Chapter One: Trace of Time
The street wasn't quiet…
it was dead.
The old street lamps flickered weakly, and the wind slipped between the buildings like a whisper that no one could understand.
In 1970, the city never truly slept—
but tonight… it felt abandoned.
He stood at the edge of the road, staring at the structure across from him.
It wasn't strange because of how it looked…
but because it existed at all.
A stone castle.
Cracked walls, hollow windows, and a presence that didn't belong among the concrete buildings surrounding it.
No sign. No history. No explanation.
As if… it had no place in this time.
He stepped closer.
Each step carried a strange feeling—
not fear…
something closer to recognition.
Like he had been here before.
But that was impossible.
He reached out and placed his hand against the wall.
Cold. Rough.
Real.
And the moment his fingers touched the stone—
Everything stopped.
The sound vanished.
The air disappeared.
The street was gone.
…
Screams.
Metal clashing against metal.
The scent of blood in the air.
He opened his eyes—
He was no longer in 1970.
Soldiers rushed past him, their armor stained with dirt and blood.
Torn banners waved above a massive fortress—
The same fortress.
But it wasn't abandoned.
It was alive.
And it was falling.
He stumbled back, his breath shaking, his heart pounding violently in his chest.
"This… can't be real…"
Before he could understand what he was seeing—
A soldier turned toward him.
Looked straight at him.
As if… he could see him.
He froze.
No movement. No voice.
The soldier began walking toward him.
Step… by step…
And just as the distance between them vanished—
Everything snapped back.
Silence.
The street.
The city.
1970.
He dropped to his knees, gasping, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
Slowly, he lifted his gaze back toward the castle.
It stood there… just as before.
Abandoned.
But now—
It wasn't unfamiliar.
It was known.
As if time… had never touched it at all.