The wind of time swirled around Emiren, yet his body remained motionless, like a frozen statue. He could feel every tremor in reality, every echo of the rupture unfolding before him. Ardalys stood just a few steps away, his silhouette both sharp and blurred, as if he existed in multiple planes at once.
— You created a branch that was never meant to exist. — Emiren’s voice was firm, but deep inside, anxiety churned.
Ardalys merely tilted his head, his eyes—two streams of time—shimmering in the darkness.
— Have you never wondered who decides what should exist and what shouldn’t?
His voice was steady, devoid of anger or doubt. It wasn’t arrogance, but something else—a conviction that he no longer belonged to the former world.
Emiren took a breath, trying to suppress the wave of unease. He had already seen the consequences of altering the past—fractures, the shadows of lost Creators, the instability of the Eternal Garden itself. But what Ardalys had done was something greater. He had not just touched a single branch—he had forced it to grow in a direction that had never existed before.
— You know this will destroy the Eternal Garden.
Ardalys smiled, slowly extending his hand forward. The space around him trembled, and from the void, something resembling the trunk of a tree emerged. But it was unlike any tree that grew in the Garden. Its bark was dark, almost charred, yet instead of ash, a golden liquid fire flowed through its veins.
— The Garden changes. It was never meant to be static, Emiren. Sometimes, to grow, one must break the old.
Emiren felt something inside him resist. His connection to the Eternal Garden told him that this tree was foreign—it was never supposed to be here. Its roots were piercing into the very fabric of time, corroding reality itself.
— This isn’t evolution, Ardalys. This is a parasite.
His former mentor’s eyes narrowed for a moment, a flicker of irritation passing through them. But it disappeared just as quickly, replaced by the same unshaken certainty.
— You fear change. You fear that your world will cease to exist because you cannot imagine another. But look at this tree. It is already here. And its branches are reaching into a future that never existed before.
Emiren stepped closer, his fingers curling into fists.
— And you think that justifies your actions? That you can claim the right to shape a new Eternity?
Ardalys didn’t respond immediately. He lowered his gaze to the tree, slowly running his fingers across its rough bark. His face remained calm, but there was a faint shadow at the corners of his lips.
— Have you ever wondered why we were given this gift at all? Why we, the Creators, exist?
Emiren remained silent.
— Perhaps we are not servants of the Garden, but its heirs.
He stepped back, and the tree’s branches trembled as if responding to his words. The wind of time suddenly shifted, and Emiren felt the space around them begin to change.
— Enough!
He thrust his hand forward, and light flared in the air. The symbols carved into the stone floor beneath them began to glow brighter, forming a shimmering web that extended toward the tree’s roots.
But instead of retreating, Ardalys simply smiled.
— Really? You want to fight this?
Suddenly, the tree’s roots burst from the ground like living serpents, coiling around the lines of light. The symbols trembled as if resisting, but they began to dim.
A wave of unease swept through Emiren.
— You don’t understand what you’re doing! If this branch takes root, it will destroy everything we know!
Ardalys slowly spread his arms.
— No, Emiren. It will create something no one has ever known. And that is why you are afraid.
The ground beneath them trembled. Streams of light and shadow intertwined in a chaotic dance.
Emiren realized there was no more time for words.
He gathered his strength, feeling the Eternal Garden respond to his call. If Ardalys was creating a new branch, the only way to stop it was to sever its connection to the roots.
— If you won’t abandon this yourself… I will have to stop you.
Ardalys simply nodded.
— Then try.
And at that moment, the world around them exploded.