"Uncle Jenkins from my ti... he threatened those things. But as the price for letting go, I have to take action to smooth out the temporal ripples caused by that accident. The first step was to connect with the past, making a note that shouldn't have existed appear in an empty picture fra. That's how Uncle Jenkins got his hint... And then there's this ti, delivering the 'Second Chance'—sothing whose existence wasn't even certain—into your hands.
Like when I led Uncle Jenkins to the future, neither of these actions will affect history. After all, his decisions wouldn't have changed whether these events happened or not. But the temporal ripples created by these two actions can counteract the ones I caused in the past, neutralizing most of the effect. That's why I'm here."
Kris Willatte spoke with her eyes downcast, then bit her lip and fell silent.
Alexia considered this for a long mont before putting away the box that represented the "Second Chance." She accepted the explanation.
"I understand," she said. "So you ca here on the Dawn Express to fix your mistake."
Her tone grew inexplicably gentle, holding no bla for the young woman's error.
"Yes. Even if I'd done nothing, this small ripple wouldn't have truly affected history. But Uncle Jenkins said this was my punishnt... Whether or not you use the box is your decision. Its only real purpose was to 'appear' at this point in ti. Whatever you choose to do next will beco the correct version of history, because Uncle Jenkins is with you. That's all... I'm so sorry."
The girl lowered her head, and then she felt the older woman gently pull her into an embrace.
"I imagine my future self has already doled out your punishnt, so I don't need an apology from you now. Kris, there's no real difference between Jenkins's past, present, and future. The man I know has never changed. I know you want to argue, but it's the truth. He's incredibly stubborn, just like . And that's precisely why I adore him."
This was sothing Alexia had never told Jenkins.
"If you're truly curious about Jenkins, you should get to know the man who is with you now, not the man from the past. You're still young; you don't understand what the 'present' ans to us. Rember this, Kris: we are, for now, mortal. The past and the future are aningless. All that matters is the here and now. So cherish it. Cherish everyone around you..."
A new resolve hardened in Alexia's eyes. Her words were not just for Kris's comfort; they were a reminder for herself as well.
By the ti Jenkins managed to find the cat darting all over the place, calm her down after much effort, and return to the front of the train, Alexia was still standing where he'd left her, speaking with the conductor.
For so reason, however, the conductor was still frantically wiping sweat from his brow. When Alexia saw Jenkins return with the cat, she shot a very strange look at Chocolate.
Aside from gaining the ability [Temporal Stability Theory (White - Basic)] from her words of comfort, Alexia had also learned a few "facts" from Kris—tidbits that wouldn't trigger any runaway paradoxes.
"I'll give her a good scolding," Jenkins said. "Chocolate has definitely been getting out of hand lately."
Jenkins, misinterpreting her gaze as a complaint about the cat running wild, hurried to explain.
The petite woman slowly shook her head. As her eyes t the cat's, her expression took on a scrutinizing edge.
With the cat found, Jenkins and Alexia prepared to leave. Jenkins had hoped he might find a solution to their current predicant among the passengers of the Dawn Express, but this ti, he couldn't open a single door. That hope was dashed.
Just before they left, however, Chocolate wriggled free from Jenkins's grasp once more. As she hopped around the front car, she seed to swallow sothing. Seeing that the conductor hadn't noticed, Jenkins quickly ushered Alexia away.
The ghostly green train circled twice in the sky before vanishing over the horizon, tracks and all. Alexia, still holding Jenkins's hand, hovered in the air. Helpless, they both looked down. The crystal that sealed the parchnt scroll had now completely erged from the ground.
Jenkins squeezed Alexia's hand, his expression filled with concern. He wasn't worried for his own safety, but the petite woman beside him and the princess underground were far from immortal.
"No matter what happens next, as soon as the barrier breaks, you get out of here. Leave the rest to ."
he instructed softly.
Alexia pressed her lips together and shook her head. "I'm staying with you."
The final mont arrived. Amidst the swirling snow, the crystal erupted in a dazzling, ice-blue light, and cracks spiderwebbed across its surface.
Inside, the "Contract of Frost's Victory" slowly unfurled. With a final, sharp crackle, the crystal shattered, completely revealing the parchnt scroll within.
Spirit so dense it was nearly liquid erupted from Parliant Square like a shockwave. Amidst the chaotic, jumbled prayers and whispers of the ice statues, the dark clouds overhead tore open, revealing not a patch of blue sky, but a blackness as deep as an abyss.
"It's here..."
Jenkins clutched Alexia's hand tightly as they slowly descended into the apocalyptic scene. A cold that seed to freeze ti, space, information, and matter itself radiated from the black void in the sky. Compared to it, the bitter chill on the ground was nothing at all.
In that instant, it felt as though thought itself had ceased. A void consud their minds, and the world before them dissolved into a blank expanse.
Jenkins had no idea how long the sensation lasted, nor what might erge from the black void above.
When he ca to his senses, he found himself lying in the center of a clean and orderly Parliant Square. The ice statues still ringed the plaza, but they were utterly silent. The mountains of corpses, the rivers of blood, the jagged spires of ice—it was as if they had all been an illusion. The ground was completely bare.
Beyond the square, however, every building in the city was coated in a sheet of ice. The snow had stopped, the wind had died, and bright sunlight stread down from the sky, causing every visible structure to glitter with a frigid brilliance.
"ow~"
The cat poked its head out from inside his coat, planted a paw on his pocket, and leaned down to give his cheek a vigorous lick. It had never acted so affectionate before. Jenkins was stunned, wondering if he was dreaming.
Alexia lay quietly beside him, their hands still clasped together. Jenkins stroked his cat, then sat up and gently woke Alexia. She was just as bewildered; her last mory was of them falling from high above. As for how the entire city had beco frozen over, she had no clue.
The three barriers had collapsed. In the distance, they could faintly hear a commotion, the sounds of shouting and crying, which ant only the buildings had been frozen. They went back underground one more ti to confirm that Princess Dolores and her companions were rely unconscious and otherwise unhard. Then, before anyone from the Church could arrive, the two of them slipped away.
Reviews
All reviews (0)