The more Elden observed, the more he realized that Galen's control over the time loop wasn't as absolute as it first appeared. There were moments when the boy seemed confused, almost lost, as if struggling to remember something just out of reach.

Time seemed to stretch as Elden's senses sharpened, his Wellspring responding to the subtle shift in the magical atmosphere. He could almost feel the threads of time magic starting to fray, the carefully woven tapestry of Galen's eternal day beginning to unravel at the edges.

Settling onto a bench, Galen's facade of cheerful confidence cracked slightly. "Sometimes," he said softly, almost to himself, "I wonder if I'm the one trapped in the loop, not them. They get to experience each day fresh, while I... I just keep accumulating days…weeks…months…."

Elden felt a pang of sympathy for the boy. He glanced at Gertrude, seeing his own concern mirrored in her eyes. "Galen," he said gently, kneeling to meet the child's gaze, "how long have you been here, really?"

Galen's eyes met Elden's, and for a moment, the young Remembrancer saw the weight of countless years reflected in those youthful orbs. The air around them seemed to thicken, time itself bending under the strain of Galen's emotion.

"I've seen the sun rise and set more times than there are stars in the sky," Galen whispered, his voice cracking. "I've learned every language, read every scrap of paper, mastered every skill this village has to offer. And still... still, I'm alone."

As Galen spoke, Elden noticed Equinox watching the boy intently, her expression a mixture of fascination and... hunger? "What an extraordinary gift you have," Equinox murmured, her voice silky smooth. "To be untouched by time, to have endless opportunities to learn and grow. Some might call it a blessing."

Galen's laugh was hollow, devoid of his earlier mirth. It echoed through the village square, causing nearby frozen villagers to flicker momentarily, as if responding to his pain. "A blessing? To watch everyone you love live the same day over and over, never changing, never growing? I wouldn't wish this on anyone."

As the day wore on – or rather, as the same moment repeated itself countless times – Elden's suspicions grew. He began to notice patterns in the villagers' behaviors, minute details that seemed just slightly off. A woman always stumbled on the same cobblestone, her startled gasp cutting off at precisely the same moment each time. A bird's wing never quite completed its downward arc, forever suspended in an impossible pose.

The wrongness of it all grated against Elden's senses, his newly awakened chrono magic recoiling from the unnatural state of time in this place. He could feel the strain on reality itself, like a taut string ready to snap at any moment.

Finally, as they watched the sun set for the thousandth time that "day," Elden decided to test a theory. He turned to Galen, choosing his words carefully. "Galen, I'm curious about something. In all your years here, have you ever tried to... change things? To break the loop?"

Galen's cheerful demeanor faltered, a shadow passing over his face. The air around him shimmered, reality itself seeming to waver in response to his distress. "I... I've tried," he admitted, his voice small and fragile. "But it never works. The village always resets, no matter what I do."

Elden nodded slowly, his suspicions growing stronger. "And the villagers... how do they react when you try to change things?"

"They don't," Galen replied, his eyes darting around the frozen square. "They just keep doing the same things, over and over. It's like they can't even see me sometimes. Like I'm a ghost in my own story."

Gertrude stepped forward, her expression gentle but concerned. The lines around her eyes deepened, testament to the weight of what they were uncovering. "Galen, dear, I think there might be more to this situation than we initially thought. Would you be willing to let us examine the magical energies of the village more closely?"

Galen hesitated, his eyes darting between the three adults. For a moment, he looked every bit the frightened child he truly was, stripped of the bravado and acquired knowledge of his endless days. "I... I guess so. But why? What do you think is happening?"

Elden knelt down, meeting Galen's gaze. He could feel the boy's fear, the desperation for answers warring with the terror of what those answers might be. "Galen, I have a theory about what might be happening here, but to confirm it, I'd need to use a special kind of magic. It's called memory magic, and it would allow me to look into your past, to see how this all started. Would you be willing to let me try?"

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Galen's eyes widened with a mixture of fear and fascination. "Memory magic? I've read about theoretical applications in some of the advanced magical texts, but I've never heard of it being used like this. How does it work?"

