Chapter 480

Evander and Clarence, en route to the Tillery family's home, apparently stumbled into a time loop. Oddly, this loop synchronized with the moment of Percival's father's accident. Odalys wondered aloud if retrieving soil from the Junction of Energy the previous night had allowed Percival's father's soul to return, thus disrupting the magnetic field. Or had her actions alone caused this temporal anomaly? "Why did the time tunnel suddenly appear?" she whispered.

As she spoke, the explosion and crash seemed to pause. The scene before her vanished. Before she could react, the Cayenne jeep surged forward, and the truck collided again. The horrific events repeated. The explosion occurred once more, Percival's father was killed, and everything returned to stillness—only to repeat.

The Cayenne sped off. Odalys's palms slick with sweat, prepared to intervene. Then, a familiar luxury car sped toward the crash. It swerved, colliding with the Cayenne, pushing it aside. The Cayenne lost control, but its occupants seemed unharmed.

"Grandpa," Odalys whispered, recognizing Evander driving and Clarence as the passenger. They had recklessly driven into the scene, attempting to move the Cayenne, but the truck rushed toward them. With a sickening bang, the truck struck their car.

Odalys's heart leaped as both vehicles were sent flying. She watched in horror as the men struggled, unable to move. Another explosion consumed the vehicles in flames so intense they seemed to burn the night itself.

Odalys ran toward the wreckage. Evander and Clarence were trapped beneath the twisted metal, motionless, their eyes locked on Odalys, surprise etched on their faces. Before they could speak, the fire consumed them, reducing them to ashes.

As Odalys moved, time reversed. The scene rewound to the moment before the crash, as if nothing had happened. She pulled out a talisman, bit her finger to inscribe symbols, and threw it into the air. "Freeze!" she commanded.

The talisman spun, glowing golden, splitting the path. The Cayenne, moments from impact, was halted by the magical energy, bouncing backward. Evander and Clarence's car sped toward the scene. Seeing the crash, they braked, sliding to a stop. Stunned, they stared at Odalys and the overturned Cayenne. Another truck barreled toward them, but Odalys gestured, freezing the truck's wheels. Time seemed to stop.

Odalys quickly opened the car door.

Chapter 480 (continued)

"Grandpa, what's going on? Why did you enter the time tunnel?" she asked, her voice trembling. She had suspected something was amiss, but never imagined they had driven into this time trap. It explained the magnetic disturbances and the link to Percival's father's accident.

Evander stared, unable to comprehend. Odalys nodded. "Percival and I were going to the Tillery's for dinner when we lost contact with you. I felt a shift in the magnetic field, realized the time tunnel had opened, and it brought us back to the exact moment of Percival's father's accident. The events kept repeating."

Stunned by the unfolding truth, she realized witnessing it firsthand was vastly different from hearing rumors. Evander, shocked, spoke. "As we drove to the Tillery's, we received a call—strangely silent. We saw a flash of golden light. Driving toward it, we lost all phone signal."

"And then we were here. We saw the crash, and it's been repeating."

Evander looked pained. Seeing his son's death replayed felt like a knife to his heart. He had desperately tried to change the outcome, enlisting Clarence's help to steer the car away, even risking their lives. Clarence, loyal, agreed, accepting the risk to help Evander alter the past. They took a chance—but it was too late. The moment they died, they saw Odalys, and everything reset.

"It seems the time tunnel was altered, trapping you in this loop. A butterfly effect, a maze where reality and dreams blur."

She paused. "There may be a way to fix this. Perhaps the thunderstruck wood I used saving Blossom, or the soil from the Junction of Energy, or a combination of both, caused this."

Odalys murmured, unable to fully grasp the changes she had unwittingly set in motion.

"What are you talking about?" Evander asked, confused. Clarence, less involved, seemed to understand more.

"Wait, you went to the Junction of Energy and saw Percival's father's soul? You brought it back?" Clarence asked, disbelieving. Odalys's words sounded fantastical; if not for the time loop, he never would have believed such a tale.