The glow of the Labyrinth’s core faded, and the space around Emiren and Aliana began to change. The walls surrounding them transformed into radiant branches of trees, seemingly growing out of the void. A soft light emanating from the leaves was calming yet unsettling at the same time.
“Is this… the exit?” Aliana whispered, trying to decide whether to feel relief or caution.
“I don’t think so,” Emiren replied, gazing into the space ahead. “This looks more like another trial.”
Before them stretched a breathtaking landscape: an endless garden of trees whose branches were intertwined with luminous threads resembling webs. Each thread pulsed as if alive, while shadows flitted between the branches, barely visible.
“This garden… it’s alive,” Aliana said, touching one of the threads. At her touch, the thread trembled and dissolved into countless glowing droplets that slowly vanished into the air.
“And it remembers,” Emiren added, his voice quiet but tinged with unease. “This place holds the traces of all who have ever been here.”
Aliana fell silent. She thought she could hear the garden whispering. A quiet, barely audible murmur, as if thousands of voices were speaking words in different languages.
“Are those voices?” she asked.
Emiren nodded.
“It’s the memory of time. Every decision, every choice leaves a trace. And these trees… they hold those traces.”
They moved forward, their eyes scanning the surroundings. The further they ventured into the garden, the more distinct the shadows became.
The Path of Memories
The trees, which initially appeared peaceful, gradually began to change. Their branches darkened, and the threads on them began to resemble cracks in glass. One of the trees suddenly leaned toward Aliana, and she felt something pulling her inward.
“Careful!” Emiren shouted, but it was too late.
Aliana found herself trapped in a vision. Her consciousness seemed to split: she saw herself, but not in the present—in another time. She was a young girl, playing in a forest, when she first felt the power of time. That power had frightened her then, but she remembered how she chose to embrace it.
“This is your trace,” the tree whispered. “Your first decision. Do you still stand by it?”
Aliana clenched her teeth. Her child self stared back at her with wide, fearful eyes.
“Yes,” she replied. “I accept it.”
The vision dissolved, and the tree retreated, allowing her to step out of the memory.
“What happened?” Emiren asked, rushing to her.
“It was my memory,” she whispered. “It’s testing us.”
The Power of Choice
Meanwhile, Emiren also felt the influence of the garden. Several trees surrounded him, each offering something different.
“You could go back,” one tree said, showing him an image of his hometown before it was destroyed.
“You could see the future,” whispered another, revealing a vision of a great battle where he led an army.
“Or you could stay here, in eternity,” a third offered, showing him peace and tranquility, something he had long desired.
Emiren closed his eyes, feeling the weight of these choices crashing over him like a wave.
“I choose the present,” he finally said. “I don’t want to run back or forward. I’ll stay here and now.”
The trees stepped aside, allowing him to rejoin Aliana.
The Trial’s Finale
When they finally reached the heart of the garden, a massive branch loomed before them, glowing brighter than all the others. Threads pulsed along it, creating a map of time itself.
“This is… the main branch,” Aliana said, staring at it in awe.
“And it depends on us,” Emiren added.
Beside the branch appeared a figure, seemingly made of pure light. It had no face, but its voice was clear:
“Creators. You have passed the trial of memory. But this is only the beginning. Your next path will lead you to what cannot be undone. Are you ready?”
Emiren and Aliana exchanged glances. They could feel the road ahead growing ever more challenging, but both nodded.
The light around them flared, and they found themselves standing at the threshold of a new world, where not only challenges awaited them but the fate of time itself.