16 Chapter 16

"Wh-what?" Tom's voice rose above the conversation. His teeth gnash while still having his look on Chronos. He almost brim tears on his eyes.

"You-you mean all of it... Tho-those bloody things.. like was yesterday...ju-ju-just reall-ly happened-ed?" Tom stuttered.

He gripped the books without him noticing. Then his tears ran down his cheeks. He immediately wiped out his face with the sleeve of his jersey and faced Chronos.

Chronos' arms are crossing on his chest. He gave Tom one sharp look. He said, "It's not like I agreed to share with you these information, Tom Dylan. We need your help, and with that, there's one important thing I would like you to know."

Tom then at that moment gulped the remaining saliva left on his mouth.

"You are now existing in two worlds or time lines. This is a real world. And when I say real, everything you do here can cause any alteration to history. But the other is called, a shadow world." Chronos sighed and again faced Tom. He continued, "Everything that happens there is just manifestation of what is happening here. And everything you do there is the shadow of what you really do here. You should be more careful in the real world."

"It is just a matter of analogy. Is that what you mean? Then how about the death game, Chronos?" Tom asked after he sobbed a few times.

"Just think of it, what event here could lead you to meet and fight, Green Lizard, Bugs Bunny, Pink Panther, Herring Gull and Falco Peregrinus?" Chronos asked and smiled.

"The volleyball tournaments." Tom out of nowhere answered. He raised his voice, "That correspond the death game! The way mythical beings kill each other is just finding their spot for the finals to the national games."

"Then I guess you know who would win that death game in the shadow world. After all, it made you the little giant in the past of your own time line. Isn't it?" Chronos answered. He nodded after wards. He added, "Those schools exist in that place as mythical beings like me."

"That's right. Crowfire won the national competition. Crowfire will win that core. And maybe that's the way how could I get back to my own world." Tom said.

Happiness slowly springs inside him that made him shed tears again. Along with his drooling mouth and nose and teary eyes was the great smile on his face.

Chronos smiled back. He said, "Just don't slip it away. Let Crowfire win, just like it was before. I expect something in return for this information, Tom Dylan. Although I am not in the position to ask since I spoke in my own voluntary will."

"What is it?" Tom asked.

"Bring me my core back. That's the only way we could leave this world." Chronos said sternly. "I hope you grasped that we are in indeed trapped here, as where my core is, there am I. Remember, I can never be gone."

Chronos stood from his seat. Pteryx followed. Tom did the same while they pushed the chair back on the table. The three of them lined as they walk out the coffee shop.

"Tom Dylan, in any moment soon, you will be arriving back to that shadow world of Mount Olympus. It will take how much time you spent on the other world to stay for the other. But later, you will learn how to control shifting your existence between two worlds." Chronos retained his stern voice and posture.

Tom nodded.

Tom left Chronos and Pteryx at the façade of the shop. As he goes farther from their eyes, Chronos and Pteryx gave each other glances.

"Isn't it alright that you told him the intel we just got?" Pteryx asked.

"Well, who knows? We are the only beings here, aside from him, who were dragged by this time line." Chronos took a seat and crossed his arms. He said to Pteryx, "We can't take the magazine bookstore to gate us back to our world. But the registry of my existence as a mythical being applies here, though, so I can take us home."

Pteryx looked at him for few more moments. He blinked his eyes while on his gaze.

"What?" Chronos asked.

"I was wondering why we are dragged here. At some point, I feel it was because of me, like this time line tries to magnetize me by itself. Did I came from another time line, Chronos?" Pteryx asked back.

"What made you think that?" Chronos answered shortly. "It is all up to you what to stand Pteryx. There is another rule of the void that a character cannot change, so if you believe you are, you'll fly back there soon."

"Then why Zeus isn't in this world?"

"Psyche erased him. Erasing someone from existence is similar to killing them before they were born. It is different from changing someone, because everyone is unique."

They walked slowly towards the long stairway in the middle of the midday sun.

Pteryx said, "It was a relief, that, that shadow world parallel to this time line failed to drag us. It is like a black hole for both of us and we might not be able to get out when it's logic concealed us for real. It resembled our world in almost everything and who knows, we might be waved up with it in no time. Crowfire there, way a lot resembles me. And perhaps you resemble Dylan in the same sense."

"You think Dylan can make it out of this mess?" Pteryx put his hands on the pocket of his hoodie and took a seat next to Chronos.

"It is all up to his actions. At first, he just wanted to play volleyball. And if he let those things be in right accord, he'll have no problems." Chronos answered while looking far before the horizon.

