The city before them shifted in strange waves of light and shadow, flickering as if the very air itself was unsure of its form. The voice of Roxy, though familiar, seemed distant now, like a memory lingering just out of reach.
Liam, his heart racing, turned to face her. Her figure was growing clearer, and yet, in her eyes, there was something cold — something unsettling.
"What do you mean, Roxy? What final choice?" he asked, his voice sharp with urgency.
Roxy's expression softened as she stepped closer, but the city around them seemed to pulse with an energy that made Liam feel like they were on the edge of something huge — something irreversible. "The Watcher's work isn't done. Not entirely. She's left a crack in your world — in all of your worlds. The only way to truly break free from it is to make the right choice. A choice that will determine if you can return… or if you'll be trapped here forever."
The words hung heavily in the air. The others stood in silence, processing her words, trying to understand the depth of what was being asked.
Zayn stepped forward, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean by 'crack in our world'? Isn't this the world we're supposed to be in?"
Roxy nodded, but there was a sadness in her eyes. "It's a version of it. A distorted version. A place where reality bends and breaks. What you've experienced here isn't real — it's been altered by the Watcher's power. She created this world to confuse you, to make you question everything. And in doing so, she created a rift."
Harry's voice cut through the tension, a quiet urgency in his tone. "So we're stuck here?"
Roxy shook her head, a slight smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Not if you make the right choice. But time is running out. The longer you stay here, the more this reality will become your new truth. You won't even remember who you were. You'll forget who you are."
Louis stepped up, his usual smirk replaced by a serious expression. "So, what's the choice? What do we have to do?"
Roxy's eyes met Liam's, her gaze intense. "You need to decide whether you want to return to your original world or stay here in this one. If you return, everything you've fought for — all the memories, all the moments — will come with you. But you'll be forced to face the consequences of your past choices. You won't be able to erase the pain. You'll have to confront it, face it head-on."
She paused, her voice quiet. "But if you stay here… you'll live in a version of peace. No fame, no pressure. But you'll lose yourselves. This world will erase you from existence as you were. You'll forget who you really are."
Liam stood frozen, his mind racing. He could feel the weight of the decision pressing down on him. On all of them.
"I don't know if we can make that choice," Niall said, his voice shaky. "How are we supposed to decide something like that? This place… it's so different. But it's also… not wrong, is it?"
Roxy took a deep breath. "That's the question, Niall. What do you want? What do you really want? A life without the burden of expectations, without the fame and all the chaos? Or do you want to face your past, to reclaim what you've lost?"
The group fell silent. Each of them seemed lost in their thoughts, the weight of the decision weighing heavily on them. Liam could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he turned to look at his friends. They had been through so much together, yet this final choice felt like it was tearing them apart.
"I don't know if we're ready to face it all again," Zayn said quietly. "The pressure… the constant eyes on us. But at least we knew who we were in that world."
Louis nodded. "And if we stay here, we'll forget who we are. What if that's worse? What if we lose ourselves completely?"
Harry took a deep breath. "But what if it's worth it? What if we can have peace, finally? No cameras, no screaming fans, no constant expectations."
Liam shook his head. "We can't forget who we are. We can't lose everything we've worked for."
Roxy's voice was soft but insistent. "You don't have to lose everything. But you do have to make a choice. The longer you wait, the more this world will bind you. It will erase your memories and replace them with new ones. You'll forget who you were and everything that came before."
Niall looked at her, his expression torn. "How do we know if we're making the right choice?"
"You won't know until you make it," Roxy said. "But remember this: You can always change your path, even if it's hard. There's no 'perfect' decision. There's just what feels right. What do you want?"
The group stood in silence for a long time, the weight of Roxy's words sinking in. Every one of them knew what was at stake.
After a long moment, Liam finally spoke, his voice steady but full of emotion. "I want to go back. We've been through too much to let it all go. We've made mistakes, but we can still fix them. We owe it to ourselves."
Zayn nodded. "I agree. I can't stay here, not knowing who I really am."
Louis stepped forward, his usual confident demeanor faltering slightly. "We've got unfinished business. We can't let the Watcher win by erasing everything."
Niall smiled, though it was a little sad. "I think we've had enough of this 'peace.' We're better when we're together, even if it's tough."
Harry looked at each of them, his expression soft. "If we're going to do this, we do it together. No matter what."
Roxy's gaze softened, and she gave them a single nod. "You've made the right choice. Now, all you need to do is take that final step."
With a deep breath, Liam stepped forward. The portal flickered again, its edges glowing with an intense, inviting light. It was the same path they had taken before, but this time, it was different. The world beyond it felt real. It felt like home.
One by one, they followed Liam, stepping toward the light.
And as they crossed the threshold, the world around them began to blur, the familiar sounds of the city filling their ears once more. They could feel the weight of everything they had fought for returning, the memories flooding back. The moments they had lost, the things they had forgotten, all came rushing back like a wave.
They were home.
And this time, they would never forget.