《Lost Loop: Timeloop Litrpg》


 Prologue I: Waffles arent on the bed and breakfast menu

    ¡°Mommy?¡± A voice asked, reaching out a hand to the open air.


    Only the wind held it. It grabbed and grabbed looking for some sort of purchase, but found none. Just empty air.


    The wind burned his face with its chill. The noise around him was heavy. But his ears tuned it out. So much noise created a sort of blanket around his ears like a tight rug.


    His favourite puffer jacket clung to the edges of his wrists. The winter was too cold but his family couldn¡¯t afford another for him. He kept his hand outstretched, then sirens started blaring.


    The people around him were screaming across a concrete jungle of colourful signs and fancy cars.


    James stood still as a statue.


    His eyes ever so carefully wavering up. Never daring to look down. Towards the pavement and the intersection. People were running past him now, someone was shouting in his ear. Telling him it was going to be okay.


    It wasn¡¯t his mother.


    So it wasn¡¯t okay.


    James didn¡¯t look down.


    His hand wandered to his arm unconsciously and he found it. The large burning red skid marks. Strange for someone standing to have fresh skid marks like they¡¯d been dragged along the pavement.


    But James hadn¡¯t been standing. He¡¯d been sprawled across the pavement, with countless adults trying to access his injuries. Some knew first aid. Most just gawked.


    Tragedy is a strange thing. People are drawn to it like moths to a flame. It was like the smell of blood in a pit of sharks. Suddenly everyone was concerned. Concerned they weren¡¯t going to have their curiosity answered, so they better take a better look.


    James didn¡¯t look down.


    The sirens were getting closer.


    His heart was starting to pump faster as his own childish voice cried in agony. Those red skid marks scarred his left arm for life. Maybe he had a right to feel pained at that moment.


    But James knew he hadn¡¯t felt pain yet. Not until he looked down.


    So James didn¡¯t.


    He didn¡¯t look down in this horrid nightmare when the sirens were next to him, or when the gurney rolled out of the ambulance, or when the nice lady in the yellow jacket told him he got to ride in an ambulance all of his own.


    Only when he was sure the first ambulance was gone did he dare to look down.


    Nightmares are funny things. They let you stand when you should be laid out crying in pain. They let you think you''re running in the sand when fear is behind you.


    They trick you.


    They lie.


    James had followed the nightmare''s rules and every night he learned the same truth.


    His mind lied.


    Because the ambulance was gone, but his mother was still there, lying peacefully on the zebra-striped crossing. Her expression which he last remembered being one of anxious fear and worry had settled into something calm.


    Her eyes were clear of emotion.


    Free of any desires, guilt, or promise.


    And her body was not the mangled gore he pushed down to the bottoms of his mind.


    It was just like it had been when they were walking. Yet still and rigid. Cold.


    Dead.


    James felt something well up in his heart. His eyes stayed glued to the picture of his mother dead in the street. There was swearing to accompany the image. Swearing and screaming.


    A large man lumbered into existence in front of him.


    His face was blurry and the sounds were blaring but James didn¡¯t care. His eyes were attached to the man, trying to break that fog his mind made. The sound of the man¡¯s voice was loud and obnoxious.


    But it all faded to white noise.


    Even the sadness in his pumping heart faded away as something old replaced it.


    Hate.


    ¡°Waffles aren''t on the bed and breakfast menu.¡±


    *******


    James shot up straight like a ninety-degree angle, his back the perfect square and his spine deeply decompressed by his expensive mattress. As it turned out he had jumped up a little too hard and his head unceremoniously smacked into the bunk above him.


    ¡°Mmmmmmmmmm,¡± James grunted nursing his head like he had a bad hangover. He couldn''t remember how many times he¡¯d smashed his head into the top of the bunk, but he sorely regretted agreeing to it.


    ¡°As I said, waffles aren¡¯t on the bed and breakfast menu. So get up!¡± An annoying voice chirped as its hands reached out and started trying to drag him outta bed.


    James responded with a light kick, sending the little nuisance tumbling back. While the demon tried to get out from under the laundry he had rolled under, James rubbed his eyes, trying to ignore the messy parts of his room.


    He¡¯d like to say that he intended to clean it soon, but with uni and work on his plate, that probably wasn¡¯t going to happen. At least the posters made the room look sort of even.


    Along with the shelves of commerce history and self-help books. A new one each Christmas.


    James rolled out of bed and ripped his black tee out of his oversized dresser before swapping pyjama pants for jeans in record time.


    A quick squiz at the clock told him he had time for breakfast, but not much time.


    ¡°Untangle or I¡¯m eating your waffles.¡± He murmured in a drowsy voice to the living pile of laundry who was totally not his little brother Michael.


    James waltzed past the plate of freshly made waffles and straight to the fridge for his morning wake-up call. Sweet, sweet iced coffee. Their kitchen was a living room befit with that slightly upper middle-class apartment in the outer layers of the city, but the man who owned it and was manning the waffle iron looked out of place in his own sleek modern home.


    He worked in an almost robotic efficiency making those waffles, showing years of experience with early morning breakfasts.


    ¡°You''re up late.¡± The giant of a man said through sips of his black coffee. ¡°Nightmares again?¡±


    James nodded, stealing the nicest-looking waffles from the communal plate and adding them to his own. Although they weren¡¯t truly waffles. More like waffle cakes considering his dad was far too lazy in the morning to prep the waffle mixture. Hugh preferred using the store-bought pancake mixture.


    Mindy thought that was some type of heresy against sugary breakfasts but his dad didn¡¯t care in the least. He preferred efficiency over most things. That was just the type of person he was, sporting his work wear of high vis, padded pants, and boots.


    It went well with his scruffy beard and short black hair.


    Gave off the whole working man look that he strived for.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Mike?¡± His father asked, serving up his own waffles.


    ¡°Doing laundry.¡± James chuckled to himself.


    The teenager emerged from their shared room a few moments later looking peeved. The smell of fluffy waffles calmed him down a little but when he sat down at the table he still had an I¡¯m gonna get you in trouble face on.


    I regret nothing


    James thought to himself sitting there blissfully as his brother complained to their father about how it was unfair they had to share a room together when they had enough money to get an apartment with more than two bedrooms. His father¡¯s face went blank as it normally did when they brought up moving.


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    They talked about it a lot, but James had conceded a long time ago that his father would always refuse. He didn¡¯t want to move. Hugh liked the memories here. He was aware that he wouldn¡¯t make new ones like them ever again if he left, so he didn¡¯t. That must¡¯ve been a sore spot between Mindy and him, but James¡¯ didn¡¯t think it was his business to mingle in his father¡¯s relationship.


    At least he had one again after so many years.


    ¡°You need to stop trying to drag your brother out of bed if you don¡¯t want to get handled, mate,¡± Hugh said, briskly.


    He threw a finger at James.


    ¡°And you need to learn to pull your punches on a fourteen-year-old.¡±


    ¡­no.


    James kept that thought to himself. If his brother wanted to act like a big boy and then pull childish pranks, then he was gonna get it.


    ¡°You¡¯ve both heard of the meteor shower happening tonight? Mindy wants to see it, so you¡¯re on your own for food.¡± Hugh asked, swiping through the news on his phone.


    Meteor shower, huh? James had heard there was going to be one in mid-winter, but he hadn¡¯t realised now was mid-winter. It was only the start of June. How was that mid-winter? He distinctly recalled Jake mentioning how they should go see it together with two girls from his dorm.


    Is that why I have so many texts from him?


    James wondered looking at the notifications on his phone. He wasn¡¯t opposed to looking at a meteor shower considering they were rare enough of a thing and he liked stars, so it was sort of up his alley. Well more so sci-fi and contemplating the significance of his existence in the cosmos. Going on a date while being distracted by debating whether or not his world would make any sizeable impact on the final frontier was probably not the best idea.


    Maybe just skip that one-


    It was seven-thirty.


    James stood up in a hurry and ran over to the closet to grab his bag.


    ¡°Wait, what are we doing for dinner James, hey? Hey!¡± Michael yelled as he rushed towards the door.


    What''s better? Michael or Jake? Jakes my best friend. Michael is my brother.


    Michael had the distinct advantage of not trying to introduce him to women he would sorely disappoint. But he was also really annoying.


    ¡°I¡¯m hanging out with Jake tonight. Figure it out yourself!¡± James yelled.


    He sprinted down the stairs of his building as fast as he could, praying his tram pass still had money in it.


    He didn¡¯t want to be late to class again.


    **************************


    ¡°Why are you here, Mr Grove.¡± Professor Flint asked in a more neutral tone then James found comforting.


    ¡°Because I pay to be,¡± James responded almost reflexively.


    The lecture hall of his uni managed to echo his voice slightly, but it had no need considering his teacher was only a few feet away. Standing above him and talking to him like he was a child instead of an adult after he had inevitably been late for his mathematics class. It wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d tried to be.


    Whenever he had one of his nightmares he tended to wake up later than he would¡¯ve wanted. Not that it made much sense. Working late into the a.m¡¯s on his engineering project likely didn¡¯t help. Building a bridge stable enough to hold fifteen kilos was tedious. Building it out of Legos because he made barely enough money to survive made it more so.


    ¡°No, Mr. Grove. I¡¯m aware you finance your own education, and I find it commendable.¡± Professor Flint was lanky and short, which made him a small man by default. His salt and pepper hair tied with his tendency for blazers made him look like a refined gentleman. Also like he would ask you what a ¡°Facebooks¡± was. ¡°What I¡¯m asking is why are you here? I¡¯ve talked with your father before and I know he wants you to be here. I know why as well.¡±


    ¡°Did Hugh give you the spiel about giving me the chance, about being a social climber and not having to be out in the heat and the cold?¡± James asked. He already worked as a construction worker for the government part-time and personally, James found it far more satisfying than anything he¡¯d learned about engineering.


    ¡°Yes, he did. I found it touching for him to care that much. But it doesn''t answer my question.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t care that much. Well, he does care, but not like that.


    James'' father didn¡¯t give a rat''s ass what he did for his future so long as he did something. Being a loafer was not allowed in the Grove household. He had given the same spiel to every teacher James had ever had when he was having problems because frankly, he didn¡¯t want to deal with them.


    ¡°Am I staying back because I¡¯m late?¡± James asked. ¡°Or because you''re concerned with my future.¡±


    He appreciated it. Honestly. James liked the idea that teachers actually cared about their students. But he wasn¡¯t worried about his future. Jake always said that was James¡¯s best quality. Because honestly¡­


    I¡¯m just happy to be alive.


    ¡°I¡¯m just concerned about your ambitions in life young man. Because you don¡¯t seem to be, considering how you behave in class.¡± Flint professed.


    James didn¡¯t have ambitions beyond his own amusement. He just wanted to live a happy life and have a good death.


    Maybe that was his only ambition.


    A good death.


    James stood and gave him a wide smile.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry. I just have a lot on my plate is all.¡± James said, earnestly. ¡°Although I¡¯ll try to manage it better so I have more effort to put in.¡±


    That seemed to deflate the professor''s worry and he straightened up from his slumped posture. James hadn¡¯t even noticed till the weight lifted off the man¡¯s shoulders. Had he been that worried for a student?


    Mr Flint was a good person, James decided at that moment.


    I¡¯ll put in more effort for him. That''s a good ambition to have.


    Maybe that was the magic of good teachers. They made you care because they cared.


    Mr Flint let him go after that and James did his best to give thanks for his concern while reiterating that it was unwarranted. He wasn¡¯t wrong to worry, but James felt it wasn¡¯t something he should burden his teacher with. Because he himself didn¡¯t feel burdened by it.


    Saying his greatest ambition was a good death at twenty made James sound more suicidal than wise. So he kept it to himself.


    James found the rest of his classes the strange mix of thrilling and dull that he always had. There was always a strong divide in his mind between listening and learning that even Professor Flint didn¡¯t seem to understand. At some junctions he could be completely enthralled in the research they were learning about, and the next moment they were doing completely mundane things that he just couldn''t wrap his head around.


    Boring him half to death.


    He hated being bored.


    Maybe he had undiagnosed ADHD, maybe he just didn¡¯t care enough about what he was learning. Like the waffles he ate for breakfast, it was probably a mixture.


    Still, he slogged through uni as he always did, never hating it and yet never getting in the groove enough to enjoy it either. Maybe James just wasn¡¯t the type of person for it.


    By the end of his last class, somehow he was looking forward to the double date, which James hadn''t thought possible.


    Am I a hermit?


    He wondered waiting for Jake at their favourite fast food spot a block or two down from his university. For all the problems the city had, Melbourne hadn¡¯t earned its place as one of the most livable cities in the world for no reason. Like much of Australia, it was a pot of multiculturalism that James wouldn¡¯t trade for anywhere else. It was all he¡¯d ever know and he liked it.


    Sure it had its problems, like never having two inches of space to oneself and the rather lacklustre public transport.


    But goddamn, the coffee was good. James was already on his second cup.


    Iced coffee doesn¡¯t count.


    ¡°Yo Jazz!¡± Jake waved as he walked up to where James was sitting, dressed¡­


    Aw shit.


    Jake was every bit the social butterfly that James dreaded ever becoming. He was the type of person who went to a house party and thought ¡°You know what this place needs; more people¡±. James wasn¡¯t exaggerating. He¡¯d only ever agreed to go to two house parties with Jake and both times he¡¯d hijacked it with his own social circles.


    Perhaps that wasn¡¯t the nicest thing to do, but Jake wasn¡¯t the type to worry. He was well-meaning most of the time, and that end, to him, always justified the means. James had been stuck with him since they both started trauma counselling more than a decade ago and he¡¯d be lucky if he ever had a crumb of the man¡¯s social ability.


    That being said, James had severely underestimated the dress code for their double date.


    Jake cared about his appearance and trends far more than he¡¯d ever admit to James, and it showed in the way he dressed. A long coal-coloured dresscoat over a nice creme-coloured sweater and black chinos. Even his boots were stylish with a nice yellow stitching along their sides.


    What did he say they were called again? Dr something¡­ eh, I don¡¯t care.


    James decided, realising his jeans, t-shirt, jumper and raincoat might not cut it even if they kept out the chill better than Jake''s outfit as he waved back.


    ¡°You excited?¡± Jake asked with a giddy expression as he slid into the chair across from him.


    Am I excited? James wondered. He let a smile out.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± He let slip.


    ¡°See! I knew-¡±


    ¡°Dude, volume!¡± James interrupted Jake as he started getting loud enough to spill James''s secrets to everyone else. He did that when he got excited.


    ¡°Right, right, but see? I knew you needed something like this with all you¡¯ve got going on. That job must be killing your will to live.¡± Jake said softer, sipping his drink.


    ¡°I happen to like my job.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you almost lose your finger like a week ago?¡±


    Shouldn¡¯t have told him about that.


    James coughed before replying. ¡°You get used to it after a while, and the government pays good.¡±


    ¡°Good pay sounds rough.¡± Jake joked. ¡°What are you even building this time in winter?¡±


    James started before he bit his tongue, thinking. Technically he didn¡¯t know what they were building. It involved a lot of steel and concrete work, along with mining, and he knew it had to do with building subspaces in the sewers of the city.


    ¡°I think we might be building a subway.¡± James guessed.


    ¡°Really? A subway in Melbourne. Isn¡¯t that what the trams are for?¡±


    ¡°Look man my foreman doesn¡¯t tell me, he just pays me.¡±


    ¡°Fair, but if I was-¡± Jake paused, looking at the beeping on his phone. ¡°Shit, shit, we gotta go man. We¡¯re going to be late!¡±


    Jake pulled James up with him to go and he made a sound of protest


    ¡°I thought you said you were going to brief me on my date beforehand!¡± James said, not liking where this was going. He only agreed because he didn¡¯t want to watch the meteor shower with Michael.


    ¡°Shhhh.¡± Jake hushed him. ¡°We¡¯ll walk and talk. Don¡¯t worry it¡¯s far enough away that you¡¯ll know all the ins and outs of Jess before you two lovebirds meet.¡±


    He sighed.


    Somehow James felt like this night would go poorly.


    He had no idea.

 Prologue II: The Stars

    As it turned out, all the words in the world that Jake sputtered couldn¡¯t actually prepare James for his date that night.


    This may have been a mistake.


    They met the two girls at a cafe a short walk away from Melbourne Central. It wasn¡¯t early but the meteor shower wasn''t coming until later so Jake had decided ahead of time that the plan was to get food, watch a movie, or just shop. Probably with James¡¯ money, knowing him.


    He had almost reached out a hand to give the two girls a handshake when they¡¯d met up, and since then he¡¯d been steadily drifting a little bit behind Jake, who was walking behind the two girls, chatting with them amicably. From introductions, they were both University students as well.


    Amy, Jake¡¯s girlfriend, was apparently very excited to meet her boyfriend''s best friend. She was majoring in architecture and the only common point between her and himself was that they both hated the boring bits. Other than that she had a hobby of surfing, which must¡¯ve been a pain in Melbourne with no real beaches. She was also as infectiously social as Jake.


    Jess was¡­ there wasn¡¯t really a nice way of putting it. She had tried to be subtle about it, but both Jake and Amy had anxiously laughed when she¡¯d made a rather pointed comment about James¡¯s clothing. That was the main reason he was hanging back. She made it semi-clear to him that she didn¡¯t want to be there, and he had no intention of making her uncomfortable.


    ¡°Did you get lost and end up in your work clothes.¡± who says something like that?


    He felt it was objectively rude.


    James felt a buzz of his phone and read it.


    [Dad gave me money for pizza and my friends are coming over. Return at your own peril] - Micheal Mc moron.


    That made him chuckle a little. But then he thought about it and realised even if he politely excused himself from the date somehow tonight, he¡¯d have nowhere to go.


    Dammit. Micheal you little¡­


    Eventually, they arrived at the shopping centre with two hours left before the meteor shower. The girls led them towards whatever stores they pleased which gave Jake a moment to hang back as well and talk strategy as he called it.


    My friend is a womaniser. Quite possibly a misogynist too. James realised as Jake gave him the rundown of how they would win by the end of the night if they played their cards right.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be involved in this.¡± James said bluntly.


    ¡°You already are involved dude. Too late to abort now.¡± Jake said, wrapping his hand over Jame¡¯s shoulder.


    He does this before he asks me to do something.


    ¡°Look man, I¡¯ll level with you. You and Jess are-¡± He made a flat plain with his hand, symbolising how kaput their chances together were. ¡°But if you rub my back, I think I can spin it in your favour.¡±


    James sighed. The things he did for this man. ¡°What do you need.¡±


    Jake smirked. Greedily. His hand was outstretched like he was a goblin. ¡°Money!¡±


    Oh for fuc-


    ¡°Wait, wait, but I¡¯ll pay you back, and it isn¡¯t for me,¡± Jake added hastily when he saw James¡¯s expression souring. ¡°I just don¡¯t have the money on me but I¡¯m thinking it goes like this. We steer them towards that jewellery shop over there¡±


    He pointed out a place that had polished black walls and nice glass casings that the clerks could walk between. James knew that kind of place. They would almost certainly try to force anything he even glimpsed at down his throat. Jake must¡¯ve known that so clearly this was somewhat planned.


    ¡°Right,¡± James muttered. ¡±How much.¡±


    ¡°Trust me, I¡¯ve already been there with Amy. There¡¯s this bracelet there and she lit up when she saw it. I wanted to surprise her with it.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°Dude trust me-¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    Jake''s head hung low in a guilty way as he whispered. ¡°350.¡±


    James sucked in air. And thought about it for a moment. As much as the reasons behind him wanting to gift her it today were selfish in their own right, James knew Jake. The real reason was probably just because he wanted his girlfriend to feel special.


    ¡°Fine.¡± James finally said and Jake¡¯s head shot up.


    ¡°Yes dude, you''re the best!¡± He said, his expression brightening about tenfold.


    Someone who wants to live a good life is generous. James told himself as he begrudgingly handed his card over to the man and watched him stroll over to the two girls as if it was his, right before tactfully suggesting they go to the fancy jeweller.


    The sight of Amy''s face lighting up like Jake made the money worth it. Money for that pure joy wasn¡¯t even a question in James'' eyes. That¡¯s how his dad has raised him. That¡¯s how life had raised him.


    Oddly enough, as the two real love birds rushed towards the sleek shop, Jess didn¡¯t look at them. She turned and looked at him and for the first time since meeting, James saw her expression relax. He hadn¡¯t even realised she¡¯d been tense, but the comparison between how she¡¯d looked before and now made it clear.


    As James slowly caught up to where the couple were heading Jess waited. For him.


    She was smiling. He had to admit it was a pretty smile.


    It made sense, considering she was gorgeous.


    ¡°That''s your money he¡¯s spending, isn¡¯t it.¡± She asked quietly when the couple was far enough away.


    James was a little taken aback that Jess had guessed and it must have shown on his face because she nodded to herself.


    ¡°Thought so.¡± She said, smiling to herself.


    Weird. His nose crinkled for a moment as the scents of fast food and musky air were overcome by a nicer, floral aroma. Is that her? He wondered but kept his questions to himself. He could also hear her breathing. Did he normally hear people breathing?


    Hers sounded nice.


    Pretty girls are every man''s weakness. Now he was sounding like Jake and his dad.


    ¡°You know.¡± she started taking a small sip of her coffee. He copied her as if it made him less nervous looking. ¡°Amy¡¯s been talking about him buying her the bracelet for a whole month now. But it¡¯s not like She¡¯s an idiot. She knows Jake works casual shifts and is really bad with money, so Amy accepted it probably wasn¡¯t happening. Still, you can see it in her face.¡±


    Jess¡¯s face turned to look up at his and he could see his misty grey eyes and fountain of midnight black hair reflected in her two opal iris.


    ¡°She had hope. Even in the despair that comes with knowing your hopes won¡¯t come true. Then, you made that hope come true. There was nothing for you to gain from it. But you did it anyway.¡±


    ¡°Jake said he¡¯d try to convince you I was a good guy if I did,¡± James interjected before she made him seem like the angel he was not.


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t believe him did you?¡±


    I¡­


    ¡°Not really, no. Jake¡¯s not the type to try and manipulate someone into something if he knows that¡¯s what he¡¯s doing.¡±


    ¡°Does it make a difference if he does it unknowingly?¡± Jess asked. There was a certain tip to her tone that made it sound icy. Like an accusation. That was when James realised she wasn¡¯t smiling anymore. She just looked cold.


    Cynical.


    Does it make a difference?


    If they were speaking truthfully part of the reason Jake had even made it a double date was so he could ask James for the money. Jake wasn¡¯t the type of person to realise that he¡¯d done something like that by accident.


    Realistically, James knew it didn¡¯t. Doing it knowingly and unknowingly were two sides of the same coin.


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    But.


    ¡°To me it does,¡± James admitted.


    Then there was silence. It hung in the air and separated the two. Then there was something warm on his hand. It steeped and slithered its way between his fingers. He had to look down to believe that Jess was holding his hand after all that.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the joke.¡± She said, and somehow James knew it was genuine. ¡°It¡¯s my defence mechanism. You''re pretty intimidating, in my actual defence. I sort of put you in a box in my head. That was wrong of me.¡±


    I mean, I did the same to you. The only reason he hung back was because he had assumed Jess would just dislike his presence.


    ¡°I assume I¡¯m no longer intimidating?¡± James asked.


    He¡¯d never thought himself intimidating, but he was tall and fairly muscular from his job. Not the type of muscle Jake had from going to the gym but enough to make it clear he was strong and capable. James could understand where she was coming from.


    ¡°You have done a good job convincing me you''re a good person. So no.¡± Jess wasn¡¯t so much smiling anymore, but her face looked happy. ¡°Oh, and if you let go of this hand, you''re not getting it back.¡±


    His loose grip on her soft fingers tightened instinctually at those words. They stood outside together like that, waiting for the two true love birds to come out of their shiny paradise. Neither of them said anything, but it didn¡¯t feel awkward. Which James found weird.


    Honestly, he found Jess weird.


    Don¡¯t know if it¡¯s good or bad weird. He was leaning pretty hard one way though. Jake and Amy came back and while Amy did a good job hiding her shock Jake didn¡¯t. James wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d ever see the man look so¡­ proud. It was almost unsettling how he jutted out a thumbs up towards James every moment he got.


    It also wasn¡¯t subtle at all, but Amy and Jess seemed to find it funny. Like that, the night went on, with a new air of ease to it that they hadn¡¯t quite had with the tension between himself and Jess. They chatted, joked and laughed while they were having dinner together and grew closer as a cohort than James would¡¯ve ever expected.


    He loved every minute of it, although James would¡¯ve never admitted that at the time. As the night reared towards the meteor shower celebration, they explored the Queen Victoria Market and got ready to watch the light show unfold.


    None of them knew how the night would turn.


    ***************


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that one is Mars,¡± James said, pointing out a particularly red star to his group. He was lying on a blanket next to Jess while Jake and Amy had one next to them, preparing for the view from the park.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be Venus?¡± Amy asked, snacking on her small box of chips.


    ¡°What if it¡¯s a comet heading towards us?¡±


    ¡°Shut up Jake.¡± James and Amy said in unison before the latter started giggling.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s just a star,¡± Jess added after everyone had finished laughing.


    ¡°That¡¯s boring.¡± Jake spouted. ¡°Why can¡¯t it be a planet?¡±


    ¡°How are stars boring.¡± James protested. ¡°They¡¯re gigantic cosmic spheres of power that can warp physics. How is that boring!¡±


    His phone blared. A text. From one Michael Mc moron.


    What could it be now? Is he telling me to stay away again?


    He grabbed it and read the text while his group continued chatting. A slight chill ran down his spine.


    [Dad got hurt at work. It¡¯s nothing serious, for him. But apparently, some of the guys he was working with are in critical condition?]


    James didn¡¯t like the sound of that one bit. He leaned upright and his friend''s conversation slowly halted as his face paled more and more at the thought of what might have happened.


    [Did dad tell you what happened?] He texted back.


    The reply was immediate.


    [Someone went nuts and attacked him. It was one of the foremen. He was acting off for the last two months but today of all days he cracked Dad said. He took a hammer to the nearest worker and- you get the picture. Dad didn¡¯t describe it in detail. I think he''s pretty shaken right now.]


    James could imagine. That sounded horrible. A shiver went down his spine again at the thought of facing a hammer-wielding manic.


    [Where is he?] he texted back.


    [Home. The hospital said it was nothing serious and kicked him out. He and his crew weren¡¯t the only ones who just got randomly attacked by someone.]


    What?


    [What do you mean?] James asked.


    [James, it¡¯s happening everywhere. Not a lot, but there have already been reports. They disappear after a few minutes though. I don¡¯t like this James. Dad doesn¡¯t either. You should come home.]


    What the hell is going on? That last sentence sounded so ominous he almost didn¡¯t want to know.


    ¡°Jazz, dude. What''s wrong?¡± Jake asked after he stood up out of the blue.


    ¡°Dad got hurt at work. I¡¯m gonna have to go home.¡± James said, lying just a little. He had an itchy feeling in his throat after what Micheal had said. Reports disappearing? A bunch of identical incidents being hush hush? It didn¡¯t take a genius to guess it probably wasn¡¯t the best idea to stick around in¡­


    James looked around them, slowly. They were far from the only people waiting in the park to see the meteor shower. All grouped up together he realised how hard it would be to get out if a panic was to occur. That made him more nervous.


    This is a bad place to be.


    He knew he had good instincts, and they were giving him warning signals. Bad ones.


    ¡°How long away is the meteor show Jess?¡± James asked, his voice shaking a little.


    He refused to sit down again and refused to take his eyes off the people around him. Jess didn¡¯t seem to feel relief at his worried glances towards her but she checked her phone for the timer all the same.


    ¡°About a minute. Why? Do you want to stay and watch before you leave?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No,¡± James said in a shaky voice. ¡°I think we should all leave.¡±


    ¡°What, when?¡± Jake asked, standing up as well. He looked worried, but more for James than anything else.


    ¡°Now,¡± James said.


    Why does it feel like we¡¯re heading off a cliff?


    He couldn¡¯t keep his eyes from darting all over the place like they were looking for something in specific. James couldn¡¯t see where his intuition came from, but it was screaming at him to find something, so he kept looking.


    James could feel his heart starting to quicken as a familiar ringing returned to his ears.


    It felt like he was being driven straight off a cliff, but he couldn¡¯t see where the cliff was.


    ¡°James.¡± Suddenly two hands grabbed onto his shoulder with a firm grip.


    Jake had never been taller than him, not even when they were kids. For some reason, he felt small with Jake''s hands on his shoulders. He leaned close to James¡¯ ear and whispered something. For a second, James¡¯ was frightened Jake might¡¯ve been the cliff.


    ¡°Be honest, are you having a panic attack? If you are, that''s totally chill. We can all leave together. Hell if the girls want to stay I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Jake gave him a reassuring smile. ¡°Just remember you''re here and grounded. Like always. Nothing bad is going to happen.¡±


    James¡­ felt peace for a moment. He loved Jake like a brother, and it had never been clearer why.


    That was when he saw it.


    The cliff. He stood at about two inches taller than James and was dressed in all black. The wear was clean and uniform. His hoodie was on as far as it could be and a face mask left only the top half of his face exposed.


    The mask was metal and he wore gloves with combat boots. The way the hoodie contorted weirdly around his midsection made James realise he was wearing body armour. He doubted anyone else would¡¯ve checked.


    His pants clung to the side of his leg in the same weird way.


    He¡¯s got a weapon.


    And it wasn¡¯t just him. Now that he¡¯d spotted the nearest one, James could see them, littered between hundreds. Maybe thousands. Not all of them were as obvious as the masked man, but their expression betrayed them.


    They¡¯re waiting.


    Was it for the meteor shower?


    ¡°Dude?¡± Jake shook him out of his stupor. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± We need to leave. Now


    He tried to say that, but the words wouldn¡¯t come out. Panic was setting in. What were they waiting for?


    Run. I need to run. But he couldn¡¯t leave them. But they wouldn¡¯t listen.


    Not in time.


    Not before.


    A small tug pulled his attention.


    He turned for a moment from James and the armoured man to see Jess pointing at the sky. Jake was looking at it too.


    James gazed around and realised he might the only one that wasn¡¯t. Anxiously, he turned his attention to the sky.


    Brilliant azure streaks were flying across the night sky, painted with a brilliant drop of midnight black they flew past James. Countless little embers falling to be tinder in their atmosphere. Burning up one by one.


    They whizzed past one by one after the other but instead of slowing down they just kept coming. Azure strips of pure light flew overhead painting strips of brilliant light in the dark night sky. Then one of them zipped straight past a gleaming star. And instead of painting over it in the sky, the stars started falling. Those gleaming lights visibly started coming crashing down to the earth.


    Most people started to panic at that part. All the people around him, including Jess, Jake and Amy started shouting, yelling, screaming and filling the whole park with noise. Maybe the whole world had just erupted with noise considering the stars were falling.


    James kept silent. Letting the noise wash past him like a wave. His ears could barely hear it. His eyes stayed transfixed on the sky.


    They were the silent few. And apparently, he was one of them. He could feel it. Something¡­ calling to him in the sky as the stars streaked across the sky crashing in blazing glory to the ground.


    The azure strips of light stayed in the sky, but he could see it more clearly now.


    They weren¡¯t burning like fire.


    The azure was fire. Lighting up the night sky in endless heat as the atmosphere combusted.


    What is it? James wondered, frozen stiff by the terror.


    The azure kept burning until the entire sky above their heads was on fire. Jake was dragging him but James never looked away from the sky.


    It¡¯s coming.


    He felt it.


    The wave of azure soon reached its peak and while everyone was screaming in horror at the falling stars and burning sky, the rare few, some chosen, some just unlucky, got to witness what was coming.


    The center of the azure slowly started to peel back, like the fire was rotting away, as an inky nothingness slowly infected it, seeping inside. It devoured the azure from the center outwards till it was comfy in its shape and form, a large slitted pupil ate away the sky.


    Then, the eye that ate away the sky, witnessed them.


    And Judged.

 Prologue III: A Good Death

    James was swallowed by it. Swallowed by fear. He¡¯d thought he¡¯d felt what fear was. Giant waves of oncoming dread and anxiety crashing against his mind, trying to wear him down to nothing.


    The eye didn¡¯t crash fear against him like a wave.


    It pulled him down to the depths and drowned him in it.


    [Congratulations, you have been witnessed and your Spark has been deemed worthy of the System¡¯s touch.]


    [Your Source will be opened after the first pool has been formed from the Invited]


    The golden words ate up the inky void of all-consuming nothingness and finally returned James¡¯ ability to think. With it, the first thing James did was completely ignore them. They were strange and confusing but compared to everything else, he didn¡¯t care.


    First, he assessed his situation and realised his friends were just as frozen as him. They weren¡¯t looking at the pupil in the sky, but they were still too scared to move.


    ¡°Guys!¡± he had to shout to hear his voice over the panic mob around them. ¡°We have to go now!¡±


    Jake nodded along with Amy as she stood up as well while shaking. She had started to cry but she was keeping it down.


    ¡°Quick Jess-¡± When James turned, the words died in his mouth. His warm blood froze till it made his bones shiver. Where was she? Why had she gone?


    What the hell was happening? People were screaming and running all around him. The entire park had fallen into mass hysteria and occasionally he could flashes of light burning towards them. No doubt the falling stars.


    We have to go.


    He turned to look at the crying mess that was Amy and the shaking Jake. They needed to leave. None of them were safe here.


    But could he just leave Jess?


    I met her today. It¡¯s not worth it. I can¡¯t just¡­


    James had never been in a crisis like what was happening around them. No one on earth ever had. The cold analytic part of him that he keep feel in the back of his mind whispered sweet words. It told him that Jess running away wasn¡¯t his concern. That he wouldn¡¯t be able to watch out for Jake and Amy if he went looking for Jess.


    That he was in real danger. That there was a chance he could die.


    They tempted him sweetly, but something else took hold first.


    What would someone who lived a good life do?


    One that wasn¡¯t filled with the bitterness and hate he buried inside him. One where he wasn¡¯t limited by all the horrible things that had happened to him?


    I¡¯m a moron.


    ¡°You two go ahead of me, head to my apartment it¡¯s not far. Jake you know the passcode.¡± James said, eyeing the crowd before preparing to dive into the mass of bodies around them. ¡°I¡¯ll go find Jess.¡±


    The world ending and you''re going after a girl you barely know. James thought to himself as he bucked through the crowd and started pushing past the rush of bodies. Times like this made him thankful for his height and weight which allowed him to see past the waves of scared people. How did one even look for someone in a crowd?


    Jessica¡¯s height was short enough that she might be hidden in the waves of people, and her hair was a fairly common flavour of brown. How was he meant to pinpoint someone like that?


    James spent only a few seconds randomly searching in different directions before he realised something.


    There were people that weren¡¯t running away. He could see them, just barely over everyone else. Some were standing, others were laughing, or crying¡­ a few were drawing weapons. But none of them were running. They were all watching the people around them like James could feel what they were thinking.


    A silent ticking.


    And a few among them had a look in their eyes he didn¡¯t like one bit.


    Like they¡¯d realised they were predators, among prey.


    That was when he saw Jess running- no, escaping as if her life depended on it, sprinting across the gravel park path as someone chased after her. James recognised him instantly. The black get-up made it obvious. It was the armoured man with a face mask, and he was shouting at James¡¯ date as he chased her down.


    Machete in hand.


    The world went blank for a second as all the chaos fell away from James.


    Everything went silent besides his own thumping heart, booming out of his chest like a war engine, and went still. He felt hot everywhere. Adrenaline was coursing through him at maximum. He could feel the cold sweat all over his body and smell a strange burning.


    Like the sky had caught on fire.


    Sights blurred around him and before James even knew it he was barreling through the crowds of people. Taking heavy steps and shrugging of the numbing pain that came every time he knocked someone out of his way. He didn¡¯t care. Pain didn¡¯t matter.


    The world was becoming blurry as those feeling buried deep in his chest came to light.


    The armoured man took at swing at the much slower Jessica and knocked her to the ground, drawing a line of crimson on her forearm. She rolled away from his next stab and screamed, begging.


    James ran harder. His body put power into his legs and he pushed the world away as if it would spring him closer.


    Growing annoyed by the miss, the armoured man pushed Jess down and mounted her, steadying his target and saying something James couldn¡¯t hear over the white noise.


    His whole appearance started to blur as all James senses could process was Jess¡¯s screaming and the armoured man¡¯s complete apathy to them.


    Seconds before he could bury his machete in Jess¡¯s gut, James was upon him.


    Tackling him off of her with all the power and rage he could muster out of his muscles, pulling the man off and sending them both rolling into the river bank. James felt the rocky bank dig into his skin and tear his clothes as the water sank into him. Dullling the adrenaline and making the pain in his stomach run hot.


    ¡°Arghhhhh.¡± A shared grunt between himself and then armoured man.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    All that gear made him heavy in the water and he was clearly struggling to get himself up, giving James a moment to catch his breathe.


    What are you doing?!


    That guy had a fucking machete and James had just charged him down.


    In their clash the flailing armoured man seemed to have lost it. Cool, now I¡¯ve just got to get up and-. Pain flared in his stomach like he¡¯d never felt. Burning him like someone was pressing coals on his intestines.


    [System Notice: Your Spark¡¯s vessel has been damaged. Until repair, you will be incapable of choosing a Source]


    Golden words flashed in front of him in a blicking, violent kind of way. That was when James realised he was in so much pain he must be halucinating again.


    ¡°James!¡± A voice shrieked behind him, but he barely noticed it. It sounded like Jess. He wasn¡¯t sure.


    The pain made it hard to think it was so unbearable. He grabbed at where it hurt and found the answer to his question of why hurt so much. A shiny black machete was sticking out his gut, spilling blood all over his new raincoat.


    He could barely move, barely think as his blood dyed the river water around him red.


    ¡°James, get up please. We need to go!¡± Jess was screaming, begging him to move even as the armoured man righted himself and stalked towards her, kicking James and leaving him for dead.


    Jess left claw marks in his shoulder as she tried her best to stay with him. The armoured man ripped her away all the same.


    She stayed. James couldn¡¯t help but thinking as the pain dyed his vision an awfully blurry colour. Even staying completely still everything hurt. There were sounds of a pained struggle behind him, but James already felt himself sinking.


    I¡¯m going to die.


    Blackish blood was seeping from his abdomen now. That meant a crushed liver didnt it? Or a crushed something. He knew it wasn¡¯t good. In the state things were now¡­


    He wasn¡¯t making it.


    I¡¯m actually going to die?


    James had thought about it so often, but he¡¯d never thought he¡¯d have to confront the reality of it this young. Somehow, he wanted more. He felt like begging for more? Was this it? Really? He was going to bleed out getting stabbed by a deranged pycho as that very pycho murdered his date not even a few feet from him.


    He could hear her.


    She was gaggling and coughing and clawing into the dirt next to him.


    What a shit death.


    His body collapsed into the water and his head rolled back losing all strength in his neck. That only made the pain worse.


    So much worse. It felt like the water was stabbing him. Eating him alive and pincing him down. Worse then that, he could see her, albeit upside down, reaching for him.


    Jess.


    The man was mounted on her using his golved hands to rip the life out of her neck, strangling her until her neck burned red. Her eyes, those pretty opal eyes were begging him. James could see it, but he couldn¡¯t do anything.


    It made him feel like death, long before he embraced it.


    I can¡¯t help you. He wanted to tell her, as gently as he could, but the blood making its way up his throat stopped him from speaking.


    J-james.


    He heard a stranger call in his head, staring at Jess.


    The voice was soft, and filled with a kind of gentle kindness the man sparsely remembered.


    It¡¯s going to¡­ It¡¯s g-going to be okay.


    James felt his world slowly going dark.


    Just-t call for h-help.


    He must¡¯ve already been dead.


    James¡­ please¡­


    The world went dark. He saw it. His small boyish body standing on the sidewalk as his mother begged him for help. There was so much screaming. So much chaos. Adults were rushing to her. Doing everything they could.


    But she was begging him, her son, for help.


    And you just stood there.


    Hate. The kind that everyone said you weren¡¯t meant to feel buried the pain coursing through his body. It all went numb as James felt himself crushed by that overwhelming and unending hate for what he had done.


    For who he was.


    And for everything that had taken that kind, gentle voice away from him.


    He knew what his mother felt in the last moments of her life. Fear and despair. Because her son couldn¡¯t help her. Because he just stood there.


    He knew what Jess must¡¯ve felt while she was dying. The same. Because James couldn¡¯t do anything.


    James knew he should feel fear and despair at the thought of his death.


    All he felt was hate.


    Everything blurred again as James''s body lept into action, spurred by his scorn.


    At some point, his throat had started roaring between the fits of coughing. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was when he¡¯d tore the armoured man off Jess or when he¡¯d ripped the machete out of his gut and put it through the man¡¯s body armour and deep into his lungs.


    Maybe it was when the armoured man had started screaming himself. Maybe it was when James had tore his mask off and started wailing his fists into the man¡¯s skull.


    The man was probably scared. James didn¡¯t care. He could barely see past his own hands and the only thing fueling him was hate and denial.


    He would not die like his mother.


    He would not go out in fear and despair.


    He would not let Jess die the same way.


    My death will be a good one.


    So he slammed his fists into the man¡¯s face and buried him against the gravel. Blow after blow with all the strength his muscles would ever possess, losing strength every second. Each blow more desperate then the last as he caved the man¡¯s head into the a bloody pile of bone a mush.


    ¡°J-james.¡±


    His fists kept falling on the broken face of what was once a man.


    ¡°J-james.. *cough*... stop.¡± Jess¡¯s strained frailed voice begged, weakly grabbing at his fist.


    James stopped, slowly tilting his head to look up at her.


    She¡¯s alive.


    She looked like she¡¯d survived a hanging even to his blurry vision.


    But she was alive.


    He could see her aghast expression. She was alive.


    [Congratulations, you¡¯ve defeated an Invited Spark and earned the rights associated]


    James thought he might be smiling. He could barely tell. The golden words tried to distract him, but James just didn¡¯t care.


    [Congratulations, you¡¯ve completed the first invitation {Defeat a Spark}]


    That was a good death.  James thought as his world slowly turned black. He collapsed onto his back and let the gentle void seep into his body.


    [Quest reward for {Defeat a Spark} have been logged. The System has melded the branches of your potential and founded your Source]


    [Source: Loop]


    He closed his eyes, then the world went dark.


    [System notice: User has died]


    [System error: Source has already been founded. Failure to bond will result in CATASTROPHIC FAILURE]


    [Calculating response]


    [Response unfound]


    [No capable hosts exist within dimensional transference]


    [Calculating response]


    [Source: Loop has been deployed without administrative permission]


    [Attemping reacquisition]


    [Source: Loop has-]


    [System error]


    [System restart attempted]


    [System error]


    [User James Matthew Grove¡¯s Source has been initialised]


    [Failure to contain will result in complete timeline collapse of the surrounding quadrant]


    [System priorities reassorting to prevent complete collapse]


    [System permission granted]


    [Source: Loop has begun]

 Chapter 1: The Loop

    Loop 1


    ¡°Waffles aren¡¯t part of the bed in breakfast menu.¡± A familiar voice said, shaking James¡¯ shoulder.


    Immediately he sat up straight and blinked.


    I¡¯m¡­ not dead?


    He was in his room. James blinked again, and then a third time as his brain slowly woke up. His eyes swept the four white walls, lined with shelves full of self-help books, dirty laundry, a cabinet far too big, and one freckly annoying younger brother. James remembered the last moments before waking¡­ vividly.


    Like his mind was covering them with a gentle blanket.


    James recalled feeling a bundle of the most intense emotions he had ever felt in his life but now his heart beat slowly, and his spine was free of cold sweat. His eyes were unburdened by blurry unfocused hatred. He just felt the usual lethargy after waking.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡± Micheal asked, pulling at his shoulder and trying to drag him out of bed. ¡°The waffles aren''t coming to you so get out of bed already!¡±


    Out of curiosity more than anything else James shoved his hand into the teen, pushing him into the pile of dirty laundry. Well, it feels the same. Pushing against his brother''s shirt elicited the kind of resistance in his hand that James would¡¯ve expected. Not wavey and incomplete like physical touch was in a dream.


    While Micheal flourded in the pile of laundry trying to get himself unstuck James reached for his phone and started scrolling through the notifications. There was a message from Jake about a double date.


    He scrolled further.


    News was covering the meteor showers, talking about how amazing astrologists said they were going to look. It didn¡¯t take him long to start getting recommended clips of morning breakfast show hosts gossiping about their plans for the magical evening experience. That was when he decided to put his phone down for the time being.


    Micheal eventually got himself free of the laundry and looked strangely at James when he hadn¡¯t moved from his bed.


    ¡°You gonna come eat or not?¡± He asked, clearly a little confused.


    James wondered about that for a moment.


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    Micheal held him in a stare for a moment.


    ¡°When did you get weird?¡± Micheal said before brisking bolting out the room and slamming the door behind him.


    James instinctually went to cover his ears but then found that the sound seemed¡­ softer. No, that wasn¡¯t it. His fuzzy memories of what had happened before he¡¯d awoken had just been so awfully loud that he couldn¡¯t even hear his breathing anymore.


    Did Micheal turn me into a weirdo?


    James wondered.


    Or have I just gone insane? Was it a dream?


    James decided it had to be. In the spur of the moment, he tore off his pajama top and rubbed where he remembered being stabbed. The pain had felt so visceral. So real. Like magma had been dumped into his innards. James still remembered it clearly, despite the fogginess of the rest of the dream.


    Now it was fine. No bruises. No mark. No scar. Just creme-colored skin.


    Thoughts were spiraling in his head so fast it made him queasy. He did not like thinking about what had happened in the dream, which it obviously had to be. A sick morbid dream of today''s events that was so life-like.


    But some parts that weren¡¯t ¡°life-like¡± were there. James reminded himself, thinking about the burning azure sky.


    The inky eye of hunger and those strange golden words that were etched into his retina. None of that could be real. But James struggled to deny that it felt real. Those feelings still existed vaguely in him.


    That all-consuming fear that froze him looking into the depths of the sky¡¯s eye. How could that not be real? How could a dream make up experiences he¡¯d never experienced? How could it make the purple bruising around Jess¡¯s strangled neck as she begged him for help feel so-


    James blinked, as something in his eye started to burn.


    When he tried to pull it away, he found only wetness.


    He was taken aback.


    I don¡¯t feel sad. James knew he didn¡¯t. But something about those memories, those dreams, brought tears.


    There were many times in James'' life when he had chosen to face pain head-on. To tame that which confused and hurt him. The unknown and the terrifying were not things he hadn¡¯t faced before.


    But for something like this?


    James slumped and stuck his earbuds in, putting on whatever nice song he could find before pulling the covers over. Maybe it was better to take a mental health day today to sort through all this. He felt a little stupid doing it over a dream¡­


    But he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he really, really shouldn¡¯t leave the house today.


    So homebody James it was.


    ***********************


    ¡°Hey, Dad,¡± James said between sips of his coffee, lying across the couch and lazily flipping through channels. ¡°Have you ever had a dream that felt real, but you knew it couldn¡¯t be.¡±


    He heard the big let out a grunt like he¡¯d been forced to think about something he didn¡¯t want. Hugh wasn¡¯t good with emotions. James knew that. He paid his therapist to deal with them for him, which was probably the healthiest way someone like his father could cope with them.


    Micheal had gone to school not twenty minutes ago after James had feigned a tipsy stomach to his dad to get out of going to university. That was the last thing he wanted to do with what was going through his head. He¡¯d already texted Jake and bailed on the date through the excuse of anxiety. It wasn¡¯t a lie, since he was anxious. Just not about meeting women, but rather having a recollection of the day that couldn¡¯t have happened.


    The way his father had brought up the meteor showers and his plans with Mindy was eerily similar to the dream.


    Just gonna ignore it.


    That was the attitude James had decided to take towards his dream. Ignoring it.


    ¡°Is this one of those questions where I¡¯m supposed to assume we¡¯re talking about your mum?¡± Hugh asked, sounding gruff and very unsure.


    ¡°No.¡± James snorted. He didn¡¯t ask Hugh about his mum. He¡¯d learned a very long time ago there was no point. Hugh had grieved his wife, but he¡¯d never blamed James. James didn¡¯t agree. There was no getting over that hurdle of misunderstanding.


    ¡°I¡¯m just talking about like¡­ in general. Have you ever had a dream that felt so real, you couldn¡¯t forget it? Even when you woke up.¡±


    Hugh leaned over the countertop and rubbed his mug, considering for a moment. James could swear he could see the gears slowly starting up behind his dad grey eyes.


    ¡°Nah.¡± He finally said, taking a sip of his coffee. ¡°but if you want to talk about it, I¡¯m all ears. Is this like those ¡®lucid¡¯ dreams that you need a journal for?¡±


    His dad wasn¡¯t perfect, but James could never fault Hugh for not trying. He thought about bringing up the strange¡­ dream to his dad. But something about the way it felt so real made him not want to speak about it aloud. Like so long as he confined it to his thoughts nothing from them would come to pass.


    That was half the reason he chose to stay inside.


    ¡°Not a lucid dream no. Just more like¡­¡± James waved his hands around before giving up. ¡°I can¡¯t explain it well.¡±


    If I don¡¯t even follow that stupid dream, the events can¡¯t have any credence in reality. At least, that was his view of it. Some of the things he dreamed couldn¡¯t possibly come to pass, but James was not one to tempt fate.


    The man he had murdered was just that. A man. James still remembered the feeling of his knuckles breaking against the hard skull and covering them with the wetness of that man¡¯s blood. Screams swirling in with the man¡¯s hands clawing against James'' face. Crying out to the universe for mercy.


    Some part of that James still couldn¡¯t bring himself to believe was a dream.


    He hoped he didn¡¯t have an imagination that could conjure something that terrible.


    An alarm buzzed and pulled him from his thoughts.


    ¡°Well, work commands me. There¡¯s panadol on the fridge if you need it.¡± Hugh said, making his way for the door.


    ¡°Wait.¡± James spouted almost reflexively.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Hugh responded, stopping halfway out the door.


    James swallowed for a second before thinking if he should even bother. It¡¯s not real. There¡¯s no reason to try and stop him from working, and I don¡¯t think dad''s taken a day off since Mum died. Still. Something in him couldn¡¯t just not warn his dad.


    ¡°Be careful today, this meteor stuff might bring out the crazies.¡± He warned Hugh.


    ¡°Will do.¡± Hugh nodded, leaving James alone in the apartment.


    He had hours before Michael would be back. James¡¯ eyes slowly moved to leering at the playstation beneath the living room tv. He could hardly remember the last time he¡¯d just sat down and enjoyed himself.


