6. What We Really Are

(1920*FORT, US)

TYRE

"Tyre, shut the fucking door! " Jack hollered handling a rifle.

We were at the frontier of the US defense, in the year; 1920, where we had time traveled. I squeezed my head out the window of the armored truck Bobby drove and spotted the incoming bullets of the German opposition. It was hell! If Bobby, for a second, didn't steady his impact on the gas, someone was going to get shot. I sat beside Bobby in the front seat while Jack strutted at the back with his head to his lower abdomen clasped outside the roof of the truck, ready to aim.

I frowned. "Jack!"

"What?"

"Remind me why we are here again. "

"To retrieve a shard of the fucking black stone, moron! "

How long can we keep evading the German's bullets, at this rate? Bobby, the driver, was already discharging cascades of bodily fluids around his face and I could tell he was fed up.

Reaching the fort was our only objective right now since that's where we wagered was safe for us. Unexpectedly, Bobby slammed the brakes, I wondered why he'd do that, knowing full well the German soldiers were coming in their trucks with full force. My eyeballs then rolled from Bobby to the vehicle's windscreen where I saw the horrid image of a person or perhaps... a possessed person. He was one of the US soldiers and had his uniform on with his helmet and rifle on him, only that he wasn't acting sane. Where have I seen this before? Definitely–Movies in the horror genre! He was originally backing us but then swiveled towards us in reaction to the gunshots coming from the Germans.

His mouth was smeared with dried blood and his arms were dislocated but yet still had his rifle holstered at his side.

"Easy, easy, " Jack said almost inaudibly to Bobby as he entirely left the grip he had on the steering, raising his arms, with terror written all over his face.

"What's that? " I asked fluttering my eyes at the figure before me.

"Not human, " Bobby said.

We were surrounded, the German soldiers were approaching fast from behind and we were face-first to what appeared to be a...ZOMBIE!

"Bobby, MOVE! MOVE! " I screamed like a high school girl.

***

(7 HOURS AGO*CABIN)

Mann assembled the seven of us to what he called the Core Room, the room still pretty much resembled the others but it supernaturally had some sort of orb emblem suspended in the air. We all had our parts to play, each one of us, even Mae.

Mann suddenly projected 5 avatars from himself which almost immediately began executing a certain duty, each one with a perfect resemblance of him.

He then, from his palm, cast the image of some sort of rock, which he referred to as 'The Black Rock'. Fuu... Like he couldn't pick a more alluring name for it. According to what he said, the rock was presumed to grant him complete control over time, in that way, he'll be able to send us back home, alive. Only he didn't have it. That explains the suspended emblem-like structure. The Black Rock, with its polyhedral surfaces, certainly fitted into that emblem. Still, nothing made any sense.

Mann croaked. "I have brought you all here from your respective lives for this purpose. "

The others knew what Mann was talking about and I knew he was dealing with me being the only one left in the dark.

Mann proceeded. "This rock was created with the last breath of 11 Demigods and wields as much power as 7 suns combined. I have always had it in my possession until I was robbed of it by the Primordials, who then shattered it into pieces and spread the shards across time and space. "

"Seem like they didn't want someone to have it, " I said and he shot me a condemning look. "Oh, sorry. "

"I, being the God of time, had already beheld the end of the world, and trust me, it wasn't like anything mankind ever anticipated. So many infinite schemes of doomsday, it could never be stopped except by the Black Stone. The Black Stone is the most feared object in the whole of 'The Sky Pillars'; where we Gods abide because of the power which it posses, but I had the responsibility of wielding it, even if it was never going to be used. "

"What kind of power are we talking about? "

"Power to reconstruct time itself. It can be well utilized in my hands, but on another's, can bring doomsday closer than we ever imagined. "

"If so, why did the Primordials take the stone away from you? "

"There's only one possible reason; They feared me with it. "

"Do you think the shards are in the wrong hands since you kept your emphasis on the world being in danger and we had to sa– "

Mann chimed in. "I don't know, "

Definitely wasn't expecting that.

"I don't have the answer to everything, but I know it's as an outcome of the shards being used, without extensive knowledge of them. "

"I still don't understand what you meant by; 'You didn't need heroes'. "

"Part of my duties as the God of time is filtering out the Deviants. The Deviants are people who are not supposed to exist in the timeline. In other words, the Deviants are a mistake."

My chin twitched with fright. "And I'm one of them? The Deviants? " I asked feigning bravery yet every part of me was broken.

"Yes, " Mann answered bluntly and I stared at the other six who seemed not to be bothered at all by this grave insight of knowledge, seemed they knew already and had accepted it that way.

"No, I can't be a deviant or whatever you just called it. If I don't exist, Ann doesn't too. "

Mann backed me crossing his hands behind his back. "Christy does. "

It was like pain and peace abruptly gushed through my veins, into my heart. Ann and Christy were like bolts and knots or bread and peanut butter. How can you offer me one and keep the other to yourself? It is so wrong on many levels. No! I won't accept that, I have to exist. I have to find these mysterious shards myself even if I have to, so Mann can take me back home as he pledged, back to my pretty wife; Christy, and my sweet little girl; Annabelle.

Finally, Jack, who had stood still, folding his arms throughout, cleared his throat. "Come to think of it, you're nigh-omnipotent. Why won't you perform the mission yourself? "

"If at all everything you said is true, answer the question, " Margot chimed in.

"The Primordials put me in bondage, stranding me into my weapon. After the Black Rock was shattered and scattered throughout time, I was left with no option but to keep time jumping into every single time and age in search of the shards but didn't find any, then I noticed there were some time periods I couldn't travel to, it dawned on me that these very time periods was actually where the shards were. The Primordials were definitely behind that. They have such power, "

Mann veered towards me sternly. "Right this moment, Tyre, you don't exist, " he glared at the others, "None of them do. "

"It sounds worst each time you say it. It's almost like you are taking advantage of our Deviant essence to clean up your mess. No offense! " Jack muttered.

Mann didn't pay Jack any attention. He stretched forth his hands towards me, I could see in a holographic structure a video I remembered so well, it was nearly nostalgic and all I could feel was that old school, youthful love.

It was the year 2011 again, on February 14th, the day reserved for the celebration of love, the day I won the heart of the red-haired beauty with who I'd later spent the rest of my life on earth.

I suddenly snapped out of it. "Mann, why are you showing me this? "

"Watch. "

That day was quite a memorable day, you know. I'd met Christy a few times at her mom's Hominy Grits restaurant, where she was a waiter. We had a few chitchats. Nature took its place, or should I say... chemistry.

Christy was sitting at her usual spot in the restaurant with a red-colored gift bag she packed neatly in her corner. 'Any moment from now, I'd walk in, on my best coat and a red shirt underneath, putting on a boyish grin which she'd later criticized me for.'

My eyebrows sprung high when I saw the rear view of another young gentleman pacing towards Christy in my stead. He sat and smiled at her, she smiled back and they then swapped gifts.

I scowled at Mann. "Why is another man having dinner with Christy on this day? " I asked knowing full well what that day meant to me.

"Correct question; where were you? " he seized the holograph that he'd cast from his palm. "You were never meant to exist Tyre. 11 years ago, Christy doesn't accept your proposal on valentines day and you never had Annabelle 3 years later. "

I coated my face with my hands. "It can't be. "