"I am sorry."

The first words that I hear is an 'I am sorry'.

Why?

Why is he sorry?

More importantly…

Where is he?

And where am I?

Looking around I only see a white room of unknown size… with clocks of all dimensions and forms… And a giant clock of an enormous size that spins like crazy in what appears to be the roof. Not only that, but sand is falling from everywhere at irregular sizes too, and after a while that sand disappears.

"Pardon me if I don't understand, but where am I? And-" I say… I tried to say.

Eh?

Where is my voice?

"You must be really confused, but don't worry, it's one of the consequences of not having a body." The same voice of earlier said.

What do you mean by no body?!

I try to see my body, but as he said, there is nothing.

"Ah right, you can't talk..."

What the hell is happening? Just some moment ago I was… I was… What was I doing?

"Oh, wait a moment."

I was… I remember! I was shopping if I am not wrong.

"That was dangerous. Well now, we can speak."

"Speak?" Without thinking I respond, and to my surprise, my voice comes out… Only a little more aged?

"Yes, speak." The voice from earlier says behind me.

Turning around I see a figure dressed in a greyish robe with a hood covering all of his head, except something that I think is a REALLY big beard, as it's touching the floor. Like, if that is a beard, it must be more than 2 metres of it

"Who are you?" I say, starting the conversation.

"Me? I have many names. But the most known is Time." After saying that he takes off the hood from his head, and his face is visible.

An old man of unknown age with a gentle smile that makes me remember of my grandfather appears before me. Not only that, but he is bald. Nothing interesting, but worth noting for some reason.

"Time?" I say incredulously.

"Yes, and this is my domain. That should answer other of your questions, I am right?"

"...Yes."

I mean it does, but it doesn't say much about the flying clocks over there.

"Great. Now tell me, do you have more questions before we go to the main topic?"

"Main topic?"

"Yes, as that's the reason you are here in front of me."

Reason. Of course there is a reason. How could I forget that?

"I think that I prefer we switch to the main topic."

"Are you sure? When we move to it, you won't be able to make other questions about this place." Finishing that, his gentle smile is replaced by a foxy one. "You must know that this is an only time offer. Nobody before you reached this domain."

That for some reason gives me chills, even though I don't have a body.

"...Then, Who are you really?" I say giving that answer a little more nervous that I want it to be.

"That's more like it" His sly smile is transformed in a big grin.

"My name is Time, and I am the one that oversees and maintains the time that all living things have."

"Time?"

"That's my name."

"Not that."

"Alright, sorry for the little joke. By the time of all living things, I mean it literally. Look" And with that he points at a little hourglass that is on top of a table.

"Huh, I didn't see the table before."

"That was because it wasn't there before." He says while approaching the table.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"This space is special. Everything exists in here, but it's in another time, not the present one. I can make it appear as it was or is going to be there."

"...Aha..." I nod unconsciously.

"Come on, it isn't that hard to understand." He says while rolling his eyes.

"No, I understand it, it's only that it feels strange-"

"What? Time is strange for you?" And with that he sent a glare at me.

"No, no! It just that it's like it appeared from nothing."

"Mmm..." He made a pensive expression. "Yeah, it's something like that, but at the same time not."

"You know what, let's continue with that latter ok?" And with a nod, he continues with the anterior topic.

"Well, this hourglass if you look closely it has a little name engraved in it. Let's see… Here it says 'Irene Helbert'."

That name… sounds familiar…

"Everything ok there?" Time says with a concerned face.

"That name… I know it, but I can't remember the person at all..."

"Oh… that's… unfortunate..." He says with a little of anguish in his voice.

"Why?"

"Because… That's your mother's name if I am not wrong."

And that starts to make me nervous again.

"W-What do you mean by that? My mother? I-I should remember her right?"

"You should, but it look like I was a little too late."

Without a clear reason, my voice starts to get out with a little of edge.

"Again, what do you mean by that?"

"Haa…Calm down, I'll explain it later. Let's answer your first question before." He says with a tired face.

At seeing it, the edge and anger that was boiling inside of me start to extinguish, but it still stays there.

"This hourglass represents how much more of life time a living being has. What I mean simply, is how much of time remains before the person with the name in it dies."

"I… see..." I say with a sorrowful face.

The hourglass which we are talking about only has some grains of sand left in it before its time runs out.

Even though I don't remember her, I still feel sad about my mother's death.

"Then, what about that clock." The one I try to point is a grandfather's clock.

"So, how can I point-"

"Later."

"Alright."

With that exchange of quick words the conversation continues.

"That is the time of a country before its fall."

"I see. Then the time ends when its twelve o'clock?"

"You are right."

"So by that logic, that means the country has like three hours before its fall?"

"Here yes, in the outside of this realm, those three hours can be three minutes, or three decades. Time is relative after all."

"Then… What about the giant one in the roof?"

"That one… I don't know to tell you the truth"

"You don't know?"

"Remember this. It doesn't matter how much you know something, there will always be something that you don't know"

"Wise words."

"I stole that."

"What?"

"Nothing."

And with that we both do a hearty laugh.

