CHAPTER 12: TIME

**Kuro**

Of course, the Lady Hinwe was devastated on the death of her closest servant, the Lady Meanor, daughter of Ulve. When we came back from Cherwoods and into Dupree palace, she would never leave the corpse’s side, even when we asked her to…we had to embalm the body, or it would rot. The saint did not even consider changing her clothes, smeared with her servant’s blood.

“…”

And she did not even cry. The Lady Hinwe just sat on a chair beside the Lady Meanor’s mangled body, her eyes stared at somewhere.

It’s been three days after that incident, and Seirna kept barriers on the border crossings of Chersea-Cherwoods, Cherwind-Cherwoods, and the land of the dwarves-Cherwoods. She couldn’t close off Cherwoods, so she had to erect those ‘shields’ to keep the other worlds ‘clean’ from that monster’s influence. And now that the Seductress’ return was confirmed, we had to reconsider our options in reinstalling the Lady Hinwe to her rightful throne.

“Good thing that the Seductress is still weak compared to her former self,” the Saint of the Flame revealed. “I mean, look, if she is the same as the one we fought in Cherflammen, she could’ve killed everyone in Cherwoods. This time though, she only destroyed a city.”

“We really need to get Her Holiness the Lady Hinwe back,” Ruro commented. “She’s the one with authority in Cherwoods; let’s strike against the Seductress early on, so that she won’t have the chance to re-surge.”

“True,” Natasha backed her. “I support that initiative.”

“But,” Maddie pointed out. “with how the Lady Hinwe is right now, I doubt she can be effective. We can’t even talk to her.”

The Saint of the Flame then spoke, “Damn it. The otherworlder already did everything for her and she’s still like that? If the Seductress gains her strength, she won’t even have to worry of when to mourn for her maid!”

“It’s fine, milady,” I told her. “Her Holiness just lost a loved one, it’s natural for her to be that devastated.”

“She’s a saint! She knows what to expect from a responsibility that includes the fate of an entire people.”

“Please give her time. I’ll talk to her after…”

Seirna, however, wouldn’t back down. “I got a better idea, otherworlder. How about I’m the one to talk sense to her? In the first place, this wouldn’t happen if not for the Lady Hinwe being so over-sensitive!”

At that moment, I stood up and put myself between her and the door. “I know my gesture is futile, for you can teleport,” I said to the Saint of the Flame. “However, it’s not about containing you, it’s about sending a message. If you leave this room, then you’ll be pointing your sword to me, Your Holiness.”

“Hoh,” Seirna smirked. “A few human kingdoms, and two races, worshipping you, and you think you can now raise your hand against the saints? Are you challenging me, Kuro of Arles?”

“Your Holiness, please understand,” I replied. “I do not mean disrespect. I’m only asking for time for the Lady Hinwe; she really needs it.” Then, without warning, I kneeled before her. “I plead, Your Holiness. We worked together; you know you can trust my judgment.”

The Saint of the Flame was silent for a few minutes, ostensibly weighing on her options. Then, she took a deep breath, and told me, “Alright, I’ll trust you, otherworlder. I also apologize for my outburst; my memories of the Seductress aren’t great, see? I’m…I’m scared.”

I didn’t notice it at that time, but when they heard the Lady Seirna admit her fear, the other saints exchanged amazed looks. Maddie later said that she never did that to anyone, as far as she could remember.

“Thank you, Your Holiness,” I bowed to her. “You won’t regret trusting me.”

----------

After our talk on the fate of Cherwoods and the Lady Hinwe, I remained at my seat, while Maddie, Ruro and Natasha reached towards the door to leave. Everyone was tired; we still haven’t recovered from that battle in the Saint’s Tree. And we also agreed not to tell about the situation there to the others, or they’d worry once again. The exhibits were still going on, and the cosplay festival, while it recently ended, was a ‘success’, according to the report I received.

No one is in the mood to spoil everyone’s feelings by telling them that the Seductress is here for a second time.

“…”

As for the Lady Seirna, she left earlier, to check on her spymaster. Umberto would never let his niece heal him, so I was the one who ended up dealing with his injuries…of course, with the power of the Human Saint.

