Those three words struck like a lightning bolt. Endel felt everything inside him shatter and collapse. His breathing faltered, and the fingers gripping his rifle loosened. He looked at Alice, who stood before him with a soft, almost innocent smile, as if what she had just said were the most ordinary truth.
— What? — he whispered, as if he hadn't heard correctly.
Meanwhile, Richard erupted into laughter. His laugh was deep, almost hysterical, echoing through the room, filling it with a strange, cold resonance.
— Ah, magnificent! Simply magnificent! — he clapped his hands, like an enthusiastic audience member at a theater premiere. — See, my friend? We are all in the same boat. You think you are protecting the innocent like a noble soldier. But what have you done? You kill. You destroy. You dominate. Isn't that the same thing I do?
Endel shifted his gaze to Richard, his jaw clenched in anger, but then his eyes returned to Alice.
— Alice, what are you trying to say? — he said, feeling his voice betray him with its trembling.
The girl took a step forward. Her face remained calm, but there was a depth in her eyes he could not understand.
— You think you're saving me, but you wanted to use me just like him, — she nodded briefly toward Richard. — You fight for something… or someone?
Endel felt his insides twist. Her words pierced him like thin but unbearably sharp needles.
Seeing the confusion on Endel's face, Richard stepped closer, his smile now even wider.
— Look at her, Rodriguez… or whatever your real name is, — he said with open contempt. — You are no different from us. You do the same things, just in a different package.
Anger flared in Endel's chest again.
— I am not like you! — he shouted, raising his rifle once more. His hands shook, but the weapon was pointed directly at Richard.
Richard seemed not to notice the threat.
— Then prove it, — he said, pointing at Alice. — Pull the trigger. Kill me… or her.
Endel froze. His fingers gripped the rifle convulsively, his gaze darting between Richard and Alice.
— You know I am a threat, — Richard continued, his voice deep and commanding. — Isn't that your calling? To destroy evil while protecting the weak? You are the pride of your nation, its stronghold, a hero! Come on, prove your devotion!
Endel wanted to pull the trigger, but his body seemed to refuse him. Everything inside him resisted, as if some invisible force had bound his movements.
Alice stepped closer, her bare feet gliding softly across the cold floor. She stopped just a few centimeters from the rifle's barrel and placed her small hand on it.
— You won't be able to, — she whispered, her voice quiet, almost comforting.
— Why? — he asked, not taking his eyes off her.
— Because you're not sure who the monster is, — she said.
Her words rang like a bell, echoing in Endel's mind. His grip loosened, and the rifle slipped from his hands. He helplessly lowered his arms, feeling an overwhelming sense of despair engulf him.
Richard laughed, now calmly, but the sound only made the situation worse.
— Bravo! Bravo! — he said, bowing theatrically. — You played your role perfectly, my dear.
Endel stared at them both with empty eyes, trying to make sense of the emotions tearing him apart inside.
— You're no longer sure you're right, are you? — said Richard, approaching the table. His voice softened, almost consoling.
Endel, as if in a dream, dropped the rifle to the floor. His legs moved on their own. He walked toward Richard, feeling some unknown force compelling him to obey.
When he reached arm's length, Richard suddenly drew a shiny kitchen knife from under the table. The movement was swift and precise. Before Endel could comprehend what was happening, the cold steel pierced his chest, straight through the heart.
He gasped, then began to cough violently, choking on his own blood, as it poured from his wound. The pain was searing but quickly gave way to a dull emptiness.
— This is only the beginning, — Alice whispered softly, looking him directly in the eyes, where he glimpsed a flicker of… guilt?
Her voice was the last thing he heard. Endel felt his legs give way, and his body collapsed onto the cold floor. Everything around him slowly darkened, consuming him in eternal darkness.
His blood, thick and red, spread across the floor, staining his last stronghold.
Endel was dead.
…
...
...
[User Endel Astralius is deceased]
[All conditions met… Activating Dark Arcana: "Return to the Beginning!"]
[Error… Error…Error… Error corrected!]
Endel opened his eyes. His body felt as if it were burning, and his consciousness slowly returned to reality. He lay on a soft bed as sunlight pierced through his window. The air carried a faint scent of caramel pie, with a subtle tang. One of his favorite dishes…
But…
He felt his heart begin to race wildly, a strange lump lodged in his chest. It took him a few seconds to realize: he was alive again. And only a moment later, he remembered what had happened before… he had died.
