Aiden didn't go home after Kael vanished.
Home was unsafe.
Home was predictable.
And predictable was exactly what Kael would expect.
Instead, he drifted through the industrial backstreets of Twin-Moon Metropolis, letting the buzz of neon signs and the grit in the air ground him in this fragile, resurrected timeline.
His shadows clung close to his coat, unusually tense, tendrils twitching like a cornered animal. The purple nodes beneath his skin dimmed and brightened in uneven pulses—an irregular heartbeat belonging to something that lived _inside_ him, not with him.
Kael's reappearance had set the parasite on edge.
Aiden couldn't blame it.
That monster had ended entire branches of the timeline.
He had broken cities.
He had broken Aiden.
But Kael showing up **today**, hours after Aiden's regression…
That wasn't coincidence.
That was fate accelerating.
Aiden clenched his fists, the motion drawing a faint crackle of violet along his knuckles.
"We hold the line," he whispered to the parasite. "We don't evolve before I say. We don't devour unless I authorize it."
The parasite responded with a cold, displeased pulse.
**Inefficient. Risk unacceptable.**
"I don't care."
**Host malfunction will increase.**
"Then I'll malfunction slower."
The parasite went still—silent in the way that meant it disagreed so profoundly it didn't consider the argument worth the energy expenditure.
Aiden exhaled and stepped onto the pedestrian skywalk overlooking the center district. Twin-Moon Metropolis pulsed with life below him—drones weaving traffic patterns, holo-screens splitting the night with advertisements, crowds moving like shoals of fish trying to outrun a tide they couldn't name yet.
This world was alive.
Beautiful.
Oblivious.
It wouldn't stay that way.
Aiden leaned on the railing, letting the wind cool the heat in his skull.
Then he heard it.
A voice.
Soft.
Laughing.
It cut clean through the city noise and hit him like impact trauma.
Lyra.
Aiden's pulse spiked. Shadows flared behind him before he forced them down.
Not now.
Not like this.
But his feet were already moving.
He followed the sound into a tram station illuminated by flickering lavender bulbs. People filtered in and out, coats fluttering, boots clacking against metal flooring. Holographic schedules glitched overhead, the letters stuttering in neon.
There—near the loading rail.
Lyra Everen.
Alive.
Laughing.
Heart beating.
Aiden froze at the edge of the crowd.
She stood with a group of academy trainees, tapping her datapad as she teased one of the boys for misreading the Rift metrics. Her hair was still tied back in that asymmetrical knot she never admitted was intentional. Her silver eyes held their old brightness—sharp, curious, unbroken.
The parasite surged.
**Target identified. Resonance imminent.**
Aiden shot a warning thought back.
"NO."
His shadows buckled, curling inward like a wounded creature. The purple in his skin dimmed, confused by the rejection.
Lyra shifted slightly—and her gaze passed over him.
Not directly at him.
Across him.
But Aiden felt it.
The air thickened.
The lights flickered.
Shadows trembled at his feet.
A resonance stutter.
Too early.
Way too early.
Aiden ducked behind a pillar, his breath shallow.
If Lyra made true eye contact—
If the parasitic resonance triggered—
If her dormant paradox memories surfaced—
She could die again.
Or break.
Or worse.
He shut his eyes hard.
But he could still hear her voice.
Each word tugged at something raw and half-healed inside him.
He whispered to himself:
"She's alive. That's enough. That has to be enough."
But the parasite disagreed.
**Engage. Stabilize target. Strengthen host.**
"No," Aiden hissed. "You stay contained."
**Illogical. Host mortality increases 47% without resonance anchor.**
Aiden slammed his back against the cold pillar, shadow mantle rippling in agitation.
Of course.
Of course the parasite calculated Lyra as a stabilizer.
In the last timeline, she had been the only reason he maintained a shred of sanity.
His anchor.
His reminder of who he used to be.
But that was before the parasite consumed half his life.
Now she was a vulnerability.
He couldn't let it happen again.
The tram pulled in with a whirl of magnetic hum. Light cut across Lyra's face as she stepped forward, and Aiden almost lost control entirely.
