Cold.
No sound. No light. Nothing.
Two snaps, a few rotations and the universe sent me here…
The air tasted like ash and rust. Concrete under my feet—cracked, ancient.
I could not see anything.
Then I saw something glow, a faint red glow.
It pulsed slowly, like a heartbeat too weak but deadly at the same time.
I kept walking…
My footsteps echoed throughout the room.
"He who has come to defy destiny," the voice rasped, scraping like rusted gears, "will fall into the trap laid by destiny itself."
It was him, no doubt.
I kept walking through the fog covering the space...
Slowly the fog dispersed, revealing his body.
I paused the time, just to test something.
Silence deepened. The red glow froze mid-pulse. His rasping voice cut off like a severed wire.
No movement. No threat.
Safe. For now.
I circled him slowly, studying the figure on the throne through the temporal stasis. An older form of the GD, hollowed out. Skin like crumpled paper over bone, veins glowing that sickly red under that flesh.
Not age. Not sickness. Carrying burden.
If I could describe his appearance, He looks like he is 100.
Then suddenly he blinked and said "Are you done examining my old body?"
I knew it…
Obviously time wouldn't work on him.
I snapped my fingers again. Time lurched forward.
He hadn't moved. Eyes still locked on mine, not even blinking.
"You brought your party tricks here," he said. Voice like grinding stone. "I hold time."
I flexed my left hand, feeling the control humming through my veins. "I am not here to fight."
His cracked lips spoke. "Then why come at all?"
The red glow in his eyes pulsed, syncing with the burn in my chest. "I am just here to talk"
The air hung heavy, neither of us were moving.
Then his fingers twitched—subtle, deliberate.
Concrete rippled like water. Two chairs molded from the floor itself, rough and solid, rising between us.
The mist dispersed in a slow spiral, revealing not a room—but a rooftop. Midnight sky above, endless black pierced by distant stars barely visible.
Wind howled faintly, carrying the bite of high altitude.
The building—too high for city lights, too high for anything human.
He settled into one chair, slow and deliberate. Trying to show good gesture like I'm a guest.
"Alright," he said, voice carrying over the wind. "Let's talk."
I stayed standing a moment longer, then sat opposite. The chair felt unnaturally cold.
"I am curious," he added, eyes never leaving mine, "to what you have to say."
I took a breath. The wind cut sharper up here—endless depth below, city lights a faint smear far below. No railings. No safety.
"What's your reason for doing all of this?" I asked cautiously.
His body stopped glowing.
He leaned back, chair creaking under weight it shouldn't support, "Reason?"
The word hung. He stared past me, into the void. "You think there's madness. Arrogance. Cruelty."
I waited. The wind tugged my clothes. My left hand reflexed unconsciously, ready.
"There isn't." His gaze returned, heavy. "There is survival."
"Survival?" I echoed. "By breaking everything?"
His cracked lips twitched. "Everything was already broken."
"Let me give you an example," He said.
"Socrates warned everyone about democracy, he thought people were unequal…"
"Democracy passes into despotism," the voice echoed—Socrates, centuries dead. "The people, thinking themselves free, become slaves to the tyrant they create."
"People are not equal," he said flatly. "Some serve purpose and some don't."
"Still…Genocide is wrong…" I said.
His eyes narrowed. Red glow flared. "Wrong? Purpose isn't moral."
The wind picked up, howling between us. Rooftop edge crumbled slightly—endless drop below.
"You think billions died for spite?" he continued. "They were symptoms. Carriers of chaos. Weak links in the chain."
"You're justifying murder," I said.
"Survival" He corrected.
He leaned forward from the chair "Listen, just think about it…why would I take such rash decisions without trying to restore the timelines instead?"
"I tried," he said. Voice low, almost human. "It always fractured. Every timeline corrupts. Machines always failed me."
"You're still killing billions."
"Billions were already dead." His voice hardened.
"Time works in a weird way…they were dead, i just made sure they stay dead"
"There is no other way, even he told you, my younger self…the person who sent you here."
He froze. "You never told me about him, did you?"
I get startled. He stared back. Realization dawning.
"You—" I started.
"You knew?"
"Remember that dream? Where you are in a colorless black and white world, getting sucked into a void?"
"Who do you think implanted that dream?"
For a second I couldn't process his words, my mind made a stinging sound…
Then I fell down from the chair.
The rooftop trembled. His fingers flexed.
Chair empty.
All in an instant…
"Wha—Where did he" I panicked,
Out of nowhere strong wind blew—his fist crashed into my stomach like thunder.
