The Continuum Paradox: 05. The Return

 

Stealing the blueprints wasn’t easy. Alt-Aria’s world was dangerous, and the people around her were always watching. But I did it. I encrypted the data and prepared to merge back.

Merging back was nothing like I expected. I expected relief, but instead, I felt haunted, like waking up from a dream you couldn’t shake. Only this wasn’t just a dream. It’s not a clean separation, merging with another self. They warned me, of course, but it’s one thing to hear it and another thing to feel the reality of it.

Alt-Aria wasn’t just a memory. She was in me. Her thoughts, her impulses, her instincts, her memories, her voice – they’re still buzzing in my head, whispering, and for a few minutes, I couldn’t remember who I really was. I can’t tell which of us is the real Aria anymore. The sleek penthouse, the greed, the life – it was a part of me now. I feel different. And I’m not sure which version of me is really in control.

The Blueprint Isn’t Enough

I wanted to believe I was a hero. That stealing Alt-Aria’s blueprints would be the key to saving our collapsing world. But when I handed them over to Continuum, I got was indifference instead. Hastings analyzed the data and said, “It’s not compatible with our world.” The technology wouldn’t work in my timeline. I risked everything, and it wasn’t enough.

Turns out, Alt-Aria’s world operates on a different foundation. Their physics, their technologies and ours don’t mesh – something fundamental had shifted when I made my fateful choice in this world. It was a bitter pill to swallow. I risked my sanity for those blueprints, and they were useless.

The Final Branch

The blueprint wasn’t enough, but it wasn’t the end. At least, that’s what Hastings claimed. He hinted at something else and looked at me with that same cold expression, as if this was just another experiment, and said, “This is only the beginning. Not every reality can save us.” But the look in his eyes said there was more he wasn’t telling me.

I couldn’t let it go. That night, while everyone else slept, I hacked into Continuum’s database. I found fragments of conversations, encrypted files, and references to something called the Final Branch. Whatever it was, it had Hastings on edge. And it had something to do with why Continuum keeps sending us into these alternate lives.

Another Mission

I’m going back soon. Hastings already had another mission lined up for me. Another timeline. Another version of myself. He thinks that if we keep merging, we’ll find the right tech, or wisdom, or answers somewhere. But at what cost? I already feel like I’ve lost a piece of myself. And I can’t help wondering – at the end of this, will I even recognize myself?

The Truth About Continuum

Here’s what Hastings didn’t tell me before I joined: Continuum isn’t just looking for solutions. They’re experimenting. Testing us. Every merge changes us, rewrites pieces of who we are. The more we merge, the more we lose ourselves. And I can’t shake the feeling that Hastings knows more than he’s letting on.

I’m not writing this to ask for help. I know you can’t change what happens in your timeline. But maybe you can learn from us. Every choice you make ripples across realities. Maybe in your world, you’ll make the choices we didn’t.

So here I am, spilling it all out on a secret blog because I need to know if someone else out there understands what I’m going through. Continuum may think they can control what we see, what we bring back – but I’m leaving a record. Because people need to know about alternate realities. It’s about how every choice rewrites us in ways we’ll never fully understand. I don’t know how many merges I can survive before I lose track of who I am. But I’ll keep writing here, to leave a record. To remember.

Because someone has to.

-Aria Kairos
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