The silver bridge pulsed beneath Krish's feet, alive with the heartbeat of the present. Each step carried him deeper into the clarity of now, where every breath, every flutter of his wings, every ripple of thought resounded with unbearable sharpness.
The visions of past and future were gone. Here, there was only stillness—so complete it seemed the entire cosmos had frozen to watch. The stars did not burn, the rivers of time did not flow. Silence stretched across infinity, vast and unbroken.
And yet, within that silence, the road began to tremble.
They resonated, vibrating through the frozen void. His wings pulsed once more, radiating ripples that sliced through the stillness. The road shuddered, fragments of frozen time splintering into shards of light.
From the cracks emerged a figure.
It was himself.
A mirror of Krish stood on the opposite end of the road, ribbon-wings glowing brighter, eyes burning with the weight of countless instants. This doppelgänger did not move with hesitation—it flowed, every gesture seamless, as though it embodied perfect presence.
"This is the self you must overcome," the whisper intoned. "The you who walks in the present with no flaw. If you cannot surpass him… you will be devoured by the very moment you chose."
The mirrored Krish raised his hand. Threads of time coiled around his fingers, weaving into a blade of pure instants. With a single swing, the frozen cosmos split apart.
Krish steadied himself, his own wings glowing fiercely. His lips curved into a thin smile.
"So even the present can fight back. Good… then let it be tested."
The silver road trembled as two Krishes faced one another, and the Earth-Level Universe held its breath.
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