This is the sequel to First Day, I recommend reading that first.
A gray-haired wizard sat on his bed, grasping a timekeeper. He already managed to fix most of it, but he wasn't sure what it did...
The timekeeper looked exactly like the ones in Skywatch, except someone rearranged its gears, added an unknown device, and replaced the batteries with a Chemical Static Generator. He palmed the glass, radiant blue, tube-like item, which gave off a spark or two whenever he touched it.
He was slightly thrilled at seeing the familiar device, but couldn't help but feel a bit of dread - the same dread he felt whenever he put on his visor. The chemicals in the generator were highly explosive when overloaded with enough electricity, and frankly, anyone from Alpha was the equivalent of a bomb fuse - including him.
The only comfort he had was that he had to mix the chemicals to set off that reaction, which can only be done by breaking it.
"Storm?" He immediately shoved the timekeeper under his bed, tossed his tools in the first drawer that was open, opened a spellbook, and hoped Sea would think he was studying.
The door creaked open a half-Merling stood at the doorway. On the bed in the corner of the room was a techy wizard lying on his stomach, feet kicking through the air as he flipped through a book.
"Hey, are you going to eat?"
He glanced at her, a sapphire eye meeting her gaze, "In a minute."
"Alright then." The door closed, and Storm straightened, grabbing a notebook. The pages were burned and charred, but he soon found what he was looking for - Alpha.
Part 1[]
Alpha[]
A little boy stood on his tippy-toes, peeking at the journal someone was filling out. Brown hair fell in his face as he watched, obscuring his vision until he brushed it away. A person was sitting at a desk, filling out the journal as the boy watched. He had brown hair just like the boy, bright blue eyes, and incredibly pale skin tone, and wore a lab coat.
The boy watched as the man wrote out complex equations, fascinated. He adored the man and his work, and why wouldn't he? He was his father after all.
"Storm, I know you're there."
The boy was jolted out of his thoughts, lost his balance, and fell to the floor with a crash. The man chuckled before standing and picking up the boy, "You want to watch?"
Storm nodded shyly, his freckled face red with embarrassment.
"Well then, how about something better. Want to come to work with me today?"
His eyes widened and he squeaked out an excited, "Yes!"
The man smiled and pushed Storm's bangs out of the way, a spark of static electricity jumping from his fingertips. He put the boy down and grabbed his journal, holding his hand as they walked out of the room...
Beta[]
Storm smiled at the memory, recognizing the precise but slightly messy handwriting in the notebook. If only you knew... maybe I wouldn't be stuck here. Maybe that wouldn't have been my last day with you...
He sighed, placed the book on his nightstand, and walked out of the room, joining Sea and Ignis on the porch. It was dusk and the stars were beginning to rise along with the moon. It was stunning to see the sky parted in two, one side bright as fire while the sunset, the other side dark as the moon rose.
Sea looked at him, trying to start a conversation, "So, Storm, what were you reading?"
The tech wizard nearly choked on his poutine. It was impossible to lie to Sea, and if he didn't answer, she'll surely suspect something. He hadn't read anything, so what was he supposed to say?
He then remembered his father's notebook. Seems like this is the only way out of this one...
Storm refused to make eye contact as he looked at the floor, reluctantly answering, "My dad's journal..."
Sea exchanged a glance with Ignis, "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."
"I know you didn't." He responded, playing with his food. After finishing, he left, not a word being exchanged.
Alpha[]
Flames licked near the boy, there was nowhere to run. Smoke was making it hard to breathe and all he could do was shut his eyes close in fear. A searing pain ran up his left arm and the world went dark.
The Fire.
"Think he'll wake up?"
"Don't know, it might take a few-"
Storm groggily opened his eyes, how long was he out?
"Or not." The owner of the voice finished. They were a thin, black-haired man with a clipboard tucked under their arm. He had brown eyes, and was wearing a casual blue shirt.
Storm tried to get up... only to find that he couldn't move his arm. Alarm flashed in his gaze momentarily, and he was relieved to find that he could move his right arm fine. After sitting up his hair fell in his eyes, and he was surprised to find that it was a different color. Gray? Wha-
The person accompanying the man, who was a tall woman with her hair tied back in a bun, looked him up and down. "Do you remember what happened yesterday?"
Yesterday...?
