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"But- I counted before we went in, there were only three branches here!" Alpha looked between Omega and the glowing timeline before him, feeling a chill run down his spine. Omega stood still, hands in his pockets, the only movement the flickering of magic behind his head. Why wasn't he doing anything?

"Yes, you're correct." Omega wasn't looking at him, his eyelights firmly fixed on the timeline before them. Alpha looked back at it again, counting the glowing points where the timeline forked once more.

"But now there's... There's four..." Silence stretched out between them as Alpha stared at the glowing trails, a horrifying realization slowly coming over him. "Then... We can't-" His voice faltered for a moment, afraid to utter what he knew to be true. "...We can't save her?"

"No, we can't." Omega finally moved, raising a hand to gesture at the glowing points in front of them. "Each of these points is where we entered the timeline-"

"-And each time the timeline branched," Alpha cut in, his hands trembling. Omega finally turned to face him, and nodded.

"You understand, then?"

Alpha nodded back, still staring at the branches. It all made sense now; Omega's prolonged disappearances, the perpetual misery that he always tried to hide, his reluctance to tell anyone what was hurting him so much. He risked a glance at Omega after a few moments, afraid of what he might see there. "Then... is there any point to what we've been doing at all..?"

Omega heaved a quiet sigh, taking several moments before responding. "I thought there wasn't, for a long time. But Zate told me something." He gestured to the timeline again. "Every time I enter a timeline, those inside it flip a metaphorical coin. If it lands on heads, I show up, and I can help them. If it lands on tails, well..." He paused for a moment, his eyelights following the main branch of the timeline, past the new branches they had made. "There is nothing I can do to help them, then."

He turned to face Alpha, a determination that wasn't there before hardening his gaze. "I can't save everyone, but I can at least offer them that coin flip, and give them a chance at something better. It's better than giving them no chance at all."

Alpha studied his friend's face quietly for a moment, then nodded again. "I see..." He turned back to the timeline, unable to look away from the main branch, stable and unchanged despite their efforts. "I... I need some time to think about all this." He met Omega's eyelights again, seeing now his grief reflected there, just under the apathy that had masked it for so long.

"Thank you for showing this to me."

I actually had this one ready a day in advance XD And I felt like I should do a bit more writing than usual because I finally decided how to not make Omega's existence completely depressing, but I needed more words to convey the idea

Description
"But- I counted before we went in, there were only three branches here!" Alpha looked between Omega and the glowing timeline before him, feeling a chill run down his spine. Omega stood still, hands in his pockets, the only movement the flickering of magic behind his head. Why wasn't he doing anything?

"Yes, you're correct." Omega wasn't looking at him, his eyelights firmly fixed on the timeline before them. Alpha looked back at it again, counting the glowing points where the timeline forked once more.

"But now there's... There's four..." Silence stretched out between them as Alpha stared at the glowing trails, a horrifying realization slowly coming over him. "Then... We can't-" His voice faltered for a moment, afraid to utter what he knew to be true. "...We can't save her?"

"No, we can't." Omega finally moved, raising a hand to gesture at the glowing points in front of them. "Each of these points is where we entered the timeline-"

"-And each time the timeline branched," Alpha cut in, his hands trembling. Omega finally turned to face him, and nodded.

"You understand, then?"

Alpha nodded back, still staring at the branches. It all made sense now; Omega's prolonged disappearances, the perpetual misery that he always tried to hide, his reluctance to tell anyone what was hurting him so much. He risked a glance at Omega after a few moments, afraid of what he might see there. "Then... is there any point to what we've been doing at all..?"

Omega heaved a quiet sigh, taking several moments before responding. "I thought there wasn't, for a long time. But Zate told me something." He gestured to the timeline again. "Every time I enter a timeline, those inside it flip a metaphorical coin. If it lands on heads, I show up, and I can help them. If it lands on tails, well..." He paused for a moment, his eyelights following the main branch of the timeline, past the new branches they had made. "There is nothing I can do to help them, then."

He turned to face Alpha, a determination that wasn't there before hardening his gaze. "I can't save everyone, but I can at least offer them that coin flip, and give them a chance at something better. It's better than giving them no chance at all."

Alpha studied his friend's face quietly for a moment, then nodded again. "I see..." He turned back to the timeline, unable to look away from the main branch, stable and unchanged despite their efforts. "I... I need some time to think about all this." He met Omega's eyelights again, seeing now his grief reflected there, just under the apathy that had masked it for so long.

"Thank you for showing this to me."

I actually had this one ready a day in advance XD And I felt like I should do a bit more writing than usual because I finally decided how to not make Omega's existence completely depressing, but I needed more words to convey the idea