I flew, concrete shredding my side as I rolled across the rooftop. Blood filled my mouth, metal tasting. Coughing, I pushed myself on one hand,
Trying to get up.
I instinctively tried to pause time…It worked, but not on him.
He stepped forward, casual as death.
He unpaused the time, casually. And lunged forward at me.
I twisted—barely. His backhand grazed my shoulder instead of my skull. I hit the ground hard, ribs cracking like dry twigs. Coughing blood, world tilting.
He didn't pause. Punches rained—left hook to my guard, right cross slipping through to my jaw.
I raised my arms frantically, blocking half. The rest landed, gut, cheek, temple. Each blow messing up my senses, driving breath from lungs.
I rolled desperate, dodging a stomp that cratered concrete.
He blurred behind. Spinning fist clipped my ear—deafness rang. I countered wild—grazed his shoulder. He laughed, grinding.
"I won't kill you," he exclaimed, " doesn't mean I can't do this!"
Within a second his foot descended like judgment—stomped down on my left arm with bone-crushing force.
Flesh tore, muscle shredded, bone snapped clean through. Severed completely at the elbow. Blood sprayed cold across concrete.
I screamed raw, clutching the stump—a primal howl ripping from my gut, jagged and unending, as hot blood pulsed between spasming fingers.
The world felt like it was upside down…
GD loomed, No rush. Just waiting for the break.
"Most break here," he said, straightening casual. "You? Still glaring. Good…"
Wind howled faint between us. Rooftop's edge crumbled somewhere behind. He settled cross-legged on concrete—watching me writhe like a bug.
"Curious though," GD said, voice cutting through my ragged breaths. He tilted his head, red glow pulsing in those hollow eyes.
"Our mother."
My grip tightened on the bloody stump.
"What about her?"
He leaned forward slightly.
"Oh you don't know? I thought every version of us knew…"
I forced the words out. "Tell me."
A dry chuckle escaped him. "The moment you jumped timelines and met Arlie and Seren…your original one began unraveling.
"Small objects vanishing first, remember? Your phone, The resignation letter. Then people. Streets." He then paused. "Her."
"What…?" I replied.
My chest tightened. "No..."
"When I realized what happened," he continued, almost wistful, "I was... disheartened, actually. Before I realised the bigger picture."
The rooftop seemed to tilt. Rage boiled up, hot and sudden, drowning the arm pain entirely.
I surged forward—one-armed, concrete cracking beneath me. My fist connected with his cheekbone. Hard.
He touched the split skin, surprised. Then grinned. "There you are."
I didn't care about my arm anymore…
I didn't care for anything…
As long as he dies, I'll be happy.
Even if it costs my life.
[Updated: Temporal Energy Level: 99.9%]
"Not bad," GD rasped, wiping his mouth. Amusement flickered, then vanished. His eyes hardened.
My right fist launched forward again, rage-fueled and unstoppable.
CRUNCH—his jaw tilted, teeth cracking. Blood sprayed wild from his mouth, painting concrete red.
He actually staggered, clutching his face—pain, real pain flashing in those godly-eyes for the first time.
"Hold on—wait," he gasped, palm raised like a timeout. "Time out."
He pressed two fingers to his temple, eyes glowing brighter. Scanning. No device needed—just raw sight piercing.
He lowered his hand slowly. No grin. No taunt. Just... recognition.
"Finally" he whispered, tasting his own blood. "We're equal."
Equal? WHAT?
His eyes narrowed. Game over.
Reality warped as he lunged.
Does that mean I'm strong like him now?
I used my right hand to snap. IT WORKED.
Silence. The world held its breath. GD hung mid-air, fist cocked, but still.
I rotated my hand anticlockwise. He materialized few meters left instead.
He kicked towards me—predicting my pattern.
"Clever," he rasped. Sky fractured above. Bending reality.
Thunder started crackling. I covered myself in defense.
"One of my first inventions coming here was making these Dyson Rings around the sun…"
He pointed at the sun.
"Would you like a taste of—METAL?" He yelled, pulling the rings down to earth.
"Shut your damn mouth!!" I yelled.
I try to push it back…Almost. Thankfully it didn't enter earth's atmosphere.
He inverted gravity. We floated. I tried to stabilize myself.
We floated—city infinite below, fractured sky screaming above. My left hand stump slowly drying, but power roared louder.
GD hovered opposite, blood dripping upward from his split lip. No panic. Just... calculation. His eyes flicked to the rings, then me, then the horizon.
"You're stalling," I spat, right hand flexing.
He tilted his head, red glow pulsing. "Am I?"
I still haven't forgotten the original plan…one that can end him, and me.
