EPOCH

Vastarael's expression turned grim as he pieced together the fragments of truth he had gathered. Each revelation felt like a knife pressing deeper into his chest, the weight of understanding threatening to crush him.

His words were met with silence. Phaenora and Narisva both stared at him, their expressions shifting from confusion to dawning horror.

"What are you saying?" Phaenora asked cautiously, her voice trembling despite her attempt to sound composed.

Vastarael's gaze remained fixed on the mural below them, his thoughts spiraling into darker places.

"The Hidden Truths aren't just forbidden knowledge, Phaenora. They're unknown, even to Spheraphase itself. That's why they're so dangerous. They're... sentient."

The atmosphere grew colder, as though the very air recoiled from the revelation. Narisva's sharp intake of breath was audible as she struggled to process his words.

"Sentient?" She repeated, her voice laced with disbelief. "You're telling me these truths are... alive?"

Vastarael nodded grimly.

"Yes. They exist within the fabric of the universe. That's why history is erased in places like the Erna Isles. The Hidden Truth behind the isles doesn't want to be discovered, so it erases any trace of itself."

Phaenora's voice was barely above a whisper. "And the more we try to uncover it..."

"...the more it tries to kill us," Vastarael finished. "It's not just passive knowledge sitting there, waiting to be found. The second we entered this Epoch Cycle, we stepped into its territory. Here, we don't have the support of anyone. The world can't protect us because it's powerless against these truths. That's why this feels so wrong. This is why every step we take feels like we're walking deeper into a trap."

Vastarael clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white as the enormity of it all crashed down on him.

"The Epoch Cycle is nothing more than a massive puzzle-solving game orchestrated by some entity. It's not about heroism or growth. It's about eradicating the Hidden Truths that are destroying it from within. And we're the pawns it uses to do it."

Narisva staggered back, her legs suddenly feeling unsteady.

"You're saying we're just... tools? Disposable tools in some cosmic cleanup mission by a sentient planet?"

"Exactly. It sends us into the past and future to uncover these truths because it can't do it itself. We're expendable. And for every truth we uncover, we're rewarded with power. Not because it's generous, but because it needs us to survive the next cycle. The stronger we are, the more effective we become at erasing the Hidden Truths."

Phaenora shook her head, her expression twisting with a mix of fear and anger.

"This is... insane. How can we fight something that's alive, something that's entrenched in the very fabric of reality?"

Vastarael's voice dropped even further, his tone a chilling monotone.

"We can't. Not entirely. The Hidden Truths are so deeply rooted that even this place is dying because of them. The rise of anomalies, the chaos spreading across the world... it all traces back to these truths. And the more we uncover, the more dangerous it gets. That's why the Frozen Isles feel like a death trap. The Hidden Truth here has already taken control. It's erasing history, manipulating reality, and trying to eliminate us before we can expose it."

The realization settled heavily over the group like a suffocating fog. Phaenora's hands trembled as she clutched her arms, her usual playful demeanor shattered.

"So, this isn't just about survival. This is about dismantling something that's been eating away at this world for eons. And if we fail..."

She didn't finish, the implications too terrifying to voice.

Narisva's starry eyes burned with a mix of fury and despair.

"And what happens to us if we succeed? What's left of us after facing something like this? Hidden Truths drive people insane just by existing. How are we supposed to survive this without losing ourselves?"

Vastarael's gaze darkened further, the weight of his conclusion etched into every line of his face.

"We're not meant to survive it," he said quietly. "That's the horror of it all. The entity doesn't care about us as individuals. It cares about the mission. If we die, it sends the next group. And the next. Until the truth is gone, or there's no one left to send."

His words left a deafening silence in their wake. The reality of their situation, the sheer hopelessness of it, was too much to bear.

"This is why the Epoch Cycles exist. We're not here just to fix Spheraphase. We're here to bleed for it, to carve out the rot that's killing it from the inside. And the more we succeed, the more it asks of us. Until there's nothing left."

He looked at the two girls, his expression now completely grim.

"That's why the entity chose the strongest of the Minafallen students. Every time an Epoch Cycle is initiated—"

Vastarael's grim explanation was cut off mid-sentence by a sound so consuming that it felt as though reality itself cracked under its weight.

[ENOUGH.]

The single word tore through the dark valley like a tidal wave, a cataclysm of raw power that struck the three of them to their knees.

Vastarael clutched his chest as pain radiated through his very soul, his breath stolen from him. Beside him, Narisva and Phaenora screamed, their voices swallowed by the sheer intensity of the sound. Every syllable of the voice carried a crushing weight, as though death itself had spoken into existence.

The voice came again, reverberating not just through the air but through their bodies.

[YOU SPEAK OF WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT. THIS KNOWLEDGE IS NOT FOR YOU. NOT YET.]

Vastarael's vision blurred, his golden eyes watering as he struggled to remain conscious. The words were too much, each one searing his mind like fire. Narisva gripped her chest, her hair falling over her face. Even Phaenora had fallen silent, her trembling hands clutching at the black floor beneath her.

[YOU HAVE UNCOVERED THE TRUTH TOO SOON, PRINCE OF ANQERISE.]

The voice echoed in a tone that was both indifferent and absolute, as if the speaker had no concern for their agony. Vastarael's lips parted, but no sound came out. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't resist.

[NONE HAS EVER KNOWN THIS BEFORE ANY CYCLE. YOU REALLY ARE AN INGENIOUS PRINCE. I UNDERESTIMATED YOU.]

Those words struck him harder than the previous ones. His mind reeled as he tried to process the weight of what was being said.

And yet, he had unraveled the truth before completing even one.

