Parker's consciousness snapped back to the crystalline chamber like a rubber band released from infinite tension. The cosmic cathedral, the voice of Existence itself, the weight of nine lifetimes—all of it compressed back into the simple reality of underground stone and pulsing light.
The Guardian was gone. Not just destroyed, not banished—simply absent, as though it had never existed. Its purpose fulfilled, its ancient vigil complete.
Only Maya and Seoryeon remained, frozen in perfect temporal stasis mid-breath, mid-thought, mid-heartbeat.
Time had stopped around them the moment Parker's true awakening began, preserving them in crystalline moments while cosmic forces reshaped their protector.
Parker looked exactly as he had before entering the trial—no visible change marked his transformation from broken Prince to chaos incarnate. His hair remained silver-streaked from the sacrifices he'd made. His eyes held the same depth they'd always possessed.