To be honest…I was stalling too.
Thunder CRACKED—sky splitting wider.
I tried throwing him on the ground.
"Predictable," GD rasped, floating away. Dodging.
His laugh echoed through the sky. The nearest skyscraper tore free at the roots, forty stories of steel and glass accelerating at me RAPIDLY, debris trail like a comet hurtling at me.
No time to think. I snapped my fingers quickly. Froze time around it. Building hung there, slow. I jumped through the gaps, tried jumping to it—missed a bit, shoulder hit metal hard. Blood trickled, but I kept going.
He didn't stop. Yanked an apartment building next. Then a stadium. All three flying at me, sped up crazy fast.
Froze them again. Ducked, jumped behind the first building and stabilized myself, ran on the building walls trying to escape.
Gravity flipped back on. We dropped, swinging wild in the air.
His fists came fast—hit my face, ribs, stomach. Everywhere. Hurt like hell, sharp stings everywhere, knocking wind out of me... but I could take it now. Not breaking me. I swung back—missed his jaw by an inch.
We both dropped down, where we were. On the rooftop.
His eyes met mine. No smirk. Just…running out of time.
The question was—whose time was gonna run out first.
We both stood there, chests heaving, dust slowly settling around our feet.
The wind cut across the rooftop, cold against sweat and blood.
For the first time since this started, neither of us moved.
My ribs throbbed with every breath. Jaw ached. Left arm, which is gone. pulsed in a dull, ragged rhythm.
But I was still standing.
GD wiped the blood dripping from his mouth with the back of his hand. It smeared across his cheek, dark and messy.
His shoulders rose and fell, slower now.
"Looks like you've… caught up," he rasped, voice rough.
"Barely," I muttered, swallowing the copper taste in my mouth.
For a moment, the world felt almost normal.
Just two maniacs on a rooftop, bleeding into broken concrete.
He glanced at the horizon—at the fractures in the sky inching closer, like cracks in glass spreading under pressure.
Right… My nightmares are coming true.
"Time's thinning," he said. The more seconds you waste, the more timelines die."
"Then stop throwing buildings at me," I shot back, though there wasn't much bite in it…
Silence stretched between us.
"Just like you, I wanted things fixed too," he said quietly. "You know that."
"But there is no other way… other than this"
He was right. My legs were shaking. I could feel the energy buzzing too close to the edge—like a battery about to burst.
I took a slow breath, forcing my voice to steady.
"Then we stop fighting," I said. "And start talking."
His gaze slid back to me. The red glow in his eyes dimmed, just a little."Fine," he murmured. "We talk."
I sucked in a breath, chest still burning from the last hit.
"Okay, then—what if we saved timelines by just… deleting the worst ones?" I said.
"The really unstable ones. The ones too far gone. Keep the rest."
GD stared at me for a second.
Then he actually laughed.
"Great," he said, dry and sharp. "So mass genocide… like that's what I haven't been doing all along."
"That's not what I—wait, no—" I raised my hand, wincing.
"I mean, targeted. Careful. You don't wipe everyone. You pick the absolute worst branches and cut only those."
His eyes narrowed, "You think I didn't try that?" he asked. "You think I didn't run centuries of simulations on 'just deleting the worst ones'?"
He leaned forward, voice low.
"Corruption bleeds. You cut one branch, rot leaks into another. You're not saving anything. You're delaying collapse."
I bit back a reply, brain scrambling. "Alright, fine. Then… what if we slowed down timelines that are decaying? Not deleting. Just…stretching their time. More breathing room. More chances to fix things."
He tilted his head. "Wow," he muttered.
"So you want to trap them in a prison they don't realise they're in."
I froze. "…What?"
"You slow their time," he said. "To them, nothing changes. No collapse, no progress, just a loop of almost‑normal. They live, sure—but never move forward. Never die properly. Never get closure. You turn entire universes into waiting rooms."
He held my gaze. "You're not saving them. You're putting them on pause so you feel better about not killing them."
The words hit harder than his punches.
"Listen, Kiran," he continued, voice quieter now. "There are no white solutions. No clean answers. Every choice stains something. Someone."
I clenched my jaw. "There has to be something better than 'Erase existance itself and call it a day' I spat.
"According to you, every idea sucks, everything fails, and the only solution is you playing god with a kill switch?"
He shrugged slightly. "Welcome to reality."
I shook my head sideways, anger mixing with frustration. "You're acting like there's no alternative. Like everything is already decided. You sound less like a god and more like someone who just gave up…and dressed it up with logic."
His eyes flickered.
"Except one," he said.The rooftop felt even higher suddenly.
