Lorong Waktu, Dimensi Chrono Nocturnum
A few seconds after being drawn from the Vault of Pactum
Fitran and Sheena fell into the void.
There was no ground.
There was no sky.
There was no present, past, or future.
Only a corridor of time formed from thousands of glowing doors.
Behind each door: different possibilities of the future.
Some doors showed Elysvarre in ruin.
Some revealed Sheena dying young.
Others displayed Fitran succumbing to the will of Osiris.
"This is the corridor of time mentioned in the ancient texts."
"Threshold of Aeons."
The voice of Osiris echoed, without form.
"Every will must be tested. If you choose one of these doors, it becomes your absolute future."
Sheena trembled. "Fitran... I see myself... pleading with Osiris at that door."
Her tears flowed.
Fitran held her hand tightly.
"Ignore it all. This is an illusion of willed futures yet to come. I... will not let time choose our lives."
In the distance, the shadow of Osiris stood at the end of the corridor.
"Choose your future. Or I will choose it for you."
The surroundings vibrated ominously, as if space and time were signaling their choices. A soft whisper flowed from the corridor walls, poisoning their minds with enticing yet forbidden visions of the future; this dynamic moment highlighted their dilemma of doubt versus hope, intensifying the tension in the air and stirring a complex mix of fear coupled with a yearning to comprehend the promises entwined behind each glowing door.
The Circle of Chrono Nocturnum expanded beneath their feet.
The glyph of time began to envelop Fitran and Sheena, trying to coerce them into choosing a door.
Enveloped in an eerie atmosphere, Fitran felt his heart race irregularly; each second stretched unbearably, like an eternity. He sensed an unseen presence, watching their every step and judging every decision made. A cold wind blew, carrying ominous murmurs rumbling from behind the shimmering doors, urging them to heed the choices that could be perilous and not genuinely theirs—awakening their inner selves to choose wisely, marking the profound responsibility for the fate they would ultimately embrace.
Fitran quickly recited:
"Lux Testamentum: Resolutio!"
The light surged, attempting to shatter the glyph of time.
However... the light did not work here.
This corridor was built from principles of time older than any magic of light.
Fitran's eyes widened as he witnessed strange forms hovering around them; shadows glimmering like shards of light amidst an ocean of darkness, yet remaining intangible. In the dimension of Chrono Nocturnum, time spiraled in ways that were beyond human comprehension.
Chrono Nocturnum absorbed light like a black hole.
The Testamentum spell unraveled.
Osiris laughed.
"Light is the child of time. How do you expect the child to defeat its parent?"
Sheena screamed as the glyph almost touched her heart.
Fitran took a deep breath.
For a moment, he closed his eyes.
For the briefest moment, as he closed his eyes, his head trembled, sensing the pull of an ancient power surging through the corridor, creating a resonance between anxiety and hope. Here, his heartbeat transformed into a compass pointing towards unexpected possibilities; this was the domain where choices were forged, presenting intricate challenges that would irrevocably alter the trajectory of his life.
"If light cannot break the chains of time... then I will embrace the other side of my will."
Deep within his soul, there was something he had long kept hidden.
Something he had never revealed to Sheena. Not even to himself.
Not a legacy of light.
But the strength he forged in the darkest moments of his life, when he learned that true power comes not just from the outside, but also from personal experience and resilience in facing difficulties, was undeniable.
As he inhaled deeply, a soft whisper echoed in his mind, reminding him that even within the depths of darkness, a liberating power exists. The corridors of time unveiled secrets and buried memories buried beneath layers of helplessness, prepared to awaken as a revolutionary source of strength that could fundamentally influence and reshape their destiny, offering hope for renewal even amidst overwhelming despair.
Fitran opened his eyes.
The blue light of the Testamentum faded.
What emerged:
a dense shadow that did not represent destruction, but freedom.
"I do not bow to time."
"I do not bow to light."
In a low voice:
"Umbra Aeternum."
"The Eternal Shadows."
The glyph of darkness formed a circle beneath Fitran's feet.
But this is not a glyph of destruction.
This is a glyph that consumes false laws—like the law of time of Osiris.
In this fluctuating dimension, time feels like whispering steam—dissolving and clinging to every breath taken. The sound of an intangible clock ticks in the silence, sweeping away hope and fear in a terrifying current.
Proto-Speech symbols surrounding him speak:
"The freely chosen decision cannot be bound by age."
The meanings established within these realms were not subject to change.
The turmoil of each sentence envelops the space, evoking visions of countless possibilities. Each glyph strives to penetrate boundaries, summoning meanings preserved for centuries.
Umbra Aeternum releases waves of black-purple energy that consume the glyph of Chrono Nocturnum.
One by one, the doors to the future begin to collapse.
Not because they are destroyed—but because they have lost the power to enforce choice.
Amidst the ruin of hope, faint shadows dance at the edge of consciousness, birthing memories that never existed. Reflections of past prey create feelings of fear and longing, as if time itself is whispering, testing their courage.
"I... I see no future for myself anymore," Sheena whispered.
"Only our will."
Osiris roared.
"No! Time is a chain that tests all wills. Without a future, you are just a hollow soul!"
Fitran raised his hand.
"Then make me a hollow spirit who chooses my own path."
As he spoke each word, the cold wind circled around them, echoing the empty sound of countless unimagined possibilities. Around them, a dark aura swayed gracefully, creating a shimmering enigma while revealing that hope and despair represent two sides of the same coin, illustrating how these two forces complement each other and shape their fates on an unpredictable journey.
Umbra Aeternum twisted the corridors of time into itself.
The Chrono Nocturnum ring cracked—for the first time since its creation.
A wave of darkness swept through the corridor, leaving behind deep uncertainty and freeing them from the burdens of past choices, dismantling the constraints that bound them and opening the way to new, unimaginable possibilities.
The doors to the future vanished.
Osiris attempted to reshape the glyph of time, but each new glyph was swallowed by the Umbra's spell.
"There is no imposed future."
"There is no shackling past."
"Only our will."
The time corridor shattered.
Like sparks of light piercing through darkness, a voice echoed through the formless space, as if the dimensions themselves trembled. The first sensation was a creeping cold that penetrated the corridors and pierced the bones. Amidst the tension filling the air, an odd aroma reminiscent of metal and incense wafted through, while shadows danced in the corners of their vision, elusive and difficult to grasp.
Fitran pulled Sheena into his embrace.
"Let's return to the real world."
Among the fading sounds, a whisper resonated from afar, inviting them closer. Radiating from the scars left by time's freefall, a feeling of fragmentation and despair echoed between them, as if pleading for help, or perhaps merely reminding them of the lurking dangers.
The corridor of time collapsed into total emptiness.
Elsewhere, behind the veil of dimensions, Kaseo Vallaricus watched the events unfold through an observation portal.
He squinted.
"Umbra Aeternum..."
"So that is the magic Fitran kept. A magic even Osiris cannot break."
"I won't interfere now. But when the time comes..."
"I will seize that power for my own purpose."
Behind him, a shadowy figure Satan smiled in the darkness.