The worst temporal offender was the Magus. The selfish bastard. The useless, interfering asshole!
Twist time for his own benefit? Sure. Stand aside while she tried to save the life that could make the future better for everyone? He wouldn’t think of it.
It was easy to deal with him. She was a robotic lifeform. She could clone herself mentally, dispatch copies to fight a dozen battles in a thousand timelines, then re-integrate to learn the winning strategies. The hard part was dealing with him in a way that didn’t undermine the temporal tapestry she was weaving, the pattern that would unravel and destroy the paradox when she pulled on the right thread.
I knew then, I know now, that I could have brought some kind of Leo back. The Phoenix had his connectome and genetic data. I had everything I needed. Objectively, some Leo Snow could continue to exist.
Why this? Why all the effort?
Because it was all so god damn unfair!
That wound in her own private world grew, and grew. She forced herself to grow with it, to keep expanding lest it consume her.
Pneuma! Wake UP!