The city, frozen in time, remained silent around them, with dust suspended motionlessly in the air. Fragments of a broken clock floated like suspended stars. At the centre of this unnatural stillness stood a woman with silver hair. She appeared human, perhaps too human, and that alone made Lyra proceed with caution.
Every higher entity they had encountered previously possessed an unnatural presence too perfect, too distant. However, this woman appeared weary, authentic, yet dangerous. Her silver eyes moved calmly across the group before settling on Lyra, prompting her to offer a slight smile.
"So the stories are true," she said.
Kael stepped protectively in front of Lyra. "Identify yourself." The woman tilted her head. "Direct hostility? That is disappointing."
Rylan crossed his arms. "Lady, you emerged from a frozen time state bearing a cosmic tattoo. Reasonable suspicion is warranted."
The stranger narrowed his eyes. "You bear a mark."
The woman glanced at her wrist, where a silver symbol faintly glowed beneath her sleeve. "That."
Lyra cautiously advanced. "What are you?"
Her expression softened slightly. "The same as what you are becoming."
This response immediately heightened tensions. Kael tightened his grip on his weapon. Rylan remarked, "I am beginning to dislike mysterious answers more and more."
Lyra chose to ignore them momentarily. "You are aware of the anomaly network."
The woman nodded. "I know far more than that."
Her gaze shifted toward the frozen city centre. "If we do not stabilise this awakening soon, half the continent may vanish from the timeline."
A prolonged silence ensued. Rylan blinked. "Somehow, every sentence becomes worse."
Lyra refocused. "Who is the girl?"
"A temporal anomaly," she replied.
The woman sighed quietly. "An extremely unstable one." She then added, "And she is terrified."
This detail was significant to Lyra, as fear posed a danger when dealing with awakening powers—particularly those rooted in reality.
Lyra took another step forward. "Then assist us in saving her."
The silver-haired woman regarded her carefully. For a moment, a flicker of emotion recognition appeared in her eyes before vanishing.
"You are indeed different from others," she observed.
"Others?" Lyra inquired.
The woman did not respond directly; instead, she looked toward the stranger. "You have not told her yet."
His expression hardened instantly. "Not here."
The response made Lyra uneasy—implying a secret. The woman smiled faintly. "Still protecting her from the truth."
Kael stepped closer. "Enough games."
The woman's relaxed demeanour vanished immediately—the surrounding air froze, distorting and emitting a powerful, controlled, ancient aura.
"I suggest," she said softly, "that you cease speaking to me as if I am an enemy."
A heavy silence followed, as they all sensed her power level—precise, calculated, and formidable. Unlike Elias's chaos or Seraph's overwhelming presence, her strength was perfectly controlled.
Lyra quickly realised that this woman had survived within the system for a considerable duration. She relaxed again as if nothing had occurred.
Tension tends to awaken old instincts," she said.
Rylan whispered, "She casually states terrifying things."
Lyra stepped between the group to prevent escalation. "What is your name?"
The woman studied her for a moment before answering. "Selene."
The moment she spoke, Lyra's bond mark reacted violently. New words appeared beneath it:
"Prime Anomaly Detected."
Everyone observed this. Kael frowned. "Prime anomaly?"
Selene sighed softly upon noticing the mark. "They have begun labelling us."
Lyra's eyes sharpened immediately. "You are connected to the system as well."
Selene offered a dry smile. "I was connected long before your existence."
This statement marked a significant revelation. Rylan blinked in surprise. "How old are you, exactly?"
Selene ignored the question and turned her attention to Lyra. "You altered the system during your evaluation."
It was not a question but a statement. Lyra nodded cautiously. "Yes." Selene appeared somewhat impressed. "I have spent centuries attempting to do so."
A tense silence followed. The stranger closed his eyes briefly, as if already fearing this response.
"Centuries?" Lyra echoed.
Selene looked toward the frozen sky. "The system does not permit anomalies to perish easily."
Before Lyra could inquire further, a massive pulse of golden energy erupted from deeper within the city, causing the frozen landscape to crack violently. Time fractures spread through buildings and streets like shattered mirrors.
Her expression shifted instantly. "She is losing control." Lyra reacted immediately. "Then we must move now."
However, Selene grasped her wrist, stopping her. For the first time, her calm facade slipped, revealing genuine fear. "You do not understand. If the girl collapses completely..." she whispered, her eyes locking onto Lyra's. "The timeline itself may reject this city permanently."
A heavy silence ensued.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to vanish—erased from time, not destroyed. Rylan stared at the disappearing street. "Clearly, this is now an urgent matter."
Lyra gently extricated herself and regarded Selene carefully. "You have witnessed this before."
Selene offered no response, confirming her prior statement. Lyra then grasped the terrifying truth: Selene was not merely another anomaly but a survivor of previous system failures.
Finally, Selene delivered the final, startling statement that Lyra was unprepared for: "If we fail here, the Authorities will destroy this entire continent."