The Arrow of Time

Guided by Mira’s data, the squad navigated the dense forest, until they reached a camouflaged clearing.

“This is it,” Mira whispered, nodding at the readout on her device. “I’m picking up chrono signals—he’s trying to mask his trail, but the distortions are too recent.”

“Nice work, Mira,” Rhea said, “Alright, everyone, stay sharp.”

Just beyond the clearing, partially hidden by vines and shrubbery, they spotted Malik. He stood at the center of a small camp surrounded by armed goons, adjusting a device on his wrist. Nearby, tents and crates littered the ground, and behind him, the chrono device—a sleek, metallic sphere on a tripod.

Jessie narrowed his eyes, “There he is. The ‘protector of traditions’ himself.”

Mira’s eyes widened slightly as she scanned the device Malik was using. “It’s… incredible,” she whispered, almost unwillingly impressed. “If I’m reading the waves right, he’s erasing his tracks in real-time… He makes it seem like he was never there…”

“How did we miss his camp if it’s been here all along?” Talia asked, brows furrowed.

“It’s because he’s masking himself and the entire camp. Anyone who passed through here before likely saw an illusion… a projection of the forest as it appeared before he set up.”

“Wow, can he really do that?”

“It’s like he’s here and not at the same time. But now that he slipped up and created that timewraith to stop us, he’s revealed his location.”

“That device is causing those distortions and that timewraith, right? It must be putting out massive amounts of chrono energy.” Dax commented.

“Which is why it’s illegal,” Rhea reminded them, her voice low and firm. “If he keeps using that, Cyrillia will have a huge problem. Let’s move in—quietly.”

Yet somehow the target in question had already spotted them. As the squad moved into the clearing, a sly smile crept onto his face. "So, the illustrious Chrono Knights come running, despite the precious pet I sent to stop you.” he sneered. “You’re too late to do anything.”

Rhea’s gaze was steely as she assessed the situation, ignoring his taunt. “Engage!”

At her command, Jessie, Dax, and Talia charged forward, weapons raised. Malik’s goons moved to intercept, each one wielding advanced weaponry, a clear sign they’d been outfitted with illegal tech.

Jessie charged first. Fluid and swift, he ducked under a goon’s weapon—a strange, humming device—before slicing its barrel clean in half with a sharp upward strike.

“Too slow!” he taunted, nimbly dodging another goon’s swipe. Spinning, he clashed blades with the second attacker.

“What’s that? A chrono blade from Amazoon?” Jessie said, concentrating energy on his own and pushing back on the enemy, “You need to pay the full price to do this!”

“Cocky brat!”

The goon, thrown off balance, fixated on Jessie’s blade— only for the knight to unholster his revolver and fire a clean shot to his chest at point-blank range.

“Sike! That’s my revolver!”

Dax faced two opponents at once, his crackling gauntlets sending one stumbling back with a single swing. As the second attacked, Dax sidestepped, grabbed him by the collar, and hurled him into his partner, leaving both sprawled on the ground. 

Instead of actively charging like her squadmates, Mira hung back, her drone shooting off beams and shielding her from any incoming attacks, “Hey, hey! It’s working! I mean… of course it’s working!”

Talia circled the fray, her sharp gaze locked onto Malik, who stood smugly behind his minions. She drew an arrow, lining up her shot to take out the last of his guards. Just as she released, however, Malik’s voice rang out with a mocking laugh. “Hah, if this isn’t the knight that betrayed her home! How does it feel to abandon your heritage just to become a glorified enforcer?”

“How do you know me?” Her arrow faltered, missing its mark by inches. Talia’s grip tightened on her bow as Malik’s words hit home, his sneer only deepening as he saw the impact he’d made, “Never mind, just stop talking!”

“Keep moving!” Rhea called to her, not missing a beat as she coiled her Chrono Whip around another guard, yanking him off balance and sending him to the ground with a swift, fluid motion. Rhea’s precision was brutal and efficient; her whip snapped with sharp cracks as she expertly dispatched the last of Malik’s goons.

“I knew I should have hired better guards than some pigs from the slums…”

“You can’t hide your trail anymore with that device Malik. Your smuggling days are over.” Rhea announced.

“As if…”

With his entourage incapacitated, Malik’s expression grew darker. He adjusted the device on his wrist, which began to glow with a pulsing, unnatural light.

“Let’s see you try and touch me now,” he hissed, pressing a button. Instantly, a shimmering shield erupted around Malik. The pulsing device twisted the clearing further, sending waves of energy along the air and giving shape to a creature with elongated limbs and hollow, flickering eyes— another Timewraith. 

”You think you can protect this place? I’ll simply let time itself tear you apart.”

“That device… it’s encasing him in a stasis field! We need to destroy it!” Mira gulped at the data on her holo tablet.

Rhea’s eyes narrowed as she observed the Timewraith and their surroundings, her voice calm but urgent. There was only one squad member best suited for this.

“Talia, we need you to take out that device. Only a precise shot can break it.”

