Title: Tears of Chronos
Chapter 1: The Man Who Fell From Time
Ash rained from the sky.
In the middle of a scorched wasteland stood a massive, forgotten clock tower—cracked and broken as if it had fought time itself.
Suddenly...
A body fell from the heavens.
A man in his twenties, clad in a tattered black coat, shrouded in faint smoke.
His eyes slowly opened…
The first thing he saw: the massive clock's hands pointed at the number 13.
"A number that doesn't exist... What is this?"
He struggled to his feet, scanning his surroundings.
No people. No buildings.
Only the remains of a battlefield long buried by time.
"Who… am I?"
He remembered nothing. No name. No past.
But one thought echoed in his mind...
> "Kill the Guardian. Take the Relic."
---
His first steps were weak, bleeding from wounds with no clear cause.
As he walked, the sound of heavy footsteps approached.
"Someone's following me…?"
He spun around. Nothing.
But then—the hands of the clock behind him began to turn… backward.
"That's impossible…"
A sharp dizziness struck him.
Images invaded his mind:
Cities burning.
A woman crying.
Children screaming.
His hand—covered in the blood of a king.
Then... silence.
---
A voice from nowhere:
> "Welcome, you who have fallen from the future…"
An old man appeared before him, wearing a gray cloak that hid half his face.
"You stand in the Forbidden Zone of Time. This land does not recognize you."
"What do you mean?"
"Your name is Ares. You haven't been born yet… and that's a problem."
The old man stepped closer and placed his hand on Ares' chest.
Suddenly, something burned into Ares' hand—a strange mark:
An upside-down clock… dripping with blood.
The old man whispered,
> "The Guardian is coming. If you survive, you'll discover who you are.
If you fail… time will erase you."
Then, he vanished.
---
The ground trembled.
From the smoke emerged a monstrous being—four meters tall, body forged of rusted iron, eyes glowing green.
It dragged a massive axe, tearing into the earth as it walked.
Ares stepped back—
But the mark on his hand began to glow.
A voice echoed in his mind:
> "Use the First Ability…"
"What ability…?"
No time to think.
The Guardian charged.
At the last second, his body moved on its own—like something was guiding him.
He vanished.
Reappeared behind the creature.
He struck with his bare hand—
But the blow shattered his bones.
He collapsed, bleeding and broken.
"I can't fight this… This isn't my time…"
The Guardian raised its axe, ready to finish him—
But in that moment… time stopped.
---
End of Chapter 1
Title: Tears of Chronos
Chapter 2: When Reality's Hands Break
Time had stopped.
Everything was frozen.
Even Ares' breath had halted, yet his mind remained aware…
He could feel the world "rewinding" itself—but in a way that felt wrong.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared.
Tall, cloaked in strands of black threads that writhed like smoke.
His face was hidden, but his eyes resembled stars… that had long since died.
He spoke in a voice that didn't belong to any known era:
> "You awakened the Relic... without permission. That is forbidden by the laws of the Four Pillars of Time."
"Pillars? What pillars?! I don't even know who I am!"
"You will. But know this… Ares Valther."
"My name? Valther?!"
"Your true name... sealed. You are of the Valtherin bloodline—
The last lineage able to control the Seven Streams of Time."
---
The shadow vanished… and time resumed.
Ares was still on the ground.
The Guardian loomed above, axe descending.
But it stopped—
Something halted it.
A girl.
Her hair shimmered like moonlight.
Her eyes were mirrors reflecting a timeline long dead.
"My name is Lorena."
"You… saved me?"
"No time, Ares. The Guardians will multiply. You've broken the rules of this realm."
"What is this place?!"
"You're standing in the ruins of Ulthema—
The ancient capital of the lost empire Eraklon.
A nation that once ruled time… until it burned, consumed by one of the Relics."
"What exactly are the Relics?!"
She looked at him silently, then pulled out an ancient map made of leathered parchment:
> "Time has seven hearts...
One grants the power to see the past.
Two can reshape it.
Three rule the timeline.
But all seven… turn the bearer into something that should not exist."
