Time Traveling Hero

The Trial room faded to white, and the crying boy was left hugging nothing but air. He crumpled onto the floor, and he hugged himself tightly, not wanting to release the warmth of the embrace. He sat there in that position, trying hard to burn the memory of his fateful encounter into his brain, wanting to remember everything, to forget everything, and everything in-between, as he slowly gathered the courage to stand again.

Taking a shaky breath, I finally let go, relaxing my body as I slowly got to my feet. The room was an almost blinding white, and had the same endless feel, as if I could wander on and on and never reach the wall. The only thing not white was the door, which had a green light above it, probably telling me the Trial was over. I clutched my key tightly before shuffling my way toward the door, the pain in my legs causing me to stumble.

I stopped once I reached the door, unsure how I was supposed to feel. Looking around the room one last time to see if I missed anything, I pulled the door open and walked out, the Trial of the Past complete.

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"He passed." One of the researchers said in shock.

Everyone had gathered around to look at the screen, and amidst all the failures he had received, at the very bottom of the list was a singular word printed out in green letters.

"Success."

After 999 failed attempts, Hiro had passed on the 1000th one, the most attempts anyone has ever taken in the Trial of the Past, blowing out the previous record of 50 attempts.

"He did pass, right?" Hebe asked, looking at a nearby clock. It had been almost 30 minutes since he had passed, and he had yet to exit the first Trial room.

"Maybe he kicked the bucket? Wouldn' be the firs' time!" Deimos chuckled, finding the entire situation amusing. Anna glared at him from behind before walking up to the glass.

"Master Hiro is not dead. He is probably tired."

"You might have a point there," Mars muttered. "It's unheard of for anyone to take this many attempts at the Trial of the Past, the easiest of the three. I would be tired too if I had to go through whatever hell you go through."

"It's open." Astraea commented. Everybody turned toward the room except for Anna, who left swiftly, about to meet Hiro.

The taker of the trial stumbled out, and everyone was hushed into silence by his appearance.

"Wh-what happened in there?" one of the researchers stammered, adjusting his glasses to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating.

Hiro, in short, looked like a dead man walking. His legs looked like a wild beast had mauled them near to shreds, with blood dripping down his open wounds. His clothes, ripped in the same manner as his legs, were also covered in blood and sweat. His eyes, which were puffy from crying, were bloodshot. He looked substantially thinner then when he first went in, and his face had hollowed out. His skin color, which had been a once vibrant c.h.e.s.tnut, had now paled to a light cinnamon, and clutched his body tightly, as if he was startled by his surroundings.

"How is he alive?" Deimos asked, voicing out everybody's thoughts. Before anyone could respond, he turned his gaze toward the one-sided glass.

"...again."

His voice was hoarse, and dark gaze he shot at them caused everybody to shake in fear as he repeated his words once more.

"Never. Again."

Those two words carried all the emotional, mental, and physical stress he had carried with him throughout the Trial, and it scared the observers into a frightened silence, unable to respond to his words.

Having finished his statement, he shuffled toward the nearby table and collapsed into one of the chairs, and started to breath heavily, his wounds finally starting to take its toll.

Mars was the first one to snap out of their fear struck stupor. "Hebe, you know what to do."

Hebe didn't answer, her eyes locked on the boy who made her lose her resolve.

"Hey! Get in there if you don't want the boy to die!" Mars shook Hebe out of her stupor, and she started to shake.

"But..."

"GO!"

She took a shaky breath and nodded, scurrying away to address to his dire wounds.

"...He really is something else," Astraea managed to sputter out, her fear slowly starting to vanish. "He actually managed to frighten us. How... astonishing."

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This isn't good, I thought as I glanced at my bleeding legs. I had lost way too much blood while in the Trial, causing me a severe case of lightheadedness, also making me unable to catch my breath. Add to the fact that I had been up for God knows how long without food or sleep, and you had a dangerous combination on your hands.

I turned my attention away from my legs and looked at the other two doors. The middle door had its once darkened letters illuminated by a red light, and it read Present. The letters above the Trial of the Past had changed to a green, while the letters over the last door were still dark. I guess you have to pass them in order to unlock the next one.

The door on the opposite side of the room was opened, and Hebe walked through, a nervous look on her face as she approached me.

"H-hi!"

I didn't respond, or more like I didn't really have the strength to talk anymore. She was shaking as she approached me and pulled up a chair next to me before sitting down.

What's her problem? I thought as looked at her. She was avoiding my gaze and was nervously eating her lollipop. She was twirling her shoulder-length hair around her finger and would occasionally look at my legs.

"Hey Hebe, I already told you what you need to do!"

