The echoes of time twisted around Alicia like a dense fog, warping her perception of the present. She stood in a realm neither here nor there, a place where memories faded and reformed, each layer of time stacked on top of the other like shifting sand. Her once vibrant memories of the Light Temple were now distant whispers, the faces of old friends blurred with each passing moment.
Her hand gripped the staff, the source of her power—and of her curse. Jian's staff. A powerful artifact, one imbued with the light magic of the ancients. A magic so potent that it allowed her to manipulate time itself. But that power came with a cost.
Alicia had used the staff in desperation. The Shadow Prince's relic had fallen into the wrong hands, and she had no choice but to tamper with the threads of fate to stop the coming destruction. She had sealed away the relic's power by binding it to the very fabric of time. Yet, in doing so, she had lost herself. The timeline was no longer her own, her existence fractured between moments of the past, present, and future.
"Alicia," a familiar voice echoed through the realm of time. It was not the voice of an enemy, nor was it a sound of dread—it was a call. A beckoning from the past.
She turned, her heart racing in recognition. "Alicia," it came again. This time, more urgent. "You cannot hide forever."
A figure emerged from the fog, but this wasn't just any figure—it was Jackson, though not as she remembered him. He stood taller now, his eyes fierce with the fire of a warrior who had walked through his own trials. His expression was full of pain and determination, a reflection of the man he had become in her absence.
"You..." Alicia whispered, her voice trembling. "You found the scale."
Jackson nodded, stepping closer. "I had to, for you. For us."
Alicia felt a pang in her chest, a longing she hadn't realized she still carried. The weight of the time she had stolen from both herself and him pressed down on her.
"You have to come back," Jackson said. "The others need you. I need you."
Alicia's eyes flickered with doubt. She could feel the pull of the light magic inside her, the essence of Jian's staff still linked to her being. But to return meant facing the cost of her choices. The world she had tried to protect might be shattered by the very action she had taken.
She raised a hand, summoning the threads of time. "I cannot return... not until I finish what I started." She closed her eyes, her mind drifting back to the beginning.
It had all started so simply. The Shadow Prince's relic had been discovered, hidden within the depths of the lost temple. It was an artifact of immense power, one that could reshape reality itself. Alicia had been tasked with protecting it—but when the dark forces of the Prince began to stir, threatening to rip the world apart, she knew the only way to stop them was to alter time.
She had used Jian's staff, calling upon the forbidden light magic, and opened the door to the temporal rift. But it wasn't without consequences. The magic was too powerful, too volatile. Time bent around her, and with each use of the staff, she felt herself slipping further away from the present, her essence scattering across timelines.
Alicia stood on the precipice of the decision she had been avoiding for so long. She could feel the pull of the past, the temptation to stay locked in this timeless place, free from the consequences of her actions. But she also knew the truth—she couldn't remain here forever. The scale had awakened, and Jackson had passed his trial. It was time for her to make amends.
"Jackson," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I am sorry. I didn't know what I was doing."
In the distance, she could hear the faint sound of battle. The Shadow Prince's relic was stirring again, the darkness creeping toward the world. Alicia closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
It was time to face the truth.
Back at the tower, Jian stood frozen, her mind racing. The words Jackson had spoken still echoed in her ears: Alicia is your mentor. She had thought Alicia's disappearance was just a twist of fate, an unspoken tragedy that left a void in her life. But now, it felt as if the very fabric of her existence was coming undone. The truth was now within her reach, but it was fragile, like a thread that could break at any moment.
"We have to find her," Jian said firmly, her eyes blazing with determination. "We have to save her."
Jackson looked at her, his expression serious. "We will. But we can't do it alone."
The fire in Jian's heart ignited. "I don't care what it takes. We're going to bring Alicia back. I owe her that much."
They both turned toward the path that lay ahead, the dragon scales on Jackson's chest glowing brighter than ever before. The future was uncertain, but one thing was clear: they would face it together.