The first breath of new existence was like a thunderclap in the void.
The one who had once been the Empty now stood at the center of a space that acknowledged his presence. The world no longer rejected him, but neither did it fully accept him. His new form was woven from intertwining light and shadow, like a fragment of the eternal balance that had just been born.
Emiren watched him, feeling the space around them tremble, adjusting to his new essence.
— How do you feel? — he asked.
— As if I finally exist.
The Empty’s voice sounded different. It was no longer just an echo, no longer a mere whisper lost between moments.
Flamen stood slightly apart, keeping his gaze fixed on him. His fingers curled reflexively, as if preparing for a fight.
— And what have you become? — he asked.
The new Empty—or rather, the being he had now become—lifted his head. His eyes were no longer black voids but reflected the surrounding light like mirrors.
— I… remember.
Emiren felt something shift in the space.
— Remember what?
— My name.
The Shift in Balance
The words rippled through the world like a wave breaking still waters.
The moment he spoke them, the space around them quivered. Something in the very fabric of reality responded to his declaration.
Flamen stepped forward, his gaze sharpening.
— If you remember your name, then you are no longer the Empty.
— That’s right.
A heavy silence stretched between them.
Emiren could see how the being’s new essence was changing reality. He was no longer the void between events, no longer the nameless reflection of nothingness.
He had become someone who existed.
— Your name is a key, isn’t it? — Emiren asked.
The one who had been the Empty looked at him with a long, thoughtful gaze.
— It is more than a key. It is my place in the world.
And at that moment, they felt the world begin to change.
Awakening the Past
Something began to emerge from the shadows.
The space behind the transformed being shuddered, and from the darkness, figures started to take shape. They resembled the sentinels they had encountered before, but these… these were different.
They were not part of the mechanism, not guardians of balance.
They were those who had been lost between time.
— You’ve awakened them, — Flamen whispered.
The figures were indistinct, like memories struggling to become reality.
— Are they… shadows of those who disappeared? — Emiren asked.
— No, — the new Empty answered. — They were always here. They simply slept because there was no one to call them.
And then one of the figures spoke.
— You have become what you were meant to be again.
Their voices sounded like wind sweeping through centuries.
— Do you remember us?
Flamen clenched his fists tighter.
— Who are they?
The new Empty studied them and then slowly nodded.
— Yes. I remember.
Emiren felt an understanding stirring inside him, still vague but inevitable.
— They were Creators too, weren’t they?
The ones standing in the shadows gave no answer.
But they didn’t need to.
The Legacy of the Creators
With each passing moment, the world grew more unstable.
Flamen took a step back, realizing that their actions might have set something in motion that they could not stop.
— Is this all because of your name? — he asked.
— Yes. And no.
The new Empty turned to them.
— I didn’t just remember my name. I remembered everything.
Emiren watched him, waiting for him to continue.
— I know how this war began. I know why we fought. I know what the Creators did wrong.
Flamen exchanged a quick glance with Emiren.
— And what was it?
The new Empty smiled slowly.
— Now, you will know too.
The world around them exploded with light, and the memories of a long-forgotten past unfolded before their eyes.