"One what?" I asked.
"Solution." His gaze didn't leave mine. "There are no white solutions… except one. But I know you're scared to even attempt it."
A chill ran along my spine.
Wait. Does he know?
I forced my voice to stay steady. "You're talking like you already know what I'm thinking."
He gave a small, humorless smile. "You forget who you're talking to. I have stood where you're standing. Thought what you're thinking. I have tasted that same 'maybe if I just sacrifice myself, it will all end' fantasy."
My stomach twisted.
"So you're saying it won't work?" I managed.
He didn't answer immediately. His gaze drifted past me, to the cracked sky, the shivering air.
"I'm saying," he replied slowly, "that the path you're trying to create… I have thought about it. But it could also end with you simply dying and changing nothing."
Silence pressed in.
"But this one," he added, eyes narrowing slightly, "The one I'm trying to make is different."
I swallowed. "…How?"
He leaned back slightly, eyes still on the broken sky.
"Because mine doesn't rely on hoping the universe does the right thing after you're gone," he said. "It forces it."
I frowned. "You're not making sense."
He sighed, the sound rough in his throat. "Your plan is simple. Noble, even. You throw yourself into the fire, overload to a hundred percent, and pray the paradox collapses with you. Maybe it works. Maybe it doesn't. And I go on. Or someone else takes your place. Chaos finds a new host."
He tapped his chest once. "My plan doesn't leave it to chance."
I narrowed my eyes. "What is your plan, then?"
"Project: ENLIGHTENMENT wasn't just about reaching a hundred percent," he said. "It was about containing it. Shaping it. Turning raw paradox into a controlled singularity—one strike that doesn't just erase timelines at random, but erases everything."
"So… what?" I asked. "You destroy everything and then what?"
"If nothing exists…then nothing exists…" He said.
The words dropped between us and just stayed there.
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
No smart reply.
No new idea.
Just… emptiness.
The wind cut across the rooftop, colder than before. It stung my face, the raw edge of my missing arm. My chest hurt in a way that had nothing to do with broken ribs.
Erase everything.
Not just timelines on some screen.
Not just "bad branches."
Everyone.
My mother's memories flashed in my head.
Maybe she really was gone.
For a moment I felt empty…
I stared at the cracked concrete, at the dried blood.
I looked to my left, arm gone.
I looked to my right, hands covered in blood.
"What's the point…" I muttered, barely hearing myself.
GD glanced at me. "What?"
"If every choice just breaks something else," I said, voice small. "If I die and nothing changes. If your plan 'works' and nobody's left to even know… what's the point of any of this?"
He watched me quietly.
"This is the point," he said. "You stop pretending there's a version where everyone is saved. There isn't."
My throat tightened.
Arlie's annoyed face came to mind, shoving snacks at me like that counted as comfort.
Seren's calm stare, her hand on my shoulder, telling me to rest even when the world was ending.
I want to go back so bad…
If I did what he wanted—they are gone.
If I did what I wanted—I would probably be gone.
If I did nothing…Then nothing happens
Maybe I was never meant to save anyone.
Not my mother.
Not them.
Not even myself.
"I'm tired…" I whispered.
He didn't say anything.
The sky above us cracked a little more. The city below flickered at the edges. Everything felt thin, like one hard push would tear it. Or me.
"I'm so tired of this," I said.
"Of fighting. Of bleeding. Of finding out one worse thing every time I think it can't get worse."
I want to go home…
For a moment, I just stood there, breathing, feeling the weight of it all sink in.
Maybe I couldn't fix this. Maybe whatever I chose would still hurt.
But doing nothing would also hurt…
If I walked away now, I knew exactly what would happen. He'd keep going. Even without me
He'd finish his objective.
One way or another, everything would end on his terms.
And everyone will die, whether I join him or not…
Kill me? That's fine… I came mentally prepared for that.
Erase everything?
No.
If somebody had to go first, it was going to be me. Not them. Not anyone else.
If this world is so terrible then…
Why do I feel what I feel?
Why do I care for others?
I am still afraid, but I have to step up.
Because if not me, then who?
I lifted my head.
"I'm done," I said quietly.
GD's eyes narrowed. "Done?"
"Looking for some perfect fix," I replied. "Trying to save everyone. Bargaining with you. Pretending there's a version where nobody gets hurt." I swallowed. "There isn't. I get that now."
Those words tasted bitter… but it's true.
I tensed my muscles, trying to force out every inch of strength...
Then something clicked.
My flesh started to burn, my vision became hazy at the edges, but it just felt… right.
[Updated: Temporal Energy Level: 100%]
GD's expression changed instantly.