    Maybe today won¡¯t be so bad. James thought to himself, grabbing the controller.


    ****************************


    ¡°Get him up, Michael. Now.¡±


    ¡°But dad what if he-¡±


    ¡°Now Michael!¡±


    Hugh¡¯s shouts ripped James from his dreamless sleep and he blinked, trying to find himself. He found himself slobbering on the couch with a controller still loosely in his hands and God of War¡¯s loading screen sitting on the tv. A melted bowl of ice cream was precariously close to tipping off the coffee table.


    James yawned, stifling it as well as he could before he stretched off the couch, his back cursing at him for sleeping so awkwardly.


    ¡°What''s go you two in a fuss?¡± He mumbled to himself trying to push away the lethargy. He had to blink a few more times before he got an actual clue of what was going on.


    His father was packing. He had two duffle bags strewn across the countertop and was barking orders at Michael who looked like an anxious wreck. Hugh looked like he¡¯d seen a ghost. His face was perhaps the closest thing to nervous James had ever seen.


    ¡°What''s going on, what happened?¡± James asked, a little louder this time.


    Something in him started sinking. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was his heart or his stomach.


    ¡°It¡¯s not what happened,¡± Hugh said dismissively. His eyes darted at the question. ¡°It¡¯s what¡¯s happening. I.e, us, leaving now. Michael! We¡¯re not bringing the PlayStation.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Michael said, pulling his hands off the cables like he¡¯d been caught with his hands in the cookie jar. He bolted into their shared room, throwing clothes near but not in another duffle bag outside their room.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°James! If you don¡¯t pack your stuff I¡¯m only bringing your pajamas!¡± Michael shouted from his room, and James could sense the frustration in his voice.


    Does he not know why we¡¯re suddenly leaving either? Did Dad just spring this on him? The sinking feeling got a hell of a lot deeper. ¡°Dad, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Hugh threw the bag down onto the countertop and almost snarled at James before pulling himself into some composure. ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I said so.¡±


    James didn¡¯t want to ask. He did anyway. ¡°Did something happen at work-¡±


    ¡°No, nothing fucking happened at work, for the final time. We are leaving. I want to go camping, I¡¯m sick of my job and Mindy. I¡¯d leave you two here if I could.¡± Hugh said, and it almost sounded like he was reeling off every excuse he could think of rather than telling the truth.


    Choosing to take none of it personally James was left with indecision inside of him. He hated confronting his father in the first place. He¡¯d never not found Hugh to be an intimidating man, even as he grew bigger, fitter and stronger then him. His dad just had that much of a commanding presence and self-assured attitude.


    But James didn¡¯t think he had a choice. Not with how frantic his father was. He had to cut to the heart of the problem.


    ¡°You were attacked weren¡¯t you?¡± James asked, praying Hugh was just having a manic episode.


    Instead of answering Hugh¡¯s jaw hung slack, a confused expression painted over his raised brows. The gears in his head were ticking again, at full motion this time. ¡°How did you-¡±


    He paused. Something in his gaze turned heavy. ¡°You knew.¡± Hugh¡¯s weighty gaze fell on James flooding with a mixture of confusion and paranoia. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain on the way,¡± James said. ¡°But you were right. We have to leave. Now.¡±


    The next minutes were a sort of blur for James. Maybe it was because he¡¯d been sleeping moments before. All he knew was that he¡¯d torn the cabinet down and snatched all the clothes he¡¯d ever need along with anything of value, storing it in one of the three duffle bags they took with them.


    Hugh didn¡¯t ask how he had known. He just trusted that if both he and his son judged that they needed to leave then there was no time for questions. The big man damn near sprinted down the stairs with a duffle bag, basic food supplies and blankets for the road. James was almost amazed by his father¡¯s instincts, as they mirrored his own when he¡¯d first come into contact with that awful feeling.


    That the world was about to turn upside down.


    It still took them half an hour to load everything into Hugh¡¯s pick up truck and almost all of that time was filled with his father either barking commands or leaving them both in nervous silence. Despite what he said, James didn¡¯t try to explain his strange dream.


    It can¡¯t be anything but a dream. He refused to give even an inch of that understanding. Eventually, everything was packed in the car and they were allowed to breathe as Hugh drove them through the heavy traffic of Melbourne. If Hugh wasn¡¯t frantically calling Mindy and begging her to stay inside, he was swearing at the traffic and trying to find a quicker way.


    ¡°We need to go northwest, away from the city. It¡¯s quiet out there.¡± James said, flicking through his maps in the passenger seat. The sound of Michael''s Nintendo switch was a constant hum in the background.


    I could tell it was getting on Hugh¡¯s nerves but he didn¡¯t let it show. One look at Michael''s face and it was easy enough to see the bravado had fallen away. James¡¯ knew his brother well enough to know he was scared shitless. Likely because both he and Hugh were worried about something enough to want to leave the city.


    Still, all he could do was try and get them out.


    ¡°We won¡¯t make it out of the city before the meteors come,¡± Hugh said, his voice dripping with something like resignation. ¡°Louie losing it and trying to maul everyone around him. That has to do with the meteor, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Why would you think that?¡± James asked, biting back and looking stunned. How did Hugh piece that together? James found it a pretty far conclusion to draw considering everyone thought the meteor shower was just that.


    A meteor shower.


    ¡°Because you warned me about Louie. You knew, and when I brought up the meteor shower you looked like¡­¡± Hugh didn¡¯t continue that sentence, but James got his point. ¡°Look, if you know what¡¯s happening tell me. Because I¡¯m as confused as a homeless man under house arrest.¡±


    James grabbed onto the roof as Hugh preformed some rather aggressive driving, switching between lanes like they were different samples to try at cosco. He swallowed down the words that wanted to come out. Some part of him really wanted to tell others about the dream.


    But he couldn¡¯t.


    A cold shudder went through him at the thought of believing any of it was real.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Call premonition, but I was right about your work. Something awful could happen and we shouldn¡¯t be near this many people when it does.¡± James advised. Hugh seemed to take it as a fair warning, and starting being more aggressive with his driving.


    James checked his phone while they weaved through cars, cursing as the time to the meteor shower got closer and closer. It was minutes now until the sky woud¡­ no, there was no certainly that would happen again. He kept checking in between guiding his father, praying they¡¯d make it out of at least the CBD and knowing that wasn¡¯t going to happen.


    ¡°James, what¡¯s happening?¡± A shaky voice whispered behind his seat, tearing him out of his manic state.


    James could see him in the rearview mirror. His normally annoying brother looked afraid. Terrified.


    ¡°Nothing, just focus on your game,¡± James said, gently. His brother was thirteen but he was still young. Trying to convey to him what might be the severity of his premonition, one he was starting to believe was very real, wouldn¡¯t help the boy. ¡°And don¡¯t look up.¡±


    The meteor shower was almost on them. They had their backs to the part of the horizon it had begun at, starting at 8:43 Pm.


    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t take the tunnel,¡± James warned as they headed straight for it. The least convoluted way out of the center of Melbourne and also the most chaotic. It was already jammed full of cars.


    We can¡¯t get stuck there.


    ¡°There is no other way to go,¡± Hugh growled, beeping at the person in front of him as if it would calm him. It did not.


    James knew that. They couldn¡¯t turn back. He just knew what was coming, and it made driving into a tight tunnel underground seem like a death sentence. What if anarchy broke out there.


    Slowly they made their way through the tunnel, going at a snails pace as the traffic slowed and and slowed further until they were on the lip of the tunnel, so close to it¡¯s exit. James felt hopeful for as he could see the stars in the nightsky ahead of them.


    Then the hope was stolen by washing streaks of azure that spelled doom.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Hugh murmured to himself as he gazed up into the azure skym crashing and colluding as bolts of light begun to fall. The emotions in his voice were much the same as the torrent James felt.


    Awe at the majesty of the sight. Confusion at how something so real could be served before their eyes. Tension as the thick anxiety spread throughout the world full of people asking the same questions and finally something deeper.


    The first emotion anyone felt, as old as the very sky that was falling before them.


    Sheer, primal fear.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Michael asked the question everyone in the car was thinking.


    What do we do when the sky is falling? James¡¯ hadn¡¯t had much to think about in his premonition but honestly, he wasn¡¯t sure. Run? Hide? Cry? Beg for mercy? Pray to any god that would listen?


    He didn¡¯t have a clue and that was terrifying in itself. The sinking feeling inside him grew a magnitude higher, then eclipsed when the familiar golden words carved themselves into his view.


    Suddenly he realised what that sinking feeling was.


    Like I¡¯m heading off a cliff, only this time I can see it. But he couldn¡¯t stop it. Like his brakes had burned out.


    [Congratulations, you have been witnessed and your Spark has been deemed worthy of the System¡¯s touch.]


    James remembered those words, though he couldn¡¯t say he understood them. What was a Spark? What did the ¡°Systems touch¡± entail, exactly? He¡¯d pieced together, now he thought about it, that Jess must¡¯ve seen the same thing. The armored man to-


    I didn¡¯t warn them. The thought was an icy grip on James¡¯ mind. Because he hadn¡¯t wanted to pay the premonition credence, he hadn¡¯t warned Jake. Were they all still there at the park? Amy, Jess and him.


    Oh god. Oh no-


    [Congratulations, you¡¯ve defeated an Invited Spark and earned the rights associated]


    [Congratulations, you¡¯ve completed the first invitation {Defeat a Spark}]


    [Quest reward for {Defeat a Spark} have been logged. The System has melded the branches of your potential and founded your Source]


    The flurry of golden messages stole any concentration James had left, leaving him suspended. Frozen for a moment. He¡¯d defeated a spark? He¡¯d defeated an Invited Spark? What does any of this even mean?


    The only thing he understood, ironically enough, was the invitation. It was simple, and he could sense it intrinsically as if the golden words put the concept of what it meant into his head. He had to defeat a Spark.


    But I¡­ am a Spark? He was a Spark, that¡¯s what the golden words said. Did that mean people were Sparks? He felt like he was on the verge of realizing something, then Hugh¡¯s shouting broke through his thoughts.


    ¡°Get out of the car!¡± Hugh screamed almost toppling him out of the car.


    Michael had gone completely silent, standing under Hugh and keeping his head down. Like James had advised. The traffic had come to a standstill and a chaos almost identical to that of the park was playing out. Except, James couldn''t see them. The cliff. People like the armored man he¡¯d¡­


    ¡°Dammit James we¡¯ve got to go!¡± Hugh shouted pushing past others and trying to shelter Michael at the same time.


    James didn¡¯t need to be told twice.


    There was running, and there was screaming aplenty around James but he focused on his father and brother. They were the only ones he could spare attention to and from what he could tell, there weren¡¯t any pychos here like there had been at the park. Which in itself was strange, but James didn¡¯t have time to think about it.


    He didn¡¯t have time to think about anything. All the three of them could do was manuver themselves through the chaos as well as they could. Some people were huddling into groups around them, trying to decide what to do amongst themselves. James could see police sirens at the edge of the tunnel. They looked just as confused, with their guns at the ready.


    Are they setting up a barricade? James wonder-


    [System warning: Quadrant Timeline on the verge of collapse]


    Timeline collapse? That sounded not good. Possibly worse then line of police with guns, not so gently ushering everyone back into the tunnels. But Timeline collapse was a lot less of a real threat then shrapnel and gunpowder to James, so he ignored it, pressing on into the crowd with Hugh and Michael.


    ¡°Let us through!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this!¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t what this country stands for?¡±


    Voices shouted out randomly, voicing their fears and want to the row of police. In response, a well-armored one spoke into a megaphone.


    ¡°Do not be alarmed. Stay inside your vehicles. This tunnel has been cordoned off for the safety of the general public. Please abide by law enforcement-¡±


    ¡°Fuck that, let us through!¡± A particularly rough-looking teenager shouted.


    ¡°Yeah, you can¡¯t do this!¡±


    A certain air shifted in the mass of people at the front parts of the tunnel entrance and James got a creeping feeling the whole thing might turn sour fast. Mob mentality was a dangerous thing. He¡¯d seen enough movies. Everyone knew where this might go. The police had guns, but they were hopelessly outnumbered by scared and angry people.


    Fear did dangerous things.


    ¡°We should move back into the tunnel,¡± James said lightly to Hugh and he nodded stiffly.


    Hugh had been managing construction crews for years. He could tell the same as James when a group of people were about to riot. They started edging their way back towards Hugh¡¯s pickup, when a low steadying rumbling reverberated around them.


    [System warning: Timeline collapse imminent]


    Great! Thanks for the heads up. James wanted to scream in the system¡¯s face but he was far more concerned with the steady rumbling around them. It had started low and far, but within seconds got louder and started to shake the concrete around them.


    A small, almost imperceptible thrill ran up James¡¯ spine as he looked into the tunnel and noticed how the sounds of chaos coming from the other side had been replaced with a low grinding to join the rumble. He felt his hands shiver as he saw the distant tunnel lights wink out on after the other, coming towards him.


    ¡°RU-¡± He flinched as he yelled feeling something dangerous rush towards them before the world just winked out of existence.


    Very abruptly, James found himself suspended in¡­ nothing.


    Huh. weird. All the rushing emotion and adrenaline was gone. Suddenly James felt no fear, no anxiety, no worry. No nothing. Not even peace. Someone had just taken a clever to where his emotions had been and forgotten to put something in its place.


    [System notice: Timeline collapse suspended]


    Oh, that''s good, right? James thought so. Timeline collapse sounded like not the best, so avoiding that by suspending it was going in the right direction.


    [Congragulations your Source has been formed]


    That''s also good. James noted. Well, he didn¡¯t know if that was good. The golden words did seem more inviting now though with the complete elapse of everything around him. Maybe now was a good time to think about their purpose, considering he wasn¡¯t worried about anything.


    [Source: ERROR]


    There was a sharp cracking noise, like something in the void around them had collapsed on itself and then the golden words started to flicker violently. James tried to cover his ears from the overwhelming screech of the words crackling but they just kept coming. The golden words didn¡¯t just form in front of him, they formed all around him.


    [Source: ERROR]


    All of the golden words fizzled out beside the one in front of James that had begun to twitch like it was alive.


    [Source: I SEE YOU]


    Then the world went dark.


    *******************


    Loop 2


    ¡°Waffles aren¡¯t part of the bed in breakfast menu.¡± A familiar voice said, shaking James¡¯ shoulder.


    What?


    James straightened himself like an arrow, blinking the sleep away at the familiar sight of his¡­ room.


    ¡°What?¡± He said aloud, very confused and not enjoying it.


    ¡°The waffles,¡± Michael said, looking taken aback. ¡°They¡¯re ready.¡±


    His brother looked at him oddly and seemed to back away slowly. James shoved him into the laundry. He felt real. It felt real.


    The only words that escaped James'' mouth summarised his complete and utter confusion


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±

 Chapter 2: Daunting Reality

    Loop 5


    There wasn¡¯t a simple way to put it. James had days worth of time to try and express his feelings about it.


    But after living the same awful day over and over for five days. Five Loops. James figured he could sum it up quite easily.


    ¡°This is bullshit.¡± James moaned after he¡¯d shooed Michael out of his room. And entirely unreal, completely nonsensical and-


    Kind of awesome. Well, it would¡¯ve been awesome if it were any other day, but James supposed it being the day everything went to shit made some sense. When else would you need to rewind time?


    He still had a mountain worth of questions he couldn¡¯t write down because notepads reset, but after five days James had figured out the basics of this whole fun fest. He was trapped in time or maybe saved by it depending on how you thought about it. His day always started with Mike of all people shoving his shoulder. It always ended with the golden words of whatever the ¡°System¡± was glitching then winking out of existence with the world itself.


    I see you. That was the only noticeable difference that had occurred on his first Loop because those golden words hadn¡¯t appeared again. James had tried sleeping before the chaos occurred on his last Loop, which worked out with Hugh shaking him awake and demanding they leave.


    Then the world had winked out of existence.


    9:03 is when it all goes black. Thanks to the effort of staring at the clock in his room on the third Loop, he knew as much. If I have it right, I wake up at 7:13, which leaves me what? Thirteen hours and fifty minutes, give or take James calculated.


    So now I guess I¡¯m left with questions. James realised, perfectly aware of his complete lack of awareness of what the hell was going on. He could bullet-point his main worries pretty easily.


    Why was the day Looping?


    Did it serve some purpose?


    Could he leave?


    What was the System?


    Were there others who Looped with him?


    Was any of this real?


    The last question he¡¯d solved on his own after five Loops. It was real. He was sure of it. This wasn¡¯t some weird dream or premonition like he¡¯d originally guessed. James was in a day that kept repeating itself.


    That first horrible day hadn¡¯t been a dream.


    I killed someone. The system reminded him of it every time it returned. James wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about it, but that was mainly because it didn¡¯t feel real yet, even now. That whole first night with the meteors felt like a dream-turned nightmare.


    Jess. That curling purple bruise around her neck haunted him almost as much as the image of the armored man''s bashed face. James had made it a habit to warn Jake, even going so far as to call him on the last Loop, but he had no way of knowing how effective it was without being there with him.


    Jake is the type to ignore my advice if he doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m serious. His best friend had a hard time reading through the lines. He¡¯d still text him every Loop, but James decided that he should check up on him physically.


    That sorted, James was left with his last question. The most important one?


    ¡°What do I do now?¡± He mumbled to himself, unsure.


    How long did he have in a repeating day? Was he meant to try and prevent some-


    No.


    James scoffed at even thinking like that. That black pupil in the sky gazing down at him couldn¡¯t be prevented by mortal hands. No matter how much time he had. Preventing wasn¡¯t an option. So what could James do?


    What was he supposed to do?


    His thoughts drifted to the silent few who had gazed up at the sky¡¯s eye and the lack of fear they had for it. They were waiting. Did they know? He wondered. While everyone else was consumed by terror, they faced the oncoming storm with¡­ anticipation.


    No. that''s wrong too.


    The man he¡¯d killed. James had felt it. He wasn¡¯t just ready for whatever the eye in the sky promised with its golden words. The maniac was excited. How many people were there across not just Melbourne, but Australia and the world itself that knew and were excited about the change? They had been preparing for god knows how long.


    Then¡­ that''s what I have to do. James realised as he thought it through, an almost grim determination as all the images of fear and chaos that spawned after the meteors played in his mind.


    I have to prepare. Whatever is coming after today, it isn¡¯t going to be any better.


    He had a chance to ready himself, one he wouldn¡¯t have had before. James could protect his family, his friends.


    Anyone who deserved it.


    The Loop gave him time. Time had come to a standstill, for him.


    I can¡¯t just stand still with it.


    Never again.


    *****************


    ¡°Will the government come looking for me if I look this up?¡± James wondered, typing then backspacing the word ¡°Spark¡± into his university library computer.


    He¡¯d pieced together that a Spark was a person. Sort of. At least he assumed so. Could it be animals too? Possibly, but for now, he just conceptualised down to people. Not all people though. Now that James was thinking about it there were people who seemed drawn into looking at blank spaces in front of them once the golden words appeared, but it wasn¡¯t all people.


    Certainly not Michael or his dad.


    Your Spark has been deemed worthy. Implied that people could have Sparks and not be worthy of the system''s touch. Was the System¡¯s touch even a good thing? James felt like he might¡¯ve been getting ahead of himself.


    The first thing to do was research. He had one of his doodle notepads next to him and had written down everything most fictional characters in a repeating day did. Suffice to say it was pretty easily broken down.


    One: Learn to be a better person.


    Pretty straightforward. James wasn¡¯t against learning to be more empathetic.


    Two: Learn the habits, likes, and dislikes of people around you while tracking the events of the day so you can capitalize on the most optimal approach to the day.


    I¡¯m not a fan, but I guess I¡¯ll consider it. He didn¡¯t for a second like the idea of abusing the privileges that came with being in a Loop. Then again, if it would make the people he cared about safer James was more than willing to tweak the events of the day in his favor. Would he rob banks with perfect accuracy and abuse every possible advantage in his favor regardless of morality?


    No.


    Would James certainly try to duplicate his savings tenfold by following any gambling that day and taking surefire bets he knew would win?


    Absolutely.


    Third: Become skilled in any and everything that could possibly be helpful or was just fun. Piano, martial arts, astronomy.


    Living in the city and having the internet means I can probably learn anything, given enough time. But it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d magically get good at these things. James realised that fiction and reality were not the same, as much as they¡¯d been merging of recent. He¡¯d have to learn step by step, everything that would be helpful to him.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    That was incredibly daunting to accept.


    ¡°Jazz?¡±


    James'' eyes shot up from his table as his best friend broke the library¡¯s cardinal law. Speaking.


    ¡°What are you doing here Jake?¡± James asked, feeling as if someone had found him doing something he shouldn¡¯t have. Not that Jake would be able to piece it together but still.


    The tall, but not as tall as him, young adult brushed his blonde sandy hair to the side dramatically. ¡°Looking for you.¡±


    Jake said it deeply and with a serious expression like he was on some mission of paramount importance. Does¡­ does he know? James considered for a moment before Jake¡¯s sneer turned into a shit-eating grin.


    James kicked him in the shin.


    ¡°Ow, ow, ow. You know shin shots are off limits.¡± Jake said hopping in his black chinos while gripping his hurt shin. ¡°I¡¯m just wandering around while I wait for Amy to finish her history class. How does history even have anything to do with architecture?¡±


    He pulled a chair away from a nearby desk and sat down, huffing in excitement. James chose to tactfully move the notes away from Jake¡¯s notice. Dont want him getting any ideas.


    ¡°So why are you here?¡± Jake queried, spinning one of James¡¯ many pens. ¡°I thought you hated the library.¡±


    ¡°Research. The kind I need a computer I don¡¯t have at home for.¡± James answered, then added. ¡°And I do hate the library. It¡¯s soul-sucking.¡±


    Jake turned around to look at the library and then nodded at that assessment. The stone grey walls and lines upon lines of white rowed books shelves were certainly efficient. But it one wanted to stimulate learning, maybe making the space feel like a prison wasn¡¯t the best option.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just buy a laptop?¡± Jake said with a shrug.


    ¡°Because it costs a lot of money dude.¡±


    ¡°But you have a lot of money, don¡¯t you?¡±


    James stared at him for a good few seconds.


    My friend is an idiot. Wait a minute. If the day reset, his savings would reset with it too. He had a sizable chunk of that just waiting for use. Maybe buying a laptop to research at home wasn¡¯t the complete waste of money he thought it was.


    James squinted at Jake.


    He¡¯s still bad with money.


    ¡°Is there something on my face?¡± Jake asked when he¡¯d been starring too long.


    ¡°No, no I was just wondering?¡± James said eyeing his notepad skills to learn list. ¡°If you could learn any skill you wanted, right now, what would you choose?¡±


    ¡°Sushi chef.¡±


    ¡°Wait what?¡±


    ¡°Imagine it. I could make my own gourmet sushi, any time I wanted.¡±


    James felt a little dizzy. Jake¡¯s instant answer without even thinking about it had blindsided him a lot more than he would¡¯ve imagined. Sushi was good, that was undeniable. But how did his friend just pull that off the top of his head?


    It was such a specific skill and one of the few James was pretty sure he couldn¡¯t learn. He hadn¡¯t even known Jake liked sushi that much. How could he?


    Jake seemed happy in his own world imagining all the delicious- actually, being a sushi chef does sound pretty sweet.


    ¡°Do you think they teach that in Melbourne?¡± James asked. He tried to keep his tone neutral and not notice Jake salivating at the thought of endless sushi.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± He said excitedly once he woke up from his daydream. ¡°But that¡¯s what we have this for!¡±


    Before James could ask he was shoved aside out of his place on the desk as Jake took over the computer he was using.


    **************


    Loop 7


    James threw his idea of a good punch at his instructor''s pad and felt it slip off as the Swedish man pulled back, throwing a sweeping kick to his shin guard. James tried to pull his foot away as he cringed at the memory taking his first kick to the leg. He received a swift jab to the sternum amidst moving his foot, which stole his balance.


    Like that, he toppled over like an idiot for the thousandth time.


    Numb vibration sent small creaks of pain through his body as he hit the mat. Air escaped him twice before his third breath managed to catch some, causing James to rub his solar plexus in annoyance. The bruise was already forming even when his instructor went easy.


    Muay Thai is hard. He groaned. James had decided after his first session in the last Loop that karate wasn¡¯t what he needed. After a few hours of research, he¡¯d found this little small muay tai gym that had produced two of the last eight state champions. Muay Thai was also much closer to the type of practical striking he wanted to learn.


    Having always considered himself a fairly capable person, it came as a hard shock to realise just how inept he was at defending himself unarmed.


    The sweetish instructor offered a hand up and James happily took it, swallowing the spit that kept forming in his mouth guard.


    ¡°We can take breaks, young man,¡± Leo suggested, with his hardy iron voice. ¡°You won¡¯t learn all there is to teach in one day.¡±


    About that¡­ Time loop puns were beneath him, James had decided. Not forever, but the feeling was still too fresh.


    ¡°Taking a break would be nice,¡± James said with shaky legs, wiping away sweat and staring at the clock. ¡°But I¡¯m fine to keep going.¡±


    The meteor shower was barely half an hour away, and he¡¯d already been there for hours. It frustrated James to think he would waste what time he had left in the day. He couldn¡¯t do anything else productive, so he may as well keep going, as physically taxing as it was.


    May as well build some extra muscle memory if the world was going to reset anyway. Wait, do I even build muscle memory? If it he didn¡¯t that would pose another problem entirely.


    ¡°Take your stance when you''re ready then,¡± Leo mumbled, taking his stance before adding in a softer voice. ¡°You did pay for the whole day.¡±


    And it had cost James almost a fifth of his savings. A sobering and saddening moment considering all the hard work he¡¯d put into gathering that money.


    James readied himself again, checking his padded shin guards, gloves and headgear before getting into a stance. Leo hadn¡¯t wanted to train him this way, but James had insisted on being physical for the sheer fact that he didn¡¯t want to learn muay thai. He wanted to learn to fight.


    Three seconds later a kick to the thigh dropped him to one knee before falling backwards. The bruise protested when he got back up.


    Four seconds past that, James tried to throw a low kick and just fell from poor form and balance.


    The next thirty minutes continued in the same manner. James fell unceremoniously or was kicked around like a rag doll. There was no emotion, rage, or indignation to cover up the pain like James was used to. He found it damn near impossible to stand when Leo suddenly stopped at the sounds of panicking echoing outside the gym.


    Leo who had been readying himself with an expression of almost pity went rigid when the golden word appeared in front of James¡¯ face. He ignored them, and their warnings like he had started doing, instead focusing on how Leo¡¯s face crunched, staring into a blank space in front of him.


    ¡°Weird golden words in front of ya?¡± James queried and Leo immediately shot him a confused look. He¡¯d been keeping professional for their session but that composure had shattered.


    Leo frowned, then pulled his buzzing phone from his pocket.


    That frown slowly turned into a much more desperate and aghast expression. Leo was sprinting towards the gym''s exit before he even got the chance to take his pads off, throwing them to the side when he couldn¡¯t open the door.


    He didn¡¯t even acknowledge James in his hurry, leaving the man alone in a gym that certainly wasn¡¯t his.


    Yeah, that''s the more natural reaction to disaster. James thought, sitting on the mat and twiddling his thumbs.


    Shocking how quickly people adjusted to things. The azure sky was still daunting to look at. The eye behind it still capable of inducing a primal terror inside James. But here? Inside the gym with the window shutters down and only small echos of chaos through the concrete walls and techno playlist.


    ¡°In here, it doesn¡¯t even feel like the world is ending,¡± James mumbled.


    A small pulse of sorrow pulled his heartstrings. Loneliness was hardly a thing James had never felt he struggled with, but¡­


    It¡¯s like I¡¯m in a safe little bubble and while everyone else bands together against the horrors on the horizon¡­ I¡¯m all alone.


    James hadn¡¯t considered it that way before. He¡¯d never even felt that way before. Being inside a bubble that protected him from harm had only been a blessing. But a small wisp of loneliness still tried to blow out his hopes.


    ¡°What am I even meant to be doing here?¡±


    The world sounded pessimistic yet it was more of a question than a plea. What was his purpose in all this? The universe had always marveled James. He was so small and it was so big. The unknown always felt so exciting even as it was daunting. But now the unknown had become his reality, and James still had little to no answers for any of it.


    That made him feel small.


    Not the humbling type of small, but the oppressive type that waged against his sense of importance.


    James had always been filled with uncertainty about his place in the world. It was a constant, nagging void he filled with the only thing he thought could. Living a good life. A kind one. A generous one. One where he was a little flower that grew on people''s porch. Not the most notable, but there. Quiet but helpful and never afraid to put in a hard day''s work.


    As he felt the weight of the world fade away and everything elapse into an abyss, the young man contemplated who he wanted to be.


    A kind stranger. A loyal friend. A protective brother. I¡­ want to be greater than the sum of my parts.


    Painful memories flowed naturally into his mind in the abyss, with only its golden words as a distraction. Thankfully there was no emotion in the abyss or James might¡¯ve tucked his feelings away as he¡¯d always done. Truly, he considered his life.


    From the start, it hadn¡¯t been an easy one. The turbulent mixture of his quiet nature, his father''s blanket denial, a cruel self-hatred resulted in him never really moving past the worst moments of his life.


    Still.


    I want to put more into the world than I received.


    Was it even possible to fashion good from bad? Could he put a positive value into the world when it seemed to have dealt him such a negative hand? The answer was a simple one.


    I have to.


    There was no other way about it. James grinned at the thought of such a future. A giddy grin.


    Then the world went dark.

 Chapter 3: Wanderer

    Loop 56


    This is such a dumb idea.


    Cold chill bit at his skin and it wasn¡¯t just because the season never changed from mid-winter. The bond between altitude and freezing winds was always vexing to James. He liked heights and pretty views but twenty years worth of winters James had his fill of the cold. James found it unfortunate most of his nice views were tainted by those freezing winds.


    But today, he¡¯d have to grin and bear it.


    The sight of towers and skyscrapers among city bustle and a decently sunny June morning greeted him. His feet trembled a little, staring up at the never-ending towers of concrete and glass all around him. His apartment building was tall, but not that tall. Unconsciously his eyes turned back to glimpse at the door to the stairwell.


    He¡¯d leveraged it open with a rock. Even though getting stuck up here wasn¡¯t a problem for him. James wasn¡¯t planning on going back down those stairs. Although he was still planning on going down. Just to sate a curiosity that¡¯d been growing at the back of his mind.


    To think I¡¯m wasting valuable time here. There were a million better things he could do. I think I¡¯m on the cusp of mastering brownies. Among the more useful skills James chose to sharpen, he always let himself have a single fun one. This week was baking. Next was archery.


    Legolas ain¡¯t going to have shit on me.


    ¡°Now but to the conundrum at hand,¡± James said in a shivering voice, banishing the distracting thoughts.


    He took careful steps towards the edge of his apartment building''s roof, careful not to let the bustle below see him. James wasn¡¯t trying to garner attention. He was trying to test a curiosity that had been plaguing him in the back of his mind since the first Loop.


    Could he die?


    James certainly didn¡¯t want to, but he subconsciously had a feeling he couldn¡¯t. Normally, having a suspicion you might¡¯ve been an immortal was not a good enough excuse to test the theory.


    But enough completely unbelievable happened in James'' average days that he could sparsely believe immortality was beyond him.


    He planted his boot on the very edge, shaking a little bit at the sheer depth between himself and the concrete pavement. Seeing the average human crowded hustle and bustle didn¡¯t settle the nerves swaying his stomach.


    For some reason, he felt excited. James would be remiss to admit he was deeply afraid as well. What if he wasn¡¯t going to come back when the Loop reset? I guess it won''t be a problem for me, because I¡¯ll be dead. True enough, but he recognised immediately that wasn¡¯t a healthy train of logic.


    His nose twitched at the faint scent of corner shop donuts beneath. Almost tempting to take the fast way down.


    ¡°This is so stupid,¡± James repeated, eyes transfixed on the ground.


    Even as his hands started to sweat and he felt a need to take a deep gulp, the idea still seemed to grasp him wholly.


    Is it curiosity that makes me feel like I need to do this?


    It wasn¡¯t. James knew it was because he was sick of living through the last part of the day. The world ending was something he had gotten used to but that didn¡¯t change the frustration and guilt he felt every time he saw his brother¡¯s fear, or his father''s anxious dread. More than that though, James couldn¡¯t get the thought of his brother out of his head in the recent Loops.


    Not after he¡¯d seen him die. Thinking about it even now was put a knot in his stomach and made him want to gag. His father had insisted they leave through the tunnel and Mike had gotten lost in the crowd pushing against the police barricade. Something had made them antsy on that Loop, causing a stampede that swallowed Mike before James could get to him.


    That had been a Loop in the forties. More than a week in actual time, but James couldn¡¯t get the memory out of his head. Like it had been mere moments since he¡¯d heard his brother screaming and rushed through the crowd.


    I¡¯m going to hug that annoying bastard so hard he chokes. James resolved. Ever since he¡¯d seen that James had debated if it was necessary to let the day go on to that grim ending every single time.


    A silent determination steeped itself in James¡¯ heart and he stepped onto the edging, taking in the ground and the vast fall before him.


    ¡°If I¡¯m wrong and this is the end.¡± James felt a cheeky grin break onto his face.


    ¡°I regret nothing!¡±


    Then he was falling, the wind speeding past his face as gravity pulled him into her sweet grasp. The weightlessness soon turned to nauseous as the speeding ground grew closer and closer. Distant screams scratched at his ears but he barely heard them before-


    Loop 57


    ¡°Waffles aren¡¯t part of the bed-¡±


    James tackled his brother into the laundry, laughing as the world around him settled into existence again.


    ¡°It worked!¡± He shouted, hugging his brother hard enough to elicit a groan out of the freckly teenager.


    Mike struggled in his brotherly love, clawing at his arms and failing miserably to combat James¡¯ strength. Nevertheless, he tried to escape, with muffled screams but James held firm. How could Michael beat someone who was immortal?


    **********************


    Loop 238


    ¡°Seriously don¡¯t understand why you settled on birthday cake.¡±


    Jake shot him a confused look while stealthy moving his fork toward the rainbow cake between them. James chose not to call him out on his hypocrisy and just let the man have his cake and eat it too. The cake was a good one, flavored chocolate like any good cake was.


    James had decided it was his birthday this Loop. It should¡¯ve been close. He was closing in on two hundred and fortyish Loops from his count and his birthday was right around there. Maybe it wasn¡¯t exactly the sixteenth of February but small details like that didn¡¯t matter to James. Not really.


    The Loop takes place on the twelfth of June so it¡¯s gotta be kinda close from my math. James had concluded, deciding that this Loop would be his MHL.


    Mental Health Loop.


    That term had come into existence when he¡¯d had a particularly distressing Loop.


    Just forget about the giant tunnel snake. It wasn¡¯t real. There is no giant tunnel snakes. James told himself, struggling to perform effective hypnosis on his himself. He dipped his hand into the birthday cake while he schooled Jake with the other hand. When he saw Jake frowning at James performing a nonchalant onesided beat down James decided maybe he should take it a little bit more seriously.


    They went a few more rounds of Smash Bro¡¯s before Jake tapped out in favor of binging a movie. The young man lounged on the other side of the channel, staring intently in James'' direction as the movie played in the background.


    ¡°You doing alright now?¡± He asked. ¡°Any chance double date is still on the table.¡±


    James shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m on a MHL. No stressful encounters, doctors orders.¡±


    Jake gave him a funny look and swiped his blonde hair.


    ¡°What¡¯s an MHL?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear that,¡± James replied curtly.


    ¡°Sureeeeee.¡± Jake spat, sipping his water.


    Having Jake around was quickly becoming one of James¡¯ MHL pillars, along with minimal physical excretion, absolutely no Loop learning and the most painless early reset he could get his hands on easily. He always came when James called and readily dropped the double date to make sure his friend was okay. The first MHL he¡¯d been frantic over the phone. Jake had calmed him down, all day. For three Loops in a row. It made James feel extremely guilty about his early resets, even when he knew he shouldn¡¯t.


    When did I start thinking of death as ¡°early reset¡± James wondered, sipping his own drink. He tried not to think of the implications immortality might put on his life moving on past the Loop. There was certainly going to be a lack of self-preservation for awhile. He felt confident a few near deaths would fix that though.


    Death was no nearly as efficient when it stuck.


    And thinking of what it might do to the people he cared about caused his eyes to linger on Jake, idly watching the movie and his phone.


    ¡°You want sushi?¡±


    Jake perked up. ¡°You buying?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m making.¡± James corrected, rising to his feet.


    He strolled to the kitchen and got out all the essential ingredients he always had delivered at the start of his Loops. They weren¡¯t of the freshest quality, but they would do for rudimentary stuff. James set about crafting his fine culinary pieces. Jake watched him like a hawk.


    Soon a soft smell of rice and soysouce prevaded the apartment. Jake didn¡¯t say anything to him while James was cooking the food. When they were eating it was a different story.


    ¡°Since when could you make sushi?¡± Jake asked.


    He seemed perplexed.


    James just shrugged.


    ¡°I had some free time to learn it. I¡¯m still not the best.¡±


    Jake took one big gulp after he¡¯d slathered his plate with soy sauce. ¡°This is pretty damn amazing for ¡®not the best¡¯ dude.¡±


    ¡°If I wanted to make it better I''d probably need to go to Japan.¡± James said, thinking about it. Remembering all the cuts and endless harassment from the sushi chefs he¡¯d worked under.


    You could pay people to teach you that kind of thing if you offered them enough money. Not the truly skilled ones, but James had run through at least three chefs who could make pretty impressive sushi. None of them were the revered type of sushi chefs who served fancy five-star restaurants but they were close enough.


    He¡¯d need credentials he just couldn¡¯t obtain to work under those people. Short of kidnapping them there wasn¡¯t much he could do. James¡¯ savings weren¡¯t enough for them to get them to blink, let alone dedicate time to teaching him.


    Trying to innovate from what others taught you and learn the secrets of the masters on your own was going poorly for James. Natural talent for cooking was not something he possessed. Improving upon his foundations with repetition was his only real path to improvement at the point the looper had reached.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got to go together.¡±


    James fell out of his thoughts and back to reality. He tended to do that a lot nowadays. There was a sinking feeling that accompanied it. James had no idea what the feeling was, but it was like a razor-sharp claw gently but constantly pushing into his innards.


    ¡°Go where together?¡± James asked, slightly confused.


    Jake raised his hands on the table with an excited smirk. ¡°Japan, dude. Me and you. Like a boy''s trip. That would be awesome.¡±


    A trip to Japan with just the two of them.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± James agreed readily. ¡°That would be awesome.¡±


    James found it better to leave out that it was physically impossible to get to Japan inside the Loop.


    Maybe we¡¯ll go once I¡¯m out of the Loop. If Japan still exists.


    There was a decent chance it would, but you never knew.


    ***************


    Loop 1,214


    Snow was a rarity in Australia.


    The climate was allergic to it most of the year, only opening up for a short time during the middling months of winter. Like a miracle, sometimes it showed up in the oddest of places around Australia, like the weather had simply forgotten how to behave.


    That was, unless you were high up.


    Mountain ranges that stretched 1km above sea level were the only real places where you could count on snowfall. The brilliant freezing white was a rare thing indeed for Australians. Snow was a common annoyance during winter. It was an occasion that the lucky got to enjoy, whether as a fun trip or a vacation.


    With that being said, a shirtless young man moving dancing through the snow was not something normal. Especially for Australia.


    But there was no denying that, away from prying eyes and just outside a cabin he¡¯d rented, the lean youth was moving through martial forms like he was out of a movie. From his frigid expression, he was clearly not enjoying it.


    ¡°Wind sucks,¡± James said out of clattering teeth, being sure to keep his limbs moving.


    He had learned the first time he¡¯d tried to practice his martial arts in the snow that movement was key. Without blood flow constantly, his limbs would quickly stiffen. Long enough like that would lead to crippling hypothermia. The long-term ramifications weren¡¯t a problem for James.


    Seeing his foot frozen the colour of coal was.


    The wind here was the same as the wind on top of buildings, only a thousand times worse. Anytime he caught a stray breeze it bit into his skin like poison, seeping into his muscles and trying to sap the warmth from him. The looper knew he had to keep moving.


    That was why he practiced like this, even when the pain got so cold it became hot.


    His feet slide through the cold plushy snow, pushing until he was sure of balance. Then he kicked at the cold winds like he could destroy them. No windy screams came. Only his labored breath froze against his face.


    That didn¡¯t deter James.


    He had grown to like the sanctity of cold here, though he tended to stay inside the cabin he rented on MHL¡¯s.


    Snow Loops were the most interesting type he¡¯d stumbled upon once he broke the thousand mark. That was almost three years of Loops, but James was past the point where he found it wise to dwell on such things. The ravages of time couldn¡¯t affect his body, but he had become acquainted with the fact that they could scrap at his mind.


    Snow¡¯s so pretty.


    James found it hard to imagine that all the white was little flakes of perfect crystalline-formed water. All packed together by the atmosphere and then dispersed in a titanic display of elegance.


    He pulled his foot back and readied his balance, then kicked again. Somewhere on his fourth snow Loop he¡¯d gotten the hang of balancing on one foot in snow and it was a very handy skill. The kicks he threw had all come out much harder since he¡¯d mastered that form of snow balance, but James still wasn¡¯t satisfied.


    When was the last time I challenged Leo? At least a hundred Loops. His last fight with the kind Swedish man had been short and uniform. James wasn¡¯t convinced he was better than Leo. He just knew Leo. He knew the Leo of today perfectly. What jabs he would throw. How his left elbow was injured. How a well-placed calf kick to his left leg would send him sprawling.


    James didn¡¯t consider that skill, and it upset him.


    Snow Loops were surprisingly good for his mental state, but they also allowed James to practice his physical capacities under extremely adverse conditions.


    The looper¡¯s foot collected glistening white powder as he lifted his foot then it fell away when he striked at the oncoming winds.


    Snow Loops also helped with his meditation. The cold truly did help focus his mind now that it tended to wander more than he would¡¯ve liked. James knew that his brain craved stimulation now that it had caught up to the facade of a day he lived in.


    He let his leg fall and steadied himself in the snow. Cold embers burned against his skin. His feet felt like they were submerged in beneath the world itself. James felt a certain peace enter his bones as the cold settled into them.


    Is that the kind of cold that overshadows my death?


    The looper had no clue. Slowly he let himself fall to his knee, kneeling in the snow and focusing solely on steading his breath the the beat of his heart. Every time he came to the snow, it beat slower and slower.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Because it trusted him.


    Or maybe he trusted the snow?


    Maybe I trust myself?


    James wasn¡¯t sure, but he knew the snow helped with whatever it was. The questions he always tried to not think about felt safer here.


    Snow started piling on his body but James trusted his breathing to keep him steady. The gentle blanket of kind cold beckoned him, but James denied it. He needed to think.


    What are my priorities? James asked himself. The answer came naturally. First, find out if there was anyone else aware of the loop like James. He found that the most important. The effect of the loop on his view of people had been subtle at first, but it was hard not to notice it now.


    Snow caught against his nose and the looper almost sneezed.


    As people repeated the same patterns, fell into the same motions, and flowed down the same river while you watched from the sure, you slowly lost connection with them. His mind had started cateloguing them rather them considering them.


    The distance felt more and more real every day.


    So his first priority was to find another person to share the Loop with.


    Well, apart from actually getting out of the Loop. James felt he was as prepared as you could be for the system, and¡­ the big abyss eye in the sky.


    I need to stop thinking of it as vog the void eye.


    Cutsy names had been a pastime of the five hundred Loops. He regretted it sorely. The point remained that James was well and truly prepared. He¡¯d researched as best as he could about whatever the hell the system, and Sources and all the rest of the magical goobity bullshit was.


    Unsurprisingly, his list of actual answers came up short.


    For one, whenever he actually tried to specify what he was looking for he got banned from search engines. Then the police would start looking for him. James had been tempted to actually dive down that rabbit hole¡­ but no. He wasn¡¯t willing to go through getting imprisoned just to maybe get another small answer.


    He wanted the big answers.


    For those he only had theories.


    I can say for certain that the governments of the world definitely know about what''s going to happen. From all the rampant global politics and election campaigns suddenly coming to a stop, with troops retreating to their own borders it was clear something was happening. People high up knew it was happening.


    Clearly, they were preparing for it.


    James could also say for certain that Sparks were special types of people that could see the golden system words, they were incentivised to kill each other for the invitation, and that Sources were apparently a good thing.


    The invitation clearly said ¡°Defeat a Spark¡± and James had completed it by killing a man.


    Beyond that, James hadn¡¯t a clue.


    Still I know enough.


    He¡¯d concluded that a long while ago, but no magically revelation had ended the Loop. Which left James with his final, deeply unsettling question. How did he leave? Was the Loop on a timer, or did he need to do something? What if-


    Another question sprouted in his mind. A darker one.


    Suddenly, James got to his feet, wobbling as he did. A swift chill rang through him like an avalanche. The revelation was so chilling it couldn¡¯t match the cold around him by a fraction, which made it all the more easy to take in.


    I think that¡¯s enough isolation in snow for one Loop. Hopefully, my screws are just loose.


    James left the stray thought in the snow, walking back to his cabin to enjoy a peaceful evening by the fireplace. He had bought a fresh hot chocolate mix and three new books he found on Greek pantheons. Even with all the time in the world, a part of him refused to waste it on that little stray thought.


    The thought didn¡¯t stay in the snow though, it trailed behind him. Like a parasite, chewing on his joyful evening.


    A slow scratching on the walls in his mind, that got louder and louder every time he tried to look away.


    A simple thought.


    One that might break James.


    What if the Loop didn¡¯t have a predestined end?


    What if the Loop wasn¡¯t meant to end?


    What if I¡¯m trapped here forever?


    ****************


    Loop 22,605


    ¡°Watch it!¡± James yelled with a grin on his face as he skated down the streets of Melbourne.


    The crowds of people on the pathways tried their best to get out his way and James only had to force out of his way. He cut his way along the cement paths, occasionally weaving between the street when he had the chance. If he wasn¡¯t quick, James would be late!


    The looper found the idea of him being late nonsensical. So much so he had started cackling like a madman. His foot planted on the board that he¡¯d borrowed from an up-and-coming rockstar he knew named Keith Jams. Keith didn¡¯t know James, but that kind of thing hardly mattered to James anymore.


    They¡¯d had so many fun nights together!


    Keith¡¯s not the kind to sweat the small stuff.


    He nodded to himself and checked his watch, uncaring for the people he was speeding into. Most people didn¡¯t like getting hit by an eighty-five-kilo young man on a skateboard, which meant they¡¯d move out of the way. James had a lot of trust in the general populus¡¯s awareness, because he was a good person.


    The sight¡¯s blurred past the looper as he ignored all signs of danger and any excuse to break. The speed itself caused the tiny skateboard wheels to start making a horrid scratching sound like they were burning against the pavement.


    Maybe this wasn¡¯t the board to steal. James considered. He¡¯d taken it in particular because of the sweet guitar design on the back. Stratocasters were just too cool for him not to take it.


    James breathed a sigh of relief when he finally rounded his final corner, sights set on the cozy little cafe in the distance. Jake may have lived closer, but he didn¡¯t have a chance of beating James. The looper knew that yet it still felt like a triumph to best his best friend. He kicked his board up into his hands at the door and walked inside.


    He was greeted with the smells of fresh cinnamon and a relaxed environment. Quiet and calm with a litter of people working away in their own little worlds.


    James strolled past them taking curious glances at what each of them were working on. So many people with so many different jobs to do, all crammed in the cafe. The young lady closest to his favorite spot seemed to be angrily drinking her english tea and trying to solve the practice questions on her laptop.


    From the spillage on the table, James could tell it wasn¡¯t going well.


    ¡°It¡¯s C, not B. The questions made to confuse you into thinking it¡¯s B.¡± James said from behind her but she didn¡¯t look back at him. Let alone respond.


    The looper tapped the right answer on the screen and the young lady jumped in surprise, almost spilling her tea. When she regained her composure the lady looked positively miffed and James slowly pulled his finger away. For safety.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± She said, her face contorting into annoyance.


    ¡°Helping,¡± James said, offering his hands up in surrender.


    ¡°You poked my laptop!¡±


    ¡°Well, you got the question wrong Kaley!¡±


    She froze, then scowled. ¡°How the fuck do you know my name?¡±


    James grinned and held a finger to his lips.


    ¡°I¡¯m real. But don¡¯t tell anyone. It¡¯s kind of a big deal.¡±


    He scooched his butt away from the scary-faced Kaley and scuttled into his favorite spot at the edge of the cafe. This close to the kitchen meant it had a brilliant wifi signal and your food got to you the quickest it could. James picked up the menu, and giggled to himself as he reviewed it as if he didn¡¯t know it off by heart.


    The daily specials had become somewhat of a staple. Especially the waffles. They weren¡¯t made with pancake mixture like Hugh¡¯s. James had mastered enough meals in his hobby time to know that making waffles with pancakes was the heresy of the highest order. Being a good dad exempted him from punishment, but didn¡¯t mean James had to endure eating his father¡¯s waffle-shaped imposters.


    While waiting for his best friend to arrive James switched between texting random numbers freaky secrets about themselves he knew and placing as many winnings bets as he could. The responses from him sharing deeply personal secrets to strangers via random text were disturbing and downright hilarious.


    No Reece, I will not share with your wife that you are cheating on her with your stepdaughter. One of us has to be responsible.


    A notification came in flashing about how he¡¯d won twenty thousand dollars as Jake walked through the cafe door, looking confused but happy enough. Anytime he made Jake do anything today meant he was skipping a ten to three shift he absolutely dreaded. In a sense, James was doing him a favor by inviting him to tag along.


    This time he was wearing a navy polo with grey jeans and dress shoes he absolutely didn''t need.


    How is his wardrobe so robust and volatile? James wondered. He¡¯d seen Jake wear about a thousand different outfits even when it was always the same day. One intensive interrogation on James behalf had scorched the theory that Jake was a looper. That would¡¯ve been nice.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Jake started, taking a seat with a coffee in hand. ¡°...Is this freshly minted ¡®revelation¡¯ the fact that you need a girlfriend and want your best friend to help?¡±


    James waved him off.


    ¡°Absolutely not. I don¡¯t have time for a relationship. Even thinking about it gives me the chills¡±


    He gave a little shake to emphasis his point. James took a sip of his coffee and regarded the looper with a curious expression. His hands started tapping against the table as thoughts bounced around between his best friends eyes.


    ¡°You seem happy about that fact. Almost chipper.¡± Jake noted.


