Kael was still frozen.
Aria blinked.
"Why are you looking like that?"
Mira smirked.
"You just kissed a man who broke reality for you."
Aria crossed her arms.
"That wasn't planned."
Kael finally spoke.
"…that shouldn't have happened."
Aria frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Elias suddenly turned around.
His face pale.
"That was a mistake."
Everyone looked at him.
Aria blinked.
"What mistake?"
The machines in the room began humming.
Louder.
Faster.
Kael whispered,
"…no."
Aria looked at him.
"What?"
The ground vibrated.
Mira's smile disappeared.
"Oh that's not good."
Aria's voice rose.
"Can someone explain?"
Elias stared at Kael.
"You touched the variable."
Kael whispered,
"I didn't—"
"You did," Elias said.
"The loop was fragile."
Aria frowned.
"What loop?"
Elias looked at her.
"The moment you kissed him."
The machines began sparking.
"The timeline changed again."
Aria felt her stomach drop.
"What does that mean?"
Kael answered quietly.
"It means we just made things worse."
A loud crack split the air.
The ceiling above them trembled.
Dust fell from the lights.
Mira whispered,
"Oh hell."
Aria looked up.
"What now?"
Kael's voice became very calm.
"The Keepers found the blind spot."
Silence.
Then —
The ceiling
split open.