The Hollow shook like a fractured clock.
Chains of corrupted shadow tore through the ribs of the slumbering god, holding it for moments too fragile to last. Aelric knelt amidst the ruin, Elara's limp body in his arms, his laughter jagged and broken.
Her wrist flickered.
[Error…]
[Subject expired. Timer cannot process.]
[Restart protocol failed.]
The digits flashed faintly across her pale skin like a candle in a storm.
[00 Hours : 00 Minutes : 00 Seconds]
[?? : ?? : ??]
Aelric's crimson eye widened. He barked a laugh, his chest hitching with blood. "See? See? You couldn't take her clean. She's still here."
The god's molten ribs throbbed, light bleeding into the Hollow. Its voice cracked through the ruins, louder than thunder.
ANOMALY DETECTED. UNACCEPTABLE.
The air split with ringing bells, jagged and sharp. The System's tone was colder, automated.
> [Subject Elara Veynar. Status: Unknown.]
[Timer sequence corrupted.]
[Probability of recovery: < 0.1%.]
Aelric grinned wide, his teeth stained red. "Then I'll force it to one hundred."
---
He pressed his corrupted hand against her chest. Black tendrils slithered from his arm, wrapping around her heart, her throat, her frozen wrist. His crimson eye blazed as he whispered, almost tender, "Steal my seconds. Come on. You've always been good at stealing."
The digits sputtered violently.
[?? : ?? : ??]
[Corrupted transfer attempt detected.]
[Error: Source unstable.]
Elara's body convulsed once, faintly. Her lips parted as if for breath, but no air came.
Aelric's entire frame shook. His grin faltered for the first time, twisting into a snarl. "Breathe, damn you!"
The Hollow roared as the god fought harder. The chains rattled, one snapping apart with a thunderous crack. Molten ribs split further, bleeding light.
HER SECONDS ARE MINE. ALL RETURN TO THE SOURCE.
Aelric looked up slowly, his grin returning, darker now, edged with pure mania. "Try and keep them, then. Let's see who's hungrier."
---
He forced his corrupted arm deeper into the god's chest. Tendrils stabbed through molten bone, seeking something beyond the ribs. His vision blurred with static, the System's alerts burning into his skull.
> [Unauthorized access.]
[Warning: Host attempting to breach Divine Clock Core.]
Aelric's laugh echoed like shattered bells. "Good. Let me in."
For a moment, his mind fractured. He saw gears of impossible size grinding endlessly in the void. He saw oceans of seconds pouring like rivers into a single abyss. And he saw Elara's fragment of light—her stolen seconds—caught on the edge, about to fall forever.
"No." His voice cracked. His tendrils wrapped around it, desperate. "She's not yours. She never was."
The System's voice tried to override him.
> [Host unstable. Corruption at 87%. Termination advised.]
He screamed, veins tearing, blood spilling from his eyes. "I DON'T CARE!"
---
The Hollow cracked again. The god roared, shaking loose fire and stone. Its ribs flared with blinding light.
But Aelric didn't stop. He clutched Elara tighter, pressing his forehead against hers, crimson eye blazing.
"You don't need a clock," he whispered hoarsely. "You don't need numbers. Just stay. Just stay with me."
Her wrist flickered.
[?? : 59 : 59]
The numbers stuttered, broken, glitching. Not a true reset—just fragments, nonsense. But it was something.
Aelric's grin widened, manic tears spilling. "Yes. YES. You're listening. You're still here."
The god's voice cracked with fury.
ANOMALY SPREADING. IF THE GLITCH GROWS, THE CLOCK WILL COLLAPSE.
The System's tone faltered.
> [Warning: Unstable loop forming.]
[If corruption continues, central Timer may destabilize.]
---
Aelric froze, the words hitting like fire. "Destabilize…?"
He blinked, realization sparking beneath the madness. "So if she glitches… you glitch. If she refuses to die… your whole system shatters."
The god's voice bellowed in denial, but Aelric only laughed harder, broken and unhinged.
"Oh, Elara. Do you hear that? You're more dangerous than me."
Her limp body stirred faintly. No words, no breath—just the faintest twitch of her hand against his chest.
That was enough.
Aelric turned back to the god, his grin razor-sharp. "Then I'll make this loop permanent."
---
The Hollow collapsed further as another chain snapped. Molten ribs tore apart. The god's chest cracked open, spilling endless light.
But Aelric stood, Elara in his arms, corruption tearing through him like wildfire. His voice cut through the roar, jagged and wild.
"You wanted her seconds? You wanted mine? Then choke on both."
He hurled himself forward, chains exploding from his arm, wrapping the god's heart, driving into the Divine Clock itself.
The Hollow screamed. The god howled. The System blared with error messages that ripped the air into static.
> [Glitch spreading.]
[Host corruption at 92%.]
[Central Timer destabilizing.]
Aelric's grin split wider, blood dripping from his teeth. "Good. Let it all break."
Elara's wrist flickered again, the digits sparking nonsense across her pale skin.
[?? : ?? : 48]
[?? : 23 : ??]
And for the briefest second, her lips parted. A whisper so faint he almost didn't hear it.
"…Aelric…"