Chương 31: Salvation

Time dilation? If all the previous events were not already overwhelming… Eric's head was hurting. He had one of those debilitating headaches and didn't know why. His only guess was that the effects of the room somehow made him feel terrible. Experiencing time dilation was novel for him, and he didn't know how to handle it. Ash seemed unaffected. The raven hopped to the edge of their platform and peered into the room. Four identical platforms occupied the corners, each carved with hourglasses.

Eric dubbed them 'time points'. The center of the room was white and empty; nothing was on the floor, and white light pulsed from beneath. Eric and Ash were in a giant enclosed space with platforms attached to each edge of the room. The platforms themselves were connecting two adjacent walls, holding them firmly in place. Underneath them, the absence of other supporting structures didn't bother Eric as much as everything else he'd seen in Purgatory.

He couldn't see an exit or locate the place he spawned from, but that didn't stop him from exploring his surroundings. Massive chains carried stone slabs along the walls, driven by giant gears. These moving platforms connected the time points. An individual with good mobility could traverse the entire room and move from one time point to another by using the environment. The only rather big problem was that nothing from the mechanisms was working. Every mechanism had frozen mid-motion.

All the moving platforms hung motionless in time, and some sparks remained frozen in the air, still burning. What is this place? Did I freeze everything… or did it happen long before we arrived? After wandering around, Eric noticed a lever protruding from a wall near him. It was rather small and had a diamond at its end. A stone slab etched with something rested above it. Curious, Eric stepped closer and rested his hands on the inscription. A beautiful system window emerged before his eyes.

Gold and white colors gleamed from the borders that had a stylish gothic finish at their edges. All of them had small crosses that extended from the edges of the window and overlapped themselves. The primary space wasn't an empty transparent screen, but a colorful glass mosaic depicting a saint with his arms extended. Even the text in the system message fit the window's aesthetic. -|-————————————|- You have discovered Resting Place of Time Decree of The Guardian of Time"Nothing could stop them…

I had to protect my most precious."

"Now here I lie, in my own blood."

"To those I love… farewell."

"I will not make it home."

"The end is coming soon."

"Only Death remains." -|——————————————|- Shivers ran down Eric's spine. Finishing the message triggered another one, which brought more clarity, but at the same time made things far more complicated for him. -|——————————|- New Quest: Salvation After the invasion began, the Shattered found a way to destroy the Guardian of Time and are hunting down Aion. Enter the last moments of the fray and find a way to subvert the inevitable demise of the family.

By accepting this quest, you will be introduced to a new realm where experiencing time dilation will impact your skills and abilities. Objectives: Save Aion. Survive the Shattered ambush. Warning: This quest cannot be failed in the general sense. Instead, participants are stuck forever in that certain snapshot of time until quest completion. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. You can respawn at the beginning of the snapshot. Accept this quest?

YES | NO -|——————————-|- This has to be some kind of sick joke, right? After agreeing to a deal with Death, becoming his apprentice, learning spectral magic, and barely surviving this damned place?! The next thing is saving time? TIME?! It was one of those moments where the surroundings carried too much information to process at once. What, or more importantly, who was Aion? Why did saving one person require stepping into the past? Purgatory seemed to be home to more than one eternal force. That message…

It said that only death remains. Was it talking about Grim? So he might know what happened here! How do I even accept this? Being stuck in an infinite loop sounds like the worst experience. Would it be like the movie with the groundhog? Eric looked over at Ash, as it was sitting on the ground. The raven tilted its head and answered with a series of soft clicks. They were the familiar way of saying everything was all right. The interaction gave Eric some courage, despite the tangled mess he was in.

"You seem to be feeling good. Do you know if we can leave this place?" he said. Ash shook its head.

"Just what I wanted to hear. What about this?" Eric sat beside Ash and dragged the floating quest window between them. He moved it over to Ash, hoping that his companion would understand more than he did. Ash read the descriptions of the system message and the quest after it. In that moment, a strange sense of wonder struck Eric. I'm sitting with a raven while both of us are reading a floating game screen. Four years at university really prepared me for this!

He smiled for a bit before returning to his usual focused self.

"Before doing this, I want to know your opinion. I mean, I'd gladly be stuck in a time loop with you, but I really don't want to know what eternity feels like." Terror frayed his nerves. Uncertainty and fear of what lay beyond consumed him. At the moment, Purgatory was less scary than the quest. Sensing his anxiety, Ash fluttered onto his shoulder and smacked him lightly on the head with its wings. After that, it jumped and landed on the diamond lever. One confident screech made its answer clear.

