He turned to Jahanox.
"I need your help."
Jahanox raised an eyebrow. "Alright. What kind of help?"
Zazm stepped forward and raised two fingers.
"You will have to use two powers concept manipulation and reality manipulation."
At his words everyone looked at them totally surprised especially Jahanox.
"I knew it the reason you asked me to never use any high level power was because you were cooking this wasn't it?" Jahanox looked at him with a thrilled look.
Zazm nodded.
Jahanox leaned back, "But it's useless your plan is probably for me to apply a concept that helps us travel through multiverse, right?"
Ai jumped in clearly amused, "But that's a genius plan why is it useless?"
"Because the concept will only apply to one-this universe only so we won't be able to travel anyways."
Zazm was about to speak but Jahanox interrupted, "I know you would want me to use reality manipulation to put that concept through but that would also remain only till this universe."
Everyone fell silent understanding this but Zazm chuckled a little, "You know me way too well...."
Jahanox smiled, "I am just smart enough to do s....-"
"But you also know that I don't speak without a plan" Zazm interrupted Jahanox and Jahanox's smirk widened.
Jahanox laughed a little as he leaned forward again,"I am well aware so what's your master plan?"
"You would forge two concepts using your power. The first: Anyone who can see the threads of time can open portals and travel across the void. That gives me the ability to do it."
Jennie blinked. "So you're rewriting how the multiverse works?"
"Just one part of it," Zazm said. "And only temporarily. Which is why we need the second concept."
Jahanox lifted a brow, "Why do you want this in your hand?"
"You can't do it obviously and how else would you forge it? My powers are the closest things that makes since. If you put a concept like someone who controls elements or someone who uses quantum manipulation opens the portals..."
Jahanox waved his hand with a smirk, "It would be little too much, right? Since someone with time manipulation can already open portals it won't be hard for you."
He gazed around at everyone, "And besides it would probably take a lot of endurance and experience to open it, you're a perfect fit."
Zazm nodded and continued.
He lifted a third finger.
"The second: Any reality-bending power used in the next 2 minutes will apply not just to a single universe, but across the entire multiverse."
Minos sat forward, eyes wide. "You're… using a loophole."
"Exactly," Zazm said. "Normally, reality manipulation only works inside the universe where it's performed.
But by declaring that for ten minutes the rules apply multiversally, we can bypass that restriction. Once the concept is forged, I'll take care of opening paths between universes. Safe paths. Stable ones."
Jahanox looked at Zazm truly impressed, "You're really insane who would've thought you would come up with this."
Zazm simply shrugged, "I told you that's how I'm."
Jennie leaned in onto the conversation and glanced at Jahanox, "But why only 2 mins?"
Jahanox glanced at Zazm, "I believe there is a reason for that?"
"Ofcourse there is he won't be able to use two powers of that level together otherwise, if he forged the second concept for longer like 20 than he'll have to hold it for that long."
Zazm was speaking but his sentence was finished by Jahanox, "Which would be specially hard or near impossible."
Ai spoke up, adjusting her glasses. "You're essentially hard-coding a new law into the multiverse, then expanding the jurisdiction of that law. That's—"
"Insane," Miwa said, wide-eyed. "Brilliant. But insane."
Min-Seok frowned. "Can that even be done? Forging a rule that breaks the rules?"
Zazm turned to Jahanox. "Can it?"
All eyes shifted.
Jahanox leaned back in his seat, thoughtful. Then a small, amused smirk curled at the corner of his mouth. "Yeah. It's not impossible."
Kiyomasa blinked. "Wait, seriously? That doesn't sound like 'just another power' to me!"
"Concept manipulation is the power to define reality," Jahanox replied, voice calm. "If I say that paper can cut through steel, and reinforce that concept through reality manipulation, then paper becomes a blade."
Myeong-hwa raised her hand. "So... you're like the world's most broken modder."
Jahanox gave her a sideways glance. "Sure. Let's go with that."
Miwa leaned forward. "What about the cost? This has to take something out of you, right?"
Jahanox waved her off casually. "It'll just give me a headache. Maybe a bit of bleeding. I've handled worse."
Zazm's expression didn't change, but something unreadable flickered behind his eyes.
Kiyomasa leaned forward, visibly nervous. "You're sure it's safe?"
Ai studied him for a moment, expression unreadable, before looking back to Zazm. "And you're confident this will work?"
