Second Chance

Chapter 18

Ezra opened his eyes abruptly, but immediately covered them from the bright light that came from the windows. Getting used to it, he looked around the room in which he found himself. It seemed vaguely familiar to Ezra. There was a book lying on the floor near his feet, which most likely fell when he suddenly jerked in his chair. Ezra picked it up and put it carefully on the table, then got up and went to the window.

Looking out into the street, Ezra immediately realized where he was, although it seemed absurd. What he saw now in front of him were the streets of Nevermoor, but older. The same as a hundred years ago, when he was here for the last time before he was banished.

Ezra was in Deucalion. He no longer doubted it. Another difference he noticed was the weather. The last time it was overcast, and now the sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky.

The last thing he remembered was how he tried to stop Maud, and then his eyes blurred, and it looks like he just blacked out at some point.

The door to his room opened, and Elodie appeared on the threshold. He immediately noticed her healthy appearance, as if nothing had happened in the last hundred years. And this outfit... Ezra had a feeling of deja vu. He was relieved to see Elodie alive and unharmed. Ezra noticed that she was looking at him with the same confused and surprised look. He thought about looking in the mirror himself. Judging by her look, she was also trying to organize her memories and understand what was going on.

"Wow, you look different too" - was all Elodie said.

Ezra was puzzled by her comment, so he looked in the mirror anyway. It took him a few minutes to calm down because what he saw was shocking. He really looked different, more precisely, he looked as if these hundred years had not been in sight. In the literal sense. The first thing that caught his eye was the absence of a scar and gray hair on his temples. He looked younger.

"Have you guessed what day it is?" - Elodie said in a tone that said she already knew the answer, but it was confusing her.

Ezra already had a hunch, but he was afraid to voice it out loud. After all, having clothed it in words, it will really become a reality.

Ezra swallowed hard.

"Winter of Nine, Age of the East Winds. The day the Massacre happened" - Ezra looked at Elodie with almost the same confusion and fear as she did. - "Morrigan..."

"It looks like Morrigan really did something, but..." - Elodie spread her hands, not knowing what to say. - "I don't really know, but I think it has something to do with the Ghostly Hours, probably. You know, I have a slightly different specialization".

"Before going to Maud, we visited one the Ghostly Hour in Gresham. It was connected with her".

Elodie stared at Ezra for a long time. It wasn't hard to tell from her look that her thoughts were far away right now, but after a moment she shook her head and spoke again.

"I have only one guess about what could have happened" - Elodie began. - "Most likely, the Morrigan somehow managed to influence the past and change it. Accordingly, this day may also change. This day has played a huge role in the future, so a lot depends on it. Now he will be different. At least I hope so" - Elodie said softly. - "God, I said it out loud! It even made me feel better!" - she laughed a little.

"Yes, Morrigan changed the past, but what is the probability that this day will also change. Maud could stay the same as it was. In the end, the Morrigan did not change the person" - Ezra expressed his concerns.

"Time will tell" - Elodie glanced at her watch. - "If you're interested in my personal opinion, then I think she's not a threat to us now. She's not a threat to anyone anymore, but I still wouldn't talk about it ahead of time. Therefore, it is better not to relax at least today".