Time-Locked: A Journal of Irony & the 11th Soul

In Aetherwynn

"Life as a normal human girl" goes on as usual.

While pretending I don't have a second life waiting for me in Aetherwynn.

But of course, responsibilities don't just pause because I have a suspicious new teacher or with midterms coming up.

...~•~...

And so, here I am, walking through the castle halls, my long to-do list floating beside me while a feathered pen checks things off one by one.

"...Report reviews... check. Healing crystals sent... check. Schedule adjustments... check."

Okay. That means all I have left to do is—

💥💥💥💥

The ceiling explodes.

And by "explodes," I mean a giant, fluffy, purple-ish Pink creature crashes through it like a wrecking ball with emotions. Crying. Wailing. A full-on tantrum.

Huge, tears the size of pumpkins rain down, drenching everything.

The entire castle is in chaos.

The Cardinals scramble around. Some creatures rush to save important documents before they get waterlogged. Others? Save themselves.

...~•~...

The Cardinals?

They're the knights of Aetherwynn.

Spades, Diamonds, Clubs, and Hearts. Just like in a deck of cards.

The Spades strategize, The Diamonds preserve, The Clubs break through, and The Hearts? They protect.

Spades are cutting through the chaos with precision, barking orders.

Diamonds? They're trying to save valuable documents while dealing with an old fore creature that refuses to evacuate while knowing he will die if he gets soaked. Because he, Grand Molthar Moltenwright, the leader of the Firekins, insisted that the royal glass painting he made is more important than his personal survival.

Clubs? flipping stuff into makeshift rafts, throwing and shoving creatures out to "practically" evacuate. *sighs*

And the Hearts? They are wading through the mess, pulling people to safety, making sure no one drowns under an avalanche of soggy furniture. One of them are cradling scared Charbub.

And somewhere in the chaos, I swear I hear someone sigh, "Not this again..."

...~•~...

I stand there, soaked, watching the chaos unfold.

...Yeah. I don't get a break.

...~•~...

The Aetherwynn's guardian, Symphony, helps guiding creatures to safety.

The Cardinals work fast, before the flood of giant, magical baby tears destroys everything.

And me?

I throw up a force field and push forward, bracing against the waves of hysterical sobbing.

The baby fluff, is still growing, flails its massive paws, shaking the very foundations of the castle.

Nothing can physically hurt the baby fluff. It's never easy to stop it.

Now, another thing is added to my to-do list for the day—Calm down a tantrum, building-sized pink baby fluff, before the entire palace crumbles to dust.

...~•~...

I take a deep breath and step closer, keeping my force field up just in case. The baby fluff is still growing, its fur puffing up like a thundercloud, its enormous eyes filled with wobbling tears.

"Shhh, Baby dear...," I say gently, voice steady despite the sheer chaos around me.

A massive hiccup shakes the ground. Another sob swells in its throat.

Alright. Slow. Gentle. Patience.

"You're feeling really big emotions right now, aren't you?" keeping my tone soft but firm. "That's okay. Let's breathe through them... Can you do that with me?"

The fluff sniffs, its gigantic paws twitching.

"In through our nose..." I inhale slowly, exaggerating the motion so the baby can see. "And out through our mouth..." I let the breath out in a steady stream, watching.

The fluff stares at me, eyes still swimming with tears, but its hiccups slow.

"That's it, baby, you're doing great," I praise, inching closer. "Let's do another one. Deep breath in—"

It tries, inhaling too hard, sending a gust of wind through the hall that nearly knocks me back.

"—Okay, okay, maybe a little softer next time," I laugh, adjusting my stance. "You're really strong, huh?"

A tiny, wobbly giggle.

Progress.

Another sniffle. A smaller hiccup.

"There we go... Do you want a hug?"

The fluff lets out a final shaky sigh, shrinking just a little, before burying its massive head against my arms. I nearly topple over, but I just wrap my arms around it, humming softly, rubbing slow circles into its fur.

"See? You're okay," I murmur. "You just needed a little help, didn't you?"

The fluff nods weakly, its body finally settling, no longer expanding or shaking the palace walls.

Crisis averted.

Now... who's going to explain the giant hole in the ceiling?

• • •

Is there even a ceiling left?!

...~•~...

I keep running my fingers through the baby fluff's soft fur, feeling it shudder under my touch. It's still sniffling, little hiccups making its whole body shake, but at least it's not growing anymore. Progress.

"Were you sleepy?"

A small whimper. No.

"Did something wake you up from your nap?"

The fluff lets out a long, dramatic wail, nodding its giant head against me.

