Chapter 15

Tom gripped his hands. He almost bit his lips without him noticing. All of his team mates started to walk away from the gym door. Only he and Toby were left inside.

"I have something to do." he said so fast then he ran away. He didn't hear Toby's yell as he get farther.

He ran through until he reached the gate of the school. All of the things he thought just a dream came back. It was then the only time he remembered he felt confused when seeing the year on Only Acerspire University. It was year 2119, exactly eight years since he first entered Crowfire High. While he ran, he didn't notice he easily coped with the place and that his mind conformed with it. He didn't have the chance to think back those things because the excitement he felt earlier immediately clouded his mind.

He had forgotten things down. He thought while he was on his way back to somewhere that until now he didn't—remember. He was Tom Dylan, the little giant back in his days in High School. That is the only thing to serve him very well. And now he remembered things flashing on his mind. It seems he has to keep it guarded, that his memories won't slip away. Why did I forget? What is happening to me? He asked himself again.

Tom suddenly stopped from running. He was in the middle of the walking crowd, right exactly he was almost hit by that bus. And that thing wasn't very clear to him. He felt the place was so significant but there's nothing to tell him why. He wobbled his head, looking at people at diverse directions. It seems everything is spinning in his point of view.

That's the magazine bookstore, right exactly few meters away from him. He took steps until he found himself inside. He gazed down the piled books on the shelves. Two different old books caught his attention. He grabbed the first one and read the title, "Greek Mythology" published the year 1908. The cover was very old brown leather.

A voice struck his head, "You could also see me in books. I am more known as, Psyche."

Tom immediately grabbed the magazine from the floor and held it tight. His eyes caught the manager, Grandpop Emberbright almost approach him for that. Then he got a grip on the other old book titled, "Myths and Legends of the Ancient Greek". A fading shadow of a yellow-haired boy was behind that young man. Then he traveled his eyes across the entire pile of books in the shelves to look for another.

"Do you mind if I help you?" Tom heard. It was the manager.

Tom gulped.

"Your coach is my grandson, Tom. So don't be scared if I know much about you. By the way, I am Grandpop Emberbright." the old man offered his hand for a shake.

Despite his trembling, Tom grabbed the old man's hand and shook a few moments.

"My, it seems something bothers you my boy. School work?" the old man asked then darted his eyes on the books in Tom's grip. He continued, "Myths. Assignment?"

What is happening? He asked himself. He knows, Grandpop Emberbright was his original coach back then. Did this man know he had gone back in time? He felt there's no time left for him to think. He thought just needed to know what is going on to him.

"I-I was j-just interested, perhaps you could say, that." He answered stammering.

"Well, I think I should tell you a horrible secret the myths had been messing with those books, you know." The old man replied.

"What secret?" Tom asked. He stepped forward and his eyes bulged out.

The old man led Tom to the bench and made him sit.

"They change their history, and they can. Perhaps the books you are holding right now may not hold what had been written before, or a character you may read there may not exist in another world. Maybe, if this time I am talking to you, if it rewrites, maybe I don't exist, or just erased. You see, mythical beings had their powers to rule their kingdom, and they battle for power to rule. Because they are invincible, a weakness was found, the power of the core." The old man said.

"Do you know Psyche?" Tom asked.

"Ah, the beautiful mortal girl. Her passion is impressive. She earned her place in Mount Olympus, when she proved herself worthy and become a being herself." He added. He continued, "Silly me, those are just stories. You know, I'll give you those books for free."

"Wow. Thanks." Tom said.

He paid the magazines he bought and immediately left the store.

The old man watched him walk away and smiled. He whispered, "We will meet again, Tom Dylan, very, very soon."

Tom ran through the coffee shop and started reading the books he bought. There's the feeling spreading on his mind that made him so attracted in handing those books. He seemed there's the way he could understand things or at least to bring his memory back.

"Zeus, the king of Mount Olympus and Hera his wife" Tom's eyes read as his eyes scans the brown pages. He realized each section of the books tells about information on a certain Olympian.

Then he stumbled across a page.

"Aphrodite, the daughter of Zeus envied a mortal girl named Psyche by her beauty that surpassed her. Aphrodite demanded vengeance by sending her son, Eros to make Psyche fall in love with a monster by hitting her with his love arrows. Eros failed, as he struck himself in accident…."

Then the next page was torn.

"Psyche." The next page read. There is nothing written, just blank page.

Tom heard in his head, "Myths can change history…. Perhaps the books you are holding right now may not hold what had been written before…. a weakness was found, the power of the core."

His research yielded him more questions than answers. He murmured in himself about what is really going on.

The last page of the book terrified Tom through his nerves. It is old, and rotten, but the words are very clear.

"CHRONOS can never be gone. It is his game. He is the grandfather clock, the person of time. Beware, lest thou die."

Tom pulled his head upfront as the weird sense of dread filled him for no reason at all. Then a face was in front of him.

"Did you just call me?" it is a young man, having a dark blue hair wearing an old worn out black long sleeve and a cane. He has his hands on his chin. On the other chair appeared a boy with blonde hair wearing a light blue hoodie. He was about Tom's age. Both of them looked at Tom.

