There was silence all around him. Though, that was because he didn’t take into consideration the sounds of the birds and insects who were relishing in the darkness of night.
He wished he could relish too—in the solemn scenery, that is—but just like the night past, and the one before, and the rest before that, he had woken up messy and drenched in his own sweat again. The nightmares were not letting up, not even for a night.
Well, at least now I can get on with what I wanted to do… Maybe if I exhaust my spirituality to a certain amount I could get another two hours of sleep before daybreak… It always feels better when I just see it as a blessing and a reminder to stop procrastinating on the things I want to do…
Elmer sighed, smoke escaping from the depths of his lips as he clicked open his pocket watch. It was midnight, and also the arrival of a new day: Friday.
Sunday is close by… He quenched his cigarette in his ashtray to the left of his desk as he smacked his lips. Why do I have a feeling something bad is going to happen on that day… If only there was a way for me to know my future and what it entails…
An idea suddenly popped up in his head.
Hmm… Maybe I should visit one of those tarot reading clubs tomorrow… Heard at Meadbray that the readers are able to tell someone’s destiny from the cards… I doubt its authenticity, but it wouldn’t hurt to try…
As soon as he’d decided on how his Saturday would pan out, a conflicting thought appeared as well.
What if an Ascender is there and it’s the one hunting me…? He looked at his chest as though he could see his crests past his soaked shirt. Now that I think about it, there shouldn’t be much of a problem, right…? Ascenders roam the streets daily, I can just act like I am one of the random ones… The problem only comes when I’m asked to provide a license to prove that I have been certified by the church… Hmm… I can actually bypass that though—in that particular situation… He quickly came up with a reasonable lie.
Since he knew receiving a license took a bit of time because the Synod of Churches and the Emperor of Fitzroy had to sign and approve it, he could use that to his advantage. Tomorrow he would act the personality of Floyd Edgar who was a new Ascender awaiting his license, if the situation required it.
Tarot reading won’t pose a problem…
While the last dying wisp of smoke rose from his half-smoked cigarette butt, Elmer cleared his throat and recounted what he could on his unique ability, Fate’s Mirage. The name he had come up with himself.
Well, as expected, just like the rest of his abilities, the knowledge of Fate’s Mirage had been imbued in him as soon as he’d ascended into the Echelon 9 rank, along with its effects on him.
His power was one that allowed him to reverse time thirty seconds back before the occurrence of an event that had already happened.
It was a unique ability that spawned from his unique characteristics and greatest desire, as he recalled from Eddie’s teachings, so his surprise on it had only lasted a short while. He had cursed the appearance of such a power then, and also its uselessness.
What was the use of an ability that spawned from his greatest desire if it could not help him accomplish that greatest desire since he already knew he could not tamper with time to bring Mabel’s soul back into her body?
And furthermore, the range of its effects was limited to only ten feet.
Then there was the accursed effect it had on him. The ability affected every being with the essence of spirituality; which meant all living beings were affected, whether they were plants, birds, animals, bacterias, viruses, and so on. Humans stood atop that list. And since he was one, he was not even exempted as the user of the ability.
He cursed the ability once again.
What was the use of reversing time if he could not recall why he had done it in the first place?
He had termed the ability completely irrelevant because of this, and shifted his mind away from calling upon its help.
But now…
Now, something was nagging at him to find a way to utilize his unique ability, for it seemed like the best thing in his arsenal despite its ridiculous effects.
Granted, compared to the near death risks that Eddie’s and Ms. Edna’s abilities had had, his was somewhat tame. But now sitting before his desk while having no surety of whether he had already reversed time or not was ridiculously infuriating that he had a slight urge to pull out his hair.
Elmer sighed and leaned back on his chair, the cool breeze of winter night spilling in from his room’s window.
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Well, all he had to do was figure out a way to have himself remember the things he would forget when he’d reversed time.
“All living things within a ten feet radius are affected…” Elmer muttered while looking up at the ceiling, the glow of the oil lamps on the walls flickering upon his bare chest. “Something is termed ‘living’ when it’s in possession of the essence of spirituality. Hmm… Therefore, anything not imbued with essence will not be affected by Fate’s Mirage.” He sighed and pinched his eyes from beneath the rims of his glasses. “Why do I feel like this is the hundredth time I’ve thought about this.”
Maybe it was? But that mattered little. And that thought propelled Elmer to his feet. It seemed sitting down was putting a leash upon his thinking capacity.
