A Six-Second Game of Tag
Jeff Origin. Every sense in my body began to expand. Outward, further and further. I could perceive everything happening around me as if I were witnessing it right before my eyes.
"Haa..." A faint current of electricity mingled with the breath escaping my lips, scattering into the air. I raised my hand toward the sky. To call upon that which drifted above. I drew the lightning dragon, hidden deep within the clouds, down into my own body.
Crackle. The tiny spark that started at my fingertips rapidly grew in size. "That is..." Boom! Leaving Ferman's voice behind, a violent explosion erupted. The moment a bolt of lightning falling from the sky struck my body directly, the world was dyed in pure white.
A blinding light filled my vision. A massive wave rippled through my entire body. My heart began to beat furiously. Thump! Every cell in my body awakened. The stimulated cells rapidly accelerated my mind. As the white light filling the surroundings began to fade, Ferman was revealed, looking at me with eyes full of curiosity. He opened his mouth to speak.
"Victor. Is this also a technique you taught her?"
"No. If I tried something like that, my heart would explode and I'd die."
"Ho..."
I took a step forward without a word. With every step I took, the green grass around me burned pitch black.
"Jeff. How long can you maintain that technique?"
I opened my mouth to answer Ferman's question, but closed it again. My voice had scattered strangely. Bzzzt— bzzzt— crackle! The blue currents of electricity enveloping me were eating away at the sound. It meant I couldn't speak properly.
"It seems you cannot speak."
I nodded. Watching me, Ferman raised his arm, the one wearing his watch.
"Then... shall we begin?"
You're asking the obvious. This was a technique I used to seize the ball. Jeff Origin. I would pour everything I had into maintaining this peak state. To take the ball. To get the donut company. For delicious donuts!
"Then, let us be—gi—n."
His words dragged out. My thoughts, accelerated to their absolute limit, allowed me to slice time into tiny fragments. The time allowed to me was six seconds. But the subjective time I felt right now was ten times that.
Click. The moment the sound of the watch reached my ears, I took a step. No preparation stance was needed. The moment the thought crossed my mind, my body was already heading there. As if leaping through space, the surrounding scenery changed in an instant. Before I could even blink.
The time flowing from Ferman's mouth had not yet ended. His gaze was still fixed on the spot where I had been standing before I vanished—staring at the ground where a small spark of lightning flickered.
As I reached for the bright red ball, I felt a sharp ache rising from my ankle. My body was not yet ready to withstand such extreme speed. Although training with Victor and Rain had made me stronger, my ankles—my entire body—were telling me it was too much. But I could still endure it for now.
I forced my momentarily stiffened body to move again through the pain. My hand sliced through the air. Ferman still didn't seem to realize I had disappeared.
My outstretched hand touched the surface of the bright red ball. A squishy, soft red ball. Reflected on its surface, a young girl's snow-white hair stood on end.
I got it.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, Ferman began to move. Starting from his hand holding the ball, Ferman's muscles twitched. He had perceived me. I hurriedly snatched at the ball.
But in the next instant, Ferman was gone.
Ferman's time flowed differently from mine. Whether he accelerated his own time or slowed down the time around him, he was free within the repeating six seconds.
Crackle! Ferman's movements were read by the faint electrical field I had spread around us. The signal sent to me instantly drove my body to the next step. Floating in midair, I immediately pursued Ferman. He wore a flustered expression. Unable to perceive me directly, he relied solely on his ability to react to the situation.
Just before my hand could touch the ball, he perceived me once more. Ferman vanished again. But I wouldn't lose him. I moved once more. We repeated this several times—a long game of tag that transcended time.
It was fun. It was thrilling. The smile never left my face. My ankles throbbed. The hand I used to brace against the ground sent a jolt of pain through my shoulder. Sudden changes of direction. My body screamed in protest, creaking under the strain. But it was fine. Just a little longer.
Thud! I steadied my staggering body and stomped my foot hard. The shockwave starting from my toes swept over everything around me. The longer I maintained this state, the more applications began to flash through my mind.
Why did I insist on close-quarters combat? This wasn't a life-or-death battle. It was just a game to take the ball. Keep the lethality to a minimum. Make sure Ferman didn't get hurt. Delicate control was difficult, but right now, I could do it.
Thump— thump— Ferman's heartbeat echoed from a distance. Going further, I read the neural flow originating from his brain. Crackle. The pattern of his faint bio-signals. The closer I got, the clearer I could hear them. I had plenty of opportunities to listen to his "sound."
Ferman reacted once more to my hand reaching for the ball. Thump— The moment he perceived me, his heart beat again. The command originating from his brain spread to his body. The next location he would move to. The way he used his ability. I understood all of it now.
Just before Ferman vanished, I kicked off the ground. A forced distortion of my trajectory. My ankles screamed. Contorting through the pain, my body flew through the air. Immediately after, Ferman disappeared.
