The Last Decision

Ethan stared at himself.

Not a copy. Not a reflection. Not a distorted shadow of what he was or could be.

This was him.

And for the first time, he saw the exhaustion in his own face. The weight pressing down on the version of himself that had been here before.

The ruins of the forgotten city stretched behind them, its towers breathing with an unseen pulse. The monolith loomed above, silent and watching. The door at its base was open, the void behind it waiting.

Anna stood motionless, her fingers twitching near her weapon, though she didn't raise it. She wasn't sure if this was something she could fight.

The other Ethan exhaled, slow and measured.

"This is the part where you listen."

The words weren't a command. They weren't even a plea.

They were a certainty.

Because this had happened before.

Ethan swallowed, his voice rough. "What is this place?"

His other self smiled. Not with cruelty, not with amusement. With understanding.

"Home."

A cold wave passed through Ethan's chest. "No." His voice was hoarse. "That's not—"

"You're thinking too small." The other Ethan stepped forward, closing the distance between them, mirroring his own movements perfectly. "You've been searching for answers that don't exist, asking the wrong questions. But you already know the truth."

Ethan shook his head. "I don't."

The other Ethan tilted his head slightly. A familiar gesture.

"Then why are you afraid?"

Ethan's breath caught. He wasn't just afraid—he knew.

It had been buried, locked beneath layers of forgotten cycles, but now, the moment was here. The truth was forcing itself into him, whether he wanted it or not.

Anna shifted beside him. "Ethan." Her voice was steady, but there was an edge to it. She was watching both of them."Tell me what the hell is happening."

Ethan pressed his fingers against his forehead, trying to ground himself in something real.

His other self didn't move. Didn't force the answer.

Because Ethan had to say it himself.

Finally, the words broke free.

"…This is where it ends."

His other self nodded. "And where it begins."

Victoria Lane had made impossible choices before.

She had led Luminex through political warfare, hidden unthinkable truths, erased names from history when necessary.

But this—this was different.

Horizon Division was in full control. The facility was locked down, the personnel now under their command. Her war room had been reduced to a spectator's gallery.

The lead operative stood beside her, his helmet reflecting the glow of the flickering monitors. "Containment is no longer an option."

Victoria exhaled slowly. She knew that.

The phenomenon originating from St. Augustine was spreading. Faster than projected.

"We need a direct strike," the operative continued. "Wipe the site from existence. The rupture, the anomaly, the entire sector—reduced to nothing."

Victoria's jaw tightened. "And what about them?"

"Ward and Vasquez are non-recoverable." The operative's tone was final. "They are part of the anomaly now."

Victoria's fingers curled against her palm.

Not hesitation. Not doubt.

Just the understanding that they were wrong.

Ethan wasn't just lost.

He was at the center of this.

And if they erased everything now, without knowing what was happening—

They wouldn't be stopping it.

They would be playing into it.

She turned to face the operative. "Delay the strike."

The room went silent.

The operative's visor turned toward her, unreadable. "That is not an option."

Victoria stepped forward. "You're missing the bigger picture. If we shut it down before knowing what it wants, we'll just create another rupture. And we won't be able to control the next one."

Silence.

Then, finally—

The operative pressed a finger to his comms.

"…Delay the strike. Five minutes."

Victoria had five minutes to get her answer.

And she had one last move to make.

Ethan stood before the monolith, facing himself.

The truth was breaking free, seeping into his bones.

The cycle was never about repetition.

It was about choosing.

Every time he reached this point, every time he stood at this threshold, he had been faced with the same choice—and he had never made it.

Not because he wasn't willing.

But because he hadn't been able to.

Something always intervened. The void. The entities. The distortion of time itself.

But now—

Now, he was at the precipice, and there was no force stopping him.

The other Ethan watched him, waiting.

Anna was still there. Still real. Still human.

And this was it.

He stepped forward.

The monolith hummed.

Anna tensed. "Ethan—"

He placed his hand against the surface.

And then—

Everything stopped.

The world was silent.

Not empty.

Still.

Ethan opened his eyes.

He was standing in an endless space, a horizon of possibility stretched before him.

And across from him, the faceless figure from the void stood waiting.

Its form was no longer broken.

It was whole. It had learned.

And it spoke.

Not as a warning. Not as a threat.

But as a guide.

"Now—choose."

Ethan understood.

This was the moment that had been denied to him. The moment that had been blocked, rerouted, stolen by the cycle.

And now, he had a choice.

One that would decide everything.

He turned.

Anna was there.

Victoria was somewhere in the real world, still fighting for time.

The entities that had haunted him were watching, waiting.

And for the first time, Ethan wasn't afraid.

He stepped forward.

And he chose.