The setting sun bathed the verdant plains of Windbreeze in golden light, creating a spectacle of shimmering colours. Valentin stood in the midst of this beauty, a bouquet of lotus and mimosa in his hand, their delicate petals caressing his fingers. The sweet fragrance of the flowers filled the air, mingling with the smell of damp earth after the rain. Beside him, a young girl with a blurred face was smiling at him. Her eyes shone with a soft, warm light. Her hair was loose on her shoulders, caressing her delicate face. Valentin couldn't quite make out her features, as if an invisible veil was hiding them from his eyes.
He felt a special warmth in her presence, a sense of familiarity. They walked hand in hand, silent, lost in their own world. The wind caressed their faces, carrying with it the melodious song of the birds and the murmur of the leaves. Valentin felt happy and peaceful. He felt as if he had rediscovered a part of himself that he had forgotten, a memory buried deep in his heart. He felt as if he had known this girl all his life, as if she were an integral part of his existence. They laughed together, feasted together, danced together, in the vastness of the plain, until they fell to the ground, surrounded by the soft down of fresh grass. They were laughing. Valentin lifted the bouquet into the sunlight. The petals danced in unison in the delicate spring breeze.
But suddenly, the bouquet of flowers turned blood-red. The delicate petals withered, giving way to a dark, oppressive colour. The wind turned to an icy blast, and the golden sunlight turned to menacing darkness. Valentin felt a sudden shock, a sensation of emptiness and dizziness. He found himself propelled into a place he knew well, but which seemed strangely different. The atmosphere was heavy, filled with palpable tension. Screens lining the walls displayed red alert messages, lines of code scrolling at breakneck speed, warning of anomalies and violations of the Timeline. Temporal agents, some injured, others unconscious, lay on the floor. Valentin, gripped by fear and panic, analysed the scene unfolding before his eyes.
His gaze met with a vision that terrified him. Two bodies lay before him, looking strangely like those of his best friends... He stood up, dropping his bouquet of flowers, and ran towards them. He stumbled several times over the inanimate bodies of the temporal agents. When he reached his destination, he froze in place. He had recognised Rosa, her face pale, her eyes closed. And next to her, Klein, his body lifeless. He knelt down, calling out their names over and over again, to no avail... He was about to call for help, when suddenly his gaze froze again. The bouquet of flowers he had been holding in his dream had been transformed. It had become the lifeless body of the young girl who had been with him on the plains. Her face, once blurred, was now visible, marked by deep sadness. Her eyes, which had looked at him with such love in his dream, were now empty, staring into nothingness. Valentin felt a wave of panic wash over him. He began to tremble, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. Suddenly, a figure appeared. He looked at it, frozen in place. The figure seemed very blurred to him, as if something was preventing him from making it out completely. It approached him at a slow pace, with an oppressive, threatening aura about it. Standing in front of Valentin, she looked up at him. Valentin met her gaze, terrified and transfixed. Suddenly, her hand grabbed his throat, levitating him into the void. Valentin felt his breath catch and his throat tighten. He tried with all his might to loosen the figure's grip, but to no avail... His breath dissipated more and more, until there was nothing left of it. His mind fell into nothingness. His muscles had no strength left. His body froze. His eyes closed. He felt his heart stop beating little by little, until he couldn't hear a single beat.
Valentin woke with a start, cold sweat clinging to his skin. He was lying in bed, the sheets in a mess around him, his heart beating wildly, his eyes fixed on the ceiling of his room. A dream, a nightmare. He still felt numb. After a moment, he finally moved, looking at the time on his alarm clock, 05:37. An hour and a half earlier than expected. He sighed, stood up and walked over to the window. The starry sky surrounding the Timeline was as enchanting and bewitching as ever.
"It was just a dream..." he said to himself, trying to convince himself.
But a feeling of unease lingered inside him. The nightmare was too real, too intense. He remembered the girl, her blurred face, her smile, her look. He remembered the red blood that had invaded the plains of Windbreeze, the tension that reigned in the hall of the Time Agency, the inert bodies of his friends. He headed for the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror. His face was pale, his emerald green eyes rimmed. He had the impression of having had a restless night, full of nightmares. Apart from that, he always woke up looking the same. His long red hair was a mess, a trace of his pillow remained on his cheek, and his pyjamas looked more like a rag... He showered, hoping that the cool water would wake him up completely. But nothing did. The nightmare was still there, engraved in his mind. Fortunately, the cool water had managed to remove that horrible trace from the pillow and his dark circles. He then concentrated on his skin and hair. The moisturising lotion refreshed his skin, which invigorated him a little. He brushed his messy hair into a high ponytail and adjusted his fringes. He then decided to put on his grey Time Agency uniform. The uniform was a monochrome of grey with a few variations here and there. The Time Agency emblem stood proudly on Valentin's chest, reminding him of the painful memory of that night...
"Since I'm up, I might as well start my day..." he sighed, looking at the mirror.
He then left his room and headed for the Time Agency refectory. The corridors were so calm, bathed in the light of the Timeline that came through the windows. It was so different from her nightmare. After all, it was normal that there wasn't a cat about at this time of day... It was so early in the day. He arrived at the refectory, a huge, bustling place where food was prepared continuously, 24/7, by time agents assisted by robot cooks. Although this place was usually very busy, there were really only a few people there at this time of day. Seeing people reassured Valentin, whose mind and heart still hadn't calmed down. He took a tray and served himself a frugal breakfast: toast, accompanied by a Shiftlandian fruit salad and bubble tea flavoured with green tea. The food in the refectory was always excellent, but on this day Valentin ate without really savouring the taste of the food. He remained preoccupied and anxious. He found it hard to shake off the nightmare. When he had finished clearing his tray, Valentin checked the time on his watch: 06:42. He sighed again. His lessons didn't start until 8.00, which gave him plenty of time to try and calm his intrusive thoughts... So he went to the training room, the taste of adrenalin was sure to calm his mind. He quickly picked up his light sword and activated the virtual reality headset he was wearing. His training session could begin. One after another, several enemies appeared in front of Valentin. He took a deep breath before drawing his sword and lunging at one of them. The enemy fell to the ground with a single sharp blow. Then a second fell too. Then a third. Valentin's blows were as fast as the wind. In retaliation, three of them lunged at Valentin, who dodged the attack at the last minute. In dodging the attack, he decided to distance himself further from his enemies. He took several breaths.
"What's the matter with me? Usually, this level is the one I manage to finish the quickest!" he thought.
Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him and quickly turned around. An enemy had just appeared right behind him! Valentin blocked the attack with effort. He could feel the weight of his enemy's attack on his sword. He heard footsteps intensifying in his direction and glanced behind him. Those who had forced him to distance himself were back and ready to skewer him alive!
"Shit!" he roared.
Just then, a notification appeared on the mask interface. The notification was an invitation to join the simulation in progress. Help at a time like this was not unwelcome, and Valentin accepted immediately. At that very moment, a figure appeared in the air and the weight on his sword disappeared, along with the sound of footsteps behind him. All was calm again... Valentin froze, unable to comprehend what had just happened. It had been so quick! After a few moments, he turned quickly to thank his saviour, but froze. No one was there!
"... Huh?" he finally breathed.
It was beyond comprehension! He quickly opened the notifications window and saw that the person had just logged off a few seconds ago. They didn't seem to have left a message either... But seriously! What a morning!