Chapter Text
Emerald City, the crown jewel of the Empire, sat on the edge of the ocean. Churning waves had long turned to poison and the sky was perpetually navy-grey. Still, the scene was dramatic, if not beautiful. Smooth stone spires protruded from the cliffside, protected by walls and guards alike. It’s position was precarious, both in a literal sense and not. There was a constant war being waged, a war that painted itself across the sky and dug tunnels underground. History speaks of wars that lasted generations, centuries, and millenia. But the eternal war was just that: eternal.
Beatrice strode through the labyrinthine hallways of the OCS complex. The Order of Combative Sorcerers had existed as long as the war itself, albeit in many different forms. Several years had passed since Beatrice joined the order, although she never had a choice. Not really. Time sorcerers are exceedingly rare, so rare, that Beatrice was the only one. In the Empire, at least. This lent her an importance, though it wasn’t without a healthy dose of stress and pressure, either.
Selective breeding programs within the Empire had been somewhat successful in creating magically-inclined children. While the amount of casually magical citizens had increased, truly powerful sorcerers (those capable of combat-level magic) were still incredibly rare. Currently, there were six known sorcerers, though rumours swirled about others. Beatrice reflected on this, then sighed, before entering the magical chamber. They needed more people if the Empire had any hope of undoing the Rift’s damage across time and space.
Within the OCS castle, there was a magical chamber, used to amplify the abilities of a sorcerer. Rare, elemental minerals lined the walls, giving the entire room an unearthly blue glow. Everyone was already waiting for Beatrice and she offered a perfunctory apology.
“Sorry. I was reading.” This wasn’t a lie, Beatrice had been studying the old theorems, hoping to find something useful. As it stood, the Empire was locked in war that they were rapidly losing.
“Beatrice, you need to focus.” Superion was leaning heavily on her cane. She was, by far, the oldest surviving sorcerer. Years of battles had taken their toll, unfortunately, and Superion found herself relegated to a more instructional role. Unwilling to surrender her duty entirely, she became both trainer and teacher to Beatrice and her sisters in sorcery. “This will be further than you’ve ever jumped before.”
“I know that.” Beatrice ground her jaw together.
“Hey now.” Camila joined Beatrice in the center of the room. “No stress.” She was always calm, somehow, even at the worst of times. Maybe that was because of her magical inclination. As a conjurer, Camila was an expert healer, though she had other skills as well. Sometimes, when Beatrice was alone in the library at night, she could feel Camila’s magic in the air, wrapping the entire castle in a mood much calmer than it deserved.
“Yes, stress.” Mary countered. “I would like a focused Beatrice to ensure we make it to the target without losing a limb.”
“Mary, be nice.” Shannon cautioned. Meanwhile, Beatrice only closed her eyes. This familial bickering was a near constant, and she would have greatly preferred silence.
“Yeah, Mary.” Lilith joined in, with no shortage of venom. While Lilith and Beatrice usually got along, Lilith and Mary often clashed. Sometimes, they clashed so violently that whole portions of the castle needed to be rebuilt.
“Alright.” Beatrice could feel the telltale tingle of building magic at the base of her neck. “Everyone join hands. I’m nearly ready.”
“Be careful, please.” Superion urged as she stepped into the doorway. “We don’t know what’s waiting.”
“We will be.” Shannon answered for the team.
“Hopefully,” added Lilith in a whisper.
“Please.” Beatrice ground her teeth together. “Silence.” Thankfully, no one had the gall to speak after that, so Beatrice could focus on the transversal. Time magic is famously finicky and even more famously dangerous. Part of the reason time sorcerers are so rare is because a poorly made jump can kill the traverser. When a child begins developing their powers, they might jump by accident, only to never return again.
That wasn’t Beatrice. Like all forms of sorcery, time magic was emotionally bound. From a young age, Beatrice had been both emotionally mature, and very in control. She was a prodigy, a gifted sorcerer born just when the war needed one the most. Funny how that works out sometimes.
Static rose in the air, audibly crackling around the five women, as Beatrice focused on making the jump. Not only was it further than she’d ever jumped before, but taking four other people with her made it more difficult. In their circle, everyone fed magic to Beatrice, amplifying her power in order to aid the transversal, but it was a lot of power to channel through one person. Pressure pounded against the inside of her head and Beatrice felt her ears begin to bleed. No matter, she nearly had it and -
When Beatrice opened her eyes again, it was sunny. One of the best parts of time travel was getting to see the sun again, before the world had gone dark. Her vision was still hazy, but she recognised Camila’s curly silhouette kneeling beside her.
