THYME'S POV:
I've been trapped in this timeline for a month now, a silent ghost in a world that wasn't mine. A month. The words felt strange on my tongue. It had passed in a blur of failed attempts at escape and quiet, domestic moments that felt dangerously like home. If you asked me a month ago if I wanted to go home, my answer would have been a desperate, unequivocal "yes." But now? Now I wasn't so sure. My answer was a hesitant, uncertain "maybe," a betrayal to the life I had left behind. The more time I spent with Aunt Ying, the more the hollow ache in my chest was filled with a sense of family, a warmth and a sense of belonging I had never known. Her love felt like a lifeline, pulling me from the depths of my own despair.
But even so, in the dead of night when the house was silent, I couldn't forget. I couldn't forget Dom's exasperated but loyal friendship. I couldn't forget Lance's quiet, steady presence. And I couldn't forget Meta. The memory of his kiss, the confusing, burgeoning relationship we were trying to nurture, was a constant, bittersweet pang.
Aunt Ying had always said that things in life will come and go, and so will people. She told me not to succumb to negativity, but to cherish the moments I had, to hold onto the memories and emotions in my heart even when those people were gone or changed. I carried her words with me, a quiet mantra in the back of my mind. It was why I was happy, despite the uncertainty. I had a friend, someone who cared about me. I had to be content with that.
I was staring out the window, lost in these thoughts, watching the slow, sleepy rhythm of the 1990s street, when an old man shuffling past on the street looked up. His eyes, clouded with age, scanned the houses and then stopped, snagging on my window. On me. A flicker of question, of shock, passed through his gaze. I felt a cold dread settle in my gut. He was staring at me. No, that was impossible. Aunt Ying had said no one in this neighborhood could see me.
My heart began to pound a frantic, panicked rhythm against my ribs. I glanced behind me, but the room was empty. Aunt Ying hadn't returned. I was alone, and this man was definitely looking directly at me. He squinted, his head tilting, his gaze unnerving and piercing, as if he could see right through my spiritual form and into my soul. I ducked down in a panic, scrambling behind the heavy velvet curtains, my heart hammering in my ears. He saw me. He actually saw me. The terrifying implication of this realization made my blood run cold.
Then, I heard the soft click of the front door downstairs. Aunt Ying was home. I rushed down the stairs, my legs barely holding my weight. Aunt Ying stood in the entryway, her face pale, her eyes filled with a deep, consuming worry that made my chest tighten.
"Child, we have a problem," she said, her voice a low, somber whisper.
A wave of cold dread washed over me. "What problem?" I asked, my voice barely audible.
She took a deep breath, her gaze never leaving mine. "I met some of my neighbors just now. They said they saw a young man looking out the window of my house. An old man described you perfectly."
I felt a cold shiver run through my entire body, a sensation so intense it made the hairs on my arms stand on end. I was shaking, the realization of what she was saying too terrifying to fully comprehend. "Wait, Aunt Ying, do you mean... I... I'm gaining a physical body?"
The words were a choked whisper, a desperate fear I hadn't dared to speak. This was the one thing Aunt Ying had warned me against. The moment I gained a physical form, the moment I could interact with this world, I would begin to affect the timeline. My past, my present, my future—all of it was at risk. I now understood the consuming worry on her face. It was for me. It was for the future.
"From now on, you will not leave the house," she commanded, her voice firm. "It is better that you do not interact with anyone."
"I will do as you say, Aunt Ying," I said, my voice barely steady. "I will stay in the house. I won't go out. But why should I not interact? As long as I don't do anything major, no changes will happen, right?"
She shook her head slowly, her eyes filled with a deep, sorrowful wisdom. "No, child. That is where you are wrong. Even a single interaction with someone can affect the flow of time. A single conversation can cause a person to change their decisions, which in turn will change their future. And a sudden change in one person's future will affect the futures of everyone they interact with. It's like a domino effect, a tidal wave of changes that will ripple out and alter your own timeline beyond recognition. If you are not careful, you will accumulate a ton of bad karma that will become a curse for you, eternally."
The word "curse" hung in the air between us, cold and heavy. "Wh-what do you mean by a curse? I don't understand."
She led me to a small wooden table in the living room and gestured for me to sit. "You know, people who see the future are divided into three categories. The first is Pure Foresight, where a person sees the future but does not know the cause. Abilities like precognitive dreams, scrying, or basic prophetic visions fall into this category. Then there is the second category, Causal Insight, where a person sees the cause but not the result. Omen reading, runecasting, and palmistry are examples of this. And finally, there is the third category, Complete Foresight, where a person sees both the cause and the result, through abilities like high-level astrology or deep trance shamanic visions."
My mind was a whirlwind of new information. I rubbed my temples, trying to make sense of the new categories. "But what does this have to do with the curse of changing the future? I can't see the future, so I don't know what will happen. How could I change it?"
Aunt Ying held up a hand, a gentle gesture that silenced my frantic questions. "Let me finish, child. I know you're confused, but you will understand once I'm done."
I nodded, my frustration giving way to a desperate need to know. "I'm sorry, Aunt Ying. Please continue."
"What I'm saying is that these three categories all receive different karma. People might think of these abilities as gifts, but they are not. They are a curse given by divine beings to test a person's control over their desires. The more profound a person's desire, the greater the ability they will receive, and the heavier the curse that comes with it."
My confusion was a physical weight on my shoulders. "Desire? That makes no sense. Everyone has desires. Are you saying that a person who can only see the future will be punished more than someone who can change it?"
She gave a small, sad laugh at my outburst. "Calm down, child. You are right that it sounds unfair. But the three categories I just described are not true blessings. They are for those who were not born with the gift, but who tried to learn it or were forced to receive it. Abilities like tarot reading or astrology can be learned. Others, like prophetic dreams or spirit communication, are often granted after a person faces a tragic event, mostly a near-death experience. The strong desire to live causes the death energy that should have taken their life to remain with them, and it is that energy that grants them these abilities."
My mind raced. "So, based on what you're telling me, you don't fall into any of those categories because you were born with your ability."
"Yes, Thyme. Because I fall into the fourth category, what we call True Diviners. Some people call us saints or apostles of the Gods. We are people blessed by divine beings, specifically the Gods of destiny and fate, because of the good karma we've accumulated from all our past lives. Because we are blessed, we are exempt from the curses that fall on the other three categories. We can only change a person's future based on what the God of Destiny allows. If we don't follow their will, we will be cursed with eternal unluckiness."
My mind, already stretched to its limits, tried to process this. "Wait, Aunt Ying, I was born with this ability, so I should be a True Diviner, right? I should be like you. I shouldn't be affected by a curse. I'm a good person!"
Her expression softened, a deep sadness in her eyes. "No, child. You fall into the fifth category. These are people who are blessed by divine beings for their good karma, but they also accumulated a great amount of bad karma in their past lives. They are called Astray Diviners. People who are astray diviners have unique abilities, like time travel, body possession, or the ability to create cursed objects. They can affect the future of others with their abilities, and they are considered enemies of the God of Fate and Destiny, because they are not blessed to change others' futures. And unlike the first three categories, the future they can change is far bigger. They are cursed to witness the death of their loved ones before they die in a horrible way. The curse they receive is eternal."
I didn't know what to say. My mind felt like it was floating, the world around me distant and blurred. I wasn't just a lost boy anymore. I was a curse. A weapon. And the people I had just learned to love, the people who had given me a family, were destined to die because of me.