Chapter 258

Kagano Nanami looked at the older sister who left, watching her back as she disappeared.

Then she looked at the 'Family Portrait Fried Chicken' left on the chair, her stomach growling. She couldn't help but swallow her saliva. When she realized no one else was watching her, she cautiously approached.

After eating a fried chicken wing, she carefully put the rest in her school bag. The delicious taste made her eyes narrow with happiness.

She had only seen other children's parents eating the 'Family Portrait Set' together through the window.

She knew her mother didn't like her. She was isolated at school and abused by her mother at home, which made her sensitive to other people's malice. She could sense that the older sister had no ill intentions—she wasn't a trafficker. Besides, no trafficker would want to kidnap an ugly, frail child like her.

"Thank you, big sister."

Nanami only ate a little bit of the chicken. She wanted to save the delicious food she had never had before, savoring it until it was almost spoiled. She knew that if she ate it all at once, she would only feel hungrier and more uncomfortable afterward.

Nanami went to school with her backpack on her back.

After she left, Tokisaki Kurumi appeared from the shadows.

"What a poor child. How could someone have such a mother?"

Takumi appeared out of thin air, smiling. "Human nature, Kurumi. This child deserves to be loved."

Kurumi nodded. "After all, she is an adaptor of the 'spiritual crystal.'"

Takumi's golden eyes glowed slightly, and the 'Ouroboros Ring' behind him began to shine.

"Alright, Kurumi. I've laid the anchor point of time here, so let's start the 'timeline change' again."

The main reason for coming to this time period was to allow all the sephirot of the 'Kabbalah Tree of Life' to appear. Now that all the 'particles' of Kabbalah had emerged, the 'timeline change' could begin again.

Click, click, click—

Time collapsed around Takumi and Tokisaki Kurumi, silver cracks forming in the surrounding space. The cracks continued to expand until they enveloped the two of them, instantly transporting them into the 'narrow space of time.'

There was a 'time paradox' in this world, and what had happened couldn't be altered by beings within this universe. Even Mio Takamiya wasn't exempt. Even if she went back to change everything, the final result would always return to its original state.

Of course, this limitation only applied to the rules within this 'universe.' Since Takumi came from the 'Teyvat Universe,' he wasn't bound by the 'time paradox' of this world.

Thus, he could alter the established past.

Takumi and Kurumi entered the 'narrow space of time.' As mentioned earlier, this was a 'large universe,' and the 'narrow space of time' within the earth-moon system was just an insignificant fraction of the time of the larger universe. In this world, changing the past meant contending with the time of the entire universe.

In the narrow space of time, past events appeared before their eyes. Only the period between the birth of Mio Takamiya and the act of giving food to Kagano Nanami remained vague and uncertain.

This was exactly what Takumi needed—this 'uncertain state' was crucial for separating the 'narrow space of time' of this planet from the greater universe. If this 'uncertain state' were to be given a scientific term, it would be called a 'quantum state.'

Takumi and Tokisaki Kurumi appeared one day before Takamiya Shiori after being involved in Mio Takamiya's birth. Takumi casually created a box of money from this world and bought the neighboring house next to Shiori's.

In the human world, nothing is more powerful than money.

After confirmation from the bank, the family left with the money, taking nothing from the house, leaving happily. Suddenly, Takamiya Shiori and Takamiya Mana noticed new neighbors moving in.

Through the wall, they curiously greeted Takumi and Kurumi, while Shiori's parents brought gifts to visit the two 'wealthy' new neighbors.

Takumi and Kurumi had an extraordinary demeanor, and Shiori's parents took them as runaways from an affluent family. With Takumi's affable nature, he quickly became friends with Takamiya Shiori and Takamiya Mana.

After Shiori's parents went to work, the lively Takamiya Mana pulled her sister to play at the neighbors' home.

Takumi's golden eyes flickered, and he smiled. "It's happening."

Kurumi immediately perked up but seemed surprised. "It's happening now? It seems to be three hours earlier than before?"

Takumi nodded. "Yes, there's a three-hour difference. This is because the time period has remained in an uncertain state—everything is subject to change."

Takamiya Mana blinked, looking puzzled. "What are Brother Takumi and Sister Kurumi talking about? Mana doesn't understand."

Takamiya Shiori scratched her head. "Is this some kind of high-class education talk?"

Kurumi laughed at the two sisters. "Oh, my, oh, my~ There's no way noble families talk like this. They are much stricter."

Before she became a spirit, Kurumi had been an heiress, and her family had strict expectations regarding her education.

"Mana and Shiori will understand soon. Just don't be too shocked when the time comes."

Kurumi patted Mana's head.

'Destiny' was truly mysterious. In the original timeline, Mana would have been killed by Mio Takamiya and used to resurrect Shiori. But now, they had intervened before Mio Takamiya had the chance to meet Shiori.

As long as Mio Takamiya hadn't met Shiori, none of the tragedies that followed would occur.

Kurumi now understood what her Creator intended to do—alter this specific period of time, break the 'time paradox,' and use this altered time to stitch the timeline back together. In doing so, the fate of the spirits, as it should unfold, would remain relatively unchanged, avoiding any catastrophic butterfly effects.

As the Spirit of Time, Kurumi understood the horror of the 'Butterfly Effect.' If time wasn't mended properly, people who were supposed to become spirits might inexplicably die. Even those who should exist in the world could vanish, while those who should have died would continue to live.

The world would descend into chaos.

Buzz, buzz—

Suddenly, a harsh sound echoed, and the ground shook. A black sphere appeared out of nowhere over Tiangong City. Before people could react, the black sphere exploded.

Spacequakes were disasters that had been appearing randomly for the past two years. Every occurrence resulted in significant casualties or severe property damage.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—

This time, the spacequake occurred in mid-air. People looked at the sky in terror.

Shrill alarms blared throughout Tiangong City as people screamed in panic. No one noticed the white light that fell from the exploded black sphere.

Boom!

"Ah!" Takamiya Mana and Takamiya Shiori screamed as they saw a white light fall into Takumi's yard, followed by an explosion.

When the smoke cleared, a white figure emerged, sitting with her knees held close to her chest.

The Takamiya sisters were stunned into silence.

Takumi walked over, a faint smile on his lips. As he approached the figure, the light gradually faded, revealing a girl as divine as an angel—without a single strand of clothing.