Lacosta

In a world where time is a weapon and the System governs all, Lin Wei is just another name on a list—until the day he awakens an ability that shouldn't exist. With enforcers hunting him and the city’s underbelly teeming with secrets, his only chance at survival is mastering his newfound power: Time Manipulation.  

But bending time comes at a cost. Each use brings him closer to unraveling not just the System’s grip on reality, but his own past—one erased, rewritten, and buried beneath layers of deception. As he pieces together the truth, Lin Wei is thrust into a war between those who seek to control time and those who dare to break free from it.  

With every second stolen, the lines between fate and free will blur. The deeper he dives, the more dangerous the choices become. Will he dismantle the System, reshape history, or lose himself in the fractures of time itself?  

Because not all timelines are meant to be saved—and some should never exist at all.

Fractured Eternity

The rain hammered down, slicking the rooftop as Lin Wei and Ren braced against the relentless wind. The hovercraft above them loomed like a predator, its searchlights cutting through the night. The drone of its engines reverberated in Lin Wei's chest, an ominous hum of impending violence.

Ren glanced at Lin Wei. "We need an exit. Now."

Lin Wei's mind was already working, but the System had cut off every escape route. The moment they had surfaced, it had anticipated their move. It was learning.

The hovercraft's side panels hissed open. Automaton enforcers. Their sleek black frames gleamed in the rain, red optics flaring as they locked onto their targets. They weren't like the human enforcers from before. These were purely mechanical—built for efficiency, programmed for one task.

Eliminate anomalies.

Lin Wei's heart pounded as the first automaton leaped down. It landed with an unnatural grace, joints adjusting smoothly despite the impact. Then the second, and the third.

Ren pulled his gun, but Lin Wei grabbed his wrist.

Ren shot him a glare. "You planning to talk them down?"

"They don't have orders to capture us," Lin Wei said, eyes locked on the approaching enforcers. "They're here to kill."

Ren's grip on the weapon tightened, but he didn't argue. The enforcers didn't hesitate.

The first one lunged.

Lin Wei barely moved in time. He ducked, the enforcer's fist slicing through the air just inches from his skull. A second strike came—a kick aimed at his ribs. Lin Wei twisted, but the force still sent him staggering back.

Ren fired. The bullet slammed into the enforcer's head.

Lin Wei cursed. "They're reinforced!"

The enforcer turned its head toward Ren. A metallic voice, flat and lifeless, rang out.

[Threat detected. Neutralizing.]

It moved. Faster than anything Lin Wei had ever seen.

Ren was quick, but not quick enough.

The enforcer struck, its arm extending unnaturally as it caught Ren's wrist mid-shot. A sickening crunch echoed as the gun clattered to the ground.

Ren gritted his teeth, but Lin Wei could see it—his wrist was broken.

The second enforcer moved in, swinging for Ren's head.

His body reacted.

Something inside him pulled.

The raindrops slowed. The red optics dimmed. The glow of the city blurred into streaks of neon.

His body was light, his movements effortless. The enforcer's attack was still in motion, but to him, it was sluggish, predictable. He reached out—his hand grazing the machine's arm—and shoved.

The enforcer stumbled backward, hard. Its balance disrupted. Lin Wei barely had time to process what he'd done.

Ren gasped. "What the hell was that?"

Lin Wei didn't answer. He didn't know.

But the System did.

The voice returned, deep and omnipresent, echoing inside his skull.

[Correction required.]

The hovercraft shifted.

A compartment on its underside slid open, and Lin Wei's breath caught.

A suppression drone.

Built to contain high-level anomalies. Built for people like him.

The drone hummed to life, energy crackling around its frame.

They bolted across the rooftop, Lin Wei's mind racing. They needed cover. A way out.

But the drone was already charging.

A blinding pulse of energy exploded outward.

Lin Wei felt it before he saw it. His limbs went numb. His vision flickered. His body crumpled against the rooftop, unable to move.

He tried to speak, but his voice wouldn't come.

The enforcers advanced. The drone's energy coil pulsed again.

The Hunter’s Gaze