Clutching the coin in my palm my fingers dug into skin leaking blood. Then opening my palm i saw its silver side looking back at me like the hand was about to reach out to snap my neck.
"I have one last question before i let you flick the coin again." I said.
"Shoot." Traveler said, allowing me.
"My childhood. All the training i did to turn into a vessel of paracausal energies. Its all in order to ensure Thorn's existence is ensured and that you two meet, right? Its why Sathuna—my teacher—saved me in the first place."
Traveler nodded.
"Then why are you jeopardising it like this? If you just gave me the energy like i had asked then maybe my teacher and I could already have started the ritual by now. Setting in motion the events required to bring about this future you said you're from. If you had just treated me like you did Seer you could have what you want. So... why? It doesn't make sense."
Stepping away Traveler wagged his finger at me. "Good question. That's a very good question. Why indeed." Sighing for a long period Travelr made a long face, the first real emotional expression i had seen on his face. "A part of me just craves solitude i guess."
Shocked by the simple answer i found it far too mundane.
"You know, I'm pretty sure there has only been one second in my entire life i was alone. It was the brief seconds after i came into existence. No voices whispered into my ears from the void. No eyes stared at me from my own shadow. I was truly alone... and i absolutely loved the peaceful silence." Wistfully he looked back at me. "That the wish i made to your teacher you know."
Before the next words could break out my throat a loud tapping echoed across the castle ruins. Of a cane banging against the floor repeatedly as it carried its wielder.
"Of course she sent you after me." Traveler said, not looking at the intruder. "You're the only one with a gift for intruding between dimensions without Wukong around to force his way into my domain. Plus Sifo Ren's true body is still under repair."
"You truly know how to make others work beyond their needs, Traveler." A thickly accented woman's voice spoke out.
From its source a red haired woman dressed in a masculine uniform approached. Tapping her cane as she walked.
Recognising her instantly i knew she was the same woman who Seer said had kidnapped her and abandoned her in the dungeon before we met. "You're the Knight of Clockwork Expeditions. Anika!"
Pulling out a pocket watch Anika watched its hand tick by. "You should know i was begged to come from my vacation just to come here in a rush. So before we begin arguing Traveler i ask that you remember to reimburse me on Sathuna's behalf."
"Sathuna's a cruel employer to you, you know, Anika." Traveler teased coldly to his friend. Trying to be friendly. "I'm almost done here. I'll pay you ten times what Sathuna is if you just wait a moment."
"Sure, whatever you say, but before that there is something I believe you need to hear as well." Anika replied getting a surprised look from Traveler. "There is no happiness in dwelling within comfort. Happiness comes from overcoming suffering. Which will you be if you choose to isolate yourself?"
Chuckling for a short while Traveler understood Anita's philosophical words easily. "Yeah... i was just asking myself that." Turning his attention back onto me Traveler said, "anyone who is delighted by solitude is either a wild beast or a god. I know which i am. Which do you think you will be choosing this isolated path? You hold the fate of the entire universe and until now didn't even realise it. You had no idea just how lonely you had made yourself without realising."
After he asked the question i observed the coin between my fingers. My blood seeped into its edges from when i tightly gripped it in my palm.
"What will you reveal to yourself and the universe on the path you decide to take? What will you stop hiding to reveal the true measure of yourself?" With a snap of his fingers Traveler showed two paths to me with an illusion. "The chair or the blade. Which will you choose?"
Making my choice i flipped the coin up into the air but Traveler's eyes stayed on me. "I know what i want. I want to laugh in this cruel universes face instead of just letting the flow carry me to death. Even if teh same outcome comes from two different choices and my fate can't be changed... i can say I at least lived before i go."
Anika smiled behind me and that reflected onto Traveler as he smiled when the coin fell between us. Bouncing off the floor a few times before finally landing on its golden side.
"I'll resign myself to fate. But I'll use the chair to smash its face firstly."
Bobbing his head up and down Traveler was pleased. "Very well. See you at the end of the path, universe eater." Lifting his hand up Traveler snapped his fingers and everything went back briefly.
