It All Came Falling Down

✧ ✦ ✧

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, was it?

I sighed deeply, my mind in-tune with the rhythm of my heart. In such a dark and eerily silent place, I could hear it pounding like a line of taiko drums.

It was the third and final day. In which case, my time was running slim…

Why did this have to happen? If I had gotten there a moment sooner, could I have saved Prince Nou? Or was I just in over my head from the start?

I looked down, remembering the aftermath of the prince’s assassination, the dagger that indicated my involvement, and the revelation that Captain Grimwick was an otherworlder from Earth, just like me. I supposed that shouldn’t have come as too much of a surprise. The summoned were brought here at all ages, genders, and nationalities.

That aside, he wouldn’t even hear me out, the bastard! And where were all the guards that were supposed to be on duty??

The whole thing stunk, worse than Beggar’s Alley after a warm rain shower. And then there was the thief...

Whoever had stolen the Ashen Fang from my possession was likely the culprit in the murder of the Prince, and with the power of that dagger, they could get anywhere while avoiding detection. Assuming they could make full use of it.

But magical protections, or not, for them to have such a clear line to the prince like that without interference…

The Garrison had a lot to answer for, but would they really have to, with me on the block in their place? Leaving the dagger there at the scene of the crime was a trap for the fall guy, and I took the bait… hook, line, and sinker.

And to make matters worse, somehow, the evidence had been stacking against me as people like old man Jett and others at the guild who spotted me with the dagger were testifying. I didn’t blame them, of course, but still…

“Damn it all.”

In moments like these my mom would pull out a proverb or saying of some kind to try and cheer me up, even if what she conjured up didn’t make a lick of sense or correlate very well to the situation. Meanwhile, my old man would probably tell me that only losers feel sorry for themselves, and that my behavior was unbefitting of the Itsuka family name.

My mom and I were close, but after she passed away, my father blamed me most of all for driving her to the point where she collapsed from stress. All the skipped classes, getting in trouble with the police for staying out past curfew, letting my perfect grades falter once I reached high school.

I’m the worst, aren’t I?

“Nope, no point in going there, Ren.”

My old man was a bastard, yes… but maybe he’s not wrong this time. About me, and about my pitiful attitude.

I was like this back then too, as it turns out, throwing pity-parties for myself when things went unexpectedly awry. It’s a bad habit that followed me here in full force. There was a girl I had grown closer to in my last year of school, a no-nonsense type if I remembered correctly, who had told me something similar.

What was her name again… Something with an ‘s’, maybe? The truth was, I wasn’t going to get anywhere by crying about my circumstances. Some things could be helped and others couldn’t. For all my suffering and uncertainty, I could take solace in that one unwavering fact.

“Well, hells bells, is that you, Ren?” I heard a gruff voice from the cell across from mine, it appeared my newest inmate had finally awoken from his slumber. “Hah! You look like shit, with all due respect to the shit.”

I sighed to myself.

“Ah, it’s you, pigface, I thought something stunk in here. Could you breathe in the other direction, maybe?”

Khorag the Cruel. He had been booked overnight while I slept, probably for menacing, brawling, or a whole host of other petty crimes. And as much joy as it would have brought me to see him and his gang behind bars for once, I could guess my charges were a bit more serious than his. It dulled the joy for me, somewhat.

“C’mon, kiddo, don’t be that way!” Khorag chortled, leaning in with both hands on the bars. “We’re kindred spirits, you and me!”

“Oho? How do you figure?”

“I heard some things, killer, word gets around fast in Redrook...” I narrowed my gaze as he spoke. “Heard you clipped yourself a prince, huh? And won yourself a ticket to the chopping block…”

“…”

“And get this, that old limpdick Captain called off the headsmen, ‘cause he wanted to finish the job himself! GWAHAHA!”

Khorag broke into a belly laugh as I averted my gaze, uninterested in whatever else he had to say. Finally, as if to save me from further annoyance, I heard one of the doors open to the holding block, and heavy footsteps clanking in my direction.

“Finally…” I muttered.

“P-prisoner, ready yourself! The hour of judgment has finally come.” A portly and skittish sort, one of the Royal Garrison’s guards stood in front of my cell, holding a scroll which he read aloud. “For the crime of… slaying the last Prince of the Kingdom of Zen, your sentence is… death… by beheading.”

He audibly gulped upon reading the charges out, trying his best to avoid direct eye contact with me.

“I-it will be carried out immediately! On the eleventh day of the Moon Goddess’s calendar—“

This is gonna take awhile, I can tell.

