Chapter 24

"I think he's waking up, thanks for the help."

A painfully familiar male voice sounded close by, each syllable rolling down like a pebble hitting a stone and then spreading out in ripples.

'Li, that—'

My eyes flew open, abruptly halting my unpleasant thought as a narrow, sculpted arch filled my view, looming above me like a slender roof.

I quickly sat up, first spotting Juno who knew beside where my head had been. The remnants of fatigue still marked her face.

She raised her hand, curling her finger into a loose fist before rubbing her half-open lids.

"What did I say…" She paused to yawn, her voice thick with respite, then continued, "About dreaming? Do you want to die so soon?"

I frowned, somewhat piqued by her reasoning. "I beg your pardon? Who had passed out moments ago? Even my shoulders still each from carrying you." I bit my cheek upon realizing the unintended accusation in my tone.

Juno flopped her arm over her knee, a witty smirk tugging at her lips. "At least I don't dream; we've learned to manipulate the frequencies that amplify while we sleep," she said, tilting her head.

"W-what?" I stammer, darting my eyes around.

Everyone except for Yu-ze and Cheshire stood nearby, their expressions indifferent, as if they accepted Juno's claims without a tinge of suspicion.

"How can that even be possible? You're asleep! And if that were true, why do you deliberately assume I was 'dreaming'?"

'Is she going to tell me that she can also see inside my mind while I'm unconscious?' My lips curled inward as the thought crossed my mind.

I rubbed my thumb against the powdery surface beneath me, feeling the fine dust accumulate as I slid it back and forth, desperately trying to compile reason into these many outlandish scenarios.

"I don't have those answers. Also, you've mumbled both times you were unconscious. I'd say that is an indication of being in a dream don't you—"

"You two can argue about this later," Li interjected, his voice sharp.

"Need I remind you we're in Abel's astrapie? Staying here could deepen our entanglement with irrelevant epochs—ones we'll be responsible for closing." Juno bowed her head slightly before rising to her feet.

'So this…' I tilt my head to peer over the edge of the thick pillar, straining for a broader view of where I had departed into this time.

'Is this an astrapie?' The vastness before me was overwhelming; even capturing a fragment of the scenery seemed like an impossible task.

Suddenly, Juno's hand appeared before me, emerging from her black mantle.

I felt the tension dissipate as I accepted her offer, surprisingly unburdened by any lingering bitterness.

'Even if I denied my own feelings, I still felt an undeniable worry.'

"You're okay now, right?" I asked, recalling how she had collided with me so suddenly during their effort to contain the creatures.

Her stare briefly counters me before she nods and releases my hand.

"Yu-ze will be fine," she added, the context lingering like a subliminal memory.

Unsure how to respond, I turn away and slowly speak, "Right… he said he'd come back. That's all that matters, I suppose."

I heaved a faint sigh as Abel took it upon himself to comment on an irrelevant subject.

"You seem remarkably unfazed by your surroundings," he noted, stepping away from the pillar he had leaned against, a trace of amusement on his face.

Mars and Fleur straightened their postures, and with little hesitation, I fell into step behind them along the short stone path.

Stolen novel; please report.

Our footsteps created a soft murmur as they brushed against the surface, sending up wisps of dust.

Abel strolled alongside me, his subdued presence somehow nudging as he patiently awaited an explanation.

I pressed my temple, letting out an exasperated scoff, "If I allowed myself to be any more astonished by the absurdity of this place, I'd completely lose my mind."

Abel chuckled, offering a pat on my shoulder that was almost comically sincere. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed.

I had hoped you'd be awestruck by the complexness of my being," he said, gazing into the expansive void between the hovering arches.

"Your being?"

He nodded, his eyes glistening with pride as he admired the grand spectacle of walls and floating pillars, each a marvel inside of this transcendent landscape.

Though Li's remark had blended 'awe' with a sense of impending danger, as we stood on the precipice of the unknown.

It felt like I was the only one wrestling with uncertainty about what awaited us in this unusual realm.

I guessed only a brief moment had passed, yet, the atmosphere seemed heavy, making me wonder why the platform stretched on longer than expected.

As we approached the vacant span between the only other ginormous structure in my line of sight, I dismissed the idea that the ground was stretching.

