What the hell is going on? The last thing I remembered before going to sleep was Emily laying beside me in my slightly moonlit bedroom some time after midnight. But I had now awoken to her missing and a strange encounter with a dead man.

“Master Noble, is everything all right?” Higgins asked, as I sat down at a dining room chair. I was inches away from where the knife that killed him was picked up.

Anabel rushed to my side and touched my arm before adding, “Eric? Eric? Let me get you some water.”

I rubbed my eyes and my temple as I awaited her to return with a glass of water. I wasn’t sure if I was hallucinating or dreaming. But surely the events as they were happening couldn’t be reality.

“Thank you,” I said, as I took the water.

“Master Noble. Did something happen to you in Murk? I know your fathers notes were rather vague, but there was nothing to indicate any immediate danger upon entry.”

In the interest of curiosity, I asked how long I had been in Murk, despite not actually having gone there since I went with Emily the other week.

Higgins looked at his watch and said, “you’d only been gone about fifteen hours or so.”

“And where’s Emily?” I fearfully asked.

“Emily?” he questioned.

That’s what I was afraid of. Higgins alive, Anabel not recollecting Stephanie, and no knowledge of Emily either. Without saying another word, I got up from my chair and went to a calendar in the kitchen. The date made sense. It was definitely the following day from the night before. But then I noticed something odd. The day of the week was wrong. As I examined the calendar further, an even more startling observation was made. This calendar was one year old!

“Eric, you’re worrying me,” Anabel said, standing in the kitchen entry behind me next to Higgins.

I turned to them slowly and said, “I know this is going to be really hard to believe…but time has somehow gone backwards for me.”

“What?!” Higgins remarked.

“I’m not sure what’s going on, but I have lived an entire year past this date and when I woke up this morning, it appears that everything has been undone. Reversed. I can’t explain it.” “Surely you jest, sir.”

“I do not.”

“Did something happen in Murk to cause this,” Anabel asked.

I thought about that for a moment. I don’t remember anything during my first visit there that would cause something like this to happen. But even the notion that could have been true filled me with an even deeper sense of dread. Could it be that all of the past year was a dream? An illusion? No Emily? No Arduwan? No adventuring with Wraith? And what about the stones?

I ran to the basement. The others followed me. I had to check the status of the stones. When I went to sleep the night before, six of the seven stones were green thanks to my father and my efforts. The seventh stone was for Callist and it only mildly glowed red, indicating that while the Devil there was active, he was not yet close to conquering that world.

When I opened the safe, my heart skipped a beat. The three stones my father had dealt with were green. The stone from Bristol was green. But Callist, Murk, and Synthetica were all red.

“Eric, what is it?” Anabel pleaded.

I choked back a few tears and bowed my head down before answering her, “it’s all been undone. Somehow, someway, it’s all been undone. All my efforts. Gone!”

She consoled me and Higgins stepped up right behind her. I knew they were confused so I couldn’t just keep them in the dark. I suggested we all go upstairs and I explained everything to them. The adventures, meeting my father, Higgins demise…

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* * *

It was a lot for them to take in over a cup of coffee, but they trusted that I was telling the truth. I decided to further demonstrate it by testing my magic. Could it be that all of that had been erased too? My body felt weird. I could definitely tell that my muscle mass was different from before. This was of course before I had started really training.

“Ignite!” I said, casting the fire spell. It worked! But it went out almost immediately and I felt tired, like I needed to sit down. It was as if it was the first time I had ever cast it before. Then I remembered what Tolly had taught me. That magic was easy to use if you knew how to, but it required a flexing no different than a muscle. That explained it. My consciousness was still intact but this body had not flexed the muscle so it literally was the first time I had cast it!

“Remarkable, Master Noble! Your father never learned anything like that. I had told you when you returned from Bristol successfully that no one had ever defeated a Devil on their first attempt. The true sign of a natural. It’s quite evident that you have progressed at least a year, if not more.”

