Chapter 6: The Rival’s Plan
The world froze in the instant Callum stepped out of the shadows. His smile was as sharp as broken glass, gleaming with cold satisfaction as Henry and I stood still, trapped by the sudden destruction of our only escape. The rift behind him flickered like a dying flame before vanishing completely, leaving us in the void of the fractured timeline.
“Callum,” Henry growled, his grip on my hand tightening. There was a tension between them that felt like it could snap the air in half.
Callum’s eyes flicked to me, and his smile widened. “Ah, Olivia. You’ve become quite the entanglement in this little war, haven’t you?”
My heart pounded in my chest, fear clawing at my throat. There was something unnerving about Callum, a darkness that clung to him like a shadow. But I forced myself to stand tall, refusing to show fear. “What do you want, Callum?”
His gaze lingered on me for a moment, then shifted to Henry, eyes narrowing. “What I want, Olivia, is to fix what Henry broke. He stole time from me. And I intend to take it back.”
Henry’s jaw clenched, and I could feel the anger radiating off him. “You’re the one who tore the timeline apart, Callum. I had no choice but to stop you.”
Callum chuckled, a low, menacing sound that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. “You stopped me?” He stepped closer, his voice dripping with mockery. “Look around you, Henry. Is this what you call ‘stopping me’? The timeline is unraveling because you interfered. And now, I’m going to put it back together.”
He raised his hand, and suddenly, the space around us began to warp and twist. The ground shifted beneath my feet, and the sky above darkened, swirling like a vortex of time itself. I could feel the weight of his power pressing down on me, suffocating.
“Stop!” I shouted, stepping forward, my heart racing. “This isn’t fixing anything. You’re destroying everything!”
Callum’s eyes locked onto mine, and for a brief moment, I saw something flicker behind his cold exterior—something almost human. “Destroying?” he repeated softly. “No, Olivia. I’m rewriting.”
I took a step back, my mind racing. “Rewriting what?”
Callum’s smile faded, and his expression darkened. “Time. History. Fate. You, Henry, this fractured world—you’re all part of a timeline I intend to erase. I’m going to create a new one. A better one.”
I felt Henry shift beside me, his body tense. “And where does Olivia fit into this plan of yours?” he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
Callum’s gaze softened as it fell on me again. “Ah, Olivia. She’s special. A variable I didn’t account for.” He took another step forward, his eyes glinting with something dangerous. “But she doesn’t belong to you, Henry.”
My breath caught in my throat as the weight of his words sank in. I glanced at Henry, who looked ready to tear Callum apart, but I could also see the conflict in his eyes, the fear of what Callum might do next.
Callum’s hand extended toward me, palm up, as if offering a choice. “Come with me, Olivia. Leave this broken timeline behind. Together, we can build something new. Something perfect.”
The air was thick with tension. I could feel Henry watching me, waiting for my reaction. But all I could feel was the pull—the strange, magnetic pull of Callum’s offer. The fractured timelines had shown me glimpses of other possibilities, other lives. Could he really offer me a chance to rewrite my fate?
But before I could respond, Henry stepped forward, pulling me behind him, his voice sharp. “You won’t touch her, Callum.”
Callum’s smile faded, his eyes darkening. “You’re too late, Henry. I’ve already begun.”
Suddenly, the ground beneath us cracked open, and the air around us shimmered with raw energy. I stumbled back, clutching Henry’s arm as the timeline began to fracture further. Time itself seemed to be tearing apart, and I could feel the pull—the same pull I’d felt when I first fell through the rift.
But this time, something was different.
I looked down at the pocket watch in my hand, the one Henry had entrusted to me. It was glowing, brighter than before, the hands spinning wildly as if it was trying to guide me. And then I realized—this was the key. The watch wasn’t just a tool to travel through time. It was connected to the timelines, to the very fabric of fate itself.
I gripped the watch tighter, feeling the energy pulse through me. “Henry,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “The watch—it’s connected to the timelines. Maybe we can use it to stop him.”
Henry glanced at the watch, his eyes widening in realization. “But it’s unstable. If we use it now—”
“We don’t have a choice!” I shouted over the roar of the collapsing timeline.
Before he could protest further, I raised the watch, its light flaring to life. The ground beneath us trembled, and I could feel the threads of fate tangling and twisting, pulling us toward something—something powerful.
But just as I was about to activate the watch, Callum’s voice cut through the chaos.
“Don’t do it, Olivia.”
I froze, my hand hovering over the watch. Callum’s eyes were fixed on me, his expression no longer smug but deadly serious. “If you activate that watch now, you’ll destroy everything. Not just this timeline—all timelines.”
My heart pounded in my chest. Was he telling the truth? Or was this just another manipulation?
Henry reached for me, his voice tight with urgency. “Olivia, we have to act now!”
I glanced between them, torn. Callum’s plan was dangerous, but if he was right—if activating the watch could destroy everything—then what was the right choice?
In that moment, time seemed to slow. My mind raced, replaying everything that had led to this point. The masquerade, the stolen moments with Henry, the threads of fate that had brought us together. And in that instant, I realized something.
No matter what happened, I couldn’t let Callum win.
I tightened my grip on the watch, meeting Callum’s gaze head-on. “You don’t get to decide my fate.”
And with that, I activated the watch.
The world exploded into light.
For a moment, everything was blinding, the fractured timelines collapsing in on themselves. I could feel the threads of fate twisting, tangling, and snapping all around us. But then, slowly, the chaos began to fade.
The light dimmed, and the ground beneath us steadied.
I blinked, disoriented, as the world came back into focus. We were standing in a clearing, the air still and quiet. The sky above was clear, the colors of the fractured timeline gone.
I turned to Henry, who was still gripping my hand tightly, his eyes wide with disbelief. “What—what just happened?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Before I could respond, Callum’s voice echoed from behind us.
“You’ve made a mistake, Olivia.”
I spun around, my heart sinking as I saw him standing there, his eyes cold and calculating. “You think you’ve won? This is far from over.”
***
And then, without another word, Callum disappeared into the shadows, leaving us standing in the eerie silence of a world we no longer recognized.