I wandered through London till I realized that I was starving, so I bought something to eat from a bakery that happened to be open. It wasn’t much, just a small pastry, but it would hold me over for a while. The feeling of guilt didn’t seem to go away no matter how long I traveled, so I decided to take a page out of Scott’s book. I found a liquor store and bought some booze. Within an hour, I was hammered, and meandering down the side of a river.
My vision was going in and out. To add to this, I could barely walk straight. All of the people who saw me just stood as far away as they could from me, to avoid my drunk swaying. I couldn’t handle hard liquor, apparently, so I sat myself down in an alley with a good view of the river. It was so calm and peaceful that it made me wish that I could be part of it. However, my wish slowly drifted away, as I drifted out of consciousness. The last thing I saw was a masked person strutting up next to me with an eager swagger. Thankfully, I didn’t see that bastard, Sela, again.
***
“I wonder where Lou went?” Elysif asked aloud, as she looked through various reports on Scott’s couch. The mid-day sun illuminated the apartment, allowing much of the dust in the air to be seen with every small gust in the air. At the desk, Scott sat with a determined look on his face, and a pen in his hand.
“Who cares? That isn’t our problem at the moment,” Scott replied, as he looked over various maps of London.
“But it’s been three days now, and he still hasn’t come home,” Elysif complained with a worried look.
“Look, I understand that you’re worried, but he is a grown man and can take care of himself better than most. We just need to focus on finding the Changeling, with or without him,” Scott said, as if he could hide the fact that he too was a bit worried.
“Okay,” Elysif let it go, but with as close to a pouting face as she could possibly express without looking like a brat.
“What did you find out at the coroner’s office?” Scott asked, changing the subject.
“Nothing new. It was just as we had suspected, the uterus was removed,” Elysif replied, pretending to read the report.
“Well, some people said that she was seen with a dark-haired man wearing a dear-stalker hat and a dark overcoat,” Scott added, hoping that would trigger some kind of connection.
“Yes, I heard something similar. However, some said he was dressed rather shabby, and others said that they overheard him ask her if she would do something for him and she agreed. I don't really know how helpful that is,” she said with a disappointed look.
“That’s odd. Did we finally get a name for the victim?” Scott asked.
“Yes, Annie Chapman,” Elysif answered.
“Did she have any history with the supernatural?”
“No.”
Scott rubbed his chin for a moment, before taking a swig of alcohol. He figured that something would come together in his mind, that maybe there was something he was missing. Sadly, nothing new came to mind. “Well, I’m out of ideas.”
“Really?”
“Yep, we can’t track him based on looks, because it’s a Changeling. Narrowing down where it could go would never work, since we have no proper leads. Mama Louise’s shadows have found nothing either.”
“You’re right, this is hopeless,” Elysif said with an annoyed grunt, as she dropped the report on the floor.
“Want to grab a bite to eat?” Scott asked after a moment.
“Why not?” Elysif agreed with a shrug, before getting up from the couch.
“Maybe Lou will be back when we return. Then, he can finally help us,” Scott said with a wary but hopeful tone.
“You really think that?” Elysif asked as if she didn’t believe him.
“Of course. He couldn’t have gotten into that much trouble...”
***
I groggily opened my eyes to see that I was in trouble, lots of trouble. A person, whom I presumed was Sir Micheal, sat beside me as I lay on a cot, handcuffed to the bars at my hands and feet. I had little to no basis for the assumption that it was Sir Micheal, other than the fact that he wore a creepy white mask. Strangely, his hands looked old and worn, with dried blood on his semi-nailless fingers. Shrouding his head, chest, and arms was a grey cloak-like robe, painted with various runic symbols, but his pants were simple brown slacks, throwing off the aesthetic a bit. Attempting to bounce the cot, I realized that it was nailed to the floor, which was starting to make me panic. Whilst I rattled the cot, the masked figure just sat there, eyeing me. I couldn’t help but scream in terror.
I continued screaming until my throat ran dry, and began having a coughing fit. Annoyed with my behavior, Sir Micheal got up and stepped towards the back of the room, which if it were any more disturbing in here, could be perfectly described as a horror movie murder shack. The cracked walls were covered in brown and red stains that contrasted with the yellowish hue covering every centimeter of it. To add, the floor was made of dirt, and there were no windows, so dust was kicked up every time someone took a step. The roof, however, was just some creaky boards that, when shifted, allowed for more dust to sprinkle down. It was like a basement. Cold, dusty, and mildly damp. To add to the eerie effect, the only light was that of a few candles.
After a few minutes, Sir Micheal returned holding a glass of water that he offered to me. I reluctantly accepted. Thus, he unlocked the shackle from my right hand so that I might hold the cup to my lips myself. As I started to drink it, he sat down, as he was before, and watched me with a disturbingly intense stare. Everything about this situation was weird. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to react anymore.
“Are you finished screaming now?” he asked in a calm manner, but with an almost threatening tone. He sounded as old as his hand looked, but it felt off somehow. It felt as if the voice wasn’t entirely his own.