---
The Seven Relics: Hearts of Time
---
Lorena continued walking as she spoke:
"But the ones hunting the Relics now… are no longer human."
"What do you mean?"
"A group called Necrox—
They gather Relic wielders, turn them into tools.
They're led by a hidden hand… someone they call 'The Third Creator.'"
"There were others?"
"Two.
The First is dead.
The Second… imprisoned.
The Third… unknown."
---
Ares could feel her words ignite memories inside him.
A woman's face…
A child calling his name…
A soldier burning books…
Suddenly—
His mind exploded with a vision:
A massive clock collapsing.
A city dying beneath it.
He fell to his knees, shaking.
Lorena shouted,
"You saw a glimpse of the Old War. We have to leave—now!"
"Why?!"
"Because the Guardians now know you're alive…
And the First Time Gate is about to open."
---
End of Chapter 2
Chapter 3: The Gate That Refuses Death
"Run!"
Lorina screamed as she dragged Aris through the ruins, the ground shaking beneath their feet.
A beam of blue light descended from the sky, and from it, they emerged.
The Glass Guardians.
Transparent bodies, glowing eyes, their voices a screech like broken time itself.
"Targets: Unauthorized. Threat level: Higher than expected."
Aris tried to stop, but Lorina screamed,
"Don't look at them! Staring into their eyes violently brings back your memories!"
"But... who are you?! Who are you?!!!"
The Guardians' eerie voices answered,
"They told us we were lost heroes… but in truth, we're the remnants of a war that never ended."
---
They ran until they reached a crumbling tunnel, with a massive stone door at the end. On it was a symbol resembling a broken clock.
Lorina placed her hand on it and said,
"This is the Telis Gate... One of the seven gates used to escape through broken time lines. It was sealed after the 'First Bend War.' But I kept its code… from my mother."
"What does it mean to bend time?"
"We don't bend to it, Aris… we survive it."
---
The gate opened, but it didn't swallow them immediately.
Instead, it revealed a glimpse of the next world:
Black towers, a violet sun, and lost voices calling out names from the past.
"Ready?" Lorina asked.
"I don't know if this is a dream or death anymore... but yeah."
They jumped.
---
Transition to: Orantha
> The name comes from "Aurora" (the dawn) and "Anthos" (the flower)
A lost city beneath the earth, dependent on artificial light, isolated for 300 years.
Protected by seven temporal shields that prevent any "external manipulation."
---
Inside the city, deep within an abandoned library, a man was reading forgotten documents.
He wore a metal mask, a map of time spread before him, with the name:
"Aris Valther – The Catalyst of the Effect"
He whispered,
"He's back… the line we tried to erase, repeats itself."
---
Lorina and Aris crashed into a back alley of Orantha.
The people turned to look at them, but the guards quickly sounded their alarms.
"Who are you?! Unauthorized entry!"
A soldier emerged from the ranks, his eyes sharp and his voice firm:
"My name is Kyld Ryon, Captain of the First Guard. You're off the appearance schedule. Explain yourselves now, or Protocol 07 will be executed."
Aris stood, exhausted, and said,
"I… was in the ruins of Eraklon, then… the gate…"
Kyld fell silent, then said,
"Say that name again."
"Eraklon."
A heavy silence filled the air.
Kyld motioned for them to follow, saying,
> "You are now official guests of the state of Orantha. But be warned… anyone who tries to deceive time here, never leaves."
---
Brief Overview of the States' Powers:
Orantha: A lost technological state, dependent on temporal shields for protection.
Nirvalis: The Empire of Snow, known for its "Memory Seal."
Seraphin: The Nation of Surveillance, possessing an eye called "The Absolute Lens."
Delphos: The Land of Deserts, hiding one of the "Seven Relics."
Altera: The State of Eternal Prisoners, whose gate only opens during a double eclipse.
Solmark: The Nation of Shadows, whose true form has been unknown for 1000 years.
Eraklon (The Fallen): Once mastered time, and was destroyed after the first relic explosion.
---
End of Chapter 3