Diary of Irony, entry one

"Time is funny."

It waits for no one. Including me, apparently.

Time seems to tick, fly, and slip through my fingers when I need it most.

A guardian of time and space with terrible time management? Oh, the irony.

...~•~...

A soft thump lands beside me, followed by the flick of a tail.

"Should I remind you what time it is?"

I sigh, tapping my pen against my half-filled page.

"Let me guess... I'm late for something I don't remember?" — "Again?"

"You don't need me to tell you that. But since you're still sitting here, I assume you need the extra push."

Snapping my diary shut. "Why didn't you say something sooner, Symphony?"

...~•~...

Symphony.

Yeah... That's what I call her. My walking, talking, nagging reminder of responsibility.

She is the last Nyxari, last of her kind—

In her feline form, she shifts between ages, slipping in and out of different lives. One time, she's a kitten curled up in a stranger's lap, purring her way into a free meal. The next, she'll be a completely different cat. Each time, she gets "accidentally adopted" by somebody who scoops her up, names her, and dotes on her—until her mission is done, she vanishes just as mysteriously as she arrived. That's how she ended up as Mittens, Pumpkin, Lucky, and about a dozen other names I've lost track of.

Names don't matter to her. She forgotten her real name and never remembered it again. Now she had too many names to count.

Every time she goes undercover, she picks up a new identity, a new home, a new owner who has no idea their beloved pet is anything but an ordinary cat.

But in the end, she always finds her way back to Aetherwynn.

She can also change to a half-human & a full human form. The only difference is she keeps her cat ears, eyes and tail, as a half-human. She is sharp, with an elegance that only comes with centuries of practice.

My grandpa and her found each other long ago. They joined forces. And that's how this place—this... limbo—now known as Aetherwynn—became a kingdom of time and space.

She is now the guardian of Aetherwynn, and yet...

Ironically SO incredibly jealous of Earth cats.

It was a shock when she first visited Earth with my grandma, around 7 decades ago. She had spent centuries watching over cosmic balance, slipping between dimensions, carrying the weight of an entire lost civilization on her shoulders. Then she arrived on earth and saw—them.

Fluffy, pampered, lazy little creatures whose biggest struggle in life was deciding where to nap.

"What do you mean all Earth cats do is eat, sleep, be cute, and—more sleep?!" Symphony had wailed. "Not to mention the lucky ones that just lounge around all day, being fed and petted and adored—" her ears drooped in pure existential despair.

At the end of time... all she really wanted was a home.

"But being some human billionaire's spoiled house cat, curled up in a warm bed, being fed gourmet treats and petted on demand... almost sounds as good." (🐱) "I mean, I wouldn't mind living the dream."

The universe's last great Borealynx Nyxari. A cosmic entity of unfathomable power.

Dreams of a safe cozy home and a lifetime of belly rubs.

...~•~...

"I tried," she says, leaping onto my shoulder as I stand. "Twice. But you were too busy romanticizing your double life in that little book of yours."

"It's not romanticizing. It's... Writing my thoughts to detangle my mind that's already a wrecked ship."

"Well..." her tail flicking against my cheek, "you wouldn't want to upset the children, would you?" — "They're waiting for their 'Melody' you know."

The kindergartners.

"How could I forgot about them? Gosh..." I mutter to myself.

"Go get to them, girl." — "This kitty can handle things while you're gone." *meow*

"Thanks, Symphony. But do remember you're not a kitty cat, you're a—."

*kitty cuts her with a yawn* "I'm both..." — "Now now, go on... "

...~•~...

The magic responded to my intent, wrapping me in a golden-pink glow. My gown reshapes into a dress that suits a highschool girl better than a guardian princess. My tiara fades as a ribbon take its place. A bow neatly tied into my long brunette hair.

My eyes change—once with colors that held the shimmer of northern lights. Now, they settle into warm hazel.

As the magic fades, my prosthetic left leg returns, grounding me back to reality. It's not uncomfortable—I've gotten used to it. But it does feel like a little reminder that some things don't change.

"Magic never truly replaces what was already lost. It just let's me forget for a little while." Grandma Sam once told me. It's safe to say... she's right.

And when I open my eyes—

I'm no longer Ixora Sweetheart Aetheris, Princess of Aetherwynn—Guardian of Time and Space.

I'm just Melody Ashwood.

And I have kids waiting for me.

...~•~...

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