“I would believe so. What do you plan on doing with me?” I asked, trying to be cool about it. Though it was in vain, as I had already ruined any chance of seeming cool by screaming.
“That depends entirely on you,” he replied, as if he were ready to make a deal.
“H-how so?” I asked, lacking understanding and fearing for my life.
“I have learned through a mutual acquaintance that you can travel through time. If you can do something for me, then I will let you go free and stop the killings done by our Changeling friend,” The masked individual offered.
“What mutual acquaintance?” I asked, distraught. Who would I know that could possibly know this man?
“Rubin Reuben,” he stated, making sure to accentuate the R’s in each word.
“You know Rubin?” I asked with a surprised look. How could Rubin know a guy like this? Actually, never mind… that makes perfect sense.
“Knew Rubin? I killed him after I learned of your existence. Too dangerous to let such a genius have access to such a power,” he stated as if he didn’t care about Rubin at all.
“What?! Why?!” I asked angrily. Why was I angry? I don’t know. Perhaps it was because I knew him? It was only for a day, though.
“Like I said, I couldn’t allow anyone else to know that a time traveler was in our midst, or else I wouldn’t have been able to do this,” he answered cruelly.
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“Well, I don’t know what he told you, but it’s a waste of time,” I retorted.
“How so?” he asked, as he tilted his head to the side. I couldn’t read any expressions due to the mask, but I assumed that he wasn’t pleased by my response.
“I can’t do it. I haven’t been able to travel through time since I came to this time period. I don’t even really know how I ended up here,” I explained. The more I fell under the impression that I was pissing off this man, the more I was washed with a sense of dread.
“That may be true now, but I will make you learn to do so, or else you will suffer far worse than anyone in history,” the masked figure threatened. The dread shifted to fear, despite my best efforts to conceal it. Just what was he planning on doing to me
“What does that mean?” I asked with a worried look. Tilting his head down towards my wrist, he slowly graced his old fingers across my arm. It was almost as if he were admiring my arm. As his hand slid up towards my elbow, he spoke.
“Did you know that according to Rubin, your body as a Time Lord can regenerate entire limbs after a period of time? Well, it’s more like turning back time on your injuries. You have noticed that when you get hurt, it heals faster than normal, right? As such, I can torture you as much as I want, so long as I don’t do anything lethal, and you’ll be fine,” the masked figure softly said, his words oozing sadism, almost as if he were in a state of rapture. I couldn’t help but cringe. Though, I was more terrified about what that meant for me.
“I would rather that you not do that,” I replied in a nervous tone.
“If you learn to time travel quickly, then I don’t have to go through with all that, so try,” he firmly stated.
“What do you even want me to do?” I finally had the nerve to ask.
“Go to a time before the Table was created and save someone for me. Just one single person and I will have the killings stopped. You will also go free without any issues, of course,” Sir Micheal explained as he gestured with various hand motions.
“I’ll have to sleep on it,” I answered, trying to buy myself some more time. All of this sounded like a bad idea. If I couldn’t time travel, then he would torture me… probably. If I refuse, then the same thing will happen, though.
“As you wish, but tomorrow I will need an answer. In the event that I don’t like your answer, then I will make you change your mind,” Sir Micheal said with an evil grin. I couldn’t see it under the mask, but I could tell because he was a sadistic freak. He took the glass from my hand and, before I could react, he shackled my right hand back to the cot. I had no choice, so I laid back down, hoping to see Sela in my dream again.
***
“What a mess you’ve gotten yourself into.” I heard a miffed voice say from behind me. I was in the Realm of Stars again. “First, you fail to save the girl or even capture the killer, then you get captured by the enemy. You are not good at being a hero.”
“Did I ask to be the hero?” I asked rhetorically. Sela floated above the pool with its legs crossed. Although the immature deity could be leveled with myself, it instead chose to spin around slowly, as if it were experiencing zero gravity. Despite that, the brat never lost eye contact no matter which way it spun.
“No, but everyone wants to be a hero at some point. Some people just give up on that dream too early, or they haven’t been put in a place where needing to be a hero matters to them yet,” Sela said, pretending to be profound.
“I guess, but why is this happening to me? You warned me about the Changeling at the last minute and then I got captured because I was given this useless power,” I complained as if I were begging for an answer.
“It would have happened to anybody with a good conscience.”
“What?”
“I didn’t choose you, you just happened to be the one who I landed on. So don’t go blaming me for your new power, I just give it out. There was no way to save that woman, she was going to die whether you were there in time or not. Plus, it’s your fault that you got captured. All because you didn’t understand how you were supposed to deal with the fact that you can’t protect anybody,” Sela rambled with a smug grin.
“So why even tell me? If I can’t protect them, then why even give me a chance to try?!” I asked, unsure of Sela’s logic and morally bothered by it.
“I wanted to see what you would do, and you surprised me.”
“How could I possibly surprise you?” I asked, even more confused than before.
