Chapter 1: Reflections on the Water
The reflection in the water rippled and shifted, showing me a world that no longer existed.
I stared down at the pool, the surface broken by the slightest breeze. The sky was a dull blue, the kind of color that made you feel like something had been drained from the world. Or maybe that was just me. I watched as my face, framed by dark hair and tired eyes, blurred into the waves. Sometimes I didn’t recognize myself anymore.
It had been years since my parents passed away in the accident, but the weight of their loss still clung to me. I felt it every day—whenever I tried to smile, or even when I just sat alone like this, staring at nothing. I couldn’t let go of the regret. I should’ve been there, I should’ve done something differently, and now… now it was too late.
I sighed, pulling my jacket tighter around me. The wind from the sea colony’s artificial atmosphere always seemed colder at night. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Mira, my best friend, standing beside me. Her bright green eyes were full of concern, as always.
“You’ve been sitting here for hours, Elara. Come inside.” Mira’s voice was gentle but insistent. She was always the sensible one, the rock when I felt like I was drifting.
“I just needed to think,” I said, my voice sounding smaller than I intended.
“Thinking isn’t going to bring them back,” she whispered, sitting down beside me. “You’ve been carrying this for too long. You don’t have to do it alone.”
I nodded but said nothing. Mira meant well, but how could I explain the depth of my guilt, my desire to change the past, to fix the broken pieces of my life? I hadn’t even told her about the pendant yet—the strange object I found at the dig site last week.
At first, I thought it was just a relic, some artifact left behind by an ancient civilization. But there was something about it… something I couldn’t ignore. I hadn’t told anyone, not even the intergalactic research team I worked with. It felt like mine, like a secret meant only for me.
The pendant had an odd glow, a faint shimmer that pulsed with energy whenever I touched it. I took it out of my pocket now, running my fingers over its cool surface. The delicate chain sparkled in the moonlight.
“What’s that?” Mira asked, noticing it for the first time. “Just… something I found.”
She frowned but didn’t press further. We sat in silence for a few more minutes, the soft sound of waves lapping against the shore filling the quiet between us.
“I’ll be inside if you need me,” she said finally, giving my shoulder a squeeze before standing up and heading toward the colony’s entrance. I watched her go, feeling both grateful for her and alone at the same time. I stayed by the water’s edge, letting my thoughts drift.
Then, almost without thinking, I slipped the pendant around my neck. The moment it touched my skin, the air seemed to shift. The wind stopped, the water grew still, and for a heartbeat, the world seemed to hold its breath.
And then everything exploded.
A blinding light burst from the pendant, and I was suddenly engulfed in swirling colors, feeling weightless, like I was being pulled through a tunnel of stars. My breath caught in my throat as I tumbled through time and space, unsure if I was falling or floating. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. My heart raced, panic rising in my chest. Where was I going? What had I done?
***
I landed hard on my hands and knees, gasping for air. The world around me was different— completely different. Gone were the artificial skies of the sea colony. Instead, I found myself in a city bathed in twilight, with towering spires and glowing orbs of light floating lazily above the streets. The air was warm, scented with something sweet and unfamiliar.
I stood up shakily, brushing off the dust from my clothes. People walked past me, dressed in flowing robes and intricate garments that looked nothing like anything I’d seen in my own time. I stared at them, wide-eyed, trying to make sense of it all.
The pendant was still around my neck, warm against my skin. Somehow, it had brought me here —wherever “here” was. I had traveled through time. It was impossible, but it had happened. My heart pounded with both fear and excitement.
As I wandered through the streets, feeling lost and out of place, I caught a glimpse of someone watching me from the shadows. A man, tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair and intense eyes that seemed to gleam with curiosity. I felt a shiver run down my spine as his gaze locked onto mine.
Before I could react, he stepped out of the shadows and walked toward me with a confident, graceful stride. His features were sharp, almost unnervingly perfect, and his presence exuded an air of mystery. I froze, unsure whether to run or stay.
“You’re not from here,” he said, his voice low and smooth, as if he already knew the answer. I swallowed hard, my voice barely a whisper. “No… I’m not.”
He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “You shouldn’t have come. Time is fragile. You don’t know the consequences of what you’ve done.”
His words sent a chill through me. “I didn’t mean to—”
“I know,” he interrupted, his eyes softening slightly. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re in danger now. There are those who would do anything to control time.”
“Who are you?” I asked, taking a step back.
He hesitated, as if weighing whether or not to tell me. “My name is Kael.”
There was something in the way he said it, something that told me Kael was more than just an ordinary man. I didn’t know why, but I felt an inexplicable pull toward him, as if we were connected somehow. The air between us seemed to hum with a strange energy, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his.
“Come with me,” Kael said, his voice gentle but firm. “I can help you, but you need to trust me.”
I hesitated, glancing around at the unfamiliar world surrounding me. Part of me wanted to run, to find my way back home, but another part of me—the impulsive part—was drawn to him, to the mystery of it all. And maybe, just maybe, this was the change I had been searching for.
Before I could think too much, I nodded, and Kael led me through the streets, his hand resting lightly on my back as if guiding me. We walked in silence for a while, the city’s glowing lights casting long shadows around us. I glanced up at him every now and then, catching the way his jaw tightened, the way his eyes scanned the surroundings as if he were always on alert.
Finally, he brought me to a small garden hidden away from the bustling streets. The air was thick with the scent of strange flowers, their petals glowing faintly in the twilight. Kael gestured for me to sit on a stone bench, and I did, feeling the warmth of the stone seep through my clothes.
As we sat there, the world around us seemed to slow. I could hear the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze, the distant hum of the city, but here in this garden, everything felt… peaceful.
Kael sat beside me, his shoulder brushing against mine ever so slightly. My heart raced at the closeness, at the strange sense of calm his presence brought.
“I still don’t understand,” I said quietly, staring down at the pendant around my neck. “How did I get here? What is this place?”
Kael’s gaze softened as he looked at me, his eyes reflecting the soft glow of the flowers around us. “This is a place outside of time. A forgotten world, where the rules of time don’t quite apply. The pendant… it’s a key. A key to many places, many times.”
I bit my lip, trying to process everything. “But why me? Why now?”
“I don’t know,” Kael admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “But what I do know is that once you’ve opened the door, there’s no going back. Time… has a way of binding itself to you.”
There was something in his voice, a sadness that tugged at my heart. He wasn’t telling me everything—I could feel it. But before I could ask more, he turned to face me, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my breath catch.
“You’re not alone, Elara,” he said softly, his hand brushing against mine. “I’ll help you find your way. I promise.”
My pulse quickened at the touch of his hand, warm and steady against mine. The connection between us was undeniable, even though I barely knew him. For a moment, the weight of my guilt, my regrets—they didn’t matter. All that mattered was this moment, sitting here with him in the soft twilight of this forgotten world.
But just as the warmth of his presence began to settle over me, a voice cut through the stillness, sharp and cold.
“You’ve made a grave mistake coming here.”
I turned, my heart pounding as a shadowy figure stepped out from the darkness, their eyes gleaming in the moonlight.