Shadows of Time Definitive

1

I awaken to a distorted mask that told time. The hands ticked by, not minding my gaze from a few feet away, as it temporarily disappeared behind the snow-white hair of the owner. A torn, crimson shirt barely gave him warmth while the accompanying black pants faded like stars in the sun's presence. Meanwhile, attached to his arms, legs, and neck were various chains that confined him to the chair he currently resides.

Briefly, as my gaze shifts to the forest surrounding us, an eyebrow raised at their existence. Blue blossoms flowed from branches, through dancing gusts of wind, before splashing onto dirt without a sound. Past them, trees lined up towards the infinity yonder, no end detected. In any direction, the record of observations repeated, a scratch existing somewhere. Either way, I return my focus to the mask.

It nearly touched my face when I looked again. The owner's cold hand gripped my wrist to halt my backpedal. Staring back in fear, I finally noticed the hands going backward at a ridiculous speed. His free hand reached the mask, taking the bottom of it into his thumb and index finger. Removing it revealed a dark void where his face should've been. I screamed, but my ears didn't register it as having existed.

"So, tell me now...How did you find out?" A distorted voice came from the sky, as faceless as the man in front of me.

"Who else would fit the bill?" That voice was mine, but I don't remember stating it. "GET IT OVER WITH! SEND ME BACK!"

"I'll accept your demand, but it's all fruitless. No matter what you plan to do, you can't escape fate. See you again, Tokachi Ren."

The voices stopped there, but my head felt like it was beginning to split. I dropped to my knees, my painful cries being snuffed out by an unknown source. Then, when I thought matters couldn't get worse, the man pulled me close...and pierced me with his own scream.

It filled my eardrums, tears rolling down my face. But, just faintly, I began to hear someone calling for me. "Toka...Ren...kachi...n." It got louder and louder until...

"TOKACHI REN!"

Lights filled my vision to the brim, the faces of multiple people surfacing soon after. Their eyes looked down at me, widened enough for me to the white around the entire iris. From these visual exchanges, I noticed that I was sitting on the ground against the wall. Even worse, it hits me that I was in my new class, in front of people I just met, introducing myself. Well, this didn't look good.

"Who said my name?" I asked, looking around until I made eye contact with the teacher. "What happened to me?" Her eyes shifted to the class, her teeth biting the side of her lip. A brief moment passed after my question before she delivered a redirection.

"Mind stepping outside?" She asked, a forced smile ruining her attempt at composure. Reading the room, I picked myself up and headed for the door, butterflies flapping around my heart. As I was leaving, though, I happen to lock eyes with a random girl in the 3rd row. Her orange met my blue, bringing out a smile.