Unnamed Memory - Volume 3 - Chapter 8

8. Memories of Both

He stood alone in a dark room.

He was young, and he couldn’t see very well in the room. The light coming in from the door behind him only faintly illuminated the top of the bed.

It was covered in red blood. Someone’s white hand had fallen in the pool of crimson.

He saw it but couldn’t comprehend. Unable to do anything, he merely stood stock-still.

From somewhere far away, he heard a woman speaking.

“Never again shall you have children. The Farsas royal family dies with you.”

The witch sounded indifferent as she made her pronouncement.

He listened to it somewhat wistfully and finally turned around.

Stronger… I have to get stronger.

Mightier than a witch. Such was the responsibility of someone who bore the weight of a nation on their shoulders.

So he couldn’t go easy on himself at all. He must train, learn, and acquire the power he needed as soon as humanly possible.

That was the burden he’d carried since birth.

He looked at his hands. At the moment, he held nothing in them. But in the future, he must use them to endure every possible hardship.

He didn’t have time to stand still. He had to make use of everything he had and not waste a thing.

And so he turned his back on the pool of blood and strode away to fulfill his duty.

Upon awakening, he wasn’t wholly sure where he was for a moment. He sat up in bed and looked to one side. Sleeping there was his queen, his witch. Tinasha rested soundly, curled up against him. She looked as utterly at ease as a cat. Oscar smiled and stroked his wife’s head.

“…I had a dream of such a long time ago.”

As a child, he’d seen that vision frequently.

That shred of memory from an age when he didn’t yet understand the gravity of his curse now seemed like something from another life.

When he was younger, Oscar had believed he needed to grow strong enough to slay a witch. But in the end, fate had other plans. The strongest witch became his protector, broke his curse, and married him.

It suddenly occurred to him that since meeting Tinasha, he’d hardly thought about the Witch of Silence at all. There had been a time when she seemed his final nemesis. Perhaps freedom from the curse had rid him of such burdening ideas.

That’s why he thought it unbelievably lucky that he was able to spend the rest of his life with Tinasha.

Oscar caught up a lock of her glossy black hair and pressed a kiss to it.

“Tinasha, can you wake up?” he asked, but she didn’t show signs of stirring at all. It was still so early that the sky was only starting to lighten. If he forced her up now, he’d only have a cat sleeping in his study later.

He pulled the covers up to her alabaster shoulders and gave her hair another stroke as he got up to get ready for the day.

As the king, Oscar began his work at the crack of dawn. His queen, however, didn’t start until it was nearing noon—and that was on a good day.

When at last she was up, many in Farsas castle city were off to get lunch. A small crowd had gathered around one little house in particular. They were trying to peer in through the stone window frames and catch a glimpse of the beautiful witch who had married their king half a year ago. Word of her coming to this house to examine a sick child had spread like wildfire through the neighborhood.

Amid the noise from outside, Tinasha grimaced as she set out a line of potion bottles on a small table. “I’m sorry for coming so suddenly.”

“I-it’s quite all right,” replied the mother, bowing her head humbly. Next to her was a little boy who couldn’t have been older than four, staring up blankly at this strange guest.

Tinasha turned to him and showed him a bottle of light-pink liquid. “Take a sip of this at night before bed, every day until it’s gone.”

“Is that medicine? Is it yummy?” asked the boy.

“I’ve made it sweet. I’m sure you’ll like it,” she assured him with a smile, then turned back toward the front door. She flashed a brilliant smile at the crowd of people gathered outside the window, making eye contact with them. Their curious and adoring gazes only grew more intense.

Tinasha scratched her forehead, a little unsure how to react to that. “I’m waiting for someone from the castle to bring me one more bottle…”

After seeing one of the requests that came to the castle was for a child beset with leg pain of unknown origin, Tinasha had brought over several curatives that could work. But now that she’d examined him in person, she’d decided a different mixture was needed. She had ordered someone to fetch the necessary medicine from the castle, but asking a spirit might have been faster. However, she wanted to avoid having a nonhuman being take something from the castle supply.

Tinasha took a sip of the tea the family had offered her. Just as she was considering leaving and coming back later, there was a knock at the door, and a young man dressed as a soldier entered.

Her eyes widened, and he bowed to her before setting the bottle on the table. “Is this what you requested, Your Majesty?”

“It is, but…,” she said, trailing off. Then she suddenly pinched the man’s cheek. “Why did you sneak out of the castle, Oscar? I’m going to get mad.”

“Because I heard you did. I came out to play,” answered the disguised king, breaking into a grin. He kissed the witch’s cheek.

“Why do you do things like this?! Don’t you know who you are?” she scolded as they made their way down the main road of the city.

“I do, which is why I changed my clothes. No one notices,” stated Tinasha’s husband.

She shot him a cold glare. “What do you think you’re saying? Quite a lot of people notice. They’re just pretending that they don’t.”

“Are you sure that isn’t just because I stand out when I’m with you?” he replied.

“That has nothing to do with it! Come on, we’re going back now,” Tinasha insisted, pulling her husband along briskly by the hand. She would have preferred to teleport them back, but Oscar had argued, “We’re already outside together, so let’s enjoy it and walk back.”

As they strode down the street, no guards following behind, passersby smiled and watched them go. It was a frequent sight for people in the city, who knew very well just how close the king and queen were.

Oscar pointed to a tailor’s shop along the way. “While we’re here, how about I buy you some clothes?” Oscar suggested.

“I have enough,” Tinasha spat.

“I want to dress you up. It’s fun,” the king countered.

“I don’t care! Ugh, fine! But only three outfits!” Tinasha pouted, her cheeks puffed up, as Oscar pulled her along. As she stood next to him, Oscar began to pick out ensembles from the storefront’s lineup. Very intently, he selected a wide variety, ranging from brightly colored sundresses to a costume that a musician in a foreign country might wear.

Tinasha stared at him in exasperation. “If anything, I’d rather make you change your clothes. Where did you even get that uniform?”

“The laundry room. They were washing a load of them, and I snagged one,” Oscar admitted brazenly.

“I’m going to set up a barrier preventing you from going into the laundry room ever again,” the witch stated mercilessly.

Oscar looked like he wanted to protest but decided he was at a disadvantage and kept quiet. Instead, he pulled out an outfit made entirely in white. “This is good. Unusual design, but it should look nice on you.”

The garment’s entire surface was embroidered with white thread, and while the clothing’s pattern was antique-looking, it was finely crafted. Tinasha’s eyes widened as she took the long robes. “These are wedding robes. People in the mountainous region to the east wear this during their weddings. About a hundred years ago, the weaving method for garments like these was lost. They’re quite a rarity nowadays.”

“Wow, really? That’s perfect, then. Let’s get married,” he said.

“We already are!” protested Tinasha.

“What do you think about renewing our vows every so often? I want to make you wear all sorts of wedding costumes.”

“What in the world…?” Tinasha managed, completely worn down. Oscar burst out laughing. Her look of disbelief at her husband’s antics quickly turned into a smile, as his joy was contagious. She stood up on tiptoe to whisper to him with the robes in her arms, “I’m already as happy as I could be. Let’s stay as we are.”

Oscar broke into a wide grin.

After so many shared ordeals, such tranquil days were now ordinary for them.

The sky was light and clear that day.

Oscar sighed as he gazed out at the landscape from the windows of his study. He signed the last document and put his pen down. Fortunately, he could end work here for the day; he’d finished everything he needed to handle.

Lazar was making tea, and Oscar asked him, “Where’s Tinasha?”

“She’s gone to her tower today. I think she’s organizing her magic implements,” Lazar answered.

“The tower…,” Oscar mused. The word sounded so nostalgic now. Half a year after their wedding, his wife, the witch, spent most of her time in Farsas. She almost never returned to her former home.

As he thought back over his time as a husband, a smile naturally came to Oscar’s lips. He checked the time and saw that it wasn’t yet close to evening.

“All right, I’m going to the tower, too. If something happens, contact one of the spirits,” Oscar stated.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” replied Lazar.

Oscar went back to his chambers, roused Nark, put the dragon on his shoulder, and then stepped on the transportation array drawn in a corner of the room.

The spell marked on the floor of what used to be the witch’s quarters now led to the first floor of her tower, while this one, drawn after the wedding, connected directly to the spire’s top level.

His surroundings changed in an instant, and Oscar looked around him. The witch’s room had many fewer items in it than when he’d first visited, but it was still quite cluttered and messy. He located his wife in the middle of a pile of magic implements and called out, “You okay there?”

“Urgh… This is never-ending,” she responded, popping her head up. Her long hair was bound back in a ponytail. Gossip in Farsas and beyond regarded Tinasha as the most beautiful queen. At present, she was dressed in her usual mage’s attire because she was in her tower.

Oscar surveyed the array of magic implements laid out all around her. “You’ve got too many of these. Get rid of some of them.”

“I’ve already destroyed a lot, though…,” she protested.

Various ensorcelled objects were piled up in a precarious heap along the wall. Everything collected in that mound was either of unknown origin or too powerful to bring into the Farsas treasure vault.

Unable to physically extricate herself from the many items burying her, Tinasha used short-range teleportation to zip over to Oscar’s side.

He tousled her hair affectionately. “I’m done with work for the day, so I’ll help.”

“Sorry about this… I’ll go make some tea,” Tinasha said.

“Sure.”

“Oh, use these,” she appended, holding out what looked like a pair of ordinary leather gloves. “They guard against magic, though not to the degree Akashia does. Some of those things shouldn’t be handled barehanded.”

“Got it. I appreciate it,” Oscar replied.

“I’m the one who should be thankful,” Tinasha corrected, floating up to kiss her husband’s cheek. Then she disappeared into the kitchen area to make tea. Pulling on the gloves, Oscar faced the mountain of enchanted implements anew. Nark gave a little yawn from his shoulder.

Starting with the objects nearest to him, Oscar sorted them by type. He put a small container of ornaments and jewelry into a basket Tinasha had set aside.

