Jit_joshua

"In a universe where fate dictates all, a young outcast rises from the ashes of betrayal. Haneul, once the abandoned son of a powerful sect, returns after twenty years with powers that defy time itself. As war erupts between sects and an ancient evil stirs, he must uncover the truth behind his past, challenge the Outer Gods, and carve his own destiny. But the cost of defying fate is greater than he ever imagined..."

The Riftborn Heir

The night air was thick with the stench of burning incense and blood. Haneul's fingers curled into a fist as he stepped forward, his gaze locked onto the elder who had stood against him. The sect's grand hall had been reduced to rubble, the once-sacred chamber now little more than a battlefield soaked in betrayal.

The elder coughed, his robe torn, his once-proud figure now hunched as he clutched his side. "You... You think your return means anything?" he spat, blood trailing from his lips. "This sect was already rotting before you left. Now, you return only to find the corpse."

Haneul didn't respond. He could feel it—the shift in the air, the distortion at the edges of his vision. Time.

The moment he had been waiting for had arrived.

A cold voice echoed from the shadows. "Still standing? I expected better from you, Haneul."

The antagonist had finally revealed himself.

A ripple tore through the air. The world around him slowed, colors twisting unnaturally. The elder straightened, his wounds vanishing as if they had never existed. The dust and debris that had scattered moments ago were now frozen, hanging midair.

Haneul's body felt heavy. He tried to move, but his limbs resisted, as if unseen chains bound him in place. The antagonist was manipulating time itself.

The elder grinned. Renewed strength surged through his body, his injuries reversing. He had been given a second chance—a chance to strike.

Without hesitation, the elder lunged forward. His palm shot out, striking Haneul's chest with the force of a collapsing mountain. Crack. Haneul's ribs shattered. Blood burst from his lips. His body was sent hurtling through the ruins, crashing through broken pillars before skidding to a stop.

The elder advanced, his confidence returning. "You see, boy? You were never meant to stand above me." His fingers crackled with golden energy, the power of the sect itself reinforcing his next strike.

But Haneul grinned, blood staining his teeth.

Then, he shattered the chains of time.

A soundless explosion rippled through reality. The frozen debris in the air trembled. The slow-moving world cracked.

The antagonist's power—it resisted. It tried to force him back into submission. But Haneul was no ordinary warrior.

He was someone who had defied fate before.

Lightning surged across his veins, burning through the unnatural hold on him. His muscles tensed, then he vanished.

Before the elder could react, Haneul was already behind him.

Haneul's fist crashed into the elder's back with a force that shattered the earth beneath them. The elder's body twisted unnaturally, his mouth opening in a silent scream before he was sent flying—this time, for real.

Haneul wiped the blood from his mouth, exhaling deeply. His body still ached, but his eyes burned with renewed fury.

"If you want to control time against me..." He cracked his neck, his aura surging.

"Then you better be ready to face someone who can break it."

Shackles Of Time