The Man Who Remembered Too Much

“Time is not a river. It’s an ocean. And when you disturb it, you don’t just make ripples—you awaken what lurks beneath.”

Back to (A Very Wrong) Reality

Viraj still felt like his body didn’t belong. His atoms felt… off, like he’d been glued back together with cheap superglue and bad decisions.

Lucius looked just as rattled, which was never a good sign. The man could face a collapsing multiverse and still sip his coffee like it was a mild inconvenience. But now?

Lucius was quiet.

That scared Viraj more than anything.

They were back in the city. But it wasn’t their city.

It looked the same. Same streets. Same buildings. Same slightly overpriced food stalls. But… something was different. Viraj just couldn’t put his finger on it.

Until he saw the newspaper.

He stopped dead, staring at a stand selling The New Delhi Times. The headline made his blood run cold.

"World Leaders Gather for Annual Time Stabilization Summit – 2097"

Viraj grabbed the paper, scanning the date. February 12, 2097.

"Lucius… tell me I’m reading this wrong."

Lucius peered over. "Well, that depends. Are you reading '2097' as '2025'? Because if so, then yeah. You're reading it wrong."

Viraj’s breath hitched. "Lucius, we just got thrown 72 years into the future."

Lucius rubbed his temples. "Okay. Maybe it’s not that bad."

Viraj shoved the paper in his face. "THERE’S A 'TIME STABILIZATION SUMMIT,' LUC! THAT MEANS TIME TRAVEL IS NORMAL HERE!"

Lucius frowned. "…Oh. Okay, yeah, that’s bad."

The Future That Shouldn’t Exist

They needed answers. Fast.

They blended into the crowd as best they could—Viraj tried not to gawk at hovering cars, holographic billboards, and people casually checking ‘personal quantum stabilizers’ on their wrists.

This world had mastered time.

Lucius tapped his chin. "Well. This is unexpected."

Viraj gritted his teeth. "Lucius, I swear on every physics book ever written, if you say ‘this is fascinating,’ I will punch you into next Tuesday."

Lucius raised a finger. "Technically, in this timeline, next Tuesday might be—"

Viraj punched him in the arm.

Lucius winced. "Okay, deserved."

They needed a plan. But before they could even think, a voice called out—

"Hey! You two!"

Viraj turned, his stomach dropping. A man in a long coat strode toward them. His face was lined with age, but his eyes were sharp. He looked strangely familiar.

Then, the man stared straight at Viraj.

And said something that shattered his brain.

"Viraj Hatwar. I’ve been waiting for you."

Viraj froze. "Excuse me?"

The man smirked. "You don’t recognize me, do you?"

Viraj blinked. Then blinked again.

And then, realization hit him like a freight train.

The man was him.

An older version of himself.

Future Viraj and a Very Bad Truth

Viraj was not handling this well.

"Nope. No. Absolutely not. I refuse. This is a prank. Lucius, tell me this is a prank."

Lucius, for once, looked just as shocked. "I… actually don’t know. And I hate that I don’t know."

Future Viraj chuckled. "Still dramatic, huh? Yeah, I remember being like that."

Viraj grabbed his own hair. "I’M HAVING A CRISIS, FUTURE ME!"

Future Viraj crossed his arms. "Good. Because you should be. You and your idiot scientist friend just broke time worse than ever."

Lucius gasped. "Excuse me, I prefer ‘brilliant scientist friend.’"

Future Viraj ignored him. "You two caused the Timeborne. And now, I have to clean up your mess."

Viraj’s throat was dry. "The Timeborne… what is it?"

Future Viraj’s face darkened. "Not what. Who."

Viraj’s pulse quickened. "Then… who?"

Future Viraj exhaled, looking at the Clock Tower in the distance.

"The Timeborne is what happens when time fights back."

Viraj’s heart hammered. "That’s not an answer!"

Future Viraj turned back to them. "Fine. You want the truth?"

Lucius and Viraj nodded, bracing themselves.

Future Viraj’s eyes were cold. "The Timeborne is coming. Because of you two. And unless you fix this… there won’t be a future left for anyone."

Viraj’s blood ran cold.

Lucius whistled. "Okay. I admit it. This is worse than I expected."

Then, Future Viraj grabbed Viraj’s collar and pulled him close. His voice dropped to a whisper.

"One last thing. Whatever you do… don’t trust the Tower."

And then—

The Clock Tower struck 10:13.

And the world shifted again.

To Be Continued…

"When you break time, time breaks you back. The only question is… which version of you survives?"

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***