Chapter 53: 44 - Aftermath
"But if you find the right reflection... you’ll know where Helena is."
"More importantly, you’ll know who’s searching for her."
"The thing is, if you’re moving at the speed of light, it’s hard to determine because the movement becomes uncertain. That’s why we have to slow down."
The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle...
I didn’t expect her to bring that up, especially since she doesn’t seem to know much about quantum mechanics...
"But that doesn’t mean you can’t find both. Just... not at the same time."
Wait, did I just get UNO-reversed?
My heart felt adrift. Once again, Selene was just... Selene.
"You still don’t get it, do you?"
I nodded. Because once again, I’m a doctor, not a scientist.
The knowledge I’ve mastered was vastly different.
The gap between my understanding and Selene’s on this topic is like the sky and the Earth’s core. Though perhaps, if I talked to her about medical knowledge the way she did, the roles might be reversed.
This is why experience matters when measuring someone’s grasp of science.
"In that case, how about I just demonstrate? We’ll go there and settle this."
Wait, isn’t that a bit too fast?
"What about Helena?"
"She’s just one of a million versions of Helena, Kairi. You could kill her, if you wanted to."
Hold on—was that an accusation for real?
Were you actually suggesting me to kill her?
"Exactly. But if knocking her out is enough for you, then fine by me."
She shrugged, indifferent whether I killed this version of Helena or not.
"So where’s the real Helena?"
"To answer that, you’ll have to silently transcribe the power she’s using."
"Crystal is liquid hardened by fire—but it can also be scorched by that same flame. You saw how she changed, right? She froze her body’s molecules into crystal before reverting them into living cells. So the illusion you saw? That’s just science."
"And how does that help save Helena?"
Without another word, she used a drawing spell to snatch Mytheia from my hand.
"Hey!"
"Here, let me show you. This time, we’re really going to save her—or rather... we’re going to save you, Kairi."
Save me?
Sure, I’d be the one heading out to save Helena, but what did she mean by that?
"Remember what I said about reflections? This time, you’ll have to act as the mirror on itself."
"A mirror? But I am the real me, aren’t I?"
"Well, true. The Kairi in front of me is the real Kairi. Or maybe not. Here, let me check."
"Hey, no—"
SMOOCH~!
This lunatic actually kissed me.
I was flustered. My face turned bright red instantly.
"Yup. Definitely the real one. Sorry for that, hehehe."
She chuckled, casually toying with her little angelic sister’s heart.
I glared at her, half-annoyed.
"Don’t be mad. I was just joking."
"Of course I’m mad, who just does that out of nowhere—"
"Didn’t you before kinda want it though? What is it? Want me to kiss you again?"
"No!!"
Ugh, she still has the nerve to tease me mid-serious conversation like this.
Someone’s life is literally on the line!
But right after teasing me, her eyes had already locked onto Mytheia. It was as if she had totally forgotten everything else.
I wrapped my arms around her from behind: a spoon next to a fork.
"Weird analogy," she snorted at my inner thoughts.
"As weird as you are."
"Anyway, it’s ready. I’ve pinpointed the exact location of the incident. Well? You ready?"
I nodded firmly.
Suddenly, the black hole appeared again.
It seemed we really needed the Void Rifter to pull this off.
Selene took my hand and said, "Let’s go."
I smiled and walked beside her toward the Void Rifter.
Once we arrived, she looked like she was inputting something into Mytheia.
Probably some complex calculations.
"What are you doing?"
"Pinpointing Helena’s location first. If we set the time first, there’ll be spatial distortions in the void."
I didn’t really understand, but I just followed her lead.
"Kairi, you know how to do math, right? I need you to transcribe the timeline and calculate the probabilities."
What? That’s impossible.
I’ve never done anything like that before...
Also, it’s clearly not something easy to pull off.
"I’m not very good, but maybe the basics."
"You know how to calculate probability, don’t you? We need to return to point zero—the moment you first did this."
"Okay, but how?"
"Use your intuition. Your transcription is unique, and you know how it works."
I fell silent. Selene kept talking while multitasking with Mytheia. The equations looked impossibly complex. Honestly, I didn’t even want to know. Because something else was more important—this task.
I began transcribing the timeline of the incident. Wait...
"There’s a time discrepancy."
"Good. Thanks for telling me. Something wasn’t adding up. That explains it."
