Kei walked through the market, amidst the shouting of vendors and the scent of freshly baked bread. His eyes were searching for something more than food or drink; they were looking for something special.
"Hmm… a watchmaker?" he muttered to himself, noticing a small wooden sign hanging over a narrow shop.
Inside, the shop was filled with clocks of all sizes, with pendulums and gears moving in harmony. Kei approached the counter and saw a chronograph that caught his eye: quartz, black with rose gold details, and two sub-dials that seemed to pulse with a life of their own.
"This one… looks strange," he said, touching the glass carefully. "But… yeah, this will do."
The watchmaker, a middle-aged man with round glasses, smiled.
"That is no ordinary watch, young man. Handle it with care."
Kei paid and stepped out into the open air, adjusting the chronograph on his wrist. It wasn't much to anyone else… but to him, something about that watch felt special.
"Well… this will work," he whispered as he looked at it, tightening the strap. "At least now I have something to remind me to stay sharp."
The world continued with its usual bustle: vendors shouted, children ran between passersby, and the aroma of freshly baked bread filled the air. Kei felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness, as if something was about to change.
"Yes… I have to get used to this world… and to this watch," he said to himself with a slight smile.
Kei walked through the capital, casting curious glances at his watch.
Ithastwo dials... ¿Iwonder how they work?
After a while, he headed to a tavern to rest for a bit.
"Pff… this tavern is so boring…" Kei muttered, leaning back in his chair. "I can't even drink…"
The murmur of the place remained the same. Laughter, glasses, footsteps.
Until something shattered the air.
A purple orb of light appeared in the middle of the tavern.
It didn't float randomly.
It didn't hesitate.
It was searching.
"Eh? What is th—?"
He didn't finish the sentence.
The orb lunged straight toward him and sank into his chest.
The world contracted.
Tick… tick…. tick….
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Kei's chronograph slowed down.
Tick…
...
...…
It stopped.
An absolute second.
Then—
TICK.
Sound returned all at once.
Kei leaned forward, gasping, his left hand clutching his shirt right over his heart. His fingers trembled as if they were trying to hold back something that shouldn't be there.
"Hah… hgh… what… was that…?"
The noise of the tavern continued as if nothing had happened.
No one screamed.
No one looked.
As if only he had felt the anomaly.
And for the first time,
the chronograph didn't mark time…
It marked a presence.
"This… this isn't normal." Kei jumped to his feet and quickly left the tavern. "What the hell was that?"
His heart raced, his breath caught, and for the first time… the facade of superiority he always wore vanished. Every sound in the place, every light, every shadow seemed more intense, more real. It was as if the world itself had looked inside him.
"I don't understand anything… I feel sick…" Kei said, dizzy from the sudden event and the strange reality of the world.
Tick… tick… tick…
Despite what had happened, the watch continued its normal pace, indifferent to the event of a moment ago.
"I'm going crazy… I need to rest…" Kei walked down the alley, which seemed to stretch with every step, as if it wanted to trap him.
Suddenly, a group of men appeared at the exit. Knives in hand, sadistic smiles on their lips.
"Who… are you?" he tried to stay calm, but his fear was easily read.
"We're thieves, isn't it obvious?" the leader said, licking the blade of his knife. "And it looks like we've already found our victim…"
Kei backed away, his heart hammering. Under his sleeve, he brushed the chronograph. The Deceleration hand trembled, as if the watch had caught the accelerated pulse of his fear.
Fine...I need a moment...Just a moment...
His conviction and pure fear squeezed something inside the watch. The world thickened. The thieves' steps became heavy, almost clumsy. Every movement seemed to stretch, measured by a slow tick rising from his wrist.
But the effect didn't last. His chest tightened at the same time, and the sub-dial gave a dry thud, as if the internal mechanism had marked "end." The world snapped back to normal speed before Kei could fully take advantage of it.
A knife grazed his shoulder, cutting through cloth and skin. Hot blood.
Kei threw himself toward a barrel, tripped, and rolled. He stood up staggering. His chest burned. His wrist throbbed with residual heat.
