Chapter 2: Temporal Shatter

The air felt thick with uncertainty as Kai made his way through the wreckage of the old city. The streets, once bustling with life, now lay dormant, consumed by the wreckage of buildings and the remnants of a civilization that had been torn apart. Every step he took seemed to echo in the silence, the only sound being the wind, which howled like a dying animal through the hollowed-out husks of skyscrapers.

His boots crunched over broken glass and rubble, and the distant flicker of dim streetlights cast long, crooked shadows on the streets. It was strange. The city was eerily quiet, yet it felt like everything was holding its breath, waiting for something. For him. For the power that lay inside him.

Kai could feel it again. The fragment in his arm, that cursed gift from the Moon's destruction. It pulsed, faint but distinct, beneath his skin. A reminder of the power that had reshaped everything. The one thing that could have saved him... and the one thing that threatened to undo him. He flexed his hand, almost instinctively, and the power seemed to stir beneath his flesh.

Don't do it, he told himself.

But it was getting harder and harder to resist. He could feel the temptation to use it. He was walking down the street now, heading towards the warehouse Ava had mentioned. The night was darker than usual. The moon, or what was left of it, was a constant presence above the fractured skyline, a haunting reminder of what had happened.

He remembered the first time he used the power—the first time the fragment had activated.

It had been an accident. He had been caught in the wreckage of a collapsed building, a pile of debris pinning him beneath it. He had thought he was going to die there, crushed under the weight of the collapse, but then the fragment within him had reacted. A split-second instinct. He had reached out with his hand, desperate to save himself, and suddenly... everything had stopped.

Time had frozen.

The air around him had grown still, as though the world itself had taken a breath and held it. He had felt it first in his chest, then spread through his limbs, like the very essence of time was being bent and pulled through him. The debris had ceased its fall, hanging motionless in the air. He could see the world around him—a frozen tableau, frozen people, frozen everything.

In that moment, he had thought it was a miracle. A gift. But then he had moved.

He hadn't meant to.

But just the simple action of reaching out had sent time spiraling backward. The rubble had reversed itself, falling back into place, shifting in a way that was unnatural. The damage had undone itself. But only for a moment.

He had thought it was magic—something impossible. But there was nothing magical about it. It had a cost. And when time resumed its flow, the city had been different. The air had felt thicker, as though reality itself had been stretched too thin. That was when he understood. Time couldn't be rewound without consequences. And those consequences were starting to show.

He had used the power twice since then, but each time it had left him weaker. More disoriented. More disconnected from the world around him.

As Kai reached the entrance to the abandoned warehouse, he could feel it. The pulse in his arm was stronger now, almost as if it was calling to him. It throbbed with an insistent, almost painful rhythm. The power was hungry. It wanted to be used again.

Kai stopped in his tracks, his eyes closing briefly as he forced himself to breathe. He had to stay focused. He wasn't here for himself. He was here for the mission—finding fragments before the faction did. Ava had made it clear that they needed to locate the remaining fragments scattered across the city. If they didn't, someone else would. And that someone else had no interest in saving the world. M's faction had one goal—to use the fragments to reshape everything according to their own twisted design.

Kai wasn't sure if he was ready to stop them. He wasn't sure if he had the strength left to fight at all.

He approached the entrance cautiously, each step deliberate, knowing that he was far from alone. His senses were heightened, alert to every shift in the air, every crackle of movement in the shadows. He could feel eyes on him, could almost hear the whispers of those watching from afar. The city wasn't silent after all. It was alive with danger, waiting for the next misstep.

As he reached the doorway, he paused. His fingers hovered over the latch, then froze. The fragment in his arm pulsed violently, sending a sharp pain racing through his chest. He staggered back, gripping his arm tightly, trying to suppress the power before it surged again.

He took a few shallow breaths, feeling the world spin around him. His vision blurred for a moment, the edges of the world warping like ripples on water. His pulse was erratic, his thoughts scattered. His powers were becoming harder to control.

He had to be careful. He had to resist the temptation to use it again. He couldn't let it consume him. Not now.

With a strained effort, Kai stepped forward once more, forcing himself to focus. The door creaked open, revealing the dark interior of the warehouse. The faint scent of rust and old machinery filled his nostrils. There was no sign of movement, no immediate danger. But that didn't mean he was safe.

The fragment within him throbbed again, a constant reminder that danger wasn't just outside—it was inside him. Every time he used his power, every time he bent time to his will, the world around him seemed to break a little more. The threads of reality twisted and snapped, and there was no telling what would happen if he kept using it.

Inside the warehouse, rows of dusty crates and old equipment lined the walls. A low hum filled the air, and as Kai stepped deeper into the space, his footfalls were muffled by the thick dust coating the floor.

He moved cautiously, scanning his surroundings. The mission was simple—find the fragments before anyone else did. But nothing was ever simple anymore. He could feel it. There was something more to this place. Something he hadn't anticipated.

As he approached the far corner, he heard a sound—a soft scraping noise, followed by a quiet gasp. Kai's instincts kicked in. He spun around, his body tensing, ready for a fight.

Before he could react, a figure stepped out of the shadows, raising their hands in a gesture of peace.

"Relax," the person said, their voice low and cautious. "I'm not here to fight."

Kai narrowed his eyes, still poised for action. "Who are you?"

The figure stepped into the light, revealing a young man with dark hair and an expression that matched the broken world they inhabited.

"My name's Leo. I'm not with M's faction. But I need your help."

Kai didn't trust him. But he knew one thing for sure: this was no coincidence. The fragments had brought them together for a reason. Whether it was fate or something darker, Kai couldn't say. But he did know this—he wasn't alone anymore.

And if he was going to survive, he would have to face whatever dangers lay ahead, no matter the cost.