The valley remained silent after the newcomer's revelation.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Even the endless shadows kneeling beyond the crimson doorway seemed frozen in place. The only sound came from the distant wind sweeping across the mountains and the faint hum of energy flowing through the fractures hanging above reality.
Ayan stood motionless.
The bridge continued pulsing beneath his skin.
Owner.
The word echoed through his thoughts again and again.
It didn't make sense.
Nothing about it made sense.
The bridge was an ancient artifact. A remnant of forgotten civilizations. A fragment of Genesis itself. It had existed for countless ages before he was born.
How could he possibly be its owner?
The newcomer appeared to understand exactly what he was thinking.
"That's the correct reaction."
Its voice remained calm.
"You should be confused."
Ayan frowned.
"Then explain."
The newcomer smiled faintly.
"Unfortunately, I don't know enough to do that."
The answer immediately irritated everyone.
The figure folded its arms.
The giant looked unimpressed.
Even the king seemed annoyed.
The newcomer noticed their reactions and laughed softly.
"It's true."
The smile slowly faded.
"I know what I saw."
Its gaze settled on Ayan.
"I don't know what it means."
The bridge pulsed.
A sudden memory surfaced.
Ayan found himself standing inside a vast chamber illuminated by silver light. Countless pathways stretched outward from a central platform, disappearing into endless darkness. The structure resembled the network he had seen before, but larger. Older.
At the center of everything stood a throne.
The sight immediately caught his attention.
The throne wasn't decorated.
It wasn't impressive.
Compared to the surrounding structure, it actually looked simple.
Yet every pathway connected to it.
Every road.
Every gate.
Every bridge.
The memory ended before he could approach.
Reality returned.
Ayan inhaled sharply.
The bridge continued pulsing.
The newcomer noticed immediately.
"What did you see?"
Ayan described the vision.
The reaction was immediate.
The giant froze.
The figure's eyes widened slightly.
Even the king looked genuinely surprised.
The newcomer became silent.
For the first time since arriving, it looked concerned.
"That's impossible."
The statement immediately captured everyone's attention.
Ayan frowned.
"You keep saying that."
The newcomer ignored him.
Its expression remained focused.
"Describe the throne."
Ayan hesitated.
"There wasn't much to describe."
The newcomer stepped forward slightly.
"Tell me anyway."
The unusual urgency caught everyone off guard.
Ayan thought back to the memory.
"It was made from silver stone. No symbols. No decorations. Nothing special."
The newcomer closed its eyes.
The giant muttered a curse.
The figure looked toward the king.
Nobody seemed happy.
Ayan was beginning to hate that reaction.
"What?"
The newcomer opened its eyes.
"The Throne of Paths."
Silence followed.
The name carried weight.
Not because of the words themselves.
Because of everyone's reaction.
The bridge pulsed harder.
The newcomer continued.
"We destroyed it."
A cold feeling settled in Ayan's chest.
The figure nodded slowly.
"I watched it happen."
The giant folded his arms.
"So did I."
The king remained silent.
The newcomer looked toward the crimson doorway.
"I personally made sure nothing survived."
The statement hung heavily in the air.
Then its gaze returned to Ayan.
"Which means you shouldn't be able to remember it."
The bridge pulsed.
Another memory surfaced.
This one arrived more clearly than usual.
A gigantic structure stretching across reality itself. Endless pathways flowed outward from a central location. Civilizations traveled between worlds. Knowledge spread. Entire species worked together.
The atmosphere felt alive.
Hopeful.
Then something changed.
A warning echoed across the network.
People began running.
Doors started closing.
Pathways disappeared one after another.
The central structure trembled.
Panic spread.
Then the memory shattered.
Ayan staggered slightly.
The bridge continued vibrating.
The newcomer looked troubled.
The figure looked worse.
Far beyond the silver fracture, the king slowly stepped forward beneath the great tower. Silver light drifted around him while the impossible city remained silent behind him.
"You remember that place."
The statement wasn't a question.
Ayan nodded slowly.
The king's expression darkened.
"More clearly each time."
Again, Ayan nodded.
Nobody spoke afterward.
Because the answer worried everyone.
The bridge pulsed.
Ayan suddenly realized something.
The memories were changing.
Earlier visions had always felt distant.
Like watching someone else's life.
Recently, however, they had become different.
Closer.
More personal.
The realization made him uncomfortable.
Very uncomfortable.
The newcomer seemed to notice.
"You're starting to understand."
Ayan looked toward him.
"No."
The newcomer smiled sadly.
"That's the problem."
Silence followed.
The bridge pulsed again.
The sensation felt stronger than before.
The figure slowly turned toward the crimson doorway. Its expression immediately hardened.
Everyone noticed.
The giant followed its gaze.
Then the king.
Then Ayan.
Something had changed.
The darkness beyond the doorway seemed deeper now.
Not physically.
The atmosphere had changed.
The endless shadows remained kneeling, but their posture looked different. Tense. Expectant.
Like soldiers waiting for orders.
A cold wind swept through the valley.
The newcomer became serious.
The playful attitude disappeared instantly.
"That's not good."
Nobody needed clarification.
The giant looked toward the fracture.
"It's moving faster."
The figure nodded.
"Much faster."
Ayan felt the bridge react.
Not fear.
Urgency.
The sensation spread through his body like electricity.
Another memory surfaced.
A battlefield.
Ruined worlds.
Broken pathways.
Civilizations fleeing through collapsing gates.
The atmosphere felt desperate.
Then he saw someone standing at the center of it all.
A single figure.
The image remained blurry.
Yet one detail stood out clearly.
The figure sat upon a throne.
The same throne.
The memory shattered.
Reality returned.
Ayan froze.
The bridge pulsed violently.
The newcomer stared.
The giant stared.
The king stared.
Nobody spoke.
Then the newcomer sighed.
The sound carried centuries of exhaustion.
"I was afraid of that."
The statement immediately drew attention.
The figure narrowed its eyes.
"What aren't you telling us?"
The newcomer remained silent for several moments.
The crimson doorway trembled in the distance.
The darkness beyond it shifted.
And somewhere within that darkness, something enormous continued approaching.
Eventually, the newcomer looked toward Ayan.
Its expression had become completely serious.
"The Throne of Paths wasn't created."
The valley became silent.
The bridge pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The newcomer's gaze never left Ayan.
"It was inherited."
Ayan felt cold spreading through his chest.
Because suddenly—
The memories didn't feel like memories anymore.
They felt like recollections.
And there was a terrifying difference between the two.