Beginning

October 3rd, 2018. Wednesday. 8:25 a.m

The green-painted room was a mess,scattered with books and posters taped crookedly to the walls.A family photo hung above the bed,right next to another frame-two smiling parents with a cheerful little girl.Autumn had just begun,and the rain outside was light,more like a whisper than a storm.

The only sound inside was the dull thumping of the clock,reminding me i was already twenty-five minutes late.Then came another sound softer this time,my mom's gentle voice calling me awake.

"Sora, sweetheart,aren't you going to be late?You said you'd meet olivia this morning to check on your novel.Come on,wake up."

My mother's voice was soft as her fingers brushed through my hair.I sat up,stretching my arm with a small yawn before giving her a faint smile and a nod.Then i dragged myself toward the bathroom to get ready.From inside,i could already hear Olivia's voice downstairs,chatting easily with my mom as if she belonged in the house.

Well...maybe she is.The only friend i've grown up with,through all the chaos we've been through.

After getting ready, I came downstairs with my tote bag slung over my shoulder, laptop tucked safely inside. Olivia was already at the dining table, munching on one of my mom’s sandwiches with that usual grin of hers. She waved at me, and I grabbed a sandwich for myself before sitting down.

“I need to tell you something,” Olivia said between bites, almost choking as she tried to swallow too fast.

“What is it? Some new gossip?” I asked, curiosity written all over my face.Olivia smirked. “I finally managed to make a new cake recipe at my boss’s place but he said it looked deadly. What an asshole.”

My mom burst out laughing, and I joined in, almost choking on my own bite. That was just Olivia ever since we were kids, she’d dreamed of opening her own cake shop, obsessed with experimenting and trying new things.

After breakfast, my mom reminded me again to be careful. She was always like that, too loving and too worried, so I just nodded with a smile before Olivia and I finally stepped out the door.

Halfway down the street, with the drizzle still falling, Olivia held her umbrella and leaned closer.

“There’s new gossip, you know. Have you heard? Savana and Alec broke off their engagement. Such a shame that they’d been together since high school all the way through college.”

I blinked in surprise but only nodded in understanding. Then, out of nowhere, a gust of wind flipped Olivia’s umbrella inside out, making both of us burst into laughter.

“Oh shit this damn umbrella!” she shouted, fighting with the handle as if it had betrayed her.

Olivia and I finally arrived at Habas Bookshop. My heart raced with excitement my book was out in the world, and I just wanted to see it sitting on the shelf.

But the moment I found it, my smile dimmed. The copies were still untouched, exactly where they had been. I already knew the truth no one was buying it. My so-called dream debut had slipped quietly into silence.

“It’s okay,” Olivia said softly, giving me that look she always did when she was trying to lift me up. “Slowly but sure, people will find it. They’ll will know you're book."Mrs. Candy, the shop owner, walked over with her gentle smile, adjusting her glasses before patting my shoulder.

“Don’t worry, dear,” she said kindly. “Readers will come in time. These days, not many people buy books like they used to.”

She was middle-aged, kindhearted, and the only one generous enough to put my book on her shelves. I thanked her quietly before Olivia and I left for our usual spot to the Bli Café.

Even before we stepped inside, Olivia’s umbrella flipped again, startling a couple of people passing by.

“Stupid umbrella!” she cursed, and I had to bite back a laugh.

We ordered tea, coffee, and a small plate of pastries, then chose our favorite spot by the window where we could watch the rain outside. The drizzle turned heavy as Olivia excused herself to the restroom, leaving me alone with my laptop while we waited for our drinks.

I opened my laptop, scrolling through job listings with a heavy sigh. I needed something anything that could help with the bills and my mom’s medical expenses.

I had thought being a writer would be enough, that publishing my book would somehow fix everything. But reality had a cruel way of proving me wrong.

Taking a slow breath, I reminded myself to stay strong. My mom was all I had left. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her the way I had lost my dad.

— Meanwhile —

May 17th, 1890. 4:20 p.m.

The room was covered in dust not from neglect, but because it looked more like a workshop of machines than a place anyone would actually live in. The air smelled of oil and iron, vintage and strange. A few people stood nervously, some scribbling notes, others checking papers with trembling hands.

At the center of it all stood the machine.

“Robert, is it ready?” asked a woman in her late twenties, clutching a sheet of notes tightly. Across from her, a man with round glasses adjusted his frames, visibly nervous.

Robert ran his fingers across the polished gears and brass, checking every bolt and wire. His expression was determined, almost stubborn. This project had to succeed even if the rest of the world could never know about it. They were scientists chasing the impossible: a machine that could reach into the future.

Robert’s breath came in shallow bursts as he gave the final inspection, his fingers trembling against the polished brass. He glanced toward Margaret and Alan.Alan looked restless, his eyes darting with fear. Would their thirty-eighth attempt fail again? Or would it finally succeed?

Margaret gave a firm nod, her expression steady. This time, we will succeed.

Robert pressed the lever.

The machine roared to life, spilling out a blinding blue light. A violent gust tore through the room, forcing the three of them to brace themselves against the storm of wind. Papers scattered like birds, chairs toppled, and the air howled as if the world itself had cracked open.

—

I was still scrolling through job postings on my laptop, our order of tea and pastries sitting untouched on the table. Olivia had disappeared to the restroom minutes ago, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

That was when it hit me.

A wave of dizziness crashed over me, sharp and sudden. The chatter of the café faded, replaced by a single high-pitched ringing that drilled into my ears. My vision spun, tilting sideways, and the world around me collapsed into darkness.

Before I could even cry out, I felt my body yanked pulled thrown into somewhere else entirely.

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