A thousand years ago, the land was inhabited by two major kinds: the Oriens, descendants of the gods, and the Demons. Both races were immortal and possessed a vital jewel—the Jewel of Life—that ensured their immortality and a prosperous life. However, chaos erupted when a desperate woman from the Orion community, driven by her desires, betrayed her people. She shattered the Orion Jewel of Life, and with the broken pieces in hand, she disappeared, leaving destruction in her wake.
The Oriens lost their immortality, and their ability to reproduce, once a matter of choice, became a necessity. Unwilling to accept their fate, the Oriens decided to steal the Demons' Jewel of Life. However, the Demons could not accept this, leading to a devastating war that lasted for years.
It wasn't until the gods intervened that the conflict was resolved. The gods decreed that the Demons' Jewel of Life would be shared between both races. However, recognizing the unfairness of this decision for the Demons, the gods granted them eternal existence—ensuring that their species would remain biologically unchanged for eternity. Moreover, the gods declared that the Demons would now be the dominant force, becoming the ultimate predators, while the Oriens would be their prey.
The legend was in a book, read by a person who had been narrating the story so far. He shared the tale with his friend, sitting beside him. The man reading the legend, Nathan, turned to his friend, saying, "This is the base of all the chain of events that will lead to the end of the world. We are too late to do anything; only ten years are left."
"I can't accept this, not for me or my children," the friend replied firmly. "Even if it's too late, we can't just sit idly by and let it happen. We must do something. My daughter will change everything, but I can't wait and waste more time. I must act now."
With a heavy heart, he continued, "Nathan, I am giving you my precious daughter, the last memory of her mother. Take care of her well and help her understand when the time comes. She is everything to me."
The next day, a montage showed the father leaving. Over the years, the girl grew up amidst technology and science. The passage of time was reflected in the changes around her. As the montage continued, we saw that after the sharing of the Jewel of Life, the Orion species went extinct and evolved into multiple subspecies. Humans were the closest to the original Orion, while others had become more distant. The Demons, however, had not changed or divided in subspecies.
Humans now lived within a territory enclosed by great high walls, with no Demons allowed inside. The Demons, for reasons unknown, had humans as their favorite prey, likely because they were the closest species to the Oriens. Only a few other Orion descended subspecies were allowed in human territory, while Demons had their own separate region. The world was one of magic, technology, and continuous subspeciation, making the descendants of the Oriens weaker than the original Oriens, while the Demons remained as strong as they had ever been.
On her 15th birthday, Elara was filled with excitement and anticipation. It was the day her Uncle Nathan had promised to reveal the truth about her father, a mystery she had been waiting years to understand. She had been curious about why her father left and where he went, but today, Nathan would finally tell her the answers. Not only that, but he had also invited her to visit a place she had never been allowed to go—the basement, where important secrets were hidden. Elara couldn't contain her excitement, but as the evening grew later, she started to feel a growing impatience. It was past the time Nathan had promised, and she began to feel disappointed and even angry, believing her uncle had forgotten. Unable to wait any longer, she decided to take matters into her own hands and visit the basement herself.
She grabbed her laptop, determined to hack into the locked door to gain entry, but when she approached, she was surprised to find it already open. The door had been locked until this very day—how could it be open now? With so many possibilities swirling in her mind, she opened the door and descended the iron ladder. As she reached the bottom, she was met with an unimaginable sight. The basement, usually filled with strange machines and high-tech gadgets, was more than she had ever seen. But what truly shocked her was the sight of her Uncle Nathan lying on the floor, blood pooling around him.
Looking at the site, the girl was wordless for a few minutes. She was frozen. Then, with deep breaths, she took slow steps, looking all around with her head to see if anyone else was there. She found no one. She came closer to her uncle and shook his body, saying "Uncle" with her vibrating hands. She took her hands close to his and checked for his pulse, but she suddenly pulled her hand back when she realized her uncle was no longer alive.
She wasn't able to understand a single thing, and she didn't know what to do. She was so shocked that she couldn't even cry. She was just cold. After a few minutes, finally, her tears came out, and she began sobbing. After some time, she noticed a pen drive in his other hand. She took it, and when she looked at the screen in front of her, she played the file. What she saw left her eyes wide open in disbelief.
The next day, a group of soldiers arrived, investigating the scene. The girl sat silently, dark circles under her eyes, staring at the ground. Before telling the Imperial Tower about what happened, she had hidden away all of her uncle's research related to the truth he was about to reveal. The soldiers ensured that the girl was not to blame, stating she had no reason to do it, and that it was physically impossible for her. According to them, it was an accident—Uncle Nathan had fallen from a table and suffered a heart attack.
