The year was 2098. The world had seen technological advancements beyond imagination. Hovering cities, interplanetary travel, and the greatest invention of them all—The Chrono Nexus, a device that allowed controlled travel through time. Created by the brilliant scientist Dr. Arjun Rao, this invention was meant to be a breakthrough for humanity, a way to explore history, prevent disasters, and understand the future. But some saw it as a tool for power, and one such man was Cain Veritas—a criminal from the shadows of the future.
Under the cover of night, Cain and his men infiltrated the highly secured Nexus Lab. Clad in dark, stealth-enhancing suits, they bypassed security, neutralized guards, and made their way to the core chamber. The massive device hummed, its energy swirling in a bright blue vortex. Cain smirked as he reached for the central module—the heart of the Chrono Nexus.
"Time police will never see this coming," he muttered, inserting the stolen coordinates into his wrist device.
An alarm blared as he activated the wormhole generator, and in an instant, he was gone—vanishing through the swirling portal. The authorities arrived moments later, too late to stop the theft. The Time Patrol, an elite force dedicated to preserving temporal balance, traced the stolen module's signature. It led to the year 2025—an era long before humanity even understood time travel. Cain had hidden the Nexus Core somewhere in the past.
### *2025 - India, A College in Lucknow*
A crisp winter morning greeted the city of Lucknow. The streets bustled with students heading to college, unaware that history—no, the future—had just arrived among them. In one of the city's prestigious colleges, a young student named Aryan Mehta was running late to class. Messy-haired, in a worn-out hoodie, Aryan was an average 19-year-old—bright but unmotivated, dreaming of a life beyond mundane lectures and exams.
As he hurried across the campus, he noticed something strange near the old chemistry lab—an abandoned storeroom that was usually locked. The door was slightly ajar. Curiosity got the best of him. He peeked inside, and his eyes widened in shock. A metallic cube, glowing faintly, rested on the ground. Symbols—unlike anything he'd ever seen—etched themselves onto its surface.
"What is this thing?" Aryan whispered, stepping closer.
As he touched the cube, a surge of energy shot through his body. His vision blurred, and in an instant, knowledge flooded his mind. Equations, historical events, space-time mechanics—concepts he had never studied before—became crystal clear. His brain processed information at inhuman speeds. He gasped, staggering back, realizing something profound had happened to him.
He wasn't the same anymore.
### *Meanwhile...*
In the far reaches of time, the Time Patrol watched the timeline shift. The stolen core had bonded with someone in 2025.
"We've found it," an officer reported.
"And?" the commander asked.
"It's not with Cain anymore. A local inhabitant has merged with its intelligence."
The commander's expression darkened. "If the boy learns to control it, he could be our greatest ally... or our worst nightmare. We need to get to him before Cain does."
*Back to Aryan*
Over the next few days, Aryan's intelligence skyrocketed. He understood technology centuries ahead of his time. He saw patterns in history, space, and time itself. But with knowledge came paranoia. He felt like he was being watched.
And he was right.
Cain had tracked the core's new host. The chase was about to begin.
(TO BE CONTINUED...)