"Are you sure you have everything?" Darius asked Kane as he drew the circle.
"Yes. I have everything." He replied as he waited. The night was dark, lit only by the crescent moon and various stars casting their light upon the Earth amidst the few outdoor lamps.
"There." Darius said at last, wiping his brow. A giant array stretched out before him, its complicated symbols and weaving lines gave Kane a headache. "Now, Kane, this is a one way ticket. Once you go you cannot come back as far as I know unless you live these ten years out. You know that right?"
"What's ten years to save two innocent lives?" Kane said in a monotone voice that made you shiver.
"Very true. Come on. We have to go back to the workplace. My basement."
They walked through the night until they came to a small house that stood near to the park. Darius took a key out and let them in. He locked the door behind him and led him down a pair of hidden stairs into a room covered in papers and drawings.
"Sorry. It's a bit messy. Over here." He led him to the array that was the exact same one that had been recently drawn right near the park. "Stand in the center."
Kane did as he asked and went over into the center, looking at it. It had actually been carved into the floor.
"No regrets?" Darius asked, getting to his knees. Kane smiled for the first time in a long while.
"No regrets my friend."
"When you arrive, don't forget to stay out of sight of Nyemah and Jake."
"What…Wh...?" Kane didn't get to finish as Darius put his hands, which held the palm sized Philosopher's Stone to the circle's edge and it lit up a bright green. Darius himself became covered in green markings and then Kane was gone, vanished.
Or so the common person would think.
In reality, Kane was holding tightly to his things while he was being flung through a darkness he didn't know. It was a lit darkness but there was no light. He could see faint images of trees shrinking back as he went back in time, of children growing younger and, for a brief second, himself. He shook his head and then, the next thing he knew, he was standing in the blistering heat of summer near the bench next to the park. He looked over at the bench. It looked like it had just been built.
"That was built in 1915…did it really work?" He looked around. The buildings looked younger and the tree he had been standing next to was shorter and was sprouting green leaves out of its branches instead of losing them. He walked a bit then heard a crunch. He looked down and saw a newspaper that had missed the trash bin. He picked it up and read the date.
"July 3rd, 1916." He read and dropped the paper. Darius was right! It had worked! He was back in 1916! Then Kane thought back to the day Jake had died. It had been July 9th! His death was only six days away! He had to find him.
When you arrive, don't forget to stay out of sight of Nyemah and Jake.
The words sounded through Kane's head. It had been the last thing Darius had said to him. What had it meant? Why did he have to stay out of sight? He ran over to the nearby graveyard. He looked up at the sign. It read 'Central Cemetery'. He walked in, almost daring not to breathe. He looked over at the spot where the tombstones should have been.
And there was no sign of them. Not even the grass they had been out in was touched. He ran out, almost jumping for joy but then remembered his reason for coming back. He ran quickly down the street and into the back alleys where he stopped very quickly. The house was standing upright, looking actually fairly decent. And there was talking inside. He put his things on his back and crept up to the low window. There were voices. Three distinct voices. Kane peered inside just enough to see but not be seen. He knew how his own house worked. He could see Nyemah doubled over in laughter, tears streaming down her face. He could see Jake, laughing at the joke that had made Nyemah burst and then he saw...
Himself?! He saw himself chuckling at the same joke!
All the feelings of joy were swept away and replaced by feelings of utter confusion. And then Kane understood Darius's words. He couldn't allow himself to be seen by his younger self who was constantly around them. And, they would wonder why, if they did see him without the other Kane around, he was so much older. He backed off but stepped on a branch and grimaced as it snapped in half. He heard everything stop and people moving along with very quiet hushes. He got up and hightailed it out of there. He could hear footsteps behind him. He dashed out and down a side street and then turned to look at the pursuer. He saw himself, the ten-year younger Kane chasing after him. He also saw his younger self's eyes open wide as he saw his face and he tripped over a rock he had failed to notice and went skidding on the pavement.
And older Kane made his escape, running and hiding in the Cave as it was called because it was a dark and very downtrodden house that sat rotting near the edge of the Ghetto and no one liked to go inside due to the massive amounts of dust and cobwebs, not to mention rodents. Kane sat on the ground, breathing hard. He took his sack off his back and pulled out a small pistol and held it, pointing up at the ceiling. It was the very gun he had had these ten years ago and had almost gotten rid of it after Jake had died. He was glad he didn't. He had always felt safer with a gun in his pocket or hand.
But he still hoped he wouldn't have to use it. He had just six days to go.
But he had a plan. He just had to figure out how to make it happen.