Corrupted Timelines

Going Back?

Ina wanted to sleep like the rest, but it was still too early for her. She was inherently a night owl and she had been up most of last night to help out around HQ. Without Emersyn a lot of work was needed to be made up for. She wasn't going to sleep before midnight, which was still a fair few hours away. The sun hadn't even fully set yet.

This all meant that her mind was still being allowed to run feely. But it was running into a brick wall right now.

She held the time watch in her hand, turning it over and over in a rhythmic fashion. She was feeling all kinds of emotions over it.

Anger at herself for considering using it.

Anxiety about using it.

Excitement about what she might see if she did.

But one emotion trumped all the rest.

Guilt.

She was going to betray Amelia's trust so horribly if she actually went through with this terrible idea.

'It is natural to be curious, our Priestess,' the Ancient Ones attempted to calm her nerves. It only helped slightly. If anything it was their fault that she had lost her memories to begin with.

What would she see? Who would she meet? How did she act? Where did she really live?

The Ancient Ones were right. She was desperately in need of answers.

"Do you think my memories are like Gura's?" she asked the Ancient Ones quietly.

'You remember when you first woke up, right?' Ina remembered that day daily clearly.

It had been raining, the clouds blocking most of the sun from reaching the surface. Ina was covered in rain water, laying on the muddy ground. There was nothing around her but wilderness. She then trekked for days, trying to recollect what had happened to her. She, of course, never remembered.

It was a weird beginning. She was able to speak English, Korean, and some Japanese. She could recognize objects and could pick up on social cues from the people around her. She even remembered her name.

But she couldn't remember a single detail about how she had gotten on that muddy ground.

'There is nothing saying that you killed everyone. However, we doubt that happened, as we have never been able to control you. Even if you went insane when you were taken by us, it makes no sense that you would then wander to such an empty place to lay down.' The Ancient Ones made a few good points, but without concrete evidence it was still just guessing.

She knew that the watch was the only way to know for sure.

'You are not giving yourself much of a choice...' the Ancient Ones responded with a sigh. 'You know, this might affect your relationship with Amelia Watson.' Ina knew this.

Amelia was actually warming up to her recently. They could talk, make eye contact, and just hang out alone without her running off to go throw up. When Ina heard that her first reaction to her was to throw up, it kind of hurt. But now, she understood where that resentment came from.

If she could figure out how she became a Priestess, she might even be able to help Amelia with her brother. Ina shook her head sadly. She knew that was only a vague self-justification for her actions.

"I just need to know..."

'We can confirm that the time watch is functional, however we can not predict any problems that may arise from your inexperienced use. We would recommend waiting for Amelia Watson to recover and have her accompany you,' the Ancient Ones explained. Ina stopped turning the watch in her hand and gripped it strongly. She could wait, but would Amelia actually give her the chance to go through with this?