I'm a magical girl in the future

Chapter 29 The Outcast of the Timeline

In the darkness, Shen Zixin and Noah lay in bed just as they had the night before. There was still enough space between them for another person to lie down.

Unlike He Yuran, Shen Zixin could clearly feel that Noah's breathing was steady and she did not have the same tension as He Yuran.

She appears to have fallen asleep.

However, Shen Zixin felt no sleepiness. The fatigue from studying during the day had dissipated, and now he was enveloped by a deeper emotion.

During the day, she taught them magical girl training with such composure, making her the most reliable senior.

Although Noah said she hated He Yuran, their bickering showed that Noah was also a cheerful girl.

Even when facing "me," Noah showed a sense of mission to "save the world," which made him feel a touch of admiration.

But Shen Zixin still remembered the loneliness and sadness that she would occasionally reveal unintentionally.

Just how much did she bear all by herself? Should this "self" from the future be left to face all of this alone?

With this in mind, Shen Zixin finally made up her mind—

"Noah," Shen Zixin whispered in the darkness.

A soft rustling sound came from beside her, and Noah responded softly, "...What's wrong?"

It looks like she turned around to face him.

"Hmm." Shen Zixin also turned over, facing her. However, in the darkness, he couldn't see the face opposite him clearly, only the outline.

"Noah... is there anything I can do to help you?"

Shen Zixin paused for a moment, then continued, "I mean, you came here to save the world, right? If there's anything I can do, please tell me. I'd be happy to help you."

Noah remained silent.

After a long silence, her soft response finally rang out:

"If... there really comes a day when I need to rely on 'myself', then perhaps... that would be a good ending."

"But now is not the time. I can handle things right now, but when I really need you, I won't hold back on 'myself'."

Her tone was half-joking, but then she spoke very formally and softly—

"Thank you."

Shen Zixin smiled too.

"Don't talk nonsense. No matter what, you saved...our world, didn't you? In that case, there's no reason for you to bear all of this alone. Wouldn't it be better if we shared this responsibility together?"

"Our world...?"

Noah repeated the sentence in a low voice.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Shen Zixin noticed the change in her tone.

Beneath that calm exterior, something seemed to be collapsing.

"...There's something I think I should tell you."

Noah's voice became low, even carrying a hint of... vulnerability.

"What is it?" Shen Zixin suddenly had a bad feeling.

What I'm about to say... doesn't look like anything good.

"Do you know... how many possible futures could arise when someone travels through time and tries to interfere with the past?"

Her voice, though it had sung with such sorrow before, revealed a strength within. She had never sounded so vulnerable before.

"The grandfather paradox has been mentioned in many science fiction stories."

"A person travels back in time and kills his grandfather. However, if his grandfather dies, he will not be born; but if he is not born, then naturally no one will travel back in time to kill his grandfather. This creates a logical contradiction."

"To explain the paradoxes that time travel may cause, three main theories have been proposed to explain what might happen if history is altered after traveling through time."

She paused for a moment, giving Shen Zixin some time to process the information.

"The first is the 'dynamic timeline' theory. In this theory, the timeline is unique, but it can be altered. Any change to past events will, like the butterfly effect, change the future."

"If a certain change leads to a logical paradox, then the world itself will forcibly correct this timeline, bringing the world back to a certain correct causal relationship."

"The second is the 'fixed timeline' theory. This theory also holds that the timeline is unique, but it argues that the past is absolutely unchangeable."

"Any attempt to change the past will either fail completely, or it will actually be an integral part of what led to the original historical events."

"And the last one... is the 'parallel timeline' theory."

"In this theory, every intervention in the past will not affect the original timeline. If an attempt is made to intervene, the world will branch out like a tree, creating a completely new 'timeline' parallel to the original world."

"In this new timeline, history will continue to unfold along the altered trajectory, while the original timeline you were in will retain its original appearance and proceed toward its predetermined end."

"Before I... activated time rewind, I had no idea... what awaited me..."

Her voice was like the saddest lament from the depths of her soul.

"But... now, I'm sure."

"I...successfully changed Xiaoling's tragedy. Then, I managed to confirm...the timeline I originally belonged to..."

Her voice shattered completely.

Nothing has changed.

"My world... everything I fought for, lost, and cherished... is still mired in that endless darkness. There is no hope, no salvation."

"So... my time travel... was just... creating a new 'parallel world'."

Shen Zixin was completely stunned.

Everything Noah said...

That is to say-

In the end, everything she did was to save a "new" world that had nothing to do with her original world.

Even if she succeeds, saves the world, and redeems everyone here—

But Noah herself, the one from twelve years in the future who had already lost everything, could never, ever be truly redeemed.

She had long been abandoned on that timeline with no future.

Then, Noah turned around, her back to Shen Zixin, and buried herself deep in the blankets, without saying another word.

Shen Zixin was completely at a loss.

He wanted to do something, but he froze, unable to move.

Even if Shen Zixin was slow to react, at this moment, a strong thought arose in her mind—

I want to hug her.

If it weren't for the fact that she was "his future self"... if she were just an ordinary girl burdened with a heavy past, he might have already done it.

What should I do?

Looking at Noah, who had her back to her, Shen Zixin cursed herself for her cowardice in her heart.