“Ah, Your Holiness…”

“Hmm?” The three of them turned to me. I forgot that they were all ‘Holinesses’; but I really wanted to talk to the Lady Natasha, the Demon Saint.

“Hey, you saw my master’s mind,” Ruro grabbed Maddie’s arm. “He wants his old student to remain.”

However, the Human Saint wanted confirmation from me, “Kuro?”

“Well, you guys can stay as well,” I told them. “I only want to ask about the power of the Saint of Darkness. Its abilities and limits, in particular.”

“You mean…” Natasha took a seat opposite of me.

“Your Holiness, if I remember, you have the god-power of changing fates, right?”

“Sir G,” the Demon Saint calmly said. “I know what you’re thinking. Changing someone’s fate isn’t easy. There’s always an equal exchange, and even then, we can’t be sure that we’ll be successful.”

“But it was the god-power given to you, right?”

Natasha nodded.

“And you know, I didn’t inherit your god-power of foresight.”

“It was given to me, personally. Besides, it’s in my name, Sir G. Cassandra is that prophetess from the Greek Mythology.”

“Yep, the one who speaks the future and the truth, yet no one takes heed of her words.”

“Wow,” I heard Ruro whisper to Maddie. “That’s a sad existence.”

Greeks love tragedy, Your Fluffy Holiness.

“However, yes, Sir G, you inherited that other god-power; the authority over someone’s fate. But then, I don’t suggest you do it, Sir.”

“I have no plans to break the record of Cassandra,” I smirked. “You know our situation; all the work we did with the Lady Hinwe went for naught. So, something drastic must be done—even if we have to resort to cheating. I don’t think I can ask for Lady Seirna’s help in resurrecting the Lady Meanor.”

“Don’t,” Ruro quipped. “You’re wasting your time. Seirna is one to always adhere to ‘order’, and she blames the Lady Hinwe for her predicament. She believes that the Elf Saint should learn her lesson.”

“I’m of the same mind,” I went back to Natasha. “So, Your Dark Holiness, I plead that you teach me how to use your god-powers. This is not only for this case, it’s also to prepare for the future. And I implore you not to worry; though I’m a teacher, I’m a natural adventurer at heart as well.”

“Sir…”

“Will I die?”

Natasha was taken aback by my question. Nevertheless, she shook her head, though she added, “It’s all the same, Sir. Dealing with that person is as dangerous as losing your life.”

“Person?” I asked. “To change someone’s fate, I will have to deal with someone?”

The Demon Saint sighed. “Okay, Sir G, let me explain. The god-power of Destiny, which means the possessor will have control over everyone’s fate—including stones, down to the tiniest of atoms, is simply the ‘permission’ to access the Chamber of Time. Yes, I know it will sound weird, but Time is a real individual.”

By that moment, not only me, but also Maddie and Ruro were listening.

“And Time…well, that bitch!”

“Oh?!” Time’s a girl?

“Don’t let her see you think of her as a girl, or she’ll never talk to you again,” Natasha added. “Time is someone like a god, but she’s never one.”

“Well, they taught us that gods are a different existence, it is expected.”

“I don’t know if the High King of the Gods or Time came first, but in any case, even the High King respects her ‘boundaries’.”

Considering that the High King was the God of Order, that’s common.

“I’m serious, Sir!”

“Sorry.”

“Sir, I’m not one to talk, but for someone like the Lady Meanor and Lady Hinwe, going to Time and changing someone’s fate isn’t worth the sacrifice she’ll demand.”

“Count me as someone interested.”

“Time will not be amused.”

“Lady Natasha,” it was Maddie. “Sorry for interrupting your talk, but I just want to say that I trust Kuro’s judgment, just like what he did to the Saint of the Flame.”

“Yes, and I also want to trust Sir G,” the Demon Saint stared at me. “However, I knew my old teacher; he doesn’t care if he lost a limb or two…or even his life, if it only means for him to help someone. I don’t want to lose him; do you want to lose your Kuro, Lady Madelaine?”

