Chapter Text
Everytime it happens, it starts out the same way.
Amelia doesn't cast any judgement. It's hard enough being one who can witness the atrocities of human history through firsthand encounters, but to live vicariously through each one as well?
No, perhaps it's not that she doesn't want to be judgemental, but that she doesn't have that right at all.
Her boot sticks to the muddled down path leading up to the moulding house. The sky paints itself as a monochrome of grey today, in spite of the setting sun on the horizon. In a twisted sense of the words, it's symbolic for the events that transpire in this time period. Fitting, even.
What a shit show…
Her crystal blue eyes scan for any other signs of life in the desolate town. There's footprints in the dirt, whispers in the air, and breaths full of ash and dust wandering the aimless pathways. But despite all the humans, it's not a town of fruitful futures. Its people are hanging on by threads of nibbled yarn, each day passing just as the last, with the greatest endowment being at life's end for the prospect of a second chance.
Amelia casts the villagers a second glance before refocusing. What's past can't be changed, but she'd be damned if she didn't at least help ease the pain.
A bundle of rats scurry out as she pushes open the door. There's hardly enough light to see inside, but her eyes rapidly adapt, the few doses of Watson Concoction rushing faster through her bloodstream.
The door creaks. She doesn't bother shutting it.
" Doo doo doo, doo doo… "
She takes a deep breath. In the corner of her eye, a feather sways back and forth.
"Mumei…?"
Amelia shuffles past the straw bed, past the couple lying in each other's arms, their breaths having long departed for the afterlife. She tips her hat down out of respect, but keeps her eyes forward.
Another rat darts out from the corner. Her focus though, is on the brown haired girl. There's a sound that flutters quietly into the air. A voice that doesn't belong to this time.
The girl's lips hum a lullaby.
"He was only three…" A chuckle breaks through the rhythmic melody. "Hehehe… only three… that's better than the last, isn't it? Better than two, one… or none…"
Amelia narrows her eyes and lets out a deep breath.
"Mumei."
Her outstretched hand momentarily brushes against the brown fabric. Instantly, the girl is gone, a feather falling in her midst, before she reappears in the other corner of the room.
There's a thud as the body, a little boy no different from toddlers of the modern day, drops back to the dirt floor. Amelia mouths a prayer.
"I killed him," Mumei says. Her voice drips with satisfaction. "He never stood a chance with me here. Hehe~, how silly of him to even let me in… silly silly silly silly! "
Amelia takes a step forward. Mumei tenses, but continues mixing laughter amongst her speech.
She's slow to choose her words, and even more cautious to speak them. The burden of being the Guardian of Civilization is insurmountable to a feeble human like her, but still, Amelia makes an attempt to understand.
After all, if there's anyone who can, it would be her.
"That's not true. It wasn't your fault, Mumei. None of this is."
"And who are you? Saying I didn't do this… this… bahaha!" Mumei gestures to the boy, to his family across the room. To their swollen limbs, discoloured skin, and their eyes that would never blink again. "It was me! It was all my fault! I did this, don't you see?!"
Amelia shudders. A tinge of pink briefly enters her vision as Mumei disappears.
A breath floats past her ear.
"And now, you'll be next."
An unclean gash rips through the cloak covering her shoulder. Splotches of blood are flung omnidirectionally as the blade begins another descent.
Amelia gnaws her teeth, flinging a hand to the open wound as her legs propel her away from the dagger's path.
The next time, she's ready. Rose tinted irises watch the blade as it crawls forth. By the time it's at shoulder height, Amelia is already five steps ahead.
Her dodges are swift, calculated to conserve the pumping concoction in her veins. Her heartbeat quickens. She can hear its thump with every move she makes.
She spins around, removing her cloak and twirling it around the steel of the weapon to pacify its presence. Her other hand reaches out, fingers closing around Mumei's free wrist with an iron clasp.
Still, the owlish grin doesn't go away. Her mouth twists, eyes flashing bloodshot red with a sincerity Amelia knows isn't right.
