Chapter 18
A Glimpse of the End
The Chronos Serpent forces a vision of a desolate future, a world devoid of time. This glimpse of potential doom fuels the child's determination.
The air in my room pulsed, a strange, syrupy thickness that made my breath catch. It wasn’t the usual dust motes dancing in the afternoon sun, but something more… alive. A shimmer, like heat rising from asphalt, but contained, contained within my own four walls. It was a crack in the ordinary, a whisper of elsewhere seeping through. I reached out, my fingers tingling as they neared the distortion. It felt like touching static, a buzzing energy that hummed against my skin.
Then, a voice, soft as falling ash, slithered from the corner. "Beware, little one. The threads are fraying."
I spun around, my heart leaping into my throat. A shadow detached itself from the wall, deeper than any shadow should be, and it spoke. It wasn't a shape I recognized, not quite human, not quite animal, just a fluid darkness with eyes that glinted like chips of obsidian. "The Nine Gates," it hissed, the sound a dry rustle. "They are unbalanced. The Chronos Serpent… it is stirring."
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