Clockwork Maiden, Literally.

Unexpected Events

--Streets of Helmington, 0920 hours--

The sun can be clearly seen rising on the horizon, although some skyscrapers blocked the view. That's our Helmington, the city of industries and many skyscrapers.

Eva Chronodia, who else if it isn't me who sleekly moves past the crowd and hums happily like there's no problem within me.

"Eva!" A person called my name. I looked around me, hmm... I can't find the source.

"Eva! Eva!" They called me again, heft... but now I realized that the voice was a woman's. And the woman herself was one of my good friends... But I still. Can't. Find. Where. She. IS! This district is too crowded!

"Eva! Over here!” the voice gets nearer and nearer. "Eva, you airhead I'll smack your face, I know you're pretending not seeing me!"

Uh-oh, that voice, it’s Isabella, ahh… what am I supposed to do? She’s super scary if she’s angry.

“Uweeh… B-B-Bella, I couldn’t find you.” I rubbed the back of my head.

“Liar! You’re pretending, I knew you do!” she replied roughly.

“Ahahah, that’s not true, I’m really lost here…” I tried to defend.

What am I supposed to do, Bella’s gonna smash me with her big handy bag again. Should I go back in time…? Nonono… I won’t be a coward. I will face her frontally. I hear her voice reeling up behind me, now it’s very close!

“Eh?”

What a surprise, I thought. I turned the other way around and realized that she wasn’t there. I then turn my heading back to the other way and— “BOO!”

“EEEYAAAYAH!”

“Hahahahaha, gotchu’!” a woman suddenly appeared in front of me. She was sneaking behind me all this time, I believe that’s true… But, she could never be stranger. She can even like… what was that again, uh… teleporting to another place?

The woman I mention is Isabella Theodora, 19 years old. She is my childhood friend. We get quite close, but… I can feel she’s craving to do something that I DON’T want to do. Anyway, she always wears her picturesque black dress and grace felt hat. Her most notable feature is her brilliant blonde hair. But gosh, do I have to tell about her bad personality?

“Teehehehehehe, I really dislike it when you ignore me, Evie. HOOMP!” *THUMP *THUMP

“Yeouch! Stop that will you? Ahh, alright, alright, forgive me, please! I really didn’t notice where you are, I’m sorry, I mean it, please!”

Everyone looked at us, oooohhh… this is embarrassing. I pulled her hand with me to an alleyway to avoid being seen.

“Phew… no one’s following us, hehe.” I said in relief.

“Last time I didn’t get you, but this time, HA! I got your head fair and square!” Isabella stated happily. It is as if I was her rival in summer Olympics and she defeated me. She cheered over her winning. Well, she was never able to hit me because… I used Time Stop for over twenty five times to avoid her whapping. And yes, I nearly got bag-smacked for twenty five times, too! Huft!

Only this time I didn’t avoid her bag smashing. Quite curious what would she do, though, after all these years.

“Your super speed magic won’t be able to outrun my superbly trained arm, hahaha!” She said arrogantly. Heheh, she falsely thought I have super-speed magic or some sort. I tried to assure her my REAL magecraft, but…

“I’ve told you, Bella. I don’t have that kind of magic. I always stop the time when you’re about to hit me.” I said frankly.

“Hey, hey! *BONK* Time magic is nonexistent, you dummy.” Bella bopped me with her fist.

“Ouch… stop hitting me, will you?”

“It’s because you always bragged about an inexistent thing. My, my, you’re eighteen and you’re suffering from eight-year syndrome? I feel bad for you.” Isabella smirked mockingly at me.

“Then the heck’s with your smacking?!” I asked furiously.

“Oh, that? I’m hoping that your brain might get better from it… it turned out to worsen it, huh?”

“Bella, that’s rude of you!”

“Oh, please don’t get too snippy about it. I’m just messing with ya. Tee-hee.” She giggled. I can tell her heart’s pounding out the contemptuous sound wave. Huft…

…

We walk on the sidewalk into the district where I live. Talking a bunch of girly stuff that no men can understood. Isabella might have a princess exterior, but she’s a douchebag on the inside. I don’t even know how I ended up befriending her, though. Since when did I befriend her? Ever since I was thirteen years old, yup, quite long.

“So? Have you gotten any work, lately?” she asked casually.

“Work, huh? Apparently no, tee-hee,” I offhandedly replied.

“Get a job, will ya?” she said frowningly.

“I dunno… I don’t think doing so will do me any good, though. Hehe.”

“You’re going to fail miserably. At least find one, Evie, hah…” she sighed long.

“Try to be like me, I’m an administrator of people documents in my company. Huhuhu… not to mention I’m the best in there, tee-hee-hee.” She bragged.

