Chapter Text
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
A lone jellyfish wandered through the damp streets of the city, slithering past the bodies arranged in synchronized formation. Tired employees heading home from late-night shifts, rowdy youngsters hitting up any clubs they could possibly sneak into, anxious shoppers searching for last minute deals. Life that moved in one heartbeat, and an aquatic creature that moved the wrong way.
The sleek creature made no sound at all and brought no attention to itself. It slowly floated onto a rooftop, illuminating the area with its red fluorescent body. Almost mindlessly, it swam against the nighttime breeze and eventually came to rest on a particular balcony. The little jellyfish had wandered far away from the nightlife and into the relaxing clutches of mystery. It was here that a sensation, or perhaps fate itself, stirred the being to notice a few figures below the balcony.
“To think that it would be so easy to form covenants with the gods… Some people go their whole lives without realizing they can take matters into their own hands.”
A man leaned against the dirty brick hall, blowing plumes of smoke into the air and watching it disappear against the black frame of the sky. “It’s funny, really.”
Beside him, a young woman was shaking her head. “I don’t know. Is this, like, actually legit? I’ve heard of people making wishes and promises to the gods and demigods and all that but do they seriously just grant you whatever you want?”
“Of course not. Nine times out of ten they want something in return.”
The jellyfish inched closer to the balcony as the girl took a moment before replying. “So, which one did you go to?”
“Strife,” the man said. “The demigod of Strife.”
“Seriously?”
“You know, they say the price to pay for Strife’s power is heavy. And yet, I feel as light as a feather right now.”
“Save the confusing talk for after we get this job done,” the woman reminded him. “Once we’re done tomorrow, then you can talk about feeling unburdened.”
They wandered off, further into the night. Unbeknownst to either soul, they had just gained a companion. A silent little red jellyfish.
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
Hello to our listeners! It’s 8:30am on this breezy Monday morning, and as usual everyone’s in that weekday rush to work, so stay tuned with us on your morning commute as we bring you live weather and traffic updates here on the Daily. Now here’s Maria with the weather…
“Mmmm, weather. It’s cold.”
… we are currently sitting at 12 degrees outside. Even with the slight breeze, we’ll be hitting a high of fifteen degrees by the afternoon!
“Still cold…”
And now, to our traffic report— There is reportedly a collision eastbound on Golden Road near the 505 exit, blocking traffic up until the Highway 202 ramp…
“Golden Road… Golden Road? My Golden Road?!”
March 7th shot straight up in bed in a cold sweat. She tumbled out of her sheets and pressed her ear up against the radio as if they were going to repeat what they just said again.
“Oh come on, come on…” The girl pulled out her phone and started furiously typing something into her map. “30 minutes?! I’ll be late!”
Her words echoed in her head, bouncing off the walls of her skull until they made impact with her frontal lobe.
“I’ll be late for work!”
Various clothing items flew across the room as the pink-haired girl hurriedly rushed throughout her room, slipping on a white t-shirt and wrestling her way through a black pleated skirt. She tossed her hair into a bun in a panic as time started ticking away. She had no time to hop into the shower, so she said a little prayer and doused herself with a bottle of perfume.
March stumbled out of her room and into the dining area. She glanced at her watch, groaning internally along with her stomach. There was no time for breakfast today. She’d have to sneak something in at work. Again.
Grabbing her bag and doing one last check in the mirror, March left her apartment and raced through the building, even deciding to take the stairs this time. She went straight for the parking garage, got into her car, and left in such a hurry that it would have given her at least three speeding violations.
“Ugh, the one time I slept in late!” Her frustration was justified. The news station where she worked was normally only ten minutes away. Therefore March had never been late to work before, and it was an achievement she was proud of. It wasn’t about to be ruined by someone’s careless driving on a busy Monday morning.
She eventually found herself at the hotspot of the traffic jam; a frenzy of cars filled with angered people abusing their horns. Soon enough, she was able to see the reported collision for herself: a car lay smashed on the road, crushed against an abnormally large pillar protruding from the concrete. Police and construction cruisers surrounded the affected area.
March kept her eyes on the pillar as she kept driving. The crash most definitely wasn’t a result of careless driving. The rock had most likely sprung up out of nowhere, catching the poor driver off guard. It wasn’t an unusual sight; everyone knew it could happen anytime. The Earth deity was rumored to be a very sensitive and anger-prone demigod, and even though that aspect of them hadn’t caused more severe damage, occasionally their fury would spring a few leaks.
