Episode 7: Learning to Stand Still
1273 Words
Morning came too fast.
Muna didn’t feel rested.
He felt… heavy.
Like something inside him hadn’t settled back into place.
Tick.
He opened his eyes slowly.
The ceiling stared back at him.
Normal.
Still.
For a moment, he almost convinced himself everything was fine.
Then he sat up—
And saw it.
The threads.
Faint this time.
Not overwhelming like before.
But still there.
Flowing gently through everything.
“…They didn’t go away,” he muttered.
“No,” the man’s voice replied.
Muna didn’t even react this time.
“Of course you’re here.”
The man stood near the window, arms folded.
“They won’t go away,” he said. “Not anymore.”
Muna rubbed his face.
“Great.”
Silence lingered for a moment.
Then the man stepped forward.
“Get up.”
Muna frowned.
“For what?”
“Training.”
Muna blinked.
“…You’re serious?”
The man didn’t smile.
“You said you wanted to fight back.”
Muna exhaled slowly.
“…Yeah.”
“Then stop surviving blindly.”
Muna stood.
Slowly.
His body still ached from the night before.
“What do I need to do?”
The man’s eyes sharpened.
“First, you stop using time.”
Muna stared at him.
“…That doesn’t make sense.”
“It does,” the man replied. “Because right now, time is using you.”
Muna crossed his arms.
“Okay, explain that.”
The man walked closer.
“When you pull threads, when you force movement, when you jump moments…”
He paused.
“You’re not controlling time.”
Muna tilted his head slightly.
“Then what am I doing?”
The man answered simply:
“You’re panicking with power.”
Silence.
Muna didn’t like that answer.
“…So what’s the right way?”
The man pointed at the floor.
“Sit.”
Muna hesitated.
“Are you serious right now?”
“Sit.”
Muna sighed and dropped to the floor.
“Now what?”
The man didn’t respond immediately.
Instead, he said:
“Close your eyes.”
Muna gave him a look.
“You’re really doing this?”
“Do it.”
Muna rolled his eyes—but obeyed.
Darkness.
Silence.
Tick.
“There it is,” the man said quietly.
Muna frowned slightly.
“My heartbeat?”
“No.”
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
“Your time.”
Muna focused.
The sound grew clearer.
Stronger.
Not just one rhythm—
Many.
Layers of ticking overlapping.
“…There’s more than one,” he whispered.
“Yes,” the man said. “Because you’re not just hearing yours anymore.”
Muna’s breathing slowed.
“So what do I do?”
The man’s voice softened slightly.
“You listen.”
Muna stayed still.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
The sounds began to separate.
One steady.
One fast.
One fading.
Each one different.
Each one alive.
Then—
Something shifted.
One sound…
It was wrong.
Broken.
Like it was stuttering.
Muna’s eyes snapped open.
“There’s something wrong.”
The man nodded.
“Where?”
Muna stood quickly.
“Outside.”
Without waiting—
He ran.
Out of the house.
Into the street.
The world looked normal.
Cars passing.
People talking.
Life moving.
But the sound—
Tick—
Stop—
Tick—
Stop—
Muna turned.
A man stood by the roadside.
Holding his chest.
His clock—
Glitching.
Cracked.
Muna’s chest tightened.
“…Not again.”
The man appeared beside him instantly.
“You feel it now.”
Muna nodded slowly.
“I didn’t even see him… I just heard it.”
The man looked at him carefully.
“Good.”
“Good? He’s about to—”
“I know,” the man interrupted. “And now you have a choice.”
Muna’s jaw tightened.
“No.”
The man raised an eyebrow.
“No?”
“I’m not doing what I did yesterday,” Muna said firmly. “I’m not taking someone else’s time.”
The man watched him.
“…Then what are you going to do?”
Muna didn’t answer.
Because he didn’t know.
The man by the road dropped to one knee.
People started noticing.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“Is he okay?”
Tick—
Stop—
Tick—
Muna’s fists clenched.
Think.
Think.
“You said I shouldn’t force time,” he muttered.
“Yes.”
“And I shouldn’t pull threads.”
“Yes.”
Muna took a slow breath.
“…Then I won’t.”
The man’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Then what?”
Muna stepped forward.
Toward the man.
Ignoring the ticking.
Ignoring the fear.
“I’ll stay with him.”
The man didn’t move.
“Explain.”
Muna knelt beside the man.
“I won’t take time from anywhere,” he said quietly.
“Then he dies,” the man replied.
Muna shook his head.
“…Not if I stabilize it.”
Silence.
The man’s expression changed slightly.
“Go on.”
Muna closed his eyes again.
Tick—
Stop—
Tick—
He focused.
Not on the threads.
Not on pulling.
Just…
Listening.
Feeling.
The broken rhythm.
The imbalance.
Then—
Slowly—
He placed his hand on the man’s shoulder.
The pendant glowed faintly.
Not violently this time.
Soft.
Steady.
Muna breathed in.
Then out.
And matched it.
Tick…
…Tick…
…Tick…
The broken rhythm began to shift.
Not forced.
Not pulled.
Just…
Aligned.
The man’s clock above his head flickered—
Then steadied.
Tick…
…Tick…
…Tick…
Weak.
But stable.
Muna opened his eyes slowly.
The man gasped—
Then took a deep breath.
Color returning to his face.
“I… I’m okay…” he said weakly.
People around them sighed in relief.
“What just happened?”
“He’s fine now!”
Muna pulled his hand back.
His body felt drained.
But not like before.
Not like something was taken.
Just… tired.
The man stepped closer.
“…You didn’t take anything.”
Muna looked at him.
“I told you I wouldn’t.”
The man’s eyes were sharp now.
“Then how did you do that?”
Muna shook his head slightly.
“I didn’t change his time…”
A pause.
“I just helped it… stay together.”
Silence.
The man stared at him.
For a long moment.
Then—
“…That’s not supposed to be possible.”
Muna gave a small, tired smile.
“Yeah… I’m starting to hear that a lot.”
The man exhaled slowly.
“This changes things.”
Muna stood.
“How?”
The man looked directly at him.
“If you can stabilize time without taking it…”
A pause.
“…then you’re not just a disturbance.”
Muna’s chest tightened.
“…Then what am I?”
The man’s voice dropped.
“Something the Collectors have never faced before.”
Muna glanced at the crowd.
At the man he had just saved.
At the world moving like nothing had happened.
“…Good.”
The man shook his head slightly.
“No.”
Muna frowned.
“No?”
The man looked toward the distance.
Where the air felt slightly… thinner.
“…Now they’ll stop hunting you like prey.”
A pause.
“They’ll come for you like a threat.”
Muna’s grip tightened.
“Let them.”
The pendant glowed faintly.
The ticking steadied.
And for the first time—
Muna didn’t feel like he was losing control.
He felt like he was finding it.
But far away—
Beyond what he could see—
Something else was watching.
Not a Collector.
Not an echo.
Something older.
Something patient.
And it had just noticed him.
To be continue....
- Writer
