May 21st, 2055: 

Dusk wrapped the camp in a vivid twilight that tainted the sky in purple and red. Refugees were gathered around a bonfire to keep their skeletal frames warm for the long night to come. Done in, Shinichiro let out a noisy yawn and switched on his holopad. He logged in his favourite instant chat host with enthusiasm. No incoming call from Alys however. He stared at its blank dashboard with anxiety. She made the promise to contact him everyday. Did something happen to her? He tried to convince himself there was nothing to worry about but something did not feel right. She was supposed to be having lunch with her colleagues right now. Her profile’s status indicated "No Signal!" She could not be localised by any means either. His hands trembled uncontrollably out of panic. She must have gotten in trouble. If it were true, he would have to go through complicated procedures in order to retrieve her whereabouts. Bradley Strauss, his colleague from Worldwide News, took a peek inside the tent, worried by Shinichiro's sudden unhappiness:
- Are you okay Shin? Let’s meet up with the locals for dinner, they have cooked a feast to celebrate our departure! Don’t you want to come?
- I... I have a lot on my plate to finish for tomorrow's edition of the New World Telegraph...
- C'mon you overwork yourself mate, have a well-deserved break for once in three weeks!
- Deadline is up by midnight. It's the end of me if I don't complete my report on time.
- My, my homesickness it is called. Never mind my invitation, I'll let you brood over your concerns while we're having fun!
Bradley gone partying, Shinichiro tried to contact Alys again. No answer back. The call button turned grey, unresponsive. The young man dealt a violent blow on the pad: "Dammit!"

Shinichiro ruminated over and over these dark thoughts while jotting down ideas to structure his report appropriately into paragraphs. His eyes were concentrated on the page he was writing as if nothing else mattered. Outside resonated the guttural voices of the natives who sung traditional songs. Shinichiro looked up briefly from his typing software to have an overview of his work so far and switched off his tablet. His mind was unfocused on the purpose of his essay. He worried for Alys much more than he expected to. She had grown up. She was no longer the highly sensitive 15-year old girl he met ten years ago, although she tended to cry easily when she felt upset. But looking at the woman she had become, one could tell she had gone through a lot, which strengthened her will to move forward in life to the next obstacle, even if the scars of the past were still burning red.
Enduring that much pain in a lapse of few years could have broken apart any human being. Her had embraced loneliness and loss as her everyday burden during the time she lived inside Society's battlements. He admired her for such abnegation and pitied her condition at the same time. He used to love her and care for her like a substitute brother rather than a boyfriend.
Everything was different from now on. They were engaged to each other by a strong love bound. They were no longer irresponsible teenagers striving to survive in the wilderness. They both had expectations for life and career opportunities. Soon they were going to settle in town once he was back from travel overseas. A smile curled his lips. These past ten years of relationship had been a blast. They had shared good times and gone through hardships side by side. Now was time to set in stone their commitment. He had great plans to make her 25th birthday memorable. Bradley popped in harbouring a wide grin. He held out a plate filled with raw fish snacks:
- Doing well? Have some traditional foods from the countryside!
- I am running out of time to send in my report at the due date, apologies for not taking part in the feast like I should; thanks for inquiring though.
- C'mon bud, it can wait a little while longer, no?
- It cannot, unless I plan to get myself fired.
Bradley noticed that Shinichiro's hands were trembling uncontrollably, his fingers clenched into his holopad on sleep mode. He slipped in the tent and sighed:
- Dude, what's wrong with you tonight?
At first Shinichiro hesitated to answer directly. He did not like to talk in public about his private concerns, unless with close acquaintances. He wanted Bradley to leave him alone and go enjoy the party. Looking up at his partner he saw consideration in his eyes and averted his gaze from his, embarrassed at the realization he was so easily readable.
- I... am feeling unsettled about my future, he avowed.
- You have already earned quite a reputation among the freelance community in the lapse of five years, what more can you ask for?
- I wish I could reconcile my blooming career and my discontinuous private life for the better. I am on travel here and there every few months so I haven't managed to build anything serious with my soul mate until now and it bothers my mind to think we could have lived together happily ever after like most long-time couples do. I fear we are going to break up or we have already done so.
- Be ready for that. I used to be in a distanced relationship with a sexy chick who lived overseas, despite of which we trusted each other. We met again once in a while when I was back from report. However, we made promises that we could not keep. One day I came to see her, she had moved on to the city heart where she shared with another guy a snug flat closer to her office.
- I suppose you never spoke to each other again?
- Indeed, just because we could not get engaged in the long term.
- My story is a bit different from yours in the sense we have been dating each other since our fifteenth birthday and I feel like I should not give up yet. Knowing her for that long, I don't think she would run away from home all of a sudden without an explanation.
- I feel for you lucky man and I hope the best for the two of you. 

Later when everyone was asleep after the celebration, Shinichiro awoke with a start to the vibration of his holopad buzzing for a couple of minutes. Past midnight at the clock. The moon had begun to descend when he crawled discreetly outside the tent. An hologram of Mikael sprouted out from the screen when he pressed the call button. Alys' brother looked spectral: his hair unkempt, his eyes swollen from exhaustion after a rowdy night. He did not make up a smile:
" Have you got news from Alys?"
- I have been trying to call her several times since yesterday’s evening but she never replied to any of my queries! Do you have a clue on what is going on?
" - I don't know. Sure thing is that she is nowhere to be found!"
- Have you checked the position of her cell phone? Or even tonight's police registries?
" - Something goes off. I can locate her phone on an unknown network that answers back to my requests with a no signal notification. Data cannot be accessed either."
- What are your thoughts about the matter?
" - Let's not jump in unfounded conclusions too quickly."
- But Mikael ... she might be in danger right now!
" - Whatever has happened of her, or might happen next, I can safely assume she won't end up getting harmed under any circumstances;"
- What makes you believe so with that much conviction?
" - She is blessed to be born under an auspicious star, genuinely loved."
Shinichiro knew what he meant and acquiesced. So Hitori had returned from the wonders of the space-time continuum. But it made him feel more anxious than relieved. Hitori held between his hands the power to judge space and time: as such he could foresee a world’s tragic decline. Were times to rejoice of the recovery and the victory against the nuclear industry over? Or had they ever occurred? A corrupted world hindered during two decades by a raging war of interests between an authoritarian regime and a worldwide pacifist committee could hardly mend its scars in the lapse of five years.
- So why has he returned?
" - In the preliminary years of the fourth millenary, from 3050 and forth, Earth has been irreversibly annihilated and humanity forced into exile across the universe. The death of our planet could have been prevented in the current period of time if the inefficiency of the transitory government had not given political scope for Hellmet Pitsbulk's followers to found the nationalist party."
- Does not an almighty rule that applies to the course of time say that no one shall alter the past, present and future? Because if Earth is destined to end at the beginning of the next millenary then there is nothing we can do to prevent it from happening anyway: in other words we're condemned.
" - This is one's pessimistic point of view made into believing our critical lack of resources and our industry portend the premature coming of the apocalypse. On a brighter note, while we're alive, let's make this world a better place to bear with our suffering."
- If so, what about Alys? Why is he coming back only now to meet again with her?
" - God knows. He did not tell me more than you already know about his mission to 2055."

