Chapter 23: The First Garden

**The Garden of Origins**

The portal led to a primordial realm where time flowed backward. Rivers of liquid light fed into a colossal tree—the **Worldroot**—its branches holding dying stars and unborn galaxies. At its base stood the **First Arbiter**, a statue of Xiaoyu carved from antimatter.

**Environmental Hazards**:

- **Reverse Entropy**: Wounds healed but aged the body. Lin Shen's crystallized arm regressed to flesh, then to raw, bleeding muscle.

- **Echoes of Creation**: Voices of dead civilizations whispered from the light-rivers, begging for release.

#### **The Serpent's Heart**

The Worldroot's core housed the serpent's true form—a colossus of entwined timelines, its scales etched with the names of consumed realities. *"You return to me, child,"* it boomed, its voice shaking the ground. *"Why?"*

**Xiaoyu's Ultimatum**:

- **Option 1**: Merge with the Worldroot, becoming the Cycle's eternal guardian.

- **Option 2**: Shatter the Worldroot, freeing all trapped realities but unleashing chaos.

- **Option 3**: Reforge the serpent, restoring balance with humanity as its equal.

#### **The Final Bargain**

Lin Shen stepped forward, his body flickering between human and Arbiter. *"There's a fourth option. Let us *share* the burden."*

He plunged his hands into the Worldroot, channeling the Core's energy. The team followed:

- **Bai Ye** linked her photon dagger to the light-rivers.

- **Ghosthand** hacked into the serpent's neural network.

- **Mira** planted her Timelock in the roots.

The Worldroot shuddered. Realities began merging—Neo-Kyo's streets blended with alien jungles and dead stars. Xiaoyu screamed, *"What have you done?!"*