Blind Legacy of Time

Arden heard the hunter shout, "I found you, traitor!" and his blood-red flames erupted in his palms a feral energy. Theron turned toward the arrow's source, but it was too late the arrow pierced his chest, and Theron collapsed with a cry. Arden's rage exploded, unleashing a wave of flames toward the hunter, but the hunter dodged into the trees, his laughter echoing through the forest. "I finished Theron… now it's your turn, cursed child!" he taunted.

Arden dropped to his knees beside Theron, blood seeping from Theron's chest, but he was still breathing. "Hold on," Arden said, his voice resolute, though Theron's pale face sent a shiver through him. "Leave… me," Theron groaned, his voice weak. "The hunters… are after you… run." But Arden's eyes blazed with anger, "I'm not running," he said, his voice cold. "This forest… will be their grave."

The hunter emerged from the trees again this time with two others, one wielding water magic, the other wind. The water hunter waved his hands, a wave of water crashing toward Arden; the wind hunter summoned a tornado, accelerating the wave. Arden shaped his flames into a shield, the water evaporating into steam, the tornado dispersing, but the hunters didn't stop the first hunter drew a dagger, its blade coated in flames, and charged at Arden.

Arden sent a blast of flames at the dagger-wielding hunter, knocking him back, but his anger was becoming uncontrollable Kael's death, the stocky man's death, the lightning hunter's death echoed in his mind, and now… Theron's wounded state. "Enough!" he roared, his voice shaking the forest. He reached for his blind eye, gripping the eyepatch and tearing it off in one swift motion a yellow light burst from his blind eye, but this time, it was different.

The yellow light enveloped the forest, and suddenly, everything slowed time itself seemed to stop. The hunters' movements froze, the water wave's droplets hung in the air, the wind's howl fell silent. But a storm raged in Arden's mind his blind eye's power was distorting time, but this time, it went further. In the sky, a massive clock appeared the same clock from the vision , but now its hands spun backward, and with each tick, the forest changed. Trees decayed, then regrew; the hunters' bodies aged rapidly, then reverted to youth time around Arden had become a chaotic cycle.

Arden looked at the hunters, his eyes glowing with yellow light. "Time… is mine," he whispered, his voice resonant. He raised his hand, and the clock exploded the yellow energy surged toward the hunters in a wave. The first hunter, frozen with his dagger in hand, turned to dust his body decayed in seconds as time accelerated centuries, his bones crumbling. The water hunter tried to scream, but as his mouth opened, his body aged backward turning into a child, then a baby, and finally… vanishing. The wind hunter was caught in the cycle of time his body aged, wrinkles covering his skin, then regressed, but the cycle didn't stop his body tore apart in the endless loop, organs scattering, leaving only a pool of blood.

As Arden unleashed this power, his blind eye burned but the power was affecting him too. Marks of time appeared on his arms his skin aged, then rejuvenated, but each cycle made his body tremble, his mind blurring. "Stop… I need to stop," he muttered, but the power had slipped from his control. Theron, lying on the ground, looked at Arden, "Close… your eye!" he groaned, his voice faint.

Arden summoned all his willpower, pressing his hand to his blind eye, and the yellow light slowly dimmed time returned to normal, but the forest… had changed. Most trees had decayed, while others had reverted to young saplings; nothing remained of the hunters but blood and dust. Arden collapsed, breathless, his blind eye still throbbing, his mind foggy, his body shaking this power was consuming him.

Theron struggled to sit up, dragging himself to Arden's side. "You… are incredible," he said, his voice a mix of awe and fear. "But this power… will destroy you too." Arden looked at Theron, his eyes still glowing with a faint yellow light. "The Lord of Time… is awakening," he murmured, his voice trembling. "And I… am his toy." Theron handed Arden a map, "We need to go to the temple," he said, his tone serious. "But first… I need a doctor."

Arden looked at Theron's chest the wound still bled, and Theron's pale face showed the severity of his condition. "I'm not leaving you," Arden said, his voice resolute. He carefully lifted Theron, supporting him under his arm, and walked out of the forest toward the nearest village. Hours later, they reached a small village Arden spotted a doctor's sign in the village square. He carried Theron inside, where the doctor an elderly man with thick glasses immediately got to work, cleaning and bandaging Theron's wound.

The doctor looked at Arden, "Your friend is lucky," he said, his voice raspy. "A bit longer, and I couldn't have saved him." Arden bowed his head, "Thank you," he said, but his mind was still foggy, his blind eye still aching. Theron sat up in the bed, "The temple… can wait," he said, his voice weak. "But… your power… won't." Arden remained silent the awakening of the Lord of Time loomed in his mind like a shadow.