Geminorum 1st, Year 55 - Odyssea

One could easily lose notion of space and time between Odyssea’s iron walls.
However, as to replicate day and night, artificial light bulbs paired to intensity potentiometers were attached to the ceiling in order to indicate the hour. Alys rested in a spacious cabin next to Hitori's inside the Council's quarters. She sighed of relief after this tormented night that had brought up a whole new set of events. She was about to set sail on adventure again, against her will nonetheless. But she was not officially accounted yet as Seventh Counsellor. She would have to go through preliminary examinations first to prove her worthy of that charge conducted by the members of the Council themselves. A white and gold jacket and assorted warm clothes on which were embroidered planetary patterns had been carefully folded and placed in a glassy chest of drawers next to her bed.
She resented accepting it as her new place to live despite of its futuristic appeal. From now on she could not get back to her reality and shuddered. It felt like she had lost her loved ones for the second time. Furthermore she was going to witness their disappearance one by one in fifty years or so what made her feel even more depressed about her condition. She missed Shinichiro's presence by her side to give her support. They were going to be forever separated. They would never be able to meet again although they had yet so much to accomplish. It made her feel guilty to know he was going to suffer. Behind her back the door slid open smoothly:
- Are you feeling better? A familiar voice inquired.
The sound of his gentle tone, reassuring, calmed down her torment and swept away her fears for a while. She lied on her back to stretch out her muscles: "Not quite." Worried Hitori walked across the room and sat on the edge of her bed: " I am sorry, it should not have happened that way."
- Truth be told, I am scared.
- Anyone would be, he nodded.
- If only I could go back as if it were a mere delusion born from my wildest imagination.
- Unfortunately you can't, this is no longer possible to battle in retreat.

- Your full name and age? Lancaster queried
- Does it matter for you to know?
- We ask the questions, you answer them.
Time-confused Alys stood still in the middle of them under their inquisitive glares. She casted her eyes up defiantly on intent to keep composure in front of her interlocutors:
- Can you please tell me what is exactly the purpose of my mission?
- All things in good time, Faeri intervened. First tell us more about you.
- Well I am Alys Wonderland, freshly 25, born in 2030 during the Era of No Return. I have grown up inside Society's battlements as I struggled to survive separated from my loved ones after the Traumatism.
- Have you taken part in what we call nowadays the Final Countdown?
- I am not sure to understand what you’re talking about. What is it you call the Final Countdown?
- You dare to ask? You’re quite ignorant about many things, don’t you? Styx exclaimed.
Sylvestre shot glance at him: “Calm down Styx, of course she does not know anything about this part of Earth’s history yet, she has just been transferred to this era of time!”
- There is no reason for you two to be constantly fighting, if there is any you may deal with your personal grudges against each other in private and not disrupt today’s session, Lancaster admonished the fighters. Let’s get back on track, shall we? The Final Countdown, otherwise known as a major event in Earth’s history, occurred in 2050 when a group of pacifists leapt through time back to July 14th, 2040 to prevent the Shovel of Death’s explosion from happening on attempt to rebuild an agonising planet from its ashes. But their mission failed lamentably even if their intentions were praiseworthy. By modifying the future they made it even worse for future generations who lived under the dictatorship of the nationalist party composed of Hellmet Pitsbulk’s followers during forty years what irremediably affected the balance of the worldwide political pattern.
Uneasy about the topic, Alys assumed they were testing her honesty given that they, as supernatural beings, must have the ability to read minds. It seemed that, in the world of the fourth millenary, to gather as much valuable information as you could was primordial to survive. She weighted her words before she took the floor:
- I cannot deny I have. I must say that our motives were all but altruistic. We thought it could solve partly the world’s ongoing crisis at the time. We had not considered yet the consequences of our actions. We might have engaged too brashly in war against the leading classes, revolted against an imperfect system in many ways.
- Sure you did, Styx nodded.
- Was it necessary? You admit that you indirectly sacrificed many innocent lives without a second thought, Zoe observed.
- The world started to recover slowly from its wounds in the beginning years of its rebirth. The past lied behind us; we could only walk forward to learn from our failures. Hope soothed our broken hearts. Did we know that forty years from 2055 we would provoke Earth’s downfall? I don’t think so. We used to think we acted for good.
- Your reasoning is quite interesting and well developed, which weights in your favour. But, considering the charge bestowed upon you, you’re required to possess a supernatural ability out of this world’s standards. You don’t seem to have any.
- It has yet to be awakened.
- Why should we accept you in our ranks, then? Styx asked.
The question disarmed Alys who had no reason to give for her presence there given that she did not know what her mission consisted in. She noticed that a young girl wearing a silver dress gazed at her with attention. Nervous, she clasped hands in her back and cleared her throat:
- I don’t know it myself. Having survived from a near death experience has become a part of the woman I am today. I have suffered a lot, much more than a regular human being would thus why I am an emotionally driven person most of the time. My willingness to go forward is my strength, to have gone through many hardships.
- Styx, I am sure that God always makes decisions with reason and equity, we may have to find out ourselves why he sent to us a mere human being, Faeri intervened.
The Counsellors agreed, even Styx with unconcealed resentment. His showed contempt for the human race intrigued Alys, which made her want to know more about him despite of his pushing character. The concerned shrugged his shoulders:
- Sometimes the ways of Fate are unpredictable.

“ I want to go back now!” Alys thought with bitter while staring at her reflect throughout a daylight mirror. This white and gold uniform weaved of pure gold looked eccentric, heavily embroidered, but fitted her body shape quite well. She buttoned her jacket to the top and combed back her hair in a ponytail, then turned around when Hitori knocked lightly at the door. She rushed to get her last preparations done and wondered how did she know he was coming, an extrasensory intuition maybe. He sketched a gentle smile: "It suits you pretty well." Alys acquiesced, eyes down: " It feels like I'm dressing up though." He let out a burst of laughter and preceded her outside: " Don't you worry, there is a first time to everything."
Once every week, the Council held a consultative assembly with the citizens of Odyssea for anyone to speak up. Comprehensive communication between the masses and their representatives was the key to maintain harmony inside Odyssea's battlements, as Hitori explained to Alys while they hurried alongside the corridor leading to the lower floors. Most Odysseans lived humbly, worried for the coming times in which an end to their misery could not be seen. The Confederation itself was hardly recovering from the consequences of the Third Great War. The conference took place in an immense auditorium. One by one the Council members seated at their respective chairs feared and admired at the same time by the crowd gathered in the front most terraces. Murmurs spread among the audience when Alys sat down at the farthest end of the stage. To be the center of attention made her blush involuntarily.
Faeri stood up and cleared her throat:
- We have a lot to discuss today: shall we begin?