“You speak as if the Lady Time would ask that…”

“Trust me. She will.”

“Oh?”

“She’s a bitch!” Natasha reiterated.

“Well,” I told the Demon Saint. “At this point, I don’t think the Lady Hinwe would recover fast enough before Cherwoods is destroyed…that is, if she will recover at all. She lost a loved one, the only person she trusted currently, after all. So, between dying from being ‘eaten’ by the Seductress, I’d rather die doing something to prevent that monster from succeeding.”

“There you go again, sir! Can’t you love your life even once?”

“I love my life! But I love you guys even more!”

The Human and Beastman Saints blushed, though Natasha grinned, “Ugh, that’s cringe, Sir! Do you even hear yourself?”

“So, will you tell me how to talk to Time?”

The Demon Saint gave me a long stare, though she eventually relented from being stubborn in the end.

----------

When I activated the power of the Demon Saint, black miasma came out of my hands, instead of black (ultraviolet) light. It’s not what I expected, still, her god-power made it possible for me to open the ‘veil’ to another dimension.

“…” What greeted me was a huge stone door, filled with weird designs and the usual ‘damp and cold’ atmosphere of some otherworldly place. Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the break in the ‘veil’.

“Ah, so you’re that famous human, Kuro of Arles!” I heard a voice speak the moment I set foot into her realm. “Even the High King of the Gods regard you in high esteem.”

He is?

“Well, I won’t say much, but please do come in!” Then, after that, I felt something like an earthquake, and the stone door rolled away to reveal a passageway that led to…I can’t actually tell if that end I see is the actual wall.

“You’ll find out.” I could imagine the speaker was smiling when she said that. It seemed that Time was enjoying her moments watching my reactions.

So, without further reservations, I went into the passageway. I thought that as I got near the ‘wall’, I would bump unto it. However, much to my surprise, it dissipated, revealing a ‘dungeon’-like room, filled with candles—some were suspended through the air, others on the ground, and several spinning wheels with red threads. What’s even stranger about this place was that, the candles were ‘connected’ by the red strings, and the strings itself were interconnected.

And also, the candles are lit, of varying lengths, and are hanging upside down.

“Well, for the curious, those candles are the people’s existence.”

“You mean those who are living?”

“Life and existence are two different concepts. The former, the activities you did when you’re alive; and the latter, is how people remembers you. That’s why you see candles of varying lengths; once those reached their ends, the flame will die, and people would forget about these individuals,” Time answered. “Isn’t it how it is back in your old world as well? You don’t remember everyone who lived throughout Earth’s history, save for a few famous individuals that made their mark. However, life and existence…they are interconnected; after all, no one will know you existed if you didn’t live.”

“I see…and these red threads?”

“The timeline itself. And the spinning wheels you see are the worlds, each making their own histories.”

Wow…seeing these ‘threads’ as a representation of a world’s history was something a ‘history enthusiast’ like me would love to see. But then, an idea came into my head; so, I asked Time about it.

“If the thread is cut, the world ends,” she confirmed. “Look behind you.”

I did what she said and saw empty spinning wheels, like hundreds, or possibly thousands, of those. “So, these are the worlds that ended.”

“Yep, some ran until the end of their natural lives. Others…they ended prematurely.”

“Oh?”

“The Seductress caused some of it. She consumed those worlds, and killed everyone, including their gods.”

I couldn’t say anything as the mere thought of that monster killing those invincible heavenly beings flashed through my mind. My reason was, if there’s a creature that could make it possible, it meant that no world—or people—was actually safe.

“You worry too much, as usual,” I heard Time laughed. “Well, that’s how it is. The other gods besides the High King are meant to be the protectors of their respective worlds. Some failed in their duties, others are successful. It’s part of our lives.”

“I see…” That was an interesting concept. But, thinking about it still sends shivers to me. Now then, I still got a question.

“Mister Kuro…”

“Yes?”

“Even though this is another dimension, some laws of physics still apply,” Time answered the question in my head before I even said it. “As such, I can’t possibly make the candles hang ‘downside up’ when the gravity is pulling those down.”