Zazm nodded. "Yes. Once the laws are rewritten, I'll be able to access the threads of the void itself. Then I'll open a portal—one that doesn't risk disintegration, collapse, or death. We'll hop between universes until we reach the anomaly's source."
Everyone stared at him.
Silence.
Then Myeong-hwa broke it.
"…Can we eat during the travel?"
Minos let out a dry laugh. Jennie smiled despite herself. Even Kiyomasa chuckled nervously.
But Ai's eyes remained fixed on Zazm and Jahanox.
And Zazm?
Zazm didn't smile.
A stillness fell over the room after Zazm finished explaining the plan.
He didn't say another word.
Instead, he stood up quietly and walked toward the open kitchen just a few steps away—still within view of everyone in the living room. They watched as he grabbed a glass, filled it with water from the tap, and perched himself on the edge of the counter, his gaze lowered, distant.
"Zazm?" Jennie called out gently.
He didn't answer.
Kiyomasa tilted his head. "Hey, are you okay?"
Zazm's eyes slowly swept across the room. One by one, he looked at each of them.
Then he spoke. "You're all really excited about traveling through universes, huh?"
Miwa raised both hands enthusiastically. "Of course we are! I mean—it's multiversal travel. Who wouldn't be excited?"
Kiyomasa grinned. "It sounds so cool."
Jennie gave a soft nod. "It's… hard to believe, but yes. I think it could be beautiful."
Zazm smiled—but not the kind they were used to. It was faint. Almost invisible. A tired, heavy curve of his lips that didn't reach his eyes.
"Do you really think it's that easy?" he asked quietly.
Silence. It slipped into the room like a ghost.
Ai leaned forward, eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Zazm held his glass gently, watching the water ripple slightly in the light.
"You're all thinking of the adventure. The cool parts. But have you thought about what you're leaving behind?" His voice was low. Measured. "What will happen when you suddenly disappear?"
He looked straight at Jahanox. "Your parents… How do you think they'll react? One day you're there. The next, gone."
He turned to Jennie. "The teacher who raised you… the one who believed in your art. What will she think?"
Jennie's lips parted, but no words came out.
He met Ai's gaze. "Your father… who's taken care of everything after your mother died. Do you think he'll just forget?"
Ai's expression froze, her fingers curling.
Zazm's eyes shifted to Miwa. "What about your little sister and brother? Your parents?"
Then Minos. "Your older sister… She protected you. Do you think she wouldn't search every corner of the world to find you?"
The silence that followed was so thick it felt like the air itself had stopped moving.
Zazm looked down at his reflection in the glass. "It's not that simple," he whispered. "If we're really going to go… if we want to move forward… then Jahanox will have to erase every memory of us from everyone who's ever known us."
He looked up again. "Completely. Permanently."
No one spoke.
No one even breathed.
Zazm smiled again. That same quiet, broken smile. "It's fine if you don't want to come. I'll go alone. I don't have anyone who cares, anyway."
His words hung in the air like a blade.
But before anyone could say anything, Kiyomasa leaned back with a loud sigh and a grin. "Yeah, same here."
Zazm blinked. "What?"
Kiyomasa turned to him, cheerful. "After Grandma passed, you took me in, remember? So I don't really have anyone either. And there's no way I'm letting you go off without me."
Zazm stared.
And then—smack!
Something hit the back of his head.
He spun around.
Jahanox stood there, arms crossed, expression serious. "You think you can just leave us behind? Idiot."
Zazm rubbed his head, still shocked.
Jahanox continued. "If this is the cost, then I'll pay it. I'll erase their memories. That way… maybe they'll live peaceful lives, without worrying about what happened to me."
Miwa spoke next, unusually calm. "We'll be sad. But our families… if they forget us, maybe they won't suffer. I'm fine with that."
Jennie nodded. "We've found something bigger than ourselves. It's painful, but it's worth it."
Minos looked away. "I hate the idea… but if I'm not there to help… what's the point of having power?"
Zazm swallowed hard. He looked around at each of them, eyes trembling.
Then Ai opened her mouth to speak—but before she could, Zazm lifted a hand.
"It's your first day with us," he said, gently but firmly. "You don't have to decide anything now. Same goes for everyone."
He stood up from the counter, the glass still half-full in his hand.
"Remember this date," he said.
"11th September."
Everyone looked at him in confusion.
"That's my birthday," Zazm said softly. "It's three months and seventeen days from now."
He walked past them, setting the glass down on the table.
