>>Amber

"What?" I blinked at her, "Broken?" I frowned, "Why?" I shook my head, recalling her words in my head, "Because of me?" My frown only deepened, "That-what?" Rosie kept her eyes on me while I moved my gaze around, "That doesn't make much sense though. Why would he be broken without me? He was the one who killed me! He hated me!" I looked at Rosie, "Explain it to me."

I was desperate. I need the answer

"I never asked him for details." I said, "Besides, I honestly didn't have the time for useless chatter. Enya did." She scratched the back of her neck, "So, I'm afraid I can't tell you that."

The new information brought further fear in me. It didn't make sense that Hael was broken because of me, because I died. Why? Did he have feelings for me then too? I shook my head- that's impossible.

But if it wasn't

But, no, still. It's not like it was the end of the world for him even if he realized later that he had feelings for me. Time passed, he could like someone else!

Yet still, the fear in my heart only grew. Along with the confusion, a tiny sense of glee that he might have liked me in the original timeline too, there was an overwhelming sense of dread.

I couldn't hold myself back, "Rosie, who turned back time?"

!!!

"Rosie?" Her reaction made my eyes go wide and my heart began to drum, "Answer me." I kept my voice low, but the desperation in it was clear.

She looked away, "I can't tell you,"

My fear grew. If the requestor is Enya, then she is the one who gets punished. But who is the performer? Once we reach the time where time was turned back, the performer will die.

"Why not!?" The skin on my arms stood up, "Tell me,"

"I am not allowed to say," She wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Please, tell me," My heart pumped so fast, it felt like it would drum out of my chest.

It can't be Hael

Tell me it's not him!

"I can't say it. He told me to never tell anyone."

"He?" I felt a shudder, "A man?" An ominous feeling began to drown me.

She sealed her lips and for a minute or even more, we just stared at each other

"Rosie,"

"Ask me something else," She said

The fact that Hael chose me wasn't sitting well with me. Broken? What is that even supposed to mean? Hael hated me in the previous timeline! He killed me with the rest of the manor!!

"This doesn't make any sense to me!" I leaned forward, "Rosie, please-" I paused, "Okay, then tell me why Hael was broken? You also said he was like a ticking time bomb, why? Was he aggressive? O-or was he picking fights?"

"Amber, I don't know why," She shook her head, "I don't you, when I went to the Magic Tower, we were pretty much at the end. Everything had been taken by the miasma and the shielded cities were the last things standing."

I bit and pursed my lower lip in frustration.

I came on all fours, "Okay, fine," I crawled towards her, "Just tell me who the performer was." Getting closer to her, I stood a seat right in front of her, maybe a few centimeters apart.

"It wouldn't even matter if you find out. The performer is meant to die, and you can't do anything to stop it."

"Just tell me who it is!" I raised my hands, cupping the air in desperation, "Give me the name."

"You can't save him!" Rosie's voice turned desperate as well, "This is the price he has to pay for performing a forbidden spell!"

I froze, my frowned eyes looked back at her, "Was it Hael?" I asked, my voice softer this time.

Rosie didn't answer and I looked down in defeat, closing my eyes. My hands fell to my knees and we remained that way for about a minute.

"Why won't you just tell me," I said feeling annoyed but at the same time, out of energy. Then I looked up at her again, "What would you guys have done, if I refused to train and grow my powers?"

"All of this was a bet. We had no proof that our plan would work but we took the risk anyway."

"..." I couldn't get it out of my head. I need to get the answer out of her one way or another, "When do we reach the time lap?"

"In winter,"

My pupils trembled as I opened my eyes to stare at the white endless floor, "Autumn isn't far," I raised my head to look at her,

She turned her head away, "...It isn't," Her eyes narrowing in distress.

My throat felt dry, my mind going into a spiral."So, there were three of you involved in this ritual?" If there were just the three of them, Hael is the only one left. Because Enya is the requestor, Rosie gave up her body to send her power back, that only leaves Hael... to be the performer...

