The Ruins of the First Loop

Hesperia's breath slowed.

The whirring noise echoed from somewhere beyond the broken pillars, distorted by the damp air. The creature was still here—still hunting.

She wasn't safe.

But she wasn't dead.

Not anymore.

Her mind raced, trying to process what had just happened.

I died. I came back.

She had felt it—the pain, the cold creeping through her limbs, the suffocating stillness.

But now her body was whole again.

No wound. No blood.

And this damn System message was still hovering in front of her.

[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]

Welcome, Player.

Processing combat parameters… ERROR.

Chronos Fragment detected. Recalibrating…]

She forced herself to breathe.

The System knew she was different.

It didn't just bring her back—it had recognized whatever had happened to her.

Chronos Fragment.

The words itched at her brain, like she was supposed to know what they meant.

She didn't.

And she didn't have time to figure it out now.

The creature was still out there.

Hesperia crouched lower, moving behind a chunk of collapsed stone. She could see more of the ruined temple now—a massive underground chamber, half-collapsed, overgrown with thick, tangled vines.

Broken statues lined the walls, their features eroded beyond recognition. The air was thick with moisture, the ground slick beneath her fingers as she crept forward.

And then—

The whirring stopped.

Hesperia's pulse slowed to a crawl.

It wasn't moving.

It was listening.

She swallowed hard.

Her last death had been fast. It had struck before she even had time to think.

This time, she had to stay ahead of it.

A new notification flickered at the corner of her vision.

[TIME UNTIL SYSTEM RESET: 09:57]

Her stomach twisted.

Ten minutes.

She wasn't just rewinding. The entire world was resetting every time she died.

And that meant…

The creature would adjust.

It wouldn't kill her the same way twice.

Hesperia gritted her teeth.

She had spent years reading enemy attack patterns, memorizing movement data, predicting what came next. That skill had made her one of the best players in the world.

Now it was the only thing keeping her alive.

The creature moved again.

It wasn't running this time.

It was hunting.

Hesperia exhaled slowly, pressing herself lower against the ruined stone. She could see its outline now, just past the fallen pillar.

The glow of its red eye flickered in the darkness, scanning the area with a slow, methodical sweep.

It knew she was here.

But it didn't know where.

Yet.

Her hands tightened into fists.

She needed a plan.

The exit—the stairway leading up—was visible on the far side of the chamber. If she ran now, she could probably make it halfway before the thing adjusted.

Probably.

Not good enough.

Her gaze flickered to the scattered debris around her.

Chunks of broken stone. A rusted sword, half-buried in the dirt. A snapped-off piece of pillar.

Something to work with.

She took a slow breath.

She had one chance to do this right.

Hesperia grabbed the piece of stone, testing its weight in her hand. Heavy, but throwable.

She tensed—then hurled it.

The stone clattered loudly against the far side of the chamber.

The creature's head snapped toward the noise immediately.

That was all she needed.

Hesperia ran.

Her boots barely made a sound as she bolted across the ruins, weaving between broken pillars. Her lungs burned, but she kept her breathing even. Fast, but controlled.

The creature hesitated.

Then—it moved.

But not toward her.

It went to investigate the distraction.

She was almost there.

The stairway loomed ahead, cracked but still intact. She pushed harder, forcing her legs to move—

Then her foot slipped.

A small shift. A barely audible scrape against loose gravel.

But it was enough.

The creature turned.

Hesperia didn't look back.

She lunged for the stairs, hitting them at full speed.

The whirring noise escalated into a screech.

The thing moved. Too fast.

A rush of air—it was right behind her—

She threw herself forward.

The creature's blade arm slashed downward—

—and missed.

Stone exploded behind her, shattered by the force of the impact.

Hesperia hit the steps hard, scrambling to her feet. She didn't stop. Didn't let herself process how close that had been.

She just kept running.

By the time she reached the top, she could barely breathe.

She collapsed against the nearest wall, pressing a hand to her chest. Her heartbeat felt too fast.

She was alive.

She had escaped.

For now.

Hesperia forced herself to look back.

The creature stood at the base of the stairway, its glowing red eye locked onto her.

But it wasn't following.

It just… stood there.

Watching.

Why?

The answer came a second later.

A new notification blinked across her vision.

[SYSTEM ALERT: ANOMALY DETECTED.]

[Player: Hesperia Oatrun – Classified as Glitched Entity.]

[WARNING: Unstable Time Distortions Detected. Adjustments in Progress.]

A chill ran down her spine.

The System had noticed her.

And now?

It was adjusting.

Hesperia swallowed hard, gripping her wrist.

The game wasn't just adapting.

It was watching her.

And she had no idea what it would do next.