"You have until then to decide," he said, eyes flicking from face to face. "Think it through. Think deeply. Because once we leave…"
He looked out the window, voice quieter than before.
"…there's no going back."
---
The small shop at the end of the block was dimly lit, its cozy lights glowing like little lanterns in the evening air.
Jennie sat across from her art teacher, a woman in her forties with warm brown eyes and hands stained faintly with ink and paint. The table between them was cluttered with bowls, plates of gyoza, and a pot of simmering tea.
"You're surprisingly free these days," the teacher noted with a curious glance. "Usually, I have to catch you between shifts and art showings."
Jennie smiled gently. "I wanted to spend more time with you."
The teacher blinked. "All of a sudden?"
Jennie shook her head, looking down at her steaming bowl. "Not suddenly. Just… I think I never made enough time before. I always thought there would be more."
There was a pause. Her teacher reached over and ruffled Jennie's soft hair like she always did when Jennie was younger. "Well, I'm glad. You've grown up a lot."
Jennie chuckled, but her heart ached with every second. She started spending entire weekends at the small gallery where her teacher worked.
They painted together in silence, shared coffee in the afternoons, and walked home slowly in the twilight. Jennie kept a sketchbook with her, but instead of illusions or training, it was full of small, mundane moments: her teacher laughing, the ramen bowl steaming, the sunset casting shadows on the canvas.
She treasured them.
Because a part of her knew… she'd have to let it all go.
And every time she looked at her teacher's smile, a part of her soul whispered—
"Will she smile like this even if she forgets me?"
---
The smell of chicken filled the kitchen. Jahanox stood by the counter, chopping onions with precise, clean motions while his father stirred the pot. His mother moved past him with a plate of rice.
"You're getting good at this," his father remarked. "Didn't know my son could even hold a knife straight."
Jahanox chuckled. "I'm learning."
Dinner had become a ritual. Every evening, he helped cook, and then they'd sit down, put on a movie, and eat together in the warm living room.
Sometimes it was a bad comedy, sometimes a classic film. They'd laugh, criticize, argue over plots. And every time, his parents would glance at each other as if to say, "Isn't it strange? He's home so often now."
"You're not working on that internship anymore?" his mother finally asked one night.
Jahanox stared at the screen, then said, "Just… taking a break."
He didn't lie. But he didn't tell the truth either.
Because how could he explain it?
That he was counting down the days until he'd erase himself from their lives.
That he'd cook their meals, watch movies with them, cherish these moments—only to become a ghost in their memories.
Every evening ended with his mother patting his head, a habit from childhood she never dropped. And every night, Jahanox sat alone in his room, memorizing every word they said that day, every smile they gave him.
He didn't know how many more nights he'd get.
"I will desperately wait for these days."
---
The backyard was a mess of smoke and sizzling meat. Her dad was at the grill, her mom at the picnic table with watermelon slices and lemonade. Miwa was spinning around with her younger siblings—twins one boy and other a girl—who were clinging to her arms and laughing wildly.
"Slow down!" her mom called. "You'll all throw up before the meat's even ready!"
Miwa laughed louder, grabbing both her siblings in a big hug and collapsing onto the grass with them. They rolled around like puppies, grass stains on their clothes and leaves in their hair.
Later that night, the family sat around with paper lanterns hanging from the trees. They roasted marshmallows and told ridiculous stories. Her dad pulled out his old guitar, and her mom hummed along.
Miwa rested her chin on her knees, watching them.
"Why are you staring so much tonight?" her mom asked with a smile.
"Because…" Miwa grinned. "You guys are cuter than usual."
They laughed. But as the night deepened, Miwa slipped away from the party and sat on the roof, watching the stars.
She thought about her siblings. How they'd cry if she vanished. How they'd scream her name.
But if she didn't go… would she regret it?
"Will they be okay if I'm not in their memories?" she whispered to herself. "Or will something always feel missing?"
She didn't know the answer.
But she'd keep giving them good days… until the end. A tear unknown to her dripped down.
"Will they feel my absence?"
---
The mountain air was crisp. The car wound through winding roads, the windows rolled down as laughter echoed inside. Minos sat in the backseat, leaning into the wind. His older sister had her camera out the window, snapping pictures every few minutes. Their parents were up front, singing along to an old pop song with off-key joy.
They visited hot springs, small towns, little hidden restaurants.