At the back of his mind, Chronos began to worry about the implication of Tom Dylan being at the Mount Olympus. With his prior knowledge of the future, he could almost put everyone at the brink of greater danger. He knows, and that principle from his world served him very well, that his greatest secret as a mythical being should not be revealed. It should be kept only on himself. That secret is the past of his regalia. Once a regalia knew his past, he/she will turn into a phantom, a devouring incurable monster. Since so far, Pteryx is the closest regalia he ever had, he had strengthening his promise to keep Pteryx from being a monster.

Later on that afternoon, Tom was back on the gym for practice. He was hardly scolded by his class adviser for cutting his classes for the entire morning. The classes had ended up so early in preparation for the incoming Inter-High Sports competition. And Tom was in his classroom, in his detention for cutting classes. When he had gone back to the gym, everyone laughed at Toby for laughing about him. It was just so weird that Toby can't handle his own bullying which ended up being teased by his fellow team mates.

Before the practice started, Hammer talked to Tom about his behavior this morning. Tom naturally answered every question as if those things really happened on his original time line. His goofing attitude back then immediately synched on him.

For almost two hours, the volleyball gym was filled with squeaking sounds of running shoes and grunts from the volleyball team. The air is getting hotter as every moment pass and the volley ball bounces back and forth in the midst of the court. They ran, spike, block, receive and roar in every score.

While on his feet running and flashing the way he should, Tom can't think of anything. What Chronos said to him still bugged him and he knows he is in serious situation that he can't escape. But he never let this moment slip away. He was playing his game again.

But not for long.

Their adviser, Ios Android entered the hall. And they gathered around the corner. Tom remembered it was their briefing for the Inter-High. And how things will go started to chill his back.

Ios Android said while holding a sheet of paper with the blocks of teams to fight, "I am glad you are all here. The meeting took too long, however, the match-ups for the Inter-High preliminaries is here."

Grandson Emberbright said while his hands are on his pockets, "There are no district prelims in Acerspire City so we go straight to the prefecture prelims. Out of about 60 teams in the prefecture, only one will go to nationals. Lose one match and the journey ends. If you want to take revenge on Lion King, you must take first place in Acerspire City."

Tom never left his eyes on Grandson Emberbright. He can't get rid the feeling how awkward it was to see another person telling the words which his original coach, Grandpop Emberbright should be saying. He had the feeling of unused to look at the younger coach.

The team looked at the list of schools they will be facing in the A block. They were so amazed to see on the list, Tuberculosis High, Herring Gull High, and some other teams as they were talking about the aces especially Jack Frost of Herring Gull High, Toby's senpai, the Great King.

Tom wasn't very surprised to what he saw, since everything for him is not new. What he felt exciting is to play those games again and feel the same tension, which takes more than nostalgia.

That is when a familiar man entered the hall.

"How are my regalias going?" it was Crowfire. He was on his white shirt and pants while his hands are on his pockets.

As he came close to them gathering, he gave them a smile.

That is when Tom felt shock that his chest pounded very loud.

From his point, Tom saw Crowfire talking to his team mates, holding their shoulders and tapping their backs.

"What is this? How did I come here? Why are you here Crowfire? All the while, we are just practicing. And here I am again, playing in a death game." Tom complained on himself. His sweat felt cold as it drops down his forehead.

"Awww.." Crowfire jolted and held his nape. He said in soft voice, "All right. Who stung me? It's alright. I am not mad. I just want to talk to you."

Tom was so nervous he never heard his own teeth gnashing. Despite the breeze from the open doors of the gym, he still sweats crazy. His team mates are darting their heads on everyone until they landed on him.

"Was that you, Tom?" Crowfire said softly. He walked towards him while the eyes of the team are on him following.

Tom looked at Crowfire straight on his eyes. He was still nervous, though it was obviously him who stung his master. For few more moments, Tom felt ease. He saw in Crowfire's eyes the worry he didn't expect.

"If you have problems, just tell me. You know it hurts me more if you keep it by yourself alone." Crowfire said. Then he spread his arm on Tom's neck and led him walking outside the volleyball gym. He said without looking them back, "Just do your stuff guys. We just need to talk."

Toby shot his flustered eyes on Tom and Crowfire as they walk away from them.

When they reached the grounds, Tom and Crowfire stopped at the benches close. It was already night time.

Tom in soft, lowly voice uttered, "I know your greatest secrets, Crowfire. And the future."