"Stay close," Alaric muttered, eyes fixed on the looming Watchtower ahead. The stones were chipped and darkened with age, and a thick tension hung in the damp morning air.
Eveline gave a curt nod, her hand resting on the hilt of her blade. She didn't flinch as they moved through the broken archway, stepping into the silence of the tower's entrance. It felt like they were stepping into another world—one draped in shadows, each corner shrouded with secrets that waited for them to slip up.
The door creaked shut behind them, leaving them in a dimly lit corridor. Alaric felt Eveline's gaze flick toward him, her expression tense but focused.
"Tell me," she whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear. "This spell… this 'Eternal Regression'—how does it feel when it's working?"
He hesitated, memories creeping up, bitter and sharp. "Like time unraveling. At first, it just pulls at you. Then it's as if pieces of you are breaking off, slipping back into memories. Before long, you're… gone."
She didn't respond, but her grip on her weapon tightened.
They pressed deeper into the Watchtower, the silence stretching. Every step felt like a heartbeat, each pulse filled with the threat of what lay ahead. Magnus would be here; Alaric could feel it, the familiar hum of magic heavy in the air. His chest tightened, a strange mixture of anticipation and dread he hadn't felt since his early days as a Chronomancer.
They reached a narrow, winding stairwell spiraling upward, its path barely visible in the half-light. Alaric motioned Eveline forward, his voice low. "Whatever happens, stay out of sight. Magnus doesn't take kindly to… visitors."
A faint, mirthless smile played on her lips. "I'm not here for courtesy calls, Alaric."
A sudden movement on the landing above caught his eye. Shadows shifted, and he stilled, holding up a hand to stop her.
"Someone's there," he murmured.
Eveline tensed, glancing at him. "Magnus?"
He shook his head, his voice barely a whisper. "No. Someone smaller."
They crept up, inching closer. At the top of the stairs, crouched in a dark alcove, was a young boy, no older than ten, his clothes torn and dirty. His eyes were wide and fearful, darting to them as they approached. He flinched back, as though bracing for a blow.
Alaric raised his hands in a placating gesture. "We're not here to hurt you."
The boy's voice was barely a breath, tremulous and filled with fear. "He… he said not to talk to strangers."
"Who?" Alaric asked, keeping his tone calm.
"Magnus," the boy whispered. His gaze shifted, looking past Alaric toward the narrow stairwell. "He… he keeps us here."
Alaric's jaw tightened. Magnus had been using children as some sort of… what? Watchers? Assistants? Whatever the reason, it was a cruelty he hadn't anticipated. He exchanged a quick look with Eveline, then crouched down to meet the boy's eyes.
"What's your name?" he asked gently.
"Thorne," the boy replied, his voice trembling.
"Thorne, do you know where Magnus is?"
Thorne hesitated, glancing nervously down the corridor before nodding. "He's up… in the tower room. He goes there to do… his magic."
A flicker of anger passed through Alaric. The tower room—the heart of the Watchtower. Magnus's lair.
Eveline leaned forward, her voice soft but firm. "How long have you been here, Thorne?"
The boy looked down, tracing a circle in the dust with his finger. "Days. Weeks. It all… blurs together."
The pain in his words hit Alaric harder than he'd expected, and he felt a dark knot twist in his chest. Magnus's experiments had always been ruthless, but he hadn't realized the full extent of the man's cruelty.
"We'll get you out," Alaric promised, his voice steadier than he felt. "But first, we need you to stay hidden. Stay here. Understand?"
Thorne nodded quickly, scurrying back into the shadows without a word.
Eveline turned to Alaric, her voice edged with bitterness. "Children? He's using children?"
Alaric clenched his fists, anger surging within him. "Magnus has never known limits. If he's using them as pawns… it means he's close to something. Something dangerous."
"Then we need to move, now."
They continued up the stairwell, each step bringing them closer to Magnus and whatever dark plan he was weaving. As they neared the top, a flickering glow filtered through the cracks of a door at the end of the corridor. It pulsed with a steady, rhythmic light, the unmistakable hum of magic filling the air.
