“Yesterday’s Genius is Today’s Technician!”
This week, the Tribunal secured a rare (and highly vibrating) interview inside the Paradox Lab, a sub-sector of the Forge-Wheel where the air smells of ozone and the floor tiles occasionally swap places. We sat down with our lead Calibration Specialists, Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, to discuss a topic that has many citizens looking over their shoulders: The Time-Drifters.
As these "flickering" individuals become more common in the Vault, our resident geniuses have... differing theories on why some people start blinking in and out of existence.
Tribunal: Gentlemen, let’s talk about the "Drifters." Citizens are seeing people who appear to be in two places at once, or who leave trails of "after-images" behind them. What is actually happening to these people?
Newton: [Grasping a brass telescope as if it were a holy relic] Happening? They are being Consecrated! Can you not see the geometry of it? These "Drifters" have been touched by the divine hand of the Master of Seconds Himself—Chronos! They are no longer bound by the common friction of the gears. They are the chosen vessels, carrying the weight of the Great Machine's ultimate intent! To drift is to be closer to the Architect’s own heartbeat!
Einstein: [Polishing his glasses while sitting on a chair that is currently transparent] Oh, Isaac. You always did have a flair for the dramatic. "Consecrated"? Hardly. It’s far more fascinating—and messy—than that. A Time-Drifter is simply a person who has suffered severe Structural Integrity Damage to their personal time-line.
Tribunal: "Data Damage," Albert? That sounds a bit... technical.
Einstein: Exactly! Think of a record player with a deep scratch. The needle jumps. The Drifter is jumping. Their personal timeline has frayed, creating a localized glitch in the space-time fabric. They aren't "divine"; they are a walking anomaly. They are existing in multiple "Nows" because their continuity has snapped. It’s a spectacular failure of physics, really. I’d love to dissect one, purely from a mathematical standpoint, of course.
Newton: [Slapping the table, causing a puff of steam] A failure? It is an Elevation! To manipulate the flow of time as they do—slowing a fall, accelerating a strike—that is the mark of a Paradox King! Chronos does not "glitch," Albert. He selects.
Einstein: [Chuckling] If being "selected" means your left hand occasionally exists three minutes behind your right hand, then I shall stick to my slide rule, thank you. They aren't kings, Isaac. They are leaks. The Vault is a closed system, and these Drifters are where the pressure is blowing out the gaskets. Fascinating leaks, but leaks nonetheless.
While our Specialists enjoy their "academic" debates, the Office of Citizen Integration wishes to remind everyone: Whether you believe a Drifter is "touched by a god" or "broken like a toy," the protocol remains the same. Do not engage. If you see someone flickering, do not ask them for a "blessing" or a "repaired file." Simply look at your approved Vault-Pass and remind yourself: "I am here. I am now. I am stable."
"A steady heart keeps a steady start! Leave the drifting to the machines, and keep your feet firmly on the ground!"