Drifting away into a deep slumber, I hear a voice, soft yet haunting, whispering, "Remember my love." The familiarity of it washes over me, sweet yet chilling. "Remember how you died the first time."

  As the hazy world of my dreams shifts, I feel a disorienting pull, transforming me into someone I wasn't just before I fell asleep. Suddenly, I find myself inhabiting the body of a man whose life unfolds around me.

  I’m out in the fields, guiding a herd of sheep to graze, as I did every day. Soon, summer would arrive, and with it, the time to shear their wool. It requires constant vigilance to keep some of the wayward ones from straying. As a large, muscular man, I must also be careful not to startle the animals.

  Today, a strange tension hangs in the air regarding my twin brother. Our father has always been hard on him, perhaps because he was born smaller than me. In this age, many were quick to turn their backs on "the runt of the litter." It was a sentiment my mother despised.

  Though we were twins, we didn’t look alike at all. I was the second-born but had always been the larger of the two. Our father’s disdain drove him to neglect my brother, while my mother showered him with love, and eventually, I learned to do the same.

  Despite my brother's shortcomings, I cared for him deeply. The neglect he suffered from our father had molded him into someone cold and stubborn, struggling to keep his temper in check.

  So, it was no surprise when he came screaming at me, accusing me of betraying him to our father. I knew I hadn’t told our father anything; whatever he was about to accuse me of was baseless.

  “You told Father I ate one of the sacrificial lambs, didn’t you?”

  A heavy sigh escaped my lips. “No, brother, I did no such thing…”

  “LIAR! I know it was you!” he screamed, hurling rocks in my direction.

  I shielded my eyes from the small projectiles; they were the only part of me vulnerable to his wrath. Built like an ox, I absorbed the blows without flinching, but the pain of his words struck deeper.

  “I wish you would just disappear!” he yelled, clenching his eyes shut as he threw one final rock.

  PAIN...

  I looked down in shock to see blood seeping from my abdomen. It wasn’t a rock that had struck me but a jagged piece of an animal's jawbone, lodged deep, piercing my heart.

  “Oh God, what have I done?” My brother's voice trembled, his tears spilling over as he witnessed the horror he had wrought, helplessly watching me collapse to the ground, blood pouring from the wound.

  “Listen, brother, you must tell our father I tripped and fell. If he thinks you’re responsible, he will kill you. You can tell our mother the truth; she will believe it was an accident and won’t want to lose both of her sons,” I urged, my voice strained.

  My brother choked back a sob. “Wha… What am I going to do without you?”

  “I don’t know, brother, because I won’t be here anymore to watch your back. What happens now is out of my control…”

  His cries echo in the air, but as darkness encroaches, his voice fades until I can no longer hear him. “Stay with me, Ab…

  Suddenly, I jolted out of bed, instinctively reaching for my abdomen. There was no wound, but the experience had felt so real—as if I had lived through it myself and was somehow having flashbacks in my dreams.

  Half a month passed since I started working with my family, and I was finally ready to begin strength training. My mother, Scarlett, surprisingly agreed easily, but something about the smile on her face when I told her I wanted to train my toughness made me uneasy. As long as I got stronger, I was sure it would be fine, right?

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  “First, you meditate and focus the Might experience toward your solar plexus (Dantian). Here, you form a core, and around it, Might Will energy shall cycle throughout your body. This pulsing and weaving will saturate your tissues with Will and promote growth,” Scarlett lectured while I meditated.

  With my focused mind, I made light work of this task, forming the core in mere hours instead of the days or years it took. It layered over my existing Will Pool like an onion—part of it, but also separate. Using meditation to speed up the absorption of Might experience, I readied myself for the next stage.

  “Okay, Mom, what’s next?” I inquired eagerly.

  The same twisted smile crossed her lips as before. “You said you wanted to train toughness, right?”

  “Ye… Yeah,” I stuttered nervously. I could sense something was off about her demeanor in a threatening way.

  “To train Might experience into toughness requires getting hit,” Scarlett stated as she picked up a stick.

  “Oh, I don’t think I like where this is going,” I replied, dread creeping in.

  “Damn right, you don’t! Boy, it’s time for your spankings!”

  “No, Mommy, no!” I cried, trying to thwart the impending beatings, but to no avail.

  Hours later, after the beating session concluded and I was told we would resume tomorrow, I found myself attempting to sit by a stream, struggling due to a seriously sore bottom. I wanted to say, “I seriously doubt Jack is ever going to target my ass!” If he did, I’d be in a much different kind of danger than I ever expected.

