Timeless Hero Without a Goal

2nd Tick: General

“Excuse me, may I know where the church in the city is?”

The man gave the girl a strange look. He was the owner of a small establishment in town, luckily, he was never taken away by the demons. He knew most of the people in the town but had never seen the girl before. He assumed she must have been a traveller, but of all places, why would a traveller want to come to their town, worse, why would they go to their church?

“Are you here to pray?” He asked her.

“Something like that.” She replied.

He shook his head. “You shouldn’t go to the church, it’s being controlled by one of the demon generals.”

“Oh, I understand...” She said. “May I know where to avoid?”

“Middle of the town, don’t go there.”

“Thank you kind sir.”

She walked off, the man watching as she turned a corner and disappeared. He looked back and continued minding his own business.

Rose rejoined with Thomas.

“Turns out the town’s being controlled by a demon general.” Rose said.

“I told you so.” Thomas sighed.

“What? I needed to confirm it.”

“Am I not confirmation?”

“I mean...”

He waved it off. “Whatever.”

He walked off, Rose following him as she did for the past few days. He walked straight to the center of the town, without a single step of hesitation. Rose stopped him by pulling in his suit.

“What?” He asked.

“Shouldn’t we think up a plan?” Rose recommended.

“Plan? Excuse me, I am a literal myth, I can do whatever I want.” He told her.

“So why haven’t you found the Devil yet?”

“Because that guy’s too smart, he knows when to hide.” Thomas complained.

“Then maybe get lunch?”

Thomas, the ClockKeeper, was a myth. There was no need for food, no need for anything, really. But it was his hobby to try out different foods, just for the sake of it. He rubbed his chin, he could kill the demon general anytime he wanted to, so he guessed it was possible to relax for awhile.

“Fine.”

They walked into the diner, bustling with activity. They stared at the menu, the variety of options including meat. Thomas looked at Rose, then back at the menu before saying, “This place is much better than your establishment.”

“I run a vegan establishment.” She countered. “What did you expect?”

“So... I’ll just get the chicken, what about you?” Thomas asked.

“Probably a salad.” She replied.

“First time in a few days we come to a restaurant, and you want to eat a salad when there’s meat?”

“I don’t really like meat.”

“Of course you don’t.”

He called the waiter over and ordered the food. While waiting, they just awkwardly sat there, Thomas trying not to talk to her. Rose could not bear the silence, so she decided to talk.

“So why didn’t you defeat the Devil earlier? Why only now?” She questioned him.

“He messed up the world clock slightly. I was able to fix it, but I need to go to him and teach him a lesson for trying to mess me up.”

“World clock?”

He put his head to the table. “I’m called the ClockKeeper, what kind of clock do you think I keep?”

“Never thought about that.” Rose muttered.

She looked around, wondering when their food was going to be done when she saw someone move. A man, dirty and obviously homeless, stood, holding a knife. He stalked up behind Thomas, glaring at him. Thomas was unaware, staring at the table, the other customers seemed to ignore him. Rose wanted to shout, but the man charged forward, lunging at Thomas. Thomas’ eyes widened and he turned around, moving to the side.

He grabbed the man’s sleeve and pulled him towards the table, the knife stabbing into the wooden table. He then kicked the homeless man back, sending him stumbling towards another table. He toppled the tables, hitting into the guy eating there.

The homeless guy and the customer both stood, looking at Thomas. Their eyes were blank, like they were not thinking straight. Thomas cursed and got out of his seat, running out while dragging Rose’s arm.

“What’s going on?” She shouted.

“You think I know?” He shouted back. “It’s probably a curse.”

He ran through a crowd, weaving past humans left and right. The two possessed people walked into the crowd, bumping into more humans and turning them against him. Thomas ran into a restricted area, a strategy already in his mind. It was a narrow path where two people could barely stand shoulder to shoulder. He looked, people strolling in, stepping over each other in their attempt to get closer to them. Thomas looked up, more humans staring at him from above. Rose was behind him, cowering in fear.

He sighed. “Zeroth Hour.”

A clock appeared behind his palm, the hour and minute hands spinning wildly as he looked around. Rose was stuck in place, there was no progress made by the mob, no progress made by those on top. They could have jumped, he would not have wanted to deal with humans dying. He stepped over the crowd, climbing over them.

It seemed that the curse only affected humans, and he was unaffected. Thomas walked around town, the birds hanging still in the air, people in the midst of business and their daily lives. They seemed happy, it was odd. By what Rose had told him, the demon generals led by the Devil ruled in tyranny, they made humans no more than toys. He looked at them, was that really true?

He stepped forward, each step sending a soft sound in the silent pause of time. He headed straight for the church, wondering what was going on in there. He reached the building, reading a few signs before going in. He had always thought humans were weird, but the church seemed even weirder. There was a name he recognised, a personality he recognised and a belief he recognised.

