Kael stepped onto the bridge, the vast cosmos stretching endlessly below. At its end stood a throne of shifting light, pulsing with energy older than time itself.
Sitting upon it was a figure—himself.
Or rather, a version of himself. This Kael was different, his presence commanding, his eyes glowing like stars.
"You have finally arrived," the other Kael said. "But do you understand why?"
Kael swallowed hard. "I… I don't know."
The Astral Throne pulsed. "The Astral Paradox was never about the world. It was about you. You are the key to reality itself. The question is… will you claim your destiny or reject it?"
Kael took a step closer, the weight of fate pressing down on him. The choice he made now would change everything.
And the universe held its breath.
Chapter 15: The Shattered Choice
Kael reached out toward the throne, his fingers inches away from the pulsing light. His reflection—his other self—watched him with an expression he couldn't decipher.
"If I take the throne, what happens?" Kael asked.
"You become the Architect of Reality," the other Kael replied. "You will rewrite the laws of existence."
Kael hesitated. Power beyond imagination lay before him, but was it truly his destiny? Or was it a trap?
Before he could decide, the bridge trembled. The darkness around him shuddered, and a voice—deeper than the void itself—rumbled.
"You were never meant to choose alone."
A new presence emerged from the abyss. Cloaked in voidfire, its form was indistinct, ever-shifting. It was the Keeper of the Paradox.
"You must face the final trial," the Keeper declared. "Defeat me, or surrender to oblivion."
Kael clenched his fists. This was it—the moment everything had led to. He had no choice but to fight for his fate.
And so, the battle for the Astral Paradox began.