"So, where is my hourglass?"

"That is about the main topic."

"Alright so for later. Then, how can I talk and 'point' without a body?"

"That...I can tell you. Look closely at your 'body'."

At the same time I look down, and I found floating sand.

.

.

.

Floating sand? That's impossible right?

"The sand that you see is a pseudo-body I made for you to talk, and it's made from the sand of your hourglass."

"I see..."

"... You know that you say a lot 'I see' or not?" Time says with the same gentle smile.

"Really? I se- I mean, now that you mention it you are right." After saying that he puts a disappointed face, but brushes it off as fast as he puts it.

That wasn't the most smooth save but it looks like it convinced him, even if it was for a moment.

"Well, continuing, Do you have more questions?"

"I… Ah yes! Where am I?"

"That is simple and not to respond. First of all, as you remember, I said it was my domain right?" I nod. "Well, it IS my domain, but I don't know much about it. I only know that the time here is different that outside, and what the different clocks mean."

"Only that?" I say with doubt.

"Only that." He says with a disappointed face.

"I see… Hell, I said it again." With a sigh I continue. "I don't think I have more questions that don't involve why I am here, and how did this happen, so let's continue to the main topic."

"So fast? I thought that you will ask a lot of more questions, like: What is time, and What is the meaning of life."

"Ah, so, What is the meaning of life?"

"42." He said with a laugh.

"Yeah, I thought so. Moving to the main topic."

"Alright alright."

With that, his smile transforms in an apologetic one, meanwhile he walks to where we were before.

"As I said before, I am sorry. It's my fault that you ender here."

"And that is?" I try to say with a funny voice, but his face doesn't change this time.

This is serious.

"As you know I oversee and maintain all of these clocks in here, but because of my negligence I dropped your hourglass."

"I see..."

"That made it so that your life time ended sooner than expected, as..."

And looking in his direction I see a broken hourglass in the white floor, with a lot of sand still there.

"Your hourglass is, as you can see broken."

"..."

So I died because of his carelessness right?

"Not only that, but the sand you see there in the floor, is a part of you I couldn't rescue. For that reason you can't remember your mother, and maybe other things."

"..."

So not only I died because of him, but I can't remember my mother by that too?

.

.

.

I should feel angry right? I should feel so angry that I want to punch him, right? So why I don't feel that angry? It's more like… I feel annoyed, but not angry.

"As I said earlier, I am sorry." With that he bows, even though it looks hard for him thanks to his age.

"I..."

What would you do if the one that you laughed with before, was the one who killed you?

"I..."

And after that he says only I am sorry?

"I..."

What would you do?

"I… I need a moment to process it."

What process it? I was thinking about it, and wanted to refute it, but… the truth is that. And even more, he didn't do it intentionally.

"Just answer me this..."

"Yes?" He said while lifting his head in shame.

"How much time you were here overseeing and managing all of this?" I say with a good amount of edge.

"That..."

"Please answer me."

"That… I don't remember. All of these clocks, but not one says the time inside of here. I thought of timing it myself, but I lost count every time." He says with his head down again.

"I see… Then, I have another question. How many times this happened?"

"This… This is the first time."

"...Lift your head."

Doing that he lifts it, and I look directly at his eyes. Now that I see it more carefully, he doesn't have pupils, but clocks too.

Even though I should feel angry… I can't.

"I pardon you."

With that he lifts his head again, but this time astonished, and a little relieved.

"I can't be angry if this is your first mistake, but I am annoyed, as it was my own life that was ended. Even if it sound a little..."

"A little strange?" He says with a sad smile.

"...Yes..."

With that he lets out a little laugh.

"...Thank you..."

His smile transforms in one of his characteristic gentle smiles like before, but more genuine for some reason.

"But, can you compensate me at least? I lost my life to you, you know?"

"Ah, yes. I was planning to compensate you even if you didn't ask for it."

After that, he starts walking to a direction, and I follow him.

"We'll need to walk a little so, I'll talk a little about you, to see if you forgot something, alright?"

"Fine by me."

"Great, so let's start: William Helbert, son of August Bishop and Irene Helbert. If you didn't get it, this is you."

"For now everything is as I remember."

"Alright. You were 21 when I broke your hourglass, and you were coming from shopping for some provisions, as you were running out of them."

"Everything good so far. Ah! Wait, how did I die? Did my body became sand or…?"

"Well, your body didn't become sand. More, it looked like you had an immediate heart attack from nowhere, and then poof."

"I see. Ah, and the sand. What is it? The soul?"

"You are right, the sand that there is in the hourglass is the soul of the person with that name. when it end, the hourglass turns around, and a new life begins. The name is changed too, and the amount of sand too."

"I see, that's interesting."

"I know, and please stop saying 'I see', it's getting a little in my nerves." He sends a glare in my direction.

"Sorry."

"Haha, don't worry. More I enjoy it a little, as it's the first time I speak with someone since I appeared here."

"...Really…?" I say feeling a little strange.

