The Anima App (Part Four, Vedette's pov)

Perhaps I owe an explanation.

Maybe my uncommon birth would be a fitting place to introduce you to the malice; After leaving Noel's company of time travelers, Mayweather had been failing experiments.

And that's where I come in.

Retellings of the modern Frankenstein often speak of a flash of thunder, an eerie glow, and magic; I was born inside a test tube.

I grew up learning that distrust was my only virtue. Mayweather locked the house, afraid of what I would see if I were to escape. However, my powers were growing; I was born with only a sliver of magic inside of me, but Mayweather cultivated it. Day and night, I would be forced to train my mind. The only breaks I had were consumed with the simple card deck she had bought me, playing war against myself, an endless battle, as they always are. Those games grew into solitaire until I mastered the technique. Eventually, I mastered them all. Chess became a simple matter of moving my opponent's pieces to their inevitable doom.

My captor should have known better than to teach me in what she thought was only frivolous attempts at gaining victory. She even assumed that she was subconsciously letting me win. She had granted me access to a spare room inside her house, but it was only a mirage of safety; I spotted her throwing the door away only days earlier. When I dared to ask her about the door's fate, she brushed it off.

Nevertheless, I brewed my plans in that room, concocting deeds inside my head. My strategic ability had grown tenfold, only increased through the incentive to grow my magic.

My hands grasped those cards that had comforted me for years, the endless games I played with myself when it felt like nothing else could have gone wrong. My powers were only as peculiar as me, trapped inside physical objects. Without proper training, it would be impossible to perform magic on the spot like people were rumored to before. Instead, I trapped my powers inside of the cards, concealing them with a simple spell I could fathom without the aid of my cards.

The option of sneaking out at night or when Mayweather rarely traveled outside proved fruitless; she kept the alarms on at any time she could afford to. Without her money from Aman at this point, she couldn't afford to have her security on at all times. Instead, she was confident that she could catch me were I to run away. Naturally, that did not seem to be the case.

I stormed out in the middle of the night, determined to set things straight. Intentionally starting arguments had become one of my fortes; all it took was a simple mention of the old time travelers. In the heat of our words, I set a plume of fire ricocheting towards her head. Apparently, the attempt on her life proved foolhardy. At the very least, I pissed her off.

I took off into the night, destined to find someone who would take me in.

The one true time god appeared before my eyes, shining and radiant. His eyes glimmered in the low moonlight, light blonde hair shimmering slowly. His tailored outfit almost seemed to suffocate his oddly golden skin. His name ticked my tongue as I stared in awe.

“Nœl,” I mumbled, kneeling in grace. He stabbed his cane into the ground in a defiant manner, pushing his crimson cape back off of his suit.

“Child,” his warm voice wafted over me, filling my lungs with air. “There is no need to bow before me. Trust me when I say that I am honored to meet you, your luminescence”

I stood up slowly, processing what he had said. “What... what do you mean?”

“Mayweather kept you trapped there for years, warding me off with her powers. I should have known she could still harness the powers from her sacrifice.

“Still, I saw what you did with that magic. Brilliant, if I do say myself. I must try that one day... perhaps this new wave of technology isn't a phase?

“Vedette... what I'm trying to say is, will you join me?”

And, once again, the breath was knocked from my world. For many years, I had faced the wrath of Mayweather and her unruly manners. She murdered for her own gain, attempting to use me to create a world where she could attempt to rule. I was her own daughter, yet I was treated like an experiment gone wrong, like everything I'd ever be known for was pointless. To that woman, I was a disgrace.

Yet, I had a chance. This man, a mysterious benefactor, would let me in. I could choose to run into his care, but where would that leave me? His excuse didn't even seem to be an attempt at a facade; he knew I was living there for all those years, yet he did nothing. He chose now to reveal himself to me, but what did that mean?

"You're hiding something,"

"I understand your impatience with me for keeping you in there. But please, hear me out; Every other god here has some sort of power they wish to grasp. I know my place. My only goal is to keep the timeline at its set motion. If anything were to slide it out of place... I already know how that will end up"

Before I could even ask him what he was attempting to say, Nœl brushed me aside. "It is imperative that you accept, Vedette. After your mothe- Mayweather left my forces, riots began to sprout up like weeds all throughout my city. I need you to help me, as someone who I know will always be there"

"What were you trying to say before?" I asked, trying to clear up some of the fog between us. "About the timeline moving away from where it's supposed to be?"

Nœl sighed, trying to push me forward. "Walk with me, Vedette"

Bronze colored sparks rained from his hand as we were set forward, fog swirling through the shifty, yet kind-eyed man as we approached an arch, the other side shrouded by the mist.