As for what decided to anger the Earth demigod on a Monday morning? March had no idea, and frankly she didn’t care as long as she wasn’t the target of any unsuspecting pillars.
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
“Did you hear about that stone pillar that popped up on Golden? That’s the first one this month!
“Mmm, chocolate cake!”
“March!” Montana snapped her fingers in March’s face, pulling her away from the stunning cake display. “Oh jeez, you skipped breakfast again? At this rate you’re gonna forget what breakfast is altogether.”
March laughed nervously. “Ah, sorry, that cake just looked too good…”
“Hmph, I bet you weren’t even listening to what I was saying.”
“I was! You were talking about the accident on Golden. You know, it’s because of that stupid rock that I had to skip breakfast today in the first place.”
“Really? Wow, you love this job a little too much, don’t you think?”
Montana flipped her blonde locks out of her face as she glanced at the cake in the display. Its decorated exterior was more than enough to get her hungry as well. “I’ll tell you what. Once we finish filming this next scene, we’ll come back here and buy that cake. Deal?”
“Deal!” March smiled for the first time since that morning when she first walked into the office, said smile quickly fading as she was greeted with long minutes of scolding from the editor in chief. If there was anyone that could make her feel better after that disaster, it was her dear colleague.
Montana was essentially her partner in journalism. While March handled the photography and camerawork, Montana used her charm and enthusiasm to nail the role of a star reporter. She was well known for getting every detail down to the last crumb, while using an air of grace that had people swaying at her voice. Oftentimes, March felt inferior compared to her, despite Montana insisting that wasn’t the case.
“Don’t say that,” is what Montana would always say whenever she was praised too much. “What’s a star reporter without their star photographer?”
Which was indeed March’s role; to make the reporter and the story shine. Although she wished that she could be as charismatic as her friend, March 7th took great pride in her work. The camera she always had around her like a bag was proof of it. She kept every photo and video like it was a small memento of her life; the essence of time captured in just a single frame. The memories practically leapt out of the pictures.
March had always loved to capture moments anyway, and thus being behind the scenes was her calling.
“So, the boss said that he wants some snapshots of the body found downtown this morning.” Montana had started dragging her partner away from the bakery and back to work. “Reportedly, it's related to a violent turf war that's starting to break out.”
March crossed her arms. “Let me guess, a bunch of Strife followers?”
“Right on the money! They've been in a bit of a stir recently ever since people started attributing the black tide to their demigod.”
The black tide. The name alone left a burning sensation in March’s throat.
“Do you believe it, March? That Strife might be responsible for the tide.”
“Does it really matter?” March said as she was adjusting the settings on her camera. “I mean, it doesn’t change how destructive those monsters are.”
There was another phenomenon far worse than any old surprise stone, and that title was reclaimed by monsters. Yellowish-black flesh, rotted teeth, claws for hands, without even a hint of rationality or even humanity. These creatures were infamously known as the black tide.
March had never seen one up close, but she'd heard stories. About how they'd attack in groups and mercilessly pounce on their target. About how it took heavy gunfire or at least ten stabs to actually kill them— and when they finally fell, they'd melt into a pool of black slop. She’d heard so many things about the monsters that just the thought of encountering one scared her to death. Thankfully, the city walls kept most of the fiends away and cooped up in the wild where they belonged. Occasionally someone would be brave enough to venture out there— and they'd never come back.
Even scarier however, was how sometimes the black tide would emerge from inside the city walls. They were scarce, but they did exist. Unfortunately, anyone unlucky enough to encounter one would be dead almost immediately. Public Safety and those authorized to eliminate the black tide were the only ones who could neutralize the monsters.
“Well, let's just focus on the situation at hand,” Montana said as she stopped. She gestured to the alleyway in front of them, which was taped off by police officers. She approached one of them and flashed her ID. “Hello, we're the journalists sent from the Daily.”
The officer with grayish white pigtails flashed a smile. “Ah, I see. Well, the scene's all yours! My partner here will watch you two.”
“Me?” The unsuspecting male officer was taken aback. “I thought—!”
“Would you look at the time! It's time for me to sneak away for a little treat. Buh-bye!”
Without a second thought, the officer was jogging away, turning ‘round the corner and disappearing out of sight. Her partner sighed and lifted the tape slightly.
