ChronoSavior

Jessica gazed out at the horizon, overwhelmed by the enormity of what had just happened. She had done it. She had risked her life to prevent World War III and the destruction it would have caused. She had done it. For the first time, in a long time, she was proud of herself. More importantly, she was relieved that it was finally over.

But as Jessica stood atop the hill, looking out over the city, a nagging thought lingered in her mind; what if she had made things worse?

A glowing force ripped through the air no sooner than the thought appeared. Jessica felt her every cell vibrate as the world around her shuddered, and a blinding light engulfed her. She was hurtling through time and space in a flash until she arrived in 2030; four years after she had saved the world from imminent destruction. As Jessica gazed at the Chronos time machine in her hand, she knew something was wrong. Never had time changed so suddenly on its own, and she could feel a growing dread inside her as she considered the possibilities of what lay ahead.

Jessica took in the scene before her – as her focus shifted from the Chronos.

No, she thought.

“No! No! No! No! No!” She shouted, her voice echoing back at her.

Instead of a bustling city teeming with life, Jessica found herself in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The ground was scorched, and eerie clouds of smoke hung low in the sky. Bodies littered the streets. Buildings that used to stand proud and tall were now charred husks of their former selves.

Tears began to sting Jessica’s eyes as she looked at the destruction and despair in disbelief. Jessica tried to take a step forward, but her legs gave out underneath her.

“How?” She whispered to herself.

Jessica felt the weight of guilt and horror crush her as she surveyed the destruction. She had broken the laws of time. Now, it seemed as if she was truly the only one who could set things right as predicted.

Jessica slowly forced herself to stand and take in what she had done. Her mind raced as she thought of all the possible outcomes, all the ways things could have gone wrong. Her heart felt heavy as she pondered the gravity of her mistake. Was someone else able to find one of the other three Chronos? Had Wei sent her back to the wrong moment? Could she alter history once again without making things even worse? All these questions and more raced through her mind as she searched for a way to put things back on track.

“Think,” Jessica urged herself. “Think.” Passing by a towering skyscraper with a shark-shaped mural stenciled onto its facade reminded Jessica of the city she was in. Heart pounding, she knew that the answers she sought were in the archives of the massive library in the city. With renewed vigor, Jessica broke into an all-out sprint, not stopping until she reached the building’s entrance.

Jessica was surprised to find that in spite of everything else around it being in ruins, the library was pristinely maintained. She navigated her way to the archives, every step echoing in grandiose halls lined with mahogany bookcases that stretched up to the high ceilings. After searching for what felt like hours, she stumbled upon the clue that seemed to hold the key to everything—a message from her future self tucked inside an ancient Oxford Companion To Philosophy.

Acting quickly and with desperation, Jessica whipped out her Chrono device and activated it. A glimmer of light flashed before her, and suddenly she was pulled through time once again.