Chapter 10: Shattered Reflections

Adrian awoke with a sharp, painful breath, his body jolting upright as if from a nightmare. But as his senses returned, he realized this was no dream. He was in the same camp, in the same tent. The walls seemed familiar, but everything felt... off. The air was colder than it should have been, and the shadows in the corners of the room seemed darker, more oppressive.

His pulse raced. He could feel his heartbeat in his throat, the dull throb of fear and confusion. Was I dreaming? His hand trembled as he pressed it to his forehead, the phantom weight of the darkness still lingering in the back of his mind.

There was no way to know. No way to trust anything, not anymore.

Adrian stood, his legs unsteady beneath him as he stumbled toward the entrance. His vision swam, disorienting him as he stepped outside. The camp was eerily quiet, more so than it had ever been. The sounds of soldiers preparing, of metal clashing against metal, of fire crackling in the distance—everything was absent.

Instead, there was an unnatural stillness. The wind had stopped. The sky, once clear and bright, was now choked with heavy clouds, a sickly gray that hung low over the landscape.

"Lord Voss?" a voice called.

Adrian turned quickly, his heart leaping in his chest. It was Kael, standing at the edge of the camp, his face as impassive as ever. The general looked no different than he had before, but Adrian couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted.

"General," Adrian greeted him, his voice rough. "What's happening? Where is everyone?"

Kael didn't answer immediately. His gaze, distant and unreadable, shifted between Adrian and the horizon. "We're ready, my lord. The enemy is advancing."

Adrian's throat tightened. The memory of the betrayal—of the dagger sinking into his chest—flashed before his eyes. A chill ran down his spine, and he clenched his jaw, forcing himself to breathe steadily.

"Then we will stop them," Adrian said, his voice strained but resolute. "Prepare the men. We move at once."

Kael nodded silently, turning to walk away. But Adrian couldn't help but notice how slowly he moved—how... methodical, like a puppet on strings. It unnerved him. He had trusted Kael, trusted him with everything, but now, that trust felt like a hollow echo in his chest.

As he watched the general retreat, a strange sensation gnawed at the back of Adrian's mind. Something was wrong, he could feel it. The sense of dread in the pit of his stomach grew, a gnawing certainty that the battle he was preparing for wasn't one he could win. No matter how many times he looped back, no matter how many times he tried, the same fate awaited him.

His eyes shifted to the distant horizon. The army was still moving—unseen, but felt. They were there, somewhere, preparing to strike at any moment.

Adrian turned and marched toward the war tent, determination burning in his chest despite the growing fear. But as he approached, he froze.

The war table was there, yes, but it was covered in strange, foreign symbols. Symbols that had never been there before. His eyes narrowed, and his hand reached for the map, but as he touched it, the symbols shifted again, twisting into new shapes, taunting him.

"What is this?" Adrian muttered to himself.

A voice answered him, soft and mocking.

You cannot outrun fate, Adrian.

He turned sharply, expecting to see someone, but the tent was empty.

He wasn't sure if he had imagined it or if the voice had come from the very air around him. It was the same voice—the presence that had haunted him from the start. The one that had followed him through every loop, taunting him with its cold whispers.

"You're lying," Adrian growled, his fists clenching. "I've outwitted death before. I will again."

But even as the words left his mouth, the air seemed to grow heavier, the shadows shifting unnaturally. Adrian felt the walls closing in again, just like before, just like when he had fallen into the void. His chest tightened as a wave of panic surged, but he shoved it down. There was no time for weakness. Not now.

He had to stop the enemy. He had to stop the betrayal. He had to—

"Lord Voss."

Adrian spun toward the voice. It was Kael again, standing in the doorway, his face pale, his eyes wide with something Adrian couldn't place. Fear? Desperation?

"There's something... wrong, my lord," Kael said quietly, his voice strained. "They're not the ones attacking."

Adrian blinked. "What do you mean? Who is attacking us, then?"

Kael stepped forward, his gaze darting nervously around the tent. "It's... something else. Something we didn't prepare for."

Adrian's heart skipped a beat. The silence that followed hung heavy in the air. He could feel the weight of the moment bearing down on him.

"Something else?" Adrian echoed. "What are you talking about?"

Kael swallowed, his eyes flickering toward the war table. "It's them. The ones who've been watching you. The ones behind the loops."

Adrian froze, his mind stalling. Kael wasn't supposed to know about that. He couldn't know.

Kael's expression softened, a flicker of something like guilt passing across his face. "I'm sorry, my lord. I've been trying to protect you from it. I... I didn't know how to tell you."

Adrian's world tilted. He stepped back, as if the very ground beneath him had shifted. "What do you mean, Kael? You've... you've been...?"

Kael didn't look him in the eye. "I've known for a long time. I was there... I saw the first loop, the first reset. I've watched it happen over and over, just like you. But I couldn't stop it. No one can."

The words hung in the air, suffocating Adrian. His body felt cold, like he had been plunged into icy water. How? Why?

Kael's eyes were full of something between pity and sorrow. "I'm sorry, Adrian. You can't win. No matter how hard you try, they'll always bring you back. Always."

Adrian's heart raced, the panic rising in his chest. The one person he had trusted above all others—Kael, his closest ally, his most loyal general—had known about the loops all along.

"How long?" Adrian whispered, his voice trembling. "How long have you known?"

Kael finally met his gaze, his expression hollow. "Since the first time you died."

Adrian's mind reeled as everything he thought he knew—everything he believed in—came crashing down.