Ardyl stared into the nothingness surrounding him. He had gotten used to it since he was, in a way, part of that very nothingness.

"Oh man, I’ve gotten pretty bored. It’s been how long? I can’t even remember. It should all have fallen back into place by now, yet something wrong is going on. Why is it taking so long?"

He watched, a pair of azure blue eyes transfixed on a certain place. He stared at it, as if awaiting something, and something reached him. A thread, thinner than Ardyl’s impatience, formed back into existence. It floated around, a light purple ribbon of light twirling and twisting around. He sat there, his voice the only thing breaking the silence.

"It happened later than expected. I don’t think there are many more times this could happen, a few times at best."

A shadowy figure emerged behind him, seen only because its right eye was filled with a blinding glow, a gentle yet ruthless, white light. Ardyl turned around, scared out of his wits. No one had ever been there before, not even the thing trying to disrupt the order.

"Oh, sorry if I startled you, I got lost on my way. Just what is this place?"

Ardyl stared the expressionless shadow right in the eye, trying not to quiver in front of it.

"How did you get here? Answer me!"

With a quick gesture of his hand, he summoned a sword, a thin, long blade, one that looked like a clock’s tongue, a glistering, dark blade. The mysterious figure was unfazed, not even worrying enough to move.

"Hey, it’s quite rude to do such a thing the first time you meet someone, you know. I told you already, I happened to get lost on my way, and I ended up being stuck here."

"I’m not buying it!" shouted Ardyl, his blade still rose up to the figure’s head. "Not even Alukar managed to get in here, and that’s what he’s been trying for eons."

The shadow sighed, placing his head in his palm, slowly rocking it from left to right.

"You know, I’m tired of things like this happening. Just tell me where I am, and I’ll make sure to leave."

Ardyl, noticing that his threats were to no avail, sent his weapon back to where it came from, and slowly decided on answering his question.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"We’re in a place called "The Time Sea", a place where time itself exists outside of normal universal bounds. I am the one watching over time, but now I’m waiting for the day Alukar, someone caught in time, reaches this place. The story is longer than this, but one thing’s for sure: if he reaches this place, time is done for."

The shadow nodded, taking note of everything he was told.

"Well, I guess that only this universe’s time would be disrupted; other universes won’t be affected by it, but no matter what, this is still a huge deal. Say, why don’t you delete him out of time?"

Ardyl stared in disbelief. How could he understand this so easily? It didn’t matter; what he’s saying is...

"If I were to do that, the entire timeline might be scared, thus breaking the flow of time. The only way is to wait for him to arrive here and hope for the best. Each time the universe resets itself, he seems to be getting stronger, coming closer and closer to reaching this realm."

"Then why don’t you go inside his world and take care of him there, once and for all?"

Ardyl thought about it for a bit, then shook his head. "A bold idea, but an impossible one. I can only stay here and supervise every loop. I am powerless to do such a feat."

"Then how about I give you a hand? I could transport you inside that very timeline."

"Ha! Quite the bold claim, don’t you think? It’s imposs-"

He was cut short by the sound of fingers snapping together, which resulted in the appearance of a ripple in space.

"How did you?"

The shadow made a sound akin to laughter, which only put Ardyl on edge. Just who, or what, is he?

"Just walk inside this, and problem solved. The only problem is that your powers will be diminished as a result of overwriting the rules of the world. Long story short, walk in and do your business, but make sure you don’t die, otherwise, there’s no coming back."

Unable to contain his feelings, he let the dread and curiosity take over—an undignified act for someone of his standing.

"Just what are you?"

His eyes were filled with terror and awe, and he could swear that the thing smiled.

"Let’s just say that I’m a shadow of someone really important. Now go, what are you waiting for?"

Ardyl stood there, unable to comprehend it all. How was he, a God, unable to to such things, but then an existence unknown to him arrived in the Sea of Time and did the impossible.

"From now onwards, this is uncharted water, that’s for sure." The shadow’s words came like roaring thunder, forcing Ardyl into a fight-or-flight state. He had never felt fear before, but in that instance, his whole body was acting like an animal, on sheer instinct alone.

"Uncharted waters, just what...?"

"It’s a play of words, you know. This place is a sea of sorts, and you talked about a loop happening. I guess what’s happening right now is a never-before-seen thing, which is why I called it uncharted waters. Now go before something else hops into the portal by accident and reaches this place."

Ardyl took his heart in his teeth and, with unwavering determination, for once decided to screw over the rules, all for the best.

"Time to put a stop to Alukar, once and for all."

He stepped inside the portal while a lone shadow watched behind him, one eye lit in its socket.

"I wish him luck. Now to see myself out."

He walked off in the darkness, perhaps never to be seen again in this world.