[The morning should have been peaceful.]
[It wasn't.]
[Abaksa sat alone in the inn.]
[Breakfast untouched.]
[The note marked IX still rested beside him.]
[Something felt wrong.]
[Not danger.]
[Not death.]
[Expectation.]
[As if the world itself was holding its breath.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...What now?"
[The answer came immediately.]
DING.
[The System appeared.]
[Not the usual translucent blue.]
[Gold.]
[Ancient.]
[Different.]
[WORLD EVENT INITIATED][THE TIME WAR HAS BEGUN]
[Abaksa froze.]
[Regressors Identified: 11][Active Participants: Unknown][Objective Assigned]
[The next words appeared slowly.]
[Locate the CHRONOS EMERALD]
[Silence.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...The what?"
[The first bearer shall gain authority over Time.][The last bearer shall decide Fate.]
[His heartbeat slowed.]
[Authority over Time.]
[Nothing about that sounded normal.]
[Reward: Unknown][Failure: Timeline Deviation Collapse]
Abaksa Einsro— "...You really need better explanations."
[The System vanished.]
[Leaving only one thing behind.]
[A map.]
[Floating in the air.]
[Ancient.]
[Incomplete.]
[A single red mark pulsed in the distance.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...A labyrinth."
[He recognized the region.]
[Three days west.]
[A place abandoned decades ago.]
[Even in his previous life—]
[No one knew what truly existed there.]
[Which meant—]
[The Chronos Emerald was hidden inside.]
[Abaksa stood.]
[The Time War had started.]
[And he already hated the name.]
Elsewhere
[Hundreds of miles away.]
[Inside a ruined chapel.]
[A black-haired teenager sat atop a broken altar.]
[Golden eyes staring at nothing.]
[The Demon Lord.]
[Or what he currently called himself.]
[Then—]
DING.
[The same notification appeared.]
[WORLD EVENT INITIATED][THE TIME WAR HAS BEGUN]
[The teenager smiled.]
Demon Lord— "...Interesting."
[Locate the CHRONOS EMERALD]
[His smile widened.]
Demon Lord— "A race."
[The map appeared.]
[Showing the same destination.]
[The labyrinth.]
Demon Lord— "It's been a long time since I've enjoyed one of those."
[He stood.]
[The broken altar cracked beneath his feet.]
[Without realizing it—]
[Both players had begun moving.]
[Toward the same prize.]
[Toward the same battlefield.]
[And neither knew the other was coming.]
Three Days Later
[The labyrinth appeared at sunset.]
[A massive structure buried into a canyon.]
[Ancient stone walls.]
[Collapsed towers.]
[Monuments swallowed by time.]
[It looked less like a dungeon.]
[And more like a dead kingdom.]
[Abaksa stood overlooking it.]
[Wind tugged at his cloak.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...That's bigger than I expected."
[Objective Updated]
[Enter the Labyrinth of Ages][Recover the Chronos Emerald]
[The entrance loomed below.]
[Dark.]
[Waiting.]
[Then—]
[A scream echoed from inside.]
[Human.]
[Followed by something else.]
[A roar.]
[Deep.]
[Ancient.]
[Abaksa's eyes narrowed.]
"...Monsters."
[Good.]
[Monsters were simpler than fate.]
[He began descending.]
[The canyon grew colder.]
[The entrance larger.]
[Until finally—]
[He stood before it.]
[The doorway stretched thirty feet high.]
[Covered in symbols.]
[Clocks.]
[Stars.]
[Broken circles.]
[Time-related.]
[Very time-related.]
Abaksa Einsro— "This isn't good."
[The doors trembled.]
[Then slowly opened.]
[GROOOOOOM.]
[Ancient dust poured outward.]
[Darkness waited inside.]
[Something moved.]
[Several things.]
[Red eyes.]
[Dozens.]
[Watching.]
[Hostile Creatures Detected]
[Threat Level: Moderate]
Abaksa Einsro— "...Perfect."
[He drew his sword.]
[The blade reflected crimson eyes in the dark.]
[Then the creatures charged.]
[Fast.]
[Hungry.]
[The first monster leapt.]
[Abaksa stepped forward.]
[Not backward.]
[Forward.]
[The fight had begun.]
[Deep inside the labyrinth—]
[Far beyond the monsters.]
[Far beyond the traps.]
[A green crystal pulsed.]
[Ancient.]
[Powerful.]
[Waiting.]
[And somewhere else—]
[The Demon Lord arrived at the opposite entrance.]
[Golden eyes staring into the darkness.]
Demon Lord— "...Let's see who reaches it first."
[The Time War had officially begun.]