"Eep!" She jumped at the sound of the voice and turned toward the one-way window. "But, but!"

"Do it or else!"

She turned back towards me, a look of disappointment on her childish face. She hesitated, and then she held out her hand, as if expecting to me understand what she wanted. I could only tilt my head in response, hoping she would get my confusion.

She pouted at my response before muttering a single word.

"Legs."

I stared back down at my legs, which were still bleeding profusely, and looked back at her hand. I guess she wants to examine them? I brought my wounded legs toward her hand, where she quickly grabbed one and started to examine it with widened eyes.

"How did this happen?" she asked, astounded by the depths of my injuries. "I'm pretty sure you don't fight anything in the Trials, so what happened?"

Hey, don't ask me. I don't know what happened to them either, they just ended up like this somehow after I blacked out.

"Hmm, I guess I'll deal with them." She started to stroke a single finger across one of my scratches, and the wound started to fade away as if it was never there.

"W-what...?" I managed to ask, surprised by this strange turn of events. Was she like me too then? And if so, is she a healer?

She smiled at my reaction. "My powers aren't really suited for combat, but I can make your wounds disappear like they never existed." She continued to make my wounds vanish one by one, until she had finished with one leg.

She grabbed the other one and did the same thing, and just like that, I was no longer in danger of bleeding out. She patted both of my legs before setting them down.

I got up and walked around the room for a test l.a.p, and sure enough, all the pain was gone. She nodded at her handiwork, pleased with herself.

"Yep, I'm glad you ended up okay! It would've been bad if you had died."

I could only nod in appreciation. I sat back down in front of her and let out a small sigh. Well, it seems like that's one problem solved. I suddenly heard an otherworldly growl come from my stomach, and both the hunger and thirst hit me at the same time.

"Oh, are you hungry?" Hebe asked, offering the lollipop in her mouth. I profusely denied and looked down at my stomach. It let out another unearthly growl, and I could only m.o.a.n in response.

And as if to my rescue, Anna walked in, juggling a large amount of fast food and water, probably for me. I lit up at the sight and smell of food and walked up to her excitedly.

She handed me the food, and my stomach lurched with anticipation, begging me to start eating. Ignoring the urge to eat, I stared at her, hoping she could read my face to get the message.

"I knew you could do it, Master Hiro," she said simply. "You are welcome for the food as well." So she did get it. She walked to the table and set down the water before pulling up a chair next to me, on the opposite side of Hebe. I dumped the food down onto the table and sat down.

I was about to go through my ritual when a memory of my mother passed through my head, doing the same thing I was about to do. I froze as the memory faded away. I took a deep breath and relaxed. Not right now, I thought as I clapped my hands together.

"Thank you for the food," I said hoarsely before grabbing a bottle of water and downing it in 10 seconds. I grabbed a burger and shoveled it down my throat as fast as possible, trying to sate my hunger quickly.

"Man, he eats fast, doesn't he?"

"Master Hiro does indeed eat fast."

Both girls watched as I devoured my food into the bottomless pit known as my stomach. I paused to burp before letting out a sigh. I had gotten through about half of the food and drinks already, but I was still hungry as hell, albeit not as much as before.

"I have to wonder what sort of Trial you had to go through in order for you to go through that many attempts," Hebe pondered as I relaxed a bit.

"Whatever the Trial, Master Hiro will pass without fail."

She says that, but I honestly don't even know how I passed. Forcing me to relive that nightmare over and over again, to continually have both emotional and mental breakdowns throughout it all, I honestly have to wonder how I'm sane right now. Who knows, maybe I became insane in order to pass the Trial of the Past.

I shook my head before stuffing my face with more food and water. I really shouldn't be thinking about this right now. I know if I do, I might not want to take the other two trials...

I finished the last of the food and water before letting out a loud burp and sighing into relaxation. I guess it was about time to ask some questions.

"So, did you know what was going to happen?" I asked, my voice coming out softly. Luckily, it seemed to be coming back quickly.

Hebe looked alarmed as she heard my voice. "Yo-you can speak again!?" Her frightened demeanor came back, and she started to shake again.

"Yeah, the food and water really helped," I responded, trying to make eye contact with the girl. "Hey, you've been acting rather strange. Are you okay?"

"Eh!? Oh, yep, I'm okay! Totally not scared or anything! Nope, not in the slightest!"

I scratched my head at the awkward response, not sure how to go forward from here. "Okay, well, did you know or not? I just want to know a few things is all."

"Oh, well no, we really had no way to know what your Trial was going to be like. The Trial of the Past and Present are specifically catered to the taker after all."

"That's good. Cause if you did know..." I trailed off, the meaning behind the words very clear.

