Time goes on

Most of the clocks were gold, or bronze. This one was silver.

Serafina pressed it into Vincent's hands, a sad smile on her face as she watched it silently. The ticking of its tune trilling on, backdropped by the endless other clocks that pervaded Time's domain. "This one is special. Take good care of it...For so long as it continues to turn." Sera said to her son. Vincent stared, mystified at this strange new watch for his eternal collection. What was so special about it? 

These watches always appeared when a new soul was born. Connected to a life, a physical manifestation of anyone and everyone's time in their universes. So long as it ticked, so too did their hold on the world. And when it stopped, Death would come for them. An invisible, unescapable force. Immortals, the gods, their watches never faltered, or if they did; they'd sputter to life again after a while. Even they were the same as the others, perhaps covered in gold filigrees and eccentricities but nonetheless bearing the same golden sheen. A silver watch. Now that was something unique. "Who's is it?" Vincent asked his mother as he brushed his thumb over its simple, but flawless surface.

Sera seemed to hesitate. Vincent had never known his mother to not have a word immediately. Being the creator of all didn't often leave her speechless to any of his questions. But she did answer. "Valefor." she said simply. Vincent's eyes widened in surprise "Death? Death has a clock now?" he queried, baffled by this explanation. Sera nodded lightly "Valefor has decided to retire. A new death has been chosen. Therefore, he has surrendered himself to the mortality that all share. As much as I will miss my old friend....I hope that it may bring him peace." she said, forcing an optimism to her voice, even though it was clear to Vincent- who'd known her for many eons, that there was sadness in her words. The true death of a god was not common. Especially one as ancient as death himself. They'd been together since the start of time, and while Vincent had watched death tire of his duties and life, he had never expected it to come to this. He could only muster a solemn nod at his mother's words. "I see..." he said, closing his grip around the watch in his hands "I will take good care of it." he always did. 

Sera turned to leave, her cloak trailing behind her; but before she could get far Vincent spoke up again "Serafina." he called. She stopped, looking knowingly over her shoulder. Vincent had little doubt she'd full well seen this entire conversation play out before it happened. She was insightful, in that way. "If not death, who decides when time....stops." he asked her. He'd asked her before, many eons ago. Each attempt at the question in the past was met with silence, distraction, avoidance. He cared for the watches, made sure they were safe, made sure they weren't stopped by bad actors before their time, protected the law of time. But inevitably they would all stop...and he couldn't control it. He could but take the watches from their positions and fade them into the oblivion of time, until they may meet again, in a different life. "And where do they come from...." he wondered aloud. Not expecting his mother to answer. Most of these secrets she kept to herself.

"They come from you." she said finally, turning to face him she closed her eyes. "A manifestation of your power. Of all the many time streams coalescing into something more...manageable and understandable." she said. "Back when you were first born, at the dawn of all time; it was a mess. Colliding, crashing, tumult with no harmony. You looked to the future, with all your power, and saw a solution.... The ticks and clicking of a serenade of time, and through your will, it became." she explained. Vincent only nodded to this. That made sense, to him at least. Many of the gods did things of their own power without really realizing it. Magic was a strange and powerful thing, and the more of it you had- the less you seemed even aware of its influence at times. "....As for who stops the clocks, rather, determines when they will stop...I'm afraid that's my doing. Fate itself." Sera said thoughtfully. She was after all, not only the goddess of creation- but fate as well. 

Vincent's breath caught at that. For many years he'd suspected that to be death's doing. He couldn't help but harbor some disdain for the old man for all the innocents he let die, but it hadn't been all along "You? You let all the awful things happen? You let good people die? Children?" he said, unable to keep the disbelief and annoyance from his voice. Serafina just glanced away, frowning to herself "Let it? No. It is only a poor inevitability. Man will always cause harm. For every good, there is a bad, and for every victory, there will be tragedy. I don't wish it to happen, and sometimes...even I can't go through with something that was meant to be...." she offered a weak smile. Not intending to share the amount of times she'd taken the cowards way out to save someone who should have died. How many watches she'd rewound under her son's nose without him even knowing. "...But it is the way of things...For all good, evil, and for all shadow, we must carry on. You more than anyone know how important even one moment can be." she said to him. "Even a short life, a small second, can change so much. For good, for bad, if those moments are fleeting, than it's only more that we find their value in the heroinism that comes with just surviving in the first place." she said.

Vincent stared down at the watch in his hands through his mother's words. "..And why are you finally telling me this, now?" he asked her "I've asked so many times and yet usually you do not answer..." he said. 

She only smiled, though he wouldn't see it "Because great change is coming. And I fear I may not have the chance again." she said simply. 

He looked up to her in confusion...but she was already gone. Only a single feather drifting wistfully to the floor where she'd once been. He glowered at the spot, sighing to himself. That was his mother as usual- mysterious and unhelpful. He turned to find a place for the enigmatic silver watch in his collection, her words weighing heavy on his mind