When the light from the Spheres faded, Melania found herself in a new reality — a labyrinth, filled with incredible secrets and the echoes of past voices. The paths intertwined, as if they were parts of some endless body, and the air carried a sense of ancient time lingering in every corner of this place. Her heart raced, as though it sensed that this space had its own breath, its own consciousness.
Beneath her feet, there was no familiar ground. The labyrinth seemed to hang in the void, and the walls surrounding it were transparent, faintly shimmering, resembling ice or boundless waters that reflected nothing. Yet with each step she took, this space seemed to shift, revealing new branches and directions, merging and dissolving into infinite possibilities.
— “Do not try to understand everything at once,” the voice resounded again, “for in this labyrinth, every answer is simultaneously a question.”
Melania pondered these words, listening carefully. It seemed as though everything around her was created solely to guide her towards a certain goal, but that goal constantly blurred, transforming into a new unknown. It was a strange feeling: it seemed that each step she took caused a change not only in the space around her but also in the very essence of her being.
She extended her hand forward and touched one of the labyrinth’s walls. In that motion, it seemed to trigger flashes of light that briefly cut through the darkness, revealing a large door. But the door was unlike any ordinary one — it was alive, its surface pulsating as if it were breathing, its color shifting from black to bright blue.
— “Are you ready to enter a new dimension?” the question echoed.
Melania felt her breath slow. All the choices before her felt so significant that each one, like a heavy stone, could alter the flow of time. Should she pass through these doors, or were there other options?
— “You will not see everything unless you make a choice,” the voice added, almost sensing her inner turmoil.
She approached the door carefully and gently touched its surface. From where her hand made contact, thin golden threads began to appear, quickly weaving into a mysterious pattern. This was not simply about opening a door — this was a moment when reality itself seemed to unfold before her, like a book containing answers to all the questions. And yet, she could not discern what awaited beyond this threshold.
The door, it seemed, grew even larger, its surface glowing with eternal light that did not reflect but penetrated the very heart of every being that gazed upon it.
— “Inside this choice lies not only the answer but the fate of those you love, and those who seek to destroy your power,” the voice said, gradually fading away.
Melania took a deep breath. The choice was before her — and it was not just a choice between paths that promised victory or defeat, but between two different essences. One promised preservation, but at the cost of great sacrifices. The other — freedom, but with unknown consequences.
She took her first step toward the door. And immediately, the entire labyrinth changed. The shadows that clung to the walls vanished. It seemed as though the very structure of this place responded to her decision. And before her, amid the darkness, appeared a familiar face — someone she had once known, but whom she had not seen in a long time. His eyes glowed with mysterious light, and he smiled, as if he had been waiting for her.
— “You have made your choice,” he said, his voice both familiar and strange. “But now, you must understand that this is only the beginning.”
Melania trembled, realizing that every step she took now not only brought changes to her life but to the world itself.