CH.727 The “Big” Time Jump
It was a few days after my birthday when I was finally ready to make the big jump back in time. And calling it a ‘big jump’ is kind of an exaggeration. I mean, it is only about a month. But it is still the biggest I’ve ever done and one where I could definitely mess up the timeline if I do it wrong.
I began the time travel process as I always did, by turning on Invisibility and Intangibility. They are just good ‘just in case’ abilities to be active.
I then used Phantom Magic to block the sensation of wrongness I get when traveling backwards in time and then finally the actual Time Magic spell. After my chant was finished, my office was left empty. For all of one second until I’d return, but first a bit from the past.
Appearing in the office at the start of the month, I saw myself sitting there with Alice. Hearing myself say ”should come here right about … now” made me confirm that I’d arrived at the correct time.
I then saw the past me go into his mental monolog, and I let him do so while I confirmed that everything was fine with Laura. She was running the System hiding test, so I looked back at myself, deciding that it had been long enough.
I cut off my Intangibility and began to talk. “Stop your internal monologue already. We have a schedule.” I said, bringing my past selves attention back to the space around him. He looked around, seeming confused. “And of course you can’t see me. Numeron Code Invisibility.” I added, remembering that the me whom I saw said that.
“... so it worked.” The past me said.
“Of course. Don’t doubt yourself. Things do generally work out for us.” I told him.
“Anything I need to know?” He asked.
“Not telling. The future me didn’t, and nothing bad has happened. I mean, nothing outside the usual.” I answered.
“Well, that is good to hear.”
“Are you even going to tell me when I do the jump?” He asked.
“Nah. Let’s not twist destiny. … Actually, fuck it. We could do a double, triple, and maybe quadruple test.”
“... is that safe?” My past self asked.
“Well, my future self did, so it … wait. This is strange.” I noted.
“What is?” He asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No? But also yes? I remember this conversation. And it is exactly the same as how I remember it. But at the same time, I feel it in my heart that it is different.” I told him.
“Is that normal? Normal when it comes to time travel?” My past self asked.
“Pretty much, yeah.” I confirmed. “You know what happened, so you make it happen.”
“On purpose or ..? No. I actually meant the feeling in your heart part.”
“Well first, both not on purpose and also at the same time, yes. It is just how time works. I think.” I answered. “And the feeling in the heart is just something you feel. I’ll need to look into it, but I think it is fine.”
“... I probably should have expected myself to act like this.”
“Considering we are repeating the same conversation I had, yes.” I told him. Even if I felt like this conversation wasn’t exactly the same. But it still perfectly matches my memory of the conversation.
“... How long will you stay?” The past me asked.
“Not too long. And you won’t be seeing me. My Laura finished the test she was running, masking us from the System, so we are ready to go back. I just need a bit of time to cast the Time Spell that will return me to the future. And to not bother you, I’ll be going Invisible and Intangible.” I answered myself and did as I said.
As I turned the abilities on, I heard my past self say: “He never answered my question, despite saying he would.” to Alice. To which Alice responded by saying: “That is exactly what you would do. You see your future self and don’t even learn anything.”
“No. I learned everything I needed. For now. I learned that it can be done and that Laura can somehow mask us from the System. And that we’ll be fine.”
I ignored the rest of their conversation as I chanted a spell that would return me to the future. And no, I didn’t lie to my past self. Returning to the future is just one spell, as I don’t need Phantom Magic for it.
After I got back to the future, I began to question if that is really how that conversation went. Because something felt wrong. At the same time, I swear to anything that how we talked is how it went for me.
I wasn’t trusting just my memory, so I dug up both copies of that memory from Storage. Both being the past me and future me. And both recordings perfectly matched.
But it didn’t alleviate the wrongness. So I decided to try one more thing. The Memory Palace. It is a part of the Numeron Code, so it might show something different.
And when I rewatched both memories there, there was a difference. Not a major one, but still a difference.
When I talked to my past self … wait, how should I describe this. When I was the past self, sitting there with Alice, my future self never said the “Actually, fuck it. We could do a double, triple, and maybe quadruple test.” part. During my time of being my past self, we also never mentioned the ‘feeling in the heart’ or anything like that.
Also in that memory, Alice and I never talked about my future self, not answering the question on when the time travel would happen, despite me, when I was the ‘Future Brian’, basically promising to answer the question.
