After Two Decades
The Face is not Foreign(2)

A pasture? Where am I. I stood up in confusion for a moment. After I've researched, this is not a meadow. But an empty field of a newly opened forest. There were still some trees standing, while other trees were seen already felled. It turns out I didn't fall in the meadow, it's just that I fell right on the ground overgrown with grass.

I looked around. My eyes found someone standing just as confused as me, a few meters back there. I recognized that person immediately.

"Jan," call me. "Come here!"

My friend came closer. He smiled as soon as he arrived.

"We're here, Jan!" my spoken.

"Yeah," Jan exclaimed looking so enthusiastic. "Finally, we get to the past. I really can't believe this."

He looked around this vast land. With a face that was initially amazed and fascinated that this scene in the past, then changed to be astonished and confused because he did not know where this place was.

"Ren," he said at last. "We were actually two decades ago, right?"

"Of course" I answered.

"But where is this?" tanyakanya. "Does that Past Gate serve for teleportation as well? I mean, would if we went into the past we'd arrive in just any random place or in a certain place?"

"Not really," I answered.

"Why are we here?"

"Let me explain," I said. "When we are about to begin the journey of time, we must determine the date, month, and year we want. However, we cannot determine the place we want to go."

"Then, it means we'll arrive at a random place, right?"

"No," I insisted. "We will remain in the place where we began the passage of time, it's just that the surrounding conditions will change to be as at the time we specify."

"Huh?" Jan who was busy looking at the scene directly instead of looking at me. "So you mean we ...."

"Yes," cut me. "We were at the site of the city's auditorium building, two decades ago."

"Well, crazy," exclaimed Jan. "It turns out that two decades ago the building had not been built. It is still empty land that has just been opened. Look at all these fallen trees!"

"Yes, that's it. I just found out, too. I was also confused about where we are, but I was reminded of the working principle of this Ward that Prof explained. Ram yesterday."

"Hmmm," Jan nodded. "I feel alien staring at this sight. It's a little strange to imagine that our city used to be green, considering that it's full of tight buildings."

"Alright, buddy!" I said as I started to step. "You don't want to stay there, do you? Let's go for a walk."

Jan smiled knot. It also follows me. We tread carefully through the wooden trunks that stretch across there. I looked far into the front. Several tens of meters ahead, there are highways and tall buildings opposite it. Which of the new high-rise buildings numbered a few and stood not too tight.

"Ren," said Jan, pausing for a moment from his steps. "Please check my back for a second. Please clean it up if it's dirty!"

I smiled while looking at it. As I continued, I replied, "Not at all!"

"You haven't even seen it yet" Jan protested. He rushed to follow me with wonder.

"Yes, but I already know that the suit you are wearing is not even a little dirty" I replied.

"What do you mean?" jan asked confused. "So I fell on a dirty piece of land, Ren. How could it not be dirty in the slightest?"

"Because we're in the past" I said.

"Want to?"

"You must understand the important principle of looking at the past, that what we do here will have no effect on the original condition. On the contrary, what is here will have no effect on us. That's why even if you fall on dirty ground, your suit won't get dirty. After all, our form here is just a visual of virtual reality."

"Alright," Jan nodded. "Is that what it means we can't come into contact with the people here?"

"Exactly," I answered. "We won't be able to come into contact with the people here. They won't see us. What we're seeing here is exactly what happened two decades ago, there's not going to be any change."

"Should it?"

"That's all that can happen. It was already designed in the early planning of the Ward. That is the absolute law that needs to be considered when you want to create a time machine. Our world is not like a fictional movie, just learn to accept reality."

"Haha, right too, buddy!" concluded Jan.

Not felt because busy chatting, we arrived at the end of the land. On the side of the highway, where conditions are already crowded. Old cars passing by, old motorcycles. Looking at the shopping area across the street, or the building next to it, or the traveling ice vendor who happened to be riding a motorcycle, I really felt a nostalgic scent. Two decades ago. Makes me smile and remember everything.

***

"I swear, seeing the ancient paint on the wall was enough to make miss repeat everything" said Jan. We were standing on the front fence of the building. Stare at the deserted school garden and its classroom building that stands not far from there.

"There's sadness and there's a need to remember what we've been through here" I added. "We are the most dangerous youth duo, Junior said. It all started here."

