The Never Ending Tails
Paradoxal Canon

Time hasalways been a mystery for the human race. It has always been this omnipotentrhythm that haunted the species since its inception. Humans have the ability tofeel the passing of time, they are conscious on how this flow affect theirlives, but what they are unable to accomplish is to control the effects it hason them.

All humansare weak against the tremendous influence of time, even the ones who weregranted access to its source. In some of the multiple timelines that Earth hasgone through, nine individuals were able to reach the very source of time: Thesymphony. Their lives changed forever after this unique contact as it seemedthat their aging was frozen. They lived more than any people who roamed thisplanet and were cursed by the knowledge of a terrible happening coming in anunknown time. They had complicated lives, some of them more than others.

Thoseextraordinary people called themselves the Time Watch. Each member was granteda number according to the order they joined the group. They were aware that theend of Time was close and that they needed to stop it. So they decided to takedifferent paths. Almost all of them went their own way, started their own newlives.

Almost;two members decided to stick together instead of going apart. Those two wereNumber 6 and Number 7. They used various names, but the ones that sticked withthem the most were Katara Leys for Number 7 and Liviano Iskatel for Number 6.The two of them were very close as they joined the organization at very closeperiods.

They livedtogether freely for a few centuries, not really caring about the upcomingapocalypse. They knew that they would resolve that problem in due time and theyhad faith in the unpredictable nature of time as they truly believed thatnothing was set for good and that time could be rewritten as a last resort.

Theytraveled the world living many different lives across the globe, alwaystogether, and for them, every moment was as good as the previous one, maybeeven better. They never finished the first talk they started on their firstencounter; they never run out of things to tell each other. They were feelingbliss at every moment of their very long lives.

But timealways made everything complicated; time always made things fall apart. Aroundthe first years of the 17th century, the two partners got in touch with theothers for a major reunion.

Thegathering had for goal to discuss what was discovered during the huge amount oftime that they spent on their own. Nothing really concluding was found thatday, but things were never the same again.

Livianohappened to stumble upon some strange things concerning Number 9. The lastmember was always staying in the shadows and never felt like being part of thegroup. He experimented with dangerous things in the past such as the void in anattempt to stop the crisis according to him.

WhatLiviano discovered was more disturbing; 9 was studying the silence, the veryabsence of time. He was up to something. Liviano went through 9′s notes and sawwith horror what he was planning.

9wanted to destroy the symphony making time collapse and bringing back thesilence. He also discovered that to access the realm of the symphony again, hehad to retrieve 6 specific hourglasses that were spread around the world indifferent timelines. Liviano couldn’t talk with the others about his discoveryas he was aware that 9 was way more powerful than all of them united, and thatrisking him discovering that his plan was brought to light would only lead to abloodshed.

Livianothough about Katara, he felt fear for the first time in his long life. Hecouldn’t afford to lose her, and he couldn’t afford to risk her life. Heunderstood that he had to do something he wouldn’t be proud of, something thatwould damage his relationship with his beloved forever; he had to fade away andretrieve the hourglasses before 9, and he had to do it alone.

Livianocouldn’t say good bye to Katara, he waited until she was asleep to sit by herbed side. He gently stroked her hair, and sat there in silence admiring howpeaceful she seemed to be while sleeping. He was glad that she was speared theknowledge he recently acquired. He was ready to make things right beforeshe even notice, and that night, putting a last kiss on her forehead, he leftnever to be seen again.

Katara wasdevastated by the loss of her lifelong partner, of her closest friend. She leftthe others, roaming aimlessly for years. Never once did the memory of Livianoleft her. She searched for him for so long that she wasn’t sure he ever existedat times, thinking that he was the product of her imagination. She became moreand more knowledgeable about time, and developed many skills that eventuallyled her to consider something that she always feared to do.

Sheknew that Liviano was alive somewhere. But maybe the problem wasn’t where, butwhen. Facing her fear of losing all temporal stability, Katara started a verylong journey across the many possible timelines of the multiverse with no otherpurpose than replaceing her beloved. For thousands of years, she visited countlessversions of Earth in countless places and periods, but she never got toLiviano; all she could get were hints of his presence, until that one time.

Katarafound herself in one of the timelines during what was there the 21st century. Foronce, she found something more concrete than all her previous discoveries. Itwas a rumor people were spreading, an urban legend in The Neo Empire of Japan.A man called the Hakurai, the white thunder.

The legendsaid that this Hakurai was a white haired man that was haunting Neo Tokyo forcenturies, he was said to have many powers and wielding a silver sword. Thelegend also said that when he wasn’t fighting against the order of the lasthour, he was haunting the Silver tower, which was a monument in the center ofNeo Tokyo dating from the 15th century.

Katarafelt that this man they were talking about might be Liviano, so she went to thetower at night, investigating it. Katara met the Hakurai, and her world fellapart.

The manthat appeared in the tower was exactly similar to Liviano, but as soon as shesaw him, she knew that it wasn’t him.

“You arenot the person I seek…” She said.

She wasabout to leave when the Hakurai finally spoke. Even his voice was uncannilysimilar to Liviano’s.

“I canunderstand that I am not this person you were looking for, but I can’t stopthis feeling that we were made to meet at this very moment,” He started. “Imight not be him, but I can clearly see that you are the same as I am, you havebeen to the symphony as well and in a way, we are all linked, just coming fromdifferent versions of the same world.”

Shestopped as he was saying those worlds and turned around. She looked straightinto his eyes for a moment trying to understand how this man could know all ofthat. She briefly saw Liviano in him, but not the one she knew; it was as if hewas a different version of the same person. ‘How could it be?’ She thought.

“I amsorry, I have to go… I need to replace him,” She hardly managed to say.

“He seemsto mean a lot to you. And you seemed to have searched for him for so long. Youtwo were lucky to have each other; I never had anyone like that. I lived morethan most people ever lived on this planet and I still never met someone forwhom I’d do anything.”

Kataraturned toward the exit; tears flowing on her cheeks as she was walking away. Hewas so much like him, and yet it wasn’t him.

“You don’thave to leave… You know, you have searched long enough, and maybe you shouldstart living again for a while. If this person is anything like me, he shouldstill be waiting for you after you took some rest…” The Hakurai said with a bitof hesitation

“How couldI live without him? What am I supposed to do? Completely erase him from mymemories?” Katara screamed as she was still facing away the Hakurai.

“Youcouldn’t, he will always be a part of your history, and he will always bearound in your mind, but having to spend eternity searching doesn’t seem to bethe best thing you can do with the gift you have been given.” He said calmly.

“Whatshould I do then?” Katara asked as she turned to face the white haired man.

“Live! Anddo what you were meant to do. Create the opportunity for others to live aswell. Time is heading toward its end, and we are too few who can actually dosomething to remain inactive.” He said looking at Katara as if he tried toreach her inner core.

“I seethat the same problems are present everywhere. So what is this then aninvitation?” She said laughing a bit with tears still rolling on her prettyface.

“Yes. Iwould like you to help us… to help me.” He said keeping his gaze focused on hereyes.

“I can’tstay here forever you know…” She said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

“I know,but that doesn’t mean that we can’t make every second you are around asimportant as it really is. Time is a blessing Katara,” He started. “Especiallythe time shared with people who can make a difference. Let’s live this time youare around as best as we can, and even though the end will come, every momentbefore it would be the best one ever.”