"Chrono, how far away are we from the fish lady?" Catherine asks, struggling to keep her head above water.
"I'm not quite sure. We'll need a better strategy in order to get there faster and spare the people some casualties.." Chrono replies.
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The rain poured down even more with every shriek Noelani made.
At that moment, the both of them knew what they needed to do. They swapped their souls with their respective deities, and their almost invincible bodies made it possible for them to swim underwater without issues.
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Approaching the siren, Piravit tries her best to cover the Time Beast while he prepares his attack.
With a hearty roar from Piravit, the waves of water split away from the two, as a rift to the Phasing Dimension creates a crater of protection around the entire city.
Time Beast had began his attack, starting with the Roar of Time, which stopped everything.
For the first time, Piravit and Chrono worked together to fight the Timebreaker Noelani.
They landed hit after hit to damage the Timebreaker, and when the time returned, Noelani, in pain, screeched another horrid song.
More rain rushes to the ground. Chrono had to stop time once again to relieve the pressure of the rain.
"This will not end well. We have to go back in time and try again...but..."
"What?"
"We'll have to move even quicker to avoid repeating this."
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"...I can do that."
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"Good."
With a similar roar, time itself began to slow, then repeat itself in reverse. Catherine had barely any time to blink before they were back at her dorm, but this time, she had no time to stall.
She threw open the door, where Chrono appeared by her side. Catherine and Chrono sprinted towards the opening rift of time. Rain began to pour again.
"At least it's not as bad as was before.."
"We just have to stop Noelani before she manages to fully insert herself into the Human Realm.."
Chrono, in his normal form, stops time once again.
"Hurry Catherine! Run as quickly as possible! Get as close as you can!"
"What the hell? Why aren't you coming with me?!"
"I'll tell you later! Just please, go!"
Catherine, concerned and a bit afraid, pulled herself together and calls on the powers of the Phasing Dragon, letting the cyan flames envelope her hands.
Within seconds, Catherine pulls punch after punch, kick after kick, getting in as much damage as possible.
Chrono's time stop began to fade away, as the strain was beginning to be too much. Chrono's next move was to run as fast as he can to Catherine to aid her.
Catherine had just been blown away with the small gust that the hurricane had brought.
Catherine's face, arms and legs were covered in dirt and scrapes.
"Ow..." she stands up and turns to Chrono as a slight annoyed look flew across her face. "What the hell are you standing there for!?"
Chrono fumbles with a secret satchel that he had stored for events like this. He then pulls out a dagger, the blade's shape zigzagged like the thunderbolts flickering among the sky.
"Quick! Catch!" Chrono then slides the blade closer to her. "Infuse your energy into that blade! It's the only thing I have that could possibly stop her!"
Catherine swipes it from the moist ground, as cyan energy began forming a longer blade around the original one.
Catherine's face became stern with determination.
"Now Noelani...get the hell out of here!"
She runs as fast as she can with hilt in hand and begins to throw the sword, but as soon as she let it go.
It pierced flesh, but not from who she was hitting.
Nathaniel immediately staggers while the others began to roll up to his side.
"Nathaniel! A-Are you okay?" Isabelle cries.
"I am fine, Isabelle." Nathaniel slowly begins to pull the blade from his shoulder.
"Nate, don't! You'll bleed out!"
"I will survive until that happens..."
The dagger was torn out as Nathaniel drops to his knees. When the other Prodigies tried to get him back to his feet, he refused their attempt to help.
"Sorry for being late. We didn't realize something was wrong until just now..."137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡON0qs9qpac
Kenzo said, using his chains to protect himself from the rain.
Catherine takes the now bloodied blade from the ground in front of Nathaniel, reactivating the cyan blade.
The Prodigies, now reunited, take a fighting stance.
Noelani cocks her head in curiosity, then with a song, the pouring rain became a light drizzle.
"...She's giving us a fair fight." Arsenio says, pushing his hands into his pocket.
"Like she had a chance. She's still outnumbered, one to five!" Kenzo states, pulling out his chained scythes.
That's when Verna's voice yelled from behind.
"Don't lower your guard!"
"V-Verna?"
"T-Tempus: Cessatio!"
That's when time stops, including the Prodigies.
The Timekeeper floats closer to the group, pushing them aside, but too focused on her students to notice, she accidentally returns time to normal..
Suddenly, a strong barrage of thunderbolts began stomping down towards Verna, each bolt becoming even more stronger and painful than the last.
With each strike, Verna gets more hurt until her golden white hair is completely disheveled.
