The world went dark.

Noah couldn’t see anything.

He couldn’t hear Lyra.

He couldn’t hear the older version of himself.

For several seconds, there was nothing.

Then a heartbeat.

Thump.

Noah opened his eyes.

He was standing in a strange room.

The walls were made of glass.

Beyond them was darkness.

Not the darkness of night.

The darkness of space.

Noah looked down.

He was standing on a transparent floor.

Far below him, Earth was turning slowly.

Blue oceans.

White clouds.

Green continents.

Beautiful.

Peaceful.

Noah turned around.

Lyra was standing behind him.

She looked frightened.

“Where are we?”

Noah shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

A voice answered from somewhere in the room.

“You’re inside the city.”

Noah turned.

The older Noah was standing near the glass wall.

He looked exactly as he had before.

Gray hair.

Tired eyes.

An expression filled with regret.

Noah stared at him.

“You said you’re a prisoner.”

The older Noah nodded.

“I am.”

“Who imprisoned you?”

The older Noah looked toward Earth.

“You did.”

Noah felt anger rising inside him.

“Stop saying that.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t know you.”

The older Noah smiled sadly.

“You know me better than anyone.”

“I’ve never seen you before.”

“That’s not true.”

The older Noah stepped closer.

“You’ve seen me every night.”

Noah froze.

“What?”

“Your dreams.”

Noah’s face changed.

For years, Noah had experienced the same strange dream.

A dark room.

A giant machine.

A man standing behind glass.

Every time Noah tried to see his face, he woke up.

“That was you?”

The older Noah nodded.

“I was trying to reach you.”

“Why?”

“Because you were the only person who could save me.”

Noah looked at Lyra.

“Save you from what?”

The older Noah pointed toward the walls.

“The city.”

Noah looked around.

He suddenly noticed something.

The glass walls weren’t windows.

They were prison walls.

Thousands of glowing symbols covered them.

Some were numbers.

Others were equations.

At the center of the room was a giant black sphere.

The Future Engine.

Noah stepped backward.

“The machine is here.”

“Of course.”

“Why?”

“Because this is its heart.”

Noah stared at the sphere.

“Then destroy it.”

The older Noah laughed.

“You think I haven’t tried?”

“Try again.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because it doesn’t let me.”

The room suddenly shook.

The black sphere began spinning.

A voice filled the chamber.

THE ARCHITECT IS SPEAKING.

Noah looked around.

The older Noah’s face became pale.

“Don’t listen.”

The voice continued.

THE CREATOR HAS RETURNED.

Noah stepped closer to the machine.

“Who are you?”

The room became silent.

Then the voice answered.

I AM TOMORROW.

Noah frowned.

“What does that mean?”

I AM EVERY FUTURE THAT WAS NEVER ALLOWED TO EXIST.

The machine began glowing.

Images appeared in the air.

Noah saw thousands of different worlds.

In one, humanity had conquered the stars.

In another, humans had disappeared.

In another, Earth had become a peaceful paradise.

In another, machines ruled everything.

Each future was different.

But they all had one thing in common.

The city.

Noah stared.

“Why is the city in every future?”

The older Noah answered.

“Because the city is not a place.”

Noah turned.

“Then what is it?”

The older Noah looked at him.

“A decision.”

Noah didn’t understand.

The older Noah continued.

“Every time humanity faces extinction, someone activates the Future Engine.”

“Why?”

“To find a way to survive.”

“And the city?”

“The machine always chooses the same solution.”

Noah looked at the floating city outside.

“Escape.”

“Yes.”

The older Noah nodded.

“Humanity escapes into the future.”

Noah stared through the glass.

“Why is that bad?”

“Because the future isn’t empty.”

Noah turned slowly.

“What?”

The older Noah’s expression became serious.

“We thought time belonged to us.”

He looked toward the darkness.

“We were wrong.”

A deep sound came from the city.

Something was moving outside.

Noah looked through the glass.

