---

        Mavin slept on the bed without moving. Natalya sat next to him while hiding her bare body with the blanket. She traced her fingers on his face, and the man held an exhausted expression.

She nodded her head. She left the bed and adjusted her silver hand while engraving runic writings on the silver hand before walking back next to him where she placed her right hand on him while she took the time to speak words that only she would hear.

“I trust you, I do, I really do. But my heart cannot take lies. Your boons...your powers...they are strange and yet I might be able to perceive what you see. To understand you.”

The bloom on her hand erupted into this series of lights. Despite the brazen show of lights, Mavin didn’t open his eyes. Natalya remained steadfast and the sparks gathered on her until she was in. It was a strange world of mind where memories resided. She thought of accessing the memories that he had before but it was protected by a strong force. She tried to pry this force away, but she felt her soul tremble at the memories. She saw memories of a young child looking at the hill but no more than that.

She thought of another method and with her soul prying away said memories. She was able to take a glimpse of what mattered to him. She thought to herself that this was a violation of his trust, and perhaps this would cause him to hate her. Nonetheless, she was willing to do so in hopes to understand. Natalya was a fool. She was a fool at least when it comes to him. So she had to do this to calm herself.

“Ah.”

She opened a mental lock in his head and found a memory of a world altered. She didn’t understand why it was so stuff but she could recognize the person standing next to him,  which she could identify as Rene and Kristine. Faces she thought she would never see again.

There was something different in these memories of them. They were stiff and were conversing with the person in the memories. No, it was strange how she was like a ghost watching on the side of the conversation.

“Sir Tomas, are you really going to do it?”

“It’s fine,” said Mavin.

His face held a stern expression. It was the face of a man who had nothing to lose. He took out a pendant hidden from his clothes and looked at it. There was deep love on his face as he looked at it fondly.

“Aye, all I have to do is stop them for a moment before you take out Viola right? See, I never really didn’t think of stopping the Imperator when I have someone to care for.”

On the pendant was the face of Princess Cecilia Athesia, her smiling face was unlike what Natalya had seen from her. While she was filled with love in such a picture, the Cecilia that she knew was a woman of spite and apathy. The woman who destroyed the Old Empire because she was afraid of death. Who wasn’t afraid? Natalya’s expression became furious at the sight of the face of Mavin looking so lovingly at this pendant.

“This...it will not end well for you, Sir.”

“I know. Aye, but you see, Cecil, she wants to save this Empire. She was just too weak to do it. I would have stood by her side if it meant that the world caves in, but sadly it is not our fate to be together. Come on now, you two. You don’t have time.”

A person walked in. Natalya knew the face of that person. It was Crown Prince Arno, the ‘Mad Emperor’ who had ended the century-spanning Empire of Athesia. Compared to the ‘madness’ that she saw in his eyes. The Crown Prince of Athesia on such memories didn’t have it. All he had was love and devotion in his eyes.

“Mavin Tomas,” said the prince to him. “Cecilia, my sister, was she happy?”

“Do you think that I would have the guts to face you if she wasn’t, Prince?”

Crown Prince Arno scrutinized Mavin for a minute before thumping his shoulder. Mavin gave a lazy shrug and exchanged hardened looks before he took his rifle and gestured for them to go.

Rene gave Mavin a hug before they boarded an archaic flying ship. Natalya noted that most of their technology was archaic, and lacked the complex analog systems that made them run with finesse. She remained her eyes on Mavin as he watched him charge a hill with a few surviving soldiers who were facing off the Vulcans.

“That flag.”

Natalya could recognize the crown with a streak of lightning on it. It was the same brand on the back of her hands. The same brands that she bonds people with. Her eyes went back to Mavin. He showed incredible strength, but far inferior to what she had seen him do. He was far weaker, and didn’t have the strength of a hundred men. He commanded the assault troops, but it was clear that they were nothing more than a diversion.

A diversion so that the people who boarded that archaic, inferior, and wobbly airship could penetrate the defenses and save this crumbling world. Natalya thought that most of the gears that they had were the same as the seven-year war before then. There was no threat that happened, and there was only continuous bloodshed among the war-weary soldiers who were fighting to push back against the enemy. She saw the same spirit when the civil war happened, and the many that had died for it.

“Is this a vision of the future?” Natalya asked. She followed Mavin’s memories until she saw what horrified her. Mavin, enduring gunfire, wounded, but not defeated. His spirit was like a fire that could not be put down. He charged the defensive lines, threw the satchel charge from his pack, and pushed on with his troops.

It was then that the iron giants dropped in front of them. The fearlessness in Mavin’s face didn’t go away, he and his men fought the crude Vulcans, and though there were losses in his troops, they were able to push through the horde. It was then that as they reached the Fortress that she couldn’t recognize that surges of lightning hammered on his troops. How he was able to survive that strike, Natalya didn’t know.

“Mavin Tomas,” said a voice that echoed to him, “why have you decided to fight?”

“Nothing much, ma’am. Cecil said that I should try to stop you and well if I do succeed in this, I might get to see her soon.”

The figure appeared before him. Natalya froze at the sight of that figure. Natalya felt like she was in the presence of a living lightning bolt. And that figure was her, who stood like a tyrant before him.