"Kiran," he said, voice suddenly sharp. "Stop. You don't even understand what you're doing."
I laughed weakly. "You just spent half an hour telling me exactly what I must do."
"But guess what? I had made up my mind the moment I came here…"
I lied…just to throw him off.
"I told you what could happen," he snapped at me. For the first time, there was real urgency in his voice.
"If you detonate like this, you don't just hit the paradox—you wipe every version of you. Every thread tied to you. Past, present, side branches. All of it."
"Good," I said. "Then that makes sure that you don't exist either..."
His jaw tightened. A flicker of something like panic crossed his face.
"You think that's mercy?" he hissed. "Arlie, Seren, our mother—will just forget you!"
That's not how time works buddy…
"Do you think this is a noble act?"
He couldn't approach me further, as for the very first time…His temporal energy was lower than mine.
"This is not a noble act! You are being selfish"
I stared at him.
Selfish.
The word slipped under my skin sharper than any punch he'd thrown.
"Must be relatable for you then no?" I said.
My voice came out rough, but steady. "So what? You want me to admit it? Fine. I'm scared. I'm tired. And yeah, part of me wants this to be over—for me."
The air around us vibrated, the rooftop trembling like it was struggling to stay real. Cracks spiderwebbed across the concrete, across the sky, across everything.
"But you know what's worse than being selfish?" I continued. "You being alive."
GD's eyes burned red through the distortion, but he didn't move closer. He couldn't. The difference between us hummed like a force field.
"If you do this—" he spoke but I cut him off
"Before you say anything…I'm giving them a chance," I shot back. "Something you never gave anyone."
He flinched. Just a little. Barely a twitch in the corner of his mouth, but I saw it.
"And also. You still don't get it," I said. "That's not how this works. They'll remember everything. Every stupid joke. Every mistake. Every time I ran away. I'm not erasing myself from their heads. I'm just making sure they never have to see another version of me turn into you."
"I am making sure that we don't exist"
He went quiet.
For the first time since I'd met him, he didn't have a comeback ready. The wind screamed around us, but between us there was just… breathing. Mine, ragged. His, a little too sharp.
"You knew about this method," I said. My voice surprised me…steady, almost calm. "Didn't you?"
His eyes flicked away for a fraction of a second. That was all the answer I needed.
"You knew you could end it like this," I continued. "Erase every version of us. Cut the loop for good."
He clenched his jaw. The red glow in his eyes flickered.
"And you were too scared to even try it," I said.
"Of course I was," he snapped, the words tearing out of him. "Do you have any idea what this is? It's not a weapon, it's suicide. There's no backup plan. No second timeline. No way to undo it if you're wrong."
He took a half step forward, then stopped, the air between us humming with pressure.
"I've spent lifetimes cleaning up after bad decisions," he said, voice low. "This is the one move I can't take back. If I miscalculate—if this doesn't work—you don't just die. You die for nothing…"
His hands were shaking.
He really was scared.
"Congratulations," I said quietly. "You finally found something you're afraid of."
His gaze snapped back to mine. There was no arrogance left there. Just a tired man who'd seen too much and still couldn't jump.
"I don't want to die not knowing if it mattered," he said. The honesty in his voice made my chest tighten. "I don't want to disappear and leave the universe worse than I found it. I couldn't risk that."
I let out a breath.
"Guess what," I replied. "I don't give a shit about my life anymore."
His eyes widened slightly.
"As long as you don't exist," I said, each word landing heavier than the last, "I will have served my life's purpose."
He stared at me, like he was trying to memorize my face. Maybe he was.
"This isn't courage," he said, almost pleading. "It's despair wearing a mask."
"Maybe," I said. "But you're the one who glued it to my face."
The sky above us fractured again, light and color streaming inward toward the point where I stood. The pull on my insides got stronger,
"I'm not asking you to approve," I added. "I'm not asking you to understand. I just need you to be gone."
His lips parted like he wanted to say my name again.
I didn't let him.
I raised my hand one last time.
"Goodbye," I said. "To our existence."
And I snapped my fingers.
The sound was tiny.
The world folded.
The rooftop cracked and curled toward me, the sky tearing into bright threads that all pulled into my chest.
He reached out—his arm stretched and then broke apart, dragged into the same point.
My body glowed like a ray of sunshine…
I couldn't tell where my body ended and everything else began. Just pressure. Just burning.
I want to go home, I thought.
Can't.
At least they'll get the chance.
"Sorry," I tried to say. Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't.
One last thought cut through the noise…
I finally did something right.
-End of Chapter 13-
-End of Arc 3-