CHAPTER 6 - 6 – AEVUM

Chapter 6 – Aevum

After Jack's father left, silence fell over the room like a heavy curtain, suffocating and still. Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Lune remained where she was, her eyes fixed on the boy across from her. A deep bewilderment washed over her features, the conversation having taken a direction she never expected. She had assumed his father's visit was nothing more than a routine check-up—to make sure Jack was adjusting well.

But what had just transpired was far more than that. It had been a clash—raw and unfiltered—between a father and his son.

'So... that's why my Jack never talked about his parents,' she thought, heart aching as she watched the boy's downcast expression. His silhouette, stiff and still, looked so alone in the dim lighting of the room. 'My Jack... what kind of pain have you carried all this time?'

Just looking at him, she could feel the weight of his years. A child forced to grow up believing he was flawed, broken even, simply because of how his parents saw him. They didn't understand the reasons for his actions and never bothered to. They simply saw him as how society saw him... Flawed and broken. That kind of burden... it etched itself into the soul.

"Jack..." she whispered his name gently, floating toward him, her voice laced with sorrow and affection.

He didn't respond. Not at first.

When she reached him and extended her hand, intent on cupping his face, Jack abruptly lifted his arm and caught her wrist in a firm grip. His eyes rose to meet hers—silent, dark, and vacant.

"Let's talk about the skip," he said, voice low and toneless. "I need to learn everything. You must know a lot about what Chronists experience during their first skip. If I can understand it beforehand, I'll have an edge. I won't face the same problems others did."

His gaze was hollow. Even though his gaze was usually empty, at that moment, Lune saw way more darkness than normal. She could see the pain hidden within his heart. It was as though the flame within him had been smothered.

Lune's heart cracked at the sight. 'No...' she thought, alarm rising in her chest. 'Don't let that fire go out.'

"No," she said softly.

Jack blinked, unmoving. "No?"

"Let's talk about what just happened," Lune urged. "Your father was wrong, Jack. Deeply wrong. There's nothing flawed about you."

"It doesn't matter," Jack replied, colder now. "He can't send me to that asylum anyway. I won't be around next week to find out if he tries."

"..."

"Back to the main topic," he said, dismissively. "What can you tell me about the world the clock sends people to?"

Lune opened her mouth, hesitated, then let out a sigh and shook her head. She wanted to press him further, but she knew him well—stubborn to a fault. Even in their past life together, once he made up his mind, convincing him otherwise required an incredible amount of effort. That would be even harder now, especially when he didn't remember who she really was.

"Alright," she said at last, her voice resigned. "It's a long story."

"I've got time," Jack replied flatly.

"The world your kind is sent to... it's called Aevum," she began. "It exists parallel to Earth, but on an entirely different plane of existence detached from your world. From what we understand, humans began appearing in Aevum around forty thousand years ago."

Jack nodded slowly. "Makes sense. If we assume a skip happens every ten years, that would be thirty-six thousand years... close enough."

He paused. "Do you know where the clock came from? Or why it's doing what it's doing?"

That was the question, wasn't it? The one every Chronist had asked at some point. Despite everything they'd discovered over the years, the true purpose of the skip remained a mystery.

"I don't know," Lune admitted with a quiet shake of her head. "The clock simply willed for Earth's people to appear in Aevum. Even we—those born in Aevum—don't know where it came from. To us, it's a divine force. A deity that governs time, the past, and the future."

"A deity, huh?" Jack murmured. "Funny... that's not far off from how some people here view it. We've got religious groups who worship the clock. Call it the one true god."

He had seen a few documentaries on them—cult-like gatherings centered around the clock. Back then, he'd thought they were just delusional. But now? Now he understood. The clock controlled fate, transported people across dimensions, chose who stayed and who vanished. If that wasn't godlike, what was?

It was an omnipotent presence with no rival. If he was a little dumber, Jack wouldn't be surprised if he had joined one of these cults.

"So... in short, no one knows why it does what it does," Jack said. "Got it."

"There's something more important you should know," Lune said, eyes narrowing slightly. "Aevum isn't just a different world—it's a world unlike anything you've ever seen. It's far larger than Earth... Far different."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "How much larger?"

"Aevum has existed for far longer than Earth. Even now, entire realms within it remain unexplored. But if I had to give you a comparison..."

She moved toward the desk and picked up a piece of paper.

"If this paper represents Earth," she said, holding it out, "then Aevum would be... this entire city."

Jack stared, stunned. The image in his mind expanded rapidly—cities the size of solar systems, continents stretching beyond sight.

"Hundreds of millions of times bigger," he muttered. "That's... something."

No wonder Chronists couldn't uncover much, he thought. 'The world is so vast, even those who made it far wouldn't be able to explain all of it. And those who did... probably never came back.'

"It could be even bigger," Lune added. "I've traveled through many realms thanks to my status, and I still don't know the limits."

Jack gave a thoughtful nod. "Alright. Next question. You mentioned Chronists get powers. What kind of powers are we talking about?"

Lune's expression grew more focused.

"In Aevum, there's an energy that exists in the atmosphere and within all living things," she said. "We call it Time Essence—or just Essence. It enhances the body, accelerates growth, and awakens supernatural abilities."

"Time Essence..." Jack glanced at her floating figure. "That what you're using right now?"

"Exactly. With it, you can fly, grow stronger than any human on Earth could ever dream, even break mountains or shake the world. Chronists gain this Essence and rise through Aevum's ranks."

Jack's eyes narrowed with interest. "And how are they doing now? In that world?"

"They've integrated quite well," Lune said. "Chronists have cities, clans, and factions of their own. They've participated in wars, signed treaties, and earned political influence. The strongest of them can rival the mightiest of Aevum's natives."

Jack was silent for a moment, his thoughts racing.

'Humans did all that? In just a few thousand years? he mused. We really are a relentless species.'

"To thrive in a world that ancient... it's impressive," he muttered aloud.

Lune smiled faintly.

"And at the very center of it all," she said softly, "was you, Jack."