The doors before Emiren were unlike any he had seen before.
They were not made of wood, metal, or stone. They seemed to be woven from light and shadow, stitched together from thoughts and forgotten words. Their contours shifted constantly as if they existed on the edge of being and non-being.
When Emiren reached out to touch them, the doors slowly opened on their own, making no sound.
Beyond them lay another world.
A World That Did Not Exist
He stepped forward and felt the ground beneath his feet vanish.
Emiren was neither falling nor standing—he simply existed in a space without form. Around him, clusters of light and shadow shifted, as if stars were being born and fading away in the air itself.
— This is not a place, — a voice echoed, both familiar and foreign.
Emiren turned, but there was no one there.
— This is a thought. This is an echo of everything that never happened.
Before him, images began to form.
One scene showed a world where he had never awakened his powers. He saw himself as an ordinary traveler, unaware that time was more than just a river of events.
Another scene depicted him as the absolute ruler of the Eternal Garden, weaving time like threads, shaping it as he pleased.
— These are reflections of possibilities, — the voice continued.
Emiren felt a cold wind, though there was neither air nor wind in this place.
— Who are you?
From the darkness, a figure emerged.
The One Who Remembers Everything
The figure before him was cloaked in a long robe that rippled as if woven from time itself. Its face could not be seen—only two glowing eyes, swirling with galaxies.
— I am the one who remembers all that was and all that was not, — it said. — I am the Archivist of the Unspoken.
Emiren felt the weight of millennia behind those words.
— Why am I here?
— Because you made a choice, — the Archivist extended a hand, — and now you must understand it.
The Book of the Unspoken
A book appeared in the Archivist’s hands.
It was massive, its pages made of both light and shadow at once. No symbols or titles marked its cover.
— This is a story that was never written, — said the Archivist. — But it can become real.
As Emiren looked at the book, its pages began to turn on their own.
He saw a history he did not remember.
In this story, he was the one who destroyed the Eternal Garden, the one who erased all timelines to create a new, conflict-free, perfect world.
He saw himself as something he never wished to be.
— This isn’t me, — he whispered.
— But it could have been, — the Archivist replied.
The Trap of the Unspoken
Suddenly, the book’s pages began to change.
The images within it came to life.
The fires of war filled the space around him. Through the chaos, Emiren saw himself—cold, relentless, a ruler who erased everything that did not fit his perfect vision.
— This is not just a possibility, — the Archivist’s voice turned grave. — This is a trap.
Emiren felt something wrapping around his hands—thin threads of time, trying to pull him into the book.
— If you stay here too long, this story will become yours.
He felt reality shifting, his thoughts beginning to change.
A part of him started to wonder: What if this world was truly better? What if erasing chaos and creating perfection was the only right path?
— No, — he clenched his fists. — This is not my choice.
The Way Back
The Archivist nodded.
— You have passed the trial.
The book vanished.
The world around Emiren dissolved as if it had never existed.
He stood once again before the Gates of the Unspoken.
But now, they were different.
They no longer flickered between being and non-being. They had become solid, clear, their intricate patterns glowing with soft silver light.
The gates opened.
And beyond them, a new trial awaited.