I never wanted to be a hero. I grew up hearing the stories of great warriors and legendary figures who shaped the world around them, but it never appealed to me. All I wanted was to live my life simply, away from the battles and legends I'd heard so many times. But as it turned out, fate had other plans for me.
It was a day like any other, or at least I thought it was. Walking along a lonely path, far from the city, I came across something unusual. In the middle of the path, on a small mound of earth, there was a sphere. It was no ordinary stone, although at first glance it might seem so. It glowed with a soft light and had a strange symbol engraved on its surface - an hourglass.
I approached it slowly, hesitantly, with a curiosity I couldn't suppress. My fingers touched the smooth surface of the sphere, and in that instant something happened. The sphere glowed brightly, and before I could react, it disappeared, as if it had been absorbed into my skin. A mark took shape on the palm of my hand - the same symbol as the hourglass, now imprinted on me.
A chill ran down my spine, and for a moment, the world around me seemed to slow down. The trees swayed slowly in the wind, the sound of birds seemed distant, as if everything was... slowing down. I didn't know what was happening, but I knew it wasn't normal.
"You've been chosen," said a hoarse voice behind me. I turned quickly, my heart racing. A tall man with an imposing presence was standing a few meters away. His clothes were simple, but his eyes shone with a wisdom that seemed to transcend time. "My name is Eliakim, and I am the guardian of the Ike of Time."
"Guardian? Ike?" I could barely formulate the words. None of it made sense to me.
"The sphere you touched is not a simple relic. It's a fragment of Ike, the essence of time. It chose you, just as it chooses its bearers over the millennia. Now, part of that power is in you."
I looked at my hand, feeling the mark pulsing gently. "It chose... me? But why?"
Eliakim approached slowly, as if his words needed to be heard carefully. "Time is fragmented. Three parts of Ike were separated during the fall of humanity, when original sin corrupted creation. Now, it is your duty to restore the balance."
I shook my head, confused. "I'm nobody special. I'm not a warrior, nor a sage. Why me?"
He smiled slightly, a smile that mixed understanding and something deeper. "Ike chooses who she thinks is worthy, not who the world thinks is strong. And right now, she needs you."
Before I could reply, the ground beneath my feet seemed to disappear. The mark on my hand glowed again, and everything around me began to distort. The trees disappeared, the sky turned into a hazy mist, and I felt my body being pulled by an invisible force. I was no longer in my reality. I was somewhere else, some other time.
When my feet finally touched the ground again, I was no longer on the trail. In front of me was a large field, with tents spread out on all sides. A war camp? And then I saw it: men training, great warriors with supernatural strength. One of them, in particular, caught my eye - his robust body and long hair made him an imposing figure. Even from a distance, I knew who he was: Samson.
I was in the past. More than that, I was seeing the past through someone else's eyes. But what did that mean? And why had Ike brought me here?
Before I could find answers, the vision began to fade. Suddenly, I was back in the present, the weight of the experience still weighing on my mind.
Eliakim was there, watching me from afar. "That was the first glimpse of what your power can do. But this is only the beginning, Ezekiel. You need to learn to control time, or it will control you."
I knew he was right. What had just happened was only the beginning of something much bigger. And although I was terrified, there was also a spark of curiosity that I couldn't ignore. Destiny was calling me, and I couldn't turn back.
The Fragment Keeper
I was still catching my breath from the sight when Eliakim approached once again, this time with a more serious expression. "Now that you've touched the past, you need to understand the implications of this, Ezekiel. The power you carry is greater than you can imagine. The Ike fragment of time allows you to see, but there is much more that can be done, if you master it."
"See? How can I do anything with what I see?" I rubbed my hand, still feeling the mark burning into my skin. "What I saw... was it Samson?"
"Yes, it was Samson," he replied calmly, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "But what you saw was the past, not as it was, but as it lived. The fragmented Ike of time only allows you to glimpse what has already happened. It doesn't allow you to change, interfere or alter events. You just observe, Ezekiel."
I wanted to question more, to understand why all this was happening, but before I could speak, Eliakim stepped forward, as if anticipating my next questions. "There are more fragments like this scattered around the world. Each of them has a unique power related to time. But the forces that guard these fragments are dangerous, and not all of them want balance."
"So... I need to gather them all?" I asked, already feeling the weight of the mission on my shoulders.
"Exactly. To restore balance, you need to gather the three fragments of the Ike of Time. Only when they are united will Ike's true power be restored. And only then can you begin to understand what it really means to control time."
Those words echoed in my mind. Three fragments... I had no idea where to look or how I was going to survive something that, apparently, only extraordinary warriors had faced in the past. But I had no choice. Fate had knocked on my door, and now I was entangled in something much bigger than I had imagined.
"So why me? What makes me so special?" I asked, finally breaking the silence.
Eliakim gave a short, almost sad laugh. "What makes you special? Ike chose you, Ezekiel, because she saw something in you. Maybe you don't even know what it is yet. But time will show."
I didn't know what to say. I was confused, scared, but a part of me... was curious. Who was Eliakim really? What was the real extent of his knowledge about the Ikes? And why, despite all the mystery, did I feel that he wasn't telling me everything?
Before I could deepen my thoughts, Eliakim turned around, starting to walk towards a path I hadn't noticed before. "Come," he said. "You need to understand what we're up against."
With no other option, I followed the guardian. The path was surrounded by ancient trees, whose thick, intertwined roots almost seemed to have a life of their own. The forest exuded a sense of ancient power, as if it had been there since the beginning of time. The wind blew, but the branches barely moved, as if nature itself was watching us.
"How many people know about these spheres?" I asked as we walked.
"Not many," he replied without turning his face away. "And those who do know... not all of them have good intentions. Some believe that by controlling time, they can rewrite history and shape the future to their liking."
"But that's not possible, is it?" I insisted, still trying to process everything.
"Not with one fragment. But if someone puts all the fragments together... who knows what can be done? Time is fluid, Ezekiel. What happened once can happen again. And what never happened can be brought into being. That's why you must hurry. There are others who seek the power of the Ikes, and they will not hesitate to destroy you to get it."
A sense of urgency began to form in my chest. I didn't know who these people were, or how dangerous they could be, but Eliakim was warning me for a reason. Time was against me, literally.
When we reached the end of the trail, a large open field opened up in front of us. In the center, an old, weathered building with mysterious symbols carved into its walls caught my eye. It looked like an abandoned temple, but it emanated an energy that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
"And here?" I asked.
Eliakim turned to me, his eyes shining with an intensity I hadn't noticed before. "Here you will take your first step. Here you will learn what it is like to be the bearer of the Ike of Time."
He took a step towards the temple, and I followed, feeling that fate was just beginning to reveal its plot.