The Garden had always felt alive. But now that sensation became almost tangible. Emiren and Aliana stood before a massive arched entrance, towering over them as if inviting them to take the first step. The stone walls of the gate, covered with a delicate pattern of glowing light, shifted depending on the angle of view, forming images of clocks, branches, and faces staring back at them with hollow eyes.
“We have no choice,” Aliana whispered, gripping a shard of the luminous crystal that served as their guide through the chaos of the Garden.
“The Labyrinth of Time… It’s not just a place; it’s a trial,” Emiren added, examining the portal. His voice was calm, but his eyes betrayed his tension. “They say those who enter don’t always return.”
“And those who do return are forever changed,” Aliana finished, taking a step forward. “We’re here to change.”
They stepped inside.
Inside, everything was different. The corridors stretched endlessly, winding in unpredictable patterns, and the walls shimmered with colors, as though woven from light and shadow. Time in the Labyrinth felt strange: sometimes it seemed as though they had walked for only a few minutes, and at other times, it felt as though days had passed.
“This isn’t just a place,” Emiren said, stopping at a crossroads. “We’re feeling the flow of time itself.”
Aliana moved closer to him, her eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. Before them were three paths, each uniquely strange. The first corridor resembled a tunnel bathed in golden light. The second was dark, with deep black fissures running along its walls. The third led to an almost transparent space, flickering like a reflection on water.
“Which one do we take?” she asked, studying each passage.
“That’s the trial,” Emiren replied. “Each of us must take our own path.”
Aliana looked at him in surprise, but before she could protest, the walls began to shift, separating them. She reached out to grasp Emiren’s hand, but the corridor had already forced her forward.
“Emiren!” she shouted, but his figure vanished behind the wall.
Aliana’s Path
The corridor Aliana entered felt like an endless room with mirrored floors. Each step she took altered the reflections. In one moment, she saw herself, but older—her eyes weary, her heart broken. In another, she saw the girl she once was, full of dreams and hope.
Suddenly, a figure appeared before her. It was herself—but from the future. Her copy held a book entwined with branches of time.
“You think you can reshape time?” the copy asked coldly. “But you are just one of those who break it.”
Aliana said nothing, though her heart pounded.
“If you go further, you’ll destroy everything. Are you ready for that?”
She took a deep breath and answered, “I’m willing to risk it if it means I can create a new branch.”
The copy disintegrated into dust, and before Aliana, a doorway out of the corridor appeared.
Emiren’s Path
Emiren found himself in a dark corridor that led to a scene from his past. He saw himself—young, full of determination, yet unable to save his best friend in battle. His friend’s body lay before him, and once again, he relived the moment of loss.
“You could have changed everything,” a voice spoke from behind him.
Emiren turned to see a shadow. It wasn’t just a reflection but the embodiment of his fear and guilt.
“If you go back, you can save him. But are you willing to pay the price in time?”
Emiren closed his eyes. His heart ached, but he knew the truth.
“No,” he said firmly. “The past will remain the past. I won’t change it at the cost of the future.”
The shadow vanished, and Emiren saw a light that pointed the way forward.
When they reunited at the core of the Labyrinth, their gazes were filled with newfound determination. The trial had made them stronger, but they both understood it was only the beginning.
“We made it,” Aliana said, clutching his hand.
“But now we know what it means to be those who shape time,” Emiren replied.
The core of the Labyrinth began to glow, and the space around them started to shift, revealing a path to new challenges ahead.