Looking down at the corpse that was once his body Nara S Imsaya shuddered. His head still buzzing from his new body and its reaction to its first cigarette and first shots of whiskey. Looking at the side of his head and how they did their best to cover the hole there. Thinking about his eyes, now tightly sewn shut, with the image of his murderer burned into them. He thought of how much he had done in this body and what plans the future had. How it seemed that after so much loss and suffering he finally found redemption. Paroled from limbo or purgatory he finally found a family, a life, a place to call home. Now it was all gone.

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." the words of his priest came to him. He made a point to plant some goodness in the world each day. To cut down evil, protect innocence, to be the rose. He looks down at the white rose She left there. He almost rushed up to her and revealed his secret but all it would do was hurt her more. He gazed at the rose and its every detail and thought to himself. There I am, i was growing and flourishing and was cut down in the name of profit. My petals, already browning, will dry up and fall away. The seeds never becoming fertile died in the pod. If my professor friend is right then one day ill be a puddle of oil. To become a puddle of flammable, poisonous black corruption. Seems a fitting harvest for the seed that is sown here. 

Turning to go he greets the priest warmly which confuses him since they have never met. They part and still trying to place where this man has met him he hears the thud of a heavy gold coin hitting the bottom of the tithe box. Looking back at Nara's silhouette and the door closing behind him then over to the casket. It was glowing from the sunlight, at the perfect angle the beam passed through the stained glass window surrounding him with St Gregory's halo.  

On a hunch Revenant heads to a old cemetery on Chicago's South side. Heading a route familiar to him but never trod by the feet carrying him now. He turns down the row and walking down it his eyes scan forward then widen.

Nara S Imhaya. With birth date but no death date listed on a simple piece of polished granite. 

Paying his respect and enjoying the pun of it being respect to him in a literal way he walks away with more questions than he came with. So how am I alive and here too? He wonders. 

And he will keep wondering till the reason he's here reveals itself.

11/5 

Revenant is running out of time, maybe. In 2 days Nara will incarnate and view Revenants recently deceased body. He wondered what will actually happen. Will he die as well? Will the universe cease to exist ripped apart by time waves and paradoxes if he meets himself. Will he prevent his murder and change his own future? The problem was everything he had to go by was the work of science fiction authors who never actually time traveled. And all his experience since being involved in the ascension He has never been somewhen where another of his incarnations was living.

Suddenly another piece of this puzzle fell into place but only making it more puzzling. Sara, She would put a rose on Revenants coffin in 2 days too. Heartbroken over his death she spent her last 2 days in misery before joining Him and the entire Chicago gang. Surely He was here now to prevent it or save her. Or,, he has no idea why.


Deciding that She would be able to understand and maybe even provide some help with this puzzle Revenant decides to pay her a visit. Passing by a grocery store he notices his reflection in the large front windows.

You are more aged than He was then, he thought. Either she will believe you totally or think Shes out of her head. For a moment he stopped, what if this brings her more pain and suffering than their deaths had? Only one thing prevented Revenant from abandoning this plan altogether. He had always regretted not telling her how much she meant to him. She didn't have a purple corundum, she wasn't bonded to the essence of this universe. When she died it was forever. Instead of dissuading him more it reinforced the decision he had made. He had to see her one more time. He had to seize the day and do what he swore he would sell his soul for a chance to do. He had to tell her how much he loved her. 

Rather than narrating the events which are mediocre at best of his trip to the airport, booking his flight and paying for the ticket theres nothing to say untill he sees her tomorrow. So we are left here to wonder what will happen tomorrow

(Dreaming)

Katvayin.

Revenant is walking the streets of Philly thinking about cats. One special one. In Armenia there are a unique breed of cat called Van Cats. Snowy white all over and medium short haired. The most notable trait is the eyes, almond shaped and larger than average. They typically will have “odd eyes” usually one blue and one amber colored. Originating in the area of Lake Van in what is now Turkey they have a quirk of evolution unique to them. Van cats are proficient swimmers doing it for fun, sport or even to hunt.

That was her all right Revenant thought with a chuckle. Remembering that cold day in January 1917 when he met her. Scouting a burned village for signs of the enemy he stumbled upon a kitten. Cocking her head at him with a mew he smiled and sat down. Opening some tinned meat with a frown he gagged at the smell. Setting it down the tiny white ball of fluff carefully crept toward it then dug in happily with loud noms and purrs. She let him pet her afterwards and he marveled at how pretty her eyes were, what intelligence he could see in them.

He rose and bid her farewell, continuing his patrol he headed back to camp. He felt that someone was following him or more specific something. He turned around and sure enough the cat was several yards behind him. She sat down and looked at him as he shouted for her to go home.
“I want to follow you for a while” Revenants imagination heard the cat say.

With occasional stops to glare and growl to go home he slowly made his way back to camp. She was always there always stopping when he did. She only vanished as he entered the camp perimeter. Reporting the village empty his squad leader frowned.

“Attention” He barked. “Our division HQ has been overrun and leaders captured. They are being held in a nearby town. We are ordered to try and free them then fall back to our lines. We will scout the town now and tonight,, what the devil is that?!?”

