The Lost Eternity

A being, not human, not machine, not anything Elias had ever seen before. Its form was unstable, shifting, as if its body itself was rejecting the reality of this world. Skeletal yet monstrous, tall yet fluid, unnatural in every way. Its glowing eyes locked onto them.

And then, in an instant—

It moved.

Faster than thought, faster than sight. A blur of pure violence.

Tables flipped. Glass shattered. Screams erupted all around as the monster tore through the cafeteria with inhuman speed, striking down anything in its path.

Elias barely had time to react before it was on him.

A clawed hand slammed into his chest, sending him flying backward. The impact cracked the tiled floor as he skidded to a stop. A sharp pain lanced through his ribs, but he barely registered it—because the monster was already coming again.

It wasn't just attacking randomly.

It was coming for him.

Sienna's voice rang out, raw with panic. "ELIAS!"

But there was no time to think. No time to breathe.

The monster lunged—and Elias, acting purely on instinct, moved.

A blur of motion—he twisted, barely avoiding the strike as it shattered the ground where he had just been. The force of the impact sent debris flying, students scrambling for cover.

Shit, shit, shit—

Elias' mind raced. Why is it after me? What the hell is this thing?!

The monster twitched, its body glitching, as if it was trying to stabilize its form in this world. And then—without hesitation—it attacked again.

This time, Elias wasn't fast enough.

A brutal strike to his gut sent him hurtling through the air. He crashed into a row of tables, coughing violently, pain burning through his body. The edges of his vision blurred.

For the first time in a long while—

He felt powerless.

The cafeteria was chaos. Students screamed. Sienna was trying to get to him, but the creature was standing between them.

It let out a sound—a distorted, nightmarish growl, like a thousand voices speaking at once. And then—

It raised its hand.

A jagged energy blade formed along its arm, crackling with unstable power. It lifted it directly over Elias' chest.

And then—

It struck down.

—

BLACK.

Everything was black.

Not the comforting black of sleep. Not the gentle darkness of night.

This was something deeper. Something vast.

Something empty.

Elias felt like he was floating in a void, weightless, thoughtless—trapped in a space that had no beginning or end. He couldn't even tell if he was alive.

Then, like a distant echo—

A voice.

At first, it was just a murmur. Indistinct. Blurred. But then, the voice grew louder.

"Elias—"

It was familiar. It was hers.

"Wake up—!"

And then—

Pain.

A sudden, violent shock tore through his body like a lightning bolt. His lungs screamed for air, his chest burned, his senses snapped back into existence all at once—

And Elias woke up to the sound of chaos.

—

He gasped, eyes shooting open, body jolting as he sat up. His vision blurred for a moment before everything slammed into focus.

The cafeteria was wrecked. Tables overturned, shattered glass covering the floor, the walls cracked from the sheer force of the battle. Students were either hiding or had fled entirely.

And in front of him—

The monster.

It loomed over him, its shifting form unstable, flickering between solidity and something else, something that didn't belong in this world. Its jagged energy blade still crackled, humming with power.

It had stabbed him.

Or at least, it should have.

Elias blinked, chest heaving. He looked down. His clothes were torn, his body aching from the previous blows—but he was alive.

The blade had stopped just before piercing him.

Or rather—

Something stopped it.

His body felt different. Lighter. As if something inside him had shifted.

The monster twitched—confused? Angry? It wasn't clear.

But Elias felt it now.

A force deep inside him, surging like an electric current through his veins. It wasn't just adrenaline. It wasn't just instinct.

It was something else.

And then—

The ground cracked beneath him.

A sudden shockwave burst from his body, rippling outward, shaking the very walls. The monster staggered back, its form glitching even more violently, as if his presence alone was destabilizing it.

Sienna's voice cut through the chaos. "Elias—!"

He turned toward her.

Her face was pale, her eyes wide, but in them, there was something else—

Hope.

Because Elias wasn't just awake.

He was changing.

—

The air around him shifted.

