Ron's hands trembled as he held the strange, sleek device Seraphin had given him — the Cronox. Its surface shimmered with shifting holographic lines, constantly rewriting themselves like codes breathing in rhythm. He didn't fully understand what it was, but just touching it made his chest burn — not with pain, but with something that felt alive.
Seraphin placed her hand over his. Her tone was calm, but her sharp gaze told him how serious this was.
"Ron, brace yourself. We're going to open a Chrono Gate."
Before Ron could even ask, Seraphin tapped the Cronox on her wrist. The air around them rippled like water disturbed by a stone. A sudden crackling fissure of light ripped through the sky in front of them, spreading like glass shattering in slow motion. Through the broken fragments of reality, Ron saw… another world.
"W–What is this…?" he gasped, his breath stolen away.
"This," Seraphin said firmly, "is Chrono Space. A dimension between dimensions. Where time itself flows like a river branching into infinite streams."
The fissure widened into a glowing portal. Ron felt his heart pound violently in his chest, as if warning him — or urging him — to step forward. Without hesitation, Seraphin pulled his hand.
The moment they crossed through, Ron's entire body felt weightless.
---
Chrono Space
The first thing he noticed was the silence. An endless, cosmic silence, yet it wasn't empty. They floated in a vast galactic ocean, but instead of stars, there were floating fragments of entire worlds suspended in the void. Shattered cities, twisting forests, broken castles, entire oceans folded into globes — fragments of different timelines, scattered like glass shards in a void.
Ron's eyes widened in awe. "This… this is impossible…"
Seraphin smiled faintly, watching his reaction. "To you, maybe. But this is reality, Ron. All these fragments are Chrono Zones. Alternate worlds. Alternate times. Every possibility that ever existed."
Ron turned, pointing at a fragment that drifted nearby — a huge piece of land floating upside down, with waterfalls cascading into nothingness. "Then… are these places real? Or just illusions?"
"They're real," Seraphin said, her voice low. "Some are pasts that could've been. Some are futures that may never come. And some are… dangerous. Chrono Zones are unstable. One wrong step, and you're erased from every possibility of existence."
A chill ran down Ron's spine. "And we have to go through that?!"
"Yes," Seraphin said firmly. "Because the Algorithm Keys are hidden in these Chrono Zones. Without them, the Heart Code will never unlock, and the Null Walkers will gain control of all timelines. That means not just your past, Ron… but everyone's future."
---
The Burden of the Heart Code
Ron clenched his fists. "But why me? Why do I matter at all? I'm… just me. I couldn't even protect Sara…"
At her name, his voice broke. For a moment, he was just a boy again — lost, broken, drowning in grief.
Seraphin stopped floating forward and turned to face him. Her expression softened. "Listen to me. You think you're weak, but you're not. The Heart Code chose you. And Sara… she didn't die because you were weak. She took a blow meant to erase you forever. Without her, you wouldn't even be standing here. She believed in you — more than you ever believed in yourself."
Ron's eyes stung, his chest tightening. Sara's last words echoed in his head: "I wish I could see you again tomorrow."
He whispered, trembling, "Sara…"
Seraphin placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you want to honor her, then fight. Not just for her — but for every timeline she saved."
Something ignited in Ron. It wasn't anger this time. It was resolve. He looked down at the Cronox strapped to his wrist. "Then I'll fight. I don't care how broken I am. I'll fight."
---
First Rift, First Key
Seraphin nodded, her eyes glowing faintly with light from her visor. She turned forward and pointed into the infinite distance. "Good. Then let's begin. Our first target is the Prime Rift — a Chrono Zone where the First Algorithm Key is hidden."
Ron squinted. Far away, he saw it: a massive sphere cracked with glowing lines, like a pulsating heart of broken glass. It throbbed with unstable energy, each pulse rippling through Chrono Space like a heartbeat.
"That's it?" Ron whispered.
"Yes," Seraphin replied. "But be warned… Null Walkers patrol Chrono Space. They won't let us take the key without a fight."
Ron exhaled sharply. His whole body still trembled with fear, but he forced himself to nod. "Then let them come. I promised Sara that one day… I'd be the one to protect."
Seraphin gave a rare, small smile. "Then it's time to prove it."
Together, they propelled themselves toward the glowing Chrono Zone — where their real journey would begin.
A strange voice in the chrono zone ....
" I sensed.... that strange heart...maybe it is him...." He smirked with a weak smile
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To be continued…
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