Evan woke on Return #113 with a strange unease crawling under his skin.
Not fear.
Not dread.
Something sharper.
Something watchful.
The memory of last night—standing on the hill, staring at the horizon—was clear. But what stuck with him was that feeling of being observed. The weight of unseen eyes. The tension of someone else sharing the air.
He scanned his small wooden room.
No one.
The morning looked the same as every loop:
Sunlight through the shutters.
Chickens outside.
Children laughing somewhere.
Lira probably stealing her daily quota of apples.
But the feeling didn't leave him.
"Something's different…"
The System didn't respond, but he knew it was true.
Today was the day before the battle.
A crucial day.
A day he had lived more than a hundred times…
…but never like this.
THE FIRST SIGNEvan headed to the training yard as usual. Recruits were already arriving, their chatter filling the air.
"Morning, Thorn."
"You look tired."
"No offense, but you always look like you've seen a ghost."
He gave a strained smile. "Yeah. Something like that."
Captain Roran stood in the center, arms crossed, radiating authority like a seasoned warhound. Normally, Roran barked orders at sunrise sharp.
But today… he paused.
He squinted at Evan.
"You alright, son?"
Evan blinked. "…you've never asked me that before."
"Never asked what?"
"Nothing," Evan muttered quickly. "Just—just tired."
But Roran was still staring.
Not suspiciously.
Curiously.
Like he'd noticed something was different about Evan.
And that wasn't supposed to happen.
In over a hundred loops, Roran had never looked at him like that.
Evan's pulse ticked upward.
The System could be strict about altering others… but he'd never tried to hide his training. Maybe his growing skill was becoming obvious?
He swallowed.
"Captain, I'm ready for drills."
Roran raised an eyebrow.
"We're doing swordwork today. You sure you're up for that? You look… intense."
"I'm up for it."
"Then step forward."
Evan did.
Roran tossed him a practice blade.
And without warning—
The captain attacked.
THE ONE WHO MOVED DIFFERENTLYThe wooden sword whistled through the air toward Evan's shoulder. A blow that would bruise for days.
Except Evan wasn't there.
His body moved before his mind processed it—
Survival Instinct (F) activating in a blink.
He shifted back, barely an inch—just enough that the swing cut empty air.
Roran's eyes widened.
He didn't pause.
He swung again.
Then again.
Then a feint—low to mid to high.
Evan moved with clarity he never had before the loops.
Step. Slip. Lean. Deflect. Retreat. Counter.
The recruits gathered around, whispering.
"Is that Evan?"
"Since when can he do that?"
"He looks… fast."
Evan's heart hammered—but not from fear.
This was the first time he had sparred with Roran after training across a hundred returns. He finally had enough skill to see Roran's attacks clearly.
Roran thrust. Evan parried. Roran spun. Evan dodged and struck the captain's hip—lightly.
Roran froze.
The yard went silent.
No trainee had ever landed a clean hit on Captain Roran.
Not once.
Not in the entire history of the village.
A heavy tension filled the air.
Roran stepped back slowly.
"Thorn…" he said quietly, "you've been training."
Evan nodded.
"Hard."
"Very hard."
Evan didn't deny it.
Roran studied him with an expression Evan had never seen on the man's face:
Respect.
He lowered his weapon.
"That wasn't luck," Roran said. "Not reflex. Training. Precision. And something else…" His eyes narrowed. "Something in the way you move."
Evan's muscles locked.
Was he discovered?
Did the System react?
A blue panel flickered in the corner of his vision.
[SYSTEM OBSERVATION]Your actions have attracted attention.
Loop Integrity: Stable.
Warning Level: Low.
Okay. Not dangerous… yet.
Roran suddenly laughed—a deep, hearty sound.
"I don't know what happened to you, boy, but whatever it is—I want to see more."
The recruits looked at Evan with something between awe and suspicion.
And that was the moment Evan felt it again:
That sensation.
Eyes.
Watching him.
Not from the crowd.
Not from Roran.
But from somewhere beyond them.
THE SHADOW IN THE FORESTAfter sparring ended, Evan slipped away from the training yard, heading toward the treeline where he had felt the presence last night.
Birds chirped overhead. Leaves rustled in the early breeze. Everything looked normal.
But his instincts screamed that it wasn't.
He stepped quietly into the forest.
