[Scene:] The "Hourglass Chamber" deep beneath the Thorne Estate.
1.1 The Forbidden Hourglass
Hidden in the deepest sub-levels of the Thorne Estate was the family's most guarded secret—The Hourglass Chamber. This was not the algorithm room, but the core area controlling temporal power. The entire room was enveloped in a distorted, blue-violet glow, its walls covered in ancient time runes, and the air filled with the humming sound of flowing supernatural energy.
Alistair stood before a massive, suspended crystal hourglass . The "sand" in the hourglass was not physical, but flowing golden light particles charged with a faint current. These particles represented temporal energy captured and stored by the Thorne family's Core Algorithm.
Lydon stood beside him, his face pale. Temporal technology was the Thorne family's most dangerous and costly endeavor; each activation incurred massive energy depletion for the estate.
"Tutor, our temporal calculation team has determined the precise time the 'Silent Isle' will next surface," Lydon reported, his voice trembling. "The island will emerge in three hours, but only for forty minutes. We must locate the 'Eye of Samos' and reach it within that forty minutes."
"Forty minutes?" A fervent smile touched Alistair's lips, his eyes burning with contempt for time and fate. "Too slow."
He reached out, lightly touching the crystal casing of the hourglass. A powerful current instantly coursed up his arm. He was using his own body to drive the hourglass.
"Initiate the 'Temporal Reversal Pulse.'" Alistair commanded gravely. "I want to advance the island's surfacing time by ten minutes."
Lydon knelt in shock: "Tutor! This will drain nearly a decade's temporal energy reserves from the estate! Moreover, the cost of reversing time is unpredictable! Your body, having just recovered from the curse, won't withstand it!"
1.2 The Delirium of Power
"Unpredictable?" Alistair laughed wildly, the sound echoing in the forbidden space. "I never fear the cost. My woman, to escape me, gambled her love and her life. I will answer her challenge with time, with the most formidable weapon I possess."
He clenched his fists, every muscle in his body straining from the overexertion of power. The golden light particles in the hourglass began to flow backward at a dazzling speed.
The entire Hourglass Chamber emitted a screeching explosion. The surrounding temporal runes flickered and danced. The clouds above the estate were twisted by the force, and the air filled with the scent of sulfur and burnt earth.
Time, in the basement of the Thorne Estate, had been forcibly transgressed by Alistair.
"Target time, advanced by ten minutes. We depart now." Alistair's voice was hoarse, but the fanaticism in his eyes reached its climax.
1.3 The Prisoner's Counterattack
Meanwhile, in the penthouse containment chamber.
Eleanor sat in the luxurious bedroom, holding the steel pen Alistair had once given her. She felt the violent energy fluctuation emanating from the depths of the basement. This fluctuation carried an aura of provoked, desperate authority.
She knew Alistair was deploying his strongest power, even daring to reverse time to chase the trap she had set.
"Tutor," Eleanor whispered to the air, a flash of victorious pain in her eyes. "You have indeed gone mad for me."
She held up the pen, the cap bearing the vengeful scratches she had carved. She knew Alistair's love and possessiveness were his weakness, but also his nature.
She wasn't despairing. During her confinement, she had quietly utilized the energy imprints of the ancient building materials in the room to leave a final counter-clue.
She rose and gently nudged the carpet with her toe. Beneath the carpet, a tiny, almost invisible rune was carved into the floor—it was a "Reverse Seal" rune she had stumbled upon in Father Rafferty's ancient texts during her time at the monastery.
This rune wouldn't allow her to escape, but it would ensure that when Alistair unsealed the Eye of Samos, he wouldn't obtain everything he desired.
Eleanor gazed at the ceiling, Alistair's domain. "Willing love," she would never give him. But she would use her life to grant him an unforgettable ending filled with torment.
1.4 The Showdown in the Pursuit
Alistair emerged from the Hourglass Chamber, looking exhausted but exhilarated. He did not go to see Eleanor; he knew she was anticipating his failure.
He boarded the helicopter, Lydon following closely.
"Tutor, the 'Silent Isle' location is locked onto specific Aegean coordinates," Lydon reported. "But we must be prepared for intervention from the Baglio Family regarding temporal distortion. They won't easily surrender their knowledge monopoly."
Alistair adjusted the collar of his black suit, a cold gleam in his eyes.
"Knowledge and monopoly?" Alistair scoffed. "All they possess is outdated information. What I possess is the present."
The helicopter lifted off, roaring toward the Aegean Sea.
Alistair knew the life-or-love gamble Eleanor had set would reach its climax on the Silent Isle. He had to beat time, find the artifact, and use his overwhelming power to force Eleanor to admit her love for him, rather than sacrifice herself.
He would allow no one, not even Eleanor herself, to decide his fate.
Author's Note:
Thank you for your continued readership and dedication to the consistent quality of this novel. Temporal transgression has occurred! Alistair declared war on fate with the most forbidden power, and Eleanor's "Reverse Seal" hints at a grander counterattack. In the next chapter, we will arrive at the Silent Isle to reveal the ultimate secret of the "Eye of Samos"! Stay tuned for this extreme romantic showdown!
BY : KHChing