She looked _happy_.
Unafraid.
Unscarred by the horrors to come.
He had no right to stain that.
He needed to leave.
Immediately.
But he couldn't move.
Not until Lyra paused at the tram door, brows knitting together. She tilted her head slightly, scanning the station as if sensing a cold draft.
Her eyes drifted closer—
Aiden felt the parasite preparing.
Shadows rose behind him.
Not aggressively.
Not violently.
**Reaching.**
Drawn to her.
His heart stopped.
Then—
a civilian bumped into Lyra, snapping her attention away.
She laughed it off and stepped into the tram.
The doors slid shut.
Aiden slumped against the pillar, air finally leaving his lungs.
Too close.
Far too close.
He wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
The parasite pulsed resentfully, deprived of its target.
**Host obstructs evolution. Unacceptable.**
"Deal with it," Aiden muttered.
But the tremor in his voice betrayed him.
He wasn't sure how many more near-misses his nerves—or this timeline—could survive.
Aiden stayed hidden behind the pillar until the parasite's agitation finally dulled into a restless hum beneath his skin. The shadows withdrew reluctantly, folding into his coat like sulking animals denied their prey.
He exhaled slowly.
He couldn't keep having these near-collisions.
Lyra's presence didn't just trigger emotions—it triggered **the system**.
The parasite recognized her as a key, a stabilizer, a resonance anchor.
And worse…
Aiden had seen the flicker in her expression.
The tiny crease of her brow.
The moment her eyes passed over where he'd stood.
_Do I know you?_
Those four words from earlier returned with the weight of a collapsing world.
He pressed a palm against the side of his head. The ache from the stolen memories still hadn't faded. Losing memories had once taken months, not hours. His parasite was accelerating too quickly.
He whispered, "What changed? Why are you behaving like this?"
The parasite curled cool and sharp against his spine.
**Timeline variance detected. Probability structures unstable. Host must compensate.**
"Compensate how?"
**Evolve.**
"Not yet."
**Delay increases failure risk by 72%.**
Aiden gritted his teeth.
He needed answers.
He needed stabilizers.
He needed a map of this altered timeline before it derailed completely.
And he needed distance from Lyra—
at least until his corruption curve stopped climbing like a wildfire.
The tram station grew emptier, footsteps fading into echoes. The violet lights hummed. Aiden pulled his hood lower and slid into the shadows, letting the city swallow him again.
Tonight, he would visit the Shadow Market.
But first…
he needed to confirm something.
Aiden waited three streets away from the academy dormitory—far enough to avoid detection, close enough to observe the timeline's most dangerous variable:
Lyra Everen walking home.
The parasite loomed quietly inside him.
**Observation unnecessary. Target stable. Engage recommended.**
"No," Aiden hissed softly. "This is reconnaissance. Nothing more."
He needed to see whether she showed signs of early paradox awakening—
those subtle signs he'd learned to detect only too late in the last life.
He watched her approach along the lamplit pathway, surrounded by friends. Lyra laughed at something one of them said, brushing stray hair from her face. The silver in her eyes glowed faintly beneath the twin moons.
No pain.
No wariness.
No timeline fractures.
For a moment—
Aiden allowed himself to breathe.
But then Lyra slowed.
She rubbed her temple lightly.
A pulse of silver light flickered—not in her eyes, but **behind** them.
Aiden's breath halted.
Not possible.
Not this soon.
This wasn't part of the old timeline.
Lyra blinked hard, like someone fighting off déjà vu.
One of her friends nudged her.
"Lyra? You good?"
Lyra forced a smile. "Yeah. Just… weird headache."
Aiden's hands curled painfully into fists.
He felt the parasite respond instantly.
**Resonance interference increasing. Target recall probability: RISING.**
No.
This couldn't be happening already.
Aiden's heart pounded in his throat. His shadows flared dangerously before he slammed control down like a man holding back a dam with bare hands.
He whispered through clenched teeth:
"Do. Not. Respond."
The parasite hissed internally, displeased.
