User blog:Seieireppa/God Eater: The Butterfly Effect, chapter 7: Complications

Neither of them could believe what they’d just heard.

As though reality itself unwound around them, Will and Silas sat there in absolute shock. This was World Line Prime. They knew it was. So why, then, had they just witnessed the birth of Isaac Feldman, who should not, by any right, exist here?

“What’s… going on?!” Will gasped, sweat dripping down his brow.

“I… I have no idea,” came Silas’ reply, “none at all. This is World Line Prime. Isaac Feldman doesn’t exist here. He CAN’T exist! What the hell is going on?!”

As bizarre as this situation was, neither of them had any time to dwell on it, as their unnatural antics had attracted the attention of a nearby security guard.

“Hey, who are you?” the rather fat man called out as he approached the two near the door. “I haven’t seen you around before. Names and assignments?”

Without thinking, Will bolted upright and pulled Silas to his feet as the two of them ran as fast as they could, down the hall, down a staircase, and out the front door, putting a good distance between them and the hospital faster than either of them thought themselves capable of.

“So are you gonna tell me what the hell is going on here?!” Will exclaimed, somewhat irate, panting as he leaned against a tree and faced Silas, who was just as bewildered as he was.

“I have no idea at all, Will,” came Silas’ response. “None. At all. By all rights, Isaac Feldman should not exist in this timeline. He—or whoever took his place—should have been the key to unraveling the truth behind this timeline! But what the hell do we find but Isaac goddamned Feldman himself waiting for us? I’m completely stumped! All my years of temporal science and work at Asgard and it’s come down to…”

Silas took a deep breath, collecting himself. “To this? God…”

The two of them merely stood there, gathering themselves… when, all of a sudden, a thought struck Will.

“Wait…” he began, the onset of sudden clarity sending chills down his spine. “What if… what if this wasn’t the divergence point after all?”

“Hm?” inquired Silas, now intrigued. “How could that be? None of our files from this timeline show any mention of Isaac Feldman existing.”

Will jumped to attention. “And that’s just it!” he exclaimed. “Your files extend only to Fenrir databases and those of affiliated groups! Of course there’d be no records of Isaac Feldman, as far as you guys are concerned, before he joined Fenrir!”

Silas’ eyes lit up with understanding. “Which would mean… that whatever prompted him to join Fenrir in every other timeline just didn’t happen here?”

“Precisely!”  Will now wore an expression of excitement, not unlike a predatory animal closing in on its prey. “All we need to do is find out what event that was, and travel to when that would have happened in this timeline!”

“And the only event that makes sense,” Silas interjected, “would be…”

At this point, the two of them spoke in perfect unison.

“The Aragami outbreak!”

Hurriedly, Silas tapped the face of his wristwatch-like device, projecting a holographic display which Silas flipped through like so many pages of a book.

“And according to Fenrir’s databases,” he spoke, the same tone of excitement apparent in his voice as well, “the Aragami first hit this area on… there! September 21st, 2053!”

“Then what the hell are we waiting for?!” exclaimed Will, who grabbed Silas’ wrist and began the transportation process. “Let’s get a move on!”

Silas only nodded as moments later the two blinked out of existence.

But neither of them could have anticipated the shocking truth that awaited them at their destination…

<-- Previous chapter | Next chapter -->