mrmrcia

What if time kept on turning back again, and again…

… And again?

In the faithful day that Duchess Ilya von Bismarck had been waiting for her whole life, she had finally uncovered the identity of the lone culprit who made, not only the Empire, but the world suffer.

Not from a thorough investigation, not from a dedicated manhunt, but from a mere coincidence. 

The time to capture the aid of the apocalypse -- the ring bearer of pandemics, the piper of the Bacharoths, the murdered, the warmonger -- was within her reach. 

Or so she thought.

Perhaps, the schemes of time were in control. 

Instead of seeing her sword impale the heart of the culprit, the Duchess suddenly opened her eyes to the grainy darkness of her room. Her makeshift bedroom -- the one she had used until she was fifteen years of age. 

Ilya had gone back in time, gifted with the recollections of nearly all of the events in the first timeline. 

But she wasn’t the only one. 

The carriers of the truth, those who were aware of how bleak the future of the world was…

… They remembered almost everything. Regrettably, the only thing they had forgotten was the most important information -- The identity of the culprit and the circumstances surrounding them. 

Faithful to their mission of stopping the perpetrator, the Duchess and the Time Criminals were on the move to search for the culprit. 

Even if it meant that they had to go back in time over and over again.

The Duchess and the Time Criminals

"Commanders of the Knightage, please rest assured that we won't be acting beyond our means. I bid you all a, hopefully, short farewell."

Ilya bowed her head afore the Commanders, making sure that her sincerity would be conveyed. The Commanders readily returned her well-intended gesture with another. The Lady then gave a nod at Leahmir Dantalion to set the woman's mind at rest.

Dantalion insisted on going with Ilya, but the latter rejected her request. Ilya considered the woman's safety and knew that it would be better if she left her in the care of the knights.

Shortly thereafter, Ilya departed with the Obelisk Sorcerers. Having regained her strength after drinking her medicines, Ilya chose to run en route to the lake.

The Obelisk Sorcerers, who were not adept in anything physical, painstakingly tried to keep up with the Lady. Ilya didn't have the courtesy to wait for them since their response had already been delayed.

1st Recursion: Hamlin County (30)