Chapter 2: "Loss" (002)
- Desert, Monday, 4:00 pm -
The heat was prevailing, and the sandy ground was being gusted around, but the sun continued to brighten the day, and our Hero looked to have become stranded in a very remote location, the desert that who knew where.
However, the heat eventually complicated the issue by producing a heated breeze, which caused Tim's body to sweat and awaken.
The brilliant blue sky was the first thing that caught his attention as he opened his eyes.
"Wait, where am I?" He glanced about, seeing nothing but sand, after gently sitting up and using his palm to assist himself rise.
"Wait, a desert?" However, something about him seemed incredibly weird, and when he checked his palms, he was utterly perplexed. "It seems strange, and why am I in the desert, without any water or nature?" It was clearly apparent that the weird feelings that were writhing inside his head were pretty unknowable.
"... I can hardly move because it's so hot... All I remember is that a flash happened and now I'm here... W-Wait! Ayuka, as well as-" He became fixated on the second name, which seemed to have been obliterated from his mind. "Did I leave something out?" He wasn't aware of the future, which was unfortunate for him, but he looked to be younger and had a gentler mentality.
He reacted by going into his pocket and raising his phone in front of his face, despite the fact that he had no signal.
However, as he checked his face, his eyes were frightened and his entire constructed body trembled. "What the hell?! How am I- How is this possible?! What happened to me! Why am I-" He proceeded to examine himself, pulling and undressing his top, when he flung his arm away and enveloped himself in an orange fire, which soon turned to blue.
"I can't believe I can't activate Universal Flame! What is inhibiting me from using it?!" But then he realized. The flash he saw was a 'Time Breaker,' which screwed up and altered everyone's thinking; he lost control of the Universal Flame, forgot about his daughter, and forgot about Ayuka being his wife.
But one of the biggest surprises was his age; he had dropped from 25 to 17, and his complexion had smoothed out, but his overall Spiritual Symbolism had not weakened.
"There are a lot of questions I need to be answered!" But then he understood that beginning on this journey would be difficult. "... I may be mistaken... I need to get to a city or anything since I'm in the middle of nothing!"
- Desert, Monday, 4:50 pm -
"... Hello, Is there anyone in this area? Hey!" His voice could not reach anyone since he was unable to call out. "Oh, right... I can just pick up the pace a little." When he sought to summon his Spiritual Blade, it was nowhere to be found.
"Wait a minute... Hold on... Where's my Nensho?" When he shouted like a female, his loud shriek rushed over the scorching sky and territory. "Come on, let's go! Simply show up! Will you be there?!" But, unable, Tim's body turned white, and his arms began to dangle to the very bottom of his chest, and a light shined above him.
"This is the end... I've made up my mind... I can't even face my Blade... I'm messed up all over... My body became younger, my mind became more fragile, and my perfect universe became trapped somewhere far away from where I am now. My mind is a haze that nevertheless responds to the search for long-forgotten recollections... However, something just dismisses the notion of my memory loss. It appears like everything is routine... In any case, I don't tend to die out here in the city-less countryside. I'll be delighted even if I come upon a little house... therefore I should get moving..."
Finally, Tim opted to lead himself into a populous region, but the luck was incomprehensible; he might either wander off indefinitely and never come across a Town, or he may receive a lucky shot and arrive at a solitary area of people.
- Desert, Monday, 6:05 pm -
"I'm just so unlucky... I haven't seen a single life; all I've seen are a few of those annoying sand snakes that have been living here for decades... And the heat is disconnecting my Spiritual Symbolism... so there's no way I'll be able to detect anyone..."
But, for once, his luck was on his side, as he crossed in front of a passing traveler in the distance. "I can't believe it... is there truly someone here?" He began to scream out for him.
"Hey! Down there, you! Are you hearing me? Could you kindly help me? Hello!" However, the desert traveler, clad in white threads and concealed behind the cloak, was unable to hear our hero. "I've got to catch up to them." He chose to sprint across the sand for the man, which was not ideal, but just as he believed his problem was going to be solved, another menace emerged from the Western areas.
When the powerful wind went wild all at once, the sand began to blow around recklessly. The sun was beaming on the horizon, and Tim knew that if he got that far, he'd be caught in a deadly sandstorm.
But, as wild as he was, his strange sensation of quiet action had been completely forgotten in the past, so his mind continued to stretch out into reckless ambition.
"Wait a minute! I need your assistance! Please!" Calling out to the mystery traveler in the distance piqued the front traveler's curiosity, and eventually, the traveler looked around, seeing our Hero rushing behind, and as a result, he came to a halt, and they soon met.
"A lost traveler? You're not from around here." The man in the cloak spoke out.
"I believe I'd say the same thing about you..." Tim knelt, clutching his knees, to take some deep breaths and relax.
