“Father.”Lucien couldn’t move.The single word had shattered something inside him.He stared at the child in Sophia’s arms.Those golden eyes.That impossible presence.That familiar feeling.It was the same feeling he had experienced the first time he saw Sophia as a child.Recognition.But this was different.This time, he remembered.Not a memory from yesterday.Not a memory from a forgotten lifetime.A memory from before time.Lucien whispered:“No.”The child smiled.“Father.”Sophia looked at him.“Lucien, what is happening?”He didn’t answer.“Lucien?”His eyes filled with tears.“I remember her.”Sophia’s heart tightened.“Who is she?”Lucien looked at the baby.“She was there before you.”Sophia froze.“What do you mean?”“Before the first universe.”The alternate Sophias were still frozen in place.The black wave remained suspended in the air.Time itself had stopped responding to everyone except Sophia, Lucien, and the child.Lucien continued.“I thought she was a dream.”
Last Updated : 2026-08-12 Read more