The moment hung in sacred stillness. The towering Architect before them — ancient and radiant — studied the humans with eyes of stardust. Its voice vibrated through the bones of time itself.
"Will you remember us?"
Seojun stepped forward, the Seed glowing fiercely within his chest. "We already do. But we need to understand. Why did it all fall apart? Why did Vael'Tharan betray you?"
The Architect's form shimmered, memories rippling through its essence. A pulse of light enveloped them — and suddenly, the crew was no longer standing on alien soil, but within a memory.
They floated above a shining city of energy and thought, a place not bound by gravity or time. The Architects walked in harmony — until a great schism erupted. One of their own, Vael'Tharan, broke from the collective. Not out of hatred — but fear.
"He saw the end," the Architect's voice echoed in the memory. "Not of us… but of all things. And in seeking to preserve, he chose control over trust."
Images flashed — Vael'Tharan absorbing Seeds, rewriting timelines, erasing futures.
"He believed that unity meant obedience."
Seojun clenched his fists. "And now he's trying to overwrite our future too."
The Architect turned to him. "But you are different. You are the anomaly we hoped for."
Nova narrowed her eyes. "You sent the Seeds into the future… knowing someone like Seojun might find them?"
"Not knowing. Hoping."
The vision faded. They stood once again on the living world, the Architect's hand extended. In its palm lay a sphere of radiant light — a memory-core. A piece of their lost wisdom.
"Take this. It will show you how to awaken the Seed fully. But know this: Vael'Tharan is watching. Your next steps will echo across every possible future."
As Seojun reached out and touched the memory-core, the Seed flared — and his vision spiraled.
He saw Earth.
Burning.
Vael'Tharan… standing at its center.
Smiling.
"Time is running out," the Architect warned. "He moves to rewrite the final age."
And then — the crew was back on the Eidolon.
But nothing felt the same.
The future was already shifting.