The suffocating pressure lifted as Gwen’s glowing eyes dimmed, the barrier solidifying around them. Watts braced for an attack, but none came. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Instead, Gwen leaned back with a faint, calculating smile.

"Relax," she said calmly. "The barrier isn’t for you—it’s to keep them out. You want answers? Fine. You’ll get them. All of them. But once you know, there’s no turning back."

Evelyn exhaled shakily, her grip on the table loosening, while Watts’ golden runes flickered and dimmed. He nodded, his jaw tight.

"Tell me everything," he said.

Gwen’s piercing gaze swept over me as she spoke, her voice calm. "I see a faint aura of the soul clings to you. It’s surprising to see a human evolving their soul. That’s... usually a ghost thing."

Then with a subtle flick of her wrist, an orange, translucent globe materialized in her palm, glowing softly.

"This," she said, holding it out to me, "is everything I know about the topics you asked for."

I hesitated for a moment before taking the orb. But the moment my fingers brushed its surface, it began to tremble violently, the light within shifting chaotically.

An instinct deep within me flared to life, and I channeled my soul energy into the globe, stabilizing it just before it could shatter.

Was this some kind of test? My eyes darted to Gwen only to find her face remained blank, utterly unreadable.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and opened myself to the orb. The moment I did, the barrier between us dissolved, and its contents flooded into my mind.

A torrent of information—names, places, conspiracies, and truths—rushed into my consciousness, unraveling mysteries that had haunted me for so long.

This was the knowledge I’d been chasing ever since Shadow left that note. It wasn’t just a clue; it was a roadmap. And now, it was mine.

But it wasn’t free. I could feel the weight of Gwen’s gaze, a silent reminder of the favor that would soon come due.

In mere seconds, the orb disintegrated into nothingness, its purpose fulfilled. I opened my eyes, my mind a storm of clarity and questions.

But even after seconds, I sat there frozen, the weight of the information crashing over me like a tidal wave.

If what I’d just seen was true, then my so-called plan wasn’t just flawed—it was suicidal.

The audacity I’d had to think I could take on those monsters with my pitiful strength now seemed laughable.

No, worse than laughable. It was delusional.

My technopathy, powerful as it might feel in the ordinary world, was a child’s toy compared to their systems.

I wouldn’t be able to breach even the most basic piece of their machinery, let alone wrest control of their intricate networks. Even a billion years of practice wouldn’t make a difference.

For a moment, I was grateful—grateful that I’d come here first, before charging into certain death.

If I’d gone ahead with my original plan, I would’ve been captured before I even got close to the hidden city, my family remaining just as out of reach as ever.

I shivered at the thought. No, it wouldn’t stop there. If they captured my clone... the damage they could do was unfathomable.

It wasn’t just about me anymore. If they could hijack one of my clones, they could weaponize it—against me, against my family.

My stomach churned. What if that’s what they were already doing? What if the clone that disappeared with my family was already working against me?

The realization hit like a slap. My mouth went dry, panic bubbling up.

Shit.

Immediately, I called back the clone I had sent to go find the hidden city, because if captured, a fight with my clone would be the least of my worries.

"So, now you understand who you’re up against?" Gwen’s cold voice sliced through the silence. Her piercing gaze held me in place. "Scared?"

I turned to her, incredulous. What kind of question is that? Scared? Of course, I was scared.

Fear wasn’t even the word for it. Even with my absurd power to create anything, I knew—deep in my bones—that I wouldn’t stand a chance against them.

Not now. Not in a decade.

Call me a pussy, call me a coward, call me all you want, but you don’t know what I know now.

I looked up, meeting Gwen’s unrelenting gaze. "Of course, I’m scared," I admitted. My voice grew stronger, trembling less. "I’m terrified."

She tilted her head, her expression unreadable. "Disappointing," she said, her tone as flat as ever.

Evelyn’s voice cut in, hesitant and uncertain. "So... what about your family?"

