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Arcane Drifters – Chapter 108: "Seal 4 – The Sinking Time Dimension"
In the far reaches of the forgotten timeline, a crack floats in space.
A portal to Chrono-Decay, a sealed prison where time flows backward, sideways, and sometimes… not at all.
This is where Seal 4 was hidden.
Because even the Arcane King feared who guarded it.
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From the Arcane Realm, a silver-robed figure steps forward.
Lord Zenthos, the Chrono-Binder of the High Twelve.
His body glows like a walking clock. His voice ticks.
> "The others used force," he murmurs.
"But time… requires rhythm."
He enters the dimension alone.
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Instantly, he begins aging… and de-aging.
His left side turns old. His right becomes young.
Memories shuffle. Names disappear. Past battles echo in reverse.
But he holds steady.
> "Time is not my enemy. I am time."
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He arrives at the Hour Fortress — an ancient tower floating upside-down, made of cracked glass gears.
And standing at the gate:
A man. Cloaked in rust. Face covered.
Eyes glowing blue — but full of sorrow.
The Arcane Betrayer.
Once an Arcane General.
Once the King's Shadow.
Now a prisoner of eternity.
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Zenthos speaks first.
> "You still exist?"
The Betrayer answers:
> "Only in time. And in guilt."
> "You've come for the Seal, haven't you?"
Zenthos: "Yes. Give it peacefully. You know you cannot win."
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The Betrayer raises his broken blade.
> "I know. But I didn't betray him for victory."
> "I did it… to stop his future."
He attacks.
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⚔️ The battle is unlike any other.
Time around them splits into scenes:
A child's cry echoes in reverse.
A destroyed city reforms and vanishes again.
Past versions of Zenthos and the Betrayer clash, again and again.
Zenthos bends space with his hand, freezing time waves.
But the Betrayer slices through it, using guilt as strength.
> "You don't understand, Zenthos," he growls.
> "The King you serve… is not returning as a ruler."
> "He will return as void itself."
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Zenthos wounds him fatally.
But before dying, the Betrayer throws a memory crystal toward the sky — it escapes through a time crack.
> "Let them know… what's coming."
He vanishes.
The Seal rises from his chest — glowing blue and silver.
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Zenthos returns.
Seal 4 is placed into the coffin.
The Black Coffin now hums — alive.
Four seals in place.
> THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP.
And now…
The Arcane King's voice is heard for the first time:
> "I remember pain…"
"I remember betrayal…"
"I remember… the one called Shen."
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Far away, Shen gasps.
> "He just said my name…"
Kenya, Lilia, and Eliz freeze.
Nolan: "The King… is waking up."
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Chapter End