One Clock To Change the World

| In the land of seven moons and five suns, a prophecy has been spoken of for thousands of years… |

How can a fateful day not start with difficulties?

It was morning, 5:30 AM at best. But for Hitsuki, half a day has already passed. Waking up, shower, getting dressed—all done. Still, he was running short on time. He paced through the room to and fro looking for combs, picking suits, trying new perfumes, and most importantly—looking good.

Today is a fateful day, after all.

Gosh… I should’ve prepared them all before sleeping yesterday. How idiotic…

It was his best friend’s wedding day. A day he could only get once.

He stood in front of the mirror, looking at himself back and forth. The suit really suited him. Black vest, black jacket, black trousers, black necktie, and a black shirt? It all looked fancy, like old money.

His hair looked the same, except for the fact that it's blonde instead of black.

He shook his head. For he wished his hair to be any color except blonde. He doesn’t want to look like him. He is Hitsuki, without any last names.

“But marriage at twenty huh… Well, good for him but isn’t it a little too early?” He mumbled.

A shock of dizziness hit him, possibly due to the lack of sleep he has been having these days. It's a best friend’s wedding after all. How can you not volunteer?

He was looking good, but he felt something was missing. Something felt off, something felt empty…

But there's literally no time now, for he has to be out of his home by 6, otherwise catching the wedding would be difficult.

*****

“I just got out of my home, what the heck do you mean I am late??” He said through his phone. “You are such an overthinker…”

“I am not, I tell you.” His friend replied. “Let's bet. I say you are gonna be late.”

Hitsuki laughed. “Well, at least you seem a bit less nervous. I thought you would be hyperventilating by now.”

“You think I am not? Just wait till the last thirty minutes of the wedding.”

They both smiled, followed by a brief moment of silence.

“Hey man,” Hitsuki said. “Congrats on your wedding.”

“Come on, don’t say it as if I died.”

“You did from your bachelor's life… You will be missed.” Hitsuki fake sobbed. “You should go now, your wife is waiting for you.”

As he was talking and walking through the streets, little did he know that something had changed. Something had morphed into something else—something out of this world. Waiting to be picked by someone… Waiting for him.

*****

“Woah… this looks, cool.” Hitsuki’s eyes brightened as he saw a pocket watch being sold at a garage sale. That was the thing he thought was missing from his suit. As he tried it on, it felt like his whole set was now complete—a missing piece of the puzzle he just found.

It was peculiar as well. Dim gold, with carved edges and floral designs.

“Excuse me!” He shouted inside the garage, seeing no people. “I would like to buy this pocket watch! Anybody here!?”

An elderly woman came by, carrying a toolkit that was also for sale.

“Oh my, a customer this early in the morning?” She glowed. “And a handsome one at that. A special day perhaps, young lad?”

“Yeah. I would like to buy this watch. It looks good with my suit.” He replied.

But for some reason, the old lady could not recognize that pocket watch.

“I remember putting a pocket watch for sale, but that one looks…” She shook her head. “My apologies. Old age takes away our memories, even the most recent ones. Am I right? Those will be 20 dollars.”

“What?” Hitsuki took a step back. “That cheap??”

“It's a garage sale, young lad.” She replied. “That thing probably doesn’t even work.”

*****

He bought the watch.

His suit now looked complete. Old money fashion will always be the best.

“I wonder if it actually works. That old lady said it didn’t, but is that really the case?” He asked himself. “She has some memory issues, after all.”

Taking out the watch, he pressed the button, revealing the half hunter case underneath.

It looked vintage—patterns that looked a century old, as if stories revealed years of history. But most interestingly, the seven sun-shaped celestial bodies that were cut out from the rim.

He pressed again, exposing the watch completely.

“What…?” He wrinkled his eyebrows. “Am I tripping?”

He was not, the pocket watch really did have only ten marks. And it was halted in its place.

His eyes moved through the watch’s inner case, shaking between the weirdness and mysteriousness.

Thats when a string of words caught his attention, written underneath the hunter's case.

“A thousand in one, for you are the chosen one. You rule the land, with ten years in hand. For you have to live in the chosen land.” He mumbled, reading the text. “Survive…”

His heart pounded reading it, but nothing happened. He looked around, half-relieved. This is just a weird pocket watch after all.

“Hahaha…” he laughed. “I might truly be turning insane. I should catch some Z’s at the wedding.”

Thats when it all happened.

A step.

A blink.

A new world…

He forgot to breathe, and his heart stopped for a moment. He stood still with wide eyes.

Goosebumps developed over his dry and cold skin.

“What…”

It was something new. Something else. His feet trembled as he wrinkled his brows. He looked around the unfamiliar scene.

“This type of thing only happens… in fiction…”

He looked at the watch, as if it did the most treacherous deed in the world. But the watch was lifeless, it didn’t work.

Or did it?

The moment Hitsuki blinked, the clock revealed its hands—six of them, moving in the opposite direction.

But he could not move in this new world. He could only see.

See the terrifying girl’s face who sat down, crying. And feel the 10 swords hanging at his neck by ten guards surrounding him.

He held out his hand in surrender, placing the watch in his pocket.

He had one question, with no answers.

| … that on a fateful day, when the suns and moons align in the opposite direction, a man will arrive. He will purify the land and conquer the lifelong war between the sunaris and lunaris. |