Adrian sat quietly in the garden, the night air brushing against his skin after four long hours inside the Time Chamber. The silence of the late hour gave him a moment to breathe, to clear his mind.
He had tried to connect the Third Thread—twenty times now—and had only managed it once. Just once.
"Unbelievable," he muttered to himself.
Frustration twisted in his chest. Why was he this shaken? He knew he could do better. He had done better before. But the weight of those repeated failures... and the shadows of the memories he couldn't shake... they pressed down on him, harder each time.
Haah... if I don't figure this out soon, I'll lose the dimensional group chat too. The thought made his heart sink. With a sigh, he stood up, deciding a cup of coffee might help.
As he rose from the bench—tucked between two tall, overgrown bushes—his view widened, and he noticed something odd. A figure is slowly making its way toward the pond.
He frowned.