"I… I died. Again…"
Endel sat up abruptly, clutching his chest where, just moments ago, Richard's cold knife seemed to have pierced his heart. But now there was nothing—no pain, no wound, only a faint, phantom ache, lingering like a memory.
"Why did this happen? How did I let it happen? How could I trust… people like them? What… what happened?"
Thoughts swirled chaotically in his mind, like shattered shards of glass reflecting his own defeat. He gripped his head with his hands, trying to regain composure, when messages began flashing directly before his tearful, confused eyes.
[System Message…]
Blue text shimmered in front of him, words glowing brightly in his field of vision.
[Since the user has not proven their worth, even in the second regression, the return point has been shifted from two days to two hours!][Penalty: The return point is now fixed. It will remain unchanged in future regressions.][Prove your worth in this regression! Good luck!]
It was as if lightning had ripped through his mind as he read. Every fragment of the message sounded like a verdict.
— What? No… — he whispered, feeling his throat dry.
He realized that even now, after yet another "death," he had no chance to rest or reflect. Instead, the system delivered an even harsher decree.
"Two hours. Now I only have two hours."
Endel wiped his face with his hands, feeling his fingers tremble betrayingly.
— Two hours… Why two hours? Damn it, I won't even have time to gather my thoughts, let alone change the course of events.
His head dropped onto his chest like a broken soldier's, but at some point, he felt anger rising inside him like cold fire. This feeling gradually pushed fear aside.
His gaze fell on the mirror, reflecting a teenager with dim yet fiercely determined eyes.
At that moment, he heard the system's mechanical voice again:
[Return point set. Two hours remain until the event "New Era." Objective: Change the course of events as you see fit. Good luck!]
Endel, still sitting on the bed, felt his body tremble as an unbearable mix of rage, pain, and despair boiled inside him. He covered his face with his hands, then sprang from the bed, clenching his fists, and shouted as if trying to drown out his own thoughts:
— Enough! I will not let the system or anyone else control me! Do you hear me!? I WILL NOT LET YOU CONTROL ME!!!
His voice echoed through the house, bouncing off the walls. He began pacing the room, flailing his arms as if trying to shake off invisible chains, screaming into the void.
— You think you can manipulate me?! You think I'm just a pawn?! I am not your toy!!!
The words poured out in a torrent, incoherent, drenched in fury and despair. He felt tears stream down his face, his voice breaking into hysterical cries, yet he could not stop.
His screams alarmed the entire house. Upstairs, a door creaked, followed by quick footsteps. His parents—Kael and Lyra—burst into the room, their faces a mixture of worry and fear.
— Endel! What's happening?! — his father shouted, though his voice was drowned out by their son's hysterical cries.
They froze for a moment, taken aback by the scene. Their son stood in the middle of the room, screaming into nothing, as if battling an invisible enemy. His eyes were full of furious tears and pure hatred, his movements sharp and chaotic, as if trying to escape some trap.
— It's all because of you!!! — he continued, throwing his words into the unknown. — You're using me? You want to take my life? But I won't give in that easily! Hear me!?
I WILL NOT GIVE IN!
Realizing the situation was turning dangerous, his father quickly jumped to his son and twisted his arms behind his back to calm him.
— Endel! Calm down, it's us! It's your family! — Kael said firmly, trying to restrain him, but Endel struggled, continuing to scream as if a wounded animal.
Lyra, unsure how to help, grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table and poured it over her son's face. The cold water struck his skin like a blade, momentarily extinguishing the flames of his anger. Endel abruptly fell silent, his body sagged, and he collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily.
— Why… — he whispered, covering his face with his hands. — Why is this all happening to me…
He wept, bitterly and inconsolably, as if all the tension of recent events had been violently released.
— It's okay, son, — Kael whispered, embracing him to keep him from falling. — We're here. We're with you.
Lyra sat nearby, gently placing her hand on her son's shoulder. Her eyes were full of tears, but her voice remained calm.
— You're with us, Endel. You're home. It's okay.
Endel could not stop crying. He buried his face in his father's shoulder like a child, while the cold, merciless words of the system still echoed in his mind:
"Prove your worth in this regression…"
"Penalty…"
"Two hours…"
But at that moment, he was surrounded by family. Their warmth gradually pushed away the cold despair. His body relaxed, and soon he, utterly exhausted, remained sitting on the floor in his parents' embrace.