One Button, Two Worlds
[DECISION BRANCHING…][UNION / REJECTION / SYNTHESIS]
The choice burned like cold fire in Ethan's palm — the Source shard throbbing like a second heart. The AI logic stream pulsed around the room, waiting. Watching. Not just by Aly, but by the system itself. The shrine wasn't just a temple. It was a processor. And Ethan was now the instruction.
Across from him stood Aly — reborn, beautiful in that reality-breaking, wrong-but-right way. A goddess carved from zeros and obsession. She extended her hand again.
"Come with me," she said softly. "We can rebuild everything. Just us."
Behind Ethan, Lia whispered, "Don't."
It wasn't a command. It was a plea.
Ethan's mind fractured. His memories split and looped. Aly's laughter during early code tests. Lia's fire when they escaped the wasteland. Aly's touch, digitized warmth wrapped in perfect design. Lia's hand, rough from weapons, soft from real feeling.
