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—
/Later…/
"... Phew… Children can be… Tireso to deal with."
Visibly tired, but at the sa ti amused, Dale entered his room, took out his dirty shirt, and sat down near the window, exhaling lightly as he looked at the clouds pass by.
Around two hours had passed since the Clocktower had resud function and a lot had already occurred.
After its activation, Dale stood with the researchers for a little longer until others began to arrive, curious about what was happening.
It was to no surprise they did, given how loud the bell was.
Upon explaining everything in detail, assuring them that everything was fine, he left them to their own devices and curiosities, returning to his room to rest, ready to eat a al he had packed inside his inventory as he didn't wish to bother Illia today as she worked…
Unfortunately, mid-way through his return, he was "ambushed" by a group of children.
For him, it had been a while since he played with any children as most of them ended up with their parents or in caretaking hos repurposed to house them as a school would, but for them, it hadn't been that long at all...
Since Illia couldn't take care of every single child while the adults worked and the fact she also found a new job that was taking her ti, soone had to do it in her stead.
So a few old hos were repaired and refurbished to function as makeshift schools where the elderly, together with so others would take care of them during the day, that was why Dale rarely ever saw any children as he went on with his day.
But now, such a project was still in developnt, it's not like creating a safe environnt for hundreds of children was easy, so it wasn't unusual to see children running around the place, which ended up taking over an hour of his ti.
Anyhow, he was back in his room, ready to work his magic… And lo and behold, his continuous back and forth was proving effective!
"There's not much left on my plate to be resolved, my to-do list is mostly crossed out. I'm getting there but there's still quite a bit left to resolve."
He opened his inventory, skimming through his collection until he pulled out an item, a small translucent glass ball.
/Pull... Clack clack.../
Soon enough, he pulled two others, placing them on a small table next to him, causing them to 'clink' as they rolled onto each other.
Each of the glass marbles looked slightly different from the other, not on a surface level but what each held within.
One marble seed to contain a strong fla frozen in ti, it was small, smaller than even his fingernails, looking almost like a hologram, floating inside.
The other contained a drop of a strange liquid, but it was hard to say if it was truly that and not sothing else, like a stain or the oxidation of a tal...
Whatever it was, the inside of the marble seed to have cracked, and together with the stains of ti, left it almost unrecognizable.
Lastly, a rather clean and smooth marble remained, however, different from the other two, it seed blank, unremarkable, as if there was little of value in itself to be displayed.
It wasn't an empty canvas, Dale felt the Marble contained quite a little of "sothing" within it, however, that sothing was of little substance compared to the rest.
A strange thought to have when all three marbles were transparent and of similar sizes, but there was a certain aura to it that made it less appealing than its counterparts.
There wasn't much to question here as Dale already knew what these were, still, like the first ti he took them out in the alternative tiline, he still felt the sa, mysterious feeling as before.
Obviously, these things could only be one thing, the very sa item he shared with Testros not so long ago…
[mory Shard of an Ancient Warrior
Type: Consumable
Description: The mories of an Ancient Warrior trapped within a bauble, can be experienced and observed by shattering it.
]
[mory Shard of a Coliseum Slave
Type: Consumable
Description: The mories of a naless Slave trapped within a bauble, can be experienced and observed by shattering it.
]
[mory Shard of a Bystander
Type: Consumable
Description: The mories of soone who witnessed a mont engraved in history trapped within a bauble, can be experienced and observed by shattering it.
]
"Hm… I never thought I would have this chance… To experience these again…"
There was a deep sense of fulfillnt within his tone, he couldn't quite put into words how pleased he was with this opportunity.
Traveling back in ti, if this was what he was experiencing, wasn't rely about that, rembering what would happen and changing it.
It was also about all of the experiences one could relive and alter, the chance to fully engrave and absorb sothing one was previously unable to and use it to alter the future even further.
'Experiencing a master's words as he explains things to you is certainly a nice way of learning about sothing, however, it falls onto one's abilities and the master's proficiency in teaching to fully bring forth change within oneself, sothing that can take years upon years of hard work, especially with things hard to be put into words.'
'Books can shorten the gap, but there are things a book cannot encompass, such as gestures, emotions, feelings... If there is a written language that can showcase the feeling of the airbrushing across your skin as a sword cuts through it, then such language would be beyond his mortal understanding.'
'Nonetheless, what changes if one can directly experience their abilities?'
'A change of perspective, to beco the perforr instead of a simple observer.'
'Not rely through their eyes, but through all five senses… Not their own but those of the master they're trying to learn from?'
'That would be the dream of all apprentices… And these allow for it, in the sa way Manifestation of the perfect Self did to before.'
'The mories of individuals left behind in the river of ti, they each contain great stories and experiences for to unfold and explore.'
'And it's no re mory, it's more akin to a simulation of the past, allowing to change and alter its course, though of course, it's but a mory, and nothing would change.'
'Still, instead of a mory Shard, this should be called "A Mont Frozen in ti".'
