The glow on the ground didn't fade. Instead, it pulsed—like a heartbeat—quiet, steady, and ancient. Nam stared at it, still shaken. Every instinct screamed that this symbol was more than a remnant of power. It was a key.
"What is that?" Bao murmured, stepping closer with cautious eyes.
Lan crouched down, her fingers hovering just above the glowing mark. "It's not just energy. This… this is language. A forgotten one."
Minh frowned. "You're saying this thing left us a message?"
"No," Nam said slowly, realization dawning. "He left himself a message."
Everyone turned to him.
Nam continued, "That figure… it was me. Or at least, a version of me. From the future—or maybe another reality. And this… this is what he wanted me to find."
The symbol shifted subtly, changing shape, morphing into a spiral of text none of them could read. Suddenly, the system in Nam's earpiece buzzed to life. Static at first—then a robotic voice whispered:
"Codex fragment detected. Decryption in progress."
They all exchanged glances.
"I didn't authorize any scan," Nam muttered.
"Unauthorized access impossible. Origin: internal protocol—'Omega Echo.'"
Bao's eyes narrowed. "That's… not one of ours, right?"
"No. It's beyond even our black-level clearance," Lan added.
The text on the ground finished its transformation, now forming a circular glyph surrounded by patterns that resembled constellations, timelines, and fractures—splinters of reality.
"Guys," Minh said, his voice low. "I think we're standing on a map. Not just a place, but… a map through time."
Before anyone could respond, a ripple passed through the air.
The glyph flared. The entire team was enveloped in a blinding light—and then silence.
When the light faded, they weren't in the Arctic anymore.
They stood in the middle of a ruined city, vegetation creeping through broken walls, technology fused with nature. The sky was scorched red, with streaks of what looked like auroras—only they moved too fast.
"Where the hell are we?" Bao breathed.
Nam's system buzzed again.
"Temporal shift detected. Location: Sector Echo-Zero-One. Estimated time divergence: 417 years forward."
Lan's eyes widened. "We've been sent to the future."
Just then, something screeched in the distance. Not an animal. Not a machine. Something… in between.
The team raised their weapons. Shadows moved swiftly through the remnants of the city.
Nam stepped forward, eyes locked on the horizon.
"If we're in the future," he said, "then we'll find answers here."
But deep down, he already knew: this was just the beginning of a much larger war—one that spanned centuries, realities, and choices he hadn't made yet.
And at its center… was himself.