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Elias glanced at his surroundings. The sky above was a hazy blue, much like Earth’s, but with a faint violet hue at the edges. A dense forest stretched into the distance, trees swaying gently despite the lack of any noticeable wind. He took a deep breath, his suit’s filters analyzing the atmosphere. Surprisingly, it was breathable.

The city stretched endlessly into the sky, a glowing labyrinth of neon-lit towers, sky bridges, and holographic billboards that pulsed with advertisements for products that changed every second. Vion-7 was the crown jewel of the new world, a utopia where crime was obsolete, hunger was eradicated, and life was, by all measurable standards, perfect.

It had been a century since they descended from the void, their biomechanical warships blotting out the sky. Their arrival wasn’t one of diplomacy or tentative greetings. The invasion was swift, brutal, and absolute. Cities were reduced to husks, governments crumbled overnight, and human resistance—no matter how fierce—was futile against their superior technology.

I do not remember the first time I felt death settle into my bones, but I know I have been here for a very long time. The house is my prison and my sanctuary. The walls whisper memories I have long since lost, and the floors creak with secrets too heavy to bear.

The world spun violently, colors colliding in a chaotic dance as Evelyn Grey clenched the brass lever of her time machine. Her heart pounded in her chest, her breath shallow and rapid. She had never traveled this far before. The year on her machine's display blinked furiously: Year 12,421.