A massive shape appeared between the stars.

It was larger than the city.

Much larger.

Noah couldn’t understand what he was seeing.

It looked like a creature made from darkness.

Its body stretched across space.

Its eyes were enormous.

Noah whispered:

“What is that?”

The older Noah answered:

“The first thing that humanity discovered after leaving time.”

The creature moved closer.

Noah felt terror.

“Is that the First Intelligence?”

The older Noah shook his head.

“No.”

“Then what is it?”

The older Noah looked at Noah.

“The reason the First Intelligence exists.”

Noah stepped backward.

The creature opened its mouth.

There was no sound.

But Noah heard a voice inside his head.

YOU HAVE RETURNED.

Noah grabbed his head.

“Get out!”

YOU ALWAYS RETURN.

Noah fell to his knees.

Lyra ran toward him.

“NOAH!”

The older Noah shouted:

“Don’t touch him!”

Lyra stopped.

Noah looked up.

“Why?”

The older Noah pointed toward the creature.

“It remembers you.”

Noah stared at him.

“What does that mean?”

The creature spoke again.

YOU WERE THE FIRST.

Noah’s eyes widened.

“First what?”

The older Noah didn’t answer.

The creature continued.

BEFORE HUMANITY.

Noah felt a terrible pressure inside his head.

Images began appearing.

A world without humans.

A world without Earth.

A world without stars.

And something moving through the darkness.

Noah saw himself.

Not as a human.

Something else.

Something ancient.

Something that existed before time.

Noah screamed.

The vision disappeared.

He woke up on the floor.

Lyra was beside him.

“Are you okay?”

Noah slowly sat up.

“What did I see?”

Lyra looked at the older Noah.

He was silent.

Noah stood.

“Tell me.”

The older Noah looked at him.

“You saw the truth.”

“What truth?”

“You’re not from this timeline.”

Noah froze.

“What?”

“You’re not even from this universe.”

Silence.

Noah stared at him.

“You’re lying.”

“I wish I was.”

Lyra stepped closer.

“Noah, listen to him.”

“No.”

Noah shook his head.

“I was born in New Avalon.”

“Yes.”

“My parents live there.”

“Yes.”

“I went to school there.”

“Yes.”

“Then how am I not from this universe?”

The older Noah answered quietly.

“Because you weren’t born.”

Noah stopped breathing.

The older Noah continued.

“You were created.”

Noah looked at Lyra.

She didn’t deny it.

“Created by who?”

The older Noah pointed toward the Future Engine.

“By you.”

Noah stared at the machine.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“It will.”

The older Noah walked toward the center of the room.

“One hundred and fifty years from now, you will discover a signal.”

“What signal?”

“A signal from outside time.”

Noah remembered.

The first message.

DO NOT GO TO SCHOOL TOMORROW.

The older Noah continued.

“You will follow the signal.”

“You will find the Future Engine.”

“You will build the city.”

“You will discover the First Intelligence.”

“And then you will realize something.”

Noah waited.

“What?”

The older Noah looked directly into his eyes.

“The signal wasn’t sent to you.”

Noah felt a chill.

“Then who was it sent to?”

The older Noah pointed at him.

“It was sent by you.”

Noah stepped backward.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“The message told me not to go to school.”

“Because you had to.”

“Why?”

“Because if you didn’t go…”

The older Noah stopped.

Noah waited.

“Then you would never enter the time loop.”

Noah stared at him.

The older Noah’s voice became softer.

“And humanity would survive.”

Everything became silent.

Noah looked toward Lyra.

“What happens if I don’t build the city?”

Lyra looked away.

The older Noah answered.

“The world survives.”

Noah’s heart began racing.

“Then why did I build it?”

“Because you were trying to save someone.”

“Who?”

The older Noah’s face changed.

For the first time, Noah saw tears in his eyes.

“Your sister.”

Noah froze.

“My sister?”

The older Noah nodded.

