Jude exhaled slowly. "What was that?"
"Possibilities," the Watcher said. "Paths yet to be walked. Choices yet to be made. You stand at the crossroads of fate."
Jude clenched his fists. "And what if I don't want to walk any of them?"
The Watcher's gaze remained steady. "Then another will take your place."
The words sent a strange unease through him.
He had never asked for this. He had never wanted to be part of something greater than himself. He had spent his life fighting battles that were his own, struggling to carve out a place in a world that had never been kind to him. And now, he was being told he was part of something bigger, something he couldn't even begin to understand.
"What happens now?" Lyara asked cautiously.
The Watcher extended a hand. "You may proceed. But know this, each step forward carries consequence. Each choice will shape the rift. There is no turning back."
