Kallie gave me a scathing look that was completely deprecating. “You weren’t with him because of trauma bonding. You're just in a tough spot right now.”
“You think so?”
“I’ve been through so much with the pair of you that I know you guys better than I know myself,” Kallie stated. “I’ve met a lot of couples in my lifetime. Fated mates, twin flames. But you and Charlie… you guys love each other the most. More than anyone else I’ve seen. You can’t keep giving him, or your relationship, more chances. But just give him one more chance.”
She was right. I couldn’t rule it out. I wasn’t able to stop my arms from curling around her, bringing Kallie into a tight hug.
“What’s this about?” she asked, laughing.
“You’ve been doing so much quiet work, Kallie,” I whispered. “You’ve been performing all this silent labor behind the scenes, taking care of the empire and the friend group. Nobody has noticed all the effort you’ve been putting in, but I do. I want to thank you for it. You’re the one person keeping everyone going.”
Kallie hugged me back. “I’ll always take care of the people that got me through the Institute. Especially you.”
Chapter Seventeen
CHARLIE
Three agonizingly long, caffeine-fueled days passed since Casey’s birth, and Oberi and I hadn’t left the Hidden Legends Archives once. We were determined to find a way to locate a time vortex and end the Warden’s existence, but it was an arduous task that was already taking its toll. We passed out every night on the couches before rousing several hours later to continue our work. I would’ve forgotten to eat if the Demigod Guardians weren’t bringing us food from the kitchens. With their help tracking down promising records, and a new pair of reading glasses from Maverick, Oberi and I pored over endless tomes and files… and got nowhere.
I sat slumped over one of the tables with a huge book laid out in front of me, barely processing the hum of my glasses reading the passage. I had to turn back a page to start over, and still, the words sounded like gibberish. I shoved my fingers into my scalp and tugged on the strands, wanting to rip my hair out at this point.
Oberi noticed. We’re close, Charlie. I can feel it.
“You’ve been saying that for three days,” I growled.
We were alone in the Archives, since Takahashi had stepped out to get us lunch. In a frustrated rage, I shot out of my chair, which caused a stack of books to topple off the table and crash to the ground. I wished there was a punching bag around, but the only damn things in this room I could possibly take my rage out on were the books or support columns, and neither of those seemed like a good idea.
Instead, I pressed my palm to my forehead, where a tension headache had formed hours ago. “You don’t get it. Every second I spend trying to find answers is time I have to spend away from Casey. I missed the first three days of his life to do this, when I should have been there for him. It feels fucking awful that I’m not, and on top of it, we haven’t found anything that will ensure my son will actually have a world to grow up in.”
Oberi nudged his head against my leg. I understand how difficult this is. This is not how I wanted things to go, either, but we must persist. There are answers here somewhere. If you wish to visit Casey, we can take a break and I’ll accompany you to the NICU.
I sighed. “I just want to do the right thing for my son. At this point, I don’t know what that is. Let’s just… keep going.”
I knelt to pick up the stacks of books and loose papers that had scattered everywhere. As I was gathering them, my glasses picked up on a passage and began reading. “Legends of the mutabeecha indicate that their powers transcend all dimensions, allowing them to shape and manipulate reality as we know it.”
I came to an abrupt halt, and the paper shook in my hands. “Oberi… exactly how much do you know about time manipulation?”
Quite a lot, he boasted. I’ve told you that as a spiritual being I don’t see time as linear, but as happening all at once.
“Did you happen to know you could manipulate it?” I splayed the paper over the table, and Oberi hopped onto a chair to observe the records. “Is this how you knew about time vortexes— because you have this power?”
Oberi hesitated. I don’t understand. The knowledge I possess goes beyond this earthly realm, but I didn’t know I could manipulate the timeline myself. This can’t be right.
“Why not?” I pressed. “You’ve always been able to perceive time outside what the rest of us can. Even when Kallie went back in time and changed things, you were able to witness all those timelines at once. We know your perception is expanded to higher dimensions. Why not your powers, too?”
Because if I can do this, why don’t I remember how?
“It must be one of the things that’s blocked to you on this earthly plane, but if you went to the afterlife, maybe you could get that knowledge back,” I suggested. “What does the rest of the passage say?”
Oberi skimmed the document. It’s an ancient Elementai text detailing everything your people knew about mutabeecha, which isn’t much. It talks about shapeshifting, as well the concept of us being multi-dimensional beings.
“Does it mention time vortexes?”
Not specifically, but it’s coming back to me now… Oberi replied thoughtfully. I recall something… I remember peering into a time vortex while I was in the afterlife, surrounded by other mutabeecha.
“Can you summon a time vortex?”
Oberi hesitated. I’m… not sure I can in my current form. If I do it wrong, I could get sucked into the time vortex, too. I— I think it was a spell that all the mutabeecha had to do together. I can’t get a clear understanding of these mechanisms while I’m in this earthly realm, but this has to be the answer.
