The beeping sounds of the machines in the hospital.
It's finally gone.
Not because I'm dead, but because I got a second chance.
"Ouch" I whispered as the nurse removed the IV from my arms.
I hate needles.
"What are you, a baby?" The nurse jokingly said, finishing up the discharge procedures.
Sure…
The quiet settles back again. Empty. Cold.
I try to stretch my fingers and take a breath. The room feels lonely.
Then, footsteps.
The GD appears, his presence cold and sharp as ever. He steps beside the bed without greeting, just observing.
"So," he finally says, tone off putting, "you lived."
I raise an eyebrow. "Barely."
He smirks bitterly, the smile not reaching his eyes. "Good enough. Unlike me, recovery suits you."
Something unspoken hangs between us—years of unforgettable moments, betrayal and despair. Not seen by me. But experienced by him.
What do I even say to him?
We are the same person, but still…
"Tell me," I say, voice hoarse but steady, "what's the next move?"
"You must stop, My future self" He said.
He folds his arms, eyes narrowing. "He is weak. But he is dangerous…a thread unraveling the whole tapestry. We must act carefully. He has some knowledge that even I don't."
I nod slowly, pain tugging my limbs but resolve burning beneath. "We get Arlie and Seren first."
"They are safe, I got my private team to rescue them" he said. "They're waiting."
His dark eyes linger on me. "And then you tell them about this… temporary truce."
"I know how they'll react."
"Arlie's fury will be fierce. Seren will be calm, pragmatic. Almost unbothered. She understands the stakes."
The air between us thickens, heavy with tension and unsaid rules.
"However, I don't have a plan, and neither will you be able find one"
"Let me think," I mutter, buying myself a bit of silence.
GD scoffs with no warmth. "Haha... sure, try thinking."
Still, I closed my eyes, blocking out the hospital lights, ignoring the ache in my bones, and tried to focus. Tried to reach for something beyond survival, something closer to meaning, or at least a way out that wasn't complete insanity or a mess.
"To get rid of a tree, one must poison its roots." He says, completely breaking my thought process.
What?
I didn't exactly hear what he said…
Nevermind, forget the plan…
"I want to meet Arlie and Seren," I said instead.
He smirked, like he already knew the move.
I pushed myself up from the hospital bed, every muscle protesting the simple movements. My legs felt like they weren't mine…weak and unreliable.
I tried to stand, but only managed a shaky wobble.
"Need a shoulder?" he asked, voicing his concern.
I shook my head firmly. "I'm not that weak." The lie tasted bitter, but I refused to give him the satisfaction.
Can't let him think I'm weak.
With a determined limp, I took a few steps. The floor felt uneven, but I forced myself forward, step by painful step. The world held its breath while I struggled for control, each movement reclaiming a piece of myself.
After what felt like forever, I was finally steady on my feet.
The GD watched with a hint of amusement, Maybe he expected me to fail, maybe he cared.
I don't know.
We left the lingering hum of monitored recovery behind and walked—well, I limped out… Into the corridor.
The lights overhead flickered and felt washed out.
Slowly but surely I started gaining control over my legs.
I tried not to think about how easy it would be to just turn around, collapse back onto the mattress, and let the world burn.
But I can't do that.
I shouldn't do that…
As I went through the hallway I saw various things in various rooms.
Mostly it looked like offices with tiny chambers, clusters of staff with the blank-eyed focus in work who stopped caring years ago.
Tiny, sterile offices everywhere, people partitioned from reality in their little glass boxes. Their new safe space.
I should probably be working on some excuse, something to justify not being able to save them.
When I meet them… what am I supposed to say?
"Hello sorry to keep you waiting, I was hospitalized complaining about needles while you all were kidnapped and probably tortured?"
The door at the end of the hall came closer as we reached.
Time to find out what kind of leader I could be, when all excuses are finally gone.
"Go ahead," That's all he said.
I tightened the grip and gently opened the door.
The room on the other side was smaller than I'd imagined.
Plain walls, a low table, a couple of stiff chairs that looked like they were designed specifically to make people uncomfortable. No restraints, no machines, no glaring lights. Just… them.
Weird…
"Kiran," she said, voice tight and hostile. "You're alive. That's good… But where the hell were you, for TWO WEEKS??"
"I was in hospital, getting trea—"
Before I could answer, her gaze shifted past my shoulder.
