Chapter 13: The City Crumbles
The city of Echoes was collapsing.
The glass-like structures trembled violently as fractures spread across their reflective surfaces. Shadows within the reflections twisted and writhed, their movements erratic, unnatural. The Watchers were no longer just passive observers—now, they were chasing.
Kiran, Aadhya, Barry, and Unit 37 sprinted through the shifting streets, dodging falling shards of mirrored glass that shattered into glowing dust upon impact.
Barry clutched the stolen crystal tightly. It pulsed like a living heart, radiating waves of unseen energy that made the air feel dense, charged with something ancient.
Aadhya glanced at him as they ran. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?"
Barry didn't answer immediately, his gaze fixed ahead as he calculated their escape route. "I hoped we'd get out before they noticed," he admitted.
Kiran growled in frustration. "Well, they did notice! So, what's the plan now?"
Unit 37's voice remained eerily calm. "Multiple exit routes detected. Probability of survival—38%."
"Not helping!" Kiran snapped.
The ground beneath them trembled, and suddenly, an enormous crack split the street apart. From below, a horrifying sight emerged—dozens of Watchers, their hollow, reflective eyes glinting in the dim light. Their distorted bodies stretched and flickered as they reached for the group with elongated, shimmering limbs.
Aadhya cursed. "Okay, definitely not going that way!"
---
The Watchers' Wrath
The Watchers surged forward like a tidal wave of living reflections. Their movements weren't bound by normal physics—they twisted and contorted, shifting seamlessly between dimensions as they phased in and out of reality.
Barry turned sharply. "We need to reach the Glass Gate! It's the only way out now!"
Kiran didn't like the sound of that. "And where exactly is this 'Glass Gate'?"
Barry gestured toward a towering, translucent archway in the distance, its surface rippling like disturbed water. Unlike the rest of the city, the arch was untouched by the collapse—almost as if it existed outside of time itself.
"That's our exit!" Barry yelled.
Kiran groaned. "Why does it have to be so far?"
The Watchers closed in fast, their whispering voices merging into a single, unbearable drone. Aadhya gritted her teeth and pulled out a small, hexagonal device from her belt.
"I didn't want to use this yet," she muttered.
She pressed a button, and the device expanded instantly, forming a barrier of golden energy around them. The moment the Watchers touched the barrier, they shrieked and recoiled, their forms distorting like broken images on a cracked screen.
Kiran blinked. "What is that?"
"A prototype energy shield," Aadhya replied, slightly out of breath. "But it won't last long. MOVE!"
---
The Run to the Gate
With the barrier buying them precious seconds, they bolted toward the Glass Gate.
The city itself seemed angry now. Buildings warped and twisted, blocking paths that were open mere seconds ago. The sky cracked like a broken mirror, revealing glimpses of impossible landscapes—burning forests, frozen wastelands, and stormy oceans that didn't belong to this world.
Kiran's heart pounded. "This place is really falling apart!"
Barry was focused entirely on the crystal in his hands. Its glow was growing brighter, resonating with something unseen.
Aadhya shot him a glare. "Tell me that thing isn't making everything worse."
Barry hesitated. "It might be."
"WHAT?!" Kiran nearly tripped.
"The crystal is an anchor point," Barry explained. "It holds memories that aren't supposed to exist. The city is rejecting it—rejecting us—because we're trying to take it out."
Aadhya swore. "So we're stealing something that's literally breaking reality?!"
Barry grinned. "In my defense, it's really important!"
Before Aadhya could strangle him, Unit 37 interrupted. "Gate proximity reached. Preparing dimensional phase shift."
They were close now—just a few meters away from the Glass Gate. But the Watchers weren't giving up.
---
The Final Stand
The barrier around them flickered and failed just as they reached the base of the Glass Gate. The Watchers lunged, their shimmering arms stretching unnaturally toward them.
Kiran barely had time to react before Barry threw the crystal directly at the gate.
The moment the crystal touched the archway, a deafening boom echoed through the collapsing city. The gate flared with brilliant white light, and a powerful force sucked them forward.
The last thing Kiran saw before everything went black was the Watchers screaming—silently, their mouths wide with fury—as the city shattered into nothingness.
---
The Unknown Aftermath
When Kiran opened his eyes, he was lying on solid ground. But it wasn't the reflective surface of the City of Echoes.
It was soft. Grass?
He sat up, blinking in confusion. The sky above him was no longer violet—it was blue, with drifting clouds. A warm breeze carried the scent of flowers and damp earth.
Aadhya groaned beside him, rubbing her temples. "Did we… make it?"
Barry sat cross-legged, inspecting the crystal, which had now dimmed significantly. He looked pleased. "Looks like it."
Kiran frowned. "Where is this place?"
Unit 37 scanned the surroundings. "Unknown environment. No immediate threats detected."
That was both reassuring and not reassuring at the same time.
As Kiran got to his feet, he took in their new surroundings. They were in a vast, open field with towering ruins scattered across the landscape—massive stone structures covered in strange, glowing symbols.
Aadhya narrowed her eyes. "This doesn't look like anywhere on Earth."
Barry smirked. "That's because it isn't."
Kiran groaned. "Oh, come on!"
Barry chuckled. "Welcome to the Sanctuary of Forgotten Time."
Kiran shot him a glare. "And let me guess—this place has its own set of problems?"
Barry's smile didn't waver. "Oh, you have no idea."
A distant, haunting bell rang through the air.
And something stirred within the ruins.
To Be Continued…