Reality was breaking apart.
Walls flickering.
The floor cracking beneath us.
Fragments of different timelines—
bleeding into one another.
One second—
my room existed.
The next—
I saw another version of it.
Destroyed.
Burned.
Abandoned.
⚡
The perfect version stood across from me.
Dark energy twisting around him—
unstable now.
Violent.
"You've doomed every timeline," he said coldly.
"No," I replied.
"For the first time…"
I took a step forward—
"…I'm trying to save them."
⚡
The pressure exploded outward.
The entire room shook.
Riya nearly lost balance.
I caught her instinctively.
The moment our hands touched—
something happened.
Again.
But this time—
it wasn't pain.
⚡
A memory appeared.
Clear.
Ancient.
Not mine.
Riya's.
I saw a child—
standing alone in endless white space.
Watching timelines form around her like glass.
Watching lives begin.
End.
Repeat.
Then—
a voice.
Cold.
Mechanical.
"Observer Unit successfully created."
My eyes widened.
⚡
The vision shattered.
I stared at Riya.
Breathing unevenly.
She looked terrified.
"What… what did you see?"
Before I could answer—
the perfect version froze.
For the first time—
genuine fear crossed his face.
"No…" he whispered.
His eyes locked onto Riya.
Not me.
Her.
"That's impossible."
⚡
The system voice returned immediately.
Aggressive.
Urgent.
"Restricted memory accessed."
"Observer identified."
Riya stepped backward.
Confused.
"Observer…?"
The shadow suddenly moved in front of her protectively.
"Don't let the system reach her," it said sharply.
Everything stopped.
I looked between them.
"You knew?"
The shadow hesitated.
That alone told me enough.
⚡
"She was never supposed to remember," it admitted.
Riya's breathing became uneven.
"What are you talking about?!"
The perfect version laughed softly.
Not mocking.
Broken.
"Of course…" he whispered.
"That's why the system couldn't erase you."
⚡
He looked at me slowly.
"She isn't part of the cycle."
Silence.
Heavy.
Impossible.
"What…?" I whispered.
The perfect version pointed toward Riya.
"She's the one who watches the timelines."
A pause.
"The one created to observe every version…"
His expression darkened.
"…and make sure the cycle never ends."
⚡
Riya shook her head instantly.
"No… no, you're lying."
But the room—
the system—
reacted differently.
The cracks in reality around her started glowing.
Responding to her presence.
Like they recognized her.
⚡
More memories hit me suddenly.
Fast.
Violent.
Riya—
in different timelines.
Always there.
Always near me.
Always watching.
Sometimes smiling.
Sometimes crying.
Sometimes standing beside my dead body.
But never changing.
⚡
"She remembers every cycle…" the perfect version continued quietly.
"Even when you forget."
I looked at her.
My chest tightening painfully.
"You knew me before all this…?" I whispered.
Tears filled Riya's eyes.
"I…" she tried to speak—
but stopped.
Because deep down—
she was starting to remember too.
⚡
The system voice became unstable.
Louder than ever.
"Observer awakening detected."
"Emergency correction authorized."
The entire space darkened instantly.
Then—
a giant crack split open behind Riya.
Something enormous moved inside it.
Not human.
Not a version.
Something older.
The shadow looked horrified.
"No…" it whispered.
"It's coming personally."
⚡
A massive eye opened inside the darkness.
Watching us.
Watching her.
Riya froze completely.
And then—
the eye blinked.
⚡ FINAL LINE:
"Observer…"
"…return to your designated role."