Electricity crackled at his fingertips, raw energy building in his limbs. He could feel it, coursing through his body, the sheer power threatening to burst out of him at any second.

He clenched his fist.

The monster snapped its head toward him, as if suddenly realizing—

This wasn't the same Elias it had attacked before.

Elias exhaled, standing to his full height.

The pain in his body faded into the background. The exhaustion vanished.

All that was left—

Was power.

He lifted his gaze to the monster, eyes blazing with something new. Something lethal.

"...Alright," he muttered under his breath, rolling his shoulders, his voice lower, steadier than before. "You had your turn."

He vanished.

A blur of motion—one second he was standing still, the next he was right in front of the monster, fist already in motion.

The impact shattered the air itself.

A sonic boom erupted as Elias' punch collided with the creature's chest, sending it rocketing backward, crashing through multiple cafeteria walls like a ragdoll. Dust and debris exploded outward, filling the room.

Students who had been watching froze, stunned into silence.

Elias lowered his fist, his body still humming with power. He flexed his fingers, testing the feeling—

And then he grinned.

"...Oh, that's sick."

—

The dust settled.

From the massive hole in the cafeteria wall, the monster emerged.

It was damaged—its shifting body flickering wildly, its form unstable, but it was still standing.

And this time, it didn't waste a second.

It charged.

Elias' grin widened.

"Good," he muttered, cracking his neck. "Round two."

—

The fight began.

The monster lunged, its energy blade slicing through the air with terrifying speed. Elias dodged, his movements flawless, each step precise. The air around him blurred as he moved—faster than he'd ever thought possible.

The cafeteria shook with each impact. The sheer force of their blows sent shockwaves through the entire building, rattling the very foundation.

Elias twisted mid-air, dodging a wild swing, then retaliated with a devastating kick to the monster's head.

The impact sent it crashing into the ceiling.

Before it could even recover—

Elias was already there.

In a flash, he was above it, hands glowing with raw power—

And then, he slammed both fists down.

The creature was launched back to the ground, hitting the floor with enough force to crater it.

The battle was relentless.

The monster's form was glitching violently now, its body barely holding together. It let out a distorted roar, clawing its way out of the rubble—

But Elias wasn't done yet.

He landed smoothly, wiping the blood from his lip, exhaling sharply.

"Not bad," he admitted. "But—"

And then—

A sudden presence.

Elias' instincts screamed.

The air shifted once more, but this time, it wasn't the monster.

Something else had arrived.

—

The Ascendancy Initiative had entered the battlefield.

—

Figures in sleek, futuristic armor descended from above, their movements precise, controlled. They moved like soldiers—but not just any soldiers.

They were the elite.

The New World Order's enforcers.

Their leader, a tall, masked figure in dark, form-fitting armor, stepped forward. His voice was calm. Collected.

"Secure the entity," he ordered. "And take the boy, too."

—

Elias' eyes narrowed.

Oh, hell no.

The moment the Ascendancy Initiative stepped in, the air itself seemed to shift.

There was no announcement. No warning.

One second, the battle was between Elias and the glitching monster—a battle of raw, uncontrolled chaos.

The next, order descended.

Sleek black aircraft hovered silently above the shattered cafeteria, their smooth, angular designs reflecting the dim neon glow of the city beyond. Their presence alone sent an unspoken message—

The real authorities were here now.

And unlike the students, unlike even the teachers who had fled—they weren't afraid.

They were here to take control.

—

Elias clenched his fists. His whole body was still pulsing with energy.

Sweat dripped down his temple. His breath came in sharp exhales.

He had no idea how long he had been fighting, but his body was still adjusting to… whatever this was. This power inside him.

And now?

Now these assholes were showing up to take him?

Hell. No.

His gaze flickered between them and the monster, which was still writhing on the ground, its form flickering violently like an unstable signal.

It was clearly still alive. Still dangerous.

Yet they weren't looking at it anymore.

Their focus had completely shifted to him.

Elias' jaw clenched. He took a step back, shifting his stance. His instincts screamed at him—

Run. Fight. Do something.

