Elias stood beneath the golden doorway.No one moved.Arjun stared at him.His mother looked as though she had seen a ghost.The First Arjun's hand slowly closed into a fist.Even Nox stopped breathing.Arjun finally spoke.“Elias?”The man smiled.“You remember me.”Arjun took a step forward.“You died.”Elias tilted his head.“That depends on which version of history you believe.”His mother's voice trembled.“You were supposed to be gone.”“I was.”“For how long?”Elias looked toward the two universes.“Long enough to watch everything you built become something you never expected.”Arjun's eyes narrowed.“You knew about all of this?”“I knew more than you were told.”The First Arjun stepped forward.“You shouldn't have crossed the Final Boundary.”Elias looked at him.“You still think boundaries are real.”The First Arjun's expression hardened.“They are.”“No.”Elias pointed toward Arjun.“They were created to keep him contained.”Arjun looked at the golden mark on his palm.The e

Arjun couldn't speak.The child's words echoed through the emptiness.“You were the second.”Nox looked from the child to Arjun.“Dad… what does that mean?”Arjun didn't answer.He was staring at the child.The first child.The Original Choice.A strange familiarity moved through him.Not a memory.Something deeper.Like recognizing a face from a dream he had forgotten.“Why don't I remember you?” Arjun finally asked.The child shrugged.“Because you were never supposed to.”“Who erased the memory?”The child looked toward Elias.“He did.”Arjun's eyes immediately turned toward Elias.“You erased my memory?”Elias didn't deny it.“Yes.”“Why?”“Because if you remembered the first choice, everything would have happened differently.”Arjun's jaw tightened.“You keep saying that.”“Because it's true.”“Then tell me what happened.”Elias remained silent.The child answered instead.“You chose me.”Arjun froze.“What?”“You heard the voice.”The child's eyes became serious.“It asked which

Arjun stared at the empty space where the man had disappeared.Three hundred and eighty-seven days.The number kept repeating inside his mind.But the final words were worse.Save Nox.Or save the universe.Nox was standing beside him, watching his face.“Dad?”Arjun looked at him.“What?”“You're scared.”Arjun forced a smile.“I'm thinking.”“That means you're scared.”The First Arjun almost smiled.“He knows you too well.”Arjun looked at him.“Don't.”The older version became serious.“You're thinking about the choice.”“Yes.”“And you're already assuming there are only two options.”Arjun frowned.“There are two.”“No.”The First Arjun shook his head.“That's exactly what they want you to believe.”Arjun looked at the golden mark on his palm.“Then what am I missing?”“Time.”The answer surprised him.The First Arjun pointed toward the emptiness.“We were told everything ends in 387 days.”“Yes.”“But who said we have to wait?”Arjun's eyes narrowed.“You think we can change the

The number stayed in Arjun's mind.Three hundred and eighty-six days.One day had already disappeared.The woman stood quietly in front of them.Arjun studied her face.“You know the Witness.”“Yes.”“You escaped from it.”“Yes.”“And you know what happens when it becomes human.”The woman nodded.“Then tell me.”She looked toward the sky of the hidden world.“When the Witness has no body, it can only observe.”Arjun listened carefully.“But once it becomes human, observation becomes experience.”“And that's dangerous?”“It becomes something worse than dangerous.”“What?”“Emotional.”The First Arjun frowned.“An entity that has observed billions of lives suddenly gaining emotions…”The woman nodded.“It will no longer want to understand humanity.”“It will want to own it.”Nox looked worried.“Why?”The woman turned toward him.“Because the first emotion it will experience is fear.”“Fear of what?”“Death.”Silence filled the field.Arjun looked at Elias.“You knew.”Elias shook his

Arjun heard his own voice coming from the darkness.“Finally.”He didn't move.Nox stood beside him, staring upward.“Dad…”“I heard it.”The voice came again.“Finally.”This time, it sounded exactly like Arjun.Same tone.Same breathing.Same hesitation between words.The First Arjun slowly stepped backward.“That isn't possible.”Arjun looked at him.“What?”“It has never copied a human voice before.”Elias shook his head.“It's not copying him.”The woman turned toward Elias.“Then what is it doing?”Elias looked at Arjun.“Remembering him.”The darkness above them moved.A face slowly appeared.Arjun's face.But older.The same eyes.The same scar.The same expression Arjun had seen in countless visions.Nox grabbed his hand.“Is that you?”Arjun stared at the face.“No.”The face smiled.“I am.”Arjun felt a cold sensation run through his body.“Who are you?”The face answered immediately.“You.”“No.”“Yes.”“You're the Witness.”“I was.”The face changed.The eyes became more