I tried to open my eyes but there was just darkness. Was it even about vision? It might just be the place I landed in ...an ephemeral abyss of darkness before losing myself away .

I could feel no calmness...no peace...no rush ... nothingness...a state of void . Was this supposed to be my fate now ... just waiting and waiting till I disintegrated completely into the darkness.

I fell into state of unconsciousness again if it existed here . As I opened my eyes hazily, I found myself in a room laden with golden orbs shining so brightly that everything I had seen in my life might just pale in comparison.

My vision was still blurry. . as I arched my eyelids to see someone sitting on a chair facing me .

He was wearing a haiwan hat with blue shirt and black coat . His fashion style sure was ... distinct.

"Hello! " His voice...it was if as he can allay any anxiety inside someone. I tried to get a better look at his face but closed my eyed dejected unable to do so.

"Oh! My bad ." He chuckled as I was able to move my eyes freely.

"Hello! My name is Thoth . Now Selica, you have died " He smiled. I raised my eyes . Thoth! From what I had heard from a caretaker at orphanage, he was Egyptian god of wisdom and also the teacher of Horus, who later on defeated Set when he betrayed Horus's father and his brother Osiris to take the throne. It was known that Thoth had a big role to play in it .

"Oh! It seems you are well aware ." He stated almost as if reading my thought as my face quickly got flushed and looked away .

"Now ...now ! Don't get embarassed." He laughed lightly.

"...so ...is Egyptian mythology the real one.." I asked hesitatingly .

"No ! Well frankly Selica! Don't get too much into gods and mythology stuff right now . Just think of me as a god who decided to call upon you after death ." Call upon me...do I now have to do his bidding...I mean I can't exactly complain since he is god . But I thought that work and all ends after death .... As I pouted .

"It is kinda unfair how Prometheus managed to make you humans look so cute when pouting especially females...phew . " Huh...was he just complimenting me .

"Never mind . So Selica, I will ask you a simple question?" As his expression turned serious . I shuffled in my seat .

"What do you want to do...out of deepest corner of your heart ...what is that you truly desire ?"  What did I want to do.... wasn't it obvious to him ...

"I..I want to spend more time on earth working with Max . To share ... in his experience ..to. ." As I bit my lip.

"I see ".

"But that is just a wish , isn't it ? I am dead now ." As I grew sad at realising it again .

"Not necessarily. The rules state that I can't resurrect you ever again back in same timeline . But sending you to a different timeline...not that is altogether possible.. especially for me ." As there was a smirk on his face .

"So you can send me to a different timeline where I can spend time with Max again." As my cheeks almost puffed up .

"I can ."

"You would really do that ...." My heart was racing again like crazy .

"Of course I will..but only on one condition. If you can't agree to that , you won't go ."

"What condition?" As I gulped inside.

Soon I found myself in a bar outside Wonavilla.

I checked the date by newspaper. It seemed that new session had still not started.  I looked at myself and was quite surprised as to how I looked at this age .There was still bit of time and it quickly borrowed a laptop from someone to log myself in .

It was year 2014 and I was now entering fourth year under a fake background and by creating two accounts for myself to ensure one room for myself . It was certainly hard to catch up so fast on Wonavilla but I managed..

I waited so eagerly and my heart skipped a beat at seeing him again in school. But I couldn't approach him suddenly .He would grow suspicious of me and I knew just how distrustful Max was .

So I waited but I couldn't contain the excitement and anxiety inside me when I saw him walking next day so I also followed him  sitting inside Raul's place.

He appeared so tried as if he had been running all day .

"You appear as if you have been running around nonstop ." I looked at him .

"Well ! I have been kind of doing that." He sighed.

"Why ? Today was holiday." I asked perplexed.

"Well! I have been trying to find someone who is good with computers . I have something of a need for it .." I stated .

"Aren't you lucky?" I didn't realise that I blurted it out . Oh my gosh !

"I don't see any point in laughing."  He appeared to be preturbed. No ..no ...I didn't want to screw up my relationship with Max so early ...I need to fix this.