The moment she saw who was behind me, her whole posture changed. Shoulders squared, jaw clenched, ready to throw hands.
But she also felt powerless in front of him.
I could tell.
"You've got to be kidding me," she snapped.
The GD stepped in like he owned the room.
which he does…
However, his expression was unreadable.
I knew this would happen, however I didn't know it would happen this soon.
"Of course," Arlie said, a hollow laugh escaping her. "Of course you trusted him."
"Arlie—" I started.
"Don't." She jabbed a finger in my direction. "Do you have any idea how stupid this looks? You vanish, we almost get blown to bits, and when we finally see you again, you stroll in with him like it's some kind of team meeting."
Her words were sharp, fast, not breaking once.
This wasn't a relief talking.
This was few weeks worth of fury that had been simmering with nowhere to go.
Deep inside I knew her point.
The Dictator broke the silence with a mocking tone, "Excuse me, ladies. If not for me and my expert doctors, bomb shrapnel might still be lodged in your bodies."
His cruel reminder only poured fuel on the fire in Arlie's eyes.
Can he stop talking already?
"You give that smug grin the next time you want to 'save' us, and I'll make sure you regret it," she growled.
Seren came forward, her calm voice trying to cut through the fury. "Arlie."
"What?" Arlie shot a look my way. Pointed and scathing. "Tell me I'm wrong."
Seren's tone was steady. "You're not wrong. But the lab is gone. Our options have run out, and this is what's left."
Arlie clicked her tongue in annoyance and looked away, jaw tight. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."
I let out a slow breath I didn't realize I was holding. "You don't have to like it," I said. "You just have to stay. I can't do this alone."
For a moment, no one spoke. The GD watched us like he was observing a failed experiment. Seren shifted her weight on her one remaining leg using a crutch,
Seems like they weren't able to save her limb…
"We don't have the luxury of starting over," Seren said. "So we move with what we have. Him included." Then she pointed her fingers towards the GD.
Arlie shot the Dictator a glare sharp enough to cut down steel. "One wrong move from you, and I don't care how. You won't survive us."
Before things could get worse…
"Everyone. Listen!" I shouted "I have thought of something, I think this could work"
Three pairs of eyes on me. One furious, one calm, one unreadable.
"His future self is the root," I said slowly pointing at him. "Everything we're dealing with—the collapsing timelines, the bleed, the paradox loops, it all spirals out from him. He is the reason right?"
"If we want this to stop, we have to go for the root." I said with my breath staggering.
The Dictator's earlier words echoed in my head:
to get rid of a tree, you poison its roots.
Seren sat down on a chair, putting the metal crutch to the side. "You're saying we willingly go to him."
"Yeah," I nodded. "We go to him. Or rather—I do."
Arlie frowned. "Absolutely not. You're barely standing, and you want to walk into the perfectly laid trap?"
"He won't talk to you all," the GD cut in, tone matter-of-fact. "To him, you're noise. But you…" He looked at me.
"You're the one anomaly he might listen to…"
"Great," Arlie said. "So we're sending the half-broken time-bomb as a messenger. Perfect."
"What does she mean by a Time bomb?" I asked Seren.
Seren glanced at me, rubbing her eyes. "We talked about this before you got here. If your temporal energy ever hits a full hundred percent, your body might not handle it."
She continued speaking, catching her breath. "Either you'll just… stop existing like I warned before. Or you'll trigger a massive discharge and blow up everything around you." She paused.
"That part is still a theory. But it's not a good one to test."
Arlie folded her arms. "So yeah. Walking time bomb. And we're sending you right to the root of the problem."
Oh…That's actually useful.
I ignored the knot in my stomach.
"Listen. We know a few things:
Older GD is weak, but he's still dangerous.
He has knowledge even this dull creature doesn't."
I said while pointing at the GD with 2 fingers.
"
And whatever he's planning next will finish what he started."
I took a breath. "So here's what we do. We time travel there" I glanced at the Dictator. "Only I go through. You two stay here.
If I don't return, or if he tries to cross over instead of just talking, you leave and try to save whatever is left, No hesitation."
Arlie folded her arms, still radiating heat. "And what exactly are you going to do when you get there? Shake his hand? Ask him nicely to stop destroying reality?"
"No," I said quietly. "I'm going to give him a choice. He ends this willingly—or I use what's happening to me to force it."
