Zayn glanced up at the wall clock ticking away inside the laboratory. The hands had just settled on 6:00 PM.
"One hour left until the exhibition opens,"
he thought to himself, a tense anticipation building in his chest.
He turned his gaze toward Diego.
"I'm heading over to the museum first. The exhibition is about to start."
Diego looked up, his expression turning uncharacteristically solemn.
"Alright, but you need to keep your guard up. If my visions serve me right, there are three people you need to watch out for: a blonde girl, a girl with short, dark green hair, and a rather hyperactive black-haired girl."
Zayn blinked, completely caught off guard. "Seriously? How could you possibly know that?"
"I told you, I can see the future," Diego replied with a faint, enigmatic smile. "Just trust me on this."
"Right... okay," Zayn muttered. He was still deeply perplexed; the descriptions Diego gave were far too common to pinpoint anyone specific, yet the certainty in his friend's voice was hard to ignore.
By the exit, Xavier was already propping the door open, a smirk playing on his lips. "Well, it looks like the main story is finally shifting into gear."
Nodding, Zayn took a step forward. He pushed the front door open and stepped out of the laboratory alongside Xavier, the evening air hitting their faces.
Inside the room they left behind, Rayne stood frozen as a sudden realization washed over him.
*Wait a minute... if this involves Team Epitaph, then this is Esper business,* her eyes widened in his silent revelation. *Hold on, I'm an Esper too!*
Without wasting another second, she bolted toward the exit, dashing out of the lab to catch up with the departing duo.
"Hey! Wait up! I'm coming with you!"
She shouted, his footsteps echoing down the corridor as he pursued Zayn and Xavier.
Once the chaotic energy of Rayne's departure faded, Ao turned to Raizer, who was leaning quietly against the wall.
"Aren't you going with them?"
Raizer didn't even look up, his voice cool and detached. "Not yet."
Meanwhile, deep within the grand architecture of the museum, Walt and Eon were making their way toward the Director's office.
Their footsteps were hurried, muffled by the heavy carpets of the hallway.
*Knock! Knock! Knock!*
Inside the office, Alfred was standing by the window, his sharp eyes analyzing the massive crowd of academy students gathering outside the museum grounds.
Hearing the knock, he turned back toward the door.
"Come in," he called out calmly, resuming his seat behind his heavy executive desk.
The door swung open, and Eon and Walt stepped inside. Without a word of greeting, Walt flicked his wrist, tossing a sleek flash drive across the room.
Alfred caught it effortlessly with his left hand and immediately slotted it into his computer terminal.
The monitor flared to life, illuminating his face in a pale blue glow as he bypassed the encryption and opened the data directory.
"Impressive," Alfred murmured, his eyebrows narrowing as he scanned the initial files.
"I didn't think you two would actually pull off retrieving this data."
"It was a nightmare, frankly," Walt replied, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.
"I actually had to collaborate with Miranda to pull it off. You have no idea how difficult it is to isolate data from multiple tangled timelines; it's not as simple as looking up a file in a standard directory. Besides, what you're looking at is just raw intelligence. It's incomplete, but it outlines their core project operations over the last few months."
As Alfred scrolled deeper into the drive, a specific folder caught his attention. The title was bold and ominous:
[ Project: Convergence ]
He clicked it open, revealing the operational roadmap of the organization.
The primary objective stared back at him:
> [ Step 1: Establish a stable bridge between timelines. ]
Nested beneath this objective were three distinct sub-folders, each representing a different phase of experimentation:
* [Shadow Realm Plan]
* [Warp Plan]
* [Line Plan]
Alfred opened the [Shadow Realm Plan] first, his mind working rapidly to analyze the operational logs.
"The Shadow Realm... so this was their initial concept," he theorized silently, reading through the heavily redacted text.
"They wanted to exploit the Shadow Realm because it exists independently of conventional time and space, using it as a back door to breach alternate timelines. But they abandoned it. During the trial phases, the environment proved far too volatile. The Shadow Realm's temporal currents are completely unpredictable; it ended up hurling their test subjects entirely too far from their target coordinates."