“You pushed it too hard.” Camila muttered, while pressing a gentle hand to the side of Beatrice’s head. At once, Beatrice could feel her internal damage healing itself. It was an odd sensation, though not entirely unpleasant.
“But we made it.” Lilith looked around. In the sunny field they’d landed in, her monochromatic black outfit was completely gauche. She was a necromancer, sure, but everyone teased her for being so on the nose about it. Mary in particular.
“That we did. I almost -” Mary was interrupted by her own sneeze. “Shit, I’m not used to actual grass.”
“There, there.” Shannon teasingly patted Mary’s shoulder, but then gave her a quick kiss to make up for it.
Mary and Shannon were both elemental sorcerers, both powerful, and both destructive when they chose to be. Their real power, though, laid hidden in their teamwork. No one was entirely sure if their magical bond was innate, or one forged by their long standing relationship, but it didn’t really matter. Shannon could amplify Mary’s attacks and Mary could amplify Shannon’s attacks. Coupled with a beautifully synergistic teamwork… Well, Beatrice was happy they were on the same side as her.
“Alright.” Camila smiled and offered Beatrice a hand. Shakily, she rose, with Camila’s help. “Can’t have you dying on us just yet, since you still need to get us back from here.”
“If you do die, Lilith can just puppet you along.” Mary couldn’t resist the jab and Lilith gave her a glare.
“Resurrected corpses can’t use the magic they had as a human.” Beatrice replied, sounding more like a textbook than a person. She was right, of course, but the realisation still made her slightly sad. There was something innately human about magic, even death magic. With a deep breath, Beatrice forced the more doubtful thoughts from her head.
“I’m putting up a veil.” Camila announced, before raising her hand in a swift motion. A veil is a simple conjurer’s trick, which bent reality around the target, but only slightly. In this case, the five of them would be disguised to look less like sorcerers from the future, and more like people that would blend in perfectly to their surroundings. This was incredibly useful, but the feeling left a lot to be desired. Being within a veil felt vaguely similar to being underwater.
“Fantastic.” Lilith didn’t sound enthusiastic, but she took Camila’s hand as they began to walk. There was a city up ahead, where the target was located. At least, that’s what the reports said.
For long, bloody centuries, the eternal war was fought only in the present. Armies met armies, bombs met bombs. The world was destroyed and remade in the image of war. When magic entered the small surviving populations, although it is more accurate to say re-entered, the war became eternal. Sorcerers who could bend time travelled backwards, looking for ways to destroy the enemy before they became the enemy. It was immensely complicated, and even more dangerous. It still is.
In the catacombs beneath Emerald City, there is a group of ancient alchemists. So ancient, that Mary constantly asks Lilith if they are already dead. They aren’t. While their magic is slow and speculative, they can extend life and look into other times. Other realities, even. Weekly, the OCS women are required to journey below to hear their readings and predictions. It’s exceedingly rare that they are wrong, but if they are, it usually has something to do with one of the Rift time sorcerers sabotaging the Empire.
It was this report that led the five sorcerers of the OCS to Karakorum, the heart of the Mongolian Empire, in 1240. Beatrice allowed herself a quiet thrill… No documented sorcerer had ever travelled this far back before.
“According to the decrepit old sages, we’re looking for a home on the far edge of the city.” Mary mumbled, as she looked out across the wide expanse. In the distance, white stone walls stood out from the greenery.
“It’s too bad we couldn’t have come a few decades later and seen the Silver Tree.” Camila replied wistfully. She, like Beatrice, spent a lot of time in the library.
“You’re both nerds.” Lilith muttered, as she held a hand out in front of her. “Good. They bury their dead here. The jump to 15th century Tibet was wretched.”
“Because you were useless?” Mary suggested in a tone that was less than kind.
“Not useless.” Lilith pouted. “I’m never useless. ” And this was true. Necromancers weren’t only adept at resurrecting the dead, but they could also kill the living. Lilith described it as a flow of energy, and killing someone was as simple as redirecting that life force. Simple, but not easy. For all her posturing and toughness, Lilith found that type of killing abhorrent. It was an awful way to die - she only resorted to it in the most dire of circumstances. And, despite the constant war raging around them, they usually weren’t in dire circumstances.
“Enough bickering, please.” Beatrice pinched the bridge of her nose. She knew she was being irritable, but she had a pounding headache, even after Camila healed her. “Let’s just get in, find the target, and then kill them quickly.” Moving through space and time was difficult, but moving through just one or the other was significantly easier. If they didn’t have to worry about someone seeing them materialise out of thin air, Beatrice could have jumped them all into the city without an issue.
