Paris – 14:06 – February 10, 2027
The clock was pulsing.
And for the first time, its ticks weren't measured by seconds, but by choices.
Rain stood in the center of the room—but it wasn't the same room anymore.
Everything had changed after the eye opened on the glass.
Even the walls seemed narrower, as if they were closing in on his memory.
In his hand: the old notebook.
In his heart: something not yet born... but screaming.
He turned to the last page—only to find it writing itself anew:
"That which was never written cannot be erased.
And that which cannot be erased must be summoned."
Inside Niko – The Nameless Place
Niko didn't move. But his soul did.
He saw himself from above, from behind, from the future.
Voices spoke in languages he didn't understand—but somehow knew.
"You are not here to understand, but to be restructured."
"Your anomaly is not the flaw—it is the tool."
"The key is not Rain… it's you."
Niko shivered.
He suddenly realized that every moment of silence he'd lived
was hiding something—
and every answer he thought was true
had merely been a question in disguise.
Paris – 14:09
Lima rose from the floor.
The child had vanished, but she didn't scream.
Instead, she walked toward the balcony, opened the door, and looked up at the sky.
It was raining symbols.
Not water, but black letters falling gently—
as if the end of a book.
"Rain…" she said.
But the air cut the name before it could finish.
A single page landed on her hand, written in sharp ink:
"The next chapter begins with knowledge… not the answer."
Unknown Location – Cognitive Overlap Center – Critical Timing
All screens were frozen.
Except one.
In the center: a pulsating 3D field displaying a single image—
Rain opening a door that has not yet been built.
"We no longer control him."
"He's crossed the writing threshold."
"Which means…"
"He has begun to believe."
Inside Rain's Mind – 14:11
Three faces appeared before him:
One looked exactly like him, but wept.
Another laughed, mouth filled with ash.
A third had no eyes—but Rain felt it was the most honest.
"Which of you am I?" Rain asked.
"We are you… when you chose without knowing you did."
"And now?"
"Now… you must choose knowingly.
Not by running."
Paris – 14:12
Niko opened his eyes and found himself in front of a map.
It wasn't drawn in ink—but with names: places, memories, forgotten dreams.
In its center, a single word:
"Passage."
Rain stepped closer, eyes on a glowing point.
"What is this?"
"A place where books were forgotten—but not erased…
It's where real knowledge begins."
"Where is it?" Rain asked.
"I don't know yet…
But the library will."
End of Chapter Ten
❓ If the answer is not a key—but a chain,
Would you still dare to seek the question instead?
Teaser Ending:
"But that library wasn't just a building of books...
It was a gateway—where no soul returns the same."