Kaerith placed her hands on my forehead, and the spirit rose once more. It was small, almost humanoid, glowing intensely. I felt the beam of light connecting us, a growing pressure in my mind. I closed my eyes, and the physical world seemed to vanish, replaced by a blurry and distorted landscape.

“Here we go, Darius,” Kaerith said firmly. “This will be a journey to the depths of your being. Everything we see, you’ll experience as well, so stay sharp.”

I nodded anxiously, trying to steady my breathing, but an electric tingling coursed through my head. The sensation was accompanied by a discomfort that tensed me up at times. Kaerith’s calm voice broke through the haze.

“Let it wash over you. Don’t resist. Relax.”

I took a deep breath and tried to release the tension. Slowly, the blurry landscape began to change. I found myself stepping out of an alley, looking at a market filled with creatures I’d never seen before. The noise and colors were overwhelming. The scene blurred and shifted abruptly. Now I was in a dimly lit bar. A massive lizard was beating me mercilessly while a man sat nearby, watching the scene with a mocking expression.

“Kaerith… are you seeing this?” I said, somewhat dazed. “I think I’m remembering… I think that was my first encounter with that man. I believe I worked for him or something.”

“Have you seen lizards like that before?” Kaerith asked, her tone curious. “Let’s dig deeper.”

The scene changed again. Now I was outside a cave, arguing with what looked like a gray-skinned orc. I paused, startled.

“Is that… an orc?” I said, unable to hide my amazement.

Heavy footsteps echoed from within the cave. Both of us turned to the entrance, and suddenly a giant emerged from the shadows. Kaerith and I stood frozen in shock.

“That giant… is that Eldrek?” Kaerith asked, equally surprised.

“Holy shit, it’s Eldrek. Older,” I muttered, as confused as she was. “At the time, I’d been tasked to find something for him. But I didn’t know it was a weapon.”

Kaerith’s expression turned serious as she leaned toward me. “Darius, if what we’re seeing is real, this would mean it’s a memory from the future. Which means… you’re a damn time traveler.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but the scene shifted abruptly. I saw myself being attacked by flying creatures. They were fast, relentless, and I couldn’t do anything to stop them. Kaerith was right—I could feel the attacks. Not as intensely, but enough to tense me up.

“Wait a second…” I murmured, focusing on the memory. “In that moment… I died.”

An intense unease surged through me. The chaos within me began to stir, almost breaking free as I relived that moment. My breathing became erratic, and I felt my magic overflowing.

“Darius, breathe! Control your chaos!” Kaerith shouted urgently. “If you let it out now, it could permanently affect both of us.”

I struggled to calm myself, taking deep breaths. “I get it… I get it. I think I’ve got it under control.”

The intensity began to fade, and the blurry images became sharp again. I saw three massive entrances, rippling in the shadowy space around me.

“What the hell, Darius? Who the hell are you? Those are portals! Is this how you’ve been jumping between eras?” Kaerith exclaimed, unable to hide her disbelief.

“I think so,” I replied, still shaken. “It’s still confusing. I believe that when I die, I end up in that space and come across the portals. Please, Kaerith, we can’t stop here. I need you to keep digging.”

Kaerith’s tone turned somber. “I never expected to come across something like this.”

Through the spirit, Kaerith continued to delve into my memories. Each time she went deeper, I felt a physical discomfort that made me groan. The scenes shifted again. I was in a vast desert at night, surrounded by warriors in the middle of a battle. I saw Eldrek, older than before, and other familiar faces. My heart raced as I stared at them and recognized them.

“Wait… I remember them. They’re… Zhavros… Aelira… Vaelor… the girl, her name is Nymira… damn, there she is again. I’d seen her in a fleeting memory before. Lyris! She…”

Kaerith interrupted me, her voice filled with awe. “She’s your descendant.”

A silence settled between us as we watched the scene of everyone fighting against savage creatures. Suddenly, the image shifted drastically. My heart stopped.

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“No! Nymira, no!” I screamed as the man I’d seen in the bar struck her down with a deadly slash. I watched her fall, reliving a memory filled with rage and pain. The chaos within me exploded again.

Kaerith tried to calm me. “Darius, control yourself! Stop it before…” But I couldn’t listen.

The images continued. I saw the man, and finally, his face became clear in my memory—Grimmor. He threw a sword that pierced Lyris, spreading the same poison that had killed Nymira. My rage boiled over.

“Lyris… Damn you, Grimmor! Argh!” I roared furiously on the cot, thrashing as my emotions unleashed a faint mist of chaos around me. It seemed to seep from my very skin.

Kaerith shouted orders to the guards. “Restrain him on the cot!” They rushed to hold me down with all their strength. She tried to sever the spell, but the chaos was preventing it. The dark mist began to engulf the guards, the spirit, and finally, Kaerith herself.

