by TIME, S. O.
Without hesitating, the man steps aside and roundhouse kicks Kou in the stomach, launching him back onto the boulder. Kou hits hard and gasps violently as his breath flies out of him. The red aura dissipates—with the last of his energy, he extends his hand out to touch Hitori's. With tears in his eyes, he whispers to her softly.
"I'm sorry."
An instant before their fingers can graze, he blacks out, his raven-haired head cracking back against the stone.
I am abruptly yanked forward by a powerful current. I automatically strain against the pressure, but the sudden vacuum sucks me through a new Tear—one that I didn't make. I move to close it, but it doesn’t work. I feel my energy drain from me, like water seeping out of a sponge.
And then I am out. I stagger as I regain my balance and look around, soon realizing it’s no longer night. Sunlight streams through the branches, and a peaceful medley of wildlife chirps and rustles around me. How…how did I get here? Did that Tear take me through time? Could I…could I be in the domain of another Death? That’s impossible. Time travel Tears don’t exist. And yet…
I shake my head as I try to maintain my composure. I need to snap out of it. I must find those souls again. I pulse out for their energies and spot them together closer to one of the mansions. I follow the energy and can faintly hear music in the distance as I reach them. They’re both climbing a tree. They look a bit older now, though—just barely teenagers. That Tear must have sent me a few years into their future. But… how? Without warning, my mind opens like a floodgate with questions. I had no intention of ending up there, or in this scene, for that matter.
There’s no other possibility: I must be in the domain of a different Death—one with greater power over the creation of Tears. Have I traveled back or forward to a time other than my own?
“This was a stupid dare! Maybe we should get down now.” Hitori’s voice seizes my thoughts.
I turn to Kou as he reaches for the next branch and notice that more has changed than just his age. In the years since that night in the forest, he’s added lean muscle to his body—along with a few faded scars. His hair looks shorter than before but remains black. The branch he reaches for is farther than his arm length allows, so he's forced to stretch to reach it. On the nape of his neck, I find a bizarre, circular device that I’m not familiar with. Could it be a condenser? I look over at Hitori and see she has one as well.
“Stop being such a baby! I’m not getting down until after I reach the very top of this tree!” he replies.
With a quiet voice, as if talking only to herself, Hitori mutters, “I’m getting down, this is too scary.”
A strange emotion fills my heart as I watch their interaction. I can’t help but smile at the bubbling mirth it evokes. Nostalgia? Is this nostalgia? Before that night in the forest, I could not have described or named them, yet I’m sure now that I have met them before. My mind hides all of this valuable information and makes a fool of me, forcing me to play this game to find it out.
A sharp cry rings through the forest, and a bolt of fear lances through Hitori’s energy, shaking me from my reverie.
"Kou! Kou! Are you okay?" Hitori shouts. Kou now lies motionless on the ground below. With sudden bravery and disregard for her own safety, Hitori hurries down the tree, rushing to Kou's side.
"I’m coming!” she cries vehemently. “I’m coming! Please be okay!"
Hitori drops to her knees beside him and places her hands on his chest, focusing all of her energy on him. I feel his energy flickering. I sense, in that deep and accursed part of me, that I am being called to duty. Is this how I originally met them, by guiding Kou? But how, if this isn't my era?
I approach them to lead Kou to his death when the circular device on Hitori’s neck begins to glow white before she too becomes surrounded by a white aura—white as her hair. Kou’s energy quickly begins to stabilize and I can sense it growing stronger. She’s healing him. But how? There are heavy regulations on condensers, which prevent people from accessing ambient energy to the extent that they can use them like abilities. Instead of just allowing her to convert energy from the environment to boost her own body’s functions, it looks like it’s letting her take even more energy in to transfer to someone else. White for healing, Red for destroying matter. I wonder why it’s different here. The condenser on Hitori’s neck consists of five slots nested in the shape of a pentagon, though one is different—it has a white crystal inside of it.
I had wondered the same about Kou's red energy when I saw him attack that man. Is this what using unregulated condensers looks like?
"Wake up! Wake up! Please..." Hitori begs, her blue eyes bright with restrained panic.
I can feel her energy darkening as she struggles to concentrate. After about a minute, Kou moans softly and stirs. A stray teardrop fallen from Hitori’s cheek greets him as he opens his eyes. The glowing white light around Hitori fades as she sits back on her legs. She’s breathing heavily from exerting herself, sweat forming on her forehead. After taking a calming breath, she gently lays Kou’s head on her lap while she rests. He seems confused for a moment, but appears to realize he’s fallen upon seeing the sunlight flickering through the branches of the tree above. When he speaks to her, his voice is hesitant, yet enriched with the twinkling of humor. “Wh-Where am I? Am I dead?”
“You idiot!” Hitori’s delicate features crease as she scolds him, voice cracking. “You fell! I told you it was too scary—you should have listened! I was so worried.”
In him, I sense guilt and pride battling for the right to act. Kou looks at her and lets off a frustrated sigh.
“Why are you crying?” he sighs. “I-I tried to keep going with my eyes closed and kinda fell… sorry.”
