The moment the Spectral Guardian disintegrated into nothingness, Damien felt a powerful rush of energy flood his slime form. The air around him seemed to tremble, and for a fleeting second, he could sense the very fabric of time and space flicker, as if something was pulling on the strings of reality itself.
> "Skill Upgrade: Ethereal Form – Limited Control over Spiritual Essence."
"Warning: Energy Overload Detected."
"Warning: Host's Core is Fragmented."<
"I didn't sign up for this…" Damien thought, feeling the residual power from the Guardian swirling around inside him. He had absorbed more than just its essence—he had taken in its very time. A dangerous and unpredictable energy.
His body, still in its gelatinous slime form, shimmered faintly as the energy he had consumed warred against his internal core. The Guardian's power was ancient, not designed for something as weak as him.
"I need to get out of here. If I stay too long, I might draw even more unwanted attention."
He tried to move, but his body felt heavy, sluggish. The power from the Guardian was interfering with his ability to focus, to control his form. It was like trying to move through molasses.
Damien slithered out of the ruins as best as he could, dragging himself toward the edge of the forest. But the further he moved, the more the oppressive weight of his new power pressed down on him. His instincts screamed at him to retreat, to hide.
"This is bad. I can feel it. I'm warping the world around me…"
As if to confirm his fears, a faint crack in the air appeared before him. The light around him bent unnaturally, distorting like ripples in water.
> "Warning: Temporal Distortion Detected. 3rd-Order Anomaly Approaching."<
Damien froze. His heart, or whatever the slime equivalent was, skipped a beat.
"What the hell is that?"
Before he could react, a figure stepped through the distortion.
> "Entity: Fatekeeper"
"Level: ???"
"Affiliation: Unknown"<
The figure was humanoid, cloaked in a shimmering silver robe that reflected the surroundings in fragmented, chaotic patterns. Their face was obscured by a mask, only two glowing eyes visible beneath it. It exuded a calm, almost regal presence, but there was something ominous about it.
> "Temporal Anomaly Detected. Host is an Unregistered Entity."<
The Fatekeeper's voice reverberated in Damien's mind, cold and calculating.
"You are not supposed to exist."
Damien's slime form instinctively recoiled, feeling the weight of the being's presence pressing down on him like a mountain. He could barely move, but his mind raced.
"What does it mean? Unregistered Entity? Is it because I've been tampering with fate?"
The Fatekeeper's glowing eyes narrowed. "Fate has been disturbed. The thread you have created is fragile. If left unchecked, the world will unravel."
Damien wasn't sure what to do. He could feel the temporal energy around him shifting, responding to the being's words.
"It's like everything around me is breaking," he realized. "I need to fix this—before everything goes to hell."
He tried to speak, but all that came out was a weak, bubbling sound.
The Fatekeeper tilted its head, as if amused by Damien's attempt to communicate.
"You cannot undo what has been done. But you may still alter your path. There is a price for the power you have stolen." The Fatekeeper extended a hand, and Damien felt a sharp jolt of energy shoot through him. It felt like the very essence of time was pulling at him, stretching him thin.
> "Skill Gained: Temporal Rift (Passive)"
"Warning: Rift Energy Overload Detected. Caution advised."<
"What did it just do to me?!" Damien thought, feeling a rush of power, but also a deep, gnawing hunger that pulsed in his core.
"You will not be left unchallenged," the Fatekeeper continued, "but you may choose how you face your future. Know this, Entity: Fate is never kind to those who defy it."
With a final flicker of light, the Fatekeeper stepped back, disappearing into the distortion from which it came. The air settled, leaving Damien to face the consequences of his actions alone.
---
Damien collapsed to the ground, his body quivering as the weight of the Fatekeeper's words sank in. "I'm not just some anomaly. I'm a threat… to Fate itself."
His new skill, Temporal Rift, pulsed with raw energy inside him, but he couldn't focus on it. His mind was a whirlwind of confusion. The world around him seemed to flicker, reality itself bending and warping in the wake of his disturbance.
The threads of time he had already altered were beginning to tangle, each one pulling at him in different directions.
> "Quest Updated: Restore the Balance of Fate (1/10 Tasks Complete)"
"New Quest: Repair the Temporal Rift (0/1 Successes)"<
"I've made a mess of everything…"
Damien knew this was just the beginning. The Fatekeeper wasn't the only one who would notice the rift he'd caused. There would be others—stronger, more dangerous beings. And he was no closer to understanding the power he now wielded, or how to fix the mess he had made.
But one thing was clear.
He wasn't just a slime anymore.
He was the catalyst for something much bigger.
And the world would never be the same.
---