Elara nodded. She didn't explain the rules. She never did. You can't alter the past's outcome—only its texture . A word unspoken could be whispered. A hand not held could be touched. The timeline would heal around the change like water closing over a stone.
End.
After Kael left, Elara sat alone in the flickering light of . The real origin wasn't the past, she thought. It was the moment someone chose to reach across time and heal what had broken.
When Kael woke, his own cheeks were wet. He clutched the photograph to his chest.