The night was cold, a sharp wind whispering through the silence. The cemetery stretched wide, rows of gravestones like silent watchers under the pale moonlight.
Ron walked slowly, each step heavy, his heart pounding in his chest. Beside him, Seraphin walked in silence, her eyes scanning their surroundings with a calculating precision that felt far too different from Sara's warmth.
And yet… her footsteps, her silhouette, the way her hair caught the moonlight—it was all too similar. Every time he glanced at her, his chest tightened with memories of the girl he lost.
They stopped before a small gravestone.
Sara Valentine.
Beloved daughter. Cherished friend. A light gone too soon.
Ron knelt, his fingers brushing across the cold stone. His throat ached, his voice fragile.
"Sara… I don't know if you can hear me. But I brought someone… someone who looks just like you."
Seraphin stepped forward. She didn't kneel, but instead tapped the device on her wrist. A beam of faint light scanned across the gravestone. Symbols and data flickered across the holographic display.
Her brows furrowed. "So it's true…"
Ron turned to her, his eyes red. "True? What do you mean? Why does she—why do you—look like her?"
Seraphin's gaze met his, calm but burdened with knowledge.
"Because you, Ron, are the key."
---
✦ The Revelation ✦
Ron blinked, confused. "…Key? What are you talking about?"
Seraphin took a step closer, her expression firm.
"In the future, you're the one who decodes the Heart Code. You're the one who destroys the Null Walkers."
Ron's breath caught. Him? The same useless boy who couldn't even defend himself from bullies? His mind rejected it. "That's… impossible. You've got the wrong guy."
But Seraphin shook her head. "No. I've seen fragments of the records. You stood against them. You unlocked the most complicated construct in existence—the Heart Code—and ended their reign. Without you, the timelines collapse."
Ron staggered back. His chest tightened. His hands trembled. "Me…?"
Seraphin's voice dropped lower, serious. "The Null Walkers are not just an organization—they are a plague. They manipulate Chrono Zones—the interlinked dimensions that connect past, future, and infinite alternates. By controlling them, they want to rewrite all timelines into their dominion."
Her eyes narrowed. "And to do that, they needed to erase you."
Ron swallowed, throat dry. "Erase… me?"
She nodded. "In the future, they killed you. Your heart was their target. But somehow… the attack didn't end your life." She paused, glancing at Sara's gravestone. "I think… someone else took the attack for you."
The words cut through Ron's soul.
He stared at Sara's name carved into stone, his body trembling. The memory of her laughter, her voice, her smile—every piece of her crashed into him like waves.
"S-Sara…?" His voice broke. "She… she died because of me? She… saved me?"
Seraphin remained silent, but her eyes softened, almost regretful.
Ron's chest burned with grief and guilt, his tears streaming. He clutched the plush cat Sara had given him, the fabric damp under his shaking hands.
I promised I would save you… and yet you saved me instead…
---
✦ The Cronox ✦
Seraphin let him grieve in silence for a moment, then spoke firmly.
"The Heart Code is the most advanced device in existence. It cannot be unlocked by brute force, only through Algorithm Keys—lost fragments scattered across the Chrono Zones. If Null Walkers find them first, they'll gain absolute control. If we find them, we stop them."
She turned to Ron, her hand reaching into her coat. From inside, she pulled out a sleek, metallic object the size of a wristwatch. It pulsed with faint blue energy, gears shifting as if alive.
"This is the Cronox."
Ron blinked, wiping his tears. "Cronox…?"
"It's attuned to you," Seraphin explained. "The one destined to decode the Heart Code. With it, you can channel fragments of future technology. Think of it as a bridge—letting you manipulate future mechs and machinery in the present."
She pressed it into his palm. The device hummed, warm, as if it recognized him.
The moment it touched his skin, Ron's vision blurred. Flashes of light consumed him.
He saw Sara's smile. Her giving him the plush cat, saying, "This will protect you."
He saw shadows of colossal mechs battling in burning cities. The screams of people across shattered skies. The logo of Null Walkers glowing like a curse.
Then silence.
Ron gasped, snapping back to reality, the Cronox now strapped to his wrist, glowing faintly.
"…Sara…" he whispered.
Seraphin watched him carefully. "Now you understand. The path ahead won't be easy. But if we're to stop Null Walkers, I'll need your help to locate the Algorithm Keys. Alone, I can't do it."
Ron clenched his fist. For the first time since Sara's death, his grief shifted into something else. Not just despair—resolve.
He looked at Seraphin, his voice steady though his heart still trembled.
"I don't know if I can really be the person you're talking about. But… if Sara died to protect me, I won't waste that. I'll fight. I'll help you."
Seraphin nodded, her eyes holding something almost like respect.
"Then our journey begins here."
---
✦ Null Walkers HQ ✦
In the cold neon labs of Null Walkers, alarms pulsed crimson.
"They've merged," one researcher said, staring at the holographic feed of Ron and Seraphin together.
Another's voice dripped with malice. "Then we move faster. If they seek the Algorithm Keys… we'll erase them before they even begin."
The emblem of Null Walkers glowed, its shadow stretching across the fractured dimensions.
---
✦ End of Chapter ✦
Ron stood at Sara's grave, Cronox glowing faintly on his wrist. He clutched the plush cat, his silent vow echoing in his heart.
Sara… I'll save the future. For you.
To be continued…
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