By the time Mikomi had returned, his good had grown cold. It became apparent that his family didn’t want to wait for him to return either. When he walked in, he saw his father sitting in his favorite recliner watching television while his mother was sitting on the couch reading a book. Neither of them opted to question what took Mikomi so long as they had the intuition not to pry into the situation too much.

Mikomi silently headed for the kitchen where he reheated his dinner in the microwave and sat at the dinner table alone. As he sat there and ate his food, he could only wonder what he was going to say to his father about his heart condition. After all, the cause of death was officially listed as death from overwork… that the stress of long shifts put too much strain on his heart. One day, he fell asleep at his desk and never woke up. Mikomi remembered hearing the news in the other timeline and it devastated him. That pain, coupled with the strength he was drawing from Serah, fueled his determination.

Even though Mikomi savored every bite of his dinner, he had finished his meal before he knew it. He rinsed his plate and stuck it in the dishwasher and did his mother the favor of loading the soap and switching it on. He placed his hands on the kitchen counter and gazed into the sink, trying to prepare what he was going to say to his father. He let out a heavy sigh and walked into the living room. He stood there and looked at his father who noticed a gaze upon him. Ryunosuke turned his attention to Mikomi and it was enough for his mother to put down the book she was reading.

“Dad… I need to talk to you about something.”

Ryunosuke picked up the remote and muted the television.

“I want you to go see a doctor.”

Ryunosuke let out a hearty laugh. Mikomi expected nothing less from him. Despite how ridiculous it was, it certainly did help to ease tensions and make discussing something so difficult a bit easier. Maybe it was his father’s laughter but Mikomi did seem a bit calmer about his conversation.

“I’m serious. I know you’re home on a break now but how many weeks… how many months have you spent away from your family only to work on the A.I.? You’ve worked harder than any human being should. I want you to see a doctor.”

“I appreciate your concern, Mikomi, but I assure you that I’m well-rested and there’s nothing wrong with me. Your old man is tougher than he appears.”

I knew he was going to be stubborn about this. I can’t just tell him he’s going to die next year, either. If only I could, this would be a lot easier.

“Please, Dad. Do it for me.”

Ryunosuke let out a heavy sigh as Karoline looked over at him. Ryunosuke noticed her glare and gave her a nod.

“Mikomi. You went for a walk earlier. Your mother and I have a feeling where you went but I want to hear it from your mouth. Where did you go?”

“I went to visit Serah’s grave.”

“So, we were right,” said Ryunosuke with a slight nod. “Mikomi, I understand you loved Serah and it hurts to have lost something so precious to you. I can also understand that the very pain you’re feeling is making you worry about the littlest things. You’re scared that you’re going to lose your old man, too, aren’t you?”

“Y-yes.”

“Mikomi… I assure you that there is nothing wrong with me…. BUT… if it will put your mind at ease, then it’s the least I could do for my son. I’ll call on Monday and make an appointment. Would that satisfy you?”

“Yes!” said Mikomi with enthusiasm in his voice. “T-thank you, Dad.”

Ryunosuke smiled as Mikomi excused himself for the night. It was getting quite late and he wanted to catch up on some sleep. He lay there in this bed, staring up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. One would believe that he would have a smile on his face, but that wasn’t the case. On the contrary, his expression was rather serious.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

I’m taking a risk here by asking Dad to go to the doctor. He’s not supposed to die for a year so what if the doctors don’t find anything? What if his heart attack was something sudden with no warning signs? How am I going to save him then? I hate to say it but the worst outcome is the best-case scenario here. Is it sad that hoping for the worst is the one thing giving me comfort right now?

With that, Mikomi closed his eyes and felt himself drift away. The hours passed away as Ryunosuke and Karoline eventually turned in for the evening. When the house became silent, Sebastian appeared in Mikomi’s room with his arms folded. He looked down upon him deep in slumber with a look of disdain.

Sebastian exhaled a sigh as he casually walked over and nudged Mikomi. When Mikomi didn’t wake, Sebastian shook his head and nudged him a little harder. This grabbed Mikomi’s attention and his eyes began to open. He looked up and saw Sebastian standing over him causing a look of disgust to come over his face. Not only was he unhappy to see Sebastian but he was even more agitated that he woke him up in the dead of the night.

He glanced over at his alarm clock which only enhanced his agitation. He slowly sat up in bed as Sebastian nodded his head towards the window, silently stating that he wanted to take the conversation outside in the cold winter air. Mikomi let out a sigh of disgust as he got out of bed and grabbed an extra pair of pants and a heavy jacket. Sebastian disappeared, leaving Mikomi to tiptoe through his house so as not to wake his parents. He achieved his stealthy escape and made his way to the backyard where Sebastian reappeared in front of him.

