The darkness behind him no longer seemed endless. It still moved, whispering with voices that wanted to pull him back, but now Flamen knew—it was nothing more than an echo. An echo of what he had left behind.
Before him, a world unfolded, one he did not know. A space where the boundaries of reality had thinned, where the future had not yet been carved into stone, and the past was nothing more than a blurred shadow.
The fire in his palm pulsed. It had changed, becoming a part of his very essence. But along with it, he felt something new—the weight of responsibility.
— It’s time to return, — he whispered, gazing into the unknown.
His words sent a ripple through the space around him. He took a step forward.
And the world shattered.
Emiren and the Empty One
— He’s coming! — The Empty One’s voice was sharp as a blade.
Emiren felt the space around him tremble. The Eternal Garden quivered. Time itself seemed to slide across a smooth surface, searching for a new point of balance.
The wind, usually calm here, surged to life, as if someone had torn an invisible veil.
— Prepare yourself, — Emiren said, his gaze fixed on the darkness, which had begun to glow from within.
The Passage
Flamen felt his body dissolve, passing through the thin boundary between worlds.
For a moment, he saw the trees of memory again. They swayed as if bidding him farewell.
The black fire in his hand suddenly flared brighter, and he realized he was carrying more than just power.
He was carrying knowledge.
And this gift would change everything.
— You have chosen a path that leads to both the end and the beginning, — the woman’s voice echoed in his mind.
— I know, — he replied.
The world before him opened.
And he took the final step.
Return to the Eternal Garden
A flash of light struck the very heart of the Eternal Garden.
The Empty One stepped back, raising his hands to shield himself from the wave of energy.
Emiren, however, stood still, his eyes burning with understanding.
When the light faded, Flamen stood before them.
But he was different.
His eyes burned with black fire, but not the cold, destructive kind—deep, like the night sky that hides all possible worlds.
He looked at them as if he saw more than just their bodies.
— What did you see? — the Empty One asked.
Flamen remained silent.
Emiren took a step toward him.
— Do you know what comes next?
Flamen raised his hand. His fingers glowed with faint silver light, but in the center of his palm, a black spark burned.
— I know. But you won’t like the answer.
The wind shifted once more.
The sky above the Eternal Garden grew heavy.
Something was approaching.
And this was only the beginning.