Caden was unconscious on a hospital bed, his face pale because of the pain he must be feeling. His legs were wrapped in bandages, evidence of the severe damage he had sustained in the car crash that brought him here. Lucius, his younger brother, stood by his bedside. His eyes were filled with worry as he watched over his older brother.
The hospital room was stark and sterile, the harsh fluorescent lights casting a cold glow over the scene. The machines beeped and hummed in the background while the sounds of walking filled the outside of the door.
"The doctors said that it would be atleast several days before he regains consciousness but he would not be able to use his legs for a while," Lucius had always talked to himself time to time when in stressful situations. "They also mentioned that I was fortunate to have survived relatively unharmed. Could it be that I survived due to the voice I heard?" Various thoughts raced through his mind, with his eyes mirroring the events of the previous night's crash.
The investigors told Lucius that the truck driver had died on impact and that he was lucky to survive since it was guessed that Lucius flew out of the car's winshield during the crash.
He had not heard from the strange voice since, leading him to question, "Could it have been a product of my imagination?" However, he dismissed this thought. He believed that whatever the voice was, it had kept him safe. It was also the reason his brother was still alive.
The fact that his eye had been transformed into a metallic clock was undeniable proof of this but to conceal any suspicion, he had covered his left eye with a black eye patch. He feared what the government might do if they discovered his condition, possibly subjecting him to questionable experiments.
"The ability to control time seems far-fetched. Could it be more about managing my own perception of time? But is such a thing even possible?"
Lucius looked exhausted as he sighed, expressing his confusion. He hadn't slept since the accident and his thoughts were scattered since he spent the entire night keeping watch over his brother. He was left feeling very tired.
His mind struggled to comprehend how slowing down time could be feasible. Lucius was a big science enthusiast and he always believed that there was a logical explanation for everything, but in this case, he couldn't find one.
That being said, he chose to set the idea aside for the time being.
Lucius felt a lump form in his throat while looking at his brother, so vulnerable and helpless in the hospital bed. Memories of their childhood flashed through his mind - the two of them playing together, laughing and teasing each other. This made him smile a bit.
Out of nowhere, a sudden loud ticking interrupted his reflection on his childhood memories. It turned out to be his pocket watch, it was 8 o'clock. Despite being damaged in the accident with missing parts and a slightly cracked screen, Lucius was relieved that the watch was not completely ruined. He was taken aback when he realized how quickly time had flown by, exclaiming, "Oh no, I'm going to be late for school!"
He rose from his seat when he heard the alarm from his pocket watch, glancing down at his brother who was still unconscious. "Time for me to head to school, Caden. Aunt Sherly will arrive soon to check up on you," he said, slightly bowing his head in a gesture of well wishes towards his older brother before leaving the room.
Lucius was an average boy with nothing remarkable about him except for his intelligence, or at least that's how he perceived himself. That could have been the reason why he was accepted into such a prestigious high school like Fenelon Academy.
He made his way through the highly technological advanced society but he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the constant buzz of activity around him. The streets were lined with towering skyscrapers that seemed to touch the sky, their glass facades reflecting the bright lights of the city. People rushed past him, their faces glued to their devices, completely oblivious to the world around them. Lucius felt like he was in a different world, a world that he couldn't quite understand or relate to.
The Japanese walked by him, all smiling as if they were not living under a dominating foreign rule, as if they were not mere slaves in their own land. They carried on with their daily routines, wearing masks to conceal their true self. Were they truly happy? Not really. While they did benefit from advanced technology, they had to sacrifice their traditional way of life, being viewed as nothing more than zoo animals to generate profits for the empire.
Despite the advanced technology and sleek design of the city, Lucius remained unmoved. He walked through the bustling streets with a blank expression, his mind seemingly elsewhere. The noise and chaos of the city seemed to annoy him and he was tired of going through the same routine every day.
"All that surrounds me serves as yet another indication of Frecitannia's control over Japan. The routine becomes monotonous with time."
While walking to school, he found himself thinking about his childhood memories, which were not pleasant ones. For some reason, he was unable to recall any happy moments with his family, it seemed like those memories had been completely erased from his mind. Perhaps the world was tormenting him with disturbing images that constantly invaded his thoughts.
The empire had successfully gained control over the sovereignty of Japan. Lucius and his brother were taken in by their aunt, Sherly, who managed to survive the war despite being part of the Japanese royal family. On that day, the brothers escaped discreetly with the help of the aunt, changing their last names to Albright to avoid being found by their father.
Lucius and his brother found themselves amidst the aftermath of the empire's brutal domination of Japan. Buildings lay in ruins, countless innocent lives were lost in fierce battles, and all notions of independence and rights were crushed. They were compelled to adopt Frecitannia's culture and lifestyle.
Lucius stood with tears in his eyes, looking at the land of his birth. Despite being half Frecitannian, he harbored a strong resentment towards the empire. His older brother sat on the debris, his face buried in despair, while Lucius himself cried, but his tears couldn't hide the fact that he was filled with anger.
"There is no god in this world!" he cried out with intense anger, observing the suffering of Japanese citizens with incurable injuries, starvation, blindness, disabilities, and countless deaths and losses due to the war. He went on to say, "If there were a god in this world, all this tragedy would not have occurred! Battles of war would be deemed unnecessary and the world would be at a equalibrium!" These words should never be uttered by a child, but considering all the suffering he had witnessed at such a sensitive age, who could blame him.
"This is why, I, Lucius Von Imperius, will eventually assume the role of god. I promise to destroy Frecitannia!"
The child confidently faced the world and its brutality, confronting it directly. He believed that if there was no god, he would step into that role himself. However, these thoughts were simply those of a child who did not fully understand the reality of things.