As Elden began to explain, Equinox interrupted, her voice tight with barely concealed urgency. "We shouldn't delay. The temporal energies here are becoming increasingly unstable. If we're going to act, it needs to be soon."

Galen looked between them, conflict clear on his face. After a long moment, he nodded. "Okay. But... be careful. I don't really remember how it all started, but I know it wasn't good."

As Elden began to explain, his hands weaving patterns in the air to demonstrate the intricate nature of memory weaves. Galen looked at the shimmering strands of magic, conflict clear on his face. The weight of his decision seemed to press down on him, bowing his small shoulders. After a long moment, he nodded, his jaw set with a determination that belied his youthful appearance. "Okay. But... be careful. I don't really remember how it all started, but I know it wasn't good. Sometimes, in my dreams, I see... terrible things."

Elden placed his hands gently on Galen's temples, channeling his magic. Golden threads of memory magic intertwined with the silvery strands of his chrono abilities, creating a weave of power unlike anything he had attempted before. The world around them began to blur and fade, replaced by vivid scenes from the past.

Suddenly they were there – the day of The Shattering. An identical version of Galen stood in the village square of Heartwood, his eyes wide with wonder and fear as he gazed up at the sky. The air crackled with an energy that set Elden's teeth on edge, even through the veil of memory.

The heavens above Heartwood began to ripple and distort, as if reality itself was nothing more than a reflection on troubled waters. Colors bled into one another, forming impossible hues that hurt to look at. Galen watched in awe as a massive, shadowy hand materialized amidst the clouds, its fingers stretching across the expanse of the sky. Each digit was larger than the tallest mountain, yet moved with a grace that defied its size

With a motion both beautiful and terrifying, the hand plucked at something unseen – a thread of cosmic fabric, invisible yet fundamental to the very existence of their world. As the thread was pulled, the sky tore open with a deafening crack that shook the very foundations of reality.

A jagged wound ripped across the heavens, bleeding light and color in impossible patterns. Shards of pure, chaotic magic rained down upon the village, each fragment a kaleidoscope of power and potential. The very air seemed to scream as reality itself was rent asunder.

The villagers cried out in terror, their voices a discordant chorus against the chaos. Parents clutched children to their chests, lovers clung to each other, and through it all, Galen stood transfixed, unable to move as one of the shimmering shards hurtled towards him.

The magical fragment struck his chest, embedding itself deep within his being. Galen's small body arched in agony as power beyond comprehension coursed through him, rewriting the very essence of his undeveloped Wellspring. His eyes flashed with an otherworldly golden light, mirroring the chaos in the shattered sky above.

As Galen struggled to comprehend the changes wracking his body and mind, a new terror emerged. A massive meteor, wreathed in temporal fire, materialized from the rift in the sky. It hurtled towards Heartwood, promising annihilation in its wake.

Driven by instinct and newfound power, Galen reached out with a desperate cry. Time itself seemed to bend around him, the air shimmering with distorted reality. The meteor's descent slowed, then stopped, then began to reverse.

But something was wrong. The reversal didn't stop. Galen watched in horror as everything around him – the meteor, the villagers, even the falling shards of magic – began to loop back on themselves. The moment stretched and folded, repeating over and over in an endless cycle.

In the sky above, through the twisted remnants of reality, Galen caught a final glimpse of that massive, shadowy hand. It withdrew into the rift, taking with it the thread it had plucked. As the hand vanished, the tear in the sky sealed shut, leaving behind a patchwork of distorted time and space.

Galen screamed, the sound echoing endlessly as the time loop solidified around Heartwood, trapping him and everyone he knew in a single, repeating moment – a prison of his own desperate making.

The memory began to fracture and dissolve as a tremendous backlash of energy erupted, shattering the memory like glass. Elden was thrown backward, his connection to Galen violently severed. The world spun into chaos, temporal energies surging and colliding all around them.

When the dust settled, Elden found himself lying in the ruins of Heartwood. The once-idyllic village was now nothing more than ash and rubble. Beside him, Galen stirred, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

"What... what happened?" the boy whispered, tears streaming down his face as he gazed at the destruction around them. "Where is everyone?"

Gertrude knelt beside him, her voice gentle as she tried to comfort the shattered child. "Galen, I'm so sorry."