Guruji stepped forward, fingers twitching at his side. His voice trembled—not with fear, but comprehension.
"Satus... this shouldn't be possible. Everett opened his Chrono-Strain Eyes, yes. He saw the forbidden past. But these seven soul locks—surely they weren't all born of that single act? Some of these laws—Genesis, Karma—they have nothing to do with the vision."
Satus turned slowly.
The cosmic silence around them didn't shift, but the light dimmed—almost respectfully—as if the universe was bracing for truth.
"No," Satus said. "They weren't born that day."
His voice was low, like scripture.
"Six of the soul laws were already embedded into Everett from the beginning—long before the forbidden vision. The seventh… was simply the final drop. Time. The law that froze his destiny."
Guruji froze. His eyes widened. "You mean… Everett was always sealed?"
"Yes," said Satus. "Everett Miracle was born with six bindings locked around his soul. Each one ancient. Each one unimaginable. The seventh law—Time—merely anchored him. It halted his growth. Froze his breath. And pulled the veil down over his spirit."
Gloria took a slow step forward. Her fists were clenched, but her voice was soft.
"But… but why? Why seal him like that? He's not a monster."
Satus tilted his head.
"Exactly."
"That's why he was sealed."
The pause that followed wasn't silence—it was awe. The air itself shimmered, as if struggling to hold back the weight of that explanation.
"A normal being… is crushed by even one soul law. One lock can sustain or end a mortal life. But Everett? He needed seven. And even that may not be enough."
Guruji's lips parted, voice thin.
"If the seventh hadn't been Time…?"
"Then Everett would have awoken far too early," Satus said quietly. "Before he was ready. Before you were ready."
He let the words linger.
Then Satus stepped forward and raised his hand.
Seven glowing symbols formed in the air, orbiting a flickering vision of Everett's body—still unconscious, suspended between time and thought.
Each symbol blazed in a different hue:
Law of Time
Law of Identity
Law of Karma
Law of Defiance
Law of Awareness
Law of Genesis
Law of Inheritance
Gloria stared, overwhelmed.
"Then how do we break them? How do we free him?"
Satus didn't speak at first. The starlight around his eyes dimmed—his expression unreadable.
"You must unlock each law. One at a time. In order, or chaos will claim his soul."
Guruji stepped beside Gloria. "Then let's start. Which one first?"
Gloria hesitated… but her heart answered.
"The one that wakes him."
Satus gave a small, strange smile.
"Then the first lock… shall be Identity."
Gloria exhaled, confused but committed. "How do we break it?"
"You must destroy all versions of Everett."
A stillness fell.
Satus raised his hand again. The air cracked. A spiraling hologram spun outward—thousands of Everetts.
Some were boys with broken blades. Some were kings in ruined palaces. One had wings made of frost. Another bore a crown of flames. Some were smiling. Some were screaming.
"Each timeline Everett could've lived, has lived, or will live—exists within the chain of Identity."
"Each version must be met… and defeated."
Gloria's jaw dropped.
"Defeated? That's insane! Some of these versions— look stronger than even you ! Another one was just… just a bookstore owner!"
"Yes," said Satus. "Some versions are Tier 9s. Others are tierless. But all are pieces of Everett's fractured identity."
Guruji stepped forward, pale.
"He's not even awake. And you want us to fight them?"
Satus nodded.
"Yes. If you win, Everett will reclaim his truest form—one identity, unified. If you fail…"
He hesitated.
"You risk inducing Echo Syndrome—where Everett will begin to remember lives he never lived. The illusion of each version bleeding into his reality. He may forget who he really is."
Gloria's breath caught. "But if he's already sealed by Time, isn't that safe?"
Satus shook his head.
"The Time Lock only slows the corruption. It doesn't end it."
Guruji closed his eyes. Then he looked at Satus, with iron resolve.
"Then help us."
Satus smiled faintly.
"I thought you'd ask."
Satus raised his hand. A golden light spiraled down—not like sunlight, not like magic, but like destiny itself acknowledging a gamble.
The light washed over Gloria, Guruji, and Everett's suspended form. Warm. Heavy. Final.
"This," Satus whispered, "is the Mark of Fate. My own lifelong magic."
The air shimmered—truth bending space.
"With this seal, no matter how strong the versions you face… each will descend to your level. You will meet them as equals. Tier Two—for now."
His voice was quiet. Not hopeful. Not grim. Just… sure.
"May you see the light."
Then he smiled.
And that smile cracked.
A hairline fracture rippled through the space behind him. The mirror of reality—the air, the sky, the illusion—began to shudder. Glass-like splinters spread outward from Satus's form, as if the truth had strained the very world.
Satus didn't flinch. His smile only widened, sorrowful and satisfied.
CRACK.
The entire dimension split.
BOOM.
And silence followed.
---
When the dust settled, Gloria, Guruji, and Everett—still unconscious—stood in a new world.
A castle loomed before them, vast and ancient. It rose from the ground like a fossil, its every wall made of bones. Ribcages twisted into arches. Skulls embedded into spires. And yet… it stood with a strange regality, as if memory had carved it, not death.
Inside, the throne awaited.
And upon it—Everett.
His body rested, unmoving. But even with his eyes closed, his presence was unmistakable.
Power. Memory. Grief. Every moment of his splintered lives pulsed from him.
Gloria and Guruji stared.
They didn't speak.
They inhaled deeply. Their footsteps echoed on the bone floor.
They stepped forward—toward the first battle of identity.
Toward the castle of fractured selves.