"…I've done this before…?"
Danny's voice barely held together.
No one answered.
Not Abby.
Not Ren.
Not even the empty street that suddenly felt far too quiet.
Because the question itself—
Was dangerous.
Danny ran a hand through his hair, pacing slightly.
"…No. That doesn't make sense."
A pause.
"…It can't make sense."
But his body—
Didn't agree.
That vision.
That feeling.
That recognition—
It wasn't fake.
"…Say something," he muttered.
Abby finally spoke.
But her voice—
Was different.
"…I don't know everything."
Danny stopped.
Slowly turning toward her.
"…You always say that before saying something bad."
A faint pause.
"…Cycles do exist."
Silence.
Danny's stomach dropped.
"…You're serious."
Abby nodded once.
"But not like normal repetition."
A step closer.
"Not time loops."
A pause.
"More like… resets."
Danny frowned.
"…Resets of what?"
Abby hesitated.
For the first time—
Truly hesitated.
"…Everything."
That word—
Echoed.
"…Everything…?" Danny repeated.
Ren exhaled slowly from behind.
"…Yeah."
Danny turned to him.
"…You too?"
Ren scratched the back of his head slightly.
"I didn't want to say it yet."
A pause.
"But if she already showed you that…"
He sighed.
"…Then yeah. You're not crazy."
That wasn't comforting.
At all.
Danny clenched his fists.
"…So what—you're both telling me the world just… resets?"
Abby shook her head.
"Not the world."
A pause.
"The system."
"…That's not better."
"No," she admitted.
"It's worse."
Danny felt his chest tighten again.
"…And I've been through it before?"
Silence.
That silence—
Was the answer.
"…How many times…?" he asked quietly.
Abby looked away.
Ren didn't.
"…We don't know."
That hit harder than any number could.
Because that meant—
It could be a lot.
Danny laughed weakly.
"…That's insane."
But his voice—
Shook.
"…So what—every time something goes wrong, everything just resets and we do this again?"
Abby's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Not exactly."
A pause.
"It resets because something goes wrong."
Danny froze.
"…What kind of 'wrong'…?"
Neither of them answered immediately.
Because they both knew—
That answer…
Wasn't simple.
"…The end," Ren said finally.
Danny blinked.
"…The end of what?"
Ren looked at him directly.
"Everything."
Silence.
Danny's breathing slowed.
Not calmer—
Heavier.
"…And I'm in the middle of it."
Abby nodded.
"You always are."
That word again.
Always.
Danny looked down at his hands.
They weren't shaking anymore.
They felt…
Steady.
"…Then why don't I remember?"
Abby didn't answer.
Ren did.
"Because if you did…"
A pause.
"…you'd probably break."
That was honest.
Too honest.
Danny didn't argue.
Because deep down—
He felt it.
That weight.
That something inside him—
Was holding back more than just power.
"…So what's the goal?" Danny asked quietly.
Abby looked at him.
"To break the cycle."
Simple.
But not easy.
Danny exhaled slowly.
"…And how many times has that failed?"
Silence.
Again.
"…Right," Danny muttered.
A faint wind passed through.
But this time—
Danny noticed something else.
Something small.
But important.
"…The air feels different," he said.
Abby's expression sharpened immediately.
"…You feel that too?"
Ren glanced around slightly.
"…Yeah."
Danny frowned.
"…What is it?"
Abby's voice dropped.
"…Stability."
"…That's a bad thing?"
She nodded slowly.
"After something like that…"
A pause.
"…it shouldn't be this calm."
That realization—
Hit all of them at once.
"…So what does that mean?" Danny asked.
Ren's expression darkened slightly.
"…It means…"
A pause.
"Something bigger is about to happen."
Silence.
And then—
It did.
The sky—
Didn't crack.
Didn't tear.
It… dimmed.
Like something behind it—
Blocked the light.
Danny looked up slowly.
"…That's new…"
Abby's eyes widened.
For the first time in a while—
Genuine concern.
"…That's not a Rift…"
Ren's voice followed.
"…That's not a tear either…"
A pause.
"…Then what is it?" Danny asked.
Neither of them answered immediately.
Because the answer—
Was worse.
The sky darkened further.
And then—
Something moved behind it.
Massive.
Watching.
Not trying to enter.
Not forcing its way through.
Just…
Observing.
Danny felt his chest tighten.
"…Why do I feel like…"
A pause.
"…that thing knows me?"
Abby didn't look away.
"…Because it does."
Silence.
Then—
Very slowly—
A single line appeared across the sky.
Not a crack.
Not a tear.
A mark.
Clean.
Perfect.
And then—
A voice.
Not loud.
Not quiet.
But everywhere.
"—Subject—Confirmed—"
Danny froze.
"…No way…"
The presence shifted.
And for the first time—
It focused.
Directly on him.
"—Cycle—Continuing—"
Danny's heart dropped.
Because this time—
It wasn't just watching.
It was acknowledging him.
And that meant—
This wasn't just a game anymore.
It was a system—
And he had just been registered inside it.
To Be Continued.