Bliss and Lenny explained that there were still several preparations they needed to make before they could move forward. From the way they spoke, it was clear that whatever they were planning was not sothing that could be rushed, especially when it involved Unzoku and powers that none of them fully understood yet.
They suggested that Jack return to the Red Wing group for now. The most important thing was to ensure that nothing else was stirred up between the two packs while they were apart. With tensions already running high, even a small misunderstanding could spiral into another conflict. At the sa ti, Jack was advised to quietly select a small group of trusted individuals, those who might be capable of assisting when the ti ca to face Unzoku directly.
Lenny also took the ti to give Jack advice regarding Lilly.
Much of what he said wasn’t entirely new. Jack had already been doing many of the things Lenny recomnded, keeping her fed regularly, limiting her exposure, monitoring her condition carefully, but hearing it from soone who clearly understood the situation on a deeper level brought him a sense of reassurance. It told him that his instincts had not been wrong, and that his efforts had not been in vain.
They agreed to et again in a few days’ ti, and the sa location they were standing in now would be suitable. It was isolated enough, far from the ears of both packs, and safe enough for what they needed to discuss next.
Just as it seed like everyone was about to part ways, a green-haired young man stepped forward.
“Wait,” Gary called out.
Everyone paused.
“Do you mind if the three of us talk to the two of you?” Gary continued. “We have a very important and… complicated situation on our hands. And honestly, we think you two might be the only ones who can help us solve it.”
Bliss and Lenny turned their attention to the trio.
Young. Ogas. Not officially tied to either pack.
At first glance, there was no obvious reason for them to be involved any further.
Before either of them could respond, Steve stepped in.
“If you can hear them out,” he said, “it would help greatly. They’ve done a lot for us during this whole situation.”
“I owe them,” Galdark added without hesitation. “They helped realize that I needed to co find you two in the first place.”
Jack let out a breath before nodding as well.
“And I suppose I owe them too. They’ve done more than enough to earn the right to speak. If you could listen to them, I’d appreciate it.”
With three powerful figures vouching for them, Bliss and Lenny found it difficult to refuse. If anything, the situation only made them more curious. These three outsiders had sohow managed to influence events on both sides, and that alone made them worth hearing out.
“I assu you’ll want to speak in private,” Steve said, glancing back toward the direction of the camps. “And I think it’s best if Jack and I return to our packs. There’s only so long they can stare at each other without sothing going wrong.”
He didn’t wait for an argunt. Steve jumped down from the ledge, and Jack followed shortly after.
Before long, it was just the three of them, Gary, Kai, and Lupus, standing with Bliss and Lenny.
“If you want us to truly help you,” Bliss said calmly, “then you need to be honest from the beginning. Too often, people omit details or twist the truth, and that leads to flawed advice. If that happens here, the consequences could be severe.”
“We were planning to be honest anyway,” Kai replied. “Whether you believe us or not is the real issue. But if we’re not upfront, you won’t even be able to give us an answer.”
He took a breath.
“The three of us standing in front of you right now… we’re not from this ti.”
The reaction was imdiate.
Bliss’s eyes widened slightly, and Lenny’s posture stiffened. For a brief mont, neither of them spoke.
“You’re saying you’re not from our ti?” Bliss repeated slowly.
Then, unexpectedly, she smiled faintly.
“If that’s true,” she continued, “then I suppose that would an the two of us aren’t real. At least, not in the way you might think. Or rather, all of this isn’t real, at least not in the grand sche of things.”
“What?” Gary blurted out. “What do you an you’re not real? And why would you just jump to that conclusion? We were told if we die here we really die so it has to be real to so degree right? And are you really believing us that easily?”
“I’m not believing you,” Bliss replied calmly. “I’m hypothesizing. The reason you were able to get so deeply involved is likely because you knew things, things that hadn’t happened yet. That would only make sense if you were from the future.”
She paused, then continued.
“If you truly are from the future and standing here now, then the real version of would already know that fact. Which ans this isn’t the true past.”
Gary’s head was spinning.
Lupus nodded slowly, pretending he understood, even though he clearly didn’t.
Kai, however, was silent. Of the three, he was the only one who could even begin to grasp the scale of what Bliss was implying.
“People tend to think of ti as linear,” Bliss explained. “A straight line that moves forward and never bends. But there are beings that exist outside of that line.”
She raised her hand slightly.
“There are beings who also follow strict rules. Ti is linked to space, and space is linked to the universe itself. Interfering too much can cause everything to collapse. That’s why there are limits, why things are restricted, guided, or simulated rather than directly changed.”
Kai finally spoke.
“So if this isn’t the real past… then what exactly are we in right now?” he asked. “Where are we?”
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