When my eyes opened however i was in the middle of a random city on a planet i didn't know.
***
Peeling away the inter-dimensional castle turned back into the dim and quiet castle it was before.
Sat on the steps leading up to the throne i said to Anika, "Sathuna must be desperate to send you to try and get in my way."
Tapping her cane on the floor as she walked over. Anika roughly sat down right next to me before loosening her shirts collar slightly and pulling off her tie. "Wukong has been imprisoned by the Buddha again and Kazemyth is busy trying to unseal him from the mountain again with Resines' help. Sifo Ren is also handling other matters with Kimaris, Clara and Chase. Then Teuxer, Dryden and Zhan are guarding the ritual site. Other than Vitrena, only I, who was on vacation, was the only person who could be mobilised to intercept you."
Getting the hint i leaned back onto the steps. "Yeah, yeah. I'll pay you triple your usual rate for the trouble. Honestly, your more like a mercenary than Chase and Teuxer are, you know?"
"You understand that you are ruining the only chance to save Thorn by doing this, no?" Anika reminded. Shoving the wooden handle of her cane into my rib.
"Yeah, I'm aware." Sighing i stared blankly up at the ceiling. Seeing the artistic roof design meant to be a portrait of myself making me irked. "I really despise this place."
Staring up at the ceiling Anika got irked as well. "...we should talk somewhere else."
"My liege..." crying from my shadow Taul began to weep. He was the one who painted the ceiling of the throne room after all.
"You wanna do the honours?"
"Gladly." Standing up Anika banged her cane into the ground and it ignited into a mechanical fury. Charging up energy before her own version of [mach void] shot us both through time and space before landing us in a deserted bar.
As she sat down the elderly barkeeper seemed to have expected us and poured two glasses of whiskey. "Did Clara make that cane for you?"
"She did. Almost exactly like how you travel, though it still relies on the trails through the void you yourself created. Clever little girl, isn't she?" Tapping the seat next to her Anika gestured i sit next to her. "I'm sure you remember what my homeworld is called."
"The Baobhan Sith homeworld?" Glancing at the barkeep as i sat on the stool i saw his white hair still had traces of red just like Anika's did. "Yeah, I remember Suturness. We met when you fell from the city rooftops trying to escape the cannibal police. Sathuna recruited you afterwards, and you forced me to keep carrying you even when Thorn was sleeping on your chest."
Blushing in embarrassment Anika finished her whiskey glass quickly before it was refilled by the barkeep. "I don't remember that part. I remember Thorn constantly trying to put the moves on me though when we worked together to stop the distribution of the Ichor Drug."
"And you fell into an entire vat of the drug being permanently turned into a vampire deity when in desperation you ate Thorn's wing." Gulping a swig of the alcohol i was given i was pleased by the burning aftertaste. "Thorn nearly got the chance to give you CPR before you tore his wing off."
"Hmph. Simpler times. Vampires age slowly so not much has changed in 40,000 years since then. My homeworld is still the same dark and constantly raining place its always been." Looking out the bars window Anika had a satisfied look across her face while watching the rain. "Those memories might just disappear if you continue acting like you did earlier though. Sometimes i forget how much you crave solitude. Its enough you nearly erased your oldest friend with that sudden intrusion into Sathuna's script."
Stirring my whiskey glasses contents with my finger i made no excuse. Just looking at my distorted reflection in the amber-brown liquid.
"All the
Not getting a response from me Anika sighed.
"I get it. Even you don't know why you're sabotaging yourself. But there's one fact all of us want you to know." Leaning into my vision Anika spoke firmly, "its part of the crusader's mission to make sure the Traveler is never lonely. We know that letting you go alone anywhere spells disaster more for yourself than anyone else. So if you ever just need someone to replace Thorn... find us. Some of us would be more than happy to join your endless journey, Traveler."
Turning my head slightly towards Anika i constructed a grin. "Thanks. Sorry for being so hopeless."
"Just remember to add the therapy session to my fee." Anika demanded with a smug smirk and I couldn't help but scoff a little.
