The wind had changed. Not in temperature or direction, but in tone. It hummed—like a memory caught mid-sentence.
Kade felt it first, then Aurelle, whose expression shifted from grim to something closer to... awe. Even Lira fell silent.
"We need to go southeast," Kade said.
Lira blinked. "Why?"
"I don't know. I just... know."
Aurelle sighed, already tightening her cloak. "Then let's move. The wind only sings like that when an Anchor stirs."
They descended into a ravine lined with broken monoliths—giant, ancient structures overgrown by moss and half-swallowed by earth. Symbols pulsed faintly along their surfaces, but only Kade seemed to read them.
"It's a lullaby," he muttered. "A song for the forgotten."
"How do you know?" Lira asked.
"I've sung it before. In a time that doesn't exist anymore."
The center of the ravine was a basin of obsidian sand. In its heart, encased in glass-like crystal, lay a sleeping girl—no older than Kade—with hair like flickering fire and a sigil glowing faintly on her chest.
Aurelle stiffened. "She's not just an anchor… she's a Prime.
Kade frowned. "What's the difference?"
"A Prime Anchor isn't bound to one timeline. She remembers them all. Every loop. Every failure."
Lira tilted her head. "Then why is she asleep?"
"Because if she wakes too soon, reality might break trying to contain her mind."
But before they could discuss further, the ground shuddered.
A blast of force erupted from the cliffside as masked figures dropped in from above—cloaked in blue flame, carrying relic spears that hummed with anti-temporal energy.
Kade's body tensed.
Aurelle cursed. "Chrono-Sentinels. Not cultists—enforcers."
"Of what?" Lira shouted.
"Of timeline purity. If they're here, they plan to erase the Anchor before she wakes."
The lead Sentinel pointed a blade at Kade. "You are the Fractured One. Step away from the Flame-Bearer or be cut from the weave."
Kade snarled, runes flashing to life on his arm. "Then cut me. Let's see who breaks first."
And just like that—
Combat exploded.
Lira vanished into motion, dancing between spears, dual blades carving arcs of steel and blood. Aurelle launched bolts of condensed gravity, warping the battlefield, drawing enemies into crush points.
Kade dove toward the crystal, reaching the girl.
As he touched the surface, heat flooded his body—not pain, but remembrance.
Her eyes opened.
And suddenly—
Kade wasn't in the ravine anymore.
---
He was in a burning city.
The skies wept fire. Towers crumbled. People screamed. Magic tore open the world.
And at the center stood her—older, hardened, wearing black armor and crowned in flame.
"Kade…" she said. "You remember me now, don't you?"
He took a step forward. "You're the girl from the crystal."
"I'm Caela. Your first bond. Your first sin."
"I don't—"
"You chose me to be the Anchor. You chained me to remember. And in every loop, I've died knowing everything."
Kade stumbled. "I didn't mean to—"
"I loved you," she whispered, flames dying down. "Even when you became a god. Even when you abandoned us."
Kade clenched his fists. "Then let me fix it. Let me save you now."
Caela turned. Behind her, the city was gone. Only ash remained.
"You're not the only one who's broken, Kade. When I wake… the world will shake. Are you ready for that?"
Kade nodded, even as the image dissolved.
"I don't care what I was. I only care what I choose now."
---
Back in the real world—
Kade gasped as the crystal shattered.
Caela fell into his arms, eyes glowing with fire.
The Chrono-Sentinels paused, stunned.
Then she raised her hand.
> FWOOOOM.
A burst of timeless flame erupted from her body, searing the air, erasing enemies from the possibility of ever existing.
The survivors dropped their weapons and ran, screaming.
Aurelle stared in disbelief. "That was... primal magic. Lost to all factions."
Caela stood up, steadying herself. "It's not magic. It's memory."
Kade reached out. "Caela—"
She slapped him.
Hard.
"That was for thirteen loops of agony," she said.
Then she hugged him.
"...And that was for never giving up on me."
Lira blinked. "So... does this mean we're all friends now?"
Caela chuckled bitterly. "Friends? No. We're war criminals with trauma and a chance to rewrite reality."
Aurelle sighed. "So, a regular Tuesday."
---
Elsewhere…
The masked woman watched from a mirror pool. Behind her, seven thrones flickered—each occupied by a figure blurred from existence.
"She's awakened," one intoned. "The First Flame walks again."
Another leaned forward. "Do we move?"
The tallest among them spoke, voice like a chime made of bones. "Let them gather. Then… we burn their hope."
---
End of Chapter 21