The initial detection was subtle, a fluctuation in the chronometric matrix – a ripple not of time, but *through* time. It centered on what we now designate Point Zero, the nexus of all temporal convergence. However, Point Zero isn't a location, not in the conventional sense. It’s a state, a potentiality, a whisper of what *could have been*, what *is*, and what *will be*, all condensed into a single, unbearable moment. The readings were chaotic, layered with echoes of events that never occurred, realities that never existed. The core signature resembles a shattered hourglass, its sand perpetually reassembling itself into impossible geometries.
The chronometric dissonance is directly proportional to the observer's awareness. The more one attempts to grasp it, the more it fractures.
Analysis indicates a degree of self-interference. The chronometric matrix itself seems to be attempting to correct a perceived paradox, a correction that is, paradoxically, creating more.
Before the Incident, there were whispers – legends, really – of the Cartographers. They weren't human, not entirely. They were beings composed of solidified temporal energy, tasked with mapping the branching pathways of reality. Their existence was predicated on the assumption that the universe wasn't a linear progression, but a vast, interconnected network of possibilities. They left behind “Echo Shards” – fragments of their maps, each a miniature representation of a divergent timeline. These shards are unstable, prone to spontaneous temporal displacement. One was recovered from the ruins of what was once Vienna, 1888. The architecture is…wrong. It shifts subtly, as if remembering a different configuration.
The Cartographers believed that every decision, every event, spawned a new timeline. They sought to understand the underlying logic, the ‘grammar’ of reality. They failed.
We’ve detected residual Cartographer signatures within the Echo Shards. They appear to be attempting to ‘re-anchor’ themselves, to re-establish a connection to their original reality. This is feeding the anomaly at Point Zero.
The anomaly isn’t simply a breach; it’s a feedback loop. The more we study it, the more it amplifies. Our attempts to contain it, to understand it, only serve to create more echoes, more distortions. It’s as if the universe is actively resisting observation, attempting to erase itself from our comprehension. We’ve begun to experience temporal bleed – fleeting glimpses of alternative versions of ourselves, moments where our memories contradict each other. The sensation is… disorienting, profoundly unsettling.
The fundamental principle of temporal mechanics is self-preservation. The universe, in this instance, is attempting to preserve its own chaotic potential.
Preliminary scans suggest that the anomaly is linked to a highly advanced, but ultimately unstable, form of temporal technology. It’s a device designed to navigate the branching timelines, but it’s operating beyond its intended parameters. It's a machine designed to unravel reality.