The corridor stretched on.
Endless. White. Controlled.
Azriah walked beside Asta, his steps steady—but his mind… unsettled.
Azriah.
The name lingered.
Not new.
Not entirely his.
'Where…'
A faint pull. Distant. Slipping through his grasp.
'I know this name.'
His thoughts narrowed.
Focused.
And then—
something broke loose.
A sharp inhale caught in his chest.
'…This feeling.'
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Understanding surfaced—not as images, not as visions—
but as something structured.
Constructed.
'A world… built.'
His steps faltered slightly.
'The Last Wish.'
Silence followed.
Then—
certainty.
'I remember.'
Asta's voice reached him.
"Azriah?"
Unanswered.
Because something far heavier had settled into place.
'This world… it matches.'
Not perfectly.
But enough.
'Then I'm not here by accident.'
His thoughts sharpened.
'Then who am I here?'
The answer came immediately.
Too clean.
'Azriah Antioch.'
His gaze hardened slightly.
'That doesn't align.'
'In the original… he had nothing.'
No lineage.
No past.
No clarity.
Just—
'A presence tied to something deeper.'
'The Children of Lyrins.'
A faint unease crept in.
'So why…'
His eyes shifted slightly toward Asta.
'Antioch family. Heir.'
Wrong.
Completely wrong.
'That was never part of it.'
A pause.
Then—
'So something changed.'
Or worse—
'Something was hidden.'
That thought barely settled before—
—So you noticed.
Everything stilled.
Not the world—
just him.
'…That wasn't me.'
Asta's voice came again.
"Azriah?"
Ignored.
Because now—
he was listening inward.
Relax. Your reaction is excessive.
A brief pause.
Then—
'Inside.'
The realization locked in.
'You're inside me.'
A quiet chuckle echoed.
Now you understand. Good. That saves time.
'Answer properly.'
No hesitation.
No fear.
Just demand.
The voice responded, amused.
Straight to the point. I approve.
A pause.
Then—
Call me Shamsiel.
The name he never heard of.
'Sham, that is why i call you.'
Simpler.
If that pleases you.
'What are you?'
Direct.
Sharp.
A remnant. A fragment. A prisoner—choose whichever word makes you more comfortable.
'None of them do.'
A faint hum of amusement.
Then simply accept that I exist.
'That's not how this works.'
A small pause.
Then—
No?
'You're inside me. That makes you my problem.'
Silence.
Then—
a soft, approving tone.
Interesting perspective. Most would panic.
'Panic is inefficient.'
And yet… you are asking questions.
'Because you're an unknown variable.'
Another pause.
This time—longer.
Then—
Yes… that is accurate.
Azriah's thoughts tightened slightly.
'You said you're sealed.'
Correct.
'By who.'
A beat.
Then—
Someone you would really like meeting.
'Noted.'
No curiosity.
Just storage.
That answer didn't surprise him.
It only confirmed one thing—
danger level: high.
Before he could continue—
Sham spoke again.
Slower now.
More deliberate.
Although… there is something unexpected.
'Speak.'
A pause.
Then—
I am not alone.
His thoughts stilled—
but not blank.
Compressed.
Focused.
'Explain.'
There is another presence within you.
Silence.
Then—
Sealed. As I am.
A longer pause followed.
Azriah processed it carefully.
'Two.'
That wasn't normal.
That wasn't explainable.
'That wasn't in the original.'
Sham responded immediately.
Original?
A slight shift in tone.
Curiosity.
'Irrelevant.'
No—explain.
A firmer tone now.
Not demanding—
but interested.
Azriah paused.
Then—
'This world… I've seen something like it before.'
A small silence.
Then—
'A constructed narrative. A controlled progression.'
…A story?
'Something like that.'
Another pause.
Longer this time.
Then—
a quiet laugh.
And you believe you understand it?
'Enough to know something is wrong.'
Everything is wrong, Azriah. You simply noticed sooner.
That—
was interesting.
He filed it away.
'Focus.'
Back to the main issue.
'The second presence.'
A brief silence followed.
Then—
It is… different.
'Define different.'
A pause.
Then—
for the first time—
Sham's tone lost its ease.
It does not respond.
Another pause.
It does not move.
And then—
quieter.
But it is there.
Azriah's thoughts sharpened.
'Dormant.'
Perhaps.
'Or waiting.'
Silence.
Then—
…Yes. That is also possible.
Asta was still beside him.
Watching.
The air around him had grown heavier.
Unstable.
She noticed.
Of course she did.
But she didn't interrupt.
Didn't question.
'Later.'
That problem would wait.
It had to.
Because—
The gate stood before him now.
Black.
Unnatural.
His gaze fixed on it.
'Another deviation.'
Asta stepped forward.
"This gate will determine your path."
Her voice grounded him.
External. Steady.
"Your blessing will awaken here."
'Blessing.'
Familiar.
Yet—
"For you… it will be Lyrins' Creation."
That name—
resonated.
Deep.
Not just within him.
Sham reacted instantly.
…Lyrins.
No amusement this time.
Only focus.
'You know it.'
Everyone who should fear it… knows it.
That was new.
Azriah narrowed his thoughts.
'Explain.'
Not yet.
A pause.
Then—
Survive what comes next first.
Azriah stepped forward.
No hesitation.
Outwardly calm.
Internally—
aligned.
'Too many variables.'
'Unknown entities.'
'Altered world.'
A conclusion formed.
Cold.
Precise.
'Then I adapt.'
The gate loomed before him.
Waiting.
'This isn't something I can rely on memory for.'
One step closer.
'So I stop relying on it.'
Darkness waited beyond.
'And move forward.'
He stepped in.
And deep within—
one presence watched with interest.
One remained silent.
And something—
unseen—
waited.