The armored man stood silent as Vahn pondered the vial. He felt as though the very air had thickened with the weight of the decision. To accept this offer would change everything. To deny it might cost him something he couldn't yet understand.
Finally, Vahn raised his head. "What must I do to obtain this knowledge?"
The figure's smile was almost imperceptible. "You must open the door to truth. But be warned, knowledge is a burden. It does not come freely. It changes you."
Vahn nodded. The weight of the decision sat heavily on his shoulders, but there was no turning back. "I accept."
Without another word, the man gently placed the vial on the counter, and the air shifted. The room seemed to distort around them, the boundaries of the store itself bending and warping. Vahn's vision blurred, and suddenly, it felt as though the store no longer existed. He was surrounded by darkness, yet light emanated from the vial.
The armored figure stepped back. "Be ready."
Vahn took the vial, feeling its heat pulse through his hands. His heartbeat quickened as the knowledge of countless worlds began to flood his mind. The universe, in all its complexity and endless depth, poured into him.
The flood of information was overwhelming. He saw the birth of stars, the rise and fall of civilizations, and the endless web of choices that led to the present moment. He felt the weight of countless lifetimes, each filled with pain, joy, loss, and triumph.
But then, the knowledge shifted. It was no longer just the past; it was the future, too. Visions of destruction, of creation, of choices yet to be made—everything tangled in a web of uncertainty.