The strange portal whispered their names. Jack felt a cold chill, and so did the others. Mira looked at it for a moment, then turned away. "This portal leads to a place outside of time," she said. "It's very dangerous. But I know another way to help you. We must hurry."
She held up the compass. It started to spin faster and faster. Then it floated into the air. Light shone all around it—soft blue and silver. Mira closed her eyes and said some quiet words in a language they didn't know. The light grew brighter. Suddenly, it flashed, and everything disappeared.
Jack opened his eyes. The cave was gone. Now he stood in green grass, under a bright sky. Trees swayed in the wind. It felt warm. Peaceful. Alex, Jimmy, and Adam were beside him, blinking in surprise.
"Where are we?" Jimmy asked.
"We're back," Alex said. "Home. In our time."
Mira stood behind them. She looked tired, her face pale. "Yes. I brought you back to the present," she said. "It took a lot of my power. But I had to get you here. Elias is doing something dangerous."
Jack looked at her. "You said he's not alone. What did you mean?"
Mira's face grew serious. "Elias is building something. He's not just trying to fix time. He wants to control it. And he's getting help—from people in different times. People who believe time should be ruled, not protected. I used to help him… but I was wrong."
"What about Ali?" Jimmy asked quickly.
"He's still in the past," Mira said. "He's safe for now. But he doesn't know how dangerous Elias really is."
---
In the past, Ali sat under a tree near the tribe's village. The sky was cloudy, and the air felt strange. His thoughts were heavy. Turgut, the old hunter from the tribe, walked up quietly and sat next to him. He had become Ali's best friend in this time.
"You look worried," Turgut said.
Ali nodded. "Something isn't right. Elias says he's a teacher, but… people are afraid of him. He asks too many questions. He watches everything."
Turgut frowned. "He brings strange tools. He acts like he owns time. We don't trust him."
Ali looked toward the hills. "I need to find my friends. They'll help me stop him. I think Elias is hiding something big."
Turgut put a hand on his shoulder. "Then we watch and wait. And when it's time, we act."
---
Back in the present, Mira led the group down a forest path. They followed quietly. Jack looked at her and asked, "Where are we going?"
"To a place called the Archive," Mira said. "It holds the truth about time—about who we really are and what Elias is trying to do. If we want to stop him, we must learn more."
The wind blew softly through the trees. But something was changing in the air. Time was growing weak again. And somewhere, far away, Elias Verin was watching… waiting… planning his next move.