The snow screamed past them, driven by a wind that chewed through armor and skin like it had personal beef. All around them, figures lay frozen mid-motion—encased in jagged crystalline frost, trapped like living statues. Snowflakes cut through the air, sharp as blades.
One landed square on Olsen's nose.
He blinked, green eyes glowing, and brushed it away as he stood. Ice cracked and slid off his shoulders in heavy chunks.
Ahead stretched a massive stone bridge, thick with snow, leading to a circular platform at the heart of the frozen wasteland. Two smaller bridges branched off, and another twisted toward a dark, yawning cave.
Olsen clenched his fists. Green energy pulsed. Each step he took shook the snow beneath him.
Behind him, the team started waking up.
Ella pushed herself up, tail flicking snow everywhere, golden eyes narrowing.
Prince jolted upright, arms thrown wide.
"OHHHHH, I'VE BECOME FROZONE!"
He looked around wildly. "WHERE'S MY SUPERSUIT?!"
Archie's wings sparked with fire as he groaned. "So much snow… this environment is actively disrespecting my element."
"Sometimes the fire has to go down, Archie," Sophia said, brushing ice from her shoulders.
Jocabed landed hard, fists clenched, snow exploding outward. "Focus! Power Gems first, jokes later—preferably while alive!"
Emely zipped in frantic circles. "WHERE ARE WE?! WHY IS IT SO WHITE?! WHY IS IT SCREAMING?!"
Javier shuffled closer to Olsen, Electrical Katana crackling faintly. "Okay but like… real question… can we leave?"
Angel hovered above them, feathers catching the pale light. Blue portals shimmered faintly beneath him—already mapping exits, angles, contingencies.
Then the storm shifted.
The pressure changed.
Power the Zenith stepped forward.
He towered over them, radiant blue light cutting through the blizzard like it owed him money. Calm, steady, ancient—his presence alone made the wind feel quieter.
"Stay close," Power said, voice deep and steady. "I'll cover you."
Instantly, the team tightened formation without arguing. No questions. No panic.
Power gestured toward the frozen figures.
"The Waspinites," he explained. "Conquerors. A rival tribe—the Xeniths. Centuries ago, they tried to take Avangard by force. The Frozenanites stopped them… by trapping them here."
Jocabed frowned. "They're still dangerous, aren't they?"
"Yes," Power replied evenly. "Especially when provoked."
Prince immediately poked a frozen wing.
Crack.
Everyone turned.
Prince froze. "…In my defense, curiosity is my brand."
The ice exploded.
Waspinites shattered free—wings twitching, jaws snapping, eyes pitch black and hungry. The ground shook as the frozen army surged forward.
Power stepped in front of the team without hesitation, energy flaring.
"Behind me. Now."
Olsen raised his hammer. "Everyone, MOVE!"
The battle detonated.
Olsen smashed the first Waspinite into the ground. Ella weaved through the chaos, dropping enemies with brutal precision. Prince became a streak of lightning screaming something unintelligible. Archie's flames roared—carefully. Jocabed's fists burned like meteors. Emely's trident spun with surgical violence. Angel warped portals constantly, keeping everyone from getting overwhelmed.
"POWER GEMS—NOW!" Olsen shouted, charging the icy pillars.
"No!" Jocabed leapt, catching the falling Gems midair, energy stabilizing them as shockwaves rippled outward.
The temple groaned.
Cracks split stone and ice.
"THIS PLACE IS LITERALLY FALLING APART," Emely yelled, pointing at everything.
"YES, THANK YOU," Archie shouted back.
Angel opened portals in rapid succession, guiding the team clear as the structure collapsed behind them. Snow whipped past as sunlight finally broke through the clouds.
Prince flopped onto the ground dramatically. "SUNLIGHT. VITAMIN D. I'M HEALING."
"Don't relax," Olsen muttered.
Power stepped forward, scanning the area. "The calm won't last."
Right on cue, the warmth vanished.
Shadows twisted. Black energy coiled through the air.
Incarceration appeared.
"Impressive," he said smoothly. "You survived. Briefly."
Olsen stepped up. "Not today."
Incarceration snapped his fingers.
A swirling black globe erupted—devouring light, sound, heat. The world went still.
