The Master of Time and Shadows

Gestrong, the Time Watcher and lord of the Shadow Realm, had always been an entity whose influence remained just out of reach of mortal comprehension. Though his power spanned time itself, there were rules even he could not break—rules set by forces older than him. He could not directly interfere with the human world, nor could he physically manifest within it. Thus, he needed a vessel, an alternate persona to operate within the shadows of the mortal realm.

That persona was Aternos.

-For decades, Aternos had walked among mortals as a silent observer, a manipulator, and at times, an ally. It was through Aternos that Gestrong maintained his watchful eye on potential threats, weaving his plans with the precision only a being of his caliber could.

Leegna Eflok was different. For years, Gestrong had seen something in the young man—a faint glimmer of something ancient, a connection that unnerved him. At first, it was nothing more than whispers in the fabric of time, echoes of an old power long since forgotten. But as Leegna grew, Gestrong's suspicions turned into certainty: Leegna was the one destined to become the Shadow Hunter, a force capable of upsetting the delicate balance of the realms. The soul who could erase the Twelve Time Guardians and even challenge Gestrong himself.

But Gestrong had a plan—a trap carefully set through the persona of Aternos. His goal was to lure Leegna into the heart of the Shadow Realm, destroy him, and erase his existence before the threat could fully materialize.

-Now, within the Tower of Shadows, Gestrong's grand plan was unfolding. His ability to alter memories had been used on Leegna once already. It was this power that had led to the confusion, the uncertainty that Leegna felt in his journey. The fragments of time and memory shifted like a broken mirror, leaving Leegna doubting what was real and what had been fabricated.

Gestrong's power could not be used on the same target twice. Once an alteration had been made, the timeline locked, and any further tampering would risk unraveling the delicate threads of reality itself. Leegna had escaped that first manipulation, but Gestrong knew it would not be long before the young man figured out the truth behind Aternos' identity.

In a moment of desperation, Gestrong had forced Aternos to confront Leegna, hoping to push him deeper into doubt and despair. Yet, Leegna's emotions—his anger, his fear, his deep-seated sadness—awakened something within him that even Gestrong had not anticipated.

Leegna was born with the power of precognition, an ability dormant for years, suppressed by the turmoil inside him. But the memory alteration and the intense emotions brought on by the twisted events of his journey acted as a trigger, unlocking this forgotten gift.

-This was no coincidence. Leegna's ability was tied to something ancient, something older than even Gestrong. He was the reincarnation of the original Shadow Hunter, a role erased from time eons ago, its power deemed too dangerous to allow unchecked. And now, that same power had returned to Leegna.

His precognition was not merely a tool to see the future—it was a means to shape it. Leegna had glimpses of what was to come, vague at first but growing stronger with every step he took into the darkness. His mind, strained by the visions and the weight of his own destiny, was cracking. Sleep became a luxury, and the constant visions during his paralysis left him exhausted. He drowned himself in coffee, energy drinks, anything that kept him awake and away from the nightmares that plagued him.

The power of precognition was a curse as much as it was a gift, pulling at the very fabric of Leegna's sanity. But it was also his only chance to survive what Gestrong had planned for him.

-Leegna stood still for a moment, eyes closed as the visions blurred the edges of his reality. Yuj watched him carefully, the flicker of uncertainty hidden behind his cold, calculating expression. The young man was shifting, changing. And Yuj knew that whatever was awakening within Leegna would either be his greatest weapon or the reason for their downfall.

"Are you even certain of this path?" Yuj finally asked, his voice a low murmur. "You seem...different."

Leegna opened his eyes and turned toward Yuj, his face twisted with frustration. "In a world full of lies, who is going to be the truth after all?" His voice was sharp, but it carried an undeniable weight. His mind, clouded with the fragments of both altered and real memories, was pushing him to the edge. But that edge was where his power thrived.

Yuj frowned, sensing something was amiss. This wasn't the Leegna he had known. "You speak as if you know what lies ahead. Care to share with the rest of us?"

-Leegna said nothing, but the faintest smirk played at the corner of his lips. He did know—at least in part. The precognitive visions had been growing stronger. He could see the pattern. He could see the pieces falling into place. And with those pieces, the terrifying realization dawned.

"Aternos," Leegna muttered, his voice carrying the weight of a discovery he wished he hadn't made. "It was never Aternos."

Yuj's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Aternos is just another face. Another lie. He's a mask—a persona. He's Gestrong."

Yuj's confusion turned into stunned silence as the pieces fell together. The man they had been following, the one they had fought alongside and against, was nothing more than a puppet. A persona crafted by the lord of the Shadow Realm himself.

But before Yuj could respond, the entire Tower began to shift. Shadows warped around them, twisting into shapes of forgotten memories. Leegna's visions grew sharper, and with them, his heart pounded. They were no longer in control of the situation.

-Suddenly, Leegna found himself in a vast labyrinth, each step haunted by echoes of his own voice—fragments of conversations, half-formed memories, doubts, and fears. Every corner turned led to another part of himself, both familiar and foreign. Was this the reality? Or another memory altered by Gestrong?

As the labyrinth tightened around him, Leegna could feel the crushing weight of his own mind turning against him. His precognition no longer showed the future—only the dark, fragmented reflection of his own shattered past.

And that's when the full realization hit him. This labyrinth wasn't just a prison. It was Gestrong's mind playing with his deepest fears, using his own memories as the weapon.