The door at the far end of the Vault shimmered like a mirage. Its edges pulsed in and out of phase, its surface reflecting not what was in front of it, but what was within.
Ethan stared at it, unnerved. It looked like a threshold made of thought—both inviting and terrible. The shard in his chest vibrated, more intense than ever.
Lily placed a hand on his shoulder. "What do you think is on the other side?"
He shook his head slowly. "It's not just a door to somewhere... it's a door to when."
They stepped forward together. The closer they came, the more the world behind them faded. Time had no jurisdiction here. There was no past, no present, no memory or dream. Only truth.
When they passed through, Ethan expected a blinding light or a jolt of pain.
Instead, they emerged into a room. Not vast, not ancient—just a study. A small chamber lined with books, clocks, and half-dismantled machines. Dust floated lazily in the air. A window overlooked an endless void speckled with starfields.
A single figure sat at a desk, writing.
The figure turned.
Ethan's breath caught.
It was his mentor.
Dr. Ellian Morrow.
"You made it," Ellian said, smiling faintly. "I was beginning to wonder which version of you would arrive."
Ethan stepped forward slowly. "You're alive?"
"Alive is a matter of semantics here," Ellian replied, gesturing around the chamber. "This place—this is the Conflux. Where all timelines touch. Where possibilities weave and unwind."
Lily narrowed her eyes. "Why didn't you tell Ethan the truth?"
Ellian's gaze was apologetic. "Because he needed to walk the labyrinth himself. Only by fracturing could he understand how to restore."
Ethan lowered his eyes. "All this time... you were watching?"
"Yes," Ellian said. "But never interfering. Until now."
He rose and approached a side table. On it sat a second shard—darker than Ethan's, but not malevolent. It pulsed like an unanswered question.
"This is the Keystone," Ellian said. "The final link. It will either cement the choices you've made... or undo them."
Ethan stared at it. "And if I choose wrong?"
"Then time reverts. Everything you've done, seen, saved—it resets."
Lily stepped beside Ethan. "We're not going backward."
Ellian nodded solemnly. "Then you must forge the path forward. A new tether. One that can endure both chaos and clarity."
Ethan took the Keystone. It was light and heavy all at once. He pressed it to his shard. A blinding surge of energy erupted from the contact, lifting him off the ground.
Visions—every world, every version, every possible Ethan—rushed through him.
And then… silence.
When he opened his eyes, they were outside the Vault. Back in the world of flowing time.
But something had changed.
Above them, the stars had rearranged.
A new constellation. A spiral. The mark of the Voyager.
Ethan smiled faintly.
"We've rewritten the rules," he whispered.
Lily grinned. "Then let's see what future we've made."
They turned, hand in hand, and walked into a world brimming with infinite promise.