After Kaito and Lala disappeared, Alien X remained still for a few minutes, waiting in case they returned, before deciding to leave.
But when he sensed someone tampering with time, he immediately understood what was happening and tried to head to the source of the anomaly.
At that moment, however, he felt something, an interference within himself.
In his mental world appeared a huge green head, semi two-dimensional, like a full mask, that was his consciousness. Normally, there should have been two minds coexisting there, a biological security system designed to prevent a being that powerful from losing control, but the Carnitrix universe, the one that needed that system the most, was the exception, there Alien X had only one consciousness. Even so, other minds could communicate from the outside, there existed 999,999 voices that, while not controlling him, could still interfere.
Before his mental form, another presence appeared. It took the shape of a giant metallic wind-up clock, broken, its crank shattered, its body looking like melted metal, and most disturbingly, a crack in its abdomen leaking green energy.
"Time... my... jurisdic... tion..." the figure muttered.
Chronosapiens, the race that being belonged to, were usually the absolute masters of time. Just as celestialsapiens did not travel between universes due to unspoken rules among themselves, chronosapiens were the rulers of time. But ever since Alien X had taken Ben's body, his omnipotence had placed him above everyone, and such restrictions no longer mattered. The chronosapien's complaint would be nothing more than a temporary obstacle.
Even so, that chronosapien held one of the most powerful minds within the Carnitrix and was trying to manipulate time, it had to be neutralized before it could interfere. What would be an impossible task for others, defeating the masters of time in their own domain, took Alien X little more than two minutes.
After that, without grand portals or spectacle, he simply vanished from the present and appeared several weeks in the past.
---
When Kaito felt that sensation, he didn't hesitate. He immediately approached Charmcaster and didn't try to take the watch from Heatblast, if it had been another alien host, maybe he would have tried, but the Omnitrix was fixed to the alien's chest, and removing it wouldn't be instant. He decided to let the chance go and took Charmcaster with him.
"Open the portal," he ordered before she could ask anything. Seeing Kaito's serious expression, Charmcaster opened one, and they quickly appeared in Legerdomain. The sudden speed almost made Kaito crash into a wall, he stopped and set Charmcaster down roughly.
Boom.
The castle wall crumbled into rubble, only to rebuild itself in seconds, cracks glowing pink as the stone regained its shape.
Boom.
It broke again when Kaito hit it once more. After repeating the process a couple of times, he finally calmed down.
"Are you done destroying my wall?" Charmcaster asked, arms crossed.
"Yeah... just... sorry. I got angry for a moment. We lost a good chance because..." Kaito fell silent.
"Yes, because of me. I know," Charmcaster finished his sentence. "I'm sorry."
"No, I can't blame you. I don't know what you went through all these years. Still, next time, let me handle it." Kaito's tone was so firm it left no room for argument, she understood and nodded.
The silence between them broke with a completely out-of-place remark.
"You know, that last part was really hot."
"Seriously?" Kaito replied with irony.
"Yes, I like the dominant Kaito. Since we don't know if we'll make it, how about...?" Charmcaster leaned closer, giving him a seductive look, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"You've been alone too long," Kaito said, gently pushing her away. Charmcaster's earlier joke about rebuilding society there, one man and one woman to repopulate, now sounded less ironic, loneliness had clearly taken its toll.
At that moment, Lala burst into the room and threw herself into his arms. "Kaito! You finally came back!" Kaito, surprised by the gesture, immediately noticed something else, Lala was trembling with both joy and fear.
"How long has it been?" Kaito asked.
"Eight years," Lala replied. Kaito looked at her for a moment longer than necessary.
"I look the same, of course," she said proudly. "Eight years are nothing compared to my lifespan."
Kaito apologized. "I'm sorry, it must have been hard to be alone for so long."
Lala shook her head. "Actually, I wasn't alone."
Lala didn't need to explain, since another girl entered the room, one easily recognizable to anyone who had seen Ben 10.
Gwen was wearing a white shirt with the collar slightly open, revealing a hint of cleavage. Over it, she had a red sweater that softly outlined the curves of her body, accentuating her silhouette.
Her short, tight dark blue skirt completed the outfit, emphasizing the curve of her hips and her legs covered by sheer black stockings.
Her orange-red hair was tied up in a high ponytail, exposing her neck and highlighting the sparkle in her green eyes.
Kaito recognized her and, curious, asked, "Where did you get the clothes?"
"I made them with magic," she replied casually.
"Impressive," said Kaito, though his attention was already shifting to something else.
"Aren't you going to ask anything else?" Gwen asked, puzzled. Kaito, who preferred to get straight to the point, restrained himself. He was in a hurry and still irritated, so he asked the key question.
"How long will it take to prepare the spell with her help?" he asked Charmcaster.
"Less than a day. Now that we know the procedure, it would take a few days, and with an Anodite's help, the process would speed up even more." Charmcaster sounded pragmatic.
"Prepare the spell and tell me when it's ready." With that, Kaito left the room, leaving the three of them in silence.
Once Kaito was gone, Charmcaster couldn't help but tease, "He's so sexy when he gives orders, isn't he?"
"You think so?" Lala replied innocently.
"Hehe, I like bad boys," Charmcaster admitted.
"We should focus on the spell," Gwen interrupted, practical and serious. Although they barely knew each other, Gwen had spent years with Lala, she understood the gravity of the situation and didn't waste time on games.
"Fine, let's get the spell ready, cheater," Charmcaster said with a hint of indifference.
"Cheater?" Gwen asked.
"Yeah. Your race is a cheat, you just observe and learn quickly, that's cheating compared to the effort I had to put in since I was a kid." Charmcaster opened her spellbook, where the full process was written.
---
"Already?" Kaito showed surprise when he returned sooner than expected. He had calculated more time, but the speed at which they had prepared the spell impressed him.
"That's right," Charmcaster said, though her expression was serious. "There are a few problems. I used most of the magic the realm allows me in the first attempt. That let us go back weeks. Now, with what's left, I can only open a portal that takes us about two days back. Even so, we should arrive before Ben turns into Alien X. And, you already know this, but I'll repeat it, this is our last chance."
Kaito nodded without dramatics. The tension kept him focused. They were about to tamper with time in a place that resisted manipulation. They had two attempts, limited resources, and the enemy's omnipotence waiting for them. Even so, there was no turning back. They had to try.
______________________________________
+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)