#they're a mystic scientist pulling pranks on everyone

[soupedepates]

"You're so old now, Mnemo, how come you never ensured your legacy?" the young red shirt-wearing Contrevent asked. "They will put their hands on our machine." "They can't", the elder smiled while closing their eyes. "Everything I've ever written down has burnt two days ago in a 'criminal' fire. I'm taking it to the grave."

Contrevent sighed while crouching upon his older self; well Mnemo Emaré wasn't completely himself, they were too mischievous (that's saying something, considering how much of a jokester Contrevent was) and more spiritual, more in touch with a lot of things and more infatuated with (now here late) Aïon Sibylle, but Mnemo Emaré was the Mnemodoxe Contrevent of this timeline.

"You're a dick slowing research for centuries", he said quite amused. "You don't know how much you're right. Technology and science are killing the space-time continuum. And, of course, our very own planet, our very own people," they giggled. "And I couldn't take my dirt nap without pulling one last prank. Have you seen it? It's glorious." "I can't access your timeline much you know, you must have locked it." Contrevent sat and crossed his arms. "I am giving half of our aunt's money to the Academy, half to the Army School. They'll have to stage heist against each other to get the chance to have my skull. That would prevent them from doing stupid things like we did", they snorted. "You're perhaps the least cooperative me I've ever encountered." "I accept to talk to you, that's a lot." "You bastard." "You time-wrecker."

They laughed together for a minute or so, before Mnemo landed their hand to Contrevent.

"Now that I am older than every others versions of us, I can see how arrogant we were by creating the machine." "I am intending to live a century at least", Contrevent said. "I know you're too infatuated with the idea of influencing other timelines not to stay for ever in your thirties. You know you'd go back in time again and again rather than accept the natural course of things." The old Mnemo opened their eyes again. "You look 35, but you've been living for longer, I bet." "I spent at least sixty years just... travelling", he admitted. "I was... I am still looking for a timeline where neither Perla nor the kids get the disease that takes them in my original timeline." "You have to accept death."

He stayed quiet.

"I have", Mnemo murmured. "Here's the main difference between you and I. I am at peace with everything happening all at once, with the whole continuum being but a point on the plan, with my reality and the others. You're not. You will never be."

Mnemo patted the head of young Contrevent.

"One day you'll realise that time-travelling never brought anything good to us, and to the world." "I..." "The first time I met you, seconds ago for you, decades for me, I knew you were the harbinger of our doom. Mere mortals like us shouldn't be left with such a power... No, don't cry, shhh, don't cry my dear... You couldn't have known."