Saskylakh lay shrouded in a thick blanket of snow, making every step a precarious challenge for Felix as he navigated the slippery streets of the village. His sneakers were obviously unfit for such weather, as he nearly fell several times. The harsh cold seeped outspread through his thin jacket, chilling him to the bone. Evgeny strode ahead, his pace brisk unlike Felix. If Felix had possessed a shred of bravery, he might have considered making a run for it, but fear held him in place.

“Hey!” he finally called out, his voice cutting through the crisp air, but Evgeny didn’t pause.

“Asshole!” The word slipped from Felix’s lips.

“Wait for me,” he replied not trying to hide his irritation.

“Quite an attitude you’ve got there… child.”

“I’ve been in prison for months!” Felix shot back, the frustration boiling within him. He had so much more to say, but Evgeny’s finger pointed toward one of the few houses lining the street.

“We are here. Our family home. This is where you come from, child.”

His voice was thin and distant as he gazed at the rustic wooden structure as if it were a magnificent sight. To Felix, it appeared merely as a log cabin.

Inside, the fair interior offered little in the way of warmth or comfort. A few chairs around a fireplace, Felix rushed toward it, desperate for warmth, ignoring the strangers standing around the room.

“This is Maximilian Soldatov, Helena Claus, her husband Jozef, and your grandfather, Slava Voronov,”

Evgeny introduced, placing a hand on Felix’s shoulder, making him to face the gathering. Felix knew Slava wasn’t his grandfather, nor was Boris his father, but he bit his tongue, choosing silence.

“Hello?” he managed to say, his voice trembling as he looked at their faces. He didn’t need to read their emotions to sense the hostility; fear, insecurity, and even hatred radiated from them, especially from the man named Maximilian Soldatov. Felix lingered on Maximilian's eyes the longest, feeling the weight of his unworthy.

“A time traveler? That’s rather impressive,” Jozef said, stepping forward, his gaze fixed on the small boy.

“I never imagined such a phenomenon was possible, but here he is.”

“Tell us, Jozef, what kind of consequences could this child bring to our lives? How dangerous is his jump? And how can we bring him back? There’s nothing I can see about him,”

Evgeny explained, but Jozef remained silent, scrutinizing Felix with a penetrating stare.

“You don’t look like a Voronov child,” Jozef finally said. “But I am,” Felix asserted, though he felt the weight of Jozef’s scrutiny. The man, recognizing him as a gifted boy from the future, a child of his family, wore a proud smirk that Felix found disconcerting. Yet he remained mute, sensing the underlying tension.

“These powers are new to me,” Jozef continued.

“Theoretically, this boy could change the timeline; he could create a paradox strong enough to shatter our universe, alter our destinies, or even destroy our future. He could forge a new timeline, one that defies the laws of physics. Until I understand this phenomenon better, he must be kept away, to prevent him from influencing the events that are about to unfold in our lives.”

“If we kill him, the risk will be low,” Maximilian interjected bluntly, casting a sidelong glance at Jozef. The tension between the two men filled the air. Maximilian didn’t wish to kill Felix, but his desire to see Jozef ashamed was obvious. His gaze shifted to Helena ear evident in her eyes—fear of them all, including the small boy who remained silent.

“We must kill him before he changes anything,” Maximilian repeated.

“That would be a waste,” Jozef countered. “I agree,” Slava interjected, rising to his feet.

“Killing this child would be barbaric. Jozef, find a way to send him back to his time, and let’s move past this.”

“If I take this boy to my research center, there’s so much we can uncover,” Jozef insisted. “Now that I think about it, you are indeed not supposed to find out anything, Jozef!”

Evgeny’s voice rose in anger.

“We risk changing the timeline. Find a way to send him back without interacting with him. In the meantime, confine the boy somewhere.”

“What do you want me to do? Invent a time machine on my own?” Jozef’s tone was sharp, laced with frustration.

“What kind of scientist are you? Slava, take the kid somewhere!”

Evgeny ordered. The thin man seized Felix by the elbow and led him out of the house. The cold air stung his cheeks as he emerged, and he could hear the voices of the men arguing back in the house. It was clear they were at a loss for what to do with Felix. He wasn’t meant to be there, and they didn’t trust him to return home alone. There were only two options left: experimentation or elimination. Slava didn’t walk far with him; he said nothing as he guided Felix to the backyard. He opened the door to a stall and pushed Felix inside.

