Caius stood frozen, his heart pounding as the golden sky continued to crack behind the Keeper. The world outside—his world—was shattering, and yet she looked at him with a calm that unsettled him more than any storm.
"You may not like the answer."
The words echoed in his mind.
He stepped forward. "Tell me anyway."
The Keeper regarded him for a moment before turning away. "Walk with me."
She moved effortlessly through the endless green field, the tall grass parting around her as though obeying an unspoken command. Caius followed, though every step felt heavier. The weight of time, of expectation, of the countless lives suspended in nothingness pressed down on him.
"Time is not broken, Caius," the Keeper finally said. "It is simply… pausing."
His brow furrowed. "That's not possible. The world has stopped. I've seen it myself—people frozen mid-step, voices silenced, history ceasing to move forward."
"Yes." The Keeper nodded. "Because time no longer knows which path to take."
Caius stared at her. "What does that mean?"
She turned to face him, and for the first time, he saw something behind her ageless expression—sorrow.
"It means that time itself is waiting for a decision."
The field around them shimmered, and suddenly, two pathways stretched before them—one bathed in golden light, the other shrouded in deep shadow.
Caius instinctively took a step back. "What are these?"
The Keeper gestured toward them. "Two possible futures."
He looked at the glowing path first. It pulsed with warmth, and in its shifting images, he saw glimpses of peace—Selene laughing in the palace gardens, Aldric standing tall before a rebuilt kingdom, Elias watching the sunrise over a thriving world. A world saved.
But the darkened path…
It sent a chill through him. The images flickered violently—war-torn lands, a sky split in two, Selene standing alone amidst ruins, tears streaking her face. He saw himself, standing atop a throne of shadows, eyes hollow, the Chronomancer's Heart burning in his grip.
His stomach twisted.
"I don't understand," he murmured. "Are these visions of the future?"
"They are possibilities," the Keeper said. "One will come to pass. The other will be lost."
Caius turned to her. "Then tell me how to choose the right one."
She shook her head. "I cannot."
His hands clenched into fists. "Why not?"
The Keeper sighed. "Because, Caius, you are the one who will decide. And time itself is waiting for your answer."
Caius felt his breath grow shallow. The sheer weight of what she was saying settled onto his shoulders like an unmovable burden.
"So that's it?" he asked. "The world is frozen because I haven't made a choice?"
"Yes."
He swallowed. "And if I choose wrong…?"
She looked at him, and for the first time, there was genuine sympathy in her eyes.
"Then time will take its path," she said. "And you must live with what follows."
Caius turned back to the two roads. His mind raced.
How could he possibly know which path was the right one?
What if the golden road was a lie?
What if the darkened road held a hidden truth?
Doubt twisted inside him like a blade.
Then he felt it—a hand on his shoulder.
Warm. Familiar. Steady.
Selene.
But when he turned, she wasn't there.
And yet… he had felt her.
A whisper brushed through his mind.
"Trust yourself."
His heart steadied.
Caius lifted his gaze to the roads ahead, took a deep breath—
And stepped forward.