Falling into the Void

In the cold cells of the Time Variance Authority, Li Stark leaned against the metal wall, calmly surveying his surroundings. The pale overhead lights flickered from time to time, emitting an unbearable electric buzz. Condensation slid slowly down the uneven walls and gathered into tiny puddles on the floor. He knew that if he wanted to break out of this situation, he first had to find a flaw in the TVA's system. Scenes from the shows he had watched in his previous life replayed endlessly in his mind. He recalled the truth behind the TVA's Time-Keepers and the altered timelines, repeatedly weighing every detail.

Just as he was considering his options, a black-clad TVA agent passed by with mechanical steps. The Reset Charge hanging from the agent's waist glinted coldly in the dim light. This was undoubtedly a key opening. Li Stark immediately straightened and called out, "Hey, you arrest 'time criminals' every day. Haven't you ever wondered about the truth behind it? Are the Time-Keepers really as righteous as they claim?" The agent paused. A trace of hesitation flashed in his eyes beneath the mask, but it quickly vanished beneath indifference. He adjusted the device at his waist and continued onward, leaving Li Stark alone in his cell to consider another plan.

After several days of observation, Li Stark noticed that a young agent named Mobius often wandered the corridor alone. His steps were not as rigid as those of the other agents, and his eyes held a confusion unlike theirs. Seizing an opportunity when Mobius passed the cell again, Li Stark said, "You have doubts, don't you? Doubts about whether everything the TVA does is truly right. I can tell you the truth—about the Time-Keepers, about us 'time criminals.'"

Mobius stopped and approached the cell warily, one hand resting on the weapon at his waist. "What are you trying to say? This isn't a place for you to discuss such things."

Lowering his voice, Li Stark said slowly, "The TVA does not maintain temporal order as it appears to. The Time-Keepers are merely puppets of the real mastermind, and we are all chess pieces they manipulate at will. Have you never wondered why none of the time criminals ever get a chance to resist? Why we do not even have the right to explain ourselves?" Mobius's expression visibly changed. He glanced around, and after confirming that no one was nearby, he remained silent for a long time before finally opening Li Stark's cell in secret.

Meanwhile, Amora was imprisoned in another cell. She curled up in the corner, restless purple magic surrounding her as it continuously struck the energy barrier with piercing shrieks. Every impact violently shook the air in the cell. The floor was already covered in cracks caused by her fury, while scorch marks left by magic remained on the walls. When Li Stark found her, she stared warily at the "companion" who had been captured alongside her. Her gaze was filled with guarded hostility, like a beast ready to attack at any moment. "I know you don't want to be controlled by the TVA. We can work together and get out of here," Li Stark said sincerely.

Amora sneered. Purple magic gathered at her fingertips, forming sharp spikes of energy. The pulsing violet light seemed to mock Li Stark's naivety. "Work together? Why should I trust you? What makes you self-proclaimed righteous people any different from the TVA? You're just fighting over some so-called 'correct' timeline! For all I know, you're approaching me now to gain my trust, then claim credit from the TVA!"

Li Stark did not bother to argue. He merely said calmly, "We are both trapped here now. The TVA will not spare anyone who threatens them. If you keep fighting alone, there is only one road ahead—death. Look at this cell, then look at our current situation. Don't you understand yet? With our individual strength, we simply cannot stand against the TVA."

At that moment, hurried footsteps rang out beyond Amora's cell. Boots pounded against the metal floor as a large group of TVA agents surged in, weapons raised in an encircling formation. "Time criminals Amora and Li Stark, you have illegally conspired with one another. Your crimes have been further aggravated!" the lead agent said coldly, his weapon already aimed at them.

Amora's expression sharpened as she realized the danger. Gritting her teeth, she withdrew the magic from her fingertips, though stubbornness remained on her face. "We'll cooperate for now, but don't think I'll follow your orders! Once we get out of here, we go our separate ways!"

With Mobius's help, Li Stark obtained a Reset Charge and discovered the entrance to the TVA's core database. Its doors were made from a peculiar metal, mysterious runes flowing across their surface as though guarding secrets too shameful to reveal. The three of them slipped inside. The database was filled with complex machinery and flickering screens, and the air carried the smell of burnt electronic components. Drawing on memories from his previous life, Li Stark quickly found the falsified records that had labeled him and Amora as "time criminals." Just as he was about to alter the data, a piercing alarm suddenly blared throughout the space. Red warning lights flashed wildly, illuminating everyone's tense faces.

