Chapter 4: The Weight of Seconds

"Kai, get up—now!" Lena's voice sliced through the fog in my head, sharp and desperate.

I was sprawled on the ground, dirt grinding into my palms, the taste of blood on my tongue. The alley we'd stumbled into was a wreck—broken crates, shattered glass, the air buzzing like a swarm of pissed-off bees. That damn paradox mark on my hand wouldn't quit glowing, and the ticking was louder than ever, hammering my skull like it wanted out. Mara's whisper—"You can't pay it back"—echoed over and over, and I couldn't shake her face, fading away in front of me.

Lena yanked me to my feet, her grip bruising. "You wanna die here? Move!" Her cheek was smeared with blood, her dagger still clutched tight from the fight. Markus leaned against a wall nearby, panting, his cane trembling in his hand. Tali—the scrawny kid who'd known Mara—huddled behind him, eyes wide and darting like a trapped animal.

I staggered upright, legs shaky. "Where the hell are we going?" I rasped, spitting grit from my mouth. The Syndicate enforcers were gone—turned to dust or ash back there—but I knew more'd come. That checkpoint mess wasn't the end; it was just the start.

"Somewhere they won't look," Lena said, shoving me forward. "There's a safehouse—a Fade hideout. Keep up or get left." She took off, weaving through the debris, and I followed, Markus and Tali trailing behind.

The slums stretched out like a scar across the city—crooked streets, shacks patched with whatever scraps people could scrounge, the stink of rust and despair hanging heavy. Every step jolted that ticking louder, syncing with my heartbeat, and I kept seeing flashes—bits of nothing where my past should've been. Mara reaching for me, her voice breaking, then gone. Tali's words burned: She traded everything to save you. My sister. I didn't even know her face anymore, but it hurt like hell.

We ducked under a sagging awning, rain starting to spit from the sky, and Lena kicked open a rusted door. Inside was dim, cramped—moldy walls, a single lantern flickering, a couple of Fades glancing up from a table littered with chipped relics. "Sit," she ordered, pointing to a bench. I dropped onto it, head spinning, while Markus eased down beside me, wheezing. Tali hovered near the door, clutching her arms like she might bolt.

"What was that back there?" I demanded, glaring at Lena as she paced. "Those enforcers—they aged, they died. Because of me?"

She stopped, hands on her hips. "Not just you. That mark—it's screwing with time itself. You traded something big, or someone did, and it's unraveling shit. I've seen paradoxes before, but nothing like that."

Markus coughed, wiping his mouth. "She's right, kid. That heist I ran—ten years back—we stole time the Syndicate didn't want loose. Pure, untracked years. Someone used it, and I'd bet my last breath it was for you."

I slammed my fist on the table, the mark flaring. "Mara? You're saying my sister did this? Traded her life for me?" My voice cracked, and I hated it—hated how lost I felt, how empty.

Tali flinched, stepping closer. "It was her," she said, quiet but firm. "I was there—twelve years old, scavenging with her. She found me after, told me she'd traded it all. Said you were her little brother, worth every second. Syndicate hauled her off anyway—said the debt wasn't cleared."

I stared at her, chest tight. "Why don't I remember? I traded my past, sure—five years—but ten years back? I was a kid!"

"Because it's buried," Markus cut in, voice rough. "Syndicate's got ways—relics that lock memories, rewrite what you know. That trade you made with Lena? It cracked something open, and now it's spilling out."

Lena tossed her dagger onto the table, glaring at us all. "Great. So we've got a walking paradox, Syndicate goons, and a debt that won't die. What's the plan, old man?"

Markus leaned forward, eyes sharp despite his age. "We find the stash—or what's left of it. That stolen time's the key. Syndicate's hiding it, and if we get it, maybe we fix this—undo the mark, stop the collapse."

"Undo it?" I snapped, standing up fast. "You think I can bring her back? Mara's gone—dust, like those enforcers!"

"Maybe not," he said, softer. "Time's tricky. If we reverse the trade, could be you get her back—or at least what's left of her years."

I wanted to believe him, but it sounded like a damn fairy tale. Still, that ache—Mara's ache—kept clawing at me. "Where's this stash?" I asked, voice low.

"Old Syndicate vault," he said. "Buried deep, under their towers. I know the way—used to guard it."

Lena snorted. "You're insane. That's suicide—Eternals up top, Reapers below. We'd need an army."

"Then we get one," I said, surprising myself. "Fades hate the Syndicate—always have. We spread word, pull 'em in."

Tali piped up, hesitant. "I know people—runners, traders. They'd fight if it meant sticking it to 'em."

Lena stared at me, then smirked. "You're nuts, Voss. But I'm in—beats running forever." She grabbed her dagger, spinning it. "What about you, old man?"

Markus grunted, pushing up with his cane. "I'm too damn old to quit now."

The room went quiet, just the drip of rain and that relentless ticking in my head. I looked at my hand, the mark pulsing like a heartbeat, and thought of Mara—her reaching, her fading. I didn't know if I could save her, but I'd be damned if I didn't try.

We hashed out a plan—rough, reckless. Tali'd round up Fades she trusted, Markus'd map the vault, and Lena'd scout the towers' edge. Me? I'd keep moving, keep that mark from blowing us all to hell. But as we talked, the floor shook—a low rumble, then a crash outside.

I bolted to the window, peering through cracked glass. Shadows moved—cloaks shimmering, ticking loud enough to hear over the rain. Time Reapers. Three of 'em, scythes glinting, heading straight for us.

"Shit," Lena hissed, grabbing her gear. "They found us."

Markus cursed, hobbling toward the back. "There's a tunnel—go!" Tali darted after him, and I followed, Lena at my heels. The door burst open just as we hit the tunnel, a Reaper's voice rasping, "Paradox detected—erase."

The tunnel was tight, damp, stinking of rot. We ran, my mark flaring, time stuttering—walls aging, then snapping back. I tripped, caught myself, and kept going, Mara's whisper driving me on. We spilled out into another alley, rain hammering down, and I knew it—we weren't just running from them now. We were running toward something bigger, something that could break this world or fix it.

[📢 Author's Note:

Guess Game: 

This chapter left Kai, Lena, Markus, and Tali running from Reapers, chasing a stolen time stash that could undo Mara's sacrifice—or break everything. What do you think's coming in Chapter? Will Kai's mark flare up and save them, or screw them over worse? Could Lena's past catch up, maybe a Syndicate trap? Markus might spill more vault secrets, but can they trust him? And Tali—will she rally the Fades or flake? Drop your guesses below—I'm dying to see what you predict next!

And

If your guesses are correct then I will drop 1 bonus chapter tomorrow. 

]