Chapter 28: The Fractured Hourglass

Caius staggered forward, his feet pressing against something that wasn't quite solid yet held his weight. The golden expanse of time stretched infinitely around him, its shifting glow casting elongated shadows of himself—thousands of them, flickering in and out of existence. Every possibility, every choice, laid bare before him.

And at the center stood the Hollow King.

Caius tightened his grip on his sword, his mind still reeling from the sudden shift in reality. His chest ached from the Hollow King's strike, but worse than the pain was the sense of disorientation. Time had always been his to manipulate, but now he was caught in it, tangled in its web.

"You feel it, don't you?" the Hollow King's voice was calm, patient. "The weight of eternity pressing against you."

Caius took a breath, forcing himself to steady. "I feel it. I see it. And I reject it."

The Hollow King smiled, an expression that sent chills down Caius's spine. "You misunderstand, child. This is not something you can reject. It is what you are. It is what you have always been."

He raised a hand, and instantly, the golden threads of time around them began to twist. The air grew heavy, and Caius saw glimpses of himself—fighting, failing, dying. Each thread was a different version of his fate, unraveling and reforming, endless cycles of victory and defeat.

Selene's voice echoed in his mind. You are not his.

He latched onto that thought, grounding himself. He had to find a way out of this place. He had to break free.

Caius clenched his fists and reached for his power. The golden glow surrounding him flickered as he forced his will upon it, trying to bend time back into his grasp. But the Hollow King merely watched, unfazed.

"You struggle like a drowning man in a storm," he said. "You try to force your will upon time, but time does not obey mortals. Time does not belong to you."

Caius gritted his teeth. "Then I'll take it."

The Hollow King let out a quiet chuckle. "Foolish. But… entertaining. Very well. Show me."

The world around them shifted again. The golden light fractured, and suddenly, Caius was no longer standing in the endless expanse of time.

He was back in the throne room.

Only, it was not the same.

The walls were shattered. The ceiling was open to the dark sky, heavy with swirling clouds. The city beyond burned, flames licking at the ruins of what had once been the Hollow King's domain. Bodies littered the floor—rebels, soldiers, people he knew. Selene. Elias.

Caius's breath hitched. He ran to them, dropping to his knees beside Selene's lifeless form. Blood stained her tunic, her daggers lying useless beside her.

This wasn't real.

He forced himself to stand, turning to the Hollow King. "You think showing me this will break me? It's just another illusion."

The Hollow King shook his head. "It is a possibility. One of many. But tell me, Caius—if you could stop this from happening, would you? Would you give up everything? Your freedom? Your will? Would you become what you fear most?"

The weight of the question pressed against him. Time had always been his weapon, but it was also a curse. Every choice led to another branch, another path, and yet… somehow, every road always seemed to lead back here. To him. To the Hollow King.

Caius clenched his fists. "You want me to break. You want me to doubt. But I don't need to see every future to know that I'll fight until my last breath."

The Hollow King sighed, almost as if he were disappointed. "Then you are not ready."

The air around them cracked, and before Caius could react, the world shifted once more. He felt himself being pulled, dragged through the currents of time, the visions of his past, present, and future blurring together.

Then, suddenly—

He was back.

The throne room was as it had been before they entered. The torches flickered, the heavy doors still slightly ajar. Selene and Elias stood beside him, weapons raised, faces tense.

The Hollow King was gone.

Caius gasped, his body shaking from the sudden shift. Selene turned to him, eyes sharp. "Caius? Are you—?"

"We have to move." His voice was hoarse, but steady. "Now. Before he pulls us back in."

Elias frowned. "What happened?"

Caius hesitated. He wasn't even sure he could explain it. "Later. We need to find the real Hollow King."

Selene nodded. "Then let's end this."

Caius took a deep breath, steadying himself. The fight wasn't over. Time was still moving, still shifting. But he wasn't lost in it.

Not yet.