The Clock of Memories

Episode 4: "The Web of Fate"

Victor's mind spun like a runaway wagon wheel. The echo of the guardian's words reverberated in his thoughts: "You cannot play with the lines of time without paying the price." He felt the tension building inside him, like a volcano ready to erupt.

In the days following Gabriel's rescue, Victor tried to convince himself that everything had returned to normal. He felt closer to his brother, and that made him feel whole. However, a growing shadow loomed over his interactions with those he loved. Clara, his wife, seemed distant, her eyes often lost in some memory Victor couldn't access. The connection they had shared had become a distant echo, a reminiscence of what it used to be.

One afternoon, Victor decided to sit down with Clara to try to understand what was happening. "Clara, is everything okay between us?" he asked, watching her expression tighten. "I feel like we’re losing something."

She hesitated, the words seeming heavy on her tongue. "I don’t know, Victor. Sometimes, I feel like you’re not completely present. Like something is pulling you away from me."

The pain of her words hit him like a punch to the gut. "I’m here. I’ll always be here," he promised, but the sincerity in his voice didn’t seem enough.

Later, Victor met with Ana, his coworker, at a café. He felt an instant connection with her, as if their conversations were a balm for his tormented soul. But even that relationship began to slip through his fingers. In a moment of vulnerability, Ana remarked, "You seem distant, Victor. What’s going on? I feel like there’s something heavy on you."

"It’s complicated," he replied, his heart tightening. "I’m just… dealing with some things."

Ana looked deeply into his eyes, and for a brief moment, Victor had the sensation that she could see through his façade. "Sometimes it’s good to share the weight, you know."

He wanted to open up, to tell her about the watch and the changes that had occurred, but the words wouldn’t come. The fear of losing more than he already had paralyzed him. So, he pulled away, leaving Ana and her concern behind.

Time passed, but the sense of loss intensified. The relationship with Gabriel, which had seemed so solid and genuine, began to fade. They spent hours together playing video games and reminiscing about childhood moments, but with each laugh, there was a shadow that loomed, as if something was about to be revealed.

One night, while they were sitting on the couch, Gabriel asked, "Victor, have you ever felt like you don’t belong anywhere?" The question caught Victor off guard. What did his brother mean? "What are you talking about?"

"I don’t know, sometimes it’s like I’m living someone else’s life," Gabriel said, his gaze distant. "I feel like there’s something not right."

Victor’s heart raced. "Gabriel, don’t say that. You are exactly who you should be." But as he spoke, a chill ran down his spine, as if an unspoken truth was about to emerge.

In the following days, Victor began to notice small changes around him. The coffee Clara used to make no longer tasted the same. Gabriel's laughter, once a source of joy, now echoed strangely, tinged with a sadness Victor couldn’t grasp. Even his marriage, which should have been an anchor in his life, was on the brink of collapse, with arguments arising over trivial matters and constant misunderstandings.

He tried to return to the watch, but the thought of using that artifact again felt like betrayal. At the same time, he felt he needed to know more about what was happening. "What if I can’t fix what I’ve done? What if everything I tried to save is lost forever?" The questions haunted his mind.

One night, he decided he could no longer leave his fate to chance. "If I can’t change what I’ve done, maybe I can understand what I’ve lost." He grabbed the watch, took a deep breath, and activated it once more. The light enveloped him, and he was pulled into a new vision.

He found himself in a crucial moment of his life: his wedding day to Clara. Love and joy were etched on the faces of everyone present. He saw the happiness in her eyes, but something felt out of place. A distant echo filled the air, as if a voice were whispering warnings.

“Victor, are you listening to me?” The guardian's voice echoed in his mind. “Remember that every action has consequences.”

Before he could respond, the scene dissolved, and Victor was pulled into another memory: a sunny day in the park, playing ball with Gabriel. Laughter surrounded them, but when he looked closer, he noticed a shadow behind his brother, a nebulous outline that seemed to emanate sadness and despair.

“No, it can’t be…” Victor whispered, feeling terror swell in his chest. “I’m losing everything.”

At that moment, everything went dark, and he found himself back in the basement, the watch still in his hands, but now reality lay in tatters around him. The shadow of what he had lost seemed to hover before him, and the feeling of loss was overwhelming.

Desperate, he looked around, hoping something would become clear. “What do I do now?” he asked the void. But the only answer was the terrifying silence.