“You can’t end me, Mavin Tomas.”

“I know.”

“I’m all-powerful.”

“Just all-powerful? I take my chances, Ma’am.”

Natalya stared at her other self who called herself Viola Whitefall. The arrogance, the pity on her face as she stared at Mavin was something she didn’t understand. What warped her into having such power?

“You...are quite a good man. Better than most of these fools. A shame that you picked the wrong side.”

“Well, maybe next time, eh?”

She threw a bolt of lightning that he defended from using a lightning rod. He took a slab of metal and crushed it. The black aura managed to stop some of her spells. He thrust a bayonet, which she naturally defended with her forearm. When the black aura that he defended himself from her spells vanished, she was able to strike him with one of her spells. He blocked using his left arm, and although he had taken a shot. It was deflected by the shielding that wasn’t even nicked.

“Fifty shields,” Natalya muttered at the sheer potential of her power. The power was taken from her when Mavin took her hand.

The Mavin in this ‘memory’ stood tall. His blue piercing eyes remained burning. Viola Whitefall, the woman that she was in this memory, walked in front of him. Mavin raised his lips.

“Thank you for humoring me, Ma’am.”

“She’s a lucky gal.”

“That she is, Ma’am.”

“No matter how many times I repeat this, you are always so brave.”

“Repeat?” Natalya’s brows raised at the words ‘Viola Whitefall’ muttered. She closed in and listened  carefully.

‘Viola Whitefa’ pressed her hands on his cheek. “It’s always the same brave face, but you remain beautiful to me. Your dedication, your love, and your courage, it is not lesser to those who have fought me. Though a shame, that you are after me, the same.”

His eyes rolled back and yet he stood tall as if his body hadn't registered his death. Natalya thought the memory would be over, but it was switched to a throne hall where the infiltrators faced this diamond-shaped crystal that overflowed with the sparks.

“You dare desecrate him!” Crown Prince Arno roared.

Rene, Kristine, Emilia, and Arno, though bursting with power, still felt inferior to ‘Viola Whitefall’. A great battle started between Viola and the two. She didn’t understand why they were fighting so choreographically, taking turns in attacking. It was when ‘Viola Whitefall’ was so ragged and wounded that Arno started a ritual in which Rene died defending. Kristine held Viola back, her fury made her panic, and though she was seeing a miracle.

‘Viola Whitefall’ struck Kristine down with a lightning blade spell that pummeled her on the side of the wall. Natalya thought that it was absurd how brutal their battle was. And yet the hand holding Viola back managed to make Arno and Emilia succeed in their ritual.

The ritual struck Viola and although Natalya saw how the ritual emptied Arno out, withering his body, as if he was incomplete. Natalya could recognize the spell ritual. It was the same ritual that Mavin had done to seal her power, but it was incomplete, lacking, and the life force that it used was terrifying

“Get her,” Arno said as he fell on his side, eyes lifeless.

Viola faced Kristine and after an exchange of spells and fists. Kristine managed to land a killing blow at Viola. Kristine however was injured. Her body was bleeding, and sorrowfully, she walked to where Rene was and placed her hand on his body.

Viola Whitefall watched them before her eyes rolled. Kristine spent some of her time before Natalya suddenly found herself standing near Empress Mildred who was directing her subordinates. She felt something that made her look at the sky blankly. It was then that the radio operator said something.

“We won! She’s gone, your highness!”

“I see.”

Lady Mildred nodded, accepting their sacrifice. Natalya didn’t understand why his memories could reach so far. She was confused and lost until suddenly she heard loud breathing.

The sound of a train sliding across metal. The noise of the engine. Natalya stood at the side and watched how ‘Natalya’ opened her eyes once more, back in the past, and staring at this repeated nightmare she was in. She turned her eyes towards the side of the train, where she spotted a familiar figure advising a soldier who had lost his limbs.  Though the other soldier looked perpetually annoyed, the officer didn’t mind. He was like a warm hearth while the other was a wind of negativity barely being able to muster the strength to face the seemingly perpetual optimism of this man.

“Goodness, mate, you still have two arms. Tell me, does an Amanuensis need to have two legs to work?”

“No.”

“There you have it, sometimes you have to look at it brightly, mate. Besides, it’s not like you’d be lacking a job if you need one. With skills like yours, you could probably get accepted to any business. At best, you could enjoy becoming a pencil-pushing bastard.”

The man scratched his head as if he didn’t know what to say. 

“Man, you must be the noisiest bastard that I have ever met.”’

“I take that as a compliment.”

Natalya watched the ‘Natalya’ sitting on the train with her plate gaze on that soldier.  The words that the man spoke was familiar, but different as well. Natalya looked at the Natalya of this memory.

For a moment her eyes were clear and peaceful, but suddenly it blazed with utter determination.

“Ah.”

Natalya found herself out of his memory. She looked at the man before him and wondered if he had seen this. How could he know? She tried to speak of what she knew, but there were words that she couldn’t express.

Natalya sat on the side and stared at her hand. She wanted to have some answers, but all she got instead was more questions.

---