The glow of the Core chamber stabilized to a steady hum as the energy settled down. Aiden stood beside the armored woman, his head reeling from the past hour's events. He didn't want to be one of these "Travelers," whatever that fully meant, but it seemed like he didn't have a say in the matter.
The woman broke the silence. "The Core is steady for now, but it won't hold for long. The other realms are collapsing, and each one feeds the rift. We have to move."
Aiden nodded, his pulse steadying. "Where do we start?
She went towards a board close to the side of the room, where she pressed her hand against a ring-shaped rune. It pulsed to life and revealed an holographic map of worlds connected to one another. Each realm glowed weakly, but some flickered, as if on the verge of dying.
"We'll begin with the Forgotten Sands," she said, pointing to one of the dimmer orbs. "The rift is already consuming it. If it falls, the ripple effect will accelerate."
"What's there?" Aiden asked, stepping closer to the glowing map.
"The Pillar of Eternity," she replied. "It anchors time in that realm and helps maintain the Nexus's balance. If it's destroyed, the chaos will spread faster than we can contain it."
"Time?" Aiden frowned. "Like… time travel?"
She gave him a tight smile. "Something like that. You'll see soon enough."
Before Aiden could press further, she activated the gateway. A shimmering portal materialized in the air, its edges sparking with golden light.
"Stay close to me," she said, stepping through.
Aiden took a deep breath and followed.
Heat flamed around him, making the hairs stand on the back of his neck. Aiden staggered out of the portal and into a golden desert, sunlight flashing down from a copper-colored sky. Dunes rolled across in every direction, their waves interrupted only by ragged rock outcroppings.
Heat waves shivered through the air, and a distant, indistinguishable whispering seemed to hang on the wind, but no one was anywhere around.
"This place looks… dead," Aiden said, shielding his eyes from the sun.
"It wasn't always," the woman replied, scanning the horizon. "The Forgotten Sands was once a thriving desert civilization, home to powerful mystics who could manipulate time itself. But when the rift opened, it twisted the flow of time here. Now, the realm is stuck in a loop, repeating its final days over and over."
Aiden's stomach roiled at the prospect. "So, what do we do?"
She nodded toward the horizon, where a behemoth structure pushed its way out of the dunes. It was a colossal spire, its surface glittering like polished glass. The Pillar of Eternity.
"We go there," she said.
The ground beneath them shook suddenly, cutting off any further conversation. Aiden staggered, almost losing his footing. The dunes ahead rippled like water, and shapes began to emerge from the sand—human figures, half-buried and writhing as if trying to claw their way to freedom.
"What the—"
The figures pulled themselves fully from the sand. They were humanoid but grotesque, their skin cracked and flaking like dried clay. Their hollow eyes glowed faintly blue, and their movements were jerky, as if puppeted by unseen strings.
"Time-bound," the woman said, drawing her sword. "Fragments of the realm's people, caught in the time loop and twisted into monsters. They'll attack anything that moves."
The closest creature let out a guttural hiss and lunged at Aiden. He stumbled back, raising his hands in defense. To his surprise, a burst of golden energy shot from his palms, sending the creature flying.
"Nice reflexes," the woman said, slashing another creature in half. "But don't get cocky. There's a lot more coming."
She was right. Dozens of time-bound creatures were emerging from the sands, their hisses and growls growing louder.
"What's the plan?" Aiden shouted, blasting another creature.
"Fight your way to the Pillar!" she called back. "If we can stabilize it, the time loop should break, and the time-bound will disappear!"
"Great, no pressure!"
The two of them fought side by side, cutting a path through the horde. Aiden's blasts of light grew more controlled with each attempt, though every shot left him feeling drained.
The woman, on the other hand, moved with lethal precision. Her sword flashed in the sunlight, cutting through the creatures like a blade through water. But even she couldn't fight them all.
This isn't working!" Aiden screamed as more creatures swarmed in their direction.
"Then run!" she shouted.
Aiden didn't need to be told twice. He was running as fast as he could toward the Pillar with the woman close behind. The creatures were chasing after them, their distorted bodies moving at a speed that defied all logic.
The closer they got to the Pillar, the colder it grew, and the whispers carried by the wind became a language that made sense.
Turn back… You cannot stop it… The rift will consume all…
Aiden shook his head. He tried to close his eyes, block the voices out, but they seeped into his mind and filled him with doubt and fear.
"Don't listen to them!" the woman shouted. "The rift is trying to break you!
They came to the bottom of the Pillar, where an old staircase spiralled up in a curve. Aiden was only a moment in thought before climbing, the woman covering their retreat with her sword.
"Go!" she urged.
Aiden climbed as fast as he could, the air growing colder with each step. When he reached the top, he found a circular platform with a pedestal in the center. On top of the pedestal was a glowing hourglass, whose sands were frozen in mid-flow.
"The anchor," Aiden said, recognizing what it was.
The whispers grew deafening, and the air around the hourglass darkened, forming into a swirling shadow. From the shadow emerged a figure—a tall, robed being with no discernible face, its form shifting like smoke.
"You dare interfere with the rift's design?" the figure said, its voice echoing with power.
Aiden's legs trembled, but he forced himself to step forward. "If the rift's design means destroying everything, then yeah, I'm interfering."
The figure raised his hand, and a wave of darkness rushed forward. Aiden steadied himself, but the woman came up beside him and parried the blow with her blade.
"Finish it, Aiden!" she screamed.
He turned back to the hourglass, unsure of what to do. The Nexus's energy still stirred dimly in him, and he placed his hands upon the frozen sands.
A burst of power exploded from the hourglass, and the sands began to flow once more. The time loop broke, and the creatures below disintegrated into dust.
The robed figure let out an ear-piercing scream before vanishing into the darkness.
The platform steadied, and the oppressive energy lifted. Aiden and the woman stood in silence for a moment, catching their breath.
"You did it," she said finally, a small smile breaking through her stern demeanor.
Aiden exhaled, his hands trembling. "One down, how many to go?"
"Too many," she replied. "But we'll take it one step at a time."
As the portal back to the Nexus formed behind them, Aiden felt something he hadn't felt yet: resolve. The journey was far from over, but he finally felt like he stood a chance.