“—whatever, mister, let’s get this over with already.” I cut in. “I haven’t got all day.”

“Yeah, let the boy die without any lip service, tubby, ’least you could do for him.” Khorag chirped behind him. “Chop, chop. Amirite?”

Khorag made a chopping motion with his hand.

“...as you wish, prisoner.” The guard who looked unseasoned, probably even younger than I was, released my restraints one at a time. ”N-no sudden movements, though, you hear??”

This is how little you think of me, Captain? This greenhorn is gonna shepherd me to the block?

I scoffed, shaking my head a little.

His sword was timidly trained on me the entire time, but I could confidently say he wouldn’t be that hard to overpower. However, even if I were to take him down, I had no energy left to run from the law afterward. I had long since reached the limits of my body, and there was nothing fueling me now but thoughts of what I would do with more time in this world.

Probably more of the same, if I was being realistic.

Once he had me out of the cell, and into a more mobile pair of wrist and ankle cuffs, he took his position behind me with his sword focused on my back. My shackles jingled a little as I turned around, making eye contact with the young man. The movement made him jump a little.

“So?”

“S-start moving, then!” The soldier commanded unconvincingly. “I… won’t hesitate to c-cut you down, so…”

“Yep, yep.”

He thought he was transporting a dangerous murderer, so I could understand his apprehension to a degree. So, doing him a favor before he pissed himself with fright, I started to move on my own.

“Catch you later, Ren!” Khorag shouted after me, breaking into a coughing fit. “Wait a minute, no I won’t! GWAHAHAH…”

Ignoring him, I took one heavy step after another up the wooden staircase and outside in the blinding sunlight. It was my first taste of Vitamin D in days, but I couldn’t very well enjoy it.

We were met with a huge crowd of people, and I could hardly assume they were there to celebrate my return to the outside. Many of them wore faces of anger and disgust, and I would say probably most wanted me dead. It took a squad of the Garrison’s guards just to hold back the crowd and prevent a riot from breaking out. They hurled insults at me by the dozens.

“Back alley trash!”

“Murderer!”

You’ve got it wrong, I didn’t do it.

“Kill him like he killed our beloved Prince Nou!”

Enough now, you’ll get your blood soon enough, you animals.

“Ren, dear boy!” I heard a shout from a more familiar voice.

“Boss...”

Milton pushed his way through the crowd with a frantic look on his face. One of the guards had let it slip that the Guildmaster tried with all his negotiating power to advocate for my release, but with such little evidence to clear me from wrongdoing, the Captain wouldn’t even consider it.

“S-stay back, Guildmaster, this one’s dangerous…”

“My dear boy, it really is you.” Ignoring the soldier, Milton spoke to me like a worried older sibling might. “I tried to explain to them that you lost possession of the dagger, but they wouldn’t hear it. Multiple witness statements even had you at the scene where the murder occurred. Please, tell me it’s not true, and I’ll—”

“—I was there.” I admitted, sighing. “I was.”

“That’s…”

“Not exactly what you wanted to hear, is it?” I smirked. “Well, it blows, but… not much you can do, I guess.”

Indeed, there was little that could be done, even when taking into account the Guildmaster’s influence. What’s done was done, and talking down this bloodthirsty gathering now would probably tear this place apart, besides.

Perhaps if I had other allies by my side, they could’ve corroborated stories to help exonerate me, but I had fought alone all this time. Well, mostly.

“This is going to sound like a tactless question, but… you didn’t kill him, did you, Ren?” Milton asked. “The Prince, I mean.”

“I swear on my mother’s grave, I didn’t.” I assured him without any hesitation. “I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, that’s all.”

“Wrong time… huh?” Milton nodded to himself as if understanding something, but then he proceeded to ask me another tactless question. “Then, might I also ask, are you afraid to die?”

Not that I minded though. I humored him, somewhat.

“Hmph, who knows?” I shrugged. “This place really sucked, though. I won’t miss it a damn bit.”

“Not even a little?”

“...” I paused. “Nope.”

“I see.”

I don’t know if he believed my lie, but Milton still smiled as if he did, his eyes closed.

“Boss, even though I could never quite get a read on you, and you always had a vibe about you like you seemed to be hiding something or another...”

“My, my, is that what you think of me…?” Milton smiled, exasperated.

“You bet, but for what it’s worth, I wanted to thank you for treating me well all these weeks and months. Even when no one else would give me the time of day.” I said, turning away from Milton. “So, uhh, goodbye.”