“That woman… Anyways, after you two. I'll be keeping an eye on you, so please don't touch anything. Also, please keep away from the body at all times.”
“Of course, sir,” Montana nodded and ducked under the tape. “Come on, March. Let’s get this over with.”
March nodded and followed Montana and the officer under the police tape; out of the comforting city atmosphere and into the bone-chilling air of the dark alleyway. The officer led them deeper and deeper, away from the chatter of oblivious civilians. The atmosphere made it feel like they were walking for an eternity. As they went onwards, a foul stench hit March right in her nostrils, almost making her recoil.
Finally, the officer came to a sudden halt and cleared his throat. “Here you are. I ask again that you don’t step any further.”
“Ah, this is…” Montana’s voice softened. “How heartbreaking.”
March’s gaze landed on the body ahead of her. The first thing she noticed were the splashes of dark red littered across the walls and staining the ground below her. Masked in the foul air and cold darkness was a body sprawled on the floor. The arms were bent in a hellish position, with its legs beyond recognition as well. Where the head used to be, remained a stump of a neck.
It was… revolting. March had seen plenty of dead bodies before in her line of work. In fact, she didn’t need to be a journalist in order to see the dead. Plenty of people die in this city. Gang wars, riots, assasinations, suicides, and even people being struck dead by the heavenly forces themselves. In a world where the gods could easily choose when you’d take your last breath, death was far from anyone’s worries. A person could drop dead right in the middle of the street and barely anyone would shed a tear.
However, this time was different. March didn’t know why. She could just feel it.
“Where’s the head?” March asked as she began to prepare her camera.
“There was none,” the officer explained. “Which is why we believe this was the result of some shady deal gone wrong. Mafiosos and gangsters are fond of keeping body parts as mementos.”
Montana leaned in closer to get a good look at the corpse. “Mementos, huh? I hear that gangs associated with Strife love doing that.”
“You’re pretty educated, aren’t you?”
“Hmm, just a guess! It’s a reporter’s duty to get the juicy details of any story.”
“But even then, isn’t this unusual for them?” March frowned. “For one thing, gang activities are mostly recorded at night. This person looks like they died early in the morning, seeing how their body is still here.”
The officer stared her dead in the eye, then laughed. “Ha! You think that violent criminals care about what time their crimes are committed? This was probably a late job.”
“Oh March, didn’t I tell you already?” Montana patted her back. “These are the same people that follow the demigod responsible for the black tide. I doubt they’d have any sort of rationale behind their attacks.”
“You believe that?” March looked at her incredulously.
“Of course I do,” Montana said blankly. “What other demigod other than the one named after wars and conflict would create monsters like that?”
March fell silent upon noticing the hint of irritation in Montana’s eyes. An irritation that stirred with a past marked by horror and destruction.
“You understand, right Marchie?”
A past almost everyone in the city shared.
“Right, of course.”
Montana grinned before returning to her conversation with the officer. Meanwhile, March reached for her brightly-colored camera once more. She adjusted the lens slightly and pointed it at the gruesome scene before her. She just needed a few photos. Just a few. Then, she’d be able to go and buy that delicious cake she saw early. She’d share some of it with Montana and her other friends at the Daily.
March found herself sighing. I wanna take some pictures of that instead. I hate photographing bodies.
Her wish was granted. As she was pressing down on the button, a gunshot pierced the soundwaves against her ears. Then another. And another. Her mind went blank, and so did the rest of her body. The camera in her hands clattered to the floors, smashing to pieces alongside fresh blood splatters.
The next sounds she heard were screams, grunts, and thuds onto the cold street below. Locks of blonde hair-dyed in crimson— rested on top of her newly gifted shoes.
She couldn’t even look down. She couldn’t even scream.
“Hey, you aren’t gonna kill that one either?”
Two shadows emerged in front of her. A man with an eyepatch and a woman dressed in all black appeared before her. The man held a gun, its barrel smoking hot with the repeated force of friction.
“Didn’t want to get in the way of her picture,” the man grunted. His eyes fell onto the shards in front of him. “But it looks like I ruined it anyway.”
March felt her muscles tighten to the point where she couldn’t move. Her breaths ran away from her. Her eyes were blown wide as she tried to process what she’d just witnessed.
