I watched the spirit slowly spin around in the whisky bottle as I twirled it with my finger on the table.
I knew I should give it up. Ever since I was 15, it was a part of my life, but as much fun and enjoyment I'd gotten out of it, I'd had to deal with the aftermaths. How many mornings of vomiting and headaches due to overuse had I endured?
But could I face things without it?
After a moment, I opened the bottle.
The spirit fairy flew out and didn't look back, I don't blame her one bit.
He walked in and put a sports bag on the table. I looked up at him, then at the bag, then him.
"And that is?"
"Open it."
I looked at the general shape of it.
"Look, I don't need visual proof you killed him, if that's-"
"Nah, he's still alive."
I looked back at him.
"So this is an apology bag?"
"No. Open it."
"Vinny, I'm tired. What is going on?"
"Found this in his place. Open it."
I sighed and opened the bag.
"That's more than he stole, right?"
"What is?"
The bag wasn't there any more, we decided.
COME, YOUR END AWAITS.
I stared up at the skeleton in the robe, and waved my hands desperately.
"Can't I play a game to beat you?"
It sighed, impressive considering it didn't have lungs.
ALWAYS WITH THE LAST CHANCE. FINE. WE PLAY DEATHKNUCKLE.
"I don't know that game, I was hoping for poker or-"
I CHOOSE THE GAME. WE PLAY DEATHKNUCKLE.
"Ok, how do we play?"
I AM NOT OBLIGATED TO TELL YOU THAT.
"That's not fair!"
NEITHER IS TRYING TO EXTEND YOUR LIFE PAST YOUR SCHEDULED END, YET HERE WE ARE. NOW CHOOSE.
"Uh... Twenty?"
...
YET ANOTHER LUCKY BASTARD.
I am aware of the official records and what they have to say about that night.
I appreciate that they've got a lot of collaborative evidence and that they, to their credit, have not drawn attention to it, thus further making sure it seems like just another night.
I understand that I am not what would be judged as a reliable witness, nor that I have any right to be believed, especially about such a crazy claim.
But.
I. KNOW. WHAT. I. SAW.
And as long as you keep me locked up here, I'll know I'm right. Ain't that right?
He tossed me into the Endless Abyss to stop me ending his plans of conquest.
I screamed for, I think an hour? Obviously it was impossible to tell time, but it felt roughly that long before my voice gave out.
Over maybe 30 hours, I grew to realise that the Abyss seemed to have sone benefits, I wasn't tired, hungry, thirsty, bodily functions were not happening.
Then I spent a good few hundred hours testing various theories on how the Abyss seemed to work.
Thankfully when he tossed someone else in I was still sane and could reach them easily.
Ok, so hear me out. If we assume that time travel is possible, any changes to the timeline have to have some limitation. To whit, they can't end up precluding time travel, both for the practical paradox avoidance, and also out of some sense of self preservation.
And there's only two plausible scenarios given our current state of the world where they develop time travel. Either the future is so amazing they have the capacity to experiment and make it, or a billionaire creates it to be rich.
One doesn't need to change things, the other doesn't want to, either.
The Wizard stroked his (magically enhanced) long white beard.
"So, your claim is that there's something beyond the Gods?"
"Yes! Because how else can magic work as people wish it, and not be weird?"
"I explained it, us magic wielders have intense willpower that-"
"Ok, but willpower against what? If its just empty randomness, spells wouldn't fail. You're pressing up against something, or someone!"
"And if it's not the Gods..."
"Which it isn't."
"Then... Hmm. You may be onto something.
Shame."
He waved a hand, and the troublemaker was consumed by the void before they got too out of hand.
