The boy's eyes lit up at being addressed so formally. "Of course! Old Father Caleb handles most petitions. I'll fetch him."

He scurried off and soon returned with an elderly, bald man in black robes.

"Welcome back, my child," the priest greeted Darian kindly. "Young Tobias says you seek counsel?"

Darian would rather not be back here if he could help it, but he had to learn if what happened was truly possible. "Thank you for seeing me again, Father.”

“I think you have me confused with another member of the clergy, my son,” Father Caleb gave him a strange look. “We have never met before.”

Darian blinked, stunned for a second, he had made the same mistake confusing the previous ‘timeline’ with this new one. In this one, he did not seek help from the church and end up disrespecting the old man in front of him.

“Ah…yes. Sorry about that,” Darian replied awkwardly.

“It is no matter, now tell my boy, what brings you here?”

“I was hoping to ask you about...second chances," Darian began. "And strange twists of fate."

Father Caleb raised his white eyebrows. "Go on..."

Darian took a deep breath. "Some people say the gods have allowed mortals to alter fate before. To go back and relive past events, changing what seemed…unchangeable."

He looked at the priest nervously. "Could such a thing be possible, through magic or divine intervention?"

Father Caleb's expression turned stern. "Mind that you do not speak lightly of magic, my son. The gods forbid mortal tampering with their divine will." He wagged a finger at Darian. "True power comes only from the gods above, not through heretical magical means. Their wisdom and authority are absolute. We must accept what we cannot change."

"Of course, Father. I did not mean to imply–“

"I know you are young and seeking answers, child,” Father Caleb cut in, patting Darian’s shoulder reassuringly. “But have faith - the gods have reasons for all they allow, even when events seem unjust."

Darian nodded politely, but the priest's words provided little comfort. After all, Talia lived again by some inexplicable means. What else could that be, if not divine intervention or magic?

But clearly the temple held no answers for him. Darian would have to find answers someplace else.

Thanking Father Caleb for his time, Darian turned his steps towards home and his sister. The daily chores of hunting and helping his mother awaited him.

The familiar work soothed him somewhat after the morning’s strangeness. Soon Darian was winding through the forest paths checking his snares, keeping one eye out for the wolf cub though he saw no sign of it today. Within an hour he had collected two plump rabbits and a pheasant to bring home for the stew pot.

Mara looked relieved when Darian returned with the game. "There you are! I thought you said you wouldn’t be gone long..." She trailed off, blinking hard.

Darian's heart twinged with guilt. After all his mother had endured, his unexplained lateness must have made her worry the worst had occurred.

"I'm sorry, Ma. I should have returned after catching the two rabbits..."

Mara shook her head. "No, no, hunt as you usually do. Just stay safe, that's all that matters to me."

She then set to skinning and gutting the rabbits while Darian plucked the pheasant feathers. Later, as Mara prepared a broth for Talia, Darian tried gently probing his mother for answers. "That medicine yesterday really cured Talia like magic. I can hardly believe the change in her..."

Mara only nodded. "It was a blessing from the gods to be sure. Our prayers were finally answered." She frowned at the simmering pot. "Though we need to make sure the fever does not return."

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Darian hesitated. "Ma...do you believe the gods ever grant us second chances? To right past wrongs?"

Mara stared, then burst out laughing. "My dear boy, do you mean time travel? You sound as fanciful as your sister! What fairy tales have you been reading?"

Chuckling, she tapped his cheek affectionately with her spoon. "I suppose nearly losing Talia made us all a bit mad for a time, hmm?"

Darian forced a smile. "Yes, of course. Just...a dream."

It was clear no one else in their little village would understand his experience, which lingered in Darian's mind as vividly as any real memory.

After they had coaxed some broth into the sleepy but recovering Talia, Darian slipped away again while his mother napped. He decided to get some fresh air to clear the fog from his brain.

As he was walking around aimlessly, he had a sudden thought - there was one person in the village who might understand mystical things beyond most folks' experience. Widow Tana -the fortune teller!

Darian headed towards her isolated cottage on the village outskirts.