"How are you going to stand in those hot clothes...?" Tim was approached by a man who inquired. "Do you think I'd wear these if I didn't have any other options? My name is Tim, and I'm sorry for the inconvenience... I'm not sure what occurred, but an unknown flash emerged back in Yashikami City, and the majority of us were trapped in it. Something had jolted my recollection, and it looks that Time has altered totally."
"The Yashikami City? Alas, that City has been demolished 25 years ago."
"What exactly do you mean?! How can a city be demolished as my age falls?" Tim shouted, his gaze fixed on the man.
"I apologize, young man. But I'm not sure what you're talking about. I recall not just the massive flare, but also the moments I awoke here in the desert. Yashikami City, I assume, was devastated."
"Unless what you stated is true... Then there is no suitable response I can provide... Please forgive me... DeAnté Mathis is my name." Mathis soon removed his hood and revealed himself to be from the African Region.
"You're African, right? Isn't this where you're supposed to be from? So, why are you strolling out into the desert, and where are you going?"
"I was on my way to Sangana, which isn't far from here... That's where I call home."
"Sangana? Is that meant to be the name of a city?" Tim anticipated his query to be validated, but it turned out to be entirely false.
"It's not a city; it's the African Kingdom, with water, food, and a touch of nature. I can get you there, but it will be hazardous. A sandstorm is about to ravage the desert, therefore we're putting your life in danger."
"Is this actually, really, inhabited area? I'll accompany you. Thank you kindly."
"But I'm going to warn you. Today's sandstorm will be severe; it is not safe." Mathis, Tim's first meeting of life, seemed mature and serious. "Don't be concerned. I'm going to be alright. You have no idea who you're speaking with."
"If you insist, I'll oblige. Then get ready since we only have a little time."
They've begun to extend their journey to Sangana, a genuine Kingdom constructed within a desert.
"If you don't mind? I'd like to ask you a question. But what are you looking for? Is it true that you've just come to look for a place to stay?"
"No... I really want to locate my pals... They were caught in the Flare, and I'm not sure if they made it... But it only tells me that I have to find them at whatever cost..."
"What a treat. A buddy who would make a bargain in order to find his pals... You must have been designed for such situations. If I'm not incorrect, by the way. Are you a Spiritual Duelist, by any chance?"
For a guy to ask our Hero such a serious question, the turn of his thinking came as a surprise. "I am, but my Blade has disappeared, and all I have control over is my Kineticism."
("A Spiritual Duelist without a Blade... Perhaps he might be the one to wield 'Yokubō Kaitai'... We might be able to get some help from this fellow Duelist.")
"That is, assuming that is the case. A Spiritual Blade is imprisoned in the Sangan's Kingdom Ruins. We've heard that many Spiritual Blades have been destroyed or deleted from existence, so it's conceivable that yours might have been as well."
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, there is this continuing reality... We attempted to collect the Blade and lock it in the Kingdom for the next Spiritual Duelist to take its hilt, but we were unable to do so, and every other Spiritual Duelist who attempted to do so died as a result of their faith. We don't want to lose another set of people, so we've been keeping that Blade imprisoned in the Ruins, where we discovered it..."
"I'm not sure what this 'Time Breaker' is... You've said that you, too, have experienced that Flare, and that it occurred only a few hours ago... So, how did you become aware of that Blade?"
"Just a few hours? The flare first emerged 22 days ago."
After determining his knowledge, our Hero froze on the spot, obtaining squiggly eyes. "So... How long have I been unconscious for?!"
"But then I looked at my phone. The date was the same as the one on which I observed the flare!"
"Perhaps the 'Time Breaker' severely restricted your waking time, and for the last 17 days, you've woken up on the same hour, but a different date."
"You're ambiguously sensible about it... You're treating this as though it's a natural event!"
"It isn't, and you are accurate. And it's still a mystery as to how it came to be. Perhaps some kind of scientific work, or someone's ability has gone mad."
"You behave as if you're okay with this happening, which is what you're indicating. We've forgotten recollections from the future or the past that we shouldn't have... And we haven't even heard of the Holy Light. Either she did it, or she didn't, and she was imprisoned in the Holy Arches..."
"It's rather intriguing. You recall some events, such as Holy Arches, but you have no recollection of your current life... Then then, you did claim you'd gotten eight years younger..."
"That's correct... And I'm scared my pals have forgotten about me. When you consider every conceivable result, you become stressed."
"Tim, I'm aware. But your buddies may be anywhere... even on the other side of the world, for all we know."
"Yeah... And the poor signal prevents me from contacting them, which is inconvenient..."
"I'm sure you'll encounter them at some time. For the time being, let's focus on Sangana. People there will be intrigued by someone who looks like you but has a different skin tone."
"The kingdom of Sangana. I'm really interested in such a structure."
Tim's day had not been made any brighter, and his main objective was to get in touch with his companions, but where precisely are they?
To be continued...
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