Again.
The world reset with a silence so complete it felt unnatural.
No wind.
No movement.
No sound.
Then—
Rain began to fall.
Kai stood under the flickering streetlight, unmoving, unblinking, as if his body had forgotten how to react.
Water hit his skin.
Cold.
Sharp.
Real.
"…again," he whispered.
"Oi! You're doing that thing again."
The voice came from beside him.
Bright.
Familiar.
Unchanged.
Kai didn't turn immediately.
Didn't need to.
He already knew what he would see.
Lina Voss.
Alive.
Smiling.
Unaware.
Slowly, mechanically, Kai turned his head.
His eyes met hers.
And for a brief moment—
Something flickered in his chest.
Hope.
It vanished just as quickly.
"…what thing?" he asked quietly.
She frowned, tilting her head slightly.
"That weird, distant look. Like you're not really here."
Kai stared at her.
Studied her face.
Every detail.
Every small movement.
He had seen it all before.
Dozens of times.
And every single time—
It ended the same way.
"…Kai?"
He blinked.
Just once.
"…nothing," he said.
The word felt empty.
Because it was.
He turned away.
Not because he didn't want to look at her—
But because he couldn't.
Not again.
Not like this.
The air shifted.
Kai felt it instantly.
That pressure.
That wrongness.
His body tensed.
"…it's starting," he muttered.
"What is?" Lina asked.
He didn't answer.
Instead, he started walking.
Away.
"Hey—wait!" she called, quickly catching up. "You're seriously acting weird today. Did something happen?"
Yes.
Everything happened.
Over and over again.
But he couldn't say that.
Wouldn't say that.
"…just stay close to me," he said.
"…why?"
"Just do it."
She hesitated.
Then sighed.
"Fine. But you're explaining later."
Kai didn't respond.
Because there wouldn't be a "later."
There never was.
CRACK.
The sound split the air.
Lina froze.
"…Kai…"
"I know," he said quietly.
This time—
He didn't run.
Didn't grab her.
Didn't panic.
He just walked faster.
Measured.
Controlled.
He turned down a different street.
One he hadn't tried before.
New path.
New outcome.
That was the idea.
The ground trembled behind them.
The building collapsed.
The screams followed.
But Kai didn't look back.
"…we're far enough," he muttered.
Lina grabbed his arm.
"Okay, seriously—what is going on?!"
He looked at her.
For a long moment.
Then—
"…you die," he said.
Silence.
"…what?"
"You die," he repeated. "No matter what I do. No matter where we go. No matter how I try to change it."
Her expression shifted.
Confusion.
Then concern.
"…Kai… that's not funny."
"I'm not joking."
"…you don't even sound like you are…"
Good.
Because he wasn't.
BOOM.
The explosion came from behind them.
But something was different.
Kai felt it instantly.
"…not the same…" he whispered.
The ground shook harder than before.
The air twisted violently.
Stronger.
Closer.
"Stay behind me," he said.
"What?!"
"Just—trust me!"
The distortion appeared.
Not behind them this time.
In front.
Blocking their path.
Kai's eyes widened.
"…it moved?"
The dark, twisting mass pulsed unnaturally.
Like it was watching them.
Like it knew.
"…that's not possible…"
Lina stepped back.
"What is that?!"
Kai didn't answer.
Because for the first time—
He didn't know what would happen next.
The distortion expanded suddenly.
A shockwave burst outward.
Kai reacted instantly.
He grabbed Lina and pulled her down.
The force slammed into them.
The ground cracked.
Buildings shook.
Glass shattered in every direction.
Kai shielded her—
Again.
But something felt wrong.
Too quiet.
Too still.
Slowly—
He looked up.
The distortion hovered above them now.
Closer.
Watching.
"…why… is it different this time…?"
Then—
It moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
A tendril of dark energy shot forward—
Straight toward Lina.
Kai's body reacted before his mind could catch up.
He pulled her—
But not fast enough.
The tendril pierced through her shoulder.
Her body froze.
"…Kai…"
His eyes widened.
"…no…"
But this time—
Something else happened.
She didn't die instantly.
She was still standing.
Still conscious.
Still looking at him.
"…it hurts…"
Kai's heart stopped.
This hadn't happened before.
This was new.
"Hold on!" he shouted, grabbing her. "I'll get you out of this—I'll—"
The tendril pulsed.
And suddenly—
Kai felt something.
Not from himself.
From her.
Fear.
Pain.
Memories.
Flooding into him.
"…what… is this…?"
Lina's grip tightened weakly.
"…Kai… something's wrong…"
"I know—I know—just stay with me!"
But the distortion pulsed again.
Stronger.
And this time—
Kai saw it clearly.
The tendril wasn't just hurting her.
It was taking something.
Pulling it out.
"…no…"
Her body trembled.
Her eyes flickered.
"…Kai… I… I can't…"
"Don't say that!" he shouted desperately.
But deep down—
He already knew.
This wasn't just another death.
This was something worse.
The tendril began to retract—
And with it—
Something faint.
Something glowing.
Something that looked like—
"…Lina…?"
Kai's breath caught.
The world around him started to distort.
Not reset.
Distort.
And for the first time—
He felt something he hadn't felt in all the loops before.
Fear.
Real fear.
Because this time—
The world wasn't following the same rules.
And that meant—
He might not get another chance.