Milton was left standing in place, unable to respond at first to my hamfisted attempt at giving thanks. Finally, though, after I had resumed my slow march to the castle’s courtyard, I heard him call out.

“No, I must thank you, dear boy! For all your hard work, honestly.” He said. “And… I sincerely hope your next life is kinder to you than this one was. I promise, even if it takes my last breath, I will find whoever is responsible for this.”

"That'll do."

My next life, huh? What a weird way to put it.

I nodded, however, continuing on my way.

“You’re not at all like I thought you’d be…” The young soldier behind me muttered, bearing witness to the exchange.

“Huh, what hell was that?”

“N-nothing!”

“Yep, yep, thought so.” I chuckled to myself.

As I approached the block where I would meet my death, atop a wooden stage, I saw Captain Grimwick first with his gleaming sword drawn.

“Excellent work, Dober, you may be dismissed to the barracks for some rest.” The Captain nodded to his underling to leave upon seeing us. When the soldier didn’t move, he clarified. “Now would be good.”

“R-right! T-thank you, sir!” The young man gave me one more curious glance, bordering on pity, before scurrying away from the block.

It was a cloudy morning like any other in Redrook, but soon, this unassuming stage would be painted with blood. My blood. A few moments passed as the Captain, my executioner, and I stared each other down.

Thunder rolled in the distance.

“A storm is coming…” Grimwick observed, but I felt as if he didn’t only mean it in the literal sense. “At the risk of dragging this out any further, or prompting a futile escape attempt, have you any last words, Ren?”

“Not a bad soldier you got there.” I said, referring to the one called “Dober”. “But he could use a little more P.T., I could hear him gasping for breath all the way up those stairs. I was afraid we’d have to do a guard change before I even got here.”

“Is that all you have to say for yourself, after everything you’ve done? Having slain the prince in cold blood and leaving the kingdom without an heir for the first time in its long and storied history? I expected more, frankly, we can never get you to shut up.”

“Well, ain’t that a shame. If you’re that keen to know, it wasn’t everything I wanted to say. I had a whole spiel planned out about how convenient this whole thing turned out for you...”

His glare intensified.

“But… I doubt you’d like to hear it, would you?”

“Likely not.”

“Then let’s get on with it, Captain.”

“With pleasure, street rat...”

I suppose that's all, I'm ready.

I rested my chin on the block, stained red from others who had faced their end over many years of use. The worst of the worst in the history of the kingdom probably found themselves hunched over in this same fashion. Whether I liked it or not, we were now kindred spirits as Khorag put it so elegantly, and my name would similarly live on in infamy in this country for years to come.

What a nice sentiment.

My eyes scanned the crowd, and I saw someone who surprised me a little to see. My glare intensified.

“So you came to gloat, after all?”

A figure, cloaked in black, stood silently in the crowd of onlookers who hurled insults and objects alike. As the Royal Garrison‘s Captain and his men tried to calm them down, I knelt, facing whom I believed to have set me up.

Well take it all in, bastard. It’s the end of the story, your work made manifest.

As the wool was pulled over my eyes, I saw them begin to extend their palm towards me, puzzling me a bit in my last moments.

“For the crime of assassinating Prince Nou at the age of only ten years old—long before the prime of his rule—we will now carry out the death penalty on the accused, Itsuka Ren, or as you know him… the Liar of Beggar’s Alley.” Grimwick bellowed to a chorus of cheers from the audience.

He always did love to hear himself talk. As he droned on, I heard drums roll and the nervous anticipation start to build in the voices of those watching. My heart was also set aflutter, for all my bravado, I simply couldn’t help it.

“—are you afraid to die.”

“And though it will not bring back those lost, or heal the wounds of our souls… With this divine blade, I shall rend this criminal’s head asunder, and deliver the will of the people henceforth!”

The moment had finally come, the moment my story came to an end.

“I’m sorry… Mom.”

“HYAH!”

As I felt a rush of air, I closed my eyes tight, waiting for it all to be over.

…

…

…

After a few moments, however, nothing happened. I could sense the cold steel pressing against the back of my neck, but felt no pain. In fact, I couldn’t hear anything either.

I shook the wool off my face.

“—!?”

What the hell is this…

The Captain behind me, all of his men, and even the entire crowd had frozen completely in time. All except one, that is.

The assassin!?

Hand still outstretched, she, a woman, began an incantation.

