Temporal Dominion

Lucian's breath came fast and uneven as the air around him rippled once more. The sensation was impossible to describe—like the fabric of reality itself was slipping, struggling to maintain its form. It lasted only a second, but in that brief moment, Lucian felt as though he were standing in two different places at once.

Elara grabbed his wrist. "Lucian, we need to leave—now."

But Lucian's body refused to move. His legs felt like lead, his thoughts tangled in the impossibility of what he had just witnessed.

That wasn't normal. That wasn't just an illusion.

He had seen something—a fracture in reality itself.

"Elara," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "you saw it too, right? That second moon?"

Elara hesitated, but she nodded, her silver eyes glinting with unease. "I did."

Lucian's stomach twisted. Then it wasn't just me hallucinating.

Another pulse of energy rippled through the air.

This time, Lucian felt it.

A sudden weight, like unseen chains pulling against his mind. A distant, fractured whisper, barely audible—like a voice calling from behind a thick veil.

"—not yet—"

Lucian's vision blurred. His knees buckled.

Then, just as quickly as it came, the sensation vanished.

Elara caught his arm. "Lucian!"

He gasped for breath, his head spinning. "I—I'm fine."

"No, you're not," she said firmly, her grip steady. "Something's happening to you."

Lucian clenched his teeth. She was right. Something was happening. And whatever it was, it had started the moment he stepped into this place.

The ancient ruins. The strange carvings. The pull he had felt before—like something was waiting for him.

Lucian steadied himself and exhaled. "Elara… what do you know about this place? The truth."

Elara hesitated, glancing at the ruins. "I told you—it's ancient. Older than the academy, older than even the first Evolvers. But…"

Lucian narrowed his eyes. "But what?"

She bit her lip. "There's a theory that this place wasn't built by normal means. That it wasn't just a ruin, but… something else."

Lucian's pulse quickened. "Something else?"

Elara glanced around before lowering her voice. "A gate."

Lucian frowned. "A gate to what?"

She shook her head. "No one knows. The legends call it a Veilpoint—a place where the boundaries between our world and something beyond are weaker."

Lucian's skin prickled. "You're telling me this place is some kind of…" He searched for the right word. "…tear in reality?"

Elara hesitated. "A fracture, maybe."

Lucian looked down at the carved symbols beneath his feet. The patterns, the strange inscriptions—something about them felt wrong. Or rather… too precise.

Like they weren't meant to be read.

But to contain.

Another pulse ran through the air, softer this time. The world stuttered—just for an instant, as if skipping a beat.

And then—

A sound.

A chime.

Soft. Resonant. Like the echo of a distant bell ringing through time itself.

Lucian felt his entire body go rigid.

Because it wasn't coming from the ruins.

It was coming from inside him.

His vision swam. A sharp pressure built in his skull, pressing against his thoughts, his consciousness. It was unbearable—like something inside him was trying to break free.

The symbols beneath him glowed faintly.

Elara's voice cut through the haze. "Lucian, step back—"

But it was too late.

A final pulse erupted from the ruins, and everything froze.

The wind. The trees. The distant flicker of torches from the academy walls.

Even Elara—her expression frozen in alarm, her hand outstretched toward him.

Lucian's breath hitched.

The world was still.

Completely, utterly motionless.

Except for him.

His heart pounded in his chest. "What… is this?"

He took a shaky step forward. The sound of his foot brushing against the dirt was deafening in the absolute silence.

He turned to Elara. She didn't move. Not even the faintest twitch of her hair.

Lucian's pulse thundered in his ears.

Then, out of the corner of his eye—

Movement.

Something stirred at the edge of the ruins.

A shape. A shadow, just barely visible against the frozen night.

Lucian's breath caught.

Because whatever it was…

It was watching him.