“It’s all your fault girl,” the woman said blankly. “If you and your stupid news station hadn’t poked your noses into our business, those two wouldn’t be dead right now. You wouldn’t have to die either. Too bad.”
“Die..? W-What…?”
“Pfft. Hahaha!” The man attempted to stifle a strong laugh. “Oh man, she’s funny. I love it when they do that. They’re so shocked that they don’t even realize what’s happening to them.” His gaze then lingered to the headless body. “Hey, let’s test this out now. I’d like to see this power in action.”
March watched in frozen terror as the woman shrugged and backed away. “Make it quick. Hey girl, don’t move or I’ll kill you.”
“Come on, call her by her name! Miss… March 7th, is it? Sounds like an orphan’s name. Were you an orphan, March 7th?”
March 7th nodded.
“Good. Then you’ll understand us.” The man lowered his gun, handing it to the woman. He pulled out a lighter and a cigarette. He lit the stick and put it to his lips, puffing out a plume of grey smoke. “Miss March 7th, did you know thirty three percent of people in Okhema are orphaned? Ever since the Demuirge incident fifteen years ago that killed around forty thousand and injured two thousand in Amphoreus. That's far from the actual death toll, by the way. Do you know what the demigods— the Chrysos heirs— did?”
March 7th shook her head.
The man sighed, staring up into the sky. “Nothing. Absolutely damn nothing. And yet fifteen years later, people around the world still revere them as saviors. Even though the black tide appeared as a result of that incident, the demigods still have followers. Can you believe that? Do you know why?”
March 7th shook her head.
“Because regular humans can't do anything. The heirs could wipe out the entire world, and nothing would change. They've tainted us. Tainted us with a prophecy that will never come true. It's time that changed.”
He bent down next to the body, studying it carefully. “I bet you think that the followers of Strife were involved in this. Well, Strife was involved. Not his followers, but his power. Have you ever heard of covenants, March 7th?”
March 7th nodded.
“Good girl, you're very smart. Then you know that through a covenant with a demigod, you can obtain their blessing for a price.” He grabbed the body and held it upright. “Now listen very carefully. I'll tell you this only once.”
She should've ran. She should've ran a long time ago. Perhaps she would've made it. Unfortunately, it no longer mattered. She could no longer do anything but watch as the headless body jerked forward violently, shaking as their arms twisted. Their fingers morphed together to the point where they were no longer visible, taking the forms of blades. The body's skin turned blue, and flakes peeled off to reveal yellow spots underneath.
“I made a covenant with Strife… to turn anyone that I kill into a weapon of vengeance. Because the only way to fight the heavens is to use their power.”
The newly formed monster lunged forward and swung its blade right through March 7th's chest.
She screamed— only for a few seconds before convulsing up a huge amount of blood. It stained her mouth, her clothes, everything. Her eyes blew wide open. She felt numb, yet felt pain shoot through her entire body.
“Hrgh—!”
She hung midair, her body swinging on the blade. Tears blurred her vision. She felt her body going limp, yet fought to keep herself moving. She gasped for air, desperately searching for it, trying to buy time for someone to find her. Someone to save her. If she could just buy time—
Her world went dark.
March 7th's head fell onto the ground and rolled beside the bodies of her companions. The monster flung her corpse against a wall, splattering mass amounts of blood all over.
The woman sighed in disappointment and fired multiple rounds at the monster. It tumbled over, lifeless. “You know, we didn't have to make such a mess. The Lady will be dissapointed.”
“Not when she hears the prototype was a success. I say it went pretty well, despite the extra body count.”
“Doesn’t matter now. Let's get out of here before more uninvited guests show up, like Public Security.”
“You put the barrier up as soon as they walked in, didn't you? Calm down.”
They began to walk away, leaving behind a scene from hell itself. Four people left for dead. Two shot to death, one turned into a monster, and a young woman beheaded before she could snap her camera.
Her prologue ends here.
Her story begins the moment a floating jellyfish came to rest beside her.
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
Stars.
As far as the eye could see, there were clusters of stars littering an expanse of black, dark blue and purple. March 7th had to blink multiple times before gasping.
Space? Is this outer space?
She sat up. Then she paused. She wasn’t floating, and she was able to breathe just fine. The girl just happened to be sitting in the middle of the cosmos.
“Where am… where am I?”