"Why'd you agree to this trip?" his sister asked one evening, while they watched the sunset from a mountain peak.
"I just wanted us to go somewhere. Together."
His sister's smirk widened, "Oh what happened to acting all cool and emo?"
"I was never emo, alright. I was just busy." he quickly retorted.
His sister leaned forwards with an even wider smirk, "Busy with trying make Myeong-hwa fall for you?"
His face turned slightly red as he looked out the window, "I- I don't know what you're talking about...."
"I would have to be blind to not see that," she said before putting a hand on his shoulder.
"So how far did you reach?" her tone this time was genuinely caring.
Min-Seok's father who was listening to it all while driving said, "She is a good kid, Myeong-hwa I mean. I have no problem making her my daughter."
"Even father agrees now."
"SHUT UP." Min-Seok shouted before turning completely sideways.
She looked at him oddly, but then smiled. "You're weird. But I'm glad."
They spent nights playing cards in the hotel room, arguing over snacks, and watching old dramas with hotel popcorn. Minos barely touched his power. He didn't want to think about it.
He just wanted to be a brother. A son.
And every time he watched his parents laugh, he wondered…
"Will they be fine without me?"
---
The house was small but warm. Ai set down the bowl of miso soup she made and gently nudged her father's arm. "Eat. You didn't even touch your rice."
Her father blinked behind his glasses. "Ah, sorry. Just zoning out."
"You need a break. You've worked non-stop this month."
"And you've been unusually clingy," he said, raising an eyebrow.
Ai looked away. "Just… balancing things. You should rest too."
Despite his teasing, he complied. He took a day off—rare for him—and they went to a café together. Ai helped him clean the apartment. They walked home together from the station.
At night, Ai sat at her desk studying for her exams. Her father dozed off on the couch. The TV played quietly.
She paused, looking back at him.
"…Will I forget this?" she murmured. "Or just pretend it never happened?"
She didn't know yet what she'd choose.
But this—her father sleeping peacefully while the city hummed outside—this was something she would hold in her heart forever.
She got up and looked at the potrait of her mother placed on a shelf.
Her mother died when she was a kid and since then her father always took care of her, she still remembers the days when he would burn his hands trying to cook something for her.
A small smile appeared on her lips as she stood there looking at the family photo, for a second she lost track of time and just stood there frozen looking at the picture lost in old times.
"Should I really leave?"
---
Jahanox woke up and was getting ready to take a bath when he picked up his phone and he was purely shocked.
It started with a message.
[Zazm]
"Yo. You free today?"
Jahanox stared at the message for a solid minute, almost convinced it was a prank. He even double-checked the sender. Zazm never asked to hang out. Not anymore. Not since… everything.
It had been two years. Since they gained powers they stopped chilling and stuff. Sure they would hangout but not like the old days.
Hanging out wasn't in their vocabulary anymore.
Still, Jahanox didn't hesitate. He tossed on a hoodie, grabbed his keys, and left before he could question it. If Zazm was asking him out of the blue, it had to mean something.
But nothing could have prepared him for what waited at the park.
There were four people sitting under the old cedar tree, all gathered on the same beat-up picnic mat they used to lounge on after class.
Jahanox's eyes widened.
"...No way."
Emilia. Her silver hair was longer now, and she wore a soft lavender blouse with jeans. She always had that older-sister vibe, but now she looked like she worked in a flower shop or taught at a kindergarten.
Raiden. Still as loud as ever, laughing with her head tilted back. Her black hair was under a suncap and she was wearing a casual pant shirt.
Rina. The quiet one of the group, nose deep in a novel as always, though her thick glasses had been replaced with lighter ones. She looked up and smiled gently when she saw him.
Leo. Always the chill guy and the person that was next to Zazm, sipping from a can of soda and trying to balance it on Raiden's head while he wasn't looking.
Jahanox froze.
He hadn't seen them since graduation. Not properly.
Life moved. He'd been pulled into the orbit of chaos—Catalyst missions, existential threats, the heavy price of power. He never looked back.
But now, here they were.
And they looked… exactly how he remembered them.
"Jahanox!" Emilia stood up with a bright smile. "You're here! God, you haven't changed at all!"
"Holy crap, it really is you," Raiden said, getting up too. "What the hell, man? You disappeared off the map!"
"I—" Jahanox couldn't help but grin. "I could say the same about you guys!"
He walked toward them as the warmth of familiarity washed over him. Joked. Laughed. Just like old times. Rina even smacked Leo for making a lame pun about Jahanox finally "rising from the shadows."
