The waitress placed the coffee cups on the table.
"Two coffees."
The sound was identical.
The movement identical.
Even the way the cup lightly tapped the saucer.
Ethan watched the moment happen again.
Exactly the same.
Just like the very first loop.
He exhaled slowly.
"…Yep."
"It's official."
"We're back."
Liya looked around the café nervously.
Everything felt normal.
But now she knew it wasn't.
"…This is the reset?"
Ethan nodded.
"7:12 AM."
"The start of the day."
The chronal officer checked her device again.
Her screen had rebooted into a completely different interface.
A new counter appeared.
LOOP TRACKER
CURRENT LOOP: #1
She frowned.
"That's strange."
Ethan looked at her.
"What?"
"The system thinks this is the first loop."
"…It is."
"No."
She turned the device toward him.
"The system erased all previous loops."
The screen showed no history.
No paradox record.
No collapse warning.
As far as time was concerned…
This was the beginning.
Liya whispered,
"…Six hundred lives gone?"
Ethan gave a small smile.
"Not gone."
He tapped his head.
"I still remember."
The officer looked impressed despite herself.
"You shouldn't."
"Yeah."
"I hear that a lot."
Liya leaned forward.
"So if this is the first loop again…"
"…does that mean we can fix it earlier?"
Ethan thought for a moment.
"…Maybe."
"Before the tower collapse."
"Yes."
The officer crossed her arms.
"Or before the paradox starts at all."
Liya frowned.
"What started it again?"
Ethan answered quietly.
"…Me."
The word hung in the air.
"I created the reset trying to save you."
"And that triggered the fracture."
The officer nodded.
"Which means this time we prevent that moment."
Liya looked at Ethan.
"Can you?"
He stared into his coffee.
The reflection looked like someone older.
Someone tired.
"…Maybe."
"But?"
"But if something else triggers the paradox…"
"…the loop might happen anyway."
The officer's device suddenly beeped.
She looked down.
Her eyes narrowed.
"…Already?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"What now?"
She turned the screen toward them.
TEMPORAL DISTURBANCE DETECTED
LOCATION: RIVERSIDE DISTRICT
Liya sighed.
"…Of course."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"Same origin."
"But way earlier than last time."
The officer looked thoughtful.
"That means the timeline is already unstable."
Liya leaned back in her chair.
"So we go to the tower again?"
Ethan shook his head.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because last time we reacted to the disaster."
He stood up.
"This time we stop the cause."
The officer raised an eyebrow.
"And you know the cause?"
Ethan nodded slowly.
"…I think so."
Liya stood too.
"What is it?"
Ethan looked out the café window.
Toward the distant skyline.
"…The moment I decided to break time."
The officer tilted her head.
"And when does that happen?"
Ethan checked the time on his phone.
7:14 AM
He sighed.
"…About twelve hours from now."
Liya blinked.
"So we have half a day."
"To stop you."
"Exactly."
The officer grabbed her helmet.
"Well then."
"Let's save the timeline before you ruin it again."
Ethan laughed softly.
"Fair enough."
They walked toward the café door together.
Outside—
The morning city looked calm.
Peaceful.
Unaware of the catastrophe waiting later in the day.
But Ethan stopped walking suddenly.
Liya turned.
"What?"
He stared across the street.
At a parked motorcycle.
And the woman leaning against it.
The same rider from before.
Black jacket.
Calm expression.
But this time—
She was already watching them.
The officer froze.
"…That's impossible."
Ethan's stomach dropped.
"…She wasn't supposed to be here yet."
Liya whispered,
"Who is she?"
The rider removed her helmet slowly.
Then smiled.
A knowing smile.
"…Hello again."
Ethan's heart stopped.
Because he recognized her voice.
And she said something that made the air go cold.
"Loop #604 feels different, doesn't it?" ⏳