The sky closed with a deafening sound that shook the entire city. For a few seconds, nobody moved. The silver cracks that had covered the night slowly disappeared, one after another, until the sky looked normal again. The stars returned to their places, and the strange pressure that had filled the air finally faded.Julius lowered his hand and stared at his palm.He could still feel something there,something powerful and something he didn't understand.“I didn't do that,” he said quietly.Elias walked over and looked at the sky, “You did”Julius shook his head. “I mean, I didn't know I could”Julius turned toward Sophia who hadn't moved since the sky closed. She was simply staring at him, tears gathering in her eyes.“Mother?”Sophia finally looked at him, “You really don't remember”Julius frowned, “Remember what?”She opened her mouth, but no words came.Julius sighed, “you keep doing that”“Doing what?”“Looking at me like you know something I don't”Sophia lowered her gaze, “i know

Julius couldn't move as the woman's words seemed to hang in the empty city long after she had spoken them.“I'm your wife” the words kept ringing in his head. He stared at her, waiting for something inside him to react like a memory of name or anything but his mind remained frustratingly blank.Aster, however, looked like he had seen a ghost.“You,” he whispered.The woman glanced at him, “you remember me”Aster took a cautious step backward, “I thought you were dead”She smiled sadly, “So did everyone else”Julius finally found his voice,”Who are you?”The woman looked at him for several seconds before answering, “My name is Lyra”The name struck something inside him, atiny spark, flash of silver hair and woman's laughter. His hand holding another hand, a promise beneath a sky filled with stars, then it was gone.Julius pressed his fingers against his temple while Lyra immediately stepped forward“Julius?” “Don't” he said and she stopped, “I saw something”“What?” Julius asked “I

The scream that came from beyond the sky was unlike anything Julius had ever heard. It wasn't the sound of an angry creature, wasn't even a human scream but was something deeper, something that seemed to travel through the very fabric of existence. The buildings around them trembled, and cracks spread across the streets.For a few seconds, Julius thought the entire First World was going to collapse, then everything stopped.The thousands of versions of himself stood motionless around him. Lyra was still holding his hand, while Aster watched the sky with a look of growing concern.Julius looked at him, “What just happened?”Aster didn't answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the darkness above them, “They heard you”“Who?”“The Original Ones”Julius frowned, “I know that”“No” Aster finally looked at him, “You don't understand, they didn't simply hear what you said”He pointed toward Julius, “they felt it”Julius glanced at his hand and a faint silver glow still surrounded his

A cold wind swept through the room as Sophia immediately pulled Lily toward her.“Julius” she called“I'm here” he replied Something moved outside the window, it was a shadow, tall, still and watching them.Julius stood up and the shadow slowly raised one hand, then it pointed directly at him. A voice whispered through the darkness.“You left me behind”Julius's heart stopped, he knew that voice cos sounded exactly like him. The shadow smiled, “You were never supposed to become human”The window shattered and everyone screamed as black smoke rushed into the room. Julius raised his hand, but the smoke moved faster and wrapped around his body.Lyra hurriedly grabbed his arm“Julius!” She shouted He tried to pull free, but then the voice whispered directly into his ear, “You found your wife, you found your daughter but you still haven't found me”Julius's eyes widened and the black smoke disappeared. He dropped to his knees immediately while Lyra also immediately knelt beside him, “Jul

The journey to the Northern Ruins began before sunrise.The group moved through the forest in silence, following the narrow path that Aster claimed had once been a road. It had been abandoned for centuries, yet strange silver markings appeared on the trees every few minutes, guiding them deeper into the wilderness.Julius walked at the front with Aster. Lyra stayed close behind him, while Sophia remained beside Lily. Elias, Marcus, and Aurelia guarded the rear.There was too much on everyone's mind.Julius had learned that the woman he had believed to be his mother had never given birth to him. He had discovered that Seraphine, the woman who created him, had been searching for him across countless timelines. He had also learned that something inside him had survived every reset, a shadow carrying all the rage and darkness that had been separated from him and now they were heading toward a door that was supposedly keeping something trapped.Julius finally broke the silence, “Aster”“Yes”