Armstrong

POV: John Armstrong

John Armstrong sat at the edge of his bed, the city lights flickering through the curtains like ghosts from another world. It had been only three days since his life changed — three days since the inexplicable happened. He rubbed the back of his neck, his muscles tight with a fatigue that went bone-deep, the kind he'd been used to for years with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. But now, there was something else. Something new coursing through him.

John had always dealt with his body's unpredictability — joints that slipped out of place, pain that would come in waves, and the constant feeling that his body was a ticking time bomb. But now, he could feel the raw potential just under his skin, coiling and tensing like a spring waiting to be unleashed. Abilities he didn't ask for. Powers he barely understood.

In the dim light of his small apartment, he clenched his fist. The air around his hand shimmered, warping for just a second before snapping back to normal. It was like controlling the flow of a river, but the river was time itself. He had tested it, hesitantly at first. Just moments, mere seconds of manipulating time, slowing everything around him while he moved effortlessly through it. Chrono Drift was the name EDS had mentioned when John had gotten this ability. It was terrifying — and exhilarating.

Breaker and Scout. Those were the Specs he'd chosen when the Earth Defense System had first come to him. Not only that, apparently his heart condition led the Great King to gift him even greater power; that of the Swift Knight. He let out a chuckle as he realized that EDS was both the shortened name of the entity that now spoke to him, as well as the acronym for his condition.

Since things had changed, he wasn't actually sure if he even had Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome any longer. He had gotten stronger, much stronger, and he was good in a fight now — better than he had ever been — his senses sharper, his reflexes faster, his body moving with an ease that defied the limits his condition had always imposed. But time… time was the real weapon. He wasn't just fast anymore. He was beyond that.

John stood up and walked to the window, staring out at the familiar streets of Los Angeles. Everything looked the same, but he knew better now. The world had changed for him in ways that couldn't be undone.

A car horn blared from down below, a dog barked in the distance, and yet, all it took was a thought — a shift in his perception — and everything slowed to a crawl. The city around him froze in time, the lights dimming as though the world itself had paused to take a breath. John moved his hand, watching the air swirl around his fingers in slow motion, like moving through syrup. But there was no resistance for him. He could walk through this stilled moment as if it were nothing.

And then, with a blink, everything returned to normal speed. The sounds came rushing back, the city resuming its usual rhythm. John's heart raced. He was still getting used to it, the feeling of manipulating time, of standing apart from the rest of the world. It was a power few could fathom, let alone counter. 

"Something's coming," John heard in his mind. There was something off about EDS's voice.

"What do you mean?" John said aloud.

"I am sensing a huge disturbance," EDS replied. 

"Is it another breach?" John was already no stranger to the tears in space leading to that strange place called the Rift. He'd entered three now, and had fought dozens and dozens of monsters by himself. As a result, he'd reached level ten and had unlocked new abilities.

"It's more than just another breach," EDS said, almost sounding panicked. "Oh, this is going to be bad."

John's chest tightened as he absorbed EDS's words. He moved to the window again, pulling the curtains aside to peer out at the city below. The world looked ordinary, untouched by the chaos that lurked just out of view. But that was an illusion. He knew better now.

"What kind of disturbance are we talking about?" John asked, his voice low, almost a whisper.

"Something massive. And it's headed straight for you," EDS replied, a tremor in its tone.

John's heart skipped a beat. He could handle the monsters in the breaches—barely. But if this was something bigger, something worse...

"How long do I have?"

"Minutes. Maybe less," EDS said. "It's... displacing reality as it approaches."

John gritted his teeth. His apartment suddenly felt claustrophobic. Without thinking, he grabbed his jacket from the chair and rushed out the door, slamming it behind him. As he bounded down the stairs of his building, time seemed to stretch and bend around him, as if his panic was affecting his control. The city outside was vibrant, pulsing with life, yet the familiar energy felt wrong. Off-kilter.

When he reached the street, he slowed to a walk, trying to appear normal. But inside, his senses were on high alert, scanning the area for any sign of the threat EDS was warning him about. The hum of traffic, the chatter of pedestrians, the distant rumble of the L train—all these sounds meshed together as he tried to filter out the mundane and focus on the abnormal.

Then he saw it.

At first, it was just a shimmer in the air, like heat rising off pavement, but in an instant, it expanded into a jagged tear in reality itself. The fabric of space twisted and warped, forming a breach that pulsated with a dark energy. It was larger than any breach he'd encountered before, and from its depths, a low, guttural sound echoed outward.

John's hand instinctively went to his belt, where his combat knife and sidearm rested. But he knew they wouldn't be enough. Not for this.

"What is that?" John asked through gritted teeth, watching as the breach grew wider, spilling out shadows that slithered across the ground like living smoke.

"I don't know," EDS admitted, its voice strained. "It's beyond anything I've encountered on Earth thus far."

"Great," John muttered, backing away slowly. The shadows seemed to pulse, reaching for him, curling and twisting in unnatural ways.

And then, the first creature emerged.

It was tall, at least eight feet, with elongated limbs and a face that was more a void than a recognizable form. Its skin, or what passed for it, shimmered with the same distortion as the breach, constantly flickering in and out of reality. It moved with a speed and grace that defied its size, lunging toward John with a hiss that made the hair on his neck stand up.

John barely had time to react before his instincts kicked in. He focused, and the world around him slowed to a crawl. The creature's movements became sluggish, like it was moving through water. John sidestepped the attack, feeling time stretch as he drew his combat knife and slashed at the creature's side. The blade met resistance, but the creature howled in pain, black ichor spilling from the wound.

But as time resumed its normal pace, John realized he wasn't fast enough. The creature's clawed hand caught him across the shoulder, sending him flying into a parked car with a bone-crunching thud. Pain flared through his body, but it was quickly replaced by something else—fury.

"John, more are coming," EDS warned. "You can't stay here."

John pushed himself to his feet, his vision blurring for a moment before snapping back into focus. He could feel the power within him, surging like a dam about to burst. His time control wasn't just a tool anymore. It was a weapon—a weapon he had to master, fast.

The creature was already recovering from his slash, its wound closing far too quickly. And behind it, two more were emerging from the breach, their forms shifting and distorting like they didn't fully belong in this reality.

John had no choice. He couldn't fight them all head-on. He needed to out-think them, outmaneuver them. With a deep breath, he tapped into the part of himself that controlled the flow of time, feeling the familiar pull as the world slowed around him once more.

But this time, he pushed further.

Time didn't just slow—it nearly stopped. The creatures froze in place, their movements imperceptible. The city around him was locked in a single, crystalline moment, every detail clear and sharp. John moved swiftly, positioning himself behind the creatures, drawing his sidearm as he went.

With time still slowed, he fired three shots in rapid succession, aiming for their heads. The bullets tore through the air, moving almost too slowly to see. John released his hold on time just as the bullets reached their targets.

The creatures howled as they were struck, their distorted forms flickering violently before collapsing into heaps of black sludge.

John exhaled, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He had barely made it through that—just three of them, and he was already drained.

But the breach was still open. And something far worse was coming.

 EDS said, urgency thick in its voice. "John, you need to seal that breach, or it's going to unleash hell on Earth.""

"How?" John asked, already moving toward the rift.

"I'll guide you," EDS replied. "But you're going to have to trust me."

With no other option, John nodded. He braced himself, his heart pounding in his chest, as he stepped toward the churning tear in space, ready to face whatever horrors lay beyond.

The future of the world might depend on him.