21 Loops

The green trail led Taryenne through the endless snow and wind, its light cutting through the storm like a beacon. She could barely see her surroundings, but her legs carried her forward, driven by desperation and the faint hope of breaking the cycle.

The trail ended abruptly at the city plaza, the snow giving way to a broad, open space eerily untouched by the blizzard. At the center stood the most breathtaking object Taryenne had ever seen.

It was a violex, an instrument of beauty beyond comprehension.

Its body shimmered like the night sky, adorned with faint constellations that danced and shifted as though alive. The strings glowed a pristine white, and beside it floated a bow, its blue hue radiating power. The instrument itself was suspended in mid-air, softly rotating, exuding an aura that pulsed with the unmistakable energy of time.

Taryenne's heart pounded, her eyes wide with awe.

"A violex," she whispered, her voice trembling. She could feel its power calling to her, as if it was the key to everything; the blizzard, the deaths, the cycle.

Her awe turned to urgency. She sprinted toward it, her breath visible in the frozen air. Her boots crunched against the untouched snow as she closed the distance, her arms outstretched to grasp it.

But then, without warning, the ground beneath her shifted. The snow crumbled away and a shadow rose before her.

A massive statue emerged, its features grotesque and imposing.

It was made of stone. Its arms moved with unnerving speed and before Taryenne could react, one of the arms impaled her through the stomach.

Her scream echoed across the plaza. The pain was immediate and overwhelming, her body frozen in place by the limb. Blood poured from the wound, staining the pristine snow beneath her.

The statue wasn't done. It twisted her limbs, sending fresh waves of agony through her. Taryenne clawed at it, her fingers weak and trembling as she tried to pull herself free.

The violex floated just meters away, its glow steady, as if mocking her helplessness. She could feel its time energy, almost within her grasp, but the statue wouldn't let her go.

"Let me go!"

The statue's other arm moved, striking her shoulder and crushing it with a sickening crack. Taryenne gasped, tears streaming down her face as she struggled. Every movement sent new bursts of pain through her body, but she refused to give up.

She clawed forward, inch by inch, the violex so close it seemed to beckon her. The statue tightened its grip, pulling her back as though to ensure she wouldn't escape. Then it drove another stone blade through her thigh, pinning her completely.

The world around her blurred as the pain became too much. Her vision darkened, her screams fading into a ragged whisper.

And then…

She was back.

Taryenne collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, the snow crunching beneath her trembling body. She clutched her stomach instinctively, but there was no wound. No blood. She was whole, yet her body was screaming in torment.

The pain was still there. It was as if her torment had followed her through the reset.

She gasped for air, her hands digging into the snow. Her body trembled violently, every muscle aching as if she had just relived every second of her torture.

Her voice cracked as she whispered, "Why… why won't it stop?"

°°°°°°

On her 17th loop, Rienne trudged through the endless blizzard, her body screaming with exhaustion. Her face was pale, her lips cracked, and her breaths were shallow. The wind howled mercilessly but she pushed forward, gripping onto the faint hope that this time would be different.

When she stumbled into the city plaza, her heart skipped a beat.

There it was. The violex.

Floating serenely in the center of the snow-laden square, the instrument glimmered like a star caught in the mortal realm. Its beauty was otherworldly, the strings glowing a soft white, the bow pulsing with a faint blue light. She could feel the time energy emanating from it, tantalizingly close.

"This… this is it," she whispered, her voice trembling.

Her feet moved before her mind could process it, propelling her toward the violex. Her arms stretched out, fingers eager to grab hold of salvation.

But before she could reach it, the air around her grew heavy.

Black chains burst from the ground, coiling around her legs and dragging her to her knees. Rienne let out a cry, clawing at the icy ground as the chains tightened.

"No! Let me go!"

Her struggle was futile. The chains wrapped around her arms, forcing them behind her back, and bound her body tightly. She was completely immobilized.

From the shadows of the plaza, a massive figure emerged.

It was a statue, the same one Vastarael had faced in the upper cathedral, its jagged features twisted into a cruel semblance of a grin.

Rienne's breath hitched as a voice rumbled through the air, deep and dripping with sadistic glee.

"Another little soul chasing salvation… How delightful."

The chains tightened, pulling her body upwards until she dangled helplessly in the air.

"Please," she gasped, tears streaming down her face. "Let me go!"

