Time Keeper

Chapter 13 Innocence

"There can't be two," a shaky voice said. I stared at my reflection. The man behind me didn't have a mouth, but I got the impression that he's the one that spoke.

"What do you mean there can't be two?" I asked cautiously.

The ground shook under me, I prepared myself for an attack, activating my innocence. I looked around the room. The couch stood in the center, I wonder why there's even a couch in the first place, this didn't exactly radiate the feel of 'take a seat. Make yourself at home.'

"What's going on?" I shot over my shoulder.

"There isn't two, you need to see that," it said. Its voice sounded like it was at my ear, but I thought that was impossible, as it only showed up in my reflection.

"What do you mean by that?" I shouted. Seriously. On this journey of mine, I felt like I've asked more questions than anyone will answer. Maybe I have, but it's annoying.

"Sit."

My scythe disappeared back into my shoulder blade, I rubbed it absently as I sat down on the couch. Definitely not a place I would be willing myself to "get comfortable in," this couch is lumpy.

Maybe I should be more worried by all of this. I mean, I was in a room, with a ghost, and there was the absence of doors everywhere in this dang thing.

A screen popped up in front of me, startling me so bad, I almost went over the side of the couch. Allen's face popped up, stifling any scream I wanted to unleash at this situation. Tears threatened, but I held them back. Allen's face wasn't the one I was now becoming familiar with, it was the one from when we were young.

"What is this?" I asked incredulously.

"Proof."

Proof of what? I didn't ask.

Scenes played out in front of me. Angles I never saw things from. Allen with Mana, before, snotty, brat like. Allen with Mana after, still a brat, but smiling. Allen without Mana, dead inside. None of these moments contained me, and I had no idea why. I remember myself being there, when Mana died, I was right on the sidewalk. Yet, I'm no where, just Allen standing alone.

"Where am I?" The pictures were from angles much higher than me.

"You're there, just not in the way you remember."

This ghost is pretty talky, and yet for all his talk, I haven't learned much.

"Whose view is this? Who took these photos?"

And he broke my world with one word, "you."

I sat there frozen. No. This isn't how I remembered it. It didn't happen like that. How could I have done that. No. I couldn't. But wait. How come Mana never taught me their secret launguage. No. I won't. I won't accept this like this.

It had been hours I'm sure. The world felt like it stopped turning.

Finally I felt my mouth moving, one question I finally asked. "What is this proof of?" The words were quiet. So quiet. Almost like they weren't there at all. I wanted to take them back. The back of my head throbbing as I knew the answer to this. Don't say it. I don't want to know.

"You don't exist," he said calmly. As calmly as he said everything else. "There isn't two walkers, you know that."

Do I? What do I know? My body was shaking, my mouth wide, laughing hysterically. I felt like insanity had crept its way up my body and around my neck. My heart burned.

"Why do you laugh?"

I wiped tears forming in my eyes, the only evidence, besides the giant grin on my face, that I'd gone completely mad. "Because I knew, I had just forgotten," I said, the smile never falling from my face, "how could I have forgotten?" I laughed loudly, a hand running done my face, "I'm innocence. I am Apocryphos."

-THE END-