Walking through the halls, he passed the followers of the church and eventually stood before a massive statue. Sitting on a throne three times his height, Thomas saw a familiar face. A muscular build, a cold, condescending stare. His face was twisted into a frown, his eyes looking down at whoever was before him. He wore robes, his hands on the armrests of the throne. In his left hand, he loosely held a spear. The spear, a weapon known for being able to pierce anything in existence. It shattered mountains, it pierced through the sky, bonds, the ground. It could even pierce through space and time.

He, was the Devil.

If Thomas could, he would have searched the world and found the Devil easily. He had the necessary ability to do so. However, the Devil was smart, no matter how hard Thomas tried, there was no way he could find the Devil. So, as a result, he set off the defeat every demon general until the big man himself was forced to show up.

He looked around, not a single human in sight. He sighed, “Guess I’ll just go home...”

He turned around before saying, “Is what I would say.”

He went up to the closest follower of the church and slapped him. All the followers wore hats or hoods, their skin was dark or a least light dark.they covered the lower half of their face and had a curse on their eyes to make themselves look more human. Thomas’ hand started to hurt from the impact, the follower’s face was like a brick wall. Thomas smiled and went up to every follower in the church, patting them down and confiscating their weapons. Why were they disguised as humans? What was their purpose for doing all that?

The clock at his hand shattered.

“Hello, may I know where your general is?” Thomas asked.

They stared at him, shocked that someone who looked human could speak their language. They stood there, stunned for a few seconds before Thomas had to jump to the side, an arrow sticking out of where he used to stand. He looked back at where the arrow came from, unable to see the archer clearly. He jumped away, but the demons in disguise pinned him down, making Thomas unable to move. To fight someone who could stop time, making them unable to accomplish anything was the most effective method. It would have worked if their enemy was not Thomas Thompson.

“Ninth Hour.”

He sunk into the ground, the demons falling forward, confused as to where he went. Thomas sunk deeper into the ground before he appeared face up. Around him, things were different, demons were the ones kneeling in front of the humans. Before they saw him, Thomas forced himself back, sinking into the ground again and appearing beside the group. He kicked the closest demon, but their exterior was so tough that the only thing Thomas accomplished was hurt his foot. He jumped on one foot, holding the other.

“Hold on, it hurts.” He winced.

The demons were about to charge at him again when they heard someone shout, “Halt!”

Thomas looked up, a smile on his face. Walking up to him with a bow slung across her back was a female demon. She was thin compared to the muscular guys behind her. Her quiver remained full, her bow was played with blades on either ends. She had long black hair and dark skin. Her ears were pointed, her teeth sharp and her eyes red. She wore armour, facing Thomas.

“Who are you, human?” She asked him. “You use quite the peculiar magic.”

“Are you the general?” Thomas asked.

An arrow stuck itself into the ground, right beside his foot. Thomas looked at it with interest. The demon remained standing there, looking like she never moved at all. She continued, “Don’t act smart, you will be the one answering the questions here.”

Thomas raised his hands.

“Your name.” She asked him.

“Is it not common etiquette to give your name before asking for someone else’s?” He countered.

He moved his left hand, an arrow passing by it, still managing to graze his hand. He looked at the wound before looking back at the demon. She sighed and told him, “I am indeed a general of the demon army. My name is Bry.”

“I’m Thomas Thompson, nice to meet you.”

When he finished that sentence, he whispered, “Zeroth Hour.”

The clock appeared at the back of his hand, an arrow an inch away from his chest. He held the arrow, turning it around and dragging it in front of the demon general’s face. She was in the process of putting her bow back. She was fast, her QuickDraw was too fast for Thomas to even see, but it made no difference when time is stopped.

Time resumed.

An arrow dug itself into his thigh. He looked at it, his left leg starting to fail. He looked at the demon general. She had dodged the arrow and instantly fired another, the arrow meant for her dug into one of her subordinate’s shoulder. Thomas saw the arrow, no blood flowed, but pain was there. He cursed, trying to stand upright.

“Human, you seem to be rather helpless.” The demon general told him. “Your magic does not seem to be of much use.”

Thomas pulled the arrow out and threw it on the ground. He looked around him, the demon general still staring at him. “Tell me, human, what are you doing here?”

Thomas tried to say something, but stopped himself short to throw himself sideways, an arrow scratching his cheek. He could not do much, his physical strength was too weak. He pulled his pocket watch out and looked at it, cursing. “Why does this always have to happen to me?”

“Fourth Hour.” He said.

The general’s movement slowed down considerably, he could see her moving her arms down. She handled the bow with such grace, putting an arrow, pulling the string back and releasing it with such smoothness that it seemed like no time passed. Not only was she fast, she was accurate too.

Her actions were fast, even in the slowed world, but her arrow flew at a pace which Thomas could easily avoid. He paced himself, the guards behind the general moving so slowly that Thomas pitied them. Above them all, a giant clock hovered, the hour hand at the number four. Thomas walked past the arrow, walking towards the general with a slight limp before walking normally not long after. He looked her in the eyes, her red eyes following him.

