Captive of Time

Chapter 4: Unable to Escape

Speedy was so frightened that he threw a book across the room.

“Please,” he said, his voice trembling, “turn back. I’m afraid of this thing.”

Timer, however, found Speedy's fearful demeanor particularly endearing，his lover had been cold and distant for many days since their sudden argument. For days, Speedy had not smiled at him or spoken to him; intimacy had waned, and everything felt different. Timer was not happy.

Satisfied with Speedy's current state, he decided, “Alright, let’s leave it at that for today.”

The massive black serpent coiled around the young man, its neck raised high, resembling a proud sovereign asserting dominance over its prize, forcing him toward the bed...

Meanwhile, the book that Speedy had thrown had its page turned by the wind, revealing an ancient civilization's perspective on time:

“...They believed time to be circular, endless, and unceasing, symbolized by a serpent whose tail connects to its mouth...”

Speedy's coldness was evident.

In his world, there was no one else to notice it but Timer. Without the long span of time filled with love and intimacy they had shared, Timer might not have perceived any problems. After all, they still embraced, showed affection, and cuddled when Speedy grew weary. Until now, he had never experienced such a close and entangled relationship.

Yet, once one has tasted the finest delicacies, they cannot be satisfied with mere subsistence.

“It’s been ages since you last initiated a kiss, and you haven’t smiled at me,” Timer sighed, wrapping his arms around Speedy from behind and inquiring, “Are you tired of me?”

Seeing no response from Speedy, he sighed again. “You haven’t called me ‘husband’ in a long time, nor have you called me ‘darling.’ Have you become like those humans? Do you want to break up? Divorce?”

“Impossible.” Before Speedy could respond, Timer made a unilateral declaration.

What does it mean to be like those humans? I am human, and we aren’t even married. You don’t even have an ID, Speedy thought, opening his mouth to speak but ultimately closing it in silence.

He had tried countless times in various ways, hoping his partner would let him return to the normal world, yet all had failed. Now, he no longer wanted to exert himself fruitlessly.

Timer slowly began to take on a human form, pressing against Speedy, resting his head on his shoulder as they looked together at the book in Speedy’s hands.

It was a book documenting different perceptions of time in ancient civilizations, the same book Speedy had accidentally thrown after being startled by the serpent.

“... Are you interested in time?”

Speedy did not respond; he simply turned the page slowly.

At that moment, he could not quantify how long he had been stuck in this instant; he only knew he had been trapped for what felt like an eternity. Long enough to self-study and master all modern scientific knowledge, formulating hypotheses and experiments about space and time; long enough to read extensively about ancient wisdom and esoteric theories, seeking inspiration.

If placed back in a normal society now, his vast knowledge and profound insights on science and philosophy would surely astonish people.

Time possesses consciousness. Or rather, there exists a consciousness intimately connected to time. To this day, he could not ascertain what Timer truly was , was he indeed time itself?

This fact exceeded his existing comprehension, and he could not find any reasonable, let alone plausible, explanations.

“What are you, exactly?” He leaned into Timer’s embrace, voicing the question that had lingered in his mind for so long.

“I am your lover.” Timer kissed his forehead. “Just as Adam created Eve from his rib, you are destined to be my lover. Don’t overthink it.”

Yet Speedy was evidently dissatisfied with this answer, just as he disliked the nonsensical myth of “Adam creating Eve from his rib.”

The library’s lights flickered, casting strobe shadows over him, the tall wooden bookshelves creating heavy shadows that enveloped half of his body.

He had long since grown accustomed to the empty library, the deserted city, the lonely country, the isolated world, and the solitary moment of December 31st at 11:59 PM.

The overhead lights flickered twice, and in that moment, Speedy began to doubt the reasons for his stubborn desire to return to the normal world.

Even if he returned, would it really be the same?

Time was static, yet he was changing; even if he went back, he would no longer be the Speedy of December 31st at 11:59 PM.

The faces of friends and family had already blurred; he didn’t even know how to confront that flowing, forward-moving world as his current self or how to face it anew with trepidation.

He had been trapped at the moment before New Year’s Eve, yet he suddenly realized he could no longer return to the Speedy of that moment. Even if he went back to normal time, he would not be the “normal” version of himself.

For so long, he had clung to the belief that “no matter what, I must return,” and “I have plenty of time to find a way back.” This conviction had sustained him through life in this empty city, even in loneliness and despair, pushing him to keep learning and improving.

Yet suddenly, that belief crumbled. Speedy began to question whether returning to the normal world was truly as desirable as he once thought. Was it really what he longed for?

He was uncertain.

He shuddered involuntarily.

Timer turned Speedy’s body to face him, seeing the deep sorrow and fragility concealed in his dark eyes. That unease and grief had always been well-hidden deep within him, yet at this moment, it burst forth.

Timer was taken aback. He had never seen Speedy like this. Even when his lover had deliberately sought to please him or argued vehemently about returning to normal time, Speedy had never shown such vulnerability before.

Speedy leaned limply against Timer, and slowly, he ceased to tremble. He steadied himself against Timer’s shoulder, his dark eyes regaining their calm.

He leaned in and kissed the corner of Timer’s lips, softly saying, “The truth. If I can’t leave here, at least let me know the truth.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Who exactly are you?” Speedy tilted his head to gaze into his lover's eyes. “I want to know everything about you.”

He wanted to understand why he was trapped here, to unravel the mysteries of time, to discover everything... and he subconsciously sensed that all of this was connected to his partner.

The sudden appearance of Timer in this empty world, beside him, carrying an intricate connection to “time,” accompanying him through the long, still years, had not yet absolved him of suspicion as the instigator... His existence, his arrival, his actions, his motives... all remained a mystery.

They were closer than any two people in the world, yet he knew nothing about him.

He had read so much material about time, gleaning only snippets, absurd conjectures, and incomprehensible misunderstandings. Humanity had never truly grasped time, and he was one among them.

Devoid of any emotional bias, he didn’t even know what Timer really was.

Gazing into the depths of his lover’s dark eyes, Speedy felt Timer sigh softly and relent.

He took Speedy’s left hand and pressed it against his heart, whispering, “All my secrets are here.”

“I’ll show you.”

“If you dislike this place so much, I’ll take you away.”

“Don’t be unhappy.”

The wind blew open the library windows, sending books strewn across the long table to the ground, the rustling of pages rapidly filling the air. The grand clock in the hall ticked slightly, and the next moment, a resounding chime echoed throughout the silent city.

The night was torn apart, white light surged forth, stars and moons collapsed, towering buildings crumbled into dust, grass and trees dissolved into phantoms, and the rivers returned to the void...

In an instant, everything collapsed into dust.

Yet for Speedy and all living beings, even if we escape this moment, we can never escape “TIME.”