Storm was absolutely confused. Logically it wasn't possible for one's hair to change color in one day, and it didn't seem dyed, so more than one day must have passed since the fire. Wait a minute. Since when did I know this stuff?
The woman tapped her foot impatiently, "Well do you?"
"Hey, he's just a kid." Her peer reminded her.
"No, I don't." He finally answered, startled by the sound of his own voice, which was deeper than before. Okay, something weird is going on here-
"ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU DON'T REMEMBER A SABOTAGE YOU TOOK PART IN?"
Storm blinked, surprised by her hostility, "What...? I never-"
"Seems to be the after results of a Hive Mind to me." The man informed the woman, interrupting the boy, "He looks decently confused about all... this."
"There is no such thing-"
He looked at Storm, "What's the last thing you remember doing?"
A clear image flashed in his mind, there was the sound of an explosion down the hall and flames burst, consuming everything it touched-
Beta[]
Storm had placed the gears back into place, still curious about how they were that worn down. Placing the clock in a drawer, he right handedly took off his brace and climbed into bed, a memory flashing through his thoughts. That was the last day I was a normal kid. Still can't believe it to be honest...
He tried to go to sleep but was instead ravished by nightmares of fire, waking up moments later.
"Nevermind, who needs sleep anyway?" He told himself after a bit. His father's notebook caught his eye, and he thought for a bit before opening it up with his right hand. Unlike when he watched his father write in the notebook, he could understand what most things in there meant now.
It was mostly filled with lab notes and sketches of the creatures that lived on Alpha, but ever so often there would be a doodle of him or a sticky note with a task to complete.
Thinks he never got to do, he thought sadly as he turned through the pages.
Yet, soon he came across something he wasn't expecting, detailed designs for a device - the same device in the clock.
Alpha[]
"That sounds like the fire at the lab at Sterra. Yet..."
The woman looked at the man, "Yet what Lang?"
"...that happened three years ago."
She looked at Storm, disbelief in her gaze. "You seriously don't remember anything after that point?" He shook his head in response.
"I supposed he's stuck with us then."
She turned around to look at Lang, "WHAT?"
"Well since all recorded staff members died in that fire, and as of recently implemented laws..."
"Are you saying just because we're officials we have to take care of him?"
"Pretty much."
"Excuse me, I need a moment." At that, the woman stormed off, slamming the door on her way out.
The black-haired man looked at the boy, "I'm afraid we haven't been properly introduced, what's your name?"
"Storm," he answered reluctantly.
"I'm Lang, but you probably figured that out." He fingered his clipboard, "And by the looks of it I have a lot of explaining to do."
Beta[]
Storm's Wott slept hanging upside down from his bookshelf, oblivious to its very awake owner flipping through a notebook. He should probably be sleeping as he had class the next day, but he wanted to find out what the clock does... and why his father had notes on the same device.
"Time... Manipulation... Travel... ARGH, the pages are too charred." Storm energy charged up in the air around him, awakening his Wott. The bat like-creature let out an irritated squeak before diving down and swooping up to perch on his shoulder. "Sorry Wattage," he sighed, "I was really hoping..." Hoping for what?
Hoping that he'll see his dad again? Hoping that'll he go home? Hoping that he could somehow go back and undo everything?
He sighed, realizing once again he was searching for the impossible.
He looked at the Wott, "Think I should give up? I mean, it's not like I'll be able to read this anyway."
The Wott flew down onto the bedsheet and looked at the journal. It hopped onto the book and started following one of the lines in a sketch, soon getting dizzy from going in circles.
Wattage flopped down on the pages, looked at the wizard, then pointed something on the paper. It was a single sentence, partially obscured by a burn mark.
"...can potentially let its user travel to the past- what in the name of Astral did he need that for?"
At that, the Wott facepalmed (facewinged?). Wattage pointed at the book, pointed at him, then pointed at a drawing of a planet.
Storm looked confused, "Wha...?"
Sparking irritatedly, it did the same thing to no avail.
"Sorry, I just can't get what you're trying to say." The Wott let out a sigh and flew back to its perch on the shelf, deciding to watch instead...
Alpha[]
He took a step back at seeing his own reflection.
His skin was burned on the entirety of his left side, as well as his left eye being lighter than the other. There was metal plating on his face and some peaking out from under his shirt collar, and his now gray hair flopped over his face messily.
