Countdown

As I tried to suppress the unease growing inside me, I found myself questioning the reality of my surroundings. How had everything changed so drastically in such a short time? There was so much I needed to understand, and I needed to do it fast. My thoughts swarmed my mind, struggling to grasp the rapid shift of everything around me.

Seraphis’s voice suddenly cut through the chaos, pulling me back into reality. What I was about to learn would be even more unsettling than I had imagined.

“We are fighting to break free from this system’s shackles and reclaim our free will,” he continued. “As the number of Voidwalkers increases, the cycle of the system is thrown into disorder. Orbis has decided to erase the Voidwalkers completely. Soon, new people will take their place.”

He took a deep breath, his expression momentarily tense. “When we first noticed this, red numbers resembling burn marks started appearing on people’s chests. At first, we didn’t understand their significance. But over time, we realized… they indicate the remaining time before a person is erased.”

A chill ran through my entire body. It was as if all the warmth inside me had been drained, replaced by a heavy stone of fear. My voice trembled. “So… everyone has a countdown?”

Seraphis nodded. “Yes. As of today, the longest anyone has left is 330 days.”

My eyes wandered to the people around me. They all looked normal, smiling faces, children running around joyfully, but now, I saw them differently. It was as if I could see the invisible timers ticking away on their chests. What happened when someone’s time ran out? Did they simply vanish? The thought left a lump in my throat. I tried to swallow, but it was useless.

“How does someone become a Voidwalker?” I asked, my voice cracking slightly.

Seraphis answered with a solemn expression. “From what I’ve gathered, there are a few reasons. Some people realize flaws in the system and begin questioning it. Some completely disconnect from life, and when they are forgotten by others, they fall into the void. Others… transform when their fate changes outside Orbis’s will.”

A thousand questions swirled in my mind. What about me? Where did I fit in all of this?

“What about you?” I asked, my curiosity laced with anxiety. “Will you be erased too?”

The concern in my voice must have been obvious because Seraphis offered a faint smile and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. There was a quiet reassurance in his touch, perhaps even gratitude.

“I was born outside of Orbis,” he said calmly. “I was never included in the fate system, never recorded within Orbis’s design. The system doesn’t recognize me, so I don’t have a countdown.”

Just then, the sound of a security code being entered echoed from a nearby panel, pulling my attention. My head snapped toward the source. One of the arched metal doors groaned loudly as it unlocked and began to open.

A girl strode in with confident steps. Her metallic gray hair was thick, neatly braided on one side, cascading over her right shoulder. At the end of her braid, a striking red ribbon was tied. Her lilac-colored eyes scanned the room with a cold, piercing gaze.

Two young men followed closely behind her, stepping into the space.

The entire room fell silent.

And within that silence, a deep unease settled inside me.

                                                                                 ***

Everyone was watching the trio in complete silence. The echoes of their footsteps rippled through the room, and the weight of anticipation grew heavier with every passing second. Curiosity swelled within the crowd who were these newcomers, and what had they brought with them?

The first to break the silence was Seraphis.

"Luna! I’m glad to see you back safe. What’s the situation? Were you able to obtain the information you were looking for?"

Luna’s expression didn’t seem entirely satisfied. Her brows furrowed slightly as she responded thoughtfully. "Not exactly as we hoped. But the chaos we created outside was enough to distract the Silver Guardians. This allowed our inside contact to help us infiltrate the headquarters and locate a potential route leading to the Fate Eye Tower. However, we’re still missing crucial details. The security protocols inside the headquarters are more complex than we anticipated. The Guardians’ patrol patterns were altered it was as if someone was expecting us and had taken precautions."

Seraphis nodded, inhaling deeply as he processed the information. "So there’s still an opening, but it will be harder than we thought, is that it?"

Luna gave a short nod. "Yes. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. We just need more details."

A faint smile played at the corners of Seraphis’ lips. "Even that is good news."

Haru had been listening intently, but his mind struggled to piece together the significance of what they were discussing. Fate Eye Tower? Distracting the Silver Guardians? He still had no clear idea who these people were, but one thing was certain, something important was happening here.

Seraphis stepped forward, placing a firm yet reassuring hand on Haru’s shoulder. His gaze swept across the gathered crowd, and his voice carried newfound gravity. "Everyone, I want you to meet someone," he announced. "This is Haru. He comes from outside our world, a place even Orbis itself cannot define. He wasn’t born in any part of Ethereon, and no records contain his name. But the strangest part? Even he doesn’t know how he got here."

A murmur spread through the hall like a wave. Whispered discussions rippled through the crowd as faces turned toward Haru, some filled with shock, others with skepticism.

Luna and her companions remained silent, but their eyes were now locked onto Haru.

From one of the nearby tables, a man raised his head. "If this boy really came from another world… then maybe what Nihilos said was true," he muttered.

Another person chuckled dryly. "Is such a thing even possible? Or maybe the kid’s just lost his mind. It wouldn’t be the first time Seraphis brought someone questionable into our ranks."

A few hushed chuckles followed, mingled with curiosity and disbelief. Some were skeptical, others intrigued, but all eyes remained fixed on Haru.

Luna finally spoke, her voice measured and cautious. "Where did you find this boy, Seraphis?"

Seraphis paused for a moment before answering calmly. "I didn’t. Rika did. The Silver Guardians had detained him at their headquarters for no stated reason. He had only been in Ethereon for a few hours before they arrested him under the pretense of being a ‘fugitive.’ Don’t you think that’s a bit too much of a coincidence?"

Luna frowned slightly, tilting her head as she contemplated his words.

Seraphis continued. "Rika believes there’s an anomaly in Haru’s energy, something that disrupts the structure of Orbis itself. And I think that’s exactly why the Silver Guardians wanted to contain him immediately. Rika asked me to keep him safe here."

Haru’s breathing grew uneven as he tried to process everything he had just heard. Anomaly?

His thoughts spiraled into a chaotic whirlwind. Was he really an anomaly?

Could his arrival in Ethereon be tied to something far bigger than he ever imagined? If this was true… what was he doing here?

A cold shiver ran down his spine. Questions swirled in his mind, but the more he tried to grasp them, the deeper into the unknown he seemed to fall.