Paradox

Kaelen felt a subtle tremor, a faint rumble that momentarily disrupted his thoughts. He could tell that the source of it came from the Grand Arena, where the tournament was taking place. 

But before he could dwell on it, something sharp cut through the air—a pair of daggers aimed diretcly at him. Reacting on pure instinct, Kaelen swung his sword, causing the blade to connects with a series of daggers that had been thrown his way.

The woman was still standing on top of the gate. She cast a quick glance upward, her expression turned to that of irritation.

"Tch! I don't have time for this."

She muttered under her breath, clearly agitated by something beyond the current confrontation.

Kaelen, seizing the opportunity, rushed toward her with his sword drawn. As he closed the distance, he swung his blade with all his might, aiming to strike her down. But just as his sword connected with her form, she began to dissipate once more, but this time, her figure fades into nothingness, like a mirage dissolving in the heat.

Her voice, faint and distant, reached his ears as she vanished.

"Sorry, boy, it's been fun. But i have to go."

"Hey!"

Kaelen shouted, his eyes darting around in a futile attempt to locate her. But it was clear—she was gone, her presence was completely erased from the surroundings.

Frustration gnawed at him, but he quickly turned his attention back to the ground below. Without hesitation, he leaped down to check on the guards and Rogue, who had been injured in the earlier attack. As he landed beside them, his concern grew—both men were still on their knees, their faces pale from the pain. Kaelen knelt beside them, assessing their condition, trying to determine just how badly they were hurt and what needed to be done to help them.

Kaelen barely had time to catch his breath as he checked on the guards and Rogue when the atmosphere shifted once again. From the edge of the forest, another figure emerged, cloaked in darkness, its form almost blending with the shadows that clung to the trees. The dark energy that radiated from its body was oppressive, twisting the air around it with an unsettling, malevolent force.

Rogue, still reeling from his injuries, managed to lift his head. A sense of dread washed over him as recognition dawned.

"You... you were supposed to be in the sanctuary, fighting the Madam. What happened to her?"

His voice wavered, tinged with both disbelief and fear. This figure wasn't supposed to be here—not unless something had gone terribly wrong.

The robed figure didn't respond, its focus entirely on them. It remained silent, its intentions clear through the ominous energy that crackled in the air. Without a word, the figure raised its hand, and the dark energy surrounding it surged outward, an inky black wave that radiated pure malice.

As the figure unleashed its dark energy, Kaelen's instincts took over. Without a second thought, he moved to shield the injured guards and Rogue. He raised his sword, hoping that it could block the oncoming attack, even as doubt gnawed at him. He braced himself, but deep down, he knew that it might not be enough.

'Shit!'

His fears were confirmed in an instant. The dark energy surged through his sword as if it were made of air, passing effortlessly through the blade and slamming into him and the others behind him. The force of the impact was overwhelming, a crushing wave of darkness tore through them all.

An explosion rocked the area, the blast sending debris flying in all directions. For a moment, everything was obscured by thick, choking smoke. As it began to clear, Kaelen could barely keep himself upright. His body was battered and bloodied, each breath was a painful reminder of the damage he had taken. He could feel the warmth of his own blood trickling down his skin, his vision was swimming as he fought to stay conscious.

"What... the hell was that...?"

His strength was rapidly fading, his legs giving way beneath him as he collapsed to the ground. The world around him blurred, the edges of his vision darkening as he struggled to hold on, aware that both Rogue and the guards had been hit just as hard, if not harder.

***

Opposite of the main gate, all the way across it, Master Cronos is seen standing on top of the kingdom's towering wall. From his vantage point, he could see everything, including the figure hovering above. The man floated effortlessly in the air, his dark hair tousled by the wind, giving him a menacing yet refined appearance. His eyes were sharp, almost predatory, and his expression carried a mix of confidence and disdain. The aura surrounding him was palpable.

The man's gaze locked onto Cronos, and he spoke with a voice that carried across the distance, tinged with mockery.

"Alaric Cronos... one of the grandmasters of this world."

Cronos chuckled softly, a light smile spreading across his face as he looked up at the man.

"Is this old man really that famous?"

The man's eyes narrowed in irritation at Cronos's unbothered smile.

"I'll wipe that smirk off your face."

With a sharp gesture, he lowered his hand and chanted:

"Graviton."

Instantly, the air around Master Cronos grew dense and oppressive. The wall beneath him groaned under the sudden weight. The ground crumbled, pieces of the wall breaking away and falling into the abyss below. Yet, despite the overwhelming force pressing down on him, Master Cronos stood firm, his posture relaxed and unaffected, as if the gravity surrounding him was nothing more than a gentle breeze.

The man's expression shifted from confidence to confusion ,a look of disbelief can be seen flickering in his eyes.

"What? How do you...?"

Cronos's smile widened ever so slightly

"You see, time is the very essence of existence, It's the thread that weaves through the fabric of reality, connecting every moment, every action, every thought. Without time, there would be no beginning, no end, no past, no future—just an endless void where nothing can take root."

He paused for a moment before continuing

"No spell or veil can function if time itself doesn't exist. It's the foundation upon which all power is built. And as long as I stand within the flow of time, no force—no matter how strong—can touch me."

In a blink, Master Cronos vanished from sight, only to reappear behind the man. The man's eyes widened in shock as he was abruptly propelled forward by an unseen force, crashing into the very spot where Cronos had been standing moments before.

Cronos's expression remained calm and focused as the area around them seemed to warp subtly, the flow of time itself bending to Cronos's will. With a subtle gesture, he manipulated the temporal currents, causing the man's movements to slow down and become increasingly predictable.

The man tried to attack back at Cronos. He raised his hand, attempting to compress the air around him into a crushing gravitational field. The ground beneath him buckled and rippled, aiming to overwhelm Cronos with a force that could crush stone. But Cronos was ready. With a fluid motion, he deflected the gravitational surge, with his staff, he sliced through the heavy air with ease.

The battle grew more intense as the man, frustrated and desperate, used his gravity powers to create a localized gravitational black hole, hoping to trap Cronos in a singularity-like vortex. The surrounding area trembled with the force of his desperation. But Cronos, with a wave of his hand, manipulated the temporal flow around the vortex, causing it to collapse in on itself and dissipate before it could ensnare him.

Cronos moved with the precision of a master clockmaker, each action and counter carefully timed. The man, though formidable with his gravity manipulation, struggled against the relentless pressure of Cronos's temporal mastery.

Finally, with a decisive movement, Cronos turned the tide. He accelerated the passage of time around his opponent, causing the man's movements to become sluggish and erratic. Seizing the moment, Cronos closed the distance and struck with a powerful, time-imbued blow, knocking the man to the ground below.

Breathing heavily, the man lay on the ground as his powers slowly flickered away. Cronos stood over him with his calm authority.

"Time is the ultimate constant."