Deadly Time Loops

The world was reset in such a magical manner that Dhvani felt she had been watching a movie. It would be fine if she could also go there and experience it in person rather than seeing it on a screen. She wanted to live her life. She had just graduated from college and her family went on a vacation and had an accident.

Her family was everything to her. She always felt that you would lose what you value most. She thought life had ups and downs and what you have one moment will be gone another moment. That's why it is said that you have to cherish people in your life. And you can't take everything for granted. It gets blown up even with a small breeze.

She could live through Ajay but that was hard. Like now. She focused on the scene unraveling while Ajay stopped looking at it and closed his eyes to think. She had to use her system senses to see the marvelous scene. A costly use for her saved points. It wasn't that she could use these points for something else. But she still felt sad about spending them now. She had to get some points from Ajay. She wanted to cheat some points from Ajay but he could also see the screen and her lie would be caught. So she had a sneaky idea.

She could ask him to set aside some points as system benefits which could be returned later. If he asked what the system benefit was, she also prepared the reason. Systems also needed to look good on the screen, right? She also needed new functions. Come to think of it, she needed some points for those reasons. Maybe this was supposed to be some kind of system-host bonding task. She felt that she was right.

Because she realized that she never got any correct information about what she or Ajay was supposed to do. The manual was just filled with rules and it did not specify anything else. He said that the task was to change the world. But what kind of change? Should she consider developing technology or treating diseases or improving food culture?

It seemed like a fog was covering her senses and Ajay was no better. Why did he accept a system which came out of nowhere? And what about her? She just accepted being a system. Considering that her family could live because of her choice, it was a good decision. But she didn't look at how they were coping. She should have asked about what happened to them, right? Maybe the place where the boss lived caused a temporary lapse of judgment.

If that was true, then why did he need to do that? Why was Ajay forced to accept the system? Even if he didn't look like it, this guy would think many times about changing his game's profile settings. She had watched him do so. But he had no real resistance to the system. He seemed fine after knowing it was harmless.

Well, her conspiracy theory was officially open for discussion.

She wanted to message in her chat server but she couldn't because of imminent changes. Her system data pointed out that it was a time loop so she couldn't get any help from outside. But Tarsh could easily see her things. Then he should be a level; higher than her system and maybe he could be the same as her boss. But that little guy seemed to know nothing. Maybe this was the reason for her coming here.

She should be some kind of undercover officer sent to check the realms. She laughed for a long time at her absurd thoughts. Maybe the chance of that happening should be equal to zero. Or this could happen when all the realms or whatever they were would become friendly and hold a conference.

She put her doomsday thoughts aside and watched how Ajay coped with the situation. He walked around and noticed the environment. So she also tried to see what was with his ardent gaze. She smirked and then scolded herself for getting sidetracked. This was a problem from her school days. That was the reason she took more time to complete assignments. So she learned to start working when it was nearing the deadline or maybe just a day before the deadline to work.

Memories are like the most powerful medicine or the most lethal drug or sometimes both. You can't put it down even if you know you are going to get hurt. Each memory lead to her previous life and she longed to go back. She wondered if her parents were still teachers in their new world and if her brother was still a self-recognized designer making clothes. His artwork was impeccable so he was her exclusive clothing manager.

It seemed like whatever was holding her back was gone and she wanted to cry out loud. She couldn't help but blame her fate. Why was she in an accident? If only she died, she could imagine her parents filled with despair. But now even they died. She should feel happy that they all had a chance o live, even if they went together but knowing and living were different. She still couldn't let go of them.

Alarms were going off in her space. She didn't pay any attention to them and continued to think. The alarms sounded more and finally, her room was filled with screens. The screens descended and surrounded her. She didn't want to focus on them. She kneeled and hugged herself but couldn't get a grip on herself.

Tarsh saw this scene when he came to look for her. It didn't prevent him from acting fast. He hugged her, patted her on the back, and whispered 'It's okay' many times.

