Volume 1 –
Futuristic City – Nightfall
Neon lights flashed past me like electric streaks, cars soared through the air above, and every screen around me screamed with static noise. Emotions? Obsolete. In this world driven by progress, feelings were just data points—irrelevant and outdated.
And yet, here I was, standing quietly in the shadows of a forgotten corner of this city — me, Aren Kael.
Tomo, my tiny pet-robot, was hidden in my hair as usual, but I could feel him vibrating with unease.
Tomo: "Aren... are you okay? I think the time drift is becoming more unstable."
Me (softly): "I don't know why… but something deep inside keeps whispering — I don't belong here."
I walked forward, step by step, down the broken, abandoned street. At the end stood a building lost to time — the Forbidden Core Lab.
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Inside the Lab
Everything was coated in dust. The machines were silent, lifeless. But on the floor, an orb pulsed faintly, glowing like it didn't belong in this world either.
I reached out.
The moment my fingers touched it — a blinding light exploded.
BOOOOOOOOM!
Time… fractured.
Clocks melted into liquid. Space twisted in slow motion. And before I could even scream, I felt my body pulled into a spiraling vortex.
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Unknown Forest – Early Morning
The wind was cold. Birds were chirping. I opened my eyes — and everything had changed.
My futuristic watch sparked once… then died completely.
Me: "Where… am I?"
Before I could move, a shadow loomed over me. A sword pressed against my chest.
A girl stood over me — fierce eyes, no hesitation.
???: "Stranger. You don't belong here… and I don't like strangers."
Me: "Wait—don't hurt me! I'm just—"
Her: "Silence. I cut the throats of liars before they speak too much."
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the forest. Another figure emerged — silver-white hair, cold dark eyes.
???: "Who is this? Aika, step aside. If he's a threat, I'll handle it."
Aika: "Kuze, always playing the hero. This one's mine."
The tension thickened. I slowly got to my feet, hands raised. Tomo peeked out of my hair, barely powered but still operational.
Tomo: "Warning… Time distortion detected. Timeline mismatch confirmed. We're in the past."
My entire world collapsed in that moment.
Me (whispering): "The past…? But how…?"
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Unknown Location – A Dark Room
Somewhere far away, in a room bathed in shadow, a figure cloaked in black watched everything unfold on a shifting screen. No face. Just a swirl of shadows where a face should be.
Spiral (coldly):
"The pawn has entered the board. The game begins now."
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Narration (End):
That was the day time shattered — and the world began to change forever.