Chapter 31: I Don't Understand Anything Anymore

  “What the hell was that just now?” Yana asked shortly after Gaelith left. “Why didn’t he kill us?”

  I was in disbelief too, though I probably had a better idea of why he spared us – for now. I’d killed his friend. Well, more accurately, I’d released him from being Undead. And Gaelith was…thankful for it? That didn’t make any sense. If he was the dungeon’s boss, couldn’t he have released his friend on his own? Wasn’t he the necromancer who brought him back as an Undead to begin with?

  “What did he mean, Aidan?” Yana asked suddenly. “Why did he thank you?”

  I couldn’t tell her the truth.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know, Yan. I’m as weirded out by it as you are.”

  “Oh, cut the bullshit!” she snapped. “You’ve been acting differently since this morning. So much so that I don’t even recognize you. And don't even get me started on the Undead Wolves you'd slain way too casually for someone your level. You’re clearly keeping something from me.”

  “I’m not hiding anything from you.” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. “Why would you think that?”

  I felt disappointed in myself for lying to her, especially after the kiss we’d shared. But I knew it was the only way to keep her safe.

  She shook her head slowly. “The kiss just now…was it genuine, or were you just trying to shut me up and get me to agree with you?”

  No, no, no. Why would she think that? I was ruining this. One step forward and a hundred steps back.

  “Of course it was genuine.” I replied, maybe with too much intensity. “I’ve loved you for so long, I’m ashamed it took me so long to say it. Ever since we were kids, ever since I understood what love is – scratch that, even before that.”

  Her expression softened and she looked both hurt and vulnerable, unlike anything I’ve seen before. “Aidan, we’re in this together. We always were. And if this kiss meant to you as much as it did to me, then tell me the truth, and we’ll work it out together. But if you’re going to keep secrets, then this kiss was just that – a kiss.”

  I hesitated, feeling torn. Should I tell her the truth? I’d finally taken the step forward; we’d kissed. But now she might just turn away and leave. And I knew that once I died, everything would reset. This conversation wouldn’t happen. I’d forget all about it – all about our kiss. And that was exactly the problem. I didn’t want it to end! I didn’t want to forget how it felt!

  But I also couldn’t bear to see her die again…

  “Yana…” I whispered, unable to meet her eyes. “Nothing is happening. Everything is just so scary, I – “

  “Oh, screw this shit.” She snapped, turning around and rushing toward the corridor to our right.

  “Yana, wait!” I called after her, breaking into a run to follow.

  ***

  Yana didn’t want to speak to me, but I wasn’t about to leave her alone like this. And at the same time, despite her anger, it seemed she wasn’t willing to leave me behind either. Or maybe I just wanted to believe that was the case.

  We eventually reached a dead end – a collapsed chamber. Unable to clear the debris, we turned back and retraced our steps. We passed that one chamber that Lady Mikaela had warned Yana about and, after a long, silent walk that felt like an eternity, we returned to where it all started: the main antechamber on the ground level.

  It was a nightmarish sight, to say the least.

  Bodies were strewn everywhere – dozens upon dozens of adventurers. Some were in pieces, others completely unrecognizable, all dead. Pools of blood covered the floor, accompanied by a strong metallic stench that was nauseating.

  But among all the bodies, two stood out the most: Lady Mikaela and Stephan Lorren. Looks like Gaelith was truthful when he said he killed everyone. They lay next to the massive stone doors that were still closed. In the end, they hadn’t been able to open them despite obtaining the Keystone.

  “I can’t believe this…” Yana whispered as she rushed to her guild master’s body.

  I followed her, watching as she knelt beside Lady Mikaela, a tear streaming down her face. They were clearly close, and I decided not to interfere with her grief. Instead, I turned my attention to Lorren’s body, searching for the Keystone.

  I wasn’t planning to leave the tomb – I had a mission – but maybe I could send Yana away, lock myself inside, and continue exploring on my own.

  I know it was stupid. It wouldn’t actually save her. She was trapped in this loop just as I was. She just didn’t know it. But still, the thought of saving her, even in some small and non-lasting way, eased my mind. It kept me going.

  I found the Keystone – a shining key – and brought it closer to the doors. Yet, nothing happened.

