My hand against the doorknob rattles, the metal's chill infiltrating my glove. The watch ticks faster.
"I'm not the only one suited for the job. Send another." Rejecting her touch, she whines.
"But you're the only one available as of now, Avie! You know that we in the Grand Government relish your power."
A click of my tongue. "I'm no longer a slave."
"But, you are working for us. Even so, you still brandish that sacrilegious holy cross around your neck. The religious symbol is a clock, not that."
"I'm well aware. For what should I conform to your laws?"
Cackling, her short arms ensnare my waist.
"If you don't do it, I'll kill you, Avie."
The gesture implies death, petrifying my blood flow. Looking down, our eyes meet for but a second.
"You disgust me." My words were laced with malice. She wore the face of a child—a mask she's hid under for centuries.
Liberating me of her grasp, she takes a step in reverse.
"Be sure not to die, Avie. I'm only interested in your ability, so it'd be a shame if it were put to waste."
Upon opening the door, the corridor bends, but only for a moment. Whispers of the old world devour all anew. Left behind stands the girl, waving farewell.
My watch stutters, hands spinning backward before halting at zero — the Segment fractures, welcoming me to a separate reality. Feet meet unfamiliar ground.
Surrounding me lies ruined buildings, houses sunken in poverty. The less fortunate resemble hounds with hungry eyes.
"It's because of you Government scum that we have to live like this! Go to hell!" A voice in the distance.
It's disregarded. A much larger issue is at hand. Darting through the area, no glares leave my form. The still air grows with animosity as The Mechanism slows.
A scent: the yearning for purity, now something that's become tangible. Gawking at me with envy that rots their souls; it's not long before a blade grazes my robes.
Their drools of desperation swamp the ground which I walk on. Many humans, turned anomalies, surround me whilst holding bladed weapons.
What has happened has become clear... the work of a Doppelgänger, no less.
"Why are you trying to disturb our peace?" A sudden whisper.
Unexpectedly, a blinding spectrum of fractured light bursts forth, ravaging the wretches — and trying for my life next. Just barely evading, the gleam leaves blight in its wake.
"We were doing fine before you showed your face!"Utters every corpse.
Before the blood looms a man, detached limbs of the fallen hanging over his shoulder. Under the guise of a human, the atmosphere reeks of malevolence.
"Because of you, all these innocent people had to die at my hands. It's all your fault, St. September!"
Ripped from my neck, the small silver-cross shone with virtue. Reacting to my touch, gears hidden within its arms click in sequence — and serrated edges quickly take its place. The silver glimmer lengthens, stabilizing into a long cross-formed bayonet.
The sanctity slipped perfectly into my hands, having never forgotten our connection.
"The timeline in which St. September existed is now gone. May your soul return to heaven with Jesus Christ, whom this world knows not."
A bullet escapes the muzzle, air spiraling around it. The pressure pierces sound barriers and merges with The Mechanism.
Reflected is his essence, which has already submitted to fate.
"Amen."
His spirit is invaded, light spilling from his core. Even lacking a heart, I can hear its cries.
Body reduced to nothing but golden dust, I lower my weapon — the bayonet exhales as though offering prayer.
A still comes over the area. Nothing is left but bodies of the dead, having died with regret still left over.
Covering my mouth, a violent wheeze escapes my lips: expelling crimson. Through the liquid mirrors a past long discarded.
Exhaustion seeps through my glands, the decay of my body—transparent.
Only able to mutter a last incant to cleanse the souls of the lamented,
"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth... Amen."