The crack in the sky widened.
Not like lightning.
Not like a storm.
It looked like reality itself had been sliced open.
A dark fracture stretching across the clouds.
And from inside it—
Something moved.
Slow.
Massive.
Unnatural.
Liya gripped Ethan's arm tightly.
"…What is that?"
The chronal officer didn't look away from the sky.
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"…A Chronal Guardian."
Mira sighed heavily.
"Yep."
"Time just sent its bouncer."
The thing descended further.
At first it looked like light.
Then the shape became clearer.
A tall figure made of shifting fragments of time.
Parts of its body flickered between different ages.
Stone.
Metal.
Glass.
Even parts of ruined buildings.
Like pieces of history glued together into one being.
Its face had no eyes.
Just a glowing clock symbol rotating slowly.
Ethan felt the energy inside him react immediately.
The blue light around his body surged.
"…It's looking for me."
The officer nodded.
"That's its job."
"Chronal Guardians exist to eliminate temporal anomalies."
Mira added casually,
"Translation — it's here to delete you."
Liya glared at her.
"Not helpful."
The massive entity finally touched the ground outside the tower.
Even frozen time couldn't hide its weight.
The street cracked beneath its feet.
Then its head slowly turned.
Toward Ethan.
A voice echoed again.
Not from the sky this time.
From the Guardian itself.
Deep.
Mechanical.
"Chronal Core Detected."
Ethan took a step back.
"…That's me."
"Unauthorized existence confirmed."
Mira rolled her eyes.
"Wow."
"Rude."
The officer checked her device quickly.
The countdown was still running.
TEMPORAL CONVERGENCE — 01:56
She turned to Ethan urgently.
"You still have time to finish creating the new timeline."
"But if the Guardian reaches you first…"
She didn't finish the sentence.
She didn't need to.
Ethan looked back at the massive figure outside.
"…Then I'm erased."
Mira nodded.
"Pretty much."
Liya stepped in front of Ethan suddenly.
"No."
The officer blinked.
"…What are you doing?"
"If that thing wants Ethan…"
"…it goes through me first."
Mira stared at her.
"You realize that's a cosmic god made of time, right?"
"Yes."
"And?"
Liya didn't move.
"Still standing here."
Mira laughed softly.
"Okay."
"I respect the bravery."
"But we need a better plan."
Outside—
The Guardian took a step forward.
The frozen cars on the street shattered as it passed.
Every movement distorted the air.
Like the world itself didn't want to touch it.
The voice echoed again.
"Temporal correction required."
Ethan clenched his fists.
The glow around him grew stronger again.
"…I can feel it."
Mira looked at him.
"What?"
"It's connected to the timeline."
The officer nodded.
"Of course."
"Guardians are created directly from temporal energy."
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Which means I can interact with it."
Mira blinked.
"…Define interact."
"Fight."
The officer immediately shook her head.
"Absolutely not."
"You can't fight a Chronal Guardian."
"It exists outside normal time."
Ethan stepped toward the window.
"…So do I."
The Guardian took another step.
Closer.
The building trembled slightly.
The countdown dropped again.
00:58
Mira cursed.
"We're running out of seconds."
Liya looked at Ethan.
"Can you finish creating the timeline while fighting it?"
"…Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"Look, I just unlocked god-mode twenty minutes ago."
"Fair."
The Guardian lifted its arm.
A massive wave of distorted energy formed around it.
The officer's device screamed warnings.
TEMPORAL ERASURE WAVE DETECTED
Her voice rose sharply.
"Move!"
The wave shot forward instantly.
Passing through the tower wall like it wasn't even there.
Ethan reacted without thinking.
He raised both hands.
The blue energy exploded outward.
Two forces collided.
The hallway filled with blinding light.
For a moment—
Reality itself cracked.
Then the energy wave stopped.
Frozen in front of Ethan.
Everyone stared.
Mira whispered,
"…You just blocked a cosmic delete button."
Ethan was breathing heavily.
"…I'm improvising."
The Guardian tilted its head slightly.
Almost like curiosity.
"Anomaly resistance detected."
The countdown continued.
00:21
The officer shouted,
"Ethan!"
"You need to finish the timeline now!"
Outside—
The Guardian raised its arm again.
This time the energy forming around it was bigger.
Much bigger.
Mira looked at the sky.
"…Yeah."
"That one looks like it deletes continents."
Liya grabbed Ethan's hand.
"You can do this."
He looked at her.
The blue glow reflected in his eyes.
"…Together, right?"
She nodded.
"Always."
The countdown reached its final seconds.
00:05
Ethan closed his eyes.
He pulled every thread of time he could feel.
Every possible future.
Every broken timeline.
And began weaving them into something new.
But just as the last second ticked down—
The Guardian released its final attack.
A massive wave of temporal erasure crashing toward the city.
Mira whispered,
"…Well."
"This is either the end of everything…"
Liya held Ethan's hand tighter.
"…or the beginning."
Ethan opened his eyes.
The new timeline ignited around him.
And time itself shattered. ⏳