As he worked through the heap, he noticed a slender little wooden box toward the bottom of the pile. It was plain, but what caught his eye were the black finger smudges of a child.

He drew it out, and the mound collapsed in a little. He inspected the box intently. “Is this blood?”

Upon closer inspection, the black traces did appear to be from some ancient wound. Carefully cracking the lid, Oscar discovered an antique necklace made of silver. It was blackened and scuffed, and there was more blood stuck to it.

Turning the cursed-looking thing over, he found that the back of the pendant hanging from the chain was engraved in Old Tuldarr script. He brought his face closer and read, “To Aeti.”

“Ah…”

That was his wife’s childhood name. It was a moniker she had used only for the first thirteen years of her life.

After that, she had become a witch. While Tinasha was happy now, she had undergone unimaginable suffering to get here. Oscar’s heart ached to think of her past. He couldn’t bear to imagine the painful experiences she had gone through while out of his reach.

With a deep sigh, he closed the box and placed it in the basket. When he reached for the next item, a little white stone container toppled down from the peak of the pile. Oscar had unbalanced the stack by tugging something from its bottom. “Oops. Dammit…”

A blue jewel rolled out of the package and onto the floor. It looked to be some sort of crystal, and was roughly palm size. Intricate markings decorated the surface. Oscar picked it up, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. “…I feel like I’ve seen this before somewhere.”

Not at the tower. Probably…inside Farsas Castle.

Suddenly, a sharp pain lanced through his head.

Red of

blood

White nails

His face scrunched up, Oscar bore through the headache. His wife’s face flashed through his mind.

“…Ugh, what is this…?”

A spell-induced pain, maybe? A lot of magic certainly surrounded him.

He started by trying to put the orb back in its box, but Oscar realized the markings on the azure orb were glowing a faint white. The hazy light flared up until the entire globe was glowing.

Uh-oh. I need to put this down.

Despite very much wanting to, Oscar discovered he was unable to move. Nark let out a sharp cry from his shoulder.

Drawn by the cry or the light, Tinasha rushed back. “Oscar?!”

Immediately, she realized what was going on and reached for him with a shout. Magic gathered at her hand.

Unfortunately, a second before she could loose her spell, Oscar was engulfed by a pale, overflowing light.

When the glow subsided, he wasn’t holding the blue stone anymore.

Finding that odd, Oscar looked up—and gasped.

He wasn’t in the tower room.

He didn’t recognize where he was. Alone in the middle of an open grassy plain bordered by forest, Oscar fell to his knees.

“Where the hell am I…?”

Despite his shock, he got to his feet and checked to make sure Nark was on his shoulder and Akashia at his waist. Nark rubbed its head against Oscar’s hand when he felt for it.

That magic orb must have had some sort of forced teleportation effect, Oscar mused. But he realized he had a bigger problem.

He couldn’t sense the familiar protective barrier on his body.

Normally, the spell his wife had cast was always with him. If he concentrated, he could faintly sense its magic. Yet now, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t.

“Tinasha?” he called.

No one answered. He was alone.

“Okay, let’s calm down. First, I’ll find out my location. Nark, go,” Oscar ordered the dragon, pulling himself together. Nark landed on the ground and grew big. Oscar mounted the creature and rode it slowly into the air. The ground below faded away.

Once up in the clear skies, Oscar surveyed the landscape and realized he recognized what he was looking at. But he also couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He commanded Nark to fly east.

After a while, the mountains and forests slowly morphed into a landscape that undoubtedly belonged to Farsas. He turned back to stare at the grassy plain, now a tiny speck in the distance.

“No…tower…”

Maybe he was dreaming.

But he knew with certainty that the grassland he was on was the wasteland home to Tinasha’s tower. And there was no spire standing on it now—that much was obvious.

Rubbing his temples, he thought things over for a bit. “Nark, land somewhat close to that town.”

Nark did as ordered and took a route heading for a village off in the distance. It finally touched down in a forest not far from the settlement, shrank itself back down, and settled on Oscar’s shoulder.

He stroked its back in appreciation, then set off for the village with trepidation. “What place is this…?”

Based on the topography, Oscar knew he was in Farsas, but no one lived out here. Still, there were people here now. Oscar walked in and addressed a woman selling vegetables at the side of the road. “Sorry, but could I ask you something?”

“Oh? Are y’a traveler? We don’ get many of those,” she replied in a country accent, flashing him a friendly smile.

Oscar wasn’t sure where to start, but finally decided to go with the first question that came to mind. “What’s the name of this village?”

“It’s called Yabat. Doin’ big business with lumber and farming,” she answered.

Oscar knew the name. However, the Yabat he knew was farther east—and it wasn’t a village, but a city.

His head hurt. But he had to ask. “Do you know what year it is?”

“What year? You from some other country? Goin’ by Farsas reckoning, it’s 108.”

Black spots swam before Oscar’s eyes, and he staggered a step.

He’d traveled 419 years into the past.

Unable to take in that fact so abruptly, Oscar could only stand there in a daze.

She spent almost her entire day studying.

Previously, a tutor would come to the house for five hours every day to teach her all sorts of things, including magic. Starting last year, however, she had gotten so proficient that there was no longer anyone who could teach her.

That was why she spent a large portion of her time doing self-study. When she was younger, she used to get taken out to explore faraway places, but now there was hardly anything she could do freely, even for herself. This room, the detached wing it was in, and a group of less than twenty adults were the only world she knew.

She paused, about to take down a copy of a spell book. According to the clock, it was almost time for bed. The room had grown very dark. Only the desk lamp and pale moonlight filtering through the window illuminated the chamber.

She stretched her back, stiff from leaning over her desk, and began to put away the books she had open. As she did, she glanced out the window. A barrier had been placed in its pane in place of glass.

A white moon hung in the night sky, with not a cloud to be seen. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at it, then turned her back on the window. Once she’d straightened up, she would lie down for the night.

An unknown presence suddenly darkened the moonlight pouring in from the window. She turned her head back to inspect it.

Something was off.

The slightest sensation of discord, imperceptible to a regular person, nudged at her unmistakably. Maybe someone had broken in past the barrier set up around the detached wing.

She crept silently to the window, leaned out, and looked around. But nothing appeared out of the ordinary in the dark garden. Maybe it was my imagination…, she thought, but she decided to let someone know anyway, just in case. She headed for the door, but her ears caught the faint sound of someone stepping on the rocks.

“……”

She turned back, reflexively casting a spell. Her gaze fell on someone standing by the window, where just a moment ago, there had been nothing at all.

The person’s features were indistinct, backlit by the moonlight. In that instant, she hurled a spear made of magic at them. Her power was great enough to incapacitate someone with a single blow. Much to her surprise, however, the spell struck the intruder’s sword and vanished.

“What…?” she gasped, stunned by such an impossible turn of events. As she started to draw up a defensive spell, she growled, “Who are you?!”

The intruder sighed in relief at her harsh query. “I actually got the right window? That’s lucky.”

The voice was masculine. The uninvited guest jumped down into the room. As she was about to launch more magic at him, he pressed close to her and covered her mouth while pushing the flat of his sword against her belly.

“I have no intention of harming you. Just don’t make a fuss. I need something from you, Tinasha,” he said. Her eyes grew round and wide in shock. She was filled with suspicion over this strange man calling her by a name no one normally used.

Shaking the intruder off, she attempted to prepare another spell, but curiously found herself unable to summon up her magic. This had never happened before. Stunned, she looked up at him.

He was gorgeous.

A pained look was in his eyes, which were the color of the sky just after sunset. Unlike all the other adults she knew, he had a body trained and honed for battle, and his strength made a chill run up her spine. She nodded.

With that understanding established, he pulled his hand away from her mouth and released her.

“Who are you?” the girl asked in a quavering voice.

Wincing a little to hear it, he answered, “I’m the man you’ll marry someday.”

After the man—Oscar—freed her and explained himself, Tinasha felt deeply disturbed. “Are you all right in the head?”

“If this is a dream, I wish I’d wake up from it,” he admitted openly.

The lovely young girl frowned, not sure how to interpret his words. Tinasha had been raised in the castle since her birth, and people had raved about her unparalleled looks for as long as she could remember. But her beauty now was as yet incomplete, her features markedly childlike.

Tinasha’s long black hair was bound up in a high ponytail. She went ahead and sat down on her wide bed. The man sat on the couch by the window and petted the tiny dragon sleeping next to him.

“There’s no magical law about returning to the past. It’s impossible,” she stated plainly.

“Yes, and you’ve told me that before. So this has to be a dream. Hurry and snap me out of it,” Oscar insisted.

“Why do I have to?!” she cried.

The intruder who claimed to be from four hundred years in the future folded his arms and stared at her. Tinasha shifted uncomfortably under that gaze. “In the first place, the human life span is only seventy years! It doesn’t make sense that you’d be my husband! Are you actually over four hundred? Are you telling me that your younger self is alive somewhere in my time?”

Oscar could only laugh at those questions, though he didn’t answer. He told her they were married, but refused to reveal the full story of how it had happened. His story was inconsistent, and Tinasha pressed her fingers to her temples.

Oscar gave a faint smile, looking legitimately concerned. “In any case, I need your help. I want to go back to my era.”

“I told you, it’s not possible to travel through time… A magic sleep might sustain you for four centuries, but men’s bodies are unstable, so that wouldn’t be the ideal plan. I couldn’t guarantee anything,” admitted Tinasha.

“Is there no other way?” he pressed.

“No,” she answered bluntly. However, when she saw his eyes fill with profound anguish, she felt a twinge of guilt.

Tinasha didn’t know what he was thinking, but he had come expressly to her. It didn’t sit well with her to treat him disdainfully. She had minimal experience dealing with other people.

Getting up from the bed, she came to stand in front of him. “Do you have no other hope?”

“I really don’t.”

