The Architect, who had joined them as the significance of the discovery became clear, studied the inscription with growing understanding, his sharp mind assembling the pieces with the same precision he applied to everything he encountered.
"The Seventh Path was never meant to stand alongside the other six," he said slowly. "It was created to unite them."
He looked up, meeting Liora's eyes, his expression carrying the weight of a realization that reshaped everything he had understood about the Vault's true purpose.
"The Seventh was never a guardian," he whispered.
"It was a bridge."
Far from the Vault, in the strange, boundless space where the Redactor carried out his solitary work, he finally turned his full attention toward the ancient manuscript the unseen Author had unsealed â€" *The Original Ending* â€" its pages waiting patiently for him to finally confront whatever truth it had been holding for him across all the ages since the First Revision first began.
