The space beyond the vault defied logic.
It was neither void nor matter — a realm where thought shaped form, and reality bent to memory. The team stepped forward, only to find themselves no longer together. The Trial of Origin, it seemed, was not meant for the group, but for the soul.
Seojun stood on a ruined battlefield, sky crimson, ash falling like snow. Before him lay a version of himself — older, harder, wearing Architect armor, and wielding the Seed like a weapon of conquest.
"You failed," the doppelgänger hissed. "You chose mercy over strength. And the stars paid the price."
But Seojun didn't flinch. "Power without purpose is destruction. I won't become you."
The reflection attacked. Blades of pure code slashed through the air. Seojun fought not with weapons, but with will — resisting every false truth until his reflection shattered into light.
Nova found herself in a library of endless memories, each book a life she could've lived. In one, she became a destroyer. In another, a savior. A voice tempted her: "Choose your story. Forget the pain. Rule."
But she tore the books down one by one.
"I don't need perfection. I just need the truth."
The library collapsed into stardust.
Hana awoke in her childhood home, her father alive, smiling.
"You don't have to go back," he said gently. "Stay. Be safe. Be happy."
Her heart cracked. But even as tears welled up, she stepped back.
"I miss you. But I have a galaxy to save."
The illusion faded, her father's smile lingering as a final gift.
Elias faced silence. Pure, suffocating silence. A void where he existed alone, forgotten.
But then — he spoke. He sang. He fought the silence with sound, with defiance.
"I am not nothing. I am not no one."
And the void shattered like glass.
They returned — blinking, gasping — into the vault's heart. The key now floated between them, glowing brighter than ever.
"You passed," the Guardian intoned. "But this is only the beginning."
The Seed within Seojun pulsed, reacting to the key. A map unfolded — not of stars, but of time.
Nova whispered, "It's pointing us… to the first Architect world."
And in the far corners of the galaxy, something stirred — ancient, waking, watching.