...
[07: 16: 45: 26]
Cassian's gaze locked onto the faint, glowing timer etched into his left arm. No matter how much he tried to ignore the time ticking down, its weight pressed heavily on him.
Man… It's grimly depressing seeing my seconds disappear… Don't look at that, Cassy; there are other important things.
His jaw tightened as he tore his eyes away from the numbers. He couldn't let it break him. Not now. Not ever. He drew a sharp breath to steady himself but immediately gagged, the foul stench of the black gunk around him invading his lungs. "Ugh, seriously?" he groaned, grimacing as he forced himself to his feet. The sticky, tar-like substance clung to him, staining his skin and clothes with its vile residue. Cassian glanced around, his eyes falling on the lifeless soldier sprawled across the rubble nearby. The man's clothes, though bloodied and torn, were far better than what Cassian was wearing.
"May your soul rest in peace," Cassian muttered under his breath, crouching beside the body. He hesitated for only a moment before stripping the corpse of its uniform. He then discarded his tattered shirt and pants, the fabric stiff and reeking of black sludge, and slipped into the soldier's clothes.
The shirt hung loosely on his lean frame. The pants were a bit big. But it was an improvement over his old, smelly rags. He felt a flicker of relief, however small, at the simple act of being clean or at least cleaner.
"Better than smelling like that gunk," he muttered, adjusting his satchel. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the unread notifications hovering faintly at the edge of his vision. A nagging curiosity tugged at him, but he forced the thought aside.
Not yet, I need to get out of here first. Somewhere safer. I'm not about to risk this second chance by charging into every damn obstacle like some brain-dead barbarian.
With that, he turned his attention to the satchel, looking through its contents. His fingers brushed against the cold metal of four more flashbangs, their weight a reassuring presence.
"Huh. Only flashbangs?" he muttered, frowning slightly. "No grenades, no ammo…"
Still, he couldn't deny that the flashbangs had saved his life once already. "Better than nothing," he admitted, securing them in the satchel's pouches. Digging deeper, he found a small roll of gauze tucked away in one of the compartments.
"Okay, that's something," he said, stuffing it back into the bag. But his heart sank when his hands brushed against the rifle. Pulling it free, he winced at the sight. The AR-15's barrel was bent sharply into an L-shape, rendering it useless.
"Oh, come on!" Cassian growled, tossing the ruined weapon aside.
Of course, the one weapon I have is trashed. After all, where's the fun in getting a gun at the start?
He cast a frustrated glance around the area, his eyes scanning the rubble for anything useful. Most of the other bodies were buried beneath the debris, with only a mangled arm or leg sticking out here and there.
"Guess I'm stuck with a knife and some flashbangs," he muttered, pulling the sturdy blade from its sheath. He ran his thumb along the edge, testing its sharpness. His gaze flicked back to his arm, the timer glowing faintly in the dim light.
[07: 16: 43: 45]
As he moved away from the rubble-strewn area, a dark thought crept into his mind unbidden. His mother's face flashed before him, her expression distant and troubled as she stared at her own arm.
Was she part of this? He wondered, his steps faltering. Did she know about this? About Arwyn?
The questions churned in his mind, each one more unsettling than the last. She also kept looking at her left arm… Had her time run out? Was that why she had acted so strangely?
STOP! Not right now.
Cassian's voice broke the silence, sharp and commanding. He raised a hand and slapped himself across the cheek, the sting jolting him out of his spiraling thoughts.
"Not now, Cassy," he muttered, his voice low but firm. "You'll figure it out when the time is right. Right now, you need to focus. Focus on surviving. On finding a way out of this mess."
After what felt like an hour but only a few minutes later, he found himself on what had once been a street. Broken houses lined either side, their crumbling walls and shattered windows speaking to the destruction that had ravaged this place.
That one seems to be in better condition…
Cassian chose one at random, its structure slightly more intact than the others. He approached cautiously, the knife held at the ready as he moved inside. The roof, though sagging in places, still stood, offering some semblance of protection from the elements. The interior was dark and filled with debris, but Cassian moved with caution, checking every corner. Satisfied that the house was safe—at least for now—Cassian let himself relax. He dusted off the remains of a sofa, brushing away chunks of concrete and dirt, and sank into it with a heavy sigh.
Cassian leaned back on the dusty, half-collapsed sofa, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. His body still felt the faint ache of the ordeal he'd endured, but for now, he was safe—or at least safer than before.
"Okay," he muttered, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. "Time to check the notifications."
As soon as the words left his mouth, his vision swarmed with a cascade of glowing messages.
[DING! ⍙⟟⏁⊑ ⏃ FEELS LIKE YOU IGNORED THEM KNOWINGLY]
Cassian sighed as he read the line, his lips pressing into a thin line.
[DING! ⍙⟟⏁⊑ ⏃ SAYS YOU PUNY HUMAN, WHY ARE YOU BLOCKING THE MESSAGES?]
[DING! ⍙⍙⟟⏁⊑ ⏃ DEMANDS ATTENTION!]
