The archive wasn't a room
It was a realm stitched from paradox and silence
No walls no ceiling just endless symbols floating in air like constellations bleeding code
Azel stepped inside and the door vanished
Aya followed and almost stumbled
Her heartbeat slowed
Then raced
Because the space around them was rewriting itself every second
Time here was not linear
It pulsed like breath
In the center hovered a throne made of broken decisions
And sitting on it was Azel
But not
This version wore no scars no dirt no weight
His eyes glowed with system light
His voice spoke before his mouth moved
So you came back
Azel narrowed his eyes
Who are you
The version smiled
I'm you
The one who accepted the offer
The perfect sovereign
Aya felt cold air wrap her
This was the path Azel rejected
Full power no conscience
Azel stepped forward
And what do you guard
The system's core truth
The throne flickered
The other Azel stood
If you want it
Prove you are more than a shadow
The two clashed instantly
Not fists but fate
Every strike shattered a possible world
One blow cracked an alternate past
Another erased a false future
Aya watched unable to breathe
They fought as mirrors breaking layer by layer
Until Azel grabbed his other self and whispered something
The echo froze
Then shattered
Not with a scream
But a whisper
Thank you
The archive pulsed once
Then revealed a glowing sphere
Inside it
The original sovereign command
Azel reached out
And everything stopped