“Because you knew it was impossible, yet you still tried. It may have felt possible, but deep down you knew there was no way for you to do anything. Scott is powerful enough to singlehandedly commit genocide, Elysif is capable of healing people on the verge of death, and Iscariot is feared by some of the most powerful organizations in the world. You, on the other hand, have a knife, a pistol, and a shitty memory of the future. So, what could you do next to them?” Sela said in a mocking tone.
“I know that already. I’m useless,” I couldn’t deny it. I was basically useless compared to everyone around me. Yeah, I’m probably stronger than the average person at this point, but I can barely hold my own in the world of the supernatural. In my pity, all I could do was sit down on the watery pool below me. As I touched it, I noticed that the water was not wet, but instead, cold and dry to the touch.
“You may be now, but with me, you have an eternity to become powerful,” Sela said with the most comforting tone that I’ve heard from this child-like deity since I had met it. That said, it still sounded like Sela was lording itself over me.
“So will you help me escape this maniac?” I asked, hoping for something helpful.
“Of course not! This is just getting good,” the being said in a belittling manner, accentuating its child-like nature. I am getting really tired of this kid.
“Will you at least tell me if I can save the person that the masked man spoke of; and if so, how to do it?” I asked, hoping that I could at least get something out of this.
“No, they're impossible to save, because the person in question is an Elder One, something similar to myself. I mean, there is one way to do it, but you would have to be desperate and devoid of natural human morals to attempt it, so I’m not telling you,” Sela explained. The name Elder One, I have heard it before. I just can't remember where.
“Wait, like yourself? Wouldn’t that make you want to save them?” I asked with a confused expression.
“Of course not. They were created for the sake of this dimension, and as such, they must live it out in their own way. The reason they can’t be saved is that all Elder Ones' destinies, much like Time Lords’, are set in stone. They can’t be saved, except through special circumstances. Do you remember what was said about changing things that affect stuff you do?”
“Yes, I can’t change anything that affects something I have already done, because the universe will correct it,” I responded as if I had memorized the line.
“Exactly, so by him capturing you, he has forced you to be affected by the person's death. In turn, since all Elder Ones are connected, and the death of an Elder One is permanently set in stone, he has sealed the fate of the one he wanted to save, as well as any others,” Sela said. I didn’t quite get it, but I assumed it was some butterfly effect logic or something. All that mattered, though, was that I couldn’t save the person the masked figure wanted me to.
“Then, how do I get out of here and escape from Sir Micheal?”
“You must learn to unlock your ability, or die here. Also, he isn’t Sir Micheal, just a knockoff,” Sela answered in a sadistic yet somehow oblivious tone. Despite the grave nature of this conversation, Sela continued to spin above the water, without a care in the world.
“Can’t you help me explain this situation to whoever the masked figure is?” I asked, still hoping to get something out of this.
“Nope,” Sela said before I jolted awake with a cold sweat. Unlike before, I didn’t have that falling sensation. What an asshole! Looking around, I saw that I was no longer resting on the cot. Instead, I was tied to a barber's chair in a room slightly different than the one before. I assumed that the door, or doorway, was behind me, because I saw no windows or doors, just the wood panels overhead and the yellowish-hued plaster walls, covered in stains.
“Have you come up with an answer?” the one claiming to be Sir Micheal asked from the dark corner, before emerging threateningly on the left side of the barber’s chair.
“I couldn’t help you even if I could use my ability. An Elder One can’t be saved, especially since you did something to me that was entirely dependent upon their death. Now, I can’t change it, even if I could,” I replied calmly. However, I couldn’t hide my ever-growing terror. It was as if he was radiating with rage.
“First, I want to know how you knew that the person I wanted you to save was an Elder One, and second, what did I do that was so dependent on their death, as you said?” the masked figure asked with a fair amount of rage seeping from behind his gritted teeth.
“My power told me that the person you wanted me to save was an Elder One, and by capturing me, you have set their death in stone. Nothing more can be done,” I replied honestly. Though, my shaky voice didn’t help him believe me.
“That wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear,” he said, apologetically, with a sigh. Grabbing my left pinky finger, he snapped it completely back, breaking it. I cried out in agony before he grabbed the next one and broke it too. This continued on, without pause, snap after snap until every finger on my left hand was broken. Tears ran down my face as I begged him to stop, but instead, he was drawn to my right hand and continued the process without a word.
“Do you want to go back in time now?” he asked once he had finished. I nodded in response as I sobbed. Trying to curl my fingers, all they did was hurt with just the slightest twitch. My left hand was starting to turn blue and swell from the pressure, with the right soon following.
“Then do it!” the masked man yelled angrily, as he reached over to a countertop for a butcher’s knife. Slamming the knife down on my left index finger, he laughed like a maniac. Screams of agony echoed throughout the room for a moment, before I finally stopped and looked down at my missing finger.
Attempts to beg for mercy flashed through my mind and face, but nothing came from my lips. Taking my silence as defiance, the masked man brought the knife down again, this time on my left middle finger. I screamed again but as I did, an old rag was stuffed into my mouth in place of a gag. It tasted like dried blood, but I didn’t care. The pain was too unbearable for me to worry about that. All I could do was cry and let out muffled begs for mercy through the rag as each finger was cut off in succession.