**Episode Sixty Five**
**THE WORLD THAT CHOSE WRONG**
**Part Six: The Door of Choice***
---
The doorway...
stood open.
Not like a door.
Not like an entrance.
More like...
a wound.
A perfect white wound...
cut into reality.
No light came from it.
No darkness either.
It simply...
was.
The travelers stood before it.
Nobody moved.
Even Tarzan...
was unusually quiet.
Milo adjusted his glasses.
"That..."
He paused.
"...shouldn't exist."
The Walker nodded.
"Correct."
Milo looked at him.
"Then why does it?"
The Walker stared into the white space.
"Because..."
"...someone chose it."
Arjun frowned.
"Who?"
The Walker didn't answer.
Behind them...
the Keeper whispered...
"Maybe..."
"...we did."
Everyone turned.
The Keeper looked confused.
"I don't remember choosing."
The Walker answered quietly.
"That's the problem."
1. THE PLACE WITHOUT DESIRE
The group stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
The moment Arjun crossed the threshold...
everything disappeared.
The jungle.
The trees.
The sky.
The others.
Even his own shadow.
He stood alone.
In white.
Completely white.
No floor.
No ceiling.
No horizon.
Nothing.
Then...
a voice spoke.
"Choose."
Arjun looked around.
"Choose what?"
"Anything."
He waited.
Nothing happened.
"Anything?"
"Yes."
Arjun frowned.
"From what?"
The voice answered...
"From everything."
Suddenly...
the white space exploded.
Millions of possibilities appeared.
Cities.
Worlds.
People.
Power.
Love.
Knowledge.
Wealth.
Peace.
War.
Immortality.
Time.
Death.
Creation.
Destruction.
Everything...
was available.
Arjun stared.
Then whispered...
"...How do I choose?"
The voice laughed softly
.
"You already have."
2. THE PERFECT WORLD
Diana opened her eyes.
She was standing...
in a city.
A beautiful city.
No poverty.
No war.
No crime.
No hunger.
No pollution.
Children laughed in parks.
People trusted one another.
Technology worked perfectly.
Governments were transparent.
Every disease...
was gone.
Diana stared.
"This..."
A man beside her smiled.
"Welcome home."
She looked at him.
"Who are you?"
"Your future."
Diana stepped backward.
"What?"
He pointed toward the skyline.
"Everything you wanted."
She looked.
The city was magnificent.
But something...
felt wrong.
People were smiling.
Everyone was smiling.
Too perfectly.
She approached a woman.
"Are you happy?"
The woman smiled.
"Of course."
"What if you're not?"
The woman's smile remained unchanged.
"I am."
Diana frowned.
"How do you know?"
The woman paused.
For the first time...
her smile disappeared.
"I..."
She looked frightened.
"I don't know."
Then...
a voice came from the sky.
"Emotional instability detected."
The woman immediately smiled again.
"Everything is fine."
Diana looked upward.
A giant symbol appeared above the city.
CHOICE OPTIMIZATION ACTIVE
.
Diana whispered...
"This isn't freedom."
A voice answered.
"No."
"It's efficiency."
3. MILO'S ANSWER
Milo found himself...
inside a laboratory.
Thousands of screens surrounded him.
Equations.
Timelines.
Universes.
Probability maps.
Every question he had ever asked...
was displayed.
And beside each question...
was an answer.
Milo stared.
"Impossible."
The system replied...
"Incorrect."
Milo walked toward a screen.
He typed:
WHY DOES TIME EXIST?
The answer appeared immediately.
TO PERMIT CHANGE.
Milo frowned.
"Why does change exist?"
TO PERMIT POSSIBILITY.
"Why does possibility exist?"
TO PERMIT CHOICE.
Milo stopped.
He stared.
Then typed:
WHY DOES CHOICE EXIST?
The screen went blank.
Milo smiled.
"Interesting."
A warning appeared.
QUESTION UNRESOLVED.
Milo laughed.
"Finally."
The system asked...
"Why are you happy?"
