⏳ Chapter 73 –
"Some memories aren't forgotten—they're sealed for survival."
🕰️ Scene 1: The Truth Speaks
The towering figure before Aeren stood inside the chamber of broken time. His presence warped everything—gravity, sound, even thought itself.
"I am the last of your royal guard… bound by your final command, King Veleor."
The voice echoed in every direction, like a thousand echoes whispering backward.
Aeren stumbled back.
"No. I'm not a king. I'm just—"
The being knelt, slamming a time-anchored sword into the ground.
"You once bent time. Made gods kneel. Sealed the Scarlet Eclipse. You were the Clocked King… and your return marks the unraveling of all ages."
Suddenly, chains of light snapped from the ceiling—and latched onto Aeren's body.
Anshi screamed and tried to run forward.
"Aeren!! Let him go!"
But the world froze.
Literally.
Everyone—every monster, every teammate, every enemy—froze mid-motion.
Only Aeren and the being could still move.
🧩 Scene 2: Fragments of a Forgotten Self
The giant clocked guardian raised his hand—and the entire room fractured into shards of memory.
Each shard showed Aeren a piece of a forgotten truth:
A massive throne made of broken timelines.
Aeren—older, colder—commanding legions of Seekers and Monsters alike.
A war against a god who bled stars.
Aeren sealing his own soul, whispering:
"Erase me. Scatter me across the ages. Let the world be free of my fate."
And then—silence.
"You locked yourself away," the guardian whispered."And now the world needs you again. But… are you still worthy?"
⚔️ Scene 3: The Trial of Self
Without warning, the entire room bent inward—and Aeren found himself standing face to face with a shadow version of himself.
Eyes glowing crimson. Voice like thunder.
"I am what you were. What you denied. What you locked away."
This was no illusion.
This was the Crimson Paradox—a shadow carved from the darkest part of his former life.
"If you defeat me," the being said, "you reclaim your fate."
"And if I lose?" Aeren asked.
"Then I wake up in you."
They fought.
But this battle wasn't like others. It wasn't strength. It wasn't magic. It was will—memory—pain—regret—purpose.
Blow for blow, Aeren was pushed to the edge. Every strike from the shadow self echoed a forgotten sin, a sealed trauma, a buried fear.
Then—
Aeren screamed.
And time around him shattered like glass.
🔓 Scene 4: The Awakening of the Clock Core
The chains binding him broke. The mark on his back turned from silver to platinum-white, and a gear-shaped core rose from his chest—spinning, alive, divine.
"The Clock Core…" the guardian whispered, "is yours again."
Time resumed.
Everyone gasped. Anshi ran forward.
"Aeren! Are you okay?"
He blinked slowly.
"I… remember everything."
But in his mind, one memory rang louder than all others—
"If the Crimson Paradox awakens fully… not even gods will be enough."
🕶️ Scene 5: Nexilis Watches
Elsewhere, within a dark cathedral lit by red moons, the leader of Nexilis—known only as The Veilmaster—stood before a mirror that showed Aeren holding the Clock Core.
"It begins," he whispered.
The room shook.
And behind him, in a sealed chamber, Crimson Paradox—half-sealed, half-formed—opened his eyes.
🔚 End of Chapter 73