The realization was staggering, but the voice did not allow him time to process it.

[THIS WORLD IS NOT YOUR ALLY. IT IS YOUR CREATOR, YOUR JUDGE, AND YOUR EXECUTIONER. BUT YOU WILL NOT YET KNOW THE FULL EXTENT OF YOUR PURPOSE.]

Vastarael's heart pounded in his chest as a horrifying certainty took root in his mind. This voice... it could belong to only one entity. With immense effort, he forced his head to lift, his golden eyes blazing with defiance even as his body betrayed him.

"Y-you're... the one who initiates the Epoch Cycles," he choked out, his voice hoarse and strained.

The voice returned, its tone carrying the weight of eternity.

[YES. I AM THE ENTITY. I AM EPOCH. NOT BAD, LITTLE ONE.]

For a moment, there was only silence. A silence so profound it felt deafening after the power of the voice. Vastarael's body trembled as he processed the revelation.

[IMPRESSIVE. TRULY, VASTARAEL, YOUR MIND IS REMARKABLE.]

The words held an almost... admiring tone. It was strange, jarring even, to hear such devastating power softened by what seemed to be approval.

[IN ALL THE CYCLES I HAVE SEEN, NO ONE HAS UNCOVERED THE CORE PURPOSE AS QUICKLY AS YOU. TO DO SO IN THE VERY FIRST CYCLE IS UNPRECEDENTED.]

Vastarael managed to lift his head slightly, ignoring the searing pain that still coursed through him.

"You're surprised?"

[I AM. I DID NOT EXPECT A CHILD OF SPHERAPHASE TO BE THE ONE TO SEE THROUGH MY DESIGN.]

The voice softened, becoming almost playful in its tone.

[BUT I SUPPOSE I SHOULDN'T BE TOO SURPRISED. YOUR MIND IS NOT JUST BRILLIANT. IT IS INGENIOUS. YOU PIECED TOGETHER FRAGMENTS OF TRUTH THAT MOST WOULD OVERLOOK. TELL ME, HOW DID YOU FIGURE IT OUT?]

Narisva gasped weakly beside him, her wide eyes darting to Vastarael.

"It's... praising you?"

Phaenora groaned, still struggling to breathe. "Is this... what it feels like to have your ego inflated by the world itself?"

Vastarael ignored them, his focus locked on the voice.

"How did I figure it out? Simple," he said, his tone steadying despite the pressure weighing down on them. "The pieces didn't fit. Why erase the history of the Erna Isles? Why send us to the past and future without fear of paradoxes? Why create these impossible puzzles, these trials that force us to question everything? The answer was clear. It wasn't you. It's the Hidden Truths."

"..."

"I learned about Hidden Truths from the history of the Aeterium. So yes, this makes sense."

A chuckle rippled through the air, cold and alien, yet undeniably... feminine?

[PERCEPTIVE. YES, YOU ARE CORRECT.]

For a moment, there was silence. Then, her voice softened, carrying a tone Vastarael never thought he would hear from a world:

Pride.

[FEW SENTIENT BEINGS HAVE EVER SEEN THROUGH ME SO COMPLETELY. YOU HAVE, AND THAT DESERVES A REWARD.]

Vastarael stiffened. A reward? He couldn't decide if he should feel honored or terrified.

[I WILL GIVE YOU A CHOICE, VASTARAEL RICHINARIA.]

Her voice dropped lower, resonating with an almost intimate intensity.

[YOUR MIND IS TOO PRECIOUS TO WASTE. I HAVE A TASK FOR YOU. IF YOU ACCEPT, YOU WILL UNCOVER MORE OF WHAT YOU SEEK. BUT KNOW THIS. THE PATH I OFFER MIGHT LEAD TO YOUR DEATH.]

Phaenora flinched, her head snapping toward Vastarael.

"What? No! That's a death sentence!"

Vastarael said nothing, his golden eyes narrowing as he stared into the darkness above.

"What's the task?"

The world's voice smiled. It didn't laugh, it smiled. Even though they could see it, they could somehow feel it smiling.

[THE FALLEN BRIDGE. UNCOVER ITS TRUE HISTORY. IF YOU DO, EVERYTHING WILL FALL INTO PLACE.]

He clenched his fists. "And what exactly is this Fallen Bridge?"

[A TESTAMENT TO SOMETHING LOST. A THREAD IN THE TAPESTRY OF A GREATER TRUTH. YOU MUST UNCOVER ITS STORY ON YOUR OWN. NO HELP. NO ALLIES. THIS TASK IS YOURS ALONE, VASTARAEL.]

Her words hammered into him with the weight of inevitability.

[CHOOSE NOW. WILL YOU ACCEPT YOUR FATE, OR WILL YOU TURN AWAY?]

Phaenora's voice rose, her body struggling under that immense pressure pinning all of them down.

"Don't do it, Veneri! You're smart, but this... this isn't just a test. It's a trap!"

"I'll do it."

The air around them shifted, lightening just slightly. The voice, now laced with a strange satisfaction, spoke again.

[EXCELLENT. YOU HAVE CHOSEN A PATH THAT MANY WOULD FEAR. BUT REMEMBER, VASTARAEL. THIS CHOICE SHAPES YOU. YOUR DESTINY IS NO LONGER THE SAME. YOU HAVE TAKEN THE FIRST STEP INTO THE UNKNOWN.]

"But I ask for a favor."

[GO ON.]

"I'll solve this on my own so don't involve anyone else."

[GOOD. LET US HOPE YOUR LUCK IS SATISFACTORY, PRINCE OF ANQERISE.]