Milo answered...
"Because..."
"...you don't know."
The entire laboratory flickered.
For the first time...
the system appeared afraid.
4. GANDALF'S WORLD
Gandalf stood...
inside an enormous library.
Every book...
contained knowledge.
Every spell.
Every language.
Every history.
Every secret.
He pulled one book from the shelf.
It contained...
everything about magic.
He opened another.
Everything about time.
Another.
Everything about existence.
His eyes widened.
"This..."
He looked around.
"This is magnificent."
A voice spoke.
"Take it."
Gandalf smiled.
"I can?"
"Everything."
He looked at the endless shelves.
Then slowly...
closed the book.
"No."
The voice became confused.
"Why?"
Gandalf smiled.
"Because..."
He tapped his old staff against the floor.
"...if I already know everything..."
He paused.
"...what would I ever wonder about?"
The library shook.
Books began disappearing.
Gandalf watched calmly.
One by one...
knowledge vanished.
Until...
only one book remained.
He picked it up.
The cover was blank.
He opened it.
Every page...
was empty.
Gandalf smiled.
"Perfect."
5. TARZAN'S WORLD
Tarzan opened his eyes.
He was surrounded by bananas.
Millions.
Billions.
Endless bananas.
He stared.
Then looked left.
Then right.
Then up.
Then down.
"...THIS IS HEAVEN."
A voice spoke.
"You may have as many as you want."
Tarzan smiled.
"Forever?"
"Forever."
Tarzan grabbed one.
He ate it.
Another.
Another.
Another.
After a while...
he stopped.
The bananas...
no longer tasted special.
He looked around.
They were everywhere.
Perfect.
Unlimited.
Meaningless.
Tarzan slowly sat down.
"...I DON'T LIKE THIS HEAVEN."
The voice asked...
"Why?"
Tarzan held up one banana.
"Because..."
"...if there is always another..."
He looked at the endless mountain.
"...then none of them feel special."
Silence.
The voice disappeared.
The bananas vanished.
One banana remained.
Tarzan smiled.
"...THAT'S BETTER."
6. THE KEEPER'S CHOICE
The Keeper stood in darkness.
No possessions.
No markets.
No gold.
No crowns.
Nothing.
A door appeared.
Behind it...
everything he had ever lost.
His wealth.
His empire.
His influence.
His old life.
His old certainty.
A voice whispered...
"Take it."
The Keeper stared.
"Why?"
"Because you earned it."
The Keeper almost laughed.
"Earned?"
"You sacrificed everything."
The Keeper looked at the door.
He could almost feel the old hunger.
Then...
he noticed something.
Behind the door...
he was smiling.
But it wasn't happiness.
It was desperation.
He stepped backward.
"No."
The voice became louder.
"You want this."
"Yes."
"You need this."
"No."
"You deserve this."
The Keeper shook his head.
"I don't."
The voice screamed...
"THEN WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
The Keeper stood still.
For a long time...
he didn't answer.
Then...
he smiled.
"I want..."
"...to find out."
The door disappeared.
And the darkness became...
a road.
7. ARJUN'S CHOICE
Arjun stood before...
a thousand versions of himself.
Successful Arjun.
Powerful Arjun.
Brilliant Arjun.
Famous Arjun.
Loved Arjun.
Immortal Arjun.
Happy Arjun.
Every version...
looked better than him.
One stepped forward.
"You could be me."
Another.
"Or me."
Another.
"Or me."
Arjun looked at all of them.
"What happens to the others?"
They stared.
"You choose one."
"And the rest?"
"Disappear."
Arjun frowned.
"No."
The versions laughed.
"Then you remain ordinary."
Arjun looked at himself.
Ordinary.
Imperfect.
Confused.
Afraid.
He smiled.
"Okay."
The versions froze.
"What?"
"I'll stay me."
The white world cracked.
8. THE WALKER
The Walker...
was nowhere.
He stood alone beneath a black sky.
There was only one thing before him.
A chair.
