Kei's hands clenched into fists. An experiment? His entire reality had been nothing more than a calculated game.
Who was behind this? And why?
His eyes darted around the white chamber. The screen flickered, displaying corrupted text. If this was a control room, there had to be more information.
DecodingtheTruth
Kei spotted a terminal near the wall. Unlike the others he had seen, this one still had power. He stepped closer and tapped the screen.
[ ACCESS RESTRICTED – ADMIN CLEARANCE REQUIRED ]
Kei gritted his teeth. There had to be a way in.
Then he noticed something—a severed hand near the door. The fingers twitched slightly, frozen in time. And on its wrist—an Administrator's bracelet.
Kei exhaled sharply. Fate was playing cruel games with him.
He bent down, ignoring the unease creeping up his spine, and pressed the bracelet to the terminal.
[ Access Granted. ]
The screen glowed before rapidly displaying a sequence of files. Kei's eyes darted across the text.
> PROJECT TIMELOCK – PHASE 2
Initiator: UNKNOWN
Subjects: 1000 selected. Status: 98% deceased.
Objective: Forced Evolution through Temporal Distortion.
Results: Anomaly Detected (Subject #077 – "Kei")…
His name was there.
Kei's pulse quickened. Anomaly? What did they mean?
Then—a distorted voice filled the room.
> "You were never supposed to survive this long."
Kei froze. The voice wasn't coming from the screen. It was behind him.
The Timeless Guardian
He turned slowly.
A figure stood in the doorway—not faceless like the Watcher, but something far worse.
It was Kei himself.
Or rather—a future version of him.
His face was gaunt, his eyes hollow. His body was covered in fractured scars, flickering with unstable energy. He looked like he had been trapped in endless loops of suffering.
Future Kei's lips curled into a twisted smile.
> "You don't understand, do you?"
"There is no escape. The moment you think you've won... the clock resets."
And then—he attacked.