Lyra continued walking, her smile returning, the flicker disappearing as quickly as it had come.
Aiden's knees almost gave out.
He hadn't done anything.
He hadn't made contact.
He hadn't even spoken her name aloud.
So why—
why was the timeline reacting like this?
He whispered, "What did you do to her?"
**Host error:**
The parasite answered coldly.
**Resonance is mutual. Not initiated by host.**
Aiden felt sick.
If Lyra's memories were returning _on their own_…
Then everything he knew was useless.
The past was no longer repeating.
It was mutating.
And so was she.
He backed away from the street, hiding behind a vending unit as the group headed into the dormitory. The lights flickered overhead. Aiden's shadow mantle twitched involuntarily.
He whispered, "If she fully remembers—"
**Efficiency increases. Evolution accelerates. Host survives longer.**
Aiden slammed his palm against the metal unit, startling a nearby drone.
"She dies," he hissed bitterly. "That's what happens if she remembers too fast. She dies in my arms again. Is that what you want?"
The parasite froze.
Not from guilt—
parasites didn't feel guilt—
but because it recognized the logic in his words.
After a moment, it pulsed a single cold line of thought:
**Host strategy acknowledged. Avoid resonance until stabilization.**
Aiden sagged against the machine, shock mingled with exhaustion.
That was…
as close to an agreement as he would ever get.
He stepped onto the walkway, hoodie pulled forward, face shadowed, blending into the midnight cityscape.
Lyra was safe for now.
But this deviation—
this early flicker—
it terrified him more than Kael, more than Moonfall, more than his own corruption.
If Lyra's paradox memories continued bleeding through—
She might awaken a part of herself that wasn't meant to exist yet.
A part the world wasn't ready for.
Aiden whispered, "I'll fix this. I swear. I'll keep you alive this time."
The parasite pressed a cold acknowledgment against his spine.
**Stabilizers required. Proceed to Shadow Market.**
Aiden nodded and stepped into the night.
The path to the Shadow Market carved itself through the underbelly of Twin-Moon Metropolis like a buried artery. It was the place the city pretended not to have—where illegal stabilizers, corrupted dungeon fragments, and system-breaking artifacts moved like contraband blood cells beneath the skin of civilization.
Aiden descended a staircase hidden between two abandoned freight lifts. Neon graffiti bled across the walls like wounded light. Each step carried him deeper into darkness until even the hum of the city above was swallowed.
This place had a smell.
Ozone.
Oil.
Rot.
Magic.
And the faint metallic tang of broken promises.
Perfect.
Aiden pulled his hood tighter as his boots hit the grated walkway. Below him, hundreds of makeshift stalls flickered with contraband glow. Creatures both human and not-quite-human bartered in hushed tones under the fractured purple lanterns.
A Rift-scarred peddler lifted his head as Aiden passed.
"Your shadow is loud tonight, boy," he rasped. "Hungry thing you've got in there."
Aiden didn't respond. The parasite pulsed under his skin, reacting to the heavy concentration of corrupted energy in the air.
**Consume. Absorb. Devour.**
"No," Aiden whispered. "We're here to buy, not gorge."
The parasite responded with a ripple of displeasure.
He approached the back stall—the one shaped from dented metal sheets and Rift-glass fragments wound with silver wire. A dim violet flame hovered above the table, casting warped shadows across the seller's face.
Eldran.
An alchemist.
A former Guild researcher gone rogue.
One of the few people who understood parasitic systems at a depth the Guild didn't dare publish.
Eldran didn't look up from grinding a phosphorescent powder.
"You're early this timeline," he said casually.
Aiden stiffened. "You remember?"
"Bits." Eldran shrugged. "Your kind always ripple the air before you show up. Regressors stink of broken paths." His sharp eyes flicked to the shadows behind Aiden. "That parasite's louder this time."
Aiden swallowed. "I need stabilizers. Strong ones."
"Obviously."
Eldran reached beneath the table and pulled out three crystalline vials filled with shimmering blue liquid. They hummed with faint energy.
Aiden's pulse jumped.
Stabilizers.