May 21st, 2055: 

Mikael was reading the latest online edition of the New World Telegraph stretched out on his sofa when the electronic device tied around his wrist he used as regular watch started to giggle vehemently. Its touch screen shined alternatively from bright red to ocean blue. Fritz's custom-made time capsule incorporated in its machinery had stopped working for long. Why did it suddenly go on rampage? The light intensified as he tried to take it off, in vain. If it had willpower of its own, it would not bulge. "What's going on sweetheart, where's this light coming from?" His girlfriend Dyna stood in the doorframe entangled in her pyjamas, half asleep, looking at Mikael with wonder. A blindfolding ray of light surged out of thin air, which opened an interdimensional portal. Inside of it boiled darkness itself in its elemental state. His eyes widened in shock and horror as he felt forcefully and unstoppably attracted by nothingness, then an extraordinary vision of the Milky Way unfolded before him. The view narrowed closer to the solar system, or the remains of a fallen galaxy, dimmed in eternal night. The thought of it sent cold chills down his spine. Amidst the chaos stood a gigantic cruise ship redesigned to travel across time and space at light speed like in science-fiction blockbusters around which gravitated an indefinite mass of asteroids. “Mikael! Hey Mikael!” Dyna’s voice yelling his name snapped him back to reality. A striking pain radiated throughout his forearm due to the explosion of his watch shattered to splinters of plastic and metal. He remembered to have seen a gigantic spaceship lost in the middle of space before he blacked out. He took off the destructed device and came to the couple’s bathroom to bandage carefully his wounded wrist, clueless about what had just happened. He lied down in bed with the feeling something went off with the time capsule he held in the curve of his palm. He would have eventually to ask its inventor for further user instructions, which annoyed him greatly. Fritz Davis was the last person on Earth whom he would ask for help.

Geminorum 1st, Year 55 - Odyssea

In the depths of Odyssea a few hours after the meeting, bundled inside her Sanctuary the Priestess looked with stupefaction at the compass between her hands, giggling and glowing in the curve of her palm like the bells of war. An unexpected event had just perturbed the course of the space-time continuum, irreversibly modifying the foreseeable future in which Odysseans and Black Knights were coming in agreement for a ceasefire by common consent.
As far as she could remember she went by the name of Faeri Dei, Priestess of the Temple of Fortune who had been seconded to the Council of Cosmos as God's messenger forty-five years ago. Her very existence was dedicated to execute His will, mission she dutifully accomplished without objection. She never spoke a word too many. She was seen as cold-hearted, emotionless in appearance. The artefact between her hands shined black, sign of bad omen for the coming times like when Earth's destruction by the vessels of darkness triggered the first Great War.
" The first Great War..." The thought of it sent chills down her spine. It made hurtful memories of her priesthood resurface. She shuddered. Many died from their wounds. Even more lost their loved ones. Fate was merciless. She the most devoted would-be Priestess of the Temple, who was destined to hold a position in the high spheres of heavens, whose faith to God had always been infallible to this point, committed the utmost crime of contradicting his teachings. He held humanity responsible for its own demise. She pitied the wretched devils forced into exile from their homeland. " May the will of Fate prevail over mankind's lowly concerns," he warned her. " Getting a child involved in this mess, what of your so-called righteousness? To give is to give, to take back is to steal!" she retorted. " Shall thee be banished from the Temple if you refuse to cooperate!" he threatened her. " But the price to pay is too high just to restore peace for a short while before the Empire's next attack. Survivors are unable to sustain a fourth Traumatism anyway!" she bit back.
She was spacing out. Again. God rarely spoke to her ever since. She sighed and brushed off these reflections in the back of her mind. These memories would never let her at ease. They kept resurfacing whenever she questioned her beliefs. Tears filled her eyes to her own surprise: " The will of Fate, empty words!" she uttered between her teeth. In this instant she dreaded as if the representation of God that ornamented the Sanctuary shot glance at her with disapproval. She looked away and lied down on her couch with weariness to sleep for a while. Yes, peace was a cause worth fighting for the sake of the Confederation. The welfare of the universe prevailed over everything else. No more atrocities. No more pain. She woke up to the sound of the Sanctuary's tocsin that announced the coming of the Galactic Safety Committee aboard the Nebulae their long-haul spaceship, which meant something serious enough to irreversibly alter history had occurred. She wondered if it was related to Chronos' disappearance. She dressed up in haste and summoned the Council for an early extraordinary session:
" Were the omens true, is it already happening?"

- The Twelve Guardians are moving their pawns forward, Faeri declared.
- Will they ever take part in war anyway? Styx objected. Their intentions have never been clearly set; their determination to remain obstinately neutral makes me wonder on which side they stand.
- Who knows, it might be a sneak move from the Empire to spy on us! Lancaster nodded. We cannot afford to put ourselves in danger by engaging in negotiation with them.
- I get your point but... Faeri looked down at the crystal-clear barometer between her hands: It seems to me that they aren't willing to declare us war this once. The Nebulae is about to enter the Jovian system at any minute now. Should we let them in?
- They morons come in peace to have talks when it pleases them! Styx exclaimed.
- They are God's servants Sty, Zoe intervened. Their existence is dedicated to execute His orders. They only come when something serious enough to disrupt the right course of the universe has happened.
Faeri acquiesced:
- An unpredictable future is going to unfold surely related to Chronos' disappearance.
She had a lump in her throat when she continued speaking:
- They must have tortured him while in jail to know our location and our future plans of attack.
- Bastards! Styx swore.
Faeri clenched her fists over her skirts:
- I understand your anger Styx although shallow words won’t defeat them. We must act instead of sitting there leisurely to watch the universe be shattered to ruins by Ophideus’ troops.
Zoe stood up abruptly:
- How to? We’ve already lost most of our driving forces against their over-trained army! Launching the assault will result in our lamentable defeat! They expect us to respond to violence by violence out of revenge. We shall think before we act too brashly!
- Have you a better strategy to propose? Styx objected. Come on Livi, this is war!
Faeri interposed herself between the fighters:
- Zoe, raise the white flag would be equal to declare forfeit! Styx, we have already fought them head-on and lost against their indestructible cannons!
“ Nebulae to Odyssea, we’ve got a special delivery for you!”
All six startled. Faeri switched on the call. A hologram of Taurus sprouted out from the Council’s 3D projector: “ Hello there, Priestess!”
- What’s the matter Taurus?
“ You already know that Chronos has been captured by the Empire and forced to enrol in their ranks. They have conditioned him to become one of their soldiers. He had to trade his freedom in exchange for survival. They have now a great trump card in their hands. You stand no chance against them if you bluntly open fire. Your utmost objective is the preservation of the universe.”
- The preservation of the universe? Should not the Empire be defeated first? Styx observed. In some cases, a conflict is inevitable.
“ Wrong answer, harbinger of death. Odyssea would blow up in seconds and mankind be annihilated under the fire of the Emperor’s artillery.”
- Are you saying we should just give up and submit?
“ Not yet.” The Guardian responded, peeling a litchi he swallowed in one bite. “ The Temple was quick in reaction to Chronos’ disappearance. Though, may the hands of Fate have the power to decide, I can’t help but disagree with their choice.”
- So what I saw in the omens was true? Faeri inquired.
“ Yes, sadly Chronos has been stripped of his Counsellor status and banished from the heavens. It is unlikely that he will ever be able to get out the Palace unharmed, even if he were, he would no longer be allowed to serve the Temple.”
Resigned to think their comrade was forever gone, dead or alive, the six Counsellors looked down at the ground. Taurus smirked: “ You should not lose hope too early.”
- To put it simply, our situation is desperate, Hitori commented. If we stay in retreat, the Empire will rule over the universe until the end of time. If we declare war to them, we’ll lose many of our remaining troops. Civilisations never learn from their scars. I can't help to think we could have prevented the solar system from collapsing long ago.
Taurus let out a chuckle, amused: “ You said it right Judge, unless destiny chooses one little loony bird graced with heavenly abilities to restore harmony between the worlds.”
Hitori did not let a hint of emotion pierce through his armour. Not in front of his colleagues. A Counsellor shall not let his personal concerns corrupt his dutiful sense of justice.  But he had a bad feeling about this situation not to mention Taurus' sudden familiarity. Taurus grinned:
" Don't you worry, the little one's doing well!"
- You, as Guardian, must value tolerance and understanding in your statements, which disavows your unfounded contempt for the human race, Faeri reproached him
“ This time again, heavens have elected an earthling from the Era of no Return to bear the charge of Seventh Counsellor.”