  “Am I even doing this right?” I muttered, not sure if I was asking Yana or myself. Either way, she continued ignoring me.

  “There was never any Keystone to begin with. A lie it was.”

  Gaelith’s voice sounded behind us. We both turned quickly, raising our weapons. He was still cloaked in that dark robe, but this time, his sword was missing – and so were his Blood Wraith bodyguards.

  He continued, his tone suddenly turning oddly emotional. “No one can leave this place. Ever. And no one should have come. Why did you come? Why couldn’t you leave this cursed place be, sealed and forgotten?”

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  His words made little sense to me. He sounded hurt, almost regretful about killing us all. It didn’t align with the ruthlessness we’d seen from him until now – his bone-chilling introduction, the monsters he’d sent to kill us, the countless people he had already slaughtered. Both today and years before that.

  “Oh, no!” Yana snapped at him. “Don’t turn this on us! You’re the monster here!”

  “I’m the monster?” Gaelith almost sounded offended. “You dare say this while you bear the mark of Darkness?”

  “What?” Yana asked, bewildered. But I knew what he meant.

  “It doesn’t matter." Gaelith muttered, almost to himself. "It needs to be done. By my hand and not his.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Yana shouted at him, her voice trembling with fear, anger, and grief.

  Gaelith ignored her and seemed to turn to me, his glowing sword materializing in his hand from thin air.

  I was ready to fight back. To preserve this loop – a loop where I made immense progress. But his next words surprised me so much, I was left completely out of it.

  “Are you the one who will end this?”

  Before I could even wonder what he meant, he drove his sword into the ground. A blinding light engulfed us.

  This beautiful loop was over. I couldn’t salvage it.

  [Health: 0% - You Have Died]

  ***

  I woke up lying on a familiar grassy field.

  Turning my head to the right, I saw Chronos seated at the table, sipping tea. He wasn’t alone this time. To his right stood an aged butler, dressed in a uniform that seemed way too luxurious. His grey hair was tied neatly in a tail behind his head, and he stood at the ready, his eyes closed.

  To Chronos’ left, a teenage girl sat cross-legged on the grass. Her hair was bright pink, styled in two pigtails, and her clothes were so vibrantly colorful that they hurt my eyes at first glance. In her hand, she held a small wooden paddle with an even smaller ball tethered to it by a thin string. She moved the paddle back and forth, likely trying to make the ball bounce consistently, but failing miserably.

  After so many loops, Chronos had finally invited me over.

  “Tea, Mr. Dar?” The butler addressed me, his voice awfully similar to Balthor’s.

  “Balthor?” I asked, confused.

  “You got that right!” the girl chimed in, her voice unmistakably Pix’s. “Yes, it’s me, Pix!”

  I stood up, still baffled. I’d always thought they were just disembodied voices assisting Chronos with whatever it was he did.

  “Never thought you had a corporeal form…” I muttered.

  “They were always here. You just couldn’t see them.” Chronos said as he finished his tea and placed the cup on a silver platter that suddenly materialized in Balthor’s hands. “Your Temporal Trace just wasn’t leveled high enough before.”

  “So – “

  “Yeah.” Chronos cut me off. “Everything is connected.” He studied me for a moment before rolling his eyes, grinning. “Would you sit already? You’re making me nervous standing there like that.”

  If he invited me again after so long, it either meant I was progressing well – or the exact opposite. I forced a weak smile, eager to find out which one it was. “Sure.”

  “Don’t worry. You’re doing good.” Chronos said, and I immediately sighed with relief. “You even met the star of the show.” He added, likely referring to Gaelith.

  “Good job, Mr. Dar.” Balthor said, nodding approvingly.

  “Yup! Great job, Aidan!” Pix chimed in cheerfully.

  “You understand now what I meant when I said it was possible to defeat Erebus forty runs earlier?” Chronos asked.

  I nodded, recalling what I’d discovered this run. “The Darknessbound Core…”

  “Exactly.” Chronos replied, his grin widening. “There are a few more items that you'll need for that, but it is possible to lock Erebus inside the Core again. Once you get all the necessary items, the two shards would connect and the prison would be usable again."

  “You mean three shards, right?”

  His grin faltered. “What?”

