The Fate in your Eyes

Chapter 40 - Change of the Past

What is time anyway? 

Time... is a hypocritical construct, some would say. A construct that slowly but surely wipes us all out, bit by bit. It leaves no trace, is unstoppable and at the same time so invisible. We are tied to it, like puppets with thin, long strings. Like the hands of a clock, we can't help but follow the beat. Many people tried to beat time - but it is ultimately impossible. You can't win, even if you try again and again. Even if you make a deal with the demons, time is still stronger. Fate, which is set from the beginning, cannot be rewritten. You can't change the future if the key point has happened in the past. Unfortunately, this is exactly what Cheng is planning. The harbor. The intersection. Luana. His friend wanted to change everything.

"You want us to never meet?!" Lu screamed in panic. Realization hit him hard in the face. "Believe me. Please. It's better this way," Cheng replied, just as panicked, and stumbled. Lu's hand just missed his jacket. A few centimeters separated the two. "Fate is not a game! You can't change it!" Lu tried to convince his best friend, but it was pointless. There were only a few meters left. Lu could already see the traffic lights. The girl, her dark hair. Luana was already standing in front of them.

"Damn it, no!" Lu screamed and threw himself at Cheng. The two rolled across the ground and the next moment the dark-haired boy pushed the blond onto the sidewalk. The passers-by eyed the two young people in shock, but continued walking. "Let me go immediately, Lu!" Cheng hissed and tried to break free from his grip, but Lu pushed him to the ground again. "Don't you dare! Stay where you are! I don't want you to become a monster because of me, Cheng!" he begged his friend. His eyes watered, he felt his cheeks burning. "Can't you see that it's too late for me? My time is long over-" but Cheng interrupted him harshly. "I can't live without you! It was because of me that you discovered your powers! Without me, your fate would be completely different!" the blond interjected with tears in his eyes. "I don't give a damn! I want to spend my last hours with you and Luana and not watch you try to save me for eternity," Lu gritted his teeth. "But..." the blonde didn't know what to say.

"But how am I supposed to live with it, knowing all along that you were going to die? That your fate would bring you down?" Cheng bit his tongue. "How am I supposed to live with it, knowing that you'll become a murderer because of me?" Lu replied even more sharply. This statement made both young people pause for a moment. Silently, gasping for air, they looked at each other. "You just have to accept it... please Cheng," sobbed Lu and sat up. His hand rested on Cheng's arm. "Please... do it for me. Live your life. Don't live for me..." he whispered, his voice trembling. Cheng slowly sat up. "I don't know... if I can do this," he sobbed. His eyes blurred in sadness, he just wasn't ready to lose Lu. Not yet.

"I just don't know... if I can go down this path without you... Damn..." Cheng gasped and looked away. "No matter how I twist and turn it, I'm always too late... I never win the race against time," Cheng whispered, his words just a breath. "You wouldn't believe how close I am... to losing my mind!" he shouted angrily and pushed Lu away. "I understand all of this! But damn... this isn't right! I don't want you to sacrifice yourself for me, damn it!" Lu replied. "I'm so sorry..." Cheng closed his eyes.

"I'm so terribly sorry. For everything I'm about to do"

Suddenly Cheng pushed Lu away with such force that he fell backwards and hit his head hard. Then he jumped up and sprinted away. "NO!" screamed Lu, but his headache exploded in the back of his head. Stars danced before his eyes, but the boy forced himself to jump up. His foot buckled, he felt his knee fall hard on the stone floor, his skin scraped open, blood stuck to his clothes. "SHIT, NO!" he screamed. Cheng had reached Luana in just a few seconds. He suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her to the side. "What the-" she cursed, but when she landed on the asphalt, the next shock hit her. A truck was heading towards them at an incredibly high speed. "NOT!" Lu jumped, his feet floating in the air, his fingertips wishing they could reach Cheng. "Please forgive me, Lu," said Cheng, throwing himself in front of the truck.