She steels herself, coming face to face with the horrors of mankind's past.
"Oh, hi! I haven't seen you before, where are you from?" Mumei struggles against her grip. There's a rip forming in the fabric, but the cloak holds strong. "You know who I am too… are you here to kill me? Ohoh, I'd like to see you try!"
Amelia shoves forward with a sudden jerk. Mumei lets out a yelp, but reaffirms her stance and holds her ground.
"You're the Guardian of Civilization! You know who I am!" Amelia yells. The air disappears from her lungs and she's forced to pause. "You know me… I need you to remember that. If nothing else, remember me again so I can help you out of this…" She stares into the fading black pupils, her lips curving into a hopeful smile. "Mumei… who am I?"
For a moment, she can see it. The recognition that plays out in her eyes from a more familiar time.
The hope is gone again as Amelia stumbles forward, grasping onto a feather in the place of her friend. She's quick to notice the shadow circling her now, her ears perking up to the giggles bouncing along the walls.
Shit… the concoction'll run out at this rate…
As the shadow darts around more and more, Amelia can't help but silently match its grin.
She'd be lying if she said this was her first attempt at this.
Really, the number of methods she'd employed to get this far might've bordered on the edges of insanity.
But here now, at the furthest point in any of her attempts, was it so bad to take a page out of the other's book?
Sensibly speaking, they're both human , after all. So how could she save someone who'd fallen insane without being a little insane herself?
Amelia watches the shadow halt.
She hears the ting of the blade as it comes out of its sheath. The crackling of stone as the shadow lunges off the wall towards her. Smells the blood from the newly entrenched wound along her abdomen, and the following taste of iron that leaks into her mouth.
She feels the warmth of the body that slams into her. With all her strength, she grabs on, and doesn't let go.
"Y-You stood still?" Mumei's voice quivers. She's frozen in surprise and shock. It hardly registers that she's being pulled into an embrace, or that the arms surrounding her have no intentions of harming her. "Ha… haha, so, t-that's it then? I killed you too… just like it was meant to be…"
Amela swallows the blood climbing her throat. It hurts to let the dagger stay, but it's worse hearing that normally cheery voice breaking into glass pieces.
"Mumei… look at me."
Her tone is fragile, considerate of the owl's sensitive ears. Even still, Mumei remains frozen in place. Amelia can't help but chuckle as she practically lifts the Guardian up to eye-level, observing the golden irises through a window of blue.
The next time Mumei speaks, Amelia lets out a sigh of relief.
"Oh… Ame… you're… you're Ame ."
"Hah, so, looks like you calmed down again," she smiles, letting the tenseness of her muscles subside. "That's good… I was afraid it would be like last time where I had to explain it all to you and… ah, nevermind. S-So, er… how are you feeling?"
It doesn't surprise her when she sees the girl's lips curling into a frown.
"I'm okay… erm… I'll be okay."
Somehow, the silence of it all after what happened is more disconcerting than the fact that they were enemies just moments ago.
Amelia allows her shoulders to drop. The adrenaline disperses from her body as she staggers, stumbling back a bit while holding a hand over the knife.
Mumei lets out a shocked gasp. "Oh! I didn't mean to… w-wait! You really shouldn't sit down where it's dirty!"
Amelia chuckles. "The bubonic plague doesn't stand a chance against my Watson Concoction. I just need to sit for a second… ah, catch my breath, that's all… erm, you wouldn't happen to have any extra cloth, would you?"
Without hesitation, Mumei takes off her cloak and rips clean a trail of fabric. Amelia grunts, sitting back and watching the owl begin the process of wrapping it around the wound.
"I'm sorry," Mumei speaks softly. She doesn't pause, but it's evident from her eyes that her thoughts are elsewhere. "You came to check on me again, didn't you? It's just… I haven't been in a good state of mind lately. A lot of things have happened since you last visited… a lot of things going wrong and… I didn't mean to hurt you too…"
Amelia closes her eyes.
