Time is the ultimate currency.
In the year 2157, wealth is no longer measured in gold, property, or status. Time Credits (TC) determine everything—how long you live, where you stand in society, and whether you matter at all.
From the moment of birth, every human is implanted with a Chrono Core, a neural device that tracks their remaining lifespan down to the last second. Every action has a cost. Every decision shortens—or extends—your existence.
A single glance at your Chrono Balance can decide your fate.
Want to ride a train? -5 minutes
Need food for a week? -2 hours
Commit a crime? Instant Erasure.
The rich hoard centuries, buying lifetimes with a swipe of their wrist. The poor struggle to survive, trading precious seconds just to see another dawn.
And those who fall to zero?
They don't get a second chance. They are erased.
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The Laws of Time Manipulation
The Chrono System was once just a method of tracking time, but over the decades, it has evolved into something far greater—and far more dangerous. Some individuals, known as Chrono Wielders, have learned to bend time itself.
But even they must obey the Three Absolute Laws:
1) Time Cannot Be Created. No matter how powerful a wielder is, they cannot generate new time—only steal it.
2) Time Manipulation Requires Energy. The larger the alteration, the greater the physical toll. Extending a second is easy. Rewinding a day could kill you.
3) Paradoxes Lead to Permanent Erasure. Altering time recklessly can create paradoxes. If a Chrono Wielder contradicts reality itself, the System will erase them instantly. No revival. No exceptions.
The only ones above these laws are the Eternal Council—a group of immortal overlords who have absolute control over all Time Credits. They alone possess the power to rewrite history, shape the future, and control the fate of every soul in the world.
But even their reign is not absolute.
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The Rift – The Last Hope for the Poor
For those born into Timelocked Zones—the slums of society, where lifespans are measured in days, not years—there is only one way out.
The Rift.
A massive, hyper-realistic VR battlefield where warriors gamble their lifespan in brutal combat. The losers perish. The winners steal time from their fallen opponents.
For most, The Rift is a death sentence.
But for a rare few, it is the only path to Ascension—the only way to climb high enough to challenge the system itself.
No one has ever reached the top.
No one has ever defeated the Eternal Council.
Until now.
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End of Introduction Chapter....