Jeff Origin
Until now, I had no idea playing with a ball could be this difficult.
"Yaaah!" I yelled, kicking off the ground with all my might. I wanted to grab the bright red ball floating in midair. Pushing my ability to its limits, I moved faster than anyone else.
But time rewound. My body, which had been suspended in the air, was suddenly back on the ground. My center of gravity collapsed, and my breath caught in my throat. Naturally, I tumbled onto the grass, rolling across the soft lawn.
"Jeff!" Shine called out, rushing over with a worried expression as I hit the ground.
"The sixth six-seconds has ended." I lay face down, tearing at the grass. The blades snapped and tore in my small hands.
It was absolutely impossible to win! Ferman's ability was so perfect that the very concept of victory felt like an illusion. Having already adapted to the Jeff Sparise I had used before, his power completely toyed with me.
"Shall we start again?" Ferman asked with a chuckle. I gnashed my teeth at his infuriating smile. An unsolvable problem lay right in front of me. It was frustrating. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. But I forced myself back up. Because Shine hadn't given up yet.
"Now then. Is it Shine's turn this time?"
"Jeff, wait here. I'll make sure to get the ball."
"Okay..." Panting heavily, I plopped down on the grass. I didn't care that my backside was covered in grass stains. We had repeated this so many times already; a few more stains wouldn't change anything.
"I'm ready," Shine said, nodding as she took her stance. Ferman placed his hand on his pocket watch. Time began to loop. An alternate timeline—one that only Ferman and Shine could perceive—formed and repeated six times. Out of all those loops, I could only perceive a single timeline.
The moment it began, Shine dashed forward. With a flurry of light, rapid footsteps, she shot ahead and reached for Ferman's ball. But Ferman moved as if he already knew exactly what she was going to do.
"Linear. And predictable," Ferman murmured, easily dodging Shine's approach. Shine grit her teeth. Her expression hardened instantly, and she immediately channeled her ability. Her ability. That is to say... her power.
A high-pitched ringing, like tinnitus, echoed in my ears. I watched Shine with my mouth slightly agape. Everything slowed down. Shine reaching for the ball. Ferman standing still. But just before Shine's hand could touch the ball, Ferman began to move. Dodging her hand with a fluid, water-like grace, Ferman stepped back quickly and spoke to her.
"Shine. The sixth six-seconds has ended."
"Again?!" Shine yelled in frustration, stomping on the grass. She looked just like a little child throwing a tantrum because things weren't going her way.
"I'm sorry, Jeff," she said, quickly cooling her temper to apologize to me.
"No, it's fine!" I shook my head. We couldn't win. The more we fought, the more I understood the terrifying nature of Ferman's ability. A six-second window repeated six times. Anyone caught in Ferman's time could perceive the rewinding timelines along with him. After repeating those six seconds six times, Ferman would choose the best possible outcome. That outcome would then become reality. It wasn't entirely without weaknesses, though. The number of targets he could affect at once was limited. If an external factor intervened, Ferman's timeline would be forced to lock into that specific moment.
"Jeff. Will you try again?"
"Yes!" I answered energetically, pushing myself up once more. We had started this game shortly after lunch, but now the sun was setting. Just like the sinking sun, my confidence was beginning to plummet. My initial high-spirited attitude had completely mellowed out, and what had started as a simple game now felt like something else entirely.
Crackle. I focused my mind on the tingling electricity at my fingertips. If I wanted to win, I had to get serious. Dead serious. I drew out even more of my power. My vision began to bleach white as a barrier of blue electrical currents expanded around me. This electromagnetic field fed me information on everything happening within its range. It analyzed Ferman's every movement, allowing me to predict his next action.
"You have good eyes now."
"Because I have to win!"
"Do you really want that donut company that badly?"
"Yes!" It began. The moment the ticking of the pocket watch reached my ears, I kicked off the ground. The world stretched out. My surroundings blurred into streaks of light, vanishing from my sight. In this warped perspective, Ferman was the only thing that retained its original shape.
Ferman began to react to my straight-line trajectory. My hand reached for the bright red ball. Just before I could touch it, Ferman's movements were transmitted directly into my head. My body, wrapped in blue electricity, reacted instantly. Faster than thought, faster than my brain's conscious commands. My body just moved. The electrical signals fired from the surrounding electromagnetic field propelled me to the next step.
The ball's movement entered my line of sight. The moment I perceived it, Ferman's body momentarily blurred. It had begun. Within the looping time, Ferman was entirely free. His time did not flow like mine. Sometimes slower, sometimes faster.
Zap! Violent currents erupted. A forced twist in my trajectory. My joints began to bend in bizarre, unnatural directions. But it was fine. Thanks to Rain's training and the yoga Amy had taught me, my body was flexible enough to accommodate these impossible movements.
Twisting in midair, I swung my leg. They were short legs, but it was enough distance to reach Ferman's hand. The rotation of my body lent power to my kick. As my vision spun in the air, I saw a flash of panic cross Ferman's face.
Thud. A slight sensation registered at the tip of my foot. I couldn't reach the ball, but my leg made contact with Ferman's arm. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say it grazed past it. Our gazes locked in midair. I flashed a crooked smile at Ferman as he stared at me.
The wild thumping of my heart echoed loudly in my ears. In this high-speed state, all ambient noise was completely drowned out. The only things I could hear were my own heartbeat and Shine's. Shine's heart was beginning to race just as wildly as mine.
Thump, thump. Matching the rhythm in my ears, I reached out once more. Ferman's guard was broken, and the red ball floated slightly in the air. I reached toward empty space, and my body shifted accordingly. Movement in midair—the application of my ability that Victor had taught me.
