Lena’s body tensed as she faced the man with fire in his eyes.He stood tall, dressed in dark armor that shimmered like shattered glass. His face was sharp, with pale skin and lips twisted into a cruel smirk. His eyes weren’t normal—they looked like they were made of spinning clocks, ticking backward.“I am the true Watcher,” he repeated, voice deep and echoing like thunder in a tunnel. “And you’re trespassing.”Lena didn’t speak.Behind her, Kai stepped forward.“Who are you really?”The man tilted his head. “Names don’t matter in the timeline. But if you need one… call me Thorne.”Eli cursed under his breath. “Thorne? He’s a myth. A guardian that broke from the Nexus—wasn’t he destroyed?”“I was locked away,” Thorne replied, his voice like a blade. “By fools who thought they could control time.”He took a step closer. The space around him warped and shimmered, like time didn’t know how to behave near him.“You’ve been fixing the fractures,” Thorne said to Lena. “But you’re not savin

Lena stared at the girl in front of her.Same face.Same voice.But something was off.Her eyes were colder. Her smile was crooked. Her presence felt sharp, like broken glass.“What… are you?” Lena asked quietly.The other her tilted her head. “I’m you. The you that stopped hoping.”“No.” Lena backed up. “You’re not real.”“Oh, I’m real,” Dark Lena said. “I’m a version of you that chose differently. When everything fell apart, I let it burn. I stopped fighting. And guess what? The world ended.”Lena shook her head. “You let the timelines collapse?”“I didn’t cause it,” she said. “But I didn’t stop it either. I gave up. Just like you wanted to… a hundred times.”The Core around them pulsed again, brighter this time, like it was watching.Lena gritted her teeth. “Why are you here now?”Dark Lena smiled. “Because the Nexus won’t let you fix time until you face your worst self. I’m your final test.”“You’re not me,” Lena whispered.“I am every part you try to hide,” the dark version said,

The darkness was cold.Lena opened her eyes slowly. Everything was black. Not the kind of black you see in the dark—but the kind that feels heavy, like it’s pressing against your chest.Her body wasn’t hurting anymore. It wasn’t numb either. It just felt… different.Am I dead? she thought.She pushed herself up. The ground under her wasn’t solid. It shifted like dust, but her feet didn’t sink.The space around her cracked with small pulses of white light. Like tiny stars inside a void.Then she heard it.A faint hum—like the Core’s heartbeat.The Core is gone, she remembered. I destroyed it.So where was she?Suddenly, a voice echoed in the darkness.“You shouldn’t be here.”Lena turned fast.A woman stood a few feet away—tall, glowing slightly, eyes like mirrors. Her face was calm, but her presence made the air shift.“Who are you?” Lena asked.“I’m what’s left of the Nexus,” the woman replied. “Or maybe… what came before it.”Lena frowned. “The Nexus is just data. Time. Energy.”“Tr

The silver sky shimmered like broken mirrors. Lena stood barefoot on the glowing shore, waves of light crashing at her feet. She wasn’t sure if she was alive or dead. This place didn’t feel like Earth—or anywhere real.She turned slowly.“Kai?” she whispered.But he was gone.Only moments ago, she’d seen him walking toward her. She was sure of it. She’d felt it in her chest, like her heart remembered him even before her eyes did.She started walking across the endless light shore, her steps silent.Suddenly, a ripple spread across the sky.The sea of light turned dark for a second—then returned to normal.Something was wrong.Back in the real world, Kai stood in the middle of the ruined lab, gripping Lena’s locket tightly.“I’m going after her.”Eli’s eyes widened. “Kai, don’t. She gave herself up to save time.”“She’s not gone. She’s somewhere,” Kai said. “I saw her.”The Zero Child stood at the edge of the doorway. “If you chase her… you might destroy what’s left of time.”“I don’t

Kai floated in total darkness. No ground, no sky. Only silence… and a cold weight in his chest. His last memory was the explosion—Lena’s face fading as he activated the sphere. He thought he’d died.But he hadn’t.Not really.A faint light blinked in front of him. As it grew brighter, Kai’s body slowly fell upright, as if gravity was returning.And standing in front of him… was himself.Same face. Same scar above the left brow. Same calm voice.But the eyes were empty.Kai’s heart thudded. “What are you?”The copy smiled faintly. “The better version. The one time tried to forget.”“No,” Kai whispered. “You’re the Echo.”The Echo-Kai stepped closer. “I am the version of you who never let go of her. The version who kept breaking the rules over and over, until time gave up.”“That’s not love,” Kai muttered. “That’s obsession.”The Echo-Kai tilted his head. “Is it? You broke everything just to find her. You opened cracks in the Nexus. You destroyed timelines. You made me possible.”Kai cl