As Emiren took a step forward, the world around him shifted.
The boundaries of space dissolved as if he had stepped beyond the limits of known reality. Now, before him, a stairway stretched upward into infinity. It had no support, no walls around it—only darkness, where distant sparks of light flickered like dying stars.
Each step glowed with its own hue: some emitted a warm golden radiance, others shimmered with a cold silver glow, and some seemed woven from shadow, absorbing the very essence of light.
— Is this a trial? — Emiren asked into the void.
The voice of the Archivist no longer echoed.
He was alone.
The Stairway of Possibilities
Emiren began to ascend.
With the first step, his mind filled with memories he did not recall.
He saw a world where he had never awakened his powers, where he lived as an ordinary traveler, unaware that time was more than a river of events.
With the second step, another vision unfolded: he saw himself as a tyrant, the absolute ruler of time, shaping reality as he saw fit, denying chaos any foothold.
With each step, new echoes of possible fates surrounded him—worlds that could have been but never became real.
— This is not just a path, — he realized. — This is a choice.
The Crossroads of Fate
He climbed higher until he reached a place where the stairs branched into three different paths.
Three choices.
One stairway ascended steeply, its steps glowing with a radiant white light.
The second descended into shadow, where faint crimson glimmers pulsed like dying embers.
The third led sideways, its steps transparent, made of what seemed to be pure glass.
A translucent figure appeared before him—not human, not shadow, but something in between.
— Each path leads to the truth, — the figure spoke.
— What truth?
— The one you choose to follow.
The Three Paths of Fate
Emiren approached the first stairway.
— This is the Path of the Creator, — the figure explained. — You will gain complete control over time, becoming the sole architect of all destinies. But there is a price.
— What price?
— You will lose the freedom of choice, for every decision will rest solely upon you.
Emiren stepped back and looked at the second path.
— And this one?
— The Path of the Destroyer. You may erase everything that exists and start anew. But in the world you create, there will be no past.
— What will remain, then?
— Only a future that must be built from nothing.
Emiren hesitated, then turned to the third path.
— And this?
— The Path of Refusal. You will leave everything as it is, rejecting power and knowledge. But if you choose this path, you will never again be able to influence the future.
The Final Choice
Emiren closed his eyes.
He had to decide.
He could feel the past and future intertwining around him, waiting for his answer.
And then he made his choice.
As he stepped onto one of the paths, the world trembled.
The stairway around him began to collapse.
The stranger’s voice echoed one last time:
— You have chosen your path. Now, it will become reality.
And the world around him exploded into light.