This war had no beginning and it promised no end.
Across Dimensions, universities clashed like dying stars. Planets vanished from existence because of war. Civilizations fell. And the fraction fighting over it called this Ballance.
But not everyone believe in war.
In a restricted hanger deep beneath the Aetherion Military Command Center, two figures stands together in front of a sleep silver gate. One that is filled with raw temporal energy. The Time Rift Engine. illegal. Unstable. Unapproved. And built in secret.
A dozen high ranking officers, stood behind them, weapons holstered but eyes tense. On any other day, this would be considered treason.
Today, it is desperation.
"You can't do this," a voice said, cracking under pressure. "The council hasn't approved this jump. It could destabilize the entire timeline."
Kartikey didn't flinch.
In his early twenties, tall and sharp-eyed, he wore a dark techsuit embedded with modular core nodes. His right glove shimmered faintly with micro-command glyphs—a prototype interface only he could control. His expression was calm. Too calm.
Beside him stood Kanika, eyes cool but daring. Her silver-tinted braid swayed with each movement, and the custom temporal shield on her back hummed like a living thing. She was brilliant. Dangerous. His equal.
Together, they had designed the one thing the future feared: a second chance.
"We're not asking for permission," Kartikey said. "We're already synced with the jump window."
"You'll die!" another general snapped. "The jump's unstable"
"We built it," Kanika interrupted. Her voice was smooth, quiet. "If it kills us, that means no one ever deserved to use it."
There was a moment of silence.
Then, the portal flared.
The chamber trembled. Machines screamed. Lights flickered.
[Time Lock Stabilized – 14 seconds to breach]
Kartikey turned to Kanika
"Are you ready?"
She smiled and said. "Only if you are my love"
He took her hand. "Then let's go change the rules."
They stepped into the light.
The world twisted. Time shattered.
Light became sound, and sound became thought. The system blurred everything, unmaking their atoms, warping coordinates across decades and dimensions.
Then silence.
The two of them landed in the middle of nowhere.
A dusty, broken world. Blood-colored skies. Rusted bones of machines long dead. The Apocalypse Era.
Kanika gasped, steadying herself. "It… worked?"
Kartikey blinked slowly, then nodded. "We're here."
She stumbled forward and turned to face him then, without hesitation, grabbed his collar and pulled him into a kiss. Not soft. Not sweet. Kartikey also placed his hands on her hips.
It was relief. Victory. Proof that they did the impossible.
Kartikey chuckled against her lips. "That's one way to check if it's real."
She smiled. "Only one that matters."
They stayed there, alone in the wasteland just two ghosts of the future standing at the edge of history.
A faint breeze kicked up sand. The broken skyline of a forgotten city lay in the distance. There were no flying ships here. No satellites. No detection grids.
It was quiet. Primitive.
Exactly what they needed.
Kanika knelt beside a rock and tapped it twice. A small holographic projection appeared, showing faint currency logs, transaction frequencies, and material codes.
"We'll need to blend in," she said. "Currency here is physical. Paper and scrap coins. No digital verification."
Kartikey nodded. "We'll trade some small tools. Fix a few broken bots. Maybe even sell diagnostics."
They started walking and kept walking for another hour, examining the terrain. The place was mostly dead abandoned outposts, scorched mecha skeletons, a collapsed power tower half-buried in sand. Perfect for salvaging.
As they moved through the ruins, Kartikey suddenly stopped, pulled her closer, and ran his fingers gently across her cheek and placed his other hand on her waist.
"I know we came here for a reason. But just for a moment…" he leaned in, whispering, "...let's forget the mission."
Kanika met his eyes—and didn't pull away. Instead, she tilted her head and gave a soft smirk.
"Oh?" she whispered. "And what exactly do you have in mind, Mister Genius?"
"Something simple," he said, and kissed her again slower this time.
Well i think we should find a place to set up our temporary base. In the base, i can do more than kissing you.
Kanika smirk "well i don't mind if you wanna do more than kissing here love"
Kartikey laugh and said "babe even though we are in the past, perverts are still present and just so you know, i would like to make sure, that when i do more than kissing, we are alone and in a safe place. So that we don't have to stop and for now i will make do with kissing and touching your hips and waist"
The sky darkened as night approached.
Kartikey knelt beside a half-buried mecha spine, tapping his glove against the fractured concrete beneath their boots. A subtle hum responded—hollow ground, reinforced remnants of a long-forgotten underground facility.
[Genesis System – Core Sync Confirmed]▸ Host: Kartikey▸ Partner: Kanika – Linked▸ Temporal Jump: Successful▸ Terrain Scan: Completed▸ Pre-Apoc Base Skeleton: 37% intact▸ Suggested Action: Retrofit for Phase-1 Deployment▸ Mission: Temporary Base Construction – In Progress
Kanika stepped up beside him, pulling a sleek black cube from her Inventory and dropping it into the center of the collapsed platform. The moment it hit the ground, it pulsed with a deep blue glow.
The Genesis Fabricator Orb came to life, projecting shimmering outlines of walls, doors, platforms, and modules. In less than a minute, the ruins around them began to reshape.
Nanite dust swirled through the air as the frame of their temporary base started forming from invisible schematics. It didn't grow like something built it assembled like a memory being remembered.
▣ Base Layout: Phase-1
Main Command Room – Circular and sunk slightly into the ground. A raised console in the center connected to holographic feeds, external sensors, atmospheric data, and the Genesis System. The walls were lined with modded tech-screens salvaged from ancient wreckage.
Fabrication Bay – Compact, but efficient. Capable of building drones, micro-mechas, scout gear, and resource extractors. Four suspended arms hung from the ceiling like sleeping serpents—ready to come alive when summoned.
Living Quarters – One room. Shared. With minimalist design: a kinetic heat floor, soft light emissions, and hidden compartments in the walls. A real bed—because neither of them planned on sleeping in dirt ever again.
Underground Vault – Hidden beneath the floor via folding stairs. A secured chamber for storing rare materials, broken tech cores, and personal armament blueprints. Biometric-locked to only Kanika and Kartikey.
Shield Nodes & Perimeter Drones – Around the perimeter, six energy spikes silently embedded into the sand projected a short-range cloaking field. Not just camouflage—total phase suppression. No one outside 100 meters could detect their heat signatures or movement unless invited.
Defense Turret (Mk-I) – Mounted on the collapsed bunker roof, disguised as rubble. Linked to the Genesis System's threat index. It wouldn't fire unless absolutely necessary… but it could vaporize a mech from 300 meters away if provoked.
Kanika floated beside a rising platform, dragging a power cable while muttering to herself. "Grid's stable. Not bad for ancient trash and one future-proof genius couple."
Kartikey walked past her and dropped a reinforced panel into place, sealing the fabrication bay from outside wind. "You forgot to say sexy genius couple."
She smirked. "You assumed it was you I was referring to."
"Oh please," he said, stepping behind her. "You've had a crush on me since Neural Systems Class."
"I had a crush on your blueprints. You just came with them."
They both laughed as the system chimed again.
[Interior Seal Complete. Structural Integrity at 84%.]▸ Recommend: Power Node Calibration▸ Suggestion: Rest Cycle Initiation
Kartikey wrapped an arm around her waist as they stood in the center of their new command room. The soft hum of machines filled the silence, the walls softly glowing with life.
"We did it," he whispered.
Kanika leaned her head back against his shoulder. "One base down. A universe to go."
"And we're just getting started."