Fragments of Dawn

Chapter 13: Echoes of the Fallen

Kai’s muscles burned as he staggered forward, his breath ragged. Every fiber of his being screamed in protest, but he forced himself to stay on his feet. The Keepers had not relented in his training, pushing him to his limits over and over again.

“Again,” the lead Keeper commanded, his voice calm but firm.

Kai clenched his fists, his mind still spinning from his previous attempt to manipulate time. The memory of his failure weighed on him—watching the past reject his interference, forcing him to relive his own helplessness.

He exhaled sharply, focusing once more.

The room around him shimmered again as time unraveled at his command. He extended his hand, forcing himself to feel the currents of the moment—the way time flowed around him like a river, the ripples of past, present, and future intertwining.

He had to control it.

He had to make it bend to his will.

The moment flickered—just for an instant. A drop of sweat ran down his temple as he struggled against the resistance. He could feel the weight of reality pushing back, trying to snap itself back into place.

And then—

Snap.

The force of time recoiled, throwing him backward with a violent shockwave. He slammed into the ground, the breath ripped from his lungs. The world reassembled itself instantly, as if nothing had changed.

“Damn it!” Kai growled, slamming his fist against the ground.

The Keeper watched him in silence before stepping closer. “What did you feel?”

Kai wiped the sweat from his brow, his pulse still racing. “Like trying to push against a tidal wave. I can see time bending, but the moment I try to force it, it snaps back—hard.”

The Keeper nodded. “That is because you are treating time as an opponent. It is not something to fight, Kai Voss. It is something to understand.”

Kai clenched his jaw. He knew they were right, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating. He had been given this power, and yet he still couldn’t control it the way he needed to.

“How do I stop it from snapping back?” he asked, determination burning in his voice.

The Keeper considered for a moment before speaking. “You must learn to move with time, rather than against it. Let go of your need for control.”

The Keepers had given him small exercises to refine his perception. He could now slow time for brief moments, extending his reactions, allowing him to see the minute details of the world around him. But true mastery still eluded him.

The lead Keeper studied him for a long moment before speaking. “There is one final test for today.”

Kai raised an eyebrow. “And what is that?”

The Keeper extended his hand, and a small dagger materialized in the air, suspended by unseen energy. The blade gleamed in the dim light, razor-sharp.

“You must stop it,” the Keeper said simply.

Kai frowned. “That’s it?”

Without another word, the Keeper flicked his fingers. The dagger shot forward, aimed directly at Kai’s heart.

Instinct roared through him.

Slow down.

Time stuttered, lurching as Kai focused all his energy on the moment. The dagger’s movement blurred, then slowed, then—

Stopped.

It hovered inches from his chest, frozen in midair. Every muscle in his body tensed as he held the moment in place, the strain making his head pound.

But he had done it.

A slow smile spread across his face. He had stopped time, even if only for a second.

The Keeper nodded approvingly. “Good. You are learning.”

Kai exhaled and let go. The dagger dropped to the ground with a metallic clang.

He had taken another step forward.

And soon, he would take back what was lost.