Verna ends up on her knees, staring into space.
"No...no...you can't...be serious..." Catherine whispered in disbelief.
The rain had completely stopped. As her body struggled to breathe, Verna looked to the sky with tears welling in her eyes.
"Prodigies..thank you..."
Verna gave them a small smile, knowing that her life wouldn't be the same.
"I've done the last thing I wanted to do for myself...dying protecting the Prodigies I tried tirelessly to train and grow fond of."
Verna's face turns to sadness as she begins to look at the darkness in front of her.
"...I wish we could've stayed together a little longer...I never really got to know you five...personally.."
She blinks her tears away.
Noticing the golden white cracks in her skin, Verna calls out a name to atmosphere above.
"...Eran..."
The Prodigies were extremely confused, but stood frozen in place.
"... I'm coming back...don't worry...I'll be there, I promise..."
Catherine couldn't stay quiet any longer.
"Who the hell is-"
Nathaniel holds her back.
"...Now is not the time for your remarks, Catherine..."
"You know what, I'm sick and damn tired of you, Nathaniel!"
"Me?"
"Ever since we've met, you've been the sharpest thorn in my side!"
"P-P-Prodigies..." Verna interrupted her rant. "There's n-no need to fight...I know you're confused and scared, but don't put that on your peers..."
Her face continues to shatter like glass.
"I know someone who can help... you'll have to trek a dangerous path, but I know you five together will make it to him..."
She pulls the watch shakily, pulling out a folded sheet of paper, handing it to Catherine. Shattered pieces clattered to the ground as she knelt down even more.
"A-And Prodigies...one more thing..."
A dazzling light began to envelope Verna as the Prodigies reach out to her. The last of her tears trickle down her cheeks as she muttered out her last words.
"...Don't give up. Fix the Fabric of Time, even if it takes a lifetime.."
She takes the watch from her neck and hands it to Nathaniel, who took it with hesitation.
"I'm leaving the power of stopping time to you Nathaniel..."
Catherine and the others stood back as fear and solemn struck their hearts.
Her skin...became that of porcelain, the final word she spoke forever plastered into a cold statue of death.
A warm light floated above it, but as soon as hope seemed to fill the Prodigies, Noelani swiped it from the air, before looking at the five with a stern look.
"N-No! Wait!" Catherine attempted to stop her.
The siren ignored her attempt though, and returned to the warp she came from, leaving the street a flooded mess, and the Prodigies with Verna's soulless statue.
Catherine could see Nathaniel grip the watch that Verna had gifted him. It's rims reflected the now shining sun's light, but no matter how bright the sun was, it wouldn't stop the somber shadow that cast upon the spirits of the Prodigies.
***
It was days after, and the Prodigies, still stricken with grief, split up to their own Time Periods.
Catherine was back at home, helping Talia with her studies and hanging out with her.
That's when a time warp opens with the other four Prodigies returning to her side.
Nathaniel wore the Timekeeper watch around his neck, holding his original watch in his hand.
Arsenio was carrying Isabelle as she slept, with Ezra watching him like a hawk.
"Hey guys..." Catherine says, slumping back in the cushion of her couch.
"...It is time to leave."
Nathaniel says this while placing his watch on the table, motioning her to return to the Sanctuary with them.
"If you ever want to join us, just put on the watch, alright?" Kenzo states with a small smile.
Talia glances at the watch, then the group.
"I'll think about it.."
Catherine stands up from her seat, placing a hand on Talia's shoulder.
"Think about it before you decide on this. Don't come along just because. Things are bound to happen where we're going."
"Things like?"
"I don't even know if we'll all survive. Verna said it's a dangerous place.."
Talia nods. "Alright..."
Catherine looks behind her as the other Prodigies slowly push their way back to the Time Realm, then follows behind. The warp closes behind her.
Back at the Sanctuary, the stuffy air of tension kept them from speaking to one another, so when Kenzo stood up, looking quite annoyed, it startled the rest.
"We shouldn't stay quiet like this! We need to prepare for our journey!"
"W-what?" Isabelle said, more tired than ever.
"If we just sit here without doing anything to avenge Verna or fixing the Fabric of Time, what are we Prodigies for?"
"I don't think you've noticed, but-" Arsenio began to say.
"I know what I've noticed, Arsenio. We need to get up. Right now."
Slowly but surely, every Prodigy stood up.
"Nathaniel, you're the leader. You tell us what we need to do next."
Nathaniel calmly dusts himself off and clears his throat, before directing the other Prodigies.
