As they stepped through the veil, the world shifted.
There was no sky, no ground—only layers of existence folding upon themselves. Light bent sideways. Sound moved in loops. Memories replayed in reverse, then dissolved into mist.
Kaelen's voice echoed three seconds before his lips moved. "Where… are we?"
Nova checked her gauntlet—its screen blinked erratically, displaying dates from thousands of timelines, all at once. "This place is… all of time. Collapsing into a single moment."
The Source stood ahead, its form now clearer. A figure cloaked in glowing threads, each representing a timeline severed, rerouted, or destroyed.
"You are in the Heart of the First Paradox," it said. "This is where time first disobeyed itself."
They looked around and saw versions of themselves—some older, some younger, some twisted into things that never should have been. Kaelen saw himself as a king. Nova saw herself alone in a universe of ashes. Seojun saw his sister alive again, reaching for him.
But Lysara stared at a different vision—a throne of bone, surrounded by stars. And on that throne… herself. Cold, divine, and terrifying.
The Source turned to her.
"You remember, don't you? The choice that was made. The crown that was stolen."
Lysara backed away. "That wasn't me."
"Not yet," the Source whispered.
The paradox pulsed.
Suddenly, the realm cracked — not physically, but conceptually. A scream echoed from every version of reality at once.
The Source raised its hand.
"One of you must make the same choice again. But this time, it must be done knowingly."
"Choose what?" Kaelen demanded.
"To reset… or to rebel."