The Timekeeper

Ezekiel "Zeke" Keele

An angsty teenage savant. Born into a relatively unremarkable, middle class household, Zeke would demonstrate himself to be an extraordinary child prodigy. Developing a world class intellect by the time he'd reached adolescence, Zeke turned out to be a genius in just about every field imaginable. His brilliant mind would lead him down a path of accelerated education, skipping the majority of his school years in pursuit of enrolling in a prestigious university. A bona fide, modern day polymath who seemed capable of anything he wanted.

Yet despite his exceptional nature, Zeke’s life wasn’t devoid of strife. An isolated social life, studying to the brink of exhaustion, and a looming sense of dread from the responsibilities thrust upon him had taken its toll over time. Combined with the general emotional turbulence of adolescence, it wasn’t long until he struggled to find a worthwhile purpose to everything he was doing, or even a reason to care about the world as a whole. Eventually, succumbing to his dread, he came to the nihilistic conclusion that "everything is meaningless," "the world is too far gone," and "nothing really matters…"

Soon after turning fourteen, Zeke experienced a freak stroke that left him comatose. While unconscious, doctors noticed a strange spark neurological activity in his brain, as if it were still active and engaged in deep focus. In truth, this phenomenon was the beginning of Zeke’s foresight. His mind was bombarded with ominous, near incomprehensible visions, revealing to him cosmic knowledge from across infinite time. Among these revelations was a vague, yet visceral visage of disaster, a warning of the world’s imminent end.

Though he'd manage to survive, Zeke became completely blind— suffering a constant, unbearable amount of pain as his eyes bled a strange purple-ish red. It was during this time, stunned from these eldritch visions and left wondering if he would ever see again, that countless strangers would visit and care for him. They would share stories of their own lives and experiences, guiding Zeke through his recovery and keeping him occupied with company. Among these strangers was an anonymous 'just some guy' who, after sharing his own stories regarding his own apparent adventures, would gift Zeke a mysterious, obsidian watch, supposedly to help 'track his recovery time.'

Miraculously, Zeke would make a full recovery, regaining his sight and the ability to return to his regular life. It was suggested that Zeke take things easier from this point, in an effort to avoid taxing his brain further and risking another accident— but Zeke would refuse.

Zeke's life now had a distinct purpose, one that transcended his personal, existential dread. The world was running out of time, and he might be one of the only people around who cares, or even have what it takes to figure out how to fix things… Just what was the cause of this incoming disaster? War, disease, climate change? Countless issues plagued the world, and countless before him have failed to prevent anything. Every night, more and more visions continue to flood his dreams, yet none seemed possible to discern.

Though Zeke was uncertain of the future to come, he knew that he couldn't let it pass. Not when he was gifted this chance to live again from kindness of the people around him. Not when the world had now given him a purpose for his existence.

TL;DR: Angsty loser child prodigy, got a stroke that revealed to him time was coming to an end, and realized from people helping him that "life actually kinda matters" and that "it’s my responsibility to pick up on the failures of the past"

The Clockwork Dial

A fine, obsidian wristwatch passed down throughout generations, bearing the memories of those who wore it before. Though analogue in design, fine markings across the dial allow one to observe the time down to even a passing second. However, its hands occasionally require tuning when it is used to disrupt the passage of time. Engraved on its back are the words, "Never Forget."

Reference art: Kurono Kyou