"…What happened?" she asked, voice low, heavy with emotion.
I shook my head slightly, unable to form words. My throat felt raw, my mind still swimming with fragments of the past.
She pulled back just slightly, cupping my face in her hands, forcing me to meet her gaze.
"And… why… why did you disappear for a month?" Her tone was bitter, laced with worry, frustration, and something else I couldn't name—pain, maybe, at being left behind.
pressed my forehead against hers, trembling, still gasping in short, ragged breaths.
"…I… I…" My voice faltered. The words refused to come.
Yelena's hands tightened slightly on my shoulders. Her purple eyes bore into mine, glimmering with frustration and sorrow.
"…Chrono," she said softly, but there was an edge to her tone, a mixture of anger and hurt. "Look at me. Tell me… what happened? Why did you disappear for a month?"
I swallowed hard, my throat raw. Memories from that month clawed at me—the arguments, the guilt, the feeling of being trapped, and the unbearable pressure of everything I had done wrong.
"I… I didn't know…" I whispered, voice cracking. "…I didn't know how to… how to face you. Or them. Or… myself."
Her brow furrowed, eyes glistening. "…You think leaving was the answer? Do you have any idea how worried I was? How much I… I needed you?"
Tears burned my eyes. "…I… I just… couldn't… I thought…" My voice broke completely, and I buried my face against her shoulder, shivering.
Yelena's expression softened slightly, though the bitter edge lingered. "…Thought what? That disappearing would fix things? That I wouldn't notice? That everything would just… move on?"
I shook my head, muffled against her clothes. "…No… I… I was scared. Scared of failing. Scared… of everything."
Her hands cupped my face now, forcing me to look at her. "…Chrono. You can't carry everything alone. You can't just vanish and think that will protect anyone… not me. Not yourself. Not anyone."
I blinked through my tears, nodding slowly. "…I know. I… I understand now."
Her purple eyes softened, glimmering with both relief and lingering anger. "…Good. Because… you're not going anywhere else. Not without me. You hear me?"
I nodded again, shivering, letting myself finally lean into the warmth of her presence. For the first time in weeks—maybe months—I felt a fragment of safety.
"…I'm… sorry, Yelena," I whispered. "…I really am."
She didn't reply immediately. She just held me there, letting the words sink in, letting the silence speak for the pain we both carried.
And slowly… finally… I felt my trembling begin to ease.
The fire in my chest of fear, guilt, and sorrow didn't disappear. But it became manageable, tempered by the presence of the sister I had abandoned, the one I had run from, and yet who still stood by me.
Hours had passed.
The academy corridors had quieted, and the faint hum of students outside my room was just background noise.
I sat on the edge of my bed, shoulders slumped, staring blankly at the floor.
Yelena had left some time ago, though her concern lingered in my mind.
"Come visit my dorm later," she had said softly, worry still heavy in her tone.
I hadn't replied. I couldn't.
The room was silent, save for the ticking of the academy chrono-clock.
Finally, I spoke, voice hoarse and raw:
"Who… who am I?"
I let my hands fall into my lap, shaking slightly.
"Chrono from earth … or Chrono Zephyr… or… someone else entirely?"
The memories still pressed in on me—flashes and fragments that didn't feel like mine, yet were undeniably real:
A mansion in flames, screams and chaos filling the air.
A young girl with bright purple eyes—Yelena—dragging me, determined not to let me go.
The Zephyr family, immense and imposing, ruled by Ragnar Zephyr, one of the strongest beings alive had adopted us.
My own heated argument from a month ago and the decision to vanish afterward.
And yet… none of this made sense.
In the novel, the Zephyr family was legendary, but there was no Chrono Zephyr. Yelena was their adopted daughter. Ragnar's influence and power were unmatched. And now… somehow, I existed as Chrono Zephyr.
"…What the hell am I?" I whispered, voice barely audible. "…Who is this Chrono Zephyr I'm supposed to be?"
I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the memories pressing down on me.
"…If all of this is real… then who… who am I supposed to be? Am I just some anomaly? Or… someone else entirely?"
I finally spoke to the system, voice low and trembling:
"Paradox… tell me. Who… who am I? What is all of this? Why do I have these memories… these… experiences… of someone who never existed?"
Silence answered me.
Only the faint hum of the system filled the air, and the oppressive weight of confusion and isolation settled in.
I leaned back against the headboard, closing my eyes. My body still shook, my mind a storm of questions, and for the first time, I realized just how alone I really was—lost in a world where my own existence was a mystery.
I slumped back against my bed, still reeling from the flood of memories and emotions.
The faint hum of Paradox pulsed in the room. I glanced down at the holographic interface that floated above my palm.
Something… had changed.
The display blinked once, then settled.
Name: Chrono → Chrono Zephyr (22%)
Level: 1
Status: Unknown / Incomplete
I stared at it, numb.
"…Chrono Zephyr?" I whispered hoarsely. "…22%?"
The memories… the mansion, the fire, Yelena, the Zephyr family… they weren't just fragments anymore. They were pieces of a truth I didn't fully understand.
And then, as if responding to my thoughts, a new message appeared on the interface.
"[Quest assigned.]"
I blinked. My heart began to pound.
"Beat Leon.
Reward: Memories of Chrono Zephyr — 100% unlock.
Deadline: One year.
The words hung in the air like a challenge and a warning all at once.
I swallowed hard. "…Leon… I have to… beat him?"
The interface pulsed faintly.
"Affirmative. Surpass him. Unlock your identity. The answer to your questions, the fragments of your past, your true self… all lie beyond this trial. Time is limited. Use it wisely."
I pressed my hands against my face, feeling the weight of it settle like a stone in my chest.
All the confusion, all the fear, all the memories I didn't understand… it boiled down to this one thing:
If I wanted to know who I really was, if I wanted answers about Chrono Zephyr, if I wanted my past and my identity back…
I had to beat Leon.
And somehow… survive the year-long trial waiting for me.