Gale stood in the heart of the bustling city, his mind reeling. The hum of life surrounded him—people chatting, car engines revving, distant laughter echoing through the streets. For the first time in years, he felt warmth on his skin that wasn't from fire or radioactive heat. The air smelled of exhaust, roasted chestnuts from a street vendor, and the faint tang of rain in the distance. It felt like a dream.
His hands trembled as he stared at them. No blood, no dirt, no scars from battles that had felt endless. He glanced around, taking in the massive skyscrapers that reached toward a bright blue sky. This wasn't the world he'd left behind.
"This can't be real," he muttered.
A passing man in a sharp suit gave him an odd look. Gale flinched, realizing how out of place he must appear—tattered clothes, a makeshift holster that had held his machete, and the unmistakable weight of someone who had lived through hell.
He reached for his wrist instinctively, searching for the watch that had guided him. It was gone.
As the sun began to set, Gale wandered through the streets, his steps heavy with uncertainty. The city's energy unnerved him. It wasn't just the contrast to the apocalypse—there was something off. Too perfect. Too synchronized.
He ducked into a narrow alley, seeking solace from the overwhelming noise of the crowds. The air was cooler here, the hum of neon signs buzzing faintly above. He leaned against the wall, closing his eyes, trying to piece together what had happened.
"You look lost," a voice said.
Gale's eyes snapped open, his muscles tensing. A man stood a few feet away, dressed in dark, nondescript clothes. His face was shadowed, but his posture was casual, almost too relaxed.
"Who are you?" Gale asked, his hand instinctively reaching for a weapon that wasn't there.
"A friend," the man said. "Or at least, I could be. Depends on what you're looking for."
"I'm looking for answers," Gale said, his tone sharp. "What is this place? How did I get here?"
The man tilted his head. "This place? It's called Halcyon. It's... a safe haven. A city outside of time."
"Outside of time?" Gale repeated, his chest tightening. "What does that mean?"
"It means you're lucky to be here. Most people don't survive crossing the Rift, let alone stabilize it. But you did."
The man stepped closer, and for the first time, Gale noticed his eyes. They glowed faintly—an eerie, familiar blue.
"You're Rift-touched," Gale said, his voice low.
"So are you," the man replied, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Welcome to Halcyon, Gale Draven. You're about to learn just how deep the Rift goes."
The man introduced himself as Lucian. Over the next few hours, he led Gale through the city, explaining its secrets.
Halcyon wasn't a normal city—it was a convergence point, a place where fragments of timelines merged into a singular reality. It existed because of the Rift, not despite it.
"You thought you closed it, didn't you?" Lucian said as they sat in a small diner tucked away in a quiet corner of the city.
"I did close it," Gale insisted. "I destroyed the Nexus."
Lucian shook his head. "You stabilized it. Big difference. The Rift can't be destroyed—it's woven into the fabric of time. What you did was stop it from consuming everything. For now."
Gale's stomach sank. "So it's still out there? The Rift?"
Lucian nodded. "It's dormant, but the energy remains. And the Nexus? It's reforming. Slowly, but it's happening."
Gale rubbed his temples, the weight of Lucian's words pressing down on him. "Why here? Why Halcyon?"
"Halcyon is a sanctuary," Lucian explained. "A place where Rift-touched like us can survive. The timeline is stable here, but that stability comes at a cost."
Gale frowned. "What cost?"
Lucian hesitated. "The city isn't... natural. It exists outside of time, but it still needs energy to maintain itself. That energy comes from the Rift. If the Nexus fully reforms, Halcyon will collapse."
Gale wasn't sure how to process what he'd learned. Halcyon was a miracle, but it was also a trap—a city on borrowed time. The Rift's energy pulsed faintly beneath the surface, sustaining the illusion of normalcy.
As days passed, Gale began to notice cracks in the façade. People moved through the city as if on autopilot, their routines eerily precise. The same street performer played the same tune at the same time every day. Conversations between strangers felt scripted, their words too perfect, too predictable.
Something was wrong.