Ancient Widow Tana was seen as crazy by most, but Darian knew that despite their grumblings, more than a few villagers secretly sought her counsel when desperate enough.

He thought of Farmer Jeb, who had visited Widow Tana last summer when his crops withered in the drought. A week later, the rains finally came. And Goodwife Marta, who bought a fertility charm when she failed to conceive after years of marriage. Now she had twins on the way.

Even a priest from the Church of Light was once spotted leaving the widow's cottage late at night, though he claimed it was only to offer prayers for her lost soul. Though, the flush on his face and guilty look in his eyes made Darian suspect the priest wanted her advice as much as anyone.

No, if the villagers truly wanted Widow Tana gone, they would have driven her out or burned her for a witch long ago, as happened in some parts. Instead, she remained a tolerated oddity on the fringes of the community. An open secret, only gossiped about in whispers.

Surely a woman rumoured to have one foot in the spirit realm could explain his extraordinary experience.

Once he arrived, Darian raised his hand to knock on the door but before his knuckles could make contact, it creaked open of its own accord.

"Hello?” Darian slowly popped his head inside. “Widow Tana?"

"Well, come in then, boy!” A raspy voice emerged from the darkness. “Hanging about in doorways lets the flies in."

Swallowing his nerves, Darian stepped inside. His eyes adjusted to reveal a single large room cluttered with strange artifacts. Plants hung drying from the rafters, crystals and charms dangled in the windows, and shelves bowed under jars of herbs and oils. The air smelled of pungent incense.

At the room's centre sat an old woman with wild white hair, her back hunched over. Her piercing eyes belied the rest of her frail appearance. Darian could feel her staring straight into his soul.

"Sit, sit," Widow Tana beckoned him to a low stool by the hearth. She set a kettle near the coals and fragrant steam soon filled the air.

"Er, thank you, ma'am,” Darian sat down uncomfortably. “I…I wanted to ask a question."

"I know why you've come." The old woman smirked at his surprised look. "Oh yes, I often see things before they happen. One of my gifts, or curses. You wanted to know whether the gods could give someone a second chance…”

Darian nodded, waiting for the old woman's response.

Widow Tana took a long sip of tea before replying. "Only the great Arkanias, God of Time, could manipulate the fabric of reality in such a way."

Darian's eyes widened. Could the mysterious God of Time have taken mercy on him and allowed him to save his sister against fate's design? But then why help just him, how was he any special to catch the interest of a god?

“The gods work in strange ways, especially one like the God of Time," she leaned closer, dropping her voice. "But I should not speak so freely of him - Arkanias has been missing for centuries, even from his most devoted followers. No one knows where he disappeared to. You never know who might be listening..."

Darian's brow furrowed in confusion. If the God of Time was missing, then he could not have intervened to save Talia. Was there some other power at work he did not comprehend?

He opened his mouth to ask more, but Widow Tana waved a hand impatiently. "Enough now. I grow tired of all this talk of gods and time. Never good to dwell on such matters."

She fixed him with a sharp look. "Now, I sense you have an interest in learning magic yourself, hmm? Think it will help protect that family of yours?"

Darian blinked in surprise. He had always been curious, though he knew little of magic beyond rumours. Despite the threat of being burned at the stake, he couldn’t help but want to learn a little, at least to find out if it was related to this time-travel business.

Choosing his words carefully, Darian replied, "I don't expect someone like me could ever learn magic. But if there was a way..."

Widow Tana cackled loudly, making Darian jump. "Goodness no, you're not suited for my arts, boy. My magic..." Her face grew sad. "Well, there are some who wouldn’t class it as magic at all."

She leaned in and whispered "If you want to learn real magic, you'd have to pray some wandering sorcerer found you worthy of apprenticeship. Though that's more likely to bring a noose than power. I’ve seen my fair share of mages face their end that way…"

Darian shivered. Perhaps magic was best left to those who clearly understood its dangers, not a desperate youth seeking miracles. He decided to drop the matter, at least for now.

"You're probably right, ma'am," he said, thanking her for her time and advice, he then made his way back home with a heavy heart and mind swimming with more questions than answers.