Chapter [X+1] – When Time Trembles
The world around Lina and Kai shattered like a mirror. One by one, pieces of their surroundings floated into the void, suspended in silence. Time was breaking—not metaphorically, but literally—each second torn apart by Chronos' presence.
Lina struggled to keep her footing as the ground beneath her flickered in and out of existence. With a sharp breath, she activated the inner core of her power, pushing her own limits to stabilize the space around them. A shimmering aura flared around her body—unstable, wild, but undeniably powerful.
Chronos tilted their head, observing her like a curious god examining a mortal. Their voice, when it came, was not sound but sensation—a ripple of pressure brushing against the soul.
> "You are a mistake. A fracture. An anomaly that shouldn't exist."
Lina gritted her teeth. "Maybe I am," she answered. "But mistakes can still change the outcome."
A low hum rose around them. Chronos lifted a single finger, and in that moment, everything stopped.
Kai froze—completely. His eyes, locked on hers just a heartbeat ago, were now motionless. Even the energy surrounding Lina began to dim, caught in a web of halted moments. Chronos walked through the suspended world like a god strolling through dreams.
But Lina… blinked.
And then she moved.
Chronos halted mid-step.
"You shouldn't be able to resist this."
"I shouldn't be able to do a lot of things," Lina replied, fire dancing in her eyes.
The truth was, the power inside her wasn't just chaos—it was anomaly. Something even the timeline couldn't define or restrain. And it was growing. Reacting. Learning.
Suddenly, the stilled world cracked like ice under pressure. Time restarted with a thunderous shockwave, and Kai gasped as if emerging from deep water.
He lunged forward, drawing the twin blades forged from light and shadow—gifts from another universe. "I don't know what the hell just happened, but I'm not letting you take her."
But Chronos stepped aside.
"No," they said simply. "I'm not here to take her."
From behind them, Erebus reappeared—more solid this time, his form crystallizing into something vaguely human, draped in robes woven from stardust and silence.
"She will come to us," Erebus said, his voice like wind through a dead forest. "In time. When her choices begin to unravel the very order she believes she's protecting."
"I'll never join you," Lina growled.
Erebus smiled faintly. "You already have. Every time you use that power… you drift closer to me."
And with that, Erebus and Chronos faded, their presence vanishing like smoke in reverse—folding back into the seams of the multiverse.
Silence returned. Only the distant echo of their warning remained.
Kai sheathed his blades, stepping beside Lina. "You okay?"
She didn't answer right away. Her heart still thundered in her chest. Her hands trembled. "I don't know," she admitted. "But I'm not going to stop. No matter what they throw at us."
Kai looked at her, eyes filled with unwavering trust. "Then we stand together. Against time, fate… even gods."
Lina took a deep breath.
She didn't feel strong.
She felt terrified.
But she also felt ready.
And this—this was only the beginning of the end.
Chapter [X+2] – Echoes of the Forgotten
The stars above them flickered unnaturally, like someone was tampering with the threads of the cosmos.
Kai frowned. "This place... it's shifting again."
Lina nodded slowly, her voice low. "They're leading us somewhere. Testing us."
Suddenly, the air turned cold. Not natural cold—but something ancient and hollow. A figure emerged from the shadows of the collapsing sky. He wore armor etched with runes that pulsed a dull crimson, and a crown of broken mirrors hovered above his head.
"Who the hell—" Kai began, stepping forward.
The figure raised a finger. "Silence."
And Kai's voice was stolen. Not muted—removed, like it never existed.
Lina narrowed her eyes. "You're not Erebus."
"No," the figure said. "I am Varon, Warden of the Silent Path. And I am here to judge whether you are worthy to survive what comes next."
His eyes burned like dying suns.
"Fail this trial, and your timeline collapses."