Chapter 4 4

Elias wasn't the type to overlook danger.

He was careful. Precise. He didn't act rashly without consideration-except in his line of work.

And right now, his work was all that filled his mind.

The math didn't add up. Every theory, every equation-it all pointed to one thing: he should be the only Elias.

But he wasn't.

And that frightened him.

The soft glow of the desk lamp couldn't hold the shadows back in his workshop. The clock-lined walls ticked in harmony, each second a little heavier than the last. The machine sat on his workbench, waiting.

He had to know the truth.

Bending down, Elias took a deep breath and reached out, pressing the button.

Click.

The device pulsed in his hand. The familiar thrum deepened, sparking a jolt of electricity across his skin. The air hardened, pushing inward, and for an instant, the room was held in a state of suspension.

Then just as quickly, the tension broke.

Silence.

Elias let out a breath, his heart pounding against his ribcage. His eyes scanned the room, muscles coiled, ready.

Nothing.

At first.

Then-a groan.

Elias's stomach dropped. The floorboards. Directly behind him.

His breath caught. He was not alone.

Slowly, he regained consciousness.

And standing in the workshop corner, this second Elias gazed back.

Not a reflection.

Not a reflection, but an object existing in that very place of itself.

Another Elias.

This Elias was ever so slightly imperfect. He was dressed in more rumpled clothes, his hair slightly messy. Frantic, panting for air-he was wracked with fear.

Elias's throat tightened.

The second Elias crept nervously closer. "Don't-" his own voice gritting, high. "Don't do that again."

Elias's brain whirled. Was this the same clone he'd had before? Or a different one?

"What are you?" Elias shouted.

The other Elias said nothing. His eyes darted towards the workbench, where he stared at the device.

And then, out of nowhere-he moved.

Elias barely had time to react.

His clone attacked, muscling him out of the way. Hands clamped on the device. Elias yanked it back, twirling out of the way.

"Don't fight me!" the duplicate snapped. His voice-Elias's own voice-was desperate. "You don't understand what you're doing!"

Elias didn't care.

His grip tightened around the device. "I understand plenty."

The other Elias snarled and threw a punch.

Instinct took over. Elias ducked, barely missing the swing. But before he could recover, his duplicate tackled him, slamming him against the workbench.

Pain shot through his ribs.

Elias gritted his teeth. He didn't have time for this. He struggled, pushing his duplicate off him. They both fell into the shelves. Tools crashed to the floor.

The clone closed its fist around a wrench.

Elias barely dodged as it slammed it down onto his head.

"Are you insane?!" Elias shouted, staggering back.

The clone's face twisted. "You wouldn't understand! Every time you rewind, you're leaving us behind. And we're stuck-stuck."

Elias's pulse pounded. "Then why attack me?"

The duplicate hesitated. Just for a moment.

Then, softer, "Because I'd rather be the one who survives."

Shit.

Elias braced himself, ready for another attack-

But the duplicate didn't strike. Instead, he lunged for the device.

This time, he got it.

Elias's heart stopped.

The duplicate pressed the button.

A pulse of energy exploded through the room. Elias stumbled back as the device activated mid-struggle, sending out a shockwave.

The world glimmered. The air stretched. The lights flickered-

And then, again-

The copy was gone.

Not vanished into thin air. Just. gone.

As if he'd never existed.

Elias staggered, gasping in ragged breaths. His body rebelled. His mind reeled. He spun around, searching the workshop for some sign of his other self.

Nothing.

The wrench lay on the floor where his duplicate had dropped it. The machine still clutched in Elias's trembling hand.

As if the battle never took place.

Except that it did.

And now, Elias wasn't just wondering if he was leaving behind duplicates of himself.

Now, he had something else, something much more alarming on his mind.

Had the machine just. wiped him out?

His gut churned. The air in the room felt suffocating.

He had to tell Claire.

Because if what his clone had been saying was true-if all the rewinding left someone behind-then he wasn't just messing up time.

He was warring with himself.