the single Temporal Retry

Prologue: Friend and Foe?

The kingdom's heroes stood ready in the dank, coliseum-like structure, pillars of stone, rows and rows of stands, empty and desolate aside from us... and them. They had trained for this: 9 grueling months in this world, and this was it: 30 students, many of whom were tired and many of whom wanted to go home to return to their boring high school lives. But that meant they needed to win this fight; they needed to kill this demon... Diablos himself, but that wouldn't be quite so easy. Aligned with this demon were the treacherous kingdom of Alphine's fastest general, the twin-bladed Apol; the witch of the stars named Hiem to his left; and the queen of flame, Brig, on his right. Arthur, the rogue bladesman, stood on top of a student, Jacqueline, a girl adept at fencing who had charged in prematurely.

     "This is bad... God, this is bad..." She was the fastest person we had.
We were dead... I knew we were the second I heard it; I dropped my blade, and I pummeled my own stupidity.
"I knew we couldn't do this... I knew I couldn't do this."
My muttering is interrupted as I'm kicked to the ground by a kid behind me... Adrien, I never liked him; he never liked me, but in this case I couldn't even be mad. Watching him run, I kinda got it; this place was brutal... That's why he and the other guys had been brutal... I still hated them, even in that moment... though in that moment I could not blame them, still... that hate fueled me to get up... So maybe I should thank them; not going to happen, but regardless, when I stood, it was chaos, with half the class running into the fight and half running away. I turn to run, but the witch won't allow it. I stare at her; I hate that I notice... But her skin is a beautiful light blue. I leap as her white cloak whips at me like a leather strip. It still connects, leaving a red mark on my thigh.
"Really?" I yell, more annoyed than anything.
Hiem speaks softly but determinedly.
"I do not wish to harm you... but we cannot allow you to stop the leader. His plan is integral... please, I wish you all could understand."
I see it in her eyes; she believes in whatever the demons' planning to do, it is for the best.
"What... what are you talking about?" I ask, softer, more curious. While still rattled by the sting on my leg
"There's no time," she replies while her eyes dart about at the other heroes surrounding her.
She launches a barrage of light orbs, pushing us all back. I feel a small burst of heat from the rear, and then I hit the cold stone floor, narrowly avoiding a spear of flame, and then I roll up on my side to see Brig heading towards us, flaming shapes forming around her, spinning in a circle, prepared to pierce anyone in her path. I look back at the witch, watching her float toward Diablo as he waves a red, gooey energy between his hands, stretching it like putty and forming it into a blade. My legs move on their own. I need to figure out what she meant, what she had to say... In that moment it became the ONLY thing on my mind. I rushed past the brawl; Derek, a kid I knew somewhat, called out,
"Where the hell...?" but I didn't care. I sprinted off to the side of the witch and the demon, finally getting a good look at them.
Diablo up close looks far less threatening; it's clear that he's tired, his eyes sunken. His outer bits look closer to ashy skin than to any demonic plate. The witch in white has a utility belt; upon it, potions, scrolls, and artifacts alike hang, and something entices me. Something calling to my very soul... I'm not worthy to hold it... not worthy to touch it... but this once...
I run in, catching the demon's ally's attention, as I snatch an hourglass from her. They're on me in an instant. The witch, the warrior, the queen, and the rogue—each one was ready to slit my throat, and I panicked through my confusion at my own actions. I spike the glass onto the stone ground beneath us; it shattered, and a soft orange light overtook us. I can't see for a moment... But I can feel it. I feel closer to the ground, and my legs feel more stumpy; my head feels fuzzy... Then I had to process what "fuzzy" meant. I took a minute as my eyes adjusted... and I was in some strange coliseum... my clothes felt strange... I'd never worn a cloak like this before; Mom would've never gotten me something like that. Why would I ever dress like this in the first place? a fancy party? A girl with pale blue skin beside me rubs her head and groans; she's in a long white robe and has a stick that seems far too large for her to carry at her side. I glance to my other side and see 3 other kids roughly my age, also dressed strangely. Where am I? What was this place? My legs slowly start to work again, and I get up, seeing some kids, older than the five of us, running over and a large man off to our side slowly approaching.
I call out,
"What's going on?" I ask the girl.
But she's still spiraling; as the older man continues his approach, I sprint over to the pile of trinkets at the girl's feet and sift through them all, looking for anything that looks useful... It was instinct, almost. It was a wonderful feeling; the girl seemed to wake, and she asked,
"What's going on?" I have no answer, so I come up with something:
"We're a team; those guys are after us!"
I told her without the slightest idea what I was talking about. But it clearly worked; she looked scared but determined. Grabbing her staff and trying to wave it around, she looks confused, like she knows what her staff does but can't figure out how or why. I grab onto it and start fidgeting with it too. The older man yelled,
"What the hell, Hiem?" What... are you...
The staff finally starts to glow; the girl and I hold the staff together, lifting it and slamming it against the rock below, casting a circle of light that envelops us and the other 3 comatose children in purple light...