The Keeper’s Warning

“The worst part about knowing the future? Knowing you’re powerless to stop it.”

A Meeting with the Keeper

Viraj stood frozen at the base of the grand staircase, his heart hammering against his ribs.

Lucius, for once, wasn’t talking. That alone was terrifying.

The Keeper of the Tower stood before them, his robes flowing like liquid shadow, his golden eyes burning with knowledge too vast to comprehend.

He looked ancient. Not in the old man sense. In the ‘he’s seen time itself unravel and still isn’t impressed’ sense.

Viraj cleared his throat. "Okay, uh… Keeper? That’s your name?"

The Keeper tilted his head. "It is what I am. Names are irrelevant when time itself bends to your will."

Viraj sighed. "Great. Another cryptic entity who refuses to give a straight answer."

Lucius muttered, "This is why I hate time guardians. Always so dramatic."

The Keeper ignored him. Instead, he raised a hand, and the air around them pulsed.

Viraj suddenly felt heavy, like the very concept of gravity had just tripled.

Time was pressing down on them.

And it wasn’t happy.

"You have done irreparable damage," the Keeper said, his voice low and measured. "The Timeborne stirs because of you."

Viraj swallowed hard. "Look, in our defense, we didn't mean to break time. It just… sort of happened."

Lucius sighed. "Again."

The Keeper’s golden gaze pierced into them. "Intentions do not matter. Only consequences."

Viraj exhaled. "Okay, fine. How do we fix this?"

The Keeper stared for a long moment. Then he gestured toward the walls of the Tower, where thousands of clocks ticked and spun erratically.

"You cannot."

Viraj blinked. "What."

The Keeper stepped forward. "The Timeborne is not an event. It is not a person. It is not a thing that can be destroyed or contained."

His voice lowered.

"The Timeborne is the reckoning of time itself."

Lucius rubbed his temples. "Fantastic. And let me guess—‘reckonings’ usually don’t end well for the people involved?"

The Keeper’s gaze was unforgiving. "No. They do not."

Viraj groaned. "Of course not. Because why would anything ever be simple?"

The Tower trembled again, and Viraj swore he could hear something breathing.

Something massive.

Something waiting.

The Truth About the Timeborne

Viraj steadied himself, forcing his brain to process the nightmare unfolding.

"Okay, Keeper. If we can’t stop the Timeborne… what do we do?"

The Keeper studied them for a long moment before finally speaking.

"You run."

Lucius’s eyes widened. "I’m sorry, what?"

The Keeper’s golden eyes dimmed slightly. "There is no winning against time. There is no victory against something that predates existence itself."

His voice echoed through the Tower.

"The only choice is to run. And pray it does not find you."

A chill ran down Viraj’s spine. "That… that’s it? That’s your solution?"

The Keeper exhaled. "You have already shattered the timeline beyond repair. The Timeborne is coming. This Tower is the last refuge before it consumes everything."

Lucius scoffed. "Oh, great. So, we’re just supposed to… what? Hide in a haunted time Tower for eternity?"

The Keeper’s expression did not change. "If you value existence, yes."

Viraj took a step back. His mind raced.

This wasn’t right. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

They were supposed to fix things.

To undo the damage.

To make things right.

But the Keeper was telling them… there was no fixing it.

Viraj clenched his fists. "There has to be another way."

The Keeper hesitated. Just for a moment.

Then he sighed.

"There is… one possibility."

Viraj perked up. "We’ll take it!"

The Keeper’s gaze darkened. "You do not even know the cost."

Lucius patted Viraj’s shoulder. "Yeah, we do. It’s always pain, suffering, and possibly death. We’re used to it."

The Keeper studied them carefully.

Then, finally, he spoke.

"If you wish to stop the Timeborne… you must become part of it."

Viraj’s blood turned to ice.

"I’m sorry, WHAT?"

The Keeper nodded. "You must merge with the broken timelines. Fuse your existence with the anomaly. Only then can you guide it… control it… and perhaps redirect it away from total collapse."

Viraj took a shaky breath. "And if we fail?"

The Keeper’s voice was absolute.

"Then time itself will erase you. Completely. No past. No future. You will have never existed."

Viraj stared at him.

Lucius exhaled. "Okay. So, uh… options are ‘hide forever’ or ‘maybe die in the most horrifying way possible’?"

The Keeper nodded.

Lucius grinned. "Well. That’s easy."

Viraj shot him a glare. "Lucius, if you say ‘let’s do the stupid option,’ I swear—"

Lucius clapped his hands. "LET’S DO THE STUPID OPTION!"

Viraj groaned. "I hate you so much."

Lucius beamed. "You love me."

The Keeper raised a hand, and the Tower shuddered.