Chapter 32 : Present

"So, you're implying that the statue has been giving off weird auras lately?" Lincoln sought further clarification.

Ketsukii considered his response carefully. "That would be putting it too simply," he replied. "In the past, whenever I visited this place, the only information I gathered from the statue was the presence of the Titan King, Obsune. However, now I'm detecting disturbances," he explained.

Lincoln persisted, his curiosity growing. "But what kind of disturbances?"

Ketsukii grappled with the description. "It's almost as if it's attempting something..."

"Maybe it can sense what's happening?" Lincoln proposed.

Ketsukii shook his head. "Oh no, Obsune must already know what's happening. But now, I'm starting to think he's trying to get involved."

"How would he do that?" Lincoln asked, intrigued by the possibility.

"Through a vessel," Ketsukii replied, his gaze fixed on the statue.

Lincoln looked up at the statue, his mind racing. "I have a chance then," he said, determination in his voice.

Ketsukii's response was measured. "A chance? Maybe. But I doubt it'll be any easier than it was before."

"I know," Lincoln acknowledged. "But how do I even reach him?"

The man looked at the statue, clearly seeing something that Lincoln didn't. "Through here," Ketsukii said, pointing at the statue.

Lincoln leaned in, studying the statue closely, trying to decipher Ketsukii's cryptic message. "I don't understand," he admitted, frustration creeping into his voice.

Ketsukii remained resolute. "Well, this is the only possible place. Unless you know somewhere else."

Lincoln shook his head. "But how?" he asked, searching for answers.

The man shrugged, and Lincoln sighed, realizing that unraveling this mystery would be no easy task.

He pulled out ModCytron and stared at it. "What's that?" Ketsukii asked, his voice laced with curiosity and a touch of unease.

"Something I've had with me for many years," Lincoln replied and turned to face Ketsukii.

The man's face contorted in fear and shock. "What the hell are you holding?" Ketsukii asked, his voice quivering with anxiety. Lincoln didn't reply, maintaining his intense eye contact.

"Why would you have something like that...?" Ketsukii continued, his words careful and hesitant.

"Like what?" Lincoln inquired, his tone steady despite the mounting tension.

"I don't know..." Ketsukii replied, struggling to find the right words. "The only time I couldn't get information from something was when..." He trailed off, overwhelmed by fear, before gathering himself. "What are you holding?" he asked, his voice trembling.

Lincoln hoped that ModCytron would erase the man's memory, but it became clear that it wouldn't happen.

"Is that a prime shard?" Ketsukii asked, catching Lincoln off guard. "Is that what you're detecting?" Lincoln pressed.

"I'm not detecting anything, that's the problem!" Ketsukii exclaimed in confusion, his fear and curiosity mingling in a stormy mix of emotions.

"It's not," Lincoln reassured Ketsukii, taken aback by the man's sudden distress. It was clear that there was more to this man than met the eye, and Lincoln couldn't help but wonder about the source of his trauma.

"Then what is it?" Ketsukii pressed, his voice laced with skepticism.

"ModCytron," Lincoln answered in a soft tone, a hint of sadness in his voice.

The man's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're lying... There's no way he could be this small," Ketsukii protested. "It looks more like a piece than a being," he added, surprising Lincoln once again with his insight.

"It's the heart. The rest of its body was scattered across Earth when it was sent there," Lincoln clarified, hoping to shed some light on the mysterious nature of ModCytron.

"Are you sure...?" Ketsukii asked, still grappling with the revelation.

Lincoln nodded solemnly, understanding the man's doubts. After a moment of silence, Ketsukii spoke again, his voice carrying a sense of reverence. "Moderators are sentient beings, not some object or animal," he stated, correcting Lincoln's earlier reference to ModCytron as 'it.'

Lincoln turned to gaze at the statue of Obsune, his thoughts drifting to his unique connection with ModCytron. "I know, but he used to be just a regular gemstone to me, something I just liked having," he explained.

The man nodded, acknowledging the complex bond that had formed between Lincoln and ModCytron. "Well, he made you like it," Ketsukii observed.

Lincoln nodded in agreement, his gaze returning to ModCytron. "I know," he repeated, a mixture of emotions coursing through him as he contemplated the significance of this gemstone in his life.

"I guess that's why I couldn't collect any information. It's a Moderator," Ketsukii spoke in realization, his voice carrying a sense of awe. He followed Lincoln as they began to walk around the statue.

The setting around them was a vast and ornate chamber, its walls adorned with intricate carvings that told the ancient tales of Alvanian history. Massive crystal pillars supported the ceiling, each one radiating a soft, ethereal light that casts a gentle glow over the surroundings. The air was filled with a faint, soothing hum as if the very stones of the shrine were whispering their secrets to those who entered.

"What are Prime Shards anyway?" Lincoln inquired, his curiosity piqued.

Ketsukii explained as they continued their slow walk, "Pieces of the Core Emerald. Even one of those is enough to cause destruction to a whole town."

Lincoln's interest grew. "Did you ever come across one?"

The man took a deep breath before he responded, his voice heavy with the weight of his past. "I stole one," he admitted. "I didn't know it was a Prime Shard. My ability wouldn't tell me; I thought I just hadn't met the conditions to figure it out. I wasn't very experienced with it back then. When I did realize it, it was too late. My hometown was destroyed," he recounted in a solemn voice.

Lincoln processed Ketsukii's confession, a sense of empathy washing over him. "I'm sorry," he said softly, acknowledging the pain in Ketsukii's past.

