Commander was about to start talking, explaining who he was, but a fourth figure appeared on the cliff above them. Commander immediately recognised who it was. It was Preksak.
Is this it, Commander thought. The end so soon?
The three men Commander had run into, opened fire on Preksak, but it was deflected by lightning bolts from Preksak. They were all powerless in the face of him. Preksak fired off more lightning bolts at the group, and they all started to run down the stone path, towards the plains below.
"Is that Preksak? How did he find us so quickly?" Commander yelled while they were running.
Adzy replied:
"It’s not the real him." "It's one of his artifices."
SilentStormSix fired off a crossbow at it, and it hit it square in the head, momentarily disabling it. The artifice momentarily shuddered and shut down for a moment.
"Come on, let’s go." "This may be our only moment to escape."
Commander had heard the rumours of sightings of Preksak’s lab at the end of time, with thousands of artifice versions of himself waiting for the moment of Preksak’s return. But Commander had just chalked it up to wild rumours and speculation, along with the return of Preksak. But somehow, rumour and speculation had become reality. The group reached the bottom of the stone path and came to an open sewer entrance.
"Quick in here, we can lose the artifice if we duck in here," Skuhoo said.
The artifice’s incapacitation was over, it seemed, as it came back to life. Its red eyes lit up again, and it looked around at its surroundings, trying to figure out where the group went. The artifice flew over them, red spotlights shot from its eyes looking for them. Once in a while, a bolt of lightning shot off it, hitting random spots on the ground.
It reminded Commander of an old comic book he read back home in Grimdale. The artifice was like a sentinel from the X-Men comics, looking for mutants to kill and wipe out. The thought of it made Commander shudder, but the group ducked into the sewer and disappeared before Commander could give the thought any more attention.
…
In what must have felt like miles and miles of open sewer, the group came to a stop below a rusted metal ladder. The journey through the sewer, unlike the chase with the artifice, was quiet. Nothing but still, dirty water filled the middle of the sewer, which had cracked stone walls and a hole in the ceiling once in a while. The red spotlight of artifices would illuminate the walls of the sewer once in a while, too, causing the group to hide against the wall while it flew over.
"Here. There’s a safe space of refuge up here." Adzy said.
The group, one at a time, made their way up the rusted ladder, and came into what seemed like a basement. Crates with tarps over them lined the room, and cobwebs hung everywhere. The stone walls, like everything Commander had seen so far, were cracked and seemed ancient. The floor reflected the same fact just as well. Makeshift lanterns lit up the room.
Adzy turned around to face Commander, aimed his bow straight at him, and said to Commander:
"Now, tell me again. Who the hell are you and where did you come from? I don’t want to put an arrow in your chest, but if I think you’re lying, I will kill you."
Commander started to speak:
"Look, last night I was enjoying a nice bottle of mead in New Auru, and then the next day I found myself back in the world from where I originally came from. Wizardteepot had come to visit me, to say goodbye and warn me about Preksak. Somehow, time has been altered so that Preksak won. I don’t know if I’m somehow responsible for this or if he is."
Skuhoo had a look of confusion on his face and spoke:
‘Wizardteepot, Auru? Altered timelines? What the hell are you talking about? He’s definitely a spy for Preksak. Shoot him, Azdy. Before they can track us."
Azdy drew back his bow, preparing to kill Commander, but Commander reached into his pockets and pulled out the piece of the knife.
"Wait! Wait! Wait!" I have a piece of a knife here." Commander said, holding it up so everyone could see it.
The glint of the light in the room reflected off its surface, illuminating the wall in front of Commander.
SilentStormSix asked, with a look of shock on his face:
"How did you get that? We’ve been trying for years to destroy the knives. Give that to Adzy."
Commander reluctantly handed it to Adzy, and he held it in his hand, flipping it over to look at it. Suddenly Adzy seized up, and Skuhoo grabbed him to stop him from falling. SilentStormSix immediately aimed his weapon back at Commander. Commander backed up against a wall, not knowing what would happen next.
Skuhoo helped Adzy up and propped him off on his shoulders.
"Adzy? Are you alright?" Skuhoo whispered.
Adzy’s eyes fluttered open, and he looked around at everything in shock.
" I remember... I remember now... This isn’t the way things are meant to be... Time has been cut in half."
Commander realised something. Why hadn’t he clued in on it, when his uncle back in Crowmere had the same reaction to holding the piece of the knife? Somehow, thanks to the temporal mechanics of the knife, it restored their memories of the true timeline.