The statue chuckled, the sound reverberating through the plaza.

"Let you go? But I haven't even begun."

The chains moved with terrifying precision. They twisted her limbs unnaturally, pulling and yanking until the sickening sound of bones snapping echoed through the air.

Rienne screamed, her voice raw with agony.

One by one, the chains tore into her flesh, shredding her skin and muscle. Her arms were wrenched violently from their sockets, and her legs bent at unnatural angles. The pain was excruciating, every nerve in her body aflame.

The statue loomed closer, its glowing eyes filled with a twisted joy.

"Isn't this what you wanted? To reach salvation? Then suffer for it!"

The chains coiled around her neck, tightening until she could no longer breathe. Her vision blurred, her screams fading into silence as the chains crushed her completely.

Darkness consumed her.

When she opened her eyes, she was back.

Rienne collapsed in front of the cathedral doors, her body convulsing. She clutched her chest, gasping for air, her entire frame trembling uncontrollably.

The pain lingered, as if her body still remembered every second of the torture. Her hands shook violently as she touched her arms, her legs, desperate to confirm they were still intact.

Her lips quivered, and tears spilled freely down her cheeks.

"I can't… I can't do this anymore," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

The trauma was overwhelming and suffocating. Her mind replayed the horror of her death on an endless loop, the phantom pain making it feel real all over again.

She buried her face in her hands, sobbing quietly. "Why won't it end?"

°°°°°°

Vastarael sprinted through the chaos, the dark basement around him shaking violently. The black chains lashed out like vipers, cutting through stone and air alike. His movements were swift, precise, honed by years of discipline and instinct. Yet, the longer he evaded, the more relentless they became.

The clock in his mind was gone. Nineteen hours, gone without a trace. Now, there was only the oppressive weight of survival.

One chain narrowly missed his head, slamming into the ground with enough force to leave a crater. Another grazed his arm, leaving a trail of burning energy that singed his essence.

"Is that all you've got?"

But his defiance was short-lived.

The chains moved as one, a coordinated assault that he couldn't avoid. They wrapped around his legs first, pulling him off balance. Before he could react, more chains coiled around his arms, his torso, his neck.

Vastarael struggled fiercely, his body glowing faintly with divine light as he tried to resist.

"You think you can corrupt me?!"

Yet, the chains tightened further, sinking into his skin, into his very soul. He could feel their dark energy worming its way into his core, trying to unravel the divine threads that made up his being.

"Stop...!" he growled, gritting his teeth as he summoned every ounce of his willpower.

But it was no use.

The chains moved with deliberate malice, wrapping around him completely, crushing him with their overwhelming power. The pressure was unbearable, every fiber of his existence screaming in agony.

There was a final, sickening crunch.

And then, silence.

-------

The sisters woke up simultaneously, gasping for breath, their bodies drenched in cold sweat. But this time, it wasn't the usual loop.

This time, they saw.

The vision was burned into their minds, vivid and unrelenting. They had seen him trapped, struggling, and ultimately crushed by the black chains. They had felt his pain, his despair, as if it were their own.

"No..." Taryenne whispered, her voice trembling. "No, no, no!"

She clutched her head, her nails digging into her scalp as she tried to shake the image away. But it wouldn't leave. His agonized expression, the light in his eyes extinguished, replayed endlessly in her mind.

"This isn't real. It can't be real," she muttered, her voice breaking.

On her side, Rienne sat frozen, her hands gripping her knees so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her usually calm demeanor was shattered, replaced by a hollow, haunted look.

The sisters were together after 21 loops of deaths.

"We saw him," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Taryenne turned to her, her eyes wild.

"We saw him die!"

Rienne's lips quivered, but she forced herself to speak. "We... failed him."

Those words hung heavily between them, the weight of their meaning pressing down on their chests. Taryenne shook her head violently. Her voice cracked and she buried her face in her hands.

"No. I refuse to believe that! Vastarael wouldn't—he can't..."

Rienne stared at the ground, her vision blurring with tears she refused to let fall.

"If he's really gone... then what's the point of this?"

The despair was suffocating, an unbearable void threatening to consume them both. Rienne suddenly realized something.

"Wait. How come we're together..."

They felt a presence in front of them.

"Oh hey girls. Seems that you've been through a lot, huh? I knew it would work. Geez... dying in a loop is tiring."

They both froze.