I snapped my head toward her, startled. "What do you mean, what about my family?"

Evelyn squirmed under my glare. "Are you—" she faltered before pressing on, "are you thinking about... leaving them?"

The room seemed to shrink around me as I stared at her, utterly bewildered.

"What?" My voice rose with disbelief. "Why the hell would I do that? Of course I’m going to save them!"

I was almost shouting now, my frustration bubbling over. Evelyn’s eyes widened in surprise, her lips forming a small "o" of shock.

Then I caught something out of the corner of my eye—Gwen’s face. For the first time since I’d arrived, her stoic mask cracked. A smile, faint but genuine, tugged at the corners of her lips.

And damn, it was mesmerizing, like watching ice thaw under a sudden burst of sunlight.

I blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected beauty of it.

And just like that, the moment passed.

Evelyn shifted uncomfortably, her usual bravado completely gone. Gwen leaned back, her small smile lingering, as if amused by my outburst.

The weight of the knowledge pressed hard on my chest, making it almost impossible to breathe. I couldn’t fathom how I was going to pull this off.

My mind raced, weaving threads of a plan. None felt solid enough to grasp. None promised survival.

But deliberation wasn’t a luxury I could afford. Every second wasted brought my family closer to doom.

"Eight hours." My voice was rough, barely more than a whisper as I locked eyes with Gwen. "That’s all I have."

She frowned, her expression as unimpressed as ever. "I don’t mean to be a party pooper, but that’s practically impossible. Even a week would be a stretch."

Evelyn glanced nervously between us before speaking up, her voice meek. "Well, I could help."

"That’s not happening." Gwen’s tone turned icy, and her glare was sharper than a blade.

"Come on, just to help him cross," Evelyn tried, her tone pleading. But Gwen’s response was the same—a cold, impenetrable wall.

Whatever helping me "cross" entailed, it had to be something serious.

Gwen turned her attention back to me, her gaze piercing. "You can’t defeat them. Not by a long shot. That much, you should know."

"Who said anything about defeating them?" I snapped, my irritation bubbling over. "My family is the priority. Forget taking down the galaxy’s overlords—this is a surgical extraction mission."

Ting.

My watch’s time reminder echoed through the room, loud and oppressive like a nuclear detonation in my mind.

Seven hours.

That’s all the time my parents had left. I had to save them, no matter the cost. Even if it meant sacrificing my life.

I owed them that much after everything they’d done for me. After everything they’d endured because of me.

For fuck’s sake, I had the best heritage one could think of. Why not use it to my advantage? All I needed to do was avoid direct confrontation. That was the key.

Unbeknownst to anyone in the room, my mind was already working in the Time Dilation Mindscape.

Six minutes had passed in the real world. Inside my mind, I had brainstormed for nearly five days. And now, I had a plan—a reckless, suicidal plan that just might work.

I stood up, and four clones materialized around the table. Evelyn gasped, her eyes widening in shock. Even Gwen’s impassive demeanor cracked for a split second.

"Seems you have something in mind," Gwen said flatly. "But I’ll remind you: simple tricks won’t work."

"Goddammit, I know," I shot back, the frustration in my voice unmistakable. "Do you have to remind me every damn time?"

Seems am getting back to my habit of cursing, now that I think about it, I used to curse a lot. I don’t remember when that changed. Weird.

Anyway, I turned to my clones, sharing my thoughts with them in perfect silence. In an instant, they teleported away, each to execute their part of the plan.

Straightening, I met Gwen’s gaze with steely determination. "I’m going to pull this off. Even if it kills me."

The plan was in motion, and now it was all up to fate, but knowing fate, no way this would work.

I couldn’t leave this to luck or fate, every one knows karma is a bitch, so amma do this my own fucking way.

Fuck karma, fuck fate, fuck that shitty Murphy’s Law, this was time for me to defy them all, and they couldn’t do any shit to stop me.