The nature of time is indeed a subject of great philosophical and scientific inquiry. The current understanding of time is based on the concept that it flows in a linear fashion, from the past through the present and into the future. This perception of time is commonly referred to as the "arrow of time." It is closely tied to the laws of thermodynamics, which describe the directionality of physical processes.
However, some theories and interpretations in physics challenge the notion of time as a fundamental and independent entity. One such view is that time might be an emergent concept or an illusion arising from more fundamental principles. Certain theories, such as loop quantum gravity and various interpretations of quantum mechanics, propose alternative frameworks where time could have a different nature than our everyday experience suggests.
As for time travel, while it is a captivating concept in science fiction, the possibility of practical time travel remains speculative and hypothetical. there is no scientific consensus on the feasibility of time travel. Several fundamental challenges and paradoxes, such as the grandfather paradox and the preservation of causality, present significant obstacles.
The exploration of time, its nature, and the potential for time travel continues to be an active area of scientific research and speculation. However, it is important to distinguish between the current scientific understanding of time and the imaginative possibilities presented in works of fiction.