[The ring burned.]
[Not physically.]
[Something deeper.]
[Something tied to fate.]
[Something tied to time.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...What now?"
[The Ring of Oblivion pulsed.]
[Once.]
[Twice.]
[Then reality cracked.]
CRACK.
[The world froze.]
[Sanctuary vanished.]
[Naja vanished.]
[The Hounds vanished.]
[Everything vanished.]
[Abaksa found himself standing somewhere else.]
[The Labyrinth.]
[The Chamber of Ages.]
[His eyes widened.]
"...No."
[He recognized it instantly.]
[The emerald chamber.]
[The place where everything changed.]
[The place where the Chronos Emerald was stolen.]
[The place where the Time War began.]
[Yet something was wrong.]
[The chamber was frozen.]
[Statues unmoving.]
[Dust suspended in the air.]
[Time itself had stopped.]
[Temporal Displacement Detected]
[Warning: Host has entered a recorded timeline]
Abaksa Einsro— "...A memory?"
[No.]
[An event.]
[His blood ran cold.]
[An event.]
[Not a vision.]
[Not an illusion.]
[Real.]
[The ring dragged him into the actual past.]
[Then another notification appeared.]
[COUNTDOWN INITIATED][Remaining Time: 08:43]
[Abaksa froze.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...Countdown to what?"
[Unknown.]
[Of course.]
[The Ring of Oblivion remained silent afterward.]
[As if its purpose had already been fulfilled.]
[Then Abaksa saw him.]
[Standing near the pedestal.]
[The hooded figure.]
[The thief.]
[The one who stole the Chronos Emerald.]
[Black cloak.]
[Silver ring.]
[The exact person from the mirror.]
[The exact person the Hounds feared.]
[The exact person connected to him.]
[The figure slowly turned.]
[And Abaksa stopped breathing.]
[Same eyes.]
[Same face.]
[Same scar.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...Me."
[The thief smiled.]
[Not kindly.]
[Tired.]
Future Abaksa— "Took you long enough."
[Silence.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...What is happening?"
Future Abaksa— "No time."
[The countdown continued.]
08:01
Future Abaksa— "Listen carefully."
Future Abaksa— "In exactly eight minutes the emerald appears."
Future Abaksa— "In seven minutes the Demon Lord arrives."
Future Abaksa— "In six minutes I steal it."
Abaksa Einsro— "...Why?"
[Future Abaksa laughed.]
[A broken laugh.]
Future Abaksa— "Because if I don't..."
[For the first time.]
[His expression darkened.]
Future Abaksa— "Everyone dies."
[The countdown ticked downward.]
05:43
[The chamber began moving.]
[The event resumed.]
[Time restarted.]
[Statues awakened.]
[The emerald appeared.]
[Green light exploded across the chamber.]
[Exactly as Abaksa remembered.]
[Then another presence entered.]
[The Demon Lord.]
[Young.]
[Golden eyes.]
[Dangerous.]
[Future Abaksa moved immediately.]
[No hesitation.]
[He grabbed the emerald.]
[The chamber erupted.]
[Reality cracked.]
[The Demon Lord reacted instantly.]
Demon Lord— "YOU!"
[Power exploded.]
[The same attack.]
[The same moment.]
[The same event.]
[Except now Abaksa saw everything.]
[The thief wasn't escaping.]
[He was barely surviving.]
[Blood already stained the cloak.]
[The ring glowed violently.]
[Future Abaksa stumbled.]
[Then—]
[The Demon Lord appeared directly behind him.]
[Too fast.]
[Too powerful.]
[Too late.]
SHINK.
[The blade pierced straight through Future Abaksa's side.]
[Blood sprayed.]
[The emerald nearly slipped.]
Future Abaksa— "Gah—!"
[The wound was catastrophic.]
[Poison immediately spread through his veins.]
[Black cracks raced across his skin.]
[The Demon Lord smiled.]
Demon Lord— "Found you."
[Future Abaksa laughed.]
[Even while dying.]
Future Abaksa— "Not today."
[The Ring of Oblivion erupted.]
[Space shattered.]
[The escape began.]
[The chamber vanished.]
[The Demon Lord's roar echoed behind them.]
[Then everything became water.]
[Cold.]
[Violent.]
[A waterfall.]
[Future Abaksa crashed through it.]
[Emerald in hand.]
[Body destroyed.]
[Poison spreading.]
[The countdown reached zero.]
00:00
[The vision began collapsing.]
[Future Abaksa turned toward him one final time.]
[His face pale.]
[His eyes exhausted.]
Future Abaksa— "Now you understand."
Abaksa Einsro— "...Understand what?"
[The future version smiled sadly.]
Future Abaksa— "Why I stole it."
[His body finally gave out.]
[The emerald slipped from his fingers.]
[And the waterfall swallowed him.]
[The last thing Abaksa saw...]
[Was himself.]
[Falling into darkness.]
[Still clutching hope.]
[Still refusing to die.]
[Then the vision shattered.]
[Reality returned.]
[Abaksa stood back in Sanctuary.]
[Breathing heavily.]
[The ring warm on his finger.]
[One truth echoing inside his head.]
The thief was him.
And somehow...
The theft had saved the future.