The sun had barely risen when Toki opened his eyes.
For a moment he did not remember where he was.
Then the wooden ceiling came into focus. The thin beams of light filtering through the cracks. The smell of dust and old straw. The distant echo of boots in the courtyard.
The barrack.
The palace grounds.
Again.
His breath stopped.
He shot upright on the narrow cot, hands flying to his throat. No wound. No blood. His fingers trembled as they slid down to his chest.
Beating.
Alive.
The sunrise painted the planks in gentle gold.
Too gentle.
Tears welled instantly.
"What do I do…?" he whispered hoarsely. "What do I do?"
His shoulders began to shake. The memories crashed down on him with merciless clarity.
Utsuki's scream.
Ozvold pinned beneath tusks.
Kandaki reaching for him.
The Star Collector's green eyes gleaming with quiet amusement.
"How many times do I have to watch them die?"
He pressed his palms against his eyes as if he could force the images back into darkness.
"I can't convince everyone to leave the capital," he muttered rapidly, thoughts spiraling. "Even if I could—he and his ally would follow.
His breathing grew ragged.
"They came for me. Only me. They never kill me at the end."
The realization curdled in his stomach.
"They want me alive."
The words felt like poison.
"They're punishing me for killing the Puppeteer?… …"
A hysterical laugh almost tore free from his throat, but he swallowed it down.
"What do I do? What do I do?"
He swung his legs off the cot and stood, swaying slightly.
"I can't go to the marketplace. Not yet. If I trigger it too early—no. And the palace… the palace becomes a slaughterhouse."
His mind raced.
"The manor. I have to return to the manor. I have to stop Utsuki from coming to the capital."
His heart clenched painfully.
"If she never enters the gates… if I intercept them outside…"
A flicker of fragile hope sparked.
"Leonard," he whispered. "Leonard is a renowned mage. If anyone can help me break this cycle—if anyone can understand this—it's him."
The thought steadied him.
Toki wiped his face roughly with his sleeve.
"Move."
He stepped outside the barrack. The courtyard was calm, morning drills just beginning. Knights laughed. Armor clinked. The world was still innocent.
For now.
He forced himself forward and entered the palace corridors at a near run.
Servants bowed in confusion as he passed. He did not acknowledge them.
Find Bernard.
Find him before the eclipse shadow deepens.
He turned a corner sharply and nearly collided with him.
Bernard stood tall as always, armor polished, expression composed. When he saw Toki, his face brightened.
"Toki! You're up early. I was just about to—"
Toki grabbed him by the shoulders.
Hard.
Bernard blinked in shock.
"Toki?"
"Listen to me," Toki said, voice shaking. "Listen carefully. I don't have time to explain."
Bernard frowned. "Explain what?"
"Send Harold and Roland away immediately. Send the ladies back to their estates. Do not let them come to the capital today. Under any circumstances."
Bernard stared at him.
"What happened to you?"
"There is no time!" Toki's fingers tightened. "After you do that, I want King Mathias locked inside the throne room."
Bernard's eyes widened. "What?"
"Seal him in. Make sure no one remains inside except him."
"Toki, that's absurd. I can't just imprison the king because you woke up distressed."
Toki's composure shattered.
He shouted, tears spilling freely down his face.
"Just do it!"
The corridor echoed with the raw sound.
Bernard froze.
"I can't save everyone," Toki continued, voice breaking. "I know that now. But maybe I can save some. Please… please trust me."
There was something in his eyes—terror beyond reason, grief far too old for a single morning.
Bernard swallowed.
"You're scaring me."
"I'm already scared," Toki whispered.
Silence stretched.
Finally, Bernard gave a slow, reluctant nod.
"I'll speak to Harold and Roland."
Toki released him—but before turning away, he grabbed him again.
"One more thing."
Bernard looked at him warily.
"After you've done what I said… run."
"Run?"
"Take Lady Elizabeth and leave the capital. Ignore the screams. Ignore the crying. Do not look back."
Bernard's face drained of color.
"What are you expecting to happen?"
Toki stepped backward.
"I'll tell you everything if we survive."
Then he ran.
He did not wait for an answer.
He burst out into the streets of the capital. The marketplace was already awakening—vendors shouting, fabrics fluttering, children weaving between stalls.
His stomach twisted.
He climbed onto a stone platform near the fountain and drew a sharp breath.
"Citizens!" he shouted.
The noise faltered slightly.
"Merchants! Anyone who can hear me!"
Heads turned. Murmurs spread.
"Suspicious movements of cultists have been reported near the capital!"
The word cultists struck like a thrown stone.
"By royal decree, you are ordered to return to your homes immediately! Lock your doors! Do not gather in the streets!"
Panic rippled instantly.
"What cultists?"
"Is this true?"
"Royal decree?!"
