After listening to the two of them talk for a while, Roxanne realized that the atmosphere had grown rather tense. Deciding it was time to lighten the mood, she thought to herself, *It seems the seniors have been discussing the mission for far too long. Someone might notice if this drags on any further. Alright then.*
Without warning, she teleported directly behind Vera and wrapped her arms around Vera's neck in a sudden hug. Vera flinched, startled once again by the unexpected gesture. Her face flushed a deep red, and she stammered, "Roxanne! How many times have I told you not to do that?!"
Roxanne replied with a soft giggle, "You two have been talking for ages. Have you forgotten we're still in the middle of the city? There are people everywhere. Someone might figure out what we're planning—or worse, overhear everything you just said."
Ellen, who had been listening nearby, nodded in agreement. "She's right. We should focus on the mission now. Let's see what happens next."
The group resumed their journey, but Vera soon noticed that Roxanne showed no sign of letting go. She was still clinging to Vera's shoulders like a persistent child.
"Roxanne, I know you think of me as your lucky charm, but could you at least read the room? It's crowded here. Stop it," Vera said, her face still faintly flushed with embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Ellen walked ahead, her brow furrowed in thought. *Merging two timelines... creating a third. Why would a third timeline emerge from a merger? There has to be a reason. But what is it? And what even *is* time?*
---
Back at the laboratory, Zayn and his friends were staring at the data Miranda had retrieved. The more they looked, the more confusing it became.
"Oh my god, this data is a mess," Rayne said, rubbing her temples. "Why are there overwritten reports here? Incomplete events? And what exactly is Alcrypna?"
"Hey, Professor," Zayn said, nudging Diego with his elbow. "You can see other timelines and multiverses, right? Don't you know what's going on?"
Diego sighed, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "That's the problem. Precisely *because* I can see them, I can no longer tell which timeline is the original and which are the alternatives. And right now, three timelines are involved: our main timeline, an alternate version of it, and an entirely new one."
Xavier leaned forward, intrigued. "What do you mean by 'alternate timeline' and 'new timeline'?"
Diego explained, his tone growing more serious. "An alternate timeline is a branch. Every timeline has limitless branches, each of which branches further without limit. It's an limitless fractal. A new timeline, however, isn't the result of branching. It's something else entirely—it didn't originate from our main timeline at all."
Welt crossed his arms. "Regarding the artifact's ability—Alcrypna has the power to merge timelines. And as for the incident itself... you probably know more than you're letting on, Diego. The person behind this seems to have erased all their data from past and future. Maybe that's one of their abilities."
Diego nodded slowly. "Back then, Alvion's father threw that painting into an alternate timeline. But because that alternate timeline continued to branch endlessly, Alvion used Alcrypna to merge it back. He searched for a timeline identical to the original using Alcrypna and his gravity abilities. He bent time itself until he finally found the right timeline—then used Alcrypna to fuse them together."
Raizer frowned. "If his gravity powers alone could create a timeline vortex to search for that timeline, why did he need Alcrypna?"
Diego held up a finger. "You see, timelines are divided into many categories. I'll simplify it and focus on two important ones: the Normal Timeline and the True Timeline."
Rayne looked bewildered. "I always thought a timeline was just a sequence of events. I didn't realize it could be this complicated."
Diego continued, "The Normal Timeline is what we usually think of—branches from the main timeline. But even within our world alone, the branching is extreme. Changes in energy, initial conditions, origins, thoughts, and countless other factors can spawn new timelines. And the events that keep unfolding continuously create other infinite branches."
Zayn rubbed his chin. "No wonder they needed an artifact like that. Okay, so what's the True Timeline?"
Diego's expression grew somber. "To be honest, if compared to the True Timeline, the Normal Timeline is merely a theory. The True Timeline encompasses all events—information, existence, realms, souls, stories, concepts, history, dimensions... everything that happens, happens within that timeline. And that's why merging timelines required Alcrypna. Even then, Alvion had to use his full power. Merging timelines affects subsequent branches—though not previous ones—because Alcrypna absorbed all those branches as its source of strength."
Xavier asked, "Then how does a third timeline exist?"
Diego answered quietly, "That's not a timeline. That's an entirely different reality."
Zayn shook his head. "I'm not so sure. Kyle and I... we were pretty similar."
Diego's eyes widened slightly at that. He seemed both puzzled and... excited. A faint, almost unsettling smile crept across his face.
"Maybe it was a coincidence," Diego said slowly. "Or maybe you'd call it fate. Their reality should have been destroyed by Alcrypna, yet they still exist. Perhaps they used another artifact. Or performed a ritual."
Zayn noticed Diego's expression—a mixture of confusion and a terrifying, eager grin. The professor was clearly thrilled.
Diego murmured to himself, "Even my ability doesn't know the answer. Just as I suspected—this world is full of mysteries. My near-omniscient power can't grasp this. Just how insane will this mystery become?"