Then, just as the tension reached its breaking point—

One of the armored soldiers lifted a sleek, high-tech rifle.

A smooth mechanical click.

Aimed directly at him.

"Stand down."

—

A heartbeat passed.

Then another.

Then—

"Fuck that."

Elias moved.

—

Everything happened at once.

The moment his foot touched the ground, he vanished. A burst of speed sent him hurtling forward, body blurring through the air as he closed the distance in an instant.

The soldier barely had time to react.

Elias' fist collided with the gun, smashing it out of their hands in a shower of sparks. The force sent the weapon flying across the ruined cafeteria.

The soldier stumbled back, but Elias was already twisting—

A second soldier raised their arm—some kind of energy shield activating on their forearm—

Too slow.

Elias ducked under their swing, grabbed their wrist, and yanked them off their feet.

With an effortless motion, he spun and hurled them straight into another soldier. The two crashed into the cafeteria counter, sending shattered trays and metal debris flying.

More guns raised.

Elias' body tensed—

Then—

A bright pulse of energy shot toward him.

—

The force of the blast slammed into his chest.

For a split second, his whole body seized—pain ripping through him like fire—

Then—

His back hit the ground.

Hard.

He gasped, struggling to pull in air, vision flickering—

The soldiers advanced. Their weapons hummed, ready to fire again.

"Don't resist," one of them warned. "This doesn't need to be difficult."

Elias groaned, blinking the stars out of his eyes.

Oh, yeah?

Try me.

—

Before they could fire again, he moved.

With a burst of sheer willpower, he rolled to the side, just as another shot obliterated the spot where he had been lying.

Heat rippled through the air from the impact.

Elias planted his hands on the ground and pushed himself up, breathing hard.

His body ached, his limbs were screaming, but something deep inside him refused to stop.

A grin tugged at his lips, sharp and reckless.

"You guys," he exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Really picked the wrong day to mess with me."

—

Then—everything shifted.

A deafening boom echoed through the cafeteria.

Not from Elias.

Not from the Ascendancy soldiers.

From above.

For a single moment, everyone froze.

Then—

A bright blue light flashed overhead, piercing through the ruined ceiling.

Something rippled in the air.

Then—

Elias disappeared.

—

Somewhere Else.

The feeling of teleportation was unlike anything Elias had ever experienced.

It wasn't smooth.

It wasn't like walking through a door or stepping into another room.

It was violent.

His body felt like it was being ripped apart and reconstructed at the same time—as if he existed in two places at once for a fraction of a second.

Then—

It stopped.

The chaos. The battle. The monster. The Ascendancy Initiative.

All of it was gone.

Elias staggered, nearly collapsing onto the ground. His breath came out in ragged gasps, his head spinning.

"What the—?"

The air smelled different.

The temperature was colder. The lighting was… softer?

He lifted his head, blinking rapidly.

And then—

His brain short-circuited.

—

He wasn't in the cafeteria anymore.

He wasn't even in the city anymore.

He was in a room.

A very clean, very white, very futuristic-looking room.

The walls were smooth metal, softly glowing panels embedded into them. Various holographic monitors floated around, displaying… graphs? Readings? Some kind of data.

His eyes flickered to the side—

A large insignia was printed on the farthest wall.

Bold, unmistakable.

S. A.

—

Elias stared.

"...The fuck?"

—

"Welcome," a voice spoke from behind him.

Elias spun around—his whole body tensing on instinct.

And there, standing in the doorway, dressed in a sleek, dark blue uniform—

Was a scientist.

An actual NASA scientist.

Older. Maybe mid-forties. Sharp glasses. Slight stubble. A calm, analytical gaze, like he was studying Elias as much as greeting him.

The man smiled.

"You must be very confused right now," he said, tilting his head. "But I promise—we're on your side."

Elias stared at him, still processing.

Then—

His eyes narrowed.

"Wait," he muttered, his brain catching up. "This… doesn't make any sense."

He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair, trying to think.