Stalls were abandoned. Goods scattered. Mothers grabbed children.
Fear was faster than fire.
Reginald pushed through the chaos and seized Toki by the shoulders.
"What are you doing, you idiot?!" he snapped. "There's been no decree! Look at this panic!"
Toki stared at him.
"Reginald," Toki said quietly, grabbing his forearm instead. "If you value your life, take Lady Rosalin and leave the capital. Now."
Reginald blinked.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Yes," Toki replied honestly. "Probably."
He pulled free and ran again.
Behind him, the city dissolved into confusion.
Let them hate me.
Let them call me mad.
As long as they're indoors when it begins.
He reached the outer gates breathless, sweat soaking his shirt despite the morning chill.
The guards shouted in confusion as he passed.
He didn't stop.
He ran down the road leading toward the countryside, lungs burning, heart hammering.
"I have to intercept them," he muttered between gasps. "Before they reach the gates. Before he appears."
The sky above was still clear.
His mind replayed the Star Collector's voice.
You had time to prepare.
"You think I don't learn?" Toki whispered hoarsely.
His pace faltered briefly as a wave of despair threatened to drag him down.
What if he's already watching?
What if every choice I make is exactly what he expects?
He forced his legs forward again.
"I don't care," he said through clenched teeth. "Even if I'm dancing on his strings, I'll cut at least one of them."
Dust rose beneath his boots as he ran along the road.
His chest constricted.
"I won't let that happen again," he whispered fiercely. "Not this time."
Ahead, in the distance—
A faint shape.
A carriage.
His breath caught.
"They're early."
Or I'm late.
He ran harder, vision blurring.
The carriage grew clearer. Wooden wheels. A familiar silhouette atop the driver's seat.
His heart pounded violently.
"Please," he breathed. "Just let me reach them first."
If he could convince Utsuki to turn back—
If he could get them to Leonard—
Toki reached them just before the bend in the road.
The carriage was already visible , wheels turning steadily over frost-hardened earth. Umma's massive talons struck the ground in heavy rhythm, breath steaming in the cold.
He didn't slow.
He threw himself forward.
"Stop!"
He collided with Umma's feathered neck and wrapped his arms around her with desperate force.
"Stop, stop, stop—!"
Umma screeched, startled, digging her talons into the dirt. The sudden halt jerked the entire caravan violently. The carriage rattled. Wood groaned.
"Toki?!" Utsuki's voice rang out in alarm.
Ozvold leapt down from the driver's seat, boots crunching into gravel.
"Shouldn't you be supervising the examination today?" he asked, confused but alert.
Toki didn't answer.
He lifted his head.
His eyes were wild.
"We have to go back," he rasped.
Silence fell.
"Back?" Ozvold repeated.
"NOW!" Toki screamed.
Tora leaned out from inside the carriage, squinting at the sky.
"Oh…" she murmured softly. "The eclipse has started."
The words hit him like a blade.
Toki's body folded.
He dropped to his knees.
The world tilted.
It came back.
The smell.
Rot. Something sour and wrong beneath it all.
His stomach clenched violently.
From the direction of the capital, faintly—
Screams.
Then smoke rising beyond the walls.
Kandaki stepped forward, hand tightening around his sword.
"Something's happening in the city. We have to go help."
"NO!" Toki roared, scrambling up. "We need to go to the manor. Now. Before it's too late."
Utsuki rushed toward him, grabbing his face in her hands.
"Toki, calm down," she said firmly. "Too late for what?"
"For everything!" he choked.
Ozvold's expression hardened.
"If the capital is under attack, we need to go to the capital."
"You'll die!" Toki shouted.
Silence.
The wind shifted.
Low.
Deep.
A growl.
Ozvold turned first, blade already sliding free.
From between the trees emerged a familiar figure.
Blond hair catching the dimming light.
One sleeve empty.
The Star Collector stepped forward slowly, boots barely making sound against fallen leaves.
"Well now," he said lightly. "I never expected a hero like you to abandon his city."
His smile sharpened.
"I must admit, I'm disappointed."
Shapes moved behind him.
Then more.
Then dozens.
The treeline seemed to breathe as grotesque forms emerged—thick-muscled beasts, tusks stained dark, bodies warped with unnatural mass. Their breath steamed in heavy bursts.
They began to encircle the road.
Toki's revolver was already in his hand.
He fired.
Bang.
The first creature's head snapped sideways and collapsed.
Bang.
Another dropped.
Ozvold stepped forward, sword flashing in clean arcs. Steel bit deep. Utsuki's hands ignited, spheres of flame forming between her palms.
"Stay behind me!" Kandaki shouted, positioning himself in front of Tora, blade shaking but raised.
The beasts lunged.
The first wave crashed into them.
Ozvold moved like a storm, cutting through muscle and fur. Blood sprayed across the dirt. Utsuki's fireballs detonated, flesh blackening under flame.
