The silence after the entity's declaration was deafening.
Nam stood still, trying to process the immensity of what he had just heard. A fracture? A convergence of universes? He glanced at Lan, whose face was pale but focused—eyes locked on the shimmering figure before them.
"What do you mean we're not alone?" Nam asked, voice low, careful.
The entity tilted its head, and again, its voice came not through sound but through pure thought—an overwhelming presence brushing against their minds.
"The Beacon is not unique. Others have awakened. Across layers of existence, your reality echoes with theirs."
Lan stepped forward. "Are you saying... parallel civilizations? Other versions of us?"
"Not just versions. Variants. Realms spun from choice and chaos. Some thrive. Others… fall."
Nam's thoughts reeled. The implications were vast. If what the being said was true, then the universe wasn't simply vast—it was infinite, a tapestry of branching timelines and overlapping realities. And something was threatening that very fabric.
Lan broke the silence again. "What is the Fracture?"
The chamber dimmed slightly. The entity's glow pulsed like a heartbeat.
"A rupture in the foundation of time-space. It grows. It consumes. And when it touches a universe... that universe unravels."
Nam clenched his fists. "And G-Delta 7... it's connected to this?"
"It is one of many tears. A scar left by what was... and what is coming."
The weight in the room deepened. Nam felt it in his bones—a pressure not of gravity, but of truth. The shard they'd carried had been a key, a signal—and now, a bridge to something far greater than they could have imagined.
"Why now?" he asked.
"Because you are ready. Because your kind, despite its flaws, dares to reach beyond the stars. And because the moment of choice is near."
Lan's gaze sharpened. "What choice?"
"To fight... or to forget."
Suddenly, the walls around them pulsed with light. Images appeared in midair—worlds collapsing, stars flickering out, civilizations crumbling into dust. And among them, others rising—figures holding similar shards, standing at the edge of the abyss.
It wasn't just them. There were others—other chosen ones, other guardians.
"You will not stand alone," the being said. "But you must be willing to act."
Nam's voice was hoarse. "What do we have to do?"
"Find the remaining Shards. Awaken the Sentinels. Uncover what was buried. Only then can the Fracture be mended."
As the final words echoed in their minds, the chamber grew still.
Then, the walls began to shift again, and a corridor opened before them.
"Return," the entity said. "Your time is not yet here. But it approaches. Prepare."
Nam looked at Lan. She nodded without hesitation.
They turned and walked back toward their shuttle. But everything had changed. They were no longer explorers. No longer victims of exile or politics.
They were messengers of something ancient… and soldiers of a war that had not yet begun.