Welp, I'm never cutting my hair again, he thought while sweeping his bangs over the left-side of his face.
Storm's left arm hung slightly limply, but at least now he was wearing a brace to help him move it. The brace wasn't very well made, but he was stuck with it for now. He sighed before gazing out the window, the night sky visible. Alpha and Beta were just dots in the sky, causing him to once again realize exactly how far away he was from home...
Sitting down he eyed a notebook. It was slightly charred and looked pretty scuffed up, but he recognized it as soon as Lang showed it to him. Lang was apparently one of the people sent to investigate the fire, explaining how he knew so much about it. While he was at Alpha, he had come across the notebook and decided to hang onto it, so when he realized Storm was in that fire, he immediately wanted to ask him about it.
Now the notebook was in Storm's possession, but he hasn't read it yet - there was simply too much on his mind. His dad was dead, he was the only one who survived that fire, he was partially paralyzed, and on top of that, he somehow managed to become a borg.
Sighing once again, he decided to go to sleep, maybe he'll be able to sort through all this in the morning.
Part 2[]
Delta[]
At some point Storm had fallen asleep, the notebook still open in his lap. His Wott, however, was wide awake and attempting to wake up its owner, as he was going to be late if he didn't wake up soon.
Wattage, knowing shocking him was useless, hopped over to his arm and bit down, hard.
With a yelp, the tech wizard woke up, shaking off the troublesome Wott. "Alright, alright, I'll get out of bed."
He sat up, pulling on a shirt before grabbing his brace from the from on top of the dresser and struggling to put it on one-handedly. The Wott stormed around on his bed impatiently before flying up and vainly grabbing onto the brace, attempting to help him.
"Wattage, I already told you that doesn't help." He said with a sigh, pushing it away as gently as he could manage.
The Wott tumbled out of flight, landing on the bed and glaring at him.
"Hey don't get stormy with me-" He paused at seeing the time, "Oh s***."
He hurried up with strapping on the brace, snatched his visor, and grabbed his bag before running out the door, a crossed Wott flying out behind him.
Omega[]
Storm still had that clock on his mind, puzzled over the words "time travel". Wattage seemed to know something, he just couldn't understand the Wott's squeaks. He sighed, feeling a bit downcast as he walked to the Storm Tower - no one on this island would know anything about this sort of thing. Maybe Eugene might know something, but to the extent of technology from another world...?
He spotted someone from the corner of his eye and stopped - he did know someone that would know something about this sort of thing, but... NO. No, No, and No, Not him, definitely not him, I'm never speaking to him again!
Cloud.
The one person who knew better, and the last person he would talk to. I'm better off figuring this out myself.
Cloud was one of the older students at the Academy, in his last year if the wizard recalled correctly. He was first to realize something was off about Storm, and due to his ability to time travel, was able to confirm it. So the borg began to avoid him, not wanting to expose that not only was he not from around the island, he wasn't even from this universe.... or dimension...
Delta[]
Wattage sat grouchily on Storm's shoulder as he jotted something down in his notebook, which was only half-listening to Professor Alas.
The Wott watched peered at his owner's disastrously organized notebook. Yes, there were plenty of notes on the lesson, but it was obscured by random notes and sketches of other concepts - a concept that the Wott figured out he's been studying and researching for a long time now.
No wonder he failed his test, he spent his time doing... this. Wattage thought to itself, trying to figure out what the chicken-scratch notes meant.
The bat-like creature, regardless of what wizards thought, was quite intelligent, just... uneducated. So it clearly had a bit of trouble reading the notes, but eventually figured out what some of it meant.
The wizard had written notes on Astral Magic, proving that he did pay attention to the class... sorta, and then there was a chaos of theories on dimensional travel, equations, and finally, a small sketch of the Wott in the corner, looking as grouchy as it did in that exact moment.
Wattage stuck its nose in the air with a harrumph, causing his owner to look at it.
"What?"
The Wott crossed its wings, and Storm shook his head with a sigh, going back to writing down notes on who knows what.
Omega[]
No one taught him how these things worked, he just knew - and he was going to have to figure out how to use that knowledge to get this to work.
He left-handedly jotted down notes while occasionally taking a bite out of the croissant he brought for lunch right-handedly - as he was currently seated at a table in the Academy's cafeteria, Sea, and Ignis sitting nearby.
