In District 1 Military Supreme Headquarters
TING TING TING
[--Emergency Meeting in 25 Minutes-- War Room 2 - Grand General Nathaniel Blackthorn]
The alert flashed across everyone's neural interfaces.
"What is going on?" Major General Sofia Bergman rose from her chair, voice cutting through the room.
"Madam. Explosion at the District 7 research facility," the officer replied, eyes fixed on his hologram display.
Grand General Nathaniel Blackthorn—the man everyone respected and feared. S-Class war hero. The Magnetic Master who could lift bridges with a thought.
"After just 10 years of peace, they've forgotten how to secure a military base?" General Rasmus Åkesson shouted, glaring at the live footage of District 7's chaos.
Blackthorn entered the room, each footstep echoing against steel. Conversations died instantly.
"Connect us with District 7's commanding officer," he ordered, voice calm but absolute.
The hologram flickered to life, showing a saluting officer who began his grim report—hundreds dead, officers and scientists found among rubble and ash. Dozens of students injured in an attack no one saw coming.
"Someone infiltrated the facility? Why didn't security catch it?" Blackthorn asked.
"We believe the surveillance system was neutralized minutes before the explosion. We're still investigating," the officer answered quickly.
"Full report within 48 hours," Blackthorn commanded. Not a request—an absolute no one would dare challenge.
The Fold
"Hello there! Can you hear me? You're looking a bit dazed!"
A cheerful voice echoed around Theon as he opened his eyes.
[WARNING: UNSTABLE CONNECTIVITY]
The message flashed red as Theon found himself floating in a space without dimensions, surrounded by soft, ambient light.
"Where am I? Am I dead?" His voice came out as barely a whisper.
"Dead? Oh, not at all! Well, not exactly alive either, at least not in the conventional sense. But definitely not dead. I should know—I've been not-dead here for quite some time!"
The voice came from everywhere at once—clear, lively, oddly comforting.
"Who are you? What happened?" Theon tried to look around, but saw only endless gentle light.
"Ah, introductions! I'm Darius Nazari. Just Darius will do. As for what happened—well, there was a bit of an explosion. Quite spectacular, from what I could tell. The crystal you were admiring destabilized."
Theon tried to move but couldn't feel his body.
[WARNING: Neural Signals Are Too Weak]
The message blinked frantically across his vision.
What's happening to me?
"Don't panic!" Darius said quickly. "You're in a Dimenzia Fold—a spatial anomaly outside normal space-time. When the blast occurred, you were thrown in here... though not intact, I'm afraid."
"What do you mean, not intact?" Horror washed over Theon.
"The explosion was powerful. Your arms and legs were severed. Your body was severely burned. When it happened, the energy surge charged my crystal stones to full power. This allowed me to heal you, reattach your limbs, and repair your broken parts. But you're still weak."
Fragments of memory flashed through Theon's mind—blinding light, unbearable pain, his body torn apart.
"How long have I been here?"
"Time works differently here. For you, a week of healing sleep. Outside, about fifty minutes."
"Only fifty minutes? How is that possible?"
"The Dimenzia Fold exists beyond conventional dimensions. There's a device here—the ChronoDrive—powered by a Harmonic Core. It accelerates time inside this space at roughly 200 times normal flow."
"I need to get back! My mom, my sisters—they'll be worried!"
A pause. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. There's a problem."
"What problem?"
Darius's voice seemed to dim slightly.
"The only way out is to destroy the Fold. I have the power to do that now... but your body—" He paused meaningfully. "It's far too weak to survive the exit. The energy released during the collapse would tear you apart."
Cold dread filled Theon's thoughts.
"So I'm trapped here? Forever?"
Silence hung in the air before Darius continued.
"There might be a way. I can help strengthen your body. Reinforce bones, enhance muscles, stabilize cells. My abilities allow me to manipulate biological material at its foundation. But it won't be easy. It'll hurt. And it'll take time."
"How much time?"
"With how fragile you are now? Several months, minimum. Still, I cannot be sure you will survive."
Months.