Another arrow was shot, Thomas redirected the arrow back at her. She knocked it aside, seemingly moving faster than Thomas even when slowed down. She lunged at him, bow in hand. Thomas cursed and jumped back, the bladed section of the bow passing over his head. An arrow was shot into his leg again before he could fall fully. Thomas took a stood back up and looked around before Bry ran at him again. Her physical ability was ridiculous, it was the advantage of being a demon.

Thomas took a few steps back, an arrow right in front of his face. He knocked it aside before he felt a pain in his gut. The general had elbowed him in the gut, knocking him back before firing an arrow straight into his gut, shooting through him. Thomas stumbled back and had his back against the statue of the Devil. Thomas was breathing hard, pain wrecking his mind, he silently cursed the Devil for training these freaks of nature.

“How irritating.” Thomas sighed. “You’re too strong.”

She stared him in the eyes. “You are not trying.”

Thomas shrugged. “What could you mean?”

He wanted to use the Sixth Hour, but he had already tried to see an alternate timeline where he won. The chances were so slim that he would require a much longer time to find it. Stopping time was an option, but he would be unable to even injure her. He asked, “What did you do to the civilians?”

She stopped approaching him.

“What I do does not concern you.” She scowled.

“Okay princess.”

Three arrows, only slightly behind one another was fired at him. The arrows travelled slowly through the air, Thomas knocking them aside before she was in front of him. Her eyes were wide as she stabbed at him with her bow, simultaneously shooting another arrow into his foot. The arrow shot through his foot, pinning him to the ground.

Thomas leaned back, but she simply slashed down, almost taking his head off. Thomas crouched and tried to pull the arrow out, but he was kicked in the face, sending him tumbling back. He cursed, foot still stuck to the ground.

“First Hour.” He shouted.

A clock appeared in front of the demon general. She looked at it and was instantly some distance away, slashing at the air. She looked back, confused. Thomas pulled the arrow out and stepped away, the bow slashing in front of him. Bry scowled and said, “You are good at running away.”

“My specialty.” He gave her a thumbs up.

She charged once more, he gave her a smile. He reached out and said, “Ninth Hour.”

A clock appeared over the both of them, the hour hand pointing at the number nine. They both sunk into the ground, darkness surrounding them for a few seconds before they reappeared in the church. She looked around, seeing humans stare at her. The effects of the Fourth Hour had disappeared, so she could move freely. Thomas waved and sunk back into the ground.

She looked, expecting the humans to cower before her, but they walked straight up to her. She shouted, “Stay there!”

One of the humans gave a disgusted look, telling the human beside him, “That creature is talking to us, disgusting.”

She made an arrow stick out of his skull. She looked around, seeing her kind chained to the wall. She had never been that cruel with humans before, in the most part, she just had them respect the Devil, she let them live their own lives. She gave a battlecry, sending arrows until her quiver became empty. She pulled arrows out of the fallen humans and shot them again, slashing them, stabbing them, crushing their windpipes. She lost track of time, humans kept coming at her, some using their magic. Their magic was significantly stronger than the humans she knew, but she still killed them regardless. Drenched in blood, she took shaky steps forward, breathing hard. The remaining humans stood back, not wanting to approach her. Bry glared at them, they knelt and started cowering for their lives.

She walked back, to where she had appeared from.

“Yo.” Thomas told her, standing at her side, his hair swiped back.

She tried swinging her bow, but even demons had limits to their physical capabilities. Thomas looked around and sighed, “You killed more than half the town, and you’re still standing?”

She sunk through the ground with Thomas, reappearing at the church where their battle started. Her subordinates tried to step up and help her, but she signalled them to stay back. She said, “If you want to kill me, do it already.”

“Don’t feel like it.” Thomas yawned. “Besides, it’s not like you kill humans, I have no obligation to kill you.”

“Then...” She started.

“I want to know something, can you answer?” He asked, smiling. “Where is the Devil?”

Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “I do not know.”

He shrugged, he had seen the alternate timelines, all had the same result. He nodded and walked away, the demons there giving way to him. Thomas strolled out of the church, still wondering why the humans had chased him. His eyes widened.

“Zeroth Hour.”

Time paused, a rock almost hitting his head. He knocked it aside, looking at where it came from. He looked around, not seeing anyone. Time resumed, he heard a laughter behind him.

He turned, but no one was there.

“ClockKeeper...” The childish voice sung. “We haven’t played in so long...”

Thomas scowled, the voice disappearing with a childish laugh. The humans around him broke from a trance and continued their lives like nothing happened. Thomas walked on, hoping the voice was not who he thought it was.

He met up with Rose and told her, “Let’s go, it was a waste of time.”

“Where did you even go?” She asked.

“To run an errand, why?” He replied sarcastically.

Rose kept quiet, about the fact that she had seen someone, a child dressed like a Chinese Jiang Shi, a piece of paper covering the middle of his face. She remembered vividly, the child asking her a question.

“Hey, hey, hey.” He had asked, hopping up to her with a childish innocence.

He had floated to her face and asked, staring into her soul, “Do you have a wish?”