“I see…,” she said, hesitating for a while before making up her mind and sitting down next to him. “In that case…I’ll do some research. You can stay here until then. Not many people come to this wing, and no one should notice as long as I cast an invisibility spell on you.”

“Really?” he asked before breathing a sigh of relief and patting her head.

Tinasha felt taken aback at the warm feeling. “It might take some time. Is that all right?”

“Yeah. Sorry about this,” the intruder replied, giving her a smile.

Tinasha felt relieved. It was a very fishy story, but even so, she didn’t want to disappoint him. Until now, she had lived alone in this wing, seeing only a very select few people. Such a repetitive existence would undoubtedly have seemed lonely to others, but the girl didn’t know enough to feel dissatisfied with it.

Perhaps she had grown starved for human connection without even knowing it.

Feeling oddly drawn to this man who had appeared out of nowhere, she stared at him. He winced. “I appreciate it, but don’t act so defenseless around a stranger.”

“You’re one to talk,” Tinasha retorted. This man sure was strange. Still, he didn’t seem malicious. Now that she felt reassured, a backlash of sleepiness hit her. Oscar watched her cover a little yawn with her hand and stood up.

“You should go to sleep. I’ll find an empty room to use,” he stated.

“What? But here is fine,” she protested.

Yes, there were empty rooms in her wing, but almost none were in use, and they lacked proper furniture. The only chamber someone could stay in was her room.

However, when Oscar heard that, he looked appalled. “Listen…I just told you not to be so defenseless…”

“If you’re in another room, I won’t be able to cover for you if someone finds you,” Tinasha pointed out. She could cast an invisibility spell, but such powerful magic had limitations. It was much easier for them to stay in the same room. And…on the off chance that he had snuck into her wing with another purpose in mind, it was all the more reason to want him where she could keep an eye on him.

Tinasha turned back toward her bed. “I don’t take up very much room, so I shouldn’t bother you. Unless you like girls on the younger side?”

“Stop it; that’s a damaging accusation. How old are you anyway?” he asked.

“Thirteen,” she replied.

The man froze up a little at that. Tinasha noticed and stared back at him suspiciously. “What is it?”

“No… It’s nothing. I’ll stay here, then, so you should get to sleep. You have a hard time waking up in the mornings, don’t you?” he said.

“How do you know that…?”

“Just go to sleep,” he repeated, ruffling her hair and pushing her toward the mattress.

He thought she’d scold him a bit more, but she accepted his proposal without much resistance. Most likely, that was because she was still just a girl. Tinasha looked sour after he nudged her head, but she obediently lay down nonetheless.

Oscar sat next to her and stroked her hair gently.

Gentle hands. An unfamiliar warmth.

All of it spoke of abiding love, and she felt her body relaxing.

Was it true that she would marry him in the future? The doubt faded as quickly as it had come. Regardless, it did seem that he meant no harm.

She was a candidate for queen. If he wanted to kill her, he could have done so already, yet he hadn’t. So how much of what he’d said was the truth? Whether his story was a lie or not, the man undoubtedly needed help.

“Good night, Tinasha,” he murmured.

“…Good night,” she whispered back. It was her first time exchanging that phrase with another.

She wasn’t used to hearing her own name. His hushed words felt soothing to her.

As a strange sense of fulfillment swept over her, she closed her eyes.

The next morning, Oscar woke her up. With sleepy eyes, she headed for the kitchen and made breakfast for them. The spacious dining room had no servants, and Oscar inclined his head in bemusement as she set down their plates on the table. “You’re a potential queen, and you have to cook your own food?”

“Politically, things have been tense lately… There’s a chance I could be killed, so I decided to start doing just about everything myself. Although previously I seldom saw anyone besides my tutor anyway,” she explained.

“That’s some life you’ve got,” remarked Oscar, sighing as he took a sip of tea.

His own boyhood and adolescence had been equally busy, filled with nothing but studying and training, but he had never felt isolated like this. There was always someone nearby wanting to talk to him.

Tinasha was the heir to a throne, just as Oscar had been, yet she was always by herself. Oscar stared at her, sitting across from him at the table. “Aren’t you lonely?”

“What? A little, but that’s just how things are,” she answered, finding the question odd. Oscar didn’t know how to reply.

Once before, he’d asked her that same question and received a similar response.

He wanted to tell her that wasn’t how things were supposed to be. However, it would be four hundred years before he would truly meet her.

His face had clouded over, and Tinasha rushed to wave her hands reassuringly. “I’m just fine. I might be by myself, but I’m not really alone. I have my country. That’s why I need to study—to protect my people. I don’t want to run into difficulties in the future, so I’m doing my best,” she said with a grin. It made his heart ache.

Oscar wanted to make sure of something he’d been thinking about since the night before. “How long until your next birthday?”

“My birthday? About half a year…,” she answered.

As Oscar ate, he pondered. Tinasha was thirteen when she became a witch. So the great tragedy of her life would befall her sometime in the next six months.

“If this isn’t a dream… But even so,” he whispered, too low for her to hear. An odd exhilaration and anxiety rose up within him.

What would happen if he saved her from disaster?

She wouldn’t become a witch. And then…she wouldn’t meet him.

Though if he stayed in this era…

Oscar got that far before he made a face at himself. It was pointless to think about such things. He had his own citizens to protect. And he had the Tinasha of four hundred years later. He knew she must be worried about him now. Once he got back, he might be in for a flood of lecturing. The thought of which made him grimace.

As she ate her breakfast with impeccable table manners, Tinasha asked, “…So why did you land in the past? Did something happen?”

“Yeah…,” Oscar began, looking up from his mire of thoughts. He thought back over what had happened at the tower. “I was sorting through some magic implements. And there was this orb… It was blue, with sigils carved on the surface. All of a sudden, it started to glow, and the next thing I knew, I was here in this time.”

“I haven’t heard of any object like that,” Tinasha stated.

“It was one I’d seen somewhere before,” he informed her.

“Do you remember where you encountered it the first time?” pressed the girl.

“I’m trying.”

Oscar closed his eyes. He knew the little sphere looked familiar, but couldn’t manage to place it.

The memory still just out of reach, he helped Tinasha clean up, and they returned to her room.

Tinasha took down several old, large tomes from the bookshelves lining one wall and spread them out on the desk. She promptly sat and flipped to the index at the back of each volume. Almost immediately, she was absorbed in her task; Oscar went to stand by the window.

Then she thought of something and asked him, “What’s that sword you have?”

“This? It’s a magic-neutralizing sword,” he said, giving a point-blank explanation.

Tinasha frowned. “There’s only one of those in the world. Akashia of Farsas.”

“That’s what it is.”

“What…? You’re a member of the Farsas royal family?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“…………”

An indescribable look on her face, the girl shook her head two or three times before turning back to the books. Oscar wondered if his claim had robbed him of more credibility. Yet if he lied about it here, she would only end up doubting him more if something happened later. Oscar glanced at the hilt of the royal sword, which jogged a sudden memory from the past.

“…Oh,” he muttered.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I remembered. I saw it in the Farsas treasure vault. It was red, but…”

Right—it was the same orb that the girl who broke into the castle and summoned the demonic beast had been trying to steal from the vault. The color was different, but the size and the markings were unmistakable.

As Oscar recalled that, another headache came on.

I’m still forgetting something…

He was searching through his recollections when Tinasha asked, “So should we go to Farsas?”

“…No, it was one of my mother’s heirlooms. It wouldn’t be in Farsas yet,” he answered.

“Did your mother die?”

“When I was a kid, yeah.”

“I see…,” Tinasha replied, wilting before his eyes as she seemed to regret her blunt inquiry.

Oscar walked over to her and patted the top of her head lightly. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t remember it.”

“Okay… I’m sorry,” she apologized. He found her honest reaction adorable and couldn’t help smiling. It was hardly the time for that, however. The important thing was to continue searching for a solution to Oscar’s predicament.

“Yeah, it wouldn’t be in Farsas. And it was a different color… Where did the one in the tower come from…?”

The girl cocked her head curiously. In her face, Oscar could see traces of his wife’s features. He pored over his memories of the inside of the tower.

That box was on top of the pile of magic implements. That means she brought it in recently. And she sent a lot of magic implements to the tower back when—

“…The Tuldarr treasure vault?” he mused.

Tinasha’s eyes widened as she looked up at him. Immediately, she shuddered. “No way. I can’t get in without the king’s permission. Besides, I don’t trust you that much.”

“I suppose you wouldn’t. Sorry,” Oscar said. He couldn’t do anything about that. Even if he insisted that she let him into the repository, she’d only think he was lying because he wanted to steal from it. If he didn’t gain more of her trust, he wouldn’t make it deeper into Tuldarr.

Oscar stroked her hair. “It took a lot of time to tame you before, too…”

“What are you talking about?” she demanded.

“Nothing,” he responded with a smile.

Tinasha frowned at him suspiciously before going back to her books.

It took three more hours for her to look through all of them.

“I—I couldn’t find anything…”

“I’m sorry you wasted all that effort.”

Tinasha’s eyes undoubtedly ached after parsing so much text. Rubbing at them, she got up and flopped onto the bed. Oscar came to sit next to her. She threw her arms over her face, but after a while, she exhaled and pulled them away. “Hey, what’s that?” she asked, pointing at Oscar’s chest.

“What’s what?” he asked.

“There’s an incredibly complicated curse and blessing intertwined within your body. They’re canceling each other out, though, so you probably don’t feel much of an effect.”

“Oh, that. You can see it?”

“Yeah,” she confirmed.

Oscar looked down, but he couldn’t detect a thing.

One of the two intertwined spells had been placed by the witch who’d determined the course of his life. His wife had set the other. She had told him that, strictly speaking, she hadn’t broken the curse.

With a grimace, Oscar slapped a hand to his chest. “When I was a kid, I got a blessing put on me that was a little too powerful. To cancel it out, I had a curse put on.”

