Temporal Dominion

The academy was silent under the cover of night, its towering structures bathed in the dim glow of moonlight. Most students were asleep, exhausted from the day's rigorous training. But Lucian was wide awake.

Dressed in dark, lightweight clothes, he moved swiftly through the quiet halls, avoiding the patrols that monitored the academy grounds after hours. He wasn't supposed to be out. But the whispers wouldn't let him rest.

"Come back… to where it all began."

The voice was insistent. Almost familiar.

The old stone shrine lay deep within the outskirts of the academy forest, near the place where he had first awakened his Chronokinesis.

Even though he didn't understand why, something in his gut told him he had to return.

---

The Forest Outskirts

Lucian's boots barely made a sound as he stepped past the academy walls and into the thick woodland. The air was crisp, filled with the scent of damp earth and ancient trees. Shadows stretched around him as he weaved through the dense forest path.

The deeper he went, the stronger the pull became.

His pulse quickened. The shrine was close.

And then—

There it was.

A circular stone platform, half-buried in the earth, its surface covered in faint runes that pulsed with an eerie blue light. Ancient and untouched, except for the vines curling around its edges.

Lucian swallowed hard. The last time he was here…

The overwhelming surge of time energy had almost shattered him. But instead, it had awakened something inside him.

And now, as he stood before it again, the whispers grew louder.

"Touch the stone."

His fingers trembled slightly as he reached out.

The moment his hand pressed against the rune-covered surface, a pulse of energy shot through his body.

His vision blurred. The world shifted.

---

A Vision of the Past

Lucian gasped as his surroundings changed.

The dark forest was gone.

Instead, he stood in the same shrine—but it was new.

The ruins were no longer crumbling. The runes shone bright with radiant blue energy. And standing in the center of it all was—

A figure.

Draped in flowing robes, with an air of authority and power. Their face was hidden by a hood, but their voice rang clear.

"So, you have finally come."

Lucian froze. His mind raced.

Who was this person?

Was this a memory? A remnant of someone who had been here long ago?

The figure took a step forward, the very air warping around them.

"You have inherited the gift… but you are far from ready."

Lucian clenched his fists. "Who are you?"

The figure ignored the question.

"Time bends to those who understand its weight. If you truly wish to master it—"

They raised a hand.

"—then endure."

The world shattered.

A blinding light engulfed Lucian, and suddenly—

Pain.

His mind felt like it was being pulled in a hundred directions at once. His body froze and moved at the same time, as if different versions of himself were caught in multiple timelines.

His past. His present. His future.

All crashing into each other.

Lucian screamed.

And then—

Darkness.

---

The Shrine – Present Time

Lucian's eyes snapped open.

He was back in the forest. His body was drenched in sweat, his breathing ragged. The shrine was quiet, the runes dim once more.

But something was different.

He could still feel it.

A fragment of something… left behind inside him.

Not just a memory. Not just a vision.

A piece of knowledge. A deeper understanding of his power that he hadn't had before.

Lucian rose to his feet, his hands trembling. He didn't fully understand what had just happened.

But one thing was clear—

This place held more secrets than he had ever imagined.