"If I'm the Holder of the Watch of Time, what does that mean for my life?" Logan asked seriously. The old man arched an eyebrow at him as though asking him to elaborate. "You said it was my job to make sure none of the realities are messed with, but how am I to tell? And if I'm supposed to be watching over all the different timelines, what about my own? How can I live through my own life if I'm busy jumping through time?"

Father Time looked at him with barely disguised pity. "Well, I won't say that you won't have a life of your own, but part of your life is this now. You have a responsibility now. Millions of people depend on the Holders, whether they're aware of them or not."

"But I didn't ask for this," he replied seriously. He put the watch down on the coffee table in front of him. "What if I say no?"

"You can't, Logan. I'm sorry that this is a lot to take in and that you're having doubts, but once a Holder is established, they are connected to their Commodity until death," the old man explained. He sighed and shook his head. "I think that given a little time, you'll understand this responsibility and embrace it."

Logan put his head in his hands, feeling emotions swarming his mind. He couldn't think straight. He could feel fear, anger, confusion, and denial crushing any rational thought that entered his subconscious. He felt so vulnerable.

Patton looked at him with wide concerned eyes. He placed his hand on his shoulder and leaned against him in an attempt to comfort him. He didn't fully understand what was happening.

The old man sighed. "Let me try this again. I didn't explain this well enough," Father Time said apologetically. "Logan, you have a life. It's your life to live how you want it, but you also have a responsibility as a Holder. However, that responsibility will not prevent you from living your life. The problem is that right now we are in a point of crisis. We need you to help us."

"A crisis? What do you mean crisis?" Patton asked, trying to involve himself so he could relieve some of the stress from his boyfriend.

"A very powerful dark mage has been stirring chaos the likes of which we have never seen. We've had people try to cause trouble over multiple timelines before, but this time's different. One of the other Holders has been compromised, he's helping this dark mage," he explained seriously. "The other Holders have gone missing. The previous Holder of the Watch of Time has been killed, hence the need for Logan to take their place."

Logan looked up, an unreadable expression on his face. Patton tried to see what he was feeling, but when the intellectual young man wanted, he could shut everyone out. "This dark mage... what's his name?"

"He goes by Victor Moriarty," Father Time informed him.

"Did he, by any chance, read Sherlock Holmes?" Logan asked, looking unimpressed.

The old man smiled with vague amusement. "Yes, actually," he replied. His tone gradually turned back to one of seriousness. "He was inspired by the character James Moriarty. He used magic to jump between timelines and found several incarnations of Moriarty he found inspirational. He gave himself the name."

"He wanted to be indestructible, untouchable," he continued. "He's now seeking out the timelines and realities with the most benefits for him and attempting to take them over by force. He mixes magic and technology together."

There were a few beats of silence. The description of this apparent lunatic frightened Patton but intrigued his boyfriend. Logan was starting to recover from his mild breakdown. His mind was starting to triumph over the emotions that had overwhelmed him moments prior.

He wondered if the feeling of responsibility he'd felt back in Namor's kingdom had anything to do with this Victor Moriarty. Perhaps the person who had attacked the prince was working for him.

Logan felt his confidence coming back. It was accompanied by a feeling of determination and desire for justice. All this was happening so fast, but he could adjust. He didn't have a choice, but if he helped with Victor, he could go back to his life in their normal reality. He could go back and explore his relationship with Patton. He just needed to help save all of time itself first; surely that wouldn't be too difficult.

"As the Holder of the Watch of Time, you said I had powers," he pointed out. "What kind of powers?"

"Well, obviously you can travel through time. You can do this without the watch once you're skilled enough, but you should always keep the watch on you anyway," Father Time told him. He nudged the device back toward him and continued as Logan picked it up. "It is your tether to this temple. This is a still point in all of Time. It's not the past, present, or future. This place can only be entered by someone with the watch. It's a safe space."

The old man paused to drink some of his tea before moving on. "I'm sure you've noticed the frames. These are windows into different times. They act as bookmarks for specific realities. For instance, Namor's kingdom," he said, gesturing toward the hovering picture. "Namor is an ally to the Holders. He's familiar with the current conflict and aware of us."

"Wait, there are people who are aware of the Holders and the multiple realities?" Patton asked curiously.

"Yes, there's not many of them, but yes," Father Time told him. "You are one of them now, considering that you happened to accompany Logan on his journey here. You are an ally. You are trusted to protect the secret and help in any way you can."

Patton felt a little bit better knowing he could help, but he felt unsure of how someone as normal as him could help. Logan was a powerful being now. What if soon he didn't need him anymore?