Her entire body felt sore and weak, yet she forced herself to stand up. The girl took moments to look around her, yet saw nothing but space. No sign of an exit. What the heck even is this place?
Suddenly, her hands involuntarily flew up to her neck and she gasped. March gritted her teeth as a vivid memory flooded her mind— the sight of her head getting cut off and falling to the floor. It felt real.
“Then, how am I still alive?”
“That’s a good question.”
The words came from her. At least, they sounded like they came from her. However, her lips had not parted and her tongue had not moved. March 7th hadn't said a thing.
She spun around in a whirl and screamed.
“What—?! Who are you?”
March 7th scowled, shaking her head. “My my, that's just plain rude. I haven't even said anything out of pocket.”
March 7th stepped back, her entire body shaking. She began laughing. “Okay, I'm dreaming. This is all some dream. Okay me, time to wake up now!” She brought her hand up to her face and slapped herself as hard as she could.
March 7th stared her down with a disgusted look. “Wow. You're embarrassing.”
March 7th stared at her trembling hand. “Oh my gosh. I'm not dreaming, am I?”
March 7th smiled, rolling her eyes. “No. Glad you're up to speed. May I speak now? I didn’t bring you here for nothing.”
March 7th, the original March 7th, stared at her doppelganger in a drawn out silence. Eventually, she took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. Explain.”
The March 7th before her laughed again. She looked just like her counterpart, and yet she was nothing like her counterpart. Her pink hair was slightly longer. She wore a short black dress with white and red highlights. Her eyes were a soulless hue of red, staring straight into March’s soul. She held a black umbrella with an illustration of fangs on its hood.
“Hm. Where to begin?” The mysterious March 7th twirled her parasol, humming innocently. “Ah, I know.”
She turned her piercing gaze back to March.
“You, March 7th, are dead. However, I can bring you back.”
March tried to speak, but seemingly lost the ability to form a coherent sentence. “What? Huh? Dead?”
“Indeed. You were violently stabbed and beheaded by an unknown creature. Your dead body currently lies in an alleyway. You're dead, end of story.”
“So…” March struggled to process what she was hearing. But it aligned perfectly with her memory. “Is this the afterlife?”
The mysterious woman shook her head. “No, I've brought your soul somewhere safe. I wish to make a covenant with you.”
She extended her gloved hand, smiling. “March 7th. I, the Veil of Evernight, wish to establish a covenant with you. I will revive you through the stream of time and grant you new life. In return, your body will become my new dwelling. Do you agree?”
It was impossible. At least, that's what March told herself. It was impossible to come back to life from the dead. There was no way it made sense.
However, March found herself extending her own hand.
“If I come back… I'll be able to take pictures again, right? I get another chance?”
“Of course. With me by your side. I only ask that I become you, and you become me. Do you agree to this covenant?”
March hesitated, staring at the gloved hand in front of her. Did she really have a choice?
Besides, she still wanted that chocolate cake.
“I agree, Veil of Midnight.”
“You… It’s Evernight!”
“Oh, uh, sorry! I agree, "Veil of Evernight.”
The Veil's face softened into a grin. “Good girl. Let's head back now, shall we?”
The world went dark again.
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
The woman in all black scrunched her face. The amount of blood in the alleyway had begun to draw up a foul smell, much worse than before. “What’s with you and talking all the time? You're not some evil villain that needs to spill all their plans to their victims."
“Maybe I just like playing the role.” The eyepatched man threw his cigarette to the floor and smothered it out with his foot. “What, you don’t think it was cool?”
“I think it was corny.”
“Agree to disagree.”
“Me too. I thought it was very melodramatic and over the top.”
The man and woman looked at each other in surprise, knowing that voice didn't belong to either of them. They turned around.
March 7th stood in a pool of blood dripping down her face, neck and chest.
“What the—!” The woman immediately cocked her gun and pointed it at the undead girl. “Didn’t we behead you?”
“Ah, yes. That was quite impressive— and brutal.” March looked around at the bodies beside her. “Normally, anyone would stay completely dead after experiencing something like this. And you're right, March 7th did die.”
Unlike her partner, the woman wasted no time. She fired multiple rounds into March 7th's chest. She aimed for the forehead and fired again. She continued to shoot, shell casings dropping her at feet until she had run out of ammunition.
March 7th stumbled backwards a little, jerking forward. She collapsed onto her knees, clutching her chest and coughing. The woman lowered the gun and pulled out a switchblade, walking up to her supposed victim to finish the job.
