I Have Time On My Side!

Darkness enveloped Nolan like a cloak, so thick that he couldn’t tell up from down.

He felt neither cold nor heat. There was no ground beneath his feet, nor wind brushing against his skin.

It was an absolute darkness, devoid of any sensation or reference.

For a brief moment, he thought he was dreaming, trapped in a deep sleep from which he couldn’t awaken, but he soon realized he wasn’t even sure if he was asleep.

‘Where am I?’ he wondered, floating in that vast emptiness, trying to find some sign of his surroundings.

It was like being trapped in an eternal limbo—no weight to his body, no time, no space.

Only nothingness.

Nolan tried to move, but his body didn’t respond, as if he had been stripped of his own existence.

Then, in the midst of that vast blackness, a deep, grave voice broke the silence, echoing in his mind like distant thunder.

"Human... you are dead."

The echo of those words pierced his being, making his consciousness tremble.

Startled, Nolan’s eyes shot open—or at least, that’s what he thought.

In front of him, where there had only been darkness, now there was light.

A bright, blinding light that filled every corner of his vision, but it was a cold light, almost indifferent.

Confused, he tried to focus, to understand what he was seeing, but there was nothing beyond that white luminosity.

He tried to look down, at his hands, at his body, but there was nothing there.

He couldn’t see or feel his own body.

It was as if his existence had been completely erased.

‘What is this?’ he thought, terrified by the strangeness of the situation.

He was trapped in a formless, matterless immensity—just light that surrounded him, preventing him from understanding what was happening.

Suddenly, a woman’s laughter rang out in the air, light and playful, as if what was happening were some kind of cruel joke.

"Oh, not again," murmured the same deep voice, letting out a heavy sigh. "I beg you, don’t start laughing like a lunatic again."

"You’re so boring," replied the woman’s voice with a teasing melody in her words. "I don’t understand why you always act this way."

"It’s because I simply don’t understand you," the man replied, his tone filled with a mixture of weariness and frustration.

"You don’t have to understand me, darling. You just have to enjoy the moment." The woman’s laughter filled the space once again, this time louder, reverberating into what seemed like infinity.

Nolan was utterly confused.

Those voices, that light...

None of it made sense.

Nolan tried to speak, but no sound came from his throat.

Still, inside his mind, the question echoed clearly:

‘Where am I?’  

As if they had read his thoughts, the man’s voice spoke to him again.

"You feel strange, don’t you? Without a body, it’s normal to feel disoriented."

"It’s normal," the woman added. "Now you should be feeling what we feel: nothing. Absolutely nothing." She paused dramatically, as if savoring the impact of her words, before asking, "So, tell me, how does it feel?"

Nolan tried to process what was happening, but he couldn’t find the words to describe what he was feeling.

It was a strange sensation, as if he were there and not there at the same time.

‘I don’t know,’ Nolan thought. ‘It’s... a sensation I can’t describe.’

The voices laughed again, but this time more softly.

"It’s normal to feel confused," continued the man, now with a more patient tone. "You’re here because you’ve died."

The words hit Nolan like a gust of icy wind.

‘What? No, that can’t be!’ Nolan thought in desperation.

The treatment he had received wasn’t supposed to be that dangerous.

How could he be dead?

In his desperation, he tried to activate his time magic, searching for that familiar sensation of mana flowing through his body.

If he could just go back... maybe...

"It’s useless," the man warned, interrupting his attempt. "You don’t have a body, so you can’t use your mana. You can’t do here what you enjoy so much."

Nolan frowned, confused by the man’s words.

‘What do you mean by what I enjoy so much?’  

A sigh of exasperation followed.

"Do you really think no one noticed what you’ve been doing? You’ve been playing with time, altering the world as if it were your personal toy."

The woman’s voice burst into laughter.

"It’s hilarious! He thinks he’s so clever."

"This isn’t funny," the man murmured, visibly irritated. "You brought him here, and now you’re making jokes!"

"It’s fun to see you get angry," the woman replied, her tone full of mockery.

"You’re a damn irresponsible fool," he reproached her, his voice filled with frustration.

"Oh, come on. You have to admit, it makes our existence a little more entertaining." The woman’s laughter was uncontrollable now, while the man sighed, resigned.

Nolan was completely stunned by the conversation unfolding in front of him.

He didn’t understand any of it.

Were those voices... gods?

Or maybe angels?

What kind of beings toyed with him like this?

The woman’s voice went quiet for a moment, then responded in a playful tone.

“Hmm, how do you want us to explain it to you? Would you like us to take a physical form to show you better?”

"Don’t start that!" the man growled, clearly frustrated. "I told you, I don’t approve of any stupid form you decide to materialize as!"

"Oh, you’re so bossy." She laughed again. "Not even if we turn into fish like last time?"

The man let out an exasperated grunt.

"That was a disaster, and you know it! We died in seconds because there was no water!"

The woman burst out laughing.

"And that’s why it was the best part! Watching you panic like a fish out of water was unforgettable!"

"You were dying too!" the man replied.

"But it was fun!" she retorted, still amused.

Nolan blinked—or at least it felt like he had.

Had they died before?

Who were these voices?

Before he could ask, the man’s voice spoke again.

"If you promise to behave and not use that ridiculous power of yours, we’ll bring you back to life. You can live a normal life until you die for real."

But the woman’s voice interrupted, laughing.

"Don’t be ridiculous! If he doesn’t use his power right now, the human in the same room with him will kill him."

Nolan felt a jolt of alarm.

‘What?’  

"He deserves it," the man replied, unbothered. "He should have died long ago, but he decided to keep playing with the world, affecting the work of the others."

The woman’s laughter echoed again.

"Admit it, it was fun watching the death children cry when their father scolded them because of Nolan. All because he kept stealing the souls they had collected with every time reversal. What a show!"

The man let out another exhausted sigh.

"You’re hopeless."

Finally, Nolan couldn’t take it anymore and, with confusion in his voice, asked the question that had been on his mind the whole time.

‘What are you? Are you gods?’  

For the first time, both voices laughed in unison, a strange but somehow harmonious sound, as if their laughter complemented each other perfectly.

"Gods?" the woman asked, amused. "It’s a very simple way of looking at it, but it makes sense from your perspective, doesn’t it?"

"I still think you’re irresponsible," the man interjected.

"Oh, come on. If we keep playing by the same rules, we’ll always be behind the others," she continued, as if sharing a secret.

"You’re right," the man admitted, though reluctantly. "But that doesn’t mean I agree with your methods."

Nolan, completely overwhelmed, interrupted them again.

‘Could you tell me what I’m doing here? I’m so confused.’  

"You’re a walking disaster... and it’s all her fault," the man said, directing his words at his companion. "Keep in mind that chaos brings nothing good, human."

The woman, despite the insult directed at her, replied proudly.

"I’ll remind you that this is the second human we’ll get to see who finally wins our bet."

Nolan, perplexed, raised his voice.

‘Bet? What bet?’  

Suddenly, although he couldn’t see beyond the light, Nolan could clearly feel two intense gazes fall on him, as if, somehow, those entities were focusing all their attention on his very being.

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