Alex blinked at the shimmering gold crack pulsing above the street.
It absorbed everything—trash, streetlights, even snippets of conversation.
Unlike the red or violet cracks, it didn't follow predictable patterns.
Time around it seemed warped: seconds stretched, then snapped back.
"…Golden crack… unpredictable… dangerous… perfect," Alex muttered, rubbing his temples.
"…I feel like a kid with an extremely expensive, slightly cursed toy."
Testing the Golden Crack
Alex grabbed:
A street broom
A broken bicycle wheel
A half-deflated soccer ball
A smartphone left behind by a panicked tourist
He experimented:
Tossed the soccer ball; it phased halfway, disappeared, then reappeared spinning in reverse.
Threw the wheel; it entered the golden crack, bounced back a second later… landing in a perfectly timed dodge for a falling streetlight.
Used the broom to gently nudge temporal echoes toward the gold crack, testing its reaction.
"…Yes… unpredictable, chaotic, but somehow manipulatable. I like this," he whispered.
Fresh Comedy
A Victorian-era man emerged mid-step, juggling three futuristic smartphones.
A T-Rex skeleton from a museum exhibit partially phased in, sneezing confetti instead of bones.
A vending machine flickered between 2025 and 1985, dispensing soda, then powdered milk, then an ancient scroll.
Alex muttered: "…Yep… street carnival… history, future, and prehistoric… absolutely normal."
Villain's Hint – Deeper Mystery
The villain's projection flickered near the golden crack, voice calm but sharp:
"Golden anomaly… rare. It reacts to creativity, to imagination, and to intent. But even your improvisation has limits. Can you push beyond them, Alex?"
Alex gulped. "…Creativity… limits… yeah… my kind of homework… love it."
"Every crack, every anomaly… is a lesson. And soon… you will learn the most important one: why I manipulate time at all."
Alex's Strategic Breakthrough
Alex realized the golden crack responded to intention, creativity, and timing:
He bounced the bicycle wheel in complex arcs, making the crack absorb and release it in slow motion.
He used the soccer ball to redirect a temporal echo, stabilizing a fragment of the street.
Combined the broom, ball, and wheel to create a mini chaotic feedback loop, confusing the red and violet cracks simultaneously.
"…Yes… chaos mastery evolving… anomalies bending to my strategy… I'm alive, I think," he whispered, grinning nervously.
Cliffhanger – Time Warping Intensifies
Suddenly, the golden crack expanded, pulling fragments of reality from multiple eras into itself:
A 1960s convertible spun midair.
A futuristic drone hovered beside it.
A medieval knight's helmet appeared, spinning on top of the convertible.
Alex gulped. "…Golden crack… you just made history… literally… a circus of eras."
The villain's calm, omnipresent voice echoed:
"Phase 4 begins. Creativity and comprehension are necessary… but will they be enough to survive what comes next?"
Alex muttered: "…Yep… chaos, comedy, golden crack… survival… let's see who blinks first."
End of Chapter 16