Chapter 10: Time Loop
"Guys," Kaguro announced to the group, his voice clear and urgent, "now we have to find an angel. I know the coordinates to one—1.76Ekm. That means 1.76 kilometers to the east. Let's go!"
There was a pause.
Then… explosive laughter.
Not because of the direction.
But because it was so Kaguro.
Kamiko, Bachi, Kashimo, and Alan burst out in near-simultaneous cackles.
Kashimo slapped his knee: "Bro, this is the literal definition of a nerd. Man's spittin' coordinates like he's Google Maps!"
Kamiko nodded frantically, tears of joy spilling from the corners of his eyes.
Kamiko: "I swear—Kaguro, you've evolved into a navigation system."
Bachi, trying to suppress a grin: "I got nothing else to say. But with this ner—"
Suddenly, the deep, rumbling voice of the Midnight Demon echoed through the realm, interrupting him mid-sentence.
Midnight Demon: "Hey. Me too now. I agree. He's a nerd—but a useful one. Still, he got the directions right. Now go… if you want to live."
Kamiko: "Kaguro, the Midnight Demon just praised you. That's a lifetime achievement, man!"
Bachi: "Yo Kaguro, you're kinda drippin' with nerd swag right now."
> [Note: They were 10th graders. Yes, they were cringy.]
The Midnight Demon watched them silently. These boys… so carefree. So light-hearted. Even amidst danger, they joked, laughed, teased.
For a moment, the ancient demon recalled his own childhood. A time long buried beneath centuries of darkness and duty. A time when he, too, was nonchalant, playful—human.
But reality pulled him back.
---
Two minutes later, the group started moving. They headed east, stepping cautiously toward the 1.76-kilometer mark Kaguro had mentioned.
Alan limped badly. One of his feet had a fractured bone, and his weight was now almost entirely supported by Kaguro, who gritted through the pain of his own head injury. Blood trickled down the side of his face, but he said nothing.
Kamiko and Kashimo had taken hits too, but their wounds had mostly healed during the brief rest they had. Bachi walked beside them, equally bruised, equally determined.
At 774 meters in…
They stepped forward again.
And the world shifted.
The path beneath them vanished. The air grew impossibly cold. Their surroundings dissolved into a vast, suffocating void.
They were no longer in the same dimension.
They were in pure darkness.
---
Bachi spun around: "What the hell, Kaguro?! Where are we now?!"
Kamiko, eyes wide: "It's just… darkness. Pure, endless darkness."
Kaguro, clearly shaken: "I… I didn't know about this place. It's not in any scripture I've read. It's so—"
He stopped himself.
Kaguro: "It's so… messed up."
Bachi, still fuming: "Some nerd you are!"
Suddenly, a heavy, echoing voice resonated across the dimension:
Voice: "WELCOME TO THE REALM OF DARKNESS. WHAT HAS HAPPENED?"
The boys froze.
Kaguro swallowed, then forced a grin.
Kaguro: "Well… since we're here, might as well explore."
They took another step.
Just one.
In a flash, the scenery changed again.
Now they stood in the familiar Realm of the Midnight Demon.
Kamiko blinked: "What…?"
Kaguro: "What the frick is happening, man?"
Bachi, folding his arms: "Seriously? You of all people don't know what this is?"
Kaguro: "I'm trying to piece it together. Maybe we're… transmigrating? But no. If I had just a bit more context…"
Bachi: "Yeah yeah, context nerd."
They took another step.
Darkness.
Another step.
Back to Midnight Realm.
Again and again.
Switching between the two realms every time they moved forward.
Until finally—Kaguro's eyes lit up.
---
Kaguro: "Wait. I know what this is! This is a dimensional time loop. The realms have been manipulated by someone who controls both—darkness and midnight. I remember reading about this in a forgotten scripture from 1319 A.D. We're stuck in a time loop, and the only way to break it is to perform a ritual."
Bachi: "Great. What kind of ritual are we talking about?"
