The Man Who Wasn’t There

“Time travel isn’t about fixing the past. It’s about surviving the consequences.”

The Battlefield of Time

Viraj’s breath came in ragged gasps as he crouched behind the broken telephone booth. Around him, the impossible war raged on—knights clashed with cybernetic soldiers, musketeers fired at drone swarms, and a T-Rex (seriously, a freaking T-Rex!) charged through the battlefield, its roar deafening.

He risked a glance at Lucius, who was crouched beside him, grinning like a lunatic.

"Oh, come on, Viraj! You have to admit, this is the coolest apocalypse ever!"

Viraj shot him a glare. "We’re gonna die, Lucius!"

Lucius shrugged. "Oh, definitely. But at least it'll be fun!"

Viraj groaned. "How are you not panicking?!"

Lucius gestured wildly to the chaos. "Because this is incredible! Time isn't just broken—it's COLLAPSING! Every timeline is leaking into the present. It’s like a cosmic buffet of history!"

Viraj wasn’t sure what was worse—the situation, or Lucius’s enthusiasm about it.

Then, he saw the figure again.

Standing amidst the chaos. Watching. Unmoving.

His long black coat billowed despite the still air around him. His face was hidden, but his presence felt… wrong. As if he wasn’t really there.

Viraj nudged Lucius. "Tell me you see him."

Lucius followed his gaze. The moment his eyes landed on the figure, his smile vanished.

"Oh… that's not good."

Viraj’s stomach tightened. "Who is that?"

Lucius exhaled. "I was hoping you wouldn’t ask."

Viraj grabbed him. "LUC—"

The figure turned.

And reality glitched.

The Glitch in Time

Viraj felt his entire body distort, like he was being pulled apart at the molecular level. He saw flashes—moments from different timelines crashing into his mind:

A futuristic city where he wore a lab coat, working on a massive time engine.

A medieval battlefield where he led an army with a sword in hand.

A world where he and Lucius never met—and time remained untouched.

And then—

Silence.

When he blinked, he was somewhere else.

A Place Outside Time

Viraj stumbled, nearly falling onto an impossibly smooth floor. The sky above him was… nothing. No stars, no light, no darkness. Just void.

Lucius was beside him, rubbing his temples.

“Alright. That was new.”

Viraj spun, heart pounding. "Where are we?"

Lucius took a deep breath. "Judging by the complete lack of space-time here? I'd say… nowhere."

Viraj’s head hurt. "Lucius, what does that even mean?!"

Lucius sighed. "It means we've been pulled into a pocket outside time itself. A place where reality doesn’t exist."

Viraj groaned. "Great. Just great. And let me guess—our mysterious friend did this?"

A slow clap echoed through the void.

Viraj and Lucius turned.

The figure stood before them.

No longer distant. No longer watching.

Now, he was here. Right in front of them.

His voice was deep, layered, almost inhuman.

"You have interfered with the natural order of time."

Viraj swallowed. "So… you’re mad about that?"

The figure stepped closer. "I am not mad. I am inevitable."

Lucius crossed his arms. "You know, if I had a rupee for every time someone told me they were inevitable, I’d have—"

Viraj elbowed him. "NOT THE TIME, LUCIUS!"

The figure tilted his head. "Your recklessness has created the Tower. And the Tower has awakened… the Timeborne."

Viraj stiffened. There was that word again.

"Who—" he started, but the figure raised a hand.

Viraj’s body froze. Lucius too.

Not just frozen. Stopped.

Viraj couldn't move. Couldn't blink. Couldn't even think.

Then—

The figure walked past them.

He didn’t move like a person. He moved like a shadow detached from reality itself.

He whispered as he passed.

"Time always finds balance. You rewrote it. Now, it will rewrite you."

And then—

Darkness.

Back to Reality… Sort Of

Viraj gasped as he snapped back into existence.

One second, he was in the void. The next—he was back in the city.

Everything was… normal.

No knights. No tanks. No dinosaurs.

Lucius was beside him, looking equally shaken.

Viraj swallowed hard. "Did we just—"

Lucius nodded. "Yeah. We got erased and rewritten."

Viraj shivered. "Lucius, I don’t think we’re in control anymore."

Lucius sighed. "Oh, we were never in control, Viraj. We were just idiots who thought we were."

Viraj groaned. "So what now?"

Lucius adjusted his coat. "Now? We find out exactly what the hell the Timeborne is… before it finds us."

And somewhere, deep in the city, the Clock Tower chimed.

10:12.

And reality shuddered again.

To Be Continued…

"You don’t break time without consequences. And this time… time is fighting back."

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