Chapter 70. Distortion

When Harry spotted Hermione at breakfast, a genuine smile suddenly appeared on her face. She laughed so hard that her face radiated with unexpected joy. In Hermione's hands was an open copy of The Guardian, and she was giggling at an article she had just read.

"What are they writing about?" Harry asked in astonishment, watching his friend. He couldn't imagine what the newspaper could have written after all the horrors.

"Oh, Harry, you won't believe this!" Hermione exclaimed, folding the newspaper into four parts and handing him one of them. "Some weird guy on the internet claims that he has come back from the future and is now making predictions. Sounds quite insane, doesn't it?"

Sitting next to Hermione was Dudley, and deciding that he also wanted to read the article, he rudely snatched the newspaper from Hermione's hands. He skimmed through the article, raised his eyebrows, and grumbled discontentedly:

"As if we don't already know that a war is about to break out."

With these words, he folded the newspaper in half and placed it on the table next to the plates and cutlery. Harry curiously looked at the headline on the front page. It read: "Truth about the Future or Grand Fiction?" The illustration accompanying the article depicted a dark silhouette surrounded by numerous clocks, and the strikingly blurry frame added to the mystery. Instead of a face, there was a large question mark, which seemed to be asking Harry directly.

He felt his curiosity awaken and looked up to gaze at Hermione and Dudley. They sat side by side, reflecting in each other: Hermione with an expression of enthusiasm on her face, while Dudley appeared more skeptical and brooding. But in their eyes, Harry saw the same thing - hope.

The mysterious individual recently appeared on a well-known scientific research forum, introducing himself as a genuine time traveler. According to his words, within a year, the British lands will be engulfed in a civil war that will eventually escalate into a global conflict.

John Titor - that's the name he introduced himself with, though it's possible that it's just a pseudonym - offered several prophecies about the future...

Harry absentmindedly twirled his finger around his temple, peering at the article in front of him. He had never heard of this mysterious John Titor before, but a vivid memory resurfaced in his mind - third year, Time-Turner, saving Sirius and Buckbeak. He hoped Hermione might have some answers.

"Hermione, what if he really is a wizard?" Harry asked, leaning in towards her.

"Look, Harry," she replied, pointing at the blurry drawing and fuzzy photographs. "This kind of technology is only created by Muggles, but it's unlikely to have anything to do with the future."

"But what could it be related to?" Harry continued, rubbing his temple, trying to delve into his friend's thoughts.

"I don't know," Hermione said, puzzled, fidgeting in her chair. "But it's definitely not a time machine."

"Tell me, Hermione," Harry suddenly inquired. "How many real time machines have you seen in your life?"

Harry watched in astonishment as Hermione thoughtfully rubbed her temple and momentarily lost herself in thought. She wanted to offer a more certain answer, but was it really possible to see a real time machine? After all, it was a question even the most knowledgeable professor couldn't definitively answer. However, Hermione knew that there was a complete lack of reliable evidence for the existence of such machines. But were they wise enough researchers to claim that they definitely didn't exist?

Hermione tapped her fingers, doubt mirrored on her cheeks, and finally said, "I guess I haven't seen any real time machines in my life. But that doesn't mean they..."

Mash Kyrielight joined them, briefly scanning the newspaper and then raising her index finger, whispering, "You know, I've heard this name... John Titor."

Harry stared at Mash in amazement. "You... heard?" he asked, unable to hide his surprise.

Mash nodded, her eyes shining with excitement. "Yes," she replied softly. "But there's a difference. I remember he appeared in the year two thousand..."

Mash's eyes widened, and she whispered anxiously, "I don't understand anything..."

Jeanne Alter looked up at Mash, and their eyes met in silent horror. They both felt that this information could have serious consequences.

"No matter what it means, this is bad!" Jeanne muttered, clenching her fists in nervous tension.

Mash pondered, shivering slightly, trying to comprehend the complexity of the situation.

