The moment Aadhiyan and Eran stepped deeper into the glowing corridor, the temperature changed.
Not colder.
Not warmer.
Just… aligned.
Like the air itself recognized Aadhiyan and adjusted to him.
Eran shivered. "Okay. I officially don't trust this place. Air should not have preferences."
Aadhiyan didn't respond.
His eyes stayed fixed ahead as the corridor descended, spiraling down in an ancient design older than any kingdom that existed today.
Soft blue lights pulsed along the walls.
Each pulse felt like a heartbeat.
Not his.
Not the sanctuary's.
Something older.
The system chimed.
[Paradox Refuge status: Active]
[Temporal stability: 98%]
[Host safety: High]
Eran read the glowing interface over Aadhiyan's shoulder. "Hey, at least one place in this world doesn't want to kill us."
Aadhiyan didn't smile.
Not yet.
Because the sanctuary's whisper wouldn't leave his mind.
"I remember the one who created you."
Who?
How?
Why?
He wanted answers, but he also feared them.
What if he wasn't meant to exist?
What if he was a mistake?
What if he was created for something terrible?
The corridor opened into a large chamber.
A dome carved entirely from white stone stretched overhead, smooth and unbroken except for spiraling inscriptions etched across its surface. A pool of shimmering, mirror-like liquid sat in the center of the room, its surface reflecting the ceiling like a perfect copy.
Eran's jaw dropped. "What—what is that? Water? Magic? A shiny puddle of doom?"
Aadhiyan stepped forward.
The moment his foot touched the edge of the chamber, the pool rippled.
A voice—soft, layered, ancient—filled the chamber.
"Welcome, Aadhiyan Velkar."
Eran jumped. "No, no, NO. It knows your full name? Why does everything deep in this forest know your full name?!"
Aadhiyan stared at the pool.
"Who are you?" he asked quietly.
The surface shifted, forming a shape.
A face.
Not entirely human, not entirely spirit.
More like an echo of someone who once existed, preserved within memory.
The face smiled gently.
"I am the Keeper of the Paradox Refuge."
Aadhiyan swallowed. "Why do you know me?"
The reflection rippled again.
"Because you were created here."
Eran froze.
Aadhiyan went still.
Then he whispered, "What do you mean created?"
The face didn't change expression.
It continued with the calm tone of someone explaining an old, familiar truth.
"You were crafted by a Chronos Weaver of Aadhikal. Not born. Not summoned. Created."
Eran whispered, voice cracking, "You're… you're not born? At all?"
Aadhiyan's heart hammered.
"I'm… artificial?"
"No."
The reflection smiled faintly.
"You are alive. But your origin is woven differently than others."
Aadhiyan took a shaky step toward the pool. "Who created me?"
The reflection didn't answer immediately.
Instead, new runes lit up around the chamber.
The dome glowed.
The pool brightened.
Even the air hummed with anticipation.
The system whispered:
[Warning: Memory Fragment download approaching]
[Proceed only if ready]
Aadhiyan balled his fists.
Ready or not, he needed the truth.
"Show me."
The reflection raised its hand and touched the surface of the pool.
Light exploded.
---
A rush of memories—not his own—surged into him.
A massive library carved from white stone.
Shelves filled with shimmering books.
Weavers in flowing robes shaping time like threads between their fingers.
And in the very center—
A woman.
Her hair black, streaked with silver.
Her eyes glowing with faint gold rings.
Her expression tired but courageous.
Robes embroidered with symbols that pulsed rhythmically.
A Chronos Weaver.
She placed a small crystal on a stone table.
The crystal glowed.
A tiny shape formed inside the light—an embryo woven from strands of time itself.
Her voice whispered:
"He is our final hope. Our last paradox."
Aadhiyan's knees grew weak.
That woman—
She looked like him.
Her eyes.
Her face shape.
Even the faint tilt of her head.
Not perfectly.
But enough to feel unmistakable.
She spoke again, her voice shaking.
"If Aadhikal falls… he must survive. Even if we don't."
Another figure stepped into view—a tall man with a heavy cloak and a mask covering half his face. His presence radiated power.
He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you sure? Creating a paradox child will break the timelines."
"I know."
"The Timekeepers will hunt him."
"I know."
"He will be alone."
Her voice cracked.
"I know."
A tear fell from her cheek onto the glowing crystal.
The man whispered, "Then… gods forgive us."
He placed his hands beside hers.
Together, they shaped the paradox child.
Together, they created him.
Together—
They gave him life.
The vision shattered.
