38 80
"Uh," she says as she looks at us and tilts her head, "do I know you two?"
Her words leave us stunned, and in disbelief. But somehow, Danny manages to say,
"Y-yes, we haven't talked much but," he gulps once and continues, "we have met before."
Adonia tilts her head, not remembering anything it seems. This is a torture, one that I want to see ending soon. After we got a little clue as to what we are supposed to do here, this happens!?
"Don't you remember, Ms. Adonia?" Danny continues, "We told you about how both of us are from the future."
"Hmm?" she looks even more confused as she hears that, and then questions, "Who is Adonia?"
"Huh!?" "Huh!?"
Neither of the two of us is left able to answer that.
"I am sorry but it seems like you have got the wrong person." She stands up and humbly bows as she says, "My name is Roswaisa."
Tsk! Just what happened? Just what exactly happened? Who really was that doctor? What exactly did he do? How could he make us suppress our emotions towards him like that? And what in the world did he do to Adonia?
"I .. see." Danny asks in a shaky voice, "I don't want to be rude but, could you please tell me .. how old you are, Ms. Roswaisa?"
She gets taken aback by that question and starts wondering about it. As she does, Danny looks at me and nods. I do understand what he is trying to say and what the point of asking this question is. And so, I keep my ears wide-open to hear her answer.
"Well, I don't really mind answering." She puts a hand on her chin as she speaks. "I am 80-years-old."
A cold sweat runs down Danny's face. I have no idea what in her age makes that happen but I should keep in mind that this Roswaisa, while also less than 100 years old, could possibly be of a different age than the one we encountered.
"I see, miss. It's kind of you to answer." Danny somehow manages to regain composure (or fake it at least) and says, "We really were mistaking you for someone else. Please forgive us! And we should get going now!"
As she hears that, she brightly smiles at us and says, "Sure! May we meet again!"
Danny bows. I do too. And we leave. As we leave, we see Roswaisa gently smiling at us, and it only makes both of our hearts pain.
*****
Outside of the clinic, where only the two of us are, I say with folded arms, "Now tell me everything I don't know about this."
Danny nods, takes a long breath and then says, "For Angels and Demons, a 5-year-time is as big as 1-year is for us. Now, you can calculate what her age in human terms will be from all that."
If that is indeed the case, then in human terms, she will be a 16-year-old. At least, physically and mentally, that is how much she would have matured. Or so I believe is the meaning of what Danny is saying. And he confirms that my guesses are right by nodding to me and continues,
"An 80-year-old Angel or Demon becomes capable of being summoned. Therefore, right now, she is at that point in her life when she would start being summoned by humans like me who know mage-craft."
Okay, I get what he is saying so far. But, that still leaves me with no answer as to what really is going on. Seeing my confusion, he continues,
"We know for a fact that this time-period, the time of 1856, is too early for her to have become an Angel, and so, being in this time-period as an Angel, can only mean one thing."
Oh .. god!
"This was probably her first summoning."
Roswaisa told us that Danny summoning her was the second time. She also told us she failed the first-time. She didn't tell us where and when she was summoned though. It could be this time-period. And if that is the case,
"Yes, having two of her in the same time-period could cause paradoxes. So, by some law or by human interference, probably the latter, Adonia Evans is being kept away from her."
Meaning that Roswaisa we saw earlier is not just Adonia who has somehow gained all the memories that 80-year-old Roswaisa would have. It means that there is two of her in this time-period and the one we met is not the one we had met before.
"As for the rest of mysteries, I have no answer." He states calmly but grimly, "And there's only one person I know who might know the answers for that."
"That doctor!" he is the only link we seem to have to all the problems that have occurred, "We need to find him."
*****
The two men who mistook me for someone else before. Remembering their expression makes me think that they were really worried about whoever that person was that they mistook me for. Their worries were clear in their eyes. I hope, whoever that person is, they are safe.
"Ms. Roswaisa!"
I suddenly hear someone calling out from behind. This man wears a uniform that you'd find most doctors wearing, a white lab-coat type of uniform on plain shirt and pants, and has a big mustache. He is a bit fat and short and kinda like a doctor you'd see in fiction than the ones you'd mostly find in real life. Anyway, he is the one who summoned me here, the first summoner of mine. However, I am a bit bothered by the fact that those two men were acting like I was the only one in the room, like the doctor wasn't even here.
"I can tell what you are wondering from your face."
That's a lie.
"You can't do that." I say with a chiding expression, "You can just read my mind is all."
And as hears that, he chuckles and says while holding his ears in a show of apology, "Please do forgive me! But yes, you are right! I have read your mind and because I have, I know what you are wondering about. So let me answer that for you."
I urge him to go on with a nod, and he says, "It's because I had made my presence disappear at the time. It is a little mage-craft we call Absolute Frost Requiem."
*****