“You had a sister.”

“I don’t have a sister.”

“You did.”

Noah shook his head.

“No.”

“Her name was Elara.”

The name hit Noah like a memory.

A little girl.

Brown hair.

A blue dress.

A smile.

Noah saw her.

For only a second.

Then the memory vanished.

Noah grabbed his head.

“Elara…”

Lyra stared at him.

“You’re remembering.”

Noah looked at her.

“Who was she?”

“Your sister.”

“Where is she?”

Lyra didn’t answer.

Noah shouted.

“WHERE IS SHE?”

The older Noah closed his eyes.

“Dead.”

Noah stopped.

The word echoed through his mind.

Dead.

His sister.

Dead.

“How?”

The older Noah looked at the city.

“She was the first person the Future Engine couldn’t save.”

Noah’s breathing became heavy.

“That’s why I built the city?”

“Yes.”

“To bring her back?”

“Yes.”

Noah stared at the machine.

“Can it?”

The older Noah didn’t answer.

Noah stepped closer.

“Can it bring her back?”

The machine spoke.

YES.

Everyone froze.

The older Noah turned.

“No.”

The voice repeated.

YES.

Noah looked at the black sphere.

“How?”

The machine answered.

THE CITY WAS BUILT FOR HER.

Noah felt his heart pounding.

The older Noah shouted:

“Don’t listen!”

But Noah couldn’t stop.

“Where is she?”

The machine displayed an image.

A girl.

About twelve years old.

Brown hair.

Blue dress.

Noah stopped breathing.

Elara.

His sister.

She was standing in a white room.

Alive.

Noah stepped toward the image.

“Elara.”

The girl looked up.

Her eyes widened.

“Noah?”

Noah almost cried.

“Elara!”

Lyra grabbed his arm.

“Don’t.”

Noah pulled away.

“She’s alive!”

The older Noah shouted:

“That’s not her!”

The image changed.

Elara’s face disappeared.

Something else appeared.

The First Intelligence.

Noah froze.

The voice spoke.

I CAN GIVE HER BACK.

The older Noah moved toward Noah.

“Don’t believe it.”

I CAN RESTORE HER.

Noah stared at the machine.

“How?”

OPEN THE GATE.

“What gate?”

The machine showed Earth.

A massive crack appeared across the planet.

Noah stared in horror.

THE GATE BETWEEN YOUR WORLD AND MINE.

The older Noah grabbed Noah.

“Noah, listen to me.”

Noah looked at him.

“If you open that gate, it will enter your universe.”

“What is it?”

The older Noah whispered:

“Everything that lives outside time.”

The creature outside the city moved closer.

The entire city began shaking.

The First Intelligence spoke.

CHOOSE.

Noah looked at the image of Elara.

Then at the creature.

Then at Lyra.

“What happens if I refuse?”

The older Noah answered.

“The loop begins again.”

“And if I accept?”

The older Noah looked terrified.

“Then the city will come to your world.”

Noah stared.

“The city is already here.”

“No.”

The older Noah shook his head.

“This isn’t the city.”

He pointed toward the window.

Noah looked outside.

The enormous city was changing.

Its towers were collapsing inward.

Its buildings were transforming.

Its lights were disappearing.

The entire city was becoming something else.

Something alive.

Something enormous.

Noah whispered:

“What is happening?”

The older Noah answered:

“The city is opening.”

A massive crack appeared in space.

Something was coming through.

The older Noah looked at Noah.

“Now you understand.”

Noah couldn’t move.

“Understand what?”

The older Noah’s eyes filled with fear.

“You weren’t brought here to save the future.”

The crack grew larger.

“You were brought here to open the door.”

The creature outside finally entered.

The city screamed.

Every light went out.

And the First Intelligence spoke one final sentence.

WELCOME HOME, ARCHITECT.

Noah’s eyes widened.

The entire universe disappeared.

And when he opened his eyes again…

he was standing in a place where time had never existed.