Damien opened his eyes in a temple that hadn't been built yet.
Stone spiraled upward, carved from hypothetical futures. The sky was inverted—stars blinked beneath him. He sat on a throne of unfinished choices.
Around him, people knelt. Some were his. Others… were versions of him.
One wore a crown of rust. One held a blade made of guilt. Another was just a child, clutching a blueprint labeled: ChronoCore.
"You have become the Second Coil," the child whispered.
Damien stood.
"Then I must find the First."
A mirror materialized. In it, he saw Lyra.
Bleeding. Crying. Alone.
"Take me to her," he commanded.
The blueprint-child shook his head.
"No. You created this. You must undo it the long way."
Damien looked down at his hands. They shimmered with paradox.
"I never wanted to be a god," he said.
The crown of rust landed on his head anyway.