Migraine From a Time Primordial

Phaenora's body trembled as she tried to speak. Her lips were moving but the words were trapped in her throat, suffocating her. She stared up at Vastarael, panic flooding her chest.

"Veneri... we've made a mistake. The manta ray, the Krepsunas..."

But no matter how hard she tried to force the words out, they wouldn't come. It felt as though an invisible force had clamped down on her mind, trapping her in a cage of silence. Her heart raced and the breath in her lungs became shallow, as if she were drowning in an ocean of unspoken truths.

Her head began to throb, a sharp, stabbing pain like nothing she had ever felt before. It was as if someone had driven a needle into her skull and twisted it, deeper and deeper with every attempt to speak. She clutched her head, her fingers digging into her temples, but it did nothing to ease the pressure building inside her mind. She fell to her knees, her breath caught in her throat.

The pain was unbearable. A scream ripped from her throat as her entire body shook under the force of the migraine. Her vision darkened at the edges, the sound of her own voice ringing in her ears.

The same spot where the Vialex's bow had struck her before, when she had died, was extremely painful. She felt it again now, the same excruciating sensation. It was as if the bow had never left her head. The scar, the pain, the pressure, it was all returning. But this time, it was worse.

Her breath came in ragged gasps, each word like shards of glass in her throat. She wanted to tell him everything. To warn him, to make him understand.

But she couldn't.

[If you tell him, you will shatter the artificial timeline.]

Phaenora's mind, already struggling under the weight of the migraine, froze at the voice that echoed through her head.

It wasn't her own thoughts, not a whisper in her subconscious.

'Thyrexxa?'

[You cannot tell him,] Thyrexxa's voice whispered, more like a command than advice. [The timeline you are in now is fragile. If you speak the truth, if you tell him what happened, it will shatter. And with it, the one you care for will die.]

Phaenora's blood ran cold. She tried to speak, to shout in protest, but the migraine surged again and she fell to her knees, clutching her head as if the force of the words alone could break her mind.

"Hey Phaenora? Are you okay?"

[You must not break the timeline,] Thyrexxa continued, her voice chillingly clear in Phaenora's consciousness. [You've already been given a second chance to undo. A single timeline, not of your making, but one you must now preserve.]

The weight of the words crushed down on Phaenora's chest and for a moment, she could barely breathe.

'A second chance?'

But Thyrexxa didn't stop there.

[There is something you must do to set things right. The Bioluminescent Manta Ray, the one who's followed you in this timeline, is the key. You must kill it. You must sever its connection to the timeline. Otherwise, this moment will repeat.]

"What…?" Phaenora gasped, her breath coming in short bursts, her mind spinning. She wanted to shout, to cry out in frustration, but her mind felt tangled. "Why… Why do I have to kill it? You really are an insufferable bitch."

[...]

"What?"

[Because if you don't, you will be trapped in this loop. This repetition will continue until you succeed, but each time, it will be worse. You will lose everything you've fought for. And eventually, you will turn into a monster, no longer yourself, no longer human.]

Phaenora's hands shook as she clutched her forehead. A monster? The words resonated in her mind, echoing with the horror of it. It reminded her of Peccavi's first form.

She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let herself become something else entirely, something... monstrous.

The voice of Thyrexxa grew softer, yet no less commanding.

[I've given you one chance. Peccavi was given one because she was human and you have been granted the same. One chances to end this, to sever the timeline and set things right.]

Her heart clenched. She thought of the second Peccavi, the one who had seen her, who had seemed to know something she didn't understand. Now it all made sense.

[You will have one chance and if you fail… you will lose everything. Vastarael will die, and you will become something far worse than what you could ever imagine.]

Phaenora's breath hitched in her chest, a cold sweat breaking out over her skin. The pain in her head was almost unbearable now but she forced herself to focus. She had to think.

She had to stop the Manta Ray.

[And next time, don't curse me like that. I care about Vastarael more than you do. He's my last hope to save this Territory. Next time you argue with me, I will make him forget you forever and separate you two.]

She froze.

[I planned this from the every beginning. This is why I told him to get the Orchestral Vialex. So don't patronize me, bitch.]

The migraine was too much that she screamed one last time before it suddenly faded.

But even as Thyrexxa's voice faded away, the weight of the decision bore down on Phaenora. Her fingers trembled as she lifted them to her face, wiping away the tears that threatened to overwhelm her once again.

One chance.

The stakes were higher than anything she could have ever imagined.

She looked up at Vastarael, who was still unaware of the depth of what had transpired. He still believed they had escaped. He still believed they were in a moment of peace, of calm. But she knew deep down, that this peace was temporary. Everything was temporary. She had one chance to make things right and if she failed, everything would be lost.

The first chance would come soon. She had no time to waste.

And as the realization of her burden fully hit her, the tears began to flow once more, not of grief, but of rage. This wasn't just about saving Vastarael anymore. This was about her soul, about her very essence, and the terrifying consequences of failing.

The migraine still pulsed in her head, but now, she had a single purpose. One goal.

The Manta Ray had to be subdued.

And also... she didn't expect Thyrexxa to hear her outburst.

'I am NEVER threatening her again.'

"Phaenora? Would you mind explaining what is going on?"