Time Holders: The World of Balance

[Motion].

An electric shock struck Aldrus’s head, searing so deeply it felt as if his brain were about to melt.

Flashing memories before death or imminent danger was, indeed, a myth. Yet, he needed to experience it no matter what it took. In this exact moment, he lacked the most essential asset to thrive: Time.

But that wasn’t enough to stop him. If it was time he needed; he’d just create it himself.

The boy had thought about it earlier, once he realized he could not only send his sight into the future, but his voice as well: What if, instead of begging time to stretch and grant him another chance, he quickened his own thoughts instead?

Of course, there was no guarantee it would work. After all, he had only ever used [Motion] on his sight, his body, and his voice. Directing it at something as abstract as thought might end up being a terrible choice, but it was the only thing he could think of.

Besides, he didn’t really need to wield his power over something so imprecise as pure thought; he just needed to force his physical brain to overclock. To work faster. Only then would he stand a chance of recalling anything that could help him right now.

That was the conclusion he had reached before the experiment began. And just as it did, his brain suddenly accelerated, forcing his mind to process the situation at breakneck speed.

Ughh!

After the initial burst of agony, he slowly began to catch up with the blistering speed of his own neurons, barely able to handle the sheer volume of information. Still, he couldn’t stop now.

Without wasting a single fraction of a second, he analyzed his predicament while desperately searching through the gallery of his memories for a solution.

He recalled every meaningful and mundane event of the past few months. He relived his very first meeting with Alice; he breathed in the scent of the newspaper in the forest cabin once again. He felt the touch of the rain and the leaves of the campsite, shivering against the chill of that first morning breeze.

He saw his mother, his siblings, Aiden, his team. He saw Sir Ludwig, Miss Leona, Zorum’s frown, Cedric’s grimace...

He felt his lungs being ripped out.

”AHhhhHAgggghghhgghaha—”

The black-haired boy burst into a manic cacophony of screams and laughter. These were the nonexistent tears of a recent past; a past he had wanted to forget...

A past he had forgotten.

All of it came flooding back at once, resuming its flow, violently accelerated by the final attempt of his futile struggle.

Aldrus found himself suspended in a state of absolute shock, embarrassment, joy, and terror. His mind drifted through every single moment of his life with such vivid detail that it could trick anyone into believing they were living it for the very first time.

But he didn’t stop there.

Aldrus was a Holder. He was a kid. He was a man with a broken body and painful memories, but above all, he was a human.

A son, a brother, a friend.

No matter how much he had to endure, no matter how many times he had to be reminded of his burdens, by now, his heart possessed only a single desire.

Win.

Win and return home.

...

Aldrus stood in total silence within the abstract landscape of his damaged mind. It had felt like hours, or perhaps even days. But he knew for certain—it had only been a single second. A second of Motion, propelled by his own unheard-of, absurd Perspective. An anomaly. A state of mind never before achieved; at least, not by anyone his age.

I’ll have to ask Sir Zorum about this later... he thought, a faint smile gracing his lips. He remembered Sir Zorum’s words during their first class: ”I’ll leave you to think about the potential uses of [Motion]. We don’t have the time to explain everything today.”

Hahahaha! Aldrus laughed at himself. He thought it was ironic, to think he’d end up finding a use like that.

He just didn’t expect it to be so painful.

Phew... Aldrus clenched his fists. Paradoxically, he felt better than ever. The trivial ache in his ribs, the piercing agony in his lungs, his exhausted mind, his battered body... None of it mattered now. He had willingly relived it all in exchange for an answer.

Sir Zorum... Sorry for doubting you, Professor. Of course, such useful advice could never come from the mouth of someone who wished me harm.

The milky-eyed boy’s smile grew wider, a look of complete, unshakeable confidence settling onto his face.

I’m sorry, Alice. Cedric. Hang on just a little longer.

He had found a way.

And more importantly, he had found peace of mind.

***

Before long, Aldrus snapped his eyes open.

He was right back there, still a meter or two away from the cloaked man. Still far from his companions, who were a mere heartbeat away from being crushed.

...but crushed was all they would get.

Now!

In a flash, Aldrus launched forward toward the right wall, closing the distance to the monster. He grabbed Aiden by the shoulders, pivoted a full three hundred and sixty degrees, and swiftly hurled him as far away as he could.

The silver-haired boy let out a sharp grunt the moment his back slammed against the rotten floorboards. He opened his eyes through a haze of pain, finding Aldrus’s silhouette standing defiantly in front of his torturer.

But that wasn’t all.

Alice was on the ground, rolling desperately from side to side. Through his ringing, muffled ears, Aiden could barely hear her. But as he forced himself to focus, trying to comprehend the chaos, two distinct, horrific screams pierced the air.

One came from the girl, whose hand lay bloody and punctured by jagged white teeth. The other came from a blond boy sitting in the corner of the corridor, repeatedly slamming his own head against the wall, trying to numb the pain of his unnaturally crooked, shattered leg.

”N-No!” Aiden’s eyes widened in sheer terror. He was in no condition to fight anymore; if anything, he would barely even make good bait.

Slowly, his vision welled with tears. Yet, the shape of his friend remained as solid as a statue. Aldrus’s expression was sterner and more confident than Aiden had ever seen him wear.

Through all the doubt, the pain, and the horror, a single emotion eclipsed the rest within his chest.

Hope.

Aldrus and the jailer exchanged glares, standing atop the creaking wooden floor. In his peripheral vision, he managed to see Aiden lying exhausted a short distance away. Aldrus took a brief moment to look back at him, flashing a wide smile and a sharp wink.

The smile of a friend. The wink of a winner.

Just you wait, Aiden. Rest easy.

”Alright, then,” Aldrus muttered, turning to the cloaked man once again. ”I’ll put you down now.”