Adi couldn't stop thinking about the app. The sensation of being transported to the past lingered in his mind, like a shadow that wouldn't fade. He had tried to dismiss it as a glitch, something that couldn't possibly be real. But deep down, he knew that what he had experienced wasn't just a malfunction. The Chrono Shifter app was something far more powerful—and dangerous—than he could have ever imagined.
For the next few days, Adi couldn't focus on anything else. The app had been installed on his phone, and the temptation to use it again gnawed at him. He felt like an explorer standing at the edge of a vast, uncharted world, ready to step into the unknown.
But he didn't want to make the same mistake again. The warning on the app had been clear—Every change has a consequence. Adi wasn't sure what that meant, but the weight of the words stayed with him. He didn't want to risk causing irreparable damage to the present.
Still, curiosity pushed him forward. He sat at his desk again, his fingers hovering over the screen. He needed to know more, to understand how it worked. This was his chance to break free from the cycle of his monotonous life, to change things, to rewrite his story. It was irresistible.
With a deep breath, Adi pressed the Start button again.
The world around him shifted once more.
This time, he didn't just appear in a different place—he found himself in a different year. His phone displayed a date that seemed far too recent to be considered history, but it wasn't the present. It was a year before his birth.
The streets were unfamiliar, yet strangely nostalgic, like a faded memory. Buildings he had never seen before lined the road, and the people moved in a hurry, unaware of the person standing in their midst. It was like stepping into a scene from a dream, the edges of reality beginning to blur. Adi felt both out of place and strangely connected to this time, as if he was meant to be here, like the past was calling to him.
His mind raced as he took in the details, searching for something familiar. It felt like he had walked into someone else's life, but he didn't have the luxury of lingering. The app had warned him about the consequences of altering the past, but Adi wasn't sure if simply observing was enough to change anything. Was it enough to just be here, in this moment?
He walked around for hours, watching people interact, absorbing the atmosphere. His own existence seemed so insignificant here, like he was just a witness to history unfolding. But then, something caught his eye.
Across the street, he saw a woman. Her face was familiar—she looked exactly like his mother, though much younger. It was a surreal experience, seeing someone he knew so well as a stranger, a different version of her in this moment of time. She didn't see him, didn't recognize the man who had walked into her life years later.
Adi's breath caught in his throat. Should he approach her? Should he speak to her? His heart pounded as he considered the implications. What if he said something? What if he changed something, anything, even just a word? Could that cause a ripple effect that would alter everything? Could it be the catalyst for a completely different future?
He shook his head, trying to focus. No, he couldn't risk it. The app had warned him for a reason.
Reluctantly, he turned away, walking back toward the street corner where he had first appeared. He needed to leave before he did something irreversible. As he tapped the button on his phone, ready to return to his present, he felt a sudden weight in his chest. Something had changed. Something small, but significant.
The familiar hum of his phone vibrated in his hand. The screen flickered, and for a brief moment, he saw a flash of the future—his future. It was a glimpse, but it was enough to send a chill down his spine. The woman—his mother—was in danger. In that fleeting moment, he had seen her in a hospital bed, unconscious, hooked up to machines. It wasn't supposed to be like this. This wasn't supposed to happen.
Adi's fingers trembled as he pressed the Return button. The world shifted once more, and he was back in his apartment. But the feeling of unease stayed with him, the image of his mother's hospital bed burned into his mind.
For hours, he sat there, staring at the blank screen of his phone, trying to make sense of what he had seen. Was it a vision of the future? Had he caused it by simply being there, by observing her in the past? Was it something he could change, or was it already set in stone?
The app had promised him control over time, but with that power came an overwhelming sense of responsibility. Time was fragile, and even the smallest action could cause a ripple effect. Adi couldn't afford to make a mistake, not when the stakes were so high.
He had come here looking for a way to escape his dull, meaningless life. Instead, he had stumbled into a far greater challenge: the ability to alter the very fabric of reality itself. He wasn't just playing with the past anymore—he was playing with fate. And that, he realized, was a far more dangerous game than he had ever imagined.