The sun barely rose above the horizon, casting an eerie golden hue across the barren plains of Varethis. The land stretched endlessly, dotted with jagged stones and the broken remnants of forgotten temples. Kairo's footsteps were steady now, each one powered by the dual strength of frost and shadow. But something tugged at his senses.
A distortion.
The wind paused—mid-breath. A bird froze in the air, wings outstretched. A falling leaf hovered inches above the ground, unmoving.
Time had stopped.
Then came the voice.
> "You've come far, Frostbearer… but this is where your journey ends."
Kairo spun around—and saw him.
A young man stood atop a floating shard of crystal, his long black coat whipping in wind that no longer moved. His eyes shimmered like clocks, their pupils spinning like gears. A silver Fragment gleamed on his chest.
> "Name's Zevrin," he said. "Bearer of Chronos."
---
Kairo tightened his grip on his sword. "I don't want to fight you."
Zevrin chuckled, leaping gracefully to the ground. "That's the thing about fate, Kairo. You never get what you want. Only what you earn."
With a snap of his fingers, the world snapped forward.
The wind howled again, the bird finished its flight—and Kairo was suddenly on his back, bleeding, as if slashed by an invisible blade.
> What—?!
Zevrin stood a few paces ahead, tapping his foot impatiently. "You're slow in real time. In my time, you're practically standing still."
Kairo growled, forcing himself up, blood dripping from his side. He blasted a wave of frost forward, trying to encase Zevrin in a freezing dome.
Zevrin blurred and reappeared behind him.
> "Nice try. But you'll have to do better than that."
---
The battlefield became chaos.
Zevrin bent time like a sculptor molding clay. He reversed Kairo's sword swings, accelerated his own punches, and dodged attacks before they were launched.
Kairo fought desperately, trying to combine his frost and shadow Fragments for something new—anything to break through the temporal barrier.
He closed his eyes.
Focused.
Time slowed—not for Zevrin, but within Kairo. His heartbeat, once rapid, found rhythm. His power flared, and the air around him dimmed as he embraced shadow.
Then—
He vanished.
---
Zevrin blinked. "Where'd you—"
Kairo reappeared directly above him, frost-covered blade glowing with violet-black energy.
> "You're not the only one who can bend rules."
The strike landed. Zevrin stumbled back, his coat slashed, blood dripping from his lip.
He looked… amused.
> "So the Frostbearer can bite."
Kairo stood firm, breathing heavily. "I don't want to kill you. But I won't back down either."
Zevrin wiped his lip and smirked. "Good. I hate cowards. Let's see if you're strong enough to walk my path."
With that, the Chronos Fragment pulsed—and time fractured.
The plains dissolved into a kaleidoscope of memories and futures. Kairo saw visions of his own death, his rise as a godslayer, cities falling, comrades he hadn't met yet.
His knees buckled.
> "This is the burden of time," Zevrin said, walking toward him. "Knowing every outcome. Carrying them all. Can you handle it?"
Kairo screamed, clutching his head—but then, a voice echoed in his mind.
Lira.
> "The future is not written in stone. It's carved by your will."
His eyes snapped open, burning with defiance.
> "I don't need to know the future. I'll forge it myself!"
---
With a final cry, Kairo unleashed a wave of hybrid energy—shadow cloaking frost like a deathly storm. Zevrin raised his hand, attempting to rewind it—but something was different.
This wasn't just power.
It was will.
And will… could not be reversed.
Zevrin was thrown back, landing hard. He coughed, laughing through pain. "Okay… you win this one."
Kairo stood over him, sword lowered. "Why are you really here?"
Zevrin smirked. "To test you. You passed. Barely."
He rose and extended his hand. "There's more coming, Kairo. Stronger enemies. Stronger bearers. You'll need allies… even those who bend time."
Kairo stared for a moment—then shook it.
> "Then let's end this world's nightmare. Together."