“Ha,” I laughed, “no, it’s just been one. But I must say, despite all of the emotions I’m feeling right now. I’m glad you’re alive.”

“Hmm, yes. It’s quite a good feeling,” he noted, “but won’t I only be killed again at some point in the future? Should we prepare?”

“No. I think you’re alright. Celica was only able to come into this world because I brought her back to the well with me. If she had just stayed in her world then she would have been destroyed with all the other Synths while my father kept the central control at bay. That world is as good as green.”

“Well that’s comforting. Now if only we could speak to your missing comrades. Maybe see if they recollect anything.”

The moment he said that, I remembered something. If this was one year to the day after

I had first gone to Murk, then that meant…

“Oh no, Emily!” I shouted, as I leapt up from the table and darted back downstairs.

“Eric, wait!” Anabel cried out in an attempt to stop me.

It was futile. I knew exactly what I needed to do. I only hoped that I had enough time to do it. I opened the safe back up and took out the stone for Murk. Anabel and Higgins inquiries about what I was doing just went right through me as I made my way into the well.

I came up from the sewer. It was midday. The sun was out but as per usual, clouds in the sky and the ever present possibility of rain. Luckily, I knew my way around and sprinted several blocks until I reached Emily’s office. It was still intact. It had not been blown to bits by Alabaster’s men yet. I rushed to the door. Locked. She wasn’t there. So I decided to try her apartment. It was only a few hours from the time I had met her for our first outing together. I thought maybe I’d catch her before she took the cab out of town to the dinner party.

When I arrived at her place I was nearly out of breath. No sign of her around and no answer when I knocked on the door. I ran to a nearby business and begged to use their phone. They let me, so I called D.A. Ralph.

“Listen. You don’t know me but I’m calling in an anonymous tip that there’s going to be a mass homicide event in the next hour or so. You’ve got to hurry. Detective Grimwood is involved!”

“Detective Grimwood? Who is this?” he asked.

“There’s no time to explain. Please, just call over to Vinland County and have some units sent to the Cadaver residence.”

I hung up the phone and hoped that would be enough. Emily would be arriving soon and there’s no telling how long the Black Hand people would wait around before deciding to eliminate her. As for myself, I needed to find a way to get out there. I had no money, so a cab was out of the question. I needed to steal a car. Or better yet, maybe I could convince someone to let me borrow one.

I turned to the store owner and said, “Charm!”

I felt a vast amount of energy leave my body but adrenaline kept me standing. The owner looked confused but he was oddly attentive. “What is it son? Is there anything I can do to help?” he said.

“It’s an emergency! Do you have a car I could borrow? Lives are at stake!”

He nodded slowly and then reached for the keys in his pocket. Eureka! It worked. He told me which car our back was his as he handed me the keys. I took off like a bat out of hell.

* * *

The sun had already set by the time I had gotten out into the countryside. Luckily there was no traffic so I drove to my heart's content. Just me and the forest road I was racing on. Emily may or may not be able to remember me, but if I can get there in time, she might be able to help me figure out what the hell was going on.

Finally, I was reaching the end of the mountain road that led to Cadaver's house. It was almost midnight. But what I saw next filled me with both fear and hopefulness at the same time. It was the light of police cars and ambulances. Had I been quick enough?

I pulled up at the end of the driveway and got out to run to the front door. There were police and first responders everywhere.

“Hey hey hey,” and officers shouted, as he tried to stop me, “you can’t go in there. This is a crime scene!”

“You have to let me in! My girlfriend is in there!”

The officer lowered his arms and slowed his attempts at stopping me from entering. Just as I was going through the front door, the body of the butler, found in the entryway, was being zipped into a bodybag. I rushed into the dining room. Two paramedics were bringing what must’ve been the maid from upstairs down in a body bag as well. That’s when I saw her.

On the floor, near the table. Emily in a pool of her own blood. I was too late. I fell to my knees beside her and sobbed as officers dragged me back outside. Her and Cadaver had been killed right as dinner was being served.