The Confrontation at the Door:
The Silver-Haired Messenger—an Elite Enforcer from the High Council—stands tall, his mercury eyes glowing with "Absolute Authority." Behind him, ten floating mechanical drones aim glowing cannons at the house.
Enforcer: "You have three seconds to surrender. Your 'tricks' at the Family Facility have been noted. The High Council does not tolerate—"
Alex: (Cutting him off, looking at Allen) "Hey, didn't we say we were busy?"
Allen: (Leaning against the doorframe, picking his teeth with a toothpick) "Yeah. And I'm still hungry. Alex, deal with the 'silver spoon' brat. I'll take the girls to the basement."
Alex: "Fine. But if you eat the snacks I hid in the Shadow Realm, I'm actually going to kill you."
The Basement (The Threshold):
Allen leads the confused and terrified Serina and Evelyn down a creaky wooden staircase. At the bottom, there isn't a laundry room—there is a swirling, pulsating rip in reality.
Allen: "Listen carefully. This is the Void Chronos. One century in there is one minute out here. You're going to feel like your souls are being stretched, then compressed, then turned inside out."
Evelyn: (Pale) "A century?! Allen, we'll be old women when we come out!"
Allen: (Smirking) "Time is my plaything, Evelyn. I'll freeze your physical aging. You'll come out looking exactly the same, but your combat instinct? It'll be sharper than a God's blade. Now... JUMP."
Without waiting, Allen literally shoves both of them into the rift.
Back at the Front Door (Real-World Time: 0 Seconds):
The Enforcer is mid-sentence. "...surrender now or face—"
Alex: (Flickering behind the Enforcer instantly) "You talk too much for someone who's about to become a lawn ornament."
Enforcer: "How?! My drones have a 0.001-second reaction time!"
Alex: "Cool. I have a 0-second reaction time."
Alex snaps his fingers. The ten drones don't explode—they simply turn into metal origami cranes and fall gently to the grass. The Enforcer tries to draw his mercury blade, but his hand won't move. He looks down; his shadow has crawled up his arm and pinned him to the spot.
Alex: "I'm going to give you exactly sixty seconds to rethink your career choices. Don't worry, I've got a lot to do in the meantime."
The Shadow Realm (Inside the Rift - 50 Years In):
Serina and Evelyn are panting, covered in bruises. They are surrounded by "Shadow Clones" that look exactly like Alex and Allen.
Serina: (Swinging her dark blade, her movements fluid and terrifyingly fast) "It's been fifty years, Evelyn! I can finally see the Shadow-Clone's heartbeat!"
Evelyn: (Floating in the air, her light arrows now huge lances of pure energy) "I stopped counting at forty! Again! Let's go again!"
They've spent decades fighting ghosts of the Gods. Their eyes have changed—they no longer look like students. They look like Warriors.
Back at the Front Door (Real-World Time: 59 Seconds):
The Enforcer is sweating. Alex is just leaning against the wall, checking his non-existent watch.
Alex: "And... time's up."
WHOOSH.
©Abemo murry, 2026,All Rights reserved