The Nexus loomed larger in Rheika's mind than the sprawling city of Chronos itself. Even as she sat in the Echos' chamber, surrounded by Kai, Lyra, and the others, her thoughts kept returning to the glowing fractures and the ominous shadowed figure she had glimpsed within the Rift.
The air in the room was thick with tension. The maps of time fractures spread across the table seemed alive, the red markings growing more tangled with each passing day. Each line was a path leading toward the Nexus—and possibly toward the destruction of everything they knew.
"You're too quiet," Kai said, snapping Rheika from her thoughts.
"I'm thinking," she replied, her voice distant.
Lyra scoffed. "You're always thinking. Maybe it's time you started acting."
Rheika ignored the jab, her hand tightening around the pocket watch she had begun carrying everywhere. The watch hummed faintly in her palm, its hands twitching in sync with the city's uneven pulse. She didn't fully understand its connection to her powers, but it felt like an extension of herself—like a part of her that had been hidden until now.
Kai leaned forward, his gaze steady. "You've felt it, haven't you? The pull of the fractures. It's stronger now."
Rheika hesitated before nodding. "It's not just a pull. It's… something inside me. I can feel the fractures, like they're a part of me. And the closer I get to the Nexus, the stronger it becomes."
Lyra exchanged a wary glance with Kai. "That's not a good sign," she muttered.
Kai ignored her, focusing on Rheika. "You need to trust it," he said. "Your connection to time—it's not a weakness. It's your greatest strength."
"But what if it's also the reason the fractures are growing?" Rheika asked, her voice trembling. "What if I'm making things worse?"
Kai placed a hand on her shoulder, his touch grounding. "Then we'll figure it out. Together."
The group decided to split up, with Kai and Lyra heading to the outer districts to investigate a recent surge in anomalies. Rheika stayed behind in the chamber, her mind buzzing with unanswered questions.
She sat cross-legged on the floor, the pocket watch resting in front of her. Its faint glow filled the room, casting shifting shadows on the walls. Rheika closed her eyes, focusing on the flow of time around her.
At first, there was nothing but silence. Then, slowly, she began to feel it—the rhythm of Chronos, the currents of time flowing like a river beneath the city. She reached out with her senses, letting herself drift with the flow.
Images flashed through her mind. The streets of Chronos, alive with people from every era. The towering spires of the Time Keepers, glowing with energy. And beyond them, the Rift, swirling with chaos.
But there was something deeper, something she hadn't noticed before. A thread of light, faint but unmistakable, winding through the fractures. It pulsed in time with her heartbeat, as though it were connected to her.
Rheika followed the thread, letting it guide her deeper into the flow. The world around her dissolved, replaced by a swirling void filled with fragments of time—moments that flickered like stars in the darkness.
And then she saw it.
A version of herself, standing at the edge of the Rift. Her hair was streaked with white, her face lined with exhaustion. This older Rheika turned to face her younger self, her expression filled with sorrow and determination.
"You don't have much time," the older Rheika said, her voice echoing. "You need to understand what you are."
"What am I?" Rheika asked, her voice trembling.
"You're more than an Echo," the older Rheika replied. "You're a tether. A bridge between the fractures. If you don't embrace your connection, the Erasure will consume everything."
Rheika tried to step closer, but the vision began to blur, the older version of herself dissolving into light. "Wait!" she cried. "What do I need to do?"
The answer came as a whisper, faint but clear: "Look within."
Rheika awoke with a start, gasping for breath. The room was quiet, the glow of the pocket watch dim. Her mind raced, replaying the vision over and over.
What did it mean to be a tether? How could she embrace a connection she barely understood?
Desperate for answers, Rheika turned to the only thing she had left—her memories. She closed her eyes again, focusing on the pocket watch in her hand. It had been her father's, a gift from a man she barely remembered.
"Show me," she whispered, letting the flow of time carry her backward.
The world shifted around her, and she found herself standing in a small, cluttered workshop. The air smelled of oil and metal, and the faint hum of machinery filled the space. At the center of the room stood a man with sharp eyes and a warm smile—her father.
"Rheika," he said, turning to face her. "Come here. I want to show you something."
She approached hesitantly, her heart aching at the sight of him. He handed her the pocket watch, its surface gleaming in the dim light.
"This isn't just a watch," he said, his tone serious. "It's a key. A connection to the flow of time. You'll understand its purpose when the moment is right."
Rheika reached out to touch him, but the memory flickered.
"Wait!" she cried. "I need to know more!"
But the workshop dissolved, and Rheika was pulled back into the present. She clutched the pocket watch tightly, tears streaming down her face.
As the others returned to the chamber, Rheika shared her experiences with them. Kai listened intently, his expression thoughtful. Lyra, as always, remained skeptical.
"A tether," Kai repeated. "That makes sense. Your connection to the fractures—it's not random. It's like you're holding them together."
"Or pulling them apart," Lyra muttered.
Rheika ignored the comment, focusing on Kai. "If I'm a tether, what does that mean for the Nexus? For the Erasure?"
"It means you might be the only one who can stop it," Kai said. "If you can stabilize the flow of time, you can weaken the Erasure's grip."
Lyra crossed her arms. "That's a big if. What if she makes things worse?"
Rheika stood, her resolve hardening. "I can't stand by and do nothing. If there's even a chance I can stop this, I have to try."
Kai nodded, his confidence in her unwavering. "Then we focus on the Nexus. Whatever's at its center, that's where we'll find the answers."
The group spent the rest of the night preparing for their journey into the heart of the Nexus. Rheika studied the maps, tracing the paths of the fractures with her fingers. She felt the pull growing stronger, the thread of light from her vision guiding her toward an inevitable confrontation.
As the first light of dawn broke over Chronos, the group stood at the edge of the Rift, their faces set with determination.
"This is it," Kai said, his voice steady. "Once we cross into the Nexus, there's no turning back."
Rheika took a deep breath, the weight of her father's watch heavy in her hand. "Then let's finish this."
With that, they stepped into the swirling chaos of the Nexus, the fractures closing around them like the pages of an unfinished story.