Arjun was just a normal 16-year-old boy… or at least, that's what everyone thought.
One day, while walking home from school, he found a strange black watch lying on the road. It looked old, but the moment he touched it, the watch started ticking loudly—even though it had no battery.
"Wear me," a whisper echoed in his mind.
Scared but curious, Arjun wore the watch.
At first, nothing happened.
But the next morning, something impossible occurred.
During class, his teacher suddenly froze mid-sentence. His classmates stopped moving. Even the fan in the room stopped spinning.
Everything… was paused.
Only Arjun could move.
His heart raced. "What is happening?!"
Then he looked at the watch. It was glowing.
He pressed a small button on its side.
Instantly, everything came back to normal.
From that day on, Arjun realized he had a power—he could pause time.
At first, he used it for fun. Finishing homework, winning races, escaping trouble.
But one evening, while time was paused, he noticed something terrifying.
A shadow moved.
Not everything was frozen.
A tall, dark figure stood behind him, smiling.
"So… you finally found the watch," it said.
Arjun stepped back. "Who are you?!"
The figure's eyes glowed red.
"I am the Keeper of Time. And that watch… doesn't belong to you."
Arjun tried to unpause time—but it didn't work.
The Keeper walked closer.
"You've broken the rules. Now you must pay the price."
"What price?" Arjun whispered.
The Keeper smiled.
"Every time you pause time… you lose a part of your own life."
Arjun froze.
All those times he used the power… he felt a chill.
"How much… have I lost?" he asked.
The Keeper leaned closer.
"Enough that your future is already changing."
Suddenly, Arjun remembered something…
He couldn't remember his childhood clearly anymore.
Pieces of his life… were missing.
The watch ticked louder.
Tick… Tick… Tick…
Now Arjun had a choice—
Keep using the power and become stronger…
Or stop… and slowly lose himself forever.
He looked at the watch one last time.
And pressed the button again.