“Stay here,” he commanded, securing the door with something heavy to prevent it from being opened. Inside, darkness and dust captured him. Felix fall down onto a pile of hay, still feeling weak and dizzy. He was too exhausted to speak, and yelling felt like a distant thought. The village around him felt empty, and he knew the police or anyone else wouldn’t come to help him. His head was heavy with confusion, and he closed his eyes, slowly slipping into a restless sleep, shaking against the cold.

Felix dreamt of a road trip he once took with Vivien and Alis. That day was filled with the joyous sight of birds soaring through the sky, and Toski flew freely, always returning to perch on Felix's head. The little bird never chose between Vivien or Alis; his hair was the perfect nest for Toski. 

“Koko,” he would chirp affectionately, preening through Felix's locks. Felix swelled with pride, often boasting to Vivien about how Toski loved him the most. He would then chase Alis, whose giggles sparkled in the air, shy yet radiant in her joy. The little girl was still too timid to speak, but the sight of her silly older brother always brought a smile to her face. 

“Careful...” A thin female voice sliced through the haze of his dream, and Felix’s frozen eyelids fluttered open. He found himself curled up in the corner of the stall, the cold seeping into his bones. 

“Let me...” He recognized Max’s voice, loud and deep, as it resonated through the chilly air. Felix pushed the hay away from his body, trying in vain to warm himself. Shivering uncontrollably, he wanted to call out for help, attempting to rise and make eye contact with the two figures he could barely see through the hay. 

“Hey...” he croaked, but the effort was met with a moan that silenced him. Peeking through the hay, his eyes widened in shock as he saw two figures undressing in the cold. Panic surged within him, and he instinctively backed away, slipping and falling in the process. Both Helena and Max jumped at his sudden appearance, caught in their compromising position. 

“This little rat is here!” Max yelled, his voice filled with fury.

“He saw us, Max! He saw us!” 

Helena’s voice trembled in desperation as she hurriedly pulled her dress back down. Max advanced towards Felix, his fists clenched tightly. Felix’s heart raced as he tried to retreat, but it was too late. The man grabbed him by his jacket and yanked him up, pushing him against the wall. 

“I didn’t see anything!” 

Felix gasped, fear coursing through him. 

“I guess there’s no point in waiting. Evgeny wants you dead anyway,”

Max replied coldly, his grip tightening around Felix’s neck. The boy struggled, pushing against him, newfound energy surging within him as he screamed for help.

“Max!” Helena cried out, her voice filled with alarm.

“Leave, woman!” he ordered, and to Felix’s utter disappointment, she obeyed, abandoning him to Max’s wrath. As the air was squeezed from his lungs, fear clawing at him, Felix reacted instinctively and kicked Max in the crotch. The man yelped, collapsing to his knees like a wounded animal, and Felix seized the moment to break free, sprinting after Helena toward the door she had just exited. 

“Come back, you little shit!” Max shouted, scrambling to follow, but Felix was faster. Fueled by a surge of adrenaline, he leaped through the spaces between trees, using his powers for the first time in this strange new world—powers that his aunt had taught him to harness.Teleporting few meters at the time, soon, he vanished into the depths of the woods. The village lights faded behind him, swallowed by the darkness of the forest, until he ended up falling to the ground. Finally, he stopped, panting heavily, disoriented. How long had he been running? Minutes? Hours? 

“What am I going to do?” he whispered to himself, despair washing over him like a cold wave. His last hope had vanished. He had found his family, but they wanted him... gone? He couldn’t go back, and no one was coming to save him. How could they? How had he even ended up here? 

“I WANT TO GO HOME! I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!” he screamed into the night, feeling the weight of unseen eyes watching him. He recognized those eyes; they weren’t from anyone in the village. He was too deep in the woods. 

“Problem will take care of itself,” he imagined Max telling Evgeny, convinced that the boy would have no chance of surviving out here.

“Just help me go back! Or kill me!” he shouted into the shadows, directing his anger at the two black eyes that glinted back at him—Khaos. The demon that sometimes took the shape of a monster, other times a mere shadow, circled around him like a specter. 

“Stop playing games! You did this! You did this, not me! You made me do this!” Felix’s voice broke as he screamed, his lungs burning with effort until he was left gasping for air. He fell to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks. If Boris were here to witness him, he would call him a “weakling,” and Felix felt every bit of that label in his core. He sensed the demon approaching, grabbing him, pushing him against trees and branches, taking him into the mid air, until he found himself dropped onto something that resembled a road. Felix lay there, exhausted and defeated.