Zen lay motionless on the muddy ground. The skies above him were dark and gray—just like his life.
Splat.
A seagull flew overhead. It’s poop landed on his face.
It was just his bad luck. Even to his dying breath, his luck remained faithful.
Zen felt the bird feces sliding down the side of his cheek.
Does bird poop smell?
He’ll never know the answer. His breathing was so shallow now.
Zen recalled his life. It was quite an unfortunate one.
He was born into one of the Families, precisely the X Family.
When he was three years old, Zen discovered his ability. But it was a truly weak and useless one.
He had the power to control these fragile and transparent strings. Seriously, it was so useless he couldn’t even trip someone with those strings. They were just too thin, too breakable. Perhaps if he’d been born a spider, things would’ve made more sense. Life would’ve been easier.
Instead, he was a member of the X Family. It wasn’t a very powerful group, but it sure was an ambitious one. Only the strong could thrive in that household. The weak were cut off faster than the blink of an eye.
And before he could even blink, Zen had already been counted as a dead. No one in the Family talked to him, or even so much as looked his way.
Yet, his young mind couldn’t understand this simple rule.
Zen, at the age of fifteen, thought he could change the world. He’ll make everything acknowledge his existence. Thus, his teenager self, in all its childish glory, decided to do the unthinkable—ultimately leading to his current downfall.
Zen challenged the Four Great Families—more precisely, the Michaelis Family.
Well, the word “challenge” was a bit of a stretch...
During a duel between a Michaelis and another insignificant like Zen, Zen decided to cheat. He wanted to help the other person win and make the Michaelis Family lose face.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
His little scheme was uncovered. And then everything spiraled downwards.
The Great Michaelis Family threatened the X Family. The X Family offered Zen to them. Zen got his legs damaged beyond repair, his nonexistent title stripped away, and his crippled body thrown onto the streets to live the rest of his miserable life...blah, blah, blah.
Zen realized how much he couldn’t care now. What could a dead man do, anyways?
But Zen felt he had to recall those events. His strange, new power urged him to continue.
His story didn’t end after he was thrown to the streets. He was harassed by his fellow homeless people and street thugs. They all hated him for living a privileged life as one of the Families. They scorned him for leaving it as well. What the hell—what did they want him to do? Leave that life or live it?
Anyway, Zen roamed those streets for ten years—or more like “crawled” those streets for ten years. When a person’s three legs are broken beyond repair, there aren’t many opportunities available.
Fast forward to today’s events.
This cloudy morning, Zen made a deal with a mysterious shaman figure. In exchange for a new power, he traded away ten years of his life.
He had thought: Finally. I am finally worthy.
But here he lay, on Death’s doors. Who would’ve known that he wouldn’t live to be thirty-five?
Zen’s vision started turning black.
If he could be reborn, he wanted to be a spider. Maybe a daddy long-legs. At least he’d be called daddy.
Ha...Ha...His life was truly one bad joke...
***
Samuel Dockes watched the man lying on the muddy ground. If he recalled, the man was Zenith X. Zenith’s body was surrounded by a pile of unmoving bodies.
Samuel had witnessed everything.
Zenith exited from a prohibited area and was suddenly attacked by a ruthless gang. Before Samuel could aid the crippled man, the gang members surrounding him collapsed to the muddy ground.
He saw a smile bloom on the cripple’s face. It was a smile of ecstasy, as if he had accomplished something he’d deemed impossible. It was a swift smile.
The next second, that smile changed to one of pain and a horrified realization.
Samuel, too, realized the other man was dying. What he couldn’t understand, though, was how the crippled man quickly came to terms with his impending death.
On Zenith’s face, he saw the most calm and peaceful expression. He didn’t even flinch when the waste of a bird overhead landed on his face.
No, Samuel thought, I can’t use my ability on him. He is happy to leave this place. I’ll find someone else.
But Samuel changed his mind.
On his last and final breath, Zenith’s expression turned painful with sadness and regret. His true emotions surfaced—emotions Samuel knew all too well.
Samuel immediately placed his hand upon the other’s chest.
“Zenith X. I find you worthy. My time shall be your time. May you prosper in rewind.”
Activate Ability: Time Reversal
Target: Zenith X
Consequence: User [Samuel Dockes] will cease to exist in all timelines, worlds, etc.
0.01 second before Zenith’s time rewinds:
Activate Ability: The Fourth of Fates
Recover the Existence of [Samuel Dockes]