Echoes of Time

Chapter 14 - A Dangerous Plan

Keith stood at the edge of the cliff overlooking the roaring ocean below, the wind carrying salt and mist around him. His fingers curled tightly around the hourglass, the glass cold and smooth against his palm. He could feel the power inside it—ancient, volatile, and far too dangerous to wield without consequences. But consequences were unavoidable now.

The ticking of time echoed in his head, louder than ever before. His green eyes glowed faintly in the dim light of the evening, the horizon painted in shades of purple and black, blending into a dark storm brewing far off in the distance. The storm felt like an omen—an echo of the chaos he was about to unleash.

He knew what had to be done. He had known for a while now, but the thought of it had terrified him. There was no going back from this. Once he set things in motion, the universe would exact its toll—on him, on Adeline, on anyone caught in the web of time he was about to disturb.

Keith's mind raced as the weight of his plan solidified. The punishment for what he was about to do would be swift and unforgiving. But he had no choice. He wasn't going to stand by and watch Adeline suffer any longer. He wasn't going to let the curse of their parents destroy them both.

"Unless," Keith whispered to himself, his voice lost to the wind, "I break the cycle."

That was the answer. The only way to stop the punishment from falling on their bloodline was to break the cycle of tragedy that had been set in motion by their parents' actions. Adeline's parents, like his own, had meddled with time—tried to alter it for their own desires—and they had paid the ultimate price. Their souls were stuck, wandering endlessly, and because of that, Adeline and Keith were tied to their mistakes.

But what if Keith could sever that tie? What if he could go back—far enough to prevent the experiment from ever happening?

The hourglass in his hand pulsed with a soft, dangerous glow, almost as if it understood what he was thinking. It was possible. The hourglass held the power to travel through time, to rewrite history. But doing so would unravel everything. The laws of the universe weren't meant to be broken—especially not to this extent.

Yet, Keith's mind was made up. He had to try. He had to risk it. For Adeline. She was the only family he had left, and he couldn't bear to lose her, not when he had the chance to save her. But he wouldn't tell her. She would never understand the gravity of what he was about to do. She would never allow it.

"Unless I stop the experiment from ever happening," Keith muttered, staring out at the sea. The waves crashed against the rocks far below, their relentless pounding mirroring the chaos in his mind.

If he could go back to the day their parents started the experiment—if he could stop them before they crossed the line—then none of this would happen. The souls of their parents wouldn't be trapped, and the bloodline wouldn't be cursed. Adeline would never know the horrors of this twisted reality, and they could both live normal lives.

But the cost... the cost was unimaginable. Time wouldn't allow him to change such a significant event without demanding something in return. The hourglass had been created by those who understood the laws of the universe deeply enough to manipulate them. It was never meant to be used lightly. It was a tool forged out of desperation, not a gift.

And the old man—Adeline's father—would never let him go through with it. Keith could feel his presence lingering like a shadow at the back of his mind, watching, waiting. The man was desperate to cling to whatever remained of his existence. He had convinced himself that there was still something he could do, some way to undo his own mistakes. But Keith knew better. The old man was only delaying the inevitable.

Keith took a deep breath, steadying himself against the tide of doubt that threatened to consume him. He had to do this alone. No one could help him, and no one could stop him. If the old man found out what he was planning, he would try to stop Keith—perhaps by any means necessary.

As Keith stared into the swirling sands of the hourglass, his thoughts drifted to Adeline. She didn't deserve any of this. She had no idea what kind of danger she was in, and he had tried to protect her from the truth for as long as he could. But now, everything was spiraling out of control, and he was running out of time.

The storm on the horizon crept closer, dark clouds twisting and churning in the sky, as if the universe itself sensed what was coming. The ticking sound in Keith's head grew louder, more urgent, like a countdown to his inevitable fate.

He knew he wouldn't come back the same, if he came back at all. Time wasn't a forgiving force, and it would punish anyone who dared tamper with it. But this was for Adeline. It was the only way to save her, to free them both from the curse their parents had unleashed.

"I'll fix this," Keith whispered, the determination in his voice hardening as the wind whipped his hair around his face. "Even if it kills me."

The plan was risky—perhaps even suicidal. But he had nothing left to lose. He would use the hourglass to go back, to the exact moment before the experiment began. He would stop his parents and hers from crossing that line. And maybe, just maybe, they could all be free.

Keith turned, slipping the hourglass into the pocket of his coat, his heart heavy with the weight of what was to come. He had no idea how much time he had left, but he knew that every second mattered now.

And as he walked away from the cliff, disappearing into the gathering darkness, he couldn't shake the feeling that the universe was watching him—waiting for him to make his move.

The countdown had begun.