- Oh hell ... Styx interjected, nodding in disbelief. One is enough, isn’t he?
- Styx! Sylvestre mumbled between her teeth.
- Snap out of your personal grudges against each other you two! Lancaster observed.
- Who the hell had the awful idea of establishing this messed up system to begin with? We need competent personalities as Counsellors! Styx exclaimed.
- Don’t judge too fast on circumstances Sty, Zoe admonished him.
- They caused the demise of their own planet!
Sylvestre stood up abruptly, infuriated: “ Enough, I have enough of this conversation!”
She pointed an accusing finger at Styx:
- Despite the fact their industrial activities exhausted Earth’s resources and destroyed most of the fauna and flora at its surface, despite the fact they mistreated their so-called environment, the responsibility goes to their leaders who did not enact the right policies to slow down the destruction of the planet. Many populations, to whom was granted the status of climatic refugees by the United Countries Committee, have suffered whether they died from starvation and illnesses or endured a life of poverty on exodus to the continents!
“ Sheesh, here you go again, Styx Van Hellson. You know what, I’m sure that she, even if her character pisses me off greatly, is much more competent than you to save the universe from the Void. Just because she used to live at the time the first Traumatism occurred, and as a consequence, has a reason to believe this world is not completely hopeless yet.”
Styx was about to respond that it was not a believable motive to prove her worthy of the charge she had been given when the door of the council room slid open and Bobbi Bot entered in a rattle of scrap metal followed a few steps in retreat by a young girl in her mid-twenties according to this time's standards. He nodded at the assembly:
- Greetings ladies and gentlemen.

Geminorum 1st, Year 55 - Nebulae

- Now that you've admitted the unbelievable, a short introductory speech to this time's gears is necessary for you to understand how the current geopolitical pattern of the galaxy works.
Done in Alys sipped on a tube of vitamin C to keep her senses on alert:
- That's for sure.
- The Confederation composed of the Empire and the Insurrection is governing the universe as long as there are no other identified forms of life in other galaxies. Us known as Guardians or else Galactic Safety Committee are in charge of guaranteeing the well-being of the populations who struggle to survive in this tensed era vast wasteland been tarnished by an endless cycle of bloody wars before a ceasefire was established five years ago.
- I guess that the Empire was victorious and the Insurrection forced to cower in fear before their weaponry after losing many of their troops?
- You said it. So as to welcome survivors after the disaster was created the colony of Odyssea on stationery inside the ancient Jovian system. Odyssea is led by the Council of Cosmos a corporation of divined beings each given a fragment of the Creation to make possible the rebirth of civilisations: time, life, death, nature, weather, faith and knowledge.
- What's the point if the solar system has been irreversibly destroyed?
- Somewhere in the universe there must be a planet suitable to welcome life, at least this is all we can hope for. If there isn't, then Odysseans are condemned to eternal wander across the universe.
- All because of the Empire?
- They think themselves as the forgotten souls, the left behind of the Expansion, vengeful spirits abandoned to die in atrocious suffering by their peers, which stirred up their angst and their resentment against the human race.
- What happened? Alys asked.
- This part of history that wraps the birth and rise of the Empire, at the time mankind found a new motherland on the planet Mars, has remained uncertain from the twenty-sixth century still to this day. The record of Earth’s decline is a whole another subject I won’t address because I don’t know much about it.
Alys had nothing to say. She meditated about Taurus’ revelations as an otherworldly view of the solar system shattered to ruins unfolded before her eyes. The galaxy she used to know had been wrecked, diminished, annihilated to an indefinable mass of meteorites, asteroids and burning rocks driven off gravity. Planets no longer existed. Stars in agony breathed their last shine. Desolated land, sight of chaos, eaten away by nothingness as the apocalypse approached, Alys thought. Taurus winked at her:
- Losing hope too early will let them win. That’s not what you want, right?
- I don’t even know what is exactly my mission! Alys objected.
- As I've told you before you have successfully survived a NDE what entitles you as applicant for the charge of Seventh Counsellor wielder of Knowledge due to the sudden disappearance of its previous owner.
Alys raised an eyebrow:
- Who decides?
- You like asking questions, don't you?
- Would not it be normal in this context?
- Guess so. Fate it is called or hazard if you prefer.
Been drawn at random by the godly embodiment of destiny among other nominees certainly more worthy than her to receive such honour made Alys feel illegitimate. She wished she had a normal life, at least as much normal as possible. Meanwhile she was mumbling to herself the Nebulae reached Odyssea's surroundings. Taurus switched on a wristband wrapped around his forearm:
- Nebulae to Odyssea, we’ve got a special delivery for you!

