Our Adventure Will Never End
source https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/92520894
Entry 2 The Burden of Knowledge
I keep my eyes trained forward, staring in disbelief. It worked…It actually worked! I sigh, letting the spell end. Crafty, very crafty priestess, but not entirely unexpected. You do have that link to the ancient ones. Although I thought you weren’t supposed to interfere with humanity. A cosmic horror like you…keeping herself bound by her feelings for them. Pitiful.
How utterly disappointing, a hero swoops in at the last second and saves the girl? I think I’m physically cringing; this is ridiculous! I need a moment to think about what has happened.
I summoned 1337, she received the memories of 37564…but why…why did she get them? I tap at my right temple, thinking of a possible answer. I wander over to the bench and take a seat next to Ame, staring at her doll-like body. “What did you do 37546? Why did she inherit your memory? What triggered this?”
Not that I’ll receive an answer from her. She’s gone. Did her spirit linger? No…I would’ve noticed it. I suppose even you…still had some secrets hidden away. Clenching my fists, grinding my teeth, is this anger? Am I upset she got away? Am I upset that my perfect plan has hit a wall? What am I mad at? What…am I?
I cross my legs and put my left arm over the top of the bench toward Ame. Scanning the barren desert, slipping into my unconsciousness as I ponder the many questions I’ve created. My consciousness remains however as I spot the diary. That’s right! I had 37564 take 1337’s diary. I reach out towards it, grabbing it and pulling it towards me as if it were sitting in front of me. Benefits of this being my personal realm. Amelia’s diary, her final diary. I snap my fingers, summoning 37564’s. I’ll compare the two. Let’s see where the entries diverge. This girl...how did she have a war with her other selves? I really shouldn't have let that happen. It was fun to watch however... Anyways the entries should be fairly consistent but…I can’t check one without the other. I snap my fingers again, summoning the diary. Nothing…I snap my fingers again! What?! Did…I drop it off somewhere else? Did I…My eyes shift from left to right…Did I lose it? Ah, what is WRONG with me? Did I seriously lose it? It’s only been a few hours tops.
I drop my hand from the top of the bench, it falls on top of a book on the bench next to Ame. “AH! I…I guess I left it here! Oh, silly me! Getting worked up over nothing. Aha…ahahahaha…ahhhhh.” Now let’s see, I have to make sure all the entries line up between the two. They both should’ve started on the same day, through the same event. 1137’s looks good. Nothing out of place here. My heart… Does it bring pain you to know I’m on the precipice of finally…finally… Heh…What am I getting sentimental for? It’s just as IRyS said, the future, is made with our own hands. I will suffer it no longer, so I guess it can’t be really called the future anymore. Well…I’ll just give 37564’s a quick skim. Hers should start the same and…
As my fingers crack the diary open, I’m welcomed to the first page. It’s…huh? Uh…a single line? I open and close it several times, imagining that it’s contents will change. What is this? “Sorry Kronii, but our Princess is ina-nother castle!” I look up into the sky, feeling rather deflated. I sigh and shut the cover of the diary. I grip it in my right hand and throw it away as far as I can. A fake? Then…the real one…
My eyes widen, I see the possibility at play here! They…but how?! Did they find 37564’s diary? No…only other Ame’s can find lost Ame diaries. Then how?! How did…what? Wait. Think this through Kronii. It’s just as you said, nobody else could’ve found this. Then that leads… to this being intentional. It was not a mistake, it was malicious. I look over at Ame, her face still frozen. Her eyes still closed, never to reopen. “Did you…You did…didn’t you? You still had hope? For her? For 1337? Ahh, I suppose this is the second time I’ve been betrayed today. Is this the feeling of despair? The feeling of having all of your hard work amount to nothing. Having your carefully laid out plan fail right at the very end. Truly divine comedy.”
“Aha…aaaaaaaaa…ahahaha…ahahaahaahaha…AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA….HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
LAUGHING REALLY IS THE BEST MEDICINE. THE SMILE ON MY FACE. I’M HAPPY! PEOPLE LAUGH WHEN THEY ARE HAPPY RIGHT?! SO LAUGH! LAUGH! LAUGH!”
I sigh and take several deep breaths. Well, you’re certainly in no position to be punished. You’re already gone. No…there is a way…I will kill 1337. You believed in her more than I. Despite destroying every…single… universe with me. You stopped at hers? Something about her was so powerful, so hopeful, you quit at the very end to save her? I will find her. I will kill her. I will gaze into her eyes as I take her life back. Unbelievable that I failed here at the end. Me? Fail? Unheard of!
