“Why’d you spend your day watching me in the first place!?”
“You claim to be smart, but you can’t figure out something as simple as that?”
“I seriously don’t get it.”
With a sigh, Louir ends the conversation.
Chapter Three of Arc Two
Redo the Apocalypse
Early in the morning of the day when Lou is going to the tavern where she’ll eavesdrop on the rumors, Louir is preparing to set out with Ion.
They won’t play a part in this timeline until the Mind’s Realm incident, but since it’s happening tonight, they need to be ready. Ion won’t play a big part in it, but he’ll be there, Cloaked. The devil girl is also with them. She will send the two to Hantor in advance. After all, Lou needs to be convinced by her first, like Louir was. Therefore, she needs to go as soon as possible while Lou is still in the tavern.
“Just don’t cause a ruckus, alright? Not before Lou arrives.” The devil girl asks of them.
“Sure. We’ll wait inside the tavern. The moment we see the other me, we’ll perform a nice little show.”
“I still remember seeing the tavern post-massacre. It was horrible. Do we have to go as far as that?” Ion worries.
“Yes.”
She consoles him, “If you can’t take it, stay outside. It’s not like Louir can’t handle it on her own.”
“No. I’ll be there.”
“Right, let’s begin. And you, perverted bird, make sure that they stay put.”
The raven speaks to her exclusively. Ion nor Louir can hear it.
“Okay, that’s it! Come here! I’ll pluck those damn feathers!”
The raven takes flight, fleeing the claws of the devil.
“Next time, I’ll grill you! Perv! Jeez, I still find it difficult to believe it’s a deity of destruction that’s behaving like that.”
Louir has been wondering if it’s possible to have dozens of copies of herself by repeatedly going to the past. The truth is that the previous versions of Louir are dead, all except the one who helped Louir back in her original timeline.
The future isn’t predetermined. That is why none of the iterations has been similar. Each and every time, someone has failed at something, and thus a new round has begun, just so that the perfect outcome will be achieved. They need two Ions and two Louirs for that. So far, such hasn’t been accomplished.
***
The portal that’s been summoned for Louir and Ion takes them to a dark alley in the capital of Poer Haem. The only sign of life is a dark, dirty cat licking its paw. They can hear the noise of a traffic nearby. Louir has hidden her hair well with the hood of her dark robe.
The past Ion isn’t in Hantor. He won’t show up until tomorrow, so Ion can safely show his face around. He can use Cloaking when Ion’s counterpart is around, but he needs to be careful with that, as he knows the past him can see Cloaked objects. But rather than seeing them clearly, he sees them as glowing silhouettes, so it’s hard to tell who is Cloaked.
“The tavern isn’t far. Let’s get there fast. I want to sit somewhere silent, and as the evening comes, the saloon will be more crowded. I want to reserve my table early.”
“Ugh, we’ll have to sit there for hours.” Ion is dismayed.
“You can always try sleeping.”
“Do you really think I can sleep on a chair? No way.”
Drink something. You are not a human, but you can get drunk. The raven suggests.
Louir snaps her fingers. “That’s it, I’m going to drink—wait, I don’t have any money with me.”
How much do you need?
“A bit. Why?”
I can get you some. I am a little bored myself, you see.
“Then get me as much as you can. I’ll have a blast today.”
“I’m not so sure about this...” Ion is troubled.
The raven flies away, and Louir heads to Mind’s Realm. She is far too eager to do it, Ion reasons. Alcohol combined with a massacre? Even thinking about it makes shivers run down his spine. He can only follow her to the tavern.
If Louir weren’t using a hood and a bandana, she’d alarm every guard in the city with her violet hair and eyes. She isn’t letting anyone come near, for if someone accidentally pulls her hood, she’ll be revealed in no time. The fact she can feel all life around her makes it all the more easier, even if she’s looking at her own feet while walking. And also, no one knows about the Void attuner yet.
What Louir’s been puzzled about for a while now is that the sensation of feeling life around her isn’t pleasant. In a way, it’s as if she were being brushed by nettles whenever she senses a living creature nearby. Ion is the only exception, and she has yet to figure out why. The answer is simple; the Void itself hasn’t marked him for death.