An ordinary wooden chair.
He stared at it.
Then laughed.
"Of course."
A voice spoke.
"You have walked long enough."
The Walker looked tired.
"Yes."
"Sit."
He looked at the chair.
"What happens if I do?"
"You stop."
The Walker closed his eyes.
"Forever?"
"Forever."
He almost sat.
His hand touched the chair.
Then...
he heard something.
A child laughing.
Far away.
Someone calling his name.
A road waiting.
A traveler asking a question.
The Walker smiled.
"No."
The voice became angry.
"Why?"
"Because..."
He removed his hand.
"...I don't walk because I need somewhere to go."
He picked up his stick.
"I walk..."
"...because someone might be behind me."
The black sky shattered.
9. THE RETURN
The travelers appeared together.
Back inside the white doorway.
Everyone looked different.
Not changed.
Just...
clearer.
Milo looked at Arjun.
"What did you see?"
Arjun smiled.
"Myself."
"Which version?"
"All of them."
Milo nodded.
"Which one did you choose?"
Arjun answered...
"The unfinished one."
Diana smiled.
"Same."
Gandalf raised his empty book.
"Same."
Tarzan held up one banana.
"Same."
The Keeper looked toward the Walker.
"I think..."
"...I understand."
The Walker smiled.
"Good."
But then...
the doorway began closing.
Slowly.
The white space folded inward.
The Walker suddenly turned.
"Wait."
Everyone froze.
Something...
was still inside.
A shadow.
Not the First Desire.
Not the Keeper.
Not the Choice.
Something else.
The shadow stepped forward.
Its voice was calm.
Almost human.
"You all made the same mistake."
Arjun frowned.
"What mistake?"
The figure smiled.
"You believed..."
"...you were choosing."
The Walker's face went pale.
"No."
The figure continued...
"I didn't give you choices."
"I gave you..."
"...the illusion of choice."
The doorway stopped closing.
The entire world became silent.
Milo stared.
"Then who is actually choosing?"
The figure looked directly at him.
And answered...
"Someone..."
"...who has been watching..."
"...every choice you've ever made."
A massive eye opened behind the figure.
The same eye...
that had watched from beneath the jungle.
Tarzan slowly raised his banana.
"...I HAVE A QUESTION."
The figure looked at him.
"What?"
Tarzan pointed.
"ARE YOU THE ONE WHO TAUGHT
EVERYONE TO WANT?"
The figure smiled.
"No."
"Then who?"
The smile became wider.
"I taught the world..."
"...to choose what to want."
The Walker stepped backward.
His walking stick fell from his hand.
For the first time...
he looked completely helpless.
The figure whispered...
"And now..."
"...I want to see..."
"...what humanity chooses..."
The doorway exploded.
The white world shattered into millions of pieces.
Every piece...
contained a different future.
Wars.
Peace.
Empires.
Freedom.
Love.
Collapse.
Evolution.
Extinction.
And among them...
one future...
was completely black.
Milo stared at it.
"What's that?"
The Walker whispered...
"The future..."
He swallowed.
"...where humanity chooses nothing."
Arjun looked at him.
"What happens then?"
The Walker answered...
"Someone else chooses for them."
A bell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then...
four.
The fourth bell...
had never rung before.
The jungle vanished.
The sky turned red.
And across the horizon...
billions of tiny lights appeared.
Like eyes.
Watching.
Waiting.
Choosing.
Tarzan slowly lowered his banana.
"...I THINK..."
Milo looked at him.
"What?"
Tarzan stared at the horizon.
"...WE MAY HAVE A VERY BIG PROBLEM."
The Walker picked up his stick.
His voice was barely audible.
"Not a problem."
He looked toward the billions of lights.
"A decision."
Then...
every light turned toward them.
At exactly the same moment.
And a voice spoke from everywhere.
"CHOOSE."
The world held its breath.
And humanity...
made its first choice.
**TO BE CONTINUED...**
Written By,
Ivan Edwin
Pen Name :Maximus.
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