The first disconnection was silent.
There was no explosion, no light. Just… the connection was broken. When Eva felt it, she knew there was no turning back. One universe had separated from the others. It wasn't unreachable; it was meaningless. There were coordinates, but no equivalent.
Noah checked his wrist.
"This isn't possible," he said. "Universes don't disconnect. They collapse or merge."
Eva shook her head.
"Now there's a third option."
Mara looked around.
"Will people notice?"
Eva replied:
"No," she said. "Most will just… feel that things aren't connected as they used to be."
At that moment, the air grew heavy.
A frequency opened.
It wasn't familiar. But it was regular.
"Eva," said a metallic voice.
"Your location has been detected."
Mara flinched.
"Who is this?"
Noah's face hardened.
"The Defenders of Order," he said. "The remnants of the Central Board."
Eva closed her eyes.
"They're too late."
The voice continued:
"With charges of threshold breach, universe rupture, and consciousness manipulation—"
"Not a crime," Eva said loudly. "A consequence."
There was a brief pause.
"Surrender," the voice said. "Let's prevent further damage."
Eva laughed. A short, weary laugh.
"Damage," she said. "You mean that people can finally truly choose?"
The answer was harsh.
"Order is superior to choice."
Mara turned to Eva.
"Will these… stop us?"
Eva looked at her.
"Yes," she said. "And they will, believing they are right."
Mara's change became apparent at that moment.
A soldier stopped as he approached. His weapon trembled.
"Stop," Mara said.
The soldier froze.
Eva stared in astonishment.
"Mara… what did you do?"
Mara frowned.
"I couldn't choose," she said. "So… instead, I felt the possibilities."
The soldier backed away.
"An order…," he said. "An order was given, but—"
"Noah," Eva said,
"is this normal?"
Noah slowly shook his head.
"No," he said.
"This… is new."
Mara whispered:
"I can't make decisions, Eva.
But I can… stop the moment others make decisions."
Eva felt a pang of anxiety.
"This is very dangerous."
"I know," Mara said.
"But it works."
The sky darkened again.
This time Ekrech spoke.
But his voice no longer came from a single source.
"That's why I've returned, Eva," he said. "One person can disrupt the order.
But the consequences… spread to everyone."
Eva looked around.
"Come out," he said.
"Stop running."
"I'm not running," Ekrech said.
"I'm preparing."
Noah said sharply:
"You can still stop him."
Eva shook her head.
"No," she said.
"Not anymore."
Mara looked at Eva.
"What does that mean?"
Eva took a deep breath.
"Stopping Ekrech," she said,
"means restoring order."
Ekrech's voice softened.
"And you can't do that anymore."
Eva closed her eyes.
"Because I… am not on the side of order."
Silence.
Then Ekrech whispered:
"The ground is set, Eva.
The final confrontation… is now inevitable."
Eva looked up.
"Then," she said,
"this time I won't make a choice."
Mara placed her hand on Eva's arm.
"What will you do?"
Eva looked at the horizon. At the broken universe. At the shattered bonds.
"I will be the result."