Thief of Time

“Two dead bodies, ready to be carted out at any moment.” Dia looked at the dead…drunk Moon Emissaries, who were inhaling booze and exhaling alcohol. They cut a sight for sorry eyes, but there was no point in waking them up or tossing them out of Moon Mansion right now.

“Abuh…”

Beth, who was tucked into Dia’s arms, stirred and babbled a few times, before rubbing her eyes. “Buh.”

Dia didn’t understand what that meant, so she looked at the others, who promptly crowded around the little toddler. Schwarz tickled her right cheek gently, which drew excited little giggles from Beth, while the others pulled out an assortment of sweets and confectionaries.

The terrible trio that had forced two Moon Emissaries into a drunken coma was nowhere to be found, and in their place, pseudo-parents had emerged.

“Wanna let me hug you next?” Farah asked.

“Buh.”

“She spoke again!” Farah opened her arms, and little Beth looked at Dia.

“There’s no need to look at me for permission, though?” Dia smiled. “Go on. You need to get used to the four of us eventually. Can’t be me only, you know.”

“Baab.”

Dia chuckled. “There, there. Now, stay still while I pass you over to Farah.”

She and Risti played funny little games of peek-a-boo while Dia got up from her seat and examined the two Moon Emissaries. Thanks to Schwarz’s masterful brews, they had been completely knocked out, and the faint, dreadful power that Dia had associated with the Moons had gone with it.

“Like my handiwork?” Schwarz asked, propping the two fellows against each other. “It’s something I do to get rid of rowdy bar-goers. Just treat them to one good shot, and they’re all out and down for the count. I haven’t seen anyone who’s not the Holy Son of the Black God survive my ultimate trick.”

“It’s impressive. Have you thought of literally weaponising it?” Dia asked, thinking about the various ways alcohol could be turned into gas and sprayed into people’s face. “You know, like spraying them in the face with it.”

“It’s dangerous to spray someone in the face with alcohol. It can lead to blindness at the very minimum,” Schwarz replied. “And it won’t make someone faint. It’ll make them cry out in agony.”

“Oh.” Dia paused. “You sound quite familiar with the effects…”

“Happened to me once. Someone tried to rob me nine or so years ago,” Schwarz replied. “I responded with a steady gush of alcohol that had been perfectly concentrated. The outcomes were varied, insane and not very pretty at all. When the apothecaries were done with his loss of sight and smell, he was knee-deep in debt.”

He paused for a moment. “He skipped town a day after he regained consciousness.”

“…Ouch.”

“Yeah. I don’t feel good about doing what I did, but there really wasn’t much of a choice,” Schwarz replied. “But alcohol as a weapon…it’s lethal and lethally cruel.”

Dia noted the odd choice of words there, and then decided not to press him on it. Instead, she glanced at the Moon Emissaries and said, “Did they spill anything while inebriated?”

“My drinks aren’t so weak that these guys get to speak.” Schwarz chuckled. “No way. They simply dropped like a sack of potatoes. Nothing much to look at…well, it’s a bummer, though. However, you need to give them credit; they downed all the less-concentrated drinks like they were nothing. Only the Nero-Outer and my ultra-pure water clobbered them.”

“Great. So, any news?”

“You don’t sound that impressed…”

“Sorry.” Dia paused. “I’m not really in a jovial mood right now. All this is built upon what my brother did, and no one can even remember his face. I’m…not really able to feel any happiness right now. Just some relief…and a lot of guilt. We’re all here, you know. But he’s just gone. Never coming back.”

Dia closed her eyes for a moment. “Pardon me if I seem odd as a result.”

“It’s natural.” Schwarz paused. “And your brother didn’t really…leave behind anything either.”

“…I’ve heard some news from my father too.” Dia let out a long, heavy sigh. “It seems that the populace is beginning to forget about my brother. Apparently, there has been always only one child to my father, and that child is me. Memories of my brother are fading from the populace at large…but again, I can’t even remember his name.”

“Surely there is something you can do about it, right?” Schwarz asked.

“The Coloured Gods and the other divinities, probably.” Dia paused. “But that’s about it. I believe they might have a solution for me, but it’s hard to say. I don’t…quite trust them anymore, not after what happened to the Holy Son of the Red God. And from what I witnessed on the Aeon Span, it’s also possible that my efforts will amount to nothing in the end. The Omen is incredibly powerful, and he or she knows how to wield that power to its maximum potential.”

“You’re referring to the…Aeon Span, correct? And the Cosmic Egg?”

Dia nodded. “The Fourth Bearer of Destiny played us all like a fiddle. And while my current status was purposely engineered to stop this Distortion from turning the entirety of the Istrel Sovereignty into barren land devoid of life, I’m now also the Omen’s enemy. I…do not fancy my chances.”

“What, you blame your brother?”

“Of course not. Don’t be silly.” Dia looked at the two drunk fellows that were leaning on each other. “But I’m scared. That’s all. I’ve lost quite a lot. I don’t want to lose anymore…”

“It’s times like this when you find Claud’s motivations for being very tiresome quite relatable,” Schwarz replied.

Dia nodded. “Yeah.”

She paused. “I want some breathing room to myself for a moment. I need to think of what to tell these two fellows when they wake up this evening.”

“Yeah, you do that.” Schwarz smiled. “Stay strong, Dia. You’ve been through so much. I’m sure you’ll be able to get a few answers here and there. No matter what you do…to be frank, I don’t think anyone can quite blame you at this point.”

“Maybe.” Dia tried to smile once, but her facial muscles seemed to have been paralysed or something. “I’ll go get some fresh air first.”

“Alright. It’s my turn to carry Beth, after all.” He grinned. “Remember. There’s a little toddler who seems to be dependent on you right now. Stay composed, and think through things carefully before you make a move.”

“Wow. You’re using her existence to tie me down.” Dia shook her head in mock disdain. “You’ve reached a low I never thought was possible.”

“A necessary sacrifice.” Schwarz grinned. “And you did smile a little just now, so it’s fine.”

“Really now.” Dia turned away from the bartender. “Well, do whatever you want. I’m…going back to my room for a moment.”

His grin faded. “Do what you need to do.”

Dia raised a hand in acknowledgement, before walking away from the little crowd of people. The madness that had reared its head, called forth by the contradiction between her emotions and her surroundings. The joy that everyone exuded, the happiness that came from everyone, who knew that they had survived a tribulation that would have killed them otherwise, was something she too had keenly felt.

However, it was a joy that made everything even more painful to Dia. The contrast between what she should feel, and what she really felt was enough to make her head spin a few times.

It would be nice if she didn’t need to think at all.

In silence, Dia returned to her room and sat down on her bed, her movements slow and ponderous.

“I can’t just fixate on this,” Dia murmured. “Priorities, Dia. I need to prioritise things. I can’t just dwell on these things…first, I need to deal with the Moon Emissaries.”

She closed her eyes for a while, and tried to fabricate a reality in which she could explain how she dealt with the Distortion. Dia was reasonably certain that the Moons could tell if she was fibbing; to avert that, her words had to be true, at the very least.

“I need to tell an overall lie, composed of the truth and the truth only,” Dia murmured. It sounded easy, but everyone and their parents knew that the best lies were made up of truths. The Moons definitely knew this…and she had to craft a reality that the Moons could not see through.

She took a deep breath, and then began to recall the events that had transpired. What did the Moons know? What did the people inside know? And what did she, the Salvation Star, know?

The gaps between these three things…was the only space she could move between. She had to be very, very careful, however.

“Aren’t there any professional liars around this place?” Dia wondered out loud. “I’m not in my element here at all…”