Chapter 7: The Time Traveler’s Choice
“Kian!” I called out again, my voice trembling as the storm churned above me, dark clouds spinning like an ominous vortex. My heart pounded as I stumbled toward him, my feet sinking into the strange, gritty earth beneath me.
He didn’t move.
Standing beside Elara, Kian’s eyes were cold, distant, as if the person I had loved—the person who had kissed me like the world would end—had vanished into the storm. I could hardly breathe, my chest tight with the crushing realization.
He didn’t remember me.
“Lyra, it’s no use,” Elara said, her voice sharp and filled with satisfaction. “Kian is mine now. He belongs to this time, this reality. Your little romance was just another thread in the tapestry of time—and it’s been snipped.”
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “This isn’t real. It’s just another one of your games. Kian—please, remember me!”
I took another step, reaching out toward him, but Elara stepped in front of him, blocking my way. Her presence felt like an impenetrable wall, her eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.
“I warned you,” she said softly. “Time has rules. You broke them.”
I clenched my fists, my entire body shaking with anger. “I don’t care about your rules. I care about Kian.”
But even as the words left my mouth, doubt clawed at me. Elara had manipulated time itself, bending it to her will. She’d twisted Kian’s memories, severed his connection to me, and now he stood beside her like a stranger.
Was there any way to reach him?
“Kian,” I tried again, forcing strength into my voice. “I know you can hear me. I know you feel it too. You and I… we’ve been through everything. We’ve fought for each other. You’ve saved me, and I’ve saved you. Don’t let her take that from us.”
For a brief moment, I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes—a spark of recognition. My heart leapt with hope.
But then, just as quickly, it was gone.
Kian’s face hardened, and he turned his gaze away from me.
“No,” I gasped, taking another step forward, but Elara raised her hand, and a gust of wind erupted from the storm, throwing me backward. I hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from my lungs.
Elara knelt beside me, her voice like ice. “You think love is enough to break time itself? How naïve. This is the end of your story, Lyra. Kian no longer remembers who you are, and soon… neither will you.”
My vision blurred as she raised her hand again, and I felt time shift around me, the air shimmering with the raw energy of the fragment she still held. I struggled to rise, but my body felt heavy, as if time itself was pressing down on me.
I couldn’t let this happen. I couldn’t lose him.
Then, through the haze of pain and fear, a voice whispered in the back of my mind.
You still have a choice.
I blinked, trying to focus. The voice wasn’t Elara’s. It was… Kian’s. But not the Kian standing before me, blank and emotionless. It was the Kian I knew—the Kian who had kissed me in that field, the Kian who had fought beside me through every twist of time.
You can still reach me, his voice whispered. But you have to make the choice.
I gasped, realization hitting me like a bolt of lightning. I still had the fragment. The one Kian had left behind—the one we had taken from the archive. It was tucked inside my jacket, warm and pulsing with the same energy that had brought us together.
I fumbled for it, my fingers closing around the smooth, glassy surface. The moment I touched it, I felt a surge of power rush through me. The fragment hummed, vibrating with the weight of possibility. I could feel time stretching out before me—past, present, and future—like threads waiting to be woven.
But there was a cost.
To change the past, you must sacrifice the future.
I closed my eyes, my heart racing. I had to choose. If I used the fragment now, I could alter time—go back to the moment before Elara had twisted everything, before Kian had forgotten me. But the price… the price was steep. I would lose everything after. The memories we had made, the love we had shared—everything would be erased.
But if I didn’t… Kian would be lost to me forever.
I glanced up, meeting Kian’s eyes one last time, searching for any sign that the man I loved was still in there, still fighting to break free. His face remained impassive, but there was something—a faint flicker of recognition.
Could I risk it all for that one chance?
I stood, my hand trembling as I held the fragment. Elara was watching me now, her expression curious, almost amused. She didn’t think I would do it. She thought I was too weak, too afraid to make the choice.
But she didn’t know me.
With a deep breath, I raised the fragment and willed the power within it to bend time once more.
***
The world around me shifted again, swirling into chaos. Colors bled together, the sky tore apart, and the ground beneath my feet vanished into nothingness. I felt weightless, as if I was floating between worlds, between moments in time.
And then, just as suddenly, everything snapped back into place.
I found myself standing in the familiar field under the violet sky. The wind was gentle this time, the grass swaying lazily under the soft moonlight. For a moment, I stood there, disoriented, wondering if I had succeeded—if I had broken the loop.
Then I saw him.
Kian was there, standing a few paces away, his back to me. My heart skipped a beat, and I took a hesitant step forward.
“Kian?” I called, my voice shaking.
He turned slowly, and when his eyes met mine, they were filled with warmth. His face broke into a smile—a real smile, not the cold, detached look he had worn before.
“Lyra,” he whispered, taking a step toward me.
I ran to him, my heart soaring with relief, and threw myself into his arms. He caught me, holding me close, and for the first time in what felt like forever, everything was right. I could feel his heartbeat, steady and strong, beneath my cheek. I could feel his warmth, his presence, and I knew that he was really here—really with me.
We stood like that for a long time, neither of us speaking, just holding on to each other as if the world might crumble around us again at any moment. I didn’t care about the risks, about what I had sacrificed to be here. All that mattered was this moment—this perfect, fleeting moment with Kian.
But as I held him, I felt the weight of the choice I had made settling in my chest. I had changed the past, but at what cost? The future we might have shared, the memories we might have made—it was all gone, lost to the sands of time.
Kian pulled back slightly, his hand cupping my cheek as he gazed down at me. “What did you do, Lyra?” he asked softly, his eyes filled with a mixture of love and sorrow.
I swallowed hard, tears pricking my eyes. “I made a choice,” I whispered. “To save you.”
Kian’s thumb brushed against my cheek, wiping away a tear. “You always were the brave one,” he said, his voice filled with admiration.
I smiled weakly, my heart aching. “I just… I couldn’t lose you.”
He leaned down, pressing his forehead against mine, and for a moment, we stood there in silence, our breaths mingling in the cool night air. And then, softly, he kissed me.
It was a kiss filled with all the things we couldn’t say—all the love, all the pain, all the sacrifices we had made. Time seemed to stretch around us, bending to the force of our connection, and for that one brief moment, I felt like we were untouchable, like nothing could tear us apart.
But deep down, I knew the truth.
When we finally pulled away, the storm in the distance had begun to calm, the sky softening to a dusky purple. Kian looked at me, his eyes filled with understanding. “We can’t stay here,” he said quietly.
I nodded, my throat tight with emotion. “I know.”
We had broken the loop. We had found each other again. But the choice I had made—the choice to change time—had come with a price. Our future was uncertain, and the path ahead was filled with unknowns.
But as Kian took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine, I knew one thing for certain.
We would face whatever came next together.
***
As we stood there, the wind stirring the grass around us, I felt a familiar, unsettling hum. The ground beneath us trembled, and the air shimmered with a strange energy.
Kian’s grip on my hand tightened. “What is it?”
I turned, my heart racing as I saw it—a tear in the fabric of time itself, widening in the sky above us.
And through it, I saw a figure step forward.
Elara.
Her eyes locked onto mine, and a cold smile spread across her face.
“This isn’t over, Lyra,” she said, her voice echoing through the field.
Before I could react, the tear in time widened, pulling us both into its depths.