"It's the bubonic plague. That's what it's called, or what it will be called if it's not already. It's said that this is one of the worst diseases in all of human history, and that the human population dwindled down to a few hundred million because of it. In history class, we were only ever told how bad the conditions were. I can't imagine how it was having to live through it."
"Right…, you know about what happens here then…" Mumei's eyes are downcast as she speaks. There's a hesitation to her voice as she stops, suddenly bolting upright. "Can you tell me if it gets better? Is there anything I can do that c-can… that can help these people?"
Amelia settles a hand on the side of the Guardian's face.
"You know I can't tell you things about the future. I'm not meant to be here as it is, but… you've helped me a lot too, even if you haven't reached that time yet. Sorry, but you're the only one I came to help here…"
Seeing the look of disappointment makes Amelia wish she'd just broken that oath. But the consequences of that, she knew, would be far greater.
"I don't really know if I deserve your help anymore…" Mumei murmurs after one final check to ensure the wound is properly covered. She sits back, arms hugging her knees, as though doing so could hide her from the events happening in the world around them. "I had a chance to stop this before it started… when the first illnesses came in, I waved it off as just being the usual disease. It's only natural, I thought. People get sick all the time, it's nothing to worry about. There's lots of towns being built now too, it's not like… not like all that progress could just reverse itself. But then, it started spreading faster and faster, becoming deadlier from one village to the next until I–"
"Stop."
The owl inhales sharply.
Amelia grunts as she scoots over, leaning closer to Mumei until their foreheads are touching. She takes hold of a strand of brunette hair, slowly rubbing the back of the girl's head until her breathing returns to normal.
"It'll be okay," Amelia reiterates. She sees the desperation in the Guardian's eyes, accentuated by the dark bags underneath, and hums softly. "It'll be okay, Mumei… I know how hard it must have been for you here. But trust me when I say this, the future will be alright. Civilization can make it through this. I promise, from the bottom of my heart, humans will push through. You'll be alright…"
She's quiet after that. Amelia listens for the sound of her breaths, and feels the quivering from her limbs. She holds them both steadily, guiding the owl back to stable ground with a soft smile and a pleasant hum.
Once she's certain her mental state has recovered, Amelia sits back, though her hand remains nested atop the Guardian's shoulder.
"Sorry," Mumei apologises, head lowering until even her eyes are shadowed. "I… there's a lot going on in my head right now but you… you probably knew that already."
"No apologies needed. That's why I'm here after all. I know this is a rough time period… but all the more reason to check up on you, right? You're the Guardian of Civilization after all… heh, we need you… everyone needs you."
It seemed that, intentional or not, her words had finally reached through to Mumei on some level, as the brunette gave a small smile with her head tucked to the side.
Not wanting to lose the opportunity, Amelia continues. "We're only humans after all, and everyone needs a helping hand at some point. Even someone like you. Well, technically you're the embodiment of humanity so… erm, that counts, right~ ?"
Amelia covers her mouth to hide the slight amusement she finds in her own words. As she does so, Mumei unexpectedly perks up.
"If that's true, can you help me with one more thing?"
Amelia, for once, isn't certain what it could be. "Huh? Ah, yeah, sure… what did you need?"
"It's about what's happening to the world right now… and, well, for any disaster that happens to humanity…" Mumei begins. "You've seen what I'm like when I lose control, both now and the times you've helped me before… and that's not something I have power over once it starts. You say civilization will survive, but what about the next disaster? And the one after that? With each one, I've been getting more anxious, so at what point will I finally just… snap , and do something I'll really regret? If I kill you, and nobody's there to break me out of it…"
Mumei shudders at the prospective thought. It doesn't take a great detective, or even the Guardian of Civilization, to know the consequences of that train of logic.
Fortunately, it takes Amelia all but five seconds to realise a solution. And when she does, she doesn't even try to hide the chuckle.
So this is where that trait will come from…
"You're laughing?" Mumei pipes up, not in any hurt tone, but a curious one that is true to her nature. "I didn't say anything funny, did I?"