I conceded it was most likely the atmosphere itself that had slowed, in some indescribable way it was distorting our sense of movement.

I stole a glance at Mars and Fleur, intending to read their expressions instead of asking if they'd noticed anything unusual.

Just then, Abel picked up on my cues and chimed in from beside me; "Our perception of time moves slower inside our minds. When that distortion seeps into our surroundings, we start seeing the changes. This is perfectly normal; you'll adapt after a few more experiences."

I turn my cheek slightly in his direction to acknowledge that I had heard him,

"That makes more sense—I guess…" I respond calmly.

The noise coming from some of the movement suddenly stops, causing everyone else—Abel and I included, to halt at once.

I look toward Abel puzzled, but he looks back tightening his lips and then shrugging.

"Hoku, come here," Li suddenly calls out. I hesitate until Abel nudges his chin toward Li near the front.

Taking a shallow breath, I navigate around the others, my pulse quickening.

'What now?' My fingers press deeper into my palm.

When I finally reach him, he doesn't acknowledge me; his expression remains impassive, his gaze fixed on something above the ceiling as if lost in thought, with an unnerving sweep in his eyes.

His distant expression piques my curiosity, pulling my gaze upward to see what captures his attention.

I lean in slightly, tugged by a nagging sense to capture the source of his fixation.

That's when I realized he must have been marveling at the expanse I had only glimpsed through the spaces between the pillars.

A feverish energy flooded my chest, and I exhaled sharply as my heels lifted off the ground.

'I want to see more,' I silently yearned.

I let my eyes gloss over the thin beams crisscrossed high above, some straight as blades, others twisting in jagged spirals that looked like they could collapse at any moment.

Everything from high to low was illuminated in a cold, sterile white that made the place feel alive, yet somehow lifeless.

Metal towers and scaffolds jutted out in all directions, held up by nothing I could see, as though the whole place was balanced on air.

It looked like I was observing a reflection of what we presently stood on—a map projected above the center.

"This place is chaos, how can one place defy so much logic yet clearly not have had any in the first place."

"All astrapies are random, they ultimately mean nothing and yet somehow they are meant to portray something sentimental to their beholder."

Li paused, letting his head fall so that he was looking ahead.

"It's precisely why I despise them, they make the least sense out of everything in the Sequel," he included.

I flattened my boots back onto the surface, squinting my eyes in response to his remark.

"You seem to despise a lot of things," I say.

It was undeniable—of all those present, he seemed the most profoundly disconnected from reality.

His expressions were reserved for moments of disdain, often directed at my presence or the absurdities of this Timestream.

After a long stretch of silence, I stole a glance at him.

In an unmarried beat, I noticed how he had abruptly relaxed the tension in his jaw, the corner of his mouth betraying the faintest trace of a smirk.

I gawked, as he released a long breath, occasionally hitching in between as if he were attempting to disguise laughter.

'Why does he remind me of someone else?' A shiver crept from my spine as I made the dreadful connection to the blond figure Juno had called the watchmaker.

Li spread his hands in a curious gesture before he spoke. "Yes, I do. But I loathe you most of all."

I raised an eyebrow, caught off guard.

Before I could brush aside his words or contemplate our next steps in the face of the chasm before us, his hand shot over my shoulder with startling force, slamming into my back.

"Fuck—"

My boots skidded against the edge as I fought to maintain my balance, instinctively thrusting my arms forward.

Before I could reach back far enough to grab someone, I felt myself tip forward and fell into the space, disoriented as its obscurities closed in.

The Memoir Chapter 18

Objective 12

Use the contract with Alice to depart the astrapie.

Rule 23

Astrapies are exclusive to one beholder. If they wish to bend its structure they can do so without encountering boundaries. However, a guest or visitor holds no authority over altering this 'continent' unless authority is imparted by the person in command of it. In this event, the beholder has relinquished their life from ever succeeding the Timestream, thus, leaving themselves trapped until the end.

Additionally, not all—but rather a few of them were given titles according to the remnants of documents that were salvaged from a fire. 'The Chasm' is the smallest in comparison with the ones that you will be present for in the near future.

-The Memoir Chapter 18 End-