"It worked," Sito said, smiling at the cup in his hand.
Then he looked at us. "Why do you guys look like that?"
Something's wrong.
The cup is full—and it's always been full—but I remember it being halfway gone too.
If he rewound time, why do I still have that memory?
I looked up at Omar and Joe. They both looked confused too. But Sito? He seemed perfectly fine.
Whatever happened... didn't affect him.
"I've got two sets of memories in my head. That's why," Omar said.
"Me too," Joe added.
"Same here," I said.
"I remember Aaron drinking the juice," Omar continued. "I remember the first time you tried to rewind it, and I remember us talking about trying again. It clearly worked—but why do I remember it working? This is trippy as fuck."
"I thought you were gonna rewind it and it'd just go back to full—like what Doctor Strange did to that apple," Joe said. "So why do my memories feel weird? Why do I remember both versions?"
"Because he rewound me," I said. "Or maybe he rewound the cup, and that, in turn, rewound me... But we shouldn't remember it being half full if I never drank it. It's like he created a separate timeline... and we remember both."
"Maybe it's because he didn't say the skill name out loud?" I suggested. "My gravity skill is much weaker when I don't call out the name. Or maybe... that's just how the skill works."
"No," Omar said flatly. "That's not how time travel works. We're not supposed to remember what hasn't happened."
"Usually, I'd agree with you. That's what I thought too. But the double memories in my head say otherwise."
"Try it again," Joe said. "Rewind the cup back to halfway. Let's see if we get three sets of memories."
"What a dumbass idea," Omar muttered. "Do it, though."
Sito didn't wait he just raised his hand.
A couple of seconds later, the cup was half empty... again.
There was silence at our table. The only noises came from around us—the knights and royals chatting as if nothing had happened. Either they didn't hear us… or they didn't care.
"I did it again," Sito said. "What do you guys remember?"
"Everything," I said. "All three timelines. But this last one is especially weird. The first time you rewound, I remember drinking and not drinking the cup. Now... it's like we're living in a time where you never rewound in the first place. Or you rewound your rewind. Or something. I don't know what the fuck is going on."
"Yeah, don't do that shit again," Omar said.
"Why is everyone acting so normal?" Joe asked, looking around the room. "Do they not have different memories like us?"
I looked up just then, realizing what he meant. No one else was acting differently.
Is it because they didn't see him rewind it?
"I think I know why," I said to them. "But I want to test it."
"Sito, can you rewind one last time? Not on the cup—on me."
"Yeah, I can," he replied.
"What are you gonna do? Because I don't need another set of memories about this damn cup in my head," Omar grumbled.
"It has nothing to do with the cup. Watch this. Sito, be ready to rewind as soon as I sit down."
I stood up and walked toward the table with the food. A few people glanced my way as I passed, including the princess at her usual table with the robed mage. But most of them stayed in their own little worlds.
I picked up a piece of bread, then walked back and sat down. I placed the bread in the center of our table.
"Now, Sito. Rewind. Now."
He pointed his hand at me. A few seconds later, the bread was gone—back in its original spot on the food table.
The memories were there: me walking to get the bread… and also me never having left at all.
"Now let's see..."
I looked around the room.
The people who had glanced at me when I got up? They looked confused now. But the ones who hadn't? They remained unchanged.
I turned to the princess.
She was staring directly at me, face more serious than usual. Most likely listening to the conversation now.
Slowly, everyone who had seen me pick up the bread began to glance over, puzzled. The ones who hadn't? Still locked into their conversations.
"Alright," I said. "I think your skill only gives memories to those who saw what happened… or were somehow involved. Otherwise they don't get new memories.
"I noticed it too," Sito said. "Some of the people who looked at you are confused. They probably got a new set of memories."
Eventually, everyone who saw me get the bread turned away.
Except the princess.
She just kept staring.
"Damn," Joe muttered. "How long is she gonna look over here?"
Sito ignored that question.
"Should I fast-forward the drink next? Or try and freeze it in time? Maybe I can try to—"
"Don't do anything else while I'm sitting here," Omar cut in. "I don't want new memories every time you use your skill. So I'm leaving."
"Yeah, that shit's disorienting. I don't like it," Joe added. "I'm going back to my room."
"Same," Omar said, already standing.
"I've got my own experiments to do," I said.
We all got up from our table and left the dining hall, getting a couple more stares than usual—but not like before, when we openly talked about our skills.
We walked down the hallways, looking at the paintings on the walls.
"You think you're gonna get some of these?" Joe asked, gesturing toward the artwork. "Some of your own stories, some of your own 'trophies'?" he said, making air quotes.
"What do you think the first thing you're gonna kill is gonna be?" Omar asked.
"A slime, probably. Anime characters always fight slimes first."
"Or wolves. Isekai characters get teleported into the woods and always run into wolves," Joe said.
"Or they fight high-level monsters first. They get teleported into a high-level area and end up running from a dragon," Sito said, laughing.
"Alright, alright, alright—I'm not fighting a dragon at level one... I better fucking not be."
We kept walking and finally reached our rooms.
"Try not to give me any new memories," Omar said, heading into his room.
"Goodnight," Joe said, disappearing into his.
"Let me know how your experiments go," I said to Sito. "I've got my own to do. I'll see you tomorrow."
I walked into my room and sat on the bed.
"Alright... let's see what new skills I can come up with," I thought.