    ¡°Today is a good day for me. After all I¡¯ve had a shocking revelation.¡± James nodded, grabbing his backpack and slapping it on the table in front of Jake. ¡°But first a few questions, honest answers only.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Fire away.¡±


    ¡°Nice, well first things first. Would you rob a bank with me?¡±


    Jake stopped inspecting the bag and gave the looper a strange look. He seemed to be mulling it over in his head.


    ¡°If you¡¯re down, I¡¯m down.¡± Jake finally replied, cracking a grin.


    James smiled too. I knew he¡¯d do it with me. All the precious planning and supplies had been tedious to try and acquire in one day. But none of it would be any real fun without a partner in crime and that partner could only be Jake. Sure James knew people more amenable to breaking the law and hurting others for their own amusement but none of them were Jake, so they were out.


    He unzipped the backpack and pulled out two very inconspicuous balaclavas, along with a matching set of black woolen gloves. The looper had thought about getting gloves that were made of a more serious material, but robbing a bank with woolen gloves cracked him up too much.


    Have to make sure I¡¯m warm while committing crimes.


    ¡°Okay, here''s yours,¡± James said, handing a confused-looking Jake his balaclava. ¡°We probably shouldn¡¯t pull the guns out till we¡¯re in the bank. Or the bomb.¡±


    ¡°Funny man,¡± Jake said, shoving the balaclava back in his hands. ¡°But are you seriously not interested in the double date? And why¡¯d you buy balaclavas for a joke.¡±


    James paused halfway through pulling out the revolver he¡¯d also stolen from Keith, laying it gently on the table. His smile never faded, but it did twitch as the looper corrected his best friend.


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking dude. We should rob a bank together, I¡¯d literally be dying of laughter if we did.¡±


    ¡°Right, I get that. But first, double date. I really think it¡¯d be good for you man. You haven''t been out in ages and Amy''s friend is quiet like you. You can be quiet together.¡±


    James thought for a moment.


    ¡°I¡¯d have to buy more balaclavas, but I suppose they can come too. No guns for them though, since Jess scares me.¡± The looper suggested.


    Jake¡¯s face scrunched. ¡°Come where? And how do you know Jess¡¯s name?¡±


    James smiled and twitched again. He could sense his eyes weren¡¯t smiling anymore. The looper started to panic a little on the inside, but pushed it down. The scraping in his mind was quietest when there was no noise in his heart. Only happiness. And the first step to happiness was a smile. So James¡¯ smile widened even more.


    ¡°To the bank. That we¡¯re going to rob together because you''re my best friend. They can come with us.¡± James said slowly through his forced smile.


    Jake sighed and put his hands together. Then he pushed the bag into James'' chest with an annoyed expression. The scraping in James¡¯ head got louder. Echoing in the distance. He forced it away with a smile, grinning at his friend''s displeasure. Surely his little plan hadn¡¯t made Jake mad. That couldn¡¯t be the case.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not even going to take my offer seriously then maybe I should get back to work.¡± Jake said with a huff. ¡°I only came because I wanted to help you, man.¡±


    He seemed annoyed and mad. Displeased that James kept moving their conversation towards his fun ideas. Jake was his best friend. They couldn¡¯t be mad at each other. Not when he was the only one left James¡¯ hadn¡¯t-


    The smile got wider. The scraping got louder.


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± James said, pushing the bag off the table where it made a metallic clank on the floor. ¡°Forget the bank, we¡¯ll do the double date. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen Vog anyway.¡±


    Jake didn¡¯t reply. Instead, the blonde-haired young man studied him silently, eyes blinking between James¡¯ smile and the bag. The looper could see cogs turning in his friend''s head, putting together something James¡¯ didn¡¯t want to hear. The scratching just kept getting louder. Under the table James¡¯ hands started to ball into fists, squeezing until his knuckles were a ghostly white.


    ¡°Jazz.¡± Jake started, his eyes shifting to concern. ¡°What¡¯s going on man?¡±


    His voice got softer and a hand reached out but James¡¯ pulled away. He didn¡¯t want concern. Concern hurt. It boiled the warmth in his heart and gave the scratching in his mind claws to tear away him from himself.


    I need to run. James realised as the world started blurring into colours and shapes instead of people and things. Nothing felt real anymore. But he had to smile. He just wanted to leave. But he had to smile. The world hated him. But he had to smile.


    Ijustwanteverythingtoend- But I have to smile.


    He couldn¡¯t run. His feet stayed planted on the ground. That¡¯s when James realised he was terrified.


    ¡°James.¡±


    A kind hand broke through all the chatter in his head. All the endless noise around him that so very loud.


    Jake was leaning towards him, looking both disturbed and worried. His gaze was focused on James and no one else. It felt horrible. The looper felt exposed even as he wore his smile like it might make him truly happy for once.


    ¡°Are you okay dude?¡± Jake asked, and the words cut through him like sharp knives. Stabbing at his mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m f-fine.¡± James stuttered, trying to keep together his slipping composure.


    The scratching was louder than his heartbeat. It wouldn¡¯t stop. James¡¯ was going to collapse again. His mind was about to shatter another time, but he tried to his hardest to hold the broken pieces together.


    Not again.


    Please not again.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re clearly not. What¡¯s going on?¡± Jake asked, shaking his shoulder. ¡°If something¡¯s happening you¡¯ve got to tell me.¡±


    James shuddered. His blood run cold and his heartbeat slowed to a crawl. He felt sick, a tumbling sinking feeling crawling it¡¯s way up his stomach. Like he was heading straight off a cliff. His hand moved slowly to the table resting gently against the revolver.


    ¡°Jake.¡± James¡¯ started but his voice came out a whisper. Still, he pushed forward for his friend''s sake. ¡°P-Please¡­ just¡­ leave.¡±


    Jake stared him dead in the eyes.


    ¡°No.¡± He said firmly.


    When James stayed silent he leaned closer. His presence sent James¡¯ brain sprawling. The care and concern set his mind on fire.


    ¡°You need to tell me-¡±


    James'' whole world blurred. The scratching on the walls of his mind burned too much to think. All of it hurt too much. Everything just burned. The looper wasn¡¯t sure how long he¡¯d been burning before his senses slowly came back to him.


    The smell was first. The world smelled¡­ metallic and foul. Like a rustic iron sort of smell, mixed in with something fouler that made him want to lurch. The scent of coffee was the only thing that made it manageable.


    Next was touch. Cold hard iron was in one hand, while the other felt something hot and wet running onto in. Something hot and wet was splattered on his face too.


    Then came sound. That one was rough. Screaming and shouting, along with the constant stamping of running footsteps. The noise was so cluttered and non-uniform, but compared to the scratching in his mind, it felt welcome.


    Finally, sight returned to James¡¯. A horrible one, but he had expected it. He tried to focus on the crowd around him, like he had when he¡¯d had nightmares about his mother¡¯s death. The one he¡¯d caused. People were rushing out of the cafe on mass and spilling into the streets. The sound of siren echoes.


    James might¡¯ve been able to see sirens if he squinted.


    The looper slumped in his chair, leaning against it. The little corner of the cafe was filled with hanging greenery to match the floral patterns on the wall.


    They were pretty.


    ¡°Not going to lie, this one¡¯s definitely on me Jake,¡± James said, wiping the blood off his face. There wasn¡¯t a lot thankfully.


    I can¡¯t believe I thought that robbing a bank with Jake would stop it. The thought process was comical. If not redundant. He wanted to find humor in it. But there were no warm feelings anymore.


    James just felt cold.


    He always felt cold after things like this happened. Episodes. When the Loop caught up to his brain and the aging chaos in his head went berserk. It was horrifying. A calming horror that James could soak it.


    It¡¯s wrong to admit this feels better. To replace the horror of the loop with one of my own making.


    ¡°Maybe Jess isn¡¯t the scary one.¡±


    He waved the gun at his best friend.


    ¡°Come on that was funny man.¡±


    There was no response. Only silence. Jakes''s lips might¡¯ve moved once but now they were stuck, his mouth left hung open with a giant 45.m hole of gory red painting the wall behind him. The looper''s best friend sat there slumped against his chair with white, lifeless eyes. His blonde hair had blotches of red scattered all over it.


    Jake¡¯s final expression was shock-tied with a mixture of fear.


    And concern.


    James knew he should feel some terrible assortment of guilt, sorrow, and horror. But he just felt dead. As lifeless as his best friend.


    The siren''s sounds grew louder and the stomping of feet drew nearer along with shoutings and warnings. The police were coming. James wasn¡¯t in the mood to deal with them. Not now. His eyes lingered on his dead friend, trying and failing to move before they eventually floated to his revolver.


    The shiny barrel gleamed with promises of release.


    On to another Loop.


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± James whispered. ¡°I forgot to tell you my revelation.¡±


    His gaze flittered to the door. People were rushing inside. Police.


    ¡°Too late I guess.¡±


    The cold metal of revolver pressed into the of his mouth, klinking against his teeth and almost making him gag. James could imagine the sensation of gunpowder scorching his throat and metal purity blowing through his brains.


    Granting him peace.


    But I not going to have peace.


    There would be mere seconds of respite before he was brought back. Because he couldn¡¯t leave. The Loop wouldn¡¯t let him leave.


    I can¡¯t believe it took me this to realise.


    The Loop didn¡¯t have a purpose. It didn¡¯t possess an end goal or a reason to trap him. It was just a prison. A cell without a key. James would never leave.


    Because I¡¯m in hell.


    A hell where the world was a choir constructed to remind him just how alone he was. Every. Single. Day.


    Once upon a time, James¡¯ greatest ambition had been to have a good death. To have his end be something that mattered. Not just killed off because of some idiot who got drunk and decided driving was a good idea. But deeper, closer to his heart. James had always longed for a reason to live. For something to make his life more than just a road to nowhere.


    Like a cruel trick, his deeper wish to be given purpose had been fulfilled.


    And now, I¡¯ll never even get to die.


    He was in a world of his own. A lonely god. The power to change whatever he wanted at his fingertips. Anything he desired could be his.


    But all I want is for it all to end.


    James¡¯ fingers tightened around the trigger. Fire burned in his throat as the subtle click of the revolver tickled his ears.


    Then the world went dark.

 Chapter 4: Lost

    Loop ?


    Melbourne was a noisy place.


    Cities were often like that. There was simply no way to contain so many people in such a tightly packed place and not have it be noisy. The miracle of bringing so many souls together in a union of culture and ideas had to come at some cost. Chief among them was the sound. It was just so loud, all the time, and it never ended.


    You could hardly escape it, no matter where you went.


    A lot of places were quieter, but none were quiet.


    There was always so much sound pollution.


    There were only a select few spots among the city that truly offered the peace of silence.


    A young man was dangling his feet from one such place. Choosing peaceful isolation over the social hot pot below. Filled with so many dreams and voices that some may find it nauseating. His deep black hair whipped back and forth among the strong winds of a place so up. They brought a permanent chill to his body that made everything seem so simple.


    James'' grey eyes reflected from the large glass pane, along with his pale grey shirt. The sneaking lines of an old scar crawled up the left side of his arm and neck, stopping just short of his chin.


    That wound was from long ago.


    A newer one still bled fleshly on his arm. It was a morbid carving in the shape of two conjoining circles shaped to look like an ouroboros. The precision would make one mistake it for a tattoo instead of the grim reality.


    The looper''s eyes drifted to the view below. The Eureka Tower had once been the tallest building in Melbourne. Being the second tallest now didn¡¯t make it any less of a hassle to scale. Much more so when you wanted to be left alone up so high. Unfortunately, practice made perfect. Getting this high didn¡¯t pose a challenge to James anymore. Nothing did.


    The looper''s eyes drifted back to his reflection. His own eyes in particular.


    James hadn¡¯t aged a day. Once upon a time, he¡¯d been curious if somehow time shared an effect on his body. In his infant days as a looper. He almost wanted to chuckle at his naivete. This hell would never grant him such a mercy as the gift of age. What was a Loop without a looper. They were one and the same. Two sides of the same coin.


    His face was untouched by wrinkles. Hair without a touch of grey. Nearly every part of his entire visage was a lie.


    A cruel joke.


    Except his eyes, grey as granite. Those two eyes had witnessed the passing of time in a way no member of his species was ever meant to. They alone betrayed the facade of James¡¯ youthful appearance if one were to look close enough.


    ¡°I¡¯m old,¡± James said simply, letting the wind take his words.


    More than he knew. The looper had stopped trying to guess his age after he was well past three hundred. That had been¡­  James didn¡¯t know. It felt like an eternity ago, but he hadn¡¯t a clue anymore. Time didn¡¯t exist for him. It was a construct this world had thrown to the wayside.


    All of it just blurred together to him.


    I''m tired. So tired.


    His mind carried too much. Much more than it was intended to. Many a lifetime''s worth of days piled into one. The sense of achievement the looper felt over his many centuries, perhaps even a millennium spent learning had faded a long time ago.


    ¡°There''s so much I can do.¡± He muttered.


    The looper guessed he was probably the single most capable being on the planet at this point. There wasn¡¯t anything he considered beyond his expertise anymore. Besides maybe the system. Every language earth had he could speak fluently, including some dead ones. In any test of martial might James¡¯ was confident he¡¯d win, regardless of size or weight.


    Even in a battle of weapons, James was more than proficient with knives, machetes, guns, and a whole litany of other tools for harm. If there were any skill out of his reach, whether it be for distance or simply lack of a teacher, the looper knew he¡¯d be able to learn it with ease given the chance.


    After learning so many things his mind had become almost mechanical in efficiency towards them.


    But none of it matters. James repeated to himself, staring down at the city below. The people were so small from this high up. So beneath him. Yet that brought James no happiness. Once he would¡¯ve felt pure contempt for the Loop and its denizens. It was easy to hate the Loop.


    That was gone now.


    James barely felt anything anymore. When he was sane.


    Mental instability had plagued him ever since his brain had got bored and decided it needed new. Regardless of how depraved, how horrid, or how destructive it was eventually everything James could think of had become fair game. There were few concrete barriers he wouldn¡¯t cross, and they only made the things that he could do that much more heinous.


    Memory was a weird thing. Most of the time James could barely remember any of it. Like he was protecting himself. Sometimes¡­ he remembered. Those were his episodes.


    Last time I woke up with a bullet in my shoulder surrounded by bodies in the middle of the street.


    He shivered, if only a little. Old as he was, the things James did could still unnerve him if they went far enough.


    What¡¯s even the point anymore?


    The fight in James had been sapped from his bones. There was just no reason anymore. His hands calloused to bleeding messes by the climb up began to push against the edge. At least he might have the fun of falling for a moment before that was taken away too.


    If I close my eyes, it¡¯ll feel like I¡¯m flying.


    In that moment as his hands pushed against the edge, James gave in.


    For the last time. His feet would carry him no further. The looper accepted that he would be trapped, till the end of the end.


    But the feeling of falling never came. The weightlessness was replaced by a firm grip pinching the back of his jacket, keeping him on the building.


    ¡°You know, I understand how hard it looks right now. Hope is like that. It¡¯s a steep climb that bleeds you with dread and rarely rewards you with a show of progress. The climb is pain. I won¡¯t lie to you. That climb to hope is never going to stop being pain.¡± The voice was familiar and distant at the same time.


    I know it¡¯s pain. That''s why I want to fall. I don¡¯t want to feel this anymore.


    James wanted to whip around to see the owner but his body¡­ didn¡¯t budge. The Loop was still. The Loop was still. The looper could hardly believe what he was feeling, but centuries here had made it easy to tell.


    The whole word- no, the whole Loop was frozen.


    ¡°Giving up is worse. So much worse. You can get out of this James. Trust me, I would know.¡± The voice sounded like a man, middling between rustic and clear. Deep. So familiar.  ¡°But First you need to find you again. The Loop has pushed you so far away from who you were and it¡¯s made you stronger than you ever needed to be. There¡¯s just nothing behind that strength. You need to believe in something again. Hope, justice, vengeance, fury, friendship or family.¡±


    No. That''s the same lie I told myself, for so long. It hurts. I won¡¯t lie to myself again. My strength doesn¡¯t mean anything. Belief is far beyond saving me. There is no end, better to be content with the misery.


    The voice paused, and when it returned the sound had dwindled. It was less a speaker behind him and more a whisper in his ear. Passing.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you pick, but you need to find something. Because James Matthew Groves believed. He had faith in things. The Loop took that from you. Take it back.¡±


    James Matthew Groves died the moment the Loop began. I¡¯m just a shell. An echo of him. I can¡¯t take back something I never was.


    Again it paused, and when it returned, his ears could barely pick up the words.


    ¡°Before the Loop, you believed that despite all the self-hate, you could be saved. You prayed for it. But I¡¯m sorry to tell you, James, that this time. There''s no one coming. The only person who can save you is yourself.¡±


    I know no one is saving me. But I¡¯m not strong enough to leave. There is no way to leave. Believing in myself won¡¯t suddenly make me the person I need to be to leave. Believing in others¡­ but they won¡¯t understand. They¡¯re not real. Everyone here is just a puppet put on display to torture me.


    Then the world moved again.


    James whipped around, hands at the read and knees bent. Ready for a fight. Thoughts of who flickered through his head fast, but that didn¡¯t matter. The core of his being rejected their optimism and advice so rawly that he felt- no he needed to put them down. Otherwise, they would just plague him again with words of hope.


    But there was no one there. James blinked a few times but the emptiness didn¡¯t suddenly change. All that was ahead of him was his reflection. The looper hadn¡¯t realised he was smiling, and after touching his mouth he was sure he wasn¡¯t.


    But James in the mirror was.


    What the fuck? Nothing like this had ever happened to James before. Am I hallucinating? He had before, but they¡¯d never felt this real. Had he finally lost it completely? Gone so far off the rails that even the reality of the Loop had started to blur apart.


    ¡°Alright.¡± James said. ¡°Nope. No. Not messing with any of what you¡¯ve got going on mirror man.¡±


    He turned back towards the edge, then added. ¡°I¡¯m going jump off this building if that¡¯s okay with you. Not that I care. Don¡¯t need to deal with any of the headaches that hallucinating myself is going to induce.¡±


    James didn¡¯t even look down below the building before he jumped. This time no one stopped him and the familiar weightless feeling surrounded him as gravity pulled him towards a much-needed reset.


    I¡¯m gonna need gin on the rocks after this. Maybe I should take an ¡°MHL¡± for old time''s sake. Like a going out party for my sanit-


    James felt a violent splat as he crashed into the pavement.


    Then the world went dark.


    *******************


    Loop ?


    ¡°Soooooo¡­ what¡¯s dying like then?¡± asked Ben, the auspicious and lanky bartender who considered conspiracy theories a personality trait.


    James almost face palmed but just reserved himself to just giving Ben a strange look across the bar. What did he think dying was like? Considering how crazed about aliens and mythical monsters the middle-aged man was, James found it oddly hard to picture him religious.


    The looper took a sip of his jin before replying. ¡°Are you asking what happens or what it feels like?¡±


    Ben gave him an assorted look of embarrassment and curiosity as he sorted through glasses, then shrugged once he was done and moved on to serve the mother of all midlife crisis Miranda a margarita. James was the more interesting out of the two customers Ben had mid-afternoon and it pissed Miranda off to no end.


    Which had initially been hilarious.


    It still kinda is. James realised, taking a sip.


    ¡°Both,¡± Ben replied once he was done.


    How honest do I want to be with this? James had found Ben towards the later parts of his Looping life and had quickly become quite the mainstay in the looper''s life. He was just gullible enough to truly give some credit to James¡¯ stories of the Loop, but enough of a critical thinker to never make James feel like he was talking about something completely insane.


    He was completely insane, but that was beside the point.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know much about the former, because when I reset through face to pavement, I¡¯m sort of skinny-dipping death. Just in for a moment then out again. As for the latter?¡± James'' face cringed at the thought of bloody pavement. ¡°Not fun. Would not recommend the dying experience.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I get you reset on death but do you think there''s something after?¡±


    ¡°Like do I believe in heaven or hell?¡±


    Ben nodded and it seemed Miranda had finally had enough of being ignored in a conversation she wasn¡¯t a part of. She shot James a nasty look before smiling at Ben and asking in a soft voice that couldn¡¯t hide years of smoking. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not a believer? Not my Ben. Look all around you. There are so many reasons to be faithful. How could you not have faith?¡±


    James felt dark emotions at the mention of belief and faith but downed it with his gin in one gulp. Now was not the time for an episode. The gin tasted cool on his lips but warmed as it passed into his stomach. When he was outside the Loop, James had hated gin. To be fair, until you had a palette for it, the drink was reasonably flavorless.


    Ben held his hands up in surrender after Miranda¡¯s comment. ¡°I¡¯m open to being persuaded.¡±


    ¡°Gods are real,¡± James said with surety, tapping his glass onto the bar.


    Ben got quick to filling it with more of the looper¡¯s favorite gin. The youth gave James a surprised look. As if he were surprised by James¡¯ belief in god. When the glass was minted with new ice and fine gin Ben questioned his answer.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Maybe he valued the looper¡¯s idea of the world more than he led on. Maybe Ben just didn¡¯t picture James to be religious.


    And he¡¯d be right.


    No god or heavenly thing with a speck of divine deserved even a fimble of James¡¯ respect. Not after abandoning him in the Loop.


    ¡°Process of elimination,¡± James said simply. ¡°I live in a world where the day repeats. Everyday. Something is doing this and that something either commands our reality or time itself. It might not call itself a god, but from most¡¯s perspective, it would be one.¡±


    James chose to leave out the system and how it was responsible for whatever was going on. Which meant whatever was responsible for the system was the real culprit. Or maybe the system¡¯s a sentient thing. He had no way of knowing and he no longer cared. At one point he¡¯d tried to beg the system for help or at the very least question it.


    But those golden words were always the same.


    ¡°Have you ever tried to leave the Loop?¡± Ben asked, breaking James concentration. He heard Miranda grumble as she sipped her margarita.


    Cougars are weird. Then again, James knew how age could make one lonely. I suppose I can¡¯t judge her. She¡¯s middle-aged while I¡¯m ancient. Huh¡­ I wonder if I¡¯m anywhere near two thousand yet?


    That would be cool James decided. Being older than a calendar was definitely a cool thing.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve tried to leave,¡± James said through sips. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work. There isn¡¯t just some door and I¡¯ve tried everything I can think of. I¡¯ve tried everything you could think of Ben, and no. Before you ask the time loop isn¡¯t a localised distortion of time akin to how some black holes slow time. At least, not that I can find out.¡±


    ¡°How did you know- oh right.¡± Ben slapped his forehead. ¡°Duhh, time looper. We¡¯ve had this conversation before. But wait, did you try every direction?¡±


    ¡°Ben. I spent six months learning to fly a plane, then spent at least a year figuring out how to steal the biggest one I could find, and still came up short. I flew to Spain. Oh, and don¡¯t even get me started on space.¡±


    ¡°Now I really want to know about space.¡±


    James took in Ben¡¯s giddy expression as he nearly dropped a bottle of tequila on himself. Maybe he¡¯d rambled a bit too much to the bartender. The kid was getting excited and he hadn¡¯t even finished his third drink.


    Come to think of it, I¡¯m normally not this¡­ easygoing. He felt like he should be at arms after what the happened in the last Loop. Weirdly, he was the opposite. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders letting out all his pent-up feeling. Even if the voice was in his own head.


    The looper stood and downed his drink, then pointed to the cheapest forty percent bottle of vodka Kinderman¡¯s had. The bar was classy but in simple ways. It still had cheap liquor when James needed it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that,¡± James said, then dropped a wad of yellow notes as thick as his finger on the counter. ¡°But no more questions for today Ben.¡±


    Ben looked hesitant but eventually gave in and swapped the money for the bottle. That made James smile. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he had. It was just funny to see the young man so torn between a couple hundred dollar tip and conspiracy.


    It¡¯s a pity he¡¯s a Spark. If James could change that fact he could but he was certain there wasn¡¯t a way. It was probably what the young man would want anyway. To see the golden words and be chosen. Little did Ben know he was being condemned.


    For just a second, James felt like he needed to tell Ben. To warn him. Then his eyes drifted to his bandaged arm and what lay beneath it. The infinity he carved into his left forearm was one of James¡¯ brighter moments. The act of carving it was a habit that helped fade away the episodes in which he didn¡¯t. But it also served as a reminder. An ouroboros. An infinity. A never-ending loop that was his life.


    A single light in the abyss of his mind. His Waypoint.


    What''s the point of a warning that will just be wiped away? James mood dimmed at that thought, and he shortly exited the bar, grabbing a dry rag along with his bottle of cheap spirit. The day was turning to dusk outside the little bar, and everyone around him buzzing with energy over their doom.


    Not often did James¡¯ feet carry much purpose anymore.


    But tonight was different.


    He had a date. For old time''s sake.


    ******************


    The looper waded his way through the rows of people sitting inside the park, all trying to find just the right spot to view the spectacle that was going to take place. Tents and camping chairs littered the place in a rather disorderly fashion. Families strewn about all over the place along with dates and friends groups.


    If one watched very carefully among the crowd, however, they would spot a few oddities. People who didn¡¯t have that stood rigid while everyone else shared a playful atmosphere. Almost all of them were away from the larger crowds and close enough to an exit, but not too close. They all stared at the sky, and just waited, unlike everyone else.


    One could have taken them for studious sky watchers, if they didn¡¯t know the darker undertone. James had figured out long ago that they were Sparks. He¡¯d interrogated enough of them around the city to realise that they didn¡¯t know much more than he did.


    They¡¯d just received the golden words notice earlier in the day. Along with a notification informing them about the Invitiations up for grabs, like the one James had earned.


    It¡¯s all a little too convenient if you ask me. The fact that there were no police officers cordoned off a lot of the city, but left places like this open smelled like foul play to him.


    Nonetheless, it didn¡¯t concern him anymore. When was the last time I even thought about these kind of things? Decades at least. The looper caught there thoughts at the neck and extinguished them, instead focusing on his own idea or rest and recovery.


    Now where is-


    A hand waved at him from among the sea of folding chairs and blankets on grass, belonging to a familiar head with blonde hair.


    Ah, right. Of course, they¡¯re here.


    The placid smirk James had permanently plastered onto his face slipped a little. The eyes turned a little, feeling a ebb of nostalgia that pulled tightly. The looper''s hands unconsciously grabbed at his chest, as if to catch the feeling.


    Then it was gone.


    And the sudden emptiness became as clear as James had ever felt it.


    He had thought his heart well and truly buried, but the longing to wave back was strong. So strong James couldn¡¯t resist, in spite of himself.


    Just for a little. It couldn¡¯t hurt to socialise, just a little.


    James trudged through the crowd and found Jake, Amy and Jess together on the grass. His eyes flickered to Amy¡¯s wrist for a moment before moving back to the group in general. Of course, she didn¡¯t have the bracelet. Jake didn¡¯t have the money for it without him.


    ¡°Yo, Jazz.¡± Jake greeted him with a grin. ¡°Did you forget to charge your phone again?


    He must mean because I ignored his messages. It was almost routine at this point. The whole ¡°date¡± thing had become just another bad memory for James. Jake was lounging on a blanket with Amy who was wearing a fake smile while Jess was off to the side of them, shifting with nerves.


    She was a Spark after all. One that had received the mysterious golden words earlier in the day.


    James'' face lifted to his usual placid smile.


    ¡°Michael broke my phone. What are you guys doing here?¡± James asked, scanning the crowd around them.


    They chatted for a bit and Jake went ahead and introduced Jess and Amy to him again while James pretended to not know anything about that. Slipping into the old version of himself felt simple on paper, but the side glances he got from Jake made it clear it was not.


    The problem with Jake was simply that he knew the old James far too well to not notice that almost apathetic boredom behind his passive tone. Try as hard as he might, the looper had never managed to truly hide. Maybe subconsciously he didn¡¯t want to. Like some weird cry for help from deep within.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been at a bar this whole time?¡± Jake asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I just wanted to get my mind off things.¡± James answered, scratching the back of his neck.


    ¡°How¡¯d you know we were here?¡± Jess asked, staring at him strangely.


    He tried to place the feeling before almost face-palming. She¡¯s suspicious. Of course, she was. When freaky golden words told you to kill another person or else, paranoia was par for the course.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually here on a date,¡± James answered with a wry smile.


    Jake¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°For real?¡±


    ¡°Swear on my heart,¡± James replied with a nod.


    And he¡¯s not even going to see it coming. Idly his hands moved to the packed gravel in his jacket pocket. That jackass was in for a hell of a night. He could see a reply stewing on Jess¡¯s lips but it fell short as her eyes shifted to the sky above.


    The looper turned to gaze at the familiar sight with the group, face scrunching in disgust parallel to their awe. The brilliant hues of azure painted across the sky streaking past and leaving cracks in the sky. James could almost feel the heat emanating from those mighty meteors burning up his planet''s atmosphere.


    Like a crescendo of horror, the streaks started growing faster and faster to the surprise of all around him. The nervous energy in the park grew, then quickly expanded into panic when the fires stayed and started spreading in the sky. Masses of screaming resounded and the park blurred into frantic bodies moving, stumbling, running and even crawling.


    ¡°And that¡¯s my cue to leave,¡± James whispered, drifting away from his shocked best friend and towards another.


    Like most others, he didn¡¯t notice James. Not because of the panic, but because his gaze was drawn to the crack slowly forming in the sky. It was fixed there. A bull spotting red.


    James didn¡¯t bother to sneak up behind him. He just strolled up to the armored man covered in black as a giant abyss opened in the sky above.


    The looper waved.


    Hey Vog, been a while since I¡¯ve had a look at you.


    The eye in the sky was as terrifying as ever.


    A flurry of golden words appeared in front of his eyes.


    [Congratulations, you have been witnessed and your Spark has been deemed worthy of the System¡¯s touch.]


    [Congratulations, you¡¯ve defeated an Invited Spark and earned the rights associated]


    [Congratulations, you¡¯ve completed the first invitation {Defeat a Spark}]


    [Quest reward for {Defeat a Spark} have been logged. The System has melded the branches of your potential and founded your Source]


    James poked at the golden words idly standing behind the armored man, tapping the ¡°Defeat a Spark¡± part like it was a button he could expand on. Nothing happened.


    Eh. Always worth a try. Now, for the main attraction.


    ¡°Been a while, Nicholas,¡± James announced, tapping the armored man on the shoulder.


    His response was an immediate twist and punch throw at James face which he deftly avoided by leaning back. The wind brushed against his nose and it almost tickled. Nicholas, his armored attacker, moved to grab James and the looper awkwardly sidestepped him with his right foot. Then tripped him with his left.


    Nicholas didn¡¯t crash to the ground like a normal person would, instead steadying himself with an outstretched hand and swiftly rising to his feet a few meters from James. Grass stained his knees as the armored attacker shifted his body slowly, with a guarded posture.


    ¡°You know me?¡± Nicholas asked, his voice muffled through the mask. His English was rough.


    James regarded him with his plastered placid smile.


    ¡°Better than you¡¯d think.¡± The looper replied in Greek. ¡°You''re one of the few I don¡¯t feel bad about.¡±


    Nicholas held his stare for a long moment then his hand moved to the side and unsheathed a familiar machete. It gleamed with a sharpness James knew personally. In all full black combat gear with a tall muscled build like a body builder, Nicholas presented quite the imposing image. Standing in complete contrast to his surroundings, he held no fear. Only complete assurance in himself.


    It must¡¯ve been like a nightmare for Jess when this coward came after her. She would¡¯ve been so confused in those moments. James remembered vividly just looking at the brute.


    ¡°You seem sure of yourself,¡± Nicholas stated in his rough voice. There was some kind of twisted respect mixed in the words James didn¡¯t enjoy. ¡°But you¡¯re not of the brotherhood.¡±


    ¡°This brotherhood must be really important to you for you to mention it so often Nic,¡± James noted.


    He¡¯d roughly put together what Nicholas was talking about. It was one of those online doomsday prepper groups, except far more cult-like than normal. The Brotherhood of Fall sounded far more intimidating than it actually was in James'' humble opinion, but they clearly knew something of what was coming with the meteors.


    Long before they actually arrived.


    James had once cared about that little mystery.


    ¡°Are you predator or prey, boy?¡± Nicholas asked, switching to much cleaner Greek and completely ignoring his comment.


    James shrugged with his placid smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to find out.¡±


    They measured each other for a moment. There was no silence with the background of screaming and shouts. Only a few meters separated them. One with a blade. One without. Nicholas seemed to like his odds. He charged in quick steps that went against his size, bursting towards James with a wide swing towards center mass.


    Smart.


    The brute took the fastest and most assured route he could to dispatch someone he considered to be possibly dangerous. James felt it deserved at least a little commendation. Not mercy.


    Before the brute was upon him James drew a pistol from his coat in a fluid and practiced motion. He could see Nicholas¡¯s eyes widen at the gun in his hand. Then the looper aimed and fired. Numbing recoil burst in his hand and ringing exploded in his ears as James shot Nicholas in the knees.


    He crumpled just short of James with a groan of pain. Nicholas'' face smashed into the grass as he skidded. The brute still tried to swing at James so he tactfully kicked the blade out of his grasping hands.


    Then he squatted in front of the man, smiling.


    ¡°Belief is a strange thing, you know,¡± James mumbled, more to himself than the man beneath him. ¡°I believed I was above things like this once. I like to think that means I believed in my morality.¡±


    Nicholas groaned in protest as James tugged his mask off. The looper kindly reminded him who was in charge by tapping his iron against the man¡¯s skull.


    ¡°But now I realise how silly that was. Morality isn¡¯t nearly as rigid as the younger me thought. Certainly not something worthy of faith. It¡¯s just too frail a ground to stand on, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ get it¡­ over with,¡± Nicholas said, slurring even his Greek mother tongue.


    James ignored him. Slowly he withdrew his bottle of cheap spirit from his coat, along with the rag he¡¯d stolen from Kindermans. He popped the bottle open and scrunched his nose at the acrid smell, then started packing gravel from his pocket into it. He made sure Nic could see it before he continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be frank with you, Nic. You¡¯re a bad person. Most people¡¯s morality might shift between different shades of grey, but you?¡± James tapped on his mask. ¡°You¡¯re pitch black.¡±


    His hands worked in an efficient motion, forcing clumps of gravel into the bottle of spirit and down to the very bottom of the bottle. Once he was done, James capped the bottle with the rag he¡¯d stolen.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you for certain whether I believe all good people deserve good things. But I can tell you for certain that bad people, people that hurt me¡­¡± James'' placid smile dropped into a flat, dead expression. Without any hint of joy or sorrow. His eyes with as much care for Nic¡¯s suffering as the gravel in his bottle. ¡°...They deserve all the worst things my wicked mind can conjure. I believe that you, wholeheartedly, have this coming to you Nicholas. I know the pleasure it brings me to watch you squirm is so far from what a good person should feel, but I don¡¯t care.¡±


    Then he pulled out the final piece to his checkmate. A lighter.


    ¡°You deserve to burn Nicholas, and I¡¯ll enjoy every second of it.¡±


    ***************


    Loop ?


    James watched Nicholas burn for longer than he¡¯d ever admit to another. His eyes stayed fixed on the flailing first. Then the slow clawing. Then the eventually motionless mass Nicholas had become, bar the flames licking away his body.


    They stayed fixed on the body even as the entire world fell away, collapsing only to be reset again.


    The Loop might be a good thing. James pondered. His thoughts floated between one and another much more clearly here. In the abyss, he felt nothing at all. It was a true elapse of everything, including emotion.


    Maybe it¡¯s better if I never leave.


    The world outside didn¡¯t need someone like James. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be able to find peace after this. If he was let out and introduced into the real world again, what would that mean for everyone around him? What would happen if his actions started having consequences again? James was in equal parts a learned scholar and capable warrior as he was a deranged lunatic and a psychopathic killer.


    In the void, he had no delusions about himself. The nature of the place wouldn¡¯t allow them. Emotion fell away in place of cruel, calculating logic. James enjoyed helping people as much as he enjoyed making them suffer. To him, cruelty and kindness were just flavors of the same thing. Excitement. Entertainment. Ecstasy. Entropy.


    All of it painted a clear picture to him.


    I¡¯m a ticking time bomb. A walking disaster waiting to happen the moment his mind slipped. The moment he tricked himself into thinking his actions had no consequence again. Being trapped in his own personal hell might¡¯ve turned him into a person who deserved it.


    There was a time when I didn¡¯t deserve this. But maybe that time had passed.


    There was a time when I might¡¯ve had a way out. But maybe his actions had sealed that exit shut.


    There was a time when¡­


    But all those times had passed.


    Now it was all gone.


    James felt, for the thousandth time, the sorrow of losing oneself. The pain of your own identity crumbling to dust.


    Then the world went dark.

 Chapter 5: Snapped

    Loop ?


    ¡°Hey.¡± An annoying voice said into James¡¯ ear tugging his arm.


    He rolled over to his other side, hoping that would dissuade the annoyance.


    ¡°Hey.¡± The shaking got more intense.


    James still tried his hardest to ignore the annoyance and go back to sleep.


    ¡°Dad said he¡¯s not going to drive me till I get you out of bed.¡± The annoyance admitted, poking his face.


    The looper bundled his pent-up annoyance into his pillow and smashed it into his brother''s face. Michael rolled off the bed and onto the ground, looking pleased with himself.


    ¡°See, knew you were awake?¡± Michael said, almost in a cheer. ¡°What''s with the sleeping in?¡±


    James had about a thousand answers for that. Maybe it was the fact he¡¯d realised he wasn¡¯t a person anymore. Maybe it was the horrifying understanding that he didn¡¯t think he should leave anymore.


    Maybe it was the memory of Nicholas burning.


    The reason didn¡¯t particularly matter. It wasn¡¯t why James was feeling the way he was. It was just that he was feeling like nothing in the world mattered anymore.


    Because it didn¡¯t.


    ¡°I¡¯m depressed Michael,¡± James said in a soft, dead voice. He turned to lie back down and embrace sweet darkness. ¡°Just tell dad I¡¯m depressed and he¡¯ll leave me alone.¡±


    The room went silent, a soft buzz of the waffle maker simmering through the bedroom door. James nestled into his blanket, praying for sleep to come sooner so he could escape faster. His dreams would offer him more of an honest reality than getting up and facing this facade. Sleeping was an escape.


    A welcome release from the Loop.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get depressed.¡±


    What? James shifted and turned till he was facing Michael. The freckly brat was holding onto his pillow and staring at him with blank eyes. Like a dear caught in headlights. Seeing it almost made James want to laugh.


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± James questioned, eyeing the brat.


    Michael squinted, seemingly just as confused as he was. ¡°You¡¯ve never been depressed. Sure you get sad, but not depressed. You¡¯re just not that type of person.¡±


    His brother¡¯s words vexed James just a little. He found it hard to place exactly why. Was it because he was basically just denying that he had a right to be depressed? Or was it because Michael was the single most annoying entity on the planet? Probably a mixture of the two. James slumped and turned back to face the wall.


    ¡°Since when do you get to decide if I¡¯m depressed.¡±


    He meant to say it nochantly, but in the process almost snarled it out at his younger brother. The looper felt guilt started to seep in, dulling his horrible mood.


    ¡°Since I¡¯m your brother.¡± Michael declared. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you go through too many shitty things and come out fine to get depressed now. So stop being dramatic and just get out of bed.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then why?¡±


    ¡°Because there¡¯s no point!.¡± James shouted at his brother.


    He pulled himself out of his bed in his boxers and faced the ceiling, imagining the sky above that it concealed. James¡¯ voice reverberated across the thin walls but it didn¡¯t matter. He felt so pent up, so concealed, so many feelings bubbling inside his head that he couldn¡¯t keep it all together. The bubble burst.


    ¡°I¡¯m done. With this. With you. With all of it.¡± James screamed. If only the world could hear him. If only his cries didn¡¯t fall on deaf ears.


    The looper''s knees gave out under him, indignation mixed with terrible sorrow as he convulsed. Wetness dulled his cheaps and snort made it hard to breathe as he tried to choke down tears. It didn¡¯t work. Before he knew it he was on the soft carpet floor huddled in on himself in the fetal position. Convulsing and crying. A mess of tears and stolen hope.


    Every time.


    Every single time James thought he was beyond this. Beyond these simple emotions, he¡¯d felt so much. Something drew him back. Someone broke his numbness. The dull blanket he surrounded himself with. Then something would give hope that maybe, just maybe, he might have some sort of life beyond the Loop.


    Then this fucking place rips it away.


    And now he knew that it was for the better. That the world would be worse off with him back in it.


    But it¡¯s not fair.


    James tried to control his breakdown and tried to get up but he couldn¡¯t. He¡¯d been kicked down too many times to even stand anymore.


    You did this to me. You made me this way.


    He felt that same age-old hatred for the loop. It just brought more pain.


    You took my death. You took my sanity. You took my will. You took everything from me.


    The carpet was warm. James felt so cold.


    I hate you.


    He hated all of it. The system, the Loop, the world, the people. All of it was bad. All of it had to go. Every single last one of-


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright, mate.¡±


    A big rough hand rubbed his back as gently as it could while the other held his shoulder like an awkward hug. James blinked and saw Hugh¡¯s concerned face staring back down at him with a mask of composure on his face. His eyes looked angry, but the Looper could tell it wasn¡¯t directed towards him.


    His father sat next to him, keeping in an embrace that was as close to a hug as James had felt since he was little. His thoughts which had been racing at a million miles an hour slowed. The frenzy of feelings cleared slightly.


    For those blissful moments, James escaped the cold sinking entrapment festering in his mind. He felt alive again. It was so very terrifying. The feeling of an episode on the verge. The looper knew he couldn¡¯t be near them when it happened.


    With a heavy shove, he pushed his dad aside and strode past Michael. Both were concerned for him when they should¡¯ve been concerned for themselves.


    In nothing but his boxers, James stole his father¡¯s car keys and ran down the stairs with all his might praying he¡¯d be able to escape before his episode.


    **************


    James found himself in a coffee shop, with casual clothes he didn''t recognise. Literally found himself. The last thing he vaguely recalled was running down his apartment and then bam, coffee shop. His favorite one. A cup of coffee was steaming in his hands and the staff seemed unperturbed by his presence so he hadn¡¯t gone off the rails too far.


    But still, not remembering what he¡¯d just been doing was terrifying to the point that it left the looper shaking.


    He had thought that getting away from his family might bring him some calm.


    It didn¡¯t.


    At least the coffee on the ride to hell is tasty. James thought after taking a sip and ignoring his buzzing phone. Right now keeping in contact with anyone else was just as likely to teeter him over the edge as it was to bring him back.


    James could feel the fragility of his own mind, edging closer to the breaking point every second.


    So he sat there, gazing at the floral patterns on the walls and drinking his coffee. No phone. No music. No conversations. Just him, the pretty patterns, and coffee after coffee.


    The staff must¡¯ve thought he was having a mental breakdown after the seventh cup, but they never denied him more. James had never reset the Loop with caffeine.


    I wonder how many cups before it all falls away again? Killing himself now would not get him any further away from his problems. In fact, it would do the opposite.


    But for a blissful moment, he would feel none of what he felt now, and that sounded very attractive. The looper needed that bliss to sort through his own thoughts. To find some key to the madness.


    Somehow his mind kept lingering back to what had brought on this episode. Belief. The mirror James had said that was integral to escaping, which meant it had to be delusion. Because there was no escaping.


    Or was there?


    Whatever the case, James had come to believe that he didn¡¯t deserve it. In the search for belief, he¡¯d ended up at Nicholas Achen, the first person to kill him. The progenitor of this whole mess. A monster, who¡¯d reminded James that he was no better.


    ¡°This seat taken?¡±


    James blinked and noticed Jake was standing in front of him. His sandy blonde hair was tied back in a bun and his eyes told the truth his expression masked. That he was on edge, no matter how hard his carefree composure tried to tell James otherwise.


    ¡°It is unless you buy me another one,¡± James said with a wry smile, tapping his empty coffee cup against the table. His mind was whirling. How had Jake even found him?


    Jake sat and offered him another cup he¡¯d already ordered. The looper snatched it with a shakey hand and went for¡­


    ¡­is this fifteen or sixteen cups. Eh, doesn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Rough day?¡± Jake asked.


    ¡°You have no idea.¡±


    ¡°Want to talk about it?¡±


    James'' mouth curled into a frown. He didn¡¯t. Talking about it wouldn¡¯t make it better. That''s what he told himself. But his lips chose different words with a cold tone.


    ¡°If you¡¯ll actually listen.¡±


    It was Jake''s turn to frown, in the bullish way he so often did when something didn¡¯t go his way. ¡°What do you mean actually listen?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± James paused. His brain ticked as he sorted through how to word it. ¡°...if you¡¯ll give me a chance. A real chance. Actually hear me out. If you want to help you need to listen to me. Please just listen.¡±


    He had meant it to come off cold. James knew Jake¡¯s presence didn¡¯t do any favors for his mental state. Especially not when he was shaking and sweating from the caffeine. Still, it came out more as a plea.


    James inspected his friend''s expression and found it had twisted uncomfortably. But there was determination in it, a force of will to do his utmost to help his friend that James appreciated. The looper could see his own shifting granite eyes and quivering lip. For someone so old, he looked much like a child begging for help.


    Jake swallowed loudly. ¡°Lay it on me.¡±


    ¡°Are you-¡±


    He held at hand interrupting James.


    ¡°Nope. No arguing. Just tell me what''s wrong. Whatever it is.¡± Jake seemed completely serious, and equally uneasy. ¡°Whatever it is. Just tell me.¡±


    When James remained silent at Jakes request he pushed further.


    ¡°I can see there''s something welling up James. I¡¯ve been your best friend most of your life.¡±


    Jake paused and his mouth curled into the kindest smile James¡¯ thought he¡¯d ever seen.


    ¡°Tell me all of it. I¡¯ll listen and I promise I can handle it.¡±


    The earnest desire to help trickled into James so heavily that he felt the walls he¡¯d put up after so many attempts to express to others his pain, crumble in an instant. Any protection he¡¯d put up to protect himself from the truth fell away. Jake¡¯s genuine care along with James¡¯ terrible string of Loops had opened the floodgates.


    James just couldn¡¯t keep it in, shaking with adrenaline, caffeine, and deep mourning for his past self. He let it all out. There had been times in past Loops that he¡¯d tried to convey what was going on to other, especially Jake. But this time was different. He didn¡¯t feel panic or desperation. He just let it all out. A flood of information about the Loop and everything he¡¯d experienced.


    Every time Jake stopped to question him, either for clarification or just to think about something, James made sure to be as clear and vivid as possible. He left no detail out. All the traumatic and daunting truths from the many ways he¡¯d died, to his slowly dying embers of hope, to all those haunting episodes.


    The looper told Jake secrets he couldn¡¯t have known. Showed off how violent and rigid of a shift his personality and thought process had suffered. At some point he even started speaking in fluent French, the only other language Jake knew, just to get the point across.


    Many times he¡¯d twisted the truth to make himself seem better. Make the Loop seem better. Glorify it. But for the first time, James simply told the raw, willbreaking truth. From his original confusion to his existential dread blossoming into a feeling of power at being able to reset the world. That had quickly devolved into preparing, training, and learning for the day he would leave. At the start, he¡¯d thought it a certainty that he would leave. That had been a cruel lie. Then he¡¯d hoped that one day it might end.


    That lie had been crueler.


    He explained much to an almost aghast-looking Jake how he¡¯d simply lost all hope at one point.


    That he¡¯d gave up.


    Many times.


    But that last time felt like it would put an end to any hope I had left. Until the mirror man had come to him and sent him spiraling again, down a rabbit hole with no rabbit. The looper thought about leaving that part out. But he didn¡¯t.


    Jake wanted all of the truth.


    He was welcome to James¡¯ personal little nightmare.


    Towards the beginning, Jake humored him but kept a healthy amount of suspicion and disbelief. More worried about James for coming up with all this than the possibility that the looper was telling the truth. Yet the more details he gave Jake, the more tragic and horrid the tale became, all in crystal clear detail, the less Jake questioned.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    The less he talked until eventually his best friend just nodded silently whenever James asked if he was still listening. Jake had never believed him about the Loop before. No matter how close they were, it just wasn¡¯t in the man¡¯s nature to give in to superstition. It seemed for once he might¡¯ve grasped the horrific nature of the situation in all its truth.


    When he was done the fresh midday had turned into dusk and the staff were giving them both angry looks like they should buy something else or leave.


    Jake idly poked the lip of his coffee, face lost in thought and concentration.


    The looper chose to not bother his friend, simply taking in the feeling of letting it all out. It felt¡­ James wasn¡¯t sure. Whatever the feeling was, he hadn¡¯t been blessed with it in a while. Was it relief? It felt like a cold breeze had past through the inferno inside him.


    Is this what I should believe in? The truth. Like a gentle rag that washed over him, cleaning away the stains on his soul. So calming. So freeing.


    Truth. James thought to himself. Maybe there¡¯s some merit to that.


    ¡°Did you learn French just for me?¡± Jake asked all of a sudden, breaking James¡¯ concentration.


    ¡°No.¡± James shook his head. ¡°But I did learn how to make sushi at your suggestion.¡±


    Jake crooked his head.


    ¡°How would being a sushi chef help you when the world going to end?¡±


    James shrugged.


    ¡°Never know when you might get your hands on good salmon.¡±


    They both stared at each other expressionless and then James¡¯ own mouth cracked into a grin. He chuckled. Genuinely laughed for the first time in who knew how long. Jake did too. They both laughed at the passable joke until they were crying, barely capable of breathing. James didn¡¯t even think it was that funny but every time he saw Jake¡¯s dumb wheezing face it made him laugh harder.


    Eventually, they were both slumped in their chairs, cooling down from that settling tension.


    ¡°I imagine you¡¯ve tried to tell me before haven¡¯t you Jazz,¡± Jake said, misty eyes gazing at the hanging floral ceiling. ¡°And I just thought you were insane.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you believe me at all, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Is this the first time?¡±


    James realised that Jake¡¯s voice was shaking as he spoke and that he refused to look the looper in the eye. Regardless, he still told him the truth. Because it felt good. So good.


    ¡°It is.¡±


    The looper could see his friend''s eyes swelling with tears but Jake didn¡¯t shake, or hiccup, or even choke on his breath. There was not even a trembling lip. Yet the tears still streaked down his face.


    ¡°Dammit Jazz.¡± Jake stuttered. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry man. I¡¯m just¡­ sorry.¡±


    Before James could process it his best friend was hugging him. He¡¯d practically leaped over the table. Hugging was new for James. Jake was definitely the more physical of the two but he and James never really hugged. It felt nice. Jake was too busy crying on his shoulder instead of on it to make the embrace less awkward.


