, almost perfectly in line except for one that, for some reason, seemed ever so slightly off-centre, Marin and Kyor began to talk as they ate. Kyor went first. “You know, I don’t remember the last time we ate dinner together like this,” “I know! It’s just… until recently, I hardly ever saw you. It’s great. I missed you, Kyor. I just want you to know that,” Kyor smiled. There was something strangely addictive about simply being with Marin once again. He probably just missed her after those long years with her missing.

As they ate, Kyor thought about his life after Marin had left. He’d initially wanted to go with her, but she told him to stay behind. To watch the shop, as even if he didn’t have healing magic, she’d thought he’d be able to at least help the villagers with medicine. Unfortunately, Kyor ended up repeatedly failing to provide the correct medicine, and after a man died after he’d received the incorrect medication, the villagers lost nearly all trust in him, coming to the shop only when nothing else would work. Kyor had lost interest and care in helping them and had instead turned his attention and energy to his magic, trying to get stronger while searching for a way to bring Marin back. His experiments and failures proved dangerous, starting several large fires in the process. When he was first able to utilise time magic, he knew he was one step away from bringing Marin back. He’d locked himself in his apartment for an entire weekend, leaving only when he was able to start small-scale time experiments. And over the course of the next year, he’d turned from novice to master, until eventually, well, he created the portal. But now everything would go well. He’d save himself, but more importantly, he’d save Marin. And now they were here together, and things could go perfectly, forever. And Kyor would never have to return to the original timeline.

Marin sat on an armchair twice her size, as Kyor scanned the shelves. “Marin, I don’t think there are any books on it at all,” From the comfort of her armchair, Marin pointed to the higher shelves, calling out, “Have you checked up there?” “Marin, I’m seriously sick of searching for information on one singular plant,” Marin got up, walked over to an exasperated Kyor, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Alright, I’ll search. You can have the armchair for now,” Kyor smiled slightly. “Thank you,” he said, walking over to the armchair and promptly collapsing on top of it. Marin laughed, as she climbed up the ladder to check the upper shelf. A good hour later, she climbed down and walked over to the armchair. “I didn’t find anything on the plant, but… here, this might interest you,” she said, passing Kyor a book on dark magic. Kyor sat up and intensely studied the cover of the book. “Where’d you find this?” he asked. Marin shrugged. “I have my ways,” “We should probably leave. There’s no information on the plant, so we’ll probably have to do some tests on it,” As they walked out the door of the town hall, Kyor tightly grabbing his book, Kyor overhead the village elder murmuring something to his assistant, who immediately looked at him and Marin and burst into stifled laughter. Kyor began to approach them, but Marin got there first. “Can I ask what’s so funny?” The assistant looked at the village elder, before saying, “Alright… basically, what’s funny is that you two are closer than many of the married couples of the village, yet both of you have never been anything other than friends for, what, years,” Kyor blushed slightly. Marin looked down for a second, and slowly walked out the door. Kyor followed behind. They remained silent as they returned to Marin’s house. Finally, Marin broke the unusual silence with a casual-sounding, “So… about what those two said…” “It’s fine, Marin. We’re friends, and I wouldn’t risk that for the world,” Marin smiled, still looking slightly uneasy. “Yeah… friends,” She turned around and opened the door, taking a few seconds longer than normal so Kyor wouldn’t see her face. His words echoed in her mind.

Kyor walked down the stairs into the storage. “Marin!” he called. “There’s no aconite anywhere,” Marin rushed down the stairs, nearly stumbling on her way. She looked at the shelf. “How? I just restocked aconite a couple of days ago. But then, what happened to the jars? And…” she said as she finally noticed, “where has everything else I put on the second shelf gone? Has it just… disappeared? The storage is guarded by magic, so it couldn’t have… How did this happen?” As Marin was fretting over her missing herbs and jars, Kyor picked up a small shard of glass from the floor. “What’s this?” “That? It’s a handle, or at least it used to be a handle. I only had one jar with this, and now it’s gone as well,” “Look at this, Marin. It looks like it just… detached from the jar,” “That’s not possible. There had to have been some kind of cut,” “No. It’s… completely smooth. It’s like the jar just vanished, but the handle didn’t,” “Strange. Well, I guess we have to go out and get new ones. I might have to go to the northern village,” “Would… you like my help?” “Have I ever mentioned that you’re my best friend?” Kyor laughed. “Alright, let’s set out tomorrow. It’s a long journey,”

