Time Masters (Grave x Wiki)

[True Grave]

Ken Toyama awoke one warm September morning and immediately felt a sense of melancholy wash over him. His father had recently been killed in a car accident and his loss left a big hole in the young man’s life. He had taken a week off from school for the funeral and to mourn, but now it was time to go back. Getting out of bed, Ken walked over to a small box sitting on his desk. He had inherited this small box from his father but had no idea what was in it. He had been too busy grieving to open the box and so it had been just sitting on his desk for the last few days.

After reaching down, Ken opened the box and was surprised by what he saw. Inside was a plain, unadorned copper ring. After picking it up, he did notice that the ring was unusual despite its mundane appearance. It seemed to be double layered, something he had never seen on a ring before. Within the box was also a small, folded up piece of paper. Ken picked it up, unfolded it, and began to read.

Ken, if you’re reading this, it means that I’m no longer with you. Since I won’t be needing it anymore, I want you to have my most prized possession. That ring looks unremarkable but houses an amazing power. Twist the ring if you ever wish to witness its secret. I love you, son. My dearest wish is for you to have a long and happy life.

Ken felt tears well up in his eyes but quickly wiped them away. After folding the letter and placing it gently back into the box, he examined the ring. This plain piece of jewelry had amazing power? Ken slipped it on his right hand and left his bedroom. The secrets of this ring would have to wait for now.

He went downstairs and had a quick breakfast. His mom had already left for work and his younger half-sister Toroka had left to go on her morning run. After he finished eating, Ken showered and got dressed in his school uniform. Picking up his bag, he began the walk to school. As he walked, he kept wondering about the ring that he had inherited. What kind of secret power did it have?

After reaching school, Ken went upstairs and into his classroom of 3-1. Several students gave their condolences about his father, which he politely accepted. When the teacher came in, it was time for class to start. Ken took out a notebook to take notes but really wasn’t listening. His mind kept going back to the ring. In spite of everything, he was curious about it.

 

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Rin Ishizuki, a slightly taller girl in her class thought probably also one of the easiest to recognize with her white hair and her somewhat strange clothing though pretty normal combo of white and red. The jacket a bit big on the sleeves as it was easy to see her arms when she raised them, opened to show off her stomach and the red top she had as the rest of the jacket was down just a bit past her knees.

A red tattoo that looked like a band of strange shapes on her upper thigh could also be seen as she walked to the class without very much a care to anything. She sat down, looking over to see the crowd and boy in the middle which obviously didn’t really involve her much and she wasn’t one to be curious about anything like that at all either. Today she would just get through, have her smoke and sleep again like always.

 

[True Grave]

Ken could not stop thinking about his ring as the teacher droned on about things he wasn’t paying attention to. Taking hold of the ring, he realized that the outer layer of the ring could move independently of the inner layer. Giving it a twist, he noticed a change in air pressure. When he looked around, he noticed that no one was moving. The teacher had also stopped talking. A bewildered Ken looked around and couldn't see any trace of movement, as if everyone had turned to stone.

"What in the world?"

Ken got up and waved a hand in front of a male classmate's face. There was absolutely no reaction. Going for broke, he groped a female classmate's breast through her uniform. There was still no reaction. Utter confusion and disbelief swept through Ken.

"This can't be real. I must be dreaming."

He went to a window and looked outside. Birds were frozen in midair, the final proof that all time had stopped. Ken was utterly mystified, so many questions going through his mind. How could such a fantastical power be real?

Taking hold of his ring, he twisted it the other way and felt another change in air pressure. The teacher was talking again and some classmates were looking at him strangely. Ken blushed, realizing that he was standing by the window at a weird time. Returning to his seat, his mind was racing. He had the power to stop time whenever he wanted, something he never believed possible. Looking at his ring, he was stunned by what he could do now.

 

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Rin would feel frozen, though also the fact that her tattoo would glow a bit as something appeared behind her and suddenly it seemed she was in another body, a weird instinct she that sometimes happened on its own. with a new look.

She could see everything was frozen for a moment before seeing that there was one person who didn’t seem to be frozen and all the things from anime and superpowers it seemed he could freeze time or at least she would realize it before suddenly she would feel a sudden jerk as her real moves before going back and the stand disappearing without him noticing anything behind him. “ ok well there’s damn something….”