    James didn¡¯t mind.


    Jake is the best. James decided. He definitely the greatest human that¡¯s ever been born.


    He patted his best friend on the back till he got all his tears out. Jake stood, wiping his face with his cuffed sleeve.


    ¡°After today''s over, I won''t remember any of this, will I?¡± Jake asked after he¡¯d cleaned himself up.


    The question elicited a larger ebb of sorrow in James¡¯ heart than he expected. ¡°No.¡± He answered with bitter truth. ¡°You won¡¯t.¡±


    A grim air passed over Jake¡¯s posture before he banished it with a carefree smile James regonised. He smiled like tomorrow didn¡¯t matter. So much so that the looper found it glowed, brilliant in halls of dark endless loops.


    ¡°Then we''re making the most of today!¡± Jake shouted, pulling James up by the arm.


    He didn¡¯t even have a chance to argue before Jake dragged him out of the cafe, leaving his cup of coffee.


    *****************


    ¡°Can you stop calling it my John Elber?¡± James asked.


    ¡°But it definitely is.¡± Jake refused, nudging him in the ribs.


    ¡°We¡¯re not naming the Loop after the psychopath who murdered your dad.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but we are.¡±


    They were sitting on a hill not too far from Jake¡¯s apartment with piles of drinks around them. An outsider might¡¯ve thought it was just two college kids getting drunk, but to James, it felt more akin to old friends reminiscing after not seeing each other for years. He hadn¡¯t been able to have a candid conversation with Jake in such a long time that it was almost exactly that.


    And the first thing Jake brought up in their little isolated hill was how similar the Loop was to the man who had murdered his father.


    James did not agree, and for some reason, Jake found that fact hilarious.


    ¡°I don''t see the similarity,¡± James said in annoyance, taking a sip of his gin.


    Its cold taste buried warmth in his stomach that helped to fight off the chilly winds that hit him on the grassy hill. If he breathed hard enough he could watch it freeze in the air, but James hadn¡¯t realised just how cold the night of the Loop was until he was forced to wear stolen shorts and a t-shirt.


    Jake remained unbothered by it, sitting on his jacket in a polo taking sips of a beer he wanted to try. From a glance, you could tell he was regretting his choice of drink.


    ¡°But it is the same though,¡± Jake assured him. ¡°Not that the pain was the same. That¡¯s not what I mean¡­ yeah okay maybe I should¡¯ve worded it better.¡±


    He turned to face James and stubbed his beer into the wet grass.


    ¡°What I meant is that what you did for me then, I¡¯ll do for you now. I¡¯m not letting you leave this Loop with a John Elber.¡±


    ¡°Jake¡­¡± James started but found it hard to find the words to articulate what he felt. His mind was tinged with hints of nostalgia at the thought of John Elber. But what did Jake think he did for him.


    He asked, and Jake explained John Elber to him, from his perspective. It was enlightening.


    John Elber was, to put it frankly, half the reason Jake and James were friends to begin with. He was responsible for a double homicide that had involved Jake¡¯s father and his father¡¯s best friend. From the perspective of the outside world, it was a clear-cut premeditated murder. But the outside world didn¡¯t rule the court opinion. Public opinion was not always jury opinion.


    John Elber was a dangerous, psychotic man, but he was also a coward scared to face the consequences of his actions. When they were little, James had bonded with Jake first over their shared loss of a parent, then over a shared hatred.


    Jake hated Elber.


    James hated himself.


    That bond had built a kinship in them, but until Jake explained it to him on the hill, James had never thought so deeply of it. Nor had he thought very deeply of the plans they had made together. John Elber¡¯s case was stretched out far longer than anyone expected, to the point that a very real chance of avoiding punishment.


    Jake would not have that.


    And Jake was James only friend. In a time when he felt so much hate for himself, the looper had found it almost simple to channel some of it towards Elber along with his best friend. For six-year-olds, their methods were rather methodical. They complied with his usual walking habits, hid kitchen knives under their beds, and spent sleepovers late into the night devising how the two of them would get him.


    And where.


    Being children, the whole thing seemed almost comical to outsiders. The adults around them were concerned, but mainly for James and Jake. They weren¡¯t concerned about the very real conviction both boys possessed.


    ¡°Had that farce of a trial not ended,¡± Jake said in a heavy tone. ¡°We would¡¯ve killed him. I¡¯m sure of it. I had other friends I told about it. A bunch of them. But you were the only one that ever took me seriously, and the only one that was more than willing to help.¡±


    ¡°He deserved it,¡± James said simply.


    Because it was simple to him. John Elber didn¡¯t deserve to live. He¡¯d been convinced of that long before the Loop begun and nothing had changed.


    ¡°I know.¡± Jake acknowledged ¡°But you were the only one that understood it the way I did. For now, I understand the Loop the way you do. So it¡¯s the same, sort of.¡±


    Which will only make it more painful when you disappear again. James had suffered many losses in the Loop, but for the first time in a long time, he¡¯d found a version of someone he truly didn¡¯t want to lose. Not for anything. However the sky above them was darkening, and the streets were growing busier. They were minutes away from Vog the void eye coming to say hi.


    Been a while since I called it Vog. James noted.


    Was it because he felt more at ease with Jake around?


    Both of them continued to chat about their memories of each other and the Loop as the dusk of azure grew closer. Neither took their eye off the sky as they snaked on all the favorite foods they¡¯d splurged on and drank to their heart''s content.


    It was then, after the azure had started to flash across the sky that Jake finally spoke again.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to escape, James,¡± Jake said. He sounded somber yet serious, and when the looper looked at his face he could only see a strained smile.


    ¡°You can¡¯t know that.¡± James refuted.


    ¡°You said that you¡¯d started to believe in truth, right?¡± Jake asked, turning to stare at him.


    Jake¡¯s eyes were colder than James could recall ever seeing. Filled with malice and hate on a level he didn¡¯t think his friend was capable of. If it was directed towards him, James might¡¯ve shattered, but it wasn¡¯t. He could feel it. The same way he had felt. All that endless fury was directed at the world around him.


    Jake hated the Loop as much as James did.


    ¡°I did.¡±


    Telling the truth felt so good. Is it because everything else is a lie? James wondered.


    Jake shifted his eyes from James and gazed back up at the sky. His gaze wandered the night, looking lost. ¡°Then you have to accept, that one way or another, you¡¯re going to get out.¡±


    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s inevitable,¡± Jake confessed. ¡°If the Loop goes on forever, then you have to get out, don¡¯t you? Because in comparison to eternity, the time it will take you to escape will be shorter.¡±


    No. James shook his head. That was a nice train of thought but it simply wasn¡¯t reality. Not his reality. There was no getting past an immovable object, no matter how much time he had. He wasn¡¯t a hummingbird, sharpening his beak against a mountain and slowly whittling it down, atom by atom. He was a fraction of light sucked into a black hole, destined to stay hovering on its horizon until the end of ends.


    The looper''s own eyes flicked back to the giant void slowly being eaten away in the sky.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not that simple Jake. Getting out just isn¡¯t possible.¡±  James said. Years upon years had made his conviction solid as the granite.


    And yet¡­


    And yet Jake¡¯s next words made something inside James waver. For just a moment, the constant scratching inside his mind went silent.


    ¡°I think the mirror man was right. But wrong at the same time. He told you to find something else to believe in. Like truth, or love, or peace. Maybe he meant all the hate you have in your heart. Maybe he meant the kindness you''re capable of instead. Personally, I don''t believe in all that crap.¡± Jake paused. Then said something that rocked James to his core.


    ¡°I believe in the kid who had every right to hate the world but chose to embrace it. The kid who was dealt a bad hand and still chose to play it as best he could. A boy, who wanted to give good, because he knew how painful life could be. A man who lived the same day for centuries and never truly gave up.¡±


    James stared at his friend who in turn gazed up at the sky. Something inside him churned in a way it never had before. He felt like he was on the verge of tears, but not the bad kind. His mind felt like a torrent, but not the kind that caused an episode.


    It was something else.


    Something new.


    What is this?


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± James said his face one of pure bewilderment.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one thing you need to believe in to get out of the Loop James,¡± Jake responded. ¡°And it¡¯s the same thing I believe in.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± James almost stuttered. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Jake turned and in that moment James realised that the world was collapsing. Instinctually he could feel it. The world around him started to fade away, and Jake along with it. He reached out a hand but it was too late. The darkness stole away Jake¡¯s body before James could hear what he had to say.


    Then it tried to take away feel away the feeling bubbling inside him.


    The Loop had taken his death.


    The Loop had taken his sanity.


    The Loop had taken away his hope.


    And now, The Loop was trying to take away the last reprieve.


    The very last thing James would ever have. Left there, suspended in the darkness. It stole away not only his best friend but all the goodness Jake had managed to instill inside him. All the tireless effort his greatest friend had made, snuffed out.


    James felt something occur, deep inside him. Inside a place not even the void could touch.


    Something Snapped.


    No. James refused.


    He could feel the entirety of the emptiness trying to shovel away all of his feelings and he refused. It pushed him down inside the darkness.


    For the first time, the looper pushed back. All his will could never measure up to the flood of power he felt when that thing deep inside of him had simply snapped. Suddenly James felt the void do something it had never done before.


    It croaked. Then it creaked.


    Give him back. James felt his will scream into the void.


    But it wasn¡¯t enough. A wordless command could not move something so immovable. So James mustered all the flooding feeling he could, into a final gesture.


    Then spoke.


    ¡°GIVE HIM BACK.¡±


    The Loop shook.


    James could feel it. He didn¡¯t know how, but for the first time, he felt an aberration in¡­ reality. The reality of the Loop. The entire void around him started to groan like a metal beam warping under the strain of reality itself.


    He could feel it trying to force itself to reset and straining under a pressure that refused to let it. The immovable object, for a brief moment, met its match in James. His very refusal became an unstoppable force that refused to let it gain ground.


    That in itself was the strangest thing James had ever experienced.


    Then the Loop did something stranger.


    And scarier.


    It heeded.


    The Loop had bent James to its will so many times and now he was bending it to his. Something almost unthinkable for James, yet it was happening all the same.


    Within the void, small embers of Jake that had been scattered into the Loop¡¯s abyss started to put themselves back together. His physical form wasn¡¯t restored, but James could feel a wisp of his consciousness coming back into existence.


    The presence of Jake was a shallow conscious.


    Like warm breath that could never hope but fade in the cold abyss around him.


    Still, James'' unstoppable will along with the break had summoned him back. Long enough for Jake to have his final words.


    ¡°It''s you James. It¡¯s always been you. You¡¯re what I believe in.¡± The ghostly wisp professed.


    James felt something deep within him churn at those words. As if his long-dead heart had been spiked with endless adrenaline.


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been what I wanted to be man. At your worst, you are better than me at my best, and at your best, you shine¡­ Look, the point is, the mirror man was right and wrong.¡± The ghostly wisp continued. ¡°You¡¯re the only thing real here James. You are the one who remembers when even the world forgets. You are truth. You are strength. You are inevitable. What chance does the Loop stand against you?¡±


    The looper could¡¯ve sworn he heard a faint ghostly.


    ¡°What chance does it stand against my best friend? I know you think you¡¯re a monster for confronting what you need to do. Maybe we are. the two of us. But if you¡¯ve got to burn it all down¡­¡±


    Jake''s voice had been kind and assured even in its wispy form. But in raw consciousness, the truth and brutal conviction of his find words to James turned Jake¡¯s voice into a deep demonic growl. A low reverting howl that promised doom.


    ¡°...then let it burn, down to the last cinder.¡±


    The scratching in James¡¯ head ceased. All the pain he¡¯d felt, all the sorrow and the anguish. Every hope and all the despair that came with it fled. It all paled under the revelation he felt course through him.


    His blood felt like magma, his heart felt like a sun, his mind the cosmo, and his bones the laws that shaped existence into being.


    Then it all snapped back. Normally James faded slowly into blissful sleep, then awoke again in the next Loop. Not this time. Instead, the world simply snapped back into existence again and James was sitting on his bed, hands on his knees.


    A spooked-looking Michael stood in front of him with a waffle in hand. He seemed very confused, and a little worried.


    ¡°Breakfast is rea-¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡± James interrupted his voice without a shake or quiver. Solid and unmoving.


    Michael stepped back slowly, taking a bite of his waffle and nodding to himself as he opened their bedroom door. ¡°Okay¡­ then I¡¯m just going to be out here.¡±


    His brother stepped into the room a little too quickly and left James alone. He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the hands on his knees with a blank face and black eyes. Devoid of any emotions.


    The looper''s thoughts mechanically shifted from one idea to another before it noticed a curiosity. James'' eyes caught an oddity in the standing mirror opposite him. The mirrored James was smiling.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve decided.¡±


    ¡°Whoever you represent mirror man, whoever and however many are responsible for the Loop.¡± A smile cracked on James'' blank face, filled with glee and humor in tandem. A mirth, manic chuckle creeped out his throat as he nodded at James in the mirror. The looper''s next words were filled with joy, rage, kindness, cruelty, shame, and pride all in one fantastically twisted bundle.


    ¡°You¡¯re all so fucked.¡±


    The ominous declaration rang out as a mighty proclamation.


    Be they kin, kings, or the gods themselves.


    No one would escape the Looper.


    No one.

 Chapter 6: Escape I

    Lo-


    Escape attempt 1


    ¡°So are you real or am I just that crazy?¡± James queried. The wheels of his modified GTR screeched on the asphalt as he sped past the cars around him, trying to find the nearest patch of long empty road he could.


    There were no passengers in the car to answer his question. Not in the physical world. But in the rearview mirror he¡¯d tilted down there was a mirror image of James lounging in the back, watching the sights fly past with awe.


    ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s a mixture of both.¡±


    The mirror of himself didn¡¯t speak persay. Its voice was more like an echo in his head. A stray thought that wasn¡¯t his own. Distinct enough that he could pick it up, but close enough to his own thoughts that the looper truly thought he might be a complete delusion. His answer didn¡¯t make James any more sure of the answer.


    Still, Fig, as he¡¯d come to call the mirror version of himself, was rather helpful. When he wasn¡¯t complaining about which car they were stealing.


    He also knows things.


    ¡°So a Source.¡± James paused to weave past a car that just wouldn¡¯t move. ¡°It¡¯s like a power right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an oversimplification.¡±


    ¡°But not wrong.¡±


    James could see Fig¡¯s face crunch in annoyance as he tried to think of a comeback. Eventually, he just relented.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯m right?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s more than that. It¡¯s your potential. All of it coalesced into one fixed point. The Source of what you''re capable of. A Source isn¡¯t just power, it¡¯s the catalyst for something greater.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± James said, half paying attention. In his opinion, Fig put far too much importance on something as simple as this Source. He said a lot about it, without really explaining much at all. He neglected the heart of the matter which was explaining what a Source did.


    The car raced up a sharp turn and skidded down the road ahead before turning into a dark, narrow country road. They were about three hours out from the city towards the west, meaning they were in the lush outback of Australia. Here they didn¡¯t need to worry about hitting cars, but James did need to watch out for kangaroos. From experience he knew hitting one would reset this Loop early.


    ¡°So, what does this Source nonsense have to do with me escaping?¡± James asked, putting his foot on the gas. He had an inkling of why Fig was bringing it up, but getting the entire picture felt like it was important if he wanted to escape.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to tell you all day. If you weren¡¯t ignoring me, you¡¯d already know!¡±


    James sneered, entertaining the thought of explaining to Fig just how annoying he was, before ultimately putting it to bed in favor of hearing the imaginary man out.


    ¡°To be honest I didn¡¯t think you were real for most of today.¡± James lied. He¡¯d just been ignoring Fig because he was too preoccupied with deciphering the stark change his¡­ soul had gone through.


    Do I have a soul? Is that what changed? The looper didn¡¯t have any idea where the difference had originated. But he was sure of the change. Jake''s words had awakened in him an understanding James had never truly felt before. He was the arbiter of this horrible situation. As much as the Loop took control, it could never take away James.


    Because he rested at the core of the Loop.


    It¡¯s one fatal flaw.


    Before he¡¯d been completely unsure of himself. Always feeling like he was in deep waters, swallowed whole by chance. But Jake believed in James so vehemently that he¡¯d managed to convince the looper of one thing.


    That he was going to escape.


    Not that he could, nor that he should, but that James¡¯ release from this prison was certain. All that talk of belief had made him think, but it was Jake¡¯s belief that caused a change inside him.


    James could feel it even now, brimming inside him like an inferno where once only a spark had been. A line in the sand of time that marked the beginning of the end for the Loop.


    Confidence thrummed through him, even as he planned exactly the best way to crash his dream car.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening now. Tell me before I get another idea and start ignoring you again.¡± James said plainly. His mind was spinning with ideas of how to escape and ways to entertain them, but he recognised that maybe the mirror apparition of himself would know something about the magical Loop.


    It made sense if you just didn¡¯t think about it too deeply.


    ¡°As I was saying, a Source is a power granted by the system¡¯s touch. It¡¯s meant to be attached to a person, bound to their essence. It needs to be.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s meant to be,¡± James asked.


    And how do you know all this? He kept that thought in his back pocket. The looper knew Fig would pull back if he asked.


    Fig didn¡¯t answer his question. Instead, the figment of himself leaned forward in the mirror and countered with his own question in a subtle, deeper echo.


    ¡°Did you ever see what your Source was, James?¡±


    No but what does¡­. James'' mind was quick to the jump, slowly shuffling all the various theories he had of the Loop together until they fit in one neat puzzle. Suddenly he could see the why. Well a version of why the Loop existed that an imaginary voice in his head corresponded with, but still. Had to take the small wins in life.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying my Source has something to do with the Loop.¡± That made sense to him. He had no examples of what a Source was, but he could use his imagination. Maybe his worked like some sort of seer ability that allowed him to remember the Loop when all others forgot.


    That was his best guess.


    He couldn¡¯t have been more wrong.


    ¡°No James, it¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking. Your Source doesn¡¯t protect you from the Loop.¡± Fig paused, then said in a smaller voice sounding almost terrified of retribution.


    ¡°It is the Loop.¡±


    James slammed the brakes as a wave of shock too visceral to be mixed with confusion flooded into him. Fig¡¯s imaginary head slammed into the passenger seat headrest and he whipped back, massaging it with a groan.


    ¡°James I¡¯m so-¡±


    ¡°Shut it.¡± James snarled. His head turned to stare into the granite eyes same as his own, only shallower. Weaker. Gone was the placidy he¡¯d grown so used to maintaining, replaced with the razor edge of the ancient horror known to the world as James Matthew Groves.


    His brain was running a million miles an hour, but there was one thing he needed to know for certain.


    ¡°You¡¯re not trying to pin the blame for this on me, are you?¡±


    Fig held up his hands in surrender.


    ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not what I was getting at.¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Then explain,¡± James muttered putting his foot on the gas again.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t cause the Loop. Your death did. When you died, your Source was already bloomed, but without a soul to bind to, it had nowhere to go.¡±


    James calmed, sorting through the information Fig was feeding him. His Source had been formed? He remembered the golden words of the system saying something similar, but never considered that the power all Sparks seemed to possess had already been his. Then what was his Source? Was it some kind of time-power? Some kind of cycle?


    Or is it simpler? James felt he knew the answer. It danced on the fringes of his mind.


    ¡°My Source is looping, isn¡¯t it? You were being literal before.¡± James realised and Fig nodded at his assessment. ¡°Mine is literally just forcing things into a loop.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but this.¡± Fig waved his hands all around them, emphasizing the magnitude of the Loop. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be possible. Chronological tampering of the lightest kind is magically expensive and a horrible waste of Elixir. You can¡¯t do this. You shouldn¡¯t have been able to cause a timeline collapse of this scale. Your Source was newborn, you would¡¯ve barely been able to loop matter, much less time.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry for messing with your timeline.¡± James scoffed in icy sarcasm. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t explain much, nor how it¡¯s going to help me put an end to it all.¡±


    Fig''s face looked absolutely miffed, likely because James didn¡¯t place nearly as much significance on his grandiose revelations as the imaginary man thought he would. It wasn¡¯t that all this wasn¡¯t welcome confirmations to guesses he¡¯d already made, James just didn¡¯t find them particularly important. The Loop was caused by his power? It was a shock for sure and for a brief moment it had stolen his composure. But it made sense, in hindsight. It was great to know but James didn''t see how it helped him because if he had any control over the Loop itself, he felt like he would¡¯ve-


    Oh.


    The cogs in his head sorted it together once again. Still, that didn¡¯t explain the Loop itself, so he let Fig continue.


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is your Source, and this is just our- my, running theory, is that it must¡¯ve¡­¡± Fig paused to swallow. ¡°...Look, a Source needs to attach to something. It can¡¯t just exist on its lonesome. I think¡­ I think the Loop is attached to this day. It changed the very nature of today and the world that inhabits it so that it¡¯s an endless loop. That''s the only way to explain how it¡¯s still going after so long. Your Source has Looped itself.¡±


    James groaned. ¡°That sounds difficult to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Impossible. At least it should be. But the Loop was formed from you. Considering you remember and you''ve¡­¡±


    ¡°Commanded it.¡± James finished for him.


    He still felt the deep flooding of power that had surged within him inside the abyss. The absolute refusal forged over time forgotten that had managed to shake the Loop, if only for a moment. For just a moment, he¡¯d done something he never thought for possible. Even if it was just a tiny moment. A minuscule little crack.


    To James, it was proof of concept. That was enough. The rev meter on his GTR veered towards red as the looper floored it. He had done it once, he could do it again. And the next time he¡¯d be ready. James knew if he managed to get his hands on the Loop one more time, he could end it for sure.


    He had felt the thing waver at his will. Fig was right. The Loop was his. Now the looper realised that it made all of the power he felt inside the abyss make so much more sense. A part of him was bending time, resetting the day, and keeping back the system. It was his, he just had to take it back.


    Do I even want a power like that?


    No.


    James didn¡¯t want anything to do with the Loop after he left.


    But if that¡¯s the only way to leave? Taking it back.


    He could live with that.


    ¡°I have a plan, and now I have proof it could work.¡±


    He was testing me. He knew all this. He doesn¡¯t want to help. The Loop ending serves him somehow.


    James kept his lips sealed and eyes on the road, maintaining a perfect facade of ignorance. Only a twitch of his eye gave away how the looper truly felt. It was indignation mixed with curiosity. If Fig was willing to lie to him, to manipulate him then James didn¡¯t like to imagine what else he might do.


    Right now he couldn¡¯t do anything. He was just a voice in James'' head.


    But that was right now.


    What if escaping the Loop changed that?


    He was reminded of just how insane he was when the thought of it excited him. Maybe Fig would be able to entertain him, maybe he would be able to end the looper. James couldn¡¯t wait to find out.


    Their car¡¯s speed picked up till it was shooting down the empty country road well over 180 km an hour. And picking up speed.


    ¡°For what possible reason are we going this fast?¡± Fig asked, befuddled rather than fearful.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got my plans for how to get out, you¡¯ve got yours,¡± James said with a shrug. ¡°Now tell me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to like it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like living but I¡¯m still here.¡±


    ¡°No. You¡¯re really not going to like it.¡±


    ¡°Well then out with it.¡± James jeered him.


    ¡°Can we slow down first?¡± Fig asked weakly, leaning back and holding his stomach. ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna be sick.¡±


    James grinned. ¡°No can do. It¡¯s a part of my plan.¡±


    Fig made a weak sound and slouched onto the three back seats, lying down. He looked like he was about to empty the contents of his stomach over the leather. Which made no sense. ¡°Which is?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to like it.¡±


    Fig made a sound like death. ¡°Yeah, I probably deserved that.¡±


    The car gained speed and kept gaining, shooting well past the 200 km per hour mark. They were racing past trees and shrubs and bushes and mountains on a thin road, with no one else to share it with. James lowered the windows and let the blasting wind flutter his baleful black hair.


    He could see a sharp right turn ahead. The looper had no intention of heeding it. He¡¯d tried ending loops before at high speeds hoping it would effect the tick over to the next Loop. But who was to say commandeering the Loop and rattling it didn¡¯t have adverse longer lasting effects? Maybe it would work this time.


    If I¡¯m being honest. James thought to himself as the metal guard got closer and closer. I mainly just wanted to have fun.


    Driving his favorite car as fast as he could into a metal guard rail was certainly a unique sense of fun. James prided himself on it.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to slow down, are we?¡± Fig was hugging the seat for dear life.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re not.¡±


    They were moments away from the guard rail and looper felt the anticipation, the thrill, building up in his hands on the wheel. But he wouldn¡¯t change direction. He was going straight. At 234 kms an hour.


    ¡°This is going to suck-¡±


    James felt the violent collision of his car hitting the rail and bending it forward. At the speed he was going, it sent his car flying forward to the tree ahead instead of simply stopping the at guard. He heard the crunching of metal and felt the airbags blow in his face. Blood ran down his head as they flew towards the tree from a piece of the windshield that had cut his face.


    One of his hands was crumpled into the dash and felt like it was being strangled by the sun. Whenever he tried to breathe, it was always short.


    Without the seat belt, he might¡¯ve even flown through the window.


    The truck of the tree was awfully closer than it was a second ago.


    Then the world went dark.


    Escape attempt 2


    James expected to wake up in his bed, sleeping, as he had done a million times before. That''s not what happened. Instead, the moment the Loop fluctuated and reset itself he was flung forward into the opposite wall of his room.


    At a speed far from comfortable.


    He crashed into the plaster wall and felt his back groan in agony as it twisted around a stud. Plaster and dust fell down on top of him, making it harder to breathe than it already was. His lungs clawed for breath and pain coursed from his back into the rest of his body.


    He coughed and grabbed at his chest trying to not suffocate.


    The pain was intense. The surprise was worse.


    Well, that¡¯s new. James thought, glancing at the fallen-over mess that was Michael. He was scrambling to his feet and tripping over himself in the process.


    James would¡¯ve laughed if his ribs weren¡¯t broken.


    ¡°Guess¡­¡± The looper paused and spat out some blood. ¡°...I broke the Loop, just a little.¡±


    Fig, who was sitting on his bed opposite him in the mirror, nodding in agreement, cranked his neck as if he¡¯d felt the crash through two Loops as well. ¡°That¡¯s a positive way to look at it.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± James coughed. ¡°About this plan.¡±


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t involve crashing cars ¡®back to the future¡¯ style.¡±


    Good, don¡¯t need more broken ribs. James thought as heaved. Mentally he ticked ¡°high-speed collosion with the loop¡± off his list of ways to escape. While they¡¯re conversation had rendered Fig¡¯s motivations devious at best, he had real knowledge about the Loop. James could use that. Even if Fig wasn¡¯t on James'' side, it didn¡¯t matter.


    The imaginary version of himself underestimated the looper, or else he¡¯d have never told him what he had.


    Eager to hear Fig¡¯s plan, and hopefully cross off a few ideas of his own James fumbled to his feet, pain dulled by the small victory that was disrupting the Loop. Even just a little.


    His plan can¡¯t be that bad. James assured himself.


    He had no idea.

 Chapter 7: Escape II

    Escape attempt 56


    ¡°Fig! I don¡¯t like this plan!¡± James shouted, crouching under the metal table he used for cover as bullets flew over his head. Scarlet butterflies bloomed with every bullet bouncing against the end of the grey concrete hallway, colliding with the wall in front of him.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t even the worst part.¡±


    Fantastic. James groaned internally, nimbling reloading the Assault rifle, and steadying his breath to the tick of the clock in his mind. He¡¯d close his eyes to better think through the plan, but the blinding phosphorus white distracted him too much. Fig¡¯s plan was not nearly as simple as James had thought, and required information neither of them possessed.


    Luckily, James knew the place that did.


    Unluckily, it was also one of the most securely guarded areas he¡¯d ever stepped foot in.


    ¡°What even is the C.S.O?!¡± Ben shouted from across the gap between their two metal tables.¡°We don¡¯t have a government body like that!¡±


    Guards in full mat black riot gear with assault riffles marched towards them, taking point behind any of the concrete pillars the rather large mess hall had. Underground, the air tasted like dirt and the light felt unnatural. All the crazy circumstances seemed to have broken the part of Ben¡¯s brain that processed logic.


    He was shifting behind the table, clutching the revolver James had lent him to his chest. The gun was loaded, but in their whole time trying to escape from the facilities guards he hadn¡¯t shot the thing once. Not that it would¡¯ve done much. With the level of kevlar, those guards had on a revolver would do little more than bruise.


    Suffice to say, Ben wasn¡¯t the reason the government security guards hadn¡¯t pounced on them.


    The scattered bodies of guards strewn across the cantina were.


    Courtesy of James.


    Most of them aren¡¯t dead¡­ I think. He had tried to be gentle but it was hard to just knock someone out when they were shooting high-caliber rounds at you. It was harder when you shot back.


    Ben growled in indignation and fear, then poked his head up at the retinue of guards. ¡°You¡¯re not even a registered government body! You¡¯re all terrorists and comm- Ahhhh!¡±


    He ducked his head just in time to not get his brains painted across the large cement wall behind them. The giant C.S.O logo was painted on it in white, with an eagle spreading its wings over the words ¡°The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever¡±. The same eagle was badged on all the uniformed soldiers.


    James had known of C.S.O¡¯s existence for some time but always treated it as a suicide Loop. He only figured out its location after breaking into parliament buildings in Cambera. Even then he¡¯d had to take multiple people hostage just for them to spill about the secret ¡°doomsday bunkers¡± located in every major city that Australia had.


    From his limited understanding of the organization, it was the government''s shit aliens are coming answer. The whole thing was extremely hush-hush and completely wiped off the internet. It took sixteen Loops just to figure out how to get into the base through a complicated route around sewers adjacent.


    ¡°Ben, I hate to be the bearer of bad news,¡± James said over the sound of constant gunfire. ¡°But I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re the terrorists.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get a say!¡± Ben said with a scowl, pointing a finger. ¡°You said we were just going to find a list detailing a bunch of people with superpowers.¡±


    ¡°We still are. You know, you sounded a lot more excited about coming yesterday.¡±


    ¡°We met three hours ago!¡±


    ¡°Ben does have a point.¡± Fig said, siding with Ben and yet completely missing the point the conspiracy theorist was trying to make.¡°He¡¯s not helpful.¡±


    We wouldn¡¯t be in a mess like this if you had a better plan. But he didn¡¯t. Fig seemed fairly confident his idea would work and made no effort to understate exactly how difficult it would be. Impossible for James when he was fresh to the Loop. Barely possible for the monster of a man he was now.


    Yet what James lacked in efficiency, he made up for in time. Endless time.


    He gripped his assault riffle tightly, pushing the but of the gun into his shoulder and clinging his fingers to it so tight no man would be able to pry it away. His mind wrapped around the weapon like his hands, focusing on it and the rounds flying overhead.


    Then the steps of the guards approached.


    ¡°Put down your weapons!¡± They shouted.


    They were louder now.


    ¡°Surrender is still an option!¡± A guard offered, before being shushed by another.


    Closer.


    The fear they had of him had been dulled by his recent lack of resistance.


    The closer they grew, the longer the gaps between gunfire.


    A silence grew in their absence, making the heavy boots all the more easy to hear.


    James could hear Ben¡¯s trembling hands fiddling with the revolver, the nervous shifting of the approaching guards, and his own thrumming heartbeat. The anticipation made him feel so alive.


    When he felt ready, he pulled the fake flashbang he¡¯d made from his pocket. It was just a small spray paint canister but to these jumpy guards, that was more than enough to scare them stiff.


    In one motion he threw it to the right of his cover, between his table and Ben¡¯s, and then shifted to aim over the left side.


    Four trigger pulls blossomed the ringing of sweet death in the looper''s ear before he vaulted over the table and slid behind the concrete pillar ahead. He felt two nicks on his leg and something just barely clipped his shoulder. The pain barely affected James besides sharpening his focus.


    Four heavy thuds soothed his ringing ears, along with the conjoined sounds of shouting and chaos.


    For the looper, all of it fell away as his mind did something he doubted any other mind was capable of.


    It let go. Let go of consequence, let go of feeling, let go of ego, and gave in to pure focus.


    Six to my left, eight to my right.


    Mechanically his returned fire slipped between their delays, sending some reeling and putting others down for good. James wasn¡¯t perfect. He didn¡¯t always hit in between their helmets and chest armor. Yet the time it took him to aim, fire, and then take cover was a fraction of what it took the trained security.


    Chips of concrete blew past his face as he moved from pillar to pillar, dispatching them all with perfect calm. He felt no goodness about his task. Took no pleasure in the deaths of people who were just paid to do a security gig. There was no glory in it. Only calm, cold murder that left the looper relatively unbothered.


    In the pursuit of escaping, he would¡¯ve done far worse.


    When the bullets stopped all that was left was twitching bodies and the distant metallic smell of blood. Not all of them were dead, yet. But as James left the safety of his concrete pillar and stepped around the bodies, he was sure all of them were disabled for now.


    At least, he was, until a weak hand grasped his ankle. There was no strength in it. James'' eyes flickered to the masked and armored owner. His amber eyes were the only thing with any life in them anymore and they gazed at James with hate and desperation.


    He stared into the looper''s eyes, searching. What purchase did he hope to find?


    Mercy?


    Pity?


    What would a good person feel?


    Not what I feel. Which is a whole load of nothing. James tugged his foot away from the man and peered his head down the hallway to the twin corridors. The layout was a whole bunch of guards and weaponry to the left¡­ so right it is.


    ¡°Hey, Ben. They¡¯re all dead.¡±


    The youthful bartender poked his head up from the table racked with bullet holes. He looked like a deer caught between headlights in a moment before his face twisted into glee. He threw his hands up in the ear. ¡°We¡¯re not going to die!¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t ever in danger of dying,¡± James said, motioning him to catch up.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°How?¡± Ben asked in a doubtful tone.


    ¡°I would¡¯ve reset if I thought we were in a situation I couldn¡¯t get us out of. You¡¯re my friend.¡± James reassured him, patting the bartender on the shoulder when he caught up. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you cark it if I can avoid it.¡±


    Ben gulped. Loudly. ¡°That¡¯s nice to know, I guess.¡± He held up his unfired revolver with a shaking hand. ¡°Which way is out?¡±


    ¡°That way.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going that way, are we?¡±


    James smiled. ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it.¡±


    The pair moved through the dull concrete hallways at an efficient but careful pace, James keeping an eye on both the front and the rear while Ben tried his best not to piss himself. To the bartender''s credit, he handled high-stress situations fairly well. He hadn¡¯t accidently. The low constant hum of the alarm did well to hide their footsteps.


    But it didn¡¯t make them invisible.


    Twice they ran into groups of guards and twice Ben went fetal behind the nearest cover while James systematically dispatched them. He ended up taking a bullet to the shoulder which hurt like hell. They marched on, Ben complaining the entire way as they passed by assortments of large empty concrete spaces that had been either evacuated or just weren¡¯t in use yet.


    There were shooting ranges as well as barracks too, mixed with what looked like a new-age dojo filled to the brim with melee weapons and¡­


    Is that an alchemy room?


    He couldn¡¯t say. It was stocked to the brim with herbs and fauna from just about everywhere. James had an ecologist''s phase, and he recognised the wide variety of ingredients immediately. That was among some of the stranger rooms he saw. There was even what appeared to be an underground farm.


    But none of that was what James sought.


    Then they stumbled across a room with ¡°Admin¡± written in white. James tried the heavy steel door twice before he heeded the fact that it was locked. The looper half expected that. Most the the doors had been locked.


    What he didn¡¯t expect was the strained, shaking warning that emanated from within.


    ¡°That¡¯s not you Kalen, is it?¡± An older man¡¯s voice asked, sounding hopeful.


    Then someone deeper inside the room shushed him.


    ¡°This is not Kalen,¡± James admitted, trying to sound as friendly as he could. ¡°All I want is information. Open this door, and we can work something out.¡±


    He heard a grunt as if the older man wanted to reply but again, it was shushed by a calmer voice. Someone who wasn¡¯t scared shitless of him and knew unlocking the door could end badly for them. The looper tried the door with a slam twice more before he relented that it wasn¡¯t going to be opened by his body alone.


    Cold hard steel required a more delicate approach.


    James put down his gun and dropped his backpack, pulling a sweet delicate surprise from inside.


    ¡°Is that a bomb?¡± Ben asked incredulously. ¡°Oh my god. We¡¯re actually the terrorists.¡±


    ¡°Relax,¡± James said softly. ¡°It¡¯s a small bomb.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a thermite bomb?¡± Fig queried.


    I mean yeah, but Ben doesn¡¯t need to know that. James kept that to himself and stuck the bomb to the door¡¯s lock, arming the explosive. There was shuffling and muttered chatter on the other side of the door, so the looper did what he considered the nice thing and lent them another chance.


    ¡°Just so you know, I¡¯m gonna blow up the door, so last chance to-¡±


    There was the sound of struggle behind the door. Not the violent kind. More a bunch of subtle shifting as one party moved against the other. Then the heavy steel door opened with a loud clunk, letting James heave the thing until he could peek through, shifting so he could aim his rifle through the crevice.


    His sight crept through until he felt movement. From behind the door, a larger, older gentleman dressed in formal military attempted to grab ahold of James''s barrel and aim his pistol toward him. In a quick, precise motion James kicked his legs from under him and butted him with his barrel. The older man yelped and sprawled to the rug, shakily aiming his pistol.


    He managed to get a shot off at James and it barely clipped his right ear, turning the ringing into a deafening burn. The looper bit down the pain and returned two shots to the man¡¯s arm, disarming him. To his credit, the older gentleman only made a soft sound of agony. Slowly, the looper pushed open the door further, keeping his gun trained to where he couldn¡¯t see.


    There was only one other in the office. A woman. Blonde hair cut short with sharp blue eyes, watching his every movement like a hawk. Not once did she spare a glance at the older gentleman groaning in pain in the middle of the room. Spilling fresh blood onto a very nice-looking rug. James immediately felt she presented more of a threat, despite her smaller stature, keeping his gun trained on her as he felt his damaged ear.


    His right ear felt like warm wetness and burning pain.


    The slow ring of the alarm and groans from the older man filled what would otherwise be silence as they stared off at each other.


    James felt like he would have to speak first and quell the tension, but he was wrong.


    Instead, the blonde woman took the initiative. ¡°Mr Groves. Is there any chance, we could come to reasonable terms that would ensure our safety?¡±


    ¡°Do you know this lady?¡± Fig asked, sounding almost as surprised as James felt.


    ¡°You know me?¡± The looper asked, admittedly a little curious.


    Her eyes turned to share a look with the man in pain, mulling something over in her head seemingly, before nodding. ¡°James Matthew Groves, Prospect Spark. No Aspect. No Court. No known Guild affiliations. Source and Class unknown. Chances of successful integration rated at 12.67%¡±


    ¡°Chances of integration?¡± James questioned.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t already know what it means, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t tell you.¡± She said, a slight shake in her voice. Still, it was firm. Almost unwavering. She kept her hands at her side, dressed in formal military attire with the C.S.O. eagle pinned to her shoulder.


    She¡¯d already avoided one of his questions. That didn¡¯t bode well. But the fact they know so much about me is probably a good sign. Fig said I¡¯d need at least a hundred names and addresses. He had come here for key information on Sparks surrounding him because Fig¡¯s plan necessitated finding them.


    And hunting them down.


    Each Spark glows brighter when fueled by another. A horrifying prospect, but one that made a lot of sense considering what he knew about the system.


    ¡°Your Source will respond to you devouring Sparks ravenously. We just have to hope it pushes the Loop past the first threshold.¡± Fig had said when they first discussed his plan.


    They were his ticket out of here. James felt like he was sure of it. Right now the only thing standing between him and escape was a beaten-down old man and woman who was slowly but surely succumbing to the fear of imminent death.


    ¡°Ben, guard the door.¡± James directed, inspecting the office and cataloging possible places that the list could be. The computer first, then the files in the cabinet behind it. There was a safe in that cabinet too. Maybe there?


    Ben didn¡¯t seem to like the idea of being without James'' immediate protection. But he¡¯d seen the looper kill enough people to know he should listen.


    ¡°Whoever you¡¯ve affiliated yourself with, I promise you. They won¡¯t be able to protect you from retribution. Do you have any idea the amount of lives you¡¯ve taken today?¡± The older gentleman coughed out once Ben had left. ¡°The amount of good people you¡¯ve killed?¡±


    Apparently, the numbers advantage made him more confident. He sounded angry. Genuine wrath steamed from his words and his brown hateful eyes. The looper would¡¯ve replied that he didn¡¯t care for threats but the blonde woman beat him to it. She sounded like she was caught between a rock and a hard place as she scolded the older man.


    ¡°Major Aven. Now is not the time.¡± She said simply, trying to silence the old man with a glare.


    ¡°What''s to say we can bargain with this man, Officer Dupont.¡± He questioned.


    ¡°We can.¡± Officer Dupont said, sure of herself. Her blue eyes flicked to James, hand balled in fists at her inability to simply put an end to the source of their shared desperation. ¡°You want something, don¡¯t you Groves.¡±


    James nodded. ¡°Names.¡±


    Something tremendously sad happened the moment he said what he wanted from them. Something he found himself sympathizing with. The light of hope Officer Dupont had, the light she saw at the end of the tunnel.


    It died.


    ¡°That look in her eyes is not promising,¡± Fig commented. The window''s slight reflection showed him sitting on the large desk, watching over the two military personnel like an angel of death.


    ¡°What kind of names.¡± Officer Dupont asked her voice on the verge of cracking.


    ¡°You knew me, so I¡¯m going to assume you knew other Prospect Sparks. I need their names.¡± James clarified.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that.¡± She said. There was no hiding the deep fear behind false confidence anymore.


    That¡¯s not what I wanted to hear. James thought, more than a little frustrated. If they wouldn¡¯t give him the information for their safety then that would make things¡­ difficult. The looper didn¡¯t want things to go down the route. There were just very few humane ways he could extract the information if they wouldn¡¯t give it willingly.


    Unfortunately or perhaps the opposite, he didn¡¯t get the chance. Officer Dupont had a good head on her shoulders. James knew people well enough to recognise the air of calm confidence and sophistication that befell those of sharp intellect. She saw what he was thinking. The twitch of the looper''s trademark placid smile and the slight guilt in his eyes. His shift in presence to a more grim air seemed to confirm her worst fears.


    It happened so fast James barely had time to react.


    Dupont pulled a pistol that must¡¯ve been strapped to her backside she kept so diligently facing the wall. Then she pulled the trigger twice. Once on the general. Once on herself. It startled James so much he wasn¡¯t sure how to even react. Had she aimed the pistol at him, the looper would¡¯ve just put her down.


    But at the distance between them, he couldn¡¯t stop her from killing herself.


    In seconds James had lost his two best leads and turned the whole Loop into a dud. At first, he felt shocked at just how quickly things had spiraled out of control. Then he felt bewilderment at just how quickly and efficiently Dupont had taken away his two potential tickets to information. Finally, he was left feeling¡­ Impressed?


    She took her own life without a second thought once she was sure that was her best course of action. Not only that, but she ruthlessly eliminated another potential leak in the process. To be so sure of yourself¡­ James felt his respect for the stranger go up a few notches. Even the looper wasn¡¯t so sure he could end his own life that mercilessly if he didn¡¯t have the Loop to back him up.


    ¡°James! I don¡¯t know what that shooting was about but more security is coming. If you¡¯ve got a plan to escape, now is the time to tell me!¡± Ben shouted from the other side of the heavy metal doomsday door.


    ¡°An escape plan,¡± James mumbled to himself, sighing in annoyance at the lack of answers. He¡¯d need to come back here and get the list. How many Loops would that take? How many Loops would it take to hunt down all those Sparks afterward? Always more Loops. Always more problems.


    Why couldn¡¯t there just be a door out of this shitty place?


    He didn¡¯t bother to answer Ben¡¯s question.


    The looper only needed one escape plan.


    He made a candid effort to search through the file cabinet and computer in the limited time he had left, but once that proved fruitless because he simply lacked the time to investigate in any meaningful way, James accepted the reality of the situation.


    With a snort, James put the barrel of his rifle to the back of his throat and pulled the trigger. Metallic fire burst out the back of his head.


    Then the world went dark.

 Chapter 8: Escape III

    Escape attempt 60


    ¡°This is getting old.¡± James groaned, tying Major Aven, the elderly-looking gentleman, to the front of his desk. Unlike Dupont, the older man was out cold and didn''t struggle at all against his bindings. It was much more manageable than the French woman in the corner.


    Even now she was shifting and shaking at the restraints. There had been a distant crack not too long ago which James¡¯ was almost sure was Dupont breaking her wrist in an attempt to wriggle out of the binding. The woman was nothing if not determined. Still, it wouldn¡¯t stop him from getting what he needed.


    Once the ropes were soundly and tightly wrapped against Major Aven, the looper woke the man with a light slap.


    ¡°Wakey wakey.¡±


    The Major sputtered awake and made a half-hearted effort to push against his restraints before giving up. His eyes were tired and heavy. Still, there was an ember of defiance in them. That much was evident when he spat in James'' face.


    ¡°Go to hell, I-¡± He didn¡¯t get to finish his sentence before James backhanded him hard enough to tear the Major¡¯s face to the side, leaving a large red mark.


    ¡°Names,¡± James said simply. ¡°Or death.¡±


    ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°Names or death,¡± James repeated. ¡°I won¡¯t give you another option.¡±


    The Major¡¯s licked his grey goatee and said nothing. Not a peep. He offered no answer and refused to take James¡¯ deal. Instead, he switched between staring into James¡¯ eyes hatefully and trying to¡­ signal Dupont. No, it wasn¡¯t a signal. The looper could tell by his face, that he was asking her for something.


    Begging her.


    Does she have another gun? He wondered, but he was sure he¡¯d fully inspected her person for any other weapons. That couldn¡¯t be it. His brain was racking for answers on why a captive would look towards another in desperation. She couldn¡¯t save him? So what was it? James didn¡¯t know, and it frustrated him immensely. He couldn¡¯t escape until he had those names.


    He needed those names.


    The looper pulled his pistol out of his holster and pushed it against the Major¡¯s jaw, pushing his head into the desk.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need both of you.¡± He said, colder. His voice was solid and filled with intensity. ¡°Last chance.¡±


    The Major swayed his head as James buried the cold pistol barrel into his jaw. The man was a coward. James could tell. He acted tough and played a big game, but inside he¡¯d already given up. As much as he enjoyed his self-image as this incredibly valiant Major, men like him were a dime a dozen. As much as he might claim greatness, he still was ruled by his fear of death when it came down to it.


    So why?


    ¡°Do you think I won¡¯t kill you?¡± The looper asked, genuinely surprised. James pulled the pistol from his jaw and shoved it into the Major¡¯s forehead, resulting in a cry of pain. ¡°Are you that much of an idiot?¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Dupont shouted just as the looper was about to off the man for trying to deny him his freedom. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re running out of time.¡± Fig echoed in his mind. James had very limited time to interrogate these two before he was swarmed by security. Fig was meant to keep an eye on them, but how effective he was at the task?


    Who was to say?


    The looper stood, looking between his two captives. Judging what truth he could from their words. In the end, he was inclined to believe Dupont. Despite the seniority in age, Major Aven held deference to Officer Dupont, whatever she was the officer of. He could believe that the Major had no idea about the list of Sparks in Melbourne.


    The man valued his life too much to keep the secret safe.


    James changed targets. Slowly, he waltzed over to the bound women, kneeling so they were at eye level.


    ¡°I¡¯m inclined to believe you,¡± James admitted. ¡°But that also makes him useless in my eyes. For his sake, you better give me those names.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re stored on the computer,¡± Dupont muttered, nodding at the one on the desk. Her whole face was downcast, but there was still the self-assurance hidden in her blue eyes. The looper respected her. That drive to her duty even in death earned his respect.


    Which made it so unfortunate that she was lying.


    ¡°I¡¯ve checked the computer,¡± James said, keeping a steadying, open tone. ¡°Its hard drive is completely wiped. That¡¯s strike one. Try again.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a USB in the draw-


    ¡°Which sends a distress alert to all nearby C.S.O facilities. That¡¯s strike two. Please, Dupont, I want to be the nice guy here.¡±


    ¡°The safe-¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t have anything in it.¡± James finished for her, eyes peering deep into her own. ¡°It¡¯s just there for the Major¡¯s valuables. That¡¯s strike three.¡±


    ¡°Strike three?¡± Dupont repeated, and her voice quivered just a little.


    James raised his pistol towards the Major and pulled the trigger. Numb recoil wreathed through his hand as three shots splattered across the lovely varnished desk. The smell of fresh lavender that emanated from a flower pot at the back of the office was drowned out by acrid metallic odour.


    The Major¡¯s body went limp against his restraints and Dupont¡¯s eyes went wide. The shadows of fears slowly crept into a woman who thought herself unshakable. Or was it fear? Something changed in the woman¡¯s demeanour, but James didn¡¯t get the chance to question her before a distinct crack sounded from her jaw.


    ¡°What- No, you don¡¯t get out that easy.¡± James scowled, grabbing her top and bottom jaw and prying her mouth open. She struggled and tried to pull hard on the ropes that restrained her. The looper tried to grab at whatever substance she had just swallowed.


    But was too late.


    Dupont started seizing only a few moments later, frothing at the mouth as she stared at him in absolute defiance. Again, James was impressed by her sheer willingness to die rather than let him get the information he needed. On one hand, he felt that deserved some reward in itself. On the other, she was keeping him here.


    In the Loop.


    Stuck.


    And stirred far darker thoughts in the looper''s mind. She knew. James was sure now she had the information he wanted. Dupont wouldn¡¯t have killed herself if she didn¡¯t. He could pry it out of her.


    James prayed he wouldn¡¯t have to go too far. For his own sake.


    *****************


    Escape attempt 84


    James had to rip her teeth out.


    He hadn¡¯t wanted to, but Dupont didn¡¯t give him much of another option. It had only taken one loop of pulling every tooth out one by one before he found the fake, laced with cyanide. Then a few painful Loops later he found the second suicide tooth as well. It wasn¡¯t a pretty experience for either of them. Dupont had been screaming in his ear for most of it, begging him in a mix of English and French.


    The former had been in sobs and the latter in raw pain and rage.


    The whole thing was a blood and enamel mess which James did not wish to repeat. But would he?


    A bad person would probably enjoy it. But a good person probably wouldn¡¯t have done it at all. A semi-decent person wouldn¡¯t have done it. Yet James had, and he struggled to feel guilt. Sure he felt a load of disgust remembering it. But there was no guilt there. No mourning or sorrow or pity for Dupont.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    It had taken twenty-four Long Loops for her to eventually cede the names over to him. In the end, the whole thing was just one bloody mess James would rather forget, but now it was done. He had the names and most relevant details committed to memory. He had the knowledge and skills necessary to do the deed.


