The world was no longer still. The currents of time twisted into vortices, creating echoes of the past around the Eternal Garden. Shadows of events that had once happened intertwined with those that could have been but never came to pass.
Emiren felt the Garden changing, accepting the challenge that lay before the Creators. The Silver Tree, which usually remained unchanged, now pulsed like a living organism, trying to adapt to the new reality.
— We begin the first trial, — the Keeper declared, his voice echoing through the space like the announcement of something irreversible.
Entering the Depths of Time
Before them, a rift in reality opened, forming a passage that led into the world’s most ancient memories. As the Creators approached, shadows of the past stretched from it—ancient battles, the fall of civilizations, the birth and death of worlds.
— We must enter, — said the Fireborn.
— But can we withstand it? — asked the Watery.
The Voidborn said nothing. He had already stepped forward.
As they passed through the rift, darkness enveloped them—not a dead void, but a living one, translucent and filled with reflections of the past. Each step forced them to witness events long gone.
Emiren saw the first Creators appear in the world, weaving the streams of time without realizing that every choice they made created a new link in an endless chain.
— This is our history, — he whispered.
A Memory That Stopped
But suddenly, the shadows froze. The flow stopped.
Before them stood a figure, translucent and covered in cracks, like a piece of shattered glass. It had no face, yet a powerful aura radiated from it.
— Have you come to see what was forgotten? — The voice was emotionless, yet filled with thousands of memories.
— We have come to understand, — the Fireborn replied.
— Then look.
Suddenly, the space around them expanded, and they found themselves amidst ruins. These were not just the remnants of structures—these were the fragments of a once-great world.
— This is one of the possible ends, — the voice said.
Before them appeared visions: Creators who tried to maintain balance but failed. A world that fell into chaos due to the inability to choose the right path.
— This will happen if you do not decide the direction.
Emiren felt the weight of this vision pressing upon him. He realized that the world’s memory did not just preserve the past—it warned of possible consequences.
A Choice Among Memories
— Can we change anything here? — asked the Watery.
— You can choose what the world will remember and what will be erased, — the figure answered.
It was a choice they had not expected.
If they preserved all memory, the world would be burdened by its past and unable to move forward.
If they erased certain memories, they would create a new beginning but lose valuable lessons.
And if they made no choice… balance would continue to collapse.
— We must decide, — said the Voidborn.
— But what should we keep? — asked the Fireborn.
Emiren looked at the Silver Tree, which reflected all possible outcomes.
— We will keep what gives the world a chance for the future, — he answered.
And as they made their choice, reality trembled once more.
The Trial of Memory had ended, but the consequences of their decision still lay ahead.