"That's right. My purpose is unknown, so I only oversee and maintain the clocks because I want, and I don't have nothing more to do. While doing that, I can see the lives of the people in the hourglasses, but I can't see the other clocks… Don't worry though, I can entertain myself for a good time with that."

"I see..."

And with that he takes out a good laugh.

"Well, I'll continue. You lived alone, as your parents were too much of a bother, but you still loved them clearly. You didn't have any financial problem, but you had a problem with social skills. Thing that is doesn't reflect here at all."

"Ah, you are right. I was quite an introvert, but I can talk a little more freely. To tell you the truth its feels good."

"And it should be. Continuing, you worked as a Doctor in the infectology department of the Saint Helena Hospital in Germany."

"Wow. I remember I worked at a hospital, but I didn't remember I was a doctor. So that explains why I know a lot of the body and it was so hard for me to accept this thing about me without a body."

"Well. You were pretty good, but at the same time, your social skills made it hard. Still you preserved and you got a good paying job. Not only that, you got a little amount of friends from that, and you were quite the otaku too."

"Ah. That I remember now."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Mmm. No, I am good."

"It feels embarrassing talking about it?" He says with a sly smile.

"No, not at all. It's only that I remember it to well now."

"Alright. Ah before continuing, you liked a game a good amount. It was..."

"'Arknights'?"

"That! You remember pretty well don't you?"

"Of course! It was pretty fun to play it, and I loved the characters, story, and lore about it."

"And I too from the little I saw. And before you ask, remember. I am an overseer."

"Then I won't ask about it." I say in fake defeat.

"Your life was pretty uneventful, as you had a little amount of friends and no girlfriend because of your social skills, but in other words it was quite peaceful."

"So a good life right?"

"Yep." He says with his gentle smile. "You know. Sometimes I question myself how it's to live like that."

"..."

"Having a family, friends and all that."

"I-"

"You can't be my friend."

"...Why?"

"I mean, you can but..." And he points behind me. "You wouldn't be here for much time if you decide to stay."

I stop, and behind me I can see how a little patch of sand falls from me.

"Of course I'd like for someone to be here with me, but slowly he will forget himself and become something akin to a plant. Do you understand?"

With a silent nod I continue walking.

.

.

.

After some minutes in silence we reach our destination.

"Here we are." Time says with a sad smile.

In front of us there is a hourglass, but the difference with the other is the amount of sand in it. It's like it doesn't have any sand almost.

"This is something sad that happens a lot of times. Without even being born, he dies."

"..."

"Come on. Here is where we separate. I'll introduce you inside of this hourglass. Not only will it expand the life time of the child, but you will live his non-existent life, even if it sound cruel."

"That's..."

"I know that it's a bit heavy, but it's better for all of us. For him, for you, and for his parents."

"...It doesn't even have a name..."

"That's right. Come one, before the time runs out."

With that he opens the hourglass from the top, and starts to put the sand that makes my body inside of it, and a little of the one that is falling from the giant clock.

"You'll retain your memories, and I'll give you a little gift, for my carelessness." He says still having a strained smile plastered all over his face. After some minutes most of my sand is inside the hourglass. "...So this is a goodbye." He says still sad.

"You are wrong."

"Eh?"

"It isn't a goodbye. It's a see you later."

And after saying that he starts to laugh. A lot.

"Hahaha… What a corny thing to say." Time says with a smile

"I know, but now your sad face is now over."

"Hehe… Thanks."

"No problem. A friend helps those that feel awful right?"

For a moment his face transforms into one with shock, but is replaced with a warm smile.

"Yes… friends..."

"See you later, Time."

"See you later... William."

"Ah I forgot that was my name."

And with that and a far off laugh, everything is replaced by the cries of a baby.

Prologue: End

Author's note: ON!

Hello everybody that entered to see this... thing. I am the Author, Hiogen (As you can see below the title)! I am someone new to this thing about writing and putting it in internet, and to be serious about it... I am nervous and afraid as hell! But I need to overcome that fear, as I want to show to a lot of people the different stories and ideas that I have in my head, and receive actual criticism, and not only "Wow, this is so great Hiogen!" every single time that I show a friend or familiar about something i wrote.

So first things first!

English isn't my native language! Maybe you didn't see it in the story (And I hope it's like that), but I am still learning it. I know a good amount to make good texts (I think?) and if you see any grammatical error, please say it.

Second!

I'll try to update it as much as I can, but remember that there is a Global pandemic outside, and I am still learning english, therefore I am a Student! And a Student need to Study! A lot! So if you can bear with me and if I dont update for something like a year (Let's all hope that doesn't happen), please have patience.

Third?!

Please be respectful. Not only to myself, but to other reviewers (If I have someday). Please.

Fourth?

This of course will be a Arknights Fanfic with a OC main protagonist, if you didn't know.

Fifth!?

If you have a suggestion that I can write a part of the story better (without changing the story all together), please say it! As I said before, I am open to criticism (I just hope that the most of it is the constructive one)!

Sixth!

I don't own at all Arknights. If I could, I'll give myself a special account so I can roll all I want, but i don't!

Seventh?

To tell you the truth I don't have nothing more to say... So!

Author's note: OFF!