Chapter 7: “Timeless Love”
I woke up to the sound of silence, the kind that fills an empty space with a weight so heavy, it crushes the air from your lungs. My head throbbed, and my vision blurred as I blinked into the unfamiliar dimness. The landscape had changed—no longer a barren desert or fractured time, but something entirely different. I was standing on a lush green hill, the horizon melting into a sky streaked with soft pinks and blues, a dreamlike twilight that felt out of place.
But Elias wasn’t there.
“Elias?” I whispered, my voice barely audible as I took in my surroundings. My pulse quickened. “Elias!”
Nothing.
Panic surged through me, and I spun around, scanning the area. There was no sign of the rival, no sign of anything. Only this strange, peaceful world, which seemed to hum with an energy that was both soothing and eerie.
I couldn’t lose him. Not now. Not after everything.
The soft breeze that swept across the hill carried a familiar scent—a faint trace of his cologne, the one he always wore. It was as if the air itself remembered him, though he was nowhere to be found.
I took a shaky step forward, unsure of where I was headed, but guided by something deeper than logic. The grass beneath my feet felt too real for a dream, and the steady beat of my heart quickened, telling me that I wasn’t alone.
I had to find him. I had to understand what the rival meant, how they could say we’d already lost. I wasn’t ready to give up—not on us, not on the future we could still build.
As I made my way down the hill, the air shifted. The soft colors in the sky began to swirl, merging into brilliant streaks of light that twisted and stretched toward the ground. I squinted against the brightness, my heart pounding as I watched a figure emerge from the light.
It was Elias.
***
He appeared like a vision, walking slowly through the shimmering light, his figure growing clearer with each step. My breath caught in my throat as I watched him approach, his eyes fixed on mine. There was something different about him—something heavier, as if he carried the weight of the universe on his shoulders. But the moment he saw me, a small smile touched his lips, and the distance between us seemed to vanish.
“Elias…” I breathed, barely able to contain the rush of emotions flooding through me. Relief, joy, fear—all of it swirled inside me as I hurried toward him.
When I reached him, I didn’t hesitate. I threw my arms around him, holding him tight as if letting go would make him disappear again. He wrapped his arms around me just as tightly, his hand finding the small of my back as he buried his face in my hair.
“You’re here,” I whispered, my voice trembling with the weight of everything unsaid. “I thought—I thought I lost you.”
He pulled back slightly, just enough to look at me, his thumb brushing gently against my cheek. His eyes, usually so guarded, were filled with something raw and vulnerable. “I was afraid I’d never see you again.”
For a moment, we just stood there, holding each other as the world spun around us. Time felt irrelevant—just a distant memory. Here, in this moment, it was only us.
He leaned down, pressing his forehead to mine, and I closed my eyes, savoring the warmth of his touch. The tension, the danger, the fear—it all faded away as he kissed me, slow and soft, like we had all the time in the world. His lips were warm and familiar, and I melted into the kiss, my hands curling into the fabric of his shirt as I pulled him closer.
There was something different about this kiss, though. It wasn’t just about the passion or the need to be together. It was about something deeper—an understanding, a promise that transcended the timelines we had been pulled through. Every touch, every gentle movement, spoke of an unbreakable bond.
When we finally pulled apart, I rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “What happened? Where are we?”
He sighed, his hand gently rubbing my back as he held me close. “This… this is a place outside of time,” he explained softly. “I don’t know how, but we’re in a fragment—a piece of a timeline that doesn’t exist anymore.”
I looked up at him, my heart sinking. “Does that mean we’re trapped here?”
Elias met my gaze, his expression serious. “Not trapped, exactly. But we need to be careful. The rival… they’ve already done something. I can feel it.”
“What do you mean?”
“The timelines—they’ve been fractured beyond repair. There’s something we missed,” he said, his voice heavy with frustration. “If we don’t fix it, the future we know won’t exist.”
I stepped back, my mind racing as I tried to piece together what he was saying. The rival had said we’d already lost, but… could we still change things? Could we still stop the destruction of the timeline?
“Elias, what if—”
But before I could finish, a sudden ripple in the air made us both freeze. The light in the sky dimmed, and the once peaceful hill seemed to darken, the energy around us turning cold.
***
I turned sharply, my heart racing. Standing at the edge of the hill was the rival. Their dark silhouette was stark against the swirling sky, and their eyes gleamed with cold amusement.
“You two never learn, do you?” they said, their voice carrying through the still air.
Elias stepped in front of me, his body tensing as he faced the rival. “What do you want?”
The rival tilted their head, their smile cruel. “Want? Oh, Elias, it’s not about what I want. It’s about what you’re too late to stop.”
My chest tightened as I looked between them. “What do you mean?”
The rival took a slow step forward, their gaze locked on me. “The timeline you’re so desperately trying to protect? It’s already unraveling. Soon, it will collapse, and everything you’ve fought for will disappear.”
“No!” I shouted, stepping forward. “There has to be a way to fix it!”
The rival laughed softly. “Oh, there’s always a way. But the question is… are you willing to pay the price?”
My blood ran cold. “What price?”
The rival’s smile widened as they raised their hand, and the ground beneath us began to tremble. “The price… is everything.”
Before I could react, a blinding light erupted from the rival’s hand, and the world around us began to crack, as if reality itself was splintering apart.
“Elias!” I screamed, reaching for him as the ground beneath us crumbled.
He grabbed my hand, pulling me close, but I could see the fear in his eyes. “Hold on!” he shouted, his voice barely audible over the roaring sound of the world collapsing around us.
But even as we clung to each other, the cracks in reality grew wider, and I could feel the pull of time dragging us apart.
The rival’s laughter echoed in my ears as everything around us shattered.
And then—darkness.