Alex's lungs burned.
Heart thundering.
The figure at the end of the street didn't move. Didn't blink. Just watched.
"…Okay, calm. Breathe. Analyze," Alex muttered.
He glanced around. Cracks—small, faint—were popping up in the air all around him.
One behind a trash bin.
Another on a lamppost.
Even one floating above a parked car.
"…They're everywhere," Alex whispered.
"And I have to survive."
First Experiment
Alex took a deep breath.
Focused on one small crack.
A blinking, faint circle floating near the trash bin.
"…Alright, let's see what you do."
He reached out.
And the crack responded.
It pulsed softly, reacting to his attention.
"…No way," Alex said.
He waved his hand slowly. The crack expanded.
He moved back—shrunk.
"…I can control them. A little."
Alex grinned.
"…Perfect. Small victories."
Comedy in Chaos
Just then—a pigeon swooped down.
It landed on the crack floating above the parked car.
The crack flickered.
The pigeon… vanished.
Alex's jaw dropped.
"…Uh… sorry, buddy," he muttered.
"…I guess you're… time-transported?"
The pigeon reappeared two seconds later… in front of a hotdog stand.
Completely calm, pecking at a stray bun.
Alex laughed despite the tension.
"Okay, this is ridiculous. I'm laughing in the middle of a disaster."
A man ran past. Tripped over a crack that hadn't fully formed.
He disappeared mid-step, then reappeared a few meters away.
"…Yep. Definitely ridiculous."
Testing Limits
Alex took another deep breath.
Focused on multiple cracks at once.
This time—the cracks responded simultaneously.
One flickered rapidly above a lamppost, then expanded and contracted.
Another shimmered near a dumpster.
A third floated over the streetlight.
"…I can manipulate small ones… maybe distract the figure," Alex realized.
He quickly tossed a trash can toward one crack.
It disappeared mid-air.
The crack pulsed brighter.
Then the can reappeared on the sidewalk, perfectly intact.
"…Okay, okay… I'm getting the hang of this," Alex whispered.
Villain's Personality Emerges
Across the street—the figure tilted its head slightly.
A faint mechanical voice emerged:
"Interesting. Resourceful. Persistent. Worth observing."
Alex froze.
"…Worth observing?" he repeated, smirking nervously.
"…They sound like a critic in a video game or something."
The figure's head tilted again.
No further movement.
No attack.
Just… watching.
Alex realized—this wasn't mindless chaos.
This was a game.
Strategy Mode
Alex grinned.
"…Alright, if this is a game… then let's play by my rules too."
He ran toward the nearest crack.
Focused.
And pulled it with his mind toward the figure.
The crack expanded.
Glowed brighter.
And then—flickered.
The figure stepped back slightly, as if surprised.
"Yes!" Alex whispered under his breath.
"…I can influence their world too."
He repeated the process—tiny cracks, pulsing, moving.
Objects around them started distorting time slightly.
A car froze mid-drive.
A pedestrian's steps slowed.
Even the streetlight flickered with uneven light.
Alex laughed quietly.
"This… this is amazing."
Cliffhanger
But then—he noticed it.
A larger crack forming behind the figure.
Different. Intense. Glowing red.
"…Uh-oh," Alex muttered.
"…This one isn't responding to me."
The figure finally spoke, slow and deliberate:
"Phase 3… begins. You won't be able to manipulate this one."
The crack expanded, pulsating violently.
It began pulling everything toward it—cars, signs, even streetlamps.
Alex's grin faltered.
"…Okay," he whispered.
"…Time for real work. Not tricks anymore."
End of Chapter 6