The Crown Nexus stood silent before them—looming, eternal, untouched by time. Its outer shell pulsed with remnants of forgotten realities, like a heart beating in reverse. With the five shards fused into the Eternis Edge, the gate recognized Akuzai—not just as a warrior, but as a witness to all that had been lost.
As the gate cracked open, a wave of memories flooded the air.
Not theirs—everyone's.
They stepped inside and were immediately surrounded by the Echo Fields, a dimension where memories walked, talked, and attacked like living specters. Tanishk appeared, eyes full of fire. Anuj followed, cloaked in mist. Even Rivan's younger self emerged—hopeful, kind, unbroken.
"These aren't visions," Ishara whispered. "They're timeline imprints. Echoes left behind by choices made—and those never taken."
Each of them was forced to confront their deepest truths.
Aditya faced his own hesitation during the moment Tanishk died. "You froze," the echo said. "You could have saved him."
"I wasn't strong enough then," Aditya replied, voice hard but honest. "But I'm not that man anymore."
The echo nodded—and vanished.
Abhishek saw his alternate self—a future tyrant born of control. "Is this what you become when you lose everyone?"
Abhishek clenched his fists. "No. I protect so no one else becomes you."
Akuzai found himself alone.
Across from him stood a version of Rivan—gentle, kind, confused.
"I never meant to betray you," the echo said. "I just wanted to fix what was broken."
Akuzai lowered his blade. "And I wanted to believe you."
The echo stepped forward—and transformed into a dark silhouette with glowing red eyes. The real Rivan had reached them.
"Touched enough memories?" Rivan's voice echoed across the chamber. "Good. Then you understand. This isn't betrayal—it's salvation."
He appeared fully now, cloaked in ethereal armor, the corrupted Crown Sigil burned into his chest. Behind him, the Rewrite Matrix pulsed—millions of timelines awaiting his command.
"You still don't see it," Rivan said, voice calm, almost pitying. "You're fighting to preserve chaos. I'm fighting for peace."
Akuzai stepped forward, Eternis Edge glowing. "Peace without freedom isn't peace. It's control."
Rivan smiled. "Then come. See how free you feel… when your fate is rewritten."
The chamber began to collapse as the final arena formed: the Heart of the Nexus.
Past and future had brought them here.
Now only the present remained.