[Abaksa couldn't breathe.]
[Not because he was injured.]
[Not because he was poisoned.]
[Not because he was fighting.]
[Because he had just watched himself die.]
[Again.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...Impossible."
[The chamber beneath Sanctuary remained silent.]
[The vision was over.]
[The Ring of Oblivion had gone dormant.]
[Yet the memory remained.]
[The emerald.]
[The Demon Lord.]
[The waterfall.]
[His future self.]
[None of it felt fake.]
[None of it felt like a possibility.]
[It felt like a memory.]
[His memory.]
Abaksa Einsro— "Why?"
[No answer came.]
[Only silence.]
[Then another voice spoke.]
First Fragment— "Now you understand."
[The chains rattled.]
[The ancient eyes opened once more.]
[Watching him.]
Abaksa Einsro— "I don't understand anything."
First Fragment— "Good."
Abaksa Einsro— "...What?"
First Fragment— "The moment a regressor believes he understands everything..."
First Fragment— "He becomes dangerous."
[Abaksa clenched his fists.]
Abaksa Einsro— "Tell me why I stole it."
[The First Fragment became quiet.]
[Long enough to be irritating.]
First Fragment— "Because you had no choice."
Abaksa Einsro— "That's not an answer."
First Fragment— "It's the only answer."
[The cavern darkened.]
[Images appeared again.]
[Timelines.]
[Hundreds.]
[Thousands.]
[Abaksa saw worlds burning.]
[Kingdoms collapsing.]
[The Demon Lord victorious.]
[Humanity victorious.]
[Both sides destroyed.]
[Countless futures.]
[Then one image remained.]
[A giant clock.]
[Broken.]
[Its hands frozen.]
First Fragment— "Do you know what time really is?"
Abaksa Einsro— "No."
First Fragment— "Neither do the gods."
[Silence.]
First Fragment— "They only pretend."
[The image shifted.]
[The Chronos Emerald appeared.]
[Floating.]
[Glowing.]
First Fragment— "The Emerald was never a treasure."
First Fragment— "It was a key."
[Abaksa frowned.]
Abaksa Einsro— "A key to what?"
[The First Fragment smiled.]
First Fragment— "The Countdown."
[The moment those words left his mouth—]
[The ring reacted.]
[Violently.]
CRACK.
[Space fractured.]
[The chamber trembled.]
First Fragment— "...Too early."
Abaksa Einsro— "What?"
First Fragment— "Someone is listening."
[The temperature dropped.]
[Far below the prison.]
[Far below Sanctuary.]
[Something awakened.]
[Not the Fragment.]
[Something older.]
[Something sealed.]
[Something angry.]
BOOM.
[The entire cavern shook.]
[Abaksa nearly lost his footing.]
Abaksa Einsro— "What was that?"
[The First Fragment looked downward.]
[For the first time...]
[He seemed afraid.]
First Fragment— "...A jailer."
[Another impact.]
BOOOOM.
[Several chains snapped.]
[The sound echoed through the prison.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...You said the regressors were imprisoned."
First Fragment— "We are."
Abaksa Einsro— "Then what's a jailer?"
[Silence.]
[Then the Fragment answered.]
First Fragment— "The thing that makes sure we stay imprisoned."
[Abaksa immediately disliked that answer.]
[A lot.]
[The prison walls cracked.]
[Black mist seeped through the fractures.]
[The chains began glowing brighter.]
[Emergency seals activating.]
First Fragment— "Leave."
Abaksa Einsro— "I'm not done."
First Fragment— "Neither am I."
[The ancient eyes narrowed.]
First Fragment— "But if you stay..."
[Another chain snapped.]
CRACK.
First Fragment— "...we both die."
[Abaksa hesitated.]
[Only briefly.]
[Then he stepped back.]
[The prison was becoming unstable.]
[The First Fragment noticed.]
[A faint smile appeared.]
First Fragment— "Good."
First Fragment— "You're learning."
Abaksa Einsro— "Learning what?"
[The smile widened.]
First Fragment— "When to run."
[The chamber shook one final time.]
BOOOOOOOOM.
[A colossal eye opened within the darkness below.]
[Just one.]
[Huge.]
[Ancient.]
[Watching.]
[Abaksa's blood froze.]
[Every instinct screamed.]
[RUN.]
[Not fight.]
[Not survive.]
[Run.]
Unknown Entity— "....FOUND...."
[The voice wasn't spoken.]
[It simply appeared inside reality.]
[The eye focused directly on him.]
Unknown Entity— "....ELEVENTH...."
[The ring on his finger burned.]
[The prison erupted.]
[The First Fragment roared.]
First Fragment— "GO!"
[Abaksa ran.]
[For once—]
[Without asking questions.]
[Behind him, chains shattered.]
[Ancient seals activated.]
[And deep within the abyss...]
[The Jailer had finally noticed the Eleventh Regressor.]