It was the only way Commander had been able to remember the true past. It was the only way he knew he had shifted timelines, back to his original. He would have probably assumed, if he didn’t have the shard, that his original timeline hadn’t changed and that he never left for Loka.
Adzy then spoke again:
"Lower your weapon, SilentStormSix. Commander is just as real as any of us. He’s not a spy."
SilenStormSix reluctantly lowered his bow and turned his attention back to Adzy, helping him get back up on his feet.
"It’s good to have you back, Adzy," Commander said.
"Just as well, old friend," Adzy said.
"Here, take this. It will restore your memories." Adzy said, passing the piece of the knife to Skuhoo.
Skuhoo reluctantly took the shard, and he seized up just like Adzy but didn’t falter like him.
Skuhoo opened his eyes and gasped:
"Oh god, I remember everything... None of this is right."
SilentStormSix then took the shard, and the same thing happened to him.
"What the hell happened? How are we here?" SilentStormSix asked.
"I don’t know," Commander said.
Commander grabbed Adzy by the shoulders and shook him.
"Where’s Cryptitie? Where’s MagPieMan? Where’s Jedoi? They could have stopped this from happening. What did Preksak do in the past?"
Adzy looked at Commander with a look of sadness and anger.
"They are all dead... or slaves to Preksak... Oh god, I know the timeline has been altered!"
Skuhoo and SilentStormSix both had the same look on their faces—a look of realisation.
"What, how? TELL ME!" Commander yelled.
It was Skuhoo who broke the news.
"Cryptite is dead... He was killed fighting Preksak at the Battle of the Spire—this is where everything changed. Freyjia wasn’t able to save him in time.
"But how did he die?" Commander asked
‘We don’t know… But this isn’t how things are meant to be. That battle was the most important battle ever fought on Loka."
Right before the group could discuss more, a blast went off and everyone was slammed into each other.
A hole had been blown in the ceiling, and red light poured in. A lone figure stood in the rubble. But it wasn’t an artifice.
"Oh god… It can’t be. "
Standing in front of the entire group was a monster. Looking like half a machine, 36s stood, taking in everything.
"You are all coming with me." Preksak would like to have a chat with you."
After 36s was done speaking, artifices flew in and seized the whole group, and they all flew out through the hole in the ceiling.
The last thought Commander had before he was knocked out was,Oh, god.
There’s no way to fix things.
We’re doomed.
Is this it, Commander thought. The end so soon?
The three men Commander had run into, opened fire on Preksak, but it was deflected by lightning bolts from Preksak. They were all powerless in the face of him. Preksak fired off more lightning bolts at the group, and they all started to run down the stone path, towards the plains below.
"Is that Preksak? How did he find us so quickly?" Commander yelled while they were running.
Adzy replied:
"It’s not the real him." "It's one of his artifices."
SilentStormSix fired off a crossbow at it, and it hit it square in the head, momentarily disabling it. The artifice momentarily shuddered and shut down for a moment.
"Come on, let’s go." "This may be our only moment to escape."
Commander had heard the rumours of sightings of Preksak’s lab at the end of time, with thousands of artifice versions of himself waiting for the moment of Preksak’s return. But Commander had just chalked it up to wild rumours and speculation, along with the return of Preksak. But somehow, rumour and speculation had become reality. The group reached the bottom of the stone path and came to an open sewer entrance.
"Quick in here, we can lose the artifice if we duck in here," Skuhoo said.
The artifice’s incapacitation was over, it seemed, as it came back to life. Its red eyes lit up again, and it looked around at its surroundings, trying to figure out where the group went. The artifice flew over them, red spotlights shot from its eyes looking for them. Once in a while, a bolt of lightning shot off it, hitting random spots on the ground.
It reminded Commander of an old comic book he read back home in Grimdale. The artifice was like a sentinel from the X-Men comics, looking for mutants to kill and wipe out. The thought of it made Commander shudder, but the group ducked into the sewer and disappeared before Commander could give the thought any more attention.
…
In what must have felt like miles and miles of open sewer, the group came to a stop below a rusted metal ladder. The journey through the sewer, unlike the chase with the artifice, was quiet. Nothing but still, dirty water filled the middle of the sewer, which had cracked stone walls and a hole in the ceiling once in a while. The red spotlight of artifices would illuminate the walls of the sewer once in a while, too, causing the group to hide against the wall while it flew over.
"Here. There’s a safe space of refuge up here." Adzy said.