He didn't think. He simply kicked the leader in the knee with all the desperation of the moment. The man groaned and fell sideways.
Kei ran toward the exit. The streetlights hit him like a breath of fresh air. Behind him, the thieves stumbled, shouting curses, but they didn't follow.
Kei leaned against a wall outside the alley, panting. His shoulder was bleeding. His wrist burned as if the watch were "overheated" from within. He looked at the Deceleration sub-dial: still, motionless, as if it were cooling down after a forced use.
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He didn't smile in victory. Only a weak, bitter grimace.
"The watch gives me time… but the decision to fight will always be mine."
And on his wrist, the chronograph continued its normal tick-tock, but the Deceleration sub-dial remained cold, as if waiting for its turn to wake up again.
Kei ran desperately, his shoulder bleeding and his shirt fabric clinging to his hot skin. Every step was a hammer blow in his head, every breath a cry that pained his chest. His vision began to blur, and the lights of the path stretched and swirled as if the world were mocking him.
I can't stop...If I stop, I'm dead... he thought, clenching his teeth as blood slid down his arm and fell in tiny puddles on the ground. His legs trembled, but he kept running. Every muscle screamed for rest, every heartbeat reminding him he was at his limit.
Finally, the training building appeared before him, and determination pushed him to take the last steps, staggering, almost falling.
"Yuto! Arata!" he cried out, his voice cracking and his body nearly folding in on itself.
An instant that felt like an eternity passed before Yuto came running to his side, holding him firmly, steadying his fall. Behind him, the instructor appeared, followed by a boy who emanated a strange aura; his Anima magic glowed faintly around him, like a light that promised power and danger at once.
Kei could barely stay upright, leaning against Yuto. His shoulder burned, his wrist throbbed, and his breath tore at his throat. All he could think was that, finally, he had arrived… and that now he would have to face something bigger than himself.
Kael stepped forward, his eyes fixed on Kei. With a swift gesture, he placed a hand on the young man's bleeding shoulder, and a warm, pulsing energy flowed through the area, easing the pain and stabilizing the wound without removing the blood that still flowed.
"Stay steady," Kael said with a firm voice. "This won't heal you completely, only give you enough to keep going."
Kei felt immediate relief. The pressure in his shoulder diminished, his breathing became more regular, and the extreme fatigue yielded just enough so he could move safely. He wasn't whole or healthy, but he could fight and think again.
"Thanks…" he whispered, his voice hoarse, still gasping.
The instructor nodded, evaluating the situation.
"Very well, Kei. This is not a game. Kael can only stabilize you temporarily. If you overexert yourself again, the pain will return with a vengeance."
Kei closed his eyes for a moment, adjusting his breathing and clenching his teeth. Every heartbeat reminded him that he couldn't depend on anyone but himself. Kael's magic gave him a breather, not a victory.
When he opened his eyes, the world came back into sharp focus. His companions waited, attentive, and the instructor pointed toward the training area.
"Now, continue. Learn to control your body and your chronograph. Your life depends on it."
Kei stood up slowly, feeling the weight of every movement, but with his determination intact. Every step was painful, but also a reminder: the watch gives the time, but the decision to fight will always be his.
Kei took a deep breath, leaning against Yuto, feeling how Kael's temporary relief allowed him to move again. Every muscle ached, every heartbeat reminded him of how close he had come to losing everything.
But despite the pain, a spark of determination shone in his eyes. He couldn't afford to stop; not now, not after everything he had been through. The chronograph on his wrist continued to tick-tock, a silent reminder that time belonged to him… but only if he decided to use it.
The instructor watched him closely, while Kael remained silent, ready to intervene if necessary. No one present moved a muscle, as if the world were holding its breath, waiting for Kei's next move.
And in that instant, as the sun dipped away and shadows lengthened across the training grounds, Kei knew that what was coming would be harder, faster, and more dangerous than any city alley. But he also knew that every decision, every tick of his chronograph, every second of effort, would be his alone.
With one last breath, he clenched his fist and stepped forward into the training area, prepared to face whatever fate and his own will had in store.
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