"Oh! Don't get upset. It just so happens that only skill I have are tech related and now you tell me that you are looking for someone like that . So anyway why?" I gulped inside.I internally wished that he won't leave . By his talk, it seemed like the Max I had known and this Max ..both were different but he was still himself and had that aura.

"It is Selica. From this day forward, I will be your eyes and ears in this place." I  smiled. I can't believe...I said that ...I feel so flustered I might just turn red .

"Sounds like an oath taken by a knight but sure, I look forward to working with you Selica. " Don't say that aloud , idiot ..

Slowly and Slowly we started bonding and talking to each other like it was just natural. My heart just felt so wholesome... enjoying these moments with him again. And this Max ... comparatively wasn't the one to head into deathtrap as was proven by him sending Adrial to catch stalker and not himself..I was just so relieved.

"A Research Club about methodology of deduction and you know about training people to be more careful and aware of their surroundings . " Claude said as both Max and I  were surprised.

"Well! It sounds like she has same idea as you basically but more covert instead of overt. Go with her after all she is also brilliant and she li." I stopped myself quickly . He hadn't realised it but I was so close...if I had told him that Claude likes him , he would have definitely suspected me so much as I have never even met her in this timeline so there was just no possible way for me to know about that .

"The only condition for you to stay in that timeline is to not tell that Max or anyone about anything even remotely related to the timeline to which you belonged to . You can't tell him or anyone about the facts that you already know. The moment you do so , you would die and be separated from Max again.."  His warning still rang in my head .

But...it was so frustrating...it was so hard to pretend everything was fine while he tried to contact Isla and even while I tried to make him cut her off , he just regarded it as me asking jealous... because I couldn't say it directly... because I just didn't have the choice to ..

But even so , the hardest part was to keep my cool when he slept so casually in my room ... really Max ! You can be so careless..

I was attending Max's birthday for first time and was just so glad to spend time with him without worrying about mystery all the time but he didn't even seem interested in talking casually...

My heart froze when bullet was fired and I tried to maintain my calm for Max as he didn't seem to head towards there and I couldn't see him having a death wish .

Silva tried to drag him away as if she could protect him better but Max escaped from the safe zone exuded here and I quickly rushed after him with others ...

I was just so thankful when he smiled back as if it was nothing. I wanted nothing more than to hug him at that moment but I couldn't because that would expose us and I didn't want to upset him so I just looked at him eye in understanding.

This was supposed to ... be timeline where I could stay with Max ..so why ...so why Thoth...why was he dead now ?" I held myself as tears brimmed from my eyes next day on hearing his death.

You must have known that was going to happen, didn't you ? You deliberately sent me to a place where I could reach zenith of hope and happiness.. only to get it all taken away .

Time B

Max's Pov

"And that is the reason Selica is alive , Claude. She is fine and safe in my past . I never noticed it before but looking back at my moments with her , I suddenly hit upon the fact that how odd was her expression and way of speech when she was talking about you even before she met you or should have known you . So wipe your tears away . Because ...time is truly fascinating." I beamed at her as she looked back at me . She widened her eyes as she saw no hesitation inside me .

"I believe you , Max . I do...but it still .."

"Of course it hurts . How can it not ? Each day and every day someone's dear ones die but does that mean they might not be alive in different timeline. After all , what we care about is possibility of our interaction with them or not . It would still be painful for you if she is alive in my original timeline but ...we are going to meet . I have no idea how as of now. But if you ." I looked at her .

"Of course! I will help. Because if what you say is true , then idiot...she is alive... but certainly not well as you are dead there ." She hit me on head as I rubbed it lightly.

"Ow.". As I sighed looking away .

"Everything makes sense when you are in symphony with your past and life and then you realise just how far and near you are what you want most .What a beautiful contradiction indeed , fate ."

Timeline A
Selica's Pov

"Giving a light when it seems impossible and then snatching it away only to make me realise that it was always a path that from whom I expected light had to choose. That all of this was just culminated into existence of Max I met for first time .But I... know that you can figure it out , Max. If anyone can , it is you and so Thoth ...I won't lose hope of his return . No matter how cruelly you played, heart and time is a beautiful contradiction indeed ."