The First Signs of the Loop
Renji stood frozen, staring at his reflection in the glass of the clock tower.
Just moments ago, it had smiled at him—a twisted, unnatural grin that didn't belong to him. Now, it looked normal, as if nothing had happened. But the unsettling feeling in his gut told him otherwise.
His skin prickled. He could still feel the phantom weight of a hand on his shoulder.
He slowly backed away from the clock tower, scanning the empty streets. Nothing.
The town was silent, almost too silent. He had grown up here, knew every alley and every backroad, but tonight, Kurohane felt different.
More than just empty.
It felt… wrong.
Renji exhaled sharply and rubbed his temples.
"Maybe I'm just imagining things," he muttered.
But deep down, he knew he wasn't.
---
Returning Home
Renji walked back toward the Kisaragi house, trying to shake the unease creeping up his spine.
The streetlights flickered overhead, casting long shadows along the road. The air was thick with the scent of salt and something else—something metallic, like rust or dried blood.
He stopped in front of his house, hesitating before stepping inside.
The moment he shut the door behind him, the heaviness in the air returned.
Like the house itself was holding its breath.
He climbed the stairs carefully, half-expecting to hear his father's voice, but the house was silent. Too silent.
Renji glanced at the door to his mother's room.
For a brief second, he considered checking on her again—but the memory of what happened earlier made his stomach twist.
Instead, he went straight to his old bedroom.
The room was exactly as he had left it years ago—dusty, untouched, frozen in time. The same posters hung on the walls. The same books were stacked on the desk. Even his old sneakers sat by the door, as if waiting for him to put them on.
He dropped his duffel bag onto the bed and sat down with a heavy sigh.
Shun's dead.
The words echoed in his head.
It didn't make sense. Shun had disappeared a year ago, vanishing without a trace. No one knew where he had gone. And now, just like that—he was dead?
Renji frowned, pulling out his phone. He typed a quick search.
> Kurohane News: Local Teen Found Dead
The article was vague. Too vague.
Shun Kisaragi, 19, was found dead near the clock tower.
Cause of death unknown.
No witnesses.
The body was reported to be… "twisted unnaturally."
Renji's pulse quickened.
That detail. Twisted unnaturally.
He gritted his teeth. This wasn't normal. Something happened to Shun, and no one was talking about it.
He needed answers.
---
The First Reset
Renji laid back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His body felt heavy, exhaustion weighing him down, but his mind wouldn't stop racing.
His mother's cryptic warning. The spiral scratched into the train station floor. The frozen clock tower.
And now—his reflection moving on its own.
None of it made sense.
He sighed and turned to his side, shutting his eyes. Maybe, just maybe, a few hours of sleep would clear his head.
…
A distant noise woke him.
At first, it was faint. A soft click, click, click.
Then—a wet, slithering sound.
Renji's body tensed.
The noise was coming from inside his room.
Slowly, he turned over.
And his blood ran cold.
There, standing at the foot of his bed—was a figure.
It was twisted. Wrong.
Its limbs were unnaturally long, spiraled like a corkscrew. Its head was bent at an impossible angle, the face obscured by tangled, blackened hair. The sound—click, click, click—was its fingers twitching violently.
Renji's breath caught in his throat. His body refused to move.
Then, it spoke.
A voice, garbled and broken.
"…Ren…ji…"
The thing lurched forward.
Renji didn't have time to react.
Pain exploded through his chest. The world spun violently—no, he was spinning.
Everything became a blur of motion, colors twisting, folding in on themselves. His vision darkened, and the last thing he heard was the distant echo of the clock tower's bell.
DONG.
DONG.
DONG—
---
Waking Up
Renji gasped, shooting upright.
His heart pounded in his chest. His skin was slick with sweat.
He clutched at his throat, sucking in ragged breaths.
What the hell just happened?!
He looked around frantically.
He was in the train.
The train.
The same train that had brought him to Kurohane.
The sun was setting over the ocean, casting an eerie glow on the waves. The metal rails rattled beneath him.
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
Renji hesitated before pulling it out. His stomach clenched as he read the message.
> Shun is dead. Come home.
His blood ran cold.
No. No, this isn't possible.
He turned, looking at the seat across from him. His reflection stared back from the train window.
It wasn't smiling.
But it wasn't right, either.
The faintest spiral pattern had begun forming in his left eye.
---
End of Chapter 2
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To Be Continue