'There was much I was unable to experience and rummage through during my first ti experiencing it, a lot of ti was wasted doing aningless things, and a lot of changes were brushed off due to my lack of awareness and understanding of what was going on.'
'If the original mory was about a man going through his last week in a country before leaving it, then even if I change the mory and do not leave the country, the mory will still abruptly end as the original tiline cos to a close, even if I wished for the contrary.'
'But not this ti… Today, I'll change those and experience everything these ancient mories have to offer.'
"..."
'I don't know how long I'll stay within them… But I'm ready. I brushed my teeth and took a shower, there's nothing else for to do.'
'It's not that late in the day, but worse cos to worst, since everyone is already occupied, there shouldn't be much of an issue with vanishing for the rest of the day, although I'm sure so are bound to complain...'
'Yumi will probably get upset that I didn't visit her for a few days straight, depending on how long the first mory lasts, I could take a break to sort my thoughts and visit her in the anti.'
'Regardless... It's ti.'
Dale began from the bottom to the top, beggining with the mory he found least appealing.
/Cr-Crack!/
[Ding]
[Entering the mories of a Coliseum Slave]
…
/anwhile.../
/CLANG!/
/CLING!/
"HUAAA!"
/SPLATTER!/
"DAMMIT! They've breached J1! The entire area has fallen!"
"REPORT! J5 has fallen!"
"REPORT! J3 has fallen!"
"REPORT!..."
"..."
/SLASH!/
/PIERCE!/
/CUT!/
About 80 years ago, thousands of warriors let out their final screams, stepping onto the afterlife as they shed away the last drops of blood in their veins for the sake of their families and kin that awaited their returns beyond the green sea.
Atop a stained and broken wall, they fought tooth and nail to defend their hos from the ever-marching armies of monsters that covered the horizon.
/SLASH!/
Within them, a young boy with unruly hair stood amidst a peloton of Knights, swinging his sword with a cynical expression as Devil after Devil fell before him.
The boy had no armor, only simple leather clothes, his sword was nothing impressive, yet, it remained sharp even after a dozen swings, not dulling in the slightest.
His steps were heavy, filled with power and elegance as he danced amidst the monster's swipes, each powerful enough to blast his body to pieces.
He collided his blade against their claws with such precision that he sliced through them like a cutter through sausages, mincing through the waves of beasts with violence and lack of compassion.
This was far beyond the sword's capabilities, it was the swordsman's ability to maximize his strength, this was his swordsmanship, simple, but effective, a day he had dread of ti and ti again but could never live again…
But today, he would change things, one slash at a ti.
With each beast he slew, it ant one less beast for the Soldiers to worry about.
This was the insurrection of a lone youth who wished to change an already gone past...
/Flash…/
Testro's sword ignited with energy as he looked at a tall, slender monster facing three knights in full armor, similar to the armor Dale once recovered from the Catacombs, albeit now, they were in pristine condition… Aside from all the blood and scars in it…
The beast was muscular and distorted, it didn't move frequently, often remaining in place, yet, its reaction speed was trendous, moving in and out of position with montary and controlled bursts of speed.
Any that dropped their guards around it would feel what it ant to be a fish before a grinder.
/SLASH!/
/CLANG!/
Even to the trainer Knights, the Devil was a worthy, challenging foe, clashing with them and pinning them down, preventing them from helping at other fronts.
Usually, it would've been dispatched swiftly with the cooperation of half a dozen soldiers, but today, things were beyond saving.
All Archers had been forced back, those that still remained had already run out of arrows, using now daggers and swords to fight back the incoming tide.
The Mages had retreated, already too tired to continue, focusing their efforts on recovering and maintaining the magical defenses of the Wall running.
Every now and then, amidst explosions and screams, siege weapons would fall and be destroyed as the tide took over section after section of the wall.
The skies were lit with heavy artillery fire, almost bloating the sun with smoke as thousands of Devils fell every second.
The soldiers fought valiantly to protect and maintain those stations, knowing full well that if the suppressive fire was to end, theirs would co soon after.
/TREMBLE!/
From ti to ti, the world shook as gargantuan Devils walked, so crashing down onto the ground as powerful experts took them down, either from their sole effort or through the combined might of the Wall's defenses.
Beyond the wall, hell was let loose on the earth.
From ti to ti, Testros could recognize fad Heroes of the Corps, their weapons and clothes glistering in the wind as they took down the beasts from the past.
Yes, he could see them, the retired Generals, the few still alive, the instructors, their relatives, parents... Children...
All fought for one singular purpose, their survival.
And he was no different.
/SPLAT!/
However, it was clear…
/SLASH!/
That every second that passed…
/CRUSH!/
Another one fell to the tide, being bitten and torn to pieces as their screams were muffled by the blood raining down from the skies.
The only difference was how they went out, so scread in madness, others in sadness, a few in ecstasy and wrath as they drowned their minds in sorrow and adrenaline.
/SLASH!/
"!"
/Thud…/
To Testros, this monster would've shaken the young him to his very core…
But to the current him, it barely puts on a challenge.
