Tick

The two words bounce in his head as if it were hollow.

Tick

The outside world falls into a numbing silence. The humid wind feels a fuzzy static, it won't stop buzzing.

Tick

The sound of a clock has never been so loud.

Tick

A relentless assault on his eardrums. Its cruel rhythm evokes the endless march of time.

Tick

The vast city feels like a claustrophobic dome. Each tick echoes in the empty atmosphere.

"What do you mean... memories?" Worry strangles his frail words.

"Perhaps it was too soon to tell you." A hint of regret strings the old man. "I apologize, I was too hasty." The Timekeeper searches his mind for the right words to say.

This never gets easier.

"When you say memories," it's Korlin that fills the void of sound. "Do you mean...all of our memories?"

Timekeeper takes in a heavy sigh and steels himself. "The price for being reborn into this world. By the witch's evil design...

Is to lose all the memories from your past life."

Not a single whisper.

No one even breathes.

All traces of life are vacant.

A gale shreds the null airspace. All of their hair whips along with the squall.

"...So, when this reaches zero...what happens to us?" Sirius doesn't raise his head; the floor swallows his stare.

"It begins with insignificant afterthoughts. Memories you barely care about or even remember having. Slowly, you forget the people and things that mean nothing to you. As the countdown nears its end, you lose the memories with greater impact. One by one, the things and people you think are important to you, all slowly start to fade. Until... all that's left is the memories that shaped you. The memories that make up your personality. But in the end, when the countdown reaches zero, even those will be lost."

"..."

"..."

"So," Korlin sounds hopeless. "When it reaches zero, are we just... brain dead?"

"No, nothing like that. You will still remember everything that has happened since you met the witch. You'll remember struggling to retain your memories. You'll remember trying to remember. Only the memories before your death will be lost."

"What if we write down our memories and keep reading them and picturing them in our head every day?"

"Like I said, once the memory is determined not important enough, it will disappear from your brain. One day you could remember then the next it will be gone. Even if it is important enough, once the countdown ends, it will go away. No matter how hard you try."

"What about talking, breathing, and moving my body? Will I forget how to do that?"

"No, you are doing that right now after all. As long as you maintain daily functions you will be fine. You may need to write down and study some words, though as long as you communicate with people, you'll be fine."

Paralyzing stillness possesses each of them. None of them know what to say.

Sirius has just been listening. Millions of thoughts torrent his fragile mind. His eye twitches, followed by his arms.

He laughs.

A haunting and hollow titter. A snicker at the contrite man.

"This is a joke, isn't it?" His face is in his right palm. A distorted smile is spread underneath. "I mean there's no way that's real. My memories will be ripped away when this clock reaches zero? That's bullshit."

"Sirius..." Korlin meekly whispers.

"Unfortunately, it is true." Timekeeper nods quietly to himself.

Stolen novel; please report.

Sirius' tone turns sour. An unprecedented hostility rises from his heart.

"How do you know? What proof do you have? Huh?"

"Sirius lay off of him."

Sirius steps in closer towards the old man.

"I mean seriously, do you really expect me to believe that?!"

"..."

"You probably gave these to us as a prank." Sirius prepares to hurl his watch into the stone.

"Sirius stop. This is probably hard on him too-"

"Why would it be? How would he know what happens to us? He's probably just a senile old-"

"Because I too was like you!"

The words reverberate in the surrounding air. Stilling even their heartbeats.

"...What?"

Timekeeper releases a bellowing sigh.

"I am a human. A Witch Spawn. Just like you two."

Korlin chokes on his words. "So, does that mean-"

"Yes. Many, many years ago I lost the memories of my past." The man doesn't look sad, not at all. He appears happy. "At first, I desperately tried to regain my memories. I struggled, I cried, I beat myself up over it. But once they were gone... I started living." Tears threaten to fall from his eyes. "I dedicated my life to helping those who tried to help me. To trying to help the humans that awaken here. Heck, I even invented those watches."

This should be an uplifting moment. But Sirius feels nothing but fear and self-pity. He stares at his watch, "That's impressive." Despite his mood, the words were genuine.

"After a while, I forgot I never lived here. And that was okay. I made more friends. I got a well-paying job. I met so many new people." Timekeeper smiles down at his ring. "I even met my wife."

A light wind brushes against the man.

