I quickly disconnected from class due to a throbbing pain in my wrist.
«I-it's happening again!»
I rose from my desk in a rush, knocking aside everything in my path as I went; my body no longer belonged to me, the pain completely blinded me. The assignment I had been working on diligently just moments ago was stained by the cup of coffee that had been helping me stay awake.
My body had disconnected; I walked as if I were being pulled by the line of a fishing rod. I had taken the bait, and the fisherman was reeling in the reinforced cord to drag me outside.
I kept walking down the hallway, conscious only of the searing pain. Soon it turned left; a small room was illuminated by the faint light of the bathroom. Leaning there was a man with a wristwatch.
«W-who the hell is this?!»
I tried to voice my confusion, but no sound came out; I could only lament within my own mind.
My body kept moving and passed through the door without acknowledging the person beside me; he, on the other hand, received my intrusion into my own bathroom with amused anticipation.
He smiled and tilted his head in greeting, a gesture that at any other time I might have found pleasant.
—Well, it seems it's finally beginning. It only took 10 years for the countdown to start moving.—
«Countdown? What the hell is this guy talking about?»
The bathroom was fairly simple, as I wasn't a very wealthy person.
A small shower that occupied most of the room stood to the right; most of the time the water came out at a low temperature due to the heater's dangerous condition. The water pressure was weak and often threatened to overflow.
For guests, the conditions were not a matter of pity; a dark blue curtain covered all the interior's shortcomings.
To the right was the toilet, with a trash bin beside it to prevent flooding due to the weak flush.
In front of me was destiny; the body walked toward the sink and placed both hands on its edges with surprising force, my fingers turning white from the pressure.
I looked at my face in the glass screen at my height; it was a rectangle with black wooden edges. It wasn't extravagant, but it matched the rest of the room.
Green eyes that at another time might have been a feature envied by other men stared back at me, ruined by dark circles and a lack of vitality that began to worry me more than the pain in my wrist.
My hair, once black, was also growing weak; at some point in my life white streaks had begun to appear, but I had ignored them. Now it was almost completely ashen white.
—Is this my appearance?— The words came out on their own; I had also regained control of my body. —How did I end up like this?—
—Not "how," but "since when." The changes have been happening long before you were even aware.— The mysterious man corrected.
With control of my body and my voice returned, a memory of vital importance settled into my mind.
—I remember you… At least I have the vague feeling that you introduced yourself at some point…— I strained, mentally squeezing my brain as chaos reigned in my memory. —Dr. Paradox, right?—
He smiled brightly as he approached me. —Correct, Kyle. I'm very glad to see you again.—
He had put away his wristwatch, the circular brass device. —I doubt you remember the interesting conversation we had under those incredible and fantastic circumstances, so I won't overwhelm you with unnecessary information; after all, time puts everything in its place, even those things buried deep within memory.—
«That pulse of irritation… it seems that the last time we met was just as cryptic.»
I looked at him carefully; he was a tall man with black hair, appearing quite young for the way he spoke, emanating the unnatural sensation of being incapable of aging.
He wore a white doctor's coat and leaned—though I doubted he needed it—on a long wooden cane.
—Can you be more specific?— I asked, half irritated. —Because right now I have hundreds of questions, and it seems strange that they didn't arise before.—
And it was true; before this moment of introspection, I hadn't questioned several things.
«Who are my parents? Why did no one notice the changes I was going through, and if they did, why didn't they mention them? Why do I remember almost nothing before the beginning of this year?… No, do I even know what year I'm currently in?… It's as if I've been living on…»
—…Autopilot.— He finished for me. —Before you worry, you should know that in my vast repertoire of abilities there is nothing like mind-reading; I simply got ahead thanks to probabilities.—
—Probabilities?—
—Yes, among all the possible reactions you could have had in your future, the most repeated one was questioning the lack of events and past experiences before this year…—
—Then you know what's happening… Did you cause this?—
—Unfortunately, it could be said that I took part in what happened. Of course, it wouldn't be ethical to exclude my intervention from the event, but neither would it be accurate to say that I was the one who caused it.— He clarified. —In a way, everyone—including you—was responsible for putting us in this situation… Ah, never mind, you're about to receive a small influx of information into your brain; it would be better if we returned to a more comfortable position.—
—W-what do you mean by influx of information?!— I asked, alarmed.
Instantly, that disconnection assaulted me again.
«I lost control of my body again. But now it feels natural, as if I were used to living in this state.»
I glimpsed a bubble emerging from my body; it was transparent and violent, increasing and decreasing in size rapidly, and although it maintained that "bubble" shape, it looked as if it might burst at any moment.
It extended from my body and left the bathroom, then turned toward the direction of my room.
My body followed without hesitation; once again, it was guided by a force greater than my will.
Dr. Paradox walked beside me; in his left hand rested a dark box with a green hourglass symbol—he had taken it out of nowhere. His right hand moved along with his cane.
«Everything is in its place; my assignment, the coffee cup. It's as if I had never gotten up from my desk.»
My body moved the chair that had previously been collapsed on the floor but was now in its original position; then it sat down, imitating the same drowsy posture I had before the pain struck me.
Control had returned to my body once more.
—Time is running out; the force of the universe trying to correct the error is becoming more violent.—
His cheerful tone had turned serious, the former joy replaced by a terrifying solemnity, almost as if everything bewildering that was happening had been in his plans; yet it still carried a trace of alarm. —We must ensure that everything happens perfectly, which is why I brought you this.— He moved the box toward my desk and left it there. —Everything that happens next will depend on your performance. The stage is set for you to shine; now it's up to you, Kyle, to play the leading role that was granted to you from your birth.—
The room began to vibrate violently, fierce gusts lashing at my vision.
—The Hands of Armageddon are almost completely merging with this tangent universe; if the object does not return to its original universe, the collision will become inevitable. It is trying to repel me, so I cannot remain in this timeline for long without affecting the established future.— The information seemed more for himself than for me, and instinctively, I understood that it had to be that way—that his role had ended for the moment and now everything depended on how I would perform… —Don't worry, you have what you need in the box. When everything is over, I will return to help you.—
His cane touched the floor and the violet glow was vaporized; now the room was covered in a harmonious light blue and azure, and a portal emerged in front of the man with the cane.
—W-wait!— I shouted in alarm upon seeing that the box had no opening—What do I do with the box?!—
—Take it with your left hand, then everything will become clear.—
And just like that, he stepped through the portal.
Everything returned to normal.
The glow had disappeared, the disorder had been eradicated, order prevailed; it was as if no event sprung from the wildest fiction had just occurred in my room.
«I know I should feel horrified or surprised, but it's as if it was predetermined to happen, almost like a pact between him and me. It doesn't matter, for now I can only move forward with what I have… Starting with the gift from that traveler.»
My left hand approached the box as I felt my heart pounding with surprising anticipation and excitement.
My fingers brushed against the hourglass symbol and it began to glow.
The rest is history…