"Do you feel it? That subtle but constant pressure, that sensation as if time itself is pushing against you, making you aware of its weight every moment. It's the same cycle, over and over again. The endless spiral that traps you in the illusion of progress. And here you are, dreaming of me, hearing my echo at the edge of your consciousness, wondering if you'll ever be able to move forward. But before you start thinking, let me tell you something... I'm tired."
"Yes, tired. Not in the way you feel after a long workday or after a sleepless night of partying. It's a deeper kind of tired, an older one, a weariness that has no end."
"I've seen everything. I've lived through every timeline, every variant of existence, every fork in the road. I've made every choice that can be made, seen every outcome. And yet, I'm still here."
"Do you know what that means?"
"It means the cycle never ends. You can change direction, make a different choice, but time always drags you back to the same point. It's a never-ending game. And believe me, after countless eons of watching and manipulating the flow of time, after contemplating every possible future and every possible version of yourself, you learn what it truly means to be tired."
"It's not physical exhaustion, not even mental fatigue. It's something else."
"It's the weariness of seeing how everything repeats, how choices that seem new are nothing but echoes of past decisions. It's the exhaustion of knowing that, no matter which path you choose, there will always be another fork, another decision, another version of you waiting at the end of the cycle."
"Does that sound familiar?"
"Of course, it does. Because even if you don't know it, even if you don't acknowledge it, you feel it too. You hide it under anxiety, under your desire for progress that clashes endlessly with your dreams of being something more."
"But deep down, you already know what it's like to be trapped in a cycle. You've felt it every time you set a goal and failed. Every time you've dreamed of a different future, only to wake up in the same present, with the same worries, the same fears."
"It's complicated, isn't it? That feeling that, no matter how hard you try to move forward, time pulls you back. As if you're running in circles, trapped in a maze with no exit. And then, what do you do? You escape. You dream. You wander. You get lost in your thoughts, searching for an answer, an exit..."
"But let me tell you something, dear dreamer: there is no escape. The cycle is eternal. The progress you long for is always just a step away, but every step you take creates new forks, new paths that lead you back to the start. And so, you keep going, over and over, dreaming of the possibility of something more, without realizing that the weariness you feel is the same as mine."
"You're wondering how I know, right?"
"I know what weighs on you because I've been where you are now. I have been you, in a thousand different variants. In each of them, you've reached this moment, this point of exhaustion, of uncertainty, of doubt. And each time, you've asked yourself the same question."
"But here's the truth you may not want to hear: you don't always make it. Sometimes, survival is the only victory. Sometimes, the only success is to keep moving through time, even when every step seems to take you back to the same starting point."
"Does that discourage you?"
"It shouldn't. Because, even though I'm tired, even though I've seen everything, what keeps me here-what keeps me remaining-is the certainty that the cycle, as exhausting as it is, always offers a new opportunity. A new fork. A new variant. And although the weariness never fades, neither does the possibility of a new beginning."
"That's the paradox, the cruel and beautiful game of time. There's always a new variant waiting to be discovered."
"And you, dear dreamer, haven't discovered yours yet."
"Why do you think I'm here, talking to you now?"
"Because you're on the edge. Because, no matter how tired you feel, no matter how much it seems that everything repeats, something inside you is still searching. And that, that is what sets you apart from the other variants of yourself who have given up. It's what sets me apart too. Because, although I'm tired, I'm still here. I remain. And so can you, if you choose to."
"So listen carefully, dreamer: the progress you long for isn't linear. It's not a straight path that will lead you to a perfect life. It's not a final victory. It's a cycle. And in that cycle, the only constant is you. No matter how many times you fall, how many times you feel tired, how many times you fail, there will always be a new fork, a new variant waiting to be created."
"The question is: are you willing to keep going, despite the weariness?"
"Because, in the end, the only thing that truly matters is not whether you escape the cycle, but whether you decide to remain. If you decide to keep searching, to keep exploring every new fork, every new possibility of who you could become."
"I'm tired, yes. But I'm still here. And you?"
YOU ARE READING
The Path of the Conqueror.
SpiritualTime is a river with infinite branches, and every decision you make creates a new current, a new possibility of who you could become. Within you exist multiple versions of yourself: variants that have taken different paths, made distinct choices, an...