They get to the tavern, and upon entering, the owner welcomes them. Ion returns the greeting, and Louir just rushes to an empty corner in the saloon. She sits down at a table, sliding the hood over her face so that only her mouth is visible.
Maintaining a low profile in their corner, Louir and Ion wait for the raven to return. Other customers come and go, talking loudly about anything one can think of. Ion uses the opportunity to broaden his knowledge of human relationships. He barely understands the concept of friendship, so the idle talk of the other customers is invaluable information.
***
Half an hour later, the raven flies in when a new visitor enters the tavern. The owner hurries over to shoo it away, but when it perches on Louir’s shoulder, the owner backs away, apologizing for his behavior. The small pouch the raven has brought with it contains gold coins, four of them.
Louir is amazed, she can drink her fill with one gold coin alone. She pokes Ion, who is deep in thought, studying the others ardently. She tells him to get a drink for her, handing over the money. Ion nods. He walks up to the desk, showing the coin to the owner.
“Can my companion drink with this for as much as she wants?”
His jaw is on the floor. “Of course!”
Since Ion’s been exposed to other people quite a bit recently, he’s learned to read expressions. He surmises the coin is valuable. Hence Ion tries to push the owner a little. “Then can I eat a bit, too?”
The owner’s face changes. “Depends on what you want.”
“Something warm and tasty. I don’t really care much about the quality. I’m used to eating guerilla food.” Ion recalls the soups Louir has prepared for him. She isn’t a bad cook. It’s just that they haven’t had good ingredients.
“Well, in that case, she can drink, and you can eat. It’s settled for one gold coin.”
Ion finds the trade good. The owner was almost backing away, but when he lowered his demand a little, the tone changed. Now, he is getting a tasty, warm meal.
“Your drinks will be served in no time,” Ion says.
“Finally!”
What do you say when someone does a favor for you?
“Thank you, birdie,” Louir pets the raven.
I am not a parrot...
“I never said you are.”
You make me feel like a parrot.
“Sorry about that.”
The owner of the tavern brings her the drinks. “I don’t know what you want to drink, but I have brought you whiskey and wine.”
“I’m taking them both!” Louir says without looking at him. She can’t afford to show her face.
And precisely because of that, Ion is afraid she might mess it up with the alcohol. He does know what it can do to a person, and he doesn’t like the idea. If she goes ballistic before Lou arrives, he’ll have gray hairs by tomorrow.
“Do me a favor and don’t drink too much.”
“I’ll drink as much as I can!”
The betrayal is real. Ion can only prepare for the worst.
Louir opens the full bottle of whiskey with a smile on her face. She pours it in her glass, taking a shot at once, almost showing her face to the customers. They aren’t really staring
, but they might actually recognize her by accident. And if they notice her attunement, hell will be set loose.
After the shot of whiskey, she pours wine into another glass. She tastes it elegantly. “Ah, alcohol has never tasted this good.”
“You drink because it’s alcohol?”
“I can’t help it.”
“This is going to be a catastrophe. A holocaust.”
An apocalypse, the raven adds.
***
Ion’s eaten his meal, and he’s trying to convince Louir to stop drinking. She’s drunk half the whiskey, a quarter of the wine, and right now, she’s opening a bottle of rum.
“Doon’t take that!” Louir’s speech is becoming slurred.
“Shush,” Ion snatches the whiskey. “Drink that wine instead.”
“Don’t wanna.” There have been several moments where someone could’ve noticed Louir’s attunement.
The owner comes, asking if Ion needs any help. “If you need any aid with her, I’m happy to oblige.”
“Gimme more...!” Louir looks up at the owner, flashing her eyes.
“Huh?” And of course, he notices that something about her eyes is wrong. “May I see your eyes?”
“Don’t worry—” Ion is interrupted.
“No! My eyes are mine! Don’t touch!”
“I just want to have a look.”
