[13th of July 2064, Sunday, 10:05 AM, Berendin Manor.]

  [After taking a while to clear his mind, Lucas dials Mezil’s number.]

  LUCAS

  Uncle Mez, did… did you hear about Dad?

  MEZIL

  A strange question to ask. Your grandfather made it clear that he contacted me first, didn’t he? I’m supposed to make sure you rejoin your family on time.

  LUCAS

  But… our conversation… Your mom, she… She passed away abruptly after you got married, right?! I’m sure your story wasn’t a dream.

  MEZIL

  Lucas, meet me in my office immediately. I would prefer to discuss this matter face to face.

  LUCAS

  What about packing for the trip?

  MEZIL

  You’ll have plenty of time after. See you soon.

  [Lucas jumps off the bed, puts on his clothes, and rushes to the bathroom to rinse his mouth, plus drink some water. The event is rather haphazard in its execution.]

  LUCAS

  Office… office… Where’s the office anyway?

  [He stops in front of the mansion map to find the location.]

  LUCAS

  Alright, North Wing. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever gone there before…

  [The young man makes his way to the office and knocks on the door.]

  MEZIL

  You may enter. Close the door on your way in.

  [Lucas enters as instructed. Mezil is already waiting in his armchair. Caught off guard, Lucas stops to admire the historical stained glass windows of the Supreme Judge’s office.]

  LUCAS

  Stained glass for office windows… That’s not something I see every day, even in Dad’s ultra rich circles.

  MEZIL

  They were installed over the lifetime of one of my predecessors. He was a glassmaker before he became a Supreme Judge, and his prior expertise greatly benefitted the Artificer department of the era. These panes were his Magnum Opus as an artist, so his memoirs said. They represent the tale of the Seven Sages, founding members of the Magus Association, teaching the next generation.

  LUCAS

  The Sages are all wearing masks… Does that mean they’re like Aunt Lucidia and Mister Gaelic? Folk whose identities are kept secret for everyone except the Supreme Judge and the Grandmaster?

  MEZIL

  You’re free to interpret it that way.

  [Lucas rubs the back of his hair.]

  LUCAS

  Okay… A glassmaker, huh? From what I’ve read, none of the known Supreme Judges had a consistent background. Anyone from anywhere could be elected as one, somehow. Even those without a formal magic education.

  MEZIL

  And I suspect you may soon find out why. However, we have more pressing issues at the moment. Please, take a seat.

  [Mezil gestures an open hand to a chair across his desk, prepared for Lucas. The young man sits down.]

  MEZIL

  …I hoped that the truth would have revealed itself in a less personal manner. All things considered, it’s been an unusually peaceful summer. Until now.

  The sting of death never leaves, though us Reds do eventually get used to it, despite how cold that may sound.

  LUCAS

  Y-you knew Dad died? That means… I’m… I’m not having a nightmare.

  Is this what they call a ‘groundhog day loop’? Holy shit. Are we talking about time-travel???

  MEZIL

  Yes. The twisting and bending of the cosmos is the final level of Red Magic.

  Read out the time on your phone for me.

  LUCAS

  It’s… 10:22 AM

  MEZIL

  Observe.

  [The Supreme Judge snaps his finger before Lucas. At that moment, the world turns grey. The next time Lucas blinks, he finds himself standing right in front of the closed office doors again. Immediately, the young man checks his phone.]

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  LUCAS

  10:18 AM… Shit, it’s exactly what I experienced before.

  [Lucas rushes to re-enter the room, this time without prompting for permission, and also without taking a moment to admire the stained glass.]

  MEZIL

  As you can see, your very actions have changed from the revelation of this knowledge. You knew I was expecting you. Likewise, you’ve lost your sense of awe.

  You must be wondering, ‘Why me?’ The answer is simple: you’ve manifested your Mark, the proof of your maturity as a Red. And those who can likewise solidify their authority will also gain the ability to redo the past.

  Young. Old. Rich. Poor. It matters not. Willpower does not discriminate. Even a humble glassmaker sat in this office before, qualified solely by the strength of their Determination.

  LUCAS

  I’m confused. Are you saying that I could snap my fingers and time-travel too?

  MEZIL

  Not quite. Among the Determined, there’s always one above all others, crowned as the strongest of the strong. Capable of shaping fortune and cheating death, success becomes an absolute, inevitable guarantee, thus earning them the title of ‘The Living Victory’.

  That is who I am.

  Still, should you become the strongest in my stead, even if only for the briefest moment, that title could be yours. Consider it a blessing in disguise that this has not yet happened to you, for it often comes in death’s embrace.

  Under normal circumstances, your mind would never perceive the possibility of time-travel beyond the realm of fiction. But when the Determined are struck a lethal blow, their survival instincts activate, desperate to save themselves. And that is how most Reds discover the power to rewind time, myself included.

  In modern gaming terms, that would be a ‘Save’ and ‘Load’ system.

  That said… I’ve called you here for a reason.

  LUCAS

  It’s because Dad died, right? I think his death was the cause of the groundhog loop. But, surely he didn’t use this time travel power?

  MEZIL

  Correct. He’s not a Red Major like us, and would never manifest that ability. What you had experienced was by my hand, rewinding time and pulling strings to save Art.

  But I’ll be honest; I did not want to use this power. Not yet. Not with your training still incomplete. You’re not ready to bear the weight of responsibility that comes with time travel.

  LUCAS

  What will it take for me to prove my worth?

  MEZIL

  Pass The Trial of the Crimson Hall. Before then, you cannot remember any of this. Infact, I must make you forget. That is my duty as The Supreme Judge.

  LUCAS

  Hold on! Isn’t mind-wiping someone a form of HVM???

