POV: Time Variance Authority

A gentle knock.

The wooden door was so light and poorly set that even a light tap made it slip open, scraping the floor with a wincing squeak.

Startled by the noise, Professor Ethan West lifted his gaze from the microscope, frowning at the sudden intrusion.

Elias dipped his head in apology.

"Sorry," he said with an uneasy grin.

Professor West's gaze was guarded, to say the least.

"Young man, I believe I made myself clear in the hospital. Did you not understand me?"

Elias shook his head and stepped fully into the lab.

"Professor West, you misunderstand. I'm not here about that chemical formula, and I'm certainly not representing MH Cosmetics. Our CEO has dropped that plan; she doesn't want to disturb you further."

At this, West's demeanor softened slightly. He adjusted his glasses and returned his eye to the microscope.

"Well then, I suppose I ought to thank Ms. Harrington for her understanding. If all these beauty companies were so considerate, my work might go more smoothly."

Elias approached, placing a stapled stack of papers on the lab table.

"Professor, I came here to give you some notes regarding cryonic fill-liquid. Whenever you have time, maybe take a look—there might be something that inspires or aids your research."

West froze, eyes widening behind thick lenses.

"You…"

He started, then trailed off, continuing in a mildly bewildered tone:

"As I recall, you said you graduated from the School of Art & Design?"

"Yes."

"Any family members working in cryonics, then?"

"No."

"Then where'd you get these so-called notes?"

Elias paused, weighing his words.

"That's not something I can explain."

West let out a weary sigh, half-laughing.

"I appreciate the gesture, truly. But do you realize how specialized scientific research is—especially on cryonics? You can't just read a couple random theories on the internet or from some amateur 'scientist' and expect a breakthrough. If these wild ideas were worth anything, they would have appeared in established journals long ago."

"Professor, I promise you it's worth looking at." Elias insisted. "This includes a solution for the ice crystal problem—a huge obstacle for cryonics, right?"

"You know about the ice crystal dilemma?" West said, raising a brow. "Well, sure, that's a routine issue. Everybody who bothers to do a quick web search can spout the same keywords."

He still wasn't interested. Elias felt a flash of exasperation, recognizing that his own shallow grasp of the topic was hardly persuasive. But how else could he convey the significance of what he'd gleaned?

He tried again, repeating how crucial the data might be, but West merely waved a hand, gesturing to a nearby table.

"Fine. Leave it there. I'll have a look once I'm done with today's work. I'm swamped right now."

At least he'd agreed to look, which was something. Elias nodded, stepping back.

"Thank you. It was difficult to get these notes together. Please, take it seriously."

Still focused on the microscope, West gave a vague, dismissive nod, implying that Elias should leave him to his solitude.

***

Outside, the late morning sun felt comfortably warm rather than scorching. Stretching, Elias inhaled a lungful of the campus's familiar fresh air, exhaling in relief.

Hopefully, he thought, West will check the notes soon. I need to see results.

He hopped on the campus bike again, riding to the main road. Then he caught a taxi back to MH Cosmetics—he still had design updates to implement on Rhine Cat.

Indeed, with Ms. Harrington dropping the entire "Professor West moisturizer" concept, they had to start from scratch for the brand's flagship product. Meanwhile, Elias needed to adjust all the dialogues and catchphrases for Rhine Cat accordingly.

"Without that star product, can this new brand even succeed?" he wondered, feeling a pang of doubt.

***

That very night…

In a silent university laboratory, lights burned late. Professor West stood hunched over a microscope, sweat clinging to his brow, tension etched into every inch of his posture.

He'd poured everything into tonight's experiment—maybe his last, desperate attempt to overcome the ice crystal problem. He tugged off his lab coat, tossing it onto a chair, and loosened his cramped shoulders. Then, with a shaky breath, he leaned in and peered through the microscope lens again.

Nearby, a computer readout showed the temperature dropping:

13°C

3°C

0°C

-1°C

-3°C…

As each degree fell, tiny ice nuclei formed at the edges of the slide, sprouting razor-sharp crystals. Inside the microscope's field, West could see the lethal intrusion creeping ever closer to the living cell sample.

"Don't freeze… don't freeze…" he muttered under his breath.

The screen displayed the temperature plummeting further: -16°C. And then—disaster.

All at once, miniature ice crystals materialized within the cell's interior. In the blink of an eye, lethal snowflake-like spikes shot outward, piercing the fragile membrane. The cell shriveled instantly, leaking its fluid, which then froze solid.

One second, a wiggling, lively cell… the next, an icy cell sealed in a snowflake prison.

Thud!

West sank into a chair, feeling deflated—like all the hope had been drawn from his body. He stared hollowly at the ceiling, his voice rasping:

"Another failure…"

Removing his glasses and rubbing tired eyes, he reached for something to wipe the sweat away. A quick glance to the side reminded him of the stapled pages left on the table earlier.

Dozens of scribbled chemical notations and lines of text, ironically headlined by two bold characters—Ice Crystals—stared back at him, pricking his awareness like a needle.

Pausing, West frowned. He slowly extended a hand toward the sheaf of notes—the manuscript Elias had delivered.