"That's beautiful," Korlin smiles warmly. His lack of concern worries Sirius.

"Yes, it is." The man looks like he could cry of joy. He's truly lived a blessed life. "So you see, you need not worry about your waning memories. You'll overcome this hurdle and will be happy after."

They sit with their thoughts a moment. Each one of their mindsets are completely different.

"So," Sirius abruptly speaks out. "When does it happen? How much time do we have?"

Timekeeper pauses. He locks eyes with the boy. Hesitation envelops him whole, it does both of them. It takes twenty seconds for the tension to reach its climax. The fateful words pass his lips.

"A year."

The words are practically a flashbang for his ears. "Actually, it would be less than that now since..."

The man's words trail off into a deafening ring. Any words now are no more than a mumbled mess.

Sirius stumbles backwards. It feels as if he got struck by another truck. The whiplash of emotions is too overwhelming. It's all in slow motion.

-What is this?

He's light-headed. If he stops moving for even a moment, he'll likely faint. Never before has he felt this kind of distortion.

"Sirius...?" Korlin's mouth enunciates the name, but Sirius can't hear it. The sound of the clock rattles his staggered mind. "Are you alright?" The question both echoes and doesn't make a sound.

A year.

So long yet so fleeting.

Was this more or less time than I was expecting? I don't know. Why do I care...?

His palm is smacked over his forehead. He holds it there as if checking for an ailment. With the look on his face, he may as well have one.

"Sorry."

It barely squeaks out his throat.

He manages to lift his head up to them. It's then something dawns on him.

Their eyes.

Korlin and the man's eyes stalk him.

Their eyebrows knitted in worry, belittling him into the dirt.

Ever since he was little, Sirius has hated being looked at.

He didn't mind the stares of the townspeople when he first awoke. Their looks were more... disgusted, annoyed even. That combined with the facts that he just emerged from the ground, and they were strangers, made their gazes bearable.

But the looks from people he knows...

Those are the ones that matter.

The ones he hates.

Especially the look they are giving him now. The one he hates most of all.

The look of pity.

-What am I doing...? Why am I acting like this?

The shock of the timeframe and memories vanish for a moment. The feeling is replaced with both frustration and self-consciousness.

"Sorry, I need to... step away for a minute."

Sirius fixes his composure and strides away from the two. Their distant conversation picks up.

-They're talking about me, aren't they?

Once out of sight, he breaks into a jog. The jog evolves into a run.

-Stop it.

He runs and runs. The pocket watch he's still holding continues its bombardment.

-Don't pity me.

Tick

Their eyes sear into his brain.

TiCk

-"Your memories."

TICk

-"A year."

Erratic memories project themselves in his mind.

TICK

His childhood home. Teetering on a tire roped up on a large tree. Drawing with sticks in wet sand.

TICK

His first dog. His first friends. His first love interest.

TICK

Leaving those friends forever. His new friends. Leaving them too.

TICk

Getting medals and trophies. His father smiling. Quitting sports.

TiCk

The dog goes away. A new dog.

Tick

School. Houses.

Tick

The memories start to blend together.

tick

His run slows to a halt. With his hands on his knees, he catches his breath.

-All those memories will go away. Why? I don't want that. Who will I be when they're gone?

Another thought crosses in the endless stream. Those memories...

-Why am I so scared to lose them?

For years, he's felt nothing but insufferable mundanity. Or rather, the absence of emotion. Why feel so scared? For these worthless fragments of his life?

He doesn't know.

A tinge of guilt shrouds him. How can I think like that? That's disrespectful to the people who raised me. To the people who gave me those memories.

Another wave of guilt. I just ran away from those two. I should go back and apologize. But he doesn't want to. Something is telling him it's better to be alone. That's how it should be.

He wants to ask the Timekeeper on how to keep his memories. But he doesn't want to see those eyes again. He knows they'll be there, staring at him. If he asks and there is no answer, that'll be even worse.

More pity would follow.

Korlin has been a breath of fresh air. That boy was the most fun he's had with someone. Ever. He doesn't want to lose that. Yet, in the back of his mind, more dark thoughts intrude. Is Korlin just pretending? He doesn't want me around.

He looks down the path he came from. He stares blankly at it, then turns around.

He walks away. He's running away.

Just like he always has.

22828877 seconds remain.