Through the River of Time Part 1

The air shimmered, distorting the familiar, desolate vista of the ruined Inter-Bab chamber. My heart hammered a frantic tattoo against my ribs, a counterpoint to the Professor's final, whispered instructions echoing in my mind. Blood magic, a desperate gamble, a crimson tide coursing through my veins. It granted a temporary buoyancy, but the metallic tang on my tongue spoke of a terrible cost. This wasn't water, not in the truest sense. It was time itself, a swirling vortex of raw, chaotic energy, threatening to pull me under. 

Professor Moualim had alluded to the dangers, of course. Whispers of temporal predators, monstrous entities birthed from the very fabric of misplaced moments. But his warnings hadn't prepared me for the sheer, soul-crushing terror of it all. 

The first wave hit like a physical blow. Flashes of forgotten civilizations, some grand and opulent, others chillingly brutal, bombarded my senses. Millennia of history condensed into a nauseating kaleidoscope, a searing glimpse into the rise and fall of empires. The air itself crackled with primal energy, each spark whispering promises of oblivion. There was no up, no down, no sense of direction in this torrent of misplaced moments. Time stretched and contorted, minutes bleeding into millennia, a terrifying mockery of what I understood. 

Panic clawed at my throat, its icy tendrils tightening with each desperate stroke. The world fractured before my eyes, reality fragmenting into a million shimmering shards. Gone were the familiar stone walls of the Inter-Bab; they were replaced by a desolate, alien landscape – a barren desert choked by swirling temporal sandstorms. But the terror didn't end there. 

A leviathan, a grotesque conglomeration of forgotten nightmares, materialized in the churning chaos. Its form shifted constantly, defying comprehension. One moment it was a colossal hand, flayed skin crackling with forgotten memories, the next, a colossal eye, weeping tears of molten gold. The creature emanated a primal hunger, a bottomless abyss that yearned to consume. 

I reacted instinctively, every nerve screaming of imminent danger. I dove deeper into the current, the blood magic burning a searing path through the treacherous waters. The creature roared, a sound that resonated on a metaphysical plane, making my very bones want to liquefy. It lunged after me, its monstrous form distorting the fabric of time itself. 

The pursuit was relentless. My breaths came in ragged gasps, my muscles screaming in agony. But the idea of succumbing, of becoming another forgotten memory in this temporal river, spurred me on. I could see them then, other wretches, unfortunate souls caught in this maelstrom. Some were valiant warriors, their armor tarnished and battered. Others were wizened scholars, their eyes filled with an unyielding madness. All were consumed by the same chilling fear, the same desperate fight for survival. 

Then, amidst the swirling chaos, I saw them – the predators. Creatures birthed from the time stream's darkest corners. One was a serpentine entity, its scales shimmering with an otherworldly sheen, its eyes burning with cold, malevolent intelligence. Another resembled a giant, skeletal bird, its razor-sharp beak snapping at the unfortunate souls who dared to linger. The sight chilled me to the core. 

Every instinct screamed for me to avoid them, to stay hidden in the churning current. My movements became erratic, a desperate ballet of survival. I dodged a snapping tentacle, narrowly avoided a razor-sharp claw. The creatures were relentless, drawn to the faintest flicker of life force in this desolate world. 

Days, or was it centuries? Time had no meaning here. I clung to the Professor's final words, a beacon of sanity in the encroaching madness. "Find the Rift, Kacem. It's your only hope." A Rift. The word echoed in my mind, a lifeline thrown across the abyss of despair. 

Then, a glimmer of hope. In the swirling vortex of colors, a faint shimmer pulsed in the distance. A portal, its edges rippling with unstable energy. It was my ticket out, an escape from this temporal nightmare. But reaching it was another matter entirely. 

With a final burst of strength fueled by sheer desperation, I fought my way through the current. The leviathan was upon me again, its insatiable maw open wide. But this time, I wouldn't yield. I focused all my remaining willpower, channeling the waning potency of the blood magic. With a desperate cry, I summoned a shield of raw energy, pushing back the creature's relentless assault. 

The surge was agonizing. My vision blurred, the world threatening to fade into black. But it was enough. The repulsive beast recoiled, its monstrous form momentarily repelled. It roared in frustration, its eyes locked on my weakening form, but I didn't give it the satisfaction of another glance. 

Every ragged breath burned, every movement felt like an eternity but I pressed on, driven by the shimmering beacon in the distance. The Rift pulsed with a hypnotic light, its edges shimmering with an unstable energy. It promised an escape, a return to solidity, to a timeline I could at least attempt to comprehend. 

As I fought my way through the churning current, the leviathan was joined by the other predators. The serpentine creature whipped its tail, lashing out at the hapless remnants I'd left behind. The bird-like monstrosity shrieked, its skeletal talons tearing through them with chilling ease. I fought back tears of rage and helplessness, focusing solely on the shimmering portal ahead. 

The closer I got, the more treacherous the journey became. The air crackled with a malevolent energy, threatening to tear me apart at the molecular level. Time distortions became more frequent, flinging me through snippets of history at an alarming rate. I witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations, saw glorious cities crumble into dust. The sheer weight of existence threatened to crush me. 

But amidst the chaos, whispers of familiarity pierced through the fog. A flicker of the citadel walls, a fleeting glimpse of a familiar face – Faycil's determined eyes, Professor Moualim's gentle smile. These fleeting images spurred me on, reminding me of the life I was fighting to return to. 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I reached the portal. It pulsed with a mesmerizing energy, its shimmering gateway offering a glimpse of something resembling stability. Relief washed over me, a bittersweet tide battling the exhaustion coursing through my veins. The time travel had taken its toll. My body throbbed with a dull ache, and the metallic tang of blood magic lingered on my tongue, a constant reminder of the price paid. 

But just as I was about to step through, to grasp the salvation that had eluded me for so long, a chilling voice echoed through the temporal abyss, freezing me in my tracks.