---
Aadhiyan staggered forward and fell to his knees beside the pool.
His breath trembled.
His hands shook.
His heart felt too heavy for his chest.
He whispered, voice hollow:
"…she was my mother."
The reflection rippled.
"She was your creator."
"Is she alive?" he asked, desperation creeping into his voice.
The reflection dimmed.
"No."
Aadhiyan closed his eyes.
For a moment, the world felt weightless.
Empty.
Cold.
Then Eran dropped beside him, grabbing his shoulders.
"Hey. Hey! Don't do that. Don't shut down."
Aadhiyan didn't respond.
Eran shook him harder. "Look at me."
Aadhiyan's eyes lifted weakly.
Eran's voice was firm, cracking only slightly. "You may have been made in some ancient magic city, but you're still a person. You still bleed. You still laugh. You still yell at me when I say something stupid. That's real. You're real."
Aadhiyan swallowed.
Eran continued, "And I don't care if your parents were wizards, ghosts, or talking trees. You're Aadhiyan. That's enough."
Silence.
Then Aadhiyan's voice came out small:
"She died because of me."
The sanctuary spoke again.
"No."
The pool shimmered.
"Your creation was a choice she made to save the world. Not a burden. Not a mistake."
Aadhiyan stared at the reflection.
The sanctuary continued:
"She believed the world needed someone who existed outside time's laws. Someone the Timekeepers could not control."
Eran blinked. "…So you're basically a time-proof superhero?"
Aadhiyan didn't smile, but his voice steadied. "No."
The sanctuary whispered:
"He is the last heir of Aadhikal."
Eran's mouth fell open. "You're—wait—you're a prince?"
Aadhiyan coughed. "No."
"King?"
"No."
"Chosen one?"
"I don't know!"
The sanctuary saved him.
"He is what remains."
Not a prince.
Not royalty.
Not chosen.
Just the last shard of a dead civilization.
Aadhiyan lifted his wrist.
The mark glowed—now with three rings instead of one.
"Why did you awaken only now?" he asked the sanctuary.
The reflection grew dimmer, its voice softer.
"Because you unlocked the first Authority Fragment at the Timeforge. That was your trigger."
Eran raised a hand. "Authority of what?"
The reflection turned its gaze to him.
"Of the Paradox."
Aadhiyan stiffened. "What does that mean?"
The pool pulsed.
"You can bend time without cost. Rewrite seconds. Break timelines. Command echoes. Alter fate. Destroy paradoxes… or create new ones."
Eran squeaked. "We're doomed."
Aadhiyan felt sick.
"I can't do that. I barely know what any of this means."
"You will learn."
"I'm not ready."
"You must be."
Aadhiyan clenched his hands.
"I didn't ask for this."
The sanctuary spoke without judgment.
"No one asks to be born."
The words hit him harder than any Timekeeper ever could.
Eran rubbed his arm uncertainly. "…So what now? You know where you come from. Sort of. Maybe. Not really."
Aadhiyan stood slowly.
The sanctuary responded before he could speak.
"Now, you must stabilize yourself."
A stone doorway opened at the far end of the chamber.
Blue light poured out.
The sanctuary's voice echoed through the room.
"Inside lies the Paradox Core."
Eran blinked. "That sounds like the kind of thing that either helps or kills you."
The sanctuary hummed softly.
"It will not kill him."
Then it added:
"Unless he fails."
Eran screamed, "WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE A FAIL CONDITION?!"
Aadhiyan didn't move.
His mind was a storm: His mother.
His creation.
The Timekeepers.
The titan.
The echo.
The ruin.
The authority fragment.
His identity.
Everything led to this moment.
He didn't want to go inside.
He wasn't ready.
But he had no choice.
If he didn't stabilize himself, the Timekeepers would find him.
And erase him.
He turned to Eran.
"I need to do this alone."
Eran's face fell. "I can't go with you?"
"No."
Eran clenched his jaw. "Fine. Then I'll wait right here. And if you take too long, I'm coming in anyway."
Aadhiyan almost smiled.
Almost.
He stepped toward the glowing doorway.
The sanctuary whispered one final warning:
"Inside, time will tear you apart before it rebuilds you."
Aadhiyan paused.
Took a breath.
And walked inside.
The door sealed behind him.
Eran stood alone in the quiet chamber, arms crossed, staring at the closed door.
He whispered:
"Please come back."
Deep inside the sanctuary, Aadhiyan descended toward the Paradox Core.
Toward his own reconstruction.
Toward the beginning of who he was truly meant to be.
---