“Lovely night, wouldn’t you say?”

“I hope you have a good reason for dragging me out here in the freezing cold.”

Sebastian stuck his hands in his pockets as he turned and walked away from Mikomi. After a few steps, he stopped and looked up into the night sky. The moon was bright, the stars were out and there wasn’t a cloud to be seen. You could see Sebastian’s breath in the cold air as he stood there and gazed into the sky.

“Freezing is a good description. The air is a tad bit chilly.”

Mikomi knew that Sebastian was stalling by making small talk. In the back of his mind, he knew why he was here, and, quite frankly, he was sick and tired of hearing it. Before Sebastian could even get to his point, Mikomi interjected.

“You’re here because of my father. You know what was said earlier today and you’re going to give me another one of your spiels on balance. Save your breath because I’m not going to hear it any longer. I’m sick and tired of having this conversation just as much as I am of hearing the word balance. That word is nothing more than a thorn in my side and it’s about time I pull it out.”

Sebastian turned and faced Mikomi with a not-so-pleasant expression on his face. He decided to hear Mikomi out as he folded his arms as if to suggest he wanted him to continue. Mikomi did just that.

“You agreed to protect the world I would create. You gave me your word and yet, Serah lays dead and buried as we speak. All this time I truly believed that I had failed. I believed that her death was because the world was trying to correct the things I have changed. The fact that you’re standing here right now tells me that none of that is true.”

Mikomi walked right up to Sebastian as the two of them came face to face. Sebastian raised an eyebrow at Mikomi’s actions but Mikomi wasn’t about to back down. He looked him dead in the eyes and made his proclamation.

“You didn’t protect the world that I created. You broke your promise to me and therefore, you are the one that failed. No longer will I hear your words about balance. From here on out, you will hear only my words and you will protect what I create. I am going to save my father and I’m going to preserve whatever I have left in this timeline. Then I’m going to find my killer and deal with whoever they may be myself. You are the one who gave me a second chance at life. You should have known things like this would happen. If you’re going to stand there and tell me you would have no way of foreseeing a situation like this then I would question your abilities as a Custodian of Time.”

Sebastian let out a heavy sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He slowly backed away from Mikomi and lowered his head in thought. After a moment, he looked up at him with a piercing gaze.

“Very well, my dear Mikomi. I’ll let the gnome play in his garden in peace and I shall be the tender of whatever he grows.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it.”

“Hmph,” muttered Sebastian before disappearing into the cold night.

Mikomi quietly made his way back into his house where he tiptoed to his bedroom. It appeared that his parents were still fast asleep. He climbed back into bed; however, his anger had boiled over and he couldn’t get back to sleep. He clenched his fist and slammed it down, the impact muffled by his mattress.

Damn, that Sebastian! To think that he has the nerve to drag me out into the freezing cold in the dead of night for nothing more than another one of his stupid lectures! He’s the one who put me in this situation and yet he hasn’t done a damn thing!

As Mikomi finished that thought, he came to a sudden realization.

That’s right. Sebastian hasn’t done anything. All he’s ever done was appear before me and lecture me. Sure, he did state that he was merely here to observe, but he’s a Custodian of Time. He said that one of his duties is to protect the timelines. How can someone protect the timelines without doing anything? If things changed and he didn’t do anything about it, wouldn’t that have some sort of consequence for him? That’s basically the equivalent of a night guard sleeping on the job as the place he’s supposed to protect gets robbed. Something isn’t adding up here but what?

Sebastian was hesitant to tell me everything when we first met. He held onto secret after secret until I discovered the information for myself. He used the God complex excuse as his reason for doing so but even still… he could have explained all of that upfront. What reason did he truly have for keeping that information from me? Most importantly, there could be more information that he’s holding back on. Just what are you hiding from me, Sebastian, and why? Also, why hasn’t my relationship with Ryan been affected yet? Does it have something to do with what Sebastian may or may not be keeping from me?

Could it be that…

Mikomi trembled at his latest thought as if he didn’t want to believe his own words. At this point, it would seem implausible but Mikomi knew that it wasn’t completely out of the realm of possibility. Whatever Mikomi thought, the expression on his face, that look of fear and disbelief, said everything that words could not. Mikomi didn’t want to believe it, but he knew deep down that there was a chance that what he thought could be true.

I need to test something. That’s why I’m going all-in with Dad. I just hope to God that I’m wrong.