“Hands of time answer the call of your loyal keeper, give us back that which we have lost, and allow the threads of reality to be rewritten and made whole again...”

Sparks of golden light began to rise around us, flickering every which way like a firecracker.

Something doesn’t feel right, my body feels… too light. What’s going… on………

“…grant us a brand new sunrise on the cusp of a brighter tomorrow…”

The world around me suddenly warped, rushing by in flashes like a space ship traveling through hyperspace. The experience was overwhelming as my eyes widened, and my breath quickened. I had never felt so afraid and yet so exhilarated, more intense than any roller coaster.

“RETRO VERSARE!”

The second she shouted the final words, everything slipped away at the toll of a distant bell.

…

…

…

My mind settled back into itself as sound poured into my ears once again. The light of the evening sun was blinding as my gaze shifted back into focus, multiple figures crossing my view. The scene wasn’t the chaotic one from the chopping block, no, it painted a far more peaceful picture of everyday life in Redrook.

“…E-eh?”

I stood where I had the evening before, holding the missive Milton had given me to hand to Captain Grimwick.

Distant bells tolled again.

“Oh, the Central District, but how did I…?”

I realized where I was, or more importantly, when I was.

Did that woman, the thief… rewind time? For real??

If her lengthy incantation were any indication, that would certainly seem like the case.

Wait, wait, wait, there’s no way that’s possible! Unless…

I felt sweat begin to form on my brow, and my brain scattered with uncertainty. Fantasy world or not, the fact that time-based magic could exist was equally fascinating… and terrifying. And yet, I could find no other explanation.

As if to further illustrate the point, the wounds I had sustained over my three day prison stay had also miraculously healed. Wrists, forehead, bones, and all. I glanced up slowly, noticing a cloaked figure leaning up against the wall in a nearby alley, who eyed me curiously.

“It’s you—!” I felt the words get caught in my throat while my vision wavered, I was suddenly hit by a sense of deja vu. ”I said that… before… didn’t I?”

Rather than taking off and running, like the time prior, they nodded calmly for me to follow along and stepped further into the alley. But my legs wouldn’t carry me an inch, not at first.

It’s her, I realize that now, but why…

The same woman from the crowd, and perhaps the one who had set me up, but also... My savior?

It just didn’t make any sense. Inability to move aside, I knew I had to find out what the hell was going on, that much was certain. I couldn’t afford to be hesitant.

“Hey, w-wait up!”

I sped into behind her after locating my nerve, and she stood facing me without any indication that she would flee. Now that I had her in a position where I could have a serious chat, a billion questions rolled into my mind. Mainly…

“You saved me from the block, rewound time, didn’t you? But why?? Aren’t you the one who—!?”

“—I’m not at all who you may be thinking of, I can assure you of that.” The woman who turned back time took off her hood, to reveal herself. Her face was familiar, almost uncannily so. “But I know who you are, Ren-kun.”

”You… know me?”

“Mhm. Curious?”

Her black braided hair, her round eye glasses, and the devilish grin she wore. Everything about her screamed that I knew her from somewhere deep within my memories. Perhaps even…

…from my time on Earth? She did use an honorific with my name, but is that evidence on its own? Hardly.

“I wore the same garb as your knife thief to grab your attention before, and to… push you in the right direction. But also to make you understand some hard truths about this world. Sorry to make you go through so much just to prove a point, but I—”

“—Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down. You say we’re acquainted and all, but sorry, I don’t remember a thing about you." I said. "And if you weren’t the one who stole the dagger, or murdered the prince, then… who the hell are you? Start there, lady!”

“How rude! Don’t forget I just saved your life, Ren-kun. But… That much is to be expected out of you at this stage.” She shrugged, smiling a carefree sort of smile. “I suppose I shall re-introduce myself then…”

I nodded, satisfied for now, but still out of sorts.

“My name is Shion, a Time Keeper and apprentice of Headmaster Argo at the Institute for Practical Magic. Together we are stewards of time and reality, serving our deity, Lord Aemor, in maintaining the timestream. As for the reason I’ve appeared to you now…”

She held out her hand invitingly, the other resting on her chest. A warm look I couldn’t quite comprehend spread across her face.

“The truth is, you’re special, Ren-kun. Only you, the tenth variant, can save Princess Nouella as well as this reality from unraveling at the seams. The road will be treacherous, absolutely, but you’ll have our help, when and where you might need it. You need only say the word...”

“…”

If only I could conjure up a response to all of this, but there was only one word that came to my mind at that very moment.

…

“Huh??”