TITOR

10. The Vortex of Faith

"Quick, help me break free from its grip, so I can get us home!" Nina shouted, panicked.

John quickly realized that if Nina activated the button to return to the future now, the Pterodactyl would also be transported due to its claws touching Nina. However, releasing the pre-historic creature's grip was not an easy task. John gathered all his strength in his right hand and swiftly struck the Pterodactyl's claw. The ancient bird was startled and roared before finally letting go of Nina's grip.

Seeing Nina and Xavier rapidly plummeting downward, John released his hold and joined the freefall. However, new danger awaited. A Pliosaurus circled them in the water, its hungry eyes fixated on them.

"John, quickly grab my hand!" Nina shouted.

Burdened by Xavier, Nina slid faster, prompting John to activate the gravity-enhancing button on his shoes. Swiftly, he rotated his body downwards and reached out for Nina's hand. Yet, as he was about to touch Nina's fingertips, John suddenly slipped. Sliding rapidly, he glanced downward and saw the Pliosaurus surfacing with its jaws wide open. John had to act quickly, or he would become the underwater monster's meal.

"I won't let it happen!" In a lightning-fast move, John utilized Xavier's leg to anchor himself, grabbing tightly to be dragged even farther below.

Nina looked down, seeing that John had successfully held on. After ensuring John was safe, Nina quickly pressed the button on her watch. It didn't take long before a time vortex formed beside them. The vortex grew and spun faster, exerting an increasingly powerful pull until it finally drew them inside.

Now they were spinning in the inter-dimension. The gravity inside the inter-dimension exerts a strong pressure on the time travellers. Yet, this was only minimally felt by the half-machine Xavier. Tasked with thwarting John, Xavier didn't want to miss his chance. He repeatedly stomped on John. Although John tried not to let go, the combination of weakened muscles due to gravitational pressure and Xavier's strength forced him to release his grip, and he was swiftly sucked into the time rift.

"John!" Nina screamed, but there was nothing she could do; John had vanished into the black hole.

Soon after, Nina and Xavier suffer the same fate. Another time hole ensnares them, sucking them into an unknown time corridor, sending them into a whole new adventure.

***

A time vortex emerged in the sky of an era seven meters above the ground. Before long, Xavier shot out at high speed and crashed hard onto the ground. Thanks to his bionic body, he managed to dampen the powerful impact, but the intense collision still made his body tremble. He coughed and felt a creeping pain throughout his body.

Upon standing up, Xavier realized that his time equipment lay shattered in pieces. Circuits were scattered, and control panels shattered into irregular fragments. The once-bright lights were now completely extinguished. Xavier attempted to power up his device repeatedly, but it was in vain. It was clear that he was now trapped in a time he didn't know.

In such a situation, Xavier tried to calm himself, suppressing the waves of panic attempting to take over his mind. He reminded himself that there was still a chance to escape this time. His sharp gaze scanned the surroundings, searching for signs that could help him trace Nina, the woman who would be his gateway through time.

Xavier understood that traversing time vortexes was no simple feat. Every time a time vortex operated, it would place the time travellers in unexpected locations. This complicated and confused the task of finding Nina. Now he had to figure out precisely where Nina was within this labyrinth of dimension.

But before that, Xavier needed to establish his current location. He stood firm in the midst of an open field filled with historical footprints. The towering blue sky above him embraced him in a civilization-rich era. His gaze shifted from one ancient building to another.

"Roman," he murmured. Just as he said that, a hard, pointed object touched her back.

"Raise your hands, then turn around!"

The command was sharp and in a foreign language. Yet, as a former elite military operative who had served across the globe, Xavier had mastered the language. He also understood that behind the stern order lay a very real threat.

Meanwhile, in a different time, John was luckier, landing in a more favorable condition. Nevertheless, the effects of being in the inter-dimension still lingered. For a moment, he closed his eyes, trying to steady his spinning vision. Once he felt better, he opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings.

John saw himself standing on a small, deserted street. However, at the end of the road, he could see period-style buildings, people in classical attire, and antique cars traversing the streets.

He scrutinized the scene more to determine where he was now. He noticed the women of that era had shoulder-length, slightly wavy hair on top, with some wearing small hats adorned with simple embellishments. He didn't spot any women wearing revealing clothing or trousers. Instead, they presented themselves in a feminine style, wearing plain blouses and knee-length skirts.

The men, on the other hand, had slicked-back hairstyles with a parting, sometimes maintaining tidy mustaches. Their appearances were impressively formal, dressed in regular suits or shirts with suspenders—straps attached from shoulder to waist.

John fell silent, attempting to guess the era he had landed in. Yet, suddenly, a woman walking towards him disrupted his thoughts. He turned to see the woman approaching.

Her appearance matched that of the women from that era. However, looking at her face, John could estimate her age to be somewhere between 17 and 19 years old.

"Are you okay?" the woman asked, looking concerned.

"What do you mean?" John asked, puzzled.

The woman furrowed her brows, observing John for a moment. "I saw you fall earlier."

Her words startled John. He immediately worried that she had seen him emerge from the time vortex. However, her next words struck him like lightning.

"Don't worry, I'm the only one who saw you emerge from the time vortex," the woman said.

John stared at the woman in front of him, disbelief in his eyes. "Who you really are?"

The woman smiled. "I'm Gertrude Jones."