The Philistines stopped beating.
The shadow of the ancient sun clock in the central temple no longer shifted. Even the light from the spiral Dawn no longer pulsed. In the silence that enveloped, it was as if the world held its breath, waiting for a new second that never came. Outside, the leaves whispered in longing for the warmth of the sun, but inside, the atmosphere froze in uncertainty that gnawed at hope.
Time, for a moment, became mute. The atmosphere grew tense, uncertainty creeping into every cavity of the soul, creating dark shadows that colored the mind. Every passing second felt like a shackle, binding them in helplessness. Had the line between real time and illusion been erased? Were they trapped in an endless cycle?
Beelzebub cradled the sleeping Dawn, but the baby's body was cold. Fitran stood rigid, feeling his own pulse cut off. When his eyes shifted to the figure of Dawn, anxiety gripped his heart. Then, in that silence, his inner voice whispered — a fear that embraced him tightly, penetrating to the bone. "What will happen to her? Can I protect her from this darkness?"
Then from the spiral sky—a black line descended. It was neither lightning nor sound. It was the ink of reality that failed to flow. The line tore through the void, creating a vibration that shook the essence of every soul present, as if warning them of something forbidden. In that tense second, many felt the vibration penetrate their souls — a call that could not be ignored. Fear and curiosity enveloped their thoughts.
From the gap in the air, a figure emerged. Cloaked in silver-black. Her body was filled with inverted clocks. Every second that moved on her was a second not allowed to live. There was a magical impression in her presence that made their hearts beat faster. One by one, the faces that saw her transformed, as if standing on the brink between awe and biting fear. In their minds, the question arose, "Are we ready to face what this figure brings?"
Chronos, or more precisely: one of her fragments—a part of herself that was shattered when time was rejected by an unordained birth. Her existence presented a picture of chaos, moments trapped in eternity, inviting reflection on the choices and consequences that accompanied them. In his beating heart, Fitran felt the burden of undeniable history, as if every passing second demanded answers from the actions he chose.
"I did not come to kill." "I came to cancel."
The sky of the Philistines split. As if the universe groaned, feeling every pulse of injustice flowing through time. Sucked into uncertainty, the figures that loomed around brought all hope and fear, forming an invisible web that enveloped her soul.
The city walls began to form numbers, not glyphs. Each number was not a count, but a temporal command: In the frozen silence, memory could not be separated from existence. Fitran's heart collided with those numbers, questioning what would be lost if time were truly canceled, chewing on hope and fear in every breath.
0031: Return the baby to the womb.
0027: Freeze the spiral.
0000: Birth time canceled.
Beelzebub screamed, her embrace of Dawn tightening. In that moment, fear and love battled in deep measures, filling the air with a destructive scent. In her heart, Beelzebub prayed that their love was strong enough to face the dark space, something more than just time.
"NO TIME CAN CANCEL MY LOVE!"
Fitran raised his sword, but soon realized: the sword did not move. Despair enveloped him, while every second felt as if mocking his futile efforts. The light of hope at the tip of his sprout began to dim, and the voice of his heart lamented, waiting for a miracle that might never come.
Because Chronos was not an opponent of existence, but of sequence. She did not attack the body. She attacked possibility. In a dark, directionless adventure, Fitran faced the shadows of his own doubts. Behind that doubt, a whisper demanded him to choose: would he endure or surrender? Every choice seemed like an open door, inviting his steps into deeper uncertainty.
"You can give birth… But I can create a past where you never chose that."
In Beelzebub's hands, Dawn opened her eyes. In that gaze, there was a spirit melting, as if she could penetrate the boundaries of time and feel all the latent potential. The struggle between helplessness and hope was clearly etched on her face, creating a profound image of what should be and what had been lost.
With every passing second, confusion and fear united within Dawn. She felt the weight of time accumulating around her, as if the past and future intertwined in invisible webs. Every breath she took created waves on the surface of her soul, and she began to question the boundaries between reality and imagination. And from her eyes, a spiral of light surged. As that light formed, she envisioned those potentials as stars floating in the darkness, inviting her to choose one of them. But it was not an open spiral; rather, it was a spiral that twisted inward, seeking the roots of her birth. Those deep roots trembled, as if asking to be uncovered and revived, a desire to find meaning behind this journey full of uncertainty.