Geminorum 1st, Year 55 - Odyssea

- You don't even come to pay your respects in person and send to us a scrap heap of attendant as your representative instead! Styx shouted.
" Let's skip formalities, we're running out of time."
- Uh, hello...
Bobbi Bot's protégée blushed of embarrassment as she left the shadows of the entryway. The room offered a panoramic view of space beyond its curved windows. The six people that called themselves Council of Cosmos sat around an heptagonal conference table quarrelling. Sylvestre’s fiery glare adjoined Styx to calm down. "Welcome, I guess" he said coldly. Zoe sketched a smile of circumstance:
- Don't worry about these two, they're constantly fighting over bigger or smaller concerns.
- Haha... in two hours time my life has been turned upside down: I got abducted, transported here without my consent and entrusted of a divine mission to guarantee the prosperity of the galaxy... Here I am and I don't even know what to expect.
A blue lightning crossed the room to everyone's stupefaction aimed at Taurus who let out a sarcastic laughter: "Be careful time lawyer, your spade almost ripped me off."
- Must you defeat me before anything else happens if you are the mastermind of this plan!
- So Fate has stated, shall its will be executed, Faeri affirmed. You may all come down to your senses and reflect on why a human child has been sent out to help us in our quest.
Lancaster acquiesced, noting that Faeri usually talked with reason when conflict arose between Counsellors, Zoe and Sylvestre too. Styx shrugged his shoulders, defeated. Hitori’s fingertips were burning blue. Beneath his brash characterlaid a sensitive man, a part of him he rarely showed, compassionate for his loved ones. His caring personality took over impartiality and broke all masks apart when he stood up:
- From today on and until she has accomplished her office, I will take responsibility for her doings. If any of you attempts to put her life in danger, they will have to pass over my dead body!
His heart throbbed with pain as he walked across the room to her, with guiltiness to have dragged his cherished stepdaughter into this tragedy. He wrapped his arms around her chest comfortingly: “ I don’t know why and how you’ve gotten here, I’ll make sure that everything’s going to be alright soon,” he whispered to her ear. The concerned could not hold back her emotion anymore, moved by this unexpected reunion.
- Let me end today’s session here, it has been a stressful ungodly night for us all, Faeri declared.

The Galactic Safety Committee and Bobbi Bot seen out, Styx sighed of relief:
- At least they're gone for good.
Sylvestre leaned back in her chair, twisting a creeper around her middle finger, her leaf-green irises drilled on his neck: " Better watch your manners out of respect for the committee!" Sullen Styx mumbled an apology. Lancaster refrained from making any comment and so did Zoe shaken by Judge's emotional outburst.
Everyone dismissed, Faeri summoned a teleportation portal back to the Sanctuary to rest. But something worried her when she lied down on her couch to take a well-deserved nap. If her predictions were coming true, a greater threat than another galactic war weighted on the universe. In last resort the Empire had the strong hand on the exchequer by holding Chronos in hostage. Most importantly, which she omitted to tell the Council, she had witnessed the recreation of the Oblivion dynasty in her dreams. The great Oblivius was about to acquire the legendary power of immortality from the endeavours of a woman. She dreaded at the thought of it that would annihilate the Confederation by causing its downfall.
" If it were the case, we'd already have been attacked by the Black Knights, no?"

Tauri 31st, Year 55 - Black Sun

Only a name: Isha. Maybe hers. She was bothered by the fleet of ladies in waiting and servants who gravitated around her, annoyed by their obsequious attention. Some brushed her hair meticulously; others adjusted her dress to fit perfectly. Such beautiful dress ornamented with gemstones! A masterpiece of lace and velvet, decorated with pearl-black feathers and onyx stones, sewed for a queen. She took a look at her surroundings, mesmerised by the beauty of this place, luxurious museum filled with priceless artworks. Majestic paintings that glorified the conquest of the galaxies by the Empire overloaded the walls. Her feet sunk into the fluffy carpeting weaved of silver and gold wool. Speakers attached to the ceiling played chamber music in the background while maids titivated her to her fingertips.
But whom she saw in the mirror was an ordinary-looking woman dressed up like a princess from a dystopian fairy-tale. It made her feel uneasy. She whisked away these concerns in a blink. She should not let her guard down. Everyone's gazes were set upon her every action. Moreover Ophideus kept her on watch from the threshold, armed to the teeth, ordered to shoot on sight if she attempted anything to escape the Palace.
- You may come in, His Highness the Almighty One is waiting for you.

His reception hall was even more colossal. Its fabulous columns of black marble were imposing. Closely escorted by Ophideus she admired in awe the hangings embroidered with intricate cosmic designs while she crossed the pathway to the throne. The Emperor himself was sitting under a canopy, hidden by a curtain of silk. A satisfied grin curled his lips as they approached:
- Good job Ophideus!
The lizard-man nodded with compliance:
- I just followed through your orders Your Highness.
- I was expecting no less from you.
The reptilanoïd dipped into a bow and left the room backwards, then the monarch focused his attention on the goddess of beauty standstill in front of him. Drilled on her forehead his lightless pupils were skimming through her memories from her early childhood to her life in Society, including her years in college. He had not the right to intrude her mind she thought at the realisation his mind-reading abilities allowed him to know everything about her. It no longer mattered to her that much either. She was starting to lose track. It felt like this distant past that kept harassing her was carried away from grasp bit by bit, until it vanished.
People, whose faces lingered on in her mind, whose names she had forgotten, were waiting for her return. Where to? She reached out to them as their silhouettes disappeared one by one. She was left alone. From now on she was nobody but the sovereign's property. She no longer belonged to anywhere given that she had nowhere to go back to. Her identity, if she ever had any, had been wiped out.
- I bid you to become mine and only.
The sound of his reedy voice throughout her mind snapped her back to reality. He held her chin in the curve of his palm. Took by surprise she thrashed about to break free only to realise she had no longer the ability to move. She was trapped. Her arms and legs under someone else's control were no longer responsive. He tightened his grasp. Her lungs gasped for air. She nearly choked up. “There is no escape” he conjured between his teeth chuckling deviously. He drew her closer to him and pressed his lips against hers for a forced kiss, his fingernails clawed into her skin:
- Outside death awaits the reckless.

On position near the threshold he had witnessed the whole scene from a distance. He harboured an emotionless face like his colleagues to conceal his true feelings. He pitied her condition. During the time they spent in prison, he got to learn more about Earth and attain a better understanding of its inhabitants. They had fought to save their planet until the end, united in their misfortune. Her had a fulfilled life to look forward to: dreams to accomplish, marriage plans to make after the disaster, a career to take further. She was passionate, courageous and caring. She used to be in a relationship with someone she held in great esteem. Her love for him knew no boundaries despite the fact they were going to be forever separated. He was surprised to find out that Judge was the lucky one. A zero rather than a hero, he remarked. The ways of Fate were so impenetrable: he was definitely not cut out to endorse the charge of Judge.
Anyway he thought about it, more he thought about it more he felt obligated to help these two thrown across the wild universe without any knowledge of the current going-ons, unaware why and how they got implicated in the raging conflict between the Empire and the Insurrection. He cleared his throat and bowed slightly when Ophideus walked past the door. He should be more careful. He would get arrested and sent back to jail for having these unleashed thoughts.