From the very next day, the girl was nowhere to be seen outside. She spent hours in the basement, trying to piece everything together. She repeated to herself in her mind, "I must do it. Uncle Nathan was about to tell me everything, but unfortunately, he couldn't. He did so much for me, and my father too, so I mustn't let hope fall."
Then we see what was on the recording she had played.
It was her father's voice:
"I might not be with you when you see this, but I hope Nathan has cared for you well. I made this video so I could explain our plans to you.
Listen carefully.
Uncle Nathan and I were childhood friends. We spent countless hours together researching and achieved so much. But one day, we came across a book found in the ancient royal Orion palace. The book had been secretly hidden there. After retrieving it, we discovered an unfortunate prophecy: the world will end for all descendants of Orion in the year 2365, which is just 25 years away.
Through this book, the legend of Orion was formed, but we hadn't shared one part of it with the world, for it could have caused great chaos.
We found that certain events would lead to the world's ultimate end, but unfortunately, we were years late in discovering this truth. In fact, these events had already started long before we were born. I couldn't accept that, so your uncle and I spent 15 years working on a way to access the space-time stream. Today, 10 years before the calamity, I couldn't wait any longer, so I decided to enter the stream to see if I could change anything. To survive in the stream, I had to drink drops of death, which cost me 50 years of my life. But it granted the ability to enter the stream to all my bloodline, with a curse: our bloodline shall not go further than it is now. This means only you and I can enter. I asked Nathan not to drink the drops of death, as he must share the knowledge of the space-time stream with the world and take care of you while I am gone.
The only person who can enter the stream is you, Elara, and you must do it—not for us, but for the world and for your future. You can stop the chain of events from the past and change the world's end. Nathan will help you understand everything.
I must also tell you that you will face obstacles in your path. We also found the last line of the book, which was unclear to us:
'She will give up everything—everything— even if it costs the world, if she can bring him back.'
I hope you will succeed. That's all I know. Don't worry, Nathan will support you."
Elara's eyes fluttered open, and all she saw was a vast expanse of shimmering nothingness. Streams of glowing energy twisted and moved in a single unyielding direction, as though time itself had become a river flowing through an endless void. Her heart raced, confusion gripping her mind.
"Where... am I?" she whispered, her voice echoing in the emptiness.
Taking cautious steps, she felt weightless, as though gravity had abandoned her. The stream pulsed with a strange rhythm, calling to her, yet offering no answers. Her breath hitched as fragmented images flickered in her mind—machines, Nathan, the blood-streaked floor, and the pen drive.
Elara clutched her head, overwhelmed by the chaos of her thoughts. "Why am I here?"
Then, as if the stream itself whispered a reminder, clarity began to return. The portal. Her uncle's sacrifice. The mission her father had entrusted to her. She remembered it all—the prophecy, the hope they had placed in her hands.
"It's so unfortunate that Uncle Nathan is no longer here with me," she murmured, her voice laced with sorrow. "But I won't let all their efforts go in vain. I will learn everything by myself and change the past."
From that day forward, she had spent an entire year understanding and setting up the machinery and technology, guided by the meticulous notes left behind by Uncle Nathan.
On the fateful day of December 7th, 2363, Elara stood before the portal, her resolve unwavering. Without hesitation, she stepped into the swirling gateway and disappeared from her time.
Now, standing amidst this strange uncharted multiverse of time, her fists clenched. "I can't forget. I won't let their sacrifices go to waste."
Steeling herself, Elara took a deep breath and gazed at the endless stream before her. "This is just the beginning," she vowed, her voice steady. "I will change the past."
With that, she stepped toward the glowing path, ready to face whatever lay ahead.
Elara struggled to steady herself, barely able to handle the overwhelming sensations. The stream around her shimmered and twisted like a living multiverse, stretching endlessly in every direction. She felt weightless, disconnected from her body. It was as though she existed only as a consciousness, capable of sensing but without any physical form.
Summoning all her willpower, she took a tentative step forward, following the unidirectional flow of the stream. Her watch, the one she had taken from Nathan's lab, displayed shifting numbers—time markers passing by with each step she took.
After walking for a while, Elara noticed something peculiar about the stream's surface. Acting on instinct, she reached out and brushed her fingers lightly against it. Instantly, a blinding light engulfed her, forcing her to shut her eyes tightly.