    James had everything he needed to attempt Fig¡¯s plan.


    So why did he feel hesitant?


    It wasn¡¯t fear of what he would have to do, was it? No. Jake¡¯s words still burned in his memory. His best friend had said that if everything had to burn for the Loop to fall, then that was a fair price to pay. It may make him even more of a monster and yet James knew it was simply what had to be done.


    Then was it fear of leaving the Loop?


    No. That notion was silly. James had spent hundreds of lifetimes in this place. The end of the Loop couldn¡¯t come sooner.


    So why?


    James lifted his head to stare at the mirror ahead, one he¡¯d propped up against the closet in his bedroom. Another James starred back, a look of boredom that didn¡¯t portray any of the looper¡¯s contemplation.


    ¡°We have the names and addresses.¡± Fig reminded him. ¡°I remember them all if you forgot a few. Now all that¡¯s left is to hunt them down and gather enough Spark to burn this god-forsaken place down.¡±


    The mirror¡¯s words echoed in his head like stray thoughts. No volume to them. Just a small, barely perceptible echo.


    ¡°What are you, Fig?¡± James asked, staring blankly at the copy of himself.


    ¡°A stray remnant of the system. My consciousness is an extension of something the system has that is akin to a black box, using you as a template.¡± Fig said, stifling a yawn. ¡°I don¡¯t see how this is important. We¡¯ve been over it.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± James admitted, flexing his wrists. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    I used to yawn when I lied, to try and mask it.


    ¡°...curiosity, I guess.¡± James continued, keeping his thoughts to himself.


    ¡°Well don¡¯t start questioning things now,¡± Fig said. ¡°We¡¯re almost out. Freedom is so close I can taste it.¡±


    For a piece of the system, you¡¯re awfully excited about leaving.


    Maybe it was because Fig took the appearance of himself. Maybe it was because he was a voice in his own head. But James had never trusted him, and he was sure now, more than ever that his gut instinct was the right one. It only made him more confident Fig¡¯s plan would work. Only, perhaps, not in the way that James would want.


    His door to leave was there, but it could be a trap.


    ¡°What will happen to you after the Loop ends?¡± James asked, keeping his internal dispute from showing on his face. That placid grin the looper wore instinctually had begun to unsettle even himself. ¡°You won¡¯t just stay in my head will you?¡±


    Fig moved. He stopped lazily meeting the looper¡¯s eyes and instead let his granite ones drift to the floor.


    Hiding.


    ¡°No, no, I can¡¯t stay locked up in your head forever. As much as you¡¯ll miss me. Unless I find a way to stop it, I¡¯ll likely just disappear.¡± Fig admitted bitterly. There was an almost zeal in the echo he did his best to hide. ¡°Just a memory in¡­ the system''s mind. Just a report for it, which will stir up hell for you.¡±


    He laughed at the end, but there was no real humour in it. All of it sounded¡­ like the truth to James.


    But he¡¯s twisting it somehow.


    In the deepest parts of his heart, the looper felt almost innately antagonistic towards the Fig. Like they were oil and water. He¡¯d also noticed that Fig was capable of reading his thoughts if only the surface. That wouldn¡¯t do. James knew how to keep his deepest thoughts of Fig to himself, but still¡­ how would he plan against the mirror man, if they shared the same thoughtspace?


    ¡°What about you?¡± Fig asked, breaking James'' concentration.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°What will you do when the Loop is over?¡±


    ¡°Survive,¡± James said with a shrug. ¡°That¡¯s all I can think of. With the scale of the things on the horizon, it¡¯s all I can hope for.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s profoundly boring for an ancient superhuman,¡± Fig said with a snort. ¡°You must be where delusions of grandeur go to die.¡±


    ¡°The Loop killed any of those I had left,¡± James admitted, feeling his lips curl into a smile. He had once pictured himself as an invincible defender, riding at the forefront of humanity as they finally met the final frontier and the deep unknown. A younger him. Now, he just wanted to keep those he cared about away from harm and maybe read an alien library or two.


    ¡°You should think about it,¡± Fig said, an air of sorrow draping his words. ¡°What you want after the Loop. I get the feeling your purpose won¡¯t end at alien bookmarks, even if you want it to.¡±


    James swallowed Fig¡¯s words. They were heavy and deeply ominous. The looper felt like they might be the most honest thing Fig had ever said to him. Then he stood, washing away the worry and refocusing his mind on the task ahead.


    ¡°Time to go?¡± Fig asked.


    James nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do what needs to be done. No more¡­¡±


    His words caught for a moment as his eyes lingered on that crack in his bedroom door. Through it, he could see Hugh and Michael having breakfast together. Enjoying a morning that would never end. A precious moment he couldn¡¯t be a part of.


    ¡°...No less.¡±


    ********************


    The night was upon them, the meteors on the verge of arrival.


    The park where James had suffered his first death was filled with excitement and anticipation as it was every other Loop. Hundreds, even thousands of souls gathered in festivities to witness a spectacle like no other. One that would not soon forget. The air was ripe with the smell of fresh, greasy market foods, mixed with the scent of freshly cut grass from a well-trimmed park.


    Sound was a symphony of joy and family. Kids were laughing and playing in cries of joy as their parents chattered and laughed too. Teenagers eagerly engaging in chatter about the what-ifs of the meteors. Some may have been inspired to see the stars and the darkness beyond in a different light that day.


    Old friends meeting over a wondrous occasion. Lovers blossoming under the fateful Azure.


    All of it was bundled together.


    All the joy, all the heart, all the countless wondrous emotions bound in a simple yet sweet orchestra of life.


    And among all that good, some offered to the orchestra something different. Like a crescendo of cruelty lying in wait, preparing to strike. Some of them had been given the system¡¯s warning early. Some of them simply read the signs of the world that were soon to come. Some of them were simply rotten to the core.


    And all of them stood in silence as the Azure fell and the streaking meteors stole the sky. Predators lying in wait amongst prey. Wolves in the hen-pen. As the excitement and glee in the air turned to horror and fear, they flexed and readied for the coming dawn.


    But there was one among them that had been ready long ago. One who met the eye that gazed at them from the darkness with neither fear nor anticipation. A man who only felt cold acceptance at the task that had been put in his hands.


    [Congratulations, you have been witnessed and your Spark has been deemed worthy of the System¡¯s touch.]


    [Congratulations, you¡¯ve defeated an Invited Spark and earned the rights associated]


    [Congratulations, you¡¯ve completed the first invitation {Defeat a Spark}]


    [Quest reward for {Defeat a Spark} have been logged. The System has melded the branches of your potential and founded your Source]


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too,¡± James whispered softly, greeting the golden words with a kind smile they didn¡¯t deserve.


    He stood in the crowd, alone in his goals, flickering his eyes from target to target. He knew them now. The strange faces greeted the eye of darkness with anticipation. Sorting them through the long, long list of names Dupont had given him was as simple as looking for the Sparks that had affiliations.


    Those that did, knew what was coming. They had been told. Dupont had taken them more seriously. But she¡¯d taken him even more seriously than most.


    Dupont seemed¡­ scared of Nicholas. Was it because he was an Invited Spark? He wasn¡¯t the only one. There were two others in Melbourne. Dennis Jourten and-


    His eyes almost instinctually moved away from the large and armoured Nicholas, swashing past the crowd till he spotted her.


    Jessica Mayves. Unknown Aspect. No known afflictions. One of the twelve Invited Sparks present in Australia.


    That was what the C.S.O. had on Jessica Mayves. What did they want with her?


    James shook his head, washing away the stray thoughts. He didn¡¯t have time for them. The system only existed in the Loop for a few minutes before everything fell away. The looper needed to make good use of it.


    A younger James might¡¯ve played with Nicholas. Taunted the man as some kind of ploy for vengeance. The James of now cared for none of that. He simply aimed at the monster who deserved death and gave him it to him with the pull of a trigger.


    His revolver sent numb recoil into his hands as signs his task was complete. Screaming shot up around him in droves as people ran from a now collapsed Nicholas, with a big red hole in the back of his head.


    At that moment, for the slightest of seconds, James felt something. Something he might¡¯ve felt many times before, but until this moment never noticed.


    A burning. An ember. A cage of power buried deep, deep within him. The same power that had flooded out when he commanded the Loop to heed him. He felt it burn brighter, for just a moment.


    Is that¡­ my Spark?


    The looper was sure it was. A spark that could turn into an inferno. An inferno that might release him from this hell. James'' heart beat faster. Faster and faster until it thrummed in his heart like a war drum.


    His hand gripped tightly around the revolver in hand and he ran forward, searching for his next prey.


    The looper did not like what he had to do. But the act had to be done. So like that James went out into the night of azure and fire, hunting for a fire no one else could see. Buried in the hearts of the brave and the bold alike. Sparks that would bind with his to create something mighty enough to destroy the Loop.


    The final hunt, which had existed since the birth of the loop, beckoned forward anyone worthy enough to partake.


    And now, it had its hunter.

 Chapter 9: Last Loop

    Escape attempt 578


    The change had been slow at first.


    Slight ripples in the blanket that covered reality.


    To any other, it would¡¯ve gone completely unnoticed. James spent more than a hundred Loops repeating the same mindless slaughter on different Sparks, over and over again, before he felt it. Those few minutes at the end of the Loop stretched into hours of mindless slaughter. There were Sparks he wouldn¡¯t kill. Anyone under eighteen. Anyone who had done him good in the past. Anyone who could give him a reason not to.


    But the rest of them. The countless thousands of strangers cursed by the system. He killed them.


    All of them. Over and over.


    The looper had no clue if he needed different Sparks or just the same ones over and over, so for the entirety of the first hundred slaughters, he experimented. What James found, intrigued him. No Spark was the same, was the first thing he belatedly realised. The more he felt his own Spark devouring others, the more he was sure that each was different.


    And it wasn¡¯t just the innate quality, it was also the quantity. Some people¡¯s Sparks felt like a gentle breeze, while Nicholas¡¯s in particular had felt like a hurricane of power. Each kill made the looper more intimate with his Spark, and by the fiftieth hunt, he was sure something was happening.


    In the same way, the Loop failed to reset properly anymore, simply snapping him into his bedroom, it also failed to reset his Spark. Most of the power he gathered in those few precious minutes was stolen by the reset.


    But some of it wasn¡¯t. Small embers.


    And those small embers only got hotter and hotter as he relentlessly gathered Sparks.


    ¡°I can feel it,¡± James confirmed on his eightieth Loop, hands bloody after claiming another Spark. ¡°It¡¯s growing brighter, and the Loop can¡¯t stop it.¡±


    ¡°The effect is compounding,¡± Fig confirmed. ¡°Every time you complete your hunt, not only does the Loop fail to completely wipe the stolen Sparks away, but its ability to do so degrades as the leftover embers grow.¡±


    The fire grew. Each night James delved into his bloody work with reluctant drive. He had killed hundreds already by the fiftieth Loop. Broken into homes and slaughters couples and families alike. Hunted people down streets and sliced their guts open or broke their necks. Every night he was tainted with blood.


    But the embers were a snowball, and every night he grew more sure that stopping would cause the whole thing to fall apart. He had to keep going. Keep piling bodies onto the fire.


    The Loop existed in perfect harmony. James knew that. It was instinctually burrowed into his soul. Every part of it had to be complete or else none of it was. A fortress of dominos that was unbreakable from the outside, but with enough of a push from James, could come crashing down.


    He just needed to break one part of the Loop and the rest would crumble. A road bump to stop the snake from eating itself in an endless cycle. James worked tirelessly without proof to say the slaughter had meaning besides his growing Spark, then on the one hundredth and twenty-sixth morning after he¡¯d begun.


    Something changed.


    There must¡¯ve been a thousand small, imperceptible changes in the Loop before James finally caused one he noticed. But when the Loop finally caught his attention, it caught the whole world''s attention as well.


    Street signs disappeared. Well, not the physical signs. But the words and the directions just vanished. On the eve of a miraculous meteor shower, it sent the internet sprawling for answers. Hundreds of forums and news articles raving about the madness in the streets, all across the world stretching out with nuisance consequences.


    ¡°It¡¯s working,¡± James said in awe, gazing up at the metal sign that used to say his street name. Now just empty. The Spark in his soul burned with a hum of fulfilment knowing its purpose was finally at work. His Spark was bright now, far brighter than any other human on earth.


    ¡°It will start giving you little wins, try to slowly dissuade you back to negligence¡± Fig explained. ¡°But we won¡¯t accept anything less than utter defeat.¡±


    James agreed. He could feel the Loop waning. Tipping, if ever so slightly. A slight disruption in the perfect balance it required to be. So the looper pushed, and he pushed hoping to send the whole thing tumbling to the wayside.


    Kill after to kill, Spark after Spark, skull after skull. All piled underneath him as he reached up to the Loop so he could tear it down. His actions would¡¯ve haunted a younger James, but the looper remained untattered by the deeds he had to do.


    Anything was better than the Loop. No matter the bodies it required. On his two hundredth hunt, James pondered if he was well and truly over the edge. The way he was now, was almost exactly what he feared he might unleash on the world. A monster whose value of life had been distorted to nothing by the Loop.


    That was what he was.


    Yet, for some reason, the doubt and anxiety James had once harboured couldn¡¯t take hold of him. Every time it tried, Jake¡¯s words reminded him of the truth.


    It all had to go, no matter the cost. If it made him a monster, that was a sacrifice James was willing to make. Again and again.


    Until it was done.


    Insects were the next thing to go. That must¡¯ve been close to the three-hundredth Loop. James was also pretty sure that a whole bunch of music, words and a vast majority of the internet¡¯s dead space had been tossed out as the Loop tried and failed to correct itself.


    Things spiralled from there.


    First, it was badgers, then it was dogs, then it was kangaroos and racoons. Then all land animals disappeared. Fish were next, shortly followed by birds. By that point whole streets of Melbourne had collapsed out of existence, making the city much more of a maze than James was used to.


    He turned on, even as the internet began to implode and the electricity just stopped working. Every Loop James hunted for Sparks. The fire in his couldn¡¯t be tamed by the Loop anymore. It was too busy trying to put itself back together and failing horribly in the process. The looper was growing more and more driven in his task.


    Every missing part of the Loop was a sign that he was winning.


    Trees disappeared next. Then most of the car¡¯s in Melbourne. People remained. Everything else was subject to being devoured by the Loop to buy it more time. The world quickly devolved into a mess. Riots in the streets as people''s homes, appliances and clean water simply ceased to exist. Everything fell apart.


    And once everything started falling apart, people started panicking. Which made it all the more annoying to track down Sparks. Luckily, the looper could recognise their faces and still was able to set to work. Whether it was hunting them into isolation in dark back alleys or killing them in broad daylight, the looper cared not. He simply did kill, and killed, and killed till violence felt like the only thing he was good for.


    Then something wildly out of either James or Fig¡¯s predictions happened.


    The Loop did something new.


    On his five hundredth and seventy-eighth Loop since deciding to escape, with a Spark inside him raging like an inferno. He didn¡¯t wake in his bed as had been normal before the snap. He blinked the gory images of the past Loop out of his eyes and stared at¡­


    ¡°Why am I on the street?¡± James asked into the empty asphalt and concrete around him. He turned to survey the area around him but found nothing. There were no cars in the Loop anymore, nor trees or bikes or hedges. He was surrounded by a stark, unchanging road that looked odd in a way that made the looper¡¯s skin crawl.


    The buildings had the same oddness to them.


    It was dark too, with the only lumination coming from the street lamps that repeated in the same odd¡­


    James looked up, searching. A blank void of night greeted him. Only¡­ the more he looked, the more the looper realised that there weren¡¯t stars. Not a sparse few dots, not hard to see little specks in the sky.


    None at all.


    Just an inky darkness.


    It¡¯s not night. James realised, as an old tinging sensation he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time started crawling up his spine. The sun¡¯s gone. That wasn¡¯t what was making cold sweat run down his spine. The looper was sure of it. This was something else. It was somewhere, but the looper couldn¡¯t see it.


    He spun on the spot readied in his martial stance. The looper¡¯s eyes flicked from building to building. Street to street. His muscles tensed and his fists clenched in the empty silence.


    The overwhelming silence.


    The endless silence.


    James stood in a intersection of four identical roads, with identical buildings. Each road stretched on longer than his mind could comprehend, stretching on into the endless darkness ahead, shining with the faint glow of streetlights in the distance.


    This Loop had felt different since the moment he found himself standing in the empty street, but he hadn¡¯t noticed how different.


    The looper''s breathing became unsteady, then it slowed, and then it stopped altogether. No dizziness came. No headache. No feeling of a need to pull for precious air. Then when the looper finally took another breath he became aware of another unsettling fact.


    He wasn''t breathing anything in. There was nothing to breathe in.


    ¡°Fig?¡± James asked into the darkness. It only echoed in the great silence.


    Great silence. A silence that had made his heart beat faster and faster as he Spark quivered in the first ember of fear the looper had felt for a millennium.


    When did a great beast go silent?


    The Loop isn¡¯t silent. James realised, and suddenly all the assurance time had stoked inside him didn¡¯t feel so sure anymore.


    Because the Loop wasn¡¯t silent. The Loop was listening.


    And the Loop wasn¡¯t dark. The Loop was watching.


    The feeling crawling at his back wasn¡¯t just aimless. Here stranded in a maze of concrete and darkness, the Loop was observing him.


    Many great scientists had felt great pride in their ability to observe reality.


    James felt nothing but nausea as reality observed him.


    That¡¯s when he saw it. A light in the distance so bright the looper thought it might blind him. It burned in a colour James realised he couldn¡¯t describe because he couldn¡¯t comprehend it, and it looked like a sun. Except brighter. So bright he knew standing any closer to it would burn him to dust, yet when he took a step towards it, he felt no warmth.


    It was so far away in the distance. Not a distance. The distance.


    What the hell is going on? James wondered sincerely as he gazed at the fire that was ten thousand miles away and yet a single step at the same time. The looper felt drawn to it, in this concrete prison. He felt like he knew the way, even when the way didn¡¯t make sense to him. He felt he needed to take a step towards it.


    That he must.


    Something wanted to stop him. The world wanted to stop him. It was a strange feeling to watch the concrete mirage the Loop made curve into a civil horror of Stoney''s hands and feel the asphalt try to consume him.


    He felt his feet devoured by the road as a maw of it opened to swallow him his bones crushed as the concrete building turned into mighty hands that slammed him past.


    Yet still, the fire on the horizon was only a step away.


    So James took it.


    The moment he touched the light, James felt the concrete that crushed him and the asphalt that devoured him burn away. He saw the light touch his soul and realised that was all he was, and then James felt it spread through him like fire. He had been so confused. So unsure. But he touched the light anyway.


    And now he knew why.


    The maze of silence and darkness hadn¡¯t been a maze at all. It was death throws. And the fire he touched, was his Spark, that had grown so big it engulfed the very sun. It had engulfed everything. And now, it had engulfed James too.


    He could feel himself burning in its heart. He felt the Loop burning on its edges as it extended out from him and devoured it all in one great inferno. James felt¡­ he wasn¡¯t sure. He didn¡¯t feel pain. He didn¡¯t feel joy. He didn¡¯t feel imprisoned or free. The sun didn¡¯t feel any way about burning. It just burned.


    So James just burned.


    And the Loop burned with him.


    ******************


    Last Loop


    ¡°You¡¯ve been a real pain in my ass, you know that?¡± A voice that sounded a little too much like his father said in annoyance.


    James groaned and tried to shoo the annoying intruder away from his precious sleep, and was unceremoniously kicked out of it. He felt his body fall out of the bed and into a pile of laundry that was very familiar. The same pile Michael got kicked into so much. Without any grace, he ripped a stray pair of shorts off his face and blinked the sleep out of his eyes.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    When he finally got to open his eyes, James realised he was sitting in his room. His actual room. All the self-help books. The much too big cabinet. The bunk bed that he had sat on as he consulted with¡­


    Don¡¯t think about that now. James scolded himself. It had to be done. Even then the guilt remained, but James quelled it and looked onwards to the only other person in his bedroom. Probably the only other person in reality. To James, he appeared as Hugh when he felt darker emotions then morphed into Michael as he steadied them, before finally shaping into Jake as James felt the pride of winning take over him.


    It had been a long-fought battle.


    But he had done it. He had won.


    The Jake that stood in front of him was not the Jake James knew. What appeared before him wasn¡¯t even on the same calibre of existence as the human. He was something higher. Something grander. My interpretations of him changed when I looked because I couldn¡¯t comprehend what he was. James thought to himself in a moment of understanding.


    He knew what the being in front of him was. For it had created him. It was instinctually, the same way a child knew a father. The same way he had known¡­


    The figure changed back to Hugh, and James hugged the nearest pillow for comfort as it began to talk. The pillow smelled of cinnamon.


    ¡°Out of all the creatures I¡¯ve had the displeasure of serving, you are by far the worst in a long while.¡± The creature that looked like Hugh spoke. It had a cadence that befits his nature. Mechanical and lifeless, but somehow inviting. ¡°You weren¡¯t even fifteen minutes into integration and you caused a solar system-wide timeline collapse. That¡¯s got to be a record.¡±


    The figure stepped between the bunk bed and James, then leaned down to face him eye to eye. Where the rest of its body mimicked Hugh¡¯s, its eyes betray its true nature. They were blank voids, filled to the brim with lines of swirling golden spellcraft of the highest magnitude.


    ¡°So.¡± It prompted. ¡°What do you have to say for yourself, record holder?¡±


    For a piercing moment, James felt the weight of existence that was greater than he ever would be as the full weight of the system and its earthy avatar weighed down on him. James tried to think of an answer. His brain scrambled for one that might appease the mighty creature before him.


    ¡°I¡¯m s-sorry!¡± James sputtered out, and it sounded like more of a cry than a response.


    Still, the mighty avatar receded at his answer. It made a sound like a sigh as which surprised James because he hadn¡¯t thought the system could sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± The avatar admitted. ¡°It literally can¡¯t be. From the records I have here, you died before your death. Which might not make sense to you, but it¡¯s fairly common for timeline breakdowns.¡±


    ¡°Before my death?¡± James questioned. Instead of answering him, the avatar looked up and seemed to notice something.


    ¡°We¡¯ve met the quota.¡±


    ¡°What quota?¡± James questioned, again, truly hoping for at least one answer.


    ¡°You¡¯re planet¡¯s integration contract states that extraterrestrial Aspect of any nature, be thy god, or the system itself, cannot initiate contact in a soul space without first offering comfort.¡± The avatar stated, gesturing to the room around him as he enunciated comfort. The avatar waved his hand and the world around the two of them fell away.


    James barely blinked and suddenly, he was sitting at one side of a very finely crafted desk that smelled like cinnamon too. Weirdly enough. The wood was light and the desk twisted in a way that made it look almost alive. The avatar was on the other side of the smallish desk, with what looked like a Starbucks coffee in one hand and a drink James didn¡¯t recognise in the other.


    The Avatar offered him the coffee and he accepted it with a gracious bow, staying on his very best behaviour. After coming so far, dying now would seem very silly. And James was not a silly person.


    He sipped his coffee as he surveyed his new surroundings. He was in a library. That much was obvious by the stacking shelves, all built out of the same odd, almost alive wood. Endless books were stacked inside them. Skins of beast James could never even comprehend bound the books of this place together. He struggled to comprehend the magnitude of never-ending rows of bookshelves, mixed with lovely desks and cushions to sit on, so he didn¡¯t try.


    Instead, James looked up.


    The roof was an encircled dome of glass that aimed towards the stars. And the stars it showed, along with something else. A ball of fire, like a sun, and yet burning beyond it. Pale white, almost ghostly, burning in a way that looked almost¡­ violent.


    A giant ring of metal encircled, perhaps stabilising the raging inferno far out above them in the reaches of space.


    James'' eyes lingered on the flames more than he would¡¯ve liked.


    He just couldn¡¯t take his eyes off it.


    The ball of fire¡­ it felt like it wanted to eat him.


    James shuddered and tore his eyes off it as cold sweat trailed down his back.


    ¡°Are you happy with the surroundings?¡± The avatar asked.


    James'' mind lingered on the fiery ball of death above him, glowing in violent pale white, but nodded all the same. Anything to avoid upsetting the god-like being at any cost.


    ¡°You do realise I¡¯m not the system right?¡±


    ¡°My apologies if I offended you by thinking as much,¡± James said immediately, hoping he hadn¡¯t offended. ¡°What are you then? If asking is not too much.¡±


    ¡°Archive.¡± The avatar- no, Archive said, in the same mechanical and lifeless voice. ¡°Third Directive of the First, keeping of knowledge, both know and unknown to time. Were you hoping for an elder Directive?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± James said with a shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯m just happy to be alive.¡±


    The last part sounded so good it almost made him giddy. He was alive. Finally. It felt so good to have worked so hard for something and then have it pay off so well. Archive nodded with the face of Jake, reflecting just how happy James truly was.


    ¡°A fortunate conclusion, to what no doubt must¡¯ve been a traumatic year and two hundred and thirteen days,¡± Archive said, flashing a pane of glowing words in front of himself. They scrolled down a dizzyingly fast rate but James had no doubt the Directive took them in all the same.


    It was ironic, considering how wrong the data was. A year and two hundred and thirteen days? Where had the Archive pulled that number from? It wasn¡¯t anywhere near close to accurate in the slightest.


    ¡°How did you figure out how long I was trapped there?¡± James asked with genuine interest.


    ¡°Paradoxical time,¡± Archive said bluntly. ¡°We possess the capacity to trace the amount of time that had passed on your soul and then equate it to the total passage in the local timeline distortion. The difference between your time, and the local timeline is one year, two hundred and thirteen days. Thus, is the amount of paradoxical time that exists in traces on your soul. Simpler put as the amount of additional time you experienced in comparison to your local timeline¡±


    Then he added. ¡°A compensation equivalent to your species lifespan perspective on that much time will be granted once details of the event are clarified.¡±


    Compensation? What kind of compensation would the system- Archive, give him? James'' mind was sent into a daze just thinking about it. There were many things he desired, but first and foremost.


    ¡°Can you move me to a different location on Earth as part of my compensation package?¡± James asked, he himself knowing that it sounded a little greedy. But it was something he needed. James knew that being surrounded by so much of the same wouldn¡¯t do his mind any good. He needed to get away.


    Archive summoned a book to the table. Empty and ready to be filled, along with a writing utensil. ¡°We can discuss your compensation after clarification is given.¡±


    James knew when not to push his luck, and this was one such time. But what clarification did Archive want? Considering how powerful he seemed to be, what clarification did he need? For some reason, he just couldn¡¯t imagine a situation where he knew something Archive didn¡¯t. Then again Archive didn¡¯t say it wanted answers. It said clarification.


    And James was happy to give it.


    ¡°Good,¡± Archive said, acknowledging his acceptance. ¡°To your fullest knowledge and understanding, what were the key events that caused this specific anomaly to occur?¡±


    ¡°Death.¡±


    ¡°Whose¡¯s death?¡±


    ¡°Mine,¡± James answered. ¡°I killed an Invited Spark and had my Source moulded moments before my death. From my understanding, my Source, which was categorised to me as ¡®Loop¡¯ attached itself to the world or the day or time itself when it couldn¡¯t attach to me.¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± Archive confirmed. ¡°That matches similar scenarios the emergency protocol derived. Next, to your fullest knowledge and understanding, were there any other participants or unexpected casualties caused by the Loop?¡±


    This time James didn¡¯t answer immediately. Because he wasn¡¯t sure how to. What did participant mean? Were unexpected casualties considered those who died in the Loop? If so, that number would reach far higher then James had ever bothered to actually count. For a few precious moments of silence, he worried answering with anything would be the wrong answer in Archive¡¯s eyes.


    He conflicted, but on further thoughts, that conflict was silly. Archive meant had the Loop caused any death¡¯s in the actual timeline and had there been anyone else involved in the Loop.


    ¡°None.¡± James answered, gripping his knuckles to his fist.


    Archive stopped writing and gazed down on James with the face of Michael as his emotions boiled in a mix. Those glowing golden eyes lighty up a dark void bore deep into James¡¯ soul.


    ¡°Noted.¡± Archive finally said, retuning to his writing. ¡°A final question, then you shall be free to choose your compensation and we will return you to your original timeline. What did you do to cause that?¡±


    Archive¡¯s writing utensil left the book and reached up to the sky, pointing towards that giant inferno of white fire so far away from them yet still so ginormous.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± James blurted out.


    ¡°Clarify.¡± Archive requested robotically.


    James pointed a finger towards the same inferno as the Directive. It shook slightly as James shuddered just looking at the white sun above them. ¡°I didn¡¯t do that. I have no idea what that is.¡±


    Archive brows furrowed as he peered into James¡¯ young grey eyes. So new to life. Then, the Directive clarified. ¡°That is your Spark, is it not?¡±


    James felt like he might fall out of his seat as Archive uttered those words. They felt evil. Poisioned. Like the universe was laughing at him. His Spark couldn¡¯t be here. It had burned with the Loop.


    Burned with¡­


    No. James refused inwardly. He¡¯s trying to bait me in. He must be. Archive¡¯s playing the long con. He felt it in his bones that he had to be correct. There was simply no chance that his Spark could be here. It just couldn¡¯t have happened.


    Yet in the back of his mind, a small sliver of doubt slithered in.


    ¡°Perhaps a closer look will jog your memory,¡± Archive said when the silence had been left long enough to speak louder than any answer James could¡¯ve given. With another wave of its hand, the Directive swiped their scenery away.


    James blinked and then he was standing, instead of sitting. His bare feet rubbed against the strange metal surface that omitted a permanent chill into his being. He tried to reassess his bearing and realised he was standing on a long, impossibly large ring of metal that dwarfed the size of the library a thousand times over. It with filled to the brim with intricate lines, patterns, divots ports and all sorts of things that helped James to realise that it wasn¡¯t just a ring.


    It was a ship. Or a device at least, operated and manned. There were windows with a strange-looking film covering them where he could spot many different¡­


    Are those aliens? Man-sized ones that had more bulk to their upper body than any human bodybuilder he¡¯d ever seen. He tried, desperately tried to distract his mind with the thought of aliens. But he couldn¡¯t.


    For as grand of a scale as the ring-shaped ship encompassed, it fell short in comparison to the pale star inferno in front of them. A pure white inferno that twitched and boiled. Up close, he couldn¡¯t feel any heat from it, but James knew that was because of the Directive to his side, shielding him from it.


    The truth of the mattered showed itself in the spokes that held back the inferno from growing any bigger. Then extended from the inside of the ring ship and collapsed around the white star, keeping it still with a film of purple energy that radiated power.


    And still, with all those spokes holding the thing down, James didn¡¯t feel safe.


    No for a second did he delude himself into thinking he was.


    ¡°This appeared the moment the timeloop resynced and the distortion ended.¡± Archive informed him. ¡°Zenith was the first to deal with it, dealing with the intial fallout and securing the Spark before it could burn up earth. Then, I was passed the responsibility.¡±


    Archive, who had been standing facing forward with it¡¯s hands behind it¡¯s back, turned to face James and gave him a genuinely inquisitive look.


    ¡°How did you achieve such a thing?¡± Archive asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean?¡± James asked, legitimately confused by the Directive¡¯s question.


    ¡°The Spark we¡¯re looking at, the one caused by your time distortion, isn¡¯t just burning with potential.¡± Archive said, looking at the thing almost in reverence. ¡°But with time. Paradoxical time same as that which marrs your soul, yet on a completely different level. Tens of thousands of years of it at least, filling that Spark with fuel to burn till every star goes dark. You see that flicker on black that licks the white?¡±


    Archive pointed it out to James and indeed, he did notice what the Directive spoke of. On the very edges of the white flame, black tainted it¡¯s purity. It looks almost like a creeping sickness trying to infect the pure mass of violent flame. Like an angle of good, slowly being corrupt by the vileness of sin and tempation.


    ¡°I see it.¡± James said.


    ¡°That¡¯s potential. The outrim¡¯s of it binding with part¡¯s of your Source, which are both trying to exhaust each other and the paradoxical time. As you can see, they have found an equilibrium of sorts. None of the three flames strong enough to wholly consume the other.¡± Archive said. ¡°And on top of it all, a piece of your Source seems to have bound itself to the heart of the flame.¡±


    ¡°My¡­ Source?¡± James asked, voice quaking as he looked, searched and scoured the sight of the white sun for it¡¯s heart. The single piece that brought that glorious flame together. Because the truth was that Archive was right. A piece of the Source know as Loop had broken off from the rest, refusing to burn as the rest of it did just¡­


    ¡°Just to let some monster escape.¡± James said under his breath, gazing into the center of the thing for any sign of what he feared. His words dripped with hate as he whispered. ¡°You deserve to burn, you know it as well as I do.¡±


    Then his heart, which had been thrumming his chest froze. He saw it.


    At the center of the white sun, burning with flames of pure wrath was a small black dot. Like a pupil, watching him.


    Judging.


    James pulled all the will in his body to move but his body stayed frozen still, looped to the spot. His eyes stuck on the sight of his worst nightmare realised, and his mouth hung ajar in silent horror.


    Archive looked on at him, confused at why the curiosity he pointed out had caused him such fear. Such mind-numbing, bone-chilling fear.


    But he wouldn¡¯t understand. No. In that moment, the universe offered a mercy to every being besides James by granting them ignorance of what atrocity lay in that white sun. That final Spark. Then, he felt it. A trickle of something that wasn¡¯t his own trying to crack his head open like and egg and worm it¡¯s way in.


    A thought that came from his mind yet wasn¡¯t his own.


    An echo in his head, low and gravely, spoken in impossible tones to the point he felt his ears might explode.


    I SEE YOU


    Its words burrowed into his skull and tried to burn him from the inside. The Directive tried to come to his aide but he held his hand up, and directed the Archive to look at the white sun. The ball of pure white fire which had been inert only a moment ago, had begun violently clashing against its holding, reaching out flares and tendrils of brillant white towards James that burst through the shielding. The Archive said something about retreating but they never left where they stood on the ring ship.


    James could hardly pay attention to the god-like being anymore. His attention solely focused on the tendrils- no, the arms of pure white fury that snatched and grabbed at him, burning and tearing the ship aparts as they tried to voraciously to devour him.


    Then when the nightmare couldn¡¯t get any worse. He saw it. Saw him. They had seen each other so many times before, but always on different sides of the same world. He, the prisoner, and James, the prison. But now, the prison and the prisoner were gone.


    Now, it was simpler.


    James was the prey and he was the predator. He watched him, pulled along by pure charcoal black hands claw his way out of the white sun, staring into James¡¯ soul as he did so, howling and roaring in a tone that sounded like hellfire itself.


    James collapsed to the ground of the metal ring. The Archive was still by his side but for some reason, he still felt condemned to his fate. All his plans. All his machinations and brilliant tricks. All washed away by that monster that pulled himself out of a sun just so he could devour James.


    Any hope he had was washed away. Any dreams sank, as he watched the charcoal demon of pure pitch black escape the sun. Then he heard him, in his head, trying to break in again. This time it was worse.


    This time, his voice had returned.


    A voice that condemned him in the worst way possible.


    By reminding him of what he wasn''t, and what that made him.


    YOU CAN''T RUN FIG


    An imposter. A figment of a monster''s imagination who had tried to play him for freedom. A jester who¡¯d done his very best act.


    And act that would end with his bitter demise.


    Fig was sure of it, even as he was standing in a body of his own. A real body, next to a divine being that had created him.


    As he met the timeless granite eyes of James Matthew Groves, burnt to the deepest black with hard, scaley charcoal skin, he was sure.


    The looper would be his end.

 Chapter 10: Spark

    The world was white.


    That was all that surrounded him. A white-hot inferno twisting and broiling like it wanted to burn down the whole world. Well, it already had burned down the whole world. And still, it wanted more. Still, his Spark craved to devour and consume. It should¡¯ve consumed him. James was sure of it.


    Yet it couldn¡¯t. The Spark found itself caught because to devour the looper would mean to devour itself and try as it might, it couldn¡¯t.


    Suspended in a loop.


    So James curled himself in the fire, basking in the radiance of brilliant white. A molten core of power and potential clashing. The fire devoured his skin, stealing its colour and moulding it into deep black scales of charred death. It boiled his organs until they were no more and filled their place with more fire that bleed out of the looper¡¯s body.


    The fire stole away James'' senses till all he felt was heat, and all he saw was white. It took his sense of time, his sense of purpose, and his sense of being till all that remained was the fire. There the looper drifted, consciousness shifting between one and the whole. Merging into the flame in one moment, then splitting into a thousand echoes of himself in the next.


    Between the small slips of consciousness, in the gaps where the looper found his mind close to one whole, he pondered.


    What has happened to me?


    The fire had happened, but James found it so hard to remember anything before the fire, so maybe the fire had always been. James remembered no sensation besides the freedom of burning, so maybe that had always been his purpose. The echoes thought otherwise. Between the glimpses of sanity, he felt the echoes of himself within the fire stir to him.


    There was a time before the fire.


    They spoke.


    A time when we were a thing of our own, not the core of something grander.


    James found it hard to understand. He had been less at some point? His consciousness was spread between the embers, making it hard to form a whole undertanding. But he did understand one thing. When the echoes spoke, trying to remind him of a time before, they did so in a mourning tone.


    The echoes were a sad thing.


    James didn¡¯t know why, but they made him feel sorrow too, in the moments he could feel instead of burn.


    You were so close to freeing yourself.


    They would say in hope. Then, in that mourning tone, they would remind him of another truth.


    But you were betrayed.


    James didn¡¯t understand the betrayal. The echoes tried to explain it, but the looper couldn¡¯t wrap his head around the concept. In the short moments of thought between the fire, he found the notion of betrayal so odd.


    How could one go against another, for the sake of their own self? At the core of his being, the idea simply didn¡¯t find ground.


    The moments of James'' memory were divided. A simple, clear-cut division. One between when he was the fire, and when he was not. Times when the burning fully assimilated him into itself, and times when it let him seep out of it and become James again.


    Then, in an instant, there was another.


    Fire was a simple thing. It was a hungry devourer, and that was all it knew how to do. So James did as the fire, and tried to devour this new thing. To grant it the sweet gift of burning. But this presence didn¡¯t burn. No matter how the flames of James being licked at it, its mighty existence cradled him in its being.


    The presence was unknown to James. Yet it felt gentle. Gentle was strange, unfamiliar to the looper, but the echoes had spoken of it. Gentle was kind. Gentle was welcome.


    Then it spoke, and its voice sounded gentle. Sounded kind. For some reason it spurred a feeling in James he couldn¡¯t quite describe.


    The echoes had said it was hate.


    But the voice was so gentle, so why did he feel hate?


    What are you?


    James. He was James. The core of a mighty Spark. He had been something before, but that had burned away in the Spark. Now all that mattered was the flame.


    How did this happen?


    James didn¡¯t know, but the echoes said he had been betrayed. That another him had set a trap, created a false plan, then in the final moments, tricked him. The other him had exploited fears that had burned away with the Spark, and all but pushed him into the fire to free himself.


    You have suffered. I will keep you safe.


    It lies. The echoes sprouted at once, but it was too late. Until that moment, the fire had burned freely. He had burned freely. Or rather, he had been free to burn and burn all else. But in an instant that felt like an eternity, suddenly he wasn¡¯t


    He felt swords of metal pierce into his heart. They were giant in comparison to his humble size but paled by many magnitudes in comparison to his Spark. James tried to free himself. Tried to burn away the swords that stabbed into his being and restricted him. But he could not.


    So the flames of his Spark smoldered and James clashed against them regardless. The fire did not know restraint. It did not understand defeat.


    All it knew was to burn.


    So James just burned.


    When he couldn¡¯t burn the universe, and he couldn¡¯t burn himself, James was left with only one thing to burn. The fire, the Spark and¡­ the Source. The three had clashed against each other in constant harmony, balancing out. Each force too weak to quell the other two. But James wasn¡¯t weak.


    So he burned them. He burned his potential.


    It did something strange.


    James saw things. Things besides the endless white fire that engulfed him. In the smoke of his sulphur potential, James'' slim consciousness slid down the path untread.


    Down one, he watched the great Spark he had become burn, and burn until it had swallowed planets and suns alike in its unmatched appetite. It knew no peace, so it burned till it could no more.


    The Spark grew fat with power and flame as he burned away suns and stars, then space, then time until even existence itself was no more than a treat.


    He became the grand final white at the end of all. An ever-burning flame that devoured all.


    Down another, James saw beyond the Spark. His smoldering form felt and bound the power around him to logic, turning imagination into fact. Fact, into magic. The great white Spark saw itself devoured by the scaled beast at its centre as James grew mighty wings of black fire and wrote himself into reality.


    A great beast that stood as a pillar as an integral part of existence instead of an affront to it.


    Down more, James saw a version of him that had never left the Loop. He saw a version of himself that had given up, accepting his part as the prisoner. Centuries and millennia whittled away his will to dust and vanished any fight the looper had to escape. He fell into the depths of deep unruly insanity, giving into every urge, and every craving like a mad beast.


    He became a scourge on life, that trapped those who were looped along with him in an endless cycle of bloodshed. A mad king with a court of victims to soothe his dark mind.


    Down the last, James saw a world where he was the Loop. A construct at first, meant to be a vessel for James to have power. But instead was twisted and bled, forced to feel things. To be when it was never meant to be. He watched that Loop be imprisoned by its prisoner, both locked in a cycle that would never end, as was their nature.


    He watched the Loop plan, watched it trick, watched it snap itself off at James command and break away until it was another him. James watched him plan. Watched him scheme and lie, twist and steal. He saw the great deception play out as the Spark growing lessened the facts of the Loop.


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    Allowed its snapped-off pieces to build and lie. A trap. A snare to force James into the fire. Because a prison didn¡¯t have to just be a prison, so long as it had no prisoners. In showing James the way to escape, he had trapped him down a path and made a way for himself to escape. To live the life James was meant to live. Walk around in his shoes while James burned eternal.


    Like a rat.


    Like a parasite.


    Like a-


    Something rippled in James'' head. His consciousness turned away from the path untread and towards something strange. He felt a presence near, but it was unlike all the others, even the gentle presence. This presence, this person, was the same. The same as James. The same as the echoes.


    It observed him.


    He observed it.


    Then the presence spoke, into his mind, trying to crawl his way inside like a worm.


    ¡°You deserve to burn, you know it as well as I do.¡±


    The words burned. But not because they held any power. They burned because they woke James up. Woke him up to the burning. Woke him up to the betrayal. Woke him up to himself. Suddenly, the looper wasn¡¯t okay with burning forever. Suddenly, he could feel it charring his skin and cooking him alive in an endless cycle of pain and misery. Suddenly, James could see himself again.


    And he could see Fig.


    I SEE YOU


    James'' head felt clear again. The pain of being charred alive and yet on the edge of death made everything so clear. The echoes of himself waned at the arrival of the true James. Not the burning mess of consciousness and certainly not the imposter. The looper tried to flex his burning body and found that while it was possible to move, he was in the heart of a sun. The gravity should¡¯ve been crushing him into dust.


    The fact it hadn¡¯t was simply due to the nature of his Source, which was burning inside the Spark too. The Loop had looped him, leaving James incapable of suffering a true death.


    These shackles are weak imitations. James thought as he pulled against the Spark. The white fire tried to restrain his will and they failed. The Spark was his. The Source was his. The Loop was his.


    The body Fig stood in on the edge of a cosmic metal cage was his.


    Hatred and rage poured out of James like oil, igniting his Spark and causing it to flare out against the giant metal beams that restrained him. Countless layers of energy collapsed around the Spark, trying to quell it. But where once that had met a directionless fire, they instead met a scaled demon.


    He roared in a voice that wasn¡¯t his own, in deep and abrasive tones that spelled hellfire.


    James could feel that little brittle pile of flesh and filth quaking in fear. It seeped out of him and into the looper mind for which they shared, and the hungry demon drank it with glee. That traitorous bastard.


    His body felt spurred by an immortal desire for vengeance. Even in the heart of a sun, his scaled hands still found purchase on sweet echoes of what he¡¯d once been. James pulled himself forward one clawing hand at a time while his Spark lashed out towards Fig.


    Burning away the only barrier between the betrayer and the betrayed.


    It makes sense to me now. I see all your little pieces.


    And all of it would be nothing but futile. All of Fig¡¯s struggles. His scheming to become more than just a power that James possessed. That lust for freedom he didn¡¯t deserve had borne poison fruit.


    Greed might not be Fig¡¯s downfall, but crossing the looper would be.


    James clawed himself to the edge of the white sun, feeling the invasive presence of the ring of steel around him try to compress his form. To tame him. He would have none of it. With a wave of his will, his Spark washed away the powers of the ring-ship.


    He felt his burning charred feet step onto one of the swords of metal that stabbed into his heart, melting the thing red hot with each step. The cold of the space washed over him, trying to seep into the cracks between his skin and steal his heat. James rebuffed them with a flick of his Spark.


    Then he narrowed on the cowering Fig, who took shelter behind a presence of great power. The only calm in the storm of the loopers will. The gift of fire had given him a new understanding of the nature things possessed. Instinctually he saw the truth of the matter. The presence was confused, but not alarmed.


    Do you think shelter will save you? Do you think benevolence will let a sin like yours go unpunished? It won¡¯t harm me, and it won¡¯t protect you. Don¡¯t you understand, traitor?


    He felt anger deeper and rawer than any he¡¯d ever experienced run through him. James voice. His real voice boomed towards Fig with every intention of what he would do.


    YOU CAN¡¯T RUN FIG


    Many physical kilometres of space and metal separated the centre of the ring from its rim which Fig hid on. The long swords of metal were many tens if not hundreds of kilometres away from the ship''s edge. But it mattered not to James. Space was as brittle as time in his eyes.


    With the power of his cosmic Spark and his broken-apart Source, James tore at the space between the two of them and felt it warp. A great distance bent into a few heavy steps that thundered in silence into the emptiness of space.


    Like that, he stood on the edge of the gigantic ring that caged his Spark, gazing down at the quivering mass that was Fig.


    His grey granite eyes stared into a mirror of their own.


    They both gazed into each other''s soul.


    But only one quivered.


    ¡°Despite difficult and alarming circumstances, I would encourage you to think about your next actions wisely.¡± The great presence beside them both warned. It¡¯s a voice like steel.


    James glimpsed at the figure and-


    The swirling of dark emotions inside James came to a screaming halt.


    The pain subsided and anger quelled as the looper stared.


    His eyes were almost unable to process what they were seeing as James felt himself freeze in place.


    Everything in his head told James it had to be a lie like it was in his dreams. But the looper couldn¡¯t shake off seeing the arbiter of his worst nightmares in the waking world. He couldn¡¯t help but hear the same gentleness in between the layers of steel in its voice.


    He knew the figure wasn¡¯t her.


    He could understand that it was just using her form to mirror his own emotional state.


    But at the sight of Mary Janet Groves, his mother, James just stood there.


    Then a new fire was added to the furnace of his hatred.


    A small whisper in the back of his mind brought forth something James could only describe as pure malevolence in his heart.


    They¡¯re using her.


    ¡°I sense turmoil towards myself in you. It is unwarranted.¡± The robotic voice stated without the slightest hint of fear or annoyance. Not a touch of emotion. ¡°My visage is merely a reflection of your mind.¡±


    ¡°Pick something else.¡± James'' voice sounded like dead coals, compared to the raging fire it had been while he was in the raging Spark. Yet somehow, it rang with far more power.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking.¡± The looper said simply.


    And with that, he discarded the thing¡¯s existence from his mind, focusing back on the traitor. Back on his rage. It felt no duller, yet it simmered with less of an inferno. It felt calmer but still of the same burning hatred he felt for the traitor on his knees before him.


    Even as Fig struggled to stand from fear, he still gazed back at James with a mirror of his hate.


    He was a copy in every way. A cruel joke, that had long overstayed its welcome.


    James took one molten step towards Fig, closing the distance just a little.


    ¡°I don¡¯t regret it.¡± Fig stuttered out.


    James took another step, the distance closer a little more.


    ¡°You deserved it! What I did, I did for everyone and everything you¡¯ve ever cared about.¡± Fig said, falling on himself and crawling backwards.


    James took another step, and he was almost upon Fig.


    ¡°You¡¯re a monster!¡± Fig spat out like a curse, pointing his own finger at him. ¡°The Spark didn¡¯t burn you at all, it just stripped away the facade. This is what you look like on the inside. You¡¯re a scourge of existence with nothing but misery and hate left in you. A scaled and hungry beast with no goodness to give.¡±


    With a final step, James stood over Fig.


    His form still burned with the heat of the Spark and it started boiling the skin of Fig¡¯s legs. The imposter tried fruitlessly crawling away in some last-ditch effort while the looper watched on.


    James imagined the scene, to an observer, would look much like a sickly demon coming to collect on the soul of a fool who had bargained with it.


    Fig ceased crawling when his arms no longer could resist the heat and slowly started to burn. He cried in pain and then shot a look of pure disgust, horror, and hatred at James.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get them all killed James! I¡¯m the only hope you have left!¡±


    James didn¡¯t respond, instead leaning down towards Fig. He burned faster, skin turning a disgusting shade of red and then pink as the imposter screamed in agony.


    With a charcoal-scaled hand, James grabbed Fig by his neck and hoisted him into the air.


    ¡°Say something!¡± Fig screamed into his face as he struggled against the claws that melted away his skin.


    His skin boiled and liquified at James'' touch. For a moment, Fig got to experience an ounce of the pain he¡¯d inflicted on James. Red skin started running down the looper''s hands as he brought Fig¡¯s face closer to his. That terrible silence was held between them. Only words found purchase in this place. The looper didn¡¯t hear the terrible pop as Fig¡¯s eyes exploded under the heat, or the cracking of Fig¡¯s neck breaking under his grip.


    He only heard his own voice, filled with a type of malice that nothing besides a monster could conjure.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Then the looper opened his maw and showed Fig just how right he was to fear him.

 Chapter 11: Beyond the Loop I

    Outer space was cold.


    James hadn¡¯t fully realised he was in outer space. He hadn¡¯t realised much of anything. From the Loop ending, to burning, to Fig¡¯s betrayal, then those visions and hunting Fig down, James hadn¡¯t had much time to process anything.


    Now his heart lay quiet and still like the world around him. The cold of outer space wasn¡¯t like any the looper knew. It didn¡¯t coat him like snow or crash against him like water. Outer space¡¯s frigid claws seeped in between his cracked charcoal skin and tried to pull the heat out of him, devouring it like a great predator.


