Chapter 67 – Timestream Gambit: Into Sylvaen’s Domain

The stars bled backward as the ship, Project Nova, tore through the temporal rift. A tunnel of warped time and refracted memories spiraled around them, showing glimpses of what could have been—and what never should be.

Inside the helm, Ren stood still, focused. Beside him, Kael meditated with his blade floating mid-air, humming with silent anticipation. Lyra maintained the ship's stability, while Oris adjusted the system dial for temporal resonance.

“Next destination,” Lyra said, “the Domain of Sylvaen—Chrono Sage of the Fifth Stream.”

Ren tightened his grip.

“What’s waiting for us there?”

“Not what,” Oris muttered. “When.”

The ship breached the veil—and time shattered.

[Location: Sylvaen’s Domain – The Garden Between Seconds]

They arrived in a place where reality twisted in cycles. Flowers bloomed, withered, and were reborn in seconds. Waterfalls flowed in reverse. Children laughed in one moment and aged in the next. Time was not linear here—it was alive.

Waiting amidst the strange beauty was Sylvaen, cloaked in silver light, her gaze impossibly old.

“So… you finally came,” she whispered. “Void Monarch. Eclipse Blade. Seer of Balance. You bring change... and calamity.”

Ren stepped forward.

“We need your help. The Abyss—”

“—Is the result of broken time,” she finished, eyes narrowing. “The future was severed when the Chrono Pillars collapsed.”

“Then help us fix it.”

Sylvaen studied him, then slowly extended her hand. Time shifted around it—growing ancient, then young, then ancient again.

“To wield my power, you must survive your own past.”

Suddenly, Ren was torn from the ground. His body dissolved into dust, flung backward—into his memories.

[System Alert: Entering Temporal Trial – Memory Loop Initiated]

[Target: Ren’s Past Self | Year: -7 AE (After Eclipse)]

Ren opened his eyes, and he was... a teenager again.

No Monarch. No System. Just a broken boy standing at his brother’s funeral, fists clenched, powerless.

And in the shadows, a familiar voice laughed.

Next: Chapter 68 – The Boy Who Couldn’t Save Anyone