I woke up with cold sweat. But this time it's from a different dream. I run my fingers through my now wet hair and get up.
It's saturday again.
*knock knock*
It's Tom.
"Come in."
"Good morning, Young Master Ivan" Tom opens the door to my bedroom with a greeting and starts to make all the preparations for my morning routine. "The bath will be ready in a short while. Should I bring the breakfast in your bedroom or set it in the dining hall?"
"Just bring it here, Tom."
I still don't know what I am going to do with this power in the future. But I already decided what I will do today.
The image of the accident last time is stuck in my mind. I have to prevent it. I have to try and save that little girl. It happens in the late afternoon. I have a lot of time until then.
Once again, I leave the Lucero mansion after breakfast. I walk past the big noble estates and then the merchant estates. Around an hour later, I reach the city centre. It's bustling with life.
I walk down the main Avenue like last time.
The street performers fill the air with the sound of music. I stop to give some money to them. I spend less time listening to the performances, but it's still entertaining. The pauses also give me time to think.
I arrive in front of the puppet show earlier than before. I stay here for some time, watching the legend of the founding of the Tartan Empire. It revolves around the first emperor liberating a few small territories from tyrannical rulers. During his journey, the first emperor receives the help of the people who would become the first nobles of the empire, including house Lucero. Most of the oldest noble families of Tartan have different special powers like mine. That's probably how they could be of so much help. Actually, there are many legends of the empire's founding. If you travel to other cities and territories, you can hear more local versions, giving more importance to the different noble families.
I get hungry at lunch time and look for the restaurant 'Wild Boar'.
*cling*
"Welcome. We have some free seats. Are you alone, or waiting for someone?" a waiter immediately starts taking me to a free table.
"It's just me. What dishes do you have?"
Yes, I came here before but I don't remember every dish. And, I don't want to eat the same thing two times.
"Our specialty is boar stew, but we have other dishes…" the waiter lists all of the restaurant's dishes and this time I choose barbecued boar with wild vegetables. It's also delicious.
With my stomach full, I continue to walk on the avenue and head towards the central plaza. I sit down on the same bench and I try to not fall asleep.
I try to focus. I need to save the little child this time, but I still have no plan. I only know where and when the accident will happen. I don't know how. I wasn't looking at the time. Can I even stop it?
I wonder what I should do. I don't want to become the victim myself. I also don't want to call too much attention to myself. Acting like a self-sacrificing hero is out of question.
The children run past me laughing and yelling. They are having so much fun, but this time I don't join them. I watch them play while trying to think of a plan. Suddenly, I get an idea.
I don't want to arrive too early, so I wait until the adults call for the children before heading to the street.
I look at all the artists on my right side. This time, I don't pay attention to the paintings. I just need to find the artist from yesterday. The accident will be in front of his area.
I find the artist. I look the canvas to make sure. The picture is still only a sketch. The artist seems to work fast. I have some time, but not a lot of it. I look around. On the other side of the street, there are more painters and a few groups of people. I spot three children. I wonder which one I need to save.
I can't do anything from this distance, so I cross the street.
One of the children is pulled into a shop by his mother. But it still leaves two children. I remember that the woman had called the child Allie. I try to hear a name or find clue, so I pretend to look at the paintings as a cover. The time seems to go by very slowly and I don' find out anything. Time is running out.
From the corner of my eye, I see something rolling on the floor. I turn and pick it up.
"It's mine," a little girl runs towards me with her arms stretched. A woman walks a few steps behind the girl.
"Hey, I told you not to play with the ball…" The lady looks at me and smiles. "Oh, thank you. Allie, what do you say?" This lady just called the child Allie…
"Tank y…"
"Kyaa!"
*CRASH*
Allie was just starting to speak when some people screamed and pushed and shoved each other. It was very fast. There was a loud noise and then silence.
I turned to look at the new accident place. It was just a few meters ahead.
Everyone is staring.
There were some paintings on the road, most of them completely destroyed. The people in front of the display had run away in time. There was debris on the ground, but there was no person down. Definitely, there was no child laying down on a pool of blood. Did I really save the child?
I look back at the mother and child. The woman's face is death pale. She must have realized what could have happened to her daughter.
I can't believe it. I had many plans to prevent the accident but they were useless. In the end the accident still happened, but without victims. And the only thing that changed was me picking up a ball by instinct.