I closed my eyes in distress

God...

"Five of us," She answered, making me open my eyes in shock, "There were five of us."

"Five?" I blinked at her slowly, "Who's the fourth person?"

"Einar," She answered, "Enya's twin brother."

"Twin brother?" I whispered, "Einar?" I brought my head down.

There are two options...

Hael and Einar...

"Why did Enya become the requester?" I asked, my gaze still on the ground.

"She had her reasons." Rosie answered, "And it was her personal stuff, so I shouldn't say anything. You can always meet her and ask."

"Hm," I made a sound.

It seems Enya has a lot of answers, "And the fifth person?"

"Delphi,"

"Delphi?" I had never heard of that name before, "Who's Delphi?"

"She's not from here, but she said that she would come and visit you."

I blinked in confusion, "Okay... But who is this Delphi?"

"She's the Oracle, from Maximilian." She answered, "The Five of us were involved in the whole thing."

"Okay," My voice was very light. That makes three people who could have turned back time, "Tell me what happened in your timeline then."

"What do you want to know?"

"When the miasma spread, didn't the cities use magic shields to keep it out?" I looked at her, knowing that getting the name out of her would be tough.

"We did," She answered.

"Then what?"

"They broke... The bonewraiths attacked and there was this huge thing... we saw in the mist." Her eyes wandered as she recalled it, "She-uh, she was doing this thing." She wasn't sure, "Um with her voice,"

"Singing?"

"Yea!" She blinked at me,

"Huge?" I frowned

"Well, it was like fourty meters talls, I think." She tried to recall it, "It looked like singing but her voice shook the barriers in some strange sort of way and when the barriers were- disturbed, the bonewariths managed to break them and they broke in." I quietly kept my gaze on her, "Chaos ensued. The miasma began to engulf everything and the those monster began to eat."

I felt a chill. My feet felt cold. It was like Rosie was describing the vision I had in my dreams.

"And this happened in winter?" I asked and she nodded, "The weather is changing," I whispered, "Fast!"

She nodded, "But you still have time till winter. The barriers broke when the miasma covered everything else but the shielded cities."

My heart trembled, "Rosie, did you not find anything you guys could use on bonewraiths?"

"Not like what Lyal found." She answered, "But, before I went to the tower, something happened and I encountered a bonewraith."

"Really?" That was odd. How did she encounter a bonewraith in the city? It's shielded.

...

Unless she left. "Then did you do something!"

"I-" She paused, "Well, in the fit of fear, I was able to release my power." She slowly blinked "Purifying the bonewraits doesn't work the same way purifying other corrupted beasts work."

"Why not?" I leaned forward, putting my hands on her knees,

"Because they are not corrupted. They are born like that. How do you intend to purify something that isn't corrupted?"

!!!

I stared into her eyes with my eyes wide open, looking for lies, for-a joke, but the way she softly looked back at me proved she wasn't joking.

Oh God...

I looked down as I backed away, "Does Holy Power work on bonewraiths?"

"There is something I can tell you, and this information might turn useful if applied right."

***

>>Hael

"Hael, the rumor is reaching other countries that both our saints are unavailable, we can't lose this, start preparing to leave for Hollow Woods." The King had summoned me yet again.

"What?" I wasn't expecting him to say that, "What about experimenting Holy Power on the bonewraith before we leave!"

"How are you going to experiment if the saint refuses to wake up." His eyes were sharp, "You've been stalling too much and I've had enough."

"Your Highness," I looked at him, "Saint Amber-" I wanted to reason with him again, like I had been doing for the past few days but he cut me off.

"I know you can wake her up," The king looked at me with a suspicious filled gaze, "We have no more time to stall. Wake her up. The team is ready and you're all leaving."

"..."

We stared at each other.

"I am no fool, Hael," The King's voice was calm but the underlying tone suggested otherwise, "Wake the Saint up. I am not waiting anymore."

This was bound to happened.

"Yes, Your Highness."