The doors swung open, revealing nothing beyond them.
No light, no space, no hint of reality. Only a deep, boundless void that seemed not like emptiness but possibility—a raw canvas upon which no imprint had yet been made.
Emiren stepped forward, and the world around him came to life.
The Hall of Infinite Paths
They found themselves in a vast hall, its ceiling lost in mist, its walls made of mirrors that reflected not them, but other versions of themselves.
From the center of the hall, hundreds of paths extended outward.
Some were made of gleaming metal, others of living flesh, some of pure light that shimmered to the rhythm of unknown melodies.
— “Are these the paths that could have been?” Flamen asked, glancing around.
— “Paths that could become reality if we make a choice,” the Empty One replied, his voice subdued as if the space here absorbed even sound itself.
Emiren walked past several paths, gazing into the reflections in the mirrors. In one, he saw himself as the victor of a great war, in another—as a traitor, in a third—as someone who had never set foot on this journey.
— “Every choice changes eternity,” said a voice without a source.
From the shadows, figures emerged.
Those Who Guide the Choice
Four of them stood before them.
They did not resemble ordinary beings—their forms constantly shifted, transitioning from human to something incomprehensible. Their eyes glowed with flames of different colors.
— “You have arrived at the place where the fate of all worlds is decided,” said the first, his voice resembling the ticking of a broken clock.
— “But are you ready to pay the price?” asked the second, his voice like the whisper of a cold wind.
Flamen frowned.
— “We have already endured trials. What more do you need?”
The third pointed to the doors towering at the end of the hall.
— “Before you enter, each of you must make a choice. One of these paths will become yours.”
— “And if we refuse?” the Empty One asked.
The fourth smiled—a smile that was a shadow, something unseen but felt.
— “Then the void will consume you.”
The Trial of Choice
Three paths opened before Emiren:
1. The Path of the Creator — a world where he could become the one who fully controls time, shaping reality at will.
2. The Path of the Destroyer — the chance to erase the old order and forge a new one, even if it meant wiping away everything that had existed before.
3. The Path of Refusal — the option to reject power and leave everything as it was.
Before Flamen, choices also emerged:
1. To Be a Weapon — to surrender himself completely to the fire, becoming an unstoppable force.
2. To Be an Observer — to step away from the struggle, remaining a shadow of the past.
3. To Be Lost — to embrace the unknown, dissolving into timelessness.
And before the Empty One, doors without names stood open, bearing only a single inscription:
— “To find yourself or remain what you have become?”
The Final Decision
Emiren felt the tension rising. The choice could not be postponed, and every second felt decisive.
He took a step forward.
— “I choose…”
But before he could finish the sentence, the world trembled.
Those who guided the choice dissolved into the air, and the mirrors around them shattered.
The doors ahead opened on their own.
And beyond them, there was no path.
Only an abyss, waiting for an answer.