Chapter 1: Episode 1: Realization

Tick Tick Tick 

As I heard the sound of the clock everything around me faded into darkness. The last thing that could be seen was Pluto laughing as my life faded away. 

To my shock from the darkness emerged a light. I was slowly losing consciousness. My thoughts were drifting away into the light. This was it. I'm dead. 

I awoke to a familiar smell. The smell of my old home, it was a distinct smell. It was a mix of sulfur and bread from the night before. I was home, in the mountains where I used to spend my time. I opened my eyes and moved over to the window. I looked out upon the mountain range. It was exactly how I remembered it, even though it had been years since I left home. Everything was so familiar as if the last couple of years hadn't happened. I moved over to the calendar that I kept by the door. 

[155 TN?!?]

Time moved backwards, it was 6 years in the past from when I started the fight with Pluto. I quickly ran over to my mirror. 

As I looked into my mirror I realized that I was young again and that my appearance had changed. There was a scar over my right eye, where Pluto had taken my eye, unlike my usual purple this eye was different, it was bright gold... just like the pocketwatch that Pluto had handed me before I died. I examined my appearance more. My white hair was long just how I used to keep it, it was vibrant and what I thought was my best feature. 

[You used to love my hair didn't you my darling]

I was in my old outfit, well it was one of the only things I had to wear up here. Oversized black pants with a rose petal design on the left side of my leg, and an everyday black long-sleeve t-shirt. Of course I had my glasses as well, these old steampunk glasses. They are slightly rusted on the side and one of the lens is cracked. Nonetheless I loved them. They used to be my moms. I never left anywhere without them.

[I need to figure out what the hell is going on. Why am I 6 years in the past, was everything that happened a dream? There's no way otherwise my eye wouldn't be scarred. I definitely fought Pluto and I definitely died.]

That's when I noticed the pocketwatch. It was on my hip, the hour and minute hand weren't moving. Their was something about this pocketwatch, something that was comforting.

[Pluto handed me the pocketwatch and said that it contains a special spell or whatever. FUCK THIS, IF IVE GONE BACK IN TIME, IT MEANS EVERYTHING I'VE DONE FOR THE PAST 6 YEARS IS USELESS. ALL THE EFFORT I PUT IN IS FUTLE AND ALL THE RELATIONSHIPS I BUILT ARE... gone]

I tried to throw the pocketwatch on the ground, but it wouldn't come off my side. It was almost as if the pocketwatch was glued to me. I sat down on the side of my bed.

[Okay, keep it cool. What do I do, first things first I have to figure out how this works. If this can bring me back in time, maybe it can bring me to the future. I have to figure out the circumstances that make it activate, does the clock eventually start moving back which will send me to the present, or will I have to relive my life. Their must be certain rules it follows, RIGHT like that jerk said it only works on mortals. Also before I died I heard the clock tick, which means it was active. I have to figure out what causes the clock to activate and use it to my advantage.]

I grabbed the pocketwatch from my side and looked at it.

[Although I'm not adept to magic and spells, my sword skills use the fundamentals. I've trained my Yol while training my sword. I can do this.] Yol is what you guys call mana, for us it takes in our life force and soul to allow for magic like abilities to come to fruition. I focused on moving my Yol from my head down through my core into my hands and then into the pocketwatch. 

Pink sparkles flew around the pocketwatch. It was like it was rejecting my Yol. The sparks grew more and more and the room began to shake. My control over my Yol became more sporadic.

[I CAN'T HOLD ONTO THIS MUCH LONGER, I"VE NEVER HAD MY YOL BE REJECTED. FUCK WHAT DO I DO. ITS OUT OF CONTROL I CAN'T DO ANYTH-]

My body shot back into the wall. 

COEK

I spat out blood. My eyes were shaky and my consciousness was fading. 

I woke up with my body slumped against the wall. 

[Fuck, I haven't felt this bad since the night in the tavern. Flynn and Alice just kept convincing me to drink more and more. I miss them... ANYWAYS. It's clear that I can't break this with my own Yol and even if I could there's no way I would be able to control it. Flynn might have been able to. If I'm 18 it means me and Flynn have already met. If I remember correctly he should be... he's out training with his master. He doesn't return for another year. What do I do in the mean time then.]

I got up and moved over to my bed. I got out a scroll and decided that I should send a letter to Flynn. 

[I couldn't exactly ask him to come back, he needs this training its where he learns everything. I can't contact Alice we haven't met yet plus she's not exactly good with her use of Yol. Amazing archer though. Julianna is good with her Yol but I haven't met her and she's not exactly open to making new friends. During the years that Flynn was gone I always just spent my time training and sleeping. Training... I need to get stronger if I even think about wanting to beat Pluto. I need to start training again.]

I got up off my bed and walked towards the door, my old sword was there. It was sheathed in my rose bud sheath, it was all black and had little rose petals all over it. I loved it. I grabbed my sheath and walked outside. 

[I used to walk this route every morning and the break of dawn, its like muscle memory at this point.]

I arrived at the open area in the forest. The fresh slashes from yesterdays training still prominent on the trees. 

[I should master the basics again, no I'll do them even better than last time. If I even think about having a chance of winning then I need to be stronger.]

"PHEWWWWW, I'm beat."

I trained until midnight. All I practiced was stance and downward swings. I heard a faint rustle behind me.

[Shit. I forgot about what happens on this mountain at night. That mother fucker Jupiter insists on killing anything that's awake past midnight. No one really knows why he just insists that people shouldn't be out on Mount Jupiter past midnight instead they should be sleeping. He is the god of Dreams and Nightmares after all.]

SHREEEEEAKKKKKKKKK

I was no longer able to run as I looked down to notice my body had been cut in half. 

[Shit again]

That's when I heard it. 

Tick, Tick, Tick

 I looked down at the pocketwatch that was in my hand. 

The clock hands started to move. They quickly moved back as my vision went black.

I opened my eyes to a familiar smell. It was my old house. I went back two days just like I had when Pluto killed me. That's when I came up with a terrible theory, something I didn't want to believe. It can't be possible.

[My death brings me back. I'm a regressor.]