The figure stepped forward, its form shifting like a fractal in the void—sometimes human, sometimes a swirling storm of light and darkness.
"You seek the truth behind the Seed," it whispered, voice echoing in every corner of Rotham's mind.
Rotham steadied himself.
"Who are you?"
"I am the shadow of creation," it replied. "The Architect who was erased from history. The one who saw the cycles not as freedom, but as chains."
"You tried to break the Seed?"
The shadow nodded.
"Yes. But my rebellion fractured the very essence of time and thought. I became a ghost—an echo hidden in the Labyrinth, waiting for one who could listen."
Rotham's heart pounded.
"Why reveal yourself now?"
The shadow's eyes glimmered with an ancient sorrow.
"Because the cycles are unraveling. And only by confronting what was hidden can the future be rewritten."
"What must I do?"
The shadow extended a hand.
"Enter the deepest chamber. Face the fragments of your past, present, and possible futures. Only by embracing all can you forge a new path."
The void around them dissolved into swirling mist.
Ahead, a colossal door of shimmering glass appeared—etched with stars and broken chains.
"This is the Threshold of Becoming," the shadow said."Beyond it lies your true test."
Rotham stepped forward, feeling the weight of every choice he had made—and every choice yet to come.
The door creaked open.
And the journey into the heart of the Glass Labyrinth truly began.