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Chapter 1 – Time Node
Years ago, humanity lived in fear. Resources were scarce, diseases spread uncontrollably, and civilization teetered on the edge of collapse. In this chaos, ChronoNet emerged—a corporation determined to conquer what no one had ever achieved: time travel.
The research team pushed all limits, pouring every resource into building a machine capable of surpassing the boundaries of time. Yet despite their efforts, discouragement crept in. The project dragged on, and the scientists' health deteriorated. A strange illness appeared, aging them rapidly and leaving many weak and broken, with some dying quietly.
Among them, some volunteered for the sake of science, fame, or money… but Aren was different. He had no family left. He came to ChronoNet with a single goal: to go back and save his sister.
Years passed, and countless volunteers perished, leaving only Aren and Lyra, an AI of absolute logic. Lyra obeyed no ethical boundaries—her focus was efficiency and results, never human emotions. Many died painfully, yet in Lyra's eyes, these were just "necessary costs for progress."
Then one day, during their experiments, they discovered a strange command. It warned them:
> "Stop… continuing this path will lead to irreversible destruction."
But ChronoNet ignored the warning. They saw it as a major breakthrough, a step forward in research. They named this command Time Node—a gateway hinting at the ability to alter time, a doorway to both opportunity and danger.
Aren stared at the screen, his eyes burning with determination:
"This… is what I need. Not for fame, not for money… for her."
With the Time Node, Aren knew he was about to embark on a journey no one at ChronoNet could control—a journey of sacrifice, danger, and choices that could never be undone.
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