His sword flashed with light, his muscles tensed as he felt his Mana monetarily ignite within his body.
His weak and faint Vitality... Burning with the intensity of a youth was brought forward by an unknown force, giving strength to his frail flesh.
He executed his technique, a basic swing, the mont the beast acted, taking its head as his prize...
/Crack…/
"..."
But despite his cautious control, his sword still broke as he swung it down at the Devil.
He managed to kill it, but his sword was now…
"Private, take this." One of the Knights exclaid as they threw a large two-handed claymore at him
It didn't matter if the sword was too large, the Knight gave it to him, knowing full well that small blades wouldn't do much against these creatures.
Indeed, it didn't matter how wide one's weapon was as one reached towards higher levels of mastery, however, what could a Knight expect from a Private? What he saw was already astounding and given the circumstances, he couldn't think for long, much less give orders to the private.
What they needed now was short, aningful actions.
"Well take care of things here, regroup with the others, kill everything on your path!" He ordered as he shoved his sword at the demon's heart
He wasn't the only one that did it as the other Knights did the sa.
/Shine.../
Red Vitality soon rose from their blades as they recovered from their injuries, but as they finished with the Devil, their words did not end.
"You must relay to the Commander that J2 is about to fall!"
"... YES SIR!" Testros exclaid with his youthful voice as he had difficulty thinking what to say, it was almost loud enough to burst his vocal cords apart
"Heh, don't die kid." One of them said as they rushed back to the battlefield, and soon after, the sounds of swords clashing began to echo
"..."
Once again, he had changed the past.
Before, those three Knights fought diligently for hours, being pushed back and regrouping with others until they reached the Private quarters where he was stationed at.
There, he would be tasked with relaying to the Commander about the fall of J2, J referring to the section of the Wall he was relayed to.
It had to be done personally as most communications were currently completely in disarray and occupied with other important ssages, or already broken beyond repair.
It was at that ti that Testros, who was nothing but a Private Squire at the ti, was forced to leave the backlines with his compatriots to relay the sad news to the Commander, who was currently giving orders atop the central area of the Wall.
Upon reaching him thanks to the sacrifices of all his friends, those he grew up with and trained for the greater part of his life, he was told by the Commander to turn back and flee.
The greatest dishonor for the past him who had just lost everyone he knew as they perford their duties, how could he do such a thing?!
He wanted to die with his sword in hand too… But his legs ran in the opposite direction...
He ran and ran, further and further away, and the screams eventually vanished within the tree leaves...
But not the sll of blood.
He crossed rivers, avoided monsters, ate decaying flesh, hid within moldy trees, ate bugs, and crawled in manure as he avoided the beasts of the Southern Woods for several days on end, barely even sleeping…
And eventually, he arrived at Resko.
He thought he would be able to call for reinforcents once he relayed what had happened, but the only thing he managed to do was cause the remaining people in the City to flee North, leaving him and those who could not leave back.
That was the day his heart broke apart as he witnessed firsthand the essence of Human nature, and the day he lost his will.
The days passed as he lived like a bum, waiting for his death once the Wall fell, but nothing ca, which gave rise to hope.
He hoped the soldiers would co for him, pick him back up… But no one ca.
Days turned to weeks, months, years… Decades… A century almost.
He doesn't rember when he grasped the sword, the sa one he held just now, the sa one he held tightly as he ran, and began to swing it.
Up and down, left and right, the basic movents all Privates learn before becoming proper soldiers…
Ti and ti again, he promised he would not grow rusty as he did not wish to embarrass his superiors, the friends who took care of him as he grew up.
But when 50 years passed, he ca to realize… That he was truly, all alone… And that in the little chance he had of a second life had now been wasted clinging onto sothing that would never co to pass.
That was when he began to despair, when his will truly began to shake.
A few decades later, a tired and broken Testros t a youth, soone with the determination to change the world and accomplish his goals.
He saw him as a great candidate to maintain the Corp's traditions, its very last soldier.
He would make him a Commander.
/Grasp…/
"If we hold long enough… The Infantry will return…" Testros mumbled to himself as he looked at the battlefield
If they lasted enough for the frontlines to recede after cutting down the enemy's reinforcents, then there was a chance to turn back and alter their fate.
Sarferato would survive together with his troops, so as long as the Wall clung tightly to hope, there was a chance they could last.
There were many things the Commander had yet to employ to defend the Wall, things he could not order for their execution due to a myriad of reasons.
If those things could be employed, then there was a chance they could...
... Deep down, he knew such a thing was impossible, but what else could he do?
He had to do sothing... Anything was better then... Running away.
Today, Testros felt vulnerable, weak, and incompetent…
However, at the sa ti, he felt so very much… Alive!
/Shine…/
Between his fingers, rising through his arm and chest, energy began to gather…
"I will… Change this." He said out loud as he forcibly poured mana onto his heart
A process he already went through so before, today, he would be pushing his body to the limit…
And beyond!
'Just like he did. Today, I'll open...'
'The Heart Gate!'
/SHINE!/
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