He could see the sun's scorching rays but could not feel its burn. The sand whipped around with the wind but did not sting his eyes. He couldn't even feel it sift beneath his feet. There was no physical feeling around his presence. The only emotion that resonated merely in his heart was familiarity. It was the same eerie sensation he remembered feeling when he had first stepped on Uhkhtarian sands, a nostalgia he didn't know. The same way those Vitross limestone steps felt like home, so did these sands.

Because it had been his home.

Kaid stood as a spectator of time, pausing the scene unfolding before him. Four fabric covered Uhkhtarians with a child, facing ten Lungor soldiers and an Emperor all faced each other. Tension remained in the air like sweat stuck to their nervous skins. Kaid's eyes fell on the young boy, standing tall just at the hip of the woman who held his hand. His mind briefly went to that moment at the Sand Castle, when Jessamine had seen a horribly painted childhood portrait of her in an awful dress. He wondered what she had felt at that moment. All Kaid felt when glancing at his old self was pain.

There was no hiding the fear in the eyes of the Al-Yami's. Untamed curls had covered most of young Kaid's face, his lower lip almost quivering. His small hand held his mother's tightly, and Kaid was able to get a glimpse of his earthly, beautiful creator. His mother's skin and complexion much mirrored his own today, dark and rich with a few speckles beneath the eyes. On first glimpse, Kaid thought he had received his traits from his treacherous father and not his mother. His nose, forehead and strong jawline were all inherited from his father. However, the softness in the eyes, the beautiful wavy curls in his hair, the tenderness of the heart...he knew all of that stemmed from her.

A mother's love could traverse through generations. Any form of love could transform, that was the beauty of it. It was the reason love was the most ever-wanting, most tormenting storm to be stuck inside. It was a rain that could fulfill a parched desert but created the danger of drowning it. Kaid didn't need to hear any whispered words of affections from his mother to know she had loved him. The very stance she took now, the way she so delicately held his small hand, and the way her decisions were set with his future in mind was enough to know of her love. At this point in time, his mother, Priestess Farah Al-Yami, knew the capabilities of her son and did not fear him.

Yet his father standing ten feet away did.

"Let us fulfill our agreement," Bashir spoke, his voice young and confident, but also held a tenderness Kaid hadn't expected, "My armies and myself will wipe out the establishment of Vitross, we will right the wrongs of Emperor Kristoff who decimated this place. Uhkhtar will thrive in peace. For this, I ask for our son, a man who will unite these nations. He is not just the Lungor heir, but the heir of our love, a flower in a desert. Who knows what garden could have flourished if we only had different soil to lay in."

"And my son..." she finally spoke, her voice strong yet wavered, like a wave crashing against sandy shores, "he will be safe? He will be taken care of?"

"You have my word, Farah. You have my promise. Just as you will always have my heart," he assured. His words were honest. Kaid had not known this side to Bashir, in fact, he hardly knew him other than the very brief encounter here years later from now. And of course his policies and actions seemed to speak quite the opposite of his character today. The love between his parents, well, at this moment it seemed to have been they had been the right people for each other, it just was not the right time.

Farah pulled little Kaid along who only wanted to plant his feet in the sand, to take root in his home. But she still forced him along, eventually stopping to pull him close. She bent down, embracing him with a trembling hug before whispering words Kaid wished he hadn't forgotten.

"Time is the great enemy. I know with you and all the power you possess my little one, you will conquer all. And only you can decide how to do it. One day, you'll look back on this day and my decision and perhaps not judge me, not hate me. One day, you will understand the why."

"I do not hate you mother, I love you," cried Kaid, the tears he had try to withhold now pouring down his face at the goodbye, "I could never hate anyone."

"I know, Kaid, that's what makes you so wonderful," Farah smiled bittersweetly, "remember what I told you about time, about how to defeat it?"

The young boy nodded, as if he'd never forget, "Time can't be controlled because it is life, it is joy and happiness, death and destruction. I have to embrace it."

