Eron took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves as the massive serpent rose from the dark water. The air grew thick and heavy with the sharp smell of fish, and each movement of the creature sent waves crashing against the rocks at his feet.
The serpent tilted its head, tongue darting out as its pale green eyes shimmered like lanterns. Eron stood frozen, his legs trembling and a burning tightness gripping his chest, as if he were caught under the hungry gaze of a predator.
The serpent opened its mouth wide, ready to swallow him in a single gulp. A sharp hiss tore through the air, sending shivers down his spine. He could hear its scales scraping together, producing a harsh, grating sound. Its massive teeth glistened with thick drool, each fang longer than his arm.
Eron's knees felt weak and every part of him was urging him to escape, but he was cornered. Water loomed behind him and the serpent blocked his path.
He squeezed his eyes shut, ready to face whatever was coming.
Suddenly, everything came to a standstill. The hissing faded to silence, the ripples in the water froze, and the droplets hung suspended in the air. Even the serpent was frozen in time, its mouth wide open and its fangs just inches away from his face.
Eron's body trembled as he slowly opened his eyes, bracing for pain that never came. His breaths came quick and uneven. He blinked once, then twice. Everything was still.
He took a deep, shaky breath, the sound oddly loud in the heavy silence. "What... just happened?" he murmured.
A soft hum filled the air beside him as a circle of light formed, shimmering and swirling before a figure stepped through it.
She looked no older than sixteen, her hair flowing like fire, gold at the roots fading into deep blue at the tips, moving even though the air was still. Above her, a glowing halo shaped like a clock hovered, its golden hands turning in silent rhythm. She wore a deep blue cloak lined with gold that seemed to shift on its own, and with every step, soft rings of light rippled beneath her bare feet.
Her eyes scanned the cavern, ancient eyes, too old for her young face, and they landed on him.
"Huh, why is it so dark here?" She blinked slowly. "Oh, you're in the dungeon. And you made it this far already."
Eron's voice caught. "You. Again."
She stepped closer, tilting her head in surprise. "Most people who end up here don't survive. But you…" She paused, narrowing her eyes as if studying him. "You're still alive, for now."
"Can you help me escape?" Eron asked, his voice unsteady.
She didn't answer right away, her expression calm but distant.
Eron's fists tightened as anger stirred inside him. "So you're just going to stand there and watch me get eaten by that monster?"
Her gaze softened, but her voice stayed steady. "I'll be watching, yes. But this isn't the end. Not yet."
Eron blinked, his jaw tight. He stared at the serpent's gaping mouth, feeling tension creep up his neck as he tried to process what he was seeing. The anger in his chest faded, replaced by disbelief and a faint tremor in his breath.
His throat felt parched. "That thing was about to."
"About to eat you," she interrupted, casting a look at the serpent. "But not today. I prefer to avoid premature endings."
Eron looked at her. "Are you the one causing time to freeze? Every time you appear, it's like everything just stops."
She spun lazily in the air with her hair fanning out around her. "Time, yes. Everything but us. Look." She tapped a droplet of water hanging in the air and it quivered but didn't fall. "Moments frozen between breaths."
Eron's heart was pounding as he asked, "Is it possible to kill it while everything is still frozen in time?"
She shook her head. "No, I don't fight; that's not my role. If I break the rules, the river pulls me under."
Eron tightened his jaw, frustration creeping into his voice. "So you're just floating there, watching me? Is this some kind of game to you?"
She smiled, light and amused. "Maybe. For me, it's fun. For you, it's survival." Her eyes flicked toward his backpack. "You still have the moss, right? Use it."
Eron froze. "Now?"
"Yes. If I release the time, you'll be dead in one bite. And that would be boring."
He rummaged through his bag and pulled out a small glass bottle. Inside, the moss glowed faintly, pulsing like a tiny heartbeat. His hand trembled as he stared at it, hesitant to pull off the cork. "I... I'm not sure I can do this."
"Yes, you can," she interrupted quickly. "Don't think, thinking is slow. Want it, and the door will open."
Eron uncorked the bottle, and the faint scent of damp earth escaped as he reached inside. The moss glowed softly against his trembling fingers, green light spilling between them like liquid. His hands wouldn't stop shaking. "What if it doesn't work?"
"Then you'll die here," she said plainly.
Eron rolled his eyes, exhaling sharply. "You're actually enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Enjoying isn't the word," she said. "It's interesting. And I do hate being bored. Time is dull when nothing changes."
Eron's throat tightened as the weight of his choice pressed down on him. Even a moment's hesitation could mean death, with those frozen fangs still waiting behind him. He shut his eyes and let the strange warmth in his chest surge outward.
As he stood there in awe, the cavern trembled, its walls thrumming with energy that sent shivers down his spine. Before his eyes, the very fabric of space twisted and warped, forming an entrance that shimmered with a mesmerizing glow. A doorway of rippling light unfolded, flickering like water stirred by a gentle breeze, silently beckoning him into the unknown.
Eron stepped back, his heart racing. The air buzzed with an incredible energy that made his skin tingle. He couldn't tear his gaze away; the light before him was both frightening and stunning at the same time.
She clapped once, a sharp sound echoing through the still air. "See? You can call the door. Go on, step through. Learn, grow stronger, or disappear. The river doesn't wait."
Eron stared at the light. "What if I can't go back?"
Her eyes sparkled with a hint of laughter. "Well, in that case, you might end up wandering forever. But honestly, that's way better than getting eaten alive, right?"
He glanced at her, then at the sharp, frozen fangs just inches from him. If he stayed out here, he could be done for. But if he headed inside, there might be a slim chance of survival. His hands shook, but he forced himself to move forward, stepping cautiously into the light. The moment he did, a warm sensation enveloped him, and the cave faded away, revealing an endless white landscape all around. Above him, an unusual sky twinkled with shifting colors, and the moss in his hand scattered into sparks, disappearing completely.
Eron staggered forward, looking around. "There's... nothing here."
She hovered at the threshold with legs swinging like a child. "Yes, your chamber of hours. Here, years may pass while only a breath passes outside. Use them well."
Her voice softened, almost kind. "I'll visit again when the river bends toward you."
Eron called out, "Wait. At least tell me your name, not some title."
She glanced back and her expression shifted, something unreadable flickering in her eyes. She hesitated for a moment as if weighing whether to answer, then her lips curved into a faint smile. "Aurel," she muttered. "Remember it."
She turned, then floated backward into the portal and vanished. The door sealed itself, gone in the blink of an eye, as if it had never existed, leaving Eron completely alone in the endless white.
He let out a long breath with no wind and no sound, and the silence here felt heavy. He shouted and his voice came back a second late, twisted like someone else had said the words, and the sound made his skin crawl.
He stomped the ground hard and the sound reached his ears after a heartbeat delay. He spun around but saw nothing, only endless white stretching in all directions.
Then he noticed his shadow stretching behind him, and when he lifted his arm the shadow followed half a breath late. The delay made his stomach turn. This place doesn't just hold time, it twists it.
He crouched and touched the floor, which gave slightly under pressure then held firm with no dust sticking to his skin, and he stood back up. Out there, the serpent's fangs were still waiting. But in here, time belongs to me.
The fear that had been weighing him down didn't feel quite as heavy anymore. He finally had space to breathe, to clear his mind, and to push forward.
"Then I'll make it burn," he said to the empty white space. His voice carried into the endless void and vanished.
For the first time since the fall, Eron felt something other than fear. He felt determination.