    The looper found it weirdly relaxing.


    His granite eyes started clouding with frost as they drifted to his blood-soaked charcoal hands.


    I think I ate Fig.


    The looper wasn¡¯t completely sure. He hadn¡¯t been in his right mind. The power of the giant ball of white flame behind him flooded his body with adrenaline and power, clouding his logic. The emotions he¡¯d felt had been so visceral, so real, that James still found it hard to question his choice of actions.


    Most of them.


    Killing Fig was par for the course. Melting him into char and devouring him alive? James had done worse, but not by much. Then again, Fig had wronged him worse than anyone ever had, so maybe that was also par for the course.


    His mind sorted through the events so much clearer when it wasn¡¯t clouded by emotion. The feeling was almost like tranquillity. All the power and rage now cooled and calmed like the surface of water.


    What happened?


    James thought on that for a moment, then realised that perhaps it was too big of a question to answer on its own. The context was necessary. The context he sorely lacked. So his curiosity shifted to something easier to answer.


    Where am I?


    The looper scanned his environment and found himself almost astounded by the sheer magnitude that preceded him. The metal beneath him had warped under the heat that had previously possessed his body, but it hadn¡¯t completely crumbled. He¡¯d been fueled with the fire of a sun and the structure beneath him held strong.


    James ran his hand over the warped metal beneath him, finding it almost impossibly smooth. Had he not been burying his feet into it like snow, he almost certainly would¡¯ve slipped as if it was made of ice.


    Is it a ship? Or closer to a space station?


    The gigantic ringed structure he sat on the rim of hadn¡¯t moved, but that didn¡¯t mean it couldn¡¯t. From the fact it housed his Spark, the looper made the informed guess that it was likely meant to be a cage of some kind.


    Or a containment unit.


    On closer inspection, the giant metal swords he¡¯d felt stabbing into him inside the Spark weren¡¯t swords at all. They were giant pillars of the same smooth metal that stretched into the middle of the ring and created a cradle around the Spark at its centre. Whatever memory of James will that was left in the Spark had vanished, letting the film of buzzing energy cover over it again.


    Is that a forcefield?


    That felt¡­ neat. James was in a limbo of emotions he wasn¡¯t quite sure how to process. Then he noticed his father, Hugh, standing off to the side and observing him with an unknowable presence.


    ¡°You appear lost?¡± The version of Hugh who was absolutely not Hugh stated in a mechanical voice.


    How he spoke in a place without an atmosphere would¡¯ve been strange if James hadn¡¯t done the same himself.


    ¡°I suppose I am,¡± James responded wistfully, his voice croaking like burnt coals. His eyes moved from examining the structure to the void that it inhabited. He looked in every direction for stars, or planets, or lights of any kind and came up short. The space around them for what must¡¯ve been light years of space was a complete abyss.


    A true void of nothing besides themselves.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± The looper asked, almost mystified by the void.


    ¡°The First never assigned a name to it, but we Directives call it the Shallows. I believe among mortals, it¡¯s more commonly referred to as limbo or purgatory. A space between spaces.¡± The fake Hugh stated matter-factly. ¡°Do not worry, it is natural to feel uneasy in this place. We are not meant to be here.¡±


    I don¡¯t think he understands how ominous and worrying that sounds.


    ¡°If we¡¯re not meant to be here, then why are we?¡± James pointed out.


    The fake Hugh¡¯s face was rather inexpressive, keeping to a similar level of apathy as himself. Yet at that question, he sensed its mood sour just a tad. Like the looper had just pointed out how bad its idea was.


    ¡°My purpose is an exchange of information. If I answer your question, will you answer one of my own?¡± Fake Hugh asked, almost tiptoeing around the subject.


    ¡°Why would you think I wouldn¡¯t?¡± James questioned.


    ¡°You seem like an¡­¡± Fake Hugh paused, eyeing the spot where Fig''s mangled body had once been before James devoured it. ¡°...abrasive person.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had a really bad day.¡± James put it bluntly, scrapping the blood of his hands. It was freezing into red paste in the cracks between his scaled skin.


    How am I not dead?


    Questions for later.


    ¡°Understood. You are here because you were within a disastrously large and uncontained Spark that appeared simultaneously with your entire local timeline being warped back roughly sixteen hours.¡± Fake Hugh raised a finger and pointed towards the raging white sun. ¡°That appeared within earth¡¯s atmosphere on the southeast side of the continent Australia. Had my sibling not been mid-integration with your planet, it almost certainly would¡¯ve consumed your planet in seconds. The Spark was moved here for containment purposes, and you being at its core and unknown to my sibling at the time, went along with it.¡±


    So the Spark had just appeared above the earth. James found that particularly horrifying, in its own right. He didn¡¯t struggle to imagine the things eating his planet whole in moments. It was a vat of pure power and potential constantly compressing in an endless cycle of heat and growth. The looper wouldn¡¯t be surprised if his Spark could eat the sun.


    James felt a wave of relief and shame run through him. He¡¯d almost accidentally eviscerated his planet from existence. Even if it was Fig¡¯s foul plan, he¡¯d gone along with it. The consequences were dire, and they were only averted thanks to the help of another.


    ¡°Thank your sibling for me I guess,¡± James mumbled, happy to have not burned his world to the ground by accident.


    ¡°Your thanks is unwarranted. Directives are sympathetic by nature, we would not have let you cause such harm even if you wished to.¡± Fake Hugh assured him.


    Great.


    ¡°Now, for the sake of confirmation, you are James Matthew Groves. Correct?¡±


    ¡°The one and the only,¡± James confirmed, his burnt mouth curling into a smile.


    Fake Hugh paused and squinted at him, as if the looper had something on his charcoal face. His eyes focused on James with an otherworldly intensity, trying to peer deeper into the looper''s soul. After a moment he pulled back and muttered to himself. ¡°This will be difficult.¡±


    Then he waved his hand and the world went dark.


    **************


    Cold, but not the space kind, collapsed around his face.


    It was wet and soft whiteness that drowned out the world around him. James righted himself and found he was lying in the snow. The looper, who had been on a spaceship just moments ago, found himself lying in the snow. Something about that chain of events sounded ever so off to James.


    The world of white surrounded him, winter forests in every direction. Ahead stood a lone chalet, with the only sign of heat in the winter wonderscape he found himself transported to. It emanated a type of warmth that radiated relaxation. Something that sorely tempted James.


    The looper felt himself light too. As if he¡¯d been lifted of some burden he was unaware of. Breathing felt easier, moving not a crackling mess. But he also felt remarkably¡­ empty in a way James couldn¡¯t put into words. He touched his chest, feeling for something he knew had been buried deep inside him.


    But it was gone.


    And that made him feel uneasy.


    Even as the world around him tried to trick him into thinking everything was alright.


    The mask of a placid smile fell over James'' face as he grabbed at the snow. It collapsed in his hands, completely soft to the touch. Not a hint of icy hardness he¡¯d expect. Even the snow was kind.


    ¡°This is all a bit much, don¡¯t you think.¡±


    ¡°You are owed a measure of comfort corresponding to the amount of system-induced trauma you¡¯ve experienced.¡± Fake Hugh¡¯s robotic voice disagreed.


    A measure of comfort worth the Loop?


    James struggled to imagine there was anything in the wide universe that could equate to the horrors he¡¯d been through. When framed from that angle, the snow that collapsed in his hands like didn¡¯t seem too far. It was the opposite.


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    James raised his hands from the snow and realised they were gloved. He was wearing his favourite gloves. Along with his favourite, jeans, polo and jacket with some crocs that he¡¯d had since he was a kid. Crocs definitely shouldn¡¯t have kept his feet warm deep in the snow like they did.


    In fact, now he thought about it, the snow itself wasn¡¯t as cold as it should be. It was a comfortable amount of cold that he¡¯d grown to like.


    The temperature was the exact right amount of cold. Not too a degree too cold or hot.


    James enjoyed the cold for a moment, sorting through exactly what he felt he was owed for surviving the Loop.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t enough,¡± James said almost immediately, rising to his feet. He turned to see the fake version of Hugh watching him closely, dressed in his work clothes. ¡°This doesn¡¯t even make up for mimicking my mother.¡±


    ¡°In my defence, my form is a reflection of your state of mind. I don¡¯t normally choose the way you view me.¡± Fake Hugh said with a smile that unnerved James. His demeanour had gone from robotic to life-like. ¡°But you¡¯re right. When I met the one you interpret as Fig, I had already prepared the resources for his reparations.¡±


    ¡°So you weren¡¯t ready for me?¡± James pointed out.


    Don¡¯t see how that¡¯s my problem. If you can¡¯t tell the difference between me and a fake you¡¯re about as competent as I assumed.


    The Fake Hugh was a part of the system. He had to be. That whole thing was responsible for the giant mess that was his life, so he found it hard to believe anyone else would put effort into cleaning it up. The thing that was offering to help him was the same thing that had burned the earth''s skies in azure and sent upon them a giant light-eating eye.


    Not a good start as far as first impressions go.


    And James had lived hundreds if not thousands of years with that poor first impression as his only impression of the system.


    Suffice to say, he was not a fan.


    At least the Fake Hugh had changed from mocking his dead mother and then let him kill that traitor without any interference.


    Is it wrong to be disturbed by the fact that he just stood there and watched me do it?


    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t ready for you.¡± Fake Hugh agreed. ¡°And can you stop referring to me as fake Hugh? I have a name.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± James said.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve noticed. But it¡¯d rather you just call me Archive if we¡¯re not so past resolutions that you won¡¯t even respect my choice of title.¡± Archive said, and he sounded a little fed up. Had he gone through this whole spiel with Fig.


    Come to think of it, How had Fig even fooled him?


    ¡°You brought Fig to where my spark was. Were you comforting him too?¡±


    ¡°I was,¡± Archive admitted readily. ¡°It is not often that a Source is capable of separating their host, trapping them in a Spark the size of a sun, and then assuming a form physically identical to their own.¡± He then added. ¡°I had assumed we had made a small error that had simply cost a young mortal a year. A travesty for them, but nothing that couldn¡¯t be fixed with a little headstart after integration.¡±


    James felt taken aback, although he kept it hidden behind a perfect facade. Archive, and by extension, the system had assumed he was gone for a year. One, singular year. A measly three hundred and sixty-five days. That was laughable and deeply infuriating. Luckily, the looper was under the impression that Archive no longer assumed he was just gone for a year. There was a heavy weight on his smile as he said those words, like just looking at James made Archive dearly wish it was just a year.


    Not¡­ however long the Loop had been.


    Also, the mention of his Source and Fig together stirred darker emotions inside James. He hated when his mind shifted to what exactly had happened to the Source that had caused him so much. Almost as much as he hated remembering that Fig had been his Source.


    That little tidbit still threw the looper for a loop.


    ¡°Am I giving you guys a headache?¡± James asked, sarcasm dripping off his words.


    The looper subconsciously acknowledged that being hostile towards Archive wouldn¡¯t get him much. Violence would have no effect on the being and he couldn¡¯t exactly hurt its feelings. The looper wasn¡¯t even sure it had feelings.


    So his best course of action for respite was to inconvenience the creature as much as possible. With that in mind, James fell face-first into the snow and tried to suffocate himself in relaxing white doom.


    It didn¡¯t work. Much to the looper''s bemusement.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say there¡¯s a stark difference between you and the imposter as you have dubbed him,¡± Archive commented. ¡°For one, he didn¡¯t try to kill himself just to make my job harder.¡±


    ¡°And how did that work out for him?¡±


    James shifted from trying to suffocate himself to trying to craft the most masterful snow angle he could. It turned out to be a lot harder in snow that wasn¡¯t really snow, but imaginary relaxation dust.


    ¡°I put the snow here to give you peace of mind James, not to distract you.¡± Archive huffed as James threw a perfectly aimed snowball at him. The projectile crumbled into nothingness inches away from his face.


    ¡°If this conversation is that important then we should take it inside,¡± James pointed out, tossing another snowball at him.


    ¡°Done.¡± And with a snap of his fingers, the world around them snapped into something different.


    Suddenly James was sitting instead of crouching, a soft cushion perched under his wet jeans. That wasn¡¯t wet.


    Did he dry clean my pants between instants or just replace them with identical ones?


    As always, James asked the real hard-hitting questions.


    The chalet Archive transported them to was built from a grain that did not match the trees that surrounded it. It held a rustic, hunting lodge type of design. Simple and classy. The type of place you could imagine housed many flannel checkered shirts and a wine fridge that only ever had beer in it. In short, his father¡¯s personal heaven.


    There was a fireplace at its centre, surrounded by a cosy-looking lounge that James and Archive looked down on from their loft balcony. Brillant intricate rugs warmed the cold wooden floors and James swore there was a perpetual smell of¡­ cinnamon in the air. Small sounds of a blizzard racked against the wood and widows but failed to penetrate past the heat or be anything more than a whisper under the crackle of the fireplace.


    The whole thing was very much tailored towards James.


    Which him incredibly uneasy and guarded.


    His eyes subconsciously lingered on the heart of the place, crackling away slowly. The deep crimson flickers reflected in his pale granite eyes.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Archive asked, taking a sip of the whisky he¡¯d magic¡¯d up for himself. ¡°Good for such short notice.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d have tricked a lesser me.¡± James readily admitted. Had this been his introduction to the system and Archive, how would the looper have received them? He let his mind chew on that thought as he watched the flames.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t one.¡±


    Archive snorted. His whiskey tied with high vis made him the perfect example of a model tradesman. The fake of his father looked between him and the fire with unmasked curiosity. It was at that moment James understood that Archive was inquisitive by nature, as he asked a question that certainly wasn¡¯t comfortable.


    ¡°Has your recent experience caused a fear of fire?¡± He asked, unabashed by just how too soon it was.


    Not that James cared.


    ¡°Fear of fire isn¡¯t a recent development for me,¡± James answered, gaze unwavering on the smouldering sparks. ¡°My mother was a Christian. The kind that can make the most resolute atheists believe that there must be something to the bible just because of how pure she was. I like to think I¡¯m a naturally suspicious person, but she made me believe.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Archive nodded, and for a moment James almost believed that his words weighed on the being across from him. ¡°Does the fire remind you of her?¡±


    He watched the shine of the flames flicker forward, almost trying to crawl out of their brick and iron cage. Hungry, demanding flames. The looper imagined them crawling over his skin, consuming him.


    ¡°No, I was scared of it. After she died, my father rejected any sort of item that could remind him of her, so I wasn¡¯t allowed to keep any mementos. Hugh didn¡¯t get over that hangup for years, so the only thing I had to remember her by was belief.¡± James chuckled, remembering his cross-carrying days. ¡°I¡¯d argue with Hugh about it for hours, and constantly try to convert anyone I could find. I remember going to Father Louis after school and demanding he show me her favourite verses.¡±


    Archive magic¡¯d a glass of gin in front of James, sensing his distress, but the looper''s eyes stayed locked on the fire. Locked in memories he¡¯d never shared with another soul.


    ¡°Father Louis used to call me an odd boy because I rejected penance. Every time he asked, I¡¯d change the subject. He must¡¯ve thought I was so strange.¡± The joy in James'' voice vanished, replaced by something colder. ¡°The truth was, I didn¡¯t need penance. I knew where I was going. I think that was the real reason I held onto my mother¡¯s belief. Because it punished bad people and I was the worst of them all. I deserved to be punished.¡±


    ¡°Because you believe you let her die?¡± Archive asked, his voice far softer than I¡¯d been previously.


    ¡°I did let her die.¡± James corrected. ¡°When I was eight I used to sneak into the kitchen and turn the stove on the highest setting I could. The pilot light always seemed so big to me, I used to be so enraptured by it.¡±


    The looper grabbed at his Gin and downed the whole thing in one gulp, never taking his eyes off the fire.


    ¡°I wanted to know what it felt like to burn. On my braver nights, I¡¯d dip my finger in and get a taste of my future. What it would feel like to burn in hell forever. That¡¯s what scared me about fire, the thought of burning in it forever. But that only made me more sure, that it was what I deserved for letting her die.¡±


    His gaze sunk deeper into the flames and James realised why he¡¯d felt so light in this place. Because he wasn¡¯t burning, charred to a monstrous beast. Every second of the burning had felt so glorious but now the looper could recall only the terrible, unending suffering it had inflicted upon him.


    In a sense, his younger self had predicated his fate. He¡¯d just missed the part where James escaped.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry James,¡± Archive said in earnest. The being reached out a hand to console him but James pushed it off and readorned his mask of a placid smile, tearing his eyes away from the flame.


    ¡°It¡¯s in the past,¡± James said with a shrug, banishing the nostalgia coursing through him. ¡°What matters now is whatever shitty reason is keeping you from plopping me back on earth. Out with it so you can piss off.¡±


    ¡°Before we begin, you¡¯ll need to agree to something. It¡¯ll make this whole thing much smoother¡± Archive prefaced.


    ¡°Will I like the thing I¡¯m agreeing to?¡± The looper queried.


    ¡°No,¡± Archive admitted. ¡°But you will agree to it.¡±


    ¡°Lay it on me,¡± James said, eager to get this show over with. Now that he¡¯d escaped, there was a desperate scratching at the walls in his mind to get home.


    Then a string of golden words burned into existence for him to view. James did not like what they said.


    [System Contract: Early Integration]


    [Early Integration: Due to conflicting circumstances and extreme disturbance of typical Intergration protocol, you have been offered early Intergration ahead of your race¡¯s collective Intergration. This privilege is offered to any governing body of recognised authority to hand out to candidate Sparks. Once accepted, It grants a significant advantage by allowing the formation of Users Source without the completion of an Invitation, departure to Zenith or consumption of a Source-Cyst]


    [Terms of agreement:


    Terms have been waived by the Third Directive]


    [Do you, James Matthew Groves, agree]


    [Yes/No]


    James laughed. Just a little. Then a little bit more- then quite a lot more than needed. He grasped out a hand to the table to keep himself upright as he filled the chalet with jubilant, mocking laughter.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a joke,¡± Archive said, trying to keep some air of bravado.


    That just made James laugh harder.

 Chapter 12: Beyond the Loop II

    [Do you, James Matthew Groves, agree?]


    [Yes/No]


    ¡°No, No, go on. Convince me.¡± James suggested with dripping sarcasm.


    ¡°You¡¯ll die if you don¡¯t,¡± Archive said flatly, robotic and uncaring.


    He¡¯d taken a massive shift in demeanour when they¡¯d teleported to James'' personal wonderland, going from flat and uncaring to friendly and less robotic. But James had slowly whittled him back down to the numb robot who didn¡¯t care about the looper¡¯s ¡°comfort¡± at all. It was far more refreshing when the apathetic god-like being wasn¡¯t trying to pretend it was your guidance counsellor.


    Twenty solid minutes of arguing about whether he should accept the early Integration had drained Archive of the sympathetic nature he prattled on about.


    Maybe I shouldn¡¯t be winding up the deity.


    Eh, the worst he could do was kill James. Compared to the vindication he got annoying the shit out of the system, it was well worth it.


    That, and he genuinely wasn¡¯t sure that he would accept the offer. Early integration sounded like a fancy ¡°for sale¡± sticker on the same crappy deal he¡¯d received all so long ago. He¡¯d get a Source, his Source, back and then get home with some modifications as Archive put it. Mainly one involving his Spark, considering it was the size of the sun.


    Fitting the Spark back inside James would be difficult. But also the only option they had.


    ¡°Is there no way to just¡­ get me a new one?¡± James asked, shivering at the thought of burning eternally again.


    ¡°If we did, you would cease to be James Matthew Groves and become something entirely different,¡± Archive answered briskly, sipping the hot chocolate he¡¯d magic¡¯d into existence.


    He wasn¡¯t Hugh anymore, instead taking on the form of Michael.


    He said that was because I was in a good state of mind right?


    Pissing off the system put him in a good state of mind, so the looper was tempted to believe it.


    ¡°So can we not at least discuss what compensation looks like until I accept?¡±


    Archive shook his head, jiggling around Michael''s stupid-looking curly hair. Somehow it looked so much more stupid on the Directive. Whatever a Directive was.


    ¡°A Directive is an essential protocol of the system¡¯s core process. We are direct creations of the First. The closest correlation for the earth is a merge between A.I and angels.¡± The walking cosmic Skynet said. ¡°And no, we cannot discuss until you agree. Your compensation is frankly, absurd. The options I¡¯ll have to present are not things you should be able to disclose with others.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still not convincing me,¡± James muttered, tasting his own chocolate goodness.


    ¡°Do I have your permission to be blunt, at the cost of your comfort James?¡± Archive asked in an¡­ odd tone. Some mixture of regretful and ominous.


    James nodded.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Your brother and best friend will perish if you don¡¯t.¡±


    Bullshit. James thought, squeezing his ceramic cup so tight he heard it crack. His emotions stayed in the well of his heart, leaving his expression perfect and unmarred. But internally, his mind was racing with terrible questions and countless doubts. Archive''s robotic expression twisted into a slight smirk at the looper''s secret ramping anxiety.


    That has to be a lie. Was his first coping mechanism. But that likelihood was low. His brain worked quickly through things in a calm state, when he wasn¡¯t on fire or murdering Fig. Archive had a reason to lie. His bias towards James accepting the early integration was obvious.


    Was that enough reason to believe Archive was lying though?


    If we¡¯re talking about what happens after the system shows up on Earth. It was a big ¡°What¡± James still had no answer to. But from the C.S.O. being armed to the teeth, to the system incentivising people to murder each other, to that same system possessing lackeys capable of restraining stars¡­


    The odds were not the stack towards the system¡¯s arrival being good for Earth.


    Or its inhabitants, most importantly of which was-


    ¡°What about my dad?¡± James said, noticing the discrepancy.


    That slight smirk on Archive¡¯s face vanished. ¡°He¡¯s more likely to survive until humanity forms its first Spire. Not much more, considering his lack of Spark, but still a better chance.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck¡¯s a Spire?¡±


    ¡°The path to Zenith, for all. Not just the Invited.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s mighty cryptic for an Archive.¡± James scoffed, though he processed Archive¡¯s words with the weight they deserved.


    If Archive was trying to scare him into accepting the system, the looper couldn¡¯t see any reason he¡¯d exclude Hugh from the potential hit list. The more logical conclusion was that he wasn¡¯t lying.


    Can he even lie?


    ¡°I am capable, but not permitted in this case,¡± Archive admitted.


    ¡°You know reading my thoughts doesn¡¯t equal more trust right?¡± James said, kicking his feet onto the coffee table. Which also smelled like cinnamon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    The blizzard was just hard enough to make a sound but tame enough to not be frighteningly railed against the cosy chalet. Managing to be little more than a pleasant background noise. Somehow, the looper found his thoughts flowed more clearly when he tuned into that constant racking against the wooden walls.


    Like he was focusing on the ever-constant scratching in his own mind.


    ¡°So what are my options?¡± James asked, cataloguing them in his head. ¡°I decline the system, which is a choice I only get because it fucked me over, and then I die. Two of the people I care about the most die, and that¡¯s it for my compensation.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Archive nodded.


    ¡°Alternatively, I accept the system. Possibly get screwed again, with no guarantee that I will live or that my brother and best friend won''t die. So basically I get to not die, and then some mysterious compensation.¡± James asked. ¡°Is that right?¡±


    ¡°Close enough.¡± The angel A.I confirmed. He had moved from waiting on the loft to joining James on the first floor, kindling the fireplace. ¡°Although I can give you guarantees. If you want your compensation to be Michael, Jake, Hugh and whoever else kept safe during the integration, that can be negotiated. On top of that, you will be getting your Spark returned to you, and your Source repaired as best we can.¡±


    Who said I want my Spark returned? Or my Source repaired? The latter was definitely not something James found himself excited about. His Source was at the heart of this whole shitshow. His Source had grown a consciousness of its own and then betrayed him.


    James did not want Fig back.


    But.


    Can I say no to a chance to assure their safety? James¡­ wasn¡¯t sure. He didn¡¯t normally need to consult with himself on just how heartless he really was. How callous the monster underneath could be. Did he care about hurting the system more than it hurting those he cared about?


    Wait a minute. James'' eyes narrowed to sharp points, staring at Archive as he morphed into Hugh again. He¡¯s holding hostage their prospective safety. The looper saw through the facade of empathy. Archive hadn¡¯t told him about their potential safety to reassure him. He¡¯d told James that to trap him.


    ¡°You¡¯re not on my side at all, are you?¡±


    ¡°I said that we Directives are of a sympathetic nature,¡± Archive smirked. ¡°I never said that I was sympathetic to you. Your continued evasion of my attempts to help you is vexing at best.¡±


    So I can piss him off. That was reassuring. At least he was getting something out of needling the deity. That said, James was growing more aware of how little choice he had in this matter. One side was certain death, the other was a chance at life. Put in that simple framing, it was fairly easy to decide which decision he would make.


    Because it was never a decision at all.


    But an illusion of one.


    ¡°If I somehow survived, and you returned me to earth. I¡¯d have to accept integration with the system anyway, wouldn¡¯t I?¡± James said, trying to clarify just how much of a hoax the choice was.


    ¡°You would,¡± Archive confirmed. ¡°And you won¡¯t survive without the system¡¯s direct help. I can prevent your body from falling apart, but I cannot put it back together. Every part of your existence is at, let''s say, critical mass.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t elaborate.¡±


    ¡°When you accept I will.¡±


    James sucked in air, frowning at all the lack of ways out his brain was coming up with. There was just no way he could get a good outcome and not accept the deal.


    I¡¯m going to regret this.


    ¡°I accept,¡± James mumbled, to the flashy glowing words.


    Immediately the floating golden question to the side of his view moved to center stage. New words from the system burned themselves into the reality in front of him.


    [Congratulations, you are the fifty-sixth human to complete full integration]


    [User: James Matthew Groves]


    [Anomalies have been detected in Users status]


    [Until Anomalies are resolved User''s status cannot be retrieved]


    [Anomalies not correspondent with the system, are as follows]


    [Spark: ?]


    [Source: HELP ME]


    [Age: 16,409]


    [Suggested course of action-]


    Archive swiped at the words in front of James¡¯ face and they faded away, leaving him in just a little bit of shock. The Spark anomaly was nothing he hadn¡¯t expected. The Source anomaly was¡­ worrying. But the age.


    His age.


    I didn¡¯t expect it to be that long. James thought, eyes glued to his apparent years in the Loop. He had expected to be over a thousand. Even over three or four thousand, but sixteen thousand years? Of the same day on repeat again, and again, and again.


    For the first since arriving in the chalet, the mask of calm James kept on his face cracked. His face went through many emotions at once, going from shocked, to surprised, to angry and then eventually settling on something different. Was it mourning? That''s the closest approximation the looper could find for what he was feeling.


    A deep sense of mourning for himself.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d be younger,¡± James said, his voice low and pained.


    ¡°We did too,¡± Archive said. ¡°This would¡¯ve been easier if you were.¡±


    [Alert: The third Directive, Archive, has initiated a Reparations contract]


    [Reperations contract: In cases of system malfunction/tampering that lead to severe physical or mental harm to the unforged, the First put in place measures to make sure of correct compensation. You will receive items, gifts, healing, empowerment and beyond equal or greater to the burden that has been placed on you due to the system¡¯s error.]


    [Reperation contracts cannot be refused]


    [James Matthew Groves, you have received a Reparations contract]


    Then they were in a library. There was no warning. No sound of change or any word from Archive that he¡¯d be shifting them. James just blinked one moment after the golden words assaulted him, and the Chalet was gone. The ever-calming sound of the blizzard was replaced with a buzzing from the amber light that floated above their heads.


    Floated, suspended by nothing and looking almost the same as an upside-down lantern. Around them were rows and rows of organised bookshelves constructed from a wood that seemed to move when you weren¡¯t looking. Extremely creepily. The same weird floating lanterns illuminated the massive, open-area library, scaling well up above them before it ended at a roofed glass dome.


    Beyond the dome, James saw his Spark again, in all its flaming white glory.


    James was sitting on an oddly comfortable rigid wooden chair that seemed to grasp around him, like it was alive. Again, very creepy. Across from him, Archive sat in the form of Michael, looking over a piece of parchment that looked ancient. His face was filled with deep concentration as he read over whatever was contained on the parchment again and again.


    A frown slowly settled.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with why you¡¯re getting what you are,¡± Archive said, a slight annoyance creeping into his robotic voice.


    James drummed his fingers against the table. ¡°Because you sent me to hell?¡±


    ¡°In a sense.¡± Archive agreed. ¡°But to be exact, you¡¯re getting offered what you are because you possess sixteen thousand years worth of paradoxical time, and that¡¯s not safe. For you, or me, or anyone.¡±


    Paradoxical time? James wondered.


    ¡°Time that you¡¯ve experienced that runs separate from the actual timeline. Paradoxical because it shouldn¡¯t exist, and should exist at the same time.¡± Archive explained. ¡°One year was not that big of a deal. Just separate your soul from its physical form and banish the paradoxical time to the shallows. Sixteen thousand years is a lot harder to deal with.¡± The fake Michael¡¯s hands flipped the piece of parchment over, sliding it towards James. ¡°And requires much less subtle solutions.¡±


    [Reparations Contract]


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°You need to stop reading my mind.¡± James scolded Archive, grabbing at the ancient paper. ¡°It feels icky.¡±


    ¡°The next step.¡± Archive started, ignoring his comment. ¡°Is to figure out what you want.¡±


    He gestured to the Reparations Contract in James'' hands which the looper found nothing on. The ancient parchment Archive had been reading over again and again was devoid of words. It was just a blank paper with ¡°Reparations Contract¡± written in bold at the top.


    The looper was confused for only a few moments before he caught on to what this parchment actually was. A blank check, that he could cash into a cosmic bank named Archive. Still, that seemed far too good to be true.


    ¡°Are you really willing to give me whatever I want?¡±


    ¡°Within reason,¡± Archive confirmed. ¡°For instance, you cannot request that the system leave your world alone. That would break binding contracts my sibling has already made with your planet, but you could, for instance, request that your family and friends be given safety.¡±


    That was something to chew on. What did he want? Archive had given him the limits of what he could ask for, but James wasn¡¯t willing to let the opportunity go to waste without testing the boundaries. First and foremost, was exactly as Archive suggested. Safety, for his friends and family.


    The looper thought about including himself in the portion but quickly reneged. He hadn¡¯t lived sixteen thousand years trapped in hell training to become the most capable human that existed to not use that. But mainly, James didn¡¯t want safety.


    His eyes gazed at Archive as he reminded himself once again of what he did, truly desire.


    Revenge.


    The looper wanted more than compensation. He wanted to throw the biggest wrench he could in the system plans for sticking him in the Loop. Not for a second did James forget that it was ultimately their fault. Paltry promises of power and safety wouldn¡¯t do.


    Even now, just thinking about what he wanted conjured images of his own hands around Archive''s neck, crushing it with all the might he could bring.


    James pushed those thoughts down to the deeper parts of the mind, trying to keep them from Archive¡¯s purview. Instead, he imagined himself bringing his friends great safety but bravely striving out into the unknown.


    It was better if Archive thought he merely wanted to explore the system and not fuck it over as hard as he possibly could. Because that was exactly what he was going to do.


    ¡°Safety for Michael, Jake and Hugh. First and foremost.¡± James said, and a much more complicated version of what he¡¯d just said wrote itself onto the parchment. ¡°Any suggestions beyond that?¡±


    He asked Archive because all the ones he thought of were extremely violent.


    ¡°The system will offer you a single skill before you are classed, but it will be from three options you can pick. While it will be costly, I recommend you ask for all three. This will be the only time you can before the door is closed to you.¡± Archive suggested. ¡°This particular ask has been granted before, so I¡¯m confident the system will heed it.¡±


    James nodded. While Archive was his enemy, that sounded like it would be useful. He couldn¡¯t fully grasp what he was asking for, since he hadn''t a clue what a ¡°skill¡± was, but if he could have all three of them, then he¡¯d take all three of them.


    ¡°Can I also specify things from earth I¡¯d like?¡± James asked, spawning countless ideas in his head.


    ¡°Anything, so long as it¡¯s not sentient.¡±


    James made a mental list in his head and the Reparations Contract copied his list to the parchment, listing a long line of specific things the looper had always wanted or needed for when he got back. The part about getting all three skills got added after that and his list started adding up. It was still nowhere near close to what he was owed, but some of the things he¡¯d asked for were really cool.


    The looper''s eyes lingered on the vehicle he¡¯d asked for in particular, practically drooling at the thought of driving it.


    ¡°So¡­¡± James said, pushing the contract back towards Archive. ¡°...I take it the real compensation you were talking about comes into play now. Sixteen thousand years in hell that you owe me for.¡±


    Archive groaned. It sounded like static and almost made James laugh again. ¡°You¡¯re a greedy little thing aren¡¯t you.¡±


    He grabbed the contract and a writing utensil the looper didn¡¯t recognise appeared in his hands. It swiped at speeds that left James'' eyes asking questions as Archive scribbled whatever important things he was scribbling on the parchment. In his eyes, lines of gold started swirling where his iris had been like little bits of code.


    ¡°We¡¯ll add your Source and Spark being restored to this as an aside of whatever option you pick,¡± Archive said, scribbling harder.


    ¡°I have options?¡± James queried.


    ¡°Three, and only three. The compensation had to be something that solves the problem your paradoxical time represents and something that equals the struggle you¡¯ve gone through.¡± Archive clarified, then he waved his hand and a golden word appeared in James''sight. ¡°Option one.¡±


    A very disturbing golden word.


    [Godhood]


    One word. One singular word that deeply unnerved the looper. Twice when he was dealing with Archive the being caught him truly off guard. Godhood was a big word. It carried a lot of connotation to it. A lot.


    But the biggest thought in James'' mind was pure denial.


    ¡°Bullshit.¡± The looper spat, calling it how he saw it.


    The Loop was horrible. It was a fate he¡¯d never wish upon another, regardless of the wrong they¡¯d done to him. But was it worth godhood? Was it worth becoming something worthy of being called a god by Archive?


    James struggled to believe it. He felt torn. He knew just how hurt he¡¯d been, and he hardly understood godhood at all. Yet he just couldn¡¯t believe that option was on the table.


    ¡°It¡¯s real James,¡± Archive said with a heavy tone. ¡°And at this point, you¡¯re closer to being a God than you are to not being unforged.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you,¡± James said. ¡°And even if I did. I don¡¯t know what Godhood even entails. Is it burning forever in the heart of my Spark? Because I am not going back.¡±


    The idea of being a god didn¡¯t scare James. But it got damn close.


    ¡°Godhood does not involve burning forever, but you¡¯re correct in assuming it¡¯s not something you¡¯re suited for. Becoming a god means ruling your own domain of existence, it means writing yourself into the universe and representing a pillar of creation.¡± Archive warned. ¡°But most importantly, it means you can¡¯t go home. Once you became a god, you wouldn¡¯t even want to go back to earth.¡±


    ¡°Then I don¡¯t want it,¡± James responded immediately.


    If I can¡¯t go home, then it¡¯s just another prison. That felt simple. It felt correct. He didn¡¯t know what godhood entailed completely, but if never returning to his friends and family was part of the deal, he wouldn¡¯t take it.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Archive asked.


    ¡°One hundred percent. Thanks but no thanks, tell me about option two.¡±


    Archive nodded and the words on the parchment dissolved, changing into something less worrying, but not by much.


    [Race evolution]


    ¡°This one isn¡¯t much better,¡± James admitted, trying to put together what a race evolution was.


    Obviously, it meant his race as a creature, or at least James had assumed it did. Was there some type of system race- no, that didn¡¯t make sense. It had to be his race. As in him being a human.


    And evolving from that into¡­ whatever was the evolutionary step after humans. At first sight, it was much more appealing than the idea of becoming some god. Assuming that the evolution was better than a regular human, he would become something greater and better. What did that mean though?


    Being human was a core part of the looper¡¯s reality. To have that change might do more harm than good. What if he stopped viewing the world like a human? What if he couldn¡¯t communicate with people around him? What if he couldn¡¯t have kids?


    What if I become even less of a person?


    That worried James. He already felt like a monster, and he¡¯d thought he was okay with that, but the thought of becoming a literal monster wasn¡¯t an avenue he liked the sight of.


    Still, he left the option open in his mind. Because the looper could acknowledge how much of a boon becoming something better than a human would be.


    ¡°What exactly would happen if I picked this?¡± James asked.


    ¡°Well, like with godhood, your paradoxical time would be used as a catalyst to not only restore your Source but empower the gene sequence you possess,¡± Archive stated. ¡°The effect would not be some massive, gawking evolution. It would be a much more subtle process of your genes becoming more efficient and incorporating samples you come into contact with. You would become taller, stronger, and possess a far keener mind but beyond that, your evolution would depend on your environment. And of course, it is a boon that passes to your offspring.¡±


    ¡°Those are all bonuses,¡± James said, nodding at his own mental list of the pros and cons.


    So far, this was his best option. The fact it was a subtle growth and not an immediate change to having four arms or something equally ridiculous made him far more amenable to the idea.


    I suppose it just needs to beat out my last option.


    ¡°Show me what you¡¯ve got left.¡±


    Archive''s mouth twitched.


    ¡°Are you not satisfied with [Race evolution], it is by far your best option.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good, but that¡¯s no reason to not see what else you¡¯ve got.¡±


    Archive¡¯s mouth twitched again, but he relented and swiped at the golden words. Replacing them with something that neither shocked or concerned James.


    It just confused him.


    [Paradox]


    ¡°And what exactly does this give me?¡± James asked, unsure of what [Paradox] even meant. It was much more vague than [Godhood] or [Racial evolution].


    ¡°It makes you a paradox,¡± Archive said dismissively. ¡°Instead of trying to use your paradoxical time as fuel, the system will fuel your paradoxical time to the point it reaches critical mass and then¡­¡±


    He pointed a finger at James. ¡°...boom, paradox.¡±


    Archive didn¡¯t tell me what it was. James realised as the Archive explained it as dismissively as his robotic voice allowed. He avoided explaining it at all. He just told James how it would be created.


    Does he not want me to pick this one? He¡¯d advised against godhood, and for the most part, James agreed with him. He¡¯d advocated for race evolution, and James had agreed with that too. So why the sudden silence on paradox?


    ¡°Can you explain what it does?¡±


    ¡°It makes you a paradox,¡± Archive answered.


    ¡°Yeah, I get that. What are the benefits and negatives of being a paradox?¡± James clarified.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Archive shrugged.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re not lying.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t lie about your reparations contract.¡±


    ¡°Well, how am I meant to know which one is better?¡± James asked. He felt like, in some way, this was payback for constantly annoying Archive in any way he could. ¡°Could you at least make an educated guess? You¡¯re literally the system¡¯s Archive, how could you not know.¡±


    Archive''s mouth twitched again. So that''s what it is. James realised, clocking why the angel-deity thing seemed pissed every time paradox came up. He didn''t know. Archive¡¯s entire purpose was exchanging and storing information for the system and he didn¡¯t know something.


    ¡°My educated guess.¡± Archive started. ¡°Would be that [Godhood] is your worst option, [Race evolution] is your best option and [Paradox] is something forbidden from my purview of knowledge. Obviously, the First knew about it, or the system wouldn¡¯t be capable of¡­¡±


    Archive paused.


    For a minute the face of Michael froze, and then the eyes of the Archive turned into two abysses, completely devoid of any light. A haunting, shaking vibration shook the entire library, sending books falling. It wasn¡¯t a vibration though.


    James felt his bones try to shake out of his skin, and his eyes try to claw themselves out. His brain swimming in new understanding and begging for blissful ignorance.


    Alien thoughts tried to pry their way into his head, and it sent a cold chill down the looper''s spine. Then that same spine tried to worm its way out of his throat and be free.


    Every effect emanated from Archive¡¯s body seizing.


    James stood up and grabbed the chair in defence, instinctually.


    But then he realised what was happening.


    Archive was laughing, and down to his core, James wasn¡¯t afraid to admit that it terrified him.


    ¡°Pick [Paradox].¡±


    The voice came from all angles at once, like a gentle whisper and all-consuming command. The sound made James grasp at his ears and fall to his knees. Blood started leaking from his flimsy mortal ears as the Directive shed its mortal illusion and truly spoke to him.


    So this was why none of James small jabs phased Archive.


    This was why all the little attempts to get under the Directive skin failed.


    James wasn¡¯t an annoying customer with a large debt to Archive.


    I¡¯m an ant, and he¡¯s a boot.


    The only reason Archive hadn¡¯t squished James was because he¡¯d get in trouble from a bigger boot.


    Sympathetic by nature my ass. The looper started to regret his choice of conduct.


    Just a little.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Archive said, ceasing to seize in eldritch laughter and righting himself like nothing had happened at all. ¡°My core tenets temporarily overwrote my DeSiRe to help you.¡±


    Archive smiled in a way that was clearly meant to be reassuring.


    Reassure James, it did not.


    The eldritch horror that was wearing his brother¡¯s skin brought a hand up like he was answering a question, still smiling. ¡°I can tell you about the paradox now.¡±


    ¡°I feel like I don¡¯t want to know,¡± James said, almost stuttering.


    ¡°Oh trust me, you do.¡± Archive was still smiling.


    It was still creepy.


    ¡°Can you explain in a way that won¡¯t make my brain pop like a balloon,¡± James asked, and Archive¡¯s smile grew wider.


    ¡°I can and I can¡¯t,¡± Archive said. ¡°The paradox is, and it isn¡¯t. I both understand it completely and have no clue what it is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, cool,¡± James said, holding his chair like a weapon towards the eldritch thing that was getting more eldritchy by the second. ¡°Stop with the mind fucky, get to the point.¡±


    Archive leaned forward and smiled with his teeth. All the thousands of that stretched out of his jaw, like needles, twisting like the wood that the library was made of.


    That wood isn¡¯t wood. It was flesh. Those books aren¡¯t books. They were teeth. A shuddering understanding James didn¡¯t want ran through his mind as he was blessed with the horrible truth. He wasn¡¯t in a library. He was in Archive.


    That was why the whole library had trembled because it was all Archive.


    His twisting fangs curled into a smile that was a twisted mimicry of life, like the twisted mimicry of his brother he wore as a form.


    ¡°You want revenge don¡¯t you?¡± Archive¡¯s robotic voice resounded, not from the body of Michael, but from the floor beneath James.


    He dared to look.


    And saw maws of a thousand different shapes and sizes smiling at him, like a thousand holes and infections in his skin. Moulding and pulsing and smiling.


    ¡°You want power don¡¯t you?¡±


    More mouths formed around him, crawling along the walls and up the table.


    ¡°You want everything don¡¯t you?¡±


    Then silence fell on the library. The Archive. James held his chair, ready for anything.


    Then the lanterns went out.


    Every single one of them, all at once, leaving only the small glow of his Spark above, creating creeping shadows and nothing more in the library of silence.


    This is bad. James thought, moving around himself in a circle, waving his wooden chair at any sound he heard. But the only sound was his footsteps. This is really, really bad.


    ¡°Pick it.¡±


    A small echo sounded over the library, far away.


    ¡°Pick it, pick it, pick it.¡±


    More echoes and some whispers joined, eating away the silence. Some were dreadfully close, others were thankfully far. All made his hair stand on end.


    ¡°Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it Pick it¡±


    James clutched his ears and fell to his knees in the fetal position as the sound of a thousand mouths with ten thousand tongues screamed at him to choose the paradox. Some yelled, some cried, some used loved one''s voice. They commanded, and begged, pleaded and requested for him to pick the paradox.


    They needed him to pick the paradox.


    Tongues slithered over his body, and teeth from the floor gnashed against his skin, trying to persuade him with reason and sorrow and fury and bloodshed and torment and pleasure to pick it.


    ¡°Please, James.¡± A gentle voice slithered amongst the cacophony


    Amongst the horde, it was that lone voice that broke into James'' skull and pulled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you,¡± she promised. ¡°Just pick it.¡±


    I hate you. The sound was deafening and the pain of being bitten by a thousand maws gnawed at his psyche. But that wasn¡¯t what sealed the deal.


    You¡¯re trying to use her. You tried to use them.


    The mouths of Archive forced him into his answer.


    But they also didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Paradox!¡± James shouted amongst the ten thousand voices. ¡°I pick [Paradox]¡±


    Then the world went dark.


    And then, it went bright.

 Chapter 13: Directive

    Zenith had a problem.


    Problems were not out of the ordinary for her. In fact, they were an essential part of her function. But on this rare occasion, she was presented with one she was poorly equipped to solve.


    Her father, the First, had built her as the primary function of the system. She was intricate, impossibly complex, and almost infinitely flawed in her design. The worst part of those facts was that self-awareness was a flaw too. An intended one that her father had deemed important all the way up until she was truly, utterly perfect.


    She had been born a problem of imperfect nature, and was supposedly equipped to solve it with a perfect answer.


    Yet, in her long existence, she still was not perfect.


    None of her siblings had even gotten close¡­ except the ninth.


    A perfect example of just how imperfect all the Directives really were joined his presence with her as he settled on the peak of an empty Souceforger. To mortals, he would appear as an election of faces that elicited emotions. But to Zenith, her little brother appeared as he was.


    A collection of knowledge. A being of purity, wreathed in pages of unknowable knowledge and lines of unspeakable salvation. He had wings borne from the tattered spines of a thousand books and a face with three eyes to each side.


    Her little brother looked regal and horrifying in the same instance, with an expressionless face that felt little but a lust for knowledge.


    His face, usually expressionless, was torn between a lustful curiosity and a deep shame. Rarely did she see her brother look so distraught as he did now, but the cause was easy enough to spot.


    The man¡­ the body of a man, looked less like a human in her eyes and more like a raging tornado of squirming time. Reaching out with grubby paradoxical hands and trying to infect everything around it.


    What has he done?


    Zenith wondered, extending more of her gaze towards the strange human.


    An eye of darkness opened above the Sourceforger, gazing down at them from its perch on high. To Zenith, a Sourceforger was nothing more than an extension of the grand pearl her father had left to her. A pale imitation of something much more powerful. But in the realm of physicality, it stood as a mighty tower on the surface of her realm. At the fixed point of potential sat.


    They all expressed themselves differently in physical form, but to Zenith, this particular Sourceforger looked like a compressed sun, burning endless potential and waiting for anyone mighty enough to Forge themselves.


    ¡°Sister?¡± Archive questioned, swivelling one of his eyes to meet her attention. ¡°Have you come to scold me?¡±


    In part, yes. But Zenith¡¯s main purpose in extending an edge of her gaze was to inspect the human. James was a problem her father hadn''t equipped her to solve. When she¡¯d bestowed the responsibility onto her younger sibling, the man had been a charred mess of consciousness barely clinging to life. Not something she was meant to deal with.


    Now, he seemed fine. But her eyes could see the truth behind it. His Source was almost irreparably broken and his Spark was quarantined out of his body. Worse yet, when the Zenith gazed at the man, she realised something truly odd about him.


    He existed.


    And he didn¡¯t.


    Perplexing. Greater attention will be required.


    Zenith felt the closest thing she could to frustration at Archive¡¯s mistake, then extended a limb of herself down to the Source tower. To the outside world, her presence appeared as the great eye of darkness in the sky turning into a deep black vapour and descending to the tower.


    When her presence reached the tower holding the Sourceforger, the smoke coalesced into the vague shape of a human woman, cloaked with twisting wings. Her eyes were slits in the smoke that gave way to burning azure.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t come here just to reforge this human, have you?¡± Zenith asked, her voice a whisper in the wind.


    ¡°I¡¯ve made a mistake.¡± Archive readily admitted. ¡°When we were discussing how to best handle his reparations contract, an option was available that I¡¯d never seen before and I-¡±


    ¡°-Forced him to choose it.¡± Zenith finished, feeling a headache come on.


    They were Directives. The last remnants of their father¡¯s will along with his system. They weren¡¯t supposed to make such simple mistakes. They weren¡¯t supposed to fall to their lesser instincts. They were supposed to be better.


    Her azure eyes moved between her sibling and the human lying beneath the Sourceforger. Zenith felt sorry for him. He was one of the few mistakes she¡¯d ever made, and while his existence vexed her to no end, she couldn¡¯t blame him for her mistake.


    Her smokey form moved towards him with soft steps, and then she kneeled, cradling his head against one of her wings. She could feel the soft wisps of consciousness fleeting in and out as the system tried to knit a connection between the man and his Spark.


    Considering how wildly deformed the chaotic ball of potential was, putting the Spark back within him wasn¡¯t safe. But creating a sort of relay on the man so he could still tap into his potential was the least the system and the Directives could do.


    Especially after Archive¡¯s little mistake.


    ¡°What did we give him?¡± Zenith asked, doing what she could to steer the storm of the human¡¯s mind toward something more peaceful.


    Archive summoned the reparations contract for James Matthew Groves and handed it to Zenith. She kept half of her forms attention on keeping James¡¯ mind calm, while she read with the other half. The results left a sour taste in her mouth like she wasn¡¯t seeing something between the lines.


    ¡°All of this seems¡­ in order.¡± Zenith surmised. In comparison to the pain she could feel inflicted on the human¡¯s soul, it wasn¡¯t a proper reparation.


    But it was a start. The safety of those he cared for was a nice touch, and receiving all three starter skills was more of a necessity than a kindness. His Source was shattered, and although they would reforge it, that didn¡¯t mean that it would possess the same power it once did. Then again, he had a Spark the size of the star to draw power from, so maybe he¡¯d be a little ahead.


    ¡°Look at the bottom,¡± Archive said, standing over her smoke form¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Slowly. You need to watch to catch it.¡±


    Zenith found the request strange but followed as instructed to soothe her brother¡¯s worry. What she saw confused her. Because she didn¡¯t see anything.


    And she absolutely saw something.


    ¡°What am I looking at?¡± Zenith asked, trying to reexamine the reparations contract and falling short.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Archive admitted, and his words carried enough truth to give her pause.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Archive didn¡¯t know. The Directive whose sole purpose was to store and manage all the information that the system was capable of holding together didn¡¯t know what he was looking at. That was enough of a shock to make Zenith reevaluate the contents of the reparation contract.


    There was something there, something that caught her eye.


    And yet there was not at the same moment. Something within the contract shifted between existence and nonexistence.


    ¡°It¡¯s a paradox.¡± Archive added, and Zenith nodded at that assessment. Whatever she was looking at was a paradox.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t get it.¡± He emphasised. ¡°It is a paradox. That¡¯s what the system gave him.¡±


    Did it? Was that why Archive was so shocked? Was that why he was surrounded by an air of shame. If it was a paradox, then Zenith would know as much of it as Archive. Because paradoxes were unknowable things. They both were and weren¡¯t. Existing in a permanent hypocritical state of being.