He sat down with them, his heart oddly light. It felt surreal.
"What are you doing here?" he asked after a while. "Who invited—?"
"I did."
The voice came from behind.
Jahanox turned.
Zazm.
He walked toward them with both hands in his coat pockets. His hair carelessly flew. He wore plain black jeans and a navy jacket. No grin. No sunglasses. Just tired eyes and a small smile.
Zazm.
The most weird guy in the entire school. The person that managed to get perfect scores is half subjects, the person that knew half the city. He would even pull out stuff no one dared to.
Now he looked like someone who carried lifetimes on his shoulders.
"Zazm!" Leo jumped up. "You absolute menace! Where've you been?"
They all stood to greet him, hugs and high-fives flying.
"Yo," Zazm muttered with a smirk. "Didn't think you'd all actually come."
"Of course we would!" Emilia laughed. "You sent a message after two years. You practically summoned us like a rare Pokémon."
They all sat down again, the group now complete.
The conversation turned easy after that. Everyone took turns sharing updates.
Raiden was working as a home tutor while focusing on her studies.
Rina got a scholarship and was now in university studying literature.
Emilia had started volunteering at a children's library.
Leo had a part-time job at a bakery and was still deciding what to do long-term.
Then came the question everyone was dying to ask.
"What about you two?" Emilia asked, eyes on Jahanox and Zazm. "You both vanished after high school. No social media, no texts. It's like you were abducted or something."
Jahanox blinked. He and Zazm exchanged a look.
Zazm leaned back against the tree, arms behind his head. "We joined a... special training program. Kinda off the grid."
Jahanox nodded. "Super intense. Lotta travel. Lotta rules."
"Sounds like a secret agent gig," Leo joked.
"You're not far off," Zazm said with a grin.
Everyone laughed. But underneath the humor, their friends were watching them closely.
"You both… changed," Rina said softly. "Zazm, you were the loudest, most annoying guy I knew. Now you're… calm. And quiet."
"And Jahanox," Raiden added. "You were the cold, serious one. But now you're… softer? Chill?"
There was a pause.
Emilia tilted her head. "What happened to you guys?"
Zazm looked down at the grass, silent.
Jahanox's throat tightened.
He remembered the blood. The secrets. The burdens.
They couldn't say any of it.
But the weight was there. In the way Zazm's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. In the way Jahanox stared at the wind for a little too long.
"Life happened," Zazm finally said. "Stuff we can't really explain. But... I wanted to see you guys again. Just once."
The air went quiet.
Rina reached over. "You're still our Zazm. No matter what happened."
"Same for you," Leo added, nudging Jahanox's shoulder. "You're still the guy who made us study for finals while Zazm was trying to light his paper on fire."
They all laughed.
Zazm looked at them and for a second he forgot everything, it made him remember of time when he used to do this everyday but now it felt like a moment lost in time.
Time obeyed him but it also was the reason for everything. Yet something truly made him smile, those fun old days and his resolve to fix everything burned even brighter.
"Man once this shit is over, I'll forcefully remove all my memories so I can chill out aswell."
These words weren't said by Zazm-The chronokinesis guy but the Zazm that once enjoyed and loved it all but left it all behind.
As the sky turned orange with the setting sun, the group stayed under the cedar tree, reminiscing. They played music on someone's phone, made up dumb games, and shared memories like old photographs.
And none of them noticed the way Zazm watched them all, memorizing every laugh, every smile.
Because he knew.
This would be the last time.
Everyone bid farewell and started moving back to their houses.
Zazm and Jahanox walked together through the streets.
"You did a good thing, man I really missed them all." Jahanox said clearly satisfied.
Zazm nodded, "True I miss our gang."
"Those were some wonderful times." Jahanox agreed.
Today they talked about alot of past things.
"Hey Zazm, I was wondering why do you think Ai would come?"
Zazm raised a brow, "What do you mean?"
"I am sure everyone else would 100% come but her....she was barely with us, when you said it all it was only her first day with us." Jahanox said looking slightly concerned.
Zazm silently walked for a while, "She still shows up in the shadow realm and is also concerned about using her powers."
"Really?"
"Yeah! I see Kiyomasa and Jennie helping her a few days back, she had also become familiar with everyone by now."
"I see...."
The silence remained in between them now but the next time they meet would be the time they make the biggest decision of their life.