Kyor opened the door of his apartment, wearing a grey coat and carrying a rucksack on his back, containing food, water, a tent, a pillow, and his new dark magic book, to see Marin standing there. “Morning!” she cheerfully said. “Marin? Not that I’m complaining or anything, but what’re you here so early for?” “Well, you know, you’ve been coming over early so often… I thought I’d return the favour and be the one waiting for you for once,” “Well, that’s great. Since you’re early, did you get a horse?” “A… horse? Kyor, we haven’t been able to buy horses for years,” Kyor closed his eyes, a pained expression briefly flitting across his face. Of course. The Shemnijk had only brought in more horses a few years after Marin had left. “Sorry, I… don’t even know what I’m talking about anymore,” Kyor said. Marin laughed, still seeming slightly uneasy. “Well, let’s get on the road. It’s a couple of days’ trek, right?” Kyor said. “Kyor… it’s two weeks. Two days is on horses. Are you… alright?” Kyor began to panic. There were only barely two weeks to the day of the Conscription. He wouldn’t have any time to tell her about the events that would unfold. “Kyor, come on, we have to go,” he heard Marin call out. Worried, he followed behind her.

“Marin, look!” Kyor said, pointing to the stable. “Horses! How’d they get here?” The old man running the stable, hearing Kyor’s question, said, “It’s a miracle! Overnight, the foals I had here turned into these strong horses, the best ones I’ve seen in a long time!” Kyor looked at Marin. “Well?” Marin shrugged. “Strange how these things keep happening, but sure,” Turning to the old man, she continued, “We’d like to rent these horses for… a week,” The old man nodded, pocketing Marin’s silver. “Alright, Kyor, let’s go,” They saddled up and left, starting their journey on the long dirt trail to the northern village. They rode and rode, talking as they did.

“Marin,” “Yes?” “What do you think will happen on the day of the Conscription?” “Someone gets chosen, gets sent off to the front, and dies. Same thing as every other year,” “Yes, but… what if it’s you?” “Kyor, there are so many people in the village. But if I had to go… well, I don’t like to think about it, but I’ll probably leave you the shop. Even if you can’t heal, you can still distribute medicine to the villagers. Besides, it’s not like you have any other method of making money,” “But what about you, Marin? Wouldn’t you resist?” “No. We know what the Shemnijk does to those who resist. Them and everyone they cared about… Remember the insurrection, when we were still young? Quite a few people disappeared from the village after that. The Fordovics, I think. Was it Vasil Fordovic who started the insurrection? Wait, no… it was started by Vasillon, I think… Anyway, you may be good, but the Shemnijk will hunt you down relentlessly. And because of that, I won’t resist,” “Look, Marin… if you get chosen… I’ll volunteer for you. The village needs a healer, and… I can’t bear the thought of you being sent off to the war,” Marin lifted her head. “Then I’d insist on going. You’re the person I care most about in the universe, Kyor, and I won’t let you die because of me. But it doesn’t even matter, because I mean… what are the chances either of us gets chosen? Ah, well, it’s something interesting to discuss, I suppose,” Kyor stared at his horse’s neck. “Yeah… something to discuss,” he mumbled. His ears were still ringing from the echo of Marin’s words- “the person I care most about in the universe”. Would she really be willing to die for him? He had to persuade her to let him go before the day of the Conscription actually came. Because if he didn’t, well, the future would play out the same way as it had in the original timeline. And that wasn’t something he would allow.

