Chapter Text
-2026 CE-
It started when Squiddo turned 18. The glitches were first just a party trick, but slowly, they spread and became more frequent, almost as if she was being glitched out of the world.
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-2029 CE-
By 21, they were a part of her, yet she had no control. One day, she had just left her art class and the world went black. Squiddo felt like she was being swept away in a tornado of noise.
>~~~<
-1526 BCE-
It started when Ashswag turned 18. For him, time started going faster, yet he started growing slower. No one around him seemed to notice, or care if he brung it up.
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-1529 BCE-
By 21, he no longer grew, and time started feeling like 5 months instead of five years. One day, he realized that although his parents had aged 5 years, he hadn't. People began to ask questions and so he decided to leave it all behind.
>~~~<
-1535 BCE-
Squiddo startled awake, blinking away the spots in her eyes. Everything hurt. She could feel cuts and bruises all over her body, as if she'd fallen. Wincing, she propped herself with her elbows, taking in her surroundings.
"Where the hell am I...?" She questioned, frantically looking around. She gasped when she realized where she was.
Squiddo was lying in a vast field, grasses in greens and yellows dotted with so many flowers. Sunflowers, poppies, lavender and more were scattered across the meadow that seemed to extend on forever. She definitely had to paint this when she got home.
Speaking of which... where was she?
Squiddo, spotting a path, got up and started walking in that direction. As she was walking, she realized with relief that whatever had happened, she still had her satchel from art school, filled to the brim with art supplies and a few other essentials. She contemplated if she should pause and draw the scenery.
"As beautiful as this place is," she said to herself, "I really should find out what happened."
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"It's... so... hotttttt," Squiddo gasped.
She'd been walking for void knows how long and her injuries and the blistering sun up above that cooking them alive were slowing her down.
All of a sudden, she spotted the outline of a cityscape on the horizon.
"Please oh please void don't let this be a mirage."
>~~~<
-1535 BCE-
Ashswag strolled through the streets of Athens, his toga fluttering in the slightest breeze. It was a sunny day and despite the slight ache on his back, he had some errands to run in the market.
"Morning Ashswag!" yelled Branzycraft, the owner of the best (in his opinion) linens shop in the whole city.
"Good morning Branzy, how's business?" Ash called.
Branzy yelled something back, but it was lost in the hustle of the streets, and before he knew it, Ash continued on with his walk.
As he walked away, Ash thought about how he ended up in Athens.
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When Ash turned 18, he had stopped aging. Not in the way that teenagers finish puberty and begin life in their adult bodies, but he ceased any growth at all. Time also sped up and ?weeks? started feeling like ?days? and ?months? would go by in a flash. Eventually, when people started questioning and suspicions arose, Ash made the decision to leave. It wasn't a struggle really, his parents surely didn't care. Ash spent ?years? travelling the globe, exploring continents and learning to accept and live with his newfound immortality.
During his travels, he stumbled upon creatures and cities of myth, things spoken of only in legends. He didn't know why people hadn't found them before... perhaps they sensed his own power.
One day, he stumbled upon a city deep in the mountains of South America, filled with winged men and women flying throughout. He stayed there for a ?while? and learned their ways. They were a magical society and eventually he met the head mage. Through his help, he was granted their highest honour... Wings.
Even though it was the worst pain he had ever felt, after the fact, he was free. He could soar across the skies, traversing the ocean without the need for a boat. It was... revolutionary.
However, he soon found out that wings were not welcome by the humans, and they put him in danger. He was forced to bind and hide away the things he loved most, because even though he couldn't die, he still could hurt.... a lot.
Eventually, Ash made it to Athens, and he fell in love. The noise, the colours, the smells and tastes. It was one of the most beautiful things he's ever seen. And most importantly, he would never get bored there, no matter how long he lived, Athens offered endless opportunities.
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So here Ash walked through the agora smiling at passersby despite the growing ache on his back from his bound wings. It was worse today than most days as he hadn't taken them out in a ?week?. He passed the bread and produce shop, picking up a loaf and a bag of dates (mmm his favourite).
Even though he had many other things to do today, the aches kept getting sharper and sharper, becoming almost unbearable, even for him. Ash started to stumble towards his own, grasping onto his groceries with the little strength he could muster.
He received many glances from people passing him by, but he had no concern for that now, he just wanted to get home and be safe.
Ash's vision started to blur, spots dancing in and out. He kept his eyes on the ground, trying to hide the tears welling up. By the time he turned into the empty alleyway that led to his home, he definitely wasn't paying attention where he was going.
Suddenly, he stumbled into someone, both of them falling to the ground.
"OH MY VOID, IM SO SORRY," he heard a feminine voice. He kept his head down, trying to hide the grimace of pain that has spread across his face. "Uhmm... are you ok...?"
Bracing himself, he looked up.