Chapter 6: Revelation

But what he didn't know...

was that something much bigger was coming.

---

Aiden found himself drifting in a strange river, seated in a wooden boat.

All around him floated countless clocks — but none had numbers on them.

He looked behind the boat and noticed the clocks were ticking backward, while those in front ticked normally — as if the back of the river was the past and the front was the future.

It reminded him of something — a tale he once read in a dusty old book.

> The Stream of Eternity — a mythical river said to contain the beginning and end of time itself.

He blinked.

Was this real? Or just a dream? An illusion? A copy of a legend?

Aiden didn't know how he got here, or if the place even truly existed.

Then, as he floated along the stream, he noticed something strange inside one of the backward-ticking clocks — a mountain exploding, its peak crumbling into the sky.

It had already happened, he guessed. That clock was behind him — part of the past.

The boat floated forward. He saw brief flashes — visions of the future — but they were blurry, unrecognizable.

It was as if some unknown force was preventing him from seeing clearly.

Then — a tremor shook the river.

The stream suddenly reversed direction.

Time... was reversing.

He jolted awake, drenched in sweat.

'That felt too real to be just a dream... and why did it feel like time was flowing backward? Can time even reverse?'

The image of the destroyed mountain still lingered in his mind — vivid and terrifying.

Unable to shake the unease, Aiden spent the rest of the night restlessly waiting for the morning.

At dawn, he searched for news about the mountains.

What he discovered made him shudder.

A mountain — Mount Sitara — had indeed been destroyed a few days ago… cause unknown.

It was the same mountain he had seen in the dream.

'Was that really a dream? Or some kind of revelation? A warning? The past? The future?'

Then a wild idea crept into his mind:

'Someone regressed? Broke the boundary of time? Wait — that's crazy… right? But why did I see it? Could my soul have crossed into time's boundary somehow?!'

He recalled something from that same fairy tale book:

> If someone dreams of the unknown, it may mean that the cause of that dream is near.

'No... no way. But I still need to make sure.'

---

Determined, Aiden took a shower and put on a magical mask that hid his identity.

He grabbed his storage bracelet and quietly snuck out of the academy through a shadowy alleyway in Vermalion City.

Before joining Solstice Knight Hall, his brother Aaron had told him about a secret information guild in the city:

> The Eclipsed Eye — a guild that could find anything, for the right price.

Standing in the alley, Aiden whispered:

> 'The Eclipsed Eye, I have a job for you.'

The words echoed softly.

Nothing happened… at first.

Then suddenly — teleportation.

Aiden was taken to a dimly lit hall.

'My brother never mentioned teleportation...' he thought, though he kept his expression blank.

In front of him, a faint light glowed. A masked man — hideous in appearance — stepped forward and said:

> "What type of information do you seek?"

Aiden replied calmly:

> "I want every detail on the students of Solstice Knight Hall. Their past, their actions, and any recent changes in personality.

And if possible, the same for all professors and the two principals."

The man replied:

> "I can get you the students' records — not the professors or principals.

Royal decree forbids investigating them. Doing so is a crime."

Aiden frowned.

'Guess I'll start with the students. If that shows nothing... I might have to dig deeper. Even the black market, if needed.

Although I know nothing about that...'

He gave a nod. "Alright. Investigate the students."

> "That will cost five thousand gold coins."

'More expensive than I expected...'

Aiden handed over the money.

> "Come back in a week for the results," the masked man said.

Aiden asked, "How do I leave?"

> "No problem."

He was instantly teleported again — this time, back into the alley.

'That was… dreadful. There was definitely dark energy coming from that guy.

Please let it end here. I really don't want to deal with the black market next. Who knows what might happen there?'

He left the alley, returned to the academy, cleaned up, and got ready for class — mentally exhausted.

As he walked into Evander's classroom, he whispered to himself:

'Please… no more dramatic shocks today.'