"Of course not. My debts are always settled eventually." Lifting my whiskey glass i gulped down all its contents before slamming it back onto the table. "Was there anything Sathuna asked you to say to me before you rushed over to save Cayden?"
"Nope." Anika declared firmly before getting a refill of her whiskey. "She was so spooked from you suddenly accelerating her plans progress she didn't have time to tell me to do anything else but stop you. We were both surprised to find out you had awoken from your hysteria quicker than usual. There is something you should know though."
Interested i listened closely.
Before continuing Anika gukped down her refilled glass. "Vita has been snuck out of Anplagace by Sathuna with Heru's help. I don't know where she's gone or what she's doing but its clear she's helping Sathuna's preparations for the ritual like the rest of us. Last time i saw her, her servants were hauling cargo of timeless sapphires with Heru using my expedition trails to stay under the CGA's radar."
"Huh... now i wonder if Sathuna even needs my help if she's gotten Vita involved." I muttered.
"Of course she'll need your help." Tapping the table Anika asked for another refill and the barkeep topped up both our whiskey glasses. "You and Wukong are the heaviest hitters. Sifo Ren and me can handle some exalted of the eighth sequence but thats our limit. The rest of the crusaders can barely even manage against seventh ring sequencers and most of them are regular mortals with just Sathuna's curse of immortality on them."
"Without you on the day Wukong could manage but you know his rivalries. [heaven's relentless eye], [the fiery lotus prince], [stinger of the jade mire]. A lot of people who have vendetta's would pile on him stopping him from being helpful."
"Those are all exalted i struggle with too you know, Anika." Sipping my drink i rolled my eyes.
"I am not done yet. All Wukong's rivals have grievances with him. Sure he can make an army of himself but with the right divine treasure he can be incapacitated quite easily. I'm not saying you're unstoppable either with how often you die and resurrect with your unique immortality, with your own share of rivalries too. But you must admit that in a deadly situation its more comforting to have two knives instead of just one."
"Only reason the CGA still considers me a threat is because of my immortality." Pushing aside the whiskey glass i looked at my left hand and said, "My authorities have long since become obsolete in the modern age. The ring sequence method i have is the original full of faults and wasted potential. The CGA fears the fact I'm a kralscell more than the one wearing the crown. Its only thanks to [sephiwrath] that i can ignore that and bypass the [stigma] limiting me."
Tilting her head Anika let her red hair sag onto the bar. "Whats made you so sentimental suddenly?"
"Thorn's distress is flowing into me." I said getting a grip on my thoughts and shoving out Thorn's emotions from my head. "He's slightly woken up now and is freaking out after finding out i nearly erased him on purpose."
"Whats he saying?"
"Oh, you know. Why won't Anika ask about him, I'm nothing without him, let him drink the whiskey if I don't want it. His usual complaints." Banging my head with my hand i got quickly fed up with the cacophony of demands before tossing the whiskey down my throat to appease them and the quieted down. "He's been quiet for ages. No clue why he's suddenly woken up now."
"Maybe my charm is still as effective as ever on that scoundrel." Anika joked before laughing to herself softly and leaning back into her stool. "How about a toast? I can't remember the last time just you and I shared a drink like this."
"We've shared quite a few." I said, remembering them all. Though we were missing the addition of Thorn this time who had no choice but to stay within me to protect himself from causality's erosion of his existence. "What should we toast to?"
As the barkeep refilled our whiskey glasses again Anika thought for a drunken moment before snapping her fingers in revelation. "Your a traveler of space. I'm an expeditioner of time. Lets toast to the journey, wherever it may lead. To ruination or recreation, wherever the trail goes."
Chuckling at the toast i flicked my glass. "I'm pretty sure we've always toasted to that. Its the only idea you can think of when you get drunk."
"You're not saying no~." Anika slurred happily. Her drunkenness beginning to show.
"You always get drunk so quickly trying to match my drinking pace." Blowing out my nose i lifted my glass to Anika as she smiled quietly. "To the impossible journeys."
"To the impossible journeys."
Tapping our whiskey glasses together the two of us shared a moment before immediately downing the alcohol.
Banging her glass onto the bar table Anika drunkenly demanded, "another!"