The void passage was suffocating. Endless darkness surrounded Tyler, Priscilla, Yu ixue, Lan Xuero, and Lan Yi. The faint, protective light enveloping them was the only source of comfort, shielding them from the vacuum of space. Yet, the sensation was surreal—they couldn’t even feel themselves moving. Ti seed aningless, stretched thin in this silent expanse.
Tyler scanned the abyss, his thoughts racing. What is this place? Are we even moving forward?
Out of nowhere, a portal materialized in front of them, its edges rippling like liquid silver. Before they could react, an invisible force yanked them forward, and they were hurled into another void.
This one was different. Specks of light began appearing in the distance. At first, they were faint and scattered, but soon they grew brighter and multiplied, forming constellations. Tyler’s eyes widened as he realized the sheer scale of what he was witnessing.
They all looked at the beautiful stars. What they don’t know is that Those are galaxies. Billions of stars in each one.
The realization was overwhelming. Tyler and the others couldn’t tear their eyes away from the breathtaking scene. For a mont, the void felt alive, pulsing with the light of creation.
Then, as abruptly as they had arrived, another portal opened, sucking them in. The stars vanished, replaced once more by the oppressive darkness of the void passage. Before they could catch their breath, a spatial crack tore through the fabric of space nearby, emitting a strange green light.
From the crack stepped a young boy, dressed in modern attire—completely out of place in this ancient and otherworldly setting. He moved freely, unaffected by the vacuum, and without the protective light that encased Tyler and his companions. On his shoulder perched a tiny girl, no bigger than the size of a palm, with delicate green butterfly wings that shimred faintly.
"Oh... This is the Ancient thod of Artificial Ascension," the boy said, his voice resonating directly in their minds through spiritual consciousness. He didn’t seem constrained like the others. Instead, he swam through the void effortlessly, circling them like a curious fish.
Tyler was the first to break the stunned silence. "Who are you?" he asked via voice transmission, his tone cautious.
The boy smiled cryptically. "Oh, sorry, Tyler. I can’t say that. But the past will et the future you. Or should I say, the past already t the future you?"
The group exchanged bewildered glances. His words were nonsensical, yet there was a strange weight to them.
The little fairy on his shoulder tugged at his cheek. "Stop being so confusing," she scolded. "Say cheese!" With a mischievous grin, the boy pulled out a sleek device—a cellphone—and snapped a selfie, the flash montarily blinding everyone.
Tyler stared in disbelief. "What... is that?"
The boy ignored the question, his attention shifting to a portal forming ahead. "It’s ti, huh."
"Ti for what?" Tyler asked, his unease growing.
"I hope the tiline doesn’t change too much," the boy muttered to himself, seemingly unaware of their presence. His words only deepened their confusion.
Suddenly, another spatial crack appeared, releasing a blinding light of destruction. It locked onto Priscilla, Yu ixue, and the Lan couple. The oppressive energy bore down on them, freezing their bodies and souls in terror. The feeling of impending death was inescapable.
"Switch," the boy commanded, his tone calm but resolute.
The destructive light transford into harmless petals, fluttering gently around the group. The suffocating pressure vanished as if it had never existed.
"Who are you?" demanded a voice from within the spatial crack—a voice brimming with authority and rage. It was the voice of the Princess.
The boy raised his hand, and a tiny sparrow appeared on his palm. He glanced at the crack, his expression unreadable.
Then the universe itself glitched. For a brief mont, reality wavered, as though it were a fragile projection. No one noticed—except the boy.
"If I interfere more, the tiline will change too much," he murmured to himself. The sparrow vanished, and with a casual wave of his hand, the spatial crack closed, its energy dissipating into nothingness.
Turning back to Tyler and the others, he said, "According to the original tiline, you’re all supposed to die here. Only Tyler survives. To preserve the tiline, follow the instructions I’m about to give you."
Before they could respond, he pointed at their heads. A surge of information flooded their minds, overwhelming them. When they recovered, the boy snapped his fingers, scattering them across the portal.
---
Present Day
Tyler stared at Adam, his mind reeling from the young man’s explanation.
"So that’s what happened..." Adam muttered, rubbing his chin. "Probably my alternate self. Or my future self. Just because he said ’future ’ doesn’t an he’s the sa from the sa tiline."
Tyler groaned. "You’re not making any sense."
"You’re not alone," Dusk chid in, scratching his head. "I don’t get a word of this, either."
Adam sighed. "Alright, let’s simplify things. How about we change the topic?"
"Wait," Dusk said, narrowing his eyes. "You have sothing special, don’t you?"
"Special?" Tyler asked, confused.
"He’s talking about your Chaos Treasure," Adam clarified, before shooting Dusk a glare. "Don’t ask about it! That’s like revealing soone’s greatest secret."
"Chaos Treasure?" Tyler repeated, even more baffled.
Adam explained patiently. "Chaos Treasures are items that shouldn’t exist. They’re absurdly powerful and defy logic. Each Chaos Treasure can sense the presence of another. You’ve probably felt sothing unusual around us."
Tyler hesitated, but he nodded. It was true—there had been a strange, inexplicable feeling, like a bond between him and these two strangers. He couldn’t put it into words until Adam ntioned it.
"You both have Chaos Treasures?" Tyler asked.
"I don’t," Adam replied. "But for so reason, they sense Chaos Treasure energy on . I don’t know why. And don’t tell anyone about your treasure, ever."
"Mine is called Threads of Fate," Dusk said suddenly, grinning.
Adam groaned. "Idiot! What did I just say? Your sister’s going to kill ."
Tyler chuckled despite himself. These two were strange, but oddly entertaining. "So, what brings you here?"
Adam’s expression shifted. "We were chasing a Space-Ti Rabbit and accidentally ended up on this planet. The rabbit’s in the north. Is there a way to get there quickly?"
"You definitely have sothing that can help," Dusk added confidently.
Tyler sighed, Dusk probably guessed with this so called ’Threads of Fate’, though he is curious he decided not to ask. "I suppose I owe your... future self, or alternate self, a favor. Here." He handed them two portable waypoint watches and explained their function.
Adam inspected the watch, impressed. "Oh, nice. This world has futuristic tech. I thought it was stuck in the year 1000 or the dieval era."
Tyler blinked. "What does that an?"
Dusk laughed, equally confused. "No clue, but it sounds cool."
Activating the watch, Adam created a portal but didn’t step through. Instead, he tossed two chairs into it, then closed it.
"Yup, that’s enough. We’ll et again, Tyler White—if fate allows." Adam placed a hand on Dusk’s shoulder.
"Not again..." Dusk murmured and waved his hand at Tyler.
"Continental Switch." Adam snapped his fingers.
They were replaced by the sa chairs that Adam just thrown out.
Tyler stared at the empty space where they’d been. "So, They can teleport?" he muttered, shaking his head.
Everything that had happened today felt like a fever dream. Tyler decided to file it away in the "unexplainable mysteries" category of his mind.
"Alright," he said to himself. "Ti to move on."
Tyler has a feeling that he will et them soon. What Tyler doesn’t know is, as the holder of Chaos Treasure, they were tied together by Fate.
User Comments
0 comments from readers