(Lyra's Point of View)
The air in the deep forest felt different from the surroundings of Serena Village—thicker, older. Kael moved ahead of me, a shadow among shadows, his steps so silent that even my elven hearing could barely detect them unless I focused. I followed his trail, my senses on high alert, filtering the sounds of the forest, the scents, the slightest changes in the wind. We were searching for the Children of Twilight.
Several days had passed since we left Garen and Borin. We followed the scarce clues the six-armed beast had given us, supplementing them with ancient elven legends about wandering tribes who worshipped darkness. It felt like searching for a needle in an endless haystack.
"Here," Kael whispered at last, stopping at the edge of a desolate clearing.
The pungent scent of cold ash lingered in the air. What must have once been a semi-nomadic camp was now nothing but scorched earth and the charred remains of rudimentary structures. Animal skin tents, perhaps, or branch shelters—now reduced to blackened rubble. No bodies, no obvious signs of struggle beyond the fire damage. It was... too clean.
"Massacred," I murmured, a chill creeping through me despite the still air. "Or they left and burned everything behind them."
Kael shook his head, his eyes scanning the scene with the intensity I knew well. It was how he "saw" beyond the visible. He crouched, running his fingers through the ash, examining a charred post.
"No. This is staged."
I raised an eyebrow.
"The fire was intense, yes, but controlled," he explained in a low voice. "It was focused on the structures, barely touching the surrounding forest. And look at the tracks..." He pointed to faint markings near the clearing's edge. "They're recent, made after the fire. And they all lead in the same direction—toward the river."
We followed them to the riverbank, a slow, muddy tributary winding through the forest. No boats, no makeshift dock. Just the murky shore and dark water.
"They vanished," I said.
Kael smirked—that knowing smirk that meant he had found the trick. He knelt by the water's edge, fingertips brushing the surface. "Notice anything, Lyra?"
I focused, extending my elemental sensitivity into the water. I felt the sluggish current, the mud at the bottom, the small aquatic creatures… and something else. Something cold, metallic, unnatural, buried beneath the silt not far from the shore. Large. Cylindrical. Hollow.
"There's something down there," I confirmed. "Metal. Tube-shaped. Big."
Kael nodded. "A hidden entrance. Concealed not just from sight but from simple detection magic, thanks to the water and metal." He pulled out his Calling Crystal—smaller and more discreet than Garen's—and activated it, sending a series of coded light pulses, barely visible even to my elven eyes. Our report to the Captain: Found the camp. It's a decoy. Submerged metal structure in the river. Possible entrance.
Garen's response came minutes later, a different sequence of pulses: Wait. I'm coming with Borin. Hold position.
I sighed. I hated waiting. Especially in a place like this, where something felt... off. So we withdrew into the forest's natural cover, hiding among the thickest trees, keeping watch in silence.
Night fell like a curtain, heavy and absolute. The clearing and the silent river seemed to will it into being. Not a single misplaced rustle, not even the chirp of a night cricket. An unnatural stillness. Tension stretched between Kael and me like a taut wire. Something wasn't right. This tribe, their hidden technology… they were more than we had expected.
(Lexo's Point of View)
Borin bolted out of the house like a bat out of hell after receiving a light pulse from his crystal. Something urgent, obviously. Mom was still at the market doing her weekly shopping. Which meant… perfect opportunity! Time for Lexo's Science Hour, baby.
"Pietro!" I called out, full of unnecessary dramatic flair. "Now! To the forest for some tests!" I struck a heroic pose, finger pointed toward our destination. The same thing we do every night, Pietro—try to take over the world.
Pietro, ever unbothered by my overflowing charisma, tucked away his notebook and sighed. "We should proceed cautiously, Lexo. But yes, your analysis is correct—data collection is a priority. Though I would have preferred your mother's approval."
Too late, my friend. The gears were already in motion.
We set off down the forest path, staying close to town as we had technically promised. After a moment, curiosity got the better of me.
"Dude, what's that 'xoxo' smell Lila keeps mentioning? Can you smell it? I have no idea what she's talking about."
Pietro stopped for a beat, clearly choosing his words carefully. "Now that you mention it… yes, I do detect a very faint scent around you since… well, since the 'push.' It's sweet, almost like honey or nectar, but with a slight electric undertone. Not unpleasant. In fact, it's oddly… alluring."
Of course, Pietro being Pietro, he adjusted his glasses and theorized. "It could be a residual mana leak—a consequence of your primordial core or the use of Chronos. Or perhaps a passive manifestation of your Light affinity. Fascinating. We should document this."
Great. I'm a walking perfume.
We reached a small clearing near a stream—perfect for our experiment. Conveniently, our test subjects were already there: a group of fist-sized, gelatinous, transparent creatures, each with a single, bubbling eye at the center.
"Slimes!" I grinned, twirling my wooden sword.
"Technically," Pietro corrected, notebook in hand, "they are Stillicidium Acquae, or Living Water Droplets. Minor water elemental creatures, Rank F. Low intelligence. Their main attack is a jet of pressurized water. Ideal subjects for testing Chronos against multiple low-threat opponents."
I nodded. "The plan: activate Chronos, attack them, you take notes. I do my thing, we go home. Understood, sir?"
"Affirmative. Proceed, Lexo."
TIME PAUSE ACTIVATED—
The world froze. The Water Droplets stopped undulating, their bubbly eyes locked in place. I sprinted toward them, channeling mana into my wooden sword. I struck their cores one by one, watching the gelatin crack and shatter like ice.
TIME PAUSE DEACTIVATED—
The slimes collapsed at the same time, dissolving into puddles.
Pietro scribbled notes as I caught my breath. "Pause duration: 18 seconds. MP cost: 18. Fire resistance confirmed. Vulnerability to cold confirmed. Your control over cold elemental infusion is rudimentary but effective. Fatigue proportional to duration." He nodded. "Good tactical adaptation, Lexo."
I was about to suggest another test when I felt it—a hand on my shoulder.
I turned—instinctively activating Chronos again—but my body seized up.
Not just mine. Everything stopped.
Not a single leaf moved. Pietro stood frozen, mid-sentence. Even the water droplets in the air had halted mid-fall.
Yet, somehow, the hand remained. Warm. Solid. Moving.
I turned my head, slow as molasses.
Standing beside me, completely unaffected by Chronos, was Uncle Valerius.
He smiled.
"Nice trick, Lexo."
Then, with a flick of his fingers, time shattered around me.