THE CITY OF ASH – CHAPTER FOUR

(Cycle IV – The Cost of Progress)

The Illusion of Escape

Ethan ran.

The sounds of the battle behind him—the screeches of the Remnants, the inhuman roars of the cathedral beast, the sickening crunch of bone and tearing flesh—blurred together into an amalgamation of chaos and death.

But he didn't look back.

Not because he wasn't curious.

But because he knew—none of it mattered if he died again.

His feet pounded against the broken stone, lungs burning as he sprinted through the ashen ruins. The mist swirled unnaturally, twisting, moving against the wind, as if it were alive, as if the city itself was aware of his progress.

"I need to get further this time."

It wasn't just about survival anymore.

It was about pushing beyond the reset.

Finding a new path.

If this world followed rules, then he had to find a way to bend them.

The City's Shifting Maze

He took a sharp turn into an unfamiliar alleyway, weaving through collapsed buildings and skeletal remains, his mind racing.

Everything looked the same—yet somehow, he knew he had never been here before.

Or had he?

His memories felt fractured, like pieces of a shattered mirror, distorted and unclear. He remembered dying, over and over, but the specifics were slipping through his fingers.

"No. Focus. I don't have time for this."

Then—

A dead end.

His heart lurched.

A towering ruined wall, lined with twisted metal and charred remains, stood before him. His instincts screamed at him to turn back, but—

A new notification appeared in his vision.

[New Area Discovered: The Fractured Gate]

Ethan's breath caught.

"A new area?"

He had never seen this message before.

Was this proof he had escaped the loop's original boundary?

Then—

A sound.

A slow, dragging scrape against the stone.

Not from behind him.

From above.

Ethan's muscles tensed.

He looked up—

And a shadow descended.

A New Death

He barely had time to react before something slammed into him, forcing him to the ground.

His vision blurred as he hit the stone, pain exploding through his skull. His body screamed in protest, but he forced himself to move, rolling to the side just as—

A massive, clawed hand crushed the spot where he had fallen.

Ethan gasped, scrambling backward, eyes snapping to the creature that had attacked him.

It wasn't a Remnant.

And it wasn't the cathedral beast.

This thing was… different.

Its body was a mass of blackened, charred flesh, shifting as if it were barely holding itself together. Its limbs were elongated, jagged, its head tilted at an unnatural angle.

And its eyes—

It didn't have eyes.

Instead, there was only a hole, a void where its face should have been, as if something had torn its identity away.

And then—

It spoke.

"YOU DO NOT BELONG."

The voice wasn't a sound.

It was a weight, pressing against his mind, forcing its way into his thoughts.

Ethan clutched his head, his vision swimming.

"What—what the hell is this thing?"

Another notification flashed.

[UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED]

[THREAT LEVEL: ???]

Not even the system could classify it.

That was all Ethan needed to know.

He had no chance of winning.

But before he could even try to run—

The creature moved.

Faster than he could process.

It was already on him, its claw plunging into his stomach, twisting—

Pain erupted through his body.

His vision went white.

His lungs filled with blood.

The last thing he saw was the creature tilting its head again, as if disappointed.

Then, the world faded to black.

SAVE POINT LOADED

Warmth.

Mocking warmth.

Ethan gasped as consciousness slammed back into him.

His lungs expanded sharply, his hands trembling as he pressed them against the cold, black stone beneath him. His mind reeled, the lingering sensation of his stomach being torn open still fresh in his nerves.

He wasn't in the City of Ash.

He wasn't at the Site of Grace.

Slowly, his eyes adjusted—

And his breath hitched.

The cracked void-like landscape stretched before him.

The Throne of Hollow Purple loomed ahead.

And standing there, watching him with empty, knowing eyes—

Was himself.

Or at least, the Hollow Reflection.

"You finally saw it."

Ethan's body tensed.

"Saw… what?"

The Hollow Reflection tilted his head slightly.

"The thing that killed you."

Ethan clenched his fists.

"What the hell was that? It wasn't a Remnant, and it wasn't the cathedral monster. It spoke. It—"

His voice faltered.

Because something clicked in his mind.

That creature…

It had been different.

Not just in appearance.

But in purpose.

It wasn't hunting him like the Remnants.

It wasn't mindlessly killing.

It was…

Erasing.

The Hollow Reflection saw the understanding settle in Ethan's expression and nodded.

"That thing exists to correct mistakes."

Ethan's blood ran cold.

"Mistakes?"

The Hollow Reflection gestured toward the vast fractured void around them.

"You broke through the City of Ash's boundaries."

A pause.

Then—

"You weren't supposed to."

Ethan staggered back.

"No."

"No, that can't be—"

"I was finally making progress."

But deep down, he knew.

The City of Ash had been a prison.

A construct meant to trap him in a cycle.

The moment he stepped outside it—

The world itself had tried to erase him.

The Hollow Reflection's voice was calm.

"Now you understand the real game, don't you?"

Ethan exhaled sharply, his chest tightening.

Everything.

Everything had been controlled.

Every step. Every death.

Every path he thought he had carved for himself—

Had been part of the design.

Until now.

Now, he had stepped beyond the boundaries.

And something had noticed.

The Choice

Ethan turned to face his Hollow Reflection.

His voice was steady.

"Then what do I do now?"

The Hollow Reflection regarded him for a long moment.

Then, he extended his hand.

A sigil appeared, crackling with violet and black energy.

"Take this, and you will gain control over your resets."

A pause.

Then—

"But you will lose more of yourself each time you return."

Ethan's breath slowed.

The Hollow Reflection's voice remained emotionless.

"Your memories. Your emotions. Your identity. They will fade faster. You will keep control of the cycle—but you will become something else entirely."

A long silence.

Then, the Hollow Reflection spoke one last time.

"So tell me, Ethan."

His empty gaze locked onto him.

"What matters more?"

A pause.

"Escaping?"

Or—

"Remembering who you are?"