The Great War of Rhodesia

1. The Second Coming

Couran finished the examination and cleaning of the room called Mahan Staan at the end of the Cave of the Star Alcoves, that morning.

The work that every day the middle-aged man did for the past 5 years. After the mysterious disappearance of Aksa and Nata in the room.

Initially Couran always came to the room just to make sure, whether the two young men had returned or not. But after 2 years and no sign that Aksa and Nata will return, he began to stop hoping.

But even so, he still continued to visit the place every day. Just to tidy up and clean it from dust and dirt.

Couran had just walked out of Mahan Staan when he was suddenly startled by a short buzzing sound and like a spark of light from inside the room behind him.

The middle-aged man turned around. Then a faint sound was heard from inside the room. Like the voice of someone talking. Before he left, the room was empty. There's no one.

Hearing the voice made Couran start to be filled with guesses and expectations. Most of his heart was convinced that the voice he heard was that of Aksa and Nata. Although he also realized that there is a possibility now he is hallucinating.

Then Couran hesitantly began to push the door of the room while exhaling a long breath to calm down. And the voice of the person talking began to sound clearer as Couran stepped in.

It appears that Aksa and Nata are talking in front of an object called the Particle Breaker Tool. And seeing this made Couran almost fall because of surprise. He did not believe what he saw.

"Oh, Mr. Couran. I think we're back, Nat." Aksa spoke as she watched Couran's figure enter the room. "Why, Mr Couran? You're like you just saw a ghost?" tanyanya.

"You're not ghosts, are you? You're real, right?" Couran immediately ran and grabbed Aksa and Nata's hands, then touched the faces of the two of them to make sure that he was not fantasizing.

"Stop it, Mr. Couran. What are you doing?" Nata was troubled by Couran's perceived excessive attitude.

"Oh, this is really you guys. You're back." Couran was overjoyed that he could finally see Aksa and Nata again.

"What did you drink, Mr Couran? I'm getting scared myself now" said Aksa, looking back a few steps away from Couran.

"Where have you been all this time? What the hell's been going on?" Couran asked unconcerned about Aksa's words.

"What's been going on? What happened, Mr Couran?" ask Aksa who looks confused.

"Just a moment...Tell me, Mr. Couran, how long have we been gone?" ask Nata suddenly.

"What are you senile about, Nat? Obviously we just left about three or five minutes ago." said Aksa chimed in Nata. "Before a minute, don't tell me." The follower then after like he just realized something.

"What are you two talking about? You've been missing for five years" replied Couran, who looked puzzled by Nata's question.

"Five years?!" sahut Aksa and Nata almost simultaneously. The faces of the two of them looked surprised.

"Wow, we're Back to the Future literally," said Aksa who looked amazed.

"That means the Particle Breaker is unstable. We have to be careful and we can't just run it now. We don't know when it will be brought to the time by the tool" said Nata later which makes Couran more confused.

"really. It's dangerous if it's random like that. But by the way, do you think leaving something from the future to the past could mess with the ripples of time flow that have already occurred?" asked Aksa who seemed to ignore the existence of Couran who seemed confused to see the two of them.

"Indeed why? You still thinking about the Time Capsule?" Nata asked back.

"No. I left my technology catalog book in place earlier," replied Aksa who made Nata close her palm to the face.

"Awhile, I'm gonna sit down. I think I'm Jet Lag Time Traveling" said Aksa who then settles down on a long sofa in the middle of the room while gently massaging his forehead with his left hand. "So have I just made a new reality, or have I unwittingly intervened to shape history?" muttered later.

"We are not returning to our world, Mr. Couran," Nata said, answering Couran's question.

"Then where have you been all this time? And how did you guys suddenly disappear and then just show up again?" Couran spilled out all the questions that had plagued him for the past 5 years.

"Either our story can be understood or not, but in fact we only went for no more than five minutes. At least from our point of view," Nata replied trying to explain to Couran.

"Your point of view? What do you mean, Nat?"

"It seems we've made a time jump." Nata replied with a bit of hesitation.

"Time jump? You mean you're switching time?" Couran is still trying to understand Nata's words.

"really. We went back to a time when this land was not destroyed. Probably about three hundred or four hundred years ago. Or maybe even longer," Nata replied later.

"In the meantime, you're back in the past?" Couran looks more confused.

"Yes, it sounds confusing and unbelievable. But that's the truth. We go back in time, but we are only in that place for five minutes. Then we took another leap of time into the future. That is to this moment. Five years after our original time." Nata spoke without expecting to be understood.

"Attent. So you mean, you're jumping five years into the future, which means right now, from five minutes after you disappeared?" Couran tried hard to understand Nata's explanation.

"true." Nata nodded.

"To be exact from five days after the coronation of the Princess," Aksa chanted suddenly.

This time around, Couran is starting to look more in disbelief than confused. "So you're eighteen now?" tanyanya then while watching Nata's face that looks not getting older than the last he remembered.

"Nineteen years," Aksa said.

"Oh, it's unbelievable. And how can you jump into the past and the future like that? Did you use Primaval's magic?" Couran asked still with a face that looked in denial.

"No. But because of that Particle Breaker. We're doing a machine check, and then we switch times." Nata answered.

"Does it have the ability to move time?" couran asked with a face that looked hopeful Nata would answer 'no'.

"shouldn't. We were also surprised and did not understand why the tool could be like that" replied Nata who seemed to relieve Couran.

"But thank God you can still go back to this place again. Although in five years later," said Couran who looks really relieved and grateful Aksa and Nata can return safely.

"really. And now it's our turn to ask, what has been going on for five years that we've not been here, Mr Couran?" Nata's turn to ask back.

"A lot. But before that, let's get out of this place. Many people are waiting for you" said Couran with an invitation.

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