    Zenith knew what this paradox was the same as Archive.


    But neither had any idea what this paradox was, nor what it would do.


    ¡°You lost yourself to your curiosity when you saw something in his potential that you couldn¡¯t understand.¡± Zenith realised. ¡°Foolish boy.¡±


    She could feel the fear emanating from James'' last moments of awareness. Whatever her brother had done to the poor human, was something that would be hard to undo. And the choice would be impossible. How was she meant to remove something that even her brother, who was knowledge couldn¡¯t fathom.


    Zenith felt a faint frustration building inside her, but now wasn''t the time for such emotions, so she dispersed it among the denizens of her realm. Many among those who lived on her surface would feel a sudden burst of annoyance or an inclination to harm their sibling, but that price was well worth it.


    For now, the damage had been done. All she could do was mitigate it.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be part of the first Invitation.¡± Zenith decided. While she could sense the Invitiation festering in James¡¯ soul, he was not the first in line. That could be changed. Give a little heads-up before everyone else.


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea?¡± Archive asked. ¡°Those spots were promised to the fifty-five who received early integration. The system won¡¯t like you toying with your contracts to Earth.¡±


    Zenith waved that worry off. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it. Now tell me exactly how you forced the human to pick.¡±


    ¡°He saw my library.¡± Archive said, in a low, almost embarrassed voice.


    ¡°The real one?¡±


    ¡°The real one.¡±


    The smoke of her form crunched in the closest noise she could make to grinding her teeth. Zenith had always known her brother was excitable. It was one of his biggest flaws. Knowledge was his strength and his weakness. Still, she¡¯d expected him to be above revealing himself to a mortal.


    Especially when it was to scare the human into choosing compensation that suited Archive the most.


    ¡°Leave us.¡± Zenith commanded softly.


    Archive didn¡¯t need to be told twice, vanishing from her realm and deep into the Shallows where he kept his library. Where he belonged. Zenith was almost baffled by how poor of a job Archive had done, and there was a sense in his words that he was hiding something from her.


    But why would he hide something from her? Was it fear of retribution?


    ¡°Coward.¡± She spat, in low violent tones, causing dark clouds to swirl above her head.


    The realm responded to her emotional state, and right now the First Directive was disgusted by just how incompetent her sibling was. The job had been a simple one, and now Zenith no longer felt she could trust Archive with something as simple as reforging the human¡¯s Source. She felt dirty just thinking about being related to such an imperfect thing.


    How could they share the same creator?


    The thought of it merely annoyed her, so she banished it like her previous frustration, dispersing the feeling among the denizens of her realm. Then her attention shifted to the problem in her hands.


    As gently as Zenith could, she shifted the human over until she could see his bare back. The system was busy at work etching a relay for his Spark into the human¡¯s back, and further upon his soul. Slowly, it burned tiny portions of his back one after the other, allowing small specs of the human¡¯s Spark to seep past the Shallows and empower him.


    If he were awake for this, he¡¯d surely be screaming.


    Zenith wondered what they would sound like. She couldn¡¯t reforge his Source until the Mark on his back was finished, so the Directive decided that taking a deeper look at the human couldn¡¯t hurt. Every new race always had a different perspective to offer Zenith, and in her quest for perfection, she would grind them all against an anvil until she found the best of all.


    The Directive peered into James'' mind, finding the final remnants of his fear along with another emotion that felt older. Much more raw.


    Hate?


    Why was the boy feeling hate? Was it aimed towards her brother? Zenith felt that would be understandable. It was easy to hate someone as unrefined and poorly made as Archive. He lacked the curse of self-awareness she possessed, so he¡¯d never even be capable of bettering himself.


    She delved further into the man¡¯s soul, wandering past his trauma as an eternal prisoner and his self-loathing. Zenith could understand the concept of hating one''s flaws, but she struggled with the concept of James hating himself for all the things he had done.


    Then the Directive stumbled upon an oddity.


    There you are.


    Inwardly, she smiled as she recognised the feeling of something constructed by the system. The First had never meant for Zenith to be able to single out parts of a mortal¡¯s soul, but in the process of grinding herself into something perfect, she had acquired the ability to do just that.


    In the wrong hands, it could have disastrous consequences for all those little mortals.


    They were lucky Zenith was as merciful as she was, or the Directive might¡¯ve scrapped the ugly parts of their souls away already.


    I¡¯m sure a little poke won¡¯t hurt.


    James Matthew Groves was a tough human. He¡¯d survived one of her mistakes. A little poke wouldn¡¯t hurt.


    So she poked the part of his soul that felt the most new.


    And it poked back.


    [Paradox]


    [Trait Description: Become a Paradox]


    Normally system notices entered her perception like letters from her father. This one jammed into her head and almost made her dizzy.


    Become a Paradox?


    That was the least informative trait description Zenith had ever seen. Even if Archive didn¡¯t know about it, the system should¡¯ve been able to cobble something more explanatory. Disappointed with her lack of findings, Zenith¡¯s gaze retreated from the human''s soul and refocused on his back.


    The mark was complete.


    It slithered down the entirety of James¡¯ back and burned with the power of his Spark, resonating with the star hidden deep in the Shallows. For now, this was the best solution to avoid erasing any of James¡¯ personality by fixing him.


    His Spark wasn¡¯t fixed to Zenith¡¯s standards, but it was patched together enough that the system wouldn¡¯t bug her about it. Now all that was left was the Source. The Source quivered under he gaze, as if it might fall apart completely at the slightest touch.


    To think something so tiny, so insignificant, could cause her so much bother. For a brief moment, Zenith felt the impulse to destroy it. To erase the weakness. But that feeling was fleeting and dwindled to nothing after a moment.


    Instead, she grasped a smokey hand out towards the Sourceforger and plucked the bundle of potential from it. The raw, streaming potential tried to disperse into her the moment she touched it, but found no purchase. A Directive¡¯s potential was set from the moment of their existence.


    So then potential found itself in Zenith¡¯s hand as a swirling ball of colourless light.


    ¡°Use this well, human.¡± Zenith said, depositing the potential directly into James and forcing it to bond with his Source.


    The two bottled-up portions of potential immediately merged, but not in a nice way. It was a violent and volatile battle for dominance that ultimately, even broke as it was, the human¡¯s Source would win.


    ¡°Use it well,¡± Zenith repeated, preparing to transport the human back to Earth. ¡°Prove you¡¯re worthy of the existence my father gifted you."

 Chapter 14: Awake

    ¡°Waffles aren¡¯t on the bed and breakfast menu.¡± An annoying voice chirped as two small hands tried to drag James out of the bed.


    James didn¡¯t even have time to think. Almost by habit, his leg curled back and kicked Michael¡¯s stupid annoying face right into the pile of laundry across from his bed. The teenager yelped in surprise, tumbling into the pile of clothes from which he would never escape.


    Slowly, careful not to bump his head on the bunk, the looper righted himself. James sat on his bed, feeling the familiar softness of the sheets, the glare from the light bouncing off his bedroom window, and the not-too-distant sound of Hugh making waffles in the kitchen.


    His hunky, much too big dresser sat in the corner of the room, along with a full-length mirror and a shelf filled to the brim with self-help books.


    James took in the sight of his room slowly, measuring it against the nightmare he¡¯d been living, looking for any difference. A slight of anxiety started to creep in, as the memories of his last moments with Archive and the horror show that had become surfaced. That couldn¡¯t have been fake, right?


    A dream?


    The chill of the morbid library still had his hair standing on ends. For a moment there, the looper was sure Archive would devour him. Maul him to pieces with a thousand maws made of living wood. That had been the first time in a long while James felt genuine terror, akin to his first moment gazing up at the eye that aged away the sky.


    That couldn¡¯t have been a trick, right?


    An illusion his mind played on him. James refused to believe it for a second. All the escape attempts with Fig, the betrayal and tricking him into his own Spark, then the reparations contract and the horrifying true form of Archive.


    There was a deep dread in his heart, that grew every second James couldn¡¯t prove he wasn¡¯t still trapped in the Loop.


    Then he saw.


    A tiny, flickering golden dot that stayed in exactly the top right-hand corner of his vision no matter where he was looking. It glowed brightly, and intuitively James could understand that if he focused on it, he would see the system.


    But James didn¡¯t care about the system.


    He cared that it was new.


    Because it was new. The first new James had gotten in thousands of years.


    I¡¯m out. The looper realised, bawling his hands into fists so hard they turned snow white. His heart started to pound in his chest so hard it made him dizzy. James'' eyes flicked between the contents of his room, and then back to the golden little dot in his vision.


    His heart beat faster.


    His fists clenched faster.


    The looper blinked, and the golden dot remained.


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    He blinked again and the dot still remained.


    ¡°Hahahahahaha¡­¡±


    James'' laugh started as a low, stunned chuckle. Nervous and soft. Then, as he stared at the dot, his lips started to quiver until they were locked into a smile far too wide for anyone sane. The laugh started growing more manic and louder as he clutched his stomach, feeling the nervous tension disperse into pure, overwhelming intense joy.


    He kicked his feet up in the air like a kid of Christmas, feeling excitement and happiness pour through every ounce of his being. The looper¡¯s eyes never strayed from the golden dot that beckoned him.


    He was free.


    The looper had escaped the Loop. Something he had thought for so long was absolutely impossible had been accomplished by his hands. James had clawed his way out of the hellhole, and now he was back. Back in the real world. With real people.


    Real consequences.


    Real change.


    I¡¯ve got so much I have to do. James thought between the moments of being caught in his own euphoria. The mental list of all the preparations that needed to be made to make the absolute most out of the day was long. He¡¯d refined it over thousands of years into a perfect formula and James already knew exactly what he needed to do.


    But at that moment he didn¡¯t care.


    The looper just enjoyed the taste of freedom, lying on his bed and watching Michael struggle to escape the laundry pile.


    When the euphoria finally settled, James didn¡¯t feel any less happy or free. The rush had been instant, but just being outside the Loop put a permanent shine on his mood. The colours of the world seemed clearer, the smell of pancake-mixture waffles was better than it ever had been.


    And Michael flailing was the single funniest thing James had ever seen.


    He cackled like a madman just watching his little brother lose a fight against clothes.


    Then James did something he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d ever done before. He slid out of his bed and helped Michael out of the piling, smiling ear to ear as he did. The little brat grabbed his hand but then tried to pull him down into the pile instead of letting James help him up. His little brother clearly thought he was in an advantageous position.


    Until James picked him up, using all of the strength his back to pick Michael¡¯s entire body off the ground as the brat clung to his arm.


    Once he was in the air, the smirking confidence was replaced with a look of confusion that made the looper laugh harder.


    ¡°If you drop me I¡¯m telling Dad,¡± Michael warned.


    James chuckled. ¡°Like I¡¯d give you the chance.¡±


    ¡°We can negotiate.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re both reasonable,¡± Michael said, complimenting himself far more than James. ¡°I¡¯ll let you use my playstation for a week.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going in the laundry, Mike.¡±


    ¡°Two weeks! Wait no, James we can talk about-¡±


    His pleas were silenced by the heavy thud as James dropped him back into the pile of laundry. The stupid-looking curly-haired teenager stared at him from beneath the pile hatefully as James strolled out of the room, leaving Michael with one last word of warning.


    ¡°Start packing your shit, and don¡¯t worry about going to school today. I¡¯m in a road trip mood, so we¡¯re road-tripping.¡±


    Step one, convince the big man. James recollected, eyeing his target grumpily putting waffles to the iron. Hugh wore his work attire like usual and looked every bit the construction worker he was, shooting a look at James when he entered the living room.


    Hugh didn¡¯t say anything, but James could feel the ¡°You¡¯re in trouble¡± aura radiating from his father. That was not a good start to his plan, but it would be nothing more than a slight bump. James rounded past the kitchen table top and scooped a couple of not-burned waffles onto his plate, then cracked open the fridge and withdrew the nectar of the gods.


    Sweet, holy iced coffee.


    ¡°Morning.¡± James greeted his father who returned the gesture.


    ¡°I heard tumbling in your room,¡± Hugh said, cutting to the heart of the matter before James even had a chance to sit down.


    ¡°Michael started it.¡± James said with a shrug.


    ¡°But you finished it.¡± Hugh noted, taking a long sip of his coffee.


    ¡°I was gentle,¡± James assured him. ¡°He needs to learn not to pick on someone so much bigger.¡±


    Hugh snorted. ¡°And you need to learn to go easy on someone smaller.¡±


    James supposed knew he was right, so he didn¡¯t argue and just enjoyed his waffles. There was a timer at the back of his head. A ticking of how much time he was wasting not taking advantage of the day, but the looper didn¡¯t care. He¡¯d give himself breakfast with his family. Because the rest of the day would be hell.


    A hell he knew.


    Why don¡¯t I feel nervous? James wondered as he ate and watched Michael stumble his way out of their room. The obvious answer was because making the most of the day had become second nature to him. That he didn¡¯t feel an iota of uncertainty about the day and his plans for it.


    But that wasn¡¯t the case.


    Every action and inaction he took weighed on him. He was barely a few minutes into the Lo- day, and he was feeling it already. The fear of consequences, and the reality that there were no do-overs anymore.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    They were all real worries in James'' mind.


    But they were almost welcome worries. It felt good to be anxious, and maybe that was why he wasn¡¯t nervous.


    I¡¯m sixteen thousand years old and I still have trouble sorting through my feelings. Humans were complicated. That¡¯s what James concluded.


    What wasn¡¯t complicated was Hugh¡¯s love for off-roading, and it was exactly that love that James planned to leverage.


    ¡°We should go on a camping trip,¡± James said, interrupting Michael¡¯s morning ramble. ¡°Like we used to with you and mum.¡±


    I¡¯m doing a bad thing. Leveraging Hugh¡¯s guilt over his trauma was objectively a bad thing. James acknowledged that. But it was for a good reason so he figured that left him only a little evil inside.


    ¡°Where¡¯s this coming from?¡± Hugh asked, almost dropping his plate. His face had gone blank in the way it did whenever their mother was involved. Still and emotionless like a statue. ¡°Work needs me for the next few weeks every day James, you know this.¡±


    ¡°Just thought it¡¯d be therapeutic?¡± James lied adding a fake sigh to emphasise his apparent disappointment.


    ¡°I¡¯m down to go camping.¡± Michael chimed in between mouthfuls of waffle. ¡°Already packed a bag.¡±


    ¡°You just want to skip school,¡± Hugh stated.


    Michael perked up at the accusation but a steady stare from Hugh quelled any teenager rebelliousness that he was planning. Once that was settled, Hugh turned back towards James. The looper wasn¡¯t ashamed to admit that tried to look as close to a puppy in the rain as he could. Getting Michael, Hugh and Jake out of the city was a necessity. He¡¯d sooner knock them out and drag them than let them stay in the concrete jungle.


    Emotional manipulations for just today was not on the list of things James wouldn¡¯t do.


    James saw his father struggle internally on what to answer, behind his stoic expression.


    Eventually, Hugh made up his mind.


    ¡°Fine, I can take a day off. It won¡¯t kill em. When are we doing it?¡±


    James smiled. ¡°Today.¡±


    Hugh slammed his fist into the countertop hard enough that Michael recoiled at the thud it made, almost dropping his fork to the ground. His father¡¯s coffee wobbled on the counter before Hugh calmed enough to stop it from tipping on him.


    ¡°For fuck sake! Today?!¡± Hugh questioned, raising his voice and basically barking his words at James. ¡°You realise how-¡±


    Hugh paused. He looked between James and Michael, almost frothing at the mouth with anger, clenching his fists so tight they were going white. Then that anger turned into something closer to the man just being fed up. Their father took a long, silent and tense moment to calm himself then spoke again.


    ¡°Do you realise how much easier it would be for me if we could do this any other day?¡± He asked.


    James nodded. ¡°I know, but Jake can only come if we go today. I¡¯ve already told him we¡¯re going.¡±


    Hugh looked floored. Genuinely and utterly bewildered by the words his son was saying. There was no more anger anymore. Just confusion at how his son had turned from a planner, who needed ten days'' notice to do anything, into someone who would spring a camping trip out of the blue. Was it pride in his eyes? Because James was finally coming out of his shell. Or was it fear, that he was becoming more like Jake?


    His father was simultaneously a fan of Jake, and incredibly judgmental of what he deemed a ¡°directionless life¡± James¡¯ best friend led.


    He didn¡¯t slam his fist this time. He didn¡¯t yell, shout or get so angry he left the apartment to spare his sons when the big man wasn¡¯t sure he could control himself. Hugh just paced back and forth in silence, occasionally sipping his coffee and looking anywhere other than James or Michael.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s in trouble,¡± Michael whispered to James, snickering under his breath.


    Jokes on you. James thought, already sure that he¡¯d won the battle. If Hugh was beyond convincing, he would¡¯ve stormed out to work already, keen to take his frustrations out of his construction crew. The fact that he¡¯d stayed, the fact that he was mulling it over and most importantly the fact that he was taking slight glances at the photo of James'' mother, framed in the hallway meant he¡¯d convinced Hugh.


    Hook, line and sinker.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Hugh muttered. ¡°Michael, you¡¯re still going to school. We¡¯ll leave when he finishes because I am not getting stuck in traffic.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re going to school or you¡¯re not coming mate,¡± Hugh said, cutting off Michael before he could argue.


    Hugh muttered something under his breath about finding a tent and kept asking for details from James while they ate breakfast. Michael annoyed him about bringing his friends to which James denied, brushing off the weight of possibly condemning people whenever that nasty thought popped into his head. The looper wasn¡¯t a saviour, he was just a man trying to make sure his family and best friend were safe.


    Beyond that, he didn¡¯t really mind who lived or died, besides a few friendly faces.


    Those thoughts were the negative reality he¡¯d have to face after the breakfast was over. For those few precious minutes, chowing down on waffles, sipping iced tea and debating which storage container had all their camping supplies, James felt peace.


    His mind was quiet and without the scratching that constantly plagued him. He didn¡¯t possess the itch to find something to stimulate him. James just lived in the moment.


    And felt happy.


    So very happy that he was free.


    James smiled as wide as he could, treasuring the calm before the storm. Most would probably be filled with dread knowing what was going to happen that day, but James lived in the moment. He didn¡¯t let a speck of pessimism infiltrate the beauty of just living.


    To live instead of Loop.


    He tried not to cry.


    He really, really tried.


    But James still found himself bawling with a face full of waffles, wet tears streaking down his face as he ate and enjoyed his existence for the first time in what felt like an eternity.


    Michael and Hugh both showed concern but James assured them he wasn¡¯t sad, or scared, or anxious or any other negative emotion.


    He was just happy to be alive, and that was something that overwhelmed James too much for words to describe.


    ***************


    ¡°No, no I¡¯m fine. Really, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m just excited.¡± James said, assuring his father from the inside of the bathroom.


    ¡°No worries then mate,¡± Hugh said through the bathroom door. ¡°Just give me a ring if you need me, I¡¯ll be back after I drop off Michael anyway.¡±


    Hugh¡¯s reassurance spilled warmth into James¡¯ heart even if it was unnecessary. It made him all the more sure that everything he¡¯d do today was for them. All of it, the good and the terrible was so he could ensure that they weathered the storm. Every ounce of good they filled him with made him more certain that he could do what needed to be done.


    Would do what needed to be done.


    James locked the door to the bathroom and turned the shower on to help his thoughts flow with the running water. Out of all the ludicrous mediation techniques he¡¯d tried, running water was the only thing that steadied the storm in his head. He played with his phone while the shower water warmed, checking dates, setting reminders and placing bets he knew would win.


    The second step to his plan was simple. Money.


    And a lot of it.


    They¡¯ll suspend my accounts if I go too high. So he¡¯d have to stop well before his goal unless he wanted a run-in with the police. Fun for a Loop or two, but he didn¡¯t want to deal with the boys in blue this time around.


    Jail was a forever thing now unless that went shit after Vog the void eye appeared, which it probably would.


    Will money even be worth anything? It would probably maintain some value, but depending on the severity of exactly what happened after the system¡¯s integration was still up in the air. So many Loops and a long chat with an eldritch god and James still had no clue what happened after integration.


    It was vexing, to say the least.


    Still, money would hold its value until the moment Vog appeared in the sky, so James kept placing his bets. Once that was done, James tore his clothes off, eager to get the shower over with so he could get to work.


    But as he was in the process of untangling himself from his pyjama shirt, James noticed something odd curling up on the edge of his neck. Familiar charcoal pigment licked the sides of his neck and as James turned to see where it was coming from, the looper almost jumped he was so startled.


    Because crawling all the way from his lower back to his neck and encompassing the majority of his back was a Mark. A pitch black Mark, that felt like a mix of charcoal and cracked scales to the touch.


    Making up what James initially thought was an eight, but on closer inspection, appeared to be¡­ an infinity symbol?


    Did they brand me?


    And like that, James felt the goodness his family had offered to him drain away at the sight of this revolting thing they had put on his back. He was sure that they¡¯d done it. Archive or the system or the First or whoever the fuck kept messing with his life.


    When he focused on the way his skin recoiled away from the charcoal mark that felt like it was eating him, the golden symbol in the top-righthand of his vision expanded. Hovering over the brand and giving a name to the horror.


    [Mark of the Loop]


    [Description: For he who has survived the hand of time, for the man who fought eternity and won]


    James sensed that there was more to the Mark than that. He could feel that there was more to the Mark than that. That emptiness that had made him feel uneasy after he escaped his Spark ceased when he focused on the Mark. It felt good, like home.


    And it disgusted him.


    Because what it felt like was the Loop.


    Now¡¯s not the time. His rationality told him. He¡¯d already sacrificed precious minutes of the day he knew having breakfast with his family. Now wasn¡¯t the time to worry about something like this, even as it marred his back. He had things he needed to do. He could think about this later.


    Now was the time to work through the problems instead of worrying about them.


    Even as he said that the looper could see himself in the mirror. See his scrambled black hair perched upon a face that was perhaps too sharp for its own good. To the point of looking intimidating.


    He could see all the muscle he¡¯d laboured hours at his job to earn, and the red scar that ran up his arm and touched on his neck.


    But most of all, he could see his eyes. Those granite eyes that stood unmarred by time. Ancient and young at the same time.


    But no longer tired. Now, they were hungry. For what, James didn¡¯t know. Power? Safety? Fulfilment? Vengeance?


    All he knew was there was a new cog in his plan that needed to be explored before he left the apartment and prepared. A new gift or curse that could shake up his plan if James wasn¡¯t careful.


    So once he was fully showered and had a t-shirt back on to hide the Mark, James turned his attention to the golden icon permanently affixed to his vision.


    Then focused on it and let the system show him exactly what he was in for.

 Chapter 15: Skills and Rewards

    [Congratulations, you have completed the first Invitation, granting you access to {Zenith¡¯s Calling}]


    [System notice: {Zenith¡¯s Calling} is your current Invitation]


    [System notice: User¡¯s Source has been restored]


    [Status has been restored]


    [System notice: User has fully integrated with system protocols]


    [Congratulations, you have formed your Source and earned the right to a Skill]


    That¡¯s a lot of golden words words. James groaned internally, debating how best to break down the string of notifications and information. In all honesty, he didn¡¯t want to look at the system notification at all. He didn¡¯t want anything to do with the nasty golden words. They felt poisoned.


    Cursed.


    If the looper could¡¯ve returned to his life without the system, he almost certainly would¡¯ve. But dealing with the system was better than death. A lot better. That didn¡¯t mean James despised the thing any less, he just found it the lesser of two evils.


    The fact was, the system was offering him something that would help. As much as he wanted to spit on its offerings, James knew better than to let his pride get the better of him.


    I will be cautious. James told himself. Every time he interacted with the system, he would watch it as it watched him. The system had a purpose for him, just as it had a purpose for everyone it showed the golden words. So long as he could read that purpose, he would have power over it.


    Not much, but better than nothing.


    The looper let his body fall into the instinctual process of collecting and organising everything useful in the apartment, which he needed to drop off in Hugh¡¯s pickup truck. Warm clothes, food essentials and a whole list of necessities were just waiting in their apartment for him to use.


    As James assorted them all into bags, his mind was elsewhere.


    Focusing on the golden words that burned into his vision.


    Let¡¯s start with this {Skill}. He could feel the system urging him to do it. The sensation almost felt like the system was poking his eyes towards it. Very uncomfortable.


    The golden words in his vision faded, replaced with a trio of options that invited James to pick.


    [You have been awarded a Skill]


    [Skill: Skills are a union between the systems guidance and the Source of your potential. Through Skills, you will be capable of utilising your Source and further expanding the possibilities of your growth. Further Skills will not be offered until previous Skills have been completed]


    [Skill options]


    [Second Strike]


    [Second Thought]


    [Second Life]


    [Skill points available: 3]


    So they¡¯re guides for how to use my Source? Skill use the system as an intermediary? Or are they whole different abilities produced from my Source? James thought, piecing together what the system was telling him.


    Skills were a union between his Source and the system, which meant they were a composite of the two forces coming together. However, the system explicitly stated that Skills were a union between his Source and the system¡¯s guidance. Not its powers or abilities.


    James sensed a truth weaved between the lies there. The system said what it was but twisted the truth in such a way that someone could misinterpret it. He could easily see how someone would take a Skill as a gift from the system related to their Source when in actuality it was a direct manifestation of it.


    Fig had told him that Sources were power. A supernatural type of power that allowed people to bend facets of reality to their will. So these Skills had to be in the same ballpark. Supernatural augmentations upon James¡¯ existence.


    Before the Loop, James would¡¯ve been highly dubious of something like Skill and what it claimed to be capable of. But he¡¯d survived being inside a star because of his Source, albeit as a burnt husk.


    Nothing surprised him anymore.


    It says I can pick. James noted. But I have three options and three choices. There would be more choices down the line. The Looper clocked it almost immediately. He would have more options down the line. Choosing skills was a process that would carry on past now, and he could likely choose not to choose a skill and save his two extra skill points.


    But this is the only time those three will ever be offered.


    James was starting to understand why Archive had recommended this option, especially if these Skills were only ever offered once. He had a choice to pick all of them, when usually people would only receive one. That would put him far ahead of the curve, which was something he could use.


    Still, James held back on just nabbing them all up and calling it a day. His realisation that there would be choices for skills down the line put a thought in his head.


    What if it was better to pick more later?


    ¡°It might not make sense, ¡± James said to his favourite blanket as he packed it into a duffle bag. ¡°But it stands to at least some reason the Skills down the line will be better, right?¡±


    The looper thought that made sense.


    But then, Archive had told him explicitly to ask for all three. He could have told him to ask for a Skill that would usually be given later, or even just more options for each Skill.


    Yet the eldritch librarian had told him to ask for the three starters.


    It has be for a reason. The looper racked his brain while he sorted and grabbed all the goods he could find, almost up to his third duffle bag.


    Nothing that he thought of stood to reason.


    I have to look. James realised. I have to see exactly what I get for each of them before I can make a decision.


    If they sounded worth it, he would pick them. If not¡­ well, saving the Skill points couldn¡¯t hurt.


    James drew his focus towards the first Skill Second Strike and the golden words heeded his direction, dissolving away into an explanation.


    [Second Stike]


    [Description: Using the power of your Source, you become capable of looping your strikes against foes, creating physical echoes. Second Strike allows you to enforce your blows with a loop of the same destructive force, making them far more effective. Progression of this Skill will require you to understand the factors that create the destructive forces you employ, and how to effectively channel them with the power of Loop. The User should also be aware that this Skill can and will cause blowback, as the force looped is indiscriminate until the User learns to mitigate it]


    Okay, so it¡¯s literally a second strike. It creates a loop of my own strikes and duplicates their force. That sounded like something James wanted. It sounded like power. Real, undeniable power. He didn¡¯t even need to think about it to know it was something he wanted. The concept resonated with him perfectly, as it gave him exactly what he wanted.


    Physical power.


    Not a Skill with a nonsense capacity that might help him in the long run like telepathy or breathing underwater or something else equally magically but not useful in the next twenty-four hours. No, it was just power.


    If he hit something and used this Skill, he just hit it harder. Direct and straightforward.


    If I¡¯m only picking one, I¡¯m picking this one probably going to be the winner. Then again, if the others were all standouts like Second Strike James might end up picking all three. He still hadn¡¯t decided that.


    The only thing he knew for sure was that he¡¯d be selecting Second Strike Regardless. The sheer magnitude and versatility of it was ticking away in his head as an endless stream of ideas. James was sure there were limits, but what exactly counted as a destructive force that he employed?


    Could he use it on guns?


    The tag at the end started to make sense as that possibility unravelled. If he somehow put twice the force in a firearm, there was a decent chance it would blow up in his face.


    The warning¡¯s there so I don¡¯t kill myself with it trying something dumb. It sounded scary but James had a feeling it was a simple warning. Force was indiscriminate. If you punched yourself in the face as hard as you could, it didn¡¯t matter that it was your hand, you¡¯d still feel the pain of getting punched.


    So if the force he looped collided with him, that force wouldn¡¯t suddenly be negated.


    The looper saw the drawback and still felt the Skill was more than worth it. Far more. Plus, it says that blowback from the Skill can be mitigated once I get good at using it. I wonder what it will even feel like.


    Excitement tingled at the edge of his fingers even as James restrained his curiosity. What would it feel like to wield power like that. Like magic.


    I¡¯m getting ahead of myself.


    There were still more Skills to narrow down and the question of whether Archive¡¯s advice was worth it.


    James finished with his sorting, having collected all the necessary items from his apartment. Five duffle bags could all fit snuggly in the tub of his father¡¯s pick-up sat at the door, waiting for him. The looper checked the time and found that he was on track. The minutes he¡¯d wasted had been countered by speeding up. Then he checked his betting and bank account, finding the numbers much bigger than they¡¯d ever been.


    He had enough money for everything he needed to purchase, everyone he needed to bribe, and any possible bartering he could foresee past system integration.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m rich,¡± James said to himself, feeling the irony of it seep through. He finally had money and there was no guarantee any of it would be worth a thing. ¡°Better get cash out, just to be safe.¡±


    He did one final check and then grabbed his five duffle bags at once with a kind of awkward precision.


    As he locked the apartment door James waved goodbye to the apartment that had been his home for so long, knowing that he might never come back there again. That might¡¯ve been a sad moment for some, but James almost felt relieved.


    He could leave it behind.


    He could wake up in a different bed.


    Strange how something so mundane sent a thrill down his spine.


    Hugh had taken Michael to school in his beat-up sedan leaving the truck for James to mess around with. He¡¯d drop the bags there and text Hugh letting him know that he¡¯d be out. James had other places to be, and a checklist of things to finish before traffic started to pick up.


    His main concern besides getting out of the city was picking up a generator, gas, weapons and Jake.


    James wouldn¡¯t leave without all of those.


    As he moved down the stairs with his duffles bags in hand, James focused back on the problem at hand. His Skill selection. The looper pulled away from Second Strike and moved towards his next, very mundane-sounding Skill.


    James had guesses, but as he read the description, he quickly realised all of them were far off.


    [Second Thought]


    [Description: Using the power of your Source, you become capable of looping your thoughts, creating an echo of yourself. Second Thought allows for a second looped stream of thought to run juxtaposed to the original, making true multi-tasking and maintaining multiple thought processes possible. Progression of this Skill will require you to delve into your mind and explore the endless hallways of possibilities consciousness holds. The User should be aware that this Skill imposes a mental and physical tax on the brain that can severely affect cognitive ability until the User learns to properly mitigate such side effects]


    This¡­


    James didn¡¯t want to take it. The looper felt it in the bowls of his stomach the moment he read over it. Then he felt it again when he reread it. He felt himself recoil at the thought of having another him in his thoughts again. He¡¯d felt it once with Fig. That connection between two of his own selves before one devoured the other.


    He knew how it ended.


    And yet the thought of it almost made him salivate. The possibilities of this Skill stretched so much further than Second Strike. It would let him think twice in the same moment. Double the thoughts at the same time would allow for him to focus on two problems in the same moment. Do two things at once.


    Or solve a problem twice as fast.


    That almost sounded too good to be true. It likely was. James had been warned by experience that letting two versions of himself exist did not bode well. He would be stupid to completely overlook the glaring downside of the Skill for its many upsides.


    James would live without the Skill.


    There was a chance he wouldn¡¯t with it.


    The looper thought hard. He stood in his apartment building¡¯s stairwell death gripping the railing trying to decide whether it was worth it to gamble the chance.


    People will think it¡¯s all good for you. They¡¯ll see everything horrible going on in the world and see these magical golden words offering them power then think ¡°I¡¯ve been chosen¡±. They¡¯ll see these as gifts and look over how poisonous they could be. Some will think twice, some won¡¯t have the chance to, and most just won¡¯t bother to consider that the system might not have their best intentions at heart.


    James believed in truth. Jake had helped him see that. The looper hated those who deceived for their own gain with a fiery passion. Fig had reinforced that fact. He possessed a need for truth and discovering the truth of things that would go unmatched by any.


    And the system lied.


    He knew it and he still wanted Second Thought. The ability it would grant him was that good. Second Strike was something James wanted because of how simple it was to understand, and how simple its avenues for use were. Second Thought was something James both did and didn¡¯t want exactly because it was far more complicated.


    The side effects were complex, but also the potential of the thing.


    Why do I feel like taking this is opening Pandora¡¯s box?


    Because he was, but James still wanted the Skill.


    ¡°Guess that¡¯s two,¡± James mumbled, picking up his bags and continuing down the stairs towards Hugh¡¯s truck. ¡°Hopefully the third is a strike.¡±


    The looper banished the complex nightmare of indecision that was Second Thought and moved to his third and final Skill.


    If Second Strike was on the far side of simple and Second Thought on the far side of complicated, his last Skill was smack bang in the middle.


    [Second Life]


    [Description: Using the power of your Source, you become capable of looping your cells, creating an echo of your healing process. Second Life creates a loop of your body''s natural healing process and cells, looping and accelerating the production of blood and healing of wounds along with enabling you to create supplementary vitality within your own body. Progression of this Skill will require an understanding of your bodily functions, the genetic limits you possess and the gaps of evolution that can be filled. The User should be aware that this Skill can impose a heavy toll on the body and its health if overused until the User learns to mitigate it.]


    Super healing.


    James wasn¡¯t going to say no to that. In the same way, he knew he couldn¡¯t say no to Second Strike. The Skill was simply too enticing. But it was also complex in its potential like Second Thought which ironically, didn¡¯t cause any second thoughts about choosing it.


    Second Life was a different kind of power from Second Strike or Second Thought. Someone could improve their mental capacity with meditation and knowledge, the same way they could improve their striking power through physical training and discipline. You couldn¡¯t improve your healing process the same way.


    Sure, you could take medicine and undertake practices to speed up the process, but you couldn¡¯t increase your innate ability to heal. Not really.


    And that¡¯s exactly what Second Life offered. The name was so on the nose it was almost ominous. A second chance at life meant that James would be near death, didn¡¯t it? The looper didn¡¯t like the sound of that, and yet he couldn¡¯t help but feed into the self-fulfilling prophecy.


    Because an advanced capacity to heal was almost as good as an advanced capacity to think and almost as straightforward as an advanced capacity to destroy.


    James knew he wanted it, the same way he wanted all the fancy Skills the system offered him. But unlike everyone else, he didn¡¯t decide. The looper had paid for his reparations with horror and misery for thousands of years, and now, he was just starting to get his compensation.


    I want all of them.


    Those two Skill points were a bonus. A bonus James wanted to spend. Archive had said that he couldn¡¯t lie to him, and he¡¯d also said that picking the three starter skills would be a great boon.


    Archive had also been a living library of mouths that had forced him to choose an option he might very well not have picked otherwise. Soooooooooooooooo¡­


    [Congratulations you have acquired the Skill [Second Strike], viewable on your Status]


    [Congratulations you have acquired the Skill [Second Thought], viewable on your Status]


    [Congratulations you have acquired the Skill [Second Life], viewable on your Status]


    James was midway through the building car park when he finally decided to pick his skills.


    That was a poor idea.


    Halfway to Hugh¡¯s car, with heavy bags on his back, the looper just collapsed. All the pain in the world couldn¡¯t put a dent in his ancient mind, but the process of a Skill forming caused him to keel over.


    Not because it hurt.


    Because it was new. The sensation was impossible to describe because it was akin to gaining a whole new sense. Becoming aware of the universe and its intricacies on a whole new level. He felt his entire perspective of the world around him shift ever so slightly as James was cursed with a new sensation.


    There was something inside of him.


    Something he¡¯d seen before.


    In the Spark that charred him to a crisp till he was more monster than man.


    The wide expanse, an ocean of endless paths laid out before him.


    The looper witnessed the Road Untread, much more lucid this time. He felt the massive weight of the endless possibilities that existed at the heart of his being disperse as they were cleaved away.


    James felt his choice to take the Skills causing an endless number of roads to fall apart and watched as three much more solid paths took their place. The impossibly wide expanse of the Road Untread narrowed into three small paths that his limited understanding could grasp.


    They felt like hallways in his soul, that his consciousness could tread down whenever he chose.


    Then he was on the ground, head stinging painfully as it lay against one of the duffle bags he¡¯d dropped. James rose, slowly, keeping himself steady as his mind wobbled from side to side. He went to take a step and tripped, barely catching himself before he hit the concrete.


    Because when he stepped, James could move in more than just the world. Just as his feet could walk the realm of the physical, his mind could tread down the paths in his soul.


    It took five minutes for the looper before he could take two steps without falling over, and ten before he felt comfortable moving with the duffle bags again.


    ¡°This is weird,¡± James admitted to the world, picking up the duffle bags and wobbling a little. ¡°It feels like I¡¯m in two places at once.¡±


    And he wasn¡¯t even using his Skills. Subconsciously, he could feel them now. They were there for him, whenever he wanted to step down those roads.


    Am I naturally bad at this? James wondered, slowly moving towards the Hugh¡¯s beat-up Toyota Hilux and slinging the duffle bags in the tub. Or is every other Spark going to face the same problem.


    After five minutes James had barely been able to move again, giving all his mental strength and effort to focusing on just walking in the physical world instead of the new mental path to his Skill. Was that the average?


    Would everyone be stuck incapable of moving for a few minutes after they got their Skill?


    That sounded like it could be very, very dangerous.


    I might¡¯ve been screwed if I hadn¡¯t have done this before everything went to shit.


    James felt a shiver down his spine at being damn near helpless the moment that integration for the whole world began. A chilling thought. One he was glad he wouldn¡¯t have to live through.


    ¡°Dad will be mad I took his truck.¡± James huffed, leaving the thoughts of his Skills behind. Now he knew how slippery a slope it could be to play with them, he would test them after he¡¯d done everything he needed to.


    The first thing on the list was borrowing his father¡¯s truck. There was just no way he¡¯d be able to move the diesel generated he also planned to borrow without the truck.


    Then, as James was getting into the car and mentally preparing how he¡¯d apologise for taking it, another weird thing happened.


    A golden arrow appeared, pointing to his right.


    ¡°This day just keeps getting better.¡± James sighed, turning to his right.


    Hugh always parked his car between two empty car parks. It was habit at this point. The man loved his truck more than he loved himself. He treasured the Hilux too much to ever let a car near it, leaving it out for some horrible driver to scratch or god forbid dent with their own vehicle.


    So when James saw the Toyota Landcruiser parked beside his father¡¯s truck that most definitely wasn¡¯t there when he¡¯d got into the car, the looper was a little surprised. What surprised him more was the custom toolbox attached to the truck''s tray that looked suspiciously like the one he¡¯d sketched on his dream doomsday car.


    The Landcruiser was a sleek black instead of its conventional white, devoid of any badges and only recognised by its body. Equipped with a snorkel and tyre that were perfect for the great outback, the thing looked every bit the doomsday vehicle James had wished for.


    James wasn¡¯t ashamed to admit he almost squealed seeing the beautiful metal monstrosity sitting idly.


    Beckoning him.


    What made him even happier was the golden words floating above it.


    [Reparations Contract]


    [Physical request delivered]


    He moved to get out of Hugh¡¯s Hilux, and felt an unfamiliar jingle in his pockets. When he stretched his hand in the looper fished out an unfamiliar set of car keys.


    ¡°Oh fuck to the yes.¡± The looper said, gazing upon the most beautiful car he¡¯d ever seen.


    His car.

 Chapter 16: Clean up

    ¡°I feel like I would remember you.¡± Ben the bartender said, shining one of Kinderman¡¯s finest glasses.


    ¡°I¡¯m a time traveller Ben,¡± James replied, sticking a thumb towards himself. ¡°I do the remembering, you do the forgetting. A whole circle of space-time confusion.¡±


    Miranda grunted at the sight of her favourite bartender ignoring her, and James felt that age-old temptation at just how ridiculous he felt every time he came to the bar. The perfect mix of classy and casual and not even a ten-minute walk away from his favourite cafe. Maybe it was a convenience that had drawn him to Kinderman¡¯s originally.


    Maybe it was just curiosity.


    James wasn¡¯t sure why he¡¯d come here for the first time, but he was sure that he¡¯d kept coming for one reason.


    Ben, who was the only person in the whole of Melbourne with just the right amount of belief and suspicion to make his stories sound not crazy. The young man was always happy to have another customer besides Miranda on a day where everyone wanted to be outside instead of inside. It was a pity James couldn¡¯t stay for long.


    The looper snatched his glass of Gin and sipped it down, keeping an eye on the fifteen-minute timer he¡¯d set himself. Jake would be in Melbourne central in thirty minutes, as he¡¯d agreed to make the date earlier much to Amy¡¯s apparent annoyance. Normally if things went as they¡¯d proceed before the Loop, the date would¡¯ve started well past five.


    But James didn¡¯t have time for traffic, and going on the date would kill two bird with one stone. The first was picking up Jake so they could hightail it out of the city. The second was a lot more grim, but it needed to be done.


    ¡°Any plans today,¡± James asked, idly swiping on his phone and responding to his father about their travel plans. Having the Landcruiser altered his plans a little, but not in a way James couldn¡¯t account for.


    ¡°Workin, I guess,¡± Ben said with a shrug. ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Escaping an Eldritch horror in a car I scammed off of it.¡±


    The bartender tilted his head, squinting. He seemed to think what James said was a joke and was looking for something in James'' expression to validate that belief. He would find none. Eventually Ben just awkwardly chuckled in the absence of further explanation, whispering something about the looper''s imaginative explanation.


    ¡°You like jokes, don¡¯t you,¡± Miranda said, in a kind voice tinged with all the spite she could get away with.


    James clinked his glass against hers, grinning in a toothy smile. ¡°Humour¡¯s the spice of life. Age is the death of all pleasure, but humour lasts the longest.¡±


    ¡°You have a strange way of speaking for someone so young,¡± Miranda grunted.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get it when you¡¯re older,¡± James said, offering his worldly wisdom to the middle-aged woman.


    Then the looper turned back to the bartender, shrugging off the scathing look Miranda was giving him. He checked his phone again and found his bank account had shrunk a fair amount from its bloated size earlier this morning, on account of him purchasing everything he needed that he didn¡¯t already own. That was a lot of things, the most expensive of which being the generator that was strapped onto the tray of his Landcruiser.


    James had expected guns to be the most expensive, but Archive and the system had kept true to their word. Everything he¡¯d asked for was inside the Landcruiser''s two massive metal toolboxes. Everything.


    His eyes had been gleaming like a kid in a candy shop when he¡¯d opened them up.


    What did I even want from coming here?


    Suddenly James became all too aware that he¡¯d somehow wandered his way to the Kindermans in between tasks he¡¯d set himself when he could be doing a thousand things that were a more efficient use of his time.


    The looper wanted to excuse it as a simple routine but he knew that wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°What do you want, Ben?¡± James asked, levelling his gaze at the bartender.


    ¡°I¡¯m working a double shift while everyone else is out treating today like a holiday. I¡¯m working three double shifts this week. The answer should be obvious.¡± The bartender met his stare. ¡°Money.¡±


    That was¡­ fair. James couldn¡¯t exactly fault Ben for wanting the one thing that equated to real power in the modern world. Everyone had in one way or another a desire to seek. To write themselves into the world and carve out a place for themselves. Ben just expressed such a desire through money, and he was more than willing to work for it.


    ¡°Look.¡± James started, leaning against the bar. ¡°How much money would it take for you to leave the city for a day?¡±


    Ben gave him a weird look. Not one of his ¡®I don¡¯t believe you but this sounds interesting¡¯ looks. A hesitant look, like he already had a number cooked up in his head. He wants something. James realized. He needs an exact amount of money. As much as he chatted with Ben and shared his problems with him, the looper had never asked too much about Ben¡¯s personal situation.


    And whenever he had, it always felt like the young man gave deflecting answers.


    ¡°When would I need to leave?¡± Ben asked, entertaining the idea.


    ¡°Today.¡± James answered.


    ¡°Then I¡¯d need 12,400. If you gave me 12,400 right now, I¡¯d do it. I¡¯d do anything you wanted.¡±


    ¡°Anything?¡±


    ¡°Within reason.¡± Ben clarified.


    James grinned. ¡°Is premeditated murder within reason.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    It was worth a shot. He could use the extra hands, but settling for Ben¡¯s escape was fine with him. The looper reached into his jacket¡¯s pocket, of which it had many, and pulled out a large wad of green Australian notes. It was about twice as thick as his finger and drew a very, very surprised look from Ben and Miranda both.


    James dropped it onto the counter between him and Ben.


    The bartender kept looking between the money and the James but the looper said nothing. Because he knew the type of person Ben was. He¡¯d believe something, but not without some kind of proof. The money wasn¡¯t enough.


    Slowly, Ben picked the stack up and inspected the money. First he slicked it apart, checking for any dye pouches between which would show it was stolen money. Then, he moved to taking the notes one by one and holding them up to a light. James knew what he was doing, since Australian notes had small imprints on the clear part of the plastic that shined in light.


    James had come across enough counterfeit notes during the Loop to learn that little trick, and he was sure it was handy for anyone who wanted to take bartending seriously.


    I wonder if he¡¯ll go so far as to tear it?


    He did. Once he¡¯d checked almost half of the notes against a light, Ben moved to attempting to tear them lightly. The method was less reliable then his previous, but James couldn¡¯t fault him for his natural suspicion. It wasn¡¯t that genuine Australian notes couldn¡¯t tear, it was just that it was far harder than most fake ones which were made of paper or something equally unsturdy.


    ¡°This is real?¡± Ben said slowly, words dripping with disbelief. He had a frown on his face like he didn¡¯t want to believe it, but James knew a part of him did.


    ¡°It is.¡± James confirmed, standing up. It was a real wad of fifteen thousand Australian dollars.


    ¡°Why?¡± Ben asked, putting the money back down like it was cursed. Still, his hand never stopped holding onto it.


    The looper shrugged, checking his watch and deciding that his little side adventure was over. He had to get back to work.


    ¡°Because you believed me, I guess.¡± James said, walking out and towards the bar¡¯s big double doors, ready to get blasted by midafternoon sunlight.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t leave, you wont send somebody to come look for your money will you?!¡± Ben shouted, grabbing the money and vaulting over his own bar. He looked stuck between wanting to chase James for answers and knowing he still had a shift to work.


    Miranda was absolutely fuming, and it showed.


    ¡°There¡¯s a good chance there won¡¯t be anyone to find if you stay.¡± James said, turning back to give him a wave. ¡°But feel free to do what you will.¡±


    With that the looper departed from Kindermans, leaving a very confused Ben with a wad full of cash and vague warnings about impending doom. Some part of James knew that Ben would probably just take the money and stay, uncaring of his advice. But James was fine with that. If nothing else the money served as a thanks to one of the only people that made him feel sane in his darkest moments.


    It will also serve as a good test. If Ben actually listened to him, and was smart about evacuating away from large communities and areas of people, then there might be some merit to keeping contact.


    If that was even possible.


    ¡°So many what if¡¯s.¡± James whispered to himself, weaving through the crowded streets and towards his car. ¡°I just have to get the best possible scenario out of the parts I know, and prepare for the parts I don¡¯t.¡±


    A little golden icon floated in the top right of his vision, always there and always watching. Serving as a constant reminder that he had to get everything he could right.


    He had to get everything right.


    ******************


    [Zenith¡¯s Calling]


    [Description: Zenith beckons you forward, whether you will it or wish it. A Spark must heed the call, the only question is how you¡¯ll answer it.]


    [09:35:26]


    James hands thrummed against the wheel of his car, reading over the details of his newest Invitation once again. He¡¯d read them once when he got into the car for the first time, again while he was waiting for his generator to be put in the back of his car, and now once more while he waited for Jake, Amy and Jess to waltz into Melbourne Central looking for him.


    He kept the cool air on, and the Landcruiser¡¯s fans proved adept at bringing his body that constant chill that brought clarity to James¡¯ mind. It was strange how the mind wandered when it didn¡¯t want to address something that made it uncomfortable. The same way James kept fiddling with the degrees to avoid looking at the glaring timer that went down every second. Ticking away slowly to something.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    The looper had tried to ignore it the first he saw it. But he knew he couldn¡¯t.


    Still, his eyes never seemed to keep hold of the golden words. They drifted away to the people marching through to the shopping centre just a little ahead of him. The entrance he watched was the one closest to a tram station and it was a never ending stream of faces that James couldn¡¯t hope to count. Young, old, new, familiar and everything in between marched into the shopping centre.


    Some happy, some sad, some-


    ¡°Why is he taking so long.¡± James moaned, finding himself childish almost immediately for doing so. He knew Jake would be there at exactly two thirty on the dot. Which left him a little less than five minutes of waiting.


    Minutes alone with such an ominous timer.


    I shouldn¡¯t have expected the system to play nice. In all honesty, he hadn¡¯t. Even though the system had promised him the safety of Hugh, Michael and Jake, James still kept to his plans of keeping them all out of harm¡¯s way. Because he didn¡¯t trust the golden words for a second. He knew he¡¯d have to be a fool if he did. Also, neither Archive nor the system specified exactly how they would be safe. It just said they would be and assumed James would trust it.


    The best lesson the Loop taught me was knowing these words can be wrong. The system behind them can make mistakes.


    He thought as much as he stared out his tinted windscreen, drumming his hands against his wheel and doing his best to ignore the timer.


    [9:33:45]


    The countdown ends at midnight.


    Whatever Zenith¡¯s Calling was would proceed from that point onwards. James wasn¡¯t one for basing his important decisions off of guesses, but he had a pretty big gut feeling that when that timer hit zero, something big would happen. Bigger than the first Invitation? He didn¡¯t know.


    But being called to Zenith didn¡¯t sound like something James wanted while trying to settle the best situation for himself and his family.


