First Jump — Part 3

The moment I touched the glowing device, the world shattered into ribbons of light.

I wasn't falling.

I wasn't flying.

I was being pulled through time itself.

Every heartbeat echoed like thunder as flashes of history raced past me—a medieval battlefield, a futuristic skyline, a crowded train station from the 1940s, and finally... silence.

I landed hard on cold concrete.

The air smelled different. Cleaner. Stranger.

My wrist device blinked to life.

Time Jump Successful.

Destination: Unknown.

My stomach tightened.

This wasn't the place I had programmed.

A loud explosion echoed from somewhere beyond the abandoned buildings. I sprinted toward the sound, staying close to the shadows. Around the corner, I saw armed agents surrounding a frightened young scientist.

One of them shouted, "Take the prototype. Leave no witnesses."

Without thinking, I grabbed a metal pipe from the ground and charged.

The fight lasted only seconds, but it felt like minutes. I managed to distract the attackers long enough for the scientist to escape. Before disappearing into the darkness, he turned back and threw me a small metallic chip.

"You'll need this," he said. "They're already hunting you."

The agents regrouped.

Their leader looked directly at me and smiled.

"I know who you are," he said. "You're the man who breaks time."

My blood ran cold.

How could someone from this era already know my name?

The wrist device suddenly flashed red.

WARNING: Temporal hunters detected.

A countdown appeared.

10... 9... 8...

The next jump was beginning, whether I was ready or not.

... To be continued....