Lucian opened his eyes, but the world around him was not what he knew. He was sitting on a translucent surface that was neither hot nor cold, as if time and sensation had dissipated. Above itself, the sky was a tapestry of stars in constant motion, forming constellations that seemed to tell ancient stories. The air was calm, but charged with an overwhelming presence.
He tried to move, but seemed stuck, not by chains, but by the gravity of that place. Each attempt made the world around him vibrate slightly, as if suspended in the thread between the real and the ethereal.
"Finally, you are here."
The voice did not come from any specific place, yet it seemed to surround Lucian completely. It was deep and resonant, but there was a softness in it that made him shudder. Lucian raised his eyes and saw a figure emerge from the glow of the stars.
"Who... who are you?" Lucian murmurpu, his voice almost inaudible.
"I am Kronosis" she replied, her voice echoing like a thousand whispers "the guardian of time and death. And you, my child, are one of the few souls who have challenged my cycle."
Kronosis.
She was not as Lucian had imagined a goddess. Her traits were fluid, a combination of all the human faces he had ever seen and some that he could not comprehend. Her eyes were like mirrors of the infinite, reflecting worlds and ages that he could hardly conceive. Her form oscillated between the human and the divine, with parts of her body fragmenting into golden sand, as if it were eternally disintegrating and reconstituting itself.
Lucian tried to get up, but felt a slight pressure that stopped him. Kronosis moved slowly, as if observing him in full, and then an enigmatic smile appeared on her lips.
"You shouldn't be here" she said, leaning slightly "But fate, as always, is a line full of us. In the end, I saw myself waiting for it."
"I... died?" Lucian asked a little hesitantly.
"Not exactly. You are on the threshold between life and death, a place where few are allowed to walk."
Kronosis reached out, and a golden sphere of light formed above her palm. Within it, Lucian saw scenes of his life: his childhood filled with happiness alongside Cassander and Cadec, then the loneliness after falling into Raven's trap, the neglect in his Abandoned Palace, the moments with Magnus and, finally, the explosion of light as he placed himself between Magnus and Geledel's emissary's weapon.
"You saved two lives, but sacrificed yours in return. It's a fair balance, but unbalanced by something bigger."
Lucian took a deep breath, trying to organize the thoughts that were crumbling in his mind.
"What do you mean?"
Kronosis tilted her head, as if deciding how much to reveal.
"Do you remember who you were, Lucian? Not just the neglected prince, but who you were before coming to this world."
Lucian frowned. Fragments of his life as Luciano appeared in his mind: a modern world, an ordinary life, and the moment when he was "transported" to the novel that he thought was fiction.
"I... I thought it was someone else. A reader who fell for this story."
"Yes and no" said Kronosis, her voice calm but sharp "You were Luciano, yes. A reflection of who Lucian might have been if the cycle had not been interrupted. The forbidden ritual of your father, the Emperor, and Cassander brought you back, but not as before. You reincarnated as Luciano and then returned to your previous life as Lucian, with your memories sealed."
Lucian felt a knot tighten in his throat. He remembered when the prince's parents had told about the ritual, and Skyler's hypothesis... That story was so terrible that Lucian preferred to ignore it for now, since he did not know how to face such revelations. However, now it were thrown in his face, forcing him to think about it even if it was uncomfortable.
In the end he had "died" as prophesied.
"So this was not a dream... or a story?"
Kronosis took a step forward, her presence becoming more tangible.
"No. It was your first life, with your fate sealed. When the ritual was done and the request whispered to me with such despair, the thread of fate drew you back into this world. That's why you thought you had "made history," but in fact you just went back to the place that was your home."
Lucian closed his eyes, feeling the truth of his words as a suffocating wave.
"And why let me live all this again? Why make me remember only parts?"
"Because fate is fragile, my child" Kronosis replied, her voice becoming more grave "If you had all the memories from the beginning, it would have destroyed the balance. The decisions you made were your own, guided by fragments of what you needed to know."
Around him, stars have emerged showing possibilities. Lucian saw himself in different scenarios that he has already experienced, but with different choices. Watching it, he understood what the goddess meant.
Had he returned to time, to his first life, with all the memories from his childhood until his death, Lucian would never have joined Magnus. He would have marched directly to the person who killed him, longing for revenge. And his foolish actions would bring ruin to that reality.
"So, to avoid you mind's break, I showed your life as a story from another point of view. Seeing the situations outside would allow you to prepare for your return."
The alpha widened his eyes, understanding what she meant by that. Returning to observe the possibilities, he perceived the image of Elyon dead, and also saw Maverick and Stephen fallen on the ground amid the chaos of the Imperial Palace. Had they also died with the betrayal of Raven?
"Why..."
"Magnus is alive, though that is not his original destiny. And he carries a life with him. The thread of fate needs a price to be paid to keep it alive. You know what I mean?"
"So... all the suffering, all the losses... were inevitable?"
"Not everything" replied Kronosis, leaning to look him in the eyes "But you had to get here. You had to understand the weight of sacrifice, because now you have a choice."
"A choice?"
Kronosis reached out both hands. In one, a bright sphere that seemed to pulsate with life. In the other, a dark sphere like an absolute void.
"You can return to the mortal world, to Magnus, to the Empire, but with the awareness that everything will be decided by your own actions. Or you can move on to a new life cycle, a place where time and death will no longer have control over you. You can go back to being Luciano."
Lucian looked up at the spheres, his mind spinning. He saw the stars reflecting his childhood, the smile of a child playing with his half-brothers and Cassander. The happiness of being loved by his parents, who hugged him tight and kissed his childish cheeks as if the child was the reason for their happiness.
Lucian wanted to cry.
Because, deep down, did Lucian want it back instead of the loneliness of the Abandoned Palace. But what could guarantee that he would get it all back?
"And what is the price of coming back?"
Kronosis smiled lightly, but her eyes showed gravity.
"The price is simple: accept your life as my child. Help the one with whom I can connect, and guide your people through faith. But if you wish to return to be Luciano, you must accept your full mortality. No protection, no second chances and no memories of what happened here."
The silence between them seemed eternal. Lucian felt the weight of choice.
"Back... I feel that I'm too tired to deal with the problems of Roveaven" Lucian muttered, feeling his body weigh suddenly.
The goddess stared at him silently, watching the alpha observe the possibilities carefully. It was clear that Lucian was exhausted. Tired of trying to fight your own fate and stay alive. Now that it was no longer a fictional story but its reality, the fear of other dangers could come made him hesitant.
Lucian looked back, watching at the fragments of his life in the modern era, like Luciano. It was a lonely life, though he did not complain. Had a good and exhaustive job, had his own apartment... But at least he didn't have to live in fear of being killed any moment by some crazy villain.
His eyes weighed more. The body bowed to the ground.
"I don't want to... be alone again" muttered the alpha, facing the life of a neglected prince in front of him, as a reflection "I'm tired..."
Kronosis approached, touching Lucian's forehead with a feather-light finger. A bright light enveloped him, and Lucian felt the ground disappear under his feet. The goddess laid him on her lap, and he felt covered by a heat that scared away the cold of loneliness.
"It's all right, my child. Take your time to decide."
"Hm... I need to go back...." Mumbled Lucian almost falling asleep. "But, will someone be waiting for me?"
The last thing he heard was the voice of Kronosis, soft and enigmatic.
"You are stronger than you think, Lucian of Roveaven. Don't forget that. Loneliness is unable to hurt you now."
The Goddess's right arm turned into the scythe of death. It rested on Lucian's neck, who slept deeply. There was a third option as well, never to return. But the Goddess would wait patiently for the decision of her chosen son.