The light emanating from the stone slab began to fade, slowly plunging the room into even deeper darkness. Melania felt her heart beating faster, her fingers, which had just moments ago touched the symbol, now trembling from the tension. She realized that nothing would ever be the same again. Everything had changed. The knowledge that had embodied her choice now became her own burden.
The Master’s eyes reflected the same calmness he had always possessed, but something had changed in him as well. He said nothing, only standing beside her and watching, as if waiting for her to fully grasp the weight of the step she had just taken.
“This is the beginning,” he finally spoke, his voice sounding like an echo from another era. “The beginning of the end and the beginning of something new at the same time. You’ve made your choice. Now time itself will truly change.”
Melania couldn’t turn back. She couldn’t run from this decision, even if she wanted to. She had made her choice, and it had brought her to this point, to the moment where action was the only thing left.
“But where does this path lead?” she asked hesitantly, even though her mind was already beginning to understand that nothing here would be what it seemed.
The Master smiled faintly, as though for the first time in many years, he saw something new in her. Slowly, he raised his hand and pointed to the large doors of the temple that led into an even deeper darkness.
“Behind these doors is the one who will help you find your way,” he answered. “But remember, this path will not be easy. There will be many temptations and dark forces trying to stop you. But only through these trials will you understand why you must walk this path. Why you must be ready to accept it.”
Melania approached the doors, which creaked softly as she touched them. Beyond them lay an even greater darkness, swallowing the faint light from the torches burning along the walls. In this gloom, there was a sense that space itself was shifting, that time here was no longer familiar, but rather floated in a torrent of chaos.
She stepped forward.
The space in front of her began to vanish, and gradually, as if pulling her from one world to another, the first outlines of a new reality began to form. And these outlines were not as she had imagined. This was not a world of the future. This was a rift between the world she knew and the one that was just beginning to exist.
The mist that had filled the room began to take on concrete forms—first as silhouettes, then as real figures. Melania realized these were not mere visions, but memories of the past that arose from the chaos of her own choice. She saw countless faces—some familiar, some unknown—fighting, trying to understand what was happening.
“These are those who could not make their choice,” the Master’s voice echoed, but it seemed distant, like an echo through centuries. “They wander in the darkness, not knowing where to go because their path is not yet finished. You must go further, Melania. You must make your choice final. If you wish to change time, change fate, you must be ready to meet what lies on the other side of this path.”
Immersed in these thoughts, she walked on, following the ghostly light that led her forward. Her steps were firm, though she could already feel the invisible weight pressing down on her— the heaviness of the choice she could no longer ignore.
The road led her through endless corridors and dark rooms that seemed empty, as if they had no beginning or end. Melania felt how this world began to drain her of all strength. The darkness tried to stop her, but she moved on, knowing that ahead lay the answer. And only this path led to what could change her life—and even the world.
And then, before her, appeared a vast hall where faint light pierced the darkness. Inside stood a figure waiting for her.
What she saw was not a surprise—it was herself. But different, darker, stronger. She stood before herself as if a reflection of her future.
“You’ve come,” said her dark counterpart, her voice resonating within her soul. “You made your choice, and now you must decide: will you be the darkness, or the light?”
Melania froze, struggling to find the words.
“I don’t know if I’m ready,” she answered, her voice trembling, yet there was determination.
“You’ve always been ready,” said the dark figure. “But not all choices come so easily.”
Understanding this, Melania took another step forward.