Tom gulped. His dread escalated and he shook. The coffee on the table is spilling. Strangely enough no one notices them in that coffee shop.

"Just, who are you and why are you holding that relic of mine?" the man asked. He tilted his head to Tom. "You will give me that to me right now."

"What? This is mine." Tom pulled and hugged the books away.

The man grabbed Tom's arm. All of a sudden, Tom saw in his mind a place full of violet clouds, and the lines, long lines, threads and sequences of events with people racing on that dimension.

"Alright. Alright. Alright." The man gasped. He panted as the sweat dripped on his forehead. They were back from the coffee shop. The man said while breathing in between his words, "I.. I..k-know... something…that might help you, Tom Dylan."

"How do you know my name?" Tom flustered. His eyes bulge out again.

"Hear me out, alright." The man said. "I am Chronos, a titan. But as you can see we are not in the correct order of things in this world. I hope by now you understand your situation and already spotted what are the odds and out of place."

Tom remembered he needed to remember that his memories had been slipping since he woke up this morning. He became very confused. Things seemed to be altered than it was originally, his coach, Smoke and the existence of the little giant which is him.

"You are on her game, Tom Dylan. That is the game that rewrites histories. By the end of this game, Psyche will achieve the change in the course a certain history. Everyone involve has a role to play for her to achieve that." Chronos said. He added, "And that's why we are dragged here. Do you remember what was written at the finalpage of the book you are reading? I will never be gone. Because that power, that core is mine."

Tom continued listening. Tom gulped as he hears him. He tended to look at boy who seemed to be so much like him in terms of body build and age.

"What is your name?" Tom asked the boy.

"Pteryx." He answered. "Which means wings."

"Far from what people know, all of us, you called your world are just characters in a story or any media that in another world existed in altered forms. For example, in your world, Psyche existed as a character in a myth. But in her world, she was the most beautiful girl Aphrodite envied. And in this world, she is powerful mythical being, acting in the form of Hera, Zeus' wife. And like you, in her world, you are just a simple character that people watch or read, playing volleyball." Chronos explained further.

"As what Psyche said. And now that makes sense." Tom commented.

Chronos said while looking Tom straight on his eyes, "But it takes more than that. The world we naturally exist actually exists as a line streaming in the middle of the void. You could call it, a time line. As the time runs, it gets longer. And the characters in it follow their fates. That is what you saw when I touched you. Only those ones who had seen the void could see that."

Tom remembered the place where he first met Psyche. And it is in fact, the void.

"Then are you saying Psyche has the control over the time lines? And that's why she brought me here." Tom asked.

"Each time line has its own logic. And that logic of a time line cannot be entirely applied to another. But there are similarities in those logic that is why cross-over happens. And characters were dragged to another world smoothly. But cross-overs rarely happen not unless a powerful inborn character arose from certain time line, like Psyche." Chronos said while nodding in front of Tom.

"Yeah. She became the owner of an over-powering core when she won that first Future Oracle game." Tom agreed.

"Precisely. Logic serves as magnetic poles of both worlds/time lines and its characters that causes either attraction or repulsion to everything. If two worlds have no mutual logic in common, they can't be crossed and thus will repel one another." Chronos explained.

Chronos looked down the floor and then on Pteryx. Pteryx just nodded. He continued speaking. While on pause, Tom still browsed the pages of magazines.

"So you are saying Psyche managed to drag me here to cause that change she wanted in this rewrite of history game? What is she trying to do then?" Tom asked.

"There's a catch, Tom Dylan. If someone wins, the authority of the core's power is on the winner."

"Then I get that core then." Tom shrieked.

Chronos shook his head slowly, smiling sarcastically as he crossed his arms on his chest. "May I remind you that the player is Crowfire, not you, Tom Dylan. You are just his mere weapon. Remember that. Because the game is in that another world."

Tom stood on his seat and slammed the table. The coffee almost spill but Pteryx quickly grabbed the cups.

"Then how would I get back to my time line? What happens right now isn't what we agreed." Tom spoke out quite loud in front of Chronos and Pteryx.

"Your memories serve you well now. It brings back whenever you rectify the events that should be happening. But if you cause any more alteration to the things around here, and thus might change the future, you will be trapped here and run along with this time line. Your memories will fade, leaving no traces and you will eventually treat this as yours." Chronos said. Now, he crossed his legs. He added, "That is the rule of the void to maintain order across time lines. And that is why Psyche told you that. It is an irrevocable rule beyond her powers."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Tom took his seat. His hands clenched into fists as his voice trembled.

"Just run along with it. Let history run its path. It will only really matter on your actions so be careful. Though you have caused few mistakes, still it didn't yet cause huge historical alteration in the things that should happen." Chronos further explained. He said further, causing great distress on Tom, "You have to do what you have been told. You have to play even if it takes to be a pack of arrows of Crowfire in that death game play."

Chronos let out a soft laugh that Tom daunted.