The group, one at a time, made their way up the rusted ladder, and came into what seemed like a basement. Crates with tarps over them lined the room, and cobwebs hung everywhere. The stone walls, like everything Commander had seen so far, were cracked and seemed ancient. The floor reflected the same fact just as well. Makeshift lanterns lit up the room.
Adzy turned around to face Commander, aimed his bow straight at him, and said to Commander:
"Now, tell me again. Who the hell are you and where did you come from? I don’t want to put an arrow in your chest, but if I think you’re lying, I will kill you."
Commander started to speak:
"Look, last night I was enjoying a nice bottle of mead in New Auru, and then the next day I found myself back in the world from where I originally came from. Wizardteepot had come to visit me, to say goodbye and warn me about Preksak. Somehow, time has been altered so that Preksak won. I don’t know if I’m somehow responsible for this or if he is."
Skuhoo had a look of confusion on his face and spoke:
‘Wizardteepot, Auru? Altered timelines? What the hell are you talking about? He’s definitely a spy for Preksak. Shoot him, Azdy. Before they can track us."
Azdy drew back his bow, preparing to kill Commander, but Commander reached into his pockets and pulled out the piece of the knife.
"Wait! Wait! Wait!" I have a piece of a knife here." Commander said, holding it up so everyone could see it.
The glint of the light in the room reflected off its surface, illuminating the wall in front of Commander.
SilentStormSix asked, with a look of shock on his face:
"How did you get that? We’ve been trying for years to destroy the knives. Give that to Adzy."
Commander reluctantly handed it to Adzy, and he held it in his hand, flipping it over to look at it. Suddenly Adzy seized up, and Skuhoo grabbed him to stop him from falling. SilentStormSix immediately aimed his weapon back at Commander. Commander backed up against a wall, not knowing what would happen next.
Skuhoo helped Adzy up and propped him off on his shoulders.
"Adzy? Are you alright?" Skuhoo whispered.
Adzy’s eyes fluttered open, and he looked around at everything in shock.
" I remember... I remember now... This isn’t the way things are meant to be... Time has been cut in half."
Commander realised something. Why hadn’t he clued in on it, when his uncle back in Crowmere had the same reaction to holding the piece of the knife? Somehow, thanks to the temporal mechanics of the knife, it restored their memories of the true timeline.
It was the only way Commander had been able to remember the true past. It was the only way he knew he had shifted timelines, back to his original. He would have probably assumed, if he didn’t have the shard, that his original timeline hadn’t changed and that he never left for Loka.
Adzy then spoke again:
"Lower your weapon, SilentStormSix. Commander is just as real as any of us. He’s not a spy."
SilenStormSix reluctantly lowered his bow and turned his attention back to Adzy, helping him get back up on his feet.
"It’s good to have you back, Adzy," Commander said.
"Just as well, old friend," Adzy said.
"Here, take this. It will restore your memories." Adzy said, passing the piece of the knife to Skuhoo.
Skuhoo reluctantly took the shard, and he seized up just like Adzy but didn’t falter like him.
Skuhoo opened his eyes and gasped:
"Oh god, I remember everything... None of this is right."
SilentStormSix then took the shard, and the same thing happened to him.
"What the hell happened? How are we here?" SilentStormSix asked.
"I don’t know," Commander said.
Commander grabbed Adzy by the shoulders and shook him.
"Where’s Cryptitie? Where’s MagPieMan? Where’s Jedoi? They could have stopped this from happening. What did Preksak do in the past?"
Adzy looked at Commander with a look of sadness and anger.
"They are all dead... or slaves to Preksak... Oh god, I know the timeline has been altered!"
Skuhoo and SilentStormSix both had the same look on their faces—a look of realisation.
"What, how? TELL ME!" Commander yelled.
It was Skuhoo who broke the news.
"Cryptite is dead... He was killed fighting Preksak at the Battle of the Spire—this is where everything changed. Freyjia wasn’t able to save him in time.
"But how did he die?" Commander asked
‘We don’t know… But this isn’t how things are meant to be. That battle was the most important battle ever fought on Loka."
Right before the group could discuss more, a blast went off and everyone was slammed into each other.
A hole had been blown in the ceiling, and red light poured in. A lone figure stood in the rubble. But it wasn’t an artifice.
"Oh god… It can’t be. "
Standing in front of the entire group was a monster. Looking like half a machine, 36s stood, taking in everything.
"You are all coming with me." Preksak would like to have a chat with you."
After 36s was done speaking, artifices flew in and seized the whole group, and they all flew out through the hole in the ceiling.
The last thought Commander had before he was knocked out was,Oh, god.
There’s no way to fix things.
We’re doomed.
