Silence.
Not the quiet of a library or an empty street—but a complete absence of sound, as if the universe had stopped breathing.
Cora stood in a place made of memories.
The sky above her flickered like damaged film. Buildings formed and dissolved mid-shape. She recognized the street beneath her feet.
"This is…" Her voice trembled. "This is my old neighborhood."
Kael appeared beside her, clearer than ever. No shadows. No distortions.
"This is the timeline that was removed," he said. "Your original life."
A door opened across the street.
A younger girl stepped out—eight years old, dark-haired, wide-eyed.
Cora's breath caught. "That's me."
The memory unfolded without pause. Sirens. Shouting. A man arguing with unseen figures. Then the sky裂裂—cracked open like glass.
People screamed as time folded inward.
Kael clenched his fists. "Event Zero began here."
The younger Cora was dragged backward by invisible forces. The chronicle appeared in her small hands, glowing violently.
"She wasn't chosen," Kael continued. "She created the chronicle. Instinctively. To stop time from collapsing."
Cora staggered. "You're saying… I caused all this?"
"You saved existence," Kael corrected. "By erasing yourself."
The memory shattered.
Cora dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "So everyone forgot me… so the world could survive."
Kael knelt beside her. "Including me."
Her head snapped up. "You knew me before."
"Yes." His voice cracked. "And I failed you."
The Fracture began collapsing. Reality pulled at her body like a tide.
"Cora!" Adrian's voice echoed faintly. "Come back!"
The chronicle flared, burning new words into its pages:
"The erased can return. But the cost is everything."
Cora looked at Kael.
Then she chose.