Chapter 3: 2030
1324 Words
Alex didn’t move.
He just stared at the silver-haired stranger.
“…You’re joking,” Alex said.
“I don’t joke about time displacement,” the stranger replied casually.
“That’s not a normal sentence,” Alex snapped.
The guy smirked.
“Yeah. You’re definitely not from here.”
Alex clenched his fists.
“My brother—he sent me here. I didn’t choose this.”
The stranger studied him more carefully now. The smirk faded slightly.
“…Portal?” he asked.
Alex nodded.
“Blue energy. Stone around his neck.”
Now the stranger’s expression changed completely.
Serious.
“…Teleportation core,” he muttered.
“What?”
The stranger looked back at Alex.
“If what you’re saying is true… then you’re not just lost.”
A pause.
“You’re involved.”
“I don’t care about being involved,” Alex said sharply. “I need to go back.”
“Yeah,” the stranger said. “That’s not happening anytime soon.”
Alex stepped forward.
“You don’t understand—my mom—”
“I understand more than you think,” the stranger cut him off.
Silence.
Then—
“…Kai,” he said, extending a hand.
Alex hesitated… then shook it.
“Alex.”
“Alright, Alex,” Kai said. “Rule number one in 2030?”
“What?”
Kai’s eyes sharpened.
“Survive first. Fix time later.”
A World That Moved On
Kai walked him through the city.
Everything felt unreal.
“This place is called New Vireon,” Kai explained. “Rebuilt after the Collapse.”
“The… what?”
“You’ll learn.”
People passed them, some barely even noticing Alex.
Others—
Stared.
“Why are they looking at me like that?” Alex asked.
Kai shrugged.
“You’re… weird.”
“Thanks.”
“No, seriously,” Kai added. “You don’t have a visible energy signature.”
Alex stopped walking.
“…What?”
“In this time, everyone emits energy. Even weak users.”
Kai looked back at him.
“But you?”
A pause.
“Nothing.”
Alex looked down at his hands.
“…Yeah. I know.”
Kai tilted his head.
“Do you?”
The First Test
They stopped in a narrow street between buildings.
“Show me,” Kai said.
“Show you what?”
“Whatever you felt earlier.”
Alex frowned.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Kai sighed.
“The shadows.”
Alex froze.
“…How did you—”
“Because they’re reacting to you right now.”
Alex looked down.
The shadows beneath his feet…
Were moving.
Slowly.
Like breathing.
“…That’s not normal, right?” Alex asked.
Kai gave a small smile.
“Not even a little.”
Alex swallowed.
“I don’t know how to control it.”
“Good,” Kai said.
“What?”
Kai stepped back.
“Then we start with instinct.”
Before Alex could react—
Kai raised his hand.
And gravity twisted.
The ground beneath Alex suddenly felt ten times heavier.
“Move,” Kai said.
Alex collapsed to one knee.
“I—can’t—!”
“Move.”
“I said I can’t!”
“Then you die,” Kai said coldly.
Something snapped.
Inside Alex—
Fear turned into something else.
The shadows exploded outward.
Dark tendrils lashed across the ground—
Pushing against the pressure.
Alex gasped—
And forced himself to stand.
The weight shattered.
The air returned to normal.
Silence.
Alex looked at his hands, breathing heavily.
“…I did that.”
Kai smiled.
“Yeah.”
A pause.
“And that’s exactly why you’re coming with me.”
The Others
They arrived at a large structure on the edge of the city.
Not quite a school.
Not quite a base.
Something in between.
“Welcome to the Academy,” Kai said.
Inside—
Power was everywhere.
Students training.
Fighting.
Pushing their limits.
“This is where we get stronger,” Kai explained.
“And where you’ll survive.”
“Or?” Alex asked.
Kai smirked.
“You won’t.”
Mira
The first one Alex met was fire.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
A girl stood in the training area, flames swirling around her arms like they were alive.
She turned as they approached.
Her eyes were sharp.
“You’re late,” she said to Kai.
“Got distracted,” Kai replied.
She looked at Alex.
“…This is the distraction?”
“Hey,” Alex muttered.
Mira stepped closer, studying him.
Then—
A small flame flickered in her hand.
She held it near his face.
Alex didn’t flinch.
The flame… bent.
Away from him.
Mira’s eyes narrowed.
“…That’s new.”
Leo
A loud crash echoed nearby.
“AGAIN!” someone shouted.
They turned.
A massive guy was lifting a chunk of concrete like it weighed nothing.
He slammed it down.
The ground cracked.
“That’s Leo,” Kai said. “Don’t fight him.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
Leo noticed them and walked over.
Each step heavy.
“You’re the new guy?” he asked.
Alex nodded.
Leo looked him up and down.
“…You look weak.”
“Cool,” Alex replied.
Leo grinned.
“I like him.”
Nyx
“Don’t get too comfortable.”
The voice came from the shadows.
Alex turned.
And for a moment—
He thought he was looking at himself.
Not physically.
But—
The shadows around her moved like his.
A girl stepped out slowly.
Black hair. Calm eyes.
Everything about her felt… quiet.
Dangerously quiet.
“I’m Nyx,” she said.
Alex stared.
“You’re like me.”
Nyx shook her head slightly.
“No.”
A pause.
“I’m not.”
Eron
A blur flashed past them.
Wind cracked.
And suddenly—
Someone was standing right behind Alex.
“Too slow,” the guy said.
Alex jumped.
“Don’t do that!”
Eron laughed.
“Couldn’t resist.”
Kai rolled his eyes.
“That’s Eron. He moves faster than he thinks.”
“Which is dangerous,” Mira added.
“Hey,” Eron said. “Only sometimes.”
The Sixth Presence
As they stood together—
Alex felt it again.
That strange feeling.
Like someone was watching.
He turned.
At the far end of the room—
A girl stood alone.
White hair.
Pale eyes.
She wasn’t training.
Just… watching.
Specifically—
Him.
“Who’s that?” Alex asked quietly.
The group went silent.
Kai’s expression changed slightly.
“…You don’t talk to her.”
“Why?”
Nyx answered.
“Because she knows things she shouldn’t.”
The girl tilted her head slightly—
As if she heard them.
Then—
She smiled.
Just a little.
And turned away.
Alex felt a chill run down his spine.
“…Yeah,” he muttered.
“Definitely not normal.”
A New Beginning
Kai stepped forward.
“Alright. Listen carefully.”
Everyone looked at him.
“This isn’t random anymore.”
He pointed at Alex.
“He came from the past.”
Silence.
Mira blinked.
“…You’re serious?”
Alex nodded slowly.
“My brother sent me here… to save me.”
“And now you want to go back,” Leo said.
“Yes.”
Nyx crossed her arms.
“That’s not easy.”
“I don’t care,” Alex replied. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Kai smiled slightly.
“Good.”
He stepped closer.
“Because from now on…”
His voice sharpened.
“You’re one of us.”
Final Moment
That night—
Alex stood alone on the rooftop.
The city glowing beneath him.
Different.
Future.
Unfamiliar.
“…Darius,” he whispered.
“I’ll come back.”
The shadows around him shifted softly.
No longer random.
No longer distant.
This time—
They stayed close.
Like they had chosen him.
Or…
Like he had awakened something that had been waiting.
- Writer