"Fons Originem: The Spring of Birth that Rejects Cancellation"
In the silence, a bird could be heard chirping from afar. That sound awakened memories of a long-forgotten home, and Dawn felt a new flow of energy surrounding her. In that moment, the pain buried within Dawn began to merge with hope. She remembered Beelzebub's warm smile, and how every second they spent together built a strong wall of strength, layer upon layer as time passed. Fitran and Beelzebub united in a mantra.
"We do not fight time… We remember before time."
From their feet, a magic circle emerged. The glyphs of Dawn and Virelya glowed in a single pulse. In that light, Dawn could feel the same pulse in her heart, a reminder that even though the darkness of uncertainty enveloped, love remained, no matter how much effort was needed to remember it. Each pulse was like a heartbeat that revived lost moments, affirming their existence against the darkness. And time trembled.
Chronos's fragment attacked:
"Reverse Prima Lux: Return the Light to the Origin of Emptiness."
The entire spiral of Dawn was pulled upward, her body nearly disappearing in the black light that reversed all sequences. In the chaos, the dark light gathered like a storm cloud ready to sweep everything clean, producing a sense of emptiness that pierced the soul. In the midst of the raging panic, Dawn felt the helplessness gnawing at her self-confidence. Every second that passed felt as if trapped in a space in between, highlighting a glimmer of hope that vanished into darkness.
But Fitran stood, his eyes ablaze:
"You can reverse time, but you cannot reverse decisions."
A deep expression of determination etched on his face, and Dawn felt something within her awaken. She called out:
"Memor Amor: The Memory that Shapes the World!"
All the moments when Beelzebub was pregnant, when Dawn cried, when they rejected the world—emerged as pillars of light. Every memory sparkled, dancing among the ruins of time that sought to be destroyed. As if that light permeated their hearts, reminding them of all the choices made at a price that was hard to pay.
In their hearts, there was an inner turmoil that would not subside. Guilt and hope fought against each other, creating a melody of sorrow and regret. In every breath, there was a silent scream, demanding acknowledgment and acceptance.
And Chronos… burned. Burned by parts of the past that could not be erased, until its flames created shadows of pain and regret that spread within the soul. She felt every second as a burden, reflecting on decisions born from darkness, gnawing at the remaining hope.
Every passing second added layers of sorrow, making her feel trapped in an endless cycle. The feeling of being trapped in time seemed to choke her breath, adding pain that felt like a knife, cutting every little bit of life that remained.
The fragment screamed, not with a voice, but with shattered seconds. It vanished as a second that was never written. Not dead. But will never happen.
In the midst of the tension, the air was filled with a damp aroma that wafted, like fresh rain dispelling fatigue. Every lost second left a trace of loss that filled the empty space between them. In that silence, they felt the presence of something greater, something watching from behind the curtain of time, waiting to reveal an unfinished story.
Behind the silence, the effects of the battle against Chronos continued to smolder, challenging their hearts to bravely face time.
The Philistines breathed again. Time moved forward again. Dawn laughed, and from her embrace… the spiral of Virelya shone softly.
However, that laughter was obstructed by the shadows etched in Dawn's eyes, the battle that had shaken her soul. It felt as if the entire universe held its breath, recording the moment of transformation on the canvas of time. In the corridors of Dawn's mind, the echoes of the battle against Chronos resonated, as if time itself became a silent witness to the unspoken struggle. After the chaos, every heartbeat spoke of rediscovery, an effort to forgive every second that passed without return.
Time could no longer cancel this birth. Because love is not written in sequence.
In the silence, they reflected on the long journey; seeing the shadows of their younger selves, filled with hopes and dreams unimaginable, as if recalling who they were before being shaped by time. How Chronos not only brought challenges but also taught the true meaning of every moment that was missed. With every breath, they felt the courage to recreate the story that had been shaken by uncertainty. The sun set on the horizon, blurring the boundaries between past and future, creating a bridge with warm colors that promised a new beginning. Without looking back, they stepped forward, challenging uncertainty with the light of hope forged in all their struggles.