"Eek!" She jumped back in surprise, her amethyst eyes widening in fear.

"Master, it is not nice to do that people, even if I don't like them as well," Anna chastised, albeit insulting Hebe in the process.

"Yeah whatever. How long was I in there anyway?"

"Master was in there for a full day."

Wait, I spent only a day in there? It felt like a damn eternity! Hebe noticed my shocked reaction and scratched her purple hair. "Yeah, it can pretty difficult to tell how much time has passed. Did you assume it was shorter?"

"Longer. Way longer. I thought I was in there for at the very least a week."

"Master should get better at keeping track of time if he wants to be the Time Traveling Hero."

"Don't you know that heroes always arrive late?"

"Are you three done in there?" Said a new voice through some speakers. Hebe tensed up and turned toward the wall with the one-sided mirror.

"I have more questions, so get lost," I growled out, starting to get annoyed.

Silence was my answer, so I assumed I got granted more time. I decided to be rapid fire about my questions.

"How much 'Hero Factor' does one need to take these Trials?"

"Only 50. Me and the other Seated have a 'Hero Factor' of zero, so we can never take the Trials. Also, only one person can take the Trials at the time, so while us two are in here, you can't continue unless you leave or the average 'Hero Factor' amongst the people in the room is at least 50."

"What's the average amount time people take the Trial of the Past?"

Hebe giggled at the question. "Not as much as you. Most people pass it between the first and 10th try, with the previous record being 50 tries. Of course, you broke that by a ridiculous amount."

"How many attempts do I get for the Trials of the Present and Future?"

"Only one. Although, you can't actually fail the Trial of the Future in the Traditional sense."

Huh? What did that mean? My face must have revealed what I was thinking, because Hebe tried to explain what she meant almost immediately.

"I guess the simplest way of putting it is, the only way to fail is if you decide to forgo the Trial altogether?"

"Why are you saying it like a question?"

"Because I don't know much about it. I'm new compared to the other Seated, so I haven't actually seen anyone pass the Trials. Both me and Deimos are new in case you were wondering."

I wasn't, but thanks for the info, I guess. I sighed and looked at the middle door. In truth, if it was anything like the previous Trial, I didn't want to take it. I couldn't handle anything like that again. I would actually die if that happened.

"Well, that's all the questions I have, so scram already."

Hebe got the message and left immediately while Anna ignored my words. Instead, she gently stroked my head, her usual expression her otherwise gorgeous face.

"You can do it Master Hiro."

"...I don't know if I can." I responded truthfully, not entirely sure if I wanted to go through another hell of my own making. No, I most definitely didn't want to.

"Was it hard?" She asked, still patting my head.

"..."

"My special friend told me that if it is hard, you should rely on others. So Master Hiro, I know you can do it, because I am supporting you as best as I can."

She really was too kind, I thought as I looked into her yellow eyes. "Yeah, it was hard. So hard I didn't know if I could do it."

"Then know that Anna is cheering you on Master."

I smiled, the first smile I had since I left the Trial room. "I'll keep it in mind."

And she left, the door sealing shut behind her. At least I have a supporter, and a reason not to fail now, although I had a feeling I always had them.

I got up from my seat and stretched my aching body before turning toward the middle door, with the red letters of "Present" above them.

I could only hope that it was far simpler than I was giving it credit for. I walked toward the door and gripped the handle before all my doubts started to surface again.

Could I do this? If I fail, I'll fail for real this time. What happens if I'm faced with something I'm not fully prepared for? How about another breakdown, how would I recover? I don't want to fail Anna's expectations, nor my own, but I've lost almost all my confidence. My skills aren't useful in these Trials, not to mention I failed to use my special trick in the previous Trial? If I couldn't even be calm enough to try to think things out, how could I be expected to actually be the Time Traveling Hero? I know what I told Purple Anna, but I might actually fail here, and then what? She would come back out and I would be left stuck with a disaster on my hands. Maybe it would be for the best if someone else became the Time Traveling Hero. I am just your average highschooler, who is at the top in academics for the entire student body. But what good is that worth in actually being a hero? I was just deluding myself into thinking I could do this, trying to make myself fit into a role I'm clearly not meant to be in. So, maybe I should just...

Right when I was about to let go of the door handle, I heard an emotionless voice speak.

"I believe in you Hiro."

Not even a master before it, just plain Hiro. I sighed as I cast my doubts away. It was foolish of me to hesitate. All that matters is completing the task in front of me.

I swung the door inwards and walked into another room similar to the Trial of the Past. The door closed shut, and the voice of the Trial spoke into my head before I blacked out.

"Tame the wily Present."

Trial of the Present: Start!