 

[True Grave]

The rest of the class passed without incident, as did the classes after that. When it was time for lunch, Ken headed to the roof with his lunch. He normally ate lunch in the classroom, but today he wanted to test something out. When he reached the roof, he walked by a group of girls from another class who normally ate there. Going to the edge of the roof, he tossed his bag into the air over the fence. After that, he quickly twisted his ring to see if time would stop again.

The sudden change in air pressure confirmed that time had indeed stopped. His bag hung frozen in the air, the test a resounding success. Ken reached out and took hold of the bag, pulling it toward him as if it were light as a balloon. When he twisted the ring back, time resumed as normal. Heading back downstairs, Ken went back into his classroom. Opening his bag, he began to eat his bento set.

As he was eating, he kept wondering what he should do. Should he ignore this power and continue living his life as normal? Should he try to use his power to help people? Should he take advantage of it to do questionable or even bad things? Ken rejected that last idea but still had no idea what to do. He would put thoughts about the ring aside for now and act like it was just a normal day.

 

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Things didn’t really happen either for her, not thinking much of the strange stand she had now though also the fact it seemed no one even noticed most of the time so she could randomly test the fact about how she could reach farther away or hold something without really moving.

The fact she was using the stands arms or legs and she didn’t need the whole body. It really made her superhuman among normal people that would never notice. The arms would appear with a red glow before disappearing again before finally she would just eat now.

 

[True Grave]

On the other side of town, another young man was painfully aware of Ken using his power. Alex Kane grunted in pain as a bolt seemed to pass across his temples. This was absolute confirmation that there was a Time Master in Japan. Alex rubbed his temples and sighed in annoyance. Of all the times for them to pop up, it had to be while he was in class. If not for that, he would have immediately started the hunt for this other Time Master.

Alex was the heir to Kane Enterprises, a global corporation specializing in the field of electronics. They were one of the biggest names in the industry and had a market share that very few companies could compete with. Of astonishing note was just how quickly the company had grown into a powerhouse, achieving in less than ten years what took most companies decades to achieve. This was attributed to his father's brilliant business acumen and tireless work ethic. The truth was far simpler. Their success was due to the use of a Time Artifact that allowed his father to literally use time to his advantage.

Years ago, before Alex was born, his father Aloysius had received an old pocket watch from his own father. It was a simple copper color and would not have been out of place in the Old West. Despite its plain appearance, it held tremendous power. It could rewind or fast forward time depending on which hinge of the pocket watch was opened. Using this power, Aloysius could rewind time to release innovative technologies before his opponents and beat them to key deals that would expand his business. Within a very short time, Kane Enterprises had become a tech giant and global business leader.

However, on a business trip to Japan, a discovery would change everything for Aloysius. While there, a pain just like Alex had been feeling would occur. An unexplained feeling came over the CEO, telling him that there was another Time Master in the country. Though he searched for them, he could find no trace. His business trip ended and he returned to the United States, though he had no plans to give up his search for the Japanese Time Master. Alex was in high school by this time and wanted to help his father.

They came up with a plan to send Alex to Japan as a foreign exchange student. This would allow them to search without scrutiny. While in Japan, he would be under the care of Nanari Enterprises, a company within the Kane Enterprises umbrella. Alex had a simple directive: use the Time Pocket Watch to locate the Japanese Time Master and acquire their Time Artifact. Alex would not hesitate to do just that. Once school was over, his search would begin in earnest.

 

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The girl would look around feeling an almost sudden awkwardness, though it was maybe the same normal feeling that no one could slow time and be able to actually see their next actions in real time and either move or remove 10 seconds that counted more than minutes. Nothing really scared her anyway as insults didn’t damn mean anything with prediction and erasing moments of danger or just time in general what could even happen to her now?

 

[True Grave]

At the end of the school day, Ken packed up his bag and left the classroom. He still had no idea what to do with his father's ring. Putting thoughts of the ring aside, he gathered his stuff together and left the school. Ken decided to head for the Club Sega not far from the school to get a little gaming in. When he reached the arcade, he paid the admission cost and proceeded inside. His target was the Virtual Rumbler machine located in the gaming room.

When he reached the machine, he inserted his quarters and then entered the online mode. After picking his favorite character, Akaba, he began some online matches. Ken spent most of his free time gaming and Virtual Rumbler was his favorite game. As such, he had extensive practice and was having no problem wracking up a win streak. Thoughts of the ring faded away as he got immersed in his favorite hobby. He had no idea that elsewhere in the city, someone was looking for him.