The last vestiges of daylight began to disappear as the sun sank back down the horizon. “We should set up camp,” Marin said to Kyor. Kyor nodded. As they searched the area for the flattest piece of dry grass, Kyor noticed something… curious. “Marin,” “Yes?” “Take a look at this,” Lifting up a rock, Kyor saw beneath it a white void. Looking in, it seemed infinitesimal. Upon touching it, his hand passed straight through and into the white void. Lifting it out, his hand appeared untouched. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Marin remarked. “It must be a… magical anomaly of some sort. Strange things have been happening the past few days,” Kyor agreed. “I mean… it can’t be anything that major. Let’s just set up camp,” Pitching the tents, Kyor and Marin continued to talk. “What sort of magic do you think could cause this?” “Probably some extremely powerful magic, coming from the new capital. I mean, it’s not like either of us has the power to change the entire world,” “I guess,” And as the seven moons and infinite stars appeared in the inky purple sky, Kyor and Marin slept.

Kyor and Marin rode through the gates of the second village, through the city square. Merchants hawked their wares in their own stalls, built from spare timber and hastily-made parts. Kyor and Marin dismounted, walking through the crowded and noisy area to the shop at the end of the path. Calls and yells rang all around them. “Totems! Totems! Buy your totems here!” “I can’t believe people actually think his totems are going to work, what with how shoddily crafted they look,” Marin said, nudging Kyor in the side. “He seems to be getting more business than you, though,” Kyor responded, trying his absolute hardest to sound detached. “Hey, look, I can’t yell as loud as him, alright?” “He still seems to be selling better,” “Oh, shut up, Kyor,” As they passed another stall, decorated in colours so bright Kyor’s eyes hurt, the merchant called him over. “Hey, you! Yes, you with the grey horse! I have something that I’m sure will interest you!” Kyor stopped. He had no intention of buying anything, or more accurately, getting Marin to buy him something, since she was the one with the purse, but he decided he’d take a look anyway. The merchant smiled, slightly unnervingly, and held out a medallion. “What do you think? Look good? Ah, maybe not. But you’ll be amazed at what it does. It amplifies whatever emotions its wearer has for you tenfold. Perfect for your girlfriend over there,” “I think you misunderstand. Firstly, I can tell that’s not a magic item, you fancily-dressed con man, and second, she’s not my girlfriend,” Kyor said, before turning away and walking off. As he caught up to Marin, she noticed the slightly red tinges on his face. “Hey!” “Oh. Hello,” “What’s wrong? You look red,” Marin giggled slightly. “Are you… blushing?” “What? No! I’m not- it’s just- the weather! It’s hot, alright?” “Sure, sure. I believe you so much,” Flustered, Kyor turned away so he wouldn’t have to hear Marin’s stifled laughter. As much as he wanted to ignore it, he could still hear the faint echo of the merchant in the distance, peddling his fake magic wares. Shaking it off, Kyor continued walking.

As Marin haggled with the shopkeeper, Kyor opened the book on dark magic he’d brought with him. He read and read for a few hours, until he turned the page and saw the beginning of a new chapter: Time Magic. At the bottom of the page was the caption: The most dangerous and powerful of all forms of dark magic! Kyor looked at the caption. Perhaps it… Firmly shoving the thought out of his mind, Kyor closed the book with a thud, startling Marin slightly. “Alright,” she concluded. “This is everything. Thank you!”, she said, dropping a handful of metal coins of the shopkeeper’s table. Packing her things into the bags laden on both her and Kyor’s horses, she gestured to Kyor. Understanding immediately, he nodded and began to his lead his horse along the path. Marin followed behind.

As the night dawned, they set up camp at the same spot, in the middle of the trail. Out of curiosity, Kyor checked the spot with the void. “Marin,” he called, the faintest hint of anxiety present in his voice. “Look at this,” The void had nearly doubled in size, so much so that the rock was nearly about to fall in. “This is… worrying,” Marin came over. “Ah… maybe something nearby caused this?” “No. It couldn’t be. Let’s just… ignore this. It’s just a magic anomaly,” As he always did, Kyor watched the night sky. Maybe it was just his imagination, but the stars seemed… different. The constellations seemed to have changed positions. Once again, Kyor brushed it off. It was probably just fatigue. And he slept, although not very well. The portal scrolls sitting in his room bothered him ever so slightly.

