The fluorescent lights of the high school bathroom hummed a discordant tune, mirroring the chaotic symphony raging within Ethan’s head. He stared into the cracked, grime-streaked mirror, his teenage face a stark contrast to the memories swirling behind his eyes. Wrinkles etched by regret, a perpetual weariness, the dull ache of a life lived in the shadows – all gone. Replaced by the smooth, almost innocent canvas of a sixteen-year-old.

He was back. Twenty years. An impossible, terrifying, exhilarating second chance.

He splashed cold water on his face, the shock a welcome jolt to his system. This wasn't a dream. The memories were too vivid, too visceral. The taste of cheap diner coffee from his first dead-end job, the sting of rejection when Sarah Miller, the girl of his dreams, laughed off his awkward advances, the crushing feeling of his father’s disappointment after he dropped out of college – they were all there, etched into the very fabric of his being. And, of course, the insistent hum, a low thrumming vibration deep within his soul – Chronos.

He focused, reaching inwards, cautiously probing the presence within. It was still there, dormant, a coiled serpent of power waiting to be unleashed. He felt the faintest tendrils of thought, alien and ancient, brushing against his own. A patient observation, a calculating anticipation. Chronos was watching, waiting.

The bathroom door creaked open, and a tall, lanky figure sauntered in, cigarette smoke clinging to his leather jacket. Mark Jenkins, his best friend from high school. Or, rather, his *former* best friend. They'd drifted apart after graduation, their paths diverging down very different roads. Mark's ambition had led him to Wall Street, a world Ethan had never been able to navigate.

"Hayes? You look like you've seen a ghost," Mark chuckled, tossing his cigarette butt into the overflowing trash can. "Detention getting to you already?"

Ethan forced a smile, a mask he hadn’t worn in decades. "Just…thinking about the upcoming calculus test. Pretty brutal."

Mark snorted. "Calculus? Dude, you're stressing over calculus? We're going to be dissecting frogs tomorrow! That's the real challenge. You gonna faint?"

Ethan remembered the frog dissection. The smell of formaldehyde, the squirming sensation in his stomach, the utter pointlessness of it all. This time, he wouldn’t faint. He wouldn’t let anything knock him off balance.

"Nah, I'll survive," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. The challenge wasn't surviving frog dissection; it was navigating the minefield of his past, rewriting his future, and keeping a primordial being from turning him into a puppet.

As Mark left, Ethan returned to the mirror, his reflection a jarring reminder of the life he was determined to change. He saw the potential he had squandered, the dreams he had abandoned, the love he had let slip through his fingers.

Sarah Miller. He had blown it so badly. His awkwardness, his lack of confidence, his fear of rejection – it had all culminated in a disastrous prom night that effectively ended any chance he had with her. He’d seen her, years later, working as a librarian in the small town where he'd eventually settled. A brief, painful encounter, a fleeting glimpse of what could have been. This time, he would be different. He would be bolder, more confident, more deserving.

And then there was his father. A hardworking, blue-collar man who had always dreamed of seeing Ethan become a doctor or a lawyer. Ethan had enrolled in pre-med, but he had lacked the passion, the drive. He had floundered, eventually dropping out to pursue a string of meaningless jobs. His father had never openly expressed his disappointment, but Ethan had felt it, a constant, unspoken weight between them. This time, he would find a way to make his father proud, to fulfill his potential, even if it wasn't in the way his father had envisioned.

But the biggest change, the one that held the greatest potential and the greatest danger, was Chronos. He closed his eyes, focusing on the power that thrummed within him. He remembered the fleeting glimpses he had experienced in the future: accelerated healing, precognitive flashes, the faint manipulation of time. He had barely scratched the surface of Chronos's power, but he knew it was there, waiting to be unlocked.

He had to learn to control it. To master it. Otherwise, he risked becoming a vessel, a puppet dancing to Chronos's ancient tune.

He remembered reading about the stock market crash of 2008. He knew the companies that would rise, the ones that would fall. He could invest strategically, build a financial foundation that would provide him with the resources he needed to pursue his goals. He could avoid the mistakes he had made, the financial pitfalls that had crippled him in his previous life.

But it couldn't be just about money. It had to be about something more. He had to use his knowledge, his power, to make a difference. To protect the future, a future he now knew was fragile and vulnerable.

He opened his eyes, his gaze hardening with resolve. He was no longer the timid, uncertain teenager he had been. He was Ethan Hayes, reborn, armed with the knowledge of the future and the power of a trapped god. He had been given a second chance, and he would not waste it.

The bell rang, signaling the end of break. He straightened his shoulders, took a deep breath, and walked out of the bathroom, leaving behind the weight of his regrets and stepping into the daunting, exhilarating promise of a new beginning. He started walking towards detention and saw Mr. Harrison's classroom where he worked as a teacher assistant. He remembered Mr. Harrison being a kind old man who passed away because of cardiac arrest in 2005. He thought maybe he should be the one to help him.

He entered the class and started organizing the files. Mr. Harrison was sitting on his table while sipping coffee and checking the assignments. Ethan went near him. "Sir, how are you feeling today? You look a little pale."

Mr. Harrison laughed and said, "Oh Ethan, I'm just getting old. Don't worry about me. This body isn't as young as yours anymore."

Ethan hesitated for a bit and said "Sir, I know this might sound a little weird but I think you should get your heart checked. I just have this feeling that something is not right."

Mr. Harrison raised his eyebrows "A feeling? Ethan, are you becoming a doctor now?" He laughed a little and continued checking his assignments.

Ethan continued and said "Sir, please, just get it checked once. It's better to be safe than sorry." He continued to convince Mr. Harrison and finally the old man agreed.

"Alright, alright, I'll get it checked. But if it turns out to be nothing, you're doing all my filing for a month!" Mr. Harrison said jokingly.

Ethan smiled "It's a deal, Sir."

He went back to work and was thinking about what was going to happen next. He knew that even small changes could have big consequences. He didn't know what impact this event will have on the timeline. But he was ready to face the challenges ahead.

As he walked home that afternoon, the setting sun casting long shadows across the streets, he felt a strange sensation, a tingling awareness that he was being watched. He glanced around, but saw nothing. It was probably just his imagination, the paranoia fueled by the presence of Chronos.

He quickened his pace, eager to get home and delve deeper into the mysteries of his newfound power. He had a lot to learn, a lot to prepare for. He was no longer just Ethan Hayes, the forgotten face in the crowd. He was something more, something…dangerous.

He reached his small, unassuming house, the same house he had grown up in. He unlocked the door, the familiar scent of his mother’s cooking washing over him. He braced himself, preparing to face the complexities of his past, ready to rewrite his destiny, one carefully calculated step at a time. He knew it wouldn't be easy. He knew there would be obstacles, challenges, and unforeseen consequences. But he was ready. He had been given a second chance, and he would make the most of it, no matter the cost.

As he walked into the house, he heard Chronos's voice in his head, faint but distinct. *"The game begins, Ethan Hayes. Let's see if you are worthy."* The resonance made him feel a little uneasy but he shrugged it off. "I'll show you", he said in his mind.