“Wow. They’re both expertly woven, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. Could I get some of your blood later? I want to analyze it,” Tinasha stated.

“Sure. Do you enjoy that sort of work?”

“I love research. I’ve gotta try everything,” Tinasha eagerly replied.

Oscar nodded. Then something occurred to him, and he clapped his hands together.

Tinasha’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Have you ever used a sword?” he asked.

“No.”

“Then I’ll give you a lesson. Let’s go outside.”

“Whaaat?” the girl exclaimed, drawing out the word in her shock. She sat up. “I’ve never done any physical training… Just walking…”

“The very portrait of a mage. But that’s not good enough for royalty. Mages who seize up with fear make easy targets.”

“R-really?” she inquired, clearly flustered. She had never heard that before.

Oscar smiled. “I’m positive a little combat knowledge will come in handy someday. Come on.”

Originally, Tinasha had learned to use a sword after becoming a witch. Still, there was no harm in her getting an early start.

Tinasha stared up at him. Then she gave a reluctant nod. “Okay. What should we do?”

“You’ll need a practice sword. Can you get one?” he asked her.

“Easily. I just have to ask, and I can get anything brought to me,” Tinasha answered, nodding without hesitation. But that was only because she was neglected, despite being a potential queen. She lived in solitude, and none of the people outside would have anything to do with her. They just provided her with things. This was proof of the warped life she was living, and Oscar’s lips twisted bitterly.

Tinasha noticed the expression and frantically waved her hands. “It’s fine. It’s easier on me this way. And it’s more convenient for you, too, isn’t it?”

“Forget about me. I’m going to look after you,” Oscar declared.

“…Okay. Thank you,” she said, and she blushed happily.

Tinasha summoned the lady-in-waiting assigned to her wing. The servant seemed puzzled at her young lady’s request but did as bidden and brought two practice swords. She was also suspicious that this girl had asked for men’s clothing the day before, but it was an unwritten rule not to interfere in Tinasha’s affairs.

Tinasha thanked her and took the weapons. Then, quite unusually, she raced off down the hallway with an air of anticipation.

“Oh, right, Oscar, I heard an interesting story the other day,” the witch mentioned.

They were in their bedroom, some few weeks after getting married.

A nighttime drizzle was falling. It was dark outside the window, and the rain sounded like the roar of the sea.

The queen had her arms wrapped around her knees as she sat in bed. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Her beauty had never been in question, but now that she was queen, she exuded an even more radiant charm. At least, that was what Oscar thought, and as no one else could say anything disrespectful about her, he might have been the only one who saw her that way.

Lying facedown next to her, he tugged on a lock of hair cascading over her naked alabaster body. “An interesting story? What was it?”

“It’s a tale passed down in the village near the fortress of Minnedart,” she answered. The settlement she spoke of had been destroyed in a raid. The anecdote Tinasha recounted had been passed down orally for two centuries.

“A tribe of horse riders—most likely the Ito—pillaged the town. A swordsman protected a woman in the village from the raiders, but purportedly, he was actually her son,” she explained.

“Her son? How old was he?” Oscar inquired.

“Oh—sorry, I don’t know his exact age. He was supposed to be the same age as the woman. The tale is about how he came from the future and went back in time to save his mother, whom the Ito would have otherwise abducted. He was the offspring of the woman and an Ito rider.”

“…Huh,” Oscar replied. It was certainly an interesting little legend.

Tinasha smiled at Oscar’s interest and added, “That said, I told you before that there’s no law in magic that allows time travel. So the account is probably some trumped-up myth, but I found it interesting. It’s a little melancholy.”

“How so?” he asked. Based on what he’d heard, it sounded like a fantastical tale of heroism.

Tinasha narrowed her obsidian eyes as she smiled at him. “Because if that young man saved his mother from getting abducted, it meant he wouldn’t be born in the future. But even knowing that, he still saved her.”

Two weeks had passed since Oscar came to Tinasha’s wing in Tuldarr.

It had gone by in a flash, and the two of them had developed a strange lifestyle together.

The girl would investigate Oscar’s predicament, conduct her research, and study swordsmanship.

Oscar was her teacher when it came to the blade, but he proved to be a capable tutor in other fields as well. He possessed more than enough knowledge on matters of history, geography, politics, law, and how to govern a country as a royal. The man was much better versed in real-world official duties than any in Tuldarr, a nation that prized powerful mages above all else. To Tinasha, he was like a magician of a different sort.

“Oscar, what did you do in Farsas? You must be a royal heir if you have that sword,” she said.

“Hmm, I wonder,” he answered, patting her on her head the way he always did.

He watched over her tenderly and seemed to fall into thought at random times.

They were not like a teacher and student, or like family members, or even like a pair of lovers.

Their relationship was simple, warm, and certain. Before long, Tinasha grew attached to her odd companion.

“This dragon is so friendly,” Tinasha remarked with a grin, petting Nark after the creature landed on her head in the middle of sword practice in the garden.

Across from her, Oscar lowered his sword and made a face. “Not to most. It’s gentle because it knows you. You’re the one who originally gave it to me.”

“Really?” Tinasha questioned.

“Yeah.”

The girl cocked her head quizzically.

All of Oscar’s claims about the future still seemed difficult to believe.

Above all else, the two were separated by four hundred years. The marriage part had to be a lie meant to tease her.

Even so, Tinasha couldn’t help but grow curious when Oscar recounted things about a version of herself that she didn’t know. After some hesitation, she looked up at Oscar and asked, “Hey, what am I like later on?”

“A fine-looking woman. The only one of her class.”

“Wh-what does that mean…?” Tinasha squeaked, looking away. That embarrassed her.

She had almost dared to hope for something, but it was quashed before she could recognize the sensation for what it was. A smile was tugging at her lips, but she suppressed it and puffed out her cheeks. “Even though the part about us being wed is a fib!”

“Well, I guess it does sound like one. But—”

Oscar stepped up to her and poked the left side of her waist. “I know you have a mole here.”

Amazed, Tinasha dropped her gaze to the place he’d prodded, and she flushed bright red. “When did you see that?!”

“When…? We’re married; of course I saw it,” Oscar answered.

“I—I don’t understand…”

“Don’t think about it too deeply,” he said with a chuckle.

Tinasha’s thoughts were starting to spiral down into a maze, and she shook her head. Just then, she heard footsteps coming closer. She recited a short incantation to reinforce the invisibility spell on Oscar.

The lady-in-waiting assigned to her wing appeared shortly after. Her face fell for a moment when she caught sight of Tinasha in training clothes, but her expression quickly recovered. The servant offered an ostensibly courteous bow. “So this is where you went, Lady Aeti.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Prince Lanak will be here soon. Please go back to your room,” instructed the lady-in-waiting.

“Lanak is coming?! I’ll be right there,” Tinasha replied excitedly, and Oscar frowned.

The lady-in-waiting departed swiftly, and Oscar’s face was pinched as he asked, “Lanak’s coming?”

“You know who he is? I think he’s been busy lately, but he comes to see me a lot,” answered Tinasha, exuding innocent joy.

In contrast, Oscar looked grim. He warned her, “Be careful. Call for me if anything happens.”

“What could happen?” the girl questioned.

Oscar didn’t answer. His handsome face was wiped of expression as he collected Nark and sat down on a large stone placed in the garden.

Tinasha frowned, confused, but hurried off to get ready.

Once back in her room, she wiped her hands, changed clothes, and tidied her hair.

Nearly right after she finished getting herself in order, Lanak arrived. His long white hair was tied back behind him. When he saw Tinasha, he gave her a thin smile. “It’s been a while, Aeti. Have you been well?”

“Mm-hmm. Have you?” she replied. It had been so long that she didn’t know what to say. Part of her felt thrilled, while another bit felt shy. Still, the girl beamed at him.

Lanak presented her with a flat box wrapped in cloth. “Here, this is for you.”

“What is it?” she inquired, taking the box and opening it. Inside was a gorgeous necklace wrought of silver. The silversmith’s skill was evident in the fine craftsmanship, and Tinasha was immediately fascinated by it.

“I had it made for you,” stated Lanak.

“Thank you…,” Tinasha murmured, picking it up carefully. She turned over the hanging pendant to find her name engraved on the back. Her grin widening, she donned the necklace.

Lanak’s head tilted incrementally as he watched her. “It looks good on you.”

“I love it,” she said, blushing as she gazed right into Lanak’s eyes.

That’s right. She had him. There was no way she’d marry some other man.

Oscar’s claim must have been a joke meant to tease her over being so sheltered. It wasn’t something the young woman felt angry over, but she did recognize that she’d nearly fallen for his blatant lie.

With a deep sigh, Tinasha brushed away her inner turmoil. She ignored the traces of loneliness that had settled in her heart.

Reassured, she gave Lanak a kittenish look, and he approached her. Placing a hand on her ivory cheek, he kissed her forehead. Giggling, Tinasha closed her eyes.

His hand slid from her cheek to her alabaster nape, around which hung the necklace.

As he touched her slender, breakable neck, there was something cold and emotionless in his gaze.

Tinasha missed it, however, because she had her eyes closed.

“…Aeti.”

“What?” she said, opening her eyes to look at him.

Lanak’s smile was strained. “Nothing.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“I know I only just arrived, but I have to go now.”

“Okay…,” Tinasha responded, her shoulders sagging a little. Ever since things in Tuldarr got rocky, he wouldn’t come and spend time with her the way he used to.

But that was merely how it had to be. Unlike Tinasha, who only spent her time studying, Lanak had the many responsibilities that came with being the king’s son—even more so now that his father was ill. Tinasha couldn’t go on forever acting like his baby sister and making selfish demands of him. She had to become his queen soon.

Tinasha watched Lanak go. But when he placed his hand on the door, she remembered something. “Oh! Lanak, wait.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“Um… I’d like to enter the treasure vault…,” she said, broaching the subject timidly. Her sudden request made Lanak turn back to face her.

He stared at her quizzically. “Why?”