"That's right. Some of us in life are creators. Some of us are obliterators. And there is a very rare, small percentage of special people like you that are meant to mend. A moment with you can relieve the torments of a lifetime. That is your gift, your magic. If all the moments, decisions, consequences of life lead to you, then it is a wonderful life indeed."

Kaid felt a strong hand on his shoulder, pulling him away from his mother. The boy could do nothing but accept a fate he could not control. Bashir pulled him away towards the Lungor troops before he bent down himself, fingers tangling in the boy's curls, some even trying to catch his tears. And then he pressed his primary index to the boy's forehead, the tears beginning to fade.

"Lucius, what are you doing?!" Farah shouted, watching the emotions upon her son wither and fade. They disappeared, just like his memories. Emperor Lucius Bashir could remove memories. From a father's perspective, he wanted to remove the pain out of his son. To a mother, that was a fate worse than death. Grief was the engine of perseverance.

"He needs a fresh start, Farah. That's what we agreed on. He needs to be protected. This is how I can protect him," Bashir explained, sorrow in his voice but it had to be done. To him, it was the only way to save his heir.

"He won't know his mother, he won't know his home. He won't know the power inside-"

"Power too dangerous for a child to wield. I'm sorry, Farah. When he comes of age, I will return him here. You can reunite with him then."

"You waste eight years of a life in a matter of seconds. Who will my son become without his memories? What will his dreams be without knowing the love of the past?" Farah shouted, reaching for her blades. The actions of her lover had been that of treachery. It didn't matter about the deal anymore. Uhkhtar could be in shambles with Farah and her soldiers drawing blades at their only 'savior'.

The Lungor men drew their blades as well, stepping in front of the Emperor and the lost boy. Bashir was about to explain his actions, knowing with Farah it was far better to ask for forgiveness instead of permission. He didn't know at this moment it would kill them both. Farah didn't hesitate to strike. Two emerald blades acted like extensions of claws in her hands, striking a low blow at the closest guard and chaos ensued. Years of peace and prosperity initiated by Kaid's birth were now destroyed.

"Men, stop! That's an order!" Bashir shouted, but it was no use. His men defended themselves, striking down every Uhkhtarian until only the Priestess remained, wounded and clutching her bleeding side from a vicious strike of a Lungor spear. Bashir let go of Kaid's hands to try and push through, to step between his men and his beloved. But, time was unrelenting and cruel. He had wasted eight years of it all for it to fall apart in a matter of seconds.

Kaid had watched as his only first known memory, as the previous had been stolen, was violence. The last spear impaled his mother, who only let her sorrowful brown eyes gaze at her son, dropping the emerald ritual blades to sink into the sand. And when the last bit of breath left her, so did all compassion from Bashir. The Emperor drew his own blade and slew the remaining survivors, his own men who had disobeyed him. Disobedience was a disease, spread through merely witnessing it. His soldiers had watched their own Emperor disobey the one they loved, and defended themselves against a woman seeking to destroy him.

And what Bashir got was merely consequences of his own actions. Acceptance was one of the greatest qualities of maturity, because acceptance could form into adaptability of thoughts, emotions, and actions. Instead of accepting, Bashir had to hide and cower who he was and what he had done. Kaid would be sent to Caladin and Bashir would be meant to start over, and in starting over he would forget who he was. Death of a loved one not only killed them, but also atrophied parts of the soul. Kaid knew now, those were the things he must mend.

Kaid did not know why in his first embrace of controlling time it had taken him back to this memory. Now, it was beginning to make sense. He could feel the rift opening in this very moment, as if he could begin to feel the confusion and fear of his younger self beginning to take shape. Kaid at this time could travel all the way back here and revert it all. He could enter this moment of time and alter over thirty years of existence. Whether he or anyone else would retain those lost thirty years, Kaid didn't know. All he did know, was that this was not the time and place to go back.

So he went to Caladin. He witnesses his many Trials. He witnessed the first day Mara had entered his cell, and also the last day he had seen her. He watched the moment Jessamine was thrown in there, how he could witness his own eyes light up just upon her surprised presence. He saw the way her muscles relaxed upon gazing back at him, perhaps fearing someone of a more intimidating, powerful nature. That's all Jessamine had known of men who possessed powerful Oblivions, men who wore the stink of fear like perfume.

