They say a love struck a witch created the count down, but when a warlock filled with hate twisted the spell, the count down became a blessing and a curse. It's said that it skips a generation before resurfacing , and the child would be given the mark when they hit puberty. It was really simple, at the end of the timer you either meet the person you love or if your cursed then the mark represents the count down to your death.
==============================
OKAY SO THIS IDEA RANDOMLY CAME TO ME AT A BUS STOP.... YEAH STRANGE. ANYWAY JUST GIVE THIS BOOK A CHANCE. JOIN KYA ON HER TRIP THE LIFE, AND SEE IF SHE WAS BLESSED IR CURSED.