Hitori sniffles and cleans the tears from her eyes. She says nothing. After a few minutes of silence, Kou lifts his head from Hitori’s lap. She lies down on her back, followed by Kou. Side by side, it’s evident that Kou has grown taller. They stare at the sky. In a calmer tone now, she breaks the silence.
“Why do you always do this? Why are you always trying to prove that you’re tough?” Her energy drops at her last sentence, making me wonder why she said it at all.
Kou looks away sheepishly. His cheeks glow a warm red as he continues to look up at the sky, analyzing the clouds. In a tone that’s barely audible, he finally answers. “I just…I need to, okay? I need to get stronger.”
He continues, “Your father’s crazy. I mean, he’s even attacked us. He caused my condenser to crack.” He turns so that Hitori can see his wound as he reaches for the cracked device on his neck. “No one will help us. They think all the bruises come from the hard training I do with the veterans.”
“Then stop training with them.” Hitori says.
Kou shakes his head. “Getting out of this is up to us. We’re all that we have.”
Looking closer at the contraption on his neck, I realize that unlike Hitori, who’s condenser has only one crystal, Kou's condenser holds a red crystal in one slot, while another holds a crystal that has been split in half, one side black, the other white. The other slots are empty. Condensers in the future don’t have crystals in them at all—they’re also significantly smaller and triangular. These must be very early designs. I wonder how efficient these are at converting energy in the atmosphere into usable energy for the body.
Kou’s energy spikes. He’s gazing in bewilderment as Hitori smiles and snickers at the sky.
“What’s so funny?” Kou asks.
She continues to face the sky with a smile and closes her eyes while resting her arm on her forehead. I feel an inviting warmth from her energy. It makes me think of what it must feel like to be out camping with friends, watching the sunset gathered around a campfire.
“It’s just that you’re always trying so hard to be tough or to protect and look after me, but then you always go too far and hurt yourself somehow. Then I have to come to your rescue.”
Kou sits up, and Hitori mimics his acti
on. He looks at her, her wry smile fading into a more serious expression. Their energy settles and waits, as if holding its breath, anxiously waiting for whatever words may follow.
“That’s why I have to keep working hard. Eventually, you’ll no longer have to worry about having to heal me. No one will challenge us or get in our way once I beat Isao. I promised I’d take you away somehow. I meant it then, and I mean it now. That’s why I need to get stronger,” Kou continues, “So I can take you with me. If he tries to stop me, I’ll fight him off.”
“I don’t think there’s anybody on this entire planet who can challenge my father. I don’t want you running off and getting yourself killed. Then I’d really be all alone.” Hitori’s energy wavers with anxiety, a familiar dread enveloping her as she speaks of losing Kou.
From behind them, I see Kou’s condenser activate, emitting a low, barely visible obsidian light. The dark glow is calm and inviting, soothing the energy around it. As I watch, the device drinks in Hitori’s negative energy, releasing her from the terrible grip of her emotions. I sense her energy clearing up and becoming more relaxed and calm. I don’t think either of them notices.
Kou looks at Hitori with youthful determination in his eyes. “We will get away from him. I promise.”
Hitori looks out to the setting sun as it descends behind the large trees of the mountain. Her energy is calm, as serene as the pink and orange sky. They relax into silence, and I turn my gaze to the horizon as well.
The sunset is a tumble of color whirled across the heavens.
Pressure builds on my head, and my vision blurs. I blink and find myself in the same location, but with no one around me. The leaves of the trees sway with the push of the wind, yet I can't hear a single sound.
“Vitannia is a lot like our origin planet, Earth.” A soft yet eerie voice says. I look around for its source, but I don’t see anyone or sense their energy.
What are they talking about? “Who's there?” I yell. “Are you the Death of this time?”
Ignoring my questions, the voice continues. “But of course, you already know what happens. Don't you? All you have to do is remember.” The voice laughs—a cynical, bitter sound—before fading away.
“Show yourself!”
No response. I'm left alone.
The same pressure returns, and I'm forced to close my eyes. This one-sided conversation is new to me—and yet, I feel it's been harvested from my own memory, as if I were reading a page from a diary I could not remember writing. I try to recall what I can about the voice, to bring into view some image of who I was hearing, but all I get is echoes of the same words. After a few moments, my vision returns, and the terrible pressure lifts.
Kou and Hitori have risen and are walking away. I drift closer to not lose them, but as I close the distance, a maddening buzzing sound bombards my ears. Dazed by the noise, I reach out to brace myself against the tree, but my hand lands on Hitori's shoulder instead. I start to back away when—
BOOM! A great, wracking convulsion shakes the earth. A force I have never before experienced tears me from their midst.
When I regain my senses, Tears are splintering the world into other locations across the universe. Everything I sense—sound, vision, the sun on my skin—is being sucked in by what could only be described as a black hole.
The children, the mountain, the sky.
Everything is gone in seconds.
Chapter Three
F rozen, I watch the solar system around me crumble and fall to the enormous might of the black hole. No sound escapes from the scene. I watch as everything unfolds before me, getting smaller as I travel farther away. My body is paralyzed from the pain of so many souls vanishing at once. I never thought I'd experience a mass extinction like this—it feels as if every cell in my body is being ripped out of me. I can't stop this destruction. I don't even know what happened. I feel weak and sick. It was a mistake coming here. I should have known the dangers.