How beautiful she looked that day, wearing nothing but white prisoner garbs, but it was the first day of bravery she chose to take off the mask.

Kaid could have stopped there, but what would be the point in interrupting a planned heist to free him if everyone knew the future? Nobody would dare rescue him if they knew what it could lead to, or would lead to. He witnessed their first kiss. At first, he wondered why Jessamine had been so brash but never initiated the kiss. Now, he knew why. Jessamine was afraid that her love for him was false, that if she kissed first, she was the seductress and he was merely influenced by her manipulative designs. For him to kiss her first, with fervent desire and need...it meant everything to her.

And now, he was here back in that throne room. Yet time was allowing him to see something he wasn't part of. He watched the interaction between Jessamine and Payne who had been disguised as himself. Payne had been right. Jessamine was so relieved to see him, to feel her heart soar upon his presence, she didn't once detect the mutiny or malicious intent until it was too late. It wasn't until Payne said those words, words so ironic for a man who could control time...words Kaid swore he'd never agree with, did Jessamine realize. Kaid's throat tightened upon seeing the mutilation of that usurper blade digging over and over into her skin. The love in her eyes never once turned into fear. They held the same gleam his mother had held with her dying breath as well.

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Kaid had to make a choice. He already knew he had to make this choice, it was all about pinpointing when. He could revert to anywhere, at any time, but it wouldn't come without consequence. He could go back to before knowing the lies, before the invisible veil of their love was torn away from his eyes. Or he could choose to mend it. He could choose to embrace the mistakes of everyone: his father, his mother, Mara, and Empress Jessamine. There was only one man in this moment he couldn't forgive, and he knew wherever he went back, this man had to die.

Reaching for the usurper blade which was more blood than steel at this point, he picked it up to notice the dulling around the curve. The blade hadn't been used in years, and now was a tool at not only killing Jessamine, but Kaid supposed himself as well. He could feel the remnants in his torso from Payne's last stab before entering this state. A part of him in the beginning worried that he was dead. But in this void of time, this portal of darkness...he never felt more alive.

Kaid walked over to Jessamine, frozen in this moment as he had paused where it seemed right. Where her relief was going to turn into horror, where her life would be ending. Kaid knew what time had been trying to tell him all along. At first, he thought Jessamine would stab him, kill him for treachery or perhaps out of pure spite. It was a woman she could have been, but chose not to over the course of their time together. And then he thought that he had to kill her because of who she had once been, of the lies she had once told. That wasn't meant to happen either. And now it was because he wasn't the victim, but merely a witness to his demise. Time would never give straight answers. It always had to remain a mystery for life to continue.

Which is why he felt so sure it had to be this point. Kaid had killed Jessamine, and now it was time for her to return the favor. It was time to kill Payne. It was time to kill his influence, his darkness that resided in everyone. Payne was all about the embracing of the darkest parts, and then making excuses for them. Kaid had fallen to the temptation. Jessamine at the point of her turn didn't feel she had a choice. Now, it was time to remove the noose around their necks that they had once willingly embraced. It was time to remove the leech that continued to infect and plague the soul. There was only one person who could defeat Payne after all this time, and that was the woman who spent countless hours training, learning to destroy her enemies while inviting one at the same time. Only she knew the thoughts in his mind, what he truly feared. And hopefully, she could make those fears come true.

Kaid had done his part. He would reverse everything and hope for no consequences. He hoped the deaths of Kiev and Mara would soon be irrelevant, just like Jessamine's. All of that was relying on if Vrah had been truthful in saying Kaid saved his life against the necromanced assassin. All of it was relying on faith and hope, the true roots of life. Without belief, there was no future. And if Kaid knew one thing about time, it was that it could not be stopped. It cannot be halted, otherwise so would life.

But it sure as fuck could be manipulated, no matter the cost.

