POV: Time Variance Authority

After Elias and Gavin finished writing, they consolidated the questions they'd listed. Then they removed some trivial issues that could be logically explained, leaving behind the following:

[Irregularities in the Dream World]:

The dream world is permanently frozen on August 28, 2624, and promptly at 00:42 each night, it's destroyed—repeating that same day endlessly in an infinite loop.Why can't the dream's computer networks find any news, lottery information, or data from hundreds of years ago?The dream's level of technological development is no different from 2022. People's lifestyles and living conditions similarly mirror 2022, so what have scientists been doing during those six centuries?No matter how much destruction Elias wreaks in the dream—he could bomb an entire city to rubble—the next day, once he re-enters the dream, everything is pristine and brand new, as if nothing happened.Why do humans in that world show zero awareness of the catastrophic 00:42 disaster that obliterates everything with no warning?

They eyed the items on the paper. The more they read, the more absurd it all felt.

"Your dream has way too many bugs!" Gavin declared.

He pointed at the first item:

"The first alone is huge! In reality, time can't just remain static and loop over the same day forever. By that logic alone, it's basically proof your dream world can't be real."

He shifted to the second point:

"This is even more ridiculous! Data on the internet can't be wiped clean that easily. If anything ever appeared on the net, some trace remains. Otherwise how would folks dig up old celeb scandals?"

His finger moved to the third:

"I take back what I said—this is the most outlandish part. A full 600 years pass, yet humanity shows zero technological advancement? That's impossible. Even 60 years into the future, life would be drastically different."

Then the fourth:

"In your dream's setup, you're blatantly violating the law of conservation of mass and energy. The only place I can imagine a city instantly resetting after total destruction is Hogwarts or something," Gavin scoffed.

Finally, he tapped the last point:

"Today's astronomy is well-developed—tracking asteroids, solar changes, cosmic radiation. We have space telescopes and gravitational wave detectors. How could they all fail to detect an earth-shattering calamity? Did every astronomer die off?"

Gavin spread his hands, giving Elias a look:

"I see no reason to argue further. Your dream world defies logic in so many ways—there's no way it's a real place, let alone the future."

Listening to Gavin's conclusion, Elias didn't respond immediately.

He, too, believed each of these paradoxes meant that world couldn't be real. But at the same time, countless details pointed to the dream realm being more than a mere fabrication. It contained knowledge beyond his own, ideas he'd never studied, objects he'd never encountered—yet they clearly existed there…

"This absolutely can't just be some made-up fantasy dream," Elias thought.

"Elias, you always overanalyze," Gavin said, gathering the crumpled papers. "You want every mystery solved, but sometimes… ignorance is bliss, you know?"

Humming a little tune, he began tidying up the coffee table, depositing empty bottles and wrappers into a trash bag:

"Look at this ability to guess World Cup outcomes. Isn't that enough good fortune? Why get tangled up in the 'how' or 'why'? Just let it lie."

But Elias shook his head. Some part of him refused to let it go.

"Anyway, we struck gold with the Cup results, no?" Gavin added brightly. "If we wait four years for the 2026 Cup, can't you dream up the champion for us again and we all get rich once more?"

Elias waved him off. "Check back with me in four years… no clue if the dream's data will stay consistent. Koko Cat turned into Rhine Cat eventually, so maybe some night the sports results shift as well."

"Good point," Gavin acknowledged.

He hauled the last pieces of trash away, then paused at the door to wave:

"All right, I'm off."

"Take care," Elias said.

***

The Next Day

Gavin turned up at Elias's place carrying a hefty bag.

Thud!

He let the black sack fall with a solid thump onto the coffee table. It was heavy.

Elias peered inside to find 16 neat bundles of hundred-dollar bills, totaling 160,000.

"Why are you giving me all this?" Elias asked. He'd only gambled 3,000 on that last match, which netted him 110,000 in winnings.

 "Splitting it 50/50, obviously," Gavin said, chewing gum. He adjusted a thick gold chain around his neck, slid up a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses on his forehead, and planted newly bought AJ sneakers on the coffee table.

"All those tickets we won… let's keep it simple. We take half each, no need to be so precise."

Elias refused. He pulled out five bundles from the black bag, handing them back:

"Even actual brothers settle accounts fairly. I don't need that extra cut. My salary's higher now anyway."

"Oh, big shot, huh?" Gavin scoffed, rolling up his expensive sweatshirt's sleeves to flash a brand-new watch, rummaging for his phone to show off the latest Apple model, a Montblanc belt shining around his waist.

"Stop, enough!" Elias exclaimed, raising both hands.

"You look like a brand ambassador going haywire. I can't handle your display of sudden wealth. Tone it down!"

"Ah, you don't understand," Gavin teased, tapping the chain as if it were a royal scepter. "When money's in play, image matters! First impressions, you know?"

"I see a walking Christmas tree," Elias retorted drily.

With a shrug, Gavin let the matter slide. He tossed aside the phone and perched on the couch's armrest, newly serious:

"Anyway, joking aside, I'm here on real business."

"Business?" Elias echoed, brow raised. "You mean about my dream?"

"Yes!" Gavin snapped his fingers triumphantly, pointing a finger like a lawyer delivering a eureka moment.

"Trust me on this—this time I've got a solid approach to expose the dream's true nature! I guarantee it's watertight."

Elias's expression flattened. Over the past few months, he'd come to doubt Gavin's "grand plans" for unraveling the dream's secrets. "Let's not do this again," he muttered. "I've got my own plan. Don't worry about it."

"Stop, come on—just trust me one more time. One last time, I promise!"

Gavin refused to leave, hooking Elias by the arm and raising an index finger solemnly.

"I swear, this method can definitively prove your dream is just dream!"