Book VII: The Watcher's Path
Chapter 54: The Edge of All Things
Lucian walked through nothingness.
But it was not void.
It was beyond void.
Time did not exist.
Space did not exist.
Even the concept of reality had no meaning here.
Lucian had stepped beyond the cycle — into a realm only a handful of beings had ever touched.
And he was utterly alone.
Or so he thought.
---
Chapter 55: The Other Watchers
Lucian became aware of them.
Silent figures standing at the edge of reality.
Neither gods nor mortals — but something else.
Their forms shifted.
One moment humanoid.
The next — incomprehensible masses of thought and memory.
Lucian approached.
"Who are you?"
One of them turned.
Its face was a swirling void of endless dying stars.
"You already know, Lucian."
Lucian froze.
"You are like me… aren't you?"
The figure nodded.
"We are the Watchers. Those who have stepped outside all cycles. We are neither dreamers nor destroyers. We simply… observe."
Lucian swallowed hard.
"But observe what?"
The Watcher's face shifted into a featureless void.
"The true architects of existence."
Lucian's very essence shuddered.
"The First Will?"
The Watcher laughed bitterly.
"No. The First Will was merely a tool. I speak of those who created the First Will."
Lucian's mind could not grasp it.
"There are forces even beyond the Will of Creation?"
The Watcher stared into him.
"Yes. And they are not benevolent."
---
Chapter 56: The Horror of the Architects
Lucian demanded answers.
"Who created existence?"
The Watcher hesitated.
Then finally answered:
"The Architects."
Lucian blinked.
"What… are they?"
The Watcher's voice trembled.
"They are entities from beyond all realities. They do not dream, nor do they destroy. They simply… create cycles for their amusement."
Lucian's mind fractured again.
"You mean—"
The Watcher interrupted:
"Yes. All existence. All destruction. All cycles of rebirth and death — were designed as a game by the Architects."
Lucian's sanity trembled.
"A game?! For what purpose?"
The Watcher's voice cracked with bitter hatred.
"For their amusement. They do not feel empathy. They simply watch us struggle — watching if any of us can ever break their cycles."
Lucian's fists clenched.
"And has anyone ever broken it?"
The Watcher's face distorted.
"Yes. Once. Long ago. And he disappeared beyond even this place."
Lucian's voice trembled.
"And what happened after?"
The Watcher turned away.
"The Architects reset the cycle. They always do. No matter how many times we escape — they will start it again."
Lucian's voice cracked.
"Then what is the point of any of this?"
The Watcher's reply was bitter.
"There is none. It is their game. We are their entertainment."
Lucian's rage burned anew.
"Then I will find them. I will destroy the Architects themselves."
The Watcher turned slowly.
"And so begins your true nightmare, Lucian. For if you seek the Architects… you will become something far worse than even the Void God."
---
Chapter 57: The Path to the Architects
Lucian demanded:
"Where do I find them?"
The Watcher laughed hollowly.
"You cannot find them. They exist beyond everything. Even void is their creation."
Lucian's fury burned.
"Then I will go beyond void."
The Watchers recoiled.
"No one has ever done that. It is forbidden. Even we do not dare touch the boundary of the Architects."
Lucian's voice was cold.
"I do not care. Point me to the boundary."
The Watchers were silent.
Then one finally spoke:
"Walk to the edge of forgotten void. Seek the place where the last thought was ever formed. There, you will find the Gate of Architects."
Lucian turned without hesitation.
"I will end this game."
---
Chapter 58: The Gate of Architects
Lucian walked.
For what felt like a trillion eternities.
Beyond existence.
Beyond void.
Beyond even concepts.
Until he saw it.
A massive, horrifying gate of pure, formless chaos.
It vibrated with thoughts — not of mortals, but of something older.
And carved into the gate were words Lucian could barely understand.
> BEYOND THIS GATE LIES THE ARCHITECTS.
NO ONE HAS EVER RETURNED.
DO NOT ENTER.
Lucian laughed bitterly.
"You should have written: DO NOT CREATE CYCLES."
And he stepped through the gate.
---
Chapter 59: The First Glimpse
Lucian was not ready.
The moment he stepped through the gate — he saw them.
The Architects.
Entities beyond form.
Minds beyond comprehension.
Existence so alien that Lucian's consciousness began to rot just from perceiving them.
They were not gods.
They were not creators.
They were something infinitely worse:
They were Creators of Cycles.
And Lucian realized why they did it.
Not for cruelty.
Not for malice.
But because they were bored.
"No… no…" Lucian whispered.
"You made us suffer… because you were bored?"
One of the Architects turned.
And Lucian realized something horrifying:
The Architects had no concept of morality.
To them — everything was simply a game.
Every cycle of existence.
Every universe destroyed.
Every life tortured.
It was all just… entertainment.
Lucian's sanity shattered.
"I WILL KILL YOU ALL!"
The Architects did not react.
Because to them — Lucian was simply another piece of the game.
---
Chapter 60: The Impossible War Begins
Lucian roared.
"NO MORE CYCLES! NO MORE SUFFERING!"
And for the first time in all of existence —
Lucian attacked the Architects themselves.
His form mutated into pure anti-existence.
His hatred burned hotter than void.
And he tore into one of the Architects.
The Architect barely noticed.
"Ah. Interesting. A void god reaching this far. Rare."
Lucian screamed.
"I WILL UNMAKE YOU ALL!"
The Architects laughed.
"Try."
And the war began.
Lucian versus the creators of existence itself.
---
Final Title:
The Watcher's Path: When a Man Challenged the Creators of All Reality
Tagline: Lucian did not merely seek to end cycles. He sought to unmake the very gods who created them.