Chapter 43: Echoes of the Forgotten

As Orion and Lyra walked through the serene, untouched reality, a strange sensation tingled at the back of Orion's mind. It was as if something—or someone—was watching. The sky was a soft lavender hue, and the air hummed with energy unlike any world they had ever encountered.

Suddenly, Lyra clutched his arm. "Orion… do you feel that?"

Before he could answer, the air around them shimmered, and ghostly figures began to appear—echoes of people from past timelines, flickering in and out of existence. Some were familiar, others unrecognizable.

One of the echoes spoke. "The Architect was never the true enemy."

Orion tensed. "What do you mean?"

The figure, resembling an aged version of himself, smiled grimly. "He was only a guardian of the paradox. The true force that holds dominion over time and space still lingers… and it knows you."

A cold wind swept through the meadow, and the sky darkened. The echoes began to dissolve, leaving behind a single name whispered in the wind—

"Nyxara."

---

Chapter 44: The Goddess of the Rift

Lyra's fingers tightened around Orion's. "Nyxara… I've heard that name before."

Orion frowned. "Where?"

Lyra hesitated, then closed her eyes. A vision flashed before her—the ancient ruins of a celestial city, a towering statue of a veiled woman, and an inscription glowing in silver:

"Beware the one who sees beyond time. She is both fate and chaos."

Before Orion could process this, the ground trembled. A crack split through the sky, and a pair of luminous, violet eyes peered through the rift. A voice, as smooth as silk yet as cold as the void, echoed through their minds.

"You have defied the Architect, rewritten fate, and yet you walk freely?"

Orion took a step forward, standing his ground. "Who are you?"

The voice chuckled. "I am the first and the last. The weaver of all paradoxes. I am Nyxara."

The sky shattered like glass, and Orion and Lyra were pulled into the abyss.

---