Caius lay awake in his cot, staring at the stone ceiling of the underground hideout. His muscles ached from training, his mind heavy with exhaustion. Yet, sleep refused to come.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw flashes of the past… or the future.
Visions. Whispers. The weight of time itself pressing down on him.
"You cannot hold the river back forever, Timeborn."
That voice again. It had spoken to him when he rewound too far. Was it something within him? Something… beyond?
He let out a slow breath and turned his gaze toward the flickering lantern in the corner. It cast long shadows across the rough stone walls, making the chamber feel smaller than it was.
He had spent years running, hiding. Now, he was here—learning to fight, mastering his abilities. But the truth gnawed at him.
What if I never control this power?
What if it controlled him?
A quiet knock at the door made him sit up.
"…You awake?" Selene's voice.
Caius sighed. "Yeah."
The door creaked open, and she stepped inside, arms crossed. Her usual smirk was missing, replaced by something else. Frustration? Concern? It was hard to tell with her.
"You're getting worse."
Caius frowned. "Thanks for the encouragement."
Selene leaned against the wall. "I mean it. You rewound too far today. Longer than before. You're pushing it too hard."
Caius rubbed his temples. "I don't have a choice."
She narrowed her eyes. "You do have a choice. That's the problem. You keep using it like a crutch, instead of learning to fight without it."
He bristled at her words. "You think I want to rely on it? Every time I use it, it feels like something is ripping me apart."
Selene studied him for a long moment. "Then stop before it breaks you."
Caius exhaled sharply. He wanted to argue, but… she wasn't wrong.
He was losing himself to time.
Selene pushed off the wall. "Come with me."
Caius raised an eyebrow. "It's the middle of the night."
She shot him a look. "Didn't seem like you were sleeping anyway."
He hesitated, then stood. "Where are we going?"
Selene didn't answer. She just turned and walked out.
With a sigh, Caius followed.
Selene led him through the winding tunnels, deeper into the hideout than he had ever gone. The air grew colder, the stone walls rougher, untouched by the torches that lit the rest of the base.
Finally, they emerged into a small chamber. Unlike the others, this one wasn't a training ground or storage area. It was… something else.
A circle of runes had been etched into the floor, glowing faintly with an eerie blue light. Strange markings covered the walls—symbols Caius didn't recognize, but somehow… understood.
Time magic.
Selene turned to face him. "This is where Elias brought me after I lost control."
Caius blinked. "You… lost control?"
Selene exhaled. "Not like you. But close enough." She gestured to the runes. "This place is old. Older than Evernight. The rebels found it years ago, but we don't know who built it. What we do know is that it messes with time."
Caius stepped forward, his pulse quickening. The moment he crossed into the rune circle, a strange stillness settled over him.
Like the air itself had… stopped.
He turned to Selene. She was standing just outside the circle, watching him carefully.
Caius frowned. "What is this?"
Selene tilted her head. "Try using your power."
A warning bell rang in his mind, but he swallowed his hesitation and focused. He reached for the thread of time, the way he always did when he reversed a moment—
Nothing happened.
Caius's breath hitched. He tried again, harder this time, pushing against the invisible barrier that always responded to him.
Still nothing.
Time didn't shift. Didn't rewind.
It was like his power had been… cut off.
Caius turned to Selene, his pulse racing. "What did you do?"
Selene smirked. "Not me. The runes." She stepped closer, her boots stopping just at the edge of the circle. "This place is a frozen moment. A space where time doesn't move forward or backward."
Caius's mind reeled. A place where time was locked? Was such a thing even possible?
Selene crossed her arms. "You're afraid of losing control, right? Of rewinding too far?"
Caius hesitated, then nodded.
Selene gestured to the runes. "Then train here. Fight without your power. Learn to survive without it." Her eyes locked onto his. "Because if you don't… it will consume you."
Caius swallowed hard.
She was right. He had been relying on his abilities to fix mistakes, to escape danger. But the more he used it, the more he felt himself slipping—drifting further into something he didn't understand.
If he kept going like this, he wouldn't just alter time.
He might break it.
Slowly, he clenched his fists.
"Fine," he said. "I'll train here."
Selene nodded. "Good." Then, with a smirk, she added, "Let's see how good you really are without your little time tricks."
Caius groaned. He had the feeling he was going to regret this.
But deep down… he knew it was the right choice.