The shadows stirred, changing shape.
At first, they seemed formless—just dark waves trembling at the edge of the new world. But with each passing moment, their outlines became sharper.
Emiren stood motionless, sensing how the very fabric of reality was shifting. They had created this world, but they were not the only ones who had awakened within it.
Flamen clenched his fists, and the fire that was part of his essence flickered in rhythm with what was happening around them.
— Are they… alive? — he asked.
— Yes, — Emiren answered quietly.
The Hollow One had vanished, but something remained in his place. Were these the remnants of his choice, or something that had been waiting for the chance to exist?
The shadows finally took form.
The first to step out of the darkness was a tall figure, shrouded in black mist. His face was blurred, as if it didn’t exist. But when he spoke, his voice was deep and slow, like the echo of distant thunder.
— You have awakened a new flow of time, but do you know what it will become?
The second was shorter, but his eyes gleamed like two silver blades. When he stepped forward, his feet left a trail of light that quickly faded.
— You create, but you do not control what is born.
The third and fourth did not speak, but their presence was palpable. One of them seemed to be made of shattered glass—his body was transparent, and through him, glimpses of other worlds shimmered like fragments of possibilities. The other was a shifting shadow, changing shape every time light touched him.
— Who are you? — Flamen asked, his voice tense as if preparing for battle.
— We are those who were born in your darkness, — the first answered.
— We are those you could not foresee, — added the second.
— But now we exist, and we cannot be undone, — the third concluded.
A World That Does Not Obey
Emiren felt everything shifting. His first intention had been simple: to create a foundation, to build a world that could be guided. But what had appeared did not obey his will.
He touched the matter nearby—the black stone he had created was supposed to be solid, but now it was alive, warm, pulsing in rhythm with this new world.
Flamen raised his hand, and the fire that had always obeyed him hesitated before igniting. He was no longer the absolute master of his element.
— We… don’t control this? — he asked, looking at Emiren.
— We created the possibility, but we did not define its limits, — Emiren murmured.
The fourth figure, the one made of shifting shadow, finally spoke. Its voice was a whisper that resonated in every direction at once.
— You have taught the world to be alive. Now it responds to you in kind.
A New Order
The shadows were no longer mere witnesses. They began to move, creating their own forms.
The first stretched out his hand, and from the darkness, a city was born—tall, carved from black stone, with towers reaching the sky. Its buildings grew like trees, shifting and evolving before their eyes.
The second stepped forward, and the space around him changed. Time began to flow faster, then suddenly stopped. He smiled.
— This world is no longer dependent only on you.
Flamen took a step forward, fire blazing in his eyes.
— If you want this world, you will have to prove you are worthy of it.
The second shadow tilted his head.
— This is not a war, Burning One. This is equality.
Emiren felt his own thoughts colliding with each other. He had created this world, but was he its master?
— What do you want? — he asked.
The first answered immediately.
— We want to live.
The second added:
— And we want to choose.
The third looked at Emiren, his glass-like body reflecting endless possibilities.
— Will you grant us this? Or will you fight for control?
Emiren took a deep breath.
This was his true choice.
Would he struggle for power, or would he allow what he had created to exist on its own terms?
The shadows waited.