I was dumbfounded by her explanation; I honestly thought that the candles hanging ‘upside down’ had significance. “Oh…that’s quite a…letdown.”

----------

As I proceeded deeper into the room, I found the person in question, the Lady Time, was the gir—no, I mean, lady, seated on one of the spinning wheels.

“I’m sure you’re going to say I’m a girl,” was her greeting.

“N-No,” was my quick denial. “I-I mean, I apologize for my tongue.”

“It is fine, I understand that I’m too beautiful for you to slip.”

Right…

Well, I had to admit, if I described the Lady Time, I’d use the word ‘elegant’. Long, golden-yellow hair, flowing white dress, emerald green eyes…she looked more like that typical ‘elvish’ beauty, popularized by those movies about nine people trying to bring a ring of evil into a mouth of a volcano.

“That’s enough, Kuro of Arles,” she chuckled. “Any more of your thoughts describing me, and I’ll think you’re pandering to gain my favor.”

“My apologies again, milady.” But yeah, I love Maddie’s beauty more than hers.

“Mister Kuro, haven’t someone told you that whenever you’re in the presence of a lady, you only think of her and not someone else?”

“M-My apologies again…for the second time, milady.”

“The third.”

“Ye-Yes…” Now I understand why Natasha is like that. This lady was making me go in circles!

The Lady Time laughed and said, “I really love looking at your reactions, Kuro. For someone as power—uhm, excuse me…I shouldn’t say that.”

“What is, milady?”

“You’ll know someday,” she winked at me. “Also, please, stop referring to me as a ‘lady’. You may call me by my name, which is ‘Time’.”

“Isn’t that disrespect?” For someone as ‘big’ as her, the thought of calling her by her personal name was something I never dreamed of.

“As uptight as ever, eh?” Time shook her head. “You’ll understand someday. Well, in any case, we should proceed to your request. Can you tell me what is it?”

“Milady—”

“Uh-uh!”

“T-Time, if I may request, please change the fate of the Lady Meanor.”

“That elf servant who died protecting her mistress?” Time smiled. “Okay, so what do you offer?”

“What do you need?”

The lady chuckled and stood up from her spinning wheel, approaching my spot. “It seems the Lady Natasha hasn’t told you everything you need to know about me. Alright, I’ll forgive you for that. But let me be clear to you, Mister Kuro of Arles. I’m not the one who’d do the demands; you’ll be the one to offer, to see if I’d like what you have in store for me.”

----------

“I’m not the one who’d do the demands; you’ll be the one to offer…”

That was what Time said, but we’re not going anywhere.

“I’ll give you time to think of what I want,” she told me after I asked and guessed for so many times. “In the meantime, you may look around my place. I know you’re interested in everything you see here.”

I wanted to, but there’s something that’s bugging me. Err…isn’t it that time passes in Chersea?

“Yes, why?”

“Won’t my time be dilated if that happens? I still want to see my friends and loved ones when I come back, and in the same age bracket as them, if possible.”

“Well, if ever you came back and saw that a million years have passed, you still got me.”

“Hm?” I was surprised when I heard that, and I didn’t know what to say.

“Pretend you heard nothing.”

“I’m already doing it.”

“I really like you,” she laughed. “Okay, I’ll help you decide, Mister Kuro of Arles. Listen to this, ‘Dawn breaks, dusk ends. Eyes close until it opens. Tell me, wanderer, what is it this weary, lonely heart needs?’”

“That’s a poem, or a riddle?”

“Doesn’t matter; just offer me what you have in mind when you’re sure of it.”

Then, a round of silence. As I walked around the red threads, and the lit candles, I noticed that there were those that lost its flame, and well as empty candle holders…separated from the others.

“Have you remembered that the candles mean someone’s existence? And the flames burn those existences until it disappears?”

“Yes…”

“Those unlit candles are people who lost their existences before its natural end.”

“What…do you mean?”

“Exactly as what you think, Kuro of Arles,” Time winked at me. “Just like the case of your good friend, Dusis Luisa, the Marquise of Monfort, whose existence was erased by the Lady Seirna when you’re still enemies.”

