The pain that engulfed me subsided, reducing itself to a hot sensation that reminded me of a fire’s afterglow. I could still feel the heat in my flesh, but it no longer felt as if my body would melt.

The monster’s jaws had opened, ready to crush me. Still, they didn’t move another inch. It took me a moment to realize the beast was no longer breathing, and a few more seconds to understand that my body was the same. 

At this moment, I simply knew that time had stopped with the same self-evident a human knows that breathing is a given for any living person. I couldn’t explain how I came to know this, nor how it should be possible for time to have come to a halt.

Nonetheless, I couldn’t ignore the knowledge and certainty that seemed to have itself engraved into my bones. What was going to happen now? Could I move my body from the beast’s jaw and release myself? 

That won’t be possible, explained the voice that resounded in my mind once more. If time has stopped, it stopped for all the bodies. You cannot move your body without restarting time. Only your thoughts are free to occur. 

I wished I could ignore the voice, but I realized that was no longer an option. Even though I didn’t comprehend what was going on, I knew I had to be sane enough after all that had happened.

If this voice were just a side effect of madness, there was no way it could have stopped the beast from devouring me. So, if the voice actually managed to save myself in any way — could it save my friends as well as it had offered me? Was I foolish to hold on to this thin thread of hope? 

I can save your friends and I will save your friends. The prize for the covenant will be paid, pitiful thing. 

Reality blurred right before me eyes. The beast’s jaws closed itself but not around my neck. Its head tilted back, right into the position it had held shortly before. Things didn’t stop there.

The monster’s body moved as if it were tracing back each of its last steps, and my body behaved accordingly. The more I witnessed, the more I realized this was no coincidence. Hope began to bury its roots deeply into my soul. I could feel the tears dwelling in the corner of my eyes as the broken and eaten bodies of those closest to me regained the places the held shortly before their demise. How was this possible? There was no way to turn back the time! 

Your concept of time is wrong, human. Time is not a line, nor is time a circle. It’s a spiral. And if you are close enough to each of its windings, you may have a chance to turn back. 

Time was a spiral? How could time be a spiral? I couldn’t understand the voices descriptions, but it didn’t bother to go into more details. 

Focus, pitiful thing. I may have helped you to rewind the time for a few minutes, but that won’t be enough to save your pathetic body or these weaklings. If you want to survive, you’ll do exactly as I tell you. If you don’t, their revival will only result in another death right away.

Honestly, I was never a man who liked to be bossed around, but under these circumstances I shouldn’t complain. I still couldn’t believe my friends were back. But no matter how this strange miracle came to happen, never would I dare to risk their death. So, what was I supposed to do to protect them?

Time will regain its flow. When it does, hold on to your staff and lift it. No matter how painful it will get, keep your hands around the wood until I tell you to stop. Now! 

As he had said, things began to move again. The beasts launched its claws into the air and I knew once they were to impact with the shield it would be their end. There was no time fore doubts or hesitation.

My hands clutched at my staff as I held the wooden stick into the air. The rod started to shake violently, like a hidden monster trying to break free from its cage. I shouted as pain melted into my hands. It felt as if I tried to embrace lightning itself. The painful sensations pilled up until I could no longer feel my hands. Me nerves had gone numb from the sheer force the staff emitted. My friend's bodies collapsed, and my heart jumped in fear. 

Relax. They only lost consciousness. See? Their chests are still moving, they’re still breathing. Forget about them for now and hold the staff. If you let go too soon, the beasts will eat them all, and you will be the next.  

He was right. When I focused onto them, I could see their breaths, so he wasn’t lying to me. I tried to overcome my fear and pressed the rod stronger into my palms. The shaking grew stronger and stronger. I had to use every ounce of strength I could scrape together to ensure it wouldn’t break free from my grip.

Blood dripped from my palms onto the wood. No one had prepared me for the moment the wood started to reshape. Its bark tore into my skin like the teeth of a predator waiting for its chance. I felt the warmth of my blood that flowed upon the bark. The color of the staff changed to a darker brown with a deep red shade. 

All strength seemed to have left my body. I struggled to hold on to the rod as me knees gave in. As my legs hit the ground, a single red lightning struck from the crystal that was embedded in the staff. It found its target in the large lizard that tried to escape. The lightning perforated its skull like an arrow that went straight for its brain. The massive body collapsed instantly. 

You may release the staff now. The beast is dead, your friends are safe. 

Was it really over? I loosened my grip and took a closer look at my hands. The bark had transformed into two sharp teeth that resembled demons of old legends. The wounds in my palms wasn’t deep, and the bleeding had stopped already. Still, I couldn’t explain the anxiety that dwelled within me. Maybe it was the shock from losing everyone, finally sinking in.

I jumped on my feet and ran straight to my friends. Every one of them continued to breathe. I couldn’t see any wounds apart from small scorching marks on their foreheads. It must have happened when the staffs power affected them as there was no other possible explanation for it. Would they be alright? The beast was defeated, but unless I destroyed the rift's connector, we wouldn’t be able to return home. 

Relieve flooded through me as I observed my friends. Pam's red locks were a mess. Still, with those revealed freckles and a stable breathing, she seemed surprisingly younger and more innocent than her usually self.

Damn it, I never wanted her more to look at me. With scorn in her blue eyes, while shouting some complaints with a sharp tongue, out to defeat me in another word combat. Only because a few minutes ago I had to accept there would be no more insults leaving her lips. I wished for Charles to wake up with another stupid joke line no one else could laugh about. Today, I would gladly do him the honors. And Greg? God, I wanted to hug this stupid mountain of a man, telling him how much strength it gave me to know he’d always set out right beside me. I was so close to losing them. I was so close to dying with them. These stupid tears dwelled up without a chance to stop them. 

I forced myself to wipe them off. There was no room for emotional disturbances until I made sure we’d return from the rift.