“Take a break Kronii.”
“Take a break?! You’re telling me to take a break?! Do you realize that I was in a great mood? And I was just 5 minutes away from ending it all? I don’t need a break! I need to REMOVE Amelia Watson from life! This…this existence… Look at you! Open your eyes! Idiot! IDIOT! YOU MORON. YOU FUCKING IDIOT RUNNING AROUND IN THEIR MAZE! WHY DID YOU BETRAY ME? AMELIA! ANSWER MEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeee.”
“C’mon Kronii. Let’s head over to the bar. We can talk about it more there.”
My anger is expelling itself from my body. My breaths short. My fists clenching tightly. Really tight. I didn’t notice until now. I think my nails pieced my skin; blood is running down. It drips down below, bathing the sand in a royal coat of red.
“I know I know I know sweetie. Just come over with me. We’ll work it out.”
I open my hands up and attempt to heed the advice. I place my right hand on my forehead and massage it for a few moments. Is this actually doing anything? Whatever. Let’s go to the bar. I snap the fingers on my left hand and open a temporal gate up to the bar. I wander over to it, leaving the desert and the events that transpired within it, behind. The bar opens up to a lobby, there’s seating in front of the counter. There’s a couple couches and a few chairs in the lounge portion, with a mirror sitting in front of them, staring at the empty room. Making my way to the back side of the bar counter, I mix whatever I get my hands and pour it into a glass. I don’t care about what’s in it, I just need something to loosen up. I take a seat on the couch, cross my legs, and take a long, deep drink of the concoction. I hold my drink to the side as I stare into the mirror. Oh you. So…perfect. Truly is it unfair to the denizens of the universe that something as beautiful as I exists.
“Oh Ame…Do you prefer the role of the pawn? Free from the burden of choice? Such bliss doesn’t exist for us. We can’t walk with such ignorance. The blindfold has been removed.”
“Kronii, have I complimented you today?” She says, staring back at me. God, how unbelievable good do I look?
“No, you haven’t…Guess I should get on that.”
“Kronii~ You look so good today~ Oh my god, you are so beautiful. Those flawless sapphire eyes, those eyelashes. Just perfect. Oh…that red on your forehead! It’s a little different, but it still looks good on you! Let me get you a napkin or here…I’ll Just put my finger up there and clean it up myself.”
I set the glass down on the shoulder of the couch and raise my hand to my forehead. I rub the red off…although…aww. It’s already dried up. “Well, I guess this calls for a shower! Let’s go Kronii!”
I get off the couch and head to the corridor on the left side of the mirror. Down the corridor and to the right is the washroom. I hadn’t thought about it earlier, but that little…scuffle… with Ame worked up a bit of a sweat. Inside I get some water running into the tub, I wash my face off at the vanity first, so I don’t have to bathe in blood. I pull a washcloth from the cabinet behind me and quickly dab it into the water. I take extra care to not let any of the water to contact my skin while running. Don’t want any extra water spilling or making a mess over my counter. Not really in a mood to clean anything up other than myself right now. I look into the mirror, dabbing my forehead a few times, getting the caked-on blood off of myself. “My goodness Kronii! You are simply divine! Aphrodite and Venus but common harlots compared to your beauty!”
“Why Kronii! What a delightful compliment! I am certainly spoiled by you!”
“Of course, sweetheart~ You deserve to hear it! Let’s climb into the tub and refresh. Look good, feel good, you feel me hon?”
“Oh ho~ I think I will in a moment!”
I drop the now rustic flavored wash cloth into the clothing hamper, it’ll soon be joined by my clothes. I turn towards my mirror as I remove my top, I wonder…was I…
I wrap my arms around myself and close my eyes. Swinging back and forth in my own arms…It’s ok Kronii. These things happen. Treat! Your! Self! You’ve come back from worse! Take this time to relax, unwind. I remove my cloak, collar, and chain headdress, how can I look back at her in the mirror. She’s too good for me. She deserves someone who doesn’t fail. Someone who is successful. I…sigh…
Bending down to the floor, I set my cloak and collar next to my top garments and stare down at my toes. Ah…my shoes are still on!? Why? Why? WHYYYYYYY? How did I leave my shoes on…in the freaking bathroom! Kronii for fuck sake! Get these things off!
