The Game Before the Fall

Chapter 19: Awkward. (Part 4)

It worked in an instant. The sharp words that punctured her heart, words that she had never expected broke her from her fervent delusion.

"Ah... ah!" Endi dropped me, confused and face reddening. "But-why? Wait what was I- Did I just-?"

I stood up, feeling the groan of the bruises that would surely appear, "I said because I love you."

Endi covered her face and turned away, "No I heard that. Please let me just get things straight." She took a deep breath and calmed herself before facing me again, "First- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go so far. I initially just wanted to scare you."

"It's alright," I laughed and felt my chest tighten painfully. "I know your constitution, I know how hard it can be for you."

"That's- how do you know that?" Endi looked at me confused.

"Because I once loved you and still love you," I sighed. "I'm not a demon I swear."

"I-I get it. You don't have to say that anymore."

"Me being a demon?"

"N-no... that you love me," she barely got the words out and had to cover the smile that was breaking beneath her fingers. "Just explain it! How could you say you love me when we only met a week ago? I doubt it was love at first sight."

"It kind of was, but not last week." I looked around at the dingy alley and the marks of the fight we had left behind. "First let's go somewhere a bit nicer. This isn't the place for this."

"Right...."

"And don't forget this," I picked up and placed the stuffed elephant toy back in her arms.

"Thank you," Endi squeezed the toy and in her own thoughts followed me out of the alley. We walked a fair way until we reached a 24hour diner. It was a private enough place to chat and I definitely needed a drink to soothe not just the pain I was feeling but the nerves of the conversation I was about to have.

We sat at a booth isolated from anyone else. No one would hear us so long as we didn't speak loudly. After ordering some drinks Endi and I stared at each other with awkward silence. It was only when the drinks came and we both took our first sips that we were able to progress.

"So..., before we get into it. Let me say again, I'm sorry." She bowed her head, "My intention was to get to know more about you, and I did that, but I enjoyed myself more than I thought I would. I honestly forgot what my real goal was but when I realised, I was afraid of how easy it had been... to the point of being suspicious."

"It's fine," I accepted her apology. "You did jump the gun a little but I enjoyed myself for the most part. We can try again later."

"I'd like that.... Now, how exactly do you know me?" Endi asked tentatively.

"Well...," I had already decided what to do and knowing Endi, if I didn't tell her the truth, incidents like before would only repeat. "The truth is that Vanter and I are from the future."

"What?" she twisted her head looking at me as if I had just told the worst joke in the world.

"Okay not so much that we're from the future but our memories of the future were sent back to us in the present. For me it was about three months ago. For Vanter it was the day I won the Oceania tournament."

Endi tightened the grip on her cup, "Let's say I believe you. Just what kind of world did you come from?"

I frowned, "A world where we lost almost everything. Your plan, Areithian's plan worked. Our world's merged. That in itself caused a lot of changes. The thing is, about a year after, everything went to hell. The Rift Walkers appeared and took down modern life as we know it. That's the world we came from."