The moment Arjun entered the rift, the rules of reality shattered.
His body didn't just exist—it multiplied, blurred, reformed. Gravity twisted in spirals, colors bled into emotions, and time… time became a weapon.
"Where am I?" Arjun whispered.
"Inside the Timelord Arena," a voice answered—his own.
Before him stood hundreds of versions of himself. Some looked like warriors, others wore robes stitched from time scrolls. One floated, surrounded by clockwork halos, eyes glowing with numbers instead of pupils.
A booming announcement echoed in the Arena:
"Welcome, Arjuns of divergent threads. Only one of you shall ascend. Only one shall command time."
---
The First Duel
Suddenly, the arena's sky shattered into a battlefield.
A giant hourglass appeared in the sky, its sands dripping upward, counting time in reverse. As each grain dropped, a random Arjun was thrown into combat.
Arjun was dragged forward by unseen force. His first opponent?
A version of himself from a world where his mother never died… and he never had to fight.
This Arjun looked soft, kind—and furious.
"I had peace! You brought war to all of us!"
Their battle began—not with fists, but with memories.
Each punch triggered flashes of their lives. Arjun relived his pain, his loneliness, his determination.
But the other Arjun—he hesitated at every blow, unable to fight with full intent.
"That's why you'll never win," Arjun said, eyes burning.
And with one final strike infused with Chrono Will, he absorbed his variant.
---
A Sinful Revelation
Each duel wasn't just for victory—it was a consumption. When Arjun defeated a version of himself, he absorbed their experiences, their regrets, and their knowledge.
The arena didn't reward mercy.
Only domination.
The announcer returned:
"Nine hundred have fallen. Only five remain."
Among them:
A Future Arjun who wore the face of a villain.
A Blind Arjun who fought using time echoes.
A God-Slayer Arjun who had killed the Time Gods.
And a Child Arjun, no older than eight, but burning with raw potential.
Arjun clenched his fists. He was no longer just fighting for survival.
He was fighting for identity.
---
As the arena dimmed and the next duel loomed, a cloaked figure entered the battlefield.
The announcement echoed with unease.
"Intruder detected… Identity unknown…"
The figure removed his hood.
He wasn't an Arjun.
He was Rayan, Arjun's future son—a child born in a timeline Arjun hadn't lived yet.
"I've come to stop you," Rayan said, eyes glowing with inherited Timefire.
"Because if you win… you become the villain who ends time."