Seren's gaze sharpened. "Your temporal energy."
"All of it" I replied
"Whatever this is inside me, it's linked to the collapse. If I'm close enough to the root when things start to break, I might be able to drag it into him instead of letting it spread."
Arlie stared at me like I'd grown another head. "So… your plan is to walk up to the most dangerous man in existence and threaten to blow yourself and him up at the source?"
"More or less," I said. "I try talking first. If that fails, I become the knife at his throat…I hope it does not come to that."
I really don't
"That's not a plan," Arlie snapped. "That's a suicide."
"Maybe," I said. "But it's better than sitting here waiting for everything to fall apart."
Silence settled for a moment, heavy but focused.
Arlie broke the silence.
"You're asking us to be ready to leave you."
"I'm asking you to be ready to save yourselves," I countered. "Even if that means losing me."
Seren nodded once, very slowly.
"What can I do for you?"
I looked between them. "You've done enough for me...for us"
Arlie let out a harsh breath. "You're insane."
"Probably," I said. "But this way, there's at least a chance someone walks away alive from this."
The Dictator watched me with that almost-interested look again. "You're planning to turn your instability into a weapon."
"Call it what you want," I replied
Arlie looked away, fingers digging into her arms. "I hate this. I hate that this is the plan you came up with."
"But it's still the best one." I said.
Seren finally spoke, voice quiet but firm. "Then we do it. I'll handle the monitoring, You handle not dying for as long as possible."
"And I—" Arlie muttered, "will be ready to move on, no matter how much I don't want to…"
I nodded, throat tight. "That's the plan, then."
I really did it…It's done.
However, I want to do one last thing. It feels necessary.
"Hey, big guy," I said, turning to the GD. "I need to discuss something with you."
He arched an eyebrow. "Oh? Having second thoughts?"
"Just come on," I muttered. "It's important."
He gave Arlie and Seren a brief, unreadable glance, then shrugged. "Fine."
We stepped out of the room. The door slid shut behind us with a soft hiss, muffling the tension inside.
The hallway felt colder now, the lights buzzing faintly above us.
"Can we go to another room?" I asked. "It's urgent."
He studied my face for a moment, searching for a lie, or maybe a trap. "You're not planning to stab me, are you?"
"If I was, I'd pick a better place than your own base," I muttered.
That actually earned a faint, bitter scoff. "Fair enough, this way."
I followed him down the corridor. My footsteps were a bit uneven. We turned past a corner and into a smaller side room, some kind of old office or storage space.
Dust lined the edges of the shelves, and there were a few worn and torn notebooks stacked on one side.
The door slid shut behind us with a dull click.
"So," he said, folding his arms. "What is it?"
I took a breath. "I know it's a weird question, but…can I get a pen and paper?"
He blinked. "What for?"
"Just…I need it," I said. "Since I don't have much time… there's something I want to write down before we end this."
He stared at me for a second, like he was trying to dissect my motives molecule by molecule. "You're planning on leaving me with a dramatic note?"
"Calm down," I said. "It's not for you."
He clicked his tongue and nodded toward the shelf. "Rip one from one of the diaries over there."
I walked over, fingers brushing the worn covers before picking one up. I tore out a blank page, then rummaged through all the drawers until I found a half-dead pen that, miraculously, still worked.
In this day and age.
When I turned back, he was still watching me.
"Alright," I said, clutching the page. "Now leave."
He tilted his head. "You're kicking me out?"
"Yes…" I replied. "You already know everything about me. Let me have one thing that's mine for like five minutes."
For a moment, he didn't move. Our eyes met, full of history that I hadn't lived yet and mine full of dread I hadn't processed yet.
Then, finally, he sighed. "You have five minutes."
He turned and opened the door. Before he stepped out, he paused. "If that's a letter to them," he added without looking back, "make it worth the pain you're about to cause."
The door slid shut, leaving me alone with the hum of the lights and the blank page staring back at me.
My hand trembled slightly as I pressed the pen down.
No machines. No monitors. No one watching.
Just a pen, paper, and the possibility that this might be the last thing I ever leave behind.
***
[Arlie's POV]
He came back faster than I expected.
The door hissed open and Kiran stepped in and 'That guy', looking like he'd aged another year in the few minutes he was gone. Or maybe that's how he looks.
No dramatic speech, no excuses. Just a little ink on his fingers and that stubborn, tired look in his eyes.