A small speck of light appears from the black hole and within moments, it expands into a large sphere, quickly covering everything in white. It catches up to me, and I too become surrounded by blinding light. I close my eyes momentarily and open them to a world unscathed. I’m lying down on grass again, like when I first arrived.
What just happened? Where did that black hole come from? That light proves there is another Death here—whatever they did brought everything back. I can’t think of anything else in the universe that would be able to do this. Regardless, I shake with the pain of so many souls vanishing at once. I curl up into a ball and wait for it to subside.
#
At some point, the pain eases enough for me to try and think beyond the cataclysm. The Death of this time must have had to guide the souls of every single person who died. At least, I hope they did—I don't want to imagine those souls becoming lost.
Not knowing what caused the extinction of this planet—Vitannia, the voice had called it—is what haunts me the most. I’m afraid that my being here might be the cause, forcing me to consider the possible repercussions of my every move. I fret over every hum or crack, fearing that it will lead to that buzzing—the noise I heard right before the world ended.
Although the mountain remains as beautiful as ever, for me, it’s now tinged by fear. Never have I been this hesitant to interact with my surroundings. I hold myself. My body feels so cold. And what of my abilities? What if Kou or Hitori died right now? Would I be able to guide them? My chest pounds furiously at the possibilities.
Brief experimentation reveals that I no longer have the ability to stop time. My travel Tears only let me go a few hundred meters at most—if I'm lucky. I'm not sure if this is a byproduct of being caught in that light, but regardless of the reason, I’m stuck here. I have no option but to continue following Kou and Hitori and hope they lead me to the answers I need. Pushing past my fears, I pulse out in search of their energy. I find it leading me toward the mansion on the south side of the mountain. I skirt around Maluii on my way up, enticed by the lights and faint music rising from the lively city, but fearful of causing some unexpected calamity to its people.
Drifting through the protective shrubbery, I reach the southern mansion. The building is five stories tall and rectangular in shape with spires on every corner. Large stone pillars connected by arches span the front of the building, and massive double doors that reach two stories high boldly mark the entrance. Engraved on each door is the same emblem—a sword pointed toward the sky, with a circular device in the hilt housing five differently colored crystals.
As I get closer, I sense Kou and Hitori are in a smaller building with similar architecture located behind the mansion. I follow their souls to a large white studio on the first floor. A large mirror covers one of the walls and impact mats span the floor. Aside from a few chairs and weightlifting equipment, the room isn’t furnished. The wall opposite the door has a number of framed images, mainly of people in uniform. A particularly large picture shows a group of four people smiling around the dead form of a large, white monster. One of the women in the image is actually leaning against the beast’s head. The bulbous black eye—one of four—nearest her is nearly as wide in diameter as her waving arm, and a chipped canine that sprouts from its slack jaw is longer than her leg. I tear myself away from the arresting image and look at Kou and Hitori. My eyes widen. They are older—not by weeks or months, but years. Kou is taller and he’s cut his dark hair even shorter. Hitori has pierced her ears, and her blue gaze looks calmer and more assured. They haven’t quite grown into their adult features, but they must be in their late teens now.
Kou and Hitori are sitting in the center of the room, talking to an older man. Four other people are stretching in front of the mirrored wall. All of them bear taut muscles and numerous scars paired with greying hair and deepening wrinkles. Two of the men by the wall have sleek prosthetic limbs, and the one woman among them is missing an ear. Each of them has a red crystal in their condenser and tan, weathered skin. Hitori
looks unnaturally pale to my eyes now—the difference stands out all the more as she sits beside a man who has clearly spent many of his years under the sun.
Echoes of old vibrations are locked in the energy of the older individuals, as if they had somehow repeated a powerful emotion so regularly that it had left a scar. These remnants read as fear and dread, in opposition to the contentment that they feel presently. I've never sensed something like this in a soul before.
I glide over to the three in the center so I can listen to what they're saying.
“I got this one when one a’them bastards nicked me from behind,” the older man says, pointing to a scar on the back of his arm as Kou and Hitori watch in awe.
The man is full of small scars, but there's one on his head that stands out over the rest. Starting above his hairline, it cuts deeply through his left eyebrow and ends right above his eye.
“You’re not telling them about your ‘scary’ war scars, are you?” asks one of the other men as he walks across the room to get weights.
“Oh shut yer trap, ‘aint nothin’ wrong wi’ showing ‘em the history a’this world. Whatever holograms they show kids don’ teach ‘em how it really was,” the man says before turning back to them. With a grin, the man looks at Kou and points at the scar on his head. “This the one ya been wantin’ t’learn about, yeah?”
Kou sits up straighter and leans forward hastily. “Yes!”
“Well, I was so worn down toward the end of the war that I couldn’ put much power in me punches. The back o’ me neck was burnin’ cause me condenser was so overworked.” He puts his arm on the back of his neck as if remembering the pain he’d felt.