The walls of the Vault of Origin trembled with each beat of the ancient pulse. Kaelen gritted his teeth, sword drawn, as the shadows coalesced into a figure towering and formless — its body woven from streams of time itself.
The entity spoke without words, its voice resonating in their minds like a thousand overlapping echoes:
"You walk the edge of the first fracture. I am not your enemy — I am your beginning."
Nova raised her pulse-gloves. "That doesn't sound comforting."
The figure stepped forward. With each movement, the ground shimmered — past and future overlaying reality. Seojun stumbled back as his own reflection aged decades in the blink of an eye.
Kaelen held steady. "If you're the Source, then you're the one the Phantom fed from."
"He was a splinter," the Source said. "A memory given shape. I am the truth that was buried to protect existence."
Lysara stepped forward. "Then why return now?"
"Because time is unraveling. The Nexus stabilized the branches, but without the root... all will collapse."
A portal opened behind the Source — revealing a realm beyond comprehension. Floating cities torn by stormlight, stars blinking in reverse, creatures of pure time observing them in stillness.
"Enter," the Source beckoned. "You must witness the first paradox. Only there will you understand what must be done."
Kaelen turned to the others. They nodded.
Together, they stepped through the veil — and into the origin of time itself.