Toki shot methodically.
But he knew.
He felt it in his bones.
"They're coming," he muttered.
He moved close to Ozvold.
"Eight larger ones will appear," he said urgently. "We can't defeat them together. Only I know how."
Ozvold slashed through a lunging beast and glanced at him.
"What are you talking about?"
"Ozvold," Toki said, voice trembling but steady beneath it. "Take the children. Take Utsuki. Get in the carriage and go to the manor."
Ozvold's eyes widened.
"No."
"You have to!"
"You'll die!"
Toki's expression softened for a fraction of a second.
"I know you'd rather die beside me."
Ozvold froze.
Toki remembered.
Ozvold's last stand.
"I remember," Toki whispered. "But you're the only one I trust with my students… and the woman I love."
Ozvold's jaw clenched.
"Leave," Toki said. "And don't look back."
Another wave hit them.
Ozvold made a decision.
He surged toward Utsuki, lifted her over his shoulder despite her protests, then grabbed Kandaki and Tora.
"Put me down!" Utsuki screamed, pounding his back. "We can't leave him!"
Ozvold didn't answer.
He placed them inside the carriage and signaled Umma.
The great bird hesitated.
She looked at Toki.
He held her gaze.
There was apology there.
And command.
Umma understood.
The Star Collector sighed.
The Star Collector watched the carriage disappear down the road for a brief, almost theatrical second.
Then he looked back at Toki.
A slow clap broke the air.
"Well," he said lightly, tilting his head, "it seems you truly are a hero."
The beasts continued circling.
Toki's chest rose and fell violently.
The Star Collector smiled faintly.
"But I must admit…" he continued, voice smooth as silk, "I find it terribly cliché."
He stepped closer.
"That the hero must always sacrifice himself for the others."
Another snap of his fingers.
The ground trembled.
From the forest, two massive shapes exploded outward.
Twice the size of the others.
Eyes faintly glowing.
They moved like avalanches.
They hit Umma mid-stride.
There was a wet crack.
A scream that tore through the air.
Feathers burst outward in a storm of white and red.
The carriage flipped violently.
Ozvold was thrown clear.
The children tumbled into the dirt.
For one suspended heartbeat—
Silence.
Then chaos.
Toki tried to run.
A beast clamped down on his leg.
Pain exploded upward.
He fell hard, revolver flying from his hand.
He slammed his fist into the creature's skull.
The impact rebounded violently.
The force threw him backward.
Reflected.
The empowered beasts descended upon the wrecked carriage.
Ozvold staggered to his feet, sword flashing desperately. He cut deep—but the blade bounced from thick hide.
A tusk drove into his side.
He roared.
Kandaki tried to rise.
A massive paw struck him down.
Tora screamed.
Utsuki crawled toward Toki.
"TOKI—!"
Flames burst from her hands, but they scattered uselessly against the larger creatures.
They were surrounded.
Pinned.
The sounds began.
Metal bending.
Bones breaking.
Screams fracturing into sobs.
Toki dragged himself forward despite the creature still biting into his leg.
"Stop!" he screamed.
The beast tightened its jaws.
He grabbed Kandaki's fallen sword and hacked at his own trapped leg.
Once.
Twice.
The pain was blinding.
But he cut.
When he finally tore himself free and collapsed forward—
The sounds had stopped.
He lifted his head.
The road was painted red.
Bodies were broken in ways that should not exist.
The carriage reduced to splintered ruin.
Umma unmoving.
Ozvold facedown.
The children—
Toki gagged.
He vomited onto the dirt.
His hands shook uncontrollably.
He began crawling.
Toward them.
Toward what remained of them.
The Star Collector walked behind him at an easy pace.
"Did you truly believe changing the location would change the outcome?" he asked softly.
Toki didn't answer.
"Amor fati," the Star Collector continued. "Love your fate. There are currents in this river that no swimmer can escape."
Toki stopped moving.
Face pressed to the blood-soaked earth.
Still.
The Star Collector crouched beside him and gently brushed hair from his forehead.
"I respect that you try," he said almost kindly. "But fate and death are tributaries of the same river."
Silence.
"Nothing to say?"
He grabbed Toki by the hair and turned him onto his back.
Toki's eyes stared at nothing.
His jaw slack.
The Star Collector frowned faintly.
He pried his mouth open.
Paused.
Then laughed quietly.
"Well."
Toki had bitten through his own tongue.
Choked on it.
Chosen his own ending.
The Star Collector sighed.
"What a shame. I was curious what you would say ."
He rose slowly, brushing dirt from his coat.
"Perhaps," he murmured to the still form at his feet, "we'll have more time in the next loop."
Above them, the eclipse deepened.
Light dimmed to a sickly gray.
The wind died.
And once again—
Everything went still.