Antem stood before the core, gazing into its shimmering surface, which changed incessantly. His hand trembled as he held the compass, which now emitted not just light, but warmth—almost alive, pulsing like a heart.— If I do this, I will destroy everything, — he said, almost to himself, as if expecting someone to respond and dispel his doubts.
The woman stood aside, her face thoughtful but not indifferent.
— To destroy everything does not mean to lose everything, — she said softly. — Sometimes, to be freed, you must let go of what you are attached to.
— But what if it’s wrong? What if… there’s another way? — Antem felt his voice nearly crack.
— Another way? — She smiled bitterly. — The system knows how to create an illusion of choice. You know this. But right now, you have a real choice.
Antem stepped closer to the core. The symbols on its surface began to shift faster, as if they were “watching” him. The core now appeared almost alive, reacting to his presence.
He touched the surface, and a vision unfolded before his eyes.
He saw a world as it might be without the system: people wandering in complete chaos, without orientation, without order. Time had become mere chaos. And yet, within that chaos lay freedom.
— Is this the future? — he asked, not expecting an answer.
— It is a possibility, — the woman replied, stepping closer.
He then beheld another image: a world where the core continued to function. People lived in predictability, in peace, but it was not life—it was merely its semblance. The mechanism held everything together, like a cage holding a beast.
— Everything will crumble, — Antem whispered. — And even I won’t know if it was right.
— But you will know that you tried, — the woman replied.
He felt her hand touch his shoulder. It was neither a command nor a hint; it was a gesture of support.
Antem closed his eyes.
— I cannot leave everything as it is.
He aimed the compass at the core, which began to respond. The needle glowed brighter, the symbols on the sphere became chaotic, and a low sound emanated from its surface—a sound akin to the sigh of a giant.
— Are you ready? — she asked, her voice quiet yet confident.
— No, — he replied. — But I will do it.
Antem raised the compass, and his world was blinded by a brilliant light.
As the radiance enveloped him, he felt the ground tremble beneath him, the vibrations intensifying into a thrumming pulse that synchronized with the heartbeat of the core. The light swallowed him whole, and for a moment, time felt suspended—a breath before the plunge into the unknown.
He was confronted with flashes of memories, visions of the life he had known, intertwined with images of the freedom that lay ahead. In that blinding moment, Antem realized he stood at the precipice of not merely the core of the system, but of his own destiny.
He took a deep breath, allowing resolve to wash over him. There would be no turning back. Here, in the heart of the illusion, he was ready to face whatever awaited him. The choice to destroy or to redefine reality lay heavy in his grasp.
With everything he had within him, he pressed forward, and the light surged forth, intertwining with darkness as the world around him began to change forever.