To have your challenge entry recorded, please write your piece as a reply to this thread . As a central theme of Consistency is the existence of time — ensuring that you are writing on a timely and daily basis — the theme of this month’s prompts will also be about time.
Today's prompt: [Time Travel]
Definition: travel through time into the past or the future.
╰┈➤ Write a piece that involves time travelling.
Word Count: Minimum 200 words, no maximum
Word Count: 1,246 words
In a split second, Yena could only register a few things: a cacophony of shouts and searing heat enveloping her skin.
The next second, she was on muddy soil under a canopy of fragrant emerald trees. Her heart raced and every inch of her prepared for surprise attacks. Where was she? What happened? Where is everyone? Even as her thoughts raced to make sense of what happened, her senses immediately felt for the nature of energy and mana surrounding her.
There was the press of earthen energy, pushing against her legs sunk into the mud. (When did she even lose her footing? She needed to get a grip.) And softly lapping against her arms, too, was plant energy emitted by the multitude of trees, bushes, and endless grass. The two energies, constants in a forest, maintained its [undulating] waves around her.
Without moving a muscle, Yena reached out her senses to feel for any miasmic energy, Andor energy, or any of the energies of friend or foe.
She felt none.
Yena tried again, willing her training to work. Still, her search bore no fruit.
As the realization began to sink in—of being alone, of being alone in this forest, of the likelihood that she was too weak to defend herself—Yena could only stare at the circling patterns of the emerald tree across her.
Calm down.
Her breathing quickened.
Just think.
She gulped and closed her eyes.
Think. Or rest.
Yena brought a hand to her forehead, attempting to fight a forming ache.
What would Ikarus do?
"Miss?"
Yena's heart skipped a beat—she swore her own chest beat fiercely against itself— as she stumbled back. Her feet and knees dug deeper into the mud as her hand grabbed for anything she could—
A sharp thorn from emerald roots pierced her palm. She hissed and mentally cursed herself.
"Miss! Please, I won't hurt you."
Only then did Yena register that the voice was that of... a child.
Nursing her bleeding hand close to her chest, she looked at the source of the voice. There, half-hidden by a bush and shaded by her hood and the tree canopy, was a child who looked no older than six.
She would scold herself for calming down in the future—in her line of work, even kids might be dangerous, when you're alone and cornered—but, then again, the kid was, like, five and a half.
Maybe the kid finally noticed Yena calmed down, and so she stepped forward out of the bush. Stepping through the mud almost too strategically for her age, Yena noted, the child made her way to her. Who still remained frozen with her knees in the mud.
When the child let down her hood, Yena's heart made its second beat-skipping within the last two minutes.
The child looked to be a young, very young, Amira.
"A—" Yena stopped herself.
Little Amira-like blinked, before reaching out for her hand. "I can help."
"Huh?" Yena felt her wits dropping every second she was in this place.
"I can heal the wound. Teacher taught me how."
"Huh," Yena could only say as she blankly let the child hold her hand. She thought nothing of letting a child handle injuries, still stunned. However, as a familiar green glow formed itself around her hand, slowly encasing it in a small green orb, she knew she was right. This energy, this glow, can only be Amira.
And immediately, her mind caught up.
"Um, child," Yena said, softly so as not to startle the child. Though, based on the child's nod even as she wore a focused frown, Yena thought she was probably the more shaken among the two. Not the little Amira. "May I ask, just to be sure..."
Little Amira said nothing.
"What day is it today?"
The child blinked at her, caught off guard. The green light flickered and, noticing that, she immediately went back to frowning and focusing on Yena's wound. "Did you injure your head too, Miss?"
Yena couldn't help but smile. "No." At least, she didn't think so. "But I just want to make sure. I... kinda lost track of time here in the forest."
"Miss, the nearest town is just two kilometers from here."
Oh. Her senses must be too drained from the battle to reach that far. She needed to work on that. "I must have been more rattled than I thought," she said, chuckling awkwardly.
"Hmph. Clearly."
"...so? What day is it?"
The child sighed. She must either be tired of Yena... or she was thinking Yena was strange. "It's Tuesday."
"Year... 2009, perhaps?" Though if I'm right, then probably not.
"Huh? No, it's the year 1997."
I knew it. Yena sighed, closing her eyes before snapping it open. Wait. "Aren't you... five?"
"No," the child said with more force, almost glaring at her even as she tried to maintain the green glow. Oh, Yena noted, the pain has eased a little. "I am eight years old," she said with a pout.
