Inside the Meiji Clockforge, Timeline Anchor 1857.3X
[Temporal Stability: CRITICAL]
Steel met plasma.
Kael Voss fought himself — or rather, the version of him that had lost everything. Ghost Ronin's strikes were precise, brutal, and fueled by grief that hadn't happened to Kael… yet.
Every time Kael blocked, a memory surged:
— A planet burning while Kael watched from orbit.
— A woman screaming his name as time reversed around her.
— A shattered chrono-beacon with a child's drawing on the back.
Kael stumbled. The Ronin pressed forward, blade flashing like a comet. "You don't understand what we've done," he spat. "You think the Weaver recruits you to save timelines? No. You're a disposable correction."
Kael ducked under a horizontal slash and activated a time-surge pulse — a risky move. For 3 seconds, the Forge paused around him. Pendulums froze mid-swing. Sparks halted mid-air.
Kael's breath shook. "I don't know what you lost… but I didn't lose it. Not yet. Maybe I can stop it before it happens!"
Ghost Ronin smiled, but it wasn't kind. "You still think this is about you?"
Then he stabbed Kael — not in the heart, but the side. Just deep enough to drop him.
Kael collapsed, blood soaking his shirt. Ronin leaned over him.
"I don't want to kill you," he said softly. "But one of us has to destroy the Core. Free the boy. Before time uses him again."
Kael gritted his teeth. "Then don't… kill me. Let's do it together."
For a moment, silence.
Then alarms blared. The Time Core above pulsed violently. Myra's voice buzzed through Kael's comms.
"You've got two minutes before the Core cracks. And, uh… pretty sure the Forge is about to un-exist."
Kael looked up at Ghost Ronin. "We end this together. Or we both die and accomplish nothing."
Ronin stared at him. Then — reluctantly — he sheathed his blade. "Fine. But if you betray me, I'll erase your entire ancestry."
Kael smirked. "I'd be doing them a favor."
The two Kaels stood side by side, bleeding, broken, and barely aligned — and together, they ran for the Time Core.