In Her Waking [Formerly Breathe . . .]

Chapter 21

I got ready.
Same time. Same place, father time would be meeting us.

Analiese promised to have Araya in good hands and they would be going out.

Araya felt in better spirits, utterly ecstatic to view other things and colours she had never known existed.

Quilpxe on the other hand seemed very restless about father time's visit.

Back in the little garden, Karl had already taken a seat and was currently entertaining himself with some apples.

His dressing today was more or less the same as what he wore yesterday.

Quilpxe and I took a seat.

"So?" Quilpxe began.
Father time looked up from his apples. "Ah yes. We continue yesterday's conversation."

Quilpxe took a breathe. "Will you be able to... You know... tell us who begun the wars , originally."

Karl nibbled on the core. "Well, I can search through time records and find out what exactly happened but... that will cost something."

"I'm lost." I said.

Karl took another red apple from his bowl. "If we want to know who did it, it's going to lead us to know what happened and neither can be done unless I replay history."

"You can right? " I asked.

"Pretty much, yes I can. But..."

There's always the 'but'

"I am going to have to contact... other forces Yup, Take permission from the others." He said.

"What others?" I asked.

"You know." He used his index finger to touch his other fingers as he listed.

"There's mother Earth, Death, Virtue, Karma--- and I'm pretty sure I'm on her bad side but I'll just pretend and keep lying to myself that I'm a good person. Plus, you know how she judges people."

Quilpxe sighed. "Is there anything else you can do? Finding the originator will most certainly help us go a long way."

"Unless you really don't want to help us with this." I found myself blurt.

Karl shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I do. But... it's not an easy thing to replay history. The actual history."

There was a brief moment of calm between we all.

Karl threw his apple up and down.

"Don't you think... maybe you could..." Quilpxe suggested.

A look crossed Karl's face, like Quilpxe had just already said an atrocity.

"No." Came Karl's sharp response to the unheard suggestion.

I kept my calm for some reason.

"We have the girl." Quilpxe said. "We can use..."

"No Quilpxe. You will not and I repeat not use her gift of memory as a relic."

I waved my hands. "Hello... totally confused person over here!"

Karl sighed. "To replay history, I need something from the exact moment when the originator of the forget wars started it. But..."

Quilpxe rolled his eyes. "The relic and purpose of use will have to be approved by the other forces and seeing this purpose, they may not agree."

"They will not agree." Karl corrected.

"So what do you mean by using Araya. I mean she is the girl you are talking about isn't she?" I asked.

"Well, it seems she... remembers some things or maybe it has been fed to her by channels but either way, something about the originator must have been buried deep down, somewhere inside her memory and I think it would help to use it..." Quilpxe's voice trailed at the last part.

"It is good news isn't it?" I asked.

"No Hanna. Using a relic from one's memory leads to consequences." Karl said.

He averted his gaze to Karl. "Consequences that affect us, dearly."

Karl smirked. "Now Quilpxe, surely you of all people must know that. Do you remember when Kadeeja used to be so... non-existent?"

Quilpxe sighed and tried to avoid the question. "It was only a suggestion."

"Like I said. With power comes the urge to abuse. That is why I still cannot call Natifah guilty."

"That's enough Karl." Quilpxe's ears were pink.

Father time raised his hands in surrender. It was done sarcastically nonetheless. "Okay."

I cleared my throat.

"Quilpxe, I'll do whatever I can to help you. I'll meet with the other forces and see what deal I can strike with them. For now..."

He threw Quilpxe an apple. "Grab a snack."

Quilpxe didn't seem to want to look Karl in the eyes for one second so I saw father time out.

From behind us, I could see Quilpxe angrily putting his head on the table.

Almost out of the gates of the garden, I whispered.
"What was that about?" I asked Karl.
"His choices." Karl mumbled.
"What... what happened." I asked.

"Quilpxe told you he banished Natifah. Didn't he tell you about Kadeeja's existence?"

My lousy head drew a thought.

"No not that you nasty little mortal. To banish her, he used something from her past. Something only her mother had before she passed on."

"It would have been safer to just acknowledge Death for permission to retrieve the original relic, instead, he got his hands on a memory..."

"And..?" I asked.

"Using that to banish her... well it worked but the moment she faded into dust, from her hair,she left behind a rose."

I almost laughed. "A rose?"

"Well that is what we thought it was at first before it grew into the size of a little clueless child."

Major wheeze point.

"As a reminder that by using the memory to banish her, he had gifted her with something else --- immortality."

"Oh. Oh my." I managed.

"We aren't sure if Kadeeja is extremely harmless or not but one thing is for sure, she doesn't have any... powers."

"And what if she did." I assumed.
"She wouldn't. The only power you could say she has right now is living off her father's wealth till the end of time. Minus that, no."

I laughed.

"Quilpxe loves her very much." Karl said. "Oh well, I'll be back with Memory tomorrow. She'll be willing to help. I hope."

"She?" I asked.

"You'll see." Karl said.
"Is she another force, like you?" I asked.
"Yes and I think we could try taking permission from her rather than stealing from her this time."

I nodded. "I hope it helps."
"Me too."