What she didn’t expect was to see the pink haired girl stand up to her feet, her bullet wounds completely gone.
“Huh?! This is—!”
“Haha! You're probably wondering, ‘how is she not dead after being decapitated and suffering multiple gunshots to fatal areas?’ Is she even human?”
The woman tried to unleash her switchblade, but she couldn’t move. All her limbs went stiff, unable to listen to their owner. The air became heavy, as if gravity itself were pulling her down.
March 7th grabbed the woman's head and forced her to look straight into her blood red eyes.
R-Red? No… her eyes weren't red before…
“O child of the world, you have impressed me. As a reward for your efforts, I shall grant you a death worthy of my praise.”
She leaned in and brought her lips up to the woman's ear.
“Listen closely. The third month of Amphoreus is the month reserved for the Veil of Evernight, demigod of Time... So, please place me into your memory using the name ‘Evernight.’ ”
Evernight smiled and stepped back. She raised a hand and snapped her fingers.
The woman's body disintegrated into dust, melting into the earth below.
“Hmph. I require more thrill.” Evernight said as she stared at the pile of dust. She looked up and saw that the man with an eyepatch was no longer around. He got away. “A pity. His manipulation of Strife was quite impressive.”
“Hey, what did you just do?”
The real March 7th stood beside her, although not in her own body. “Hold on, am I a ghost now? Hey, give me my body back!”
Evernight simply dismissed her complaints. “Calm down, I borrowed it. We are sharing this body now, after all. You can have it back once we leave this place.”
“I can’t have it back now?” March said, angry. “Seriously, what is up with you—!”
“Shh. You aren't very bright, are you? The police will be here soon after hearing all that commotion. If they find you standing here amongst all these bodies, they'll have all the proof they need to arrest you and charge you for murder. You look like you're a terrible runner, so I'll be taking charge of this body in order to escape. Do you understand?”
March went quiet almost immediately. She nodded.
“Good girl. Okay then, we're off.”
Evernight snapped her fingers again.
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
Just like that, March found herself out of the alleyway. She gasped, looking around. Her kitchen, her living room and her dining room all came into her line of sight. Familiar landscape pictures hung on the walls.
March collapsed onto her couch, exhausted. She was back in her apartment. Back in her own body.
“See? Faster than anything a human could ever do.”
“Gah!” March flew straight up, coming face to face with Evernight. “Ugh, don't scare me like that!”
“Scare you? March 7th, you're going to have to get used to this. This is your life now for the unforeseeable future.”
Thoughts flew all over March’s mind. She hadn’t even been able to completely process the murders that had happened yet. She couldn’t wrap her head around the headless creature that had killed her. In fact, that was the most confusing part. She was supposed to be dead. Her life had ended, and yet here she was, sitting on her couch talking to a mysterious foreign guest that looked just like her.
No, this wasn't a foreign guest. This was…
“Okay, I need you to start talking. Start… answering! What was all of that back there? And who exactly are you?”
Evernight leaned back against the couch. “I am the Veil of Evernight, the demigod of Time.”
March had to take a moment to process. “The d-demigod of Time? Hold on, you’re a demigod?!”
“Don’t believe me?” Evernight lifted her arm and pressed her long nails deep into her skin, until she was able to scratch the surface. As she did this, March felt a painful sensation crawl up her own arm. She noticed crimson blood flowing down from her newly formed scratch.
Evernight's arm was bleeding too. Except instead of red, the blood flowed of liquid gold. “It’s a well known fact that the demigods carry golden blood in their veins. See?”
March clutched her arm. “Okay okay, I believe you. But why did you have to cut me in the process?”
“My soul is connected to your body. My divinity is reflected in my soul, the form you see before you. My humanity is found in your body.”
“In simple English please!”
“...Your body is my body. I thought I went over this in the covenant.”
“Right, the covenant.” March said. “You brought me back to life, and in return you basically live inside me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Why?”
“I mean, why pick me?” March asked once again. “It's not like I have any crazy lore or hidden powers or anything. You could have just left me for dead. Why bother?”
Evernight hummed. “Because you’re pretty.”
“Wait, really?!” March blushed slightly, before snapping back to her senses. “Hold on, that makes no sense! I am pretty, but no demigod would use such a trivial reason for something like this. Plus, Montana was a pretty girl too, but she… she's still dead. You didn’t bring her back.”
