Timeless Hero Without a Goal

21st Tick: Black Flame

Thomas came to a stop not too far away from the wall, his body laying there for a few seconds. Pain wrecked his mind as he laid there, observing the damage done to his body. He could heard mummers and voices around him, along with the sound of charging soldiers. He could hear Rose ask, “Are you alright?”

Thomas checked the damage. Broken arms, legs, hip, ribs and internal bleeding. He painfully said, “Give me a few minutes, I can heal myself by then.”

“If you die you’ll come back instantly, right?” She asked.

“Just don’t.”

He felt his body get lifted up with much effort. Rose carried Thomas by the shoulder, dragging him slowly inside the walls. Thomas looked at the ground, unable to move his body, there was potential spine damage. In the background, he heard someone shout, “Arrows! Take cover!”

An arrow shot itself into Thomas’ leg, but otherwise, not too much damage was done. He asked Rose, “Have you been hit?”

“Not at all. After all, I got my sixth sense magic.” She replied, breathing hard from the effort of carrying Thomas.

He heard footsteps and some yells as the gates closed behind them, the guards getting into position to fight a war. Rose laid Thomas face down on a stack of hay where they were sheltered. Thomas could feel his body reversing the time of his injuries, the process was taking some time.

“How did you get this beat up?” Rose asked him.

“Shut up.” He sighed. “I’m not invincible.”

“I saw that black flame, what was that?” Rose asked again.

“You should have seen it when you were in the other world.” Thomas replied. “Except that one was more of a black cloud. They are kind of like Wish’s pets, appearing when he needs them. And of course, he chooses to take part in the war.”

Thomas, after taking a deep breath, felt the main bulk of his injuries healed. His spine was fixed, his legs and arms were fixed and his ribs and hip were almost fixed. He painfully got up, looking at Rose who was staring at the gate. The gate shook violently, like people were ramming into it. The guards, both humans and demons alike, stood there, prepared to fight back.

Rose whispered, “The guards won’t win, will they?”

“Yeah, they don’t stand a chance.” Thomas replied. “I need to get back there as soon as possible.”

“Good luck getting beat up again.” Rose saluted him as he got up.

“Very encouraging.” Thomas sighed, swiping his hair back.

The door burst open, the army of humans streaming in. Thomas took a step forward before he remembered something. The future he saw had humans breaking through the walls. He was about to shout it to a nearby guard, but the black flame appeared near Thomas again. He cursed and jumped backwards just to have the flame exploded, sending him through a wall, Thomas laying there, in pain. He could hear Rose shout from some distance, “Are you alright?”

“Of course I’m not!” Thomas shouted back, getting up.

The black flame appeared near Thomas again. This time Thomas said, “Zeroth Hour.”

Time paused, the black flame suspending in the air. Thomas looked away before looking back, realising the flame was still moving, still burning. It dawned on him, Wish was able to make that girl from the previous town surpass time, who was to say the flames could not? Thomas cursed, diving for a wooden board to use as a shield. The explosion sent him crashing into the next building, passing through two walls. He saw a family having lunch, so he ran out. He continued running towards the entrance, but another explosion blew him backwards.

He was wasting his own time, he was counting on Amon entering the battle, he needed time to flow. He did not skip or speed up time, in case things went bad for everyone. He glared at the black flame and resumed time, the chaos continuing to ensue in the town. Before the black flame could explode again, Thomas shouted, “Second Hour.”

He jumped through time, appearing outside the walls. The time of the others did not change, it was as if Thomas had teleported himself into enemy lines. The soldiers gave him looks, the black flame hovering above Thomas. Thomas gave them a sheepish smile and a shrug before the flame exploded, sending several soldiers flying. He heard someone shout, “Do not fear the flame! Our God is protecting us through that flame.”

Thomas saw a young child, the leader he had reversed time on. Before the black flame could explode again, he picked up the child, putting him between Thomas and the flame.

“Let’s see how much your God lives you.”

The child struggled, the black flame growing. Before it exploded, Thomas threw the child aside, the explosion sending Thomas crashing into the ranks of soldiers. Spears stabbed at him, swords slashed him.

“Hurry up, man.” Thomas complained.

With him acting as a distraction, the army was splitting their focus, so the guards were doing better than Thomas had thought. Thomas got up and ducked as a sword swung above him. The humans had already learnt their lesson, and stayed further away. The black flame exploded again, sending Thomas tumbling further. The impact was lessening, Thomas wanted to be done with it. He pointed at it and said, “Eight Hour.”

Time compressed itself around the flame. Everything the flame was to do, happened at the exact same time. Several explosions hit Thomas, dealing too much damage for his comfort. He crashed onto the ground, unable to move in the middle of enemy territory. The black flame disappeared.

Thomas was unable to speak, but he could see something approaching him from the sky. Like a comet, a flaming figure crashed into the battlefield. Thomas smiled, it took him long enough to arrive, he had better live up to expectations. However, Thomas noticed something, the figure was someone he had seen before. Wearing a straw hat and monk clothing, he had a thin frame for a demon. He looked at the humans with a peaceful expression. Thomas thought about it, was he Amon? It was impossible.