"What is this?"

"My city, Cogshire. All the other gods may have wished to go their separate ways, but I keep watch over all their lands here"

"So you're the almighty God?"

"Not exactly. I don't wish to meddle as they all do. I stay out of the spotlightwhenpossible,becauseIknow itonlyleadsto ruin.

"About your question earlier... do you wish to know the answer?"

"Sir, I like answers"

"Don't say I didn't warn you"

The god held both sides of my head, staring straight into my eyes. "Space and time have been corrupt from the beginning of this world's creation. Two timelines run rampant over each other, as well as two different universes.

"In order to avoid any true confusion, I'll tell you of the twin dimensions. The one we live in is only the first of two overlapping worlds. There is a world without gods, similar in technology to ours, yet their politics are different from our own. Their world holds many different types of government and leaders, filled with wars and broken treaties. However, who is to say our monarchy over all the lands is better? What is freedom, with a god overlooking your every move?"

"What leader do you speak of? As far as I know, we haven't had one in forever"

"I trust you may have heard of Aman from Mayweather?"

"I looked through some files on her computer and saw that name. What does it mean?"

"He is the one true God, chosen by the one before him. He wishes to end this world and start anew, taking control of the other world I spoke of"

"That's terrible! Then why aren't you doing anything about it?"

"In this current timeline, he will find it impossible. Of course, the damn fool already knows that. Perhaps this timeline is only a trial run before the real show. I have to keep this timeline from crashing, else we'll all be dead.

"I have gathered only a small source of information on how to keep this timeline from destruction, however, even I don't enjoy it. For the timeline to be destroyed, another time god must rise, taking my place"

"But how? How could a new god come in?"

"Time travelers are bound by many rules. In order to travel through time, one requires either a license or enough stored power. My appearance here is only an apparition"

"But, why can't you time travel if you're a god?"

"It regulates things, my dear. I have immense power over time, but traveling through it would only involve death. For a time traveler to gain my powers, it would require an immense number of sacrifices. Mayweather could have come close, had I not stopped her. However, I know that she was not the last to attempt it. I came here today to watch over you, Vedette. If Mayweather had given you a time-traveler's license and had you slaughter innocent lives, you would destroy this timeline as we know it. We have a thin defense, but it is insurmountable. Please... join me, Vedette. If you promise to protect this timeline with your life... we may yet be able to save this world, and the next"

"..."

"Please, I know it's hasty bu-"

"Where do I sign up?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Months passed from that point on, months filled with the blur of finally being productive. With Mayweather, my skills went to little use, from bland chess games against a computer to endless solitaire. Finally, I had the chance to show people how I could run things on my own. I would be my own human being.

Noel ordered me on countless missions, each one more exciting than the last. Still, I came back swifter than some of the veterans, driving through the seemingly endless paperwork with ease. Where the others moaned and complained about the hefty workload, I sat down to an easy day, feeling the filtered sunlight fall down my neck as my pen sliced through articles, transcribing signatures onto mountains of paper. To me, it was never a chore, only a chance to improve.

The others didn't agree with many of my philosophies. In fact, they rarely agreed with me in any matter. In terms of colleagues, I had over a hundred friends, all ready to work with Noel's new prodigy. But outside of work? No one would dare speak to the freak Noel gathered in. I was an outcast as if there was some secret authority behind the veil that I never knew about. As if a secret was kept from me inside the secretive world.

It never occurred to me that I was lonely. In fact, I could barely even notice how solitude bothered other people. Without the wasting sounds of Smalltalk, work became a breeze. I moved up in the ranks while they stalled at the bottom, despite having nearly centuries of experience over me. Noel rarely let his workers go.

I wandered the city of Cogshire whenever I was given the chance. While the other time travelers preferred to work inside, where they had the comfort of each other, I chose to stray outside, often taking shelter in the small gardens hidden in the alcoves.

The bronze world shimmered in the sunset, glowing a steamy rose as the sun plummeted toward the ground below. Cogshire, in technical terms, could never be called a city. Noel always had a flair for the historical, as well as the dramatic. Large airships hovered, rocking around in the cool summer breeze, connected by metal platforms and other floating buildings.

The day Noel called me to his office for the last time, I had been lounging in a small courtyard, stained glass overlooking me from every angle. Each church was placed beside each other in the bustling city, almost as if Noel could give us a choice of who to worship, despite the clear existence of these gods. My mind drifted back towards Noel's words. What of the other world? People here often worshipped deities from different worlds. Who was I to say that they couldn't all exist somewhere else?

