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🕳️ Chapter 82 –
"All power demands payment. The only question is—when it collects."
🌌 Scene 1: Kael's Interrogation
In a sealed chamber beneath Sinjai, Kael sat restrained in a gravity-locked chair, surrounded by three high-ranking instructors—including the Diamond-tier seeker Instructor Zephyra.
"He won't speak," Zephyra muttered."His mind is sealed tighter than a spirit lock."
Seris walked forward.
"Let me try."
She placed her hand over his forehead, her Dreambinding threads slipping into his unconscious mind.
For a moment… silence.
Then Kael's voice muttered:
"You… can't stop it. The Crimson Rise has already begun."
Seris pulled her hand back, eyes wide.
"They've marked more students… maybe even staff."
🔧 Scene 2: The Deal in the Dream
That night, Aeren dreamed again.
But this time… the dream was not his own.
He stood in a realm of shadow and silver flame—half Clock Realm, half Crimson Abyss.
There stood a tall figure—no face, no voice, only flickering gears for eyes.
"You seek balance," it whispered inside his mind."Then forge the pact."
A table appeared before him. On it: a glowing mark in the shape of an hourglass with a crack down the center.
"This is the Clockbound Pact.It will awaken all your sealed instincts.Let you bend time… cut it… remake it."
Aeren stepped forward.
"What's the price?"
The figure smiled—though it had no mouth.
"One day, you will have to choose:Save the world… or the one you love."
💠 Scene 3: The Pact Sealed
Aeren reached out.
The moment he touched the cracked hourglass symbol, it burned into his palm.
His Clock Core pulsed violently. Symbols he didn't recognize surged across his arms.
His body lifted midair—time itself bending around him.
Seris, sleeping nearby, shot up in alarm. She could feel it.
"He just made a choice… one that can't be undone."
When Aeren woke, his eyes held two irises—one normal, one a spinning gear.
🧠 Scene 4: New Abilities Awakened
The next morning, Aeren discovered:
Time Shatter: Slow a single enemy's time flow to a crawl for 5 seconds.
Echo Blink (Enhanced): Leave a double illusion that copies past and future moves.
Chrono Thread Sync: Connect to Seris or allies for shared perception and combo moves.
Even his mind-reading had evolved: he could now skim surface memories during eye contact.
But Seris warned him:
"Don't overuse it. Your human mind isn't meant to hold this much."
Aeren smiled faintly.
"Then I guess I'll just have to stop being human."
🐍 Scene 5: Trouble Inside Sinjai
As word spread of Aeren's transformation, more strange events occurred:
Two students vanished after sneaking out.
A secret cache of Crimson Order gear was found beneath the training halls.
A corrupted bird was discovered watching the students—a Crimson Scout Beast.
Anshi grew more worried each day.
"We're surrounded and we don't even know who's on our side anymore."
And in the distance… the ranking competition's second phase was about to begin:A real dungeon crawl into the lower wild zones—where corruption levels were off the charts.
Sinjai's staff didn't know… but the dungeon had already been breached.
By something not human.
🔚 End of Chapter 82