The sky felt... still.
The sun was half-covered, yet its light still lingered in the air — tangled, like even time itself wasn't sure what to do.
I glanced around.
Something was off.
The trees weren't moving.
The people — they stood frozen in place.
Like someone had pressed "pause" on the world.
"This place… time isn't moving," I whispered to myself.
Then a voice came from behind.
"Who are you?"
It was her — Aika.
Suspicion flickered in her eyes, but her hand hadn't reached for her sword. Not yet.
"I'm Aren," I said plainly.
But the name only made her frown deeper — as if hearing it created more questions than answers.
"I didn't ask your name," she said coldly.
"I asked how you got here."
Her voice felt like stepping on frost — calm, but sharp enough to crack the ground beneath you.
I opened my mouth to explain, but then —
The wind rose.
Out of nowhere, black mist began to swirl around me.
Aika took a step back.
And then… he appeared.
A man — or maybe just a shadow.
His face was blurred, like a memory you couldn't fully recall.
"Who... are you?" I asked.
He didn't reply.
He just raised a hand —
And the world… changed.
Everything started spinning.
The ground vanished beneath me.
When I opened my eyes, I was in another place.
Empty.
Endless.
The floor mirrored everything like glass, and above me… only darkness.
In front of me stood a figure —
It looked like me.
But in his eyes… there was hate.
"I'm what you'll become," the reflection said.
I stepped back, my voice low.
"No… You're not me."
Then came a second voice.
Deep.
Cold.
"You came to understand time?
Time will break you."
I turned.
He was there.
Void.
He looked normal — until you looked into his eyes.
Eyes that had seen everything — every second, every moment, every timeline.
"Void…" I whispered the name.
"You're just a glitch," he said.
"And glitches... don't last."
And just like that —
Reality reset.
I was back.
Back where time had frozen.
Only now… it was moving again.
The trees swayed.
The people walked.
Aika stood where she was.
She had seen it all.
"You're… different," she said.
For the first time, there was no suspicion in her voice.
I didn't respond.
There was only one question echoing in my mind:
"Why was I sent here? And what was that… that shattered something inside me?"
Up in the sky — a faint crack shimmered
No one else noticed it.
Only me.
As if the mirror of time was about to break.
To be continued…