Interlude: Pendulum

Dax hadn’t come from much. Pyrite Reach, his birthplace, was a place most people avoided—a district where time itself seemed to have forgotten the people living there, leaving them to fend for themselves amid crime and poverty. And that’s where he first met what he would later call family. Reid Evaris.

Reid had shown up at the orphanage one day, quiet, with a look that could freeze the toughest kids in their tracks. Rumors spread quickly that his parents had been killed, caught in a shootout the night they’d promised to get him out of the Reach for good. Reid never spoke about it, and he kept his distance, but Dax wasn’t one to avoid someone just because they had a cold stare. One afternoon, after Dax had a run-in with some older kids, he noticed Reid watching him from across the room, as usual, keeping to himself. Instead of letting it slide, Dax walked right up to him.

“What you looking at over there?” Dax asked, half-defiant, half-joking.

Reid looked at him, unfazed. “Looks like you can handle a few. Not that impressive, though.”

Dax scoffed, not missing a beat. “Yeah? You want a piece too, or what?”

Reid wasn’t one to pass up a challenge, and Dax was not one to take light of a taunt either. The tussle was rough and fierce, yet not one side coming out victorious.

“Heh, you’re actually tough.” Reid smirked, lying on the ground, blood dripping from his nose.

“You’re not half bad yourself. The name’s Dax Vanon.” Dax was in a similar state himself, a bruised lip swollen to high heaven.

“Reid Evaris.” 

The two kids shook on it, their smirks deepening.

That was all it took. From that day on, they were a team, watching each other’s backs in a place that didn’t have much mercy for anyone. They became each other’s family, the only family they had. And even in the rough world of Pyrite Reach, they still held onto a dream of something better. They just didn’t know what that was… yet.

One night, like any other, where the two troublemakers snuck out of the orphanage for the hundredth time, searching for an adventure to make them feel the rush of adrenaline they came across what they had been searching for.

The Reach was dangerous, especially at night, but they knew its streets and shortcuts better than anyone. They’d been exploring an old warehouse on the edge of the district when they stumbled upon something that made their hearts race—a group of smugglers huddled around a strange device. It emitted a low hum, the air around it distorting in faint waves of energy. They didn’t know much, but they knew enough to sense that whatever the smugglers were messing with wasn’t just dangerous; it was out of their control.

Then came the sound—a bone-chilling howl that echoed off the warehouse walls. The device pulsed, and before Dax or Reid could even think about running, a creature materialized from the shadows, flickering in and out of sight. A Timewraith.

Dax’s heart hammered as he watched in horror. The creature moved with a deadly grace. The smugglers screamed, scrambling to escape, but the Timewraith was faster. Blood sprayed across the walls as one by one, the men fell.

Reid grabbed Dax’s arm. “Run,”

They turned and bolted, their feet pounding against the floor as the Timewraith’s distorted shrieks filled the air. Dax dared a glance back, only to see the creature turning its flickering gaze toward them. The distance between them and the exit felt like miles.

Just as they thought they were done for, a flash of light sliced through the darkness. A squad of Chrono Knights appeared in a blur of movement, each of them armed and coordinated. With well-practiced precision, they surrounded the Timewraith, striking it with their chrono weapons. The creature howled, fighting back with frenzied strikes, but the Knights moved as one.

Dax and Reid stood frozen, awe-struck as they watched the Knights. In a matter of moments, the creature fell, disintegrating into a swirl of faint, dark energy before vanishing completely.

The lead Knight turned to the two boys, eyes sharp but calm. “What are you doing here?”

Dax stammered, struggling to find words, but Reid stepped forward, his voice steady. “What is it to… you?”

The Knight looked at them for a moment, his expression softening just a bit. “Get back to safety kids, these things don’t care if you’re young or old.”

The knight turned to leave, but Reid stopped him, his gaze resolute, “You’re strong… how can we be like you?”

The knight almost seemed to smile despite his serious expression, “Be prepared to work hard and you’ll get there.”

The kids watched as they disappeared into the night, leaving them with a feeling neither would ever forget.

The same night, as they lay on the orphanage’s roof, Reid turned to Dax, eyes set with a determination that cut through the bleakness around them. “One day, we’re getting out of here. We’ll be Knights. We’ll show everyone what we’re worth. Just like that knight back in the abandoned warehouse.”

Dax chuckled, but he knew Reid meant it. Even he himself felt the tingle of excitement within him. Valiant, strong, brave. A future out of this slum never looked so dazzling before. “Think they’d take a couple of street kids like us?”

“They’d be stupid not to,” Reid said, grinning. “We’re stronger than half of them out there already.”

From that moment, the dream of leaving the Reach and becoming Chrono Knights wasn’t just some far-off hope; it was a calling. They knew what they wanted, and they’d do whatever it took to achieve it.

In the years that followed, they trained with a dedication that rivaled any official recruit, pushing each other to be stronger, faster, better. Reid was always a step ahead, driven by an intensity that bordered on obsession. He would often say, “If you don’t keep up, Dax, you’ll end up in my shadow.”

And for a long time, that’s exactly what Dax did. He followed Reid’s lead, always just a few paces behind. But he didn’t mind. They were brothers, bound by a promise they’d made that night, and when they finally made it into the Knights, it felt like nothing could stand in their way.

But as they climbed the ranks, Dax noticed a change in Reid. Reid pushed himself harder, driven by a need to prove something that went beyond their shared dream. Reid was the strongest one, the one everyone expected to succeed, and he wore that expectation like armor, determined to live up to it.

But then came the mission that changed everything.

They’d been sent on an operation to secure a site near a newly discovered time distortion, a place that had become volatile and unpredictable. Their squad moved carefully, each step planned, every angle covered. But in an instant, everything went wrong. Their position was compromised, and enemies surrounded them. Their only chance of survival was to retreat—but someone needed to stay behind, to hold off the attackers and buy the others time to escape.

Reid volunteered without hesitation. He turned to Dax, giving him a small, almost serene smile. “It has to be me, Dax. I’m the strongest. I can hold them off.”

Dax’s heart twisted as he grabbed Reid’s arm, his voice shaking. “Reid, don’t do this. We’ll find another way.”

But Reid only shook his head, his gaze steady, “Take care of the others. I’ll be right behind you.” He paused, then added softly, “For the Knights, Dax.”

Dax swallowed hard, knowing he couldn’t change his friend’s mind. “For the Knights,” he echoed.

With one last nod, Reid turned and charged into the fray, buying them the precious time they needed to escape. Dax led the others to safety, every step tearing at him, knowing he was leaving a part of himself behind.

When the mission ended and they returned, there was no trace of Reid. Dax searched for days, refusing to give up, but eventually, the painful reality set in. Reid was gone, and Dax was left to carry the weight of his sacrifice.

Their squad disbanded after that. The captain retired, Calian their squadmate was reassigned, and Dax was left with memories he couldn’t shake, a sense of loss he’d never known before. He spent some time with himself afterwards, training, honing his strength determined to never lose another comrade again. Yet Dax knew, he probably wouldn’t have anyone as precious as Reid to lose ever again.

Joining Squad GX, under Rhea’s command, was supposed to be a fresh start. And it actually was. It had been half a decade since Reid was gone, and even if he didn’t admit it, Dax was slowly yet surely moving forward. But even now, whenever he faced the darkness, he could still hear Reid’s voice echoing in his mind, challenging him as he always had.

However the day when he saw him standing in front of him, as an enemy, something screamed at him that it wasn’t real. That it couldn’t be. But the reality before him was much more cruel than that.