"Time is directly linked to our memories. When we alter the past, memories are inevitably changed. So, never, ever tamper with time, children. Live a life that you'll cherish forever. THE END."
"What? Noooooo! We want more!"
"But children, that’s where the story ends."
"Ma'am? I have a question."
Dianne, one of my more curious students, raised her hand.
"Yes, Dianne?"
"What happened to Jane and Sander? Did they live happily ever after?"
I smiled, tapping my chin thoughtfully. "Yes, they did. And according to the story, they even had twin daughters."
"Wow!" The children clapped excitedly.
"Ma'am, I have another question!" Dianne pressed on, still eager.
"Go ahead, Dianne."
"If they lived happily ever after, that means Sander must’ve found her, right?" I nodded. "But how?"
Before I could respond, a familiar voice spoke from behind me. "Let me answer that."
Startled, I turned quickly to see my husband, his smile stretching from ear to ear, as he approached me and stood by my side.
"Good morning, sir!" The children chorused in unison.
"Good morning, everyone." He greeted them warmly before turning to Dianne. "Do you really want to know, little one?"
Dianne grinned and nodded eagerly.
"Sander found Jane because he never stopped searching. He crossed countless timepieces, defied the very laws of nature, and sacrificed his own existence just to follow the path Jane walked. Love, you see, is all about sacrifice. You'll understand it one day when the time comes."
He playfully ruffled her hair, causing her to giggle and blush. "I will."
The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, and the children eagerly scampered out. I had a mountain of paperwork left, so I lingered, my husband by my side.
"How’s my hardworking wife?" he teased, and I shrugged without looking up, engrossed in my work.
"Busy as ever. You can head home if you like."
"Nah. I'll wait. Let's go home together."
"This is going to take hours. You’ll give up on me," I muttered, still focused.
Suddenly, I felt his arms wrap around my waist from behind, his breath warm against my ear.
"I crossed time itself, fought the relentless grip of fate, and battled for twelve long years to win you back, Quinn. What makes you think I’d give up now—just for a few more hours?"
I laughed softly, rolling my eyes. "Alright, alright, whatever you say, Satoru. Just make sure the kids are okay while you wait."
He nodded with a playful grin. "Of course."
Later, we walked down to the seashore—the same spot we’d always gone to for fresh air, our sanctuary from the world. We sat, watching the waves roll in as the sun began to dip toward the horizon.
"Wait here, love," he said, standing abruptly. "I’ll be back in just a moment."
I nodded, content, turning my gaze back to the setting sun. A few minutes passed before I heard his voice again, this time louder.
"Quinn!"
Startled, I turned to see him standing a few feet away, holding a bouquet of roses in his hands. My heart skipped a beat. The scene was all too familiar, a memory from years before.
“So, it seems no matter what, I was always destined to marry you," I murmured, smiling at the thought.
Satoru approached, standing directly in front of me, his eyes soft and filled with the weight of all that we had been through.
"Quinn," he began, his voice filled with emotion, "thank you for being my wife. I love you more than anything."
I chuckled softly, mimicking him. "Satoru, thank you for everything you’ve done. I love you, too—more than words can express."
As we closed the gap between us, he leaned in, kissing me tenderly, a kiss filled with twelve years of struggle, sacrifice, and triumph.
The suffering we endured, the consequences we faced—every moment was worth it. All the pain melted away, leaving only the belief that hope, if held onto with enough faith, could overcome even the grip of time.
However, there always been something that kept on bothering me.
As Satoru and I sat down, facing the horizon, words suddenly emerged out of my lips which resonated Satoru's uncertainties.
"Why are we still remembering everything?" those words came out as a whisper enough for Satoru to hear.
"I don't know either," Satoru's lips thinned. "And I have a very bad feeling about it. Perhaps, something happened in the realm of the gods. I don't want to think about it, but it has always been a thought lingering at the back of my mind."
Suddenly, an unusual warmth swept through the air, sending a tingle down my spine. The sky itself seemed to shimmer, and a soft golden light descended from the heavens.
At first, I thought it was the setting sun casting strange shadows, but then the light grew more concentrated, swirling into a figure before us. My heart skipped a beat—the radiant form of a woman, impossibly beautiful, stood there. Though she was in human form, the aura of divinity around her was unmistakable— it was the goddess of beauty.
I glanced at Satoru, and we both stepped forward instinctively, bowing low in reverence, unsure of what else to do.
"My lady," I managed to say, though my voice trembled. "What brings you to the human realm?"
The goddess looked at us, her eyes filled with an otherworldly glow, yet there was something tender in her gaze.
"By all rights, we were never meant to meet again," the goddess began, her words so direct that they cut through the air with unsettling precision. My breath caught in my throat as an unspoken dread settled in my chest, as if some unseen force was winding tighter around us.
In that instant, I knew—something dark and foreboding was on the horizon.
"You were meant to forget everything tied to the realm of the gods," she continued, her gaze unwavering. "But the god of time defied the natural order, preserving your memories for this very moment."
Satoru, his brow furrowed, stepped forward. "What does this mean, my lady?" he asked, his voice carrying a note of hesitation.
