Pov: Ael
As I walked out of the room Eirian was in, I found Amiel standing to the right of it, leaning against the wall. As the door shut, I said, "Surprised you're still here, I thought you would be up and at it trying to make a pact with Fey."
Amiel doesn't say anything.
"You already knew, didn't you? That's why you wanted to leave as soon as possible, to make it back to your family who would be fighting at the coast."
"Yeah... but it looks like I'm a bit late for that." He replied, "It seems when time loops in here, time keeps going out there. There is no way the Empire would have fallen in less than a few weeks."
"Seems like it..." The words felt bitter coming off my tongue.
"I'm sure my family is fine; we held that coast over generations of my family, but I still can't help but wonder."
"Your family governs the northern coast, right? If I remember correctly, the Aaltos, right?" I walked down the corridor, him following me.
"Yeah."
"Your family is strong, I'm sure they're fine."
"I hope so."
---
Morning came, and I haven't heard a word from Eirian. I peeked into the room, but he was rolled over in bed. Knowing it was best to leave him alone, I grabbed my bag and started making my way out of the medical center. Amiel waited for me there. I could see mist come out of his mouth as he leaned off the wall.
"Took you long enough." He stated.
I laughed, scratching the back of my neck. "My bad. So... to the clock tower?" I asked.
"That's where Eirian said we first found her."
"Sounds good then, lead the way, map boy."
He sighed, and under his breath, I could hear him say something, "Not this again."
As I walked next to him, I hit his back, "What, I thought you liked it."
"I don't."
After a bit of walking, we arrived at the quad. The bell rang as the snow melted beneath our feet.
"Seems weird, doesn't it?" I said, turning towards Amiel.
"A bit..." He rubbed his hands together for warmth. "Either way, let's start making our way up."
"Let's." As I said that, I heard the crunch of snow under someone's feet. "Wait a minute..." I said as I stopped to look over in that direction. Off in the distance, there was a small girl. It looked like she was running from building to building in search of something. It was Eira.
"Eira!" I yelled.
She turned, hearing someone; when our eyes locked, she lost focus and stumbled in the snow.
"Ouch, that must have hurt," I said as I reeled back.
"What is that girl doing?" Amiel said, watching me as I started to run over to her.
As I walked up to her, I asked, "Are you okay?" and offered my hand. Taking it, she gets off and wipes her knees of snow.
"Yeah..." She looked up at me. "You know who I am?"
"No... well, yes." I struggled figuring out how to answer.
'Now I know how Eirian felt.' I thought as I scratched my head.
"What he means to say is kind of," Amiel stated as he finally caught up to me.
"Kind of?" She looked more confused than before.
Trying to find the words, I stared at her; she was flushed from being in the cold.
'She must have been out here for quite a while.'
"How about we get someplace warm, that way we can sit down and talk," I said as I noticed how red her face looked from the snow.
I looked back over at the cafeteria, "That place should work."
As we walked into the cafeteria, I was welcomed with the mess I've once forgotten. Reminded by it, I let out a disgusted sound and reeled back.
"Don't like it?" Amiel asked.
"That's one way of putting it... this place is a mess."
Trash was everywhere, and the tables were all moved around, creating a sense of chaos. Clearing out one of the tables, I sat down. Amiel sat next to me, while Eira sat across from me.
"I would offer some tea, but that would take some time." I jokingly said, knowing the kitchen was just as much of a mess as it was here.
"It's fine," She waved her hands, reeling back flustered. When she calmed down, she said something, "Anyways, you kind of knew my name?" She wondered.
"So you have no memories?" Amiel asked before I could answer.
"Not any I can recall of... why?" She looked at both of them for answers.
"Well, that confirms our suspicions," I sighed, grabbing my temples.
"Suspicions?" She asked, "Sorry, none of this is making sense. Do you guys know what happened here?"
I looked at Eira.
***
When I explained everything to Eira, she seemed just as confused by the situation as any normal person would.
"This is a lot to take in. This God? Is she willing to help us?" She asked.
"If we offer a will over," I stated.
"What does that even mean?" She asked.
"Well, we would be signing our lives away to a single goal," Amiel replied.
"Basically, one of us has to do it, or we are stuck in here with a corrupted moose rampaging around. It's just a matter of who?" I said, tapping on the table as the rest stared off.
"Let me," Amiel stated. "You already tried and failed, plus you guys helped me out in the bunker. Let me give it a try."
"Do you really think that is the best idea? You have a family to think of."
"And me doing this is the fastest way for me to get to them." He replied.
I contemplated a bit. "No, I already was going to do it, so let me."
Eira joined in the conversation and said, "What if I did it?"
Amiel and I both turned to look at her, "Huh?! Are you dumb?"
She reeled back. "No, no," she said frantically. "Look, like you guys stated, I have no memories, but beyond that, I have been out here with no one to lean on or anything to go off of. Do you know how scary that is?"
Amiel and I both calmed a bit.
"And to learn that has been going on for a few weeks. I can't—I won't." She stared at us intensely. "Plus, I have the least to lose compared to you both. So if it means I can leave this place and get a hint as to my past life, then why not?" She paused, "But if I do it, I need a promise from you guys, help me gain my memories back."
Pov: Eirian
The day was long, but looking back, it felt short. Last night I cried until there were no more tears to shed, and when I had no more tears to shed, I still sobbed. The only family I had left was gone, and the only reason I had left for fighting disappeared.
Snow started to fall as the curtains flew in the breeze. I barely slept with the thought of my mother keeping me awake.
I sat on the edge of my bed staring at the window. It was getting dark, and Amiel and Ael had been out for a while.
'My mother didn't deserve this; she deserved better. She played the role she was put in, and look what it did to her. It got her killed. All I could wish was to say one last goodbye to her, but even then, the gods wouldn't allow me to do so.'
I bit my cheek at the thought of this.
'Why was the world so cruel?' Why fight for centuries just for death to befall other people who are innocent? The kings and queens are what got us into this mess. Why do their people have to suffer because of it? Was this just the way things were supposed to be? Was I just a man thinking I could escape from what this world was made of? No—no man should have to live like this.'
The thought lingered in my mind for a bit. Then a voice, almost sounding like another version of me, comes from my head, 'Why not change it then?'
'Change it...' The idea of it sounded crazy; the world had been in a constant state of war, and it hadn't changed for years.
'Change the world.' The voice rang once more.
"Change the world..." The words finally left my lips. "If the world is the problem, why not change it?"