The Forge drifted in silence after the war.
Streams of liquid light wound back into its heart, patching the wounds that Ecliptor's power had left behind.
For the first time in ages, the cosmos seemed still.
Ethan sat on the glowing edge of a cooling bridge, watching the ripples of creation flow beneath his feet. His mind burned with what he had seen—the First Creator, the Origin Pulse, the memory of Ecliptor's voice echoing through infinity.
Lydia walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.
> "You did it," she said softly. "You actually stopped him."
He shook his head.
> "No. I just delayed what's coming."
---
✦ A Rift in the Calm
The Forge's light dimmed. Every color faded into gray.
A circle of symbols appeared in midair, rotating silently. Even the Observer Prime stepped back.
> "He's coming," the Watcher murmured. "The one who writes the endings."
The symbols folded inward, and a slender figure stepped through.
Cloaked in paper-thin light, eyes filled with constellations, the being carried a staff made of fractured time itself.
> "I am The Archivist of Fate," the figure said, voice echoing like turning pages.
"I guard the record of every possibility—past, present, and those yet unchosen."
He looked directly at Ethan.
> "And you, child of the First Spark, have burned holes through my script."
---
✦ The Scroll of Worlds
With a gesture, the Archivist unfurled a scroll that stretched endlessly into the void.
Each line of text shimmered with living scenes—entire universes flickering in words.
Marcus scanned the writing. "It's… code, memory, prophecy—all mixed."
> "Every decision echoes," the Archivist said. "Your battle rewrote more than one destiny. Thousands of worlds no longer align."
Selene frowned. "Then why not fix it?"
> "Because the book can only record," he replied. "To change fate, one must stand outside it—and only one power allows that: the Origin Pulse."
He turned back to Ethan.
> "If you cannot master it, the script will collapse. Time will repeat until nothing remains but The Absolute Beyond."
---
✦ The Gift and the Warning
The Archivist raised his staff. From its tip spilled five shards of crystal light, one for each hero.
> "Fragments of the Chrono Keys. They will let you walk the lines of destiny—observe, alter, or defend them. Use them wisely, or the book will consume you."
Ethan took the shard; it hummed like a heartbeat.
> "And if we fail?"
> "Then the story ends everywhere at once," the Archivist said simply. "And even memory will forget that it ever began."
The light around him folded inward, and he was gone—leaving behind only the faint scent of ink and burning time.
---
✦ A New Mission
The Observer looked at the team.
> "You now bear the power to cross the timelines. Your next task: find the threads already corrupted by Ecliptor's remnants before the Beyond reaches them."
Kai cracked a grin despite the weight in his chest.
> "So we're… multiversal janitors now?"
Lydia smiled faintly.
> "Maybe. But we're also the last editors of existence."
Ethan stood, the Chrono Key glowing in his hand.
> "Then let's start rewriting before fate writes us out."
The Forge blazed open a path through the multiverse, a ribbon of gold and shadow.
One by one, the heroes stepped into it, leaving the realm of gods behind and entering the pages of time itself.
---
🌌 End of Chapter 15
Highlights
The heroes meet the Archivist of Fate, keeper of destiny.
They learn that the Origin Pulse has altered countless timelines.
Each receives a Chrono Key, giving them limited power to travel and rewrite fate.
A new quest begins: repairing timelines and hunting Ecliptor's lingering corruption.
The threat of the Absolute Beyond looms closer.
---