Where it splits
Branch from any chapter. Another direction does not mean starting over.
The chapter you split from needs a fact that already happened. The branch changes what follows. It does not silently rewrite a past you already locked, unless you rewrite that chapter on purpose.
The old line stays
Old branches remain on the shelf. More than one ending can exist at once.
A fact true only on this line stays on this line, so the other line does not read it.
This is not a hidden stage
A branch is another timeline in the writing. It is not a hidden chapter unlocked by a score.
On your own story, you do not wait for approval. On someone else’s public story, the author has to accept the branch before it is part of that story.
BranchChapter
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