“I’m currently studying magic implements…and some of the ones I’m researching might be kept in there. I’d like to look for them…”

“All right. I’ll ask Father,” Lanak agreed.

“Thank you!” Tinasha cried. At last, she could confirm Oscar’s recollection. Relieved, the girl broke into a smile.

Lanak returned the expression and departed.

“…I’m so glad,” she sighed. They had gotten to spend only a short time together, but it had still been wonderful.

Tinasha gazed at herself in the mirror. The silver necklace was a bit too mature for her, but it still made her happy. It made her feel like she was stretching herself up tall and growing up, if only a little.

I wonder if this necklace would look good on the adult version of me that Oscar knows?

She tried to imagine a taller Tinasha standing side by side with Oscar, but hurriedly cut off that train of thought. “No, no… I belong to Tuldarr.”

If that sword of his was really Akashia, that meant he was a royal of Farsas. Someone who had dedicated her life to Tuldarr couldn’t possibly marry a man from another country.

Perhaps she’d wed him for political reasons after something happened to Tuldarr in the future?

Tinasha’s head was spinning with all the possibilities she could envision. However, when she remembered that her odd houseguest also claimed to be from four centuries later, the inexplicability drowned all that out. She puffed out her flushed cheeks. “Hmph… I’m not gonna think about it.”

“What aren’t you going to think about?” inquired a sudden voice, and Tinasha jumped.

She turned around to see Oscar standing in the doorway. “Y-you scared me… I didn’t hear you coming…”

“Oh, sorry. You’re always complaining to me about that, and I—”

His words trailed off. He stared at her, recognition dawning in his dusk-colored eyes. Tinasha drew back from the intensity of that gaze, but then she realized what he was looking at. “Oh, this necklace? Lanak gave it to me.”

When Oscar heard that, his face very obviously darkened. Tinasha had never seen him so glowering.

“Take it off,” he demanded.

“What? Wh-why?” she asked, staring in wonder at his sudden demand. Where was this all coming from?

With a stern look, he continued to insist. “Just take it off. Don’t wear it again.”

“Don’t wear it again? But Lanak gave it to me,” she protested.

“You shouldn’t trust him,” Oscar stated flatly.

“What…?”

The girl couldn’t understand what he was saying. She ruminated on his words.

She’d thought he’d be happy for her.

Now she could get into the treasure vault. Finally, she could be helpful to him.

That was why she’d bothered Lanak with her request…but Oscar’s reaction was completely unexpected.

“…You don’t know anything about Lanak…”

Tinasha’s earliest memory was of Lanak smiling and holding his hands out to her. Though embarrassed, he looked happy as he reached to hug her.

It was that embrace that had sustained the girl the entire time she’d been living all alone.

She knew nothing, and he guided her forward.

“He’s the only family I have.”

Red tinged the edges of her vision as anger overtook her. She stood frozen in place, her lips trembling.

She didn’t have many memories of getting angry. It was hard to breathe. She felt faint. A wave of dizziness swept over Tinasha as she clenched both hands into fists.

The girl thought that would make Oscar understand, but his reply was heartless. “No. He’s going to hurt you.”

“Wha…?”

Never had she seen her guest’s eyes look so cold before. What he declared was difficult for her to accept.

“What do you know?” The hoarse voice that demanded an explanation didn’t sound like Tinasha’s own. Her throat felt hot. Her legs were shaking. The heat soon morphed into fury. “You know nothing about me… Don’t just spout nonsense!”

Her angry shout surprised even her, but she could no longer stop herself. Like a dam bursting on the muck of emotions she always kept bottled up, she screamed as she tore at her black hair, “Lanak is the only one who’s been there for me! He’s the only one who’s ever looked at me! I don’t have anyone else! Without him—I’m truly alone!”

How many years had it been since Tinasha had thrown a fit like a child? Even she didn’t know quite what she was trying to say. She didn’t want to cry, but tears spilled forth.

She was out of control, ranting and raving and unable to stop it. Suddenly, Oscar pulled her into his arms.

He held her tight, but she pounded on his chest with all her might. “Let go of me! Idiot!”

Yet he refused to release her, no matter how hard she struck him. The man remained undaunted as she battered his chest and cursed at herself and the world with everything she had.

“I-I’m not okay being alone! But someone has to do it! So I’ve always held it in! I thought it would get better once I grew up—”

The deserted wing was so vast and wide.

Whenever Tinasha looked back and saw an empty corridor, she felt as though she had no place in the world. It would’ve been wrong of her to complain about it, though. She was blessed to be where she was. Royals couldn’t save the common people if they anguished over such trivial things.

Saying that she hated being alone was improper.

“It’s so stupid! I’m not some unfeeling thing that can suffer through all of this! I want to see my dad and my mom! I want to be a normal girl just for one lousy day! I-I’ve actually always—”

Tinasha longed to sit around a dinner table with her family. She was so jealous of children who could sleep next to their mothers, whose fathers would lead them by the hand.

All she wanted was the smallest bit of warmth. Even the tiniest bit would be enough—she could continue on alone after that.

“…Ngh, ah…”

Overwhelmed, she couldn’t form words anymore.

It was so big and so much that she couldn’t say it, so what came out instead was racking sobs.

Loud wails resounded.

Tinasha didn’t know what she was crying for or why it was so painful, but an endless flood of hot tears spilled over her cheeks and onto Oscar’s chest.

He stroked her hair gently. “It’s all right, Tinasha. You’re not going to be alone forever. I guarantee it. You will reach me, and you’ll be happy.”

Tinasha couldn’t answer. Her bawling wouldn’t stop. Still, she had a curious feeling that told her he was speaking the truth this time. With a little nod, her hot eyelids fluttered down as if she were going to bed.

Tinasha cried herself to sleep, and Oscar laid her out on the bed, then sat down next to her and sighed.

This was too much for him to endure. He was too impatient. While he would heal her loneliness eventually, it was a long way off. Forcing that poor girl to wait four hundred years felt so absurd that Oscar hung his head, dejected.

There was also something that had been bothering him this whole time.

If this was reality, then when was “now”?

Was everyone worrying and waiting for him to come back to his original time?

Now that he had met Tinasha as a girl, her past had unquestionably been altered. As time passed in this reality, would it still lead to the world where he was born? Or would it branch off into a similar but different one? This was a significant problem to consider.

“…Tinasha,” he murmured, meaning not the girl sleeping next to him but his wife. After becoming queen, she had told him a folk tale passed down in the village near the fortress of Minnedart. It was indeed very similar to his situation. At the time, Tinasha had laughed it off as a made-up, impossible tale, but Oscar was living proof that time travel was more than a legend. Which meant that the story was also—

Paling a little, Oscar gazed at the girl sleeping by his side. “It’s only natural that you’d feel lonely.”

How could she not be? Oscar had thought the same thing upon meeting his witch.

Feeling that he’d just sigh if he opened his mouth, Oscar stayed silent.

Outside the window, the moon was still glittering silver.

Tinasha was not a morning person, and that was true of her younger self, too.

When she woke up the next day, she sat in bed for a while, staring into space. Her eyes were still a bit swollen as she turned to look at Oscar, sitting on the couch by the window.

He was debating how to respond to her when she muttered, “…I’m sorry.”

Awkwardly, but more apprehensively than anything, she cast him a look. The expression so very much resembled the sort his wife made. A smile tugged at his lips as he remembered it fondly. “It’s okay. I didn’t phrase what I said well. I know how hard you’re trying.”

Tinasha worked harder than most her age. While that was only to be expected of one possessed of such incredible magic, she was still a mere girl of thirteen. Oscar stood and walked over to the bed. He wiped away the tear tracks on her cheeks. “Since I’m here and all, why don’t we go have fun somewhere? I’ll take you outside.”

He’d been considering the idea for days now. Even if Tinasha didn’t know any transportation coordinates since she never left her wing, Nark could take them outside and bring them back. It would be distracting and relaxing for her to go out in town. Perhaps she could even visit her parents.

At Oscar’s proposal, Tinasha’s eyes widened for a moment. A flicker of something that was not quite hope flashed across her face.

However, soon after, she closed her eyes and smiled. “Thank you…very much. But it’s all right. I’d get in trouble if they found out I left.”

“I get busted for that all the time, and people are always getting mad at me for it,” Oscar admitted. It was the truth, but Tinasha thought it was a joke and laughed out loud.

She scooted over on the bed, setting her legs down next to him. “Right now, I’m having more than enough fun, so I’m really all right.”

“You sure?”

“I can listen to you, and you’ll listen to me. Isn’t that already a pretty lucky thing?” she said, beaming sunnily. Oscar looked into her eyes carefully, but her grin didn’t seem like a show of courage—the girl honestly felt that way.

“You might be overestimating me, and I’m not sure how to feel about that,” Oscar confessed.

“Well, this sort of thing doesn’t normally happen. You know, my self-proclaimed husband coming to see me.”

“Self-proclaimed…”

It hurt to hear that again, but a fact was a fact. Tinasha took one look at the man’s unusually dour expression and burst out laughing. Maybe she felt a little more at ease now that she’d gotten out all those bottled-up things.

Tinasha hugged her knees to her chest. “Anyway, tell me about the future. If it’s true, that means I’m older than you, right?”

“Why do you think that?” Oscar asked.

He’d told her they were married in the future, but he’d left out the part about her becoming a witch. So of course she wouldn’t have any idea about their age gap.

But Tinasha grinned at his reaction. “Because, Oscar, you told me that the orb was your mother’s heirloom, so it wouldn’t be in Farsas yet. That means you haven’t been born yet, either.”

“…Oh, right.”

“So I’m older, right?” she pressed, smiling mischievously.

Oscar grimaced. “It never really felt like you were, but I guess that’s true.”

“But if that’s four hundred years from now, does that mean Tuldarr people have exceptionally long lives? Is there going to be some big innovation in magical arts?”

“That’s a secret.”