So in short, I changed the past. Not a lot, but it isn’t the same as it was when I did it the first time. And the world adjusted around me.
Sure it didn’t lead to any more changes than a minor memory alteration for me, but still. I suppose I really did double, triple and quadruple test things. I know I can change the past. This world isn’t set.
And while my memories and even Storage will ‘correct’ to the current timeline, The Memory Palace will always show the ‘true’ timeline.
That actually makes sense. In multiple ways. The Memory Palace is a part of the Numeron Code, a world creating, and altering, power. So it can see the truth.
And if everything was set, this wouldn’t be so urgent. But since things aren’t, the timeline can actually unravel itself and the world might break. We might just … cease to exist. I’m pretty sure if I decide to throw away the ‘replica’ Hero’s Sword and not take it to the past that that would be the trigger. Or maybe my death. Not sure which.
Actually, even if I die, someone else can take the sword and coin maker to the past. It just really depends on how much the world wants to not change. Maybe the world will see it as being easier to just make some other demon learn how to time travel and take over for me.
Not that I’m planning on doing that. This is a mission that was given to me, so I will carry it through.
And now that that is over, back to being a spy. I got the time travel data, I’m letting Alice, Tahlia and my monsters that know what they are doing go over it.
… okay, I’ll help them, but spying is sadly something only I can really do. Alice has tried to replicate the intangibility with her unique skill, but it hasn’t worked. I’ve also tried to come up with an install combo that can give someone a skill like that, but while Mist Body is decent, it doesn’t let you pass through walls.
Spoiler
[collapse]
And yes, I tried combining it with other skills, but those ended up unstable and unusable.
So with no one else being able to get all the way where they needed to go, and me being unable to leave any sort of spyware there without a high chance of it being discovered, I had to do it myself.
Sadly I didn’t catch any sort of meeting today, but I had a spell for that. Temporal Recall. With it, I can see back in time.
It is generally used on a person to see what they’ve experienced, kind of like a weaker version of the Memory Palace. But combining it with Space Magic allowed me to see the past of a place.
With that, I observed a few meetings, but I only learned about the movement of some special force under Power Structure 1. And they weren’t moving towards any borders, so it was likely because of some sort of monster attack.
But going back even further, I learned they moved for a construction project in the north. So the squad was likely mages.
After observing those meetings, I did my usual fly around the city, trying to find their device and anything else I could use.
I did find Power Structure 2, the false dragon-kin, training a large number of people. I was tempted to appraise them, but in case they’d notice, I decided not to.
I also spotted Power Structure 5, the curse dhampir. He was in a laboratory looking room along with a few people, undergoing some sort of magical ritual. I wanted to find out more about it, so I bit the bullet and appraised everyone.
Everyone except the dhampir was Power Structure 1. 1-C was leading whatever they were doing, and assisting him were 1-C-3, 4, 5 and 6.
The magic ritual they were performing was soon enough deciphered by my Factory team. It was a ritual to strengthen curses. So they were boosting his curses, which he could use with his unique skill. That also explains how he had a strengthened version of the Blood Curse.
I eventually even found what I suspected to be the workshop of Power Structure 3, the Enchant Master Dwarf. He didn’t have anything too cool in the works, but judging from what he did have, he probably was the enchanter of a few of the swords I found in the armory.
Sadly I didn’t manage to find Power Structure 1 or 4, so either they were hidden or out of the city.
Last things last. Dragon fighting.
Yeah. I was training with dragons. I try to entertain the dragons of the coast about once a week, and this week I was also training in my dragon form.
I was mostly using my western dragon form, as it is the stronger of the two. Even if I preferred the other one as it matched Janina. But I simply can’t stand up to adult dragons in it, so I was using the other one.
And yes, I can actually stand up to adult dragons now. As long as I have a monster summoned so that I get the boosts from Summoner’s Unity. Without it, I’m a bit weaker.
Dragons are no joke when it comes to fighting. And while I can take one down if I do something like a Synchro Union with Varuna, it is no longer me. Reverse Unions just are generally busted, so using them isn’t fair. But it was still somewhat needed when going against dragons on Agunan’s level. Older dragons like him just have more experience.
Yes I could beat them if I was in my human form, going at them with Errelitea and the intent to kill, but our fights are more like tests of strength than actual deathmatches.
And by the end of the day, I shifted my form back to my serpentine dragon form, heading into Janina’s cave and cuddling next to her.