“Oh…” was my reaction, because for some reason, I think there’s something wrong…or lacking in her explanation.

Then, Time uttered a spell, and from her hand one of those empty candleholders came out, and she showed it to me. “Don’t you know, Kuro of Arles, this very candleholder is special. It is because, this is the ‘existence’ of the person standing before me right now.”

My eyes widened as she presented me my own existence…an empty candleholder.

“Those empty candleholders, including yours, are of ‘special existence’,” the lady elaborated. “You belong to the individuals that lost their candles, simply because you went to a timeline that is not even yours. You can’t even see your candleholder connected to the threads, right?”

I could only nod. Honestly, there were a lot of information to take in, yet Time kept on showing me everything.

“Don’t worry, Kuro of Arles, you’ll fully understand these things someday,” she gave me a pat on the shoulder. “Still, let me explain to you why Luisa’s candle is dead, when you can still remember her. See, you’re someone outside of Chersea’s timeline, so you lost your candle. And, because of that, you can still remember her; you’re not affected by the timeline threads anymore.”

“But, if I lit Luisa’s candle, will she come back to life again?”

“I told you, life and existence are different. And, one simply cannot rekindle the flame of existence that has been lost. A proper exchange must be fulfilled…”

“Hence, you’re asking me to offer you something?”

“I really love that you’re quick to understand things,” Time nodded. “See, you’re asking me to change the Lady Meanor’s fate, whose destiny is to die in that explosion, after all. However, what is it that you’ll give me, so I can rework on the threads?”

“Is there any limit on the guesses?” I asked.

“Nope. We can do this forever, if that’s what you want,” she teased.

“Well, I don’t want to come back to Chersea with everyone I know dead,” I reiterated. “If you’ll ask me what I can offer to you, I’ll offer you ‘life’.”

Time crossed her arms and laughed, “Sorry, it’s not what I wanted.”

“But you said—”

“Offer me something I’ll want,” she repeated her requirements.

“Alright then, I’ll offer…uhm, ‘friendship’.”

“And how you’re supposed to do that? You’ll go back to Chersea, after all. Besides, Kuro of Arles, don’t you think it’s cringe? You think you’re in some anime where the ‘power of friendship’ thrives? Think of that clue I gave you earlier!”

“Well, you’re right,” I paused for a bit to ‘regroup’. “Though I can always open the access to your chambers, if you’re looking for a friend.”

“I don’t like it,” she told me straight. “Take you ‘friendship’ thing off my face and throw it in the garbage.”

“Okay then…hmm…” I closed my eyes to think of an answer. The death of the Lady Meanor was because she was loyal to the Elf Saint, who would be lonely from now on, as the ‘poem’—or whatever it was—said. And then, when I think about it, that passage could also refer to Time, whose chamber was a lonely existence. Really, she’s quite talkative, as opposed to what Natasha described to me…

It’s as if Time is excited to have someone around her place.

“Ahem…” she made it known to me that she could read my mind.

Sorry. I always get carried away…

“No matter. Now, give me an answer, Kuro of Arles…”

“Alright, here goes nothing,” I took a deep breath first before dropping, “Love. You yearn for love, Time. That’s the answer for your lonely existence.”

----------

**Hinwe, during their escape from the Tree Palace…**

“Your Holiness, move away!”

“!!!”

I haven’t got time to know what exactly happened, but the door suddenly exploded, and I felt someone push me away from the blast radius. I fell on the floor, and someone fell on top of me, as if shielding me from the flying projectiles. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Kuro with a demon weapon on his one hand, and a sword on the other, shooting towards the door, where several of my guards were trying to break in for some reason.

“Maddie, get to the Lady Hinwe!” he shouted.

“Right!” I saw the Human Saint appear and come to my spot. “Are you okay, milady?” she asked, trying to pull away the person over me. The Beastman saint, the Lady Ruro, helped her, as Kuro and another person—perhaps it was the Demon Saint—held off attackers assaulting my room.

“I-I’m good…” I told them. “I guess, I’m fine?”