It wasn't long before a blue-haired wizard joined them, being followed in suit by a nervous-looking fairy. Storm paused and looked, instantly recognizing them - the Academy Keeper. He shot Aly a smug, I-told-you-so, smile when the two sat down, which was responded with someone kicking him from below the table.
Sea shot him a look, clearly not wanting him to embarrass Aly in front of her crush. He rolled his eyes but went back to what he was doing when he recalled the clock and something he overheard Cloud mention earlier. If other timelines are places in space and time where something happened differently in this timeline... and if dimensions are planes in space and time then... I'm stupid.
He had spent months trying to figure out something that was obvious and wasted half the time he could have spent with his friends. Sighing, he shoved his notebook into his bag, Aly, Ignis, and Sea all staring at him in shock.
"What?"
Sea was the first to speak, "...well that's a first."
"What is that supposed to mean- oh."
From across the table, Gale shot Aly a confused look, and Storm overheard her respond, "I'll explain later."
Storm once again rolled his eyes before finishing his lunch.
Delta[]
Wattage flew behind the wizard as he walked back home. Storm still didn't have an Academy Amulet, so they had to leave the Academy by teleporting to Lamplight Town then walking.
For once, the Wott's owner didn't have his nose in a notebook, writing down notes instead of paying attention. Yet what he was doing was slightly more concerning than what he usually does.
Storm had taken off his visor, grabbed a small screwdriver from his bag, and started messing with the wiring... while it was still on. He never seemed to be bothered by being electrocuted but that didn't stop Wattage from worrying.
Relief shone through the Wott's tired eyes as its owner stopped and opened the door to their dorm in Lamplight Town and walked in. The place was really small - only having a bed in one corner and essentials in the other. There was a doorway to a bathroom and a door that led to a small yard where pets are normally kept - the standard set-up for off-campus dorms.
Storm placed his visor on the dresser and sat down on his bed, Wattage perching nearby to watch. As expected, the wizard pulled out the clock again, spreading out a familiar burnt notebook next to it.
He pulled out a piece of paper, hesitated, and then to the Wott's surprise, began to repair the burnt pages, gluing in blank paper in burnt-beyond-readability areas, and patching holes in the page.
When he finished, he grabbed a pencil, then stared at the pages of the notebook. Sighing, he began to fill out missing bits of information to the best of his ability, leaving things blank until he figured out the missing words the hard way...
Omega[]
Making any changes whatsoever to the old notebook was something he would have never dreamed of... until now.
Was it really worth sacrificing the only relic of his father just for something that might not even work? And was going back even worth it?
Doubt filled him as he penciled in what he could only guess were the missing words from the sentence, but at the last minute, he remembered something...
The Stars...
The Planets...
The galaxies as far as eye can see...
That's why I want to go back,
And you'll never change that about me.
Delta[]
Storm had gone to eat dinner promptly after finishing, and Wattage decided to investigate. The Wott hopped onto the bed and nudged the notebook back open with its snout, hopping around and trying to figure things out.
Wattage lifted a claw, balancing on one leg, and moved it across the paper like a finger as it read the page, muttering "something" to itself to fill in any words it didn't know.
The [something] is a time travel device which can be used for basic manipulation of time and space. It uses a [something] [something] [something] to power it, and it's main [something] [something] is located inside the gearbox.
The Wott sighed, Great. ANOTHER chaos device.
Wattage continued reading, turning the pages with its claw and comparing the sketches to the clock that remained littered on Storm's bedsheet, already figuring and planning how to get its owner out of the ever-so-predictable future trouble.
Omega[]
Storm had joined Wattage after a bit, fiddling around with the timekeeper. The wizard had opened up the gearbox and located a digital display, which showed the last time and place someone traveled to using it.
A complex equation of coordinates filled out the location, and the time was set to... No. It's a coincidence, it has to be.
...the day of the fire.
The last day.
He shakily pressed a button at the top of the display, which reset the data - his mistake - and set it to five minutes ago, just outside his dorm. The only way he could have a chance of figuring it out was by messing around with it. He sighed and pressed what he hoped to be the on button.
A flash of cyan, the horrid sound of time itself tearing open, and he fell face first, under a tree just outside his window. Wattage flew in the air next to him, panicking.
Well, he thought while sitting up, did it work?