Theon's thoughts raced to his mother's failing health, his little sisters waiting.
"You said only fifty minutes have passed outside. If I stay here for months..."
"The ChronoDrive's dilation will continue. Five months here may only be a day or two there. They'll worry, but they won't mourn."
"You're a clever one," Darius said with a gravelly chuckle.
"And there's no other way? No secret exit?"
"None. The Dimenzia Fold must be collapsed to escape. That requires an energy release greater than the blast that brought you here. We need to prepare your body."
Darius's tone shifted. "You're always welcome to stay with me. Although you're already stuck. We can bet how long your body will last if you're up for it." He seemed to be thinking aloud now. "I bet not 200 years. Probably 100, less... 50 maybe."
Theon weighed his choices. Agonizing pain and isolation... or trapped forever.
Only one real option.
"What do I need to do?"
"Rest for now. Tomorrow, we begin."
Exhaustion swept over Theon like a wave. As he drifted into unconsciousness, one thought remained.
I'm going to survive this. I have to.
The Training
The next day, Theon opened his eyes in a bed. He sat up, testing his limbs, relieved to find them working again.
He stepped outside a small hut into a beautiful forest—trees, grass, and a crystal-clear pond fed by a waterfall. It felt magical, impossible.
Darius appeared before him—a middle-aged man with a timeless face and enigmatic aura. He wore a white robe-like coat with glowing circular patterns unlike anything Theon had seen before.
"Don't be fooled by appearances," Darius said, noticing Theon's stare. "This is just a construct. Not my real body."
"Then... are you somewhere else? Or—"
"I'm stuck here, just like you. Been here a long time. A human body wouldn't last. Now, I'm part of the Fold itself."
A chill ran through Theon. Is that what will happen to me if this fails?
"This place... is it real?" he asked, looking around in wonder.
"The Dimenzia Fold is real enough," Darius replied. "It's outside normal space, but it exists. This forest is something I've shaped over time. It's as real as you are."
Theon stood, surprised at how good he felt. The chronic fatigue that had plagued him for years was gone.
"Go to the pond," Darius instructed. "Immerse yourself in the water."
Tap... tap... tap...
Theon approached cautiously. "What's going to happen?"
"I'm going to break your bones. Thousands of micro-fractures, precisely targeted. When they heal, they'll be stronger. The cold water will help with the pain."
"Wait, what—" Theon began, but he was already stepping into the pond. The water was freezing, shocking his system.
SSSHHHHHHH
Then the real pain started.
It began in his fingers—like glass shattering under his skin. Then it spread up his arms, into his chest, down to his toes. Every bone in his body seemed to crack at once.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Theon screamed, thrashing in the water. The pain was beyond anything he'd thought possible.
[WARNING: Extreme Pain Detected] [Threat to Consciousness: Imminent]
"Breathe," Darius commanded. "Focus on your breath. I know it hurts—I've been through similar. But pain is just information. Acknowledge it, then set it aside."
Somehow, Theon managed to obey, drawing shuddering breaths through clenched teeth. Eventually, the pain subsided to a dull throb as Darius slowly healed the fractures, leaving them stronger than before.
"Good. Now we exercise."
"You can't be serious," Theon gasped. "I can barely move."
"That's exactly why we must begin now. Your body will adapt faster if we don't allow it to stagnate. Think of it as a forge—we've heated the metal, now we must hammer it into shape."
Reluctantly, Theon pulled himself from the water. Every movement sent fresh waves of pain through his system.
"Run. As far as you can."
It wasn't much of a run—more of a stumbling walk that occasionally became a shambling jog. Every step was torture. But Theon pushed forward, knowing this was his only chance to survive.
THUD!
By the time he collapsed onto the grass, the sun was setting in this artificial sky.
"You did well for your first day," Darius said. "Rest now. Tomorrow will be harder, but you'll be stronger too. That's the bargain we make with pain."
__________
Chrysalis dominion - one of the 7 nations in the current new world, controlled under The United Terranova Council (UTC). With its 53 districts spanning across a region in the old world known as Europe.