Akira didn't sleep.
The orb hovered above his palm, pulsing with slow, deliberate rhythm. It no longer blinked. It watched.
Outside, the rain had stopped. Inside, time felt suspended. The air was thick with silence, like the world itself was holding its breath.
He tried to leave the study once. The moment he stepped into the hallway, the orb flared violet and pulled him back with invisible force. It wasn't done with him. It had chosen him—and it wasn't letting go.
At dawn, the orb descended.
It hovered just above his chest, vibrating with a low hum that resonated in his bones. Akira's breath caught. He didn't know why, but he felt like he was standing at the edge of something vast—something ancient.
Then it touched him.
The moment the orb made contact with his skin, light exploded outward. Violet tendrils of energy wrapped around his body, lifting him off the ground. His eyes rolled back. His heart thundered.
Visions flooded his mind.
He saw cities collapsing under divine judgment. Mountains crumbling into dust. Oceans boiling. And above it all, a single eye—black as void, glowing with violet fire—watching everything.
He saw himself standing alone, surrounded by gods, with the Eye pulsing in his chest.
Then it was over.
Akira collapsed to the floor, gasping. The orb was gone.
He tore open his shirt and saw it: a glowing mark etched over his heart. A single eye, surrounded by ancient runes. No fragments. No slots. Just one.
> "You are the bearer," a voice whispered inside his mind. "The Eye of Eternity is yours."
He scrambled backward, heart racing. The voice wasn't his. It was older than language. It echoed through his thoughts like thunder in a canyon.
Suddenly, the journal reappeared—on the desk, untouched. He hadn't seen it since the night before. He opened it again. This time, only one page was filled.
> "The Eye of Eternity is the source. It sees all. Past, present, future. It anchors reality. It bends time. It cannot be destroyed."
Akira's hand trembled as he read.
> "There is only one Eye. It is not a weapon. It is not a gift. It is a force. To wield it is to challenge the divine order. To awaken it fully is to rewrite existence."
He didn't understand it all. But he understood one thing:
He had been chosen.
And the Eye was alive.
He stood slowly, the mark on his chest still glowing. The room felt different now. The air was heavier. The shadows deeper. The books on the shelves seemed to whisper as he passed.
He walked to the window and looked out.
The forest was still. The sky was clear. But something was wrong.
The birds weren't singing.
The wind wasn't blowing.
It was as if the world had paused.
Akira pressed his hand against the glass. The mark on his chest pulsed once, and suddenly, the world resumed. A breeze stirred the trees. A bird chirped. A cloud drifted across the sky.
He staggered back.
The Eye had stopped time.
He looked down at his hand. It was glowing faintly now, the same violet hue as the orb. He clenched his fist.
He wasn't normal anymore.
He turned back to the journal. The page had changed.
> "The Eye will test you. It will speak. It will command. You must obey—or be consumed."
Akira swallowed hard.
He didn't know what that meant. But he knew he couldn't ignore it.
He sat down at the desk, the journal open before him, and waited.
Minutes passed. Then hours.
Finally, the voice returned.
> "Akira Sato. You are the first mortal to bear me. You are the anchor. The vessel. The key."
Akira's eyes widened. "What do you want from me?"
> "Balance."
The word echoed through his soul.
> "The gods and successor have fractured and tormented the world. They fight for dominion. They twist time, bend truth, and poison fate. I see all. I remember all. I am the last Eye. The only Eye. And you are my bearer."
Akira's throat was dry. "What am I supposed to do?"
> "Restore what was broken. Rewrite what was corrupted. But first… survive."
The mark on his chest flared. The room darkened. The shadows twisted.
And then he heard it.
Footsteps.
Someone—or something—was approaching the house.
Akira stood, heart pounding. He didn't know who it was. But he knew one thing:
The Eye had awakened.
And the world would never be the same again until he changed it.