When the world felt the new essence of the Creators, its very fabric began to shift. This was not just a transformation—it was a reconstruction of the nature of time itself. The Eternal Garden was no longer just a place where streams intertwined; it had become a living reflection of choice.
Emiren stood among the branches of the Silver Tree and saw how it responded to the presence of the new Creators. Where the Fireborn stepped, the tree bloomed with flames, birthing red and golden leaves that trembled with the sparks of possibilities. Where the Watery touched, the branches turned transparent, transforming into streams of liquid that reflected infinite variations of the future. And where the Voidborn stood—there was nothing, only a shadow waiting to be filled with form.
The Fracture of Reality
The changes could not go unnoticed. A distant thunderclap tore through the sky, and the world shuddered. Somewhere deep within the Eternal Garden, something stirred, as if awakened by an ancient call.
— This is not just a consequence, — the Keeper whispered, watching as the branches reshaped themselves. — This is something far greater…
And suddenly, the space around them began to split.
At first, they were just faint cracks running through the air, like threads of torn fabric. But then they widened, and through them, shadows of other realities began to seep through.
Before Emiren’s eyes flashed countless images: worlds he had never known, people he could have met but never did, wars that never happened, and alliances that were never forged.
— Time is losing its boundaries, — said Ardalys.
— Or perhaps it is finding new ones, — countered the Voidborn, stepping forward.
Voices from Beyond
Figures began to emerge from the fractures. They were not fully formed—mere silhouettes, echoes of possible lives.
— You have altered the course of history, — one of them spoke, its voice composed of hundreds of voices at once. — You have torn its fabric.
— We have not torn it, — the Fireborn replied. — We have opened new paths.
— And these paths cannot exist together, — the echo continued. — Either this world will choose a single direction, or it will fragment into countless realities, vanishing into chaos.
Emiren recalled words spoken long ago, when he had first begun to understand the nature of the Eternal Garden:
“Time can be created, but can it be controlled?”
Now he had to find the answer.
The Three Trials
— If we want to save this world, — said the Watery, — we must find a way to harmonize the streams.
— But who decides which path is right? — Emiren asked.
— That is the trial, — the Keeper answered. — Only those who can see all possibilities can choose the fate of the Garden.
And then, before them, three trials appeared:
1. The Trial of Memory — to see the choices that had already been made and how they had shaped the world.
2. The Trial of Possibilities — to understand what options still existed and how they might influence reality.
3. The Trial of Fate — to determine whether an ideal path could be created or if it was better to leave everything untouched.
— We cannot undo what has already changed, — said the Fireborn. — But we can decide what comes next.
— If we do nothing, — added the Watery, — reality will become unstable, and nothing will remain.
The Voidborn said nothing. He merely gazed into the rift in reality, and his eyes reflected a future that had not yet come to pass.
— We begin, — he finally said.
And once again, the world held its breath.