Thump, thump, thump...

My heart was pounding uncontrollably and the palms of my hands were sweating profusely.

⟦ ...⟧

In the midst of the situation, I couldn't help but hold my breath. I dared not to let a single puff of air escape from my mouth or my nose.

I gripped my hand into a tight fist, tight enough that the pain from my nails pressing against my palm became almost unbearable. My pupils contracted, while shaking vigorously from the fear.

"Let them go!" shouted Astra in a fierce, commanding tone, "You coward..."

The man holding me at gunpoint remained silent, only after a few seconds passed did he finally decide to respond.

"Typical," they remarked while giving an amused yet disappointed look.

Astra shot a menacing gaze at the man before speaking loudly, "Reaper, let them free this instant!", his eyes full of contempt, betrayal and pain as he spoke.

⟦What? No...I must have misheard. Reaper? The Reaper?⟧

I didn't believe it... no, I didn't want to believe it.

I wasn't able to turn my head to check if it was truly Reaper, however I did manage to notice a window from a shop nearby. My eyes squinted as I tried to focus on the reflection of the face behind me. After three or so seconds passed, the visage came into view.

My once beating heart came to a cold stop as my brain went blank...

================================================================

This is a world where a select amount of people have the abilities to "awake" and wield powers beyond human understanding. We call those people, "The Aeons" and they are split into two factions: Heroes and Villains.

It all started nine years ago in the heart of the city when the first ever Aeon came to be...

23rd May, a sudden earthquake hit and the entire city was plunged into chaos. Buildings were toppling over and crushing whatever was beneath. The cars nearby were completely demolished and buried underneath the rubble. It reached the point where all you could hear were desperate screams and the crackling of a raging inferno.

Amidst all the chaos, a small figure emerged from out of the flames, completely unscathed. It was a boy in his early teens. With his head held low and a void expression plastered to his face, he slowly trudged forward. Before anyone was able to come to his aid, a sudden shock of energy had burst from within him. Miraculously, the flames that had once plagued the streets were immediately extinguished, thus leading to the rise of the very first Hero and eventually, Villains.

Fast forward to the modern day - that boy is now known as Astra, the greatest Hero to ever exist.

As time went on, more Aeons started emerging. The Heroes helped anyone in times of need and the Villains would plunge the city into panic and chaos .

Now although the city had Astra to rely on, there was still one man they dared not to utter the name of, Reaper. He was the most infamous and dangerous Villain to ever walk the earth. Whenever people heard the title "Villain", their first thoughts were always Reaper.

================================================================

⌊Back to the present⌉

At that moment, there was only one thought in my mind.

⟦I want to live. ⟧

Astra took a few steps towards us, however his steps must have been noticed by Reaper as he too started to step backwards. His grip on the gun tightened as he pushed the barrel closer to my skull. Reaper continued to step back until something came into contact with him from behind. He turned his head and was met with a tall, stagnant wall. Reaper hastily turned his head towards Astra, full of panic and hatred.

"Today will be the end of your reign of terror, " stated Astra, firmly, "I advise you let go of the hostage before things get messy."

Reaper only remained still before the corners of his mouth lifted into a sinister and eerie smile.

"Ok, I will. But you'll have to give me something in return." He said in a mischievous tone, "That watch of yours, I want it."

Hearing this filled Astra with rage, "You-!"

Reaper sneered at the sight of his reaction.

Before I was able to process the situation and come to a conclusion, the ground started shaking.

At first, I thought it was just me shaking from fear, however I soon learnt that it was much, MUCH worse.

The little vibrations soon turned into massive tremors. It was an earthquake, and a big one too.

⟦This isn't even a place prone to earthquakes, so why is there one happening here?!⟧

When I thought things couldn't get any worse, the world decided to shatter my expectations.

I instinctively flinched at the sudden sound of low, heavy rumbling behind me.

Reaper quickly turned his head, and in a dejected tone, he whispered something underneath his breath.

"Ah..."

Without hesitation, he threw me forward and in an attempt to escape he darted away from the scene.

Unfortunately, I was still in grave danger from the wall behind me. Before I could get up, the wall collapsed and managed to trap me beneath it.

There was a sharp pain at the back of my head, perhaps it was where the wall had hit me and I could feel my consciousness slowly wavering. With the pain from my injuries and the loud ringing in my ears, I couldn't take it any longer.

Eventually, it was getting difficult to keep my eyes open and even breathe with all the dust and rocks in the air.

⟦Please...someone...anyone⟧

Suddenly, the ringing dissipated from my hearing and was replaced with an audible "ping!".

⟪Conditions met! Now activating Special Abilities...⟫

⟦What? ⟧

⌈ Skills: ⌉

| {SSS} Time Travel |

| {S} Time Freeze |

| {B} Futuristic Insights |

| {D} Stopwatch |

⌊ {?} ????? ⌋

⟦ Is this what I think this is... an AETHERIS?⟧

================================================================

AETHERIS - that's what the Aeons call them. What are they you ask? They are little helpers that aid the Aeons to both see and use their abilities. Not only can they appear as a system, they can also appear in any form. The AETHERIS cannot be seen by the ordinary folk, and neither can most Aeons. The only exceptions would be the owners of the AETHERIS and the Aeons with stronger abilities than the owners themselves.

================================================================

⟦ Its not like I have any other choices, now do I? ⟧

With all my remaining strength, I gritted my teeth and prepared myself before letting out a quiet yet resolute response.

"Time Travel. "

Fwoosh!~

There was a sudden gust of wind coming from within me before I was completely blinded by a bright, white light. I reflexively closed my eyes and when I opened them, what I saw made me gasp from the utter shock and disbelief.

It was a classroom. Completely empty yet, strangely familiar. I made sure to take my time in examining the place.

⟦That tree... the arranged tables... the familiar handwriting on the board... ⟧

There was no denying it. This was my classroom from when I was still in secondary school.

⟦No way, then would that mean I've become an Aeon?⟧

To confirm my suspicions, I tried calling out for my AETHERIS.

"AETHERIS!"