Kael opened his eyes slowly. The ceiling was white. The walls were decorated with childish drawings. A stuffed bear rested beside his pillow. He didn't remember how he got there. But he knew one thing…
There was someone beside his bed.
— Come on, sleepyhead, said a gentle voice. A blonde woman looked at him with affection. She wore a white lab coat, but her smile wasn't cold. It was warm. Familiar.
— Who are you? Kael asked, half-asleep.
She brushed his hair back.
— I'm Aria, she answered, as if she had told him before.
— Your aunt. And today is your first day of school.
Kael blinked several times. He couldn't remember her. But something in his heart… did.
"Memory detected: 'Aria – First Connection'"
Why did that word hurt?
The Morning Routine
Kael walked downstairs from a small two-story house bathed in morning light. The table was set: toast, hot chocolate, fresh fruit. Everything seemed normal. Too normal.
Aria watched him eat. She didn't say much. Only stared. As if she feared losing him again.
— Today starts your time at the Temporal Academy, she said.
— I know you don't remember things clearly lately. But trust me. You're safe here.
Kael nodded. Not because he understood. But because he wanted to believe her.
When they left, Kael walked beside her, carrying a school backpack. He was a child again. Or so he thought.
The Temporal Academy
The Temporal Academy was enormous. Buildings of gray stone, tall windows, and ancient technology woven into the walls. It looked like a normal school… but Kael knew it wasn't.
As he entered, he saw three familiar faces.
Vark , tall for his age, with scars that shouldn't have been there, sat alone in a corner of the courtyard, silent.
Lira , with braids and a blue backpack, played near the entrance. Laughing. Smiling. But when she saw him… she didn't recognize him.
And Mira , sharp-eyed, wearing small glasses and holding a portable tablet, looked at him with curiosity. Like something about him caught her attention.
— Hi, Mira said, approaching.
— Are you new?
— Yes, Kael replied, uneasy.
— My name's Kael.
— I'm Mira, she said, extending her hand.
— Welcome.
Kael took it. A chill ran through him. That feeling… that he had lost something important. That this girl shouldn't know him… but somehow did.
🏫 The Elemental Class of Time Markers
Inside the classroom, students were taken to a special session. The walls shifted. The windows showed landscapes from other times.
A tall woman with dark hair and gray eyes entered the room. She wore a badge on her chest:
"Professor Sable – Rank B Instructor"
— Welcome to the Elemental Class of Time Markers, she announced.
— Today you'll learn who you truly are… and what you should fear.
Kael shivered. She didn't seem like a teacher. She seemed like a soldier in disguise.
Lesson 1 – What Is a Time Marker?
Professor Sable projected images on the wall. A temporal rift. Creatures emerging from it. Soldiers wielding energy weapons.
— Time Markers are the only ones capable of containing chaos. Fifteen years ago, the world broke. Since then, humanity has been training new defenders. You are part of that.
— And what does it mean to be one of us? asked a boy named Jenno , bespectacled and nervous.
— It means time is no longer linear for you, Sable replied.
— It means you've been chosen… or cursed.
— How do we know our level? another boy, Ryn , dressed oddly in military-style clothes, asked.
— By your abilities, Sable said.
— And by how the system responds to you.
She pulled up a list and projected it on the wall:
S-Class : Legendary GuardiansA-Class : Elite WarriorsB-Class : Advanced TechniciansC-Class : Temporal AnalystsD-Class : Basic Soldiers (Disposable)
— You're all D-Class, she added.
— Which means you don't get to dream of being heroes yet.
Kael lowered his gaze.
Why did this classification feel so familiar?
New Characters – D-Class Companions
🔹 Jenno – Boy with partial future vision
Smart, curious, wears broken glasses. Can see fragments of future events... but never enough to save anyone.
🔹 Ryn – Boy with body loop power
Can repeat small moments to avoid mistakes. Has wounds that never fully heal.
🔹 Lyra – Mysterious C-Class girl
Gray eyes. Pale skin. Can create zones of frozen time. Something about her scares others.
