The cavern was silent.
Where once a god's heartbeat had thundered, there was now only dripping molten stone. The Sleeper's golden mask lay cracked in two, its abyssal body already dissolving into ash and black light.
Elara lay trembling, still alive despite her timer sitting stubbornly at [0:00:00]. Her breaths came sharp, every one stolen, every one borrowed.
She turned her head weakly. "Aelric…?"
---
Aelric's State
He stood a few paces away, body half-wreathed in shadow. His left arm was no longer flesh but an obsidian claw, black veins crawling across his chest, wrapping around his throat like living chains.
And still—he grinned.
"Well," he coughed blood onto the stone, "that was fun."
Elara's voice broke. "You're… changing."
The corruption pulsed in answer, each heartbeat making the cavern shiver. His timer flickered violently.
[10 Years : 08 Months → 00:02 → 999+ Years : ERROR]
The System's voice was ragged, glitching:
> [Law Breach Confirmed.]
The Sleeper—terminated.
All mortal timers destabilized.
Stabilization protocol… failed.
Across the cavern, runes shattered one by one, sparks of time scattering into the void.
---
The World Feels It
Far above the cavern, across cities and kingdoms, every wrist in the world burned.
People screamed as their timers flickered. Some gained years. Some lost them. Some froze at zero yet did not die.
Chaos erupted in streets, in temples, in palaces. Priests declared the end of the world. Scholars fainted at the sight of numbers that made no sense.
The System had never faltered. Until now.
---
Back in the Cavern
Elara tried to stand, but her body failed her. "Aelric… what did you do?"
He wiped blood from his mouth with his corrupted claw. "What I always do. I cheated."
His grin twitched. His body shook, as if the corruption wanted to tear him apart from the inside. For a moment, his eyes went completely black.
Elara crawled closer, grabbing his human arm. "Listen to me! If you keep letting it spread, you won't be you anymore!"
He tilted his head, grin half-mad. "…Maybe that's the point."
---
A New Voice
Before Elara could reply, the System spoke again—but this time, it wasn't the cold neutral voice they knew.
It was… angry.
> [Unauthorized Termination Detected.]
The Sleeper's death has fractured the Core Timeline.
Designating culprit: Aelric Veynar.
Status: Outlaw of Eternity.
A glowing red brand seared itself into the cavern wall—his name written in flame.
Aelric just laughed. "Outlaw of Eternity? Hah! Finally, a title that fits."
Elara's eyes widened in horror. "Aelric, this isn't funny! If the System itself hunts you—"
"Then let it try." His grin widened. "Gods fall. Systems break. Everything has an end."
---
Elara's Burden
Her timer still read [0:00:00]. She held up her wrist, tears falling. "Then what about me? I should be dead."
The System hesitated. For the first time, it sounded almost… uncertain.
> [Anchor Detected.]
Subject: Elara Thorne is tethered to Aelric Veynar.
Status: Survival conditional on Anchor's existence.
Her lips parted. "…My life depends on you now."
Aelric smirked faintly, though his corrupted eye flickered crimson. "Guess that makes you harder to get rid of."
But Elara didn't smile. She looked at him, really looked—and saw not just the grin, but the cracks beneath it. The desperation. The fear.
---
The Cavern's Collapse
The ground rumbled. Without the Sleeper's heart, the cavern was unstable. Molten stone cascaded from above, runes burning out.
Elara cried, "We have to get out!"
Aelric spread his corrupted wings—shadowy extensions bursting from his back like broken glass. He scooped her up effortlessly, launching into the collapsing tunnel.
As they ascended, molten rivers chased them, the cavern crumbling behind.
"Hold tight," he said, his grin wild as always.
---
Emerging into Chaos
They burst out of the cavern into night air—except the sky was no longer night. It was torn, fractured into streaks of light and shadow. Stars blinked in and out like broken lanterns.
Across the horizon, cities burned—not from fire, but from time itself unraveling. Towers aged a thousand years in seconds, collapsing into dust. Children became old in moments, elders turned into infants.
Elara clutched his chest, horrified. "You broke the world…"
Aelric looked up at the shattered sky. His grin softened—not with joy, but with something darker. "No, Elara. I freed it."
---
The Whisper
And then, as if mocking him, a whisper slid through the broken sky.
Not the Sleeper's voice. Something older.
One god falls. Another stirs. Balance must remain.
Elara's blood ran cold. "There are more."
Aelric chuckled low, his corrupted arm flexing, obsidian claws gleaming. "Good. Let them come."
He turned to her, his grin razor-sharp. "We've got a new game now, Elara. The world's on fire. The clocks are broken. And everyone's going to want our heads."
His eyes glowed crimson in the fractured night.
"Let's see who survives."
---
To Be Continued…