"Sienna told me NASA doesn't even exist anymore," he said. "She said the Ascendancy Initiative took over everything. You guys are supposed to be gone."

The scientist's smile widened.

"Oh, trust me," he said smoothly. "That's exactly what they want you to think."

—

Elias sat in a sleek, futuristic room inside the hidden NASA headquarters. The technology around him felt far beyond what he'd expected. Holograms floated in the air, shifting between planetary models, energy readings, and classified data files.

The NASA scientist in front of him adjusted his glasses. "I know this is a lot to take in, Elias."

Elias exhaled sharply, leaning back. His muscles still ached from the fight with that glitching monster. His head was pounding from everything happening all at once.

"Yeah," he muttered. "No shit."

—

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to think clearly.

"Alright. Start from the beginning," Elias said. "If NASA is still around, why does the whole damn world think you're gone?"

The scientist pressed a button on the table, and a holographic projection appeared in front of them. A massive blue energy field pulsed on the screen, stretching across the planet like an invisible net.

PROJECT BLUE BEAM.

Elias narrowed his eyes.

"...What the hell is that?"

The scientist folded his hands together. "This is how the Ascendancy Initiative has controlled the world. This is the reason no one knows the truth."

Elias stared at the projection. "Explain."

—

The scientist pointed at the hologram. "Your world—the buildings, the people, the daily lives? It's all real."

"But the wars? The alien attacks? The false messiahs? The disasters? Every major event that shaped the world into what it is today—"manufactured."

Elias' blood ran cold.

"...You're telling me the entire history of this world is fake?"

The scientist nodded. "Yes. But not in the way you think. The world itself isn't a lie—"but the threats that made the Ascendancy Initiative rise to power were all staged."

—

Elias' stomach twisted.

He thought about Sienna. About everyone he had met.

They truly believed they lived in a world where the Ascendancy Initiative saved them.

But in reality…

"They were the ones who created the disasters in the first place."

—

Elias ran a hand through his hair.

"You know what? I believe you."

The scientist blinked. "That fast?"

Elias smirked. "Dude, in my world? NASA still exists. There's no Ascendancy Initiative. My world is completely normal. We don't have random shit spying on us 24/7. So if you're telling me you guys are the last real force left? Yeah, I buy it."

—

The scientist studied him for a moment, then chuckled. "You're surprisingly open-minded."

"Well, yeah," Elias stretched his arms, still sore. "I mean, look at me. I got dragged into another world, fought a literal glitch demon, and now I'm chilling in NASA's secret hideout. You think I'm gonna sit here and argue?"

—

The scientist's expression turned serious.

"Elias, the fact that you exist here is proof that their control isn't perfect. You broke through their reality. We don't know why, but we do know one thing—you're the only person who can move between the cracks of their world and ours."

Elias paused.

Then a slow grin spread across his face.

"Well, shit," he muttered. "That's kinda awesome."

—

He leaned forward, eyes sharp. "Alright. So what's next?"

The scientist hesitated. "We had planned to take time explaining this to you, but… if you're willing to work with us, we need all the help we can get."

Elias cracked his knuckles. "Then first thing's first—bring my friends here."

—

The scientist raised an eyebrow. "Your friends?"

"Yeah," Elias nodded. "If we're about to go against the biggest power in the world, I'm gonna need backup."

The scientist smirked. "And you trust them?"

Elias' expression softened slightly.

"Yeah," he said. "I do."

—

Meanwhile, Back in the City…

Sienna's hands shook.

Elias was gone.

One moment, he was standing there, barely holding himself together. The next—a blue light had swallowed him.

She had screamed his name.

But he had vanished.

—

The cafeteria was a wreck.

The Ascendancy Initiative forces had pulled back, their focus no longer on the fight—but on the mysterious monster Elias had battled. The creature had been contained, its distorted form flickering as it struggled against their restraints.

And yet—

None of that mattered to her.

All she could think about was Elias.

Where was he?

Was he safe?

Would she ever see him again?

—

Sienna clenched her fists.

Something was very wrong.

—