🔹 Arkan – A-Class prodigy
Cold. Calculating. Imposing aura. Can briefly travel through time. Seems to know Kael… but won't say how.
💬 Deep Dialogues – Kael and His "Friends"
During recess, Kael stayed behind, watching the others run and laugh. They seemed happy. Normal. He didn't feel that way.
— What's wrong? Lira asked, approaching.
— All of this… it shouldn't be happening, Kael murmured.
— I'm not this boy. I'm not this life.
Lira studied him.
— Maybe you are. Maybe you were rewritten. Maybe this is all that's left of you.
— And you? Don't you remember me?
— Of course I do, Lira laughed.
— You're Kael. My desk partner.
But Kael couldn't accept it. Something inside him screamed it wasn't real.
Internal Moment – The Child I Was Never Meant to Be
In class, they were given an assignment: write about your past.
Kael took a sheet of paper. Couldn't write anything. Only flashes of a dark forest. Of black light. Of a woman named Aria.
He tried to draw her. But each line erased her face. As if the paper rejected his memory.
Professor Sable noticed.
— What's wrong, Kael?
— I can't remember my past, he admitted.
— Only visions.
— That's dangerous, she said.
— For you… and for us.
He lifted his gaze toward the window. Outside, a small crack moved between the trees. Invisible to the others. But not to him.
After School
After class, Aria came to pick him up.
— How was your day? she asked, helping him pack his books.
— I don't know, Kael replied.
— I feel like I've been here before… but I don't remember why.
Aria looked at him carefully. Not surprised. Sad.
— Sometimes the brain erases things that hurt too much.
— Like what?
She didn't answer. Just hugged him.
— Trust me. I'll protect you, like I always have.
Kael closed his eyes.
Something in him wanted to remember. But he couldn't.
Temporal Lesson – The System from Childhood
Over the next week, Kael was introduced to the system from a child's perspective. Children were taught to use temporal mechanics as part of mandatory education.
Chronophores: entities that grant powersExistential Fragmentation: overuse erases parts of youTemporal Reset: used only by high-ranking individualsThe Silence: mentioned as an urban legend
— Has anyone felt anything strange? the professor asked.
— Threads of time? Predictive shocks?
Many raised their hands. Kael didn't. He didn't need to. He saw it all.
Kael's File
Kael was called to Professor Sable's office after class. There, he found a school file.
Name: Kael Riven
Status: Unstable
Alert: Possibility of temporal collapse: 31%
Connection with Silence: active (blocked)
— What is this? Kael asked.
— Your record, Sable replied.
— You've been here since you woke up. But there are things you can't know… yet.
— Like what?
— Not all the children we train survive. Some become voids. Others… simply stop existing.
Kael swallowed hard.
— And me?
— You're different. You have something no one else has.
— What is it?
— The system didn't choose you. You already had it… before you were born.
Conversations with Arkan
Kael was assigned a simulation mission with Arkan , the A-Class boy.
— Have you had any temporal visions? Arkan asked.
— No. But sometimes… I see invisible threads.
Arkan looked at him like he was a threat.
— If you see them, you must report it. It means you're starting to break.
— Break?
— Using the system changes you. First it gives you power. Then it takes your identity. Finally… it erases you.
Kael looked down.
— And you? How much of you is still real?
Arkan smiled. But there was no warmth in it.
— I don't know anymore. But I learned not to ask.
That Night
That night, Kael wandered the halls of the school dormitory. Everything seemed quiet. Too quiet.
He entered the bathroom. Looked in the mirror. And saw something behind him. A dark figure. Whispering his name.
"Kael…"
"Remember who you are."
"Before you forget forever."
Kael stepped back. The figure vanished. But on the mirror…
One word remained, written in blood.
Silence
Temporal Vision
That night, Kael dreamed.
He dreamed of a burning city.
Of a crack in the sky.
Of a blonde woman standing before him.
Of a broken promise.
Of a name he could no longer speak.
He woke up sweating. Didn't cry. Just held himself tightly.
— What was that? he whispered.
"System: connection interrupted."
"Memory blocked: 'Aria – First Connection'"
No answers.
But something inside him…
Knew it wasn't just a dream.