"Ash!" Don't be a wimp, Graham! That's what Dad would've said… if he could see me. What if he can?" Alright then! Let's kick some time-looping bastards!" The raven's weight didn't move the lever, but after Eric pushed it down, it let out a loud screeching sound. All the platforms with chains started to move slowly again. The sparks in the air disappeared until more of them emerged from the mechanism.

Creaks, loud clangs, and a grinding metallic hum made everything feel alive, as if an old engine had finally turned on. A translucent yellow barrier rose around Eric's platform, sealing him inside a cube of shimmering light. It served as a point of view, giving him the ability to clearly see the room. Different guards and conjurers began rising from the white abyss below. A black creature and a small boy flew up and landed near the Shattered. All of them were traveling back in time.

To Eric's surprise, two bridges rose from the abyss and connected the four platforms at each edge of the room, crossing themselves at the center. A column also emerged and pierced the bridges right at their intersection point at the center of the room. The reaper's apprentice could hardly believe what he was seeing. They are… spawning again? Traveling back in time? When will the rewind stop? Just as Eric's thoughts cleared, the picture in front of him stood still.

The black humanoid creature with tentacles and horns was pointing at the two guards who were holding the boy hostage. These guards weren't like the ones before and had more equipment everywhere, from their shoulders to the feet. The armor was both golden and black, with a gray cape swooshing at its back. The boy was in a white robe and had a crown. He also had a necklace with a watch in its center. After the amazement from the rewind, Eric caught he could hear what was happening outside.

"Do not take him! Your actions will have dire repercussions for all the realms!" The black screamed. Its stature towered over both its enemies and its eyes flashed white.

"Dad! Don't let them hurt me!" The boy cried as he tried to escape. He ruffled around, but his captors only pulled him closer. That's his father?! If the creature is the guardian, then Time might actually be…" You have no choice. Our army is coming to take him." Both of the guards spoke in unison, and the one to the right of the boy pulled a dagger. The black creature reacted. It summoned a tentacle, fuming with smoke and tar, while striking the weapon away.

The guards split, and one of them took hold of the boy, running over to a time point. He's running toward us! Flashes took over Eric's vision. The yellow film over his time point was fading. It disappeared, and he was face to face with the enemy. The unfolding situation surprised him, and he forgot to summon his weapon.

"What? Who are you?" the guard yelled. Eric answered as fast as he could.

"The boy stays with me!" Stillness filled the air. Everyone froze and snapped their heads at the reaper apprentice. That was the worst thing I could have said….

"Ash!" A screech bounced around the room and broke the silence. The raven flew over to the black creature and attacked the guard. Eric used the moment to summon his dagger. Both he and the guard were on the bridge connecting them to the center. There wasn't time to think. The guard didn't react. Instead, he hurled the boy over the bridge and jumped right after. Eric's stomach dropped and his heart skipped a beat. A black gryphon flew under the bridge and caught both of them.

Pulling the reins, the guard smiled as he summoned a spear.

"Aion! NO!" Another black tentacle tried to reach the gryphon but failed mere inches away from its wings. The remaining guard had stabbed the humanoid creature in the abdomen with a sword. It tried to move, but a painful spasm stopped it in its tracks. White liquid seeped from the gaping wound. I have to do something. I'm losing him! Eric extended a phantom hand and grabbed the gryphon's hind leg just as it took flight. His feet left the bridge, and the wind almost blasted him away. The rider glanced back.

A spear flashed in his hands and impaled Eric in his chest. The phantom hand disconnected, and the young reaper was tossed into the pool of white liquid from the monster. He grabbed his chest, but only numbness remained. His mouth began filling with blood, and he coughed. Then, without warning, his whole body tightened, and he convulsed on the floor. His vision faded as he felt his red-hot blood around his body. The sound of metallic steps was coming as he tilted his head to the side.

"Dying is tough, eh? Let me help you with that." The guard who killed the creature kneeled and pulled out a small dagger. He stabbed several times until Eric stopped breathing. One of the last things Eric heard was Aion screaming for his father. The guards didn't listen and rode away on the gryphons. Bridges collapsed piece by piece, and the entire room fell into nothingness below. Eric's lifeless body descended into the white light. -|————————|- Snapshot failed. Restarting… -|————————|-