I sigh, still stroking its fur. "Oh, baby. That must have been really frustrating, huh?"

A tiny yelp, like an exhausted toddler agreeing with their whole soul.

"Was it loud?"

The fluff nods.

"Scary?"

A small shake. No, not scary. Just... annoying.

"Ahh, I see. And after that, did you feel like you had too much energy and didn't know what to do with it?"

The fluff gives the biggest, most aggressive nod yet, its ears twitching wildly.

"Mm, that's tough," — "I hate it when that happens."

It lets out a deep sigh and started shrinking, snuggling closer. It understands. It feels understood.

I press a little kiss to its fur. "Did you just want someone to play with?"

A long pause. Then... a small nod.

I cradle the fluff closer, as it keeps shrink down. "You just wanted some company, huh? You're not alone, baby. I promise." — "We love you."

Its body keeps shrinking and shrinking, until what was once a palace-wrecking fluffy storm is now just a small, warm bundle in my arms. I look down at the adorable, sleepy little thing, all snuggly and warm.

And then I look up.

• • •

At the absolute devastation around us.

A giant hole in the ceiling, debris everywhere, rivers of leftover baby tears flooding the halls. Creatures frantically trying to salvage what they can, cardinals running around like headless chickens.

Whelp.

I glance back down at the baby fluff, who now looks up at me with big, round, innocent eyes.

🥺🥺🥺🥺

Oh no no no.

I force a smile, gently tapping its little nose. "Don’t worry... It's fine."

*It is not fine.*

"We'll figure it out."

*We better figure it out.*

"But first," I adjust my hold and start walking, "let's get you a snack."

Because if there's one thing worse than a giant sleepy fluffy tantrum baby...

It's a hungry giant sleepy fluffy tantrum baby.

...~•~...

[In A Training Hall]

The sharp crack of impact echoed through the training hall. His breath came in heavy bursts as he reset his stance, rolling his shoulder to shake the ache from his arm. The black seal winding up his skin pulsed faintly—a reminder. As if he could forget.

Again.

He strikes.

Again.

Faster this time. A combination—strike, block, pivot. Keep moving. Keep up.

"Tch. You'll break yourself before you catch up at this rate."

The voice wasn't his own. It's a dark soul woven into him like a second breath.

"I don't wanna keep falling behind," he muttered under his breath.

"Your body disagrees, young man."

He ignored that. He had spent too long being held back by it—illness, weakness, things outside his control.

But then—he stilled.

A flicker beyond the glass wall.

Princess Ixora Sweetheart Aetheris.

With her arms full of what looked like a giant, puffy creature, its fur still damp from—tears?

The scene outside the shattered remains of the castle was almost surreal and yet, she stood in the middle of it all like it was nothing new.

And the way she touched the creature—gentle, careful, instinctive—made something twist in his chest. For a second, just a second, he almost—

Ashwood?

No.

His fingers twitched, nails pressing into his palm. Not again.

Princess Ixora just looked like her. The resemblance was nothing more than a cruel trick. Because Ixora wasn't her. They weren't the same. No way they are... (he thought)

"So she is stuck in your mind." the voice hummed, amused.

"Is NOT," he shot back.

The soul scoffed. "Right. That's why your pulse is doing laps, hm?"

"Not now, Mr. Thrynn."

"Dainor... My name is DAINOR."

"Dainor Thrynn, sure."

*sighs* "Face it, kid. You're tired, and you're seeing ghosts." The 11th dark soul, Dainor Thrynn, tried to convince him to stop training.

But he didn't have time for this. He turned back to the training targets, clenching his fists.

"Don't push too hard," Dainor murmured. "You don't have to prove anything, Excellent."

He exhaled through his nose.

"Go tell that to everyone else, sir."

...~•~...

The castle was in recovery mode.

The baby fluff was finally calm, fed, and no longer breaking the laws of physics with its size. The flood had been cleared out (mostly), the injured were being treated, and creatures were busy patching up what was left of the ceiling.

At least now, I could breathe.

For exactly five seconds.

"You know, he's in the training hall now."

I turned to see a lady with cat ears standing there, Symphony, looking way too pleased with herself.

"Who?" I asked, brain still catching up.

"The newest guardian of the dark soul." — "The one you've somehow managed to not meet yet despite him training here since last year."

Oh. Him.

Right. That was a thing.

To be fair, our schedules just never lined up.

"So?" Symphony prodded. "Wanna finally meet him?"

Ixora: "I mean... yeah, I should, shouldn't I?"

Symphony: "Good." — "Follow me and brace yourself, princess. Love might be waiting in the air."