He closed the file and opened the second document:
[Warp Plan]
As his eyes skimmed the formulas, he realized that while this method was structurally straightforward, it possessed a fatal flaw.
"This is theoretically the easiest route to bridge two timelines," Alfred muttered under his breath.
"An Esper or a Psychic-type Pokémon can easily tear open a portal using warp energy. However, attempting to permanently fuse two timelines using localized warp energy is inherently unstable. The spatial degradation would tear both realities apart at the seams."
Finally, Alfred opened the last file:
[Line Plan].
The opening logs contained highly cryptic notes from the lead researchers:
[ With our first two options rejected, we searched for a third alternative. Our breakthrough came two years ago when we secured the Alcrypna. We recognize that mapping the artifact's true threshold of power is impossible through standard metrics; therefore, our success hinges entirely on locating the ultimate, compatible human catalyst to anchor the project ]
Intrigued, Alfred dug deeper into the drive until he unearthed the specific technical breakdown for the artifact's application:
[DOCUMENT: THE ALCRYPNA LINE]
> Overview:
> A specialized project designed to link two entirely separate geographical and temporal locations, completely bypassing the conventional limitations of space and time. In short, it functions as a highly controlled variation of the Shadow Realm, without requiring actual entry into the hazardous Shadow World itself.
> Project Justification:
> Utilizing the raw Shadow Realm without the anchor of the Shadow World is a dangerous gamble against time. Even if the spatial destination is locked, the temporal arrival point remains entirely inconsistent and impossible to regulate.
> We learned this the hard way during our previous field test in the alternate universe. While we successfully bridged the two timelines, the temporal feedback loop threw our team several decades into the past. Time within the unanchored Shadow Realm cannot be regulated. We required a stabilizer.
> Alternative Methods Evaluated:
> According to our theoretical research, opening an Ultra Wormhole would provide the most mathematically absolute stability. However, we currently lack access to Ultra Beasts, nor do we possess mages capable of executing the summoning rituals required to breach those dimensions. Therefore, utilizing the artifact is our only viable, immediate recourse. We have the Alcrypna; we only need the right users.
>
Alfred scrolled down to the personnel synchronization logs.
Two names were highlighted in crimson text:
> Subject 1: Roxanne
> Status: Critical Project Component.
> Analysis: Upon synchronization with the artifact, she successfully manifested a localized spatial tether which we have designated the **Alcrypna Line**. This tether is exponentially more stable and infinitely easier to calibrate than the Shadow Realm. Furthermore, her synchronization accuracy is the highest ever recorded in organizational history—a flawless **100%**. With her anchoring the Line, we can precisely target and lock onto the exact timeline and coordinate we desire.
> Subject 2: Vera
> Status: Core Utility Asset.
> Analysis: We require a highly specific application of her unique abilities. Specifically, her localized gravitational manipulation is essential to physically pull and anchor the targeted timeline toward our own. Her gravity-warping powers are currently the only known method capable of cleanly separating overlapping alternate timelines. Without her gravitational filtering, the incoming timelines would violently collapse on top of one another, resulting in immediate reality failure.
After rew minutes later, Alfred finished reading the final line of the dossier and stared at the monitor, a deep frown carving into his forehead.
He looked up at Walt.
"Hold on a minute. There's a massive gap here. There is absolutely no data explaining how they actually intend to finalize the merger. How do they fuse the timelines permanently?"
Walt shrugged slightly, his expression grim.
"Like I told you, it's raw data. I scavenged these files from old documents during our previous Allied mission. But if you want my opinion? I'm certain they've recruited a new member—someone with a highly specific ability to handle the actual fusion."
Alfred raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure about a new recruit?"
"Because if they already had the means to do it themselves," Walt said, his voice dropping to a serious tone,
"they would have triggered the convergence a long time ago."
Over by the grand window, Eon gazed down at the bustling courtyard below, watching the hundreds of unsuspecting academy students laughing and talking under the evening lights.
"I just hope my preparations are enough," Eon murmured softly, his reflection staring back at him against the dark glass. "There are far too many variables at play tonight."