Selene was still obsessed with Mytheia, her eyes sharp—like she was possessed.
"Send me the time discrepancy data."
Transcription. Mnemonics Transfer. Time Discrepancy. Selene Eryndell Veylith.
Trusting my instincts, I sent the information right away.
"Perfect. By the way, you’ve never time-traveled before, have you?"
I gave a small nod. Honestly, I’d never even imagined it.
"Alright then. Since you can’t directly intervene, you’ll have to make sure that the Kairi from the Mytheia recording saves Helena."
"So the momentum needs to match, right?"
"Yes. Not too fast, not too slow. You’ll also have to use your transcription."
"No need to tell me. I already know."
I had my own plan for how I’d save Helena.
"What’s your plan?"
"We’ll use the message transcription system we used before."
"Wait, you mean..."
"Exactly—send a message to myself based on existing intervals."
Selene paused, considering for a moment.
"Isn’t that risky? And the information can’t be something your past self doesn’t already partially know. There has to be cognitive bias and dissonance."
"Hey... do you think my brain is a toy or something?"
Pulling that off wouldn’t be easy—just like making medicine. It requires precise dosage.
"Think of it as a healing method, Kairi. You’re the best at that, aren’t you?"
Well, that’s true...
But one thing was still bugging me—the condition of the Kairi back then.
"As for that..."
"I only know a little, but isn’t it true that the heart, throat, and lungs can sense those changes?"
Ah, of course. The three vital organs. Without them, a human couldn’t even function.
"So you want me to monitor my own organs like biometric sensors using Mytheia?"
"Exactly, Kairi. See? I knew you’d get it when it’s about stuff like this."
She complimented me... was that for real?
I blushed a little. I mean, it’s rare to get praised like that.
"By the way, I’ve locked the location. Now we just need the right time. Time travel isn’t as pretty as people imagine, you know."
"What do you mean?"
"There are lots of complications. Reversing self-awareness also reverses the perceived impact of environmental changes. Not to mention, the needle hole I created moves counterclockwise."
Wait, so time travel is actually spatial—it relates to space?
Was Einstein wrong about equating the two? He thought they were the same.
"I don’t know who that is, but while they seem alike, they’re not. Like I said before, even though they’re related, time and space aren’t the same. Time is time, space is space—but they’re connected, both locally and globally. Locally in the sense of individuals, globally in terms of everything."
I didn’t fully understand, but it was all incredibly fascinating.
I wanted to ask more, but then—
WHOOOOOOOSH! SYUUUUUUUUUUT!
"What was that?!"
"Relax. The Void Rifter is extremely stable, even in an earthquake. Anyway, we’re almost there—at the coordinates of Helena’s real private chamber."
I just nodded, silent and pensive. Could time travel really run this deep?
"Okay, we’re here."
The moment she said that, we saw Helena and me talking together—but we couldn’t just walk in.
We could only peek, like looking through a curtain drawn from the ceiling.
Without needing instructions, I immediately transcribed a "bad feeling" message to Kairi. Then, I used Mytheia to detect heart rate, breathing patterns, and whether or not I had swallowed any saliva.
"How is it?"
"Hm, seems stable."
Seventy-two beats per minute, 65% stability, and low saliva intensity, according to Mytheia. Which meant she hadn’t felt anything yet.
But the sounds coming from below made the truth unmistakably clear.
"Perhaps you’re overthinking this. It’s a tradition in my family, after all."
"Oh, is that so? Very well, then—let’s move on to the real topic. Are you ready?"
So, we’ve reached that part already... Should I just go for it?
"Selene, is there a way I can influence myself through physical contact without facing her directly?"
Her index finger touched her chin, as if weighing the question. "Hm... there is."
"What is it?"
"You’ve already managed to transcribe Helena’s power, haven’t you? That means you can use her invisibility-based subversion, albeit with limitations."
Invisibility, huh...
"Next, you need to create an anomaly—something that feels off, unsettling enough to linger in Kairi’s mind."
"I see."
"But first... have you transcribed that information?"
I nodded in response.
"Good."
Suddenly, Mytheia pulsed rapidly—it seemed an update had just been registered.
"Oh, your heart rate..."
"Yeah."
Looks like the plan was gradually taking effect.
Even if I still had no idea how likely it was to work.
"So, what exactly did you transmit?"
