I sprinted through the rain and reached the castle's outer walls.
Guards everywhere.
No gaps.
No shadows to slip through.
Rain poured down along with the sweat running across my face.
The needle glowed fiercely in my hand.
The Thunder Guide sends lightning to whatever the needle marks —
but the timing is never exact.
The only warning is that the needle stops glowing a moment before it strikes.
So I kept staring at it, waiting for the glow to die.
The castle was massive. Guards lined every walkway, every corner, every doorway.
If only I knew which quarter the king slept in, I could mark that spot and let the thunder do the work.
But I didn't.
The only option was to scale the walls.
I took one step forward—
The needle's glow vanished.
My heart froze.
Already?
It was faster than I expected.
In a few nanoseconds the lightning would fall.
The clouds above me churned, ready to crack the sky open.
Blink.
The world twisted.
My body felt like it was being ripped apart between dimensions — pulled sideways, stretched thin, thrown across layers of space.
Then—
Warm ground beneath me.
Silence.
The rain was suddenly distant, like it belonged to another world.
I opened my eyes.
I was inside a grand bedroom — vast, luxurious, glowing with soft lamplight.
The bed I landed on felt unreal, softer than anything I had touched in this era.
Confused, I spun around.
Who used that kind of power to save me?
I knew the sensation.
I'd heard of it before.
Space.
The rival force of Time.
The opposite of Kaalam.
My master once said the Emperor of Space was dangerous, wicked, eager to destroy Kaalam itself.
So why would someone with his power rescue me?
"Velan! Stop! You're being lied to!"
A voice thundered through my ears.
I whipped my head around — no one was there.
"Who are you?!" I shouted. "And why would I believe you?"
"I'm the Space Emperor Dalāy.
Don't use your kada again."
The command echoed like it came from everywhere and nowhere.
My breath caught.
The Space Emperor himself?
Why stop me from completing my mission?
Why save me from the lightning?
Those questions echoed through my mind.
Suddenly, an obsidian sphere — perfectly smooth and black as midnight — popped into existence right in front of me. A soft white glow pulsed from within it as Dalāy's voice echoed:

"You mustn't interfere in the schemes of gods. They lie. Always."
I flinched at the sound, but the voice wasn't threatening.
It felt strange… familiar.
Warm, even.
Like someone who'd never hurt anyone.
"My master asked me to trust the Time Emperor Yali," I said proudly. "His words are my way."
"Time Emperor Yali, huh?" the sphere flickered. "That thing is not the true Time Emperor at all. The real one is hiding behind him, using that Yali as a puppet."
The rain outside had settled into a faint whisper.
Only then did I remember where I was:
Sitting on a royal bed made for nobles.
Inside the castle itself.
I tried to keep Dalāy talking before someone walked in. I needed to get as much answers as I could.
"Then tell me this — why save me, if my master and the Time Emperor are your enemies?"
"There is another one of your kind," Dalāy said not concerned of my questions. "Find her. Tell her this: 'You're innocent. I'm sorry I had to make you go through this trouble.' Tell her I want her forgiveness."
My heart skipped.
"Who is she?"
"She is—"
Footsteps sounded from the next room.
"Who?" I pressed, harder.
The sphere pulsed once.
"I was never supposed to be a god."
Click.
The obsidian vanished exactly as it had appeared.
What?
What did he mean by that?
Before I could breathe, a wave of guards burst into the room — ten of them — surrounding me while my thoughts were still spiraling. What did he mean by 'your kind' ?
"Oh god! What in the world is going on?" I shouted as they dragged me off the royal bed, hands tied, fury and confusion burning through me.