ZERO NEXUS

Chapter six ( THE FORGOTTEN TIMELINE)

The sky above the Nexus was calm now.

The wind had stopped.

The ticking had gone silent.

But Lena’s heart wasn’t calm. Not even close.

She stood next to Eli, staring at the glowing gate in front of them — swirling blue light, pulsing like a heartbeat.

“This is the timeline we erased?” she asked.

Eli nodded. “One of them. The most dangerous one.”

“Why is it still here?”

“Because it refused to die.”

Kai stepped up behind them. His face was bruised, blood dried on his cheek, but his eyes were focused.

“You don’t have to go,” he told Lena.

“Yes, I do,” she said.

“What if you don’t come back?”

She looked at him, trying to smile. “Then you’ll just have to come find me.”

He didn’t smile back. “I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

They stood in silence for a moment.

Then Kai pulled her into a tight hug. “Don’t let her take you.”

Lena whispered back, “I won’t.”

Eli placed his hand on the gate.

The light flared.

And Lena stepped through.

She landed in a world that was wrong from the first breath.

The air was thick and dry. The buildings were too tall, too sharp. And everything was silent — no birds, no wind, no people.

Then she saw the sky.

Black, but not like night. It looked like the stars had bled out.

A cracked moon floated above.

“This place is dead,” she whispered.

“No,” a voice said behind her. “It’s cleansed.”

Lena turned.

And saw… herself.

Older. Taller. Clothed in black armor, silver streaks in her hair, a long blade strapped to her back.

But it was still her.

“You made it,” the other Lena said. “I was wondering when you’d come.”

Lena swallowed. “What is this place?”

The older Lena smiled. “It’s home. The only timeline that ever made sense.”

“This isn’t real,” Lena said.

“It’s more real than what you’re protecting.”

“You’re a glitch.”

“I’m your final form.”

They walked side by side through the broken city.

The buildings here didn’t glitch. They were stable, frozen in place. It felt… empty. But not falling apart like the timelines she came from.

“There are no people,” Lena said quietly.

“There were,” the other Lena replied. “They just kept making mistakes.”

“So you killed them?”

“No,” she said. “I saved them—from themselves.”

Lena stopped walking. “You erased them.”

“I reset them.”

“That’s not the same thing.”

“It is when you’ve watched the world burn a thousand times.”

Lena stared at her. “What happened to you?”

“You did,” her double said. “You held on to hope. You tried to save everyone. And every time you did… more people died. So I stopped trying. And I made peace with being the villain.”

They entered a tall tower.

Inside, dozens of frozen figures stood, locked in place like statues. All of them looked like Kai. Some were smiling. Some were crying. One was kneeling, holding a ring.

Lena stepped back. “What… is this?”

“Versions of him,” her double said. “The ones I tried to love. The ones who tried to kill me. I kept them here so I wouldn’t forget what I lost.”

Lena’s heart sank. “You turned your memories into a prison.”

Her other self didn’t flinch. “You’ll understand soon.”

“No. I won’t.”

Lena turned and ran.

She didn’t know where she was going — just away.

Down the tower. Into the dead city.

But she didn’t get far.

The sky pulsed red.

And the ground cracked beneath her.

Her feet slipped. She fell into blackness.

She woke up in a white room.

One chair. One mirror.

Her reflection didn’t move.

Then it smiled.

Lena jumped back. “No.”

The reflection spoke. “You think you’re saving the world. But you’re just delaying the inevitable. There is no perfect timeline. There is no peace.”

“I don’t believe that,” Lena said.

“You already do,” the reflection whispered. “Why else are you here?”

“I came to stop her.”

“To stop yourself,” the mirror hissed.

“Exactly.”

The mirror shattered.

And Lena woke up again — this time in a forest. It was snowing, even though it felt like summer.

And someone was waiting.

Eli.

But not her Eli.

This version was older, taller, with dark eyes and no emotion.

“You’re not him,” Lena said.

“I’m what he could become,” he replied. “If you fail.”

He stepped closer. “He’s not the key. You are.”

“What?”

“You were made to hold him. But eventually, you’ll break. And when you do, time won’t restart. It will end.”

Lena backed away. “You’re lying.”

“I’m warning you.”

Suddenly, the world around her collapsed.

Wind roared. Trees fell sideways. The sky turned upside down.

Lena was pulled into the air, spinning, screaming.

And then—

She slammed into the ground.

Hard.

She rolled over, groaning, and looked up.

Her double stood there, blade drawn.

“You’ve seen it now,” she said. “You know what’s coming.”

“You’re wrong,” Lena said, standing slowly. “I am the key. But not to destruction. To balance.”

“You still think you can change fate?”

“I already have.”

The two Lenas stared at each other.

Then they ran forward—clashing, fists first.

The fight wasn’t just physical. It was mental. Every punch came with flashes—memories, broken timelines, lost love, screams.

Lena gasped as her double slammed her into the ground.

“You’re weak,” the other hissed.

“No,” Lena groaned, standing. “I’m human.”

She summoned the last of her strength and tackled her copy—straight into the glowing cracks in the ground.

They fell together.

When she opened her eyes again…

She was back in the Nexus.

Kai knelt beside her. “Lena!”

She gasped and grabbed his shirt. “I saw her. I fought her. I… I don’t know if I won.”

Eli stepped forward.

“She’s gone,” he said softly. “You absorbed her. She’s part of you now.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means… you’re complete.”

That night, Lena stood at the edge of a cliff, watching stars move for the first time without glitching.

Kai joined her.

“You okay?” he asked.

“No,” she said. “But I’m getting there.”

“I’m proud of you.”

She looked at him. “I’m scared.”

“Good,” he said. “Means you still care.”

Then Eli ran toward them.

“They’re coming,” he said.

“Who?” Lena asked.

“The next version,” he whispered.

She turned toward the horizon.

And saw another Lena.

Not older. Not darker.

But perfect.

Too perfect.

Like she was never human at all.