Part Two
Wen De dreamed.
But it wasn't the kind of dream shaped by memory or imagination.
It was structured.
Intentional.
He stood once again in the star-filled void from before.
This time, he wasn't alone.
The older version of himself stood across from him — the one from the battlefield before the fractured throne.
"Am I you?" Wen De asked.
The man studied him silently.
"I am what you were meant to become."
"That's not comforting."
The void shifted.
Scenes unfolded around them.
Worlds connected by luminous pathways.
Energy flowing between realms like blood through arteries.
Civilizations rising.
Advancing.
Thriving.
Then —
The flow redirected.
The energy began funneling upward.
Toward a central point.
The Origin Throne.
Worlds dimmed as their spiritual essence was siphoned away.
Entire planets turned gray.
Lifeless.
"Maintenance," the older Wen De said quietly.
"That's what they called it."
"They were killing them."
"Yes."
The scene changed.
A council of radiant figures floating before the Throne.
Arguing.
Divided.
One voice demanded balance.
Another demanded control.
"You chose to rebel," Wen De whispered.
"I chose to sever the network."
"And failed."
The older version met his eyes.
"I succeeded."
The luminous pathways shattered across the void.
Realms disconnected violently.
Chaos erupted.
The Throne lashed out.
The older Wen De was struck by a beam of light that tore through his chest.
His body began to dissolve.
"You sealed Earth," Wen De realized.
"Yes."
"Why Earth?"
"Because Earth was different."
Before Wen De could ask how —
The void fractured.
The dream destabilized.
A new presence entered.
Cold.
Measured.
Observing.
The older version's expression darkened.
"They're searching for you again."
"Who?"
But the dream collapsed before he received an answer.