"The impression that Helena seems suspicious, mysterious, and overly friendly. That’s all."
Selene smiled knowingly, as if she fully understood my intent behind sending those details.
"Alright. Time for you to head down. Best luck."
And without warning, she shoved me off.
Damn it. I instinctively activated Helena’s subversive ability.
Transcription. Mnemonics-Projection. Invisibility.
THUD!
"What was that sound?" Helena’s muffled voice filtered through as she heard me crash.
Kairi—me, in this timeline—who had heard the noise, appeared to pick something up.
"Oh, just a book."
Where from? Oh...
It was Selene’s grimoire. That Kairi seemed to glance in my direction, then gave that signature right-eye wink.
So... do you know? Or are you just pretending?
Selene, of course, couldn’t help me right now—we were in separate dimensional spaces.
Still, this didn’t count as violating space-time distortion.
In other words, it was technically a cheat.
I couldn’t interact with Kairi—neither overtly nor subtly.
Without hesitation, I stood and began the transcription process again. This time, targeting Helena’s thoughts.
"Soon, I’ll be gone from this world forever."
Soon...? What does that mean?
No... that’s useless. The term "soon" is way too relative.
I focused on her movements, especially her fingers... wait.
From the tapping rhythm, it sounded like—
TICK-TOCK... TICK-TOCK... TICK-TOCK.
Then suddenly, both her hands clenched into fists. She smiled.
Wait—she’s already braced herself.
Is there still time?
I saw myself—still unaware—but clearly sensing something wrong with her behavior.
Transcription. Projection-Interpretation. Deja Vu: Helena’s Death.
Of course. Sending that as a deja vu was the most effective route.
Just as I began silently reciting the incantation, Selene sent me a private message through Mytheia:
[KAIRI! BASED ON MY CALCULATIONS, YOU MUST JUMP FROM A DISTANCE OF 1 METER TOWARD HELENA WITH YOUR BODY LEANING FORWARD AT A 65.7 DEGREE ANGLE, AT A SPEED OF 22 KM/H, THEN CRASH INTO THE BOOKSHELF BEHIND HER UNDER A FORCE OF 4.3 G. ALSO, DON’T FORGET, YOU ONLY HAVE 5 SECONDS BEFORE HELENA’S MYTHEIA EXPLODES!]
Goddammit! Couldn’t you just shut up for once?!
Selene had gone full divine-tier insane. In a situation this hyper-critical, she still managed to send a special message using my transcription. And the timing couldn’t have been worse. I had to act—somehow. Just a few seconds left... Oh, right!
My last remaining hope.
Transcription. Mnemonics-Projection. Kairi Elysia Veylith.
Transcription. Interpretation-Crystallization. Helena Myra Lovecraft.
I began to chant mentally, but suddenly—something yanked me back.
"Alright, that’s enough. Simulation complete."
Selene suddenly spoke as she grabbed my collar like a kitten.
She pulled me back into the Void Rifter—mere seconds before the incident.
"Let’s begin," Selene said, pressing Mytheia like a play button.
There, I saw myself watching something intently—though I didn’t know what exactly.
Maybe the calculations from earlier.
"Will this really work?" I asked, uncertain and hesitant.
"The answer lies within you, Kairi. Aren’t you the kind who trusts her instincts?"
She said, smiling.
She was right...
The chances were slim—but I’d always trusted my gut. My instincts never lied or betrayed me.
And then, suddenly—
SSSSHHHH...
"Professor Helena, LOOK OUT!"
Just as Selene and I had predicted—Kairi leapt without hesitation. No warning, no instructions. It was possible she hadn’t even done any math.
She just moved—purely on human instinct.
That was Kairi. The real me.
THUD! CRASH! BANG! WHOOSH!! SPLASH!!!
The room was engulfed in smoke, cloaked in a thick fog. Like watching a cinematic scene on TV—dramatic and completely absurd.
"Looks like you pulled it off, Kairi. You and Helena might be a little bruised, but it seems like you’re both alright."
She let out a breath of relief.
"Yeah, of course," I replied—almost like I’d expected this outcome all along.
"So... what happens next?
"There’ll be a one-year post-time skip. The Aethelgarten Academy gets shut down during that period because of this incident. After that, Helena and you will be interrogated by the International Magic Association—but they’ll let you go since they won’t know anything."