“I'm not a free save a life machine,” Evernight said flatly. “Intruding into death isn't something that's done lightly. Besides, if I had been able to bring back everyone that died, it would have caused even more messes. Witnesses aren’t a good thing, you know.”
Deep down, March knew she was right. Being resurrected from the dead wasn't a light matter. Word would've gotten out like a wildfire. It would've caused a panic.
Montana and the officer. They had to stay dead. That woman had to die.
“Plus, the way I saved you was unique. I can’t bring back multiple people from the dead. I only needed one body to possess in order to sustain myself. Therefore, I chose you as my vessel.”
“To sustain yourself? What does that mean?”
“Hm, think of it this way,” Evernight explained. “Time is like the ever-changing winds. It erodes everything it touches, including those that control it. When I found you, my consciousness was at risk of eroding away after centuries in the stream of time, threatening my life. I simply did what it took to keep myself alive.”
“So that's why you chose to make a covenant with me?”
“Pretty much. So until I'm able to regain my strength, I will be living within you. Any more questions?”
“Regain your strength. Alright, no pro—wait!” March gawked at her. “All of that just now, wasn't it your full strength?!”
Evernight stared at her blankly before breaking into a fit of laughter. “My full strength, she says! Oh Marchie, don't make me laugh so hard. That power I displayed was barely anything. I'm probably the weakest of the demigods right now.”
“That’s…” March had given up on understanding her new guest a long time ago. “Never mind. How long will it take you to get your strength back?"
“Are you that excited to get rid of me?”
“Well, the idea of hosting a demigod isn't exactly thrilling you know!”
“Don’t worry Marchie. Only time will tell. Only time…”
But you ARE time! Was what March wanted to say next.
“But you ARE time!” Evernight said. “That’s what you wanted to say, right?”
“Huh? How did you–?”
“Again, we share bodies. Which means, I can see your thoughts! Isn’t that wonderful?”
“Absolutely not!” March snapped at her. “I don't remember agreeing for you to read my mind whenever you want. And I can't even read yours, so how is that fair?”
Evernight gave her an unreadable smile. “You don't need to. You can ask me anything. I'll always tell you the truth.”
“Uh-huh.” March didn’t believe a thing she said. “And how am I supposed to believe that?”
The demigod inched closer to the girl, a little too close. She lifted her hand and ran a finger against March’s neck and all the way up to her cheek. She poked it slightly.
“March 7th, our covenant is special. In order to live together, we must remain harmonious. I would never break that harmony. You're too precious to me for that.”
“Precious…? But, we just met today…”
“Silly little Marchie. Time watches over everyone. She simply gazed longer at you.”
Evernight moved her hand to stroke March’s air, and the latter felt a wave of fear and relaxation hit her at the same time. Here she was, talking to a demigod as if they were best friends or even more. A demigod that looked exactly like her, except for the longer hair and red eyes. Was that why she felt less tense? If Evernight had taken the form of someone— or something— else, would she be more startled?
March let out a long-held breath. “I'm living with the demigod of Time. It feels like I'm dreaming. Like, just a few minutes ago I was literally stabbed and beheaded! And now I’m here…”
“Hm. It seems like realization isn’t hitting you yet,” Evernight said. “Just wait until tomorrow morning. Then it’ll settle in.”
“Realization? About what…?”
Evernight didn’t answer. Instead, the demigod got up and started making her way to the kitchen. “Marchie, I’m hungry. Come and make me lunch.”
March raised an eyebrow. “Can’t you make it yourself. Also, do demigods even need to eat food?”
“Normally, no. But because I am much weaker than I was before, it’s natural that I experience human-like symptoms. Even I need energy, you know.”
“Ugh…” March slowly got up and made her way to the kitchen. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. “Hold on, what am I doing?”
“What?”
“No, it’s just— I shouldn’t be here right now!” March exclaimed. She quickly started making her way to the front door. “I should be at work! Montana died, and I was the last person to be with her. They’re probably looking for me right now. Look, you can just wait for me here and make your own food, okay? There’s leftovers in the fridge—”
March placed her hand on the door handle and was about to twist it open. Then, suddenly her hand was no longer there. Instead, she was standing in the kitchen where Evernight had been just a moment ago. March 7th still stood at the door, except her eyes were now red.
