⚔️ Chapter 75 –
"Some battles are not fought for victory—but to prevent awakening what should never rise."
⚠️ Scene 1: The Rift Duel Begins
The sky above Sinjai crackled with a rift of pulsing red and silver energy. Aeren stood alone at the edge of the collapsing courtyard, his Clock Core glowing dimly beneath his skin.
Opposite him—on a floating platform of warped stone—stood the masked Nexilis agent.
Cloaked in obsidian robes lined with shifting symbols, the man extended his arm. A blood-red spear formed in the air, spiraling like it was made from solid chaos.
"You're still not complete, Veleor," the man said. "But your soul remembers me… doesn't it?"
Aeren's mind flashed. Visions—another time, another world—this same man bowing before him… and then betraying him.
"You were there," Aeren whispered. "At the war of falling stars."
"Correct," the agent replied, his voice gleeful. "I was the first to kill you."
💥 Scene 2: Time Meets Destruction
The agent attacked first—teleporting mid-spear lunge. His movement was chaotic, skipping like a broken frame in a corrupted game.
Aeren barely dodged—his body reacting even before he could think. He rolled, slid, countered, then extended his hand:
"Clockstep."
The world paused for a heartbeat.
Aeren reappeared behind the agent and aimed a glowing punch—but the agent smiled.
"I knew you'd rewind."
He absorbed the strike with a time-warped cloak and countered with a pulse of void magic, slamming Aeren across the courtyard.
Blood hit the ground.
🧬 Scene 3: Anshi Intervenes
Anshi, watching helplessly from the rooftop, couldn't take it anymore.
"He's not ready yet…"
She jumped into the field, unleashing a blast of light-element bloodline energy, driving the Nexilis agent back momentarily.
"You're not alone, Aeren."
"Anshi, no—he's too dangerous—"
But the agent smirked.
"Perfect. Let's break the toy that makes the king soft."
He hurled a black spear toward Anshi.
Aeren's eyes widened. The world slowed to a crawl.
"No… not again."
🕰️ Scene 4: The Clock Cracks
Time… shattered.
Aeren's mind erupted with chaotic visions of every future where Anshi died.
Every one of them.
Burned. Pierced. Poisoned. Falling. Screaming.
He roared, and the Clock Core exploded in light.
Suddenly—a thousand versions of Aeren flickered into the air for a split second, each one moving differently, from different timelines.
They all converged into one—this Aeren.
He caught the spear… with bare hands.
And crushed it into dust.
His voice came low, distorted, like echoes across time.
"You. Will. Not. Touch. Her."
⚔️ Scene 5: The Paradox Emerges
The air twisted.
Aeren's eyes were no longer silver. They were burning gold—inscribed with runes of ancient origin.
A seal formed beneath his feet—The Paradox Crest.
He vanished.
In a blink, he reappeared behind the agent—and before the man could react, Aeren drove his palm into the back of his neck, unleashing Mind Fracture.
"See every death you've earned."
The agent dropped to his knees, screaming—visions of all the lives he'd stolen pouring into his own mind like acid.
"You… you weren't supposed to wake this soon…"
"Then maybe you shouldn't have pulled me out of my sleep."
Aeren raised his hand for the final blow—
But a shadowed chain whipped out of the rift, pulling the agent back through the dimensional tear.
Before disappearing, the agent shouted:
"You can't run from who you are, Veleor! You'll destroy her, too!"
The rift closed.
🧠 Scene 6: What the Others Saw
All across Sinjai Academy, students and teachers alike watched the battle—many from afar, many hidden.
They didn't just see a student fight.
They saw a god-forged power awaken.
And not everyone celebrated.
In the Council Chamber beneath the academy, a voice whispered:
"He must be sealed again… or the entire world risks being undone."
🔚 End of Chapter 75