Location: The Deep Core – Memory District 9, TimeVault Archives
Kael stood before a wall of frozen data — memory strands woven into crystalline filaments, glowing faintly like sleeping stars. This was Memory District 9, a vault so secret even most of the Sentient Code AI couldn't access it.
ADA's hologram glitched beside him.
> "Entering here violates thirteen global memory protocols."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "So did existing after age five. Didn't stop me then."
The floor lit up with rotating symbols — not letters, but intents. Old programming language from before Earth's Quantum Convergence.
"Memory Key: Idris Vale," Kael commanded.
The strands trembled.
A ripple spread across the data, and a hidden archive emerged — black and gold, pulsing with locked memories.
ADA hesitated. "Proceeding will destabilize the vault's temporal axis."
Kael inhaled deeply.
"I don't care."
---
He pressed his palm to the archive. Instantly, the lights blinked red. Time itself paused for 0.7 seconds — a ripple only machines could perceive.
Suddenly, he was pulled inward.
---
Memory Dive: Project BlackLoop – Year 2097
Kael stood in a research lab. He was younger, reckless, wearing a lab coat half-stained with quantum ink. Across the room stood Idris — confident, calm, smiling as if he had already seen the future.
> "They'll never accept the truth, Kael," Idris said. "The timeline isn't meant to be saved. It's meant to be rewritten."
> "We don't get to play god," young Kael replied.
> "You already did the day you broke time to save Mother."
The scene froze.
Kael flinched. "Mother?"
> "Timeline Excision Detected," ADA's voice echoed faintly. "That memory was cut from your mind."
Kael whispered, "He saved our mother… by sacrificing a future?"
> "No," said another voice.
He turned.
A child stood there — a girl, no older than ten, with glowing green eyes.
> "He sacrificed me."
Kael stared. "Who are you?"
> "A version of you that never got born."
Suddenly, the scene shattered.
---
Back in real time — District 9
Kael stumbled out of the archive, falling to his knees.
ADA hovered, her tone urgent. "Kael. Your vitals are unstable. You're bleeding memory into the air."
He touched his temple. Tiny filaments of thought were literally unweaving into digital dust.
"He used the BlackLoop Project to carve alternate futures… and delete the ones he didn't like."
Kael stood slowly. "He's not just the Chrono Reaper…"
"…he's building the future that suits him alone."
---
Location: Council of Temporal Ethics – Core Chamber
A private meeting.
Holograms of Earth's ruling minds flickered.
> "Virex has accessed forbidden vaults," one said.
> "He's a threat to continuity," another added.
Then a deep voice rang out.
> "Let him come."
A shadowy figure leaned for
ward — hooded, but the glow in his eyes revealed Idris Vale.
> "I want him to see how it ends."
---
To be continued…