The air inside the Time Loop Bank felt heavy, as though it carried the weight of unseen forces pressing against Ethan's chest. The timer on the woman's tablet ticked down relentlessly.
00:00:20
"You're not serious," Ethan said, voice tight. "You expect me to believe that I signed a contract from the future?"
The woman—her name tag read Avery Vale, Senior Account Specialist—remained poised, her expression unreadable.
"Believe what you will," she replied. "But the terms are binding. Your future self has secured this loan, and now you must uphold the agreement."
Ethan's gaze darted to the holographic contract floating before him.
Time Loan Agreement
Borrower: Ethan Carter
Loan Amount: 50 Years
Remaining Lifespan (Post-Loan): 10 Years
Repayment Due: Indefinite
Failure to Repay Will Result in Immediate Repossession of All Remaining Time
His stomach twisted.
Ten years left? He was thirty-two. That meant he wouldn't live past forty-two unless he… what? Paid back the time?
"This has to be a mistake," he said again, but there was no panic in his voice now—just cold calculation.
Avery lifted a manicured brow. "Time transactions do not produce errors."
The countdown continued.
00:00:10
Ethan's mind spun. If this was real—if he had somehow borrowed fifty years—then how could he possibly repay it?
He had no inheritance. No secret wealth. No idea what the hell was happening.
His fingers curled into fists. "And if I refuse?"
Avery exhaled softly, as though she had been expecting the question. She tapped a button on the tablet.
The floor beneath them shifted, the marble seeming to liquefy into an abyss of golden sands. The hourglass above them reversed, its grains moving upward, time itself unraveling.
All around them, the world flickered, distorted. Shadows stretched unnaturally, and Ethan felt something—something pulling at him, tightening around his ribs, his skin, his very existence.
A cold realization washed over him.
This wasn't a metaphor. This wasn't a threat.
If he defaulted on the loan, he wouldn't just lose years—he would cease to exist.
His breath hitched.
00:00:03
His pulse hammered against his skull.
00:00:02
His instincts screamed at him to run, to fight, to—
00:00:01
"I'll sign," he said.
The moment the words left his mouth, the pressure around him vanished. The world snapped back into place. The hourglass above them froze, the sands settling into perfect stillness.
Avery smiled. "Wise choice."
Binding the Contract
A holographic stylus materialized in front of him. Ethan hesitated for a fraction of a second before grasping it.
The moment the stylus touched the contract, heat seared through his fingertips. He gritted his teeth as golden symbols spiraled from his hand, burning into the glowing text.
His signature appeared, not just on the paper, but in the air itself, etched into the very fabric of time.
The contract was sealed.
Ethan's body sagged. He had just signed away fifty years of his life.
Avery tapped her tablet. The holographic display shifted again.
"Congratulations, Mr. Carter. You are now an official time debtor."
A metallic bracelet materialized around his wrist. It was sleek, black, with an embedded clock face that glowed faintly.
Ethan Carter
Time Remaining: 10 Years
Debt: 50 Years
Interest Accrued Daily: 1 Month Per Day
Ethan's stomach twisted again.
"Wait—'Interest Accrued'?" His voice was sharp.
Avery tilted her head slightly. "Yes. The standard agreement includes interest, of course. For every twenty-four hours that pass, one month is deducted from your remaining lifespan."
His blood ran cold.
That meant he had barely four months before he ran out of time.
"What kind of insane—"
Avery sighed, as if she had heard this reaction before. "Time loans are not for the faint of heart, Mr. Carter. However, there are ways to earn time to offset your debt."
She gestured to another floating screen.
Time Repayment Methods
1. Time Market Trading – Buy and sell seconds, minutes, and hours to make a profit.
2. Contract Work – Complete specialized time-based tasks assigned by the bank.
3. High-Risk Time Wagers – Participate in time betting, wagering years against future events.
4. Debt Transfers – Negotiate your debt onto someone else—at a cost.
Ethan forced himself to focus. His survival depended on figuring this out.
The bank wasn't going to simply take the years and leave him to die.
No, they were going to let him fight for it.
"Where do I start?" he asked, jaw clenched.
Avery's lips curled into something like approval.
"That depends, Mr. Carter. How much are you willing to risk?"
(To be continued…)