Chapter 7: Seconds to Break

"Stay low, Kai—crawl or die," Lena hissed, her voice muffled by the damp stone pressing in around us.

I inched through the drainage tunnel, my knees scraping muck, the air thick with rot and rust. Water dripped from the ceiling, cold as hell, soaking my jacket. The eight Fades shuffled behind—scarred-nose guy, Tali, Markus, and the rest—breathing hard, knives and relics clinking soft in the dark. The Syndicate towers loomed above, their shadow a weight I could feel even down here. My paradox mark throbbed, a steady pulse under my sleeve, and that ticking in my head was louder than ever—like it knew we were close.

Lena led, her dagger scraping the tunnel wall as she checked corners. "Almost there," she whispered, her scar catching a sliver of light from a grate above. "Outer gate's just past this bend—if Markus's map holds."

"It holds," Markus grunted from behind me, his cane dragging, voice tight. "But keep quiet—Reapers hear better than you think."

I gritted my teeth, the mark's heat spreading up my arm. We'd slipped in under the storm's cover, eight of us against a fortress, chasing a stash that might—might—fix this mess. Mara's whisper—"You can't pay it back"—drove me on, her fading face a ghost I couldn't shake. The Fades believed in me, or at least in sticking it to the Syndicate. I just hoped we'd live long enough to prove 'em right.

The tunnel narrowed, stone squeezing my shoulders, and I felt it—a twitch, like the air tightened. My mark flared, sudden and hot, and time stuttered. The drip above slowed, hanging mid-air; Lena's crawl stretched into a crawl of seconds. The wall beside me cracked, aged a decade in a blink, then snapped back, dust spilling. I cursed under my breath, clenching my fist, but the glow leaked through my sleeve—a damn signal flare.

"Kai, you bastard—" Lena snapped, twisting back, but a sound cut her off—a low, rhythmic tick, not mine. Reapers. The tunnel shook, stone groaning, and shadows moved ahead—cloaks shimmering, scythes glinting in the dark.

"Ambush!" Markus yelled, voice cracking as he shoved Tali forward. The Fades scrambled, knives out, but the Reapers were fast—two of 'em, then three, pouring from a side shaft like they'd been waiting. One lunged at Lena, scythe slashing, and she rolled, her dagger sparking off its blade. Scar-nose tackled another, his relic smashing into its chest, time flickering—his hair grayed a streak, but the Reaper staggered.

I lunged for the third, my mark burning, and swung. Time snapped—its scythe froze mid-arc, then sped up, slicing my arm. Blood sprayed, hot and sharp, and I stumbled, pain searing. "Erase—paradox—" it rasped, voice like grinding gears, and swung again. I ducked, slamming my glowing fist into its hood. It crumpled, dust bursting out, but the ticking didn't stop—more were coming.

"Lena!" I shouted, spinning. She was pinned, a Reaper's scythe at her throat, her dagger stuck in its arm. Blood trickled from her side—shallow, but bad. I charged, mark flaring wild, and time broke—hard. The tunnel warped, walls aging to ruin, then snapping back; the Reaper slowed, its cloak fraying, and I tackled it off her. My fist hit its core, dust exploding, but the effort dropped me—knees buckling, head spinning.

She staggered up, clutching her side, glaring. "You're gonna kill us all, Voss."

"Not yet," I panted, hauling her up. The Fades fought on—scar-nose pinned one Reaper, Tali stabbing with a shard of relic, Markus swinging his cane like a club. Three down, but the tunnel echoed—more ticking, closer. My mark pulsed, hotter, and I felt it—a crack in the air, deeper than before. Time wasn't just bending; it was splitting.

"Gate's ahead—go!" Markus barked, limping past a fallen Reaper. I shoved Lena forward, the Fades dragging behind, blood and dust mixing with the muck. The tunnel widened, and there it was—the outer gate, a slab of relic-etched steel, glowing faint in the dark. No guards yet, just that eerie hum, like the vault itself was alive.

Tali fumbled with her relic, hands shaking. "Can we even open it?"

"Gotta," I said, voice rough, stepping up. My mark flared, unbidden, and I pressed it to the gate. Time shuddered—runes on the steel glowed, then dulled, cracks spidering out, then healing. The gate groaned, splitting an inch, dust spilling from the seam. My head pounded, vision blurring, and I sank to one knee, the ticking deafening.

"Kai, stop!" Lena grabbed my arm, yanking me back, but the gate creaked wider—enough to squeeze through. Beyond it, shadows moved—not Reapers, something else. Taller, twisted, their ticking slower, deeper, like a heartbeat from the earth. Eyes gleamed—gold, unblinking—and a voice rasped, "Intruders… time thieves…"

The Fades froze, knives up, faces pale. Markus cursed low. "Lost Timelords—damn it, they're real."

Lena gripped her dagger, blood dripping from her side. "We're in—now what?"

I forced myself up, mark still glowing, the ache—Mara's ache—burning fierce. "We fight," I said, voice steady despite the shake in my legs. "Or we're dust." The shadows stepped closer, time bending around them, and I knew it—we'd breached the vault, but we'd woken something worse. Seconds were all we had left.