He began to pace about the room, arms folded and lips pursed, as he considered every single point considerable. Then a few moments later he stopped. He had already arrived at his room’s door, his face only a finger length from coming into contact with it.
That… That could work…! He sharply turned around, facing the direction of his desk. If this déjà vu I’m feeling isn’t fake, then what were my past selves thinking…? How did they not come up with this…?!
Sure of his solution, Elmer rushed to his desk, opened its right drawer, and brought out a piece of paper and pen. He wrote on it: Fate’s Mirage.
His thought process was a simple one. Since all living things were made up of spirituality essence, and they were the only things that could be affected, then a paper and the words written on it, which were non-living things, wouldn’t be affected by Fate’s Mirage.
Now that he dwelled on it, probably his past, forgotten attempts had been to find a way to bypass the effects of his unique abilities directly. Using a paper and pen was indirect, but it seemed like it could work perfectly.
Sure, his indirect method had its own faults. In a battle he had to make sure not to be on his last breath, since that would mean he would be unable to write down what had caused him to reach that state, and reversing time would just be utterly pointless.
So the only way for him to be exceptional with this method was by making his first confrontation with an enemy a beta test. He would keep his distance, be on the defensive, and study the enemy. Then he would note their fighting tactics and abilities. When he was sure he had enough information to give him the upper hand, he would then proceed to reversing time.
That should work… But there’s no way I can be sure until a real confrontation… Elmer took in a deep breath and exhaled. For now, I should just confirm the credibility of my ‘indirect method’…
Though before he set out to do that, he made sure he drilled a certain rule into his head. Left pocket if the paper already bears some sort of information, and right pocket if otherwise.
This rule was so as to keep his sanity in check. If the paper was in his right pocket, then it meant he had not yet reversed time. And if it was in his left’s, then he had. In battle, that rule would help him drastically.
The only problem is the fact that I’ll have to be checking my pockets almost every second now… I’ll look insane to the outside eyes…
Elmer sighed and counted down thirty seconds before readying himself to recite the prayer he had bestowed upon his ability.
When he’d ascended, he had found out through the sudden rush of knowledge he’d had with ascending that activating a unique ability worked in the same way Ms. Edna had described the creation of charms. A personal prayer had to be bestowed to it, and that prayer could not be changed.
Unwilling to test out if the warning bestowed on how charms operated proved true with Fate’s Mirage, Elmer had carefully come up with his own prayer. And thirty seconds after that he had recited it while focusing his mind on his unique ability.
Till now he was not sure if it had actually worked, but with the method he had prepared he would finally be able to confirm.
I wonder where all the knowledge Ascenders get from ascending comes from… Are the Gods of the Pathways giving us some rule book or something…?
Clearing his throat, Elmer put a stop to his thoughts, dipped the paper he was holding into his left pocket, and recited, “Time is the thread that connects reality to illusion, and I its spool. At this moment, may time and I intertwine, may our essence mingle, and may I travel through both reality and illusion to a period before now. May I become one with Fate’s Mirage.”
As soon as his words ended, Elmer’s ears were raided by piercing screeches, screams, and pleas from all directions, each one as painful as the other. His neck stiffened. His veins protruded out of every part of his body, including his eyes. And his breath ceased.
He had never felt anything more painful, not even his bathtub experience when he’d first become an Ascender compared to what he was feeling now. But he did well to hold his screams of agony in so as to not bother those who dwelled in his home.
Then suddenly, as if he had been snuck up on and struck from behind, he blacked out.
…
Elmer opened his eyes sharply and instantly staggered with deep breaths, the glow of the oil lamp to the wall beside him giving his desk brightness.
Blimey bugger…! Did I fall asleep while standing…? He grunted as he rubbed his temples. His head was hurting so badly all of a sudden.
It was most likely because his nightmares had worsened, and so his body was warning him of the effects of sleep deprivation.
It’s not like I’m able to do anything about that… Elmer grumbled, then pinched his eyes. What was I about to do again…? Ah, yes…! Activating Fate’s Mirage…
He was about to begin reciting the prayer he had bestowed upon Fate’s Mirage, when he abruptly stopped his words and squinted his eyes with a slight tilt of his head.
Wait…! I’m meant to be holding a piece of paper, right…? Elmer looked around himself but saw nothing. Where did I—
A realization suddenly hit straight at his core, prompting him to dip his hand into his left pocket. He brought out a paper from it, and as he unfurled it and saw the words “Fate’s Mirage”, he smiled.
“It worked.”