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Chapter 22 - Chapter 22: Shattered timeline 1

Date: May 7th, 2024 - June 30th, 2025

Location: Various Locations Across the World

Kyle's journey to uncover the truth about the timelines began with a single step, but it quickly evolved into an odyssey spanning over a year. Armed with the knowledge imparted by Belbern Etiht, Kyle set out to understand the complexities of time, reality, and the mysterious force that threatened them all.

May 7th, 2024 - Belbern's Study

The morning after his revelation, Kyle returned to Belbern's residence. The older man was waiting for him in the study, surrounded by books and scrolls that contained the secrets of the temporal world.

Belbern Etiht: "You've made your decision, I see. You wish to understand the nature of the timelines."

Kyle: "I have to. If I'm going to stop whatever's coming, I need to know everything. My future self mentioned something called the 'Shattered Timeline.' What is it?"

Belbern's face grew somber. "The Shattered Timeline is a fractured reality, a timeline that has been broken beyond repair. When a timeline shatters, it creates temporal rifts—unstable pockets of time where reality is in flux. These rifts can spread like a virus, infecting other timelines and causing them to collapse."

Kyle's mind raced with possibilities. "And the Alpha Timeline? How does it relate?"

Belbern nodded. "The Alpha Timeline is the original, the one from which all other timelines branch. It is the purest form of reality, untainted by alterations or deviations. But over the millennia, countless timelines have diverged from it. Some are stable, while others, like the Shattered Timeline, are on the brink of destruction."

Kyle: "So, the Shattered Timeline… it's like a disease that can spread?"

Belbern: "Precisely. And if left unchecked, it could destabilize the entire multiverse, leading to a cataclysmic event known as the Temporal Collapse, where all timelines would converge and implode."

Kyle's determination solidified. He had to prevent this. But to do so, he needed to understand how timelines worked, how they shattered, and how to mend them.

June 2024 - Timekeepers' Archive, Switzerland

Kyle's journey took him to the hidden Timekeepers' Archive, a secretive organization dedicated to preserving the integrity of the timelines. The Archive was buried deep within the Swiss Alps, accessible only through a series of temporal gateways.

Inside, Kyle met with Archivist Liora, a woman who had spent centuries cataloging the histories of countless timelines. She guided him through the vast chambers filled with ancient texts, each one documenting a different timeline's birth, evolution, and sometimes, its demise.

Liora: "The Alpha Timeline is the root of all reality. Every choice, every decision creates a branch, a new timeline. But not all of these branches are stable. Some are pruned by natural events, while others are corrupted by external forces."

Kyle's eyes scanned the shelves, his mind absorbing the information. "And the Shattered Timeline?"

Liora sighed, pulling out a tome bound in black leather. "It was once a thriving timeline, full of potential. But something—or someone—interfered, causing a cascade of events that fractured it beyond repair. Now, it's a wasteland, teetering on the edge of oblivion."

She handed Kyle the book, its pages filled with chaotic, disjointed records. "This is the history of the Shattered Timeline. Study it well, for within it lies the key to understanding how to prevent other timelines from suffering the same fate."

August 2024 - The Astral Plane

With Liora's guidance, Kyle ventured into the Astral Plane, a dimension beyond time and space where the threads of reality intertwined. Here, he encountered The Weaver, a being of pure energy who maintained the balance between the timelines.

The Weaver: "You seek to mend the Shattered Timeline, to prevent its decay from spreading. But beware, for tampering with the threads of fate can have dire consequences."

Kyle watched as the Weaver's hands moved with ethereal grace, weaving together strands of light that represented the timelines. "Is there any way to stop it?"

The Weaver: "To heal the Shattered Timeline, you must first understand what caused its fragmentation. You must delve into its origins, uncover the catalyst that led to its downfall, and find a way to reverse the damage. But know this: the Alpha Timeline is the foundation. If it crumbles, all will be lost."

Kyle nodded, feeling the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders. He spent months in the Astral Plane, learning to navigate the delicate threads of time, understanding how even the smallest change could ripple through the timelines.

March 2025 - The Ruins of Elysium

Kyle's search for answers eventually led him to the Ruins of Elysium, a once-thriving city that now lay in ruins within the Shattered Timeline. The city was a stark reminder of what was at stake—a world reduced to nothingness by the forces of temporal decay.

Here, Kyle encountered echoes of the past, remnants of a society that had tried and failed to prevent their timeline's collapse. He studied their records, learning from their mistakes, and pieced together the events that had led to the Shattered Timeline's downfall.

Kyle (to himself): "It was a choice—a single choice that set this all in motion. But what was it? And who made it?"

As Kyle delved deeper into the city's history, he discovered that the catalyst had been an attempt to harness the power of the Temporal Device—a device similar to the one his father had used, but far more unstable. The resulting energy surge had torn the timeline apart, creating the first rift that had quickly spread.

June 2025 - The Nexus

After a year of relentless searching, Kyle found himself at the Nexus, the point where all timelines converged. Here, he would face the truth about the Shattered Timeline and its origins.

Standing at the center of the Nexus, Kyle reached out with his newfound understanding, connecting with the threads of time that bound the multiverse together. He could feel the Shattered Timeline's presence, a festering wound in the fabric of reality.

Kyle: "This is it. The source of the corruption."

As he concentrated, the threads of the Shattered Timeline began to unravel before him, revealing a dark truth. The timeline had not merely been a victim of circumstance—it had been deliberately sabotaged by an unknown entity, someone who had sought to destroy it from within.

The realization hit Kyle like a physical blow. "Someone… wanted this to happen."

The entity's identity remained hidden, but Kyle knew that whoever or whatever it was, it posed a threat to all of reality. He would have to confront this entity, to find a way to stop it before it could destroy other timelines.