“Thank goodness,” the Beastman Saint smiled at me, though her face turned sad as she looked on the body they pulled away. “…but…”

“…” the Lady Madelaine was using her powers, for I could see the bright white light from her hands. But it was the least of my concerns, for I could see Meanor’s boots worn by the mangled body that shielded me from the blast.

I realized who pushed me away…“Meanor!” I tried to come to her side, but the Lady Ruro stopped me.

Then, I heard Kuro shout, “Lady Seirna! Teleport us all out of here!”

At once, my vision went blurry, and then full white…

----------

When we reappeared at the Dupree palace after the Lady Seirna teleported us, I immediately went to my servant, who was with the Lady Madelaine. Even before I saw Meanor, I was horrified to see her blood smeared all over the Human Saint. Various thoughts flashed through my head, as I make sense of what happened to her. The time when we first met when she was a child. Her moment when she went back to me and kept away her sword to serve my household. And her efforts to hide my other servants’ disdain for their non-ruling saint…

She can’t die here!

“Meanor!” I shouted as I hugged her mangled body, laid on the floor. “Meanor, please, don’t leave me alone!” Tears fell from my eyes, as I couldn’t imagine my days without my dear friend. Lady Madelaine and Lady Ruro sat beside me, their hands on my shoulders…but I didn’t mind them. My heart and mind were focused on my servant…my family throughout this whole ordeal…

“Y-Your Holiness, who’s leaving?”

“!!!”

I took a good look at my maid. Meanor’s body, while bloodied because of the explosion earlier, was fine. “Her Holiness the Lady Madelaine healed me!” she said. “Thus, I will serve you longer, milady…”

“Eh? You’re not…dead?”

“Maddie already healed her,” I heard the Lady Ruro say. “That’s why we’re surprised you suddenly rushed to her side; do you really think Lady Meanor died?”

I could only nod…it hadn’t sink unto me just yet.

“Milady…” Meanor chuckled. “I may have lost a lot of blood, but I’m still moving. Do you want me dead for real?”

----------

At once, I searched for the Human Saint, whom the Beastman Saint said left to do something important. I found her talking with the Lady Seirna, who was telling everyone else that she would erect barriers on the border crossings to keep the Seductress off the other realms aside Cherwoods. “Lady Madelaine!” I called out to her as I never held back on expressing my gratitude. “Milady, you have no idea of how thankful I am for saving my Meanor! Thank you!”

“It’s alright,” she smiled. “If anything, you can thank Kuro and the Lady Natasha as well. They fought off your frenzied soldiers to buy enough time for the Lady Seirna to cast her teleport magic.”

“Right…” Honestly, there’s still this awkward feeling as I approached the Lord Kuro. After all, I did act stupid, misinterpreting his intentions to help me. As I came near him and the Lady Natasha, however, I noticed something different about him. “K-Kuro?” I caught his arm and had him turn to fully face me, “W-What happened to your right eye?”

It was the Lady Natasha who answered, “The mark of Time.”

“H-Huh?”

“Only the persons entrusted with the god-power of the Demon Saint would understand,” she replied. “But—”

Kuro suddenly interrupted her, “I’m fine, Your Holiness. Don’t sweat—”

“Sir G!” the Demon Saint insisted. “The Lady Hinwe should know, after all, it’s for her sake that you’re now blind in your right eye!”

“B-Blind?” I was shocked to hear that. “Why?!”

Kuro tried to make the atmosphere light, “W-Well, it’s not exactly blind, but…”

Then, the Lady Natasha explained to me what happened…and what should’ve happened. Meanor’s death, the Lady Seirna’s fears, and Kuro’s deal about the original timeline. I could only listen in silence, but the thought of the Lord Kuro—technically a complete stranger to me, and even more so, a person from a different race, and world—giving away his sight for me was something unthinkable.

For me, who’s useless, and lazy? Why?

Those were the questions I wanted to ask. Nevertheless, I refrained from doing it; Kuro had already gone through a lot just to help me, and even sacrificing himself to save Meanor. I wouldn’t waste my life thinking of how unfortunate I was because some random naysayers never appreciated me…

From now on, I’ll live for myself, and for those whom I love…especially Kuro…