The tower trembled
Time magic collapsed around the altar
Kyren stood untouched
The crystal cores behind him spun faster
But his eyes were locked on one person
Echo
So you survived the Hollow Pit
Kyren's voice cracked the silence
Echo didn't blink
Survived it
I was born there
Sera glanced at Azel
What's he talking about
Azel kept his gaze on Kyren
He knew Echo was different
But not like this
Kyren raised his hand
A second altar rose from the ground
This one carved in bone not stone
A sigil burned into its center
Echo's name
Etched in blood
You were supposed to be the perfect vessel
The experiment that learned to laugh
Instead you ran
Echo's smile vanished
You killed my brother
And tried to make me forget
Kyren laughed
No
I made you better
Then pointed at the altar
The ritual was never about control
It was about rebirth
You are the key Echo
Even now the system recognizes your soul
The gears above clicked
One turned gold
The tower responded to Echo's pulse
He staggered
What the hell is this
Azel stepped forward
He's trying to override you
Make you trigger the reset
Kyren nodded once
Only a true remnant can erase the core and reboot the world order
You're not a weapon
You're a switch
Sera fired a disruption blast
But Kyren blocked it mid-air
The masked figures behind him began to chant
The bones around the second altar glowed red
Echo dropped to one knee
The pressure hit like gravity reversed
His memories surged
Pain
Fire
A cage of light
A boy's scream
Then silence
Then escape
Azel moved to help but Echo raised a hand
Don't
This is mine
He stood shakily
Looked at Kyren through firelit eyes
If I'm the switch
Then I choose what gets deleted
He snapped his fingers
His shadow split
Formed five clones each bearing a different weapon
The altar shook
The bones cracked
Kyren's smile faltered
You're unstable
Echo grinned
Good
Let's see what unstable can do
The clones rushed the masked figures
Sera launched a time disruptor
Azel leapt through the center
Blade drawn
Straight for Kyren
In that moment
Three timelines split
And only one survived