The aftermath of the temporal collapse left scars across the world. Cities flickered with afterimages of moments that never happened. Forests grew in reverse. Mountains hummed with displaced memories. But amidst the wreckage, hope endured.
Kaelen stood atop the restored Nexus Spire, overlooking the fractured skyline. Around him, the team gathered — Nova with her pulse gloves scorched and sparking, Seojun clutching the last stabilizer shard, and Lysara cloaked in shadows still bleeding from the timelines she crossed to reach them.
"There's still a signal," Nova said, scanning her gauntlet. "Low frequency. Deep underground. Beneath the old empire ruins."
Kaelen narrowed his eyes. "The root?"
Seojun nodded grimly. "If the Phantom was a branch... whatever's beneath the ashes of the First Empire is what's feeding it."
Their journey took them into the Cradle Abyss — a sinkhole of broken eras, where time fell like rain and space folded like paper. Descending deeper, they found relics of impossible civilizations: a library with books written in languages no species had ever spoken; skeletons of creatures yet to evolve.
At the bottom, they reached the Vault of Origin — an ancient chamber inscribed with pre-temporal glyphs. In the center: a pulse. Like a heart. Beating.
Kaelen stepped closer.
Then — a voice, ancient and calm, echoed through their minds:
"You have awakened the Source."
The chamber shook. The pulse turned into a roar. And from the walls, the shadows stirred — forming a new figure.
Not the Phantom.
Something older.
Something... original.