With my eyes shut, I heard the guards’ cries of pain and the spirit’s faint, fading presence. “Selene!” I screamed, jolting upright on the cot. When I opened my eyes, I saw the horrifying scene clearly: the spirit being consumed by the chaos, the guards collapsed on the ground, their skin corroding inch by inch, and Kaerith convulsing on the floor, blood streaming from her nose, mouth, and ears. The black mist coiled around her head like a predator.

Panicking, I slid off the cot. “What the hell did I do?!” I yelled, clutching my head. Frantically, I tried to think. “If the mist came from me, I can stop it.” The three guards had already reverted to their naga forms.

I stretched my hands toward the guards and Kaerith, straining with every ounce of willpower to dispel the mist. With a muffled cry, I managed to dissipate it. The spirit was completely gone, consumed, and the guards lay unconscious, their exposed muscles and tendons grotesquely visible. Kaerith was motionless.

I rushed to her side, desperation in every step. “Damn it, Kaerith, don’t die on me!” I rummaged through her belongings, searching for anything that could help. My eyes landed on a container labeled ‘healing.’ There were at least twenty potions inside. Grabbing three in haste, I began with Kaerith, forcing her to drink one. Then, I did the same for the guards.

I crouched in the center of the tent, my heart pounding as I waited. The minutes dragged on like centuries until I noticed the guards’ skin slowly regenerating. I sprang to my feet.

“It’s working! It’s working!” I shouted. I ran back to Kaerith and knelt beside her. “Come on, come on… please work, damn it!”

Suddenly, Kaerith’s eyes shot open, and she sat upright as if waking from a nightmare. I exhaled sharply, my hands covering my face in relief. “It worked… Damn, it worked.”

Still disoriented, Kaerith stared at me. Before I could react, her serpent tail struck me with brutal force, knocking me unconscious instantly.

When I regained consciousness, my vision was blurry. I was lying on the ground, my head and neck throbbing with pain. I tried to sit up but only managed to prop myself on one elbow. Groaning, I rubbed my eyes to focus better. As the dizziness subsided, I noticed the guards, fully healed and in their naga forms, standing over me with their spears pointed in my direction.

“Whoa, whoa! What’s going on here?” I exclaimed, my eyes widening in surprise.

I was still in Kaerith’s tent. She stood across the room, cleaning up the mess I had caused. Her glare pierced through me before she spoke in a sharp, furious tone.

“You nearly killed us all! I should’ve taken the chance to chop you into pieces and examine you while you were still out cold,” she snapped through gritted teeth.

A pang of guilt hit me, and I lowered my gaze. “I’m sorry… Reliving those events was harder than I thought. Luckily, I found your potions and managed to heal you all. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself knowing I caused irreparable harm.”

Kaerith scoffed, clearly unimpressed. “Spare me the guilt trip. If it weren’t for what I discovered about you, you wouldn’t even be conscious right now.”

She gestured to the guards to leave. They gave her a slight bow before obeying. Kaerith, still in her naga form, slithered closer to me. I was still propped up on my elbows, dazed, and couldn’t help but notice how imposing she looked in that form. Her thick tail alone had been enough to knock me out in one blow.

Kaerith leaned in closer, her piercing eyes fixed on me. “Do you have any idea how rare it is for a time traveler like you to exist?” she asked in a low voice, her tone more curious than threatening. “Even I thought those tales were just myths. Funny how fate brought you to me.”

I noticed a knife in her hand, and my heart raced. A chilling thought crossed my mind. “Um… Kaerith, could you put that knife away? It’s making me a little nervous,” I said, trying to sound calm.

Kaerith raised an eyebrow and, to my surprise, smirked slightly. Her youthful, exotic face clashed with the intimidating aura she exuded. Finally, she turned away and placed the knife on a nearby table.

“Have you recovered your memories yet?” she asked, her back still turned to me.

I managed to get to my feet, wincing at the stiffness in my neck. Rolling my head from side to side, I tried to shake off the discomfort. “You hit harder than I expected… Anyway, I remember a lot more now, though there are gaps. It’s like I have several jumbled memories and can’t tell what came first. It’s like a puzzle in my head.”

I stared at the ground, trying to piece things together in my mind.

“You have a power most people would kill for,” Kaerith remarked, glancing over her shoulder. “The ability to travel through time and come back after death… Imagine the potential. You could control events at will. You could even stop all this madness.”

I shook my head, sighing deeply. “It’s not that simple. Now that I have more clarity, I realize this ability isn’t a blessing. It comes with severe consequences. You’ve seen it yourself—this power consumes me and harms everything around me.”

Kaerith frowned, crossing her arms. “Yeah, I’d already figured that out. Still, it’d be a pleasure to dissect you. If you die, I’ll be the first to collect your remains… Now, get out. As interesting as you are, I’ve got work to do.”

There was no doubt in my mind that she meant every word. Her warning was more than enough to make me leave. I stumbled a bit as I turned and exited the tent. The village was quiet under the night sky, save for the sounds of hammers and wood being chopped. Most people seemed to be resting. With a sigh, I decided to look for Eldrek.