The Messenge (Iva and Nick) novel Chapter 441

+25 Points

Melissandre II

Pe straightened.

“There is another matter.”

Melisandre closed the book halfway and regarded him with growing suspicion.

“Of course there is.”

“The amber stone that can turn back time. What can you tell me about it?”

For the first time that evening, the witch looked genuinely startled.

Her fingers tightened around the edge of the book.

“The stone that can turn back time?”

“Yes.”

She slowly set the book down.

“I haven’t heard anyone speak seriously about that stone in a very long time.”

“Why?”

“Because most people believe it is a mirage, a legend invented by ancient sorcerers to explain events they could not understand. The old stories describe an amber stone marked with crimson veins, capable of bending the flow of time for the person who awakens it.”

Caleb felt the amber stone in his pocket grow strangely heavy.

He did not reach for it.

Instead, he watched her carefully.

“And you believe the stories?”

“I believe that legends often begin with something real. Whether the thing described in them still exists is another question.”

She moved towards the table, her earlier concern momentarily displaced by curiosity.

“Where did you hear about it?”

“I’ve been researching ancient magical objects.”

It was a poor answer, and they both knew it.

Melisandre’s eyes narrowed.

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“Caleb Adama, you have never been particularly interested in ancient magical objects unless one of them was threatening to kill you, imprison you, or destroy something you care about.”

“Perhaps my interests have changed.”

“Or perhaps something has happened that you are not telling me.”

He offered her a measured look.

“Can you tell me everything you know about the stone?”

Melisandre did not answer immediately. She walked to a shelf, retrieved a small wooden box, and placed it beside the book. When she opened it, Caleb saw several thin sheets of parchment covered in faded writing.

“I have studied the accounts,” she said. “There are references to a stone sometimes called the Chronos Amber, although the name varies between manuscripts. Some claim it can send a person into the past. Others suggest it does not move the body through time at all, but instead alters the thread of events, allowing the bearer to return to a moment that has already passed.”

Caleb’s pulse quickened.

“What’s the difference?”

“The first interpretation suggests that you arrive in the past as a visitor, carrying memories of the future. The second suggests that time itself is rewritten around you.” She paused. “And if the second interpretation is correct, the consequences could be impossible to predict.”

Caleb thought of the lake.

Of Iva standing beside the car, staring at him in confusion.

Of the way she had said that she felt as though she had met him before.

He remembered the absence of recognition in her eyes, the way she had stiffened when he embraced her, and the terrible truth that only he and Chaos carried the memories of the life they had once shared.

“How would someone know which interpretation was correct?” he asked.

“That is precisely the problem. There are too few reliable accounts, and the ones that survive contradict each other. Some claim the stone can only be used once. Others insist that each use demands a sacrifice.”

“What kind of sacrifice?”

Melisandre’s expression darkened.

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“Memories. Years of life. A person the bearer loves. In one particularly disturbing account, the stone supposedly took something from the future rather than the past, removing an event that had Not yet occurred.”

Caleb stared at her.

“Removing an event?”

“Imagine that you travel back to prevent a tragedy. You succeed, but the act of changing the past creates another consequence. The stone may demand a price to preserve the balance, or may simply alter the future in ways you cannot anticipate.”

He thought of Yusef again.

His son.

A small hand wrapped around his finger. A child’s laughter echoing through the palace. A face that had not yet appeared in this version of his life.

Was Yusef still waiting for him somewhere in the future?

Or had the amber stone already erased the path that would have led to his birth?

Caleb felt a sudden, vicious urge to reach into his pocket and crush the stone in his fist.

Instead, he forced himself to remain still.

“What side effects can it have on the person who uses it?” he asked.

Melisandre’s eyes returned to his face.

“Why do you want to know that?”

“Because I want to understand the risks.”

“That isn’t an answer.”

“It’s the one I have.”

She stared at him, her expression becoming increasingly troubled.

“Caleb, the Chronos Amber is not an ordinary magical artefact. If it exists, it is older than most of the traditions we use to understand magic. It may not obey the rules that govern spells, potions, or even the natural order of time. Someone who uses it might retain their memories while everyone around them remembers something different. They might return to a moment that seems familiar but has already been altered. Or they might believe they have changed the past when, in reality, they have simply created another path.”

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“And the physical effects?”

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“Exhaustion. Disorientation. Memory fragmentation. In some accounts, the user experiences sense of displacement, as though part of their consciousness remains attached to the timeline they left behind.”

Caleb’s fingers curled inside his pocket.

That sounded uncomfortably close to what he had experienced.

Melisandre took a step towards him.

“Why are you asking me these questions? And why tonight?”

He looked at her, weighing the consequences of another lie.

He had come here because he needed answers, but answers would be useless if Melisandre did not understand the seriousness of the situation. She was one of the few people he trusted to approach dangerous magic without allowing curiosity to override caution.

And if he wanted her help, he would have to tell her the truth.

At least part of it.

Caleb drew the amber stone from his pocket and placed it on the table.

The witch froze.

The golden light inside the stone pulsed faintly, illuminating the crimson streaks beneath its

surface.

Melisandre leaned closer, but she did not touch it.

For several seconds, she appeared unable to speak.

Then she slowly lifted her eyes to his.

“Where did you get that?”

“From a place I would prefer never to see again.”

“Caleb, this is not a joke.”

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