  MEZIL

  It would be, but there’s one method that brings little to no harm: it is to lower your Determination to the point where you will lose the ability to remember time rewinding.

  LUCAS

  Ah. I think I get it. After you put some sort of limiter on me or whatever, you will just need to set me back to a point where I’ve not yet heard the bad news, nor this explanation.

  But… if I'm going to forget everything, including the story about your mom, why are we still talking? I mean, what’s the point?

  MEZIL

  It’s because ‘I’ will remember. Your responses. Your reactions. Your decisions. They will influence my next course of action, whether you realise it or not.

  In addition, after the Trial, your memories will be returned to you. That much I can promise you.

  LUCAS

  Okay. If you put it that way, how about telling me everything then? Put all the cards on the table. Maybe I can help, someway, somehow.

  MEZIL

  If you insist.

  Over the course of repeating time, I’ve discovered deeper machinations behind the incident. The second victim happens to be the CEO of Eldritch Fields, Gareth Paxton-Temple. You may have heard of him as an intrepid entrepreneur who invests in struggling companies with high hopes of turning them around.

  LUCAS

  Yeah. Come to think of it, Tavia told me about the products he’s been promoting. All state-of-the-art magitek. For example, there’s this VR set, but for magic, and… and… its user data got leaked in the recent hacking incident!

  MEZIL

  Exactly. And that is where the tragedy began: Art Moriarty was chosen as their new digital security contractor. Each of their future products would come equipped with his top-of-the-line protection against malicious activity. He flew there to finalise the details, and to prove his innocence.

  LUCAS

  …Was Dad targeted by jealous competitors or spurned clients or something?

  MEZIL

  No. The real target was Gareth Paxton-Temple. As part of his effort to restore the company, he was also one of the rare CEOs who’d try to eliminate corporate corruption instead of relishing in it, thereby hurting the wallets of those formerly in power.

  Furthermore, The United States of Vinland never did view magic kindly. Superstitious. Prejudicial. Fearful. Many saw the rise of Eldritch Fields as a creeping invasion against their way of life: a symbol of the ‘dangerous oppressive forces of the old world’ that their forefathers had fled from.

  In this social climate, their political leaders fostered a rotten root that not even I -- a time traveller -- can weed out. It runs as deep as the abyss itself. Anyone who tried to play their games and dance to their tunes perished one way or another. Same was true for Judge Pashowar.

  Your father was merely unfortunate collateral damage in a web of conspiracy and deceit centered around disdain for Gareth Paxton-Temple.

  LUCAS

  …Is there a reason why you didn’t just like, uh, stop Dad from ever boarding the plane?

  MEZIL

  In his infamy, Gareth Paxton-Temple was also a billionaire recluse unlike any other. Always wary of kidnappings and assassinations, he was seldomly seen in public, doing his business entirely from the shadows.

  The meeting with Art had been his first and only public appearance this year. And his enemies took advantage of the opportunity.

  Knowing Art’s stubbornness, your father would just reschedule the meeting with Paxton-Temple to a different time and place. That alone could put him in a worse situation. For example, holding the meeting on a fancy yacht in the middle of the ocean. Or on a private jet in the sky. Or on a resort island, far, far away from any possible help.

  LUCAS

  I… I get it now. The hitmen would just change their strategies accordingly. As long as the deal is on, Dad will be in danger.

  MEZIL

  You’ve understood well. It’s fortunate that this incident happened on land, on a well-connected highway. This allows me to manipulate events to salvage the situation. The best I can do for Art is to reduce the severity of his injuries, while letting the dark authorities be satisfied by the outcome of their schemes.

  LUCAS

  Uhm, didn’t you say that EF’s CEO seldomly appeared in public? Because… I… I think I’ve met him before.

  Was it… last year? Or the year before? Some kind of rich people’s networking dinner. Very overwhelming.

  Dad was pleasantly surprised when Mister Gareth appeared at our table. He made sure that I shook hands as a formal introduction… but I was so dazed that I don’t remember the significance.

  MEZIL

  I think I know the particular event you’re referring to. I happen to have looked into the attendee record as part of this on-going investigation. Gareth Paxton-Temple was never ‘officially’ there. I presume he went there under an alias. This worries me further.

  LUCAS

  Why? It shouldn’t be weird for him to want to hide his identity during a big event.

  MEZIL

  On the contrary. He risked exposing himself just to meet with you and your father. This tells me that he himself had his eyes on Securiarty. Perhaps even on you.

  The latest intel suggests that the mastermind behind your kidnapping is deep within Eldritch Fields. But, never would I imagine it could be Paxton-Temple…

  LUCAS

  No way… Dad and Mister Gareth are friends. Wouldn’t it be the same people who turned him into collateral damage?

  MEZIL

  Also possible. Yet, not definite either.

  LUCAS

  So, you’re saying you don't know.

  …………

  Other than Mom, the next in line to inherit Dad’s company is… me.

  …What if… What if I dig into Eldritch Fields for you?

  MEZIL

  In other words, you wish to become my spy on foreign soil. Please reconsider. You’re not the type to put up appearances.

  LUCAS

  I know! I’m no secret agent. I’d be found out immediately. And if this was just about myself, I would stay the hell away. But… I refuse to let Dad’s would-be murderer get away scott free. Past, present, or future.

  Lack of acting skills be damned. I can’t fake what I don’t know, can I? My memory will be erased regardless. I might as well volunteer as your unwitting accomplice while we can still redo the past.

  MEZIL

  A firm, resolute, and determined response.

  Perhaps you’d have a fine future in the Observers after all.

  Very well. We have a contract.

  [END TRANSCRIPT]