Thunder rolled through the clouds.
A low rumble, deep and slow, like the growl of something ancient. Kael stood frozen near the back of the testing hall, heart pounding in his chest.
He was alive.
But he remembered dying—clearly.
He remembered the gunshot. The pain. The light. The system message.
He remembered Commander Rhaz's cold voice and the way the pistol felt like a full stop at the end of his life.
Now he was here.
Again.
The same moment. The same room.
But now… something had changed.
---
The blue system window still floated in his vision.
---
> **\[REWIND PROTOCOL: ACTIVE]**
>
> ▸ Time Limit: 15 seconds
> ▸ Charges Remaining: 1
> ▸ Trait: "Singular Point" — immune to time collapse
> ▸ Class: \[VOIDWALKER – UNLOCKED]
>
> ⚠ A NEW FUTURE HAS BEGUN
---
Kael stared at it.
The others around him didn't notice anything. The testing line moved forward, one student at a time placing their hand on the scanning orb.
His name hadn't even been called yet.
> *I have 8 minutes until the Rift opens again.*
His hand clenched into a fist. He could feel the future pressing down on him, like a weight he hadn't noticed before.
He knew what was coming.
He knew what **he** was coming.
---
Outside the tall glass windows, the sky dimmed. A crackling sound—like tearing paper—echoed through the air.
Kael's eyes snapped up.
> *Here it comes.*
A ripple appeared in the sky.
It was small at first. A flicker. A flick.
Then it grew—fast.
The Rift bloomed open like a rotten flower. Darkness poured out of it. Purple lightning cracked across the sky.
And with it came something **alive**.
---
### 🕷 A RIFT BEAST.
It slammed into the city like a meteor—jet-black, with spider-like legs and glowing red eyes. Its body flickered as if it wasn't fully in this timeline. A buzzing noise followed it, like hundreds of ticking clocks spinning out of sync.
Screams filled the testing hall.
People panicked, sprinting for the exits.
Glass shattered.
Metal tore apart.
The walls exploded inward as the Rift Beast leapt through the broken ceiling, landing in the middle of the room.
**Kael didn't run.**
He couldn't.
His legs were frozen—but not from fear.
He was focused.
He'd seen this before.
And he had a plan.
---
> 🩸 **\[RIFT BEAST – TIME SCARRED]**
> ▸ Class: C-Rank
> ▸ HP: 2,500
> ▸ Status: Unstable
> ▸ Weak Point: Rear Core Spike
---
> *Weak point. Rear spike. Got it.*
The monster turned toward Kael.
It saw him.
**It charged.**
Faster than Kael could react.
A massive limb swung down toward him—blades on its arms glinting with violet energy.
---
**SLASH.**
Kael was split open.
Pain shot through his chest.
Everything turned cold again.
His knees hit the ground.
His body followed.
He hit the floor hard.
---
He was dead.
---
### 🔁 REWIND PROTOCOL ACTIVATING…
> ✔️ TEMPORAL CORE: STABLE
> ✔️ CHARGE: 1
>
> ▸ Rewinding 12 seconds...
---
**FLASH.**
---
Kael's eyes snapped open—again.
Same room.
Same moment.
Same sound of glass breaking.
But now, he was **ready.**
The Rift Beast crashed down exactly where it had before.
But this time, Kael **moved.**
He rolled sideways, grabbing a metal pipe that had fallen from the ceiling.
The creature roared, its red eyes locking on him again.
Kael sprinted toward it.
No hesitation.
No fear.
He slid beneath the swinging blade-arm, just like last time—but now he knew what came next.
He twisted.
And jammed the pipe **straight into the beast's rear core spike**.
**CRACK.**
The creature shrieked in pain. Purple light burst from its back.
> 🩸 **CRITICAL HIT!**
> ▸ 1,240 Damage Dealt
It stumbled forward, roaring. The entire floor shook.
Kael didn't stop.
He picked up a broken spear from the ground and leapt forward again—this time, jamming it into the same spot with all his strength.
> 🩸 **CRITICAL HIT!**
> ▸ 1,310 Damage Dealt
>
> ✔️ **\[RIFT BEAST DEFEATED]**
---
The creature collapsed with a thud, its body fading into ash and sparks. The lights flickered. The air went still.
Kael stood alone in the broken room, covered in blood, breathing hard.
He had done it.
He had used the rewind… and won.
---
**DING!**
A system window appeared in front of him, glowing gold this time.
---
### ⚔ \[LEVEL UP!]
> ▸ Kael Ardyn – LVL 1 → LVL 3
>
> ▸ Stat Points Gained: +12
> ▸ Skill Unlocked: **\[TIMESHIFT: SECOND STRIKE]**
> — Allows user to instantly replay one physical action from memory at 150% speed. Cooldown: 60 sec
>
> ▸ Class Path Progress: \[VOIDWALKER: 3%]
---
Kael stared at the screen, eyes wide.
He was shaking.
But this time, not from fear.
From something else.
> *This power…*
> *I just killed a C-Rank beast.*
> *And no one even saw it coming.*
His heart thudded in his chest like a war drum.
Kael looked down at his hands.
He was still the same boy they called trash.
But now, time obeyed him.
**To be continued…**