The tunnel shook violently.
Clocks across the city stopped.
Every second froze.
Except one.
Aria's heartbeat.
Kael stared at her.
"…Aria."
Jonas whispered,
"She's bending time."
The Keepers began malfunctioning.
Their bodies glitching.
"System failure."
"Timeline unstable."
Orion's calm expression finally cracked.
"This should be impossible."
Aria's voice echoed strangely.
"You said I was the key."
The air twisted.
Fragments of moments appeared around them.
Past.
Future.
Broken pieces of time.
Orion whispered,
"…you're awakening."
Kael stepped closer to her.
"Aria listen to me."
But she looked distant.
Lost somewhere deeper.
"Time isn't a system."
The ground split.
The tunnel lights exploded.
"It's alive."
Orion's voice became urgent.
"Stop her."
The Keepers rushed forward.
Kael stepped in front of Aria.
"Not happening."
Time around them screamed.
A sound like reality tearing.
Then suddenly —
Everything went dark.