Kaguro: "You have to stand in a prayer position, eyes closed, and chant a specific line three times with complete focus. If done correctly, you escape the loop. If not, you get sent to… well, Hell."
Kamiko: "Lovely."
Kaguro: "The line is: 'Almighty Lord, the Midnight Demon. Wash away all of our sins and bring us to purity, to not be the victims of your actions.'"
Kashimo: "Pretty poetic."
Kaguro: "But… if we say it in Reamism—the native language of this realm—we increase our success rate."
Bachi: "And what's the version in Reamism?"
Kaguro, clearing his throat: "Goleniva karvinto mayony demon. Putrika subunka tramav."
Bachi: "So, it's the same line, just in their language?"
Kaguro: "Exactly. They'll understand it better. That could make all the difference."
The boys looked at one another.
They formed a loose circle. Stood still. Closed their eyes.
And whispered the chant.
Once.
Twice.
A third time.
A soft glow erupted around them—five different colors swirling gently like flame. It was as if their sins had been visualized and lifted into the air. They could feel the weight leaving their hearts, even the pain in their bodies lightening.
Then, they took another step—eyes closed.
When they opened them…
They were still in the Realm of the Midnight Demon.
Same place.
Same stone beneath their feet.
Same skyless void above.
Kamiko: "Wait… did it not work?"
Kaguro, blinking: "No. Actually… this realm has a glitch. According to old texts, it happens randomly, but only once. A reset without relocation. If we stayed in the same realm this time, that means…"
Bachi: "...We broke the loop?"
Kaguro: "Exactly."
Bachi, sarcastically: "Cool. Just a little simulation bug."
---
Ten minutes later, they arrived.
A massive, ancient castle stood before them, carved from obsidian stone and adorned with crimson banners. The spires stabbed into the heavens. It looked like it belonged to a god—or a forgotten king.
At its entrance stood a tall, armored bodyguard, radiating divine authority.
Kaguro stepped forward. This was their one shot.
Bodyguard: "To gain entry, you must answer questions about the sacred faith of Fujism. Only truth grants permission."
Bodyguard: "First question—what is the Reamism prayer to break the curse of the time loop?"
Kaguro: "Goleniva karvinto mayony demon. Putrika subunka tramav."
The bodyguard's eyes widened slightly.
Bodyguard: "Correct. No one has ever answered that properly before. I am… impressed."
Bodyguard: "Second question—when was Fujism founded?"
Kaguro: "18th century A.D… I believe."
Bodyguard, nodding: "Two in a row. Well done."
Bodyguard: "Final question—who owns this realm?"
Kaguro: "The Midnight Demon. Born in 1 B.C.E. and died at the age of 52."
The bodyguard studied Kaguro carefully.
Bodyguard: "Are you a follower of Fujism?"
Kaguro, with honesty: "No. But I've studied it deeply."
The guard stepped aside.
Bodyguard: "Entry allowed."
---
Inside, they met the Angel—or at least, the man believed to be one. In truth, he was a messenger, sent by the true angels of this world to guide worthy travelers.
The boys told him their story, their battle, the loop, the Realm of Darkness, the injuries, the struggle.
The angel nodded.
Angel: "If you wish to return to the human realm, go to the coordinates 324Wm. A wormhole lies there—one that can take you across dimensions in minutes."
Kaguro: "Thank you."
---
Outside the castle…
Bachi: "So now what?"
Kaguro: "Now we go 324 meters west. Kamiko, can you carry Alan this time? I've done it so far."
Kamiko: "Yeah, I got him."
They walked.
One step at a time.
No laughter this time—just quiet resolution.
Eventually, they saw it.
A swirling vortex of light—the wormhole.
Kaguro checked the time.
They stepped through.
---
Two minutes and four seconds later…
They were standing in the capital city of the Midnight Realm—the same place where their journey had truly gone sideways. It meant that they have reached the earth now !
It was quiet now. Still cursed. But different.
They had survived.
They had escaped the loop.
But the scars remained.
Chapter 10 ends.
To be continued…