First Attempt

The faint hum of battle echoed through the strange realm, but for a brief moment, Unlec's mind wandered back to his past—back to the moment Yuj had first appeared to him, long before Leegna became the center of this chaos.

Yuj had come to him, not as a creature offering salvation, but as one who sought power. Unlec, ever the opportunist, had thought he could outsmart the being. Instead of following Yuj's desired contract, he had tried to twist the pact to suit his own ends.

Unlec had been a man of cunning, convinced that he could use Yuj's otherworldly abilities for his own purposes. He wanted control, power to manipulate shadows and celestial beings, to tip the scales in his favor. But Yuj, ever manipulative, saw through his scheme.

"You thought you could use me," Yuj had whispered, his voice like silk over steel. "But no one uses me. Now, you will serve."

Unlec had failed in his attempt, and in punishment, Yuj had bonded him in a way he couldn't escape. Part of Yuj's essence had been transformed into a weapon—dark, otherworldly, a gun-like device forged from the creature's body. And with it, Unlec was forced to fight in battles he barely understood.

Yuj had given him a single, cryptic role: "You will help the Traitor—the one who hunts. Your time will come."

Unlec had never fully grasped Yuj's intentions, but the alternative—losing his soul to the creature—left him no choice but to comply.

Back in the present, the air crackled with energy as Leegna and Unlec advanced through the Time Guardians' realm. The fight was fierce, but Leegna's powers were growing, expanding far beyond what they had been. Clad in the Velvet Shroud, his dark-blue eyes glowing with intensity, he wielded the rapier with deadly precision.

Unlec, however, wasn't merely a bystander. The strange gun in his hands, crafted from Yuj's essence, shimmered with a shadowy brilliance. With each blast, it cut through their celestial foes, creating brief blind spots that allowed Leegna to land his strikes with lethal force.

"Whatever Yuj did to you, it's working," Leegna muttered, half-impressed, half-wary.

Unlec fired another round, his face tense. "Don't get too comfortable. This isn't about me."

Leegna's grip on the rapier tightened. He didn't fully trust Unlec, and he definitely didn't trust Yuj, but for now, they were allies in this madness.

As they pressed forward, an overwhelming force began to surge around them. The very air seemed to distort, rippling with dark energy. It was as if the realm itself had turned against them, responding to their invasion with a fierce, ancient power.

The shadows grew thicker, the celestial light dimmed, and Leegna could feel something massive stirring in the distance. A shiver ran down his spine as the oppressive energy pressed down on him. But even in the midst of battle, something else called to him—a voice, deep and primal, echoing from within his own mind.

"Be agile. Betray the time again... and steal what's yours."

The words seemed to come from nowhere, yet they resonated with an eerie familiarity. Leegna's heart raced as he felt a strange pull—an instinct to use his Time Leap, to jump again. His blue eyes flickered, and for a moment, he was confused.

Why would I need it now?

The battle was in their favor. They had the upper hand, or so it seemed. But deep down, a gnawing feeling told him something more was at play. His Time Leap count had dropped to two, and he wasn't sure why the instinct to use it surged so strongly in the middle of a winning figh

As the tide of battle continued, Unlec's focus sharpened. Every shot from his gun seemed to perfectly align with Leegna's strikes, their combined efforts tearing through their enemies with brutal efficiency. But Unlec's mind was far from calm.

"This isn't over," Unlec muttered to himself as he blasted another shadow being. Yuj's words still echoed in his head, a constant reminder of the debt he owed.

Yuj had made it clear that his role was crucial. The weapon in his hands was more than just a tool—it was a piece of Yuj's very being. And in the back of his mind, Unlec couldn't shake the feeling that he was part of something far larger than he could grasp.

Suddenly, as if in response to his thoughts, a strange presence washed over the battlefield. The curtains of shadow seemed to close in, and for a moment, Leegna froze. A strange phrase echoed in his mind, sending a chill through him.

"Be agile, betray the time again... and steal what's yours."

It was as if time itself whispered the warning, urging him toward a decision he wasn't ready to make.

Leegna's gaze shifted to Unlec. There was something about the man that still didn't sit right with him. And then his eyes moved to the eyeless creature standing nearby, a creature whose identity remained a mystery. A fleeting thought crossed his mind—what truth was hidden behind those eyeless sockets? He was close to uncovering it, but before he could piece it together, the intensity of the battle pulled him back.

The battle raged on, the overwhelming presence thickening around them, suffocating in its intensity. Shadows stretched longer, celestial beings seemed more vicious, and yet Leegna felt more powerful than ever. His every movement was precise, calculated, and driven by a force he barely understood.

Unlec continued to support, firing his shadow-cutting weapon, creating openings for Leegna. But the true weight of their situation was pressing down, and Leegna could feel the danger building.

Then, in the midst of it all, as if the realm itself was preparing for something greater, a strange set of words echoed once more.

"Be agile... betray the time again..."

Leegna's heart skipped a beat as he realized what was happening. His count had dropped from two to one. Time was urging him forward—warning him of something. He had little time left to figure out why.