The world was never fair. Everyone knew it.
The proof was carved on every person's wrist—
a glowing clock, counting down to the moment they would die.
Some people had years.
Some had only days.
And some… didn't even last an hour.
---
Aelric Veynar sat on the rooftop of his crumbling apartment, staring at the numbers glowing faintly on his own wrist.
[12 Years : 5 Months : 3 Days]
The digits shifted like fireflies, cold and merciless.
He exhaled. "Twelve years, huh? That's… generous."
Most people would feel relieved. Twelve years meant safety, security, time to dream. But Aelric wasn't relieved. Because his timer wasn't normal.
Sometimes it jumped.
Sometimes it froze.
And sometimes… it even went backward.
Last night, it had dropped from twelve years to just one minute.
He had almost collapsed in panic—until it reset itself again.
Glitch.
That was the only word for it.
But in a world where the System of Death ruled everything, a glitch could mean salvation… or damnation.
---
"Aelric!"
The voice pulled him from his thoughts. He turned, and there she was.
Elara.
Her brown hair danced in the evening wind, her smile soft, almost fragile. She climbed onto the rooftop, holding two cups of cheap tea.
"You're brooding again." She handed him one. "Thinking about the clock?"
He forced a smile. "When am I not?"
But then his eyes slid, unbidden, to her wrist.
Her timer glowed in cruel red digits:
[29 Days : 11 Hours : 44 Minutes]
His throat went dry.
Only twenty-nine days left.
---
He tried to laugh, to pretend he hadn't seen it. "You shouldn't climb rooftops. What if you trip?"
She rolled her eyes. "If I trip, I trip. The System has already decided when I'll die, hasn't it? A fall won't change anything."
Her casual words stabbed deeper than any blade.
Elara didn't know. She had no idea that he checked her timer every single day. No idea that his heart burned with rage every time those numbers ticked down.
No idea that he would do anything—anything—to stop it.
---
That night, the alarms began.
A shrill sound echoed across the city, followed by a voice from the loudspeakers:
"Attention, citizens! A Trial has begun. Monsters are emerging. Seek shelter immediately!"
The streets below erupted in chaos. Families rushed into bunkers. Soldiers shouted orders.
Elara grabbed Aelric's arm, panic in her eyes. "We need to go—"
But Aelric's gaze was fixed on the horizon.
Because he saw them.
Figures crawling out of rifts in the sky. Shadows with fangs and claws, dripping with hunger.
The Trial of Beasts had begun.
---
His timer flickered.
From 12 years… to 10 minutes.
His chest froze.
"Not now," he whispered. "Not now!"
Elara shook him. "Aelric! What's wrong?"
He looked at her… and then at her wrist.
[29 Days : 11 Hours : 21 Minutes]
The digits were falling faster now.
Her time was being eaten away by the Trial.
And for the first time in his life, Aelric felt it—
the world trying to take her away.
---
A voice rang in his head. Cold. Mechanical.
> [System Notice: A hidden path has been detected.]
[Skill Unlocked: Chrono Reversal]
[Warning: This ability violates the Laws of Death.]
Aelric staggered, clutching his wrist. The numbers twisted violently, like they were alive.
"W-what… is happening?" Elara's voice trembled.
Aelric raised his head. The monsters were drawing closer, shadows swallowing the city lights. His timer now showed ∞.
Infinite.
But Elara's kept falling.
He clenched his fists. "No. I won't let this world decide when you die."
The rooftop shook as a beast landed before them, its eyes glowing like molten fire.
Elara screamed.
And Aelric stepped forward.
For the first time, he ignored the System.