Chapter 6: The Final Crossing
I could barely react before they stormed in—figures clad in dark, seamless uniforms, their faces hidden beneath tinted visors. They moved with military precision, surrounding us in seconds. The air crackled with tension, the faint hum of their weapons filling the room.
“Elara,” the stranger whispered, stepping in front of me. His body tensed, ready to fight, but I could see the flicker of hesitation in his eyes.
Cora, who had been watching from the corner, clenched her fists. “They’re the Timeguard,” she said, her voice grim. “We’ve got no time. Elara, the stone—”
Before I could process what was happening, one of the figures stepped forward, pointing a sleek, glowing weapon directly at us. “Hand over the artifact,” a distorted voice commanded from behind the visor, cold and mechanical.
I felt a surge of panic. The stone in my pocket—small, insignificant, yet the source of everything that had happened—seemed to burn against my skin. I couldn’t let them have it. I knew what it meant, the power it held. But how could we escape?
The stranger turned his head slightly toward me. “Do you trust me?” he asked, his voice low but urgent.
I didn’t hesitate. “Yes,” I whispered.
Without warning, he grabbed my hand, his touch electrifying. In one fluid motion, he yanked me toward the door at the back of the room. A flash of light blinded me for a split second, and then I was running, his hand gripping mine tightly as we darted through the narrow corridors of the ship. Behind us, the Timeguard shouted, their heavy boots pounding on the metallic floor in pursuit.
“Where are we going?” I gasped, my heart racing both from fear and the adrenaline of his touch.
“Somewhere they can’t follow,” he replied, his voice tense.
We turned a sharp corner, and suddenly, he yanked open a hatch in the floor, revealing a narrow, hidden passage. Without hesitation, he pulled me down, and we slid into the shadows.
The passage was tight, just barely enough room for the two of us, and I could feel the heat of his body pressed against mine as we crouched in the darkness. We stayed there, breathless, listening to the footsteps of the Timeguard as they thundered past above us.
For a moment, everything was still, the air thick with anticipation. I could feel my heart beating wildly in my chest, but I wasn’t sure if it was from the danger or from the nearness of him.
He turned to me, his face just inches from mine, and for the first time, I noticed the strain in his expression, the shadows beneath his eyes. He had been carrying the weight of this chase for far too long, just as I had been. And in that small, confined space, the world outside seemed to melt away, leaving only the two of us—two souls bound by time, by secrets, by a bond neither of us could fully explain.
His hand, still resting on my arm, tightened slightly. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “For dragging you into this. For everything.”
I shook my head. “You didn’t drag me into anything. I chose this. I chose you.”
His eyes softened, the hardness that had been there since the moment we met dissolving for just a moment. “Elara, there’s so much you don’t know. So much I haven’t told you.”
“Then tell me,” I whispered, leaning closer. “I’m ready.”
He hesitated, his gaze flicking down to my lips before meeting my eyes again. And then, before I could react, he kissed me.
It was nothing like the first kiss—a stolen moment in the heat of danger. This was something deeper, slower, filled with all the words we hadn’t spoken, all the emotions we had been holding back. His lips were warm and soft against mine, and for the first time in what felt like forever, the fear and uncertainty melted away, leaving only the present, the here and now.
I kissed him back, my hands finding their way to his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath my fingers. There was a tenderness to the way he touched me, as though he were afraid I might disappear if he let go. And maybe, in a way, I was—disappearing into him, into this moment that felt like it was outside of time itself.
When we finally pulled apart, our foreheads rested together, our breaths mingling in the close air. “I don’t want to lose you,” he murmured, his voice rough with emotion.
“You won’t,” I promised, though even as I said the words, I felt the weight of them. Time had a way of pulling people apart, of changing everything. But I meant it. As long as I had a choice, I would stay with him.
He pulled back slightly, his hand brushing my cheek. “There’s something you need to know,” he said, his tone more serious now. “The Timeguard… they’re not just after the stone. They’re after me. And you.”
I frowned, confusion knotting in my chest. “What do you mean?”
He hesitated, as though he were weighing whether or not to tell me the truth. And then, with a deep breath, he spoke.
“I’ve crossed too many timelines,” he admitted quietly. “I’ve broken the rules. And now, they see me as a threat—someone who can’t be controlled. They want to erase me from existence.”
The weight of his words settled over me like a heavy fog. “But why? Why would they want to erase you?”
He looked away, his jaw tightening. “Because of what I know. Because of who I am.”
I opened my mouth to ask more, but before I could, a loud crash echoed from above us, followed by the unmistakable sound of the Timeguard breaking through the door. They had found us.
“We have to go,” he said urgently, pulling me to my feet. “There’s a way out of here, but it’s dangerous. Once we cross, there’s no turning back.”
I didn’t have time to think, didn’t have time to process everything he had just told me. All I knew was that I couldn’t lose him—not now, not after everything. “I’m with you,” I said, my voice steady despite the fear racing through me.
He gave me a small, grim smile. “Hold on tight.”
With one swift movement, he activated the device on his wrist, and the world around us blurred, the walls of the passage dissolving into light. I felt the familiar pull of time shifting beneath us, but this time it was different—more violent, more chaotic. My stomach churned as the space around us seemed to twist and bend, the fabric of time itself tearing apart.
We were crossing a threshold—a final barrier between us and the future we had yet to face.
And then, with a deafening crack, we were thrown into the unknown.
***
The light faded, and we tumbled into a new world. But something was wrong. The ground beneath us was cracked and broken, the sky above us swirling with dark clouds. And in the distance, a figure stood, watching us—a figure I recognized all too well.