Manuscript of Shadows
The grand library of Alexandria stood before Felix Carter, the scent of papyrus mingling with salt from the Mediterranean breeze. This was a dangerous mission—ensuring the library’s final hours unfolded as history intended.
Felix slipped into the labyrinth of shelves, navigating its vast, flickering shadows. The Coalition was here, somewhere, seeking to alter history by stealing a scroll containing knowledge centuries ahead of its time. Felix’s task was simple: secure the scroll and ensure its fate matched the timeline.
His fingers brushed the worn edges of a manuscript glowing faintly—a sign of its historical significance. As he slipped it into his satchel, a voice cut through the silence.
“Hand it over.”
A Coalition agent stepped forward, the soft leather of his boots scuffing the floor. A dagger glinted in his hand, sharp as his smirk.
Felix adjusted his glasses and said evenly, “The timeline doesn’t belong to you—or your masters.”
The agent lunged, but Felix ducked and rolled behind a towering shelf, the dagger slicing air just above his shoulder. Heart pounding, Felix darted deeper into the labyrinth of shelves, clutching the glowing manuscript tightly. The agent’s footsteps echoed behind him, closing the distance with alarming speed.
Felix’s mind raced as he turned corner after corner. He remembered a detail from a manuscript he had studied in his own time: the library’s builders had hidden compartments in the shelves to protect valuable works. If he could find one before the agent caught up, he could secure the scroll and lead the pursuer away.
A faint seam on a nearby shelf caught his eye. Without breaking stride, Felix pressed the hidden mechanism. The compartment slid open silently, and he slipped the scroll inside, his hands trembling. He pressed the panel shut just as the agent rounded the corner.
“Nowhere left to run, Carter.”
Felix backed against a wall of scrolls, breathing hard but calm. He adjusted his glasses and met the agent’s glare. “The Coalition will never get their hands on it,” he said firmly. Without waiting for a reply, Felix twisted the dial on his watch. A burst of light enveloped him, and he vanished into the timestream just as the agent lunged forward, his dagger striking empty air.
Felix reappeared in his workshop, adjusting his glasses and breathing deeply. He hadn’t saved the scroll—but he hadn’t meant to. He had simply ensured that history unfolded exactly as it should.
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