Antem raised his head, staring into the radiance bursting from the tower and piercing the sky. It seemed endless, almost alive. He felt that this light was not just energy; it was the essence of what the system had kept hidden for so long.
Around him, silence still reigned, broken only by the humming echoing from the depths of the tower. The world appeared frozen, but Antem sensed that within this dead silence, something else was beginning to stir.
He glanced again at the sphere, which pulsed with warmth. New symbols had manifested on its surface, gradually changing and forming a pattern. It felt familiar, as if Antem had seen it before but couldn’t recall where.
“This is the key,” he thought.
Feeling resolute, he moved forward toward the base of the tower. Nazar had vanished, but his words still echoed in Antem’s mind: “Eternity. We are all part of the system.”
The Entrance to the Tower
Inside the tower, it was dark, but not as it had been before. The walls seemed to breathe, and each of his steps sent back an echo that returned to him with unknown intensity. The gears and mechanisms were no longer in motion, but their remnants lay everywhere, coated in dust and remnants of time that no longer existed.
Antem walked slowly, holding the sphere before him as if it could illuminate his way. In its glow, the walls appeared translucent, and he could see shadows moving within them. They lacked form but resembled the outlines of people.
“Who are you?” he asked, coming to a stop.
The shadows did not reply, but their movements grew quicker, as if responding to his presence.
“Those who guard eternity,” raced through his thoughts.
He took a few more steps until he stood before enormous doors that seemed carved from a single piece of metal. The same symbols appeared on them as those on the sphere’s surface.
Antem touched the doors, and they responded immediately, slowly opening.
Beyond lay a hall filled with light. But it was not just light; it was dense, almost material, causing his heart to race. In the center of the hall stood a massive pendulum, but it no longer moved.
Above it, suspended in the air, was a device resembling the sphere Antem held but a hundred times larger.
He understood: this was the core of the system.
The Choice
“You have reached the end of your path,” a voice spoke, and Antem turned.
Behind him stood the same man in the dark cloak. Now his face was revealed, but instead of features, endless streams of light flowed there.
“What is this?” Antem asked, pointing at the core.
“This is what you sought,” the voice replied. “And it is also what you fear to find. The core contains the illusion of time. If you destroy it, everything will change.”
“Nazar said it would destroy us all,” Antem said.
“He is right,” the voice replied. “But you already know the truth. The system traps everyone. Eternity is not a gift but a burden. People are not ready for it.”
Antem stepped closer to the core, feeling his body begin to vibrate under the influence of its energy.
“I cannot do this alone,” he said.
“You are no longer alone,” the voice responded. “The whole world is now part of you.”
Antem pondered this. In his hands was a power that could either shatter the system or leave everything as it was. He knew his choice would be final, but he also felt that he had no right to evade responsibility.
“I will choose,” he said, stepping closer to the core. “But this choice will change not only me.”
The voice fell silent, and the world around him began to shift, waiting for his decision.