Time

[E-002] “Ryla~~~!!!” ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

“Gaia—fjdkgs uhmmm, I mean, Lady Loghrif. What can I do for you?”

I nearly jumped when Gaia appeared above me, peering down at whatever I was reading. She always had this habit of sneaking up on people she considered close… or at least the ones she thought she had the right to bother. Honestly, if she didn’t have the face card, she’d probably be far more annoying to those around her. At least, that’s what I tell myself.

Today, she wore a sleeveless light-blue duster dress with long coattails, layered over a black tank top and dark shorts. Matching detached sleeves framed her arms, a silver shooting-star pendant rested at her chest, and black lace-up boots grounded her whole look.

“Not—THING. I just want to see what my cute underling is up to this early.” ✧｡٩(ˊᗜˋ )و✧*｡

Before she could tease me more, I shut my notebook firmly.

“I’m not a genius like you. I need to prepare ahead of time…” I said flatly, hoping to discourage her games.

“Nuwwww, you are very good! That is why I took you in!!!” ૮(˶╥︿╥)ა

“You only accepted me because no one else applied. I mean, who wants to spend centuries waiting for their work to bear fruit? Everyone else uses magicks to speed up their research.”

“Nyaaa, I knew you’d say that~ but you are here with me-e-e.” She smirked, drawing out the words.

Sigh. “As if I had a choice.” My voice carried the weight of defeat.

Then, softer, I added, “Don’t you think time still matters? I know we have an abundance of it… But I’ve seen the creations of Etheirys live such fleeting lives, and still they try so hard to etch memories that will outlast them. Meanwhile, we’ve never had to think about such things.” My words carried the urgency of my own desire to fast-track my ascension.

“Look at me, my dear Ryla.” Her tone shifted, calmer now, stripped of the cutesy airs.

“Let’s take this time we have together. Slowly.”

When I finally looked up at her, the world around me fell away into darkness. And staring back at me was a face I could not recognize.

Then, from the void, an unfamiliar, mechanical voice echoed:

"Time... It will not wait..."

"No matter... how hard you hold on. It escapes you..."

"And..."