Alaric exchanged a final look with Eveline, his heart pounding. He grasped the door handle, pushed it open.
The room was bathed in a strange, cold light, cast by dozens of candles arranged in intricate patterns across the stone floor. At the center of it all stood Magnus, his back to them, his arms raised, fingers weaving through the air with practiced, deadly grace.
"Magnus," Alaric said, his voice cutting through the silence.
Magnus stilled, then slowly turned, a sly smile spreading across his face. "Alaric. And you've brought company. How charming."
Eveline took a step forward, her eyes blazing. "End this. Now."
Magnus chuckled, his expression serene, as if they were discussing the weather. "End it? Oh, my dear, we're just beginning." He tilted his head, studying her with a twisted curiosity. "And who are you, exactly? Another soul hoping to undo the past?"
"Undo the lives you've taken," she snapped, voice fierce. "Including mine."
Magnus's brow lifted in faint amusement. "I see. So you've come for vengeance, then." He shifted his gaze to Alaric, his eyes cold and calculating. "And you? I didn't think you had the heart for such theatrics."
Alaric stepped forward, fists clenched. "You've gone too far, Magnus. Whatever you're planning… it stops now."
"Too far?" Magnus laughed, a hollow, mocking sound. "Alaric, you always were so… limited in your vision. You think I've gone too far because I dared to pursue what you couldn't even imagine."
"You're murdering innocents," Alaric ground out. "Twisting time—stealing it from others to feed your own power."
Magnus's smile widened, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "You speak of innocence as if it matters here. I learned long ago that power comes at a price, and it's one I'm more than willing to pay."
Eveline's patience snapped. "Enough." She raised her blade, her voice hard. "You're done, Magnus. Whatever twisted game you're playing, it ends here."
Magnus tilted his head, his eyes glinting with dark amusement. "You think you can simply kill me and end this? Oh, you poor, misguided souls. I've woven myself into the fabric of time itself. I am beyond death."
Alaric's gaze hardened. "Then we'll rip you out of it."
Magnus moved swiftly, his hand slicing through the air as a dark energy coiled around him, surging toward Alaric and Eveline. They ducked, splitting apart as the blast struck the wall, cracking the stone.
Alaric leaped forward, summoning the remnants of his own Chronomancer power, feeling it surge within him. He hadn't touched this magic in years, but now, with Eveline at his side and Magnus before him, it felt like fire in his veins.
"Is that the best you have?" Magnus sneered, raising his arms as tendrils of dark energy swirled around him. "Come, Alaric. Show me what you've become."
Alaric gritted his teeth, focusing every ounce of his energy, each second stretching, bending under his will. He darted forward, blade flashing, striking at Magnus. Their weapons clashed, a shockwave rippling through the room.
Eveline lunged, using the distraction to close the gap, her blade slicing through the air toward Magnus's chest. He dodged, but her strike caught him across the arm, leaving a dark, jagged mark.
Magnus hissed, clutching his wound, his eyes narrowing. "You'll regret that."
"No," Eveline spat. "You will."
The room exploded into chaos as magic collided, energy sparking in all directions. Time itself seemed to ripple, each second stretching, shifting under their combined power. Alaric felt his strength wane, the weight of his years away from magic bearing down on him. But he couldn't stop. Not now.
Magnus's laughter rang out, dark and triumphant, his voice echoing as the energy surged around him. "You think you can defeat me? I am time! I am eternity!"
Alaric's resolve hardened, his voice steady, unyielding. "You're a curse on it, Magnus. And curses… can be broken."
With a final surge, he drove forward, feeling Eveline's presence beside him, their combined strength shattering the dark energy around Magnus. The room pulsed, the tower itself trembling, as the twisted magic unraveled, Magnus's laughter turning to a roar of fury.
And then, in one blinding flash, it was over.
As the light faded, Alaric stood, breathing heavily, his gaze fixed on the fallen figure before him. Magnus lay still, his eyes wide, empty, his laughter silenced at last.
Eveline's voice broke the silence, soft, steady. "It's done."
Alaric looked at her, the weight of the past lifting, if only slightly. But somewhere deep in his chest, he felt a quiet certainty.
This was only the beginning.