Thirty steps in, the world changed.
The forest grew still.
Too still.
Like breath held.
Evan's hand slid toward his sword.
"Who's there?"
Silence.
He took another step.
A twig snapped behind him.
He spun with his blade drawn—
—and someone leaned casually against a tree trunk, as if they'd been there the whole time.
A tall figure.
Cloaked in gray.
Face partially shadowed by a hood.
But their eyes…
Gold.
Not human gold.
Not natural gold.
Glowing.
Like two tiny suns.
Evan's grip tightened.
"Who are you?"
The figure tilted their head.
"You move well," they said softly. "Far better than you did… at first."
Evan's chest tightened. "How do you know that?"
The figure smiled faintly.
"I've been watching you."
Evan stepped back.
"You're not part of the loop."
The figure chuckled.
"No, Evan Thorn. I am not."
Evan's breath caught.
"How do you know my name?"
The figure didn't answer. Instead, they pushed away from the tree and walked slowly toward him.
Not threateningly.
Not aggressively.
But with the confidence of someone who had already calculated every possible outcome.
Evan raised his sword.
"Don't come closer."
The hooded figure stopped.
Their golden eyes softened.
"I'm not your enemy, Evan. In fact… I may be the only one who understands what you are going through."
Evan's heartbeat thudded in his ears.
"You know about the System."
"Of course." The figure folded their hands behind their back. "I've seen many hosts before you."
Hosts.
Plural.
"You mean… other people… went through this?"
"Oh yes." The figure nodded. "The Ten-Thousand Returns System chooses those who have something vital to learn. Something that cannot be taught through ordinary life."
Evan swallowed.
"What do I have to learn?"
The figure smiled.
"That is for you to discover. Not for me to reveal."
"Then why are you here?"
"For two reasons," they said, raising two fingers. "To observe… and to warn."
Evan's stomach tightened.
"Warn me about what?"
The golden eyes glowed brighter.
"About the corrupted knight."
Evan froze.
"You know him?"
"I know what he is," the figure corrected. "He is not like the others on the battlefield. He is bound to something ancient. Something dangerous."
Evan's voice lowered.
"And I have to fight him."
"Yes."
"And win."
"Yes."
"What happens if I don't?"
The golden-eyed figure looked at him with an expression Evan wished he hadn't seen.
Pity.
"If you fail," they whispered, "you will die ten thousand times. And then… there will be nothing left of you."
Cold seeped into Evan's spine.
"Why tell me this?"
"Because you are different from the others I've watched."
The figure stepped back into the shadow.
"You haven't broken yet."
Evan clenched his fists.
"I won't break."
The figure's smile widened.
"We shall see."
They turned to leave, melting into the forest mist like smoke.
"Wait!" Evan shouted. "At least tell me your name!"
The figure paused.
Then, without turning back, they answered.
"My name is Sereth."
The forest swallowed them.
THE SYSTEM REACTSA panel exploded in front of Evan so suddenly he flinched.
[SYSTEM ALERT]External Observer Detected
Designation: SERETH
Threat Level: UNKNOWN
Purpose: UNKNOWN
Restrictions: Cannot interfere with Host's actions… for now.
Evan exhaled shakily.
"For now? That does not make me feel better."
Another panel appeared.
[NEW OBJECTIVE UNLOCKED]Learn the truth about Sereth.
He stared at the glowing words.
The System had never given him a direct objective before.
This was new.
And dangerous.
Evan tightened his grip on his sword.
"So enemies can watch me," he muttered. "And now… outsiders can too."
He looked toward the place where Sereth vanished.
"Fine. Watch all you want."
He turned toward the village.
"I'm still surviving this battle."
THE BATTLE APPROACHESThe village bells rang noon.
Evan returned to town with the new knowledge boiling inside his thoughts. The corrupted knight was more than just an enemy commander.
He was connected to something ancient.
Something powerful.
Something that made even Sereth cautious.
Evan took a deep breath.
Tomorrow would be the battle.
Tomorrow he would face death—again.
But this time, he wouldn't be a clueless trainee.
He had instincts.
Skills.
Experience.
And now…
A warning.
He headed to the training yard once more, determined to get every bit of practice he could before nightfall.
He didn't see the golden eyes watching him from the treeline.
Or the faint shadow curling beside them.
As if something else—something vast—had awakened.