Boom! A burst of light erupted, swallowing my body. Riding that flash, I moved toward my next destination. From midair to midair. I vanished from Ferman's line of sight. Instantly shifting locations, my hand naturally closed around the ball.
I got it! But the moment the thought crossed my mind, the ball vanished.
"Ah!" I cried out in sheer frustration. My concentration shattered. The deafening roar of the surrounding electricity caught up a moment later. Rumble! How many seconds had passed? Two? One? I didn't have time to waste. Falling from the air, I curled my body into a ball like a cat, spinning to disperse the impact. I landed smoothly, pressing my hand against the ground. A faint vibration traveled through the earth. Catching that frequency, I kicked off the ground once more. Run. And grab it.
The more I used my ability, the more that strange presence nestled in my mind seemed to be pushed away. Regardless of the outcome, a sudden wave of sheer enjoyment began to well up inside me.
Hah! Hah! Hah! The same sequence repeated. I reached out, Ferman dodged. I reached out again, and Ferman dodged once more.
Click. The sound of the watch echoed in my ears. Time rewound. The first six seconds had ended. I immediately braced for the impact. I held my breath and stopped moving. However, my disrupted center of gravity made my body stagger in the rewound time. My breathing remained steady. Steadying my wobbling frame, I kicked off the ground once more.
Activating my ability from absolute zero. It usually required a significant warm-up time, but as the loops with Ferman repeated, that startup time was shrinking. Dashing forward, I spread my hands wide. A powerful current gathered at my fingertips, making them tingle with raw energy.
Clap! I swung my arms together with force. As my hands met, a powerful shockwave rippled outward. The more an ability is used, the more it grows. I thought of another way to apply this technique: speed control. I intentionally set the frequency of the current to an extremely low wavelength. A slow-flowing blue current began to blanket the area. It would take at least one second to reach Ferman. I immediately made my next move.
Whoosh! A faint blue current shimmered where I had kicked off. This time, I clapped my hands again from the opposite side. Clap! A bit faster this time. I kicked off the ground again. Whoosh! I didn't overthink it. I just poured every ounce of my strength into what I could do right now. Clap! Clap! Clap! Loud claps echoed repeatedly. The intervals between my stops grew shorter. The frequency of the claps accelerated. Three seconds were consumed just like that. Panic flickered across Ferman's face. This time, I was absolutely sure of my victory.
"Yaaah!" The distortions in the flow surged from all directions. A gift prepared exclusively for Ferman rolled in sequentially. This was it. This was really it!
Boom! The ground I violently kicked off shattered. My ankle throbbed from the excessive strain. Launching myself forward at a speed incomparable to before, I aimed straight for the ball in Ferman's hand. My gaze was locked onto that bright red, squishy ball!
Ferman, who had looked panicked just a moment ago, suddenly smiled and began to move. The surrounding time slowed down abruptly. Or rather, it was more accurate to say Ferman's time had accelerated. He threw the ball in his hand with all his might. The bright red ball shot like a bullet toward the center of the garden. I stared blankly at his sudden, unexpected action. And then, my ability slammed directly into Ferman's body.
Ferman's legs gave out. His shoulders slumped. His firmly planted body began to collapse powerlessly. Yet, his eyes never lost their spark. The proud look he gave me was somehow incredibly annoying. I immediately pivoted, chasing after the flying red ball. How many seconds had passed? How much time was left? The ball wasn't slowing down. But I was faster. My sprinting body sliced through the wind. The grass in my wake was torn to shreds, leaving scorched black tracks behind. Just as my fully extended hand was about to touch the ball, time began to rewind. The now-familiar sensation filled me with pure irritation.
"Aaaargh! *Cough, cough!*" The moment I screamed in frustration, my breathing faltered, and a fit of dry coughing overtook me.
"The second six-seconds has ended." I slumped onto the ground at Ferman's words.
"Jeff?"
"Hmph." He stared at me, seemingly taken aback by my sudden attitude. I turned my head away, pointedly avoiding his gaze.
"Have you given up?" I kept my mouth shut, refusing to answer. It just felt so incredibly unfair. *Click. Click.* Time marched on relentlessly. Just like that, I let the remaining four opportunities slip away in vain. The looping time finally returned to its normal flow.
"The sixth six-seconds has ended." Finding myself standing once again, I immediately spoke to Ferman.
"Grandfather!"
"Yes, Jeff. Surely you haven't given up?"
"No. I have a question."
"Of course. Ask whatever you wish."
"Am I allowed to use anything in my surroundings?" I asked, looking around. Ferman followed my gaze, scanning the area before replying.
"You may." I nodded, a smile spreading across my face.
"No taking it back."
"Your grandfather is not a man who goes back on his word," Ferman replied with absolute confidence. I immediately turned to Shine.
"Shine. I'll go again this time. Is that okay?"
"Yeah, I don't mind." Shine nodded and stepped back a bit further. Next, I cast my gaze toward Rain. She was sitting atop Chuchu, watching me.
"Rain!"
"Yeah?"
"I want to see dark clouds!"
"Dark clouds?"
"Yeah!" Rain looked puzzled by my request.
"Please!"
"It's not hard, but... what are you planning?" she asked, raising both hands toward the sky. Rumble. Dark clouds began to gather in the sunset sky. At the same time, I felt all the senses in my body sharpen to a razor's edge. The storm clouds Rain summoned completely enveloped the castle grounds, blocking out every single ray of sunlight. Crash! A violent crack of thunder shook the heavens, momentarily illuminating the darkness. My hair, which had been resting calmly, began to flutter and rise, crackling with energy.