"POWER!" Olsen yelled.
Power thrust his hands out, blue energy flaring, shielding the team. "Stay together!"
The globe twisted—and dragged Power inside with Incarceration.
"No!" Olsen slammed his fist into the barrier. "We'll get you out!"
Inside the darkness, Power's voice echoed—still calm.
"…Okay. I'm going to be honest—this was not on my schedule."
Even trapped, his blue light held steady.
"Focus on the Gems," Power continued. "I can hold him for now."
A pause.
"…Also, if I don't make it back, tell Prince he still owes me a supersuit explanation."
The black globe drifted away as Incarceration moved, dragging Power with him.
***
I stared in shock as the figure stepped out of the shadows.
It was Eli.
You know, that Eli — the kid who uses the Time Element, has Wyvern features, and never says a single word unless he's screaming an attack name like he's in a video game boss fight. He's 12, wears a gray jacket and blue jeans, has mixed skin and black hair swept sideways, almost covering his left eye but not quite. His dark green Wyvern wings folded behind him, and his black tail dragged along the snowy ground. Crackles of green temporal energy sparked around him as he turned toward the massive, shiny blue Leviathan looming ahead.
"Eli?!" I yelped, wings snapping open so fast I nearly back-flipped. "What the— how'd you even—?!"
My brain blue-screened. One second I'm solo against a mountain-sized fish-lizard, next second Time Boy drops in like a green-lit Beyblade.
Silence. Obviously.
Okay, Don, breathe. He probably peeked three seconds into the future, saw me getting flattened, and decided to speed-run the rescue. Three-times-a-day limit though—OP coupon with an expiration date.
Without a word he un-clipped that double-bladed neon popsicle of his: blue metal, green veins pulsing like it had heartbeat-envy. Edge so sharp it could slice middle-school gossip in half.
I swallowed the fifty questions cramming my throat—Why are you HERE? How'd you find me? Does anyone else know you exist?—and jerked my chin at Leviathan instead. "Alright, let's wrap this up before my panic meter hits max."
I glanced at Kai, who was vibrating like a furby on espresso. "Listen, fuzz-nugget, I don't know where 'safe' is right now. Stay tucked behind this ice slab and do not try any heroics, capiche?"
Kai squeaked what I'm choosing to interpret as "Roger that," and I straightened, heart jack-hammering.
Two kids, one missing prophecy slot, and a sea monster the size of a shopping mall. Cool. Totally fine. Let's roll.
Kai bounced in excitement like this was a field trip.
I pulled out my daggers, crackling with celestial energy. Eli pointed his sword straight at the beast, face like stone. No fear. Just quiet fury.
We launched ourselves into the air, energy trailing behind us. Together, we slashed at the Leviathan's ear as we zipped by. I landed on its back, sliding along the icy scales before stabbing my dagger deep into its flesh.
I charged forward, dragging the blade across its back, leaving a trail of glowing blood. It jerked, throwing me off — but I whipped out my celestial chains mid-air, latching onto its ear.
I reeled myself in, launched forward, and kicked it in the face so hard a shockwave exploded on impact.
But the Leviathan was pissed now. It turned sharply and SMACKED me with its head like I owed it money. I crashed through the blizzard, cold biting every inch of me. Using the chains again, I hooked onto a tree and slingshotted myself back into the fight.
Tree to tree I went, energy building with each leap, until I soared through the air and shouted, "CELESTIAL UPPERCUT!"
BOOM.
My fist met its jaw and an explosion of light and force cracked the sky. The Leviathan roared in agony.
It lashed out with a tentacle — I barely dodged. Then another. I zipped right past it. The third one came, and I spun like a Beyblade, slicing it clean with my dagger.
I raised one blade to the sky, yelling, "TAKE THIS, YOU OVERGROWN UNDERWATER LIZARD WHO HAS NO BI—"
WHACK.
A tentacle sent me flying into the snow like a ragdoll. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—"
I crashed hard, snow blasting in every direction.
I gritted my teeth and climbed the broken slope back toward the monster.
"So, what, are we just gonna keep fighting this thing 'til one of us gives up?" I muttered.
Suddenly, Eli teleported beside the Leviathan's face and hit it with a hurricane kick, then dashed again, aerial kicked its jaw, then vanished again. Dude was everywhere and nowhere at once.
