Reincarnated in a scientific magic world

The Forge of Horizons was nothing like Meeks had imagined. Instead of anvils and furnaces, the chamber resembled a futuristic lab crossed with an arcane sanctum. Holographic blueprints floated beside ancient stone tablets, and self-assembling tools whirred alongside enchanted quills that scribbled notes on their own.  

Meeks stood at the center of it all, staring at the temporal rift’s scan data projected above his workstation. The rift pulsed like a wound in reality itself—a spiraling vortex of gold and black that defied conventional physics.  

“It’s not just a tear in space,” Lira said grimly, leaning over his shoulder. “It’s *eating* time. Look here.” She pointed to a section of the hologram where the rift’s edges blurred into fragmented moments: a flower blooming and withering in seconds, a golem walking backward.  

The System chimed in agreement.  

---

### **Analysis Complete:**  

**Temporal Rift (Class: Cataclysmic)**  

- Stability: 23% (Collapse imminent in 29 days)  

- Primary Threat: Chronal Entropy (Reality degradation)  

- Proposed Solutions:  

  1. **Time-Lock Array** (Requires rare chronal crystals)  

  2. **Reality Anchor** (Theoretical; no known blueprint)  

---

“Time-Lock Array it is,” Kaela muttered, tossing a glowing crystal core between her hands. “But chronal crystals only form in the Voidspire Depths. That place is a deathtrap.”  

Meeks frowned. “What’s the Voidspire?”  

Lira’s mechanical eye flickered. “A dungeon-like structure that materializes at random. Its corridors shift constantly, and it’s infested with chrono-warped creatures. Oh, and time flows differently inside—spend an hour there, and a week passes here.”  

“Perfect,” Meeks said dryly.  

---

### **New Quest Assigned!**  

**Quest:** Secure Chronal Crystals  

Objective: Retrieve 3 chronal crystals from the Voidspire Depths.  

Reward: Time-Lock Array Blueprint Fragment | +10 Mana Affinity  

Warning: Party size limited to 3.  

---

Aldryn authorized the expedition but insisted on precautions. “Take these,” he said, handing Meeks a trio of silver bracelets. “Chronal Stabilizers. They’ll slow the time differential to 1:3 and protect you from temporal anomalies.”  

The team assembled at dawn: Meeks, Lira, and Jax—the lanky boy with mechanical arms, who’d traded his earlier skepticism for wary respect.  

“Stay close,” Lira warned as they stood before the Voidspire’s entrance—a jagged portal of swirling light. “And don’t touch anything that looks like it’s moving backward.”  

The Voidspire defied logic. Hallways twisted into impossible geometries, and ghostly echoes of past explorers flickered in the corners. Meeks’ System worked overtime.  

---

### **Analysis Mode:**  

- **Wall of Teeth (Chrono-Warped Carnivore):** Weakness: Freeze time around it for 5 seconds.  

- **Floating Hourglass Trap:** Disarm by reversing mana flow.  

- **Chronal Crystal Deposit:** 50 meters ahead, guarded by… [ERROR: Data corrupted]  

---

They reached the crystal deposit—a cluster of iridescent gems embedded in a cavern wall—only to find the guard: a massive serpent with scales that shifted between past and future states. One moment it was skeletal; the next, fully fleshed and coiled to strike.  

“Time Drake,” Jax whispered, his mechanical arms converting into plasma blades. “S-Class threat.”  

The drake lunged. Lira deployed drones that fired time-slowing pulses, while Jax slashed at its flickering body. Meeks activated **Reverse Engineering** on the creature.  

---

### **Weakness Identified:**  

Time Drake’s core cycles temporal states every 7 seconds. Strike during “present” phase (indicated by scale color: blue).  

---

“Aim for the blue scales!” Meeks shouted, charging mana into his pulse emitter.  

The drake’s scales cycled—past (green), future (red), present (blue). Lira’s drones synchronized their attacks, pinning it in place during the brief blue phase. Jax’s blades sliced into its core, and Meeks finished it with an overloaded shock spell.  

The drake dissolved into shimmering dust, leaving behind three chronal crystals.  

“Got them!” Meeks grabbed the gems just as the cavern began to tremble.  

“The Voidspire’s collapsing!” Lira yelled. “Run!”  

They sprinted through disintegrating corridors, the Stabilizers glowing red-hot as they fought the accelerating time differential. The exit portal shrank rapidly—a shrinking circle of light.  

Meeks shoved Lira and Jax through first, then dove after them. He landed hard on the academy lawn, the portal snapping shut behind him.  

---

### **Quest Complete!**  

Rewards Claimed:  

- **Time-Lock Array Blueprint Fragment (1/3)**  

- **+10 Mana Affinity (New Total: 35)**  

---

Back in the Forge, Meeks inserted the crystals into a holographic model. The blueprint flickered, revealing a fractal-like device.  

“It’s not enough,” Lira said, frustration creeping into her voice. “We need two more fragments to complete the blueprint.”  

Before Meeks could reply, the System interrupted.  

---

### **Alert:** Temporal Rift Stability Drop!  

Current Stability: 15%  

Collapse in 14 days (Revised Estimate)  

---

Aldryn stormed into the Forge, his composure shattered. “The rift’s decay is accelerating. We’ve detected similar anomalies forming in neighboring realms.”  

Meeks stared at the hologram, his mind racing. ‘What if the Time-Lock Array isn’t the solution? What if we need to go bigger?’  

The System pinged, projecting a new message only he could see.  

---

### **Hidden Quest Unlocked:**  

**The Architect’s Gambit**  

Objective: Propose an alternative solution to the Convergence Crisis.  

Reward: **Reality Anchor Blueprint** (Class: Mythic)  

---

He hesitated, then opened his mouth. “What if we don’t just stabilize the rift? What if we… *repurpose* it?”  

The room fell silent.  

“Explain,” Aldryn demanded.  

Meeks gestured to the hologram. “The rift consumes time, right? So we build a device to harness that energy—convert it into a power source that reinforces reality instead of destroying it. A Reality Anchor.”  

Lira’s eye whirred. “That’s insane.”  

“It’s genius,” Jax countered, his mechanical fingers twitching excitedly.  

Aldryn studied Meeks with a mix of awe and dread. “Do you have any idea what you’re suggesting?”  

Meeks met his gaze. “I do. And my System thinks it’s possible.”  

The Headmaster exhaled slowly. “Then we work through the night. All of you.”  

As the group dove into frenzied calculations, Meeks couldn’t shake the feeling that the System was holding something back—a

hidden cost to the Reality Anchor. But with the realm’s survival at stake, doubt was a luxury he couldn’t afford.  

---  

End of Chapter 6