  I rummaged through my inventory and presented the two Darknessbound Core shards. Holding them close together, I showed him the tiny piece missing to make the stone whole.

  “Ooh, that son of a bitch…” Chronos rubbed his eyes in frustration.

  “What?” I asked, both confused and curious.

  “It’s Dolos! Of course, it’s him.” Chronos snapped.

  “We can’t know for sure, young Master.” Balthor interjected calmly. “He’s bound by the same restrictions as you. He can’t intervene in such a way.”

  “Then who else could’ve taken it, Balthor?” Chronos retorted, his impatience growing. “How many times have we done this before? It’s always the same. Always the same until this fucking time!”

  “Can you finally explain what’s going on?” I raised my voice, tired of being kept in the dark. Chronos turned his attention fully to me, seemingly appreciating my assertiveness.

  “Listen,” he began. “Whenever Erebus starts his shenanigans, it always begins with him escaping this prison.” He pointed to the shards in my hand. “The Darknessbound Core always splits into two pieces. Each piece is guarded by a different monster – Erebus’ creations, of course. This time, for some unforeseen reason, it didn’t. Both shards were kept in the same room. And since the System sensed both pieces in close proximity before the time loop was initiated, it determined fewer runs were necessary to complete the mission.”

  “But it was wrong…” I muttered, starting to grasp the gravity of the situation. “So, we were set up from almost the beginning?”

  “No. The System cannot make mistakes.” Pix chimed in. “Whoever took that piece – “

  “Dolos.” Chronos interrupted sharply, correcting her.

  Pix nodded and continued. “-likely done it fairly recently, just chipping away another piece from one of the shards. Key Items are not affected by the time loop.”

  “He broke the rules.” Chronos growled. “He’ll pay. We’ll nullify our entire deal with him.”

  “I agree with Balthor, boss. I don’t think it was him.” Pix said hesitantly, looking embarrassed.

  Chronos was fuming, but before he could explode, he took a deep breath and exhaled heavily, visibly calming himself. “Yeah, you're probably right. It’s unlikely. The restrictions wouldn’t have allowed it.”

  “Then who took the extra piece?” I asked, as now we had no other suspects, and I was the one who was going to pay for this.

  Chronos rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I’ll need to check the timeline, but even when I find out, I won’t be able to tell you. That would be intervening.”

  “Oh, c’mon!” I snapped, jumping from my chair. “Someone cheats and screws me over, and you’re telling me that helping me fix it is against the rules?”

  “Until we understand exactly what happened, young Master would be putting himself at risk if he interfered.” Balthor explained patiently.

  I groaned, frustration boiling over. Why was everything so difficult all the time?

  I sank back into my seat slowly.

  “You can still do this. You’re a lot stronger now.” Chronos said, sounding encouraging. “And the third shard is in the tomb. That much I can tell you. You just need to find it and the other necessary items."

  "What other items?" I asked, my patience running low.

  "That I can't tell you." Chronos replied, and I was about to explode.

  “What about Gaelith?” I asked impatiently. “He just one-shotted us. I doubt he’ll just let me imprison him even if I get everything.”

  “Well, he - ” Chronos began, but was immediately cut off.

  "BOSS!"

  "Young Master!"

  Chronos raised an eyebrow. “Oh, will you both chill? I was planning on making him forget this part.” He turned back to me. “Anyway, they're right. You’ll have to figure that out too.”

  Anger welled up inside me at the constant secrets. The loss of progress. Not just with the mission, but with my personal progress. The kiss with Yana that I’d forget once I woke up again.

  I finally exploded.

  “Forget this, forget that! It’s easy for you to say when you’re not the one who’s down there struggling to remember what he did last time! Explain to me once and for all why I need to forget everything every fucking loop!”

  The three of them exchanged glances, silent. Then Chronos smiled faintly. “Very well.”

  He clapped his hands, and the surroundings shifted around us, transforming into what looked like an academy auditorium with a large stage and a lectern in its front. Chronos now wore a peculiar white robe, holding a wooden ruler, which he smacked against a blackboard to grab my attention.

  “Good morning, students, and welcome to my class.” He announced with exaggerated enthusiasm. "’Erebus for dummies’."