  Why am I even doing this? I asked myself. I suffer all this pain to help a family who treats me like dirt! I didn’t sign on for this! Just then, a gentle hand laid on my shoulder, and I looked back to see Theresa comforting me. Behind her, I could see all the village children running, laughing, and playing. That’s right… That’s why I’m doing this. It’s for the innocent and good people of this place.

  “I bet with Mother’s spankings, you’ll have buns of steel,” Theresa joked.

  “Haha, I bet I’ll defeat Jack with buns of steel to the face,” I chuckled back, striking a bragging pose. “Now that’s a tale the bards would never stop telling!”

  Seeing Theresa meditating early the next morning, a strange thought struck me. She was working too hard, so how about we mess with her? It felt odd, but I liked the idea of forcing her to take a break. She was a young child and should be playing outside.

  “Tickle monster!” I shouted, launching into a fit of tickling her tummy. She burst into uncontrollable laughter.

  As soon as she asked me to stop, I did. “You should take a break and go out and play. The future will still be there tomorrow, and you’re working too hard.”

  “Alright, brother, I’ll take a break. Just let me finish what I’m doing, and I’ll be out soon,” Theresa replied.

  “Good, because I gotta go take a dump anyway,” I said mockingly as I headed for the door.

  “Gross!!! Just shut up and get out, you dweeb!” Theresa shouted as I ran out the door.

  “Hah,” she sighed.

  “This version of you, my brother, is my favorite. I hope I can find a way to save you,” she muttered quietly, where no one else could hear her.

  “Next future to check is 14,000,605,” she said to herself in a hopeful tone. “Surely this one will be different.”

  My life changed drastically twice. The first was when the nightmares started, but I rarely remembered or cared for what they meant. Ignorance is bliss, as they say, and being a child, I put little faith in the shadows among my dreams. The second change came when my brother altered too, awakening my powers and changing my destiny for the better. My name is Theresa, and this is what I saw that changed my life forever!

  Holding such power that could change the fates themselves sounds great, but it comes with an equally massive burden. Arn had warned me not to look too far into the future, but I didn’t listen. Why have this power if not to use it to the fullest? Visions of horrible events that had been avoided flooded my mind—horrific fates that this version of my brother saved me from. Blindness, rape, death—each event was horrifying and had soured me in that timeline. If those events unfolded, I would be unfeeling and cold. Fortunately, seeing them was not quite the same as experiencing them. I would remain the girl who loved her family, and I would protect them with my newfound power. No matter what future I looked at, this version of my brother never abandoned me or our family. He always stood firm, even when the fight wasn’t in our favor. Yet it seemed that even the impossible may not be so for him, but then I glimpsed it.

  A bitter end for one who fought so hard. Why? Who rescues the hero when he needs saving? No matter what future I looked at, I was always with him when he passed. He always said the same words that brought tears to my eyes: “Everything fades someday, Theresa, and the end of every story is the beginning of another. This is just the part where I’m not in this one anymore.” Over and over again, I saw attempts to grow stronger, but it was never enough. Alone, I was powerless to save him. But what if I wasn’t alone?

  If our mother survived and was stronger than her peak, then the chance to save him would increase ever so slightly. We didn’t lose him without a fight in that timeline, so what if Dad gave it his all too? Just a bit more than before—then what about his lover?

  I searched like a madwoman, always striving to bring about a future where he would exist. It seemed hopeless, but I wouldn’t give up!

  Why am I even doing this? I asked myself. I suffer all this pain to help a family who treats me like shit! I didn't sign on for this! I felt a hand gently lay on my shoulder and I looked back to she Theresa comforting me. Behind her, I could see all the villages other children running, laughing, playing. That's right... That's why I'm doing this... It's for the innocent and the good people of this place.

  She's working too hard so how about we mess with her? It was a strange sensation and it felt rather out of place. Still, I liked the logic of forcing her to take a break. She's a young child and she should be playing outside.

  Why have this power if not to use it to the MAX! Visions of horrible events that had been avoided filled my vision. The horrible fates that this version of my brother saved me from. Blindness, rape, death, all of them were horrible and they had in that timeline made me sour. If those events unfolded I would be unfeeling and cold. Seeing them was fortunately not quite the same as experiencing them. I would remain the girl who loved her family and I would protect them with my newfound power. No matter what future I looked at this version of my brother never abandoned me or our family. He always stood even when the fight wasn't in our favor. Yet it seemed even the impossible maybe not be so for him but then I glimpsed it.