CHRONOS SYSTEM

*Ding* *Ding*

The match begun and Marcus immediately rushed forward, throwing his fist with tremendous force. Kealin barely managed to parry the punch just in time, his arms shaking from the impact.

"Come on, Kea!" Max shouted from the sidelines.

Kealin seized the opening and swung his right hand at Marcus's face, but the experienced fighter moved back smoothly and delivered a sharp side kick to Kealin's ribs.

"Shit!" Kealin grunted, the wind knocked out of him momentarily.

Before he could recover, Marcus followed up with a devastating right hook that connected squarely with Kealin's jaw, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Is that all you got?" Marcus taunted, standing over the fallen teenager with a smirk.

Marcus raised his heel, ready to smash Kealin's head into the mat, but Kealin managed to roll to the side just in time. He scrambled to his feet, ready to counterattack, but Marcus was already moving—his knee caught Kealin square in the jaw.

"Damn," Kealin inwardly sighed as he held his aching jaw, tasting blood in his mouth.

Marcus didn't let up. He spun around and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to the side of Kealin's face, the impact sending him sprawling across the ring. Kealin hit the ground hard and didn't move.

"Ouch," Max winced, covering his face with his hand.

Max, Lena, and Axel, who were standing by the side of the ring, all cursed under their breath. They felt terrible for dragging Kealin into such a situation.

"Ha! Looks like I win, kid," Marcus said confidently as he walked out of the ring, already looking for his next opponent.

The trio rushed over to check on Kealin and help him up.

******

"Gomen nasai, Kea-kun," Max said, bowing his head apologetically.

[T/N: That's Japanese for sorry]

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kealin groaned, still dazed from the beating.

Lena nudged Max's elbow and took a towel, gently cleaning the blood from Kealin's face and uniform. Despite the pain, Kealin found himself distracted by how gentle her touch was—her hands were soft, and he could smell that same intoxicating fragrance that always seemed to surround her.

"I'm sorry, Kea," Axel apologized, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "When you said you were looking for a challenge, I overestimated your experience and put you in over your head."

"How about we get you something from the stall section to make it up to you?" Lena suggested kindly.

"Guys, you don't have to. I'm fine," Kealin insisted, though his split lip and bruised eye told a different story.

"Please, we insist," Lena said firmly, already leading him toward the vendor area.

******

Kealin wandered through the stalls, his eyes scanning the various trinkets and merchandise on display. The underground market was bustling with activity—fighters buying supplies, people selling everything from energy drinks to medical equipment, and the general buzz of conversation filled the air.

He stopped at a small, somewhat secluded stall tucked away in a corner. Something caught his eye immediately—a strange object that seemed to pulse with a faint blue light.

"What's this?" Kealin asked, leaning in for a closer look.

The vendor, an old man with surprisingly piercing eyes, noticed Kealin's interest and smiled mysteriously. "Ah, you've found the Timekeeper's Relic," he said a hushed tone

"They say it holds the power to manipulate time itself."

What the old man was referring to was a small cube, its exterior covered in what looked like lightweight metal material, with only its outline glowing a soft blue color.

"Of course," Kealin thought to himself, shaking his head slightly. "A crazy place with crazy people. I'm not surprised at all."

"How much is it?" Kealin asked, genuinely curious despite his skepticism.

The old man smiled, his eyes twinkling with something that might have been amusement or wisdom. "Such an artifact is priceless. Tell you what—you can have it for free, and you'll owe an old man a favor."

"Really?" Kealin's eyes lit up with excitement. He couldn't explain why, but he felt drawn to the cube. Maybe it was the way it seemed to hum with energy, or maybe it was just the thrill of getting something valuable for free, but he wanted it.

"Thanks, old man. I really do owe you a favor," Kealin said gratefully as he pocketed the cube and walked away.

******

After getting the cube, Kealin decided to head home. The walk through the busy streets of NYC usually calmed his nerves, but tonight he felt on edge. Something about the beating he'd taken, combined with the strange artifact in his pocket, made him feel like he was being watched.

Sure enough, as he walked, he noticed that he was being followed. The same two people had been behind him for several blocks now. Trusting his instincts, Kealin decided to take a shortcut through some back alleys to lose them.

As he turned into a narrow alley, he was suddenly stopped by three large figures in varsity jackets blocking his path.

"Going somewhere?" a familiar voice called from behind him.

Turning around, Kealin's blood ran cold. It was Rudy—the blonde third-year he'd beaten up during that first incident at school.

"Bastards, how is it fair to attack a guy alone?" Kealin shouted, clutching his backpack protectively.

"Well, it isn't," Rudy replied with a cruel smile as he picked up a rusty pipe from the ground. "But was it fair when you took away my chance of becoming a real man?"

"Here's your answer—no, it wasn't. And now you're gonna pay dearly," Rudy said, signaling to his friends.

Immediately, all four of them rushed forward, attacking Kealin from different angles. Despite his martial arts training, Kealin was overwhelmed by the numbers. He curled himself up, trying to protect his vital areas as fists and feet rained down on him.

After what felt like an eternity, the beating finally stopped.

"That'll teach you never to mess with us," Rudy sneered as he delivered one final kick to Kealin's abdomen before walking away with his gang.

"Eh-eh... I can't go home like this. I've got to call MJ," Kealin thought through the haze of pain as he leaned against the cold brick wall for support.

While trying to get his phone from his bag, the mysterious cube fell out onto the dirty ground.

"Damnit," he muttered weakly.

With his bloody, trembling hands, Kealin picked up the cube. The moment his fingers touched it, the outline started glowing brighter, and the outer metal material began to flake away, revealing a brilliant blue cube underneath.

"What the—" Kealin started, but before he could finish, a mechanical voice echoed from within the cube as it pulsed with outward energy.

"All conditions have been met. Kealin Thompson, you have called forth the power of the Chronos Cube. Do you wish to integrate with it?"

The voice was emotionless, almost robotic, yet somehow carried an undeniable authority.

"Denial to this request will lead to instant annihilation to protect the secret of the Chronos. So, do you wish to integrate with it?" the AI asked again, more insistently this time.

"My mind is messed up right now. I must be hallucinating from the beating," Kealin thought hazily. "But it said if I don't integrate with it, I'll die."

His legs gave out beneath him, and his vision started to blur as the pain and blood loss finally caught up with him.

"I... do..." Kealin mumbled with every last bit of strength he could muster.

"Request accepted. Integration will now begin."

A blinding light enveloped Kealin, and he felt an unknown power surging through every fiber of his being. The cube's essence merged with his own, forming a bond that seemed to transcend time and space itself.

When the light finally faded, Kealin collapsed to the ground, unconscious.