"We need to inform Da Vinci urgently," Mash delivered her verdict, but there was a tinge of worry in her voice. "But it will take time..."

Hermione, remaining calm, whispered, "We don't need anything! I know who we can ask about this."

Her eyes sparkled conspiratorially, and everyone present felt the excitement that engulfed Hermione. She was confident that she knew someone who could help them unravel this mystery.

The tall brunette in the blue suit quickly scanned all the newspaper articles, his face showing concentration and utmost calm. He sighed and closed his eyes for a second, as if trying to find the answer within himself, before slowly turning around and looking intently at the group of kids.

"The paradox of causality principle," he briefly spoke, his tone confident and at the same time enigmatic, as if he knew more than he was ready to reveal.

"What do you mean, Caster?" Hermione asked him decisively, her voice sounding a bit dry, as if she was already tired of playing word games.

Tesla turned to the board, which still had traces of Fujimaru's musings on King Arthur and his loyalty. Next to it appeared a new board, looking fresh and ready to embrace new ideas. Taking the chalk in his hand, Tesla decisively drew a line on the board. Then he marked two points on it, labeling them as 1994 and 1998. His face clearly showed deep contemplation as he connected these points with an arc and wrote the word "anomaly" on top.

"We are currently here," Tesla said, his eyes shining with the grandeur of his inner wisdom. He clenched his fist and pointed to a spot on the arc where it reached its highest peak. "The inner space is accessible to us until this moment," he pointed to the point labeled 1998. "What happens afterwards depends on the smallest, seemingly insignificant details." He paused, his eyes gliding over the faces of the kids, trying to see understanding and possible answers to his words. "We must be prepared for any changes, any surprises. They can alter all our perceptions of the future. We must be ready to adapt and accept what awaits us."

Tesla, smiling mysteriously with a gleam in his eyes, meticulously drew each line. His hand moved easily and confidently across the board. When he finished his work, he suddenly lifted his head, and his gaze fell upon the crowd of kids awaiting his explanations. From the expression on their faces, it was clear that they fully grasped the essence of the picture before them.

He gradually added details, layering the line that led to an image of a skull. On the other end of the line, a beautiful lily with delicate pastel petals grew.

"The universe oscillates because of the anomaly," Tesla mysteriously uttered, raising an eyebrow and looking at the kids with the self-assurance of a great magician. His voice sounded like a thin thread, and like a thin thread, it penetrated deeply into the subconscious of each present.

He continued to describe the consequences of this anomaly, while the kids listened to him with horror. Their eyes widened with fear and confusion.

"An hour will pass as if it never existed, and a second will feel like eternity," he continued his explanations, his voice now even more mysterious. He walked around the room, looking down on the kids as if he were a dominant ruler guiding the fate of the universe. "When you go somewhere, you won't know if you will reach the final point, and when you return, you won't be able to find the place where you started."

"Our universe can intersect with any others. Different events from world history can also intersect... It will look strange, but be prepared for anything."

"What if it's not true?" Hermione exclaimed. "What if you're wrong?"

"I am deeply sorry, but time has already begun to warp. Some events will happen again and again, nothing will be left in memory, and in the end, the universe will collapse."

With these words, Tesla put aside the chalk and clasped his hands together. His face remained impartial like never before, and his gaze, that of a prophet seeing the deepest essence of things, pierced through to the heart. Hermione, unable to contain her fear and despair, covered her face with her hands. Her shoulders trembled with tension.

"We are all just stardust," she whispered softly, as if speaking to herself.

Her eyes glistened with tears, which she futilely tried to hold back. Mash embraced her from behind, wishing to support her friend. Only Zhanna stood unwaveringly.

"Thank you, Tesla," Hermione thanked her Servant.

Everyone stood in dead silence, as if enchanted by the foreboding that hung over the room. The air was filled with anxiety and uncertainty. They all knew they were merely small particles in a vast internal struggle between earthly and supernatural realms. And in that moment, they felt like mere toys in the hands of fate, whispering its will to them.