“Relax, Bea.” Camila whispered while placing her free hand on Beatrice’s back. At once, Beatrice felt the stressful tension bleed away, though she found this frustrating sometimes. Camila was the only person who made Beatrice feel out of control. The unique ability to subtly influence emotions threatened to tear down everything Beatrice worked so hard to suppress in herself… But it was impossible to hang onto anger with Camila nearby. This was likely what made Camila and Lilith such a good couple, as Camila was the only person who could even begin to temper Lilith’s perennial moodiness.
Silently, the five of them passed through the walls of the city without incident. Camila’s veil would translate their spoken English to Mongolian, but they preferred silence anyhow. It was always an amazing experience to visit history, to see the livelihood before it became a ruin. The air smelled of smoke and horses, unsurprising given the setting. Karakorum was rapidly expanding, one of Genghis Khan’s children had ordered a palace to be built, and new residents were flocking to the city in droves.
Camila grinned as they passed one of the massive stables. Horses didn’t exist in their world anymore, it was always a treat to see them. This, plus a million other things, made it difficult for Beatrice sometimes. On her solo missions, she stayed longer than necessary, often fixating on how much the world had lost. What was the point of all this? More pressingly, what was keeping her from picking a time she liked and staying there permanently? Maybe that’s where all the other time sorcerers went…
“Beatrice, stop thinking so hard.” Camila instructed as they walked towards the east end of the city. She was sensitive to changes in energy - to emotion.
“Sorry,” offered Beatrice. She tabled her more disruptive thoughts for now. Instead, she focused on taking in the scenery, on observing the inner workings of the city. There was a lot of beauty here.
“I think I see our target.” Shannon whispered, pointing at a man leaning against a low wall. To anyone watching, he looked like an average Mongolian citizen, but to the sorcerers, he looked like a man wearing a veil. There was a telltale shimmer around him, a sort of magical distortion.
“What is he waiting for?” Mary asked.
“Does it matter?” Lilith countered. “If he’s still here, it’s obvious he hasn’t completed his mission yet.”
“Fair point.” Mary’s hand stayed at her side, but she extended her fingers towards the ground, then closed them abruptly into a fist. The earth beneath the man’s feet liquified, only for a moment, but enough to trap him in place.
“He’s not trying to jump. Why?” Beatrice reported, there was no static in the air. For a moment, she wondered what it would be like to perform a jump with the power of two time sorcerers. She shook the thought away. This man was from the Rift; he needed to die.
The five of them broke into a run, synchronous from years of living and training together. Shannon opened up the earth beneath him with a quick motion, swallowing the man completely. He never stood a chance. Lilith pressed a hand to the ground, sensing the life force as it bled away. They needed to be sure.
“Cam?” There was a hint of uncertainty in Lilith’s voice. That was new.
“Yes?” Camila knelt by Lilith’s side.
“I know you hate the feeling…” Lilith was significantly more considerate of Camila than she was of anyone else. “But he doesn’t feel like a time manipulator.” Each type of sorcerer had a different magical ‘signature,’ so to speak.
“You’re right.” Camila pressed her hand to the rough earth, with a grimace. She was far more sensitive than the rest of them. “He’s definitely Rift, though… But… Beatrice, give me your hand.”
Beatrice did as she was told without comment, opting to let Camila sense out the situation and explain. “Yeah, he doesn’t feel like you at all. A jump leaves a certain… Trace.”
“Descriptive.” Mary chuckled, hoping Camila would continue. This could prove to be a valuable insight into their enemy.
“He doesn’t have a trace at all. First thing I would guess would be that their time sorcerer sent him back without accompanying him… But that isn’t possible.”
“Not yet, at least.” Beatrice had been both studying and practicing.
“Maybe the Rift has built a time machine,” suggested Shannon. It wasn’t an unreasonable idea, since the Rift had a penchant for technology not shared by the Empire.
“How barbaric.” Lilith commented dryly as she stood up. “Well, regardless of how they are sending people back, let’s go. He’s dead.”
Camila looked like she might throw up. “This could have a lot of complications.”
“I’m aware.” Lilith wrapped an arm around Camila’s shoulders, not blind to her discomfort. “But I don’t think this is the best place to discuss such possibilities. The longer we’re here, the easier it will be for the Rift to try and find us.”
“Agreed.” Beatrice felt oddly uneasy. “Let’s go.”
Had everyone been paying more attention, they might have noticed a second shimmer from a nearby rooftop. As it stands, they did not. Another time, perhaps.