The moment Ezra touched the glass, time shattered.
Not broke. Shattered.
The vault, the cold, the dim lights—all of it twisted into a kaleidoscope of frozen seconds, where every heartbeat was a memory and every breath dragged on for eternity.
Ezra wasn't falling. He was being suspended, weightless between moments.
[Trial Initiated: Guardian Echo – The Watcher of Hours]
You stand before the Keeper of Time. You will be judged.
He landed on solid ground—except it wasn't solid. It was memory shaped into a floor, a circular platform suspended in an endless sky where constellations turned backward and stars reversed their glow.
Before him stood a figure in a clockwork robe. Her face shifted with each blink—sometimes child, sometimes crone, sometimes mirror. In her hand, she held a cracked pocket watch, ticking loudly despite the silence.
"You are Ezra Vale," she said, voice overlapping with itself. "Bearer of the Hollow Mercy. Scion of Nyra the Unbound."
Ezra's grip tightened on the scythe.
"You hold a weapon meant for gods," the Echo whispered. "And yet, you still bleed like a boy."
"Then teach me how not to."
She smiled.
The stars paused overhead.
[Trial of Seconds: Phase One – Regret Rewind]
Face the moment you most wish you could change. Endure it. Accept it. Or be trapped in it forever.
Ezra blinked—and the sky spun.
Sector 7 – Years Ago
He was back in the orphanage. The ruined one.
Dust. Coughing. Screaming.
He was fourteen. Holding the hand of a dying boy—Milo, his only real friend. A boy who had saved him from a beating the day before, now crushed under debris from a mana collapse during an illegal Gate experiment.
Ezra remembered this day.
Remembered screaming for help.
Remembered no one came.
He remembered watching Milo die—and doing nothing.
Now he was here again, in that moment, standing beside his younger self.
The Echo's voice echoed from the heavens.
"Save him."
Ezra's hands trembled.
"I couldn't."
"But now you can."
Ezra looked at the wreckage. At Milo's pale face.
He stepped forward, lifted the debris—not with magic, but strength. His arms burned. His bones screamed. But he did it.
He pulled Milo out.
Held him.
And watched as the boy still died, blood running from his ears.
"You can't change death," the Echo whispered. "But you can honor it."
The moment froze.
Ezra stepped back.
[Trial Phase One: Complete]
You accepted what cannot be undone.
Trial Phase Two – Broken Time
The platform reformed.
Now he stood surrounded by copies of himself.
Ten Ezras.
Each wearing different wounds, holding different expressions. One was smiling. Another weeping. One had Hollow Mercy buried in his chest like he'd tried to kill himself. One held a bloodied crown.
The Echo appeared again.
"These are possible futures. Kill the ones who are not you."
Ezra frowned. "And how do I know which one is?"
She only smiled. "That's the test."
The copies moved in unison.
Ezra narrowed his eyes.
One moved late.
Not off by much. Just a fraction of a second. But enough.
He lunged, scythe spinning.
[Chrono Pulse – Triggered]
Time hiccuped.
Ezra blinked across the platform in an instant, bypassing three illusions.
He cut down the faulty one in a single blow.
It screamed in a voice that wasn't his.
The rest froze.
[Trial Phase Two: Complete]
You can read yourself in the moments between seconds.
Trial Phase Three – The Hourless Decision
The Echo approached, slower now.
Her form stabilized—young woman, white hair drifting like mist, eyes pure silver. The timepiece in her hand cracked down the center.
"One question," she said. "Answer honestly."
Ezra braced.
"If you could save the world by letting your future child die… would you do it?"
His chest constricted.
"I don't have a child."
"Yet."
Ezra didn't speak for a long time.
When he did, his voice was ice.
"…No."
"Even if billions burn?"
"I've buried enough friends. I'll tear the world down before I bury my child."
The Echo stared.
Then—
She smiled.
"Good. Then we are aligned."
[Trial Passed: Guardian Echo – Watcher of Hours]
Gem Slot 2 Unlocked: TIME – "Chrono Rift"
(Ability: Freeze all undead under your command for 2 seconds. During this time, they are untouchable and can phase through obstacles. Cooldown: 60s)
Ezra collapsed to one knee as power surged into his chest. Hollow Mercy flared—its blade glowing briefly with the soft silver hue of time itself.
A second notch glimmered on the weapon.
Soul Gem Slots: 2/5 Acquired
The Watcher stepped forward and kissed his forehead.
"You walk the Hollow Path now."
Summon Unlocked: Guardian Echo – Watcher of Hours
Passive: Precognition Hints in Combat. Active: Chrono Lock (Stun target for 1.5s if they're marked by Mark Prey.)
Ezra faded from the dream.
The Vault – Real World
He awoke gasping on the cold floor.
Rei was beside him in an instant. "You okay?"
Ezra slowly stood. "Better."
The scythe felt different now—lighter. Hungrier.
Rei frowned. "I saw the Gem slot glow. That's two, right?"
Ezra nodded.
The Bone Rat clicked excitedly from her shoulder.
But the system chimed again.
[WARNING: Global Notification Triggered.]
Entity: Ezra Vale has acquired a second Soul Gem.
Threat Classification: ELEVATED.
Guild Flags Activated: Crimson Pike | Argent Spire | The Dawn Authority.
Rei's face paled.
"They're going to hunt you."
Ezra turned toward the exit.
"No," he said.
"They're going to come see who hunts them back."
Elsewhere – A High Tower in Rebirth City
An old man stared at the system notification.
He wore black gloves over decaying hands and sat on a throne of glass surrounded by monitors.
"He's accelerating," he rasped. "Two Gems in under a month."
A woman in red armor knelt before him. "Orders?"
"Send the Reapers. Let's see if the Hollowborn bleeds like his mother."