"True, it's amazing." Jan was so enthusiastic. He researched every inch of our school building. I am the same myself. It doesn't feel good to enjoy all this nostalgia for an hour or two, I want a day here, but it's impossible. The time we spent here went the same as the time in the next two decades where people were waiting for us in the auditorium. So, if we stay here one day, one day they wait for us to return to the future.

"Hey, Ren!"

"Eh," I gasped from the daydream.

"What do you most want to see here?" ask Jan.

"Hmm, you see this!" my answer. I opened the palm wrapped in gloves. There it lights up a small screen that displays a control panel with various columns of choice.

"Well, it turns out these gloves are useful!" Jan was amazed.

"Of course, this is the control tool for us here."

"So, what do you want to do?"

"It." I pressed the screen on my palm. In the second I pressed on that screen, the sky suddenly changed. The sunlight changed rapidly. You can see the morning sun moving up, people on the move or vehicles passing by, all moving very fast as in the accelerated video.

"Well, crazy!" jan exclaimed while staring at the sky. "You speed up time?"

"That's it," I said. "Aren't we just watching past videos. So we can at will speed up, slow down, advance, rewind, or stop time. It's like watching a video."

"It's cool, pal."

"Now look at school!" my spoken.

Jan who was cool looking at the sky immediately looked back at the school. I've stopped speeding up time, it's up to the hour I mean. The surrounding situation had returned to running at normal speed.

"Eh?" Jan immediately gawked as he stared at the school garden. In the middle of the park, my little one was mobbed by six school-bound children. My red and white uniform was shabby and disheveled, my innocent face staring at the opponent full of hatred. However, I was unable to do anything. I'm ten years old. My body is frail and weak, unable to resist. Moreover, those six brats are all my upperclassmen and their bodies are bigger than mine. Then they really ganged on me. All fists, punches, laps, kicks float to every part of my body. I could only grimace, exclaim, complain of enduring the pain. It lasted long enough. Their ferocity did not stop before my body fell onto the garden grass. I was lying limp, and they left laughing triumphantly.

"Mir ...." Jan was at a loss for words. He was really gawking, glaring, looking at the scene in front of him. You can see how angry it is. I myself just smiled looking at myself lying so limp. Sad, but I'm proud I was able to rise and grow stronger.

"Where are others?" ask Jan. "Where was I that day? I've never seen you persecuted that brutally, why didn't I show up?"

"It's usually not that bad because you always come to beat them up, but today you didn't attend school. They made me the moons. The other children and the teacher have gone home. I'm going home, too, but they dragged me here."

"Bad!" exclaim Jan.

"That's it, buddy!" my spoken. "Don't look at me lying down, look at me next to you now. Who would dare to challenge me now?"

"True, too" Jan nodded. "I'm proud you finally got this way."

"That's why I want to see this one more time" I said. "I just want to remember how a painful childhood has brought me up to be this strong."

"Buddy, can you give up a little bit of time?" ask Jan suddenly.

"For what?"

"Please play again the cruel scene earlier," said Jan. "I want to see again the faces of the hoodlum boy more thoroughly."

"For what?"

"I've forgotten their faces, pal. I don't know where they are anymore. So I want to see his face again. Later when we return to the future, I'll find these people and we'll have our revenge!"

"Huh?" I'm dumbfounded. "That's a bad move, Jan, but it seems exciting too, all right!"

Jan laughed straight away.

I opened the screen. Time back to a few minutes ago. Scene recurring. For the second time we saw my petty self in a vile way. And between the fists and the floating lunge, they suddenly froze into statues in their respective positions. All other activities also stopped. I stopped time. To be more free to examine the faces of the damn boys.

"Good, buddy. Let's see who they are, let me mark their faces. They will be ... Hey, wait a minute ...." Jan was immediately shocked and glared in disbelief. He immediately retreated shaking with a frown.

At first I was astonished, but I finally understood why Jan was so shocked. Because I myself was no less shocked after staring at the faces of the boys who ganged at me. How not, after we researched, their faces turned out to be very familiar. We know who they are. It was a surprise that really made me shake my head. It's a little hard to believe but we can't possibly see it wrong.

Jan and I looked at each other with faces of disbelief. Then simultaneously saying the same thing.

"Six Dice Eyes!"