The clouds over the Garden of Time thickened, as if reality itself held its breath, awaiting something inevitable. Emiren and Aliana moved cautiously along narrow paths leading to the heart of the Garden—a place where time revealed its secrets only to those prepared to understand them.
The journey was not easy. The ground beneath their feet seemed alive, and the ancient trees whispered memories of the past. At times, their whispers grew louder, transforming into a polyphonic choir that seemed to warn the travelers of impending danger.
“Do you hear that?” Aliana asked, stopping near an old oak whose bark was etched with strange symbols.
Emiren nodded, his hand instinctively moving to the hilt of the sword at his side.
“It’s the echoes of the past,” he said. “The Garden remembers everyone who has ever walked its paths.”
The oak they stood beside suddenly began to change. Its bark glowed with a golden light, and an opening appeared as if someone had carved a doorway into its trunk.
“We need to go inside,” Emiren said.
“What if it’s a trap?” Aliana asked warily, glancing around and noticing how the shadows between the trees had begun to shift.
But they had no other choice. As they stepped into the tree’s hollow, they found themselves in a vast hall carved from black stone. The ceiling shimmered like a starry sky, and intricate mosaics on the floor depicted scenes from the history of the Garden of Time.
Memories of the First Creators
In the center of the hall stood a stone pedestal, upon which lay a book. Its cover was made of the fabric of time—a material that changed color depending on who looked at it. As Emiren approached, the book opened on its own, releasing phantom images into the air.
They saw two Creators—a man and a woman—whose faces seemed both familiar and foreign. The Creators stood amidst a lush garden, but their actions were troubling: the man held a transparent vessel filled with shimmering light.
“That’s time!” Aliana whispered. “They controlled it…”
But the scene shifted: the man shattered the vessel, and the light spilled out, engulfing the garden. At the same time, cracks appeared in the ground, and some of the trees began to wither, as if their roots had been severed from the source of life.
“This was their first crime,” said a voice that belonged to neither of them.
Aliana and Emiren turned to see who had spoken and noticed an old figure descending slowly from the dark corner of the hall. The figure was draped in a cloak woven from thousands of threads of time, softly glowing with a gentle light.
“Who are you?” Emiren asked, his hand again moving to his sword.
“I am the Chronicler of the Garden,” the figure replied. “The one who keeps the history of this place. You’ve come here seeking the truth about the Creators, and I will tell you what you must know.”
The Secrets of Choice
The Chronicler raised a hand, and another image appeared before them. This time, they saw the first Creators arguing. The man insisted that time should belong only to them to prevent chaos. The woman, however, believed that time must remain free, for only freedom gives life. Their conflict marked the beginning of a war that split the Garden into two parts.
“Do you see now why you are here?” the Chronicler asked. “You are not merely searching for answers. You stand at the threshold of a choice: to become new Creators or to leave time as it is.”
Emiren fell silent, his gaze fixed on the mosaics beneath their feet. Aliana stepped closer to the Chronicler and asked,
“Why us? Why were we chosen?”
The Chronicler smiled, his face illuminated by a strange light.
“The Garden always chooses those who are capable of sacrifice. Those who burn with the fire of change but still carry doubt. You can change destiny, but the price will be high.”
Decisions and Consequences
As the Chronicler’s voice faded, the hall began to tremble. The pedestal with the book split apart, and the stone was once again consumed by time. Realizing they had to move on, Emiren and Aliana left the hall, carrying with them newfound knowledge.
“The choice has always been ours,” Emiren said, looking up at the sky.
“But how do we know if it’s the right one?” Aliana asked.
The answer remained unspoken, for the future had yet to reveal its hand. The Garden, like a living organism, felt their doubts and prepared their next trial.