⚙️ Chapter 68 –
"Time remembers what fate tries to erase."
⏳ Scene 1: The Aftershock
The following morning, Sinjai Academy was in quiet chaos.
No one expected Aeren—the boy once laughed at as the weakest—to emerge alive from the Mind Prison Dungeon. And certainly not with the mark of the Ancient Chronos Seal burning faintly across his back.
Only Anshi had dared run toward him after he collapsed.
"Aeren! You idiot—you scared me—what happened in there?!"
Aeren looked up, his eyes flickering with silver for a brief moment.
"I… I think I saw someone from the future. Or maybe the past."
He was rushed to the medical chamber. But the doctors found something strange.
"His body… It's healing too fast."
"Not just that. His brain activity is... abnormally synchronized across hemispheres."
"He's seeing memories he never lived."
🏛️ Scene 2: Council of the Four Sigils
Far away in a sealed underground chamber beneath the ruins of Velrith Citadel, four hooded figures gathered around an ancient stone tablet. Upon it, the same clock sigil now marked on Aeren's back began to glow.
"The Clock's Heir has awakened."
"Impossible. That line ended with the Fall of King Veleor."
"The sigil doesn't lie."
"Then the Sealed King may rise again…"
A heavy silence.
"Activate the Forgotten King Protocol. Eliminate the boy—before he remembers who he is."
🧠 Scene 3: Fractures in Time
That night, Aeren's dreams were more vivid than ever.
He stood on a battlefield of ash, where the sky was cracked like glass, stars dripping down like blood. Monsters lay slaughtered by the hundreds.
And there—on a throne made of bones and glowing time crystals—sat a man with Aeren's face, older… colder.
The same mark burned on his chest.
He looked at Aeren and spoke:
"You shouldn't have woken up this early."
"Who are you?"
"I'm you… 3,000 years from now."
Aeren's pulse froze.
"You destroyed the world once. Will you do it again?"
Suddenly, a spear of pure energy shot from the clouds and struck the throne—shattering it.
Aeren woke up, screaming.
🌀 Scene 4: The Awakening Trial
The next day, while recovering, Aeren was summoned by the Seeker Council of Sinjai—a rare event for a first-year.
He stood before the three diamond-ranked instructors.
Instructor Zephyra: "Do you know what this is?"She revealed a sketch of the mark on his back.
Aeren: "No. Not exactly. But… it's talking to me."
Instructor Grant: "That's the Mark of Veleor—the Forgotten King. A mythical figure who was once able to bend time, memory, even reality. It was believed to be a story… until now."
Instructor Duma: "So here's your choice. Deny this path, let us seal the mark. Or… awaken your forgotten power and become hunted by every dark thing this world buried."
Aeren stood still for a moment.
Then:
"Seal it… and I'll still be hunted. I've seen what's coming. I'll face it—awake."
The instructors exchanged glances. Then, Zephyra whispered:
"So be it. Let the Awakening Trial begin."
🔱 Scene 5: The Trial Begins
Aeren was taken deep into the Starfall Chamber, where the original founders of Sinjai once trained.
There, alone, surrounded by glowing sigils of time, he was told to survive one full day inside a sealed reality.
"This realm will twist your memories, fears, and past lives into enemies. Survive, and the Forgotten King's power is yours."
The door closed.
And time reset.
🧬 End of Chapter 68