Tauri 31st, Year 55 - Somewhere in the universe, far and beyond our galaxy

A roller coaster of shapes and colours flashed behind her eyelids when she recovered consciousness. Her head ached violently. Dizzy Alys looked at the world around with astonishment when she got accustomed to her surroundings, She was retained in a spacious yet denuded and windowless cabin without any ornaments except an imposing LED screen. She was held prisoner by nerve-stimulating shackles that suppressed her ability to move. It forced her to keep calm and composed even in compromising circumstances for her survival. A scar could be seen on her right elbow where a syringe filled with strong sedatives had pierced deeply her skin to the blood. Her empty stomach craved for food and water. Alys felt extremely exhausted as if she had just run an Olympic marathon. She groped for her bearings inside this unfamiliar environment. Just plain walls of stainless steel built in one piece and a huge LED screen on sleep mode hung at the wall. Suddenly, crackling and drilling sounds awakened brutally the young woman from her state of drowsiness with a start. A humanoid assemble of rusty gears associated with the finest nanotech to this day popped in from nowhere, carrying a tray filled with unknown fruit species and colourful test tubes which Alys stared at with a melt of stupefaction and disgust.
- Bobbi Bot at your service. He was told to keep an eye on you. Ask him anything you need.
Alys wondered if she was going to take part in a crazy adventure to save the world again She would like to lead a relatively quiet life far from the major concerns of a decaying society after everything she endured wishing to reach someday happiness. Make a successful career in journalism, marry the one she truly loved to raise a family, enjoy life to the fullest like there was no tomorrow. Reality stroke when a shadowy silhouette wrapped in a dark cloak took shape near Bobbi Bot and switched on the screen in a finger snap. He picked up a pink-reddish coloured litchi from the tray, harbouring a friendly grin:
- Glad you're awake milady, you've made it to the fourth millenary successfully!
Puzzled he stared at her from head to toe: “ But choosing you of all candidates, the ways of destiny go beyond understanding!” Clueless about the situation, the concerned had not spurted a word out yet. She began to admit the drug injected inside her body must have seriously altered her ability to reason with lucidity. It seemed that she had been transported to the thirty-first century without her consent. She remembered to have been abducted meanwhile she went back to bed in the middle of the night. Then she recalled to have been tossed in and out an endless tunnel like a bundle of clothes in a washing machine. Thereafter her mind went blank.
Pensive, the being standstill in front of her was munching on his genetically-modified litchi with content. He had been glaring at her with stupefaction for several minutes, which she found especially ill-mannered. Intrigued she took a closer look at him. His skin looked sunburned as if permanently damaged by long exposure to UV rays. Silver-white strands peeked out from his hood. Slender fingertips peeled another of these pinkish fruits carefully to appreciate their slimy texture. Alys shot glance at him to make her presence known.
- Why me in that case? she queried.
He spitted out a few litchi stones:
- Truth is you have been entitled as the wielder of a special ability out of many people who have once survived a NDE, thus why us Guardians must give you our protection.
- All right, why don't you set me free to begin with?
- I shall explain you a few things.
- It would be very much appreciated if you could tell me where I am and what the current year is.
- Don't fret too much about it, all things will come in good time.

- Let's introduce each other to begin with. I go by the name of Taurus, Second Guardian out of twelve. Yours is Alys, right?
- Even if it were, how did you find out?
-By skimming through your memories, I was able to carry further investigation about you. You were born somewhere in the Western Hemisphere during the Era of No Return, which is how we nowadays nickname the twenty-first century. You and your companions got accidentally involved in the first Traumatism trying to prevent the explosion of the Shovel of Death from happening. In the end you only made it worst for future generations who had to survive during a never-ending cycle of chemical wars generated by the hands of Pitsbulk's followers later known as the nationalist party! They reigned over the Aftermath Republic for the next forty years before the rebels took them down the throne. During that time they cut their ties from the rest of the world: the country was ostracised by the United Countries Committee from the worldwide union, shattering to pieces the hopes of citizens yearning for democracy. All because of you!
- We used to think it was the best solution to make society change for the greater good. We were revolted by how turned out the construction of the new world, how the government took advantage of the events to assess their leadership at the risk of compromising people's freedom of speech.
The promised land they bragged about when the Traumatism occurred, meant to welcome survivors after the tragedy, seemed at first an undersea paradise where one could restart a living from scratch six feet under the surface. Only then, as the years were passing by and society was slowly reconstructing itself, it appeared that appearances had fooled the layman's eye and it became very hard not to get prosecuted by governmental officers who spied on your every movement and your every action in order to kill any form of opposition in the egg. Thus you had to submit wholeheartedly to their authority for your own safety, otherwise be shunned from the community and sent to jail after you had been tried before justice for the supreme crime, acting against the President.
- I object, it did not allow you to come back to the past on attempt to prevent the first Traumatism from happening. I assume you know the almighty rule that legislates the space-time continuum, don't you?
- Yeah, I know.
- To make it short you have been brought here by the whim of destiny, he said.
- Great! I guess I will have to complete a special mission or something before I can return to my time, won't I?
- You get it right. Well, except the fact that you will never be the same person again, in many ways.
- What do you mean?
- Whenever someone survives a NDE long enough, they no longer belong to the mortal world. Which means you've reached what is called eternity. For the better or for the worst, semi-immortality is not necessarily the afterlife mankind has been longing for.
- Does it mean... I am dead?
- Yes, somehow. Better go on and leave your past behind to alleviate the pain of loss.
Wearing only a soft silk shirt over her bras and light jeans gave her the chills, which alarmed her interlocutor who ordered Bobbi Bot to get her some warm clothes at the laundry.
- What if I decide for myself that I refuse to get involved in this... intergalactic war?
- Laughable, you don't have any choice once you've stepped in battle you know. Whether or not you volunteered for it.
- Heck if I knew that I would lose my life so easily for a cause that greatly overwhelms my understanding!
Taurus pulled out an heavy sigh: "You whimsy earthlings are quite annoying peeps."
- What makes you think so?
- By his deeds this troublemaker of a judge has not redeemed my opinion of you all!
Bobbi Bot's entrance cut short their argument. He bowed to Taurus with respect:
- Bobbi Bot has found a wetsuit and fresh pants for the young lady as you ordered him.
The Guardian did not look away while Alys was dressing up. She blushed of embarrassment. Was it insane curiosity or carefulness? He surely had not been taught how to treat ladies like a gentleman: "Who do you think you are?" she growled between her teeth as he glared at her in an offhand way. "I have been told to keep an eye on you at all times. As a matter of fact, I will ensure that you won't intend anything to escape until we've arrived to destination."
- Hang on a minute... are we moving?