Revenant knew what the devil it was, it was a cat rubbing his leg purring. He just didn’t know the words in Russian for it. Since joining the Russian army as a civilian volunteer, guide and translator he picked up a lot of their language but not the word for cat.
Stammering “Katu??” (Armenian for cat) “Katvayin?” (feline)

“Too short to join” The squad leader says chuckling wearily.

The men gear up and head out carefully. The scouts return with a report. Fifteen men guard the post. A detachment is due in the morning to pick up the prisoners who won’t be shot at dawn. They will be transported to an interrogation center and their knowledge pried out of them. Looking at a diagram in the dirt the squad leader plans. Its risky but the only thing remotely having a chance of success. The squad would split up with most taking the guards stationed at various outposts and a group of 5 taking the jail. Coming in from the rear and the cover of some woods Revenant was in the latter group.
 
Flitting to and fro Katvayin darted, that’s what the Russians thought her name was. Nobody could shoo her away for long she was going to tag along on these humans’ adventure. When the group neared the target, they stopped a moment to look at their map.
“You and I will move up and hold at both sides of the door before rushing in together to assault the room. Grigory and Olaf will take up positions at the tree line and Dimitry will bring up the rear and carry our gear” He conveyed in whispers and hand motions. Suddenly his eyes widened, and he points over to Katvayin. She is batting at a long thin wire tied to a tree and leading to the pin of a grenade tied to another tree. Not 3 feet away they were about to walk right into it. Motioning frantically to her and as everyone carefully stepped around it he imagined she said “Of course its dangerous silly human that’s why I pointed it out to you”.

Olaf difuses it with a safe pin and takes it with him for their use.  With her tail pointed straight up with only the tip flitting back and forth like her own battle flag she scampered off toward the jailhouse.

As she bounced along ahead of them suddenly she tensed then tore off to some bushes near a small creek. Surprised words in Turkish alerted the team to the presence of 2 patrol guards who had stopped to take a bit of a rest by the stream. Taken out quietly Katvayin strutted back and forth on a log watching the team hide the bodies.

Reaching the back door and flanking it they heard voices inside. Looking over at the squad leader waiting for a signal they both drew in a shocked breath as Katvayin appears and walks directly toward them. Both thought the situation through at the same time. Reaching out to catch her or even to make a noise or motion would attract attention. Both stared in horror as she walked right up to the steps and through the door left open to let in some fresh air and let out a meow.

The sounds of shouts and weapons being raised followed then the bellow of “Stand Down.” In Ottoman. “Safe your weapons, the night is quiet, and you are more danger to me than the enemy. It’s just a,”

He never finished his sentence, bending down to pet the cat Revenant got a glimpse of his head coming into view. As the soldiers were making safe their weapons Revenant turned into the doorway spinning his rifle and hit the commander right under his chin with its butt. As he spun it the rest of its 360 his squad leader rushes in and both point their rifles at 3 very surprised men.

Finding the 4th in the loo they quickly secure the building capturing the 5 men on sleep shift and the last 3 as they returned from another patrol. Releasing their comrades and hanging a lamp in the upper floor window as a signal to the others they retreat to the preset meeting place. As everyone makes their way back safely and evening rations are distributed the squad leader opens a tin of sardines.

“Salut Sargent Katvayin” he says laying the tin down for her to enjoy loudly.

Katvayin remained with Revenant and the squad for the rest of the war. When Revenant was blown up, she found his new incarnation. When he made it to America, she came with him. When he became Nara S Imhaya he watched for her but never found her. Revenant is always looking around expecting to see a pair of mismatched eyes looking back and his imagination saying “hello again human”.

(As Revenant is deraming)

Katvayin is roaming Elysium. She is a well known and revered entity here and many folks greet her by name. Sauntering into the administration building She's saluted by the entry guards. The groups Sargent leads her to the lift 

"To the top Maam?" He asks.

With the slightest nod and blink she grooms herself while the whirr of the tube lift droans softly. When it reaches the desired section and floor the doors open and Katvayin struts out and down the hall. With a salute the Sargent returns to the entryway. She continues down a hallway occasionally checking out anything that caught her interest. Eventually She comes to a doorway leading into another side corridor. With a quickend pace she makes a beeline for a open door with a shaft of light breaking up the darkened corridor. As he approaches the lights go up in the section shes in untill meeting the doors lightline. walking in she lets out a soft meow. The man sitting at a work station smiles and turns. 

"Its time I take it? Of course you would know." He says chuckling and reaching down to scratch her ears. 

Purring She senses motion near the door and both turn to look at the door. The woman who entered is hard to describe. To whoever looks at her will find the most wise, beautiful, caring, loving and comforting image they can muster. She goes by countless names but to Katavin and the fellow at the desk who is known as Feowyr She is Mother. She awoke alone in a vast emptiness with only a gemstone clutched in her hand, The purple corundum. 

I see you have already been informed but I have come to ask a task of you Michael. One I think only you and Katvayin may accomplish. The universe is coming unraveled and I fear it will fall to chaos if you fail. The one chosen by the gem has become unstuck in time. 

