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✦ ENTRY NO. ???
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[ᥱrr᥆r ᥙᥒᥲbᥣᥱ t᥆ ρr᥆ᥴᥱ᥉᥉ rᥱqᥙᥱ᥉t...]
✩ ◛ .⋆
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𓆩⟡𓆪
╰┈➤ "𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 then don't you, about the time travel."
Dan Heng remained frozen in front of his teacher, almost unable to grasp what he had just heard. The boy's mind spun as he stared at Mr. Yang, heart pounding in loudly in his chest.
Was this some sort of twisted joke? A test to see how he'd react? He had to be dreaming, right?
But Mr. Yang's gaze held a steady sincerity, and the more Dan Heng stared at him, the less he was certain. He opened his mouth to respond, to brush it off as a misunderstanding, but his voice caught in his throat.
"W—what...no..." he finally stammered.
Welt's sigh cut through the tension, and Dan Heng's gaze snapped to his teacher's face. The older male's expression held a mix of weariness and patience, as if he had anticipated this reaction.
"Dan Heng, I understand that this might be difficult to believe," Welt broke the silence again, his tone calm and measured. "But I assure you, I am not joking."
His gaze shifted away from his student, bracing himself to reveal a secret he had vowed never to share with anyone. It was a truth he had intended to guard until his dying day, locked deep within him.
However, witnessing the distress it inflicted upon Dan Heng, Himiko, March—essentially all the students who held her dear—he found himself unable to remain passive. He couldn't bear to stand by, without offer a helping hand of his own.
He edged closer to the young man, lowering his voice to almost a whisper, "Dan Heng, I too am a time traveler. Actually, I believe I'm from around the same period she is."
Dan Heng's eyes widened, his pulse quickening. The room felt like it was closing in on him, and he had to grip the edge of a nearby desk to steady himself. This was insane. Absolutely insane.
"You're...from the future?"' He replied very shakily, stepping away from his teacher slightly. He had never expected his teacher, a friend to his caretaker for many years, was also connected to all this.
Welt only nodded, his gaze unwavering.
"Yes, I know it's a lot to take in, but I want to help you navigate this."
"But, that's impossible. You've been teaching for over twelve years—"
Welt's expression softened, and he leaned back slightly, giving Dan Heng the space to process his words. The teacher's eyes held a mixture of understanding and empathy, as if he had known this line of questioning would come.
"It's not as straightforward as it might seem," Welt began, his voice measured. "My presence here is part of a complex interplay of events that I can't fully explain myself. Now—I want you to tell me everything you know."
The request was a simple one, and yet it felt like a monumental task. Dan Heng racked his brain, recalling everything you shared with him at the beach—making sure he didn't miss even the tiniest detail.
The student took a deep breath, his gaze focusing on Mr. Yang. He felt a flicker of trust, a belief that Welt was someone who could understand what he was grappling with.
"On her final day, she revealed to me that she was a time traveler. I couldn't believe it at first, but the way her eyes—there was no way I could deny it. Everything she did, her behavior...it all points to that," he felt a pull at his heart, the pain he suppressed from that day coming up to the surface once more, as he relived his memories of you.
"She explained that there is only has a certain amount of time she can be in a particular period, and to my understanding it was 30 days. Since then, she's disappeared. I want to see her again...I just want to see her, even for a few seconds so I can say—"
Dan Heng stopped, unable to continue his sentence. The older man was listening attentively to him, feeling a sting at his own heart. He had never seen the boy this vulnerable before.
Even Welt wasn't fool enough to not recognize this.
He didn't just miss this girl; the way his eyes shined while talking about her, and how his voice grew softer in her regard—that's right, he didn't miss her, Dan Heng truly loved her. A love that was pure and forthright in nature.
Mr. Yang found solace in this, the warming feeling in his heart overcame all the anxiety. Although he had breached his code and revealed time travel to an outside person, he felt as though this was the right thing to do—to help his student. It's a simple oath all teachers strive to fulfill as they pursue their careers.
"Is that the extent of your knowledge?" Dan Heng shook his head slightly, his brows furrowing.
"No... I also have some information about how far into the future she came from. The student council president gave me this." He carefully pulled the piece of paper from his pocket and laid it on Welt's desk.
