The Echo of Regret

Cael barely had time to react before the Lina was pulling him toward the door. The stranger made no move to stop them, but his eyes followed every step with cold amusement.

"You can run," the stranger called after them, "but you can't escape what's inside you, Cael. The loop is in your mind. It's you."

The words echoed in Cael's mind as he and the girl stumbled out of the house and into the bright sunlight. His chest was tight, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The diary burned like a weight in his hand, and his thoughts churned in a storm of confusion.

Lina led him down a narrow alley, her grip still firm on his arm. When they finally stopped, she released him and leaned against the brick wall, her chest heaving.

"He's dangerous," she said between breaths. "He's not going to let us go."

Cael's mind raced, still trying to process everything the stranger had said. Unresolved guilt. Regrets. The loop is you.

"What did he mean?" Cael asked, his voice hollow. "What regrets? What guilt?"

Lina looked at him, her expression conflicted. "I don't know exactly. But he's right about one thing—you can't break free until you figure out why you're here. There's something you're not remembering, something important."

Cael's stomach twisted with anxiety. "I don't know what it is. I've been trying, but—"

Lina stepped closer, her eyes full of determination. "Then we'll find it. Together."

Cael wanted to believe her. But before he could speak, a sharp, searing pain shot through his chest. His vision blurred, his knees buckling as the familiar sensation of death overtook him.

Lina screamed his name, her voice echoing in his ears as the darkness swallowed him whole.

Sunlight. Morning. The loop had reset again.

But this time, Cael felt something different—a creeping, suffocating sense of dread. He sat up, his heart pounding. The diary was still there, but there was no comfort in its presence. Only fear.

Because this time, there was no knock at the door.

But he could feel it. Something was coming.