The next morning, Arjun stared at his phone in silence.
R.S.
His mind raced through everyone he knew—teachers, family, even neighbors—but nothing clicked.
Who had those initials? Who among them could be a Timekeeper… or worse, corrupted?
And then it hit him.
Ritika Sharma.
The new History teacher at school.
Soft-spoken. Always wearing gloves. Always interested in "alternate versions" of the past.
And oddly, she joined the school only a week before the timeline anomaly started.
---
The Encounter
Arjun had no choice. He went to school that day, hiding the Echo Drive beneath his sleeve and carrying the feather in his bag.
During history class, he raised his hand.
"Ma'am, do you believe in… multiple timelines?"
Ritika paused mid-sentence. Her chalk froze on the blackboard.
Then she smiled—but her eyes didn't.
"That's a very advanced question, Arjun. Who told you about that?"
"Just something I read," he replied casually.
After class, she called him aside.
"Arjun, I'd like you to stay back. I think we should talk."
---
The Revelation
In the empty classroom, she locked the door.
"You've accessed the Echo Drive," she said plainly.
Arjun stepped back.
"You're a Timekeeper?"
"Yes. One of the last who still believe in the Core Thread.
You're Kaladarshi—the one who sees through time.
You weren't supposed to awaken yet."
Arjun frowned. "What's the Core Thread?"
"The original timeline. Before the wars.
Before humans began splitting time into fragments to escape consequences."
She walked up to him, slow and calculating.
"But you saw something in Thread Three, didn't you?
Something that made you question us."
Arjun stayed quiet.
Ritika leaned closer.
"Rael sent you a warning. I know.
But she's a rogue. A defector. She doesn't understand the stakes."
Arjun clenched his fists.
"She died to save me."
Ritika's face twitched. Just for a moment.
"Then she chose wrong."
---
The Shadow Ripple
Suddenly, the air around her shimmered.
A dark ripple passed through the classroom.
Desks melted into code, the walls became static. Arjun backed away—his Echo Drive glowing, sensing danger.
"You're... corrupted," he whispered.
Ritika smiled.
"There's no such thing as corruption when you're fixing the world.
I'm making sure the wrong futures never happen.
Even if that means burning some timelines."
She raised her hand—time froze around them.
But before she could strike, the feather in Arjun's bag flew out on its own, spinning like a boomerang and forming a shield of light in front of him.
Ritika's face turned pale.
"It's awakened…"
The Echo Drive beeped.
"Thread Acceleration Detected. Event Lock Broken."
---
A portal opened behind Ritika. Someone stepped out.
Not Rael.
Not Ritika.
But another Arjun—older, scarred, and wearing a cloak of broken timelines.
"Get away from him," the older Arjun growled.
Ritika's eyes widened.
"You shouldn't be here. This thread is sealed!"
Older Arjun raised his own feather—shaped like a sword now.
"And yet, I remember this moment.
This is the timeline where you die."