He got on his knees and peeked at the window - inside, someone who he could only assume was his past self was messing with the clock. Five minutes passed, another flash of cyan, and he guessed they were sent back to the past, just like him. A time loop.
He stood up shakily and glanced at the clock in hand. Well, that was interesting.
Yet what surprised him was not seeing his past self, nor the paradoxical concept of a time loop, but the fact a copy of the clock rested on his bed when he went in.
"What the hell-"
That's when he recalled that confusing paragraph in his dad's notebook, pieces clicking together. He picked up the duplicate and inspected it.
It was exactly the same, except the gears weren't worn and it wasn't dented up. It looked entirely usable, and the display seemed to work fine. Note to self: I need to be careful where and when I use this thing... if I use it again.
He stored the spare in his drawer and continued on with his day.
Delta[]
Wattage was staring at the clock so intensely one would've thought it committed a crime. One sentence was on the Wott's mind, What on Prodigy is he going to do with this thing?
But the answer was evident as another device was strewn across the bed - this time something Storm was working on. The Wott blinked in surprise at seeing their owner wear the older model of his brace, modifying the one he normally used. Occasionally, he would test out the clock again before tweaking it again, his personal notebook filling with notes and equations that were very similar to the ones in the old, burnt-up notebook.
At least, Storm had been careful enough to disassemble any duplicates (other than the first), to make them entirely unusable. Eventually, he stopped, sighed, and flopped backward onto his bed, Wattage cocking its head curiously.
Storm had stopped, that was obvious, but why?
Wattage hopped down to the bedsheet next to him, its owner glancing at it. The Wott poked a claw at the brace and looked at Storm, which was responded with a sigh.
"I need to time travel to figure out what to do next."
The Wott froze. I beg your pardon?
Storm stared at the ceiling, "If I travel far back enough for me to figure out how it works, I risk leaving a duplicate in the past. Yet if I don't...." He stared at the brace, "I risk getting stuck in a time loop, or worse, the past itself."
A very interesting thing happened to Wattage's face before it started screeching and attacking him.
"WHAT THE FU- OW! WATTAGE THAT HURTS." Since verbal reasoning was in vain, its owner began to attempt to yank it off his face and pin it to a nearby surface.
After the Wott had been restrained, Storm sighed. "Wattage, there are less violent ways to tell me you disapprove."
A squeak, and then a nose being stuck in the air. Storm rolled his eyes and let go of the bat-like creature, soon returning to the turmoil of indecisions.
Omega[]
Storm sat on his bed, one leg stretched out and the other bent, knee facing upward. He wrapped his arms around his folded leg, as if hugging himself, and glanced at his dresser.
On top of the dresser was a blue-tinted visor, off for now. Next to it was the timekeeper and a few stray tools, as well as the old burnt notebook that had been so much help so far.
Finally, he made his decision.
The wizard got up, shoving the notebook in his coat pocket and turning on his visor. He slipped it on and grabbed the timekeeper, the noise waking up Wattage.
The Wott stared at him, knowing there was no way to change his mind now.
This might be the last day he'll see his friends or Wattage. Yet he had to do it if he ever wanted to go back...
There was a slight surge of hope when he began to mess with the settings of the timekeeper and decide how far back in time he wanted to go. What if... what if there was a chance he could see his dad again?
He breathed and slammed the button.
Flash of blue.
Tear in time.
Gone.
Another last day.
He would never be the same.
End[]
Years later, a tech wizard climbed a mountain, trudging through the snow.
Wattage clung to him under his lab coat, trying to stay warm in the midst of the freezing mountain air.
The clang of swords echoed through the mountain, and the tech wizard perked. "What?"
He picked up his pace, following the sound, jumping over stone and sliding down a mountain path. Finally, he reached a clearing, watching from behind an icy pillar, where nearby two Ice Fairies were engaged in combat.
One was white-tailed, white-haired, light blue-eyed, blue wings, and wearing a military uniform fit for a general and looking rather reluctant. He didn't recognize him, and assumed the fairy was from nearby.
The other was all too familiar. Light blue hair with a cyan streak, an incredibly fluffy light blue tail, baby blue eyes, blue wings with white patterning, and wearing the clothing a warrior from the Shiverchill Tribe was known to wear - Aly.
He took a deep breath...
...and stepped out from behind the ice.