“Hey, hey, Evie, why don’t you become my assistant, we’ll make a great team! You have super-speed magic, right? Oh, isn’t that going to be superb?” she said it unstopping, “I’ve told you, it’s not super speed, Bella.” I retorted quickly.

“Now, now… you know I have Inkwell magecraft! With that, we can deal all document handling in no time!” she suddenly got excited.

“I had told you for dozens of time, I don’t have that kind of magic. Besides, I’m not good at handling documents, not only that, how come your magecraft correlates to mine?”

“Hmph, not even trying and you declined it anyway, huh? How boring. But, oh, well…a city trotter will be trotters forever, kee-hee-hee,” she said with a bit of giggle.

Ten minutes later, I reached in front of Empor Apartment. Haah… what a tiring day to start with, an afternoon nap might do me good, hee-hee.

“Okay, Bella, see you later, I’ve got some works to do.” I opened the door and waved goodbye to her.

“Oh, alright, then, see you, too… wait, what? Did you say works?”

I didn’t really hear what she said there, I firmly closed the door after she bids me farewell. Oh, well. Heh.

I put my hat on the coatrack, and then I jumped onto my comfy coach. Phew, what a tiring morning I had. Encountering a marauder man and nearly got myself killed. I wonder, though… what was his intention in the first place, anyway?

I think twenty minutes have passed after I lay down on the coach, oh, dear, this is so comfy. But when I checked the clock... it's actually been an hour. It's 11.03.

…

My eyelids dropped sluggishly, I felt my eyes heavy. Oooh… how sleepy I am…

…

..

.

..

…

The beautiful vessel of the human race…

…Ah… The beautiful vessel of the human race…

……Truly… The beautiful vessel of the human race…

…

..

.

…Wake up.

*KABOOOOOOOOOOM!

“HAH?!?!” I got extremely shocked by a big blast sound. The heck’s going on?

I went out of my room and hurried going downstairs. “Huh…? Huh? HUH?! What the hell happened here?!”

There are thick smokes coming heavily from the floor below! Oh, god, is it from the kitchen?!

“Granny! *cough* *cough* Ach! This is bad…!” The kitchen’s pouring out smoke intensely. I can see flames coming out, too.

Where-where-where, I remember seeing a fire extinguisher… *ZWAASH!*

“EEEEEK!” A portion of my skirt got licked by the fiery blaze. Of course, I reflectively pat it.

“Ah, no-no-no, get off me, get away from me, you fire!” I patted my skirt quickly. It appears shrapnels of fire landed on flammable furniture, too, dammit…!

Wait… oh, no, oh no, oh no…! My grandma, granny… she’s on the first floor!

“Granny! Answer me!” I tried rushing through the dense blackening smoke columns.

“Agh… *cough* *cough*…” I collapsed down because I can’t breathe inside the puffs of intense smoke. The black smoke invades my nostrils, so it is incredibly hard for me to inhale oxygen. Trying to maintain consciousness, I hardly crawl into the next room.

I was shocked.

There’s a dead man directly not far from me, probably trying his best to get out of the living room. Leaving the man behind, I crawled into the source of flame in the kitchen.

“W-What’s wrong… my sights are fading out…” I nearly fainted, but I managed to stay intact. It appears I sucked too much smoke. Too much, until I believed that my lungs are full of them. The fire is all around the corners of the room I entered.

Hoarsely, I shouted, “GRANNY!!!”

My eyes haze off, I couldn’t think clearly, and just when I’m about to give in, a series of explosion burst off.

*BOOOM! *BLLAAAAR!!!*

“Eeeyaaah!” I shrieked unconditionally. It’s super close to me! It resulted in the wall just about four meters from me collapsed into my direction. Gladly it didn’t hit me.

“H-Huh…? Hah….hah…. no-no-no…!”

The fire torched some of my skin. It’s excruciatingly painful, but I must hold them. I must find my grandma. But when I just recollect myself, I saw something just behind the fallen wall. I crawl closer in hardship to see clearly. I then see a huge wall of flame… and a dead person, right next to it. It’s… granny…?!

“NOOOOO!!! Granny!”

…

“No… No-no-no, I don’t… I don’t want this to happen, NOOO! Please, please, activate, quick!”

I’m trying to maintain composure. It’s painful to see her dead before my eyes. I turned my back against the floor. I saw the ceiling all covered up in thick black smoke.

Pain, suffering, destruction in front of my eyes… I always felt angry when something precious taken away from me. I believe everyone would act the same. I felt sad and angry, but I never experience the feeling of loss.

