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“Um…Vil, we’re ready now.”
The young man slowly lifts his head upon hearing the sound of his name. Weary eyes shift to the figure past the bed in front of him where the new head of STYX, Idia Shroud, stands.
“It’s time to push through with the mission. We’ll take care of her from here.”
Vil Schoenheit gazes longingly at the woman on the bed. A year passed when she went missing, and another since she’d been asleep. He misses the way those eyes perceived the world and how they looked at him with so much love and care.
His thumb brushes against the back of her hand as he held her. He remembers how these hands of hers would hold a brush and paint to her heart’s desire, how she would squeeze his hand to reassure him that she was there.
He lifts his free hand and places it on her abdomen. He feels her breathing, and the loss of the life they had been anticipating together.
Noticing the gesture, Idia clears his throat to speak.
“…We uh, we couldn’t find anything on the baby,” he said slowly, “we checked all the human test subjects they’ve preserved. None of them were newborns. We— we don’t know where they…they dispose of them either— uh, yet, at least.”
“And Grim?” Vil asked.
“Nothing on him either.”
“…I see,” Vil’s voice was no more than a whisper.
Vil stands from his seat and leaves her with three kisses. One on her wedding ring, a second on the back of her hand, and another on her forehead.
Vil feels his heart breaking with every second she remained asleep. They said she wasn’t dead, but she didn’t look alive either. She was breathing, but he could barely hear it unless he held his own.
With heavy reluctance, he lets go of her hand and leaves the room with Idia.
“Since we used a bit of her power to run the Trackback machine, it can only work on one person and once,” Idia explains as they walk down the hallway. “Once you’re back there, you can’t return here. Our present now will change depending on how much you change the past.”
Idia halts in front of a door and faces Vil, “This whole mission is dependent on your success. She’s already weak, so we can’t use any more of her power.”
“I understand,” Vil’s expression hardens.
Idia nods in acknowledgement as he pulls out a keycard and scans it on the side of the door. The door opens as an artificial voice acknowledges his position.
The laboratory they enter is completely busy. Technicians were checking the diagnostics of the machine while other scientists were setting the systems up. Ortho, who had been assisting someone, notices them.
“Brother! We’ve done the final system tests on the Trackback machine, everything’s ready for the operation,” Ortho says as he approached.
“Good, keep it running. It’s time.”
Idia walks over to his station as he instructs some of the staff members.
“Vil Schoenheit, are you ready?” Ortho’s voice was softer this time.
“Yes. Is there anything I have to do before I enter the machine?” He asks as he looks over at the Trackback. It was a pod-like machine that was fit for only one person.
“Aside from the previous trials we’ve done, there’s nothing else. Have you said goodbye to Yuu yet?”
Vil’s face softens slightly at the sound of her name, “Yes… I have. Please take care of her for me.”
“Don’t worry, you can count on us!” Ortho exclaims.
Vil nods solemnly before letting the humanoid boy lead him towards the Trackback.
“We’ll be monitoring your vitals, so make sure to stay calm. You have to be in good condition for this to work since we can’t risk you getting hurt,” Ortho explains.
Although the interior was comfortable, Vil feels like he is being laid into a cold coffin.
“Don’t worry, Vil…“
Ortho’s face was the only thing Vil could see through the pod’s window.
“You’ll see her again soon. It won’t be the same, but… I’m sure it will be better next time.”
Vil knew better than to hope for good things. To him, it was better to work towards it rather than relying on luck to get there. However…
Ortho returns to his brother’s side.
“All systems are operational. Time displacement parameters set for 9 years into the past. September of 20XX.“
…this time, he really wished all his hard work would pay off.
The Trackback hums to life. Vil feels the soft vibrations reverberating through his body.
“Coordinates locked to Night Raven College, the morning of the Xth Entrance Ceremony.”
“Thanks Ortho. Give me a full system diagnostic before activation.”
“Initiation system diagnostic… Energy levels stable. Temporal field generators at full capacity. Quantum tether is synchronized with present time. All safety protocols are active.”
“And the displacement window? We need that at 100%.”
Vil knows full well that she wasn’t going to wake up any time soon. All he could do now is to continue to forge ahead. He has to be strong enough to fulfill this mission, to achieve a better future…
“Displacement window integrity is at 98.7%. An acceptable margin for human travel. Estimated arrival time: 15 seconds after activation.”
“15 seconds? We calculated 10 seconds in the earlier trials.”
“This discrepancy is due to the minor fluctuations in the temporal field density. No risk of deviation outside acceptable limits.”
Idia sighs, “Alright, this is as good as it gets. Everyone get ready. Ortho, initiate the countdown.”
…For him. For her. For their child… And for all the people who had been affected by the catastrophe…
“Affirmative. Beginning countdown: 10….9….8….”
The air in the room starts to ripple, and the lights dim as the machine hums louder.
Vil thinks back to the woman on the bed. He feels his wedding ring with his thumb. He had her initials carved into them, and his on her ring.
Something beeps in the background. A technician’s muffled voice reaches Vil’s ears.
“We’re getting some interference on the energy output.”
“Ortho, can you stabilize it?” Idia asks.
“Interference detected, compensating… field stabilized.”
He wants to see her paint again, he wants to tell her how much he loves her…
“7…6…5…”
He wants to hold her in his arms...
“4…3…”
Even if he has to go through everything again, Vil was sure of one thing…
“…2…1…”
He wants to be with her. Forever.
“Time travel initiation. Displacement commencing.”
They will never be apart ever again.