“Kyor!” Kyor snapped awake, seeing Marin shaking him by the shoulders. “Where are the horses?” “The horses? Tied up to a tree. You watched me do it,” “Kyor… the tree’s disappeared. And can you guess what’s beneath it?” “Oh, no,” “A white void. Kyor… this is serious,” “The horses are gone? I mean, when we can get back, I might be able to memory-wipe the old man working at the stable…” “Let’s focus on getting back first. There’s a storm brewing in the distance. We should set off now,” As they walked, Kyor noticed more things that speeding past on a horse had previously never let him focus enough to observe. The leaves of some of the trees were the wrong colour for the season. Some puddles that he stepped in were incredibly deep, far deeper than they should have been. And of course, that ominous white void that appeared in totally random places. Clouds had a slight tinge of pink… in the early morning. The moons were getting increasingly off-centre. Animals would freeze in random places for a few seconds, or sometimes even a whole minute, and then start moving again. He could swear that white void was becoming more and more commonplace. And when he and Marin finally reached the village…

Black plumes of smoke towered in the distance. “Oh, no,” Marin said. Walking in, the scene was one of total panic. The elders appeared to be trying to give a speech in the town hall, but no-one was listening. The old man running the stable seemed to have just… disappeared, just like the rich woman who lived in the mansion on the outskirts, the local hunter who always carried a crossbow around, and many others. Out of the corner of his eye, Kyor saw it. The white void. Conscription was barely a few days away. And Kyor immediately thought of a way to turn the situation to his advantage. Sabotaging the Conscription would be easy, what with the partial anarchy in the village. But a rare note of compassion played, as he saw Marin’s worried expression. The villagers. Could he help them? Could he fight the strange things that were happening? Returning to Marin’s shop, they saw a long line of sick and wounded. But these illnesses and injuries weren’t regular. These had scars that glowed a black, aggressive light, and healing magic seemed to have no effect on them. Surprisingly, Kyor found that dark magic could alleviate their symptoms. And so he worked tirelessly, reliving the villagers of their pain. It felt strange, to be the one exerting himself to heal while Marin watched from the sidelines. And when he finished, completely exhausted, he looked outside to see that the day had ended. He turned around to see Marin watching him, her face sad and silent. “Marin?” he asked. She sighed. “I… nevermind. Maybe you should stay here tonight,” Kyor agreed. He honestly was too exhausted to return. Besides, the day of the Conscription was coming in only a few days. He might as well.

As Kyor and Marin opened shop again, a new line formed. Around them, the world was collapsing. Insanity, miracles, holes in the very fabric of reality. And of course, that dreaded white void. But no-one did anything about it, because simply no-one knew what to do. They’d experienced shores upon shores of disasters before. Plague, famine, drought, but never this. All the people could do was wait, observe, learn, and hope that it would stop. And Kyor continued healing. With Marin by his side, he cared for the people of the village. In just a few short days, he learnt what he couldn’t in years- which medicines would be used to treat which conditions, proper dosages and the use of herbs in healing. Marin always would watch from the side, giving him encouragement and helping him wherever she could. Her presence would always echo in the back of his mind, like an invisible hand guiding him. And on the day before the day of the Conscription, as they closed the shop, Kyor decided that it was time. The final deadline was here. She had to be told.

