you've come to bargain, or did you?

The air was eerily silent as I returned from the space. But when my vision cleared, I wasn't inside the church.

I stood at the edge of a cliff.

A sheer drop loomed before me, so high that one misstep would mean certain death.

Instinctively, I glanced down.

In my hand, two coins. The copper coin I had come to submit. And the gold coin—clinging to it as if unwilling to let go.

A bad feeling crept over me.

I focused my ability on the gold coin.

Calamity. Calamity. Calamity.

The warning screamed inside my head. A Grade 2 artifact?

I should have checked it the moment I received it. Why hadn't I? Was I too shaken back then? Too disappointed?

Or… had something made me forget?

I shook off the thought. It didn't matter now. I had to submit the copper coin and be done with it.

Turning away from the cliff, I made my way back.

"Emily! Hold up!"

I turned.

Mark.

My colleague.

The first one to know about the shop. The one who introduced me to it in the first place.

His eyes flickered to my hand.

"Emily… you did it, didn't you?" His voice was hushed, tense. "The copper coin—it's missing."

"Yes, I did it. Nearly got myself killed in the process, but I'm fine now," I said, exhaling. Then I held up the gold coin. "Also… I need to confirm something. This coin—it's a Grade 2 artifact."

Mark gave a knowing nod. "That's why the captain said not to go alone. I'm glad you're okay." He glanced around before stepping closer. "Let's head back. I'll watch your back."

I nodded and together, we made our way back to base.

This time, the man waiting for me wore a warm expression.

"You did it," he said, almost pleased. "Well done."

As he carefully measured the copper coin, I hesitated before dropping the gold coin next to it.

"Can you analyze this?"

The moment he touched it, the gold coin shimmered—then morphed into a monocle.

His eyes widened. "This coin… wait a minute, this is a Grade 2 artifact!"

I frowned. He didn't seem surprised that the coin changed form. Did he not see it as a monocle?

Something felt off.

I squinted at the monocle, trying to make sense of it—

"Emily!"

A sharp, urgent voice.

I turned.

Lance.

His expression was tense, his voice commanding. "Emily, stop right there. Not a step more!"

Confused, I looked down.

The copper coin was gone.

The base was gone.

And once again, I stood at the edge of the cliff.

But… hadn't I already returned? Hadn't I already submitted the copper coin?

Why was I still here?

___________________

Rushing back to the church door, I tried to peel it off. And sure enough, I ended up in the cliff once more. I continue to repeat the process.

I clenched my fists, frustration mounting with each failed attempt.

No matter what I did—nudging the copper coin, picking it up, pressing it down harder or softer—it always ended the same way. The gold coin in my hand brightened, stuck itself to the copper coin, and I would wake up at the cliff once more.

A loop. A perfect, maddening cycle.

The first few times, I thought it was a mistake. By the tenth, I knew something was wrong. By the thirtieth, I was starting to lose my patience. By the fiftieth, I wanted to scream.

And the voices.

Sarah called me first, her worried tone grounding me. Then she was replaced by Lance from the 11th to the 30th loop. Mark took over from the 31st to the 50th.

And then Sasha.

Her voice followed me through the 70th loop.

But after that—nothing.

Just silence.

No more illusions, no more calls to stop me.

Just the endless cycle of waking up at the cliff, as if the world itself was testing my resolve.

I exhaled sharply, staring down at the two coins.

What the hell am I supposed to do?

Refusing to give up, I pressed on.

Every time frustration threatened to consume me, every time I swore I would quit, the gold coin in my hand would brighten—forcing me through the loop once more.

By the 300th cycle, he appeared.

The man with the monocle.

Adjusting it over his right eye, he regarded me with an amused expression before speaking.

"Do you know why?"

His question was vague , I could not see what he meant by it.

"Have you ever tried jumping off the cliff?"

I froze.

The thought had crossed my mind, of course. Each time I woke up at the cliff's edge, I had considered it. But I had never dared to do it.

It wasn't logic that held me back—it was instinct.

The primal fear of death.

What if this wasn't just a loop? What if jumping meant the end?

He smirked, as if hearing my thoughts.

"Coward."

I clenched my fists but said nothing. I knew he could read my mind. Any argument would be pointless.

Still, despite his taunt, he tilted his head slightly.

"You fulfilled your part of the bargain."

And just like that, the world shifted.

I was no longer at the cliff but standing before the church's doors, the copper coin clutched tightly in my hand.

The gold coin had lost its hue, its luster gone.

And then—memories resurfaced.

Fragments I hadn't realized were missing.

I remembered.

– No matter what happens, I will not jump. I will endure a hundred loops.

I had declared it with unwavering certainty in that strange, weightless space.

The man with the monocle had merely sipped his coffee, watching me with mild amusement.

"The deal begins now."

And that was when I had lost my memory.

Heavy breaths fogged the cold air as the sky wept, raindrops falling in an endless cascade.

I placed the copper coin inside my wallet, the gold coin resting beside it.

This gold coin—no, this cursed blessing—had saved my life in a way I never could have expected.

If it hadn't forced me through those loops, if it hadn't refused to let me walk away, where would I be right now?

Another nameless corpse at the bottom of a cliff?

The thought sent a shudder through me.

Tears welled up and spilled over, blurring my vision. I curled my legs against my chest, the weight of exhaustion pressing down.

Is this really the path for me?

Doubt gnawed at the edges of my mind, unraveling everything I thought I knew about myself.

Then, amidst the relentless rain, a voice cut through the silence—gentle, familiar.

"Emily… are you not afraid of dying?"

I flinched.

"I never recall having a brave one in my group," the voice continued, soft and teasing, yet laced with concern.

I lifted my head.

Sasha.

She stood there, rain-drenched and warm, her gaze filled with something I hadn't realized I needed—understanding.

The moment our eyes met, the dam broke.

Tears poured down, mixing with the rain as I buried my face against her shoulder.

She said nothing at first, only stroking my hair, whispering quiet reassurances as I let everything go.