Looping Hearts

Chapter 25 - A first time for everything

« - Tell me, please. I also have every right to know. »

Taehyung sighed and pinched his nose between his eyes with two fingers. Why did Jimin have to ask this kind of question? The idea of ​​lying to him, or at least to hide a part of the truth, came to his mind, but he quickly dismissed this possibility. He had never lied to Jimin before, and he was not about to start now. And ultimately, he was also right. He had as much right as him to know. He looked at him right in the eyes for a moment before sighing again.

« - It's something that must be possible in theory... But! » He continued as soon as he saw a smile appear on his lover's lips. « It involves going back in time for a short time. Well, it's not quite that but almost. In any case, it involves rules and... »

« - And? » Inquired Jimin.

« - I was coming to it... Altering the past implies altering the present, as you can imagine. No matter what you're going to alter, it will necessarily change something. Big change as small change, it's the same. If in the past you used to eat an apple while walking in the forest for example, and you changed this action for swimming into a lake, there would be repercussions in your present, as tiny as they could be. As a result, changing something so important could turn upside down a lot of things in your life. I can already tell you that you would probably lose all the members of your clan, Jimin... »

Jimin swallowed hard, the idea had come to him so spontaneously that he had not had the opportunity to think about what such an act implied at all.

« - But wouldn't that change me as well in the end? »

« - The technique I know, I don't know if there are others, doesn't really take you in the past, strictly speaking. To put it simply, I would say that it brings the past back to you. It's a little as if the past and present met and didn't leave each other for the duration of the act. More concretely it means that the person who travels will not change, unless they hurt themselves on the moment, since it's simultaneous. You understand what I mean? »

Jimin shook his head from side to side, he was a little lost on the end.

« - Hum... Let's say for example that if you go in the past and that, of cause and effect, the you of 100 years old cuts his arm badly and keeps an ugly scar, you will not have this scar to your return. On the other hand if you come back right after being hurt, you will keep his wounds with you. It's exactly the same for emotions. If you become sad, happy or whatever at a given time, it will not affect you directly since the past and your present meet. Ultimately what's important to remember is that even if you turn upside down everything around you, you yourself will not change. Whether it's physically or mentally, it's the same thing. You won't lose or win anything at all. Depending on the situation it can be an advantage just like it can be a disadvantage... You follow me? »

Jimin nodded, still a little confused, but at the same time obsessed with his words.

« - So it's better to bring your loved ones with you, it guarantees that the relationship will remain exactly the same. The maximum that comes to mind is eight people... More must be feasible, but you need to have enough strength to succeed. It takes a good amount of energy to create a link between the past and the present, to maintain that connection throughout the journey, and if you also support more than two people with you, it's a bit too much! The more people there are, the harder it becomes. In the end the best solution is still to leave alone at the risk of returning with no one around you... Or send someone in your place. »

« - That's possible? » Jimin immediately asked.

« - Of course! You can send a person who doesn't handle energy and in this case you have to maintain the link all alone. It's not very complicated in theory but it's pretty risky. If the link breaks, it's over. No way to reconnect and the person disappears... I don't know what happens to them but I guess they get stuck in the past, I'm not sure I don't remember any cases like this. The best is if both people can manipulate energy, like us for example, because this way they share the burden of the energy to burn. The two persons connect together and stay connected all along the journey of the person who left. On the other hand, again, the link mustn't be broken. If it's very brief, it's most probably possible to reconnect, however, if you can't... The person who comes back from the past is likely to not find the same person in front of him, if anyone at all for that matter... »