Real ones.
Enough to slow the corruption curve, stop memory bleed, and suppress involuntary evolutions.
"How much?" he asked.
Eldran smirked.
"Everything you can afford," he said. "And more."
Aiden placed the Rift Fragments on the table.
Eldran didn't touch them.
"You think three fragments buy you sanity? You think they silence that thing inside you?" Eldran leaned forward. "No. You want these stabilizers? You pay the real price."
Aiden tensed. "What price?"
Eldran tapped the air in front of him. A projection flickered to life, showing Lyra leaving the academy dorm.
Aiden's shadows exploded upward—snarling shapes, jagged tendrils, a halo of rage.
Eldran didn't flinch.
"Ah. So she's already your anchor." He smiled. "Good. That makes this simple."
Aiden growled, "What do you want?"
"Information," Eldran said.
"On her."
"On you."
"On how the timeline is shifting."
Aiden's blood went cold.
"No."
"Then walk out," Eldran said cheerfully. "Try to survive the night without collapsing into a memory-eaten husk. Your choice, Crowe."
The parasite whispered temptingly.
**Accept. Stabilize. Survive.**
Aiden clenched his fists. "You don't touch her. Not even in conversation."
Eldran sighed. "Fine. Then bring me this instead." He slid a black fragment across the table. It pulsed like a dying star.
Aiden's stomach dropped.
A **Core-Shard**.
Highly illegal.
Extinction-level dangerous.
Created only when a creature at the Dominion tier died.
He whispered, "Where did you get this?"
"Does it matter?" Eldran said. "Bring me one more. Any size. Any creature. You get your stabilizers."
Aiden stared at the shard.
This changed everything.
Dominion-level creatures weren't supposed to appear for years. Not until the Moonfall cycle reached its late stages. If Eldran had one now…
This timeline was deteriorating even faster than he feared.
His voice dropped.
"I'll get you a shard."
Eldran's smile sharpened. "Good. Because time is melting faster than your memories."
Aiden stepped back into the city's night, the parasite thrumming with restless hunger.
He ran through the facts:
Kael awakened early.
Lyra's paradox flickered early.
Dominion-tier shards existed early.
His corruption curve accelerated early.
Everything was shifting.
Everything was breaking ahead of schedule.
And Aiden was already losing pieces of himself with every fight.
He leaned against a street lamp and whispered, "I can't do this alone."
The parasite tightened around his spine.
**You are not alone.**
"That's the problem," Aiden muttered.
Twin moons cast pale light across the rooftops, illuminating the trembling silhouette of his shadow-mantle. The tendrils rose and fell with his breath.
Aiden swallowed.
He had to survive long enough to complete Eldran's task, to stabilize his parasite, to stop the accelerating collapse of the timeline… and to keep Lyra alive.
The weight crushed him.
But he kept standing.
Because the alternative was extinction—
again.
A distant siren wailed.
Glass shattered somewhere.
The city breathed around him in broken rhythms.
Aiden whispered into the dark:
"I returned to save you all… even if I don't remember why by the end."
He didn't notice her until she stood five meters away.
Lyra.
Alone.
Huddled under a streetlight.
Frowning at her datapad with confusion etched across her features.
The parasite froze.
Aiden's heart lurched violently.
Lyra looked up, silver eyes meeting his.
Half a second.
A single heartbeat.
Reality flickered.
The lights around them dimmed.
The reflections in the puddles rippled.
The shadows between buildings stretched toward her.
Aiden felt it—
**Resonance.**
Beginning.
Uncontrolled.
Inevitable.
Lyra whispered, barely audible across the empty street:
"…Aiden?"
His name.
Spoken in a voice she shouldn't remember.
Shadows tore loose from his back.
A violet fracture split the air.
Aiden's chest tightened with terror.
He choked out—
"Don't—!"
But Lyra stepped forward, brows knitted, recognition blooming in her eyes like a dawning sunrise breaking through storm clouds.
"Aiden…? I… I know you."
The world cracked.
The parasite roared inside him.
Aiden's shadow exploded outward, swallowing the light.