Timeless Hero Without a Goal

22nd Tick: Fear, Fear

“Here lay hundreds of men, they have chosen a path of violence, of destruction, of killing innocence. Although they may stray from their path, may these souls find peace in the afterlife.”

Every soldier, friend and foe alike, looked at the monk. He walked up with a grace unlike any other, his presence so strong that it pushed the humans down. He stepped forward, arms behind his back, his smile slowly turning from a smile to a frown. His eyes were angry as he saw the humans attacking the townsfolk. One of the humans felt his palms sweat. That human had faced off against a demon general once before, although he had only managed to barely make it out alive, he could comprehend the demon general’s strength. However, in front of the monk, it was a whole other story.

He remembered when he fought a demon lord. The human, with mastery of most magic, was confident he could put up a fight, but the demon general had basically toyed with him. Despite that, the human at least felt like he had a chance. However, in front of the monk, his legs shivered, for the first time, that man felt a fear so intense, a killing aura so dense that he was unable to lift a finger or even use a spell. He knew, if he were to engage in battle, he would instantly lose regardless of what he did, it was a confirmed death if he even went up to the demon.

Another man, or rather, boy was also frozen with fear. He was the leader, one of the strongest humans to live until his body got reverted. He had grown up unparalleled in his town, he drove off a few demons with his swordplay alone. He even learnt magic, enhancing his abilities and bringing his abilities to the peak. Just from looking at the monk, he could understand one thing, he had reached the peak. The human, the boy, had reached a peak. The demon that stood before him had overcome that, the demon had went far beyond the peak. The boy had been influenced by WishEarth, but even the influence of someone as godlike as WishEarth would not be able to persuade him to attack. The boy wanted to hide, he wanted to run away, he wanted to cower, but he was frozen still, unable to move.

Every human on the battlefield had recognised a single truth from what he had said. The demon had basically said that he would kill them all, grind them into the ground. Not a single soul thought him a liar, instead, they stood there, unmoving as the demon walked through their ranks and picked up Thomas. With one hand, he slung Thomas over his shoulder and brought him towards town, the soldiers instinctively giving way. When he set Thomas down beside Rose, the monk turned around, glaring at the army.

“So? Are you going to attack?” He asked.

That statement forced the nearest men to take a step back. The soldiers hesitated, some of them simply rolling up and crying. In a matter of seconds, the army stepped back slowly, and the whole army of hundreds ran back into the forest. Not a single man remained, they ran faster than they had charged at the town. They ran with all their might, fearing for their lives.

It did not take long before the town broke into cheering. The monk tipped his straw hat towards Rose, asking, “Is he dead?”

“I don’t think so.” Rose replied.

To Rose, the monk suddenly seemed to be kind, his eyes were kind and he wore a polite smile. He spoke softly, unlike his aggressive tone when threatening the human army. The monk walked away. Thomas, who managed to reversed time to the point where he could talk, said, “They’ll come back.”

“Hm?” The monk replied.

“They’ll definitely be back again.” Thomas repeated.

“What makes you say that?”

“They’re under the influence of Wish, they definitely come back to get back at you.”

“I will deal with that when the time comes.”

The monk walked off, speaking to the townsfolk about any casualties. Thankfully, there were only injuries, no deaths among the guards and townsfolk. Rose watched him until he disappeared out of sight, leaving her and Thomas alone. Thomas sat up, sighing.

“You really suck at fighting.” Rose commented.

“I don’t like it.” Thomas said.

“And you’re planning to fight the Devil?” Rose joked. “How fast are you going to lose?”

“I don’t know.” Thomas dropped his voice. “The last time I fought him, it was so one-sided I felt like a monkey.”

“It’s that bad?”

“Of course, I’m only supposed to make sure things work, not to fight.”

“But you can teach me math again right?”

“Honestly, I rather fight the army again.”

“Rude.”

“You never told me you were that much of an idiot.”

“I’m a very bright and promising member of the future.”

Thomas nodded quietly. He whispered, “Yeah, future...”

He stood up and stretched, his injuries mostly fine. Rose got up too and followed him. The town was safe for the meantime, Thomas could guess what the humans would end up doing, especially with the person they worship.

Wish, he could grant any and all wishes in the world. A childish psychopath that loves toying with humans by giving them what they wanted in the worst possible way. Thomas stood on top of the wall, Rose not too far away as he looked out to the forest. The most part of it was burnt down, so Thomas reached out. “Second Hour.”

The forest reverted to its original form, the trees growing green and healthy. Thomas watched the land where the battle had taken place. There were few casualties, too few for Thomas’ comfort. It would just increase the likeliness of another battle. The monk may have returned, the monk was most likely Amon, even still, anything was possible. Wish was not one to be patient, the next attack would most likely be soon. And Thomas hoped the town was ready for it.

“There is nothing to worry about, ClockKeeper.” Amon said, having approached so silently and with no killing intent that Rose failed to notice him. “I will deal with whatever comes our way. After all, I have the duty of protecting this town and the people.”