"Hye Dodak, in accordance with the laws of the Council of the Timeless, you have been judged. Due to your crimes, you are sentenced to death. You shall be executed immediately without any further delays."
As the booming voice of the jury echoed throughout the hallway, the executioner carried his sword forward towards the kneeling Dodak. The cuffs on his hands kept him physically and magically restrained, the power inhibitors within them preventing all powers from being activated. He was a sitting duck in front of the Council.
He had to try everything he could to escape. He could not die like this.
He channeled his bottled-up anger, pushing and forcing any ounce of magic he could conjure. Nothing.
The executioner was advancing slowly, as if tempting him and dragging out his death. It was like watching death walk towards you while you were paralysed, helpless, and defenceless.
"Come on..."
He thought of all the people who had given themselves up to allow him to reach this point. If he had perished now, would all their sacrifices not be in vain? He could not let them down like that.
His face twitched as he struggled to conjure his magic. Sweat flowed from his forehead and dripped into his eyes, stinging them. The sweat mixed with blood as it trickled down his nose, a sign of overexertion.
He focused once again, replaying all the brutal deaths and scenes he had witnessed, letting his emotions take control over him. The raining of swords, the burning of flesh, the endless flow of blood. It all helped to channel his magic.
With a final push, his hands started to glow a bright green and soon, the light enveloped the hallway. The handcuffs exploded and fell to the ground clanging. The guards readied their spears and charged forward at him. The many bystanders who had wanted him dead began wielding their weapons and conjuring their spells. There was no way he could fight his way out.
So he did what he thought of first. He had to get out of here by any means necessary.
He waved his hands and a bright green glow emanated from them. He reshaped the energy into a shock wave and released it, knocking down all the surrounding enemies. Then, with a snap of his finger, he disappeared.
The onlookers could only curse and scream as they helplessly watched the prisoner before them vanish into thin air, to who knows where.
~~~
Even Dodak did not know where he was headed. He had never used this power of time travel much due to the consequences it could have on the past, present, and future. But what was the point of worrying about the future when the present was at stake?
As he landed on concrete ground, he realised he was in an alleyway of a city. Frantically, he tried to look for clues as to where he was. As he wiped the blood off his nose and walked towards the light, the bright rays of the sun hit his face. He had missed that so very much.
He observed his surroundings and it hit him - he was in Seoul. The lack of violence and plethora of food stores, combined with almost no blacksmiths and armouries indicated that he had likely travelled to a time before the apocalypse.
However, to be safe, he disguised himself and hid his identity. He explored the city and realised how much had changed. He wanted to go back to how it was before, where one did not have to worry about tomorrow's survival, where monsters did not destroy cities, and where people did not constantly plot to backstab and kill each other. He forgot how much he loved the peace of the old world.
That was when, far away, he spotted the person who could change his fate. He looked so young, with a perfect middle parting and his favorite green shirt. His face was so worry-free, even though Dodak knew he was not, but the stress had not taken a visible toll on him yet.
He quickened his pace and bumped into the man before swinging him into an alleyway. He pinned the man to a wall and stared into his eyes.
"Woah ma'am, do you need something?"
Dodak had forgotten he had transformed. He visualised his original body in his head and shifted back into it. The look of horror on the man's face was astoundingly funny.
"You're... me?"
"Listen. I don't have much time. I just need to tell you a few things. No matter what happens in the future, you have to stay strong."
"Mhm."
"Don't trust anyone, don't trust anything, always think before you act. I say this from experience, as you can tell."
As Dodak continued speaking, he realised his body was slowly fading away. He had broken the rules of time, and time was fighting back.
"I can't tell you much, and I really wish I could. I might screw up the whole timeline but whatever, this part is really important. Don't ever trust the Council."
"Who even is that?"
Dodak had now disintegrated into a floating head, and his face was slowly disappearing into the wind like sand.
"And remember, you're useless. You'll never be better than anyone."
~~~
Dodak had the craziest day of his life.
He was walking down the street towards his usual tteokbokki store, where Jisung was waiting, when a pretty, middle-aged woman collided with him and dragged him into an alleyway. For a moment, he thought she was going to rob him.
She said some words that made Dodak confused, then degraded him. But most shocking of all, she turned into him. But he was not him. The other Dodak was older, with dark circles under his eyes that made him look more haggard and mysterious. He spoke with an aura of wisdom that felt mature and ancient, as if he had seen the end of the world. It was scary.
"What the hell?"
Dodak did not believe in the supernatural. He was logical and precise, abiding by the principles and facts. Perhaps that was what made him such a fantastic coder. He understood code and operations like no one else. It simply ran through his veins.
"Dude, what are you even doing in this random alley? No way you got lost, right?"
The familiar figure was walking and stopped at the entrance of the alleyway. He started waving towards Dodak, signalling for him to come forward.
"I just... It's nothing."
"Hmm, okay. Hurry up though, we're gonna be late for our tteokbokki."
~~~
"Reservation for Han Jisung, table for 2?"
"That's right."
As Dodak and Jisung entered the restaurant, Dodak was amazed at the ambiance. The high ceilings created an open atmosphere in the otherwise exclusive dining area, while the grand chandeliers that hung from above illuminated the establishment in an inward caving pattern, creating a spotlight on the middle seats. The matte black walls caved in on the diners while the side of the restaurant that was facing the ocean was built with large, glass panels. The interesting contrasts in the design made Dodak feel out of place. He was used to simple plain white walls with the occasional poster for decorations. These fancy decor were foreign to him.
"Jisung, you really didn't have to bring me here. You have so many other friends."
"You're on this again. If you're worried about the bill, it's fine. I got it. Just enjoy the meal. Your company is all that I wanted."
Dodak could only resign himself to his fate as his eye twitched ever so slightly.
He was unsure of how to feel. It did not seem like Jisung had any bad intentions, nor did it feel like he was trying to flaunt his wealth. But what did not sit right with Dodak was how he could just throw away his money like that. He knew that Jisung was rich, but to use it so carelessly like this ticked him off, especially with his current situation.
"If you say so."
Dodak had only known Jisung at the start of the year during their orientation, but they soon got close.
"Should we get the signature tteobeoki? Or the summertime special?"
Their outings always went the same way - Jisung, being the ball of sunshine that he was, would always find new places for them to go, new things to do. Dodak would just follow along, like a cat with its owner. He liked all these excursions with Jisung, and he appreciated the effort the aforementioned put into these. However, he never understood why Jisung did not get bored of him and why he did not just go out with any of his many other friends. Dodak knew he was a boring person to be around.
"Definitely the signature tteobeoki. Also, I hate to ruin the mood, but I need to get back to campus by 4 for a project. So we still have about 4 hours."
Jisung merely replied with a vibrant smile, one that melted Dodak's defences and annoyances as soon as he set his eyes upon it.
"Sure thing."