Thief Of Existence

PROLOGUS

A man in his thirties walked on the streets with a huge smile on his face, just as he always had. He wore a white shirt paired with navy blue pants and his hair was styled up. He worked as a teacher in the local elementary school and his students loved him. His neighbors were fond of him too and they greeted him happily each day. He was a highly respectable man with great values and skills. He was also strikingly handsome and a line of ladies wanted to be closer to him but he always declined them. He had a daughter but none of his neighbors could remember who his wife was. Nevertheless, his daughter was equally stunning at the young age of twelve. She had a long wave of black hair and clear green eyes. She was as smart and jolly as her father. All the neighbors agreed that the girl was the spitting image of her father.

It was a Tuesday when everything seemed to change abruptly.

There was no longer a huge smile on his face as he walked.

He wore a plain black suit.

His hair was down.

His daughter wore a black dress and she walked silently next to him.

Even his neighbors were quiet and didn't greet him that day.

One of them approached him and muttered a long line of prayer for good luck but he simply gave a sad smile and sent his neighbor away. Whatever the occasion was, he wanted to deal with it on his own and with his daughter.

"Papa," his daughter called. "How long will it take?"

He looked at her in misery, hoping that he could give a definite answer. There were only two answers to that question: an hour or an infinity. But he didn't want to trouble her young mind so he simply shrugged and kissed her forehead. He did not offer any answer, which made his daughter become even tenser and paler.

They reached a building that looked no different from a standard court of law. It was a grand and pristine piece of architecture that even his daughter stopped to admire its beauty. "Arian," her father called. "I'd like you to appreciate the beauty of this building as much as you want. Today is the only day you would be able to admire it without any worries in your heart." Arian's young mind could not understand what he was talking about but she obeyed him anyway. She had no idea what important occasion they were attending and why her father was too nervous. She didn't dare to ask him since he seemed to already have a lot in his mind.

As they climbed the stairs to the tall oak door, a woman dressed in a formal suit approached them. She had white hair wrapped in a tight bun, pointed ears, and eyes of silver. To Arian, she looked too different to be human. She looked at her father for any similar emotion of surprise but he looked calm as if he had seen such kinds of people before. "I am Ylis and I shall accompany you throughout the trials today," she said in a monotonous voice. Arian's father simply nodded as he took his daughter's hand then Ylis slowly opened the oak door with a large silver key. As she pushed the door open, a cool breeze escaped to Arian's cheek. It was too bright inside to see what was causing the breeze but there was no time for questions as Ylis gently pushed them in. It took them a few minutes before their eyes could fully adjust to the light. Once they could see what laid before them, Arian couldn't believe her eyes.

The place looked exactly like how a standard court of law looked like.

But instead of a judge, there was a beautiful woman adorned with the finest silk and jewelry seated at the highest seat. She looked thrilled and excited as she repeatedly clapped her hands at the sight of them. Inside the huge court were clocks of different sizes and ages, all of them moving simultaneously. There were a few seats for the spectators, however, instead of people who are familiar to them, a group of people similar-looking to Ylis were seated patiently. There was a huge door in the form of a window in the farthest corner of the room.