But Leviathan got lucky. One of its tentacles smacked him mid-air and sent him crashing through several trees like a human bowling ball.
Eli reappeared beside me, quiet as always. I glanced over.
"Can't you just, like, hit it with a mega move already?"
He nodded.
Then… it started.
Timeless energy crackled around him as he smirked. He tapped his foot once. Again. Again. Each stomp sent green sparks flying, growing brighter and brighter.
"Chrono's Ultimate: TIMELESS DESTRUCTION!"
On the final stomp, everything went dark — like someone just deleted the sun. Pitch black.
His eyes lit up a blinding green as he began teleporting at hyper speed toward the Leviathan. His form blurred into a spinning green vortex, time itself unraveling around him.
He roared, "CHRONOTROPIC SHATTER!"
He ripped through dimensions like paper, phasing through whole universes, jumping timelines, and then—
BOOM.
He reappeared right in front of the Leviathan's face, unleashing a punch that shattered the air itself. Time cracked. Matter disintegrated. Space didn't even try to hold together.
A green shockwave burst from Leviathan's skull, blasting across all of Eclitsic. Mountains crumbled. The ground split. The world trembled.
Silence.
Eli dropped to the ground, arms crossed, unfazed.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" I screamed, totally fanboying.
The Leviathan let out a final groan and crashed back into the water, ice and snow exploding in its wake. The earth cracked beneath it as it sank out of sight.
I turned to Eli, who still hadn't said a word.
Bro.
When is this guy ever gonna talk?
I walked over and gave him a high five. "Nice job. Now, let's go grab Kai and find our friends. Oh, and by the way — teach me that move. That was NUTS."
We walked off, mostly me rambling, knowing full well he wouldn't reply.
I picked up Kai, who chirped in excitement.
But then I paused.
Something was off.
Very off.
"Eli," I said slowly, raising an eyebrow, "is there something you need to tell me?"
He froze.
Then, without a word, he pulled out a piece of paper and started writing like his life depended on it. The pen nearly tore through the page. When he flipped it over, two short lines stared back at me.
Yes.
And it changes everything.
My stomach dropped. "Okay," I said. "Now you're scaring me. What is it?"
His pen scratched again—faster this time, frantic.
I was supposed to be one of the Chosen Ones.
My role was called Celestial's Fight.
Before that… it was Time's Fight.
My brain short-circuited.
"What?!" I blurted. "That doesn't even—since when?!"
Eli didn't look up. He just kept writing.
When Vigilzante first began writing the prophecy, the rarest known Element was Lunar.
He believed only Lunaranites could wield it, so he never counted Time at all.
He paused. His hand trembled slightly before continuing.
Then there was Zeriath.
The forgotten continent.
The one Avangard pretends never existed.
I swallowed.
Zeriath drifted away as the world aged.
Its people—the Nomanites—were born without Elements.
Most had Wyvern traits. Some had nothing at all.
Another pause.
I was the exception.
The green glow around his wings pulsed faintly, like a warning.
I was born with the Time Element.
The words felt heavy. Dangerous.
I can rewind moments.
Slip into the past or future.
Accelerate myself beyond perception.
Bend time energy into weapons.
I stared at him. "Then why—why don't you—"
He slammed the pen down harder this time.
Because Time is not an Element.
It is a violation.
My breath caught.
Every time I use it, something breaks.
Timelines fracture.
Events desync.
Fate notices.
I felt cold all of a sudden.
The more I interfere, the more reality pushes back.
People forget things they shouldn't.
Outcomes rot.
Some futures collapse completely.
I finally understood why his hands were shaking.
Mark the Celestianite said Time was cheating.
That it didn't belong among the Elements.
That it would erase the meaning of choice.
Eli looked up at me for the first time.
The Founding Fathers agreed.
My chest tightened.
And I was Zeriath.
A forbidden tribe.
No Nomanite was allowed to step foot in Avangard.
Punishment: execution.
I clenched my fists.
Vigilzante wanted me to lead the Elements.
But to save the world…
he erased me from the prophecy instead.
The pen moved slower now.
Then you were born.
I stiffened.
A Crystallized Celestianite.