“Hmph, too bad. But I guess it’s not good to know too many things about the future,” Tinasha accepted. Yet her eyes still sparkled with curiosity. “Where did we meet? What did you think the first time we met?”

“Listen, you…”

She was acting like Lucrezia, having a ball with gossipy stories. It was her own life, though—it was understandable that she was curious about it.

A faint smile on his lips, Oscar recalled the witch’s tower. “I came to ask you to break the curse placed on me. But you were incredibly beautiful and not at all what I had expected. You looked like…an ordinary girl, who happened to be terribly gorgeous.”

That felt like such a long time ago now. In this era, when the tower didn’t exist yet, it was a precious memory.

Tinasha listened to Oscar raptly, like a kitten who had found a new treasure. Her big black eyes were locked on to him. “And then what? Did you get married right away?”

“…I don’t want to reveal too much of my hand. You turned down my proposals a lot.”

“What? That’s so weird,” she giggled. It was like this story didn’t seem real to her.

That’s why broaching what he did was such a gamble.

“The year 527 by Farsas reckoning.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“That’s the year we got married. About four centuries from now.”

Undoubtedly that seemed too distant to feel tangible at all, but Oscar hoped that the young Tinasha could find some comfort in the fact during the days to come.

So Oscar gazed evenly at his wife, not yet a witch. “I’ll wait for you there. And I promise I’ll make you happy,” he vowed, his words laden with hope.

Tinasha was amazed. Her eyes shone, and she could almost burst into tears again…but this time, she smiled happily.

A week later, Lanak came to grant her entry into the treasure vault.

However, that didn’t mean she could waltz in and look around freely. She would go as Lanak’s attendant and search for the magic implement in question while accompanying him.

Aware that Oscar didn’t think much of Lanak, Tinasha was on edge when she explained this to him, but he merely replied, “I hope you find it. Be careful.”

Magic lights filled the vault.

“Wow…,” Tinasha breathed, letting out a cry of wonder at the repository filled with magic implements. Lanak had led her by the hand downstairs to the place. The young man looked used to the sight.

He gave a slight grin at Tinasha’s reaction. “I asked my father, but you won’t be allowed to take anything out. Sorry.”

“No, that’s fine. Thank you,” she said, smiling at him.

Tinasha began her search for the orb, looking everywhere. According to Oscar, it was in a small white stone box. Systematically, she went through each place where such a container could be placed.

“Shall I help you? What are you looking for?” inquired Lanak.

“O-oh, thank you. But I’m fine. I don’t even know if it’s here…”

“Are you sure? Well, say something if you need me,” Lanak replied before going to lean against the wall and read.

While he paged through a book, Tinasha briskly expanded her search radius. An hour later, she reached out to a shelf far in the back. Pushing aside the figurines and packages in the front, she noticed something almost hidden behind them. She stretched up on her tiptoes and drew it out carefully.

It was a little white stone box.

Her heart leaped, though she opened the lid very gently. A blue orb the size of one’s palm resided within. Its surface was inlaid with markings.

“…It really was here…,” she whispered with surprise. Then she snapped back to herself and moved it to the front of the shelf, where it would be easy to find.

After checking to make sure Lanak was absorbed in his book, she began to hum a quiet incantation.

“Oscar!” Tinasha shouted, bounding into the room.

The man was by the window. She almost crashed into him, and he opened his arms to catch her. She was practically jumping up and down with excitement, and he put a hand on her head to calm her down. “How did it go?”

“It was really there!” she exclaimed.

“I see,” he said, breathing a sigh of relief. If this magic implement induced forced teleportation, chances were high he could return by using it again—and even more so considering it had sent him into the past on its own the first time. Initially, this magic implement must have made round trips, but the mage who used it had likely gotten separated from the object by traveling too far through time.

“So what should we do?” he asked.

“I couldn’t take it out, so I tampered with the treasure vault. I’ve set it so that the spell banning trespassing will lift for an hour at the stroke of midnight. Which is why…”

“I should go? Got it. Draw me a map,” Oscar said.

“Will you be all right by yourself?” Tinasha inquired.

“You’d get in trouble if you went and got caught, right? I’ll be fine,” he assured her.

Despite her concern, Tinasha drew him a map to the treasure vault and a diagram showing where the box was in the large chamber. Oscar examined them before stowing them in his jacket.

Tinasha looked up at him, feeling lonely. He caught her gaze and grimaced, looking put on the spot. “Don’t make that face.”

“What face?” she questioned.

“Oh, you know,” he answered vaguely.

The girl puffed up her cheeks, pouting, but Oscar pulled her gently into his arms. He sighed into her ear, “Now I can finally see you again…”

Affection bled into his voice, and Tinasha’s heart twinged painfully.

He didn’t mean the girl here in front of him. Tonight, he would leave. When she thought of that, quite a bit of sadness welled up within her.

“Am I really going to marry you?” she asked.

“You are. Look forward to what happens in four hundred years.”

She burst out laughing at how questionable that sounded, but she also felt like she didn’t want to reject what he said. Softly, she leaned into his hold.

Shortly before midnight, Oscar unsheathed Akashia and placed Nark on his shoulder. He glanced at a pajama-clad Tinasha, who was gazing up at him worriedly.

Again, she cautioned, “I’ve placed an invisibility spell on you, but it will lift once you leave here if you speak. Be careful.”

“All right.”

“If it doesn’t work, return to me,” the girl appended.

“Don’t jinx it.”

“I mean, what happens if you get sent even further into the past…?” she fretted.

“Then I’ll go and see Lucrezia instead, I guess,” he mused.

Tinasha furrowed her brow at the name she didn’t recognize.

Grinning, Oscar patted her head. “I’ll be fine. More importantly…don’t spend too much time with Lanak.”

“What are you, some overbearing father?” Tinasha snapped.

“I’m not your father or your big brother. I’m your man,” he stated.

When Tinasha heard that, she blushed bright red. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Eyes narrowing fondly, she took his hand as if she didn’t want to say good-bye yet. She intertwined their fingers, and he squeezed her hand.

“See you,” Oscar said.

“Yeah… Be careful.”

Tinasha watched him go without blinking once.

She had the vaguest sense that if she looked away, she’d start crying.

Tinasha’s map proved accurate. Oscar found the stairs leading underground deep down a complicated hallway and descended them.

There were numerous guards along the way, but an eminently powerful candidate for the queen of Tuldarr had placed the invisibility spell on Oscar. Since birth, she had stood out from the rest. It cloaked him completely; no one noticed nor even sensed his presence as he snuck his way through the palace.

Oscar passed a dark stairway that led into an empty chamber of stone. The floor was square, and at the center was an opening with steps that descended farther underground.

That’s…

He’d seen this place once before.

After checking to make sure no one was around, he lit the torch Tinasha had given him and proceeded down.

After Tinasha said good-bye to Oscar, she lay down in bed but tossed and turned from side to side, unable to sleep.

Did he reach the treasure vault safely? Has that mysterious magic implement already whisked him back to his original time?

Myriad worries rose in her mind one after another. She knew considering such things was pointless, but she couldn’t stop herself from pondering. She regretted not going with him.

After tossing onto her other side for the thousandth time, she heard approaching footfalls.

“Oscar…!”

He came back.

Tinasha leaped out of bed and ran to the door. She flung it open and beheld the man standing there. Surprise was written all over his face. “Oh, Aeti… Were you awake?”

It wasn’t Oscar. It was her fiancé in name.

Startled by how disappointed she felt, Tinasha said, “Lanak? What’s going on so late?”

He looked askance, appearing slightly perturbed. Then he seemed to make up his mind and smiled. “Something good’s about to happen. You must come with me to see it.”

“Something good? At this time of night?” she questioned.

“Yeah,” Lanak replied, taking her hand without listening to her answer. Then he started to tow her along swiftly.

What in the world is going on? This is the first time he’s come to my room so late at night.

While Tinasha was puzzled, in the back of her mind, she recalled Oscar’s warning.

Even so, she couldn’t think of a reason to turn Lanak down, so she let him pull her along.

Soon after entering the treasure vault, Oscar found the box he was looking for. He picked up the tiny box and opened the lid to see the orb was indeed there. He let out a deep sigh.

Okay… This is it, all right.

As he reached out to touch the sphere, he suddenly found himself hesitating.

Was this really okay?

That was a question he’d had for a while now.

Why had he come to this time period? Was it not because he’d thought he could save her from her trauma had he been there?

Oscar looked down at his hands, frozen with hesitation.

If he rescued her from her fate, chances were high that history would be radically altered, just like in the old story of the son saving his mother. If he did this, he would probably never meet Tinasha.

The journey had been long for her, but now that she was married to him, she had finally attained happiness…

He tried to convince himself that way, but he couldn’t manage to reach out and touch the orb.

The girl’s innocent face dominated his thoughts.

Four hundred years…

That was how long it would take her to reach him.

It was such an agonizingly long time. He squeezed his eyes shut.

Suddenly, a white light burned the backs of his eyelids.

Ah!

The magic orb inside the box was glowing, just as it had when it sent him through time. He shuddered.

Nothing was decided yet. He hadn’t made a decision.

Suddenly, the glow grew more powerful, searing his vision.

As the luminance swallowed him up—

He got his answer.

Lanak led Tinasha into the cathedral. As they climbed the central steps toward the altar, she noticed that a group of mages was waiting at the top.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“Something good,” he repeated reassuringly, smiling at her. Once the pair reached the top, he lifted her up in his arms, then slowly paced over to the altar. The dozen or so mages there observed silently.

The strange atmosphere shrouding everything was something stagnant and unknown to Tinasha. The gathered people eyed her like they were assessing an object. Feeling uncomfortable, Tinasha wanted to run away.

“Lanak…?” she said, staring at the boy holding her, the only person she relied on. He smiled at her, but his expression seemed a facade.

At last, they reached the altar. Very gently, Lanak set Tinasha down on it. She tried to get up, but he pressed her back down.

