The Path of Time ★ [3] ? (EDITING)

Temporal Tower

I heard Steve kick a plate, it skidding across the floor loudly. "Unless they were taken care of instead."

I looked at the stairs. "We have to get moving."

We climbed the stone steps up towards the very top of the tower. The staircase had no railings, so one wrong move and it was a long drop to death.

"Do you think the tower's been ambushed?" Steve asked, following me up. "Why else would the front door be destroyed like it was and the guardians gone?"

Thinking about the possibilities of the door's destruction made me nervous. For all we knew, Eon was at the top waiting for us. That thought made me stop in my tracks, and place a hand on the wall to steady myself.

This was it. Everything I'd done in my life had led up to this point. If Eon was waiting for me at the top, there was a good possibility I was walking to my end. And, surprisingly, I was...okay with that. If that was to happen, I was fine with accepting my fate. I was tired. I was tired with everything. I felt like it was time for the end to finally catch up with me. It was time to stop running. I'd been alive for more than five-hundred-thousand years, too long a time to live. If Eon was waiting at the top for me, to end my life, I would fight for the Chronos. I would fight for my friends and for those I love. I would fight for Steve to the last breath. But if Death came for me, I'd embrace it.

I jumped suddenly when Steve's hand rested on my shoulder. "You okay?"

I took a deep breath, moving my hand off the wall. "Yeah. Just...anticipating."

"Everything's gonna be fine. I'm here."

I turned to look at him. "I know."

We continued to ascend, going higher and higher up the decrepit tower. The higher we climbed, the darker it got, the further away we moved from the golden ball illuminating the area down below.

The wall we remained close to transitioned from ordinary granite to polished stone, artistry carved into it of battles, landscapes, and the tower itself, the Stone glowing at its peak, the guardians of the deadly weapon surrounding its base with hands raised to the sky in worship of its power.

When we came to the door leading to the tower's peak, I had a plan in mind. A plan I hated, and a plan I knew Steve would too. But I had to carry it out. If Eon was truly ahead, this was between me and him. I refused to let anyone else I love be destroyed, to be murdered, by his hands.

"So the Time Stone's through there," Steve deduced, followed by a tired huff. "Here goes nothing."

As he took a step forward, I held out an arm to stop him, my heart thumping in my chest, adrenaline pumping through me. I looked at him with a guilty expression. He looked back, confused. "Andi?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I'm sorry."

As fast as lightning, I shoved him backwards. I placed a hand on the door, the carved lines in it glowing golden, granting me entry. Yanking open its heavy frame, I slipped through what little space if offered, and used all my strength, pushing my body to the stone, and closed it behind me.

"Andi!" Steve yelled from the other side. "Andi, open the door! What the hell are you doing?!"

"I'm sorry, Steve." I rested my forehead on the frame, fighting to hold back the tears. "I can't let Eon kill anyone else. Of all people, I won't let him kill you."

"You can't fight him on your own! He'll kill you! Andi!" His voice was pained, and it was agony to my ears. I clenched my jaw to stop the tears on the brink of falling, to try to stop my entire being from falling apart. "Andi, please. Please let me help you."