Location: Exile Corridor – Perimeter of the Forbidden Zone
The ground changed before they even crossed the boundary.
Yanis noticed it first—her boots didn't touch solid stone anymore.
Instead, they sank an inch into memory-stuff: fractured thought hardened into terrain.
The sky above them was wrong—stars reversed, clouds dragging backwards.
Kael stopped just before the breach point.
> "Last time I stood here, I was wearing a crown."
> "And now?"
> "Now I'm hoping no one's sitting on the throne I left behind."
They crossed.
---
5 Minutes Into the Edge
Their comms died.
Maps blurred.
Even Seed-readings started lying.
Kael looked to the left—and saw himself standing there, older, with gold eyes and a blade that bled time.
He blinked—and it vanished.
Yanis flinched.
> "Something's watching us."
> "No," Kael said quietly. "Someone is."
---
Approaching the Throne Crypt
The structure was massive—half ruin, half machine. A broken spiral tower turned sideways and buried in glasslike sand.
And at its mouth stood a figure.
Seven feet tall.
Cloaked in ash armor made from reclaimed fragments.
Its face was covered by a cracked mask, glowing with echo-runes.
Kael's breath caught.
> "That's Jarein."
> "You knew him?"
> "He was my guard. My oldest friend."
The Warden stepped forward.
His voice was layered—metallic, hollow, and furious.
> "Kael Riven. By decree of the Throne Protocol… you are not welcome here."
Kael raised his hand slowly. "Jarein—don't do this."
> "You left us in the lock. You let the Gate bleed. I had to bind it with myself."
The ground beneath them cracked.
A vortex of broken time surged up.
> [Warning: Dimensional Anchor Unstable – Enemy Wields "Fragment Loop" Ability]
[Ability: Moment Reversal – All wounds rewind within 3 seconds]
Yanis unsheathed her blade.
> "He can't be killed."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
> "Then we'll have to kill him forever."
---
Combat Begins – Edge of the Crypt
The Warden attacked, blurring through twisted space.
Kael struck back—but each wound he inflicted rewound itself instantly.
Yanis tried psi-blades—Jarein deflected them, pulling memories from her mind and hurling them as weapons.
Kael shouted, "He's using our past against us!"
Then… the girl in red whispered through Yanis's lips:
> "Let me try."
Yanis hesitated—then lowered her mental guard.
A wave of raw Seed-force erupted from her.
It hit the Warden—and for just one second, time did not rewind.
Kael dashed in and drove his hand through the ash-core in Jarein's chest.
The Warden stumbled—flickering—then dropped to one knee.
> "I held it… as long as I could," he whispered.
> "Then sleep," Kael murmured.
Jarein collapsed. The core shattered.
The way to the Throne Crypt opened.
---