“What are you doing…?” she asked.

“Hush,” he instructed, pinning her shoulders. Tinasha bore the pain in silence.

She could tell he took something from a recess in the altar.

Slowly, he raised it over her. It caught the rays of moonlight pouring in from the skylight, glittering silver.

Tinasha caught its shape but couldn’t comprehend what it was.

It seemed too impossible to believe, and she gazed at the dagger in Lanak’s hand as if this weren’t happening to her.

“Aeti, stay still,” he whispered, wearing the same gentle face he always had.

Then, without hesitating, he plunged the blade down toward her belly.

She couldn’t even close her eyes. Whatever words she wanted to scream were gone. Fear had gripped her, holding her still as she bore witness to the dagger plunging toward her—

And the swipe of something else knocking it away.

The blade that should have cut her belly open spun through the air.

A man had deflected the weapon a hairbreadth before it touched her skin. Akashia in hand, he kicked Lanak away. He fell next to the altar, but Oscar didn’t spare him a glance.

He helped Tinasha sit up. “I made it in time. This is why I told you not to spend time with him.”

“O-Oscar… Why?”

“Stand, fight. You can do that, can’t you?” he said firmly.

Despite Tinasha’s confusion, his words compelled her to nod. She got off the altar and stood next to him.

The mages grew angry at the intrusion. Each one began to recite an incantation.

“Kill that man!” Lanak shouted, clutching his abdomen in pain.

Tinasha blanched. This was the boy she’d known since childhood, the one the girl thought she knew so well, yet now he was glaring at her with a look of loathing she had never seen before.

“What…? Lanak?”

Unable to understand what was happening, Tinasha was frozen as solid as if she were cursed. Oscar put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s all right. We’ll figure this out.”

The mages’ conjured fire vortex was fast approaching them. Tinasha tried to call up a barrier, but she was so shaken she had a hard time forming the spell.

Oscar pushed her behind him, then swung Akashia at the flames. The spell was torn to pieces, and the inferno dispersed, leaving only a heat haze in the air. A ripple of shock ran through the gathered mages.

“Put up a barrier. Protect yourself,” Oscar tersely instructed the girl behind him. Then he charged at the nearest mage.

The mage hurriedly tried to erect some manner of defense, but Oscar approached quickly and made a diagonal cut through the magic shield and its master. With a short scream and a spray of blood, the mage fell to the ground.

Oscar looked to the next-nearest opponent, but realized that an invisible sword was winging his way. He lifted Akashia to cancel it out, but it vanished into thin air. He looked back at the altar to see that a grim-looking Tinasha had cast a spell.

He smiled at that, then resumed his attack. His weapon cleaved through another mage’s neck. With another shower of blood, the magic user fell slowly to the ground. Beyond the body, he could see Tinasha hurling balls of light at two more mages.

Before long, Oscar and Tinasha had dispatched most of their enemies.

Excepting Lanak, only three mages remained.

Suddenly, a mad, cackling laugh rang out from behind. Tinasha flinched.

She and Oscar turned around to see Lanak, dagger in hand, cackling loudly and gleefully. After his joyous fit concluded, he narrowed his eyes, and his face went blank. He stared at Tinasha with a gaze as cold as snow—snow that was the same shade as his hair.

“You’re unbelievable, Aeti… Where did you get that man from? You exist for me,” he spat.

“And that’s why she should submit to being your sacrifice? So you can use her flesh as a catalyst to summon up magical power?” Oscar fired back, his voice as chilly as Lanak’s.

Tinasha looked between the two of them, wide-eyed.

She didn’t doubt Oscar, but she still wished Lanak would deny the accusation.

He’d been with Tinasha since birth. She’d thought that regardless of which became the ruler and which the consort, nothing would change between them.

Even after watching Lanak try to stab her, she wanted to trust him. Half of her probably still did.

Lanak saw the pleading in Tinasha’s eyes and smiled. “Aeti… Poor, pitiful Aeti. I love you. I think you’re beautiful. But that magic of yours is in my way. I get irritated just looking at it,” he snarled hatefully.

Tinasha was shocked, and he laughed at her. “No one hoped that you would grow to be the stronger one. And yet you studied on your own like a foolish little girl… You should have left it all to me. If you had, I would have protected you like I used to,” he said, his words dripping with scorn. So many different emotions bled into his tone that it was impossible to tell what was real.

Anger? Resentment? Inadequacy? Compassion? Tinasha knew none of those feelings. She swayed on her feet unsteadily, about to fall. Oscar’s voice caught her before she tumbled right onto the altar.

“Don’t listen to him, Tinasha. His words are poison. You’re better than he is. Be strong. Believe.”

He was full of conviction; there was no doubt at all in what he said.

His emotions seeped into her. They were steady as a rock, supporting and lifting the girl to her feet. Oscar believed in her strength more than anyone else in the world.

Tinasha looked up and stared right back at Lanak. He was seething with resentment, but he seemed so distant and small.

“Both of us are poor and pitiful,” she stated.

The two had been chosen to rule as mere children. They had been thrust into lives tormented by loneliness and expectation.

While Tinasha was suffering through her solitude, Lanak had also been snapping under the weight of his own burdens. But she was too much of a child to notice his pain.

However, a ruler needed to always remain strong, even when overwhelmed by the responsibility thrust upon them.

Tinasha let out a long, reedy sigh.

Once her lungs were empty, she straightened up. She turned to face Lanak, the one person she’d thought understood her, head-on.

“Lanak… No matter if you hate or resent me, I’ve had enough. Thank you for your friendship up until now. And…if you want to kill me, I accept the challenge.”

As she finished speaking, the aura around her changed. It went from that of an insecure girl to the brilliant royal hues of a ruler. It was as if beautiful, graceful wings sprouted from her back, as if she were a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis. Powerful magic converged around her.

“Aeti…,” Lanak muttered, falling back a step under her overawing and intimidating presence. Internally, he began to panic.

He glanced at the pair whose eyes were fixed solidly on him. Both were strong, inexhaustible opponents. Lanak focused on the feel of the dagger in his hand.

He had thought there was no way he would fail. He had believed that this would change everything.

Unfortunately, he was standing with his back to the corner.

However, he couldn’t hesitate here.

Doing so would ensure his conviction as the criminal who’d tried to murder the future queen out of selfish desire. More than that, however, he couldn’t abide yielding and bending the knee to her.

“If I just had that power…,” he muttered, grinding his teeth.

Lanak eyed the mages who were standing petrified behind Oscar and Tinasha. Deciding upon something, he barked an order at them. “Start the incantation!”

“Y-Your Highness…”

“Do it now!” he yelled.

The three mages were confused, but they began reciting the spell. Oscar knit his brows as he looked over at them.

Bright moonlight illuminated the cathedral.

Lanak took a deep breath in, then lifted the dagger and shouted, “My great desire shall grant me pure strength! Use this flesh as a catalyst, O power! Appear!”

As he spoke, he plunged the dagger into his own stomach.

Blood spurted and oozed.

Tinasha was at a loss for words at what he had done.

Through it all, the mages kept reciting the spell.

After a long few moments, an enormous amount of magical power manifested above Lanak.

Even as he fell to his knees, clutching his bloody stomach, Lanak’s eyes glittered with ambition. Tinasha gaped at him, dazed. He reached out to reel in the magic in the air that he had summoned. The congealed mass began slowly entering his body per his will.

The wound on his belly started to heal oddly rapidly.

As more and more power flowed into him, Lanak crowed in triumph, “Look, Aeterna! I’m more powerful than you!”

He placed his bloody hands on the floor, pushed himself to his feet, and then faced the two who had dared to oppose him. Narrowing one eye nastily, he flung a hand out toward Oscar. “I’ll start with you… Let me show you what a king’s power looks like.”

The boy amassed a colossal amount of magic. Oscar clicked his tongue and held Akashia ready, but was perplexed when no spell formed in Lanak’s hand.

Lanak himself seemed to find this just as unexpected, and he blinked at his empty palms. “What’s going on…?”

Meanwhile, more and more magic was getting summoned up and absorbed into Lanak’s body. Tinasha noticed that Lanak’s eyes were unnaturally bloodshot as he stared down at his hands, and she cried out, “No! Stop the summoning!”

“Shut up, you little brat!” Lanak roared at her, trying even more desperately to cast a spell.

Again, nothing took shape. He had too much magic and couldn’t wield it well.

There was a grating sound growing within the young man’s body. Acute pain lanced through him.

Lanak’s veins ruptured all over. He was aghast to see his arms turning a mottled red.

He couldn’t take any more. Though he tried to call off the chanting, he had lost the power of speech. Waves of magic kept inundating him.

Very close by, he heard the sound of something snapping before his world went dark.

Magic continued to pour into Lanak’s twitching form, and his eyes rolled back in his head.

“Oh no…,” Tinasha said, firing magic at him to stop the summoning.

As she did, Oscar turned back and cut down the three mages in succession. Fresh puddles of crimson greased the floor of the sanctuary.

Terrified, Tinasha gasped, “No. I can’t stop it…”

Her magic was repelled the second before it reached Lanak. Fearsome magical power swirled into a vortex around the boy, who swayed at the center of the storm.

Tinasha stood motionless when Oscar returned to her. That was when Lanak’s body could no longer withstand the magic pouring into it and finally burst open from the inside. As a huge hole opened in his abdomen, bits of flesh scattered all over the floor. Tinasha gasped, and Oscar steadied her shoulders from behind.

“…Lanak.”

His death was so abrupt and much too sudden; she couldn’t even mourn.

Unfortunately, even the young man’s demise didn’t stop the power from manifesting. Using Lanak’s scattered blood and flesh as an intermediary, even more magic gushed into the world.

With its host gone, the energy congealed and quickly assumed the form of a gigantic tornado.

“No…,” Tinasha murmured, frozen in place.

“Uh-oh. Tinasha, we need to get away,” Oscar said, placing her under his arm, turning around, and leaping down the stairs.

