The fragment pulsed in Kael's palm — soft, rhythmic, almost alive.

It wasn't just glowing; it was breathing. Each pulse echoed faintly in his veins, syncing with his heartbeat until he couldn't tell which rhythm belonged to him anymore.

Jorah sat slumped against a half-buried pillar, still coughing up sand. "You look like you're about to kiss that thing."

Kael didn't look up. "Don't tempt me."

The fragment flared brighter, blue light spilling over his face. For a moment, his reflection appeared inside it — older, harder, scarred. Then it flickered, replaced by something else.

Someone else.

Kael frowned. "That's… new."

Jorah blinked. "What?"

Kael tilted his head, eyes narrowing at the crystal. "It's showing me something."

The air shimmered — and the world shifted.

---

They stood in a city of marble towers and silver skies. Bells rang in the distance. People laughed. Children played near fountains carved with celestial runes.

"Where the hell—" Jorah started, then froze. "Wait. Is that you?"

Kael turned.

Across the square, standing on a dais surrounded by cheering crowds, was… himself. But not quite. This Kael wore pristine armor, polished to a divine gleam. His hair was trimmed neatly, his smile regal and kind.

He raised a shining sword high above his head — a perfect, unbroken Chrono Blade.

The crowd chanted his name. Kael Vorrion, the Chosen! Kael Vorrion, Savior of Time!

Jorah's jaw dropped. "Oh gods. You're famous."

Kael's voice was flat. "No. I'm obedient."

He watched the other him — watched as priests knelt, watched as banners bearing his sigil were raised, watched as the gods' symbol gleamed above the cathedral.

In this world, he'd never defied them. Never broken the chains.

He'd served.

---

Jorah frowned. "So this is like… an alternate timeline?"

Kael's eyes flickered, the mark on his wrist glowing faintly. "A possibility. One the gods wanted."

"And you?"

Kael smirked, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I wanted freedom."

They watched silently as the other Kael stepped down from the dais and placed a hand on a child's head — blessing him with divine light. The boy laughed, innocent and awed.

Jorah's tone softened. "Doesn't look so bad."

Kael's grin was sharp and humorless. "That's how they get you. A golden leash is still a leash."

The sky above them rippled. The air began to distort. The vision trembled like glass under stress.

"Guess it's over," Jorah muttered.

Kael's gaze lingered on the other him. Then he whispered, "I'll never wear their chains again."

The world shattered like a mirror.

---

They were back in the desert. The air burned hot, the sand hissed underfoot. The fragment lay dim now, its light pulsing weakly.

Jorah rubbed his temples. "Next time you decide to play with cosmic artifacts, remind me to run."

Kael didn't answer. His hand still tingled where the shard had touched his skin. The pulse was fainter now, but it was still there.

He pocketed it carefully. "We need to move."

"Where?"

Kael looked east, toward the mountains cutting the horizon. "If there's one fragment here, the others won't be far. The gods scattered them, but not randomly."

Jorah sighed. "Because of course they didn't."

"Exactly."

---

They walked until the sun dipped low, painting the dunes in blood and amber. Jorah eventually spoke again, quieter this time.

"That version of you… the one we saw. He didn't seem evil."

Kael chuckled dryly. "Evil's just what people call it when you stop obeying."

"That's not what I meant. He looked… content."

Kael stopped walking. "Contentment is just the first stage of surrender."

Jorah stared at him. "You talk like someone who's forgotten what peace feels like."

Kael's expression flickered. "Peace isn't for people like me."

They walked on in silence.

---

By nightfall, they reached a stretch of ruined stones half-buried in sand. Broken pillars jutted like ribs from the earth. Kael crouched, brushing his hand across one. The runes carved there were old—older than the wars, older even than the gods who'd cursed him.

"Found something?" Jorah asked.

Kael nodded slowly. "A map."

The runes pulsed faintly under his touch, aligning into a spiral pattern. Seven points glowed around the center — each one burning brighter than the last.

"Seven fragments," Kael murmured. "One for each god that tried to bind me."

Jorah frowned. "And you're going to collect them all?"

Kael smiled thinly. "And unbind them all."

Jorah groaned. "Why does everything you say sound like the start of an apocalypse?"

Kael winked. "Because it probably is."

---

As the night deepened, they made camp. The stars above the desert shimmered unnaturally bright — the kind of light that felt like it was watching.

Kael sat by the fire, the fragment resting in his palm. The glow had dimmed further, but faint images still danced inside it — moments, faces, futures that never were. He could hear whispers too, though faint, distant, almost kind.

Come back, Kael… you can still serve… you can still save…

He smiled, eyes hard. "I already tried saving your world once. It didn't deserve it."

Jorah stirred from his blanket. "You say something?"

Kael shook his head. "Just arguing with the universe."

---

Then, without warning, the fire flickered out.

The air went cold.

A shadow stretched across the dunes — massive, shifting, formless. Kael rose slowly, hand going to his blade. The fragment in his palm burned suddenly hot.

From the dark came a whisper that wasn't the wind.

"Kael Vorrion…"

Jorah sat up, eyes wide. "Please tell me that was you."

Kael's smirk returned, but his voice was low. "Unfortunately not."

The sand in front of them began to move, coiling like a living thing. From beneath it rose a figure cloaked in darkness — tall, gaunt, faceless, with a chain of light wrapped around its wrists.

"Another warden," Kael muttered. "They're getting impatient."

The creature's voice echoed, hollow and distant. "Return what was taken."

Kael lifted the fragment. "You'll have to take it."

The warden lunged.

---

Steel met void.

Kael's sword struck sparks against the creature's chains, the clash ringing across the desert. Jorah scrambled backward, shouting something lost in the noise. Kael moved with brutal grace, parrying a strike that split the sand in two.

"You're a persistent little pet," Kael growled.

The warden hissed. "You cannot fight what time has already devoured."

Kael's grin was wild. "Watch me."

He slashed upward, channeling the fragment's energy. Blue fire exploded from his blade, tearing through the night. The warden screamed — a sound like glass breaking in reverse — before disintegrating into ash and silence.

The desert went still again.

---

Jorah collapsed onto the sand. "You ever going to tell me why everything wants to kill you?"

Kael sheathed his sword. "Because I killed time first."

He turned toward the horizon, the fragment pulsing faintly against his chest. Beyond the dunes, distant thunder rolled — though the sky was clear.

Kael smiled to himself.

"The gods are watching," he murmured. "Good. Let them."

He started walking.

Jorah groaned, dragging himself up. "You're insane, you know that?"

Kael didn't turn around. "Insane? No."

He glanced back with a grin that could've belonged to a god or a devil.

"I'm awake."

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