Chapter 4-Between the Light
331 Words
When Nina opened her eyes, she was somewhere else.
Not the bookstore. Not the vault. Not even Lagos.
She stood barefoot on a floor made of black glass, surrounded by swirling mist and stars suspended midair. Above her, a glowing orb pulsed with a rhythm that matched her heartbeat.
A voice echoed — not spoken aloud, but inside her.
"Welcome to the Threshold, Anchor."
“Who’s there?” Nina asked aloud, spinning around. The mist parted, revealing a second figure: herself.
But this version of Nina wore a long coat, had a scar on her cheek, and carried herself like a soldier. Her eyes glowed faintly gold.
“You’re the other me,” Nina whispered.
The other Nina nodded. “Yes. And you’re the last of us who still has time.”
“What is this place?”
“It’s the last thing your mind sees before it resets. A limbo between memory and loss.”
Nina looked up. The glowing orb above began flickering.
“They're trying to wipe you,” Alt-Nina continued. “I’ve been resisting them for weeks. But once they erase your timeline’s Anchor, they can take full control.”
“Control of what?” Nina asked.
“All timelines. All versions of you, of Efe, of everyone. A single, rewritten world under Their control.”
“Who are They?”
Alt-Nina’s face darkened. “They go by many names. Timecasters. Mindweavers. Some even call them Archivists. But it doesn't matter. What matters is this — you still have a choice.”
The orb pulsed violently. A loud c***k shook the ground.
“You need to wake up,” Alt-Nina urged, stepping forward. “And when you do, find the Ember Stone. It’s hidden in your world, inside someone who forgot they ever knew you.”
“Where? Who?”
Alt-Nina's form started glitching. Her voice splintered. “Find—Efe—before—he—forgets—”
The glass beneath Nina’s feet shattered.
She fell.
- Writer