With a now He simply says "I am honored to be chosen Mother and I will not fail"

"The chrono coordinates are entered into your PADD, farewell my child. My beautiful archangel Michael the 4th"

Blushing a little at the praise Mother gave him he begins to tap at his PADD strapped to his wrist. 

And then He and Katvayin were gone, sent to when and where they had been taken.


Revenant wakes and opens his eyes to a room covered with dilapitated wallpaper. In confusion and concern he looks around quickly. Seeing only his bags and clothes set out on a chair for him to wake as was his habit he quickly dresses. A search of the building and Revenant is filled with more concern. Its a empty farmhouse. He fell asleep in the red painted room in the boarding house he used. Where and when was he now??
He was going to see Sara, maybe save himself from the assassination that took him from that lifetime. Maybe protect Nara, his next incarnation from being killed less than a month later. And,,,

He really had no idea. He never experienced being in a time where he was already living. All the books he had read said meeting himslef would be bad if not disastrous. As he walks out of the house and noticing with a frown there are no vehicles to be found he walks down the driveway and flipping a coin decides to go down the North road hoping to find a ride and hopefully some idea of where and when he is now.

After walking for almost a hour Revenants throat is dry. He hasn't seen another person the whole time. Judging by the cornfields he sees in all directions He deduces he's not in Chicago anymore. When and why are another story. Suddenly off in the distance behind him the rumble and small silhouette of a truck appears. As it nears him Revenant puts out his thumb. The truck stops and inside smiling brightly is Feowyr. 

Revenant moans "Oh no what's going on" and he climbs in. Suddenly he jumps as a cat hops into his lap from behind the seat. The shock turns into delight as he recognizes its Katvayin. Rubbing her ears and neck lovingly to her loud purrs He smiles "Must be big to send her to keep me safe and sane."

Nodding with a grin Feowyr says "Just got to fix a little mess and get you back on the right track is all. You remember that crisis you had when you became Nara? How you had never been another person when you reanimated into a new entity?" 

Revenant nods

"Well you must realize the importance of where and when you are now then. Now the bad news." Feowyr says while watching the road in front of him. 

Revenant nods slightly "there's always bad news" Thinking of the first time they met in that cave on Mt Ararat when Revenant found the cross containing that purple gemstone which has become a blessing and burden to him several times.

Stopping at a stop sign Feowyr turns to him and says solemnly "Its Nov 10th"

It hit Revenant like a kick to the chest. He was going to meet Sara before the purge killed both her and his earlier incarnation. He would prevent or avenge their deaths. Maybe even stop Nara's untimely end. He,,,

"If you had met yourself it would have been a disaster. The purple corundums would have collided and been destroyed with everything in a chaotic detonation of reality. Had you altered anything it could have resulted in a timewave and changed the future. I had to incapacitate you and get you away from there as quickly as I could my friend. I'm so sorry." Feowyr says softly

His eyes welling up Revenant takes in everything. For a long time he is silent as Feowyr drives further eventually getting on a state road then part of the new federal highway system going to Chicago. Sara, he would give it all up for just one more moment with her. Now his chance was gone. He was too late. Nara lived but in California and Revenant knew the Absurd war was named well. Trying to stop that or get Nara to safely was futile. The acceptance of everything sinking fully into him he realizes Katvayin has fallen asleep while he caressed her. "But why was I sent here and now then?" He asks.

"We aren't sure, other than more activity in the gem is suggesting you may be ready to ascend. All we know for sure is something you are doing is what you are supposed to. Including this." And as Feowyr finishes he looks ahead to the skyline of Chicago rising out of the horizon. 

They talk for the rest of the trip and even into the night as they settle into one of Revenants safe houses. Its agreed that he should leave the city since he is now dead. Finally standing and indicating it was time to leave Feowyr embraces Revenant warmly. "

"Farewell and good luck my friend. There will be one last test for you that I forsee in the near future. I know your heart and I know you will pass this too."

And like that he was gone. Katvayin rubbing Revenants leg as if to say "But I'm here with you again so its going to be ok"

He pondered what Feowyr meant all day while packing and hitting a couple banks who were not aware he had died. On the way to the airport he runs into a familiar face. The Commissar got out of a cab directly in front of his at the airport entrance. Like someone had pulled a plug out of his toe the color drained out of him at the sight of the man he had recently killed. No not him he thought with another shiver, he's older. Eyes wide he stammers out "What do you want??"

Revenant ponders this for a moment. He could avenge his own murder right there. It would change the future but to what extent. Then it came to him. This man got caught up in something bigger than everyone involved. Hes going to go to Federal prison shortly and the stress of wondering when some other rival will kill him is palpable. He will be punished for everything he has done in time and perhaps it will make the world a better place. If he comes out a changed man, if being caught helps the world be better, if his bloodline remembers him and takes heed his mistakes. That is the only future that should be.

Shaking his trembling hand Revenant says ""Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."" and walks away.

As He does He thinks of another verse. In books and stories all across time you can hear the Mothers voice through the translations. She used to say that the voice in your heart that tells you right from wrong is Her. 

His heart said "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholds thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considers not the beam that is in thine own eye?"