- Silly, you've embarked on our spaceship!
- Wait, where are we going then? Alys exclaimed.
- Ready for a return to your origins?
Behind his back the screen lighted up to show a crown of shattered planets revolving around a wide black hole that concealed any ounce of light. Looking closely it appeared to be a gigantic spaceship established at the centre of an ancient galaxy, protected from meteorites and asteroids by a thick magnetic field. "It used to be your so precious solar system." Taurus declared. "And this is the Black Sun, den of the Black Knights who rule over the Confederation".
Speechless Alys stared at the remains of the Milky Way for a handful of seconds before she burst in tears, unable to believe the impossible. " You asked for explanations, you get it." Taurus commented. "Come to your senses, there is no reason for you to cry!" Alys did not speak as if she had been emptied from inside, lifeless. Then Taurus pointed a fingertip at a conglomerate of gas, rock and ice floating amidst the chaos. It apparently had strong volcano activity at its surface. An unwelcoming territory, Alys thought.
- Not quite, Taurus retorted arms crossed over the chest.
Confused Alys raised an eyebrow, caught off guard by his remark.
- I can read your thoughts, the Guardian replied. Let's get back to topic, shall we? Its name is Calisto, one of late Jupiter's moons that was looked upon as a potential motherland for extra-terrestrial life by scientists a couple of centuries ago. However it has not been proved ever since that Calisto is soon to be inhabitable.
Nevertheless...
He made the picture spin to a different angle. A three-floors cruise ship the same size as, if not bigger than the Black Sun stood in the middle of the Jovian system, where was previously located the queen of the planets. Smaller aircrafts popped in and out its holds equipped with long-shot weapons. Taurus nodded at its robust architecture:
- This is Odyssea.

May 20th, 2055:

- Why only me?
Emotionless in appearance, Alys cried from inside. Between her hands glowed a silver pendulum suspended at a tiny chain. She focused her attention on the Oriental rug that decorated the living room to avoid Hitori’s concerned eyes. She was supposed to feel enthusiastic after this memorable birthday party. But grief overwhelmed every other feeling, stole away the joy of their long-wished reunion.
- This is a charm to keep you safe while I’m gone.
Alys looked at it shining in the curve of her palm, conscious that even a priceless jewel from coming times was unable to grant her most ardent desire.
- Back then, why did you erase my memories from the battle?
- Although you have endured many hardships, all your actions are emotionally driven. You’ve been growing up under my protection for almost ten years and considered me as your second father. In return I had to erase your memory in order to hurt you less,
If I took the wrong decision, I deeply apologize.
- Everyone knew, except me.
- Come to your senses, you should not be crying Hitori reproached her gently.
He took her between his arms. She freed herself from his embrace briskly.
- Protect the widow and the orphan... fight in the name of justice ... spread the word of goodness and wisdom around the world... what for? When the show ends ... the almighty hero... becomes again... the irresponsible man... doesn’t he?
Speechless Hitori stood up from the couch to admire the ephemeral beauty of nightfall beyond the window:
- You’re surprisingly a quite good judge of character.
- I’ve gone through a lot the last fifteen years.
- You were only ten years old when the Traumatism occurred, you had a life full of hope and opportunities ahead from you, unlike those who had lost everything they possessed and everyone they loved, forced to run away at any cost from their homelands. But, at the age of ten, it is normal to feel profoundly attached to your siblings, which made you believe nothing could ever separate you from your mother and big brother, even a nuclear disaster, yet it happened for real.
- I knew all this, however it did not alleviate the pain of loss.
- Well, it can’t be helped unfortunately.
- If only we could redo the past.
- You must go on.
“Easy to say” Alys thought for herself.
Remorseful at the idea of abandoning his loved ones twice Hitori came outside on the terrace to breath fresh air, what did not succeed to make him feel better. He readjusted his glasses pensive:” Think of it as a farewell. We probably won’t meet ever again”. Reaching eternity implied to make sacrifices in order to alleviate the sorrow of the living you leave behind Faeri said. He knew exactly what she meant. His heart raced inside his chest at the thought of it, at the realization they saw each other for last before his departure from the nowadays world to a distant future.
He glanced at the silver ornament he wore at his left ring finger:

- Soon the world you used to know will come to an end.
Alys shrugged her shoulders:

- Politicians like to debate about it over and over. It makes no sense to me. What if a meteorite suddenly crashed somewhere on Earth? Or rival countries kept waging war against each other for a mere puddle of fuel? Causing another cycle of disaster? Life would disappear from Earth in seconds, annihilated. Let’s live as long as we can on what’s left of this dying planet, like there was no tomorrow: we’re condemned anyway since we reached a point of no return!

- It could have been prevented from happening in this period of time.
- How?
- You who know everything could not do anything? Do you try to escape your responsibilities once again? Mikael screamed from the threshold.
Alys assumed he had been eavesdropping their conversation the whole time without interfering. She adjoined him to calm down, however it only made her brother angrier:
- Do not forget that you are a man before all so you must bear responsibility for your actions, you who pretends to be a supernatural being able to leap through time at will, unable to protect his loved ones!
Silent, Hitori did not turn around. One could read indifference in his cold gaze while he stared blankly at the rising tide. He then looked at the silvery hourglass tied around his neck. "Already?" he wondered as the last drop of blue meth inside it reached the other side. "It cannot be real ... " He did not believe Faeri's words when she intended to convince him that the Chosen Ones no longer belonged to this lowly world once they endorsed the burden of their abilities.
- Let's not get too emotional, ok?
He then summoned a portal floating ten feet off the ground In a swift hand move and took a deep breath: « You’re right Mikael, I probably am a coward, but I shall comply with my duties as guardian of the past, present and future even if it so breaks my heart to depart for last and forever. Because ... "
- Because you are supposedly some kind of hero able to save the world in the next thousand years! Stop kidding me, you're nothing more than any human being to whom was granted a destiny you were forced to embody against your will!
- The laws of the space-time continuum are strict. One can only judge on what has been done, not what is to be done. Convince those who can make society change for the greater good accomplish their destiny. You know what it takes when you're faced with the true face of a world decaying over centuries due to atrocities committed by mankind itself!
- I disagree. There are no chosen ones, there are simply us! Even though we are merely pawns on the universe's exchequer, great people can make great things happen!
-That's a childish point of view to think you can bring back peace without conflict.
Mikael's eyes were burning red, drilled on his interlocutor:
- You still don't get it?
- Get what?
- When a disorienting feeling of emptiness engulfs you whole when you're all alone in a foreign society led by an authoritarian oligarchy, there is no longer hope. Fear dictates your choices and actions. You can only wish that a kind soul will come to take you home someday.
- Do not judge on circumstances too quickly. I did what felt right to my consciousness.
Mikael flinched involuntarily before Hitori's coldness. It felt like, for once, the man let out his personal concerns before his so called duty and this was rather unexpected from him whose sense of justice prevailed over his heart, putting his life in the line to save everyone and the world around from destruction whatever might happen next.