"So?" I said, arms crossed. "Got all your last-minute details out of the way?"
He didn't bite back. That annoyed me more than it should.
Seren's gaze looked at the paper folded in his hand before he stuffed it inside his pocket.
Whatever it was, it wasn't for us. At least not for me.
"You done?" I asked. "Or do you need to write your autobiography too before we start risking our lives again?"
"Arlie," Seren warned softly.
"What? It's a joke…" I snapped, though I didn't take my eyes off him.
He let out a slow breath. "I just wanted to make sure… if things go wrong, there will be something that I left."
"Great," I said. "Very comforting."
Seren exhaled, then straightened a little, shifting her weight on the crutch. "Alright," she said, voice turning firm. "Let's get back to business. How is he actually going to get to the target?"
The Dictator answered before Kiran could. "He can simply time jump, no?"
I turned to him, glaring. "No, he can't. You'd know that if you'd actually read our logs before blowing the damn place up…From our testing, he can barely push himself a few days forward before his body starts freaking out."
"Ah," the GD said mildly. "Pardon me."
He reached into his coat pocket.
I tensed immediately. "What are you—"
Before any of us could move, he pulled out a small, familiar device, sleek, syringe-like, humming faintly with that sickening glow.
An Info Injector.
"Hold still," he said.
Kiran barely had time to flinch. The GD grabbed his wrist and jammed the injector against his neck. The hiss of compressed data hit an instant before the pain did.
Kiran's whole body jerked.
He screamed.
Not a small yelp…an awful, raw sound that clawed at my spine.
"Hey!" I lunged toward them,
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Seren moved too, instinctively stepping in front of Kiran despite the imbalance in her stance, eyes furious.
"Back off!" she snapped at the GD. "You don't just inject him with something without warning us."
For a second, I thought I saw the Dictator's eyes flick toward us, measured, calculating, but not surprised by our reaction.
He stepped back, hands raised as if to say calm down without actually meaning it.
Kiran stayed hunched over, teeth gritted, breath ragged.
"I'm fine…" he forced out between clenched teeth. "I'm— ngh— I'm fine."
[Updated: Temporal Energy Level: 99.8%]
"You don't sound fine," I shot back. "He just jabbed a data bomb into your brain and you think 'fine' covers it?"
"I simply gave him my years of knowledge on how to control his powers further," the GD said, like he'd just handed over a textbook instead of almost frying Kiran's brain.
He paused, eyes flicking to the trembling in Kiran's hands. "Without that, he'd stumble through the cracks between timelines until his body failed. Now he at least knows where to step."
"Yeah?" I snapped. "And you couldn't have explained that before you stabbed him with it?"
He tilted his head. "Would it have changed anything?"
"Yes," I said. "I'd have punched you first."
Kiran sucked in a slow breath, forcing himself upright. "It's… fine," he managed. "I can handle it."
Seren's eyes stayed on him, not the GD. "What do you see?"
Kiran blinked a few times, focusing. "Where he is. How to get there. It's clear enough."
He then continued "It also feels like my veins are gonna pop, I feel like…"
He stepped closer to the GD directly looking into his eyes "That I'm no longer scared of him"
Kiran held the GD's gaze a moment longer, then turned back to us.
Something had shifted in him—the pain, the knowledge, whatever it was making his eyes sharper, harder. In that exact moment, it felt like the distance between him and us was too long, like he was... no longer... one of us.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the folded paper, holding it out to me. "Arlie. This is for you..."
I stared at it, then at him. "What is it?"
"If I don't come back," he said quietly, "open it exactly three days from now. Not before. Promise me."
I snatched it from his hand, fingers brushing his. The paper felt too light for the weight it carried. "Three days. Fine. But you better not make me need it."
He nodded, throat working. "I'll try."
I gripped his arm, hard enough to bruise. "Promise me… you'll come back alive. Say it."
Kiran met my eyes, steady despite everything. "I promise."
He was lying. I could see it in the way his jaw tightened, the flicker in his gaze. But I let go anyway.
And the moment I blinked and opened my eyes…
He was gone.
No flash, no dramatic countdown.
No flash. No machine hum. No portal ripping open.
He just vanished—like the world had quietly decided he didn't belong here.
I stared at the empty space, the folded paper burning a hole in my fist.
Three days…
Don't make me wait for three days.
-End of Chapter 12-