---

As soon as school was over, Alex quickly got his stuff together and exited the school. He was not going to waste a moment in trying to track down this other Time Master. His father Aloysius had discovered that Time Masters could sense each other when using their powers within one hundred miles of each other. That was a lot of ground to cover and far too imprecise. In order to better narrow that down, they had partnered with Nanari Enterprises to create a radar, of sorts. In theory, it would detect the energy emitted by a Time Artifact and trace it back to its source.

The technology was very new, however, so Alex wasn't putting too much stock in it. When the Nanari Enterprises limo pulled up, he got into the back. After the limo began moving, he opened a suitcase that contained a portable Time Artifact Radar, or TAR. It immediately began scanning but didn't detect anything yet.

"I'm going to find you," Alex vowed.

As the scan continued, he grabbed a bottle of chilled green tea and began to sip it.

 

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Luckily no one found out about Rin and especially with the other guy and his own powers though more with luck she was just bored and messing with her other form. She would leave with everyone, a plain white jacket with black strips on the zipper, behind the pockets, and around the hood as it moves up to cover her as she walks down not really noticing anything but also now not being scared on the streets if anyone decided to mess with her, though it was always sick fun for her as she just stood and used either just the arms of her stand to make some bruises on someone or skip time and dodge without really moving. Rin just walked casually though seeing what would she eat now beside the obvious ramen.

 

[True Grave]

Ken continued to play Virtual Rumbler for a while. After racking up several wins on the online mode, he knew it was time to go home. After putting on his backpack, he left the arcade and began heading home. It was his turn to cook dinner and he looked forward to making something delicious for his mom and Toroka. After making his way down the bustling city street, he passed by a construction site. This was where his normal day would take a turn.

A beam from the top of the construction site had not been properly secured. It slipped off and began falling toward the street, threatening to crush anyone underneath it. People saw it and began to scatter out of the way. As if on instinct, Ken twisted his ring to stop time. With the beam frozen in place, Ken moved out of the way. With that done, he resumed time and the beam hit the ground with a great but harmless crash.

---

Alex immediately sat up when the radar began going off. The Time Master had used their power and the radar was working properly.

"Well, I'll be damned. It actually works. Driver, head for Satoshi Avenue."

Without a word, his driver began to do just that.

Alex couldn't wait to find this Time Master. If it was a male, he would beat him down and take his Time Artifact. If it was a female, he would try to wrest it from her control with as little violence as possible. All he knew was that that Time Artifact would be his. Where his father had failed, he would succeed. With that success, the Kane family would be one step closer to having absolute power.

 

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She gave a sigh and a stretch, feel fat and happy with food and a nice walk in the dark where there would be a bit more people than normal. Rin just continued to walk back, not caring about the shit she might get being alone after school than going home first but whatever. “ not a damn kid…” she would say as she could feel a slight strong wind and the sudden people scattering or at least some panicking toward her as her she started to run toward it with her stand running behind before suddenly feeling frozen a moment and seeing from her stand someone else.

“ well he isn’t the only weirdo and someone might already be smart enough to notice him.” Already thinking of that obvious stuff with anime. “ but no one cares about me like that.” Sticking her tongue out with her hood up as the stand was gone hoping that she wouldn’t get shit for this from someone either sensing her power or even seeing the stand as she just walked again.

 

[True Grave]

Alex had his attention suddenly drawn to the radar as a second reading appeared. Two Time Masters in the same general area? What incredible luck! If he could bag two Time Artifacts, he'd be that much closer to ultimate power. Silently urging the driver on, he couldn't wait to get to Satoshi Avenue. He needed to capture these Time Artifacts before their Masters slipped away again.

---

As Ken looked around, he thought he saw a strange figure around a girl wearing a hoodie. When he looked again, the figure was gone. Ken shook his head, thinking it must have been his imagination. Even with the knowledge of his strange new power, something like that couldn't be real. Shaking that off, he began heading for home. He would need to get dinner started before Toroka and his mom got home.

When Ken reached his house, he used a key to get inside. After locking the door behind him, he went upstairs to change clothes. Replacing his uniform with gray lounge shorts and a white T-shirt, he went downstairs into the kitchen. After getting everything together, he started to make curry rice. As he was doing so, he heard the door open and knew it had to be Toroka getting home from her after school club practice.

"Welcome home, Toroka," he called toward the door.

