The Time Between Us

The room is unfamiliar. I don’t know how I got here.

I blink and squint, trying to make sense of the place I’ve awoken in. The walls are smooth, almost metallic, and they hum gently with an eerie, rhythmic vibration. The bed I’m lying in feels soft and unnatural beneath my body, like a cloud, yet it cradles me in a way I’ve never experienced. A faint, cool light glows from fixtures along the walls—no candles, no fire. There is no trace of the world I know.

I sit up quickly, my head spinning, and a sharp pain shoots through my skull, forcing me to lean back against the pillow. My heart is racing. I’m still in my nightclothes—simple linen trousers and a loose shirt, just as I was the last time I remember. But that memory is already fading, slipping through my fingers like smoke.

Where am I? And how in God’s name did I get here?

I rise to my feet, staggering for a moment, my legs unsteady. The floor beneath me is smooth and feels strangely warm, like the ground of an unknown country. Every step is cautious as I make my way toward a window. The sky outside is nothing like I’ve ever seen before. There are no stars, no moon—only a strange, glowing haze that casts an eerie light over a city that seems to stretch far beyond what my eyes can comprehend. Towering structures rise to impossible heights, their surfaces gleaming in the dim, unearthly light.

It’s… nothing like the London streets I know.

I can feel the panic begin to swell inside of me, but I force myself to steady my breath. Panic won’t help me now. I need to understand what’s happening. I need to find out where I am.

Turning away from the window, I spot a door in the corner of the room. It’s a sleek, seamless thing, no handle, just a faint glow around its edges. With a hesitant hand, I touch it, and to my surprise, it opens without resistance.

I step through and into the corridor beyond.

It’s quiet—eerily quiet—but there’s an unsettling hum in the air that makes the hair on my neck stand on end. The walls here, too, are sleek, and the floor is soft beneath my feet, like walking on the fabric of a dream. The space feels endless, stretching out in every direction, and I don’t know where to go or what to do. I am utterly alone.

I walk down the hall, my steps echoing in the silence, until I see a figure in the distance. My pulse quickens, hope rising in my chest, but as I get closer, the figure vanishes, melting into the shadows. I halt, breath caught in my throat. There’s no way it could have been a ghost—could it?

I swallow hard and continue walking, the hum of the place making my thoughts muddled. The corridors are more intricate than anything I’ve seen. There are no doorways to rooms—just walls with strange symbols etched in them. They glow faintly, illuminating my path like cryptic messages from an alien world.

I finally find a small room that seems to have some semblance of normality. It has a table, a chair, and a few objects I can’t quite make out. I walk over to the table and touch one of the items: a small metallic device, round and smooth, with a faint pulse of light. I turn it over in my hand, confused, when I hear a voice behind me.

"You're awake," it says.

I spin around, my heart racing again. A woman stands in the doorway. She is tall, with hair that seems to shimmer, silver strands falling in waves down her back. Her eyes are a brilliant blue, almost unnaturally bright. The way she looks at me makes my chest tighten, as though she knows more about me than I know about myself.

"Who are you?" I ask, my voice hoarse.

She steps into the room, her presence commanding. "My name is Lyra. And you, Crispin, are not supposed to be here."

Her words are sharp, and for a moment, I freeze. How does she know my name? How does she know me?

"I'm afraid you've been... displaced," she continues, her tone softer now. "This isn't your time. You’ve been pulled into a future that isn’t yours."

I blink, unable to grasp the enormity of what she’s saying. "Pulled into the future? What do you mean?" I ask, trying to piece together the madness of it all. "Where am I? What is this place?"

"This is 4325. The year 4325," Lyra explains, her eyes never leaving mine. "You’re in a time far beyond the one you know. A place where time itself bends and twists. This is where your journey begins."

I blink, unable to grasp the enormity of what she’s saying. 4325? A future I don’t recognize, a time that’s not my own? It doesn’t make sense. But the look in Lyra’s eyes tells me she’s telling the truth.

"But why me?" I ask, the words slipping from my mouth before I can stop them. "Why am I here? What am I supposed to do?"

Lyra walks toward me slowly, the sound of her footsteps the only noise in the stillness. "You were caught in a temporal anomaly," she says, her voice low and almost sad. "A tear in the fabric of time. It pulled you here, Crispin. And now you’re stuck. You have no way of going back."

The words hit me like a physical blow, and I stagger back, my mind reeling. 4325? A future I don’t recognize, a time that’s not my own? It doesn’t make sense. But the look in Lyra’s eyes tells me she’s telling the truth.

"But why me?" I ask again, feeling the weight of her gaze on me, searching for answers I don’t have. "I don’t even understand any of this."

Lyra’s face softens for a brief moment, and she places a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I know this is overwhelming. But there’s more at stake than you realize. You are the key to stopping something—something terrible that’s coming. The fabric of time itself is unraveling, and you’re the one who can stop it."

I swallow hard, trying to digest her words. "How am I supposed to stop time from unraveling?" I ask, desperation creeping into my voice.

"You’ll figure it out," she says, her voice more reassuring now. "You’re not alone in this. Not anymore."

Her words hang in the air, and for the briefest moment, I believe her. Despite the confusion and fear swirling within me, there’s a calmness I’ve never known before. Maybe it’s the trust I feel in her, or maybe it’s the undeniable bond that seems to have formed between us in such a short time. But the connection is real, and it’s undeniable.

But as I look at her, there’s something else—something deeper. A feeling, perhaps, of longing. Her presence makes me feel less lost, less afraid. But there’s something more. There’s a warmth in her touch, something familiar, and yet, entirely new.

Before I can speak, Lyra steps closer. Her gaze never leaves mine, and I feel the pull between us grow stronger. My heart races, and I can’t seem to look away.

"You don’t have to do this alone," she whispers.

Then, without warning, she leans forward and presses her lips to mine.

The kiss is soft, tentative at first, and my mind races with confusion and excitement. For a moment, I forget everything—the strange room, the bizarre city outside, the looming danger. All that matters is this. The warmth, the comfort, the inexplicable bond between us.

When she pulls away, her eyes are filled with something I can’t quite name. "We have to move quickly. The forces at work here will stop at nothing to tear time apart. They’ll be coming for you."

I nod, though I don’t fully understand what she means. All I know is that I trust her. And somehow, in a world so strange and unfamiliar, that’s all I need.

With Lyra at my side, I feel ready for whatever comes next. The journey ahead will be perilous, and I don’t know where it will take us. But I do know one thing: I’m not alone anymore.

And maybe, just maybe, the future isn’t so terrifying when you have someone to face it with.