The chamber fell silent.
Not a breath.
Not a tremor.
Even the dust hung still in the air,as if afraid to fall in front of the man standing above them.
The Void-Seeker descended from the ruins with slow, deliberate steps—
each one bending the shadows at his feet,
each one radiating controlled power.
Kashyap stared at him—
older,sharper, carved by battles across worlds.
Mandakini felt her own heartbeat slam against her ribs.
He wasn't just another version of Kashyap.
He was something beyond human.
The cracked mask glowed faintly.
"Don't be afraid," the Void-Seeker said softly, his voice dangerously calm.
"If I wished to kill you,this world would've turned to dust the moment you arrived."
The younger Mandakini flinched, anger boiling through her fear.
"You said that before you broke everything!"
He didn't even look at her.
His attention—his entire focus—was on Kashyap and Mandakini.
Kashyap took a step forward.
"Why are you hunting us?"
A low, amused exhale escaped the Void-Seeker.
"Hunting you?"
He tilted his head.
"No,Kashyap. I'm protecting you."
Mandakini narrowed her eyes.
"From what?Those anomalies? You created them!"
The Void-Seeker tapped a finger against his cracked mask.
"Incorrect."
He pointed at Kashyap.
"He did."
Mandakini stepped in front of Kashyap—instinctive, protective.
The Void-Seeker smiled beneath the mask.
"Just like before.Always in front of him. Always shielding him from what he needs to hear."
Mandakini's jaw clenched. "Say it."
The Void-Seeker spread his hands as if giving a lecture.
"When he touched the Pulse, it did not simply mark him. It chose him. And the moment he entered a world that wasn't his… that world began to unravel."
Kashyap shook his head.
"No.You're twisting this."
"I'm warning you," the Void-Seeker corrected.
The ground trembled—softly, like it feared interrupting him.
"You are a beacon," he continued. "The Gates recognize you. The timelines bend for you. Every reality you step into begins to reshape itself."
Mandakini whispered:
"Are you saying he's…dangerous just by existing?"
The Void-Seeker nodded gently.
"Yes.And so are you."
Mandakini's face hardened.
"And what about you?What did you become?"
"A necessity," he answered simply.
Then the temperature dropped.
The anomalies screeched in the distance—
drawn closer by the presence of both Kashyaps,
two identical signatures colliding.
The younger Mandakini backed away, horrified.
"They're converging!"
The Void-Seeker ignored the chaos and knelt, picking up the Pulse stabilizer Kashyap carried.
He turned it over in his hand, almost fondly.
"I built this to track the remaining stable worlds…the ones not yet corrupted by the Gates."
He handed it back to Kashyap.
"You,on the other hand, can't even control the imprint left inside you."
Kashyap bristled.
"Teach me,then."
Mandakini's eyes snapped toward him.
Kashyap kept his gaze locked on his darker self.
"You said you're protecting us. Prove it."
The Void-Seeker stood still for a long moment.
Then smiled slowly.
"That's the first intelligent thing you've said."
He extended a hand.
"Come with me,Kashyap. I'll show you what the multiverse truly looks like. What you truly are."
Mandakini instantly grabbed Kashyap's arm.
"No."
Kashyap turned to her.
"Manda—"
"No."
Her voice shook with fear she couldn't hide.
"He's manipulating you."
The Void-Seeker chuckled.
"Do you really think I need to manipulatemyself?"
Kashyap hesitated.
The Void-Seeker took one step closer.
"All I want is to prevent you from making the same mistakes I made."
Mandakini stepped between them.
"If he goes with you…I go too."
The Void-Seeker's voice turned cold, almost pitying.
"No.You can't."
"Why not?" she demanded.
He stared at her—through her—seeing more than she wanted him to.
"Because you are the anchor of his instability.
And mine."
Mandakini felt her breath stop.
Kashyap stepped in front of her this time, fists clenched.
"You don't talk to her like that."
The ground split.
The anomalies burst into the chamber—
screeching,twisting, rushing toward the two Kashyaps like predators smelling prey.
The Void-Seeker whispered:
"And that…is why we have run out of time."
He snapped his fingers.
A black portal tore open behind him—
smooth,stable, impossibly controlled.
Kashyap grabbed Mandakini's hand.
"I'm not leaving her."
The Void-Seeker's eyes glowed behind the mask.
"If she comes,the Gate collapses."
"And if I don't?" Kashyap asked.
The Void-Seeker's answer was simple.
"This world collapses first."
The chamber shook violently.
The anomalies were almost upon them.
Mandakini squeezed Kashyap's hand hard.
"Kashyap…choose."
His heart pounded.
His pulse roared.
Two futures stretched before him—
one with Mandakini,now,
one with the version of himself he feared becoming.
The Void-Seeker extended his hand again.
"Come.Before everything you love becomes dust."
Mandakini pulled him back.
"Kashyap.Don't leave me."
The world trembled.
The anomalies lunged.
Kashyap made his choice.