Yena smiled, biting back a laugh. By the look of her face and the mumbles coming out of her pout, Little Amira must have been questioned regarding her age multiple times. "I see. I'm sorry."
"It's alright," the child mumbled. "I know I'm shorter than the others."
Yena couldn't stop the chuckle brought by that.
The child glared at her. "You are very weird."
Yena smiled back, deigning not too rebut her statement. She may be right, after all. As the child went back to work, Yena let silence envelop them both. Basking in the familiar green glow of Amira's energy and the warmth emitted by the young Vessel nursing her hand, Yena felt her eyelids and shoulder sag as tension seeped out.
Her eyes wandered around the forest, golden light flittering through the cracks in the tree canopy—from an upcoming sunset, most likely. The breeze was almost non-existent and only came from the direction Little Amira came from. That must be where the town was.
The green glow surrounding her hand gradually ceased. As it faded to nothing, Yena returned her attention to the child in front of her. "Thank you," she said, smiling as the child stepped back and let go of her hand.
Little Amira nodded, putting her hands on her waist as she puffed up her chest. "You're welcome. My ability is meant to help others."
Yena smiled fondly. Images of older Amira, the Amira she knew, flashed across her mind's eye. "Yes, it is. However..." Before she could stop herself, Yena rested her hand —the very one Little Amira healed—on the child's shoulder. "Your ability shouldn't decide your responsibility. It was you who decided to help me, not your ability." With her other hand, Yena patted the child's head. "You are very kind. Thank you."
Little Amira flushed to her ears and stepped back. Wrapping her hooded jacket closer to herself, in adorable embarrassment, the child turned around. "You are very weird," she muttered, but before Yena could add anything, she continued, "but okay."
Smiling, Yena stood up. At her movement, the child blinked at her.
"Let's go. I'll lead you to town," she offered, turning around and walking before Yena could even say sure.
Yet as she stepped forward to follow in Little Amira's little footsteps, a searing white light enveloped her.
A cacophony of shouts.
Bright, blue skies.
The worried faces of her friends.
Behind her, solid ground.
Ah. She's back.
Hiishkri divined the green-blue crystals spread over the cave walls. Three of the six sides fell into shape.
Iisli. Vhali. Ual.
The insects of the crystal are nervous, explore the waterfall.
Hiishkri stood up, readied himself for the day, and walked out with a skin bag in his hand.
On the way he met Hulvri. Two small tusks went into a gleeful wrinkle when Hulvri spotted the skin bag.
Hulvri walked in the way, "Out for the crystals again?"
"Iis. Can you let me through."
"You must be stupid as stone. They tell you nothing."
"Let me through."
Hulvri stepped to the side. "Don't go to the fall. Something kicked the insects up in a frenzy, wouldn't wanna be near it."
Hiishkri ignored Hulvri and walked through the gate onto the plains.
The plains were not completely flat. There was a slight slope that Hiishkri was fighting against.
The animals are all in unrest. They swarm around and fly to the town. One of the animals, a cat-like entity, trampled over Hiishkri and he was sent flying.
Coughing, Hiishkri went back to the village.
"Told you so," muttered Hulvri, and carried Hiishkri on his back. Hiishkri was surprisingly light, but firm. It reminded Hulvri of hollow wood.
He carried Hiishkri back to his home. When they walked through the door, Hiishkri jumped away from Hulvri with a cry, limped over to the crystals, and rearranged them.
"These crystals are not going to help cure your wounds."
"They give my wounds meaning," retorted Hiishkri.
The crystals danced around, waves of silver and glitter. They much shone like the bottom of a clear river, gems and stone glistening in the sunlight, a hidden beauty just waiting to be seen by Hiishkri and Hulvri. But they were more than that; they carried their language throughout the waves of time.
Iisli. Vhali. Ual. Riika. Tampiid.
Hiishkri divined the green-blue crystals spread over the cave walls. Three of the six sides fell into shape.
Iisli. Vhali. Ual. Riika. Tampiid.
The insects of the crystal are nervous, explore the waterfall. This timeline, the plains have a stampede, go through the forest.
Hiishkri stood up, readied himself for the day, and walked out with a skin bag in his hand.
On the way he met Hulvri. Two small tusks went into a gleeful wrinkle when Hulvri spotted the skin bag.
Hulvri walked in the way, "Out for the crystals again?"
"Iis. Can you let me through."
"You're going to the forest."
"Iis."
"Take care."
Hiishkri walked into the forest. There was little vegetation in the way, mostly trees. It was eerily quiet. The animals, he realized, must all have gone for the plains.