A moment later, the place where he reappeared perfectly aligned with the direction I was heading. I smiled brightly and reached out.
I won.
Just before Ferman could perceive me, my body brushed past the bright red ball. The bright red ball was now grasped in my hand. I felt the texture of the ball filling both of my hands, its surface soft and squishy.
I landed on the ground, barely maintaining my balance. Unable to control my speed, I slid a long distance across the soft grass. Sliiiide— The turf tore up as I skidded. Blades of grass and clumps of dirt flew in all directions. Leaving the ruined landscape behind, I raised my hand high in the air.
"I won!"
Crackle! Bzzzt! The moment my concentration wavered, my ability dispersed. The massive amount of electricity enveloping my body drained away. The moment the power suppressing my physical pain vanished, I let out a silent scream and collapsed to the ground. Even so, I didn't let go of the ball.
"Jeff!"
Woof! As I collapsed, Rain, who was riding Chuchu, rushed over. She immediately jumped down and landed by my side.
"Jeff!"
Shine also ran toward me. I held up the bright red ball toward her.
"I won!"
Shine, running so fast she looked like she might trip, threw her arms around me. Unable to withstand the force of her sudden hug, my body toppled backward. As I fell onto the soft grass, a wave of pain surged through me. The muscle aches racking my entire body contorted my expression.
"Does it hurt? It hurts, doesn't it?"
She was highly sensitive to my feelings. Shine immediately pulled back and began examining my body. Her hands were relentless. She pulled up the hem of my skirt covering my legs and inspected my calves and thighs. Her touch brushing against my skin felt strangely ticklish. Without hesitation, she pulled off the white knee-high socks I was wearing. My pale, bare legs were revealed. Her gaze drifted further down.
"It's swollen."
Shine's hand moved toward my ankle. Just as she said, my ankle was swollen bright red. Forcing those sudden changes of direction had taken a heavy toll on it.
"But I still won," I said with a small smile, holding the ball out to Shine. She stared down at the ball in silence. The surface of the bright red ball reflected the two of us. Over that reflection, Ferman's figure appeared.
"Let me see."
"Ah, Grandfather."
Ferman, who had approached us without me noticing, examined my ankle. After staring at it for a while, he reached out, took my wrist, and gently lifted it. My wrist wasn't in perfect shape either. It was better than my ankle, but it looked like I'd need to wrap it in pain relief patches and rest for a few days.
"It is an excellent technique. However, your body cannot withstand it yet."
"Yes. This is only the second time I've used it myself."
"An incredible ability."
It was the first time I had ever received direct praise for my ability. I lowered my head in silence. Ferman's hand, which had been about to touch me, froze in midair and twitched. When I looked up with a puzzled expression, he was locked in a gaze with Shine.
"Chuchu," Ferman called, withdrawing his hand.
Chuchu, who had been wandering nearby, trotted over at Ferman's call. Chuchu's fur was standing completely on end due to my ability.
"Could you carry Jeff inside?"
Woof! As Ferman spoke gently, Chuchu lowered his head to the ground and barked. His rear end, pointing high in the air, wagged furiously.
"Jeff. It seems walking will be difficult for you. You should ride Chuchu."
"Okay."
I nodded at Ferman's words and pushed myself up. Chuchu, flat on his belly, crawled toward me. I carefully climbed onto Chuchu's back, just as Rain had done.
Woof! Chuchu barked energetically and stood straight up. Startled, I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck.
"Chuchu, don't run. You're scaring Jeff."
Shine stepped in front of Chuchu, who was wagging his tail excitedly. As she gently stroked Chuchu's head, the dog whimpered softly and calmed down.
"Um, Grandfather. We won this, right?"
On the way back to the castle, I asked while looking around at the ruined landscape. Ferman smiled and replied to my question.
"Yes. I lost."
Excited, I playfully flapped Chuchu's ears. "Then... then what about the donuts?"
"I shall give them to you."
"We can eat donuts every single day, right?"
"Indeed."
"Wow... Woahhh."
A shiver ran through my body. I never knew the feeling of owning a company under my name could be this thrilling. As I excitedly shook Chuchu's head, Ferman spoke to Victor.
"Victor."
"Yes, sir."
"You were right."
Victor nodded in silence.
"Jeff. I'm sorry."
As we traveled with me riding on Chuchu's back, Shine suddenly apologized. I looked at her, unable to understand why she was apologizing.
"Why?"
"I should have been the one to win. Then you wouldn't have had to hurt like this, Jeff."
I fell silent at Shine's words. I felt a pang of frustration at her attitude. She always tried to handle everything on her own. For me, and only for me.
"Shine."
"Yeah."
"I'm strong."
"Yeah."
"So I can help you too, Shine."
"You can, Jeff?"
"Yeah. Just like you do for me. I'm going to work hard for you too, Shine."
Shine's mouth fell open in a daze at my words. Her hand reached out hesitantly. Soon, she nodded and took my hand. A bright smile graced her face.