“Marin,” Kyor started. “I have something to tell you. Something that I’ve been putting off for a long time now,” they said, as Kyor sat down in Marin’s room. A brief look of anxiety crossed Marin’s face. “Sure, go ahead,” “So… I am not the Kyor that you remember. Or at least the Kyor that you know… knew,” “You’ve been acting a bit off for a while now, but… I kind of like it. You’re getting better, Kyor,” “No. Where I originally came from, you get selected on the day of the Conscription. I didn’t see you for years. You… probably died in the war. I tried to manage the shop, but I failed. Miserably. Marin… I’m going to sabotage the Conscription. It’s the only way to keep you here… with me,” “Kyor, I know,” “What?” “I could feel the effects of your time magic. It took an entire morning, but I was able to organise my thoughts. It’s funny… you see that smashed vase over there? I was checking if I was dead, or if time had been changed,” “You’ve known this entire time? But then why didn’t you tell me? We could’ve-” “Honestly, Kyor? I just wanted to be with you again. The war dragged on forever. I missed you so much during those years. And you seemed so much happier. I didn’t want to ruin everything,” Marin laughed weakly. “Maybe I was just being selfish. But over time, I noticed something that you were too blind to see. You know how dangerous and unpredictable time magic is, right?” “Yeah, but… oh,” “The world started… decaying, corrupting, when you changed the timeline. When we changed the timeline,” “I don’t care about the world, Marin. I just want to stay here with you. I’m happy here, Marin. Happier than I’ve been in years,” “No, Kyor. This can’t last. Look outside,” Marin pulled down the window. Over half of the view was white void. Even in the sky, white patches were appearing, and they were all growing extremely fast. “By having this conversation, we’re breaking the timeline even more. Kyor, it hurts me as much as it hurts you to say this, but you have to go back,” “No! Marin, I’m not leaving you again. Never again,” “Kyor… do you care about me?” “More than anything,” “Then you have to go back. Please, Kyor… once you’re back in the original world, do what I would’ve done. I’m not sure whether I died in the original timeline, but don’t let me die in your memories. Don’t let everything I worked for, everything I fought the world and more for, die. Kyor… this is what I want. Please,” Kyor looked into Marin’s eyes. “Marin… I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done this,” “Kyor, I’m happy. I got to spend a month with my best friend. But the month is ending. You have to go back,” “I know,”

The white void closed in around them. It had completely encircled the sky and the ground. It had seeped into Marin’s house as well. And when Kyor turned around, instead of the door, it was just white void, rapidly spreading around the room. “Marin… what do you think that white void is?” “The space between realities, I believe. Timelines. Whatever you call it,” “So if I go through…” “You should be able to go back,” The white void inched closer. “This is goodbye, I suppose. There’s nothing else we can do,” “Actually, Kyor…” “Hm?” “I have one last thing I want to do. No, one last thing I have to do,” “What’s that?” Kyor said. “This,” Marin threw her arms around Kyor and kissed him on the cheek, subsequently disappearing into the white void as the echo of the last thing she said rang all around Kyor. “Bye, Marin,” Kyor said, and stepped into the white void.

Strangely enough, this time being in the void felt… pleasant, as the world reassembled and was restored to how things were. And eventually, as the blinding white light was replaced by the familiar yellow glow of his room, Kyor stepped out. He was back. A scroll, which once held a portal in its centre, lay on the ground, burnt and smoking. Kyor smiled as it turned to ashes and dust, and then began crying. He didn’t know how long he cried for. But when he was done, the sticks of incense, as well as the papyrus scroll, were nothing more than a small pile of ashes. Kyor slowly stood up, a weak smile on his face. It was the early morning. Had he really gone yet another day without eating? He left his apartment to be greeted by a peaceful village on the plains of Pshelnika. A light wind blew through the tall, light green grass. The white void that had haunted him for the past few days was nowhere to be seen. Marin’s words echoed in his head once more, “I’ll miss you!”. “I’ll miss you too, Marin,” Kyor said, as if the living world would accept his message and give it to Marin, wherever she might be. He went over to Marin’s- wait, no, his shop. He opened the gates, and swept the dust off the jars of herbs and medicine. The final week he’d spent with Marin had taught him a lot. And Kyor sat in the shop and read a book. When people showed up, he’d sell them medicine, and instruct and assist them in whatever healing they required. And eventually the day ended, and he thought of Marin, lying in his bed, calmed by the soft sounds of burning incense and the seven moons over Pshelnika.