Causal | Nexus

Elias stood in the ruins of the Great Library, clutching a charred leather notebook. He was a "Time-Sensitive," capable of feeling the hum of a —a point where time tracks diverged and collided.

For years, Elias had been haunted by a memory: a silver-haired man giving him this very notebook when he was just a boy. "The world ends in fire," the man had whispered. "Unless you build the Machine." Causal Nexus

"The world ends in fire," he whispered to his younger self. "Unless you build the Machine." Perspectives on Causal Nexus Elias stood in the ruins of the Great

The concept is widely explored in fiction and philosophy as a way to understand our interconnected reality. "The world ends in fire," the man had whispered

“Wally learns the hard way that good intentions don't off set the consequence of time travel... Wally's actions have already set off a chain of events that can't be stopped.” Fanfiction.net

He emerged decades in the past, in the same Library, before the rot had set in. There, he saw a young version of himself reading by a window. Elias looked down at his hands—they were aged, his hair now a shock of silver. He walked toward the boy, the charred notebook heavy in his hand.

In a panic, Elias realized the "fire" the man spoke of was the very act of building the machine. He grabbed the notebook and stepped through the shimmering portal.