The price of time

The moment the Soul Reaver sank deeper into the Heart of Time, the Abyss screamed.

It wasn't a physical sound. It wasn't something that could be heard with the ears or felt with the skin. It was a sensation, an overwhelming wave of pressure that compressed Ochi's body, mind, and soul all at once. The very air vibrated, shaking the ground beneath his feet as if the fabric of reality itself was being torn apart.

Time itself began to splinter, fracturing in ways Ochi couldn't even begin to comprehend. He saw flashes—too many to count—visions of past, present, and future colliding in a chaotic, violent dance. His eyes stung as if his very soul was being pulled through different realities at once. Every choice he had ever made, every battle he had fought, every step he had taken led him to this moment, and in a strange way, they all felt connected. It was as though the Heart of Time itself was showing him the intricate web that tied everything together.

But among those flashes, there were moments that stood out. Reina. Haru. Faces that brought warmth to his chest even as the icy fingers of time reached into his heart.

He couldn't—no, he wouldn't—let them slip away again.

With his hands shaking, Ochi twisted the Soul Reaver deeper into the Heart. The blade sparked violently, a massive surge of energy flaring from its core. His body trembled with the shockwave, but he held on. The power flowing through him was overwhelming, but it wasn't just the Heart of Time. The Soul Reaver—his connection to the leveling system—was amplifying it, its energy growing more uncontrollable by the second. He had to hold on.

"Please…" he whispered, his voice barely audible, his words lost to the chaos. "I'll fix it… I'll fix everything…"

The Heart of Time quivered beneath the blade, its pulsations growing erratic, as if it was struggling to maintain its existence. The air around him distorted, the world warping in ways Ochi couldn't understand. He could feel it—feel the collapse of time itself. This wasn't just about rewriting his own timeline. This was about rewriting everything. The past, the future, the very flow of fate.

Suddenly, the world around him splintered again, a sharp cracking sound echoing through the void. Ochi's vision blurred, and for a moment, he thought he was going to be swallowed by the endless sea of shifting timelines. He felt himself falling, losing control, but just as quickly, the world snapped back into focus.

He was no longer in the Abyss.

He was standing in a vast, empty landscape—one that seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction. The sky above was black, dotted with shimmering stars that seemed to flicker like distant memories. The ground beneath him was cracked and desolate, a barren wasteland where time itself felt… wrong.

And then, in the distance, he saw her.

Reina.

Her figure stood alone, bathed in soft, ethereal light, her face turned away from him. Her long, dark hair cascaded down her back, and she wore the same serene expression he had seen so many times before, the one that always made his heart ache with longing. She was real—she was here. But the space between them felt infinite, as if some unseen force held them apart.

"Reina!" Ochi shouted, his voice breaking through the silence, but she didn't respond. She didn't move.

Panic surged within him, but it was quickly replaced by a gut-wrenching realization.

This wasn't real. This wasn't the Reina he knew. This was… something else. A fragment. A manifestation of the timeline he had shattered.

But he couldn't stop himself. He ran forward, his legs burning with every step, the ground beneath him shifting with each movement. He had to reach her. He had to fix everything.

But no matter how far he ran, the distance between them never closed. Reina remained unmoved, untouched by his desperate cries.

"Reina!" he screamed again, his voice raw, pleading.

Suddenly, a cold voice echoed through the empty void, its tone flat and emotionless.

"You cannot save her, Ochi Nakagura."

The words sent a shiver through his spine. Ochi turned, his heart pounding in his chest. The Watcher stood there, its form appearing as though it had always been a part of the void itself, its eyes glowing with an unearthly light. Its expression was unreadable, but Ochi could feel the weight of its presence.

"This is not your timeline to fix. The Heart of Time is not a tool for the living. It is the essence of fate itself. Your family cannot be returned to you. Not like this."

Ochi's breath hitched, and for a moment, the world around him seemed to blur once more. His resolve faltered as doubt crept into his heart. Could he have been wrong? Was all of this for nothing?

But no—he couldn't stop now. He had come too far. He had sacrificed too much.

"I don't care what you say!" Ochi shouted, his voice echoing in the vast emptiness. "I'll make it right. I'll find a way. I won't let them stay lost!"

The Watcher's form shifted, its dark eyes narrowing. "Then you will be the one to pay the price."

Suddenly, the ground beneath Ochi's feet cracked wide open. From the depths of the earth, monstrous tendrils of shadow shot up, wrapping around his legs and pulling him down into the darkness. He struggled against them, but the more he fought, the tighter they gripped him. The shadows seemed to whisper in his ears, promising torment and endless suffering.

The Heart of Time above him began to pulse again, the energy around him spiraling out of control. It was no longer just a force of power—it was the embodiment of every choice, every action that had led him here. His body was overwhelmed with the rush of energy, his mind fragmenting as it tried to comprehend the forces at play.

"This is the cost," the Watcher said again, its voice cold and distant. "You cannot break the threads of time without tearing yourself apart."

Ochi gritted his teeth, the shadows squeezing tighter, but his resolve only hardened. He had already made his choice. He would bear the consequences. If he had to die in this twisted place to restore his family, then so be it.

"I'll do it," Ochi whispered, his voice barely audible over the rising storm of power. "I'll pay any price."

As the shadows began to consume him, his vision fading, Ochi's grip on the Soul Reaver tightened. With one final, desperate surge of strength, he stabbed the blade into the ground, summoning the last of his power.

Everything went black.

---

[Quest Update: The Ultimate Price]

Objective: Accept the cost of altering time.]