As the space around them stabilized, Emiren realized they were no longer in the reality they knew. This place was something greater than the Eternal Garden. Greater than the boundaries of time.
Before them loomed a majestic structure that seemed ageless. Its walls shimmered with silver and black stone, weaving into patterns that shifted with every glance. Columns rising to the sky supported a heavenscape that wasn’t a true sky—it was a reflection of infinite space, where all possible versions of existence unfolded.
And in front of the entrance, he stood.
The one who had chosen a form.
The Threshold of Truth
“What is this place?” Flamen asked, clenching his fist, where black fire flickered.
“This is the Gate of the First Creators,” the figure replied.
His voice was calm, yet it carried a depth that made reality itself resonate.
“The First Creators?” The Hollow frowned. “They don’t exist.”
“They existed before you. Before everything you know.”
A cold wind brushed against Emiren’s skin. These words carried a power he couldn’t deny.
A Path into a Past That Wasn’t a Past
Flamen took a step forward.
“If they existed before us, where are they now?”
“They never left.”
The air around them trembled, and shadowy figures emerged. At first, they were only outlines, but gradually, they took on more distinct forms.
They resembled humans, yet they were not. Their bodies were woven from the flow of time, from light and shadow, their eyes glowing silver, their voices echoing as if reverberating through endless corridors of existence.
“You have come seeking the truth,” one of them said.
His voice was neither kind nor cruel. It was simply a fact that existed beyond the listener’s will.
Emiren stepped closer, meeting the radiant gaze of the figure.
“The truth about what?”
“The truth about the world you live in. About the Eternal Garden. About why it has no right to exist.”
Those words made his heart clench.
The Secret of the Eternal Garden
“That’s impossible,” he whispered. “The Eternal Garden is… the foundation of everything.”
“It was created as a mistake. An experiment that spiraled out of control.”
Flamen’s fingers clenched tighter, his black fire flickering.
“We are fighting to save it.”
“You are fighting to preserve an instability that is destroying the very concept of time.”
Emiren felt his thoughts swirl in chaos.
Everything they believed in, everything they fought for… was a mistake?
“You’re deceiving us,” the Hollow said. “This is another trap.”
“No,” the First Creator’s voice was as unyielding as stone. “This is the reason for your existence.”
The wind rose, and the gate before them began to open.
Beyond it lay darkness that wasn’t darkness.
A world existing outside all realities.
The true past of the Eternal Garden.
“Make your choice,” the First Creator said. “If you enter, you will see everything. But returning may be impossible.”
Emiren met Flamen’s and the Hollow’s gazes.
Their choice could change everything.
But were they ready for it?