Because I can control the flow of time!

The illusion of clock ticking appears above me, the magic circle has been activated!

“Take me back!”

[Clockwork Phase One - Time Return!]

And so, the chaotic scene stopped. And starts shifting backwards like a fast rewind…

I determined around sixty minutes or an hour that I should be returning. Oh, man, I hope my heart can take it…

The clock starts ticking backwards. And finally, an hour have I returned.

[Clockwork - Continue!]

...

..

.

--Helmington City, Empor Apartment, Front Door, 1016 hours—

...

“Ergh?!” I instantly open my eyelids after the time returned. I felt slightly dizzy… something’s not right. I was supposedly to return into the same place but different time, but somehow I ended up… where, um… outside?

I hold my head in a tense headache. I don’t get it, why did this happen? If in this state, I couldn’t stably use my time magic. I might end up either too far or too short back in time if I use it again in this unfocused self.

Somehow… a familiar voice rings my ears.

“Hey, Evie? Evie? Evie!, what’s wrong with you, Evie?”

Ah… it’s Bella. I just remembered that she and I parted here just in front of my apartment.

“Eva, weren’t you supposed to be in that building right now?” she asked jokingly.

I dropped myself on my knees to the concrete road. “Get serious, Bella… my head hurts so much, you know?”

“Ahahahahaha, did you use a new speed magic: The Random Move, I wonder?”

“Argh… shuddap,” I hushed her. “Okie-okie, let me help you, tee-hee,” she said in a bit of giggle. What a damned bestie, hmph.

She helped stand on my feet. I hardly maintain stability, making her really curious on what’s going on to me. Well, telling her I have time magic won’t help anyway, she won’t believe me.

“Take care of yourself, lest you die dumb.”

“I won’t.”

“I see. Well, then, I’ll head back to my place, see ya—

“—W-Wait! Can you help me?” I stopped her. I realized something, perhaps I can make use of her to help me out.

She stopped and turned around at me, “Huh… help you with what…?”

…

..

.

A few moments later, I had Isabella with me into the apartment. I checked the first floor was still clear of smoke, good, now’s the time to head for the kitchen, where the fire will start.

We reached the kitchen, goodness, it’s clear of fire.

“Phew…” I sighed gladly.

“Wait a second, Evie…” she walked into the stove works and inspected it. “This is really-really bad, the gas pipes are messed up here… if the stove starts, it will likely to explode.”

She explained it to me. The stove control that granny’s been using was a bit torn up. Any fire will cause a huge explosion, good lord.

“Good thing I accepted your help request, huh? I’ll call the best engineers in town. Pay the bill later, OK?”

…

Five minutes later, highly-skilled engineers came to our apartment. Granny thought that the apartment would be sealed off, but I told her about the situation. Later, she thanked my friend, Bella, for her help. The chaos has been averted.

I hoorayed at my—no, OUR success loudly. “Yay, as expected of Miss Isabella and her work relatives!”

“Hm, hm,” Bella nodded, “Compliment me more, heheh, but don’t call them my work relatives though…”

“Now, now…! I really can’t express how happy I am to have you, Bella!” I smiled highly to her.

Phew, mission complete! That’s what I thought!

“Aren’t you expressing it, right now… hm?” one of the engineers gave a paper to her. She took it with a blank stare and looked at me. Her face melts into a scary look.

“Here’s the bill, Evie~!”

“S-Seriously?” I cowered slowly.

Indeed we successfully averted a deadly incident, but at a high cost. “Dammit, Isabella! Really loves to leave the bill to me! But this time I’ll let you slip past, because you helped me.” I clenched my hand in secrecy.

But hey, an item can still be repaired and restored. But if one’s life disappears… it’s irreplaceable. Actually, though… I never felt that in my life. Because if anyone precious to me died because of an accident or something, I would absolutely go back in time and avert their deaths.

While thinking of that, suddenly a man named Mr. Archibald spoke to us.

“Uh… I think messed up, I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience, everyone.” Said Mr. Archibald pardoning to us, it appears he’s the one who caused the torn up gas pipes. He was fixing the fire starter in a bit… harsh way, he said.

He got scolded by granny’s wrath.

“Huwaaahh, I felt super glad…” my thumping heart relaxed down a bit.

“Why? Nothing’s happened. I fixed everything, don’t you think?” said Bella proudly.

“Yeah… I know… I really thank you for that.”

“Why… you dummy girl, it is as if you knew what will happen.” She bopped me again.

...

...

Silently, in my heart rings out my inner voices:

“Well, Isabella… I did know what will happen, and I’m glad that you helped me put a stop to it, thus making the timeline restored!”