The Celestial Element.
A power that could rival Time without breaking reality.
My heart pounded.
January 2013—Vigilzante finalized the prophecy.
February 2013—you were born.
The first true Celestial user known to man.
Silence swallowed us whole.
After the war… Vigilzante died fighting Dreadixz.
Wars kept coming.
The Lost Key existed long before any of us.
He slid the paper toward me one last time.
Time could have solved everything.
That's why it had to be removed.
I looked at Eli—really looked at him now.
Not a god.
Not a weapon.
A safeguard.
And suddenly, I understood why he chose to stay normal.
I dropped my gaze, the weight of guilt and sorrow pressing down. Just as I was about to speak, Eli cut in, flashing me another note:
I know you're sorry. It's not your fault. I'm not mad. I'm just glad to be a normal person, like everyone else.
I smiled softly. "Well, you could've been the hero of it all, but… I guess this works."
We laughed as we trudged deeper into the snow, waiting for whatever was next.
Suddenly, wingbeats thundered above—hundreds of them. I looked up at the gray sky. "Eli—ears up, man, do you hear that?" I whisper-shouted, voice cracking like thin ice.
He tilted his head, green pupils spiraling—listening through time itself.
My heart rocket-jumped into my throat. "Okay! THAT'S OUR CUE TO LEAVE!"
We shot across the rink of permafrost, boots skidding, wings useless against the gale. War cries sliced the sky—
"THERE THEY ARE! GET 'EM!"
Lunaranite shadows eclipsed the moon like a swarm of angry inkblots.
Spiked ice tower ahead—natural ramp. I grabbed Eli's sleeve and slid baseball-style behind it, snow rooster-tailing everywhere.
Silence.
Eli didn't even breathe loud—pro-level stealth.
CRACK! CRACK!
Talons stabbed the ice on the other side—soldiers landing, snarling, arguing with their own echo.
Then Dreadixz dropped, blizzard parting like curtains.
"SOLDIERS! Find the runts. Incarceration and I will handle this talk."
"YES, SIR!" — wings scatter, none peering behind our tower.
Dreadixz rounded on the nightmare guy, voice low volcano:
"You unleashed the ILLEGALS?"
Incarceration's smirk twitched—first glitch I've ever seen.
"Yes. Remember our deal?"
"They're forbidden in Foreshade!"
"They're not forbidden everywhere," Incarceration answered, but his eyes kept flicking to Eli's side of the block—like he felt chronos static crawling over his skin.
Dreadixz snarled, launched skyward—probably to avoid whatever timeline smell Eli was giving off.
Incarceration lingered, boots crunching a slow circle.
"I smell something… Underview," he muttered, not to us—to the air itself.
SHOOT.
Underview = one glance = instant coal statue. No thanks.
He stopped directly in front of our block, back turned, yet voice drilling through the ice:
"Come out, little chickens… or shall I scramble the timeline?"
I froze—literally—ice crystals forming on my eyelashes. Eli's hand brushed my wrist: Don't. Blink.
Dark chuckle. "I admire survivors… but curiosity kills, Don. One peek…"
I sweated icicles.
"Maybe I lock your pals in a pocket dusk—forever," he hummed.
Then—globe of pitch bloomed overhead—my friends inside like fireflies in a jar.
Voices rained down:
"DON! GET US OUT!"
"SAVE US!"
"WE HAVE ALL NINE POWER GEMS!"
Jocabed—panicked, real.
Incarceration still facing away, whispering to the dark:
"Three… two…"
Green flash—Regeneration Gem clinks off my horn, lands glowing in the snow. Bait—but also key.
"ONE—"
"PLEASE DON'T HURT THEM!" I teleported—coal already crawling my arms—body locking, mind screaming.
Globe shatters—friends spill free. Prince, Ella, Kai bolt toward me.
Incarceration finally turns—eyes widening at Eli's silhouette behind the ice.
"Playtime's over, kids. Daddy will be back—when time isn't watching."
Snap.
He vanishes—but the after-image of his stare stays burned into the frost: two red dots that didn't dare blink first.
I can't move—coal to my neck—but I swear I hear him whisper to the empty air:
"Next time, Wyvern. Next time I bring a clock-stopper."
Oh, the stars…