The rain on Praton wasn't like Earth's — it shimmered as it fell, thin streams of liquid light cascading from the twin moons. Kael sat under the broken wing of a derelict skyship, its metallic frame twisted by centuries of war. He didn't move. Not even when the drops hit his face and slid down his cheek like tears he wouldn't let himself cry.
He held a tattered envelope in his hands — one he found in the ruins of the memory vault. It was written in Maya's handwriting.
Maya.
Even her name carried weight. It wasn't just about the love they'd shared. It was about the promise they made — that no matter what, they'd find each other. That no version of time or space could keep them apart.
Kael carefully peeled the envelope open.
Kael,
If you're reading this, then you've begun to remember. They won't let us be free. Not while the Loop still binds us. But there's something they didn't plan for — you. Your choices, your emotions, your stubborn, reckless heart.
Do you remember the River of Static Dreams on Sobo-3? You jumped in to save a child who didn't even exist in our timeline. That's who you are. And that's why I loved you. That's why I still do.
The shadow following you isn't death — it's the truth. And once you see it, there's no going back.
Find me, Kael.
Please.
— Maya
Kael stared at the letter until the ink ran from the rain, then folded it and tucked it close to his chest. The shadows whispered again. Not in words this time — in memories. He saw flashes: a burning field on Yxora, Maya holding his face and crying, his hands bloodied, a voice screaming, "You've done this!"
He squeezed his eyes shut. "Enough."
But the Loop didn't care. It kept spinning.
A chirp came from his wrist module — a communication request from a nearby transmitter. The signal was faint, but the name froze Kael's heart.
"Zarah."
He hadn't seen Zarah in this loop yet. The last time they'd met — she tried to kill him.
He tapped the module. "Zarah?"
Static.
Then her voice broke through, low, cautious. "Kael… if you're hearing this, then I'm not dead. Yet."
Kael stood, his eyes scanning the horizon. "Where are you?"
A cough. "Sector 9. West of the Skyreach Crater. I found something… it's Maya. She—she's not what you think."
The signal cut off.
Kael's blood went cold.
Six Hours Later — Edge of Skyreach Crater
The crater wasn't empty. It pulsed with an energy that hummed beneath his boots. Kael approached slowly, hand hovering near his weapon. That's when he saw her — Zarah — leaning against a broken pillar, her side bleeding.
"Zarah!" he ran.
She gave a bitter laugh. "Still the same… always running into danger."
He dropped beside her, applying pressure to the wound. "What did you find?"
Her eyes, once sharp and angry, were now cloudy. "I saw Maya. Or what was left of her. She's trapped, Kael. In a memory loop… being fed to the Loop itself. She's… she's becoming it."
Kael blinked. "That's not possible."
"She's not just part of the loop anymore. She is the loop. They used her emotions, her regrets, to power it. That's why you keep seeing her. That's why you're drawn to the cities where she died in every version of our lives."
Kael's hands trembled. "You're saying—Maya is the source?"
Zarah nodded. "You need to end it. But to do that…" she pulled something from her pocket — a thin silver dagger with ancient markings.
"This belonged to the First One. The original loop-breaker. It's the only thing that can destroy the tether."
Kael hesitated. "And what happens to Maya?"
Zarah looked away. "You already know."
The truth sliced through him. If Maya was the loop… then destroying it meant destroying her.
Zarah whispered, "You'll have to choose. Her… or everyone else."
A rumble shook the crater. The sky turned black, stars blinking out like dying candles.
Zarah clutched his hand. "Go. Before it resets again."
A Hidden Chamber Beneath the Crater
Kael descended the spiral stairway, torch in one hand, the dagger in the other. The walls were covered in writing — not in any known language, but he understood them. They were thoughts. Emotions. Memories.
His own.
Maya's laughter.
His mother's voice.
Zarah's betrayal.
It was like the chamber was him.
At the bottom stood a massive crystal orb, spinning slowly. Inside it: a glowing figure. Curled in pain. Crying out. Her voice barely audible.
"Maya…"
He dropped to his knees, pressing his palm to the orb. She looked up — eyes wide.
"Kael…" she breathed. "I didn't want this. They used me…"
He sobbed. "I'm here now. I'll fix this. I promise."
"You… can't." Her image flickered. "I've become part of it. I remember every version of you. Every life. Every death. I don't want to forget again."
Kael raised the dagger.
"I don't want to lose you again," he whispered.
She smiled softly. "Then don't. Just… be with me. Let it loop one more time. We'll get it right next time."
Kael's grip tightened.
The orb pulsed.
Maya looked at him, tears in her glowing eyes. "I love you."
"I love you too."
He stood.
Raised the dagger.
Everything froze.
Outside, time warped.
The moons cracked.
Galaxies screamed.
Zarah's lifeless body lay beside the crater, a smile on her lips — as if she knew.
Inside, Kael drove the dagger into the base of the orb.
The light exploded.
Maya screamed.
He screamed with her.
The loop cracked.
And the universe shattered.
To be continued…