The night had shattered into chaos.
The Hunters advanced like shadows given steel, their timer-glass faces glowing faintly with alien digits. Behind them, Arch-Hunter Veyth's presence pressed down on the camp like a storm. Every breath felt heavy. Every heartbeat too loud.
Three prisoners already lay dead—their timers collapsed with a single gesture. The rest froze, paralyzed by terror.
Aelric stood at the center of it, his corrupted arm crackling with black light. Elara's glow blazed behind him, holding back despair with sheer radiance.
Veyth's voice rumbled, neither loud nor soft, but final.
"You should not exist. The Council wills your erasure."
Aelric grinned through the terror. "Then they'll have to try harder."
---
The first Hunter struck. Its blade cut through the air with unnatural precision, fast as lightning. Aelric blocked with his pipe-sword, sparks scattering. The impact numbed his arm, and the corruption inside him flared.
The Hunter didn't hesitate. Its second strike followed instantly, identical motion, flawless rhythm.
It's not fighting me, Aelric realized, gritting his teeth. It's replaying perfection.
Elara's light surged, blinding two of them before they could close in. Prisoners scrambled back, some screaming, some trying to fight with stolen spears.
"Stay behind us!" Elara shouted, her voice cutting through the madness.
---
Veyth didn't move. He simply watched.
When his hand lifted slightly, another three Hunters split from the group, surrounding the camp. Their timer-panels flickered with numbers—numbers Aelric realized with horror were the survivors' lifespans.
They're hunting us by our clocks.
One by one, timers glowed across their glass faces: [6 Years : 2 Months], [0 Years : 3 Months], [15 Years : 1 Day].
And the Hunters moved directly toward those people.
The boy Kael screamed when his own digits appeared on one visor. His short timer pulsed weakly.
"No!" Elara bolted forward, light bursting from her palms. A wall of radiance slammed into the Hunter just as it reached Kael, throwing it back a few paces.
But the impact barely slowed it.
"Run!" she shouted at the boy.
---
Meanwhile, Aelric fought tooth and nail against his opponent. Each strike mirrored his own instincts, but sharper. His pipe dented, his corrupted veins burned.
The whispers screamed inside him.
Use me. Release me. Tear them apart.
He almost gave in—until he caught Elara's eyes across the battlefield. Her light held steady, unwavering.
Aelric spat blood, grinned, and snarled at the Hunter, "If you're perfection… let's see how you handle dirty."
He kicked sand into its visor. The machine-stiff figure faltered just enough. Aelric rammed his corrupted arm into its chest. Black tendrils lashed out, digging into steel.
The Hunter convulsed. For the first time, its rhythm broke.
Aelric yanked his arm free as corruption burned through the construct. The Hunter collapsed, timer-face shattering into sparks.
One down. Five to go.
---
But the victory cost him. His arm howled with agony, black veins spreading further across his shoulder. His vision doubled.
"Aelric!" Elara's voice rang.
He staggered upright. "I'm fine."
It was a lie.
---
The battle raged across the camp. Mira, the scarred soldier, swung a spear and actually managed to crack a Hunter's helmet, but the weapon snapped on impact. Lysa darted behind another, throwing knives at its joints, buying seconds but no more.
Every second mattered.
But then Veyth moved.
The Arch-Hunter raised his hand. Instantly, three timers across the camp froze mid-glow—then shattered. Three more bodies hit the dirt.
Panic surged. Survivors scattered in all directions.
Aelric roared, "Stay together! Don't—"
Too late. The Hunters advanced, cutting down the scattered like wheat.
Veyth's voice echoed, cold and absolute:
"Time bows to none but the Council."
---
Elara refused to yield. She gathered her power, light blazing until the entire ravine glowed like day. Her hands shook, her breath faltered, but her resolve never cracked.
The Hunters shielded their visors against the flare.
"Move now!" she shouted.
Aelric lunged, striking another Hunter's leg. Corruption seared through the metal, slowing it. Mira and Lysa finished the job, dragging it down in a storm of blades and fury.
Another down. Four left.
But then Veyth himself stepped into the light.
And everything froze.
---
Aelric's body locked against his will. His timer glowed brighter, numbers flickering too fast. His corrupted veins screamed like fire.
Elara collapsed to her knees, clutching her chest as if her own timer were being pulled from her.
Veyth's frozen digits burned like a curse. "You cannot fight me. My time has ended—and so, I am infinite."
The prisoners fell one by one, unable to breathe under his presence.
Aelric's vision swam. His timer ticked violently, digits glitching for the first time.
[12 Years : 2 Months : 13 Days] → [?? Years : ?? Months : ?? Days]
The cracks were spreading.
Through the haze, Aelric forced a laugh. "If you're infinite… then why are you here chasing me?"
The whispers in his head screamed louder. The corruption begged for release.
Elara's faint voice reached him. "Don't… give in…"
But Veyth's hand extended, reaching for Aelric's timer.
And for the first time, Aelric wasn't sure if he could resist.
---
To be continued…