Time Maze

Facing the Truth

Tyson wasn't amused by the unfamiliar guy's quip, but he was wise enough not to get into a fight with someone from the past. Especially having in mind that he had no idea who the guy was and how confronting him could alter history.

"Haha, good one," Marcus said, chuckling as if it was the funniest joke he had ever heard. "No, this isn't my dad. It's my friend Tyson."

Seeing that Tyson's expression remained somber and judgmental, Marcus decided to do what was proper and introduce the two. He hoped that once Tyson got to know Gavrilo, he would understand why he was a friend worth having.

"Tyson, this is my friend Gavrilo. Gavrilo, this is my best bud Tyson," Marcus said, trying to soften Tyson up with a compliment.

However, he was surprised to see the words didn't have the expected result. Quite the opposite, all color drained from Tyson's face, and the stern expression on his face turned into a cautious one.

"Gavrilo Princip," Gavrilo said, offering his hand for a handshake.

Tyson was barely able to force his muscles to obey the command, but he did manage to firmly shake the offered hand.

"Tyson, a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Tyson said, unsure how to address the man who changed the history of the world.

"You too. Every friend of Marcus's is a friend of mine," Gavrilo said, slapping Marcus's shoulder enthusiastically.

Though Marcus loved being considered his friend, he wasn't such a fan of the painful way which Gavrilo used to express his affections. Still, he chose not to comment on it as he didn't want to seem like a wimp in front of such a great guy.

"I apologize for interrupting. We are just new in town, and I got worried that my friend might get himself in trouble," Tyson said, scrambling for words.

"No worries, my friend. You seem very protective of your friend, and in today's difficult times we live in that's understandable," Gavrilo said, his eyes shining with sincerity. "Anyway, though I would love to sit here and chat, I have a few things to do that can't be postponed."

As he said that, Gavrilo started getting up from the table. Marcus wanted to stop him more than anything to avoid being left alone with Tyson, to avoid his wrath. Yet, it was clear that Gavrilo was a busy guy, and Marcus didn't want to disturb his plans.

"I hope we'll have the time to get to know each other in the future," Gavrilo told Tyson before exiting the delicatessen.

"Me, too," Tyson said in a barely audible voice that even he had trouble registering.

Then Tyson proceeded to drop on the nearby chair, barely having any control of his body. He wasn't sure why he was more shocked by that particular meeting. But somehow, meeting the guy who thought he was doing the right thing and ended up causing World War I left a stronger impression on him than anything else.

After all, it was easy to see that Hitler was a bad guy. It was clear to everyone that Henry was a self-centered narcissist. However, seeing Gavrilo, just a regular guy, and knowing he would leave a permanent mark on human history was difficult for Tyson to wrap his mind around.

"Tyson, you don't look so good," Marcus said unhelpfully.

Although he knew that he should avoid drawing Tyson's attention, his curiosity was much stronger than the fear of his friend's retribution.

"Of course I don't. Do you know who that was?" Tyson asked, his body quivering.

"Yeah, my buddy Gavrilo," Marcus said, confused by the question.

"That's Gavrilo Princip!" Tyson exclaimed, startling a few nearby customers.

"So?" Marcus asked, not really understanding what Gavrilo's last name had to do with anything.

"He is the guy who starts World War I," Tyson whispers, trying to avoid others hearing his odd words.

"Oh come on, how would my friend do that?" Marcus asked, not believing Tyson's words.

Gavrilo was a chill guy, in his opinion, and chill guys didn't go around starting wars. They went around eating good food and drinking quality alcohol.

"Since when is he your friend?" Tyson asked, once again angry at himself that he missed yet another of Marcus's antics.

"Remember I told you about him," Marcus said.

"You didn't say his name was Gavrilo!" Tyson whisper shouted.

"Well, you know how I am with names," Marcus said, shrugging his shoulders.

The nonchalance in that movement rubbed Tyson the wrong way, but he managed to control himself and not say the words on the tip of his tongue. What helped him stop himself was the fact that he had himself to blame as much as Marcus.

Leaving Marcus alone for even a second spelled disaster, and he still did it more than once. Besides, when Marcus mentioned the guy whose name started with G, Tyson should have known that their bad luck would put them on Gavrilo's path.

"Okay, okay. Everything is alright. It's not like you told Gavrilo to kill anyone," Tyson said, trying to even out his breathing.

"Ahem," Marcus said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Oh, come on! You didn't just tell a guy you barely know that he should kill someone, did you?" Tyson asked, hoping beyond hope that his friend had enough reasoning left to know that wasn't something that should ever be done.

"Well, we were talking hypothetically, and he was doubting his actions. Wondering whether he should 'kill' a guy or something," Marcus said, looking at the pattern on the table as if it was the most absorbing thing that he had ever seen. "And I told him that sometimes one person had to die so that many more could live."

Tyson's mouth moved as he was trying to shape his thoughts into words but without success. One of the reasons for that was that he wasn't sure which thoughts he should voice out. The second reason was the shock he felt.

That Marcus would even consider murder as a way out of any situation was something so unexpected to Tyson that he didn't know how to process it. Although Marcus was often slow and reckless, Tyson always knew he could count on Marcus's soft heart and sensitive nature.

"Marcus!" Tyson said as it was all that managed to come out of his mouth.

"He won't kill anyone, will he?" Marcus asked, his voice shaking as the realization started slowly dawning on him.

"I am afraid he will," Tyson said as gently as he could.

"We have to stop him!" Marcus yelled, rising quickly from the table.

"We can't," Tyson said, pulling him back down.

"Why not?" Marcus asked.

"Because it's already too late. The decision has been made. History will repeat itself," Tyson said, contemplating time. "Or is this the first time it happens? Were we the ones who were destined to cause this, or was this event always caused by someone?"

"Huh?" Marcus asked as Tyson's question gave him a headache.

"The assassination of Prince Ferdinand is a fixed point in time. Changing it now could have unforeseen consequences on the future, on our lives," Tyson said.

"So what? We just sit back and wait for it to happen?" Marcus asked bitterly.

After all, he was a guy of action, and not doing anything was the hardest thing for him to do. Even physically confronting his new friend sounded like a better option than doing nothing.

"I hope not. My hope is that the portal will appear before that," Tyson said.

"I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you," Marcus said.

"Why not?" Tyson asked, unsure what exactly his friend meant.

"Well, in our other trips, we were always there for the whole shebang, so I am guessing the same will be true for this one," Marcus said.

"God, I hope you're wrong," Tyson said, tired of having to witness the horrible points in human history.