Clock of Fate

It's quite dull today, not too different than usual. The authorities had been pushing me to find the one villain that had been sighted a few years ago, but never caught. Never had I crossed path with them either.

"The numbers increased again."

I stared down at the golden stage resembling a ticking clock, now known as the Clock of Fate. There are four arms on it. The shortest arm on the right represents the number of heroes while the other arm with the same length on the left is naturally the villain. The longest arm just moved normally every heartbeat like any common watches while a shorter arm represents how many glows had passed.

The numbers of heroes and villains had been balanced throughout the century. However, the left arm had been moving more significantly for the past few years. It doesn't seem to come from the Devontae Kingdom. Perhaps something happened in the other places?

*TICK….TOCK…*

Ticking sound filled the empty space. The Mylar Empire, where this stage appeared, had took the initiative to build a roof above the Clock of Fate. Only a handful of people are allowed to enter this place. Since it act as a guidance, it is placed under tight security for two reasons; it is confidential, and second, to prevent villains from destroying it.

Out of the blue, a woman's voice echoed, distracting my attention from the clock. "A hero from Devontae, I assume?"

The bluish-silver haired woman in her 40s approached me with a rather friendly gestures, seeming pleased with the meeting. Her smile was gentle, a few wrinkles formed on the tail of her blue eyes.

"Yes, greetings, honorary hero of Mylar, Hero Cynthia." I bowed.

Cynthia, the most esteemed hero of Mylar. Her ability to create invincible protective layers had kept the defensive of the Empire at its best. She is also in charge of protecting this building.

"How is Elonzo?"

Cynthia asked, her smile no longer as bright as before.

Noticing her change of expression, I replied,"…he is well as ever."

"He was a talented man once, but he didn't even appear on major expeditions now…"

Cynthia's voice trailed off. She had known Elonzo from the past. Indeed, Elonzo was a great hero. Not only did he protected Devontae, he even went to the other lands and aided the ones in need. Something happened after a great clash of villains and heroes 10 years ago, causing him to stay passive.

"You are the leader for Devontae now, right?" She looked at my badges.

"Elonzo refused to take the position."

"I see. That is bound to happen."

Her response piqued my interest. Whenever I tried to question Elonzo about it, he always playfully shook it off. It did make me quite irked sometimes, but he just laughed it off

"….may I know what had happened? You know something, don't you?"

Cynthia didn't anwer right away. Only after half a whisp did she replied back with a question,"…didn't he ever told you?"

"Never. He gave me rotten jokes, instead."

"Haha, that sounds just like him."

Cynthia let out a genuine laughter, although only for a moment. She then paused and stared at the moving arm of the clock.

"But it's better to hear it from him."

"…."

The big war ended up with the hero as the final winner. I'm guessing that there must be something in between the process that changed Elonzo. Indeed, I shouldn't pry this way.

Taking another glance at the Clock of Fate, I laid out another topic.

"The villains are increasing."

"Anomalies like this happens once in a while. We'll just balance it out again." She calmly replied.

Seeing her unfazed reaction, it enlightened me slightly. Another whisp passed without an exchange of words when suddenly, I had the urge to ask a question that had been stirring my mind.

Slowly, I began the conversation, "….I have a question."

Cynthia, who was previously immersed in her thoughts raised up her face again. "Go ahead," she nodded.

I looked right into her bright blue eyes before courage left me and I got uncomfortable with her gaze. Hence, I slowly moved my focus somewhere else, biting my lips, before spitting the question.

"Are you….happy, being a hero?"

"…."

Cynthia silently let the question pass. Her eyes returned to the clock and remained glued on its moving arm, seeming deep in thought.

"I'm sorry if that question bothers you."

With a gentle smile, she lightly shook her head. "….let's just say, I accept the title as is."

Hearing someone more experienced saying that, somehow put me at ease. If I were to twist the sentence a bit, it'll be something like 'refusing it isn't a choice, whether I like it or not', and that explains my situation a lot.

"…I understand."

Looking back at the clock, I realised how long had I been standing here.

"Thank you for the brief conversation. I should excuse myself now."

"My pleasure. Do come by again."

With a slight nod as a reply, I shifted my feet and made my way out of the building.

The sky was clear blue, the sun shone brightly. The journey from Mylar Empire to the Devontae Kingdom would took about half a day at least.

"Maybe I should go look around while I'm here."

The other heroes are watching over Devontae, I'm sure they could handle any problems that arises by themselves. They are just as capable as I am, after all.

"GIDDY UP!"

The white horse galloped out of the area. This horse is the only gift given from the king of Devontae that I truly appreciate. Not only is it faster and sturdier than normal horses, it's a hybrid with a Celestial horse, making it the best partner for a hero as it recognises the aura of good and evil.

*Gallop…Gallop..*

After a short trip, I arrived at the central market of Mylar. It was crowded with people, loud and merry. A few carriages passed by but most people goes aroud on foot.

Once I reached the area with increasing concentration of people, I pulled my hood up, covering the eye-catching hair.

"I hate this uselessly bright colour…" I can't help but huffed.

Heroes have lightly coloured hair. It mostly links with the type of ability one had. For example, Elonzo has red hair and a fire ability. Some theories speculated how blessed one is by the heavens. Hence, many thought highly of my hair, but it simply is troublesome, in my opinion.

Riding through the market, I eventually felt at ease with the homely air of the streets. The friendly merchants, the small children running around. It reminds me of the reason why I fought so hard as a hero.

It's been a while since I last spent some time in such a place peacefully.

Reminiscing at the feelings, I decided to stay around for a bit. *I should make it worth,* I thought.