Ketsukii nodded in response but remained silent. After a moment, he continued, his voice carrying a tinge of regret. "I used to be a thief. I can work my ability to certain extremes that stealing things was too easy."

"But it didn't always work," Lincoln observed and the man didn't reply, but instead kept talking.

"So, I started looking for them because I knew what the Tyrants wanted to do," Ketsukii confessed, his voice tinged with guilt.

"Why didn't you join up with the Guardians?" Lincoln inquired, his curiosity genuine. "They want to save Earth too."

"But they don't want to save Alvanian," Ketsukii replied, his words laden with a deep sense of conflict.

Lincoln was taken aback by his revelation. Only now did he realize the complexity of the situation. He put ModCytron back into his pocket and continued walking around the statue. "You know the title 'Tyrants' actually came from the ancient word 'Tyranen,' which meant hero. But people called them Tyrants because of the destruction they brought to many worlds, including Alvanian itself," Ketsukii explained, shedding light on the historical context that had shaped the perceptions of these opposing factions.

"I see..." Lincoln replied, absorbing the weight of this complex situation. Ketsukii noticed Lincoln's uncertainty and lightened the mood with a chuckle.

"But well, I won't go philosophical on you, telling you what's wrong or right," Ketsukii added. "I didn't know either. That's why I just want to make sure neither of them finds all the shards."

Lincoln asserted, "The Guardians will not use it."

Ketsukii challenged this assertion. "And you just take their word for it? You know the Core Emerald is much more than just a means of cleansing planets for us," he reminded Lincoln, emphasizing the profound significance of the Core Emerald.

Lincoln recalled Aytrex's words about the Core Emerald having many abilities. "At least we know what the Tyrants want," Ketsukii continued, highlighting the clarity of their intentions.

Lincoln, however, remained steadfast in his belief. "The Guardians want to protect what the Titans believed in."

Ketsukii posed a hypothetical scenario. "Okay, then. Let's say they do protect Earth. What happens to Alvanian then? I'm sorry, but I've already lost my home once. Sure, I don't want you to lose yours too, but that's why I'm not going to help either side."

"Whether you give it to the Guardians or keep it from them, the result will be the same," Lincoln argued.

Ketsukii contemplated this and then replied, "You may be right. But then I have no reason to give it to them."

"You have shards with you, don't you?" Lincoln pressed.

"So what if I do?" Ketsukii deflected the question. "I know you, Lincoln. I know what you're thinking. I know you want to protect your planet, but I also know you won't let ours perish in the process. I also know you wouldn't let any planet and its beings die."

Lincoln considered Ketsukii's perspective but couldn't help wondering about other potential solutions. "Why couldn't you move to an inhabited planet like the Titans did?"

Ketsukii sighed, "Alvans have been trying for millennia. It's just not possible anymore. Alvanian is on its last straw."

Suddenly, Lincoln's hand twitched as he felt a searing heat emanating from his pocket.

Ketsukii, observing this, questioned, "What's wrong?"

With a low, pained grunt, he fumbled to retrieve ModCytron, cradling the gemstone in his palm. It throbbed with an unnatural intensity, casting an eerie, pulsating glow that felt like it was flowing through Lincoln's body.

"ModCytron...?" Lincoln murmured, his voice laden with disbelief and confusion.

The scenery around them seemed to darken as if the world itself was shifting

Beside him, Ketsukii's eyes mirrored Lincoln's bewilderment, and he too found himself gazing at the tumultuous sky.

The air crackled with strange energies, and the surroundings seemed to distort and waver like a mirage. In the background, eerie, otherworldly noises echoed, like a chorus of dissonant voices from a dimension beyond their understanding.

Lincoln's eyes remained fixed on the tumultuous sky as he asked in a voice quivering with uncertainty, "What's happening..."

A familiar voice, not audible but resonating within his mind, responded, "It's a temporal rift. It's distorting the time-space continuum. The time difference between Earth and Alvanian is fluctuating at an alarming rate."

As the world around them grew more chaotic, with the noises in the background intensifying into an unsettling cacophony, Lincoln couldn't contain his anxiety. "How is this happening?!" he exclaimed, his voice struggling to rise above the din.

Beside him, Ketsukii was equally bewildered, shouting to be heard over the mounting chaos. "What's happening?!"

"I'm unable to tell you the cause of it," ModCytron responded, the limitations of comunication frustrating Lincoln.

Desperation gripped Lincoln as he demanded answers. "At least tell me, is this an ability?!"

ModCytron's reply was cryptic but troubling. "Not just one."

"What...? How much time passed on Earth?!" Lincoln's concern for his home planet grew as he grappled with the staggering implications of the temporal rift.

"At least eighteen weeks now," ModCytron's response sent a chill down Lincoln's spine. He couldn't fathom how such a vast discrepancy in time could occur in mere moments.

"What the heck. It's only been seconds here," Lincoln muttered, his sense of time and reality shattered by the revelation.

"The fluctuation is unpredictable. But it won't be for long," ModCytron explained, though the uncertainty in his tone mirrored the uncertainty of their situation.

Amid the chaos, a frantic call pierced through the charged atmosphere, cutting through the disorienting noise. "Lincoln!" The voice was unmistakable, and he turned to see Aytrex, his usually composed face twisted in distress as he panted heavily.

"It's your wife," Aytrex choked out, his words sending a jolt of shock through Lincoln's heart.

"What?" Lincoln's voice trembled with surprise and worry, his mind racing with a multitude of questions and fears.