 

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Rin would of course go for some snacks, taking the bag as she drank from her bottle before looking around and walking again. “ jeez…well not yet actually…” seeing her parents would probably be mad with her out late still as she looked around and went to an ally only to use her stand to climb up to the roof as she would just sit and look at the lights.

————

“ ahhhhhh damn….” Stretching as the young girl walked in, hearing the noises but feeling it wasn’t dad. “ oh well it’s ken…” she would say though walking to the couch for the tv.

 

[True Grave]

When the limo reached Satoshi Avenue, Alex leaped from the car. Looking around, however, he didn’t see anyone suspicious. He got a slight twinge in his temple from someone using their power, but that hardly narrowed down the area. There was an odd commotion, though, as people bustled around a fallen metal beam. Alex went over to them and tapped on the shoulder of a middle-aged salaryman in a black suit.

“What happened here?”

The salaryman turned to him.

“That metal beam fell from the top of that construction site over there! It’s a miracle that no one was hurt. I tell you, this city is getting too dangerous!”

“Did you see anyone suspicious in the area? Or anyone that left quickly?”

The salaryman thought for a moment.

“Well, there was a high school student standing closest to the beam after it fell. He left not long after like his feet were on fire.”

“Do you know what high school that uniform belongs to?”

“Sure. It’s the uniform of Hibiya High School, which isn’t that far from here.”

Alex smiled. Finally, he had a lead on one of these mysterious Time Masters.

“Could you describe what he looked like?”

The salaryman gave him a weird look.

“Why would you want to know that? You look too young to be with the police.”

Alex took this as his cue to leave.

“I was just curious. Thank you, sir.”

Heading back to the limo, he felt triumphant to have a place to start the search. He would need the help of a friend to investigate Hibiya High School, but that would be a simple task in her hands. It was only a matter of time before he would get his hands on those Time Artifacts.

-

Ken finished all of the preparations for the curry rice. With everything just needing to simmer, he walked into the living room.

“Hey, Toroka. How was club practice?”

He had met her shortly after their father past away, quickly slipping into the big brother role. Although they hadn’t known each other long, they had a good relationship.

 

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she would still sit seeing alot of people walking still and being busy, “ no one knows…” giving a sigh as she used the stand to go down and walk back as it was late.

——

Toro would look over, “ kinda weirdly rained a bit but whatever.” Not really saying much to describe as there wasn’t anything different with it now. “ probably going tomorrow for snacks after, or maybe for the train…” trying to see about just doing anything else besides school.

 

[True Grave]

Ken nodded.

"Oh, I see. Well, whatever you do, be safe. If you take the train, see if you can go with a friend. Sometimes weirdos ride the train around that time."

There had been scattered reports of train gropers lately and he didn't want Toroka getting felt up.

Around two hours later, their mom came home from work. Ayako Toyama was a prosecutor for a prestigious Tokyo law firm that was known for her bulldog tenacity and relentless fact finding. Her stellar track record ensured the trust of the District Attorney, who always appointed her to the big cases. The high pay from those cases afforded a comfortable lifestyle for herself and her children. It was her dearest wish that they had the opportunity to pursue their dreams, and so she worked hard for them. Despite her long hours, however, she always made sure to be home for dinner.

The three sat down for dinner, the curry rice looking and smelling great.

"So, how was school, you two?"

"It was okay," Ken replied, "Nothing unusual."

That was a complete lie, but he didn't feel the need to worry his mom over a power that he didn't even understand.

"That's good. How was club today, Toroka?"

---

The limo took Alex to a wealthy residential area that was gated off from the public. After passing through the gate, the limo cruised down the straightaway before pulling into a large mansion on the right. This was the Nanari Estate, where Nanari Enterprises CEO Kazuyuki Nanari lived with his daughter Erika. There was a guest house in the back where Alex was staying for the duration of his time in Japan. His business today, however, was in the main house. He would need the services of his Japanese counterpart.

Alex exited the limo and entered the main house. Heading upstairs, he found the bedroom of Erika. The lady herself was there in all of her stunning beauty. Among her many talents was hacking, and that was what he needed from her.

"I need you to hack into the student files of Hibiya High School. One of our other Time Masters is a male student there, so I'll need a list of names."

 

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She just shrugged, feeling that there was just obvious instinct with that kind of stuff to fight, toro moved to sit with a stretch and leaning back before seeing that her mom was finally back now. “ kinda rained randomly but not much, maybe gonna die…” saying with always being tired.

