The True cost of Time

Kai's body ached with exhaustion as he trudged through the dense forest. The sky had darkened to a deep purple, the moon casting eerie shadows around him. He had been chasing this 12th quest for hours, his mind whirling in a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. He was running out of time. The cursed clock on his wrist was ticking louder, reminding him with every passing second that he had a promise to keep. Moia was waiting for him.

"I need to hurry," Kai muttered under his breath as he glanced at the map once again. The symbols seemed to blur, but he had no choice but to follow the winding path, every step driven by the urgency clawing at his chest.

Blik's words echoed in his mind: “The 22 quests are the easiest part, Kai. But the hardest task will be how you handle time itself.” He had been told it wouldn’t be easy. But this? This was far from what he had expected.

The creature—the one from the church—had been cryptic, just as Blik always was. "You think the quests will be hard, boy?" the creature had sneered. "The 22 quests are nothing. It's the time limit you should fear." The words had stuck with him, even as they faded into the shadows.

Kai had thought he understood what was happening, but the further he got into the quests, the less he felt in control. And now, as the dark forest closed in around him, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this quest—this 12th task—wasn’t just about completing something. It was about something far worse, something that had to do with Moia, and the way he felt every time he was with her.

The forest seemed to close in on him. "Where is it?" he thought, his frustration growing. The air was thick, humid, making each breath feel labored, and still, the shadowy creature he was meant to defeat hadn’t revealed itself.

Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath his feet. A low rumble filled the air. He froze, his senses on high alert. The creature was close. Kai drew both blades—his razor-sharp sword and the poison blade, though the latter still felt strangely cold, almost unwilling in his grip. But he didn’t have time to hesitate.

The trees around him cracked, bending under an invisible force, and out from the shadows, a massive serpent-like creature appeared. It was like nothing he had ever seen before—its body coiled and twisting, with scales that shimmered in the moonlight like black pearls. Its eyes—glowing red—locked onto him, and Kai felt his blood freeze.

He lunged forward, swiping the razor blade in a swift arc, but the creature hissed, dodging easily and striking back with a whip-like tail. Kai barely managed to roll out of the way, the tail grazing his side and leaving a searing burn in its wake.

“This thing is strong,” Kai thought grimly. "And it’s fast."

He needed to end this quickly. He couldn’t afford to waste time.

He switched weapons, drawing the poison blade, its dark energy vibrating through him as he prepared for the strike. The serpent lunged again, mouth open wide, revealing rows of sharp teeth. Kai’s instincts kicked in, and with a twist of his body, he dodged its attack and struck the poison blade into the creature’s side. The blade sank deep, and a sickening hiss filled the air as the serpent writhed and screeched.

The creature’s body convulsed, and within seconds, it collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Kai stood over it, breathing heavily, his heart pounding in his chest. But there was no time to celebrate. The curse had already started its clock, and Moia was waiting.

Kai sprinted through the streets, his footsteps pounding against the cobblestone. His pulse raced in sync with the ticking of his cursed clock. Each moment felt like a lifetime, and the weight of the promise he had made to Moia pulled at him, urging him to move faster. He had barely made it out of the forest, and now, with the quest completed, all he could think of was her. She was waiting for him—he had to make it.

The familiar streets blurred as he ran past them, the light from the street lamps flickering around him like fleeting memories. His mind raced. Could he really be with her, after all this?

He was near. He could see the café ahead, the familiar spot they had agreed to meet, the place where they had shared countless moments, now etched into his heart. But as he got closer, something felt... off.

Kai slowed to a jog, his breath coming faster. He could see her through the window. Moia was sitting at a table near the window, her back straight, her fingers tracing the rim of her coffee cup. She wasn’t looking at the door, but there was something in her posture—something that made his heart skip a beat.

She knew.

The look on Kai’s face faltered for a second, the doubt creeping in. It was impossible, but for a moment, he swore he could see the truth in her eyes—the recognition of something he hadn’t yet acknowledged. She had waited for him all this time. But why?

He pushed the door open, the bell chiming softly. Moia glanced up from her cup, her eyes meeting his. The warmth in them was gone, replaced with something much more intense. A knowing.

“Kai,” she said softly, her voice calm but with an undercurrent of something deeper, something Kai couldn’t quite place. “You made it.”

“Yeah,” he said, trying to steady himself, to make the words sound normal. “I’m sorry I’m late. I had—” He paused. There was no point in explaining the quests, the curse. Not yet. He wasn’t sure he even knew how to.

Moia smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She set her cup down, her fingers still gently brushing the rim as if something was weighing heavily on her.

“I’ve been thinking,” she began, her voice almost too measured. “You know, about everything. About you.”

Kai froze, his heart skipping a beat. Something was wrong. He had never seen Moia so... composed, so distant. It wasn’t the warmth he was used to. She knew. He had to believe it.

“You’ve been through so much, haven’t you?” she continued, her eyes searching his, almost as though she were peeling back his soul, layer by layer.

Kai swallowed, the room suddenly feeling too small. He could feel the weight of the curse pressing down on him, the truth threatening to break free. But he had to hold it together. Not now. Not yet.

Moia’s lips curled into the faintest smile, a trace of sadness lingering there. "I know," she whispered. "I know what you're trying to do. I know you, Kai."

His breath caught in his throat. How much did she know? How much had she seen?

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. She was looking at him with those eyes—those eyes that had been so full of warmth just hours ago. Now, they were full of something else.

Something Kai couldn’t yet understand.