As they did, the tornado spun, whipping up anything that was in the cathedral and ripping it apart. Guards rushed in, alerted by the strange commotion.

They were taken aback to see Tinasha and the storm in the cathedral. “Lady Aeterna, what in the world…?”

“L-Lanak used himself as a catalyst to summon up magic…and failed to control it…,” she explained, reciting what she’d seen but feeling like her voice wasn’t her own.

Tinasha looked back at the ever-expanding vortex of power. “If we don’t do something, it might destroy Tuldarr.”

The soldiers paled when they heard that. In the meantime, the tornado broke through the sanctuary ceiling, ripping up the stone paving as it steadily grew larger and larger.

“C-call His Majesty…,” one soldier managed.

“He’s bedridden! This is too much for him…,” replied another.

Unable to do anything, they stared up at the deadly spectacle in despair.

What they were witnessing was the beginning of total destruction.

As time seemed to stand still, one person took action. Oscar muttered to himself, “…That’s enough.”

“Oscar?” said Tinasha.

Had he realized something? Using Akashia against that tornado would be meaningless. Even if he neutralized one part of that gigantic bundle of chaotic, unbound magic, the rest of it would engulf him instantly.

Oscar sighed and patted Tinasha on the shoulder. “You do it. Control it.”

She stared at him in shock. “I can’t! You saw what it did to Lanak, didn’t you?!”

“You can. I know you can,” he assured her.

Tinasha held her breath, staring at Oscar.

He had total and complete faith in her. A firmness glinted in his eyes.

This was someone who looked ahead, never hesitating. Tinasha had the sense that just being near him could make her stronger, too.

As she gazed at her reflection in his eyes, she asked, “Really…?”

“Yes. This is your country. It’ll be all right. You have time. I’ll protect you,” he declared, taking hold of her hands from behind.

Her slender frame leaned against his for support.

“We’ll beat it. It won’t even be a close call. I’ve got you,” he whispered in her ear.

Tinasha sucked in a deep breath. His body warmth was comforting.

Even without closing her eyes, she could sense the flow of magic quite distinctly. What Oscar had stated echoed in her mind over and over.

I can do it…

She made up her mind and let out a long, thin breath.

“I’m going out there,” she decided.

Though she had lived in solitude all her life, she had never thought it an unfortunate fate.

The girl was blessed, and she felt that expressing disappointment was rude to the people who cared for her.

At times, she despised her power.

She also longed for the parents she had never known. Occasionally, she dreamed of what life would be like as a normal girl.

But now, enough was enough.

Power didn’t control people.

People wielded power.

There was no debating this.

She would conquer every last drop of her strength.

Tinasha couldn’t even scream at the terrible pressure pushing down on her whole body.

If Oscar weren’t behind her, holding her up, she wouldn’t be able to stay standing.

She pulled the masterless magic to her, drew it inside, established control, and made it her own. She swallowed down that indigestible mass. As the process repeated over and over, an excruciating pain flayed her body and soul.

However, each time she writhed in pain, the man tightened his hold on her wrists. It’s all right, he seemed to be saying, comforting her even as she nearly crumpled.

Magic raged within and without her, and Tinasha gritted her teeth hard to keep from losing herself. Time and time again, she rode out hallucinations that her very identity was bleeding out and filling the room.

The storm seemed like it would never end. When the violent waves of magic at last subsided, she realized that Oscar was holding her tight in his arms. Her legs were shaking so much she couldn’t stand, and Oscar was wrapped around her, practically lifting her in his arms.

Tinasha tried to reach for his face, but the slightest movement of her fingers sent sharp pain lancing through her.

She couldn’t even speak, and Oscar rested his cheek against hers. “It’s all right. It’s over. You did well.”

The best she could do was smile in reply.

Oscar picked her up and sat her down on a chair against the wall that had managed to survive the chaos. Laying a hand along her pallid face, he kissed her young, innocent lips—the smallest tinge of red colored her fair cheeks.

He drew back and solemnly gazed at her. “Tinasha, I ended up lying to you. I’m sorry.”

“Oscar…?”

“I came here to save you. So…I won’t see you again. I’ve overwritten it.”

“What?” she said, her eyes growing round. Despite the pain, she placed her hands on either side of his face. “Why…? You only have to return to your original time, right?”

Oscar grimaced and shook his head. “I don’t have anywhere to return to anymore. It disappeared when I came to this time.”

“Disappeared…?”

“Even if you redo the past, the world won’t branch off into multiple timelines. That’s what that magic orb has always existed to do. It’s a tool that warps the past and overwrites it.”

In the old story of the swordsman who saved his mother, why had the man who came from his own time vanished?

It was because the world didn’t have multiple versions. If you tried to change the past, the world would begin to rewrite time anew from the point of divergence. The moment the orb was activated, the caster’s world would vanish.

The world Oscar had lived in, the witch who became his wife, and everything he had risked his life to protect—none of it existed anymore. And not only that—

“So…now that I’ve carried out my task, I’ll disappear soon, too.”

Oscar had never existed here, so he would also vanish once the past was corrected.

He’d understood that as soon as the orb had emitted that white light. The glow had made him remember, reminding him to carry out what he wished to do.

Oscar’s unconscious wish had been so utterly simple. He’d wanted to be there to take Tinasha’s hand when she was suffering the most.

That modest desire, combined with his steadfast love, had sent him to this time.

If he had known from the start what kind of power the magic orb held, he probably wouldn’t have chosen to change the past.

That would be to deny the path the witch had traveled this whole time.

Tinasha’s history, and the beautiful spirit and tenacity that had carried her through it, were parts of what formed Oscar’s beloved wife—his one and only. While he had touched her scars, he had never wanted to erase them. Bitter though it was, he had accepted them just like he had the mark on her back.

His desire to erase all the suffering she’d experienced was childish and selfish.

Still, he’d made the wish.

Oscar, stop trying to do everything on your own. You’ve got me!

The man winced, feeling as if he could hear Tinasha scolding him with an exasperated look on her face.

She was the witch he’d met in the tower that stood tall on the wasteland. Long had she lived. She was a creature of beauty, loneliness, and most of all, kindness.

Despite countless injuries, she would stand undaunted.

To her, it seemed natural that she should distance herself from humans.

Oscar’s wish had been born from his love of Tinasha. He wanted her always to be smiling happily by his side.

Looking back on it, the time they’d spent together had passed by so quickly.

So joyful it was like a miracle; so content it was like a dream.

Days seemed so much more fulfilling with her around. Even amid his work, her presence felt freeing.

The innocent love she gave elated him so much. Even the most uneventful of times were fun.

He had cherished her more than his own self…more than his country.

That unrestrained passion was unsuitable for a king.

If Tinasha had ever learned of it, it would make her sad.

Thus Oscar had hidden the emotions roiling inside him and presented her only with a love that was clear and calm.

Because he wanted her, the one by his side, to ever smile without sorrow.

They could live together until the day they died, as a king and queen who would eventually be lost among the annals of history.

That would be perfect happiness…and already a dream never to come true.

Even so, he had no regrets that this was how things would end.

“Oscar… That can’t be true… I mean…,” Tinasha said, tears spilling over as she realized what Oscar meant.

He wiped her face and smiled at her. “Be a good queen, Tinasha. You can do it.”

She shook her head like a child throwing a tantrum. Grimacing, Oscar patted her head. “Even though history has changed, the fact that I met you and the time we spent together will not fade away.”

Even if he were to start this whole thing over again, he was confident he’d still wind up back here, at the same ending.

To ensure she could smile without sorrow, he would give her a new future and happiness.

Despite everything changing, Oscar didn’t want to regret his actions. That was how much he felt for her.

“Even if you forget, even if I forget, even if we never encounter each other—I love you.”

In the face of the sobbing girl before him, he could see traces of the witch’s blushing smile.

An exceedingly rare woman.

The witch he fell in love with.

His affection for her blinded him. He wanted to protect her, even if that meant losing her forever.

Thus this was the inevitable end he had chosen.

Oscar reached out and gently took the girl into his arms. She piped up in a hoarse voice, “Oscar… Wait…”

“Close your eyes,” he said, and she did. Tears spilled down her cheeks. She understood what was happening, but couldn’t comprehend it. It seemed too terrible to accept.

There was no way she felt at all mentally prepared. Everything that was important to her was slipping through her fingers.

Tinasha clutched tight to Oscar’s shoulders. That simple action sent pain shooting through her body, but she ignored it. Fear of loss had her trembling.

“…Don’t go.”

That was all she wished for.

Tinasha could stand four hundred years if it meant seeing him again. The girl knew she was capable of holding out alone.

Thinking of him waiting for her in the future would allow her to overcome any difficulty.

That was why she didn’t want him to disappear.

Tinasha buried her face in Oscar’s chest, clinging to him. His body heat warmed her shivering frame.

She drew a breath.

Nothing happened.

This time she took a deeper inhalation and let it flow out. He was still stroking her head.

It’s okay. He’s right here with me…

Yet just as relief began to rise, the warmth that was surrounding Tinasha suddenly vanished. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

A destroyed cathedral filled with soldiers staring at her.

That was all that was before her. She looked all around like a lost child.

“…Oscar?” she murmured, but there was no one who would answer.

Stunned, she looked down at her own empty hands.

“Ah…”

Large, fresh droplets formed in the corners of the young woman’s eyes, which now seemed like gates to an ebon abyss…

She burst into pained wails and sobs.

Knowledge of the madness that had afflicted Tuldarr’s prince, the potential king, was buried along with him.

The following year, a young and beautiful queen took the throne.

She possessed striking beauty and a great deal of power. As a ruler, she was both wise and deeply compassionate to her subjects. Tuldarr, a nation long characterized by its solitude in the world, began to open up to other countries.

This was a story of a time far in the past, now long buried in the pages of history.

END OF UNNAMED MEMORY ACT ONE