The numbers on the orb glowed, cold and final.
00:00:05
Lucian's mind was a storm. His father's triumphant smile. Marc's desperate struggle with Lucy. The entire universe waiting outside to destroy him for a crime he hadn't even committed.
A familiar, calm voice spoke in his mind. It was Cael, the system interface he'd ignored for so long.
You know you can end this right now. You just have to accept it. Become the Infinal God.
"No," Lucian thought back, the refusal instant and absolute. "It's too late. The transformation would take too long. By the time I finished, this would all be over. He would have won."
The reset was always inevitable, Lucian. It is a function of this reality. A cycle.
The timer ticked down.
00:00:04
"What are you talking about?" Lucian's focus split between the looming orb and the silent conversation in his head.