March looked at Evernight dumbfounded. “Hey! I didn’t say you could swap into my body!”
“You don’t need to, I can do so at will.” Evernight said. She stepped away from the door. “And you’re not leaving this apartment until I say so, okay?”
“What? This isn’t funny, Evernight! My partner was killed right in front of me, I’m not just going to sit here and wait for something to happen. Now switch back.”
“No.”
“Evernight!”
Evernight crossed her arms, tapping her feet impatiently. “Did I not explain it to you back at the crime scene? By now, the police have definitely discovered the new bodies. They’ve probably put the pieces together and realized that you were there earlier with that reporter girl, yet now you’re missing. They don’t know what actually happened. They don’t know you all were ambushed. So who do you think they’ll blame for the murders?”
“I know all that. But maybe if I go back and explain what happened, I’ll be able to help with the investigation. There’s still that one eyepatch guy in the wind, right? Once they find him, my name will be cleared.”
“Explain what happened? Explain what happened? March 7th, how do you plan to explain that the demigod of Time brought you back from the dead?”
“I can just show—”
“Show them? You mean, reveal me to them?” Evernight sighed. “And then what? They won’t treat you like an ally, March 7th. They’ll go crazy. They’ll subdue you, question you, even torture you. The news will get out like wildfire, and people will hunt you down. Why? Because they’ll be scared of you. People fear demigods, March 7th. And you now share a body with one.”
March opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Her mind drew a complete blank. She knew deep down that Evernight was right. The second she told anyone about what had happened, she’d become a target. A target of what? She had no idea, but there were plenty of people out there that wouldn’t react lightly.
They’d hate her or they’d worship her. They’d love her or they’d fear her. They’d praise her or they’d kill her. They could do anything to her, and none of it would be good.
March leaned forward against the counter, clutching her face in her hands. Tears began to form her eyes.
“Evernight… I can never go back to my normal life, can I?”
“...You’ve said it yourself.”
The entire apartment was filled with deep silence, which was then broken by the sound of sniffling and sobbing. March had her head down against the counter, crying softly. Evernight simply watched, observing the girl like she was some sort of unique specimen.
Suddenly, March felt a hand on her back. She looked up to see Evernight now standing next to her, with a look of uneasiness on her face.
“I have no pity for you. But it would be an inconvenience to me if you started crying all the time.”
“Of course you don’t feel anything… You’re a demigod. I get it.”
“You misunderstand me.” Evernight put her hand behind her back. “I have no pity for you because you act as if your entire life has been ruined. It’s naive.” She pulled her hand back out, and March was surprised to see that she was holding a camera. Not just any camera, but the pink and blue one that she had once hung around her neck. The one that smashed to pieces in the alleyway. Her greatest treasures.
“Your story isn’t over, March. The only reason I brought you back is because your story is one of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever witnessed in Time.”
March gasped and immediately took the camera from the demigod. “My camera! But, I thought I broke it back in the alleyway!”
Evernight snorted loudly. “You think I cannot fix a simple device?”
“No, not at all!” March smiled, practically hugging her memento. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“The only way you’d be thanking me is if you're more careful with it from now on. I need your memories to be intact. Also, I’ve added something for you.”
She pointed to the side of the camera. More specifically, the thing hanging off the side. It was a keychain. At the end of it, was a plush toy resembling a jellyfish.
“Aww, it’s a jellyfish! It’s so cute! Did you make it yourself?”
“No. I stole it from a store.”
“What—?!”
“Never mind that.” Evernight gestured to the fridge. “You’re exhausted. Make some food, then rest. We can continue this conversation tomorrow.”
“Hold on, but what about the whole ‘I’m a suspect now’ thing?” March asked, wiping her eyes. “If what you said is true, then won’t the police eventually come looking for me here? Shouldn’t we like, I don’t know, run away?”
The response came with Evernight pressing her fingers against March’s lips. “Like I said, we can continue the conversation tomorrow. Make me food.”
Seriously? She’s gonna ignore me? March asked herself, but decided against pursuing it any further. It was clear that Evernight wasn’t going to reveal anything else, yet it felt like she’d already taken care of March’s concerns. If that truly was the case, then March didn’t want to exhaust her brain worrying about the details. She’d just have to wait until tomorrow.
“Okay, but if I’m making lunch, then I’m gonna need my body back.”