"We leave at dawn." He says with his back turned, before perching on the ceiling beam to read a book. The other Prodigies left to their own hobbies, Isabelle, Arsenio, and Ezra all taking a time warp to another place, and Kenzo silently leaving the Sanctuary.
Catherine decided this was the perfect time to mess with Nathaniel. She tries to jump up as similarly to him as possible, only to slip when she stepped higher.
Nathaniel was just about to flip to the next page when he noticed Catherine's struggle. He rolls his eyes and pulls her up, before leading her to the other nook which was similar to his.
Before she climbed to the other end, she snatched the book from his hands and began flipping through the pages.
"Whatcha reading Nathaniel?"
"Return that book to me, Catherine."
She mischievously giggled and continued to suspend herself by her legs while she continues to scan the book.
"Catherine.."
"It doesn't seem that interesting."
"Everyone has their tastes..."
"Well, I can't understand it. I think it's in French."
"It is. That is my first language."
She hands him back the book. "That's cool, I guess.."
She climbs to the other ceiling beam, uncomfortably sitting in it's corner.
"How the hell do you sit like this? This is super uncomfortable..."
"Thou does not have to keep thine feet on the perch as well. If thou happens to fall-"
"I've got it. While we're here, let's teach you some modern English so you can stop speaking in Shakespeare."
Her change of subject changed so quickly, Nathaniel couldn't keep track of what she was saying.
"Pardon?"
She sits horizontally to the perch, facing towards Nathaniel.
"It's really easy, we just have to change a couple words. Instead of thou, you'd say you, and thine would be yours."
"...Why change my dialect if you-"
Nathaniel stops. He realized Catherine had already brainwashed him into speaking modern English.
"See? You'll be speaking like us in no time!"137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2N2c5Jvob8
Catherine laughed.
Nathaniel scowled at her half- jokingly. "You witch... you have tricked me."
He noticed how easily the words easily slipped from his tongue. Nathaniel tries to keep himself from speaking any further.
"I knew you could do it. Good job Nate."
Nathaniel couldn't choose if he wanted to be angry with Catherine, frustrated with himself, or astonished at how easily he learned.
He succumbed to the dilemma, silently sticking his nose back into his book. Catherine jumps from the height of the near ceiling, bouncing onto her bed.
"Time well spent, eh Nathaniel?"
He stays silent.
She lays back, taking a deep sigh of relief.
"Y'know, you're not too bad after all. To think you were some pompous prick.."
"I am glad you think that way.." He says, flipping again to another page.
The tension started to pile again.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcXjkzXk6y
"... About the thing I said...that day..."
"What about it?"
"I don't feel like I really meant that. When I'm angry, I lash out at other people...it helps me calm down, I guess?"
She leans up to look Nathaniel in the face.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dGuXiT6jV
"I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry..."
Nathaniel darts his eyes towards her.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJmT2Xi7dB
"It is...fine. It was a stressful situation, after all."
That's when a time warp appeared. Arsenio, Isabelle, and Ezra all walked through it, all holding a drink in hand.
"You two are still here?" Ezra asks, head turned to one side in confusion. "I thought you and Kenzo would be out there together..."
"A-Are you two alright?"
"Uhh...yeah. We're just having small talk, I guess.." Catherine looks at the bubble tea the three had in their grip.
"Whatcha got there?"
Arsenio takes a drink before answering.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLABPg3rcxH
"Just bubble tea. They said they wanted one of their own, so I went to buy them one.."
Isabelle nods, proving what Arsenio said was fact.
"I-It's very delicious..."
Arsenio drinks again from his own beverage.
"Where's Kenzo?"
"I dunno, he left at the same time as you three."
"He'll be b-back, I'm sure of it.."
"Yeah, that goofball always comes back somehow.."
As if on cue, Kenzo slowly opens the door to the Sanctuary.
"Are we ready to leave?" Kenzo asks. "Why are you guys standing?"
"No, neither mentally nor physically. We were just talking." Nathaniel states.
"Oh..."
"But we should sleep either way. If we want to be well rested, that is." Ezra says.
"Then it's settled." Kenzo states. "Let's head to bed."
All five Prodigies prepare for bed. Only the day had things to bring to them.
Sleep consumed the Prodigies almost as much as their fear and nervousness. Were they all going to survive by the time they get to the top? Who was this friend of Verna and how will they help them bring back her soul?
These were questions scrambling around in the Prodigies head as they held their eyes shut.
To be continued in Prodigy: Casters of Time Chapter 6
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