Kaid cleansed the blade, wiping against his previously bloodstained clothes before his hands traversed up the open slit in her dress. He found an open slot in the fastenings of her thigh strap where she kept the majority of her weapons. He let the blade rest there, knowing the sheer weight of the blade compared to her other ones would be enough to make her realize this change in fate.

His eyes gazed at her, fearing it might be the last time he'd see the ocean in her eyes. This daughter of darkness was now given the spotlight on the stage of destiny. How she would compose this song was up to her. Kaid knew if it was anything like her piano playing, this song would be delightful. What a shame he wouldn't be in the audience to hear it.

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What felt like a long overwhelming darkness was just a blink. Jessamine's last view of the oceans into whatever afterlife remained were now in front of the man she adored. Except, it wasn't. A moment she had once felt safe no longer existed, her adrenaline spiking, her Oblivion begging her to comply to it's invisible demands. And the way she gazed at her lover and could feel the anger of emotions was the only answer she needed to know it wasn't Kaid. It was Payne.

She felt the slight heaviness on her right thigh, her eyes remaining on Payne who was still mentally recovering from this reversal of time. As long as she beat him in understanding what happened, which she already had, she won. His energy was weak. It felt like the second the time had slowed enough for their minds to catch onto the mysticism and recover, Payne's mana did not. His Oblivion immediately wavered, the form of Kaid flickering back and forth to that to his former self. And then finally he didn't have the strength to continue trying.

"W-what, what fucking-" Payne's panted, exhausted exasperations came out like stutters. Jessamine had no idea how joyous it would feel to see him stumble, to see him fall, to have him think he won it all and then to take it all away. Payne glanced down at his hand, expecting that usurper blade but it was nowhere to be found. Payne had nothing to usurp, no pure vengeance to enact. But Jessamine did. It wasn't the throne that corrupted, but the company that surrounded it. Payne had corrupted her and she had willingly let it happen in order to survive.

Now, it was just time to live.

Jessamine's fingers reached for that blade with pure instinct, twirling it until it resided firmly in her grasp before stabbing him across the same spot he had done to her. She dug the blade into his spleen, leaning closer to push further. She could feel the fearful, desperate breath against her face, she could see the torment in his eyes. Payne only feared one thing in life and that was failure. Success was his story, and if that meant planting failure in others, he didn't care.

Payne had once told her that Jessamine could either choose to know everything, or know nothing. Knowing everything was at the cost of friendship, love, and peace. She could not enter minds and know everything, possess the power to control if there were moments or people holding her back. If there was debris inside her storm, it would hurt everyone. She had thought once that had been the right path. And now, she knew that it wasn't in her right to know everything, to control all. Such power wasn't meant for anyone. Her greatest gift wasn't her Oblivion. Her greatest gift, in her mind, was her ability to change, to finally be who she wanted.

She pulled the blade out but didn't plunge it back in like Payne had. She watched as he stumbled slightly, falling backwards on his ass like a fool, clutching the pooling blood. He still looked so surprised. She wanted to engrain the dumbstruck expression of failure in her mind. She could feel the shame on him like the reek of sweat without even having to try hard to enter his mind. His mind was fully open to her, not by choice, but because death was the only entrance into a fully vulnerable mind. Jessamine grasped onto his shame and made sure to enhance those feelings further, overwhelming his mind with the one feeling he refused to accept.

"Get up!" Jessamine shouted, "Get on your feet, you fucking coward!"

"You...you fucking cheated," Payne spat, feeling the blood begin to sit in his mouth. He didn't like the taste so much this time.

"You said it yourself to me all those years ago in an empty reception hall, on my unwanted initiation as Empress: there's no rules in life. There is only do, or don't. And for too long, I refused to accept the truth. Killing you, removing you from your service meant accepting that I could change. And now, I know I can. I already have," Jessamine explained, taking a deep breath before shouting louder, "SO GET THE FUCK UP AND FACE ME. FACE THE REAL ME."

