As I arrived by the guard station that was currently under-construction next to Phantasia’s border with Earth, I ran into a demon in a policeman’s uniform – Vladimir Chekhov. He waved to me as if we had met before.
“Evening, Erin,” he smiled.
I asked the cop how he knew my name.
“Ah, so this is the first day of your quest, then?” he chuckled. “Well, put simply, I have met your future-selves and you have met my past-selves.”
Of-course. If this guy was stationed at this guard station it figures that I’d be running into him a lot as I stayed by the border. Since Kuro told me that demons and magic couldn’t exist outside Phantasia, I knew that I could only enact my time-jumping plan on the fantasy land’s side of the border.
“Hey, you want a donut?” Vladimir asked, stepping into the station and reemerging with a donut in hand.
“Oh, thanks,” I smiled, taking the donut and inspecting it.
I was wary of Vladimir considering what Kuro and Raven had told me about him, but considering that they turned out to be less-than heroic themselves, I figured I was probably safe enough to eat the snack. And so began my “two steps forward, one step back” life for the next half-year. For every two days I went back, I had to wait another before I could go back two more. Rinse and repeat until I reached my destination. The more time passed – or maybe it would be more appropriate to say “regressed” – the smaller the guard station that I slept in each night became, until I arrived on the day that it had began construction. That day’s version of Vladimir did not recognize me. That must’ve been the first time we’d met, from his point-of-view. I introduced myself and he did the same. I told him about the fact that I was a time-traveler and that I was from Earth. I told him that my destination was just over a week before the day of the Witch Games and that I intended to reunite with my late mother to prevent her death. Vladimir seemed sympathetic to my plight, offering my past-selves shelter in the guard station as well as food every day, which I gladly told him I had already accepted in his future.
“So… since the Witch Games only just finished for this year a few days ago, you’re nearly at your destination, right?” he asked.
“Yes,” I responded, “only a few days to go.”
“Well, then,” the policeman smiled, putting his hand on my shoulder, “good luck, Erin. I’m rooting for you.”
Just as I was about to use my second time-jump of that day, Vladimir asked me a question that I was grossly unprepared for.
“Hey, so if you’re from Earth and you’re a demon… that would make you a kinkind, correct?”
I affirmed the cop’s suspicion.
“You wouldn’t happen to know where all the kinkind in the last games are coming from, would you? I have to watch this stupid border for any humans that cross over, but I haven’t seen any passing by yet.”
So, Kuro had spirited all of them away by herself, I reckoned. Of-course, if that’s how I got here, it stood to reason that others could’ve gotten in the same way. Still, I thought it best not to tell Vladimir that much in case my theory was incorrect. Although I did gladly inform him that Kuro had at-least a few kinkind warriors serving as her familiars.
“Kuro?” Vladimir asked. “I can’t say that that name rings a bell…”
“Kuro Shakespeare,” I replied.
“Shakespeare, huh?”
Vladimir’s expression was indescribable. I couldn’t tell if he was sad, angry or surprised.
“I gotta… take a call. You stay safe in the human realm, you hear?” he said, reaching into his trouser pocket and taking out a phone.
And so I hopped back another day. I was in the final stretch. Though the days had started to pile-up since I had begun that undertaking, everything would all be worth the sleepless nights and abysmal meals when I reached my destination. The last week was the hardest. No guard station. No donuts. Only trees for shelter and bugs for food. But, at last, I made it. Although it was only morning when I opened my eyes to the day that Mum’s flight had gone wrong, I knew that I didn’t have much time. I had no way of knowing exactly where in Texas the border would deposit me. And so, as I crossed that line in the dirt and felt Vera’s form and powers leaving my person forever, I ran along that dirt road looking for any signs of where I was.

As I reached the end of the path and the side of the main road with still no indication of where exactly I was, I decided that hitchhiking was my best option. After what felt like hours of waiting, I eventually managed to find a vehicle heading to Dallas Love Field Airport whose driver was willing to let me travel with him. As the Sun started to get lower in the sky, I began to tremble and sweat buckets. My driver Paul noticed my panic, pulling over and stopping to make sure I was ok.
“Don’t worry,” he beamed, “I’m gonna be on the same flight as this person you’re looking for! I know I’m going to make it!”
“I know it’s hard to believe,” I choked, “but I’m from the future.”
“Uh? Ok?” the man said, an air of doubt in his voice, “what’s that got to do with anything?”
“That flight… my mother’s going to be on it.”
I explained to him that the flight was going to crash and that everyone onboard would die, save for my mother who was never found. To my surprise, it seemed my impromptu cabbie was quite shaken up by my tale. As it turned out, he was a strong believer in the paranormal ever since both of his daughters mysteriously disappeared. As a result, much to my convenience, he needed no convincing at-all in order to believe my story as he slammed his foot on the gas, determined to get me to the aeroport on time. Unfortunately, that attracted the attention of the Texas police department, who pulled us over and gave him a speeding ticket. Thanks to that slip-up, it was nearly dark when we arrived at the aeroport.
I jumped out of the car as fast as I could, running as far as my legs would carry me. As I searched the inside of Dallas Love Field Airport for Mum, I saw a plane outside being loaded with luggage. “Crap,” I thought, “that’s Mum’s flight!” I bolted to the ticket desk, begging the woman behind the counter to let me past.
“I’m sorry, but that flight is fully booked. You’ll have to come back tomorrow, Dearie!” she beamed.
“Wait!” Paul bellowed, running up from behind me and slamming his hand down on the desk. “Erin can have my seat! Just, please, let her find her mother!”