[DING! ⍙⟟⏁⊑ ⏃…]
More notifications popped up in rapid succession, each one more insistent than the last. The glowing text filled his vision, stacking over one another and making it nearly impossible to focus on anything else. Cassian let out an exasperated groan, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Seriously?" he muttered. "You're worse than those in-app ads…"
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to speak calmly. "I'm thankful for your help—really, I am—but I'm not going to survive if you keep spamming me like this. You want entertainment? I'll give you that. Just… stop spamming, okay?"
For a moment, the notifications froze mid-air. Then, one by one, they began to fade, leaving only a single message.
[DING! ⍙⟟⏁⊑ ⏃ AGREES. THE ONLY TIME THEY WILL MESSAGE IS WHEN YOU ARE RESTING]
"Thank God," Cassian muttered, though his eye twitched as he read the last part. The redundant notification disappeared, clearing his vision. Soon, only a handful of relevant messages remained, their glow steady and unobtrusive.
[DING! THE SYSTEM PROVIDES A BASIC GUIDE TO EVERY NEW TIMEBOUND AS A ONE-TIME FREE OFFER]
[DING! DRAW ∞ RUNE USING YOUR FINGER WHILE FOCUSING ON YOUR WILL AND FEELING YOUR SOUL]
'Soul'?" Cassian repeated, furrowing his brows. He glanced at the message again. "How does 'focusing on your will' work?"
He waited for a response, but none came.
"I guess the system doesn't answer all queries," he muttered, shaking his head. He extended a finger and began drawing the ∞ symbol in the air, his movements slow and deliberate.
Nothing happened.
Cassian frowned, trying again. Then again. The minutes ticked by as he repeatedly drew the rune, each attempt growing more frantic. He glanced at his left arm, his breath hitching as the timer came into view.
[07: 16: 31: 56]
Several minutes of his life... gone.
Clenching his fists, he forced himself to take a deep breath. "Okay, Cassy, calm down. Think. What are you missing?"
His gaze drifted to the pendant hanging around his neck—the one his mother had given him. He reached for it, clutching it tightly in one hand as he closed his eyes.
"I don't know how I would even go feeling my Soul," he whispered, "but if it's connected to will… then I guess it has to mean what I want most."
This time, he thought of his mother. He thought of her smile, the warmth in her voice, and the way she'd clutched the pendant to his chest as she whispered her final words. He thought of Arwyn. That condescending smile, the cruel red eyes, the way he'd torn her away from him. Cassian's grip on the pendant tightened, his other hand trembling as he traced the ∞ symbol once more. A faint warmth began to radiate from his chest, spreading through his body like a gentle flame. Cassian's eyes snapped open as the air before him shimmered, a soft glow taking shape. The light coalesced into an object, floating just inches from his outstretched hand. It was a book—ancient and weathered, with a spine that glowed faintly like embers. Strange runes etched into its leather cover pulsed rhythmically, as though alive.
[DING! SOULKEEP SUCCESSFULLY SUMMONED]
[DING! SOULKEEP IS THE GRIMOIRE OF YOUR SOUL. YOU CAN SLOT CARDS TO GAIN ABILITIES AND UTILIZE THEM IN YOUR PURSUIT OF POWER]
Cassian stared at the book, his mouth slightly agape. Slowly, he reached out, his fingers brushing against its surface. The glow faded as the book responded to his touch, hovering closer until it opened with a soft whoosh.
Three panels unfolded before him, each etched with intricate designs. The left and right panels featured five rectangular slots, while the center held a five-pointed star. At each tip of the star was a smaller, diamond-shaped slot, with a glowing pentagram in the middle.
"Whoa," Cassian murmured, his voice filled with awe. "This is… beautiful."
His fingers traced the edge of the book, the smooth surface cool against his skin. He tried to flip through its pages, but the panels remained fixed in place.
A new notification popped into his vision, breaking his concentration.
[DING! A TIMEBOUND USES THEIR SOULKEEP IN THEIR PATH OF POWER TO HARNESS THE POWER OF THEIR SOULS. SOULKEEP HAS VARIOUS CARDS THAT CAN BE SLOTTED. THERE ARE FIVE MAIN TYPES: DECK, RUN, ATTUNEMENT, ORIGIN, AND INSTANT CARDS]
Cassian exhaled sharply, leaning back as he processed the flood of information. His gaze flicked to the glowing book, then to the notifications still lingering in his vision.
"A grimoire of my soul…" he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Cards, power… like the games I used to play; only this isn't a game. "
Another notification appeared.
[DING! WITH THIS, THE INITIATION OF THE TIMEBOUND 'CASSIAN CAINE' IS FINISHED. YOU CAN DISMISS YOUR SOULKEEP BY WILLING IT TO DISMISS]
[DING! AS OF NOW, YOU CAN VIEW YOUR STATUS SCREEN]
TICK TOCK TIMEBOUND, TIME WAITS FOR NONE
MAY THE SANDS OF TIME FLOW IN YOUR FAVOUR
He glanced at his arm, the timer ticking down with relentless precision. [07: 16: 24: 44].
He took a deep breath, steadying himself as he spoke aloud:
"
...