"Alert! Unauthorized intrusion detected!" A cold mechanical voice echoed through the database. Large numbers of TVA agents poured in from every direction, their footsteps and the scrape of weapons intertwining like the tolling of death's bell. The lead agent's eyes brimmed with murderous intent. "You have some nerve! You dare tamper with timeline records! Today is the day you die!"

Li Stark gripped the Reset Charge and stood back-to-back with Amora and Mobius. Amora's purple magic flared once more, brighter than before as she prepared to strike at any moment. Mobius also tightened his grip on his weapon, though a trace of hesitation remained in his eyes. But before they could attack, the surrounding space suddenly twisted, and a powerful suction force enveloped them. Li Stark felt as if his body were being torn apart, his skin pricked by countless needles. He saw Amora and Mobius struggling in pain as well. Amora's hair whipped wildly in the forceful gale, and she bit her lip so hard that blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

When the light faded, the three found themselves in a pitch-black, empty space. There was no up, down, left, or right—only endless darkness. Beneath their feet seemed to lie a bottomless abyss, offering no footing no matter how they tried to touch it. Bloodcurdling howls echoed in the distance, sometimes near, sometimes far, as though countless monsters wandered in the dark. Twisted shadows flickered in and out of sight within the void, at times becoming grotesque faces and at others transforming into enormous claws, filled with unknown terror. "This is... The Void..." Li Stark's face turned pale. Memories from his previous life told him that this was where the TVA exiled its most dangerous time criminals. It was said that no one who entered had ever left alive.

Amora vigilantly scanned her surroundings, purple magic glowing in her palm, though its light seemed so faint amid the endless darkness. She forced herself to remain calm, but her voice carried a barely perceptible tension. "What do we do now? We can't just wait here to die!"

Li Stark clenched his fists and looked at them with determination. "Since we're here, we'll make the best of it. This place is dangerous, but it is also our chance to escape the TVA's control. Look—those shadows may be terrifying, but they avoid certain areas. There may be clues to escape hidden there. As long as we find a way out, we can strike back. From now on, we must stay united. Any infighting could doom us beyond recovery."

Mobius lowered his head and looked at the weapon in his hand, its metal surface reflecting his somewhat lost expression. "But we don't even have a direction. How are we supposed to find clues? Everything here is... too strange."

Li Stark walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Remember what I told you before? The TVA has hidden too many secrets. This Void may hold truths they do not want anyone to see. Let's head toward the areas the shadows avoid first. In my original world... I learned about the characteristics of similar spaces. It might come in handy." He did not fully reveal his identity as a transmigrator, but the certainty in his words made Mobius nod slightly.

As they moved forward, a massive shadow suddenly surged toward them like a tidal wave. Mobius reacted quickly, raising his weapon and firing an energy blast in an attempt to stop it. But the shadow only paused briefly before lunging at them again with bared fangs and claws. Thinking quickly, Li Stark shouted, "Attack the center of the shadow! That's where its real body is!" At the same time, he released a special pulse from the Reset Charge, disrupting the shadow's path. Mobius followed his instruction and concentrated the energy blast on the shadow's core. Purple light clashed fiercely with darkness, finally driving it back.

"That was close. We nearly died there," Mobius said, wiping cold sweat from his forehead, still shaken.

"That's why we need to coordinate even more closely." Li Stark looked at the device in his hand, which had grown faintly warm. "I can feel that this place's energy is unusual. Maybe we can use it to find a passage out. You worked for the TVA—have you heard anything about energy nodes in the Void?"

Mobius pondered for a moment before recalling, "I only know this is a chaotic region outside the timelines. There are rumors of an energy core capable of distorting space-time, but no one knows where it is. Still, I remember a classified document in the archives mentioning similar energy fluctuations. Maybe it is connected to this place."

"Then that's the direction we'll search." Hope ignited in Li Stark's eyes. "Once we return to reality, we still have to expose the TVA's true face and make them pay for what they have done."

Mobius looked into Li Stark's resolute eyes, and the confusion in his heart gradually faded. He tightened his grip on his weapon. "All right. I'm with you!" The two moved forward side by side through the darkness. In this perilous Void, their cooperation was beginning to deepen.