Ekans_Kumar

In the isolated coastal town of Kurohane, eerie spiral patterns begin appearing everywhere—on walls, in trees, even in people’s reflections. When Renji Kisaragi, a skeptical high school journalist, returns home after hearing about his brother Shun’s sudden and mysterious death, he finds himself trapped in a nightmarish time loop.

Every time he dies, time rewinds—resetting two days earlier. But with each reset, reality twists further: people disappear, time fractures, and his own body begins to change. As he searches for the cause, he discovers his estranged father, Kaoru Kisaragi, may have been the one who triggered the loop.

Aided by his childhood friend Aoi Tsukimura, who holds secrets of her own, Renji must uncover the mystery of The Spiral Gate before it consumes everything. But some truths are worse than death. And the entity behind the spirals does not want to be stopped.

Renji must make an impossible choice: sacrifice himself to break the loop—or risk losing his humanity to escape.

The Spiral Gate

Renji felt the world collapse around him.

The street, the buildings, the air itself—all twisted inward, spiraling into an infinite abyss.

His body froze midair, weightless, as if gravity had vanished.

The only thing he could see clearly was Aoi.

She stood in front of him, her hand glowing with the same spiral symbol he had seen before.

The Watcher let out a distorted, inhuman shriek as the spiral expanded, consuming the space around it.

A strange gray mist surrounded him. The sky was endless—neither day nor night.

Aoi stood still, watching him carefully.

Renji took a deep breath, his chest still tight from running. "Where are we?"

Aoi exhaled slowly. "Somewhere safe. For now."

Renji looked around. There was nothing—just mist and emptiness.

"…Is this even real?" he muttered.

Aoi hesitated. "Not in the way you think."

Renji clenched his fists. "Then start explaining. Now."

No more cryptic warnings. No more avoiding the truth.

"This place—Kurohane—it's a trap. A repeating illusion built from memories. That's why you keep looping."

"Then what about the people? The train? My mother?"

Aoi's gaze flickered with something… sad.

"…Fragments," she said quietly. "Pieces of a reality that doesn't exist anymore."

The town. His home. His entire life?

He took a step back. "That's not—"

But deep down… he had always known something was wrong.

The way the town felt empty at night. The way people's reactions reset every loop. The spiral symbols appearing everywhere.

"That's why the Watchers exist. They're the ones maintaining the illusion. And now that you've broken the loop…"

"…They'll do anything to erase you."

The note from himself. The warning.

> Because they won't let you escape.

"…Then what happens if I keep going?"

Aoi hesitated—then clenched her fists.

"If you reach the truth…" she said, voice barely above a whisper.

If everything Aoi said was true, then he was already marked.

He had broken the loop. He had seen things he wasn't supposed to.

And the Watchers wouldn't stop until he was erased.

A sharp buzzing noise filled the air.

Shadows twisted, forming figures with blank faces.

But this time—there were more of them.

If this was a fight for survival—then he would win.

Aoi raised her hand, the spiral symbol glowing brighter.

The Hidden Truth