The gates were open. Ron and Seraphin enters Chrono Zone named Time Rift.
The moment Ron and Seraphin crossed into the Prime Rift, the vibrant, surreal beauty of Chrono Space was left behind. Here, the air was heavy, thick with the stench of dust and ash. The ground cracked beneath their feet, barren and gray, with twisted remnants of buildings leaning like corpses.
"This place…" Ron muttered, scanning the lifeless horizon. "It feels… dead."
Seraphin nodded grimly. "Because it is. The Algorithm Keys are always hidden in worlds that once thrived. But when the Null Walkers take control, they strip everything to fuel their machines. They don't care about life — only power."
As they moved forward, they began to hear faint sounds. Not the buzzing of machines or the rumbling of engines — but the strained, broken cries of people.
---
Slaves of the Null Walkers
They came to a vast, open quarry-like pit. Below, hundreds of people in ragged clothes worked endlessly, hacking at glowing fragments of broken gears, shards of strange luminous crystals, and rusting metal pieces. Chains bound their wrists, and collars with blinking lights locked around their necks. The sick coughed weakly as they stumbled, yet were forced to continue under the watchful eyes of armored Null Walker enforcers.
Ron's fists tightened instantly. His chest burned.
"They're… enslaved," he whispered in disbelief. "They're treated like animals…"
A child collapsed from exhaustion, crying weakly. One of the guards raised a whip-like baton, electricity sparking at its tip, and brought it down.
Something snapped inside Ron. "NO!"
Before Seraphin could stop him, Ron leapt down into the pit. Dust swirled as he landed between the guard and the child. The enforcer sneered under his black visor.
"A stray rat?" the guard growled.
Ron's heart pounded wildly, fear surging through him — but the Cronox on his wrist glowed violently. Its holographic lines expanded up his arm, reshaping into a steel gauntlet of the future — sleek, metallic, and alive with circuits.
The guard swung his baton.
Ron's arm moved before his mind could react. His new gauntlet surged with kinetic force, catching the baton mid-swing. The metal shattered like glass against his steel fist.
"What the—?!" the guard roared.
Ron pulled back and slammed his fist into the enforcer's chest. Sparks exploded as the guard's armor caved in, sending him flying backward into the dirt.
The slaves froze, wide-eyed, as silence spread through the pit.
Ron gasped, staring at his hand. "I… I actually did that?"
Seraphin landed beside him, her blade-like weapon drawn, eyes locked on the other guards. "Don't stand there in shock, Ron. Fight! That gauntlet is your first step toward controlling the Cronox!"
---
The Fight for Freedom
The other Null Walkers charged forward. Ron ducked an energy blast that scorched the dirt beside him, then thrust his steel arm forward. A pulse of blue light erupted, forming a projected shield that blocked the second blast. His instincts screamed in confusion, but his body moved as if the Cronox guided him.
He swung again, and this time, the gauntlet's steel extended, forming claws that tore through another enforcer's weapon.
The slaves began cheering faintly, hope flickering in their hollow eyes for the first time in years.
"Keep fighting, Ron!" Seraphin shouted as she slashed through another guard with her plasma-scythe. "This is what you were meant for!"
One by one, the Null Walkers fell, until the pit was silent again.
The slaves stared at Ron in awe. Some wept openly. A frail old man stepped forward, bowing his head.
"You… you freed us. No one has ever stood against them before."
Ron panted, his steel gauntlet fading back into the Cronox on his wrist. His body trembled, not from fear, but from adrenaline and disbelief. "…I didn't just fight. I… actually protected someone."
---
The Broken Greenwich Clock
After resting, the survivors explained their suffering.
Long ago, this land had been a paradise — rivers flowing, forests rich, skies clear. At the center of their world stood a towering Greenwich Clock, an ancient construct that channeled the balance of time itself. Its hands turned not to mark hours, but to regulate the flow of vitality through the land, keeping it alive.
But the Null Walkers had come.
"They broke the clock," the old man said bitterly, coughing into his hand. "They shattered its gears to harness its power. Since then, our world has withered. We work as slaves, digging through rubble, forced to search for fragments of the Algorithm Key they believe is buried here."
He pointed toward the horizon. There, through the haze, stood the ruins of a giant clock tower, its hands frozen, its gears scattered across the land. Once majestic, it now loomed like a corpse.
Ron clenched his fists, his anger boiling. "They destroyed… something so important… just for power?"
Seraphin placed a hand on his shoulder. "This is what Null Walkers do, Ron. They twist time. They corrupt what keeps balance." She looked toward the ruined tower, her eyes hardening. "If the Greenwich Clock can be restored, this land may heal — and the Algorithm Key might reveal itself."
Ron looked at her, determination shining through his grief. "Then we'll fix it. For them."
The slaves looked at Ron as if he were a beacon in the darkness. For the first time, hope didn't feel like a dream.
They were ready along with Ron and Seraphin
But will they surpass their test ?
---
To be continued…