His reassuring magic soothed her and she calmed herself. All her emotions that were suppressed finally broke free. It was the system space that blocked her emotions when she was outside. Maybe it was to prevent self-destruction. What kind of help would she provide to others if she was a mess and most importantly sad? She could understand that this was some kind of last-ditch effort to help people become systems. It made them somewhat robotic without pre-death emotions. But it didn't matter, did it? When they finally gained the emotions, they would be back with their family. So it was all good. She didn't find herself weird.

She decided at that very moment what her wish was. She wanted to see her family. Looking at them would be her sustenance. She looked at the small body comforting her and felt infinitely grateful. Her crazy appearance would cause problems. Without being in control she could have hurt Ajay. She didn't want to hurt him. No matter the reason he contracted her, she never wanted to see him hurt.

Their life was bound till she was released. So she wanted to be the best system and then leave him after everything was done.

"You can go back, little Tarsh. I'm okay."

He looked at her seeing to gauge her emotional meter. Dhvani found his serious inspecting appearance funny but she let him look.

"Let's check if I can go out?" he asked pleadingly. Even if he could, Dhvani didn't want him to.

This place was weird. The system and her boss were almighty according to her. And this place broke that. She didn't want him to enter the muddy waters. He had a life-saving talisman so he could be safe there.

"No!"

"I want to go, please."

She knew he wouldn't stop without getting a good stumbling. So she agreed because she knew it was impossible. Even if it was possible she wouldn't open her system space permission when he had to flash out. 

She also had a hunch that whatever caused this was no fan of systems and their magic or power or precisely breath signature. This was also proved when Tarsh couldn't go out. Even after she released her system constraints, he couldn't go out. So this thing absolutely hated Tarsh's energy signature. Then the feud should be between whoever was responsible for this time loop and someone who had the same origins as Tarsh but was more powerful than him.

She quickly coaxed Tarsh to come and visit her after a day.

Ajay waited for a day before he left. Tarsh came every six hours and chatted with her. She was lonely because Ajay also happened to be like her and seemed to not be as amiable as before. He didn't need the help of the system so he worked on his own. She saw the real him here without any system interference and he was good. She believed that this was the guy who was invited by the supernatural institute.

She waited for him to ask her if he needed anything. She also took in the surroundings and made a report of every suspicious thing. And the most suspicious thing was how there was no wind and no oxygen, yet no one died.

The place was still, people still breathed like a subconscious movement. She remembered that in some games, you enter virtually, and it's like the original world. The same situation was happening here but the problem was that these guys did not enter virtually. They entered with their body. So this world had a life of one day, with a reset, then will it accept outsiders here?

Her question was answered when she found the guys sitting with worried expressions on their faces.

"You wouldn't believe this, "Garv had the most worried expression.

"Let him sit first, "Manav added and Ajay sat cross-legged facing them. They sat in a semicircle with Ajay sitting before them.

"Perform your magic with visuals," Akash asked Ajay.

A weird request, but Ajay complied.

After looking at the flames appearing without any change from before, they had pale faces.

"Here, if we eat something, it seems to absorb us, "Vihar finally started.

"Our flame energy is decreasing as we eat. We thought it was an error but after continuous checks, something is hollowing out our magic from within."

"This is a time loop and everything here is in some sort of balance. If we took something, we had to give it back. Everything resets after a day. And we are not from this world, so we are getting targeted as enemies. If I know that this would happen, i would have left food here. It was me being petty that did this. We have to look for a way out."

Ajay felt very guilty that his momentary willfulness would cause such huge trouble.

They all shook their heads in sync.

"You are wrong. Hiten did not eat anything because he was fasting. He is the same as us. Maybe because we are outsiders, this world is trying to eliminate us." Manav analyzed.

"If that's the case, we won't live long. A day passed and our magic is draining at this rate. For the worst-case scenario, let's consider that the magic draining rate will increase later, then we will be normal humans in two days. And normal human beings won't stand a chance here for a day."

"You can deliver bad news with your face straight, team leader," Garv commented and Vihar gave him a stare.

"What? Just easing the environment here," Garv shrugged.

"We have to find what is affecting the world and if we stop it, we can go out from here," Ajay told them finally.

"We don't know what that thing is, so how can we go out from here?" Garv voiced out what everyone was thinking but didn't want to say.

"Whatever it is, we have to search. Let's hope we have enough blessings."