Her expression grew grave. "Since the day you both departed from our realm, a malevolent force has risen. A goddess emerged from the shadows, calling herself the Goddess of Chaos. She now wages war against the god of war and threatens the entire realms. Now, we need your help."
Satoru stood in silence, as if the enormity of the situation had rooted him in place. It was as though he, too, understood the weight of the goddess’s words—the gravity of their return to this divine struggle.
I, on the other hand, felt the creeping realization that this was not a mere coincidence. The goddess of beauty herself appearing before us—it had to be tied to our actions, our defiance of time itself.
Whatever we had done before had set something into motion, and now we stood on the precipice of a battle we neither remembered nor understood, yet were destined to face once more.
"The goddess of chaos, huh?" Satoru muttered, his words tinged with doubt. He turned to me, his gaze searching for a response that I couldn’t yet give.
The enormity of what was being asked swirled in my mind, leaving me speechless. What could I possibly say in the face of such a request? The gravity of the situation pressed down on us, and I felt the tension building between us like a gathering storm.
We were just humans. Ordinary, fragile beings caught in the vast currents of forces far beyond our understanding.
“What could we even do against a goddess of chaos?” I whispered, more to myself than to Satoru, the question lingering in the air like a cold wind that refuses to fade.
We had already defied the natural order, stood before gods, and faced judgment. But this—this was different. It wasn’t just about us anymore. There were other lives at stake, other worlds to consider.
The goddess watched us in silence, her presence still overwhelming despite her mortal form.
"I understand your hesitation," she finally spoke, her voice calm yet carrying the weight of something greater.
"Even I had doubts about involving humans in matters of the divine. But the god of time has requested your presence. He wishes to speak with you both."
Her eyes flickered with something—was it sympathy?—as she added, "I do not ask lightly, nor does he."
Satoru and I exchanged a glance. We had lived peacefully for years, raising our children, finding solace in the life we had built together.
The idea of leaving it all behind to face some unknown threat was terrifying. "We have kids," Satoru said softly, his voice filled with the concern I shared. "We can’t just leave them behind. We don’t know what this will entail, or how long it will take."
The goddess nodded, her expression unchanging but not unkind. "I understand. You have every reason to hesitate. But time itself is at stake, and with it, the future of all realms—including the human one.
The god of time believes you two are uniquely connected to the threads that bind the past, present, and future. He wishes to explain it to you personally."
I felt a chill run down my spine at her words. The past, present, and future.
It was a connection I hadn’t fully understood before, even after everything we had been through. "Why us?" I finally asked. "We’re just... people. Why are we so important to this?"
"Because you have already defied time and altered its course," the goddess replied. "That alone makes you different from the rest. You are tied to time in ways even you cannot fully comprehend. And it is precisely because you are human that the god of time believes you may be able to reach where we cannot."
Satoru sighed, running a hand through his hair, the weight of the decision pressing on both of us. "But what if we fail?" he asked, his voice tense. "What if we can't do what you're asking?"
The goddess remained still, her gaze unwavering. "Failure is always a possibility," she said, her tone serious. "But the consequences of doing nothing are far worse. You are not alone in this journey; you have the strength of your bond, and the gods will guide you as much as they can."
The thought of leaving our children behind tugged at my heart, but there was something in her words that stirred a sense of responsibility within me.
"We'll need time to think," I said quietly, turning to Satoru for confirmation. He nodded, his expression mirroring my own uncertainty.
"We will wait for your answer."
Both parties agreed to meet by midnight, and with a graceful nod, the goddess vanished, leaving Satoru and me standing in silence.
The air felt thick with unspoken words, our hearts heavy with the choices ahead. Neither of us could speak immediately, as though we were both trying to feel the depth of the situation without uttering a word.
"Now what?" I finally broke the silence, running a hand across my face in frustration before turning to Satoru.
"Does this mean... we have superpowers or something?" My voice dripped with irony, masking the uncertainty beneath.
Satoru almost chuckled at my question, his lips twitching before he sighed deeply. "I wish it were that simple."
His eyes softened as he looked at me. "But, Quinn, think about it. We owe the gods more than just our lives. They gave us twelve years we never would’ve had. If they had chosen to punish us back then, we wouldn’t have our family. We wouldn’t have our children."
I knew he was right. As much as the thought of leaving terrified me, I couldn't ignore the truth in his words. I sighed, nodding slowly.
"I understand, Satoru. I really do. It’s just..." My voice trailed off as I thought of our children, their tiny faces as they slept peacefully. "I can’t bear the thought of never seeing them again. What if we... don’t come back?"
He reached for my hand, squeezing it gently. "I’m scared too, Quinn. But if we don’t help, the future could be worse for them. Maybe this is our way of ensuring their world stays safe."
After a long silence, we finally made our decision. That night, we kissed our sleeping children goodbye, leaving them in the care of my mother, whose concerned eyes followed us as we slipped into the night. Our hearts ached, but we knew this was something we had to do.
As promised, we met the goddess at midnight on the same place, and she greeted us with a serene smile, her eyes sparkling with approval. "You’ve made the right choice," she said, her voice calm yet filled with pride. "Your willingness to help will not go unnoticed."
With a wave of her hand, the world around us shimmered and dissolved into light, and in an instant, we were transported back into the realm of the divines, the ethereal glow of their world swallowing us whole.