One night, Gale ventured deeper into the city, drawn by a faint hum he couldn't ignore. He found himself in a darkened industrial district, far from the vibrant lights of Halcyon's center. The air was thick here, the faint smell of burning metal clinging to his senses.
The hum grew louder as he approached an old warehouse. Its doors were ajar, a faint blue light spilling out. Gale slipped inside, his heart pounding.
What he saw made him stop in his tracks.
Dozens of people were lined up in rows, their bodies connected to strange machines. Blue energy coursed through tubes that led into the floor, feeding into a massive, pulsating core in the center of the room.
The Nexus.
"No," Gale whispered, his chest tightening. "This can't be real."
"You weren't supposed to see this," a voice said behind him.
Gale turned sharply to see Lucian standing in the doorway, his expression unreadable.
Lucian stepped forward, his glowing eyes fixed on Gale. "I told you the city needed energy to survive. This is how we get it."
"You're feeding off people?" Gale demanded, his fists clenching. "You're using them as fuel?"
"They're not people," Lucian said calmly. "Not really. They're echoes—fragments of timelines that no longer exist. Without the Rift, they would have vanished completely."
"And that makes this okay?" Gale snapped. "You're keeping the Rift alive!"
Lucian's expression hardened. "Without the Rift, Halcyon would cease to exist. These echoes would vanish, and so would you. Is that what you want?"
Gale's mind raced. The Nexus was still alive, and Halcyon was feeding it. If he didn't act, the Rift could awaken again, tearing reality apart.
But if he destroyed it, Halcyon—and everyone in it—would be lost.
Gale's discovery of the Nexus sent shockwaves through Halcyon. Word spread quickly, and the city was soon divided. Some supported Lucian, believing that preserving the city was worth the cost. Others sided with Gale, refusing to accept the use of echoes as fuel.
Tensions boiled over into violence. Riots erupted in the streets, and the fragile peace of Halcyon shattered. Gale found himself leading a group of rebels, their goal simple: destroy the Nexus once and for all.
But Lucian wasn't about to let that happen.
The final confrontation took place in the industrial district. Gale and his rebels stormed the warehouse, their weapons cobbled together from scavenged parts. Lucian's forces were waiting, their armor and weapons powered by the very energy they sought to protect.
The battle was chaos. Energy blasts lit up the darkened streets as Gale fought his way toward the Nexus. He knew this was his only chance to stop it.
Lucian met him at the core, his glowing eyes filled with fury.
"You don't understand what you're doing!" Lucian shouted. "If you destroy the Nexus, Halcyon will fall. Everyone here will die."
Gale gritted his teeth, his hands trembling. "This isn't living, Lucian. It's a prison."
Lucian lunged, and the two clashed in a brutal fight. Gale's fists connected with Lucian's jaw, but the Rift-touched man was stronger, faster. He slammed Gale against the core, the energy surging around them.
"You think you're a hero?" Lucian snarled. "You're just a relic of a broken timeline."
Gale's hand found his knife, and with a desperate shout, he drove it into the core. The Nexus let out a deafening roar as its energy surged uncontrollably.
The destruction of the Nexus sent shockwaves through Halcyon. The city trembled, its foundations unraveling as the Rift's energy dissipated. Buildings crumbled, and the sky darkened as fragments of the timeline dissolved.
Gale stumbled through the chaos, his body weak from the fight. He watched as the people around him—echoes of lost timelines—faded into nothingness.
Lucian lay nearby, his glowing eyes dimming. "You... don't understand... what you've done."
Gale knelt beside him, his voice heavy. "I stopped the Rift. That's all that matters."
Lucian let out a bitter laugh before vanishing.
When Gale opened his eyes, he was lying in a field of grass. The sky above was clear and blue, the air warm and filled with the sounds of birdsong. For a moment, he thought he was dead.
But then he saw the people—real people—walking in the distance. A small village lay ahead, its chimneys puffing smoke into the air.
The Rift was gone. The timeline had reset.
Gale smiled faintly, the weight of his journey finally lifting. The fight was over, and for the first time, the future felt like his own.