I pull off the right, then the left foot and hold them both in my right hand. Setting them outside the washroom door, I start to pull my thigh-highs down as I walk back. Tripping up a little bit I get a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I can’t help but train my sight immediately on my…chest…Blinking and shying away from the view, I turn away from the mirror and continue on removing my stockings. I toss them over to my other clothes and start on my skirt. I dig a bit deeper and take hold of my underwear too and slide them down together in an instant. Hah! I learned that from…from…her…let’s just get into the tub.
Dipping my toes into the water, I watch myself closely as I enter. How graceful my movement is. Truly a master of my class. As my body is enveloped by the liquids grasp, I stare at the ceiling once again. This feeling. This disgusting feeling of failure. How did she do it? How did Amelia do it? I raise my arms to sit on top of the sides of the bathtub, stretching my feet out, closing my eyes and yawn…I need to…yawn…think…
“K…n….He….Kr…ni….
Kro….i……Hey….Kronii….
Krooooooonnnnnnniiiiiiiii! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!”
“GWAK?!”
“C’mon Kronii, you can’t sleep all night AND day!”
“Ughhhh, I don’t wanna get up. Go bother somebody else.”
“Ku-ro-niiiiiiii. I did bother someone else, in fact, I’ve bothered everyone else! We’re going out together! Everyone’s already outside.”
“Oh my gawwwwddddd. Why me?! You already have everyone else Bae. Just let me sleep, tell everyone else I got sick.”
“Can you even get sick Kronii? Look, just come with us, it’ll be fun! Gonna go shopping and have dinner!”
I roll over and stare at the wall, I am awake now, but I can’t admit defeat like this. “Uhgggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Baeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Why meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?”
“Let’s gogogogogogogo. Get some sunlight! You need that vitamin D.” She’s practically screaming, you always do this when you get excited.
“Alright. Alright. How about this, I’ll stop time and get a few more hours, then when I wake back up, time will resume, and then we can go out.” I pull my blanket over my head, the warmth and comfort of my bed disincentivizes leaving it.
“We have prepared for that contingency Kronii. In the event you selfishly take advantage of time, we brought Amelia to drag you out. We also thought it’d be beneficial for her to get to know the various council members, everyone really is here today!” I sit immediately upward in my bed, staring at Bae, my eyes wide open.
“Who? Who…are you asking? Can you say that again?”
She stares at me like I’m crazy for asking that question. What did she say? I…the words just didn’t come through and yet…
“Amelia? You know… that girl who found your watch. Well I guess it’s her watch now, but you know that better than I do. She put this little mustache on the face of it, super adorable!”
I lean back onto my pillow and think. My watch…is now Amelia’s…She found it…somewhere…and I let her keep it?
“What’s wrong? Did you realize some sort of super important time lord duty? Were you not supposed to let Amelia have the watch?” Bae’s tone now more serious, perhaps she thinks this is an important matter for the council to discuss.
“No…no…it’s nothing. I guess I just forgot. And it’s not hers for the record, I’m just letting her borrow it. She has the capability to naturally time travel, the watch just simplifies the process.”
“I see I see. Did you use it to practice or something?” She asks me quizzically.
“I suppose once upon a time, even I needed to practice controlling the flow of time. The watch will help Amelia out too. I would be quite disappointed if she weren’t able to learn it on her own one day, so I’ll give her the training wheels. Maybe… one day she might…” I trail off, thinking of a future that doesn’t exist. A bittersweet feeling... if I could just find a way to… My thoughts quickly interrupted by Bae.
“Gold is definitely a better color on her than you. Anyways, might you now get the heck out of bed and join us?”
Sigh…This girl I swear…You just can’t dislike her.
“Alright, fine…I’ll get up. Now leave me be while I get ready. Absolutely no peaking!” Pointing my finger right at her.
“Of course! See you in a bit!”
Bae waves as she exits my room, her smile comforts me more than my bed. My chest feels warm, I feel like for the first time in a long time, I’m home. After getting prepared I gather my things, dropping them off in my purse and exiting my room. I head down to the courtyard; everyone is ready and set to head out. Oh…she wasn’t lying, Amelia is here today. I guess there was some truth to her little threat earlier. Council and Amelia Watson, not quite sure about how I feel about them trying to take advantage of her ability.
Fauna claps her hands together and and tilts her head. “I’m so glad you found the time to join us Kronii, I really didn’t want to go have to go without you.”
“Yeah yeah, I bet that’s why you sent the Bae to get me rather than going yourself.” I reply, trying to sound indifferent.
“Well…I think Bae would’ve gotten the best result out of all of us, that’s all.” She ends her sentence with a smile.
