The ancient gate continued to open.
Not quickly.
Not slowly.
It opened with the inevitability of dawn.
Every movement was accompanied by a sound unlike anything Kael had ever heard.
It was not stone grinding against stone.
Nor metal scraping against metal.
It sounded like...
The turning of countless forgotten pages.
The breathing beyond the gate grew louder.
Deep.
Steady.
Ancient.
The sea of possibilities fell completely silent.
Even the newborn stars stopped dancing.
The Last Observer stood motionless before the gate.
For the first time since its awakening...
It no longer looked at Kael.
It no longer looked at the blooming flower.
Its entire attention rested upon what lay beyond the ancient doorway.
Kael tightened his grip around the transformed Gardener's Key.
The newly formed sixth branch glowed faintly, wrapped around the Seed of Tomorrow.
"...What is behind that gate?"
No one answered immediately.
Orion's eyes remained fixed on the opening.
His warm expression had disappeared completely.
The Keeper slowly walked beside Kael.
"I hoped..."
"...you would never see this."
Kael looked at him.
"You knew it existed?"
The Keeper nodded.
"I knew of it."
"I have never crossed its threshold."
"Neither has the World Tree."
Kael frowned.
"Not even the World Tree?"
"No."
"It was forbidden."
The words settled heavily in the silence.
Forbidden...
To the World Tree itself.
The gate opened another hand's width.
Golden mist slowly drifted through the gap.
Unlike the silver light of the World Tree...
Unlike the blue flame of Eli's lantern...
Unlike the endless stars of the Fifth Lock...
This mist felt...
Warm.
Gentle.
It carried no overwhelming pressure.
No hostility.
Instead...
Kael felt an overwhelming sense of homesickness.
As if somewhere beyond that gate...
Something had been waiting for him since the day he was born.
The feeling frightened him.
Because it was stronger than reason.
The Last Observer finally spoke.
Its voice remained calm.
**"Origin detected."**
The Watcher's countless silver eyes immediately brightened.
**"Confirm."**
The Last Observer answered.
**"Confirmed."**
Orion quietly whispered,
"...So it truly survived."
Kael turned toward him.
"What survived?"
Orion slowly closed his eyes.
"The First Dream."
Silence.
"The..."
Kael couldn't finish the sentence.
Orion looked at the distant gate.
"Before there were civilizations..."
"Before memory..."
"Before observation..."
"There was a dream."
"A single possibility."
"It dreamed of life."
As he spoke...
The golden mist began taking shape.
Mountains.
Rivers.
Forests.
Cities.
Entire worlds appeared and disappeared within the drifting light.
None remained for more than a heartbeat.
"They were only dreams."
Orion smiled faintly.
"But one of them..."
"...became reality."
Kael's breathing slowed.
"Our world..."
Orion nodded.
"The world you fight to protect."
"It was once only a dream."
The Keeper quietly added,
"And every possibility born since then..."
"...is merely another dream seeking reality."
The ancient gate trembled.
A single golden leaf floated out.
Unlike the silver leaves of the World Tree...
This one never stopped changing.
Spring.
Summer.
Autumn.
Winter.
Again and again.
The leaf finally landed in Kael's hand.
The moment his fingers touched it...
A vision erupted inside his mind.
He stood in complete darkness.
No stars.
No sky.
No earth.
Nothing.
Then...
A single tiny light appeared.
It wasn't a sun.
It wasn't a star.
It was...
A child.
The child sat alone in the darkness, hugging its knees.
Its eyes were closed.
It looked peaceful.
Lonely.
Small.
Yet every time it breathed...
New galaxies bloomed around it.
Every heartbeat created another universe.
Every dream gave birth to another possibility.
Kael whispered,
"...Who are you?"
The child slowly opened its eyes.
They were neither silver...
Nor golden...
Nor blue.
They reflected every color that had ever existed.
The child smiled.
"I was wondering..."
Its voice was soft.
Almost playful.
"...when my Gardener would arrive."
Kael froze.
"My..."
Before he could finish—
The vision shattered.
He found himself once more inside the Fifth Lock.
The golden leaf had vanished.
Only the warmth remained in his hand.
Orion stared at him.
"You saw something."
Kael nodded slowly.
"A child."
Neither Orion nor the Keeper looked surprised.
Instead...
They exchanged a silent glance.
The Keeper whispered,
"So it chose to reveal itself..."
Orion sighed.
"Earlier than expected."
Kael looked between them.
"You both know who it is."
Orion answered gently.
"Yes."
"But if we tell you..."
"...you'll misunderstand."
Kael almost laughed.
"Everyone keeps saying that."
Orion smiled apologetically.
"I know."
"But some truths..."
"...must become experiences."
Before Kael could protest—
The Last Observer suddenly took a step toward the gate.
Its immense form bowed.
Not out of fear.
Out of respect.
The Watcher's countless eyes followed.
Every one of them lowered.
The sight was unbelievable.
The being that had threatened civilizations...
The existence that erased history...
Now bowed before whatever lay beyond the ancient gate.
The gate slowly opened wider.
Warm golden light flooded the sea of possibilities.
The blooming flower beside Kael turned toward that light.
Its petals opened even further.
The Seed of Tomorrow pulsed faster.
Kael's heart beat in the same rhythm.
Then...
Footsteps echoed from beyond the gate.
Light.
Bare.
Childlike.
One...
Two...
Three...
A tiny silhouette slowly emerged from the golden mist.
It was no taller than a six-year-old child.
Long dark hair rested against a simple white robe.
Its bare feet left glowing flowers wherever they touched.
The child looked around curiously.
First at Orion.
Then at the Keeper.
Then at the Last Observer.
Finally...
Its eyes settled upon Kael.
A bright smile spread across its face.
"There you are."
The child laughed happily and began running toward him.
"I've been waiting for you for such a long time!"
Kael instinctively stepped forward, completely bewildered.
The child stopped only a few feet away.
Looking up at him with eyes filled with innocent joy.
Then, without warning, it asked the one question that caused Orion, the Keeper, and even the Last Observer to become completely still.
"Will you help me..."
The child's smile softened.
"...dream the next world?"