In a crumbling city where hope was a distant dream, Ethan discovered an old relic in his late grandmother's attic. It was a peculiar device, engraved with symbols that flowed like liquid light. As he dusted it off, memories of her stories about time travel flickered in his mind—a tale he thought was just fantasy. Curious and desperate to escape his monotonous life, he pressed a series of buttons on the device. Suddenly, the room spun, and colors erupted all around him. Moments later, he found himself standing in a vibrant meadow, far from the ruins of his world. It was the past, 1973 to be exact. The air was fresh, and laughter echoed in the distance. Ethan felt joy surge through him, but the euphoria quickly turned into urgency. He had to find out why he was sent here. He wandered through the town and eventually stumbled upon familiar faces—his parents, much younger, filled with dreams. To his shock, they were discussing plans for a project they had abandoned, one that inadvertently led to the societal collapse he came from. Determined to change the future, Ethan intervened in their talk, revealing his identity and urging them to pursue their ambitious project of sustainable energy. They hesitated, overwhelmed by disbelief and fear, but his passion ignited something within them. They embraced hope and revived the project with vigor. Ethan spent weeks helping, experiencing a joy he had never known. He watched his parents fall in love all over again, their bond strengthened by a common goal. But all good things have their price. One day, as he checked the device for the way home, he found a cryptic message: “Interference detected. Anomaly imminent.” Panic set in; staying longer could unravel time itself. On his last night, as the stars twinkled above, he reflected on his family's hidden legacy of love and ambition. With a heavy heart, he decided to leave, hoping he had set a new path for the future. Returning to his time, he was shocked to find a world transformed. Cities flourished; technology thrived in harmony with nature. The news was buzzing with reports of his family’s energy project, the origin of the utopia before him. Yet, something felt off. As he tried to embrace this new life, shadows loomed. He learned his family's wealth came with a terrible cost: they had betrayed their closest allies, leaving devastation in their wake—an iron grip on power instilled by fear. In a twist of fate, Ethan realized he hadn’t just changed the future; he had unwittingly set the stage for a new kind of war—a battle for freedom from his own family's legacy. A chill ran down his spine as he faced the grim reality—it was not the past he sought to escape but the present he had transformed. His heart ached with betrayal, realizing love is often shadowed by the burdens of power.