The Time-keepers

"Anyways so I decided to take the deal." Kai said in a very tired tone. "So let me get this straight", Dom said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "you took on a project that would easily take at least 3 months and you offered to do it within 1, and you didnt even bargain for any bonus payments...are you crazy?", Dom leaned back on his seat and let out a sigh, shaking his head. Dominic and Kai were old friends since childhood and still hung around from time to time, to remember how simple life was back then and how much they hate everything now. "You have running on fumes lately, man. Maybe you should take a break instead on digging yourself into a deeper pit". Kai shrugged and gave Dom a half smile, "Yeah man, what can I say, I am a glutton for punishment. Besides I really need some cash right now, my favorite author just released a brand new series of books and I want to get those as soon as possible". Kai was used to the everyday routine of urban living. As a freelancer who enjoyed reading about theories about the existence of parallel dimensions, he devoted his time to browsing stories that often ended up in fantasy books or online forums, but today would not be the same as his daily commute via subway was about to become something extraordinary. The metro lurched to a halt, as Kai stood up and lazily shouldered his backpack, the usual chaos of rush hour buzzed around him- passengers scrolling away at their phones, murmured conversations and the faint hum of the metro engine "Well it was nice catching up Dom, but now I gotta get home so I can get started on this project, wanna check out that café you mentioned earlier, this coming weekend?" Kai said, "Sure if you manage to not die of exhaustion before that" Dom said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. As Kai walked to the door, a peculiar, unnerving sensation, began to creep up Kai's neck as he waited for the doors to open. He looked around, but there was nothing particularly noteworthy about the people around him, Dom waved back with the same idiotic grin as always, but other than that nothing caught his eye. He went out onto the platform and headed for the exit as the train doors swung shut behind him. A flicker of movement caught Kai's attention while he was walking; it was an abnormal flash that vanished as soon as it emerged. He disregarded it and carried on, but his footsteps faltered as he spotted a peculiar figure in front of him. The tall, gaunt man had a peculiar cloak on, and his eyes had a faint, otherworldly glow to them. Kai instinctively sidestepped to avoid the stranger and murmured, "Excuse me," but the man kept blocking his path, his intense stare made Kai wary. "You are Kai Nightshade," the man murmured, a strange echo in his voice, like multiple voices layered on top of one another, "The Time-keeper." Kai scowled. "I think you have the wrong person." The man spoke urgently and with narrowed eyes. "There's no time to lose, they draw closer by the second" Kai backed away from the stranger, his eyes darted around, looking for a different exit, but something felt wrong, the familiar sounds of car honking, people chattering, other pedestrians walking seemed to fade out, replaced by an eerie unfamiliar hum. Kai felt the ground beneath him shift, patterns he didn't recognize began to fade in and out of his view. The man stepped towards Kai, and the surroundings appeared to shift. The familiar subway station gave way to a wide, otherworldly landscape. The colors changed and reshaped themselves, and a deep, pulsating hum filled the air. "Where are we?" Kai asked, his voice on high alert. "Between worlds," the man answered. "You've been chosen to serve as the Timekeeper. "True sight," or the capacity to perceive behind the surface of reality, is your gift." Kai's wariness only grew. "What the hell are you talking about? Is this some kind of sick joke?" Kai's mind reeled, this unfamiliar figure, who he had never seen before, spoke of worlds beyond his own and gifts he didn't understand, the words felt too surreal and big for Kai to be able to wrap his head around. Kai clenched his fists, he didn't know who this man was or where he had taken Kai, but if it came down to it, Kai wouldn't hesitate to defend himself. "Your powers must be awakened," the man declared, extending his hand, he showed a complicated array of symbols that resembled hourglass shining faintly on his wrist. "The invisible worlds that exist in parallel to our own can be perceived by you. It is your responsibility to defend our world from what lurk in these other dimensions." Kai's gaze darted around, he felt his pulse race as he caught glimpses of shadows and distorted forms, their out lines jagged and unnatural, like tears in the very fabric of reality. Kai glanced at Zayne, "Take my hand, there is no other way" Zayne said, his tone firm but not unkind. The shadows began to draw closer, their movements erratic and hungry. "Why me?" Kai said, his voice barely audible, "I am no hero, I can barely handle my own life". For a heartbeat, Zayne's gaze softened, as Kai saw a flicker of something human behind those eyes, before it was quickly covered by the same cold gaze. "You possess a rare gift," the man said, "You were chosen by destiny to wield a power that most simply cannot comprehend". With a deep breath, Kai extended his hand, the moment his fingers brushed against Zayne's, the world around them exploded in a bright light and seemed to melt away. "What....is....this place?" as he opened his eyes, Kai found himself standing on the void between realities and opening his eyes to the horrors that were hidden from ordinary view. As it turned out, the future was dangerous and unpredictable. However, one thing was certain: Kai Nightshade was no longer just a mere nobody, he was now a guardian of his reality, thrust into a role that would challenge everything he thought he knew about his world. As the first echoes of an otherworldly roar reverberated through the shifting landscape, Kai braced himself. The nightmare had only just begun.