"No, sorry, it's just something I remembered about you in the future," Amelia responds with a shake of her head. "And a bit of a time paradox… but I doubt Kronii will care about that if it's for you."
Mumei perks a brow up. "So you know something that can help?"
Amelia nods. "I do. It's a bit unconventional, and I'm sure you might have a few problems with it at the start, but here's my solution: I want you to forget it all."
"Forget?" Mumei mimics. "As in, forget forget? But that's… I don't know. Isn't it wrong for the Guardian of Civilization to just… forget what happens to civilization?"
"I knew you'd say that, and to be fair, it's a valid point." Amelia reaches out for the owl's hand as she speaks. "But the fact is, just because you have a fancy title, that doesn't mean you're any different from a regular human. Sure you can do some cool things we can't, but you're affected by trauma like we are. You can get sad like we do, or feel happy like us too, which is something none of the other Council members are as attuned with. In my opinion, forgetting about these disasters isn't forsaking your duty as our Guardian. It's a way of taking care of yourself, first and foremost, and I'm sure every human under your watch would like that for you too."
By and by, Mumei steadily brightens back up. The bags under her eyes are still there, and the dirt and grime covering her cheeks haven't moved in the slightest, but her lips are curling into a smile and her brow is ever less tense than before. It's minor, but Amelia couldn't have wished for a better improvement.
"Sometimes, it's okay to just walk away from something you think will affect you. Humanity will always need its Guardian, after all. And besides, I think everyone would prefer a forgetful owl over an insane one."
"I doubt I'll be that forgetful," Mumei rolls her eyes with a bashful grin. "But still, something feels wrong about doing this… I mean, if I'm not even going to remember what really happened, who is?"
Amelia doesn't hide her smirk. "Well, duh, that's what you have me for!" She exclaims with pride. Seeing Mumei's worried look, she continues. "I mean, I plan to visit you to make sure things are alright whenever something like this happens, so who better to document the true events than the number one time travelling detective herself? Ah, and don't worry, I doubt I'll go insane since I can just take some time off and recover whenever I want. If that makes you feel any better…"
"It does." Mumei agrees. She shuffles to sit closer beside her, finally letting out a relieved sigh as she wraps her arms around the detective. "Thanks, Ame."
"Anytime," Amelia grins before reciprocating the hug. "Just don't start forgetting so much that you start to think you're the one who caused these events to happen. That might be… problematic."
"Of course I won't, you silly. I haven't forgotten a single detail since my conception. I doubt I'll even be able to forget most of the disasters that happen, but the least I can do is try."
"Yeah, hah, we'll see about that when you…"
Amelia coughs, forcibly wiping the blood trail from the corner of her lips as the iron taste in her mouth grows. It's becoming more apparent that the cloth Mumei had wrapped around her wound earlier was now oversaturated, and the droplets of Watson Concoction left in her bloodstream were quickly being decomposed at a rate she wasn't at all comfortable with.
She's been in worse situations, but catching a case of the bubonic plague and reintroducing it in the 21st century was not on her agenda.
Just as she pulls her fingers away, she feels a hand slip its palm over hers.
"Your concoction is running out, and you're not sure if you can make it back to your time quick enough to heal your wounds and take another dose. Plus the fact that time travelling is strenuous for you already… you're scared of dying right now, aren't you, Ame?"
Amelia lets out a breath as a warm hand runs over her cheek. "Heh, you know me so well."
She doesn't feel herself being lifted until her legs are already carrying part of her weight. Mumei grunts as she motions them forward, one arm wrapping around Amelia's back, the other holding onto her hand.
"To be honest, I'm not in the best condition myself either… but there's no way I'm letting you travel back alone after helping me. I have a hideout nearby in the forest, so you can at least rest there, and I can patch you up a bit better too. I'll ask Fauna and she can come help bring some things to make your concoction. Ah, I know you're a bit hazy right now, but how does that sound?"
Amelia lifts her head and offers a smile.
"Heh, sounds like I owe you again, Guardian of Civilization."