“Yes, Captain!” Talia nodded, but her hands shook as she drew an arrow, her gaze shifting from Malik’s sneering face to the creature stalking toward them.

This was the moment. The moment she could protect the town. Her squad. Her ideals. Everything.

But was she capable?

The pressure was crushing, her fingers trembling as she tried to steady her aim.

The Timewraith let out a distorted scream, lunging forward with flickering speed. Dax intercepted first, his gauntlets crackling as he struck its form, but the creature barely flinched. It reared back, slashing at Jessie, who deflected the blow.

“Keep it off Talia!” Rhea commanded, her whip snapping through the air as she coiled it around the creature’s arm, yanking it back. But her exhaustion wouldn’t allow her to use the same time lock trick another time.

Talia lifted her bow, taking a deep breath to calm her trembling hands, but Malik’s taunting voice echoed in her mind. His words… her insecurities.

Almost as if smelling her fear, Malik turned to Talia lining up her shot, smirking at her.

“I heard about you, you know. The villagers said you’re just a little girl playing hero. That you think you can protect everyone while you couldn’t even protect your own.”

“Shut up!” Talia shouted, yet her heart bled at his words, did they really say that about her?

Just a little girl…

Just like a tide more voices emerged from within her head.

You abandoned them… your family…

You betrayed them and left in the dead of the night…

“You can’t do it. You can’t save anyone. And you can’t stop me.”

“Don't listen to him, Talia!” Jessie shouted, trying to get his teammates’ attention. But it seemed her mind was still a mess.

Talia’s hands continued trembling, yet she set her eyes on the target despite her inner turmoil.

“I can hit it. I can hit that cursed—“

That’s when she realised her target wasn’t fixed—the device flickered in and out of existence within Malik’s force field, just like the Timewraith. Her arrow missed, zipping past the spot where the device had been moments before.

Her heart rate quickened.

How was she supposed to hit something that wasn’t there?!

Frustration clawed at her, her fingers trembling again as doubt crept in.

She had to do something to hit it, her normal methods wouldn’t work on it now…

She had to channel chrono energy through her anchor, just like her squad mates did. But they were professionals…

Jessie did it.

By mere chance, right? It was a coincidence was it not?

“See? It seems you can’t do anything after all.”

The voices kept coming, the pressure mounting.

You’re a failure. You abandoned your family, turned your back on them to become a knight and now… you’re failing.

“Hey, this isn’t looking good…” Mira muttered.

Jessie stole another glance at Talia, in between dodging the Timewraith’s erratic attacks. 

“Talia!” he called, his voice breaking through the haze of her thoughts.

His eyes were steeled, and his voice different than his usual joking tone. After all, he knew how it felt to feel like you’re letting people down.

And that’s exactly why he knew he had to help.

“If anyone can do this, it’s you,” Jessie said firmly, “Forget what that idiot said. Forget what anyone says. You're not failing anyone. You’re not turning your back on them, Talia. You’re making sure they’re safe in a world that’s changing fast. You’re doing exactly what you were meant to do!”

What she was… meant to do?

His words cut through her fear, grounding her, and for a moment, the voices in her head seemed to quiet. She remembered how she idolized using energy as a kid. How she fantasised about protecting what she held dear with it.

“The kid’s right, Talia!”

“Who said you had to follow through with your parents’ tradition? You’re making them proud in your own way.”

Dax and Rhea joined in, encouraging her even though they danced just around the timewraith’s swings.

“Guys…” Talia’s eyes seemed to well up as she gripped her bow.

“You didn’t abandon anyone, Talia! You’re out here keeping them safe in ways they can’t even imagine. And hey, if that’s not honouring them, I don’t know what is.” Finally Mira dealt the last blow, her words shattering the ice around her heart, making Talia silently gasp in a breath. She was protecting her parents.

They relied on her to keep them safe from people like Malik.

She had never thought about it like that. Or rather, she didn’t let herself do it. But she had to let go of her fears. Right then and there.

Channeling Chrono energy? If Jessie could do it, so could she!

Talia took a deep breath, her fingers steadying as she refocused her aim on Malik’s device. Malik’s sneer shifted, his eyes narrowing as he realized her resolve had returned.

She felt the energy crackle at her anchor, the bow an extension of her hand. She visualized the perfect shot. A shot that didn’t have to be timed right. A shot that would find the right timing on its own. Like a homing chrono missile. A golden and red arrow formed at her fingertips, sizzling with energy that spiralled around it.

Buoyed by her squad’s encouragement, she released the arrow. It struck true, piercing the flickering device at the perfect moment with a sharp crack. The distortion field shattered, and the Timewraith let out a warped shriek before dissolving into mist, swept away by the wind.

She had done it…

Talia smiled without realizing it, the expression reaching all the way to her eyes. As the residual energy drained from her anchor, she staggered slightly, barely staying upright. The effort had clearly taken its toll.

“Damn it all! But he said—” Malik on the other hand spat, shrinking away.

Jessie, Dax, and Rhea wasted no more time, preparing to end the fight for good.