Path Of War

"If you're not going to answer," Margaret pressed, "at least tell me what's the point?"

"It doesn't work like that," Alice replied, stepping closer. "Some abilities are best kept under wraps. You never know who might want to exploit them."

Jasper finally chimed in, "There's reason to maintain a low profile with abilities like this. I just want to make sure we keep our advantages intact."

'Advantages?' Margaret inwardly repeated.

She couldn't quite fathom these two. Them, their relationship, or their time-traveling explanations.

"One more thing," Jasper stated. "Don't go spreading this around. I don't want people coming after me—or worse, Alice."

"Promise?" Alice asked.

Margaret hesitated for a moment, then finally relented. "I promise." But inwardly, she resolved to keep her eyes peeled for any other surprises hidden away in the depths of this virtual world.

"I forgot one thing," she noted. "Why did she touch your forehead before the fight?"

The two laughed, having already forgotten that scene. Alice explained that her past self, which was actually her future self, had already witnessed the fight between the two. All she did was mentally relay what she had seen, allowing Jasper to predict all of Margaret's moves before going back in time.

"Already that's confusing," Margaret joked. "Then, what's stopping you two from abusing the time-space cont—or whatever it's called?"