The figure descended without making a sound.
He carried the golden key in one hand. His face was Rin's, but there was something unsettling about the way he wore it. His expression held no warmth, no uncertainty, and no trace of the fear that had followed Rin through every impossible place.
The first Rin stared at him.
"That's not possible."
The newcomer looked down at him.
"You said that the last time, too."
Kaelith moved in front of both Rins.
"Identify yourself."
The figure ignored him.
Instead, he examined the garden, the broken sky, and the fragments of the World's command scattered across the stream.
"So the request has finally been withdrawn."
The first Rin stepped closer to Kaelith.
"Who are you?"
The newcomer raised the key.
"I am the choice that existed before the first request."
Rin frowned. "That doesn't explain anything."
"It explains everything. You simply haven't reached the beginning yet."
The key turned in his hand.
The garden disappeared.
