The Time Keeper

Chapter 74 - Group Sickness

Standing in the illusory world, I felt a familiarity. This place was no stranger to me, in fact, I had been here before in both my dreams and again with the conflict of Fritz Haand in the theatre.

Beside me, Rex knelt on the ground. His form was still battered and bloody, but the agonizing torment that had wracked his body had subsided. His breaths came slower now, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm as he surveyed his surroundings with cautious curiosity.

With a trembling hand, Rex lifted his arm, his gaze fixed on the scarred tissue that marred his flesh. The effects of turning and spiralling into madness had dissipated, leaving behind only faint traces of pain and exhaustion.

"What did you do?" Rex's voice was hoarse, his tone tinged with disbelief as he struggled to comprehend the sudden shift in his condition. "Where are we?"

I remained silent, my mind racing with questions and uncertainties. What had I done? How had I managed to transport us to this place again? This must be the Pocket Watch's doing.

This place, this illusory world, also seemed to hold the potential to negate the negative effects of losing control too. To offer solace, as Rex's condition was getting better by the second.

As I pondered the mysteries of the illusory world, my attention was drawn to the shifting sea of cogs that stretched out before me, a mesmerizing display of cosmic beauty. Each cog turned and interlocked with the others in perfect harmony, creating a symphony of motion that seemed to pulse with a life of its own.

But amidst the swirling sea of cogs, my gaze was drawn to something in the distance on the horizon.

A figure. One with long cascading crimson hair that billowed in the phantom breeze.

As the figure turned to face me from afar, a chill swept through the air, sending shivers down my spine.

A cold sweat broke out on my forehead and back, the hairs on my neck standing on end. Instinctively, I averted my gaze, unable to meet the figure's stare.

With a sense of urgency, I turned to Rex, my fingers closing around the pocket watch clutched in his hand. Without hesitation, I deactivated the illusory world, willing us both back to reality.

As the world around us shifted and warped, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. Opening my eyes, I found myself back in the dimly lit room of the Stanway Estate, Rex kneeling beside me with a look of bewilderment on his face.

Looking around, I saw Fleur and Caius in the same spot as when I had left, their expressions unchanged as if no time had passed at all.

Fleur rushed over to me, her concern etched across her features as she took a look over my hand and arm. The same area where Rex had the scaring and damage from the Pocket Watch. "What happened, are you ok?" she asked.

Caius knelt down beside Lucas, offering a reassuring hand as he helped him regain consciousness. Lucas groaned softly, his movements sluggish as he struggled to sit up.

I touched my nose gingerly, wincing as I felt the sticky warmth of blood staining my fingertips. "It's nothing," I muttered, brushing off Fleur's concern. "Just a bloody nose."

The adrenaline that had been coursing through me this entire time must be slowly wearing off now.

Turning to look down at Rex, Fleur passed by me and went up to him.

"This isn't what King would have wanted," she remarked softly, her gaze lingering on the wounded man before her.

Rex remained silent, his eyes downcast as if weighed down by the burden of his actions.