-----

Erika wasn’t really doing much today, leaning back as she looked at the computer at least for a while before seeing that someone had come in. “ so something finally damn happened today. Well then you have to pay though.” Seeing of course he would have to give her something for it as she went for the site and started to find everything. “ maybe 2 hours then…” saying with a stretch.

 

[True Grave]

Ayako chuckled.

"I'm sure you'll be fine, sweetie."

Dinner wrapped up with Ken putting leftovers in the fridge. After that, he went upstairs to play some video games before bed. He had saved up his allowance for months to buy the newest PlayStation and a video game from the RPG genre to work on in his spare time. Tonight, however, thoughts of his mysterious ring plagued his mind during his level grinding session.

What was this power to stop time? Why had his dad possessed such a thing? How should he use it? Or should he use it at all? Distracted by these thoughts, he saved his progress and turned off his game. Ken decided to sleep on it, thinking than answer might come to him in the morning.

---

Alex chuckled. Erika was his partner in this endeavor and had orders to help him find a Time Master in whatever way he could. There was no need to pay money, but he decided to humor her since she had been so helpful.

"Alright, I'll treat you to a meal at your favorite restaurant. How does that sound?"

They had some time to kill, anyway, so it wouldn't hurt to enjoy themselves in that time.

 

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Erika didn’t really say anything as she stretched and got the school site before getting some other programs, though stopping so she could get some snacks and stuff before finally coming back and relaxing as she did the work. Finally it would take time as she would pull the files that had names. “ well got this.” Leaning back with another stretch.

 

[True Grave]

Alex waited around as Erika took care of her work. Despite the wait, it was interesting watching her use her hacking skills. When she was done, a lengthy list of male students with home addresses appeared onscreen.

“Excellent.”

Alex transferred the document to his phone so that he could review it at anytime.

“It’s not the most precise lead, but it has narrowed our search significantly.”

Alex pocketed his phone.

“Well, as promised, I owe you a meal. Where would you like to go?”

They began heading for the door toward the limo. It would take some time to single out his Time Master on that list, but that would be tomorrow problems. For now, he would put his mind toward enjoying the rest of his night.

 

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“ don’t know why you would think that there couldn't be more in that school, of course don’t know that but still.” Giving the obvious reply that this wouldn’t be done at all even if they did find him. She followed out but didn’t say anything as he knew the obvious seeing why he would have to ask as they just relaxed for now until tomorrow.

 

[True Grave]

Alex turned to Erika as they walked out the door.

“It’s entirely possible that there could be another Time Master at that school. The radar did pick up a second one in town today. All I know is that at least one goes to Hibiya. That’s a start, at least.”

They got into the limo and headed downtown.

After reaching Erika’s favorite restaurant, they went inside. At that point, all talk of business ceased and they just focused on relaxing. Alex talked about back home in the United States and listened to Erika talk about herself. When the meal was done and the check came, Alex covered it as promised. The two then took the limo home and parted at the front door of the main house. The young man made for the guest house, ready for some sleep after a long and eventful day.

In his bedroom, Alex took the Time Pocket Watch out of his jeans pocket. After regarding it for a long moment, he set it down on the dresser. He changed into lounge clothes and got into bed. Thoughts of the two mysterious Time Masters ran through his mind as he closed his eyes. After vowing to find them, he cleared his mind of those thoughts. He was asleep not long after.

-

The next morning, Ken got out of bed and got ready for school. He was downstairs having breakfast when Toroka appeared.

“Good morning, Toroka.”

He set his bowl in the sink.

“Were you still planning to take the train after school today? If you do, make sure to take a friend with you.”

 

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Toroka was downstairs a bit earlier at least before seeing ken come down. “ and you forget that I told you I at least took some defense classes. Or well someone told me to with all the shit now…” she would say I actually kinda like but I wanna do flips and shit.” Stretching with a yawn.

 

[True Grave]

Ken gave Toroka a patient smile.

“That’s good that you did, but I’d rather you not even have to use it. Creeps are less likely to harass you if you’re not alone.”

He chuckled at the idea of her doing flips in combat. After getting his bag together, he gestured for the door.

“Let’s head out.”

-

That same morning, Alex was in a limo headed for school. He had one of Chairman Nanari’s men watching Hibiya High School with radar. If the device picked up any trace of a Time Master, they were to call him. After reaching the school, he made his way inside and sat down. He would rather have been watching Hibiya himself, but that wasn’t possible. He would just have to see if his quarry made a move.