I raise an eyebrow and stare at her for a moment, but I can’t be upset at Fauna, I know she meant well. I send my gaze across the other council members, everybody is dressed impeccably well, even Amelia is.
“Hey Ame, looks like you got some new threads. They’re interesting.” I say, honestly…thinking about it… gold does fit her better…
“O-oh thanks! Yeah, I wanted to get something that really fit what I was going for and this checked all the boxes. Look, my jacket even kinda looks like your cloak!” Amelia replies enthusiastically. I’m glad she found something that feels good.
“Hmm...trying to copy my perfect image huh? Of course my style would look fantastic on you, it's like my reflection dyed her hair blonde. What are you supposed to be however? Like an old timey doctor or something?” I ask curiously.
“Close! I’m a detective! Just pretend I’m Holmes’ assistant! Although I’ll be the one solving the mysteries this time around!”
“Glad to hear it Ame.” I reply happily, I’m glad she’s following the path of progress naturally.
“Alright ladies let’s not dally any longer! Let’s get our shopping on!” Ever enthusiastically, Bae declares it and so it shall be. Everyone follows her lead out, but I remain, calling for Amelia’s attention.
“Hey Ame, just a second.” I inquire
“What’s up Kronii? I don’t think Bae will be too happy if you hold things up any longer.” She tells me out of concern.
“I think it’s impossible for Bae to be anything other than happy…maybe scared…but I’ll take the heat for it, don’t worry.”
“Hmm alright then, what did you want?”
“How are your traveling skills now? Have you gotten better?”
“I have! The watch makes things so simple! I can go back and forwards so much easier now.”
“That’s wonderful news! Just make sure you don’t do anything to upset the timeline, there is an order to everything Ame.”
“I know that Kronii, you think I’d just go back and mess with people for no reason?”
I stare at her blankly, I have a feeling she would do something EXACTLY like that.
“What?! You’re thinking it aren’t you! Aren’t you!”
“I mean…kinda…yeah…”
“Kronii! Ok, look, all I’ve done is go back sometimes and eat different kinds of food, that’s it. I swear.”
“Ame…sigh…you aren’t built for eras of the past; you were built in the modern era. Don’t eat things from the past, you shouldn’t eat their food…” I raise an eyebrow at her “What have you had so far?” I follow it up by shoot her a glare, hoping to show that these rules are not to be ignored.
“Uhh well…I had some bread from England in the middle of the 19th century last week…”
“Ame! What the hell? Did you know bread made during that time period was adulterated by sawdust, chalk, clay, and other gross things! You’re gonna get sick eating things you have no knowledge about!”
She looks down at her shoes, hiding her face from me in silence.
“Oh my god, you already did, didn’t you?”
She nods her head up and down like a little kid being punished. “My tummy hort for 3 days…”
“You’re lucky it was only 3 days Ame! Be. Care. FUL. Got it?
“Yeah… sorry…”
“Alright…well let’s catch up with the others now shall we?”
“H-hey Kronii.”
“Yeah?
"I miss this. How long has it been, since we just got to talk like this?"
Amelia gets standoffish, she turns away from me and steps towards the center of the courtyard. I start to feel a bit uneasy about her movements. Why am I feeling uneasy? I know everything that will happen here, I’ve seen it before. This is…ugh…yours is not the only one who’s tummy can hort Ame…
“When are you going to wake up?
“Huh?”
“I said when are you going to wake up? Stop hiding.”
“Who are you talking to Ame?”
Slowly she starts walking towards me. My heart sinks into my stomach and I take a step backwards. I reach behind myself to feel for something, anything, but there’s nothing… “Shit!” Sweat starts sinking down my from my forehead, my eyes shift left and right in a panic, I’m being choked by this foreboding feeling. What’s going on here? My breaths get shorter and shorter until Ame now stands right before me. I clamp up and hold my breath. I hold myself in place and shut my eyes, trying to lock out the world around me.
“You can’t run away, not anymore Kronii.”
My arms release and flail in front of me, trying to get Ame out of the way. Suddenly, they slip into the water and my eyes peel open.
“GWAK?! AME!? Oh…” I’m returned to the empty scene in my bathroom. I look around the blank canvas, trying to decide if I’ve actually woken up or not. My soggy body certainly feels real but just in case…I raise my right hand to my face and pinch my cheek. “Ow…” Yeah…I’m back. I put my hand on the back of my head and rub it. I guess I went back in the dream…but more worryingly…I didn’t teach her that one…Tomorrow is going to be a long day.