But if we weren't from here... could the entire population be stuck inside this dimension, despite our native world being so close?

I plucked the salacious theory into the back of my head, shoving my nose back into the weathered book nestled in my lap.

"Excuse me," a growl came from above, thin and scratchy. My eyes caught the soldier above me, adorned in his crimson suit, medals splashing the overcoat with obnoxious grace. "Noel requires you, my lady"

"Of course," I mumbled, shoving the book back into my bag.

I waded through the high grass, stepping back out onto the brick path to follow the soldier back to Noel's quarters. As soon as my foot stepped back onto the dock, every bit of nostalgia left me. Somehow, your first view of Cogshire never feels the grandest. It will always come back to surprise you. Brass lamplights lit the way inside the captured sunset. Somewhere above me, Noel's clocktower hummed its melody, only for a thousand more clocktowers spread around the city to vibrate, delivering the telltale toll. Somewhere, you can find a clock in Cogshire that tells your true present time. Each one displays a different time than the last, some going faster than others. 

"Noel will be waiting in his office," the soldier dismissed me, leaving me at the edge of Noel's grand clocktower, where each elevator swiveled across the moving clock edge. I waited as the edge spun its large gear, mustering up the strength to enter at the last second.

The gold-rimmed glass elevator held me high up in the world, overlooking the world below me. Still, nothing could prepare me for what Noel would say. My stomach hurt from the tension and stress.

The elevator reached the top at long last, rushing me out as two giggling girls took my place, both of them relieved to finally be out doing fieldwork instead of the daily grind. Maybe I was finally comfortable here. Was this going to be my final mission?

I rushed down the hall, the gold-trimmed royal blue wallpaper keeping me company as I passed clock after clock. Shimmering stars plastered to the ceiling were the only source of light in the hall as I ran through its long perimeter.

"Come in," Noel's hushed voice carried down the hall from the french doors lying in wait. "Vedette, I believe it means star, does it not?"

"I'm..." I swallowed uncomfortably as I took a plush chair. Somehow, something felt off about Noel. What was going on here? "I'm not sure, sir"

"You, Vedette, are the star of this show. Of course, the show I speak of is the apocalypse. But let's focus on the positive for now"

"Why did you summon me?"

"Vedette," Noel leaned forward in his chair, adjusting the dangling monocle covering his eye. "The world is on the path to destruction. I have finally figured it out"

"So, you're giving up?"

"Not quite. I'd like to at least watch the world be set aflame. Anima has risen"

"What?"

"Anima. The power Aman needs to take over this world and the next?"

"I'm sorry sir, it must have slipped my mind"

"Bah! You all say the same thing! Anima has risen inside a teenage girl, and I have to rely on teenage girls to help me. Could this get worse?"

"Sir!" I arose in my chair, outraged. "What is it?"

"I will die," Noel humbly approached me, leaning back into his chair. "A time traveler will take my place. I can't take any chances here"

"No"

"What is it with you?"

"You think... you think I'm planning to become the next time god?"

"Well, it's not like you'd be unsuited for the job. Maybe rid yourself of your unsightly attitude. However... the possibility has slipped my mind. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Send you away so you can't take my place, make sure that Anima girl is safe, etcetera"

"Do you really hold so little trust in me?"

"Vedette, what would you do if you found out your own doom? Wouldn't you prepare?"

I said nothing. Why didn't I respond?

"So... the girl's name is Caddy. She's about your age, I think. And the best part?"

Noel leaned in close, a smile on his face, half warm, half sinister. "Your cousin will be there"

"My... cousin?"

"Mayweather's nephew. In fact, Mayweather must have found out about Anima before me. She's using her son to draw the naive girl in. She plans to kill her"

"But why?"

"Aman paid her too. She will arise into the next world with Aman if she only follows his plan.

"You will leave tonight. I don't want to take any unnecessary risks"

"But, sir-"

"That will be enough!" Noel yelled, slamming his fist onto the desk. Was his impending doom really changing him so much? Was this how the immortal act when threatened?

Interesting.

"I will take my leave," I announced. "But be warned; I will take my own lead. I understand the time traveler's code. If you do not find me again, trust that the timeline will fall into my own hands"

"You can't mean..."

"Oh, yes..." I whispered. "The ancient law. A time traveler may find two mortals. One to protect, one to kill. When Aman inevitably begins the new timeline with the next time god, I will be in charge. I will report back to you only to keep the timeline safe"

"But... you're my best employee!"

"And I'm about to become your worst nightmare"

And, with that, you see everything I have done. Every wrong choice, every villainous move.

Everything I have done is for the world I chose to exist.