The desert night had grown bitterly cold.

Brandon walked slowly toward the small, makeshift camp Rheanne had set up in the lee of a large rock formation.

Peeking inside, he saw Rheanne sitting cross-legged on a thick blanket she had also pulled from her spatial storage.

She was reading an old, leather-bound book, her long white hair cascading over one shoulder.

Beside her there is a simple metal cup filled with water and a few pieces of flatbread wrapped in clean cloth.

’She is really prepared,’

Rheanne glanced up the moment he approached and her gaze softened faintly.

Without a word, she picked up one of the pieces of bread and offered it to him.

"Here..."

Brandon took the bread from her hand.

He bit into it and munched slowly.

’It’s not bad,’

After hours of walking through the desert, even bread tastes divine.

He sat down across from her inside the tent, crossing his legs as he continued eating.

Looking at her, he asked, "You have these stored in that weird place?"

Rheanne gave a small nod.

She extended her left hand outward, and the space around her palm suddenly dipped.

Her hand phased through the air and disappeared into another dimension, like she was reaching into an invisible pocket of space.

A moment later, she pulled out another piece of bread and a small waterskin.

"I have this...free space kind of thing where I can store objects," she explained calmly.

"It really comes in handy. Food, water, blankets, weapons... I’ve learned to keep everything I might need for long expeditions."

Brandon watched the display in quiet amazement, still chewing.

"I see..."

Rheanne offered him the waterskin "Drink. You need to stay hydrated."

Brandon accepted it and took several long swallows.

He handed it back and watched as she stored it away again.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, sharing the simple meal as the lantern cast a warm, golden glow over them.

After some time, Rheanne spoke agai "You said you awakened your power two years ago... and kept it a secret."

She looked at him curiously "How did you manage? Most people who discover this kind of energy can’t hide it for long. It changes you. The way you see the world. The way the world sees you."

Brandon chose his answer carefully, mindful of the time period and the paradox he was living through.

"I was lucky," he said. "I had trustworthy people around me who helped me keep it hidden."

Rheanne nodded slowly, accepting the answer "You’re fortunate. Trust is rare when power is involved."

She looked down at her own hands, then back at him "I... I would like to know more about your power. How it feels for you. How you control it. If you’re comfortable sharing."

Brandon hesitated for a moment, then decided to be as honest as he could without breaking the fragile balance of the timeline.

"It feels like... another part of me," he said. "Like a second heartbeat. Sometimes it’s easy to use. While at times it’s hard to control. But I’ve learned to work with it instead of forcing it."

Rheanne listened intently, her eyes never leaving his face.

"I understand that feeling,"

"When I first awakened, it felt like a storm inside me. It took me months to control this energy in me."

A faint smile touched her lips "It’s nice... talking about it with someone who actually understands."

Brandon returned the smile "Yeah. It is."

Outside the tent, the desert night continued its cold watch.

---

"You call it ’ether’ ?" she asked, a soft chuckle escaping under her breath.

"That’s a funny name. I just call it as ’energy’. Mhm... maybe I can also use the term ’ether’ from now on."

She said the word again, "Ether... It has a nice ring to it."

Brandon just smiled but then realization hit him ’Wait a minute... so now, I am the one who named ’ether’ as ’ether’ ?’

’I mean if Rheanne went out and called it as ether... other would call it as ether...’

This wasn’t just a casual conversation.

This was the origin.

The very moment the term "ether" entered the world’s vocabulary.

He was the one who introduced it.

Through her.

The Bootstrap paradox tightened its grip even further.

Rheanne noticed the sudden shift in his expression and tilted her head "Is something wrong, Kael? You look like you just remembered something important."

Brandon quickly masked his inner turmoil with a casual shrug and another small smile.

"Nothing. Just... thinking about how names for things can stick. ’Ether’ sounds better than just ’energy,’ doesn’t it?"

Rheanne chuckled softly again, "It does."

She took a small sip from the metal cup, then offered it to him "Drink. The cold at night steals moisture faster than you expect."

Brandon accepted the cup and took a slow drink as the cool water soothed his dry throat.

As he handed it back, his mind continued to spin.

’If I’m the one who introduced the term "ether" through Rheanne... then everything that comes after, the ranking system, the guilds, the entire modern understanding of awakeners... might trace back to this single conversation.’

’So, yeah... my presence here isn’t breaking the timeline.’

’It’s completing it.’

He was not changing history. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

He was the reason history unfolded the way it did.

This is the key concept in a Bootstrap paradox which leaves some things with no ’origin’ point.

A faintsmile appeared on his lips ’Interesting...’

’But still, I should be cautious about what I am saying...’

She leaned back slightly, resting her back against one of the tent poles.

"For now, rest if you can. I’ll keep watch."

Brandon nodded and he lay down on the blanket, staring up at the roof of the tent.

Looking at Brandon’s sleeping face, Rheanne’s gaze condensed slightly ’I am getting a strange fluctuation of energy from him which resonates with me.’

’I am not sure why... maybe because we both have special powers?’

’Also I can’t completely trust a stranger.’

She looked at his peaceful face ’But again... he is sleeping comfortably in the presence of a stranger like me.’

’Since he places such trust in me, I should do the same.’