July 13th, 2030

Like thousands of citizens running away from the capital, Ashley and her offspring left home at birdsong without a look back after the Minister of Defence's speech last night.
"Ashley!!" That morning the central train station was unusually overcrowded as if people were running across the hall for their lives towards the railways. "Ashley!!" She did not pay attention and kept walking forward, faster and faster, until she almost started to run.
-Mommy, who is that guy yelling at you? Mikael queried with anxiety.
-Hurry aboard angel, we're already late!
-Ashley, wait! Listen to me!
Ashley took a halt.
-There is nothing but friendship to unite us. I'm glad we met and became close friends. It proved me that I should not lose trust in men. Sadly, our paths shall part here and now because I want Mikael and Alys to grow up safely outside the capital.
-Will you be okay travelling on your own by roads and mountains with very young children?
-I have made my decision long ago. Ever since Fritz and I broke up to be honest.
-Then, there is nothing I can do to make you stay I guess.
-Be well and take care, I hope this is only a goodbye, Ashley pronounced in a lighter voice as she jumped inside the train. I wish we'll meet again someday, somehow Hitori.
Voiceless, the man stood still for a handful of minutes while the train to the south faded in the distance, only then turned around, Meanwhile on the road to the coast, Ashley was curled up in a corner of the cabin, crying her eyes out over their forced separation. But she had no choice. There was something she had not told Hitori. He had a life full of opportunities to look forward to. He could easily find a special someone to share a flat together in the next five years. Her was the mother of two little birds at twenty-five, compelled to run away because she would be soon targeted by authorities for taking part actively in the opposition. She did not want Hitori to get involved in her affairs with the government in power: she knew he would put his life in the game just to save hers. She admired him for his bravery, although she called it recklessness.
Mikael witnessed the whole scene, puzzled. Ashley swiped away her tears and sketched a faint smile: "No worries honey, Mommy's sad to depart so suddenly."
-He's strange.
-Who?
-That guy.
Ashley rolled her eyes with reproach: "Don't judge a book by its cover too easily Mikael!"
-He loves you, right?
-Why do you ask?
-If he truly loved you, he would have come with us, no?
Ashley shook her head: "Love is not an easy question to deal with." She took her son between her arms comfortingly: "You can't understand how it works at your age." Memories of her relationship with Fritz unexpectedly resurfaced. She fought hard to hold them back. Her feelings had been deeply hurt, she no longer planned to get engaged with anyone from now on. She once had stated to herself she would rather live alone for the rest of her life than marrying another man who would let her down for the sake of his career just like Fritz did. She watched over her nestlings tenderly while the countryside unfolded quickly by the window. Her life was going to take a whole another turn outside the city that gave her birth although she did not feel scared. It felt like a new beginning to let go her past and restart a living from scratch.

May 20th, 2055:

Later, Alys and Shinichiro reunited online for the first time in three weeks since Shinichiro went on report overseas.
" - You okay, sweetie?"
She ducked her head into her pillow to hide her eyes red from crying.
He sketched a faint smile:
" - Cheer up, has something happened?"
- Nothing serious Shin, really...
His girlfriend intended to smile: " You know me all too well, am I so easy to read?"
" - You make that grumpy cat expression when something goes wrong."
Alys laughed at Shinichiro's joke without enthusiasm. At the time she needed most to be comforted, he was away on trip across the world. She regretted that the professional constraints of a reporter's life compelled him to leave home every few months. More than five years of relationship had been meaningless. She utterly wished that she was not going to reproduce the same mistakes as her mother's, getting engaged with a man who was never there, unreachable, only a ghostly silhouette in the distance whom she waited on at home, forced to embrace loneliness as her sole company. This is notably the reason why she never got to meet her father in flesh and blood, which she learned to accept with time.
- To make my 25th birthday party memorable, Mikael had invited a very special guest to join us. I don't know what to feel about it. I'm thankful for his attention but sad in the meantime.
" - That idiotic brother of yours is always up for the stupidest things. I hope he did not make you cry again!"
Alys harboured a pale grin:
- He cares for me like a mindful big brother watches over his little sister.
" - What a jerk in my opinion!"
- I'd rather say he knows how to cheer me up in the hard times.
" - I am deeply sorry to not be there to wish you happy birthday in person. Be good and if anything drags you down, feel free to call anytime. I wish I would be by your side more often."
- You applied for it.
" - I could not let this amazing opportunity to boost my career pass, otherwise I'd still be sitting behind an impersonal desk writing articles for local newspapers on a day to day basis!"
- I know, Alys nodded.
" - I gotta go sooner than usual today, see you online tonight. Happy birthday again angel, take care until my return!"
The screen turned blank. Alys logged off from her voicemail account with a weary sigh, an unpleasant feeling of loss suppressing her joy to have turned 25 a few hours ago. She outstretched a hand outside her blanket to switch off the lights and lied down in bed with the impression they already had had this argument so many times before. She even began to wonder if their relationship could withstand their forced long-time separation. She used to think quite naively they were meant to be heavenly matched. It left her to live with bitter memories of the caring boyfriend he had been at the beginning, always there to give her the support she needed. Maybe it had been all but a teeny love affair and they were unable to admit it. Lonely and sleep-deprived in the lovebirds' flat at midnight, she felt betrayed by the one she loved, abandoned on side of the road to happiness.
Feeling downhearted brought back sorrowful memories of the hopeless times. Instead of giving in to nostalgia, she got up and walked to the terrace to admire the clear night sky.
-I can grant your utmost wish, whistled a whiny voice behind her back.
She startled, caught off guard. She dreaded at the idea someone might have intruded her apartment. No one. She stated to herself she must be hallucinating. A cold breeze sent chills down her spine. She went to the kitchen to pick an instant coffee cup in the fridge. Cappuccino: her favourite one to battle against exhaustion when she had to stay up late past midnight. "Come on girl, there is nothing to worry about!" she admonished herself. "It must be a mere consequence of your wild imagination." Having said that, she dipped into the obscurity of the stairs leading to her bedroom when a sleek-textured material brushed against her shoulders. She cried for help in vain, a sticky liquid filling up her mouth. She used her last strength to fight off the drowsiness that invaded her body bit by bit. She caught glimpse of her aggressor whose face was hidden from view under a black-hooded cape. He harboured a devilish smirk:
-Want to jump in the future?
She groped for her bearings, losing her senses one by one. She thrashed about to break free on attempt to defend against her assailant. Her limbs no longer obeyed to her brains. She clung on to the striking pain that irrigated her forearm.
"What are... your intentions?" she articulated in a weakening voice. Her field of sight narrowed as if the world had been switched off. "You don't need to know anything." someone retorted. She then realised she was deadly trapped, by who, for what motive? She lost consciousness before she could even figure out the answer.

Hi all, Seira's online for a short update about the continuation of the series!

I'm sorry for appearing and disappearing once in a while, I have been busy on many different levels the past few months - including my studies in college and my first comic project - so I have paused DS for quite a long time. 

But now I am ready to continue writing the story! I am currently working on next chapter in hope I can update more regularly. No big deal or deus ex machina twist, it's all (almost) about family issues thus why I've chosen to title it Mama's Strange Friend. ^^

To be continued, see you soon! :)