Ion notices Louir’s hair is about to fall off. He extends his hand to fix it, but she brushes him off. If the other Lou enters when she doesn’t have her bandana on... Ion recalls they mustn’t show their faces to the other versions of themselves. And right now, Louir has removed her bandana to drink.
“Mister owner, I aaam fine. Just let me enjoy my time once in a while, okay?”
Ion fills in, “Don’t worry. We’ll be gone as soon as we meet a certain person.”
The owner nods suspiciously and heads to the desk.
***
It’s been hours since the sunset, and Louir is in a terrible condition. She hasn’t puked, but she’s passed out. The whiskey bottle is empty, most of the rum is gone, and only half of the wine remains. If Ion had to guess the time, it’s two o’clock in the morning. The owner is sharing shifts with other employees, so the tavern is open full time.
How much longer...? Ion wasn’t there when Lou witnessed the massacre, so he has no idea how long they’ll have to wait. He begs the other Lou to come fast, for he fears that Louir’s identity might be revealed at any given point.
And then, “Get me a bottle of rum! Haven’t drunk in a while,” a newcomer says that.
Ion looks at her, and she appears to be familiar. Is that Lou!? He starts pounding Louir’s side to wake her up. “She’s here! Wake up!”
“Ugh...” Mumbling is all he gets for an answer.
“Wake up!” He slaps her face.
She straightens up, rubbing her cheek. “What!?”
“Lou is here!”
Go kill, the raven urges.
Louir glances at the crowd, and she can see the past version of herself. “Right, stay put!” With that, after wearing the bandana, she disappears from the spot, stepping through the Void into the middle of the saloon, her hair and eyes intentionally revealed. Ion Cloaks himself.
Lou sits down as the others are staring at Louir with confusion and terror showing on their faces. Once Lou, too, takes notice of her, Louir asks the saloon, her speech slurred.
“What’s the matter? Am I not welcome?”
Lou is just as scared as the others, and she doesn’t see Louir as an ally. Hahah, just like me, heh. Louir waits for a response from the crowd. The owner replies, “You ain’t welcome here!”
Then, a Living Weapon skewers her through the chest, and Ion’s heart skips a beat as he witnesses it. An Elementalist has shot a Molten arrow at her, and the Living Weapon is burning her flesh and innards. She won’t die, but she’s suffering intense pain.
With a raspy voice, Louir utters, “You... went too far!”
A male Elementalist’s belly bursts open with a Void orb she’s cast inside the man’s body. For a sane person, it’s a sickening view, but for a psychopath, it’s a beautiful scene.
Die.
She taunts more to come. “Next!”
Using the Void, she pulls a female Elementalist towards her. However, Louir is interrupted by two others. They execute the common tactic of removing air from the lungs and burning her from inside. She falls for it due to her poor condition, and because of it, the pain is manyfold greater. Her mad cry instills fear into the hearts of the Elementalists.
“The hell is she?”
“Can’t you tell by looking at her eyes!?”
“Kill her while we still can!”
“Die! Die you all!” Louir yells.
Louir casts a Void curse upon the Elementalist who used the Air Elementi on her. The attuner turns into a monster that starts devouring the others.
Die.
Louir keeps casting more spells, erasing people with her monstrous powers.
“Die!”
The bloody chaos that could traumatize anyone is repeated just like in the previous timeline. When Lou tries to stand up to her, Louir steps behind her through the Void, placing her hand on Lou’s shoulder.
“To think that I’m a fool.”
Louir whispers that into Lou’s ear, referring to Lou rather than herself. She can’t help it. The previous version of her looks so clueless, even stupid. Hahahah, did I really look like that? The alcohol is still affecting her.
Lou’s grip on the Living Weapon of choice loosens. It dissipates, turning into particles that disappear soon after. Her eyes are round open in horror. She’s clearly expecting to die a cruel death.
A smile spreads on Louir’s face.
“Now, be a good girl and sit tight.”
