The dark dungeon reeked of blood and dampness.
Hegemon lay curled up on the cold ground, his wounds from the Elf soldiers' whips still bleeding, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the gnawing at his heart.
Lily was dead. His only companion, the "living dictionary" who always laughed and talked beside him, was now just a cold corpse at the edge of the forest.
"It can't end like this... I have to save her..." Hegemon whispered, his voice hoarse.
His eyes suddenly fell upon a sharp object hidden behind a broken wooden table leg. It was a small, rusty dagger, probably dropped by a guard during the assault. They arrogantly thought the material of this magical prison was impenetrable, so they didn't bother with a piece of scrap metal.
Hegemon dragged his battered body closer, his trembling hand grasping the hilt of the dagger.
He knew he had the ability to turn back time and start over. But the price of committing suicide to jump through time was that all the pain from the death in the old timeline would be embedded directly into his soul in the new timeline. It was the ultimate torture.
Thinking of Lily's smile, Hegemon gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and plunged the blade into his chest. Blood gushed out, darkness enveloped him, and reality collapsed.
Ugh... Ugh!
Hegemon jolted open his eyes. The dungeon scene vanished, replaced by a wooden room bathed in the morning sunlight of the Elf village. But immediately, a bone-chilling pain from the stab wound in his chest from the previous timeline returned. Hegemon collapsed to the floor, clutching his chest, retching uncontrollably. Cold sweat poured down him, his face was pale, and his mind was numb with the horror of the death he had just experienced.
"Hegemon! Are you alright?!"
A familiar voice rang out. Lily rushed to his side, her eyes filled not only with worry, but also with understanding and sorrow. With the "Infinite Treasure of Knowledge" hidden within her soul, she possessed a special skill branch that allowed her to perceive changes in timelines. She knew he had just returned from the dead.
Hegemon looked up at Lily with bloodshot eyes, his voice trembling: "Lily... You... you're still alive... That's so good..."
Lily supported his trembling shoulders, sighing softly: "I know, Hegemon. You just attempted suicide to return to this save point, didn't you? This time point is a few days before the mastermind attacked the Forbidden Library."
Hegemon clutched his head, the memory of the beating and the news of her murder still vivid: "They said she was dead... I was framed, they chained me up and beat me... I can't take it anymore. Lily, we have to stop that person now!"
Lily bit her lip, her eyes showing helplessness and sorrow: "It's not that easy... Actually, thanks to Infinite Knowledge, I also saw my own death in a previous timeline. I know who that person is, I know that cruel outcome..."
"Then why don't we expose him?!" Hegemon excitedly gripped her hand.
"Because I'm limited!" Lily shook her head bitterly, tears welling up in her eyes.
"My abilities are constrained by the logical flow of this world. If I directly intervene or change events too early before they occur, the law of cause and effect will instantly erase my existence or push the timeline to an even worse conclusion. I can't reveal the culprit's identity, nor can I save myself in the forest..."
Hegemon numbly let go of his hand. He looked at the wooden floor, a feeling of helplessness overwhelming him. In a few days, the gears of fate would turn again, the mastermind would break into the Forbidden Library once more, and Lily would die again if he didn't find a way to break this curse without violating the laws of the world.