The teacher's gaze fixed on the paper, a flicker of consternation crossing his features. "Of course Kafka would be aware too," he muttered in a tone that betrayed his exasperation. "I should have anticipated as much."
Dan Heng's confusion grew, and he looked at the older male. "But... I don't understand. How are you able to remain here for so long? Shouldn't you have returned to your own time? Does that mean... does that mean that she can also stay here longer? Can she come back?"
Welt's gaze shifted from the paper to the boy, his features showing a mix of sympathy and regret. He took a deep breath before he began to explain, his words feeling heavy in his chest.
"Dan Heng, my situation is a bit different from hers," he began, his voice carrying a somber tone. "I was... more of a test run, so to speak. The time travel technology was still experimental when back then, and something went wrong during the process. Though it was many years ago, I'm sure Svarog has created safer ways to use that damned thing. I'm glad she was able to return without a hitch."
A melancholic smile tugged at his lips as he gazed off into the distance, lost in memories of a his old life long past. "As for me—I'm stuck in this time period permanently. I can't return to my own era. I've tried, believe me. But the anomaly—the method that old tin-can used for time travel—it won't allow me to go back."
He paused, his gaze returning to Dan Heng, who was absorbing his words with a sad realization. "And there's another important detail you should know. The ability to warp through eras, to use the anomaly, is a one-time occurrence. After the first journey, for some reason, the anomaly becomes closed off to that person. No one can travel back twice."
"So...that's really it then," he scoffed in disbelief, bringing a hand up to his spinning head, "how did you even know she was from the future?"
Mr. Yang's eyes fixed on the young man, holding a something of fondness and nostalgia.
"It was her painting," he said softly, as if reliving a memory. "When she turned her work in, I recognized the labels of a particular paint set she used. It was a special blend that originated from the area I grew up in."
The silence stretched between them for a moment, heavy with unspoken thoughts. Finally, his student's voice broke through the stillness, his question tentative.
"Did you ever... tell her?"
Welt's gaze softened as he met Dan Heng's eyes. "No," he admitted, a wistful smile playing at his lips. "I couldn't bring myself to. I almost tried one time—but she freaked out. In the end, I decided it was best for her to discover her own path."
His words held a touch of sadness, but also a quiet understanding. He had wrestled with the desire to reach out, to offer guidance, but in the end, he had chosen to let you navigate your journey independently.
"I've just been a silent observer." Another bout of stillness befall the two males, each quietly coming to terms with their new revelations.
"Am I really never going to see her again?"
Dan Heng's words hung in the air, and Welt regarded him with an understanding conscious. He could see the pain the young man carried, the struggle to reconcile, the longing for what once was and the uncertainty of what lay ahead.
"Dan Heng, this present is a journey filled with twists and turns, joys and sorrows. It's a journey that we often can't fully understand, but we must learn to embrace."
He paused for a moment, his gaze softening as he continued, "You're searching for her, holding onto a memory that feels like it's slipping away. That's only an illusion created by yourself, because that which has been—is what will always be."
His student's gaze held contemplation. Dan Heng took a few moments to think over Mr. Yang's words, finding some comfort in them.
"Do you have regrets?"
The older man turned reflective upon hearing this, his eyes seemingly traveling back through the years.
"Yes," he admitted softly, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "I do have my regrets, moments I wish I could change." He shifted in his chair, propping his leg up on the other.
Welt chuckled as he spoke, "But I've also come to realize that living in the past isn't so bad."
He looked back at Dan Heng, his gaze holding a kind of serenity that could only come from a life well-lived. "So, with that, let's find her, shall we?"
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╰┈➤ UNEDITED ✦
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𝗔 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲
𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙚
Bless you. « ╮
𝙆𝙖𝙛𝙠𝙖
╰ » no way
╰ » did Bladie really just text me first?
╰ » that's a...first hahaha
𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙚
Is it really that surprising? « ╮
𝙆𝙖𝙛𝙠𝙖
╰ » yes!
𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙚
Why are you sneezing anyways? « ╮
Karma finally caught up to you? « ╮
𝙆𝙖𝙛𝙠𝙖
╰ » hahahah maybe someone was taking about me
𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙚
When are they not... « ╮
ᴿᴱᴬᴰ ³:⁴⁷
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