Temporal Dominion

A cold wind swept through the forest's edge. The air smelled of damp earth and burnt energy. The once-lush clearing bore the scars of battle—deep craters, shattered trees, and the eerie silence of something unnatural.

Professor Aldric Graves arrived first.

The moment he stepped onto the battlefield, he felt it.

A lingering pulse of warped time.

His sharp gaze scanned the scene. Two bodies lay unmoving in the dirt—Lucian and Darren.

One barely breathing. The other… a husk of what he once was.

Behind Aldric,was Callen and a group of academy instructors with medical personnel hurried forward. Among them was Elara.

The moment she saw Lucian's unconscious form, her heart clenched.

"What happened here…?"

A healer rushed to check Lucian first, but as soon as she touched his skin, she pulled her hand away with a gasp.

"He's… fine?" she whispered, disbelief in her voice.

Aldric narrowed his eyes. He knelt beside Lucian and inspected him closely.

Despite the destruction around him, despite the fact that his clothes were torn and stained with blood…

Lucian's body was completely healed.

No broken bones. No bruises. Not even a scratch.

Yet his unconscious form trembled. Like something inside him wasn't at peace.

"Move to the other one," Aldric ordered.

The healers turned their attention to Darren. But the moment they checked his pulse, their expressions darkened.

"This… this isn't normal," one of them muttered.

Callen's gaze sharpened. "Explain."

The healer swallowed. "He's alive, but his body… it's like his strength has been drained. His muscles are deteriorated, his energy levels are completely empty. And his ability—"

She hesitated.

Callen's voice was firm. "His ability?"

"It's gone."

Silence.

Even Elara froze.

Darren Voss, one of the academy's most aggressive fighters, from a prestigious family, a powerful kinetic force user…

Now lay crippled.

But that wasn't all.

One of the instructors gasped. "Sir… look at his chest."

Aldric turned.

A dark sigil had burned itself onto Darren's skin—just below his collarbone.

A twisted eclipse.

The mark radiated something sinister.

Aldric's fingers clenched. "Take them both to the infirmary. Secure Darren separately. No one touches that mark until we identify it."

The instructors nodded. They carefully lifted both unconscious students and carried them back toward the academy. Aldric also followed them.

But Callen remained.

He looked around again—at the shattered ground, the distorted space where time itself had been altered.

And he knew.

Lucian hadn't just fought Darren.

Something else had awakened here.

And whatever it was…

It terrified him.

—

Academy Infirmary

Lucian's mind swirled in a fog of fragmented images.

A battle. Pain. Something inside him breaking free.

And then—

Nothing.

He woke with a sharp inhale, his vision blurry as he sat up in bed.

White walls. The soft hum of healing machines. The scent of antiseptic.

He was in the academy infirmary.

For a moment, he stared at his hands.

He felt fine. No injuries. No soreness.

But why, then, did he feel like something inside him had changed?

The door slid open.

Elara stepped inside.

Her usually calm expression was tight with worry. Her violet eyes flickered with emotions she didn't show often.

"Lucian," she said softly.

He exhaled. "I'm guessing I lost again."

Elara's lips parted, but she hesitated.

Then—

"No." She shook her head. "You didn't."

Lucian frowned. "What?"

"You didn't lose," she repeated, stepping closer. "But… we don't know what really happened. When they found you and Darren, you were unconscious. And he…"

She paused.

Lucian caught the hesitation in her voice. "And he what?"

Elara's eyes darkened. "He lost his ability."

Lucian froze.

His mind reeled.

Darren… lost his ability?

Permanently?

Before Lucian could process it, Elara continued. "And there's more."

She hesitated again. Then she lowered her voice.

"He had a mark on him. A mark."

Lucian's breath caught. "A mark?"

Elara nodded. "An Eclipse."

For some reason, the moment she said those words—

A cold shiver ran down Lucian's spine.

Something was wrong.

Something he couldn't remember.

—

Academy Council – The Investigation Begins

Elsewhere, deep within the academy's administrative wing, a private meeting was underway.

At the head of the table sat Headmaster Alric Vael. His silver hair and piercing golden eyes gave him a regal air, but tonight, his usually composed expression was troubled.

Seated around him were the academy's top professors—including Professor Callen.

Before them, a holographic projection displayed an energy signature extracted from the battlefield.

The readings were off the charts.

A professor cleared his throat. "These results are… unsettling. The residual traces left behind are highly unstable temporal distortions. That alone would be concerning, but—"

He gestured to another projection.

A still image of Darren's Eclipse mark.

"This," the professor continued, "is proof of outside interference."

The room darkened.

Callen's voice was steady. "This symbol is not natural."

One of the senior instructors exhaled. "If Darren has been marked… then that means we're dealing with—"

"—The Eclipsed Sentinels," Alric Vael finished grimly.

Silence.

The atmosphere was heavy.

Everyone in that room knew what that meant.

The Eclipsed Sentinels were not a myth. They were a hidden force operating in the shadows, tied to ancient knowledge and forbidden power.

And now—

They had marked one of their students.

Headmaster Alden's fingers steepled together.

"This is no longer just an internal matter," he said gravely.

The faculty exchanged wary glances.

Then—

Alden's eyes settled on Callen.

"We need to keep an eye on Lucian Vale."

Callen's expression remained unreadable. "You think he's connected?"

Alric leaned back. "I don't know."

He exhaled.

"But what happened in that forest… wasn't just a simple battle between students."

His gaze sharpened.

"If Lucian holds the key to whatever is coming… then we cannot afford to be careless."

__

Somewhere in the Darkness…

An unknown location, a lone figure stood shrouded in shadow. The dim glow of a communication device flickered in his grasp, illuminating the faint outline of a twisted sigil carved into the wall behind him.

The call connected.

A deep, distorted voice crackled through the device.

"Report."

The figure lowered his head in reverence.

"It has begun," he said.

Silence.

Then—

The voice on the other end, cold and absolute, issued a command.

"Proceed with the plan."

The call ended.

The figure exhaled, a smile creeping onto his lips.

The first step was complete.

And soon—

The true descent would begin.