With that, she starts tearing the other Elementalists apart. They’re all focusing on the monster rampaging in the saloon, so Louir herself isn’t focused. She summons a Living Weapon of the Void to her aid: violet, ethereal claws. She surprises one man from behind, performing an uppercut with the Void claws, ripping the man’s back open from waist to his nape. Some of that gore lands on Lou.
One brave Elementalist tries to launch a Living Weapon of Metal at Louir, but it misses its mark, cutting some of Lou’s hair instead. Louir steps behind him, tearing him apart from behind. The spray of blood dyes the shocked Lou.
“Hahahahah! HAHAHAHA!” Louir’s mad, drunken laughter resounds in the tavern.
Ion is disgusted.
The raven is amused.
“Die!” Louir mutilates another one. “Languish!” She twists another one’s limbs. “Burn!” She scorches a survivor with Void flames.
The raven sheds a tear. So beautiful...
Ion rebukes, “It’s not.”
The moment there’s no one left except Lou, Ion drags Louir with him through the back door. She tries to resist, but fails to do so. Her killing spree ends there. Ion tries to remove the Elementi projectiles stuck to her, but can’t quite do it. Thankfully, Louir knows how to get rid of them. She makes them disappear with Void flames.
“We’re going now, Louir! I think you did well, although you didn’t need to be so brutal.”
“Ugh, but that’s exactly what I saw... I just wanted to play the part.”
“Even if the chaos theory about determinism is true, you can still try to make a difference. From the looks of it, you didn’t give a damn. Oh well, I suppose it was only inevitable. Triggering Butterfly Effect for something so stupid may not be smart.”
“What’s chaos theory and determinism...?”
“Right... I could go on for hours if I started explaining.”
“Do tell me a bedtime story...” Louir’s voice is turning sleepy.
“It’s not exactly a bedtime story.”
Louir is acting weird suddenly, holding her stomach with a pained expression. And then, she pukes.
“Jeez...” Today is the worst day of Ion’s life.
Once they’ve gotten out of the building to a quiet spot, she appears out of nowhere like she always does. Louir is wasted, and Ion has to carry her around. He lay her down on a pile of hay.
“Aish, she had a blast, didn’t she?” The devil is guessing.
“Yeah, and she sure made a mess.”
“I can imagine it.” She studies Louir’s face for a moment, smiling. “I need you both soon. You’ve got about twenty-four hours. Make sure she’ll have her head cleared by then.”
“What’s the plan?”
“I need you to play the role of a teacher. As for Louir, I need her on Mount Hiphlor.”
“Err, whom must I teach and what?”
“The Dragoni Priests. Oh, right, you didn’t see them. Only Louir did. Well, in short, you’ll be dealing with two psychopaths, I guess.”
“Sounds enticing—absolutely not!”
***
Tomorrow morning is an unpleasant experience for Louir. She wakes up with a headache. She sits up slowly—and slumps down immediately. She gathers she drank a bit too much.
Her throat is dry. She tries to look for water from the bed. However, there’s a wall between her and the rest of the room, a human wall.
For some reason, she is back in the old hideout, and she is sleeping with Ion again. She tries to recall the events of the last night. Vague images come to her mind. She might have gone overboard with the killing.
Ugh, I’m no better than the other Louir who harassed me in my timeline, she admits.
She wakes up Ion who is facing his back at her. “Hey, get me some water, please.”
He turns around. “Water, you say?” Drowsiness shows on his face.
“My throat is like a desert.”
“And my mind is still sleepy...”
“You’ve slept enough,” Louir says that as she pushes him down to the floor.
“Fine, fine.” Ion stands up from the below whereto he’s been pushed.
Louir doesn’t really want to act like that, but knowing Ion, she’ll have to do at least that much to get him moving. And also, she has a hangover, so why should she go when there’s a perfectly healthy man beside her? Isn’t her reasoning righteous?
Ion is forced to walk all the way to the stream nearby, as it’s the only source of water. The water’s coming from a spring, so it’s pure. He fills two canteens and brings them back to the hut. Overall, it takes him a quarter, and by the time he’s back in the hideout, Louir is sitting on the bed, looking impatient.
Apocalyptic Life (Era Series Book 2) Page 17