Payne refused and Jessamine only laughed, feeling the irony in the moment. How just earlier he forced his victims against their will, so would he get a taste of such medicine. Jessamine didn't infiltrate his mind at this moment. She grabbed the strap of his broadsword, knowing that was securely fashioned to his belt and began to pull him. She dragged his bleeding body all the way across to the throne, only feeling invigorated by the force and strength it took to drag the man twice her size there. She dragged him up the steps, feeling his groan in pain upon his wound grinding against the edge of them up to the throne.

"This changes nothing-" he spat, trying to spit blood on to her but it was no use. He couldn't even reach for his sword without aggravating that wound. "You've spent so long looking in the past."

"And you spent so long looking forward...now you'll never be able to fucking see it. This is what you wanted, isn't it!? You wanted this throne, you still want it! SO FUCKING TAKE IT. I would've given it to you, if only you just asked for it! I would have let you ruin this kingdom and I would have escaped this fucking burden on my soul and on my people. But you know what? I'm so fucking glad you didn't," Jessamine grabbed him back the long black hair dangling over his face, forcing his head forward, "Without your fucked up mind, I wouldn't have met the one good thing in my life. And all the fucking pain was worth it. All the loneliness for years, the torment of my ancestors, all of it was for one brief year...one wonderful year. All of it is thanks to you."

Jessamine with a roar of furious rage forced his face into the stone nature of that throne, bashing his skull over and over into the edge of the seat. She could hardly hear the painful shouts and groans of his deceitful voice, nor the breaking of the bones and cartilage. She relished in the sound of her screams, the frustration she held back for so long, the hate towards her father, but most of all her hate for hate itself. She hated how she wanted to be borne out of love, not spite. She had possessed love in her life until it was taken away by her own father. She was meant to be a pawn, not a daughter, not an Empress. She had been all those things.

But now, she could decide what to be for herself.

Her screams stop as she could no longer feel Payne cling to his shame and fear of death. She let go of his hair, his body slumping over to fall at the end of that throne, as if kissing the feet of those who sat there. His face was practically unrecognizable due to the damage. Parts of the throne were chipped away at the brutal force. But one thing was certain that it was him. There was no mistaking that ugly, discolored scar on his face.

Jessamine stumbled back away from the blood, seeing all over her hands. She didn't know how she got here. All she knew was that she had died and was now back. She had no memory nor capability to witness the effects of her death. She had no idea Kaid had held her in his arms and screamed. One thing she did know was that it was over. The biggest fight of her life, up to this point, was over. She no longer had to be at war with herself. She no longer had to feel she had to reside in the shadows where nothing but ghosts haunted her.

Tears of joy streamed down her face, collapsing to her knees to sob into the tile floor. It was over. It was all over. But not without a cost.

The doors behind her burst open, Jess unable to stop her sobs to turn and see who it was before hearing the sound of running footsteps. She fully expected to feel strong arms around her, but only felt the gentleness of her seamstress's hand grab at her arm. Jessamine was forced off her knees and into the arms of Christine, who held her tenderly as a friend.

"You did it...it worked," she whispered, almost wishing she could laugh incredulously at the miracle.

But when Jessamine pulled back slightly to wipe the remaining tears, she could see sorrow in her friend's green eyes. All actions came at a cost, even those for heroes. Christine would have danced on the spot if the pain of what news she bore wouldn't outweigh the joy of their victory.

"Is everyone okay?" Jessamine asked urgently through her strained voice, "What happened? Is Kaid alright?"

How long the time had been between her death and Kaid's reversal, she didn't know. It could have been a mere minute or two. But knowing Kaid, he exhausted all other options up to that point. Kaid could have gone back the span of an hour if he so wished. And Cadize's words of warning rang in Jessamine's mind: he must not revert time again. His body wasn't capable of handling it.

Christine moved her hand to grip Jessamine's despite the blood, holding it firmly before moving, as if wanting to instill Jessamine with urgency. But Jessamine saw the shake in her head and it confirmed Jessamine's worst fear at this moment. All of it was over. She had won, but at what cost? Part of her wondered if the cost was worth it, but it must be. It had to be if Kaid made that choice.

Kaid knew the moment Jessamine had walked into his cell she would be the beginning of his undoing, and to him, it never felt so good to be proven right and for Payne to be proven wrong.