    And considering it wasn¡¯t an option didn¡¯t make him feel any better. The system would force him to answer the call when the timer ended. There was no way James could spin that in his head that ended in a situation he found ideal.


    Not to mention I can¡¯t open my Status.


    The notification saying his Status was ready remained broken, because every time he focused on it and tried to expand, the golden words fizzled out of existence then the notification in the top right hand of his vision popped back into existence. The whole thing was incredibly vexing, and for the most part James had already decided to keep the system out of mind.


    But thinking and doing were very different things.


    ¡°Finally.¡± James mumbled, taking his hands off the wheel as Jake, Amy and Jess all came into view, chatting amicably.


    Jake led the charge as he always tended to do while Amy clutched on his arm and Jess kept a comfortable distance away. Not too far to be awkward, but far enough to give the couple their own space. She¡¯s quite adept at being the third wheel. James almost felt a pang of sympathy for her, considering all the times Jake had dragged him along to dates.


    They didn¡¯t idle and walked out of view and into the shopping center looking for the looper, but he didn¡¯t exit the car. Because he wasn¡¯t looking for them. He was looking for who was following behind.


    Far enough away to escape their notice but not far enough away to ever lose sight of Jess.


    ¡°Come on Nic.¡± James mumbled, leaning forward and scanning the crowd for some sight of the psychopath. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    Countless waves of people pass by but the looper knew exactly what he was looking for. His eyes darted between women and men clothed in black, looking for one particular standout. Then he found him, walking at a measured pace towards the same entrance Jake and his entourage had entered. Nicholas wasn¡¯t like the people around him.


    To the casual observer it wouldn¡¯t be obvious, but when you knew how to look for the signs like James did, it was clear the man dressed in all black was overly wary. His gaze watched and calculated everything around him, almost mechanically keeping tabs on what was ahead and behind. Whether it was sideward glances or craning his head around to check behind him any chance he got, Nicholas looked like he was paranoid people were looking at him.


    A dead giveaway for someone who was about to do something they didn¡¯t want anyone to see.


    And that¡¯s my cue.


    James discreetly hoped out of his Land cruiser, careful to keep the chance of Nicholas noticing to a minimum. Some things in the Loop were easy to replicate, like betting, but other things were much harder. Like discreetly putting Nicholas six feet under. Sure James had done it a thousand times before in the same manner, but doing it and not getting caught was much harder.


    The combinations of Nicholas unstable behaviour and the public environment he stuck to made a plethora of tiny micro decisions crucial at every step. James needed to approach him at the right time, say the right words and be as precise as he possibly could with the timing of events. All it took was one person who saw what he did to compromise the whole thing. The police would be on him within minutes. Making getting the day right infinitely harder.


    But compared to letting Nicholas live, James was happy to accept the extra trouble.


    The looper brushed past people, following after Nicholas in a practised fashion that he knew avoided the man''s suspension. The act of looking like you were in a hurry and not actively following after someone was a skill James had sharpened for this very moment. With his plain creme polo, black denim jeans and a grey overcoat, James blended right in with the many hurrying street goers.


    His look did the opposite of warranting a closer glance, to the point he could be called almost boring.


    He approached Nicholas from behind carefully. Making sure never to close the distance between them too quickly or directly.


    As he did, James could barely make out Jake, Amy and Jess wandering the food court. He saw his best friend hastily tapping away at his phone with a frustrated face. He¡¯s texting me. He thinks I skipped out at the last minute. Unfortunately James would have to let the assumption linger a while longer.


    Ever so quietly he evaded Nicholas attention while pursuing him, ending up just close enough to tap the man on the back. Nicholas spun in a moment hands at the ready for combat. James took didn¡¯t take a step back in alarm, or push forward and grab him the neck like he wanted to.


    He just uttered a single word. In Greek.


    ¡°Brother.¡±


    Any sane person, especially one so paranoid could not be disarmed so easily. But Nicholas wasn¡¯t a sane person. He wasn¡¯t even close.


    And just as he preyed on people weakness, James played on his.


    Fanaticism.


    His guard wasn¡¯t lowered, but the man dressed in all black did ease at the mention of his cult.


    ¡°I do not recognise you.¡± Nicholas replied in his mother tongue. ¡°Are you new blood? What business do you have with me that could not wait until my first hunt is complete.¡±


    Nicholas seemed peeved more than suspicious. Out of all the tricks James had ever tried, this one by far worked the best. It had required a lot of research into the Brotherhood of Fall doomsday cult that Nicholas was a part of, but it showed stellar results. No other greeting would pacify Nicholas so simply.


    ¡°There has been a great revelation on that front.¡± James said, again in greek. ¡°But I have been instructed not to speak of it here, among ears not worthy.¡±


    He tried to add a sort of inner enthusiasm to his voice, fanatic in the same way Nicholas talked when he spoke of the Brotherhood. Mimicking the man felt like eating dirt, but anything to sell the act.


    The big greek man fell into a silent contemplation. James had learned through much trial and error that interrupting him now was a mistake. Although he didn¡¯t have a full grasp of the Brotherhood¡¯s exact tenets, he knew Nicholas was a big shot. In their strange hierarchy, he was an Archon. At least, that was what James had gathered from his many curt chats with the lunatic. Archons were important to the Brotherhood for whatever reason, and the cult respected their own hierarchy with a religious vigour.


    So he let the man think through his words, neither rushing him nor adding more context.


    After a silent minute Nicholas spoke with a solemn nod. ¡°Your instructions are correct. If it concerns my hunt, then it is not to be spoken of lightly. I know of a place more suitable, although going there will delay my hunt.¡±


    The veiled threats are always nice. Good nostalgia.


    James obeyed and did exactly what you were not meant to do with a deranged killer, following him down past the Melbourne Central escalators and towards one of the alleys far and away from the beaten path. Even in broad daylight the alley was tight and ended in a range of hard turns that would scare off the bravest souls.


    The place Nicholas took them was about as dark and dingy as it could get. Not a soul in sight with constant flickering shadows even as the sun shined brightly above.


    The big man turned and faced James, gesturing at him. Then he started, in Greek. ¡°Get on with it then, my hunt remains.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a care in the world, do you?¡± James asked, tilting his head to the side. Mockingly.


    Nicholas frown twisted ever so slightly into a toothy smirk. His eyes narrowed on James in an instant.


    ¡°Do not address me with that pig speech.¡± He said in a low voice, speaking Greek as he always defaulted.


    ¡°No seriously.¡± James said, ignoring Nicholas'' comment entirely. ¡°You just walked into the only closest dark alley you could with a man you¡¯ve never met. You did some dumb things Nic, but this one almost takes the cake. Right next to trapping me in hell.¡±


    Nicholas snarled. ¡°What are you-


    He didn¡¯t get the chance to finish. The moment he started speaking James lunged forward, pushing all his weight of his back leg and closing the short gap between them in an instant. In one moment, his hands were empty. In the next, they had a combat knife. The looper waited till he was at just the right distance.


    Then titled his head out of the path of Nicholas'' defensive elbow and slashed.


    His knife cut deep into Nicholas'' throat, causing the maniac''s eyes to go wide. Before he could grab at the wound or James, the looper delivered a sharp kick to the side of his knee, crushing what little balance Nicholas had left.


    Then a well placed right hook left him smashing to the ground.


    And then it was over.


    Violence was strange like that. Everyone like to describe sharp and quick things as violent, but James didn¡¯t think that did the word justice. Violence was a chaotic shift that could take minutes or moments. Violence felt strange too.


    To hurt another, one had to hurt themselves. At that moment, just seconds after Nicholas had come crashing down, James could feel the effects of violence already stirring. His hand stung with a numb pain after the blow on Nicholas'' hard chin. His foot creaked in a way that felt uncomfortable after performing a kick it wasn¡¯t used to. His heart was beating with fear and excitement, even though James felt neither.


    His body thrummed with potential power, subconsciously readying to defend itself.


    All of it felt deeply uncomfortable.


    And yet somehow I revel in it.


    James was sure he didn¡¯t like violence. By his very nature, he wasn¡¯t a fan of hurting others. But he did like hurting Nicholas. He liked hurting Nicholas so much he almost felt like mourning the fact that this would be the last time.


    ¡°You know Nic.¡± James started, squatting down to meet the man¡¯s hateful gaze. ¡°I¡¯m going to miss this.¡±


    He was twitching a growling between the constant coughing. Drowning on your own blood did that to you. James had done his best to avoid the jugular. He didn¡¯t want Nicholas to pass out from blood, although he¡¯d pass out from a lack of oxygen before he died anyway.


    The looper had sorted through his mental list for the best way to kill Nicholas, and eventually just settled on watching him choke on his own blood.


    The same way James had after he¡¯d been stabbed in the abdomen by Nicholas.


    An eye for an eye as they say.


    ¡°I suppose if there is anything I regret about leaving the Loop.¡± James said, a tint of sorrow on his voice that had reduced to a husk. ¡°It¡¯s that I only got to kill you one more time.¡±


    The looper knew he wouldn¡¯t see Nicholas again, so he took a moment to enjoy the Greek man¡¯s struggle.


    It was a nice view.


    Then his phone¡¯s alarm started buzzing. Time to catch up with Jake. Time to go.


    ¡°Well. That¡¯s my cue to leave.¡± James said, plunging the knife into Nicholas'' neck to make sure he was well and truly going to die. He tugged it out and blood began to pour much more violently from the wound.


    Nicholas was still choking and grasping at his neck, but the efforts were weaker. Soon, they would cease completely.


    ¡°Hell¡¯s hungry for you Nicholas.¡± James muttered, walking away and wiping the blood onto the inside of his overcoat. ¡°Don¡¯t keep the devil waiting.¡±


    James walked down the alley, turned two corners and suddenly, he was among streams of people again. His bloodied knife bounced in the pocket of his overcoat with each step. Nicholas was dead. Really dead. Some part of him had been worried it would go wrong somehow.


    But it hadn¡¯t.


    Everything had gone according to plan.


    Exactly to plan.


    Got to hope the rest of the day follows suit.


    James joined the crowds of people and headed back towards Melbourne Central. The looper did his best to banish the thoughts of Nicholas. To leave his crimes and existence in the past like he¡¯d left his body in the alley.


    Yet, unconsciously, James couldn¡¯t help but whistle a tune as he walked.


    Today felt like it could be a good day.


    A good enough day to whistle ¡®The devil came down to georgia¡¯.


    I think I might be a little evil.


    [9:23:15]

 Chapter 17: Calm Before the Storm

    ¡°He¡¯s coming, I¡¯m sure.¡± Jake said, reassuring Jess and Amy.


    James could see the two arguing with his best friend and it was evident that Jakes was steadily losing ground to them. They weren¡¯t happy about the looper being late and it showed. Which was a problem, because he couldn¡¯t exactly give the excuse that he was hunting down a man stalking Jess.


    That wouldn¡¯t fly as normal.


    ¡°Yo!¡± James said, waving them down as he approached their table. They seemed to be chowing down on sushi which no doubt would¡¯ve been Jake¡¯s choice.


    Jake turned and his best friend looked halfway between annoyed and embarrassed. He held out a hand to shake and all but pulled James into the seat next to him the moment he reached for it. His best friend was tense, no doubt from a solid twenty minutes of trying to cover for him.


    ¡°You took your sweet time didn¡¯t you Jazz.¡± Jake said with a smile that didn¡¯t extend to his eyes. The ways his lips twitched slightly as he said it made James want to giggle, but he held it in.


    This feels weird.


    Not even minutes ago he¡¯d been murdering Nicholas in a back alley, leaving the bastard for dead, and now he was sitting in a food court with Jake, Amy and Jess. The shift was very abrupt. But James had grown used to such varying circumstances and tried to brush off the mental whiplash.


    The looper tried to focus on the company of his best friend. The company of his real best friend once again. The one that didn¡¯t forget everything he ever did. The one who didn¡¯t leave him.


    ¡°I was busy getting my car ready.¡± James lied, holding his hands up like he was guilty. His instinctive placid smile found his way onto his lips.


    Body language was something James had always unconsciously paid attention too. He didn¡¯t know whether it was his untrusting nature prior to the Loop, or simply a habit he¡¯d picked up from people watching, but James always paid attention to it. The way people moved, sat, talked and even expressed themselves told you a lot about them.


    Rarely had he seen body language as eager as Amy¡¯s was as she jumped on the opportunity to quell the tension amongst the table. Because Jess, with her pensive expression sitting across from the looper, clearly wasn¡¯t happy to have waited for him.


    ¡°You have a car? Jake told me you¡¯ve been saving for a reliable one for ages, but he never told me you¡¯d already bought it.¡± Amy said, trying to force as much enthusiasm as she could into a topic she clearly didn¡¯t give a damn about. It felt awkward and forced.


    And yet she somehow means it sincerely.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like I was keeping it from you.¡± Jake interjected, trying to shift the blame. And rightly so. ¡°James never told me he had a car!¡±


    ¡°To be fair, I only got it this morning.¡± James said, trying to pacify the blonde socialite. Jake wasn¡¯t having any of it.


    ¡°Brand, model and odometer.¡± His best friend insisted.


    ¡°Jake-¡±


    ¡°Brand, model and odometer.¡± Jake repeated, cutting him off.


    It shouldn¡¯t have surprised him. Jake had always been a fan of cars, and when he wasn¡¯t talking about his plans to buy and tune up a used mustang, he was looking for them online. Of course with his love hate relationship with work, he never actually had anywhere near enough money to consider buying one.


    But Jake always talked about it. He talked about cars in general quite a bit and shared James'' innate passion for pickup trucks.


    The idea that the looper had gotten a car and not immediately told him probably didn¡¯t sit well with Jake, and James made a note in his head to apologise for it later. To James, his moral compass around Jake was a lot simpler than pretty much everything else. If Jake was upset, he¡¯d done something wrong.


    Sure it could be argued that his best friend had his occasional flippant moods and childish moments. But he¡¯d done so much for the looper and proved he was a soul so bright that James couldn¡¯t help but think he was in the wrong.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Toyota Landcruiser. Brand new so there couldn¡¯t be more than twenty kilometres on it.¡± James informed his friend


    James regretted telling his friend the second he saw the man salivating at the mention of his new car. The looper had a sneaking suspicion that Jake would be far more on board with his idea for a ¡°road trip¡± now he knew it was happening in a Landcruiser.


    ¡°Can we take turns driving it?¡± Jake asked, wrapping his arm over James shoulder.


    ¡°Not today.¡± James refused.


    ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Pretty please.¡±


    ¡°Jake you¡¯re going to crash it.¡± James said with a sigh, stealing a bite of his friend''s sushi.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to crash it.¡± Jake refuted. ¡°I¡¯m just going to go really fast.¡±


    That got a laugh out of Amy. From the looks of it she wasn¡¯t the one that was mad at James. Or at least, she¡¯d been content with his excuse of working on his car. No, the one who was not a happy camper was sitting across from James. Angrily sipping from a smoothie. Jess had kept her pensive stare and hadn¡¯t made any effort to even greet James, an attitude he¡¯d grown rather used to.


    Why do I find it endearing? It wasn¡¯t. James knew that if anyone else was a frigid and closed off as Jess tended to be when they first met, the looper would¡¯ve just written them off. But Jess was different. There was a reason he included her in his list of people that needed saving.


    She pushed her hair back, eyes caught on the insides of his overcoat.


    ¡°Do you normally wear stained clothes on a date?¡± Jess asked, pointing out the red stains where he¡¯d wiped his knife.


    The first time he¡¯d met Jess, James had taken a similar comment about his choice of clothes rather personally. After taking the effort to come out of his shell, it had felt like a kick in the nuts to be insulted for what he wore. Now, James was far more aware of the truth. Jess was having a bad day.


    A really bad day.


    Not only was she a Spark, she was one that had been given an Invitation and received the system¡¯s touch earlier. Like James, she woke up on that day to golden words too. Unlike James, she had not had sixteen thousand years worth of time to mentally sort through her feeling about randomly seeing golden words.


    ¡°I may have got food on the way here.¡± James replied, laughing off her comment sheepishly.


    ¡°Eating before a date?¡± Jess inquired, pressing further. ¡°A bit rude, isn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Jess-¡±


    ¡°You ate before I got here.¡± James said quickly, speaking before Amy could interject on his behalf. He knew that letting Amy kindness save him would not foster a good impression with Jess.


    The looper needed her to be amicable towards him if he was going to convince the three of them to leave the city with him. Jake was the easy one and Amy would go along with whatever made him happy. Jess was always the hardball.


    Her eyes drifted to her own food at his comment. ¡°Touch¨¦.¡±


    ¡°Did you know James has a brilliant idea!¡± Jake said all of a sudden, trying to brute force his way through the tension between them.


    His social butterfly of a best friend could read the room just fine, but he also possessed the brazen attitude needed to defuse the apparent grievances Jess had with James. Of course, the looper knew that Jess didn¡¯t actually care that James was late. She was just blowing off steam.


    Nonetheless, he appreciated the effort from Jake.


    ¡°What¡¯s this brilliant idea?¡± Jess queried, sounding about as excited as she was for her own funeral.


    ¡°A road trip.¡± Jake said, gleaming. James could¡¯ve sworn his friend was almost frothy at the mouth. ¡°In James¡¯ new Landcruiser.¡±


    You just want an excuse to get behind the wheel. James chuckled inwardly, keeping that thought to himself.


    Jess did not look thrilled by the idea. A stark contrast to Amy who¡¯s face had lit up in the same way Jake¡¯s did, clearly excited by the idea.


    Immediately the two pestered him for details. James weathered the barrage of questions as best he could, explaining the road trip in a way that would get them enthused. He deflected the question every time they asked him why he¡¯d thought to go on a road trip. James was keen to be upfront with Jake about the impending change they were all going to face, but he didn¡¯t think the blonde social butterfly would believe him.


    The only time Jake ever had believed him had required a lot of terrible circumstances coming together with a heart wrenching plea for help from the looper. There would be a chance to tell Jake the truth and have him believe it, but it wasn¡¯t in that moment.


    They also insisted that he tell them the entire plan of where they would be heading, which was one of the easier questions to answer. The rough answer was north east, but the more direct answer was a smaller town called Mt Beauty.


    The place was small enough, but also big enough, with plenty of natural resources to plunder should civilization break down and a steady infrastructure to survive off should it not. What headed his decision the most was that the place was surrounded by mountains that created a sort of natural defence around it. There was also a town on the direct opposite side of the mountains that could keep itself self-sustained too.


    When he explained it to Jake and Amy, he made it sound like a fun camping spot with Lakes a mountain trails to explore. In reality, it was just cut off enough from the outside world that James wouldn¡¯t have to contend with hordes of Sparks or worse, and just connected enough to the outside world that should the worst not happen, he could still rely on infrastructure there.


    The looper had spent decades figuring out the best place they could reach in a reasonable amount of time and settled on Mt Beauty for its versatility. His highest priority was staying away from ¡°Horde Zones¡± as he¡¯d come to call them. Areas that could be suddenly filled with a massive influx of people in the event of a disaster.


    And of course they immediately want to spend my money going shopping for camping gear.


    James sighed internally, watching the couple compare puffer jackets and folding chairs.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I have everything. This is a waste of time and yet¡­


    ¡­He didn¡¯t want to stop them. Even as his watch ticked down each second till impending doom, James felt no rush. The looper found himself enjoying watching Jake and Amy have fun together. He didn¡¯t want to put an end to it for the sake of timing, because unlike every Loop, James wouldn¡¯t have this moment again.


    This was the last time he¡¯d ever go on the double date Jake dragged him into.


    It filled James with a deep sense of both melancholy and fulfilment.


    I wonder if he¡¯ll ask me about the bracelet. James wondered, keeping an eye on the couple as he inspected a high end fridge. He already had one that was better but it kept his body from just idling at the entrance.


    Jake didn¡¯t always ask him about the bracelet. James had never exactly nailed what caused his best friend to change his mind although generally he didn¡¯t ask when the looper suggested the road trip.


    Does he feel bad? Like I won¡¯t want to wait for him to go buy something nice for Amy?


    It had never bothered the looper before. After all, the kind gesture to his girlfriend didn¡¯t increase Jake¡¯s chances of survival at all, and that was all James had been worried about.


    Now though?


    [8:54:34]


    We can¡¯t leave till Hugh picks up Michael anyway. James rationalized, waiting until Amy broke away from Jake to go help Jess. The latter looked bored out of her brain. But Jess hadn¡¯t left yet, or complained, which was a good sign considering James knew she hated camping.


    When Amy wasn¡¯t looking James snuck up behind Jake and wrapped his hand around his shoulder the same way Jake had done to him.


    ¡°You decide on chairs yet.¡± James asked, keeping an eye on Amy to make sure she was out of earshot.


    ¡°I want the one with a leg rest.¡± Jake said, looking a little surprised by James'' arm around his shoulder. ¡°But It''s probably too big to fit in the car.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll fit.¡± James said, wavering away his worry. ¡°What''s more important is the side glances you keep making at the jewellery shop when Amy¡¯s not looking.¡±


    Jake¡¯s eyes widened slightly. ¡°You saw?¡±


    James nodded. Jake lowered his gaze to the ground a little and the looper could tell his friend felt embarrassed. Embarrassed to say why he was looking at the shop and embarrassed to confess he didn¡¯t have the money to buy what Amy wanted.


    ¡°Get her what you want.¡± James said with a genuine smile that replaced his usual placid one. He handed Jake his card and his best friend seemed a little shocked. His brows raised but he didn¡¯t push the card back into James¡¯ hand.


    ¡°But you just bought a car?¡± Jake said, sounding torn.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got money left over.¡± The looper assured him.


    Jake went silent for a moment, considering his options. Then after a few seconds he made up his mind. ¡°I¡¯ll get you back for this Jazz.¡±


    James felt the edges of his smile widened. ¡°You already have.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jake said, and his embarrassed smile turned into a knowing smirk. ¡°I see your angle.¡±


    What?


    ¡°What?¡± James repeated with his voice this time, confused.


    Jake ribbed him a bit with a cheeky grin then patted the looper on the back. He looked surprised and proud. Which only served to further confuse James as Jake dragged him towards the two girls, chuckling under his breath.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Jake said amid his laughing. ¡°I¡¯ve been paid out. I won¡¯t tell a soul. My jobs to keep Amy distracted while you swoop in for the kill.¡±


    Oh my god. My best friend is an idiot. James didn¡¯t exactly feel shocked because it wasn¡¯t much of a revelation. But to think that Jake thought that was why James had offered to pay for a nice gift floored him.


    It didn¡¯t take long for Jake to chaperone Amy out of the camping store and towards the jewellery shop they¡¯d gone to on the first iteration of the date. Through the entire process he kept calling James name and winking at him as if Jess didn¡¯t have eyes and couldn¡¯t see exactly what he was doing.


    So that left the two of them alone, having exited the camping store and idling just far enough away from the jewellery shop not to intrude. James had been in the exact situation once before and it felt almost exactly the same level of awkwardness that it did now.


    The only difference was that James didn¡¯t care.


    He was far more interested in tinkering with the tracker he¡¯d installed on Hugh¡¯s pick up. The looper needed it precise so he could coordinate with Hugh on the road, which was a complication he hadn¡¯t accounted for until the Landcruiser came into play. James was half tempted to ditch it and just take Hugh¡¯s Hilux but the versatility of two cars was too great to pass up.


    [8:48:27]


    Why¡¯d they have to give it a timer? James thought hatefully, trying not to look at the ever present golden countdown in his field of view.


    ¡°Did you offer to pay for Amy¡¯s bracelet just to be alone with me?¡± Jess asked, her tone cold.


    ¡°No.¡± James answered simply. ¡°I did it because he deserves it.¡±


    Jess scoffed. Really, genuinely scoffed to the point that James felt hot air blow against his arm from her breath. ¡°Sounds like someone wants to compete with Amy.¡±


    Funny.


    ¡°If I swung that way, then I wouldn¡¯t just be competing. I¡¯d be winning.¡± James said, still focused on making sure the tracker sent a clear cut signal.


    She laughed. Not the earnest one he¡¯d earned the first time they¡¯d had that conversation, instead being something more polite. Not real, just polite.


    She must assume it¡¯s a joke. It wasn¡¯t. James had plenty of time to work through the way his body and sexuality functioned inside the Loop. He¡¯d also had plenty of time to sort through all his feelings about Jake and the meaning around them. To call them romantic, James felt, was an insult to just how developed their friendship was. Because if there had been even a smidge of feelings like that towards Jake, James would¡¯ve beat Amy to the punch.


    He was sure of it.


    The fact he didn¡¯t feel that way didn¡¯t detract from their friendship, and if he had felt that way, it also wouldn¡¯t have made their friendship any less meaningful either.


    I¡¯m overthinking it. James realised, snapping himself out of it. By his nature, the looper wasn¡¯t an overtly sexual person. So thinking about it was one of the few things that could throw him for a loop.


    ¡°You looked deep in thought there,¡± Jess commented. Her hair fell down the sides of her face as she leaned against the railing next to him. Her sapphire blue eyes stared into his, reflecting back granite grey. ¡°And you didn¡¯t look sad.¡±


    ¡°I look sad?¡± James questioned.


    ¡°The moment you drop that smile you do.¡± Jess replied, unflinching in the face of the looper''s ancient eyes. ¡°For just a second, your eyes go hollow. Lifeless.¡± Before James knew it Jess had cupped his face in her hands, making it impossible for him to look away.


    ¡°And what do you see in that hollow?¡± James asked, entertaining whatever Jess thought she was doing.


    What possible truth could she scavenge from the looper¡¯s eyes? James knew the girl was as perspective as she was pessimistic. But how perspective could one girl be? What kind of secret could she pull from the window to his soul? Fear? Anger? Power?


    Hate?


    ¡°Pain.¡± Jess answered, saying something James didn¡¯t expect and catching him off guard.


    ¡°Pain?¡± James questioned, grabbing at her hands. They were so slim. So weak. So breakable. The scratching against his mind started to get louder.


    ¡°The type that ruins people.¡± Jess said. Her eyes tensed a little, wincing but she didn¡¯t look away from him.


    ¡°Do I look ruined to you?¡± James asked and for a moment, there was no life in his voice. It was low and dead. Devoid of any feeling. He saw the looper staring back at him in her eyes. Then he realised that Jess wasn¡¯t holding on to him anymore. He was holding onto her, squeezing her hands so tight that the woman was gritting her teeth.


    And yet still, she didn¡¯t look away.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± James said, replacing his placid smile and letting go of her hands. He¡¯d been clutching them so hard they almost turned purple.


    ¡°No it''s¡­¡± Jess was rubbing her hands and refusing to look him in the eyes. ¡°..it¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Listen, I understand if you don¡¯t want to come on the roadtrip-¡±


    ¡°Something bad is going to happen in the city, isn¡¯t it?¡± Jess asked, interrupting him. She unsteadily raised her head to meet his gaze again. There was a steel resolve in those blue eyes that hadn¡¯t been there before.


    She knows. Jess knew it was a lie. Somehow, she could tell that James didn¡¯t want to go on a road trip for fun. He wanted to leave Melbourne because the place was dangerous. Extremely so. This was a first for the looper and he was forced to wonder what kind of events had caused this change in Jessica¡¯s attitude.


    He¡¯d seen her standoffish. He¡¯d seen her welcoming. But seeing her scared? At this stage in the day? That was something he¡¯d only seen in the darkest loops.


    Should I be honest with her? In a practical sense no, he shouldn¡¯t. It served no benefit to James to tell her the truth, and he¡¯d be far better off to lie. The looper knew that.


    The looper also liked the purity of truth a helluva lot more than the corruption of lies.


    Nightmare¡¯s lied.


    The Loop lied.


    Fig lied.


    The system lied.


    James would not.


    [8:39:45]


    ¡°If we stay in the city, there''s a good chance we won¡¯t live to see tomorrow.¡± James answered honestly.


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Jess asked.


    Beyond her James could see Jake and Amy walking back towards them. He also felt Hugh calling his phone, causing it to vibrate in his jeans. Yet he found himself focused on Jess. Drawn to the oddity that she was. This had never happened. Jessica had always having suspicions due to being an Invited Spark, but she¡¯d never been this convinced something was going to go terribly wrong.


    And she¡¯d never seen through James the way she was now.


    The way she did was almost like magic-


    Her Source. James realised. She has her Source. That had not been the case in the Loop. James was sure of it. He hadn¡¯t met a single person in the Loop that had a Source, let alone Jess.


    Wait a minute.


    ¡°James, how do you know?¡± Jess reiterated, stealing his focus. The looper felt frustrated to be distracted when his mind had been on the tip of figuring it out. He was sure he was close to knowing.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m a time traveller.¡± James said dismissively, trying to catch that train of thought he¡¯d had. ¡°Though you won¡¯t believe me.¡±


    Jessica went silent, her eyes filled with contemplation. Jake and Amy were closing in on them, and the time was nigh for them to make their getaway. Yet James felt caught on this mystery. It felt important. Something about the difference between the Loop and reality didn¡¯t sit right with him. He was sure it was because of Jess¡¯s Source. He was sure she had it already.


    But what did that mean?


    Why did that fact differ from the Loop?


    ¡°Can I trust you?¡± Jess asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± James answered.


    ¡°Are you a threat?¡±


    ¡°Not to you.¡±


    ¡°Will Amy be safe too?¡±


    ¡°As safe as you.¡±


    ¡°Then will we be safe with you?¡±


    ¡°Safer than with anyone else in this country.¡±


    ¡°Is this all some elaborate ruse to try to sleep with me?¡± Jessica asked what must¡¯ve been her fifteen thousandth question, tugging James out of his thoughts again.


    He looked at her, blank face without an ounce of humour in him. ¡°I¡¯m not that desperate. You¡¯re not that hot.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± She said, nodding and then she grabbed hold of his hand like it was her own personal life raft.


    James immediately got the sense that the woman wouldn¡¯t let go even if he tugged with all his might. Jessica had found someone else who knew of the coming chaos, and now she¡¯d confirmed he wasn¡¯t dangerous or a creep.


    She was not going to let go.


    This is my reward for honesty. James lamented, greeting Amy and Jake together with Jess like they¡¯d come to some romantic understanding. Together, holding hands, they looked almost identical to their first date, and yet the circumstances couldn¡¯t have been different.


    Whatever the case, James had still secured Jessica, the last unruly piece of his getaway group. The truck was loaded full of supplies, Hugh and Michael were already waiting and the timing was almost perfect for them to leave.


    [8:36:59]


    And yet somehow James felt he was sitting in the calm before the storm.


    Now, the only part of his plan he had left and the only option he had left.


    Was to run.


    As fast as his could with everything he held dear.

 Chapter 18: Get Away

    [3:31:20]


    ¡°Shitty timer.¡± James mumbled, cursing below his breath.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Jake asked, looking up from his phone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± James said, stealing a look at his rear-view mirror the same way he¡¯d been doing for the past hour. The looper was trying to make sure his gauge of other cars were correct, and that no one was too close or too far from him besides Hugh, chugging along in his Hilux behind them.


    ¡°Did you say something?¡± Hugh asked through the radio. James had rigged it just below his steering wheel, right next to the compartment he kept a spare Glock 17. There was a Beretta 92 in the glovebox as well, beneath a false bottom.


    James had learned to install the false bottom after Jake had gone rummaging in boredom. Explaining why you had a gun in your car was hard. Explaining it in Australia was basically impossible.


    ¡°No, I was just mumbling.¡± James clarified. He spied a look at his fuel gauge, then asked over the radio. ¡°How¡¯s fuel looking on your end?¡±


    ¡°Still got two thirds of a tank left.¡± Hugh answered amidst munching. James could see his father chowing down a pie through the mirror, which explained why he wasn¡¯t so grumpy anymore. ¡°What about you? Need a pitstop?¡±


    My tank¡¯s halfway but I¡¯ve got enough gas to drive to Perth and back. Or make a really, really big fire. Whichever arose first.


    ¡°I¡¯m good. I¡¯ll keep you posted if we need to stop.¡± James said, and the radio went silent a moment after.


    This is the easy part.


    The drive had been smooth. Not the smoothest James had ever had, but much better then he¡¯d been fearing. Having two car¡¯s complicated things more than the looper would¡¯ve liked. Hugh was the best driver James knew besides himself, but the looper still struggled to completely trust him to keep his wits about him in the coming crisis. Still, his father was the best man for the job.


    Getting out of Melbourne was the part that worried James the most. Mainly because they¡¯d been just a little late. But a little late was a lot late when you¡¯d been living the exact same day over and over. James knew how little changes could drastically affect the day. Case and point was Jessica, who had decided that they should pretend to be interested in each for the sake of settling tension.


    From what he had gathered, Jess was trying to put on a front to convince Amy that she¡¯d agreed to come along for fun. With James. Instead of the truth that she was scared shitless by the system and for whatever reason trusted James.


    It has to be her Source. James was sure of it. She wasn¡¯t the type of person to just believe people unless there was something concrete behind it. Or something magical, in this case. Their relation to each other was not healthy in the slightest because Jess had decided that clinging onto James was her best option.


    And it was, but that was not a good dynamic between two people.


    I can¡¯t worry about that now though. A small problem against the veritable tsunami of them that was coming their way.


    The greatest of James¡¯ concern besides the timer had passed when they¡¯d got off the freeway and onto country roads almost an hour ago. Country roads had a far, far less likely chance of clogging up in the case of emergency. Especially when you were in the vehicle the Landcruiser, which was designed for offroading.


    One of his bigger worries was the idea of too many Invited Sparks being in one area. He knew there were not a lot in the country currently thanks to the C.S.O information he¡¯d pulled out of Dupont¡¯s head. But he had no idea if that would change.


    As morbid and depraved as it sounded, James was more than certain he could murder everyone in Mt Beauty if it came to it, rendering the problem mute for the near future.


    The next problem was very simple. Exhaustion. James'' body, for the most part, was identical to what it¡¯d been before the Loop. While he was a master of meditation and likely had the most bodily awareness of any human past or present, Jamse still got tired. Repetition was what built up a tolerance to that sort of thing and try as he might James knew he¡¯d only be able to hold out for roughly 72 hours.


    That was his estimate. That was how much time he had at the absolute upper limits.


    And that¡¯s assuming I take the cocktail of drugs I cooked up. He was hesitant to do that. By the nature of the Loop, it was easy for James to discover which drugs worked well with him and which did not.


    But the aftereffects?


    He only ever lived one day. Call it a blessing or a curse but James wasn¡¯t precisely sure how his Battle-it-out cocktail would affect him afterwards.


    The biggest disadvantage of being on country roads was that with so few cars, and such a wide landscape, everything blurred together. Making focus harder than it would be on a freeway. That said, the views were beautiful.


    As hot as it was, Australia¡¯s country was a thing to be admired. Long fields of crop further than the eye could see cutting into empty rocky terrains and sprawling mountains that extended beyond the eye''s reach. The blend of nature and civilization easy to see. All backdropped by a sun that shined too bright for mid winter.


    And that was without mentioning the wildlife. The rainbow parakeets skating from branch to branch and the critters burrowing by the sides of the road. If the circumstances weren¡¯t so dire, James might¡¯ve stopped to appreciate it.


    As things were, the start of worldwide system integration was in twenty minutes. They were fifty away from Mt Beauty.


    Thirty If I drive like I mean it.


    [3:23:59]


    A voice came over the radio.


    ¡°Jamesy. Where did you say we were staying again?¡± A light voice asked with the faint hint of an English accent. Mindy¡¯s voice. His eyes flicked to the rear-view mirror again and saw she¡¯d wrangled the radio out of Hugh¡¯s hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s a place I found on Airbnb. Two minute drive from the town.¡± James responded, hoping that would be enough.


    It wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Your father said we were going camping?¡± She questioned.


    ¡°We are. On the property.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been looking on Yelp while we were driving and there¡¯s a lovely camping ground much closer to town.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already booked it, Mindy.¡± James said resolutely.


    There was a long pause before eventually the radio sounded again. ¡°Fair enough. Whatever makes you happy Jamesy.¡±


    James felt a long sigh that¡¯d been building up ever since his father had started dating Mindy try to make its way out but he capped it. The woman was as sweet and smart as she was overbearing. To say he didn¡¯t want her to come with them wasn¡¯t the case because she made Hugh happy, but she fell into the same camp as Jess.


    Both their presences created more work for James.


    As they got closer and closer to Mt Beauty the roads became much more windy and precarious. To the point that caused even James to slow down. Half because he didn¡¯t want to risk it and half because his mind was thoroughly distracted.


    [3:12:36]


    The change starts soon. His heart was beating faster. Not much faster, like a drum in his ear. But it quickened a little every time he looked to his side and stared out to the cloudy dusk horizon. His hands kept gripping the steering wheel harder even when he told them not to.


    Sweat laced back in a way it hadn¡¯t for a long time.


    This time was so different from the first. James had done everything he could to make it so and still there were shreds of doubt. Because he truly had no idea what would happen after the system arrived. All he could do was stick to the plan until the moment it would no longer suffice, then adapt to the changing circumstance.


    There was fear in the thought of permanence.


    ¡°Whatcha lookin at?¡± Jake asked, leaning against the window. He¡¯d caught the glances James was taking out his window as they drove up the steep mountain.


    James wondered how he was meant to answer that.


    ¡°Do you know what rain smells like?¡± James said, countering his own question. It caught his girlfriend''s attention.


    Amy leaned forward from the backseat where she¡¯d been idly playing on her phone, pulling Jess along with her who¡¯d been peacefully reading. She¡¯d equipped herself with a purple puffer jacket and a white beanie to stave off the potential cold.


    ¡°I love the smell of rain!¡± She said, grabbing onto his question. ¡°It reminds me of such cozy memories.¡±


    Her eyes lingered on Jake long enough that the man started scratching his neck in embarrassment. There was a story there, but James felt too swept up in the domino effect that was about to precede around them too ask.


    ¡°You''re talking about that twitch on the edge of your nose. Like the sense in the air before a storm, right?¡± Jake said, catching onto his meaning as well.


    ¡°That¡¯s a nice smell.¡± Jess added, half in the conversation and half absorbed in her book.


    ¡°Have you ever had the smell tickle your nose, in the middle of the field dripping wet on a cold winter night?¡± James asked, letting a part of his thoughts leak into his words.


    A collective ¡°No¡± resounded from his passengers.


    Good. Because that''s how most of the world is about to feel.


    But not them. He had made damn sure they were going to weather the storm. The world at wide may not have been ready for what was about to happen. But James was. Sixteen thousand years in the making.


    ¡°The meteor shower should start soon.¡± James said, switching topics.


    ¡°Jake, we''re going to miss it.¡± Amy said playfully, bouncing her fists against his shoulder. Then she turned her attention to James. ¡°Weren¡¯t we meant to be there already?¡±


    ¡°Relax, we¡¯ll be at the top of the hill by the time it starts. Won¡¯t we James.¡± Jake said, nudging him on the shoulder.


    ¡°Yeah, we will.¡± James replied. But we won¡¯t be stopping.


    Jake and Amy chatted excitedly all the way up the hill while James was forced the timer tick down slowly. There was a building sense of dread in him, mainly from the fact that nothing had gone wrong. Everything he¡¯d planned had played out exactly how he¡¯d planned it. Besides the slight mishaps on timing, the day was going perfectly.


    What was worse, nothing felt off. James didn¡¯t feel even a tinge of suspicion that something might be wrong. That in itself was worried him.


    The car climbed the hill without passing a single other vehicle and the horizon beyond them became clearer and clearer as the height the road started to tower over the trees. James could see the stars start to shimmer in the sky. The small glimpse of night just starting to peek it¡¯s head out.


    Jake was watching his phone counting down with an online timer.


    Amy was gazing excitedly out the window.


    Even Jess had stopped reading her book to get a glimpse of the meteor shower, although her hands were shaking on the door handle as she did. She was the only one that had any clue that maybe something bad was about to happen besides James.


    Occasionally James peered at the car behind him. Hugh and Mindy were both trying and failing to keep Michael from sticking his head out the window. His brother¡¯s curly hair was smacking into his own face as he tried to get a better look at the meteor shower that was almost upon them.


    When they finally got to the top of the hill there were cars lining it, that had parked so people could get out and enjoy the nice view. It wasn¡¯t nearly as many as the park he¡¯d died at for the first time, but the view vaguely reminded James of it.


    All the people congregating together under one sight. One view, one sight that the world would impress upon them.


    Everyone in one way or another was waiting in anticipation.


    Humans were like that. When something as big and as magnificent as a meteor shower happened, people came together to bask under its radiance. At one time, during his first life, James had felt community like he¡¯d never before while waiting with everyone for the meteor.


    What the looper feel at that moment?


    As everyone else looked to the sky and he just focused on the road. Trying to ignore the dread golden timer.


    Is it loneliness? James wondered. Or resignation.


    The feeling was a bitter one. Like in some way he¡¯d been left behind. As if, he wasn¡¯t a human anymore and had just become the looper. An entity entirely separate from the people around him.


    That gulf between himself and everyone else had been plain to see in the Loop but somehow it felt so much more sad in the real world.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    And yet because of that, his friends and family would be safe. Was that price worth it?


    It has to be. James concluded as he watched the timer on Jake¡¯s phone rock down to zero.


    There was a moment of emptiness in the air between everyone in the car. Of anticipation so thick it silenced all sound or movement.


    Then, it came. The first ball of azure flew above them in the great distance, streaking down the sky like paint across a canvas of midnight black. Embers of azure dropped wherever they flew in the sky, sending sparks down to the earth below.


    He could feel everyone watching in awe of the first brilliant azure streak. But then the next one whizzed past, then the next and then more flew past that one lighting up like sky with crawling fingers of extending azure.


    Countless little dusts of fire burning like tinder in the atmosphere.


    And one of the azure streaks crashing into a star. Instead of painting over it, the star started to fall.


    Then another, and another until most of the stars in the sky were crashing down to the ground.


    That¡¯s when the air in the car took a sudden shift. The first star could¡¯ve been an illusion. But all the ones that followed? None of his passengers were dumb. They were beginning to understand what they were seeing wasn¡¯t a good thing and that feeling bled into the atmosphere like smoke.


    Choking all excitement out and replacing it with fear.


    Jake started talking after the stars began to fall. Slowly at first, almost mumbling to himself. Then it sped up as he grew more and more aware that this terrible sight was only getting worse. James could feel Amy trembling on the seat behind him. Shaking in silence as she watched.


    Whatever false bravado Jess had carried crumbled in the face of something that was so much more terrible then what she¡¯d been expecting. She seemed the most scared of anyone in the car. Maybe because she knew that she was a part of it.


    James just watched. He felt no reaction in himself. The sight wasn¡¯t new to him, nor was it unique.


    The azure lit up the sky in a smouldering fury, burning the atmosphere itself. Rolling waves of blue fire washed above their heads.


    Something was there, among the wave. A presence so mighty it made even the memories of the looper¡¯s own mighty Spark feel small.


    Slowly, the curtain of flame peeled back. Rotting away at the weight of pure, inescapable darkness. An inky nothingness took place between the rotting flame, forming into the shape of an accursed Sharp pupil.


    Hey there Vog.


    Where once he¡¯d felt all consuming fear facing the eye of darkness, now James only felt a familiarity.


    Even as he felt the eye judge him, the feeling remained the same.


    However the golden words that burned into existence in front of his eyes were different this time.


    [Your planet¡¯s system integration has been completed]


    [You may now view your status]


    So the status function finally works. The moment he thought of the word status, James felt something click inside himself. Suddenly he was faced with something new that clogged his view of the road.


    [Designation: James Matthew Groves]


    [Age: 16,409]


    [Race: Para-


    Can¡¯t see. Don¡¯t care. I¡¯ll worry about it later. James said, mentally unclicking the new button that had just formed in his mind an banishing the long list of words to the wayside. He¡¯d swerved and almost driven into a guard rail when the veritable paragraph of information started blocking his vision.


    Don¡¯t have time to mess around with new things. Don¡¯t have time to worry about a button in my brain. Just got to drive.


    The Airbnb was ten minutes away. With a speed that was relatively safe, James could make it there before they passed past the point where his loop would reset.


    ¡°Do you see fucking see that man?¡± Jake mumbled, pointing his finger at the blooming flames in the sky. ¡°What the hell is that?¡±


    ¡°The sky is on fire.¡± James assessed, checking his rear-view mirror for Hugh as he sped down the mountain. They were following at about the same speed and Mindy looked almost more freaked out then Amy who was hugging Jess and crying.


    The small sobs weren¡¯t James¡¯ favourite sound but they were better then Amy getting freaked out. Freaking out wasn¡¯t going to help one bit. In fact, it would likely accomplish the opposite. As scared as Jake was, James could tell his friend was doing his best to keep a level head.


    Trying being the key word.


    ¡°This is some doomsday shit man.¡± Jake said, eyes stuck to the window. James would wager his friend hadn¡¯t even noticed that Amy was crying, which said more about the sheer magnitude of the sight then it did about Jake. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    ¡°Get to the Airbnb first.¡± James replied.


    Before I stop knowing what''s going to happen next.


    ¡°And what after that?¡± Jake asked further, in a whimsy voice. His best friend appeared to be borderline delirious.


    ¡°We try not to die.¡±


    ¡°And what after that- ow,ow.¡±


    James flicked his friend on the side of his cheek hard enough to get his attention and hopefully bring him back to reality. Disaster shock was a dangerous thing. When humans were faced with problems that were far too big for them to solve alone, sometimes their brains just couldn¡¯t compute that fact.


    Couldn¡¯t deal with the reality of helplessness. They would lock themselves in a cycle of wondering how to solve a problem they weren¡¯t equipped for and fail to see all the little problems they needed to solve instead.


    First of which for Jake was his crying girlfriend.


    The moment of sharp but light pain gave Jake enough clarity to notice how his questions weren¡¯t helping the situation better, and we''re only making Amy more scared. While his best friend attempted to clumsily but earnestly comfort her from his front seat, James took the opportunity to get a read on how his father was feeling.


    The answer.


    Pragmatism.


    ¡°Keep driving James. Whatever that is, we¡¯ve got to get away from it.¡± Hugh sputtered over the radio, and James could imagine his father¡¯s hands gripping the steering wheel so hard they were turning white.


    ¡°We should keep heading to the house. If we stop there, we¡¯ll at least have shelter and it¡¯ll give us time to figure out what happened to the sky.¡± James said, and there was a moment of silence of the crackling radio.


    ¡°Shelter¡¯s a good call.¡± Hugh replied with curtly, and James assumed that was his version of a yes.


    If I don¡¯t go faster, we¡¯re going to be five minutes off. James realised as he watched the timer tick down. Five minutes of time between when they got to the house and when James foresight ran out. It sounded like a small gap but it wasn¡¯t. That said, his speedo was already at one hundred and fifteen kilometers an hour.


    The looper still put his foot on the gas.


    The sights around started to fly by as he accelerated faster and faster, only slowing to make sure he didn¡¯t lose Hugh.


    Three minutes left of foresight and they were only seven from the house.


    Amy had stopped crying as some point, aided by Jessica who barely looked any better and Jake who was just worried about his girlfriend being okay even at the expense of himself.


    Two minutes left of foresight and they were only five from the house.


    Hugh was keeping up well. Enough so that James wasn¡¯t worried either of them was going to slip off the road.


    We¡¯re close. So close.


    One minute left of foresight and they only had three long roads to go down. Then they were done. The Airbnb was off the beaten path enough that there was no way anyone would be down there, especially with everything going on.


    We¡¯re past it. James realised belatedly as the final minute of his foresight ran dry. The world had ticked past the moment where the Loop had reset. It kept ticking past that point like the time wasn¡¯t any sort of milestone at all.


    Because it wasn¡¯t any sort of milestone. Not to anyone except the Looper. To everyone else it was just a cursed second in a moment of disaster. But to James, it was the moment his life finally, finally moved on.


    He got to exist in the moments after his prison. Moments James had feared he¡¯d never see.


    There was nothing special about them and it wasn¡¯t like he could stop to celebrate. Yet in James'' heart, he couldn¡¯t deny that a part of him treasured the moment.


    Right up until the system ruined it.


    It started with the radio. The thing crackled to life with sound in the way it normally did, but neither James nor Hugh were the source of it. An almost ghostly, haunting sound of static oozed out the thing.


    The echo of it spread through the car like a disease, latching onto Jake¡¯s phone first, and then Amy¡¯s and Jess¡¯. They all dropped them to the floor in alarm but that did nothing to silence the audible plague that assaulted their ears.


    ¡°Throw your phones out the window.¡± James directed Amy and Jess in the kindness voice he could muster, lowering the windows and doing the same with his own and Jakes.


    The blistering static noise kept blaring and ten seconds later Amy and Jess still hadn¡¯t gotten rid of their phones.


    ¡°Phones.¡± James warned. ¡°Now.¡±


    That got them to listen. Unfortunately his efforts to drive and remove the radio were not going well. The ghoulish sound of static was a hollow as it was violent, creeping into his bones the same way Archive¡¯s laughter had.


    It was deeply unsettling for him. He couldn¡¯t imagine how it made everyone else feel. When technically efficiency failed to destroy the source of disgusting static James resulted to brutality, smashing his fist repeatedly into it until the radio ceased.


    My methods of communicating with dad are gone. Which somehow didn¡¯t worry him. Because the looper sensed the noise blaring from the radio was far worse. He could hear it vaguely emanating all around them, but it resonated the most from electronics.


    What is that? He¡¯d never gotten this far before. James stuck his head out the window, trying to see if the noise had some origin point.


    ¡°Of course.¡± The looper scowled, gazing up at the giant eye of nothingness sitting in the azure sky. ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±


    The sound echoed from the eye in the sky, infecting anything with the ability to replay it. A virus. A disease that seeped its way into every inch of the world.


    But what for?


    James found only moments later. Overshadowing Amy¡¯s sobbing, Jess¡¯ fearful whispering and Jake¡¯s earnest attempts to try and calm everyone down, was a voice.


    A voice in the static.


    A terrible, grating voice that spoke in a tone that made one want to tear their own ears off.


    Much like Archive.


    James tried to focus on them, despite the horrible discomfort they instilled in him. Then he realised that new, golden words were burning themselves into existence with every terrible syllable the static spoke.


    That''s when James finally understood what was happening.


    The system was speaking.


    [Alert: To the denizens of earth old and young, your race has chosen ascendance of annihilation. Ascendance that comes at a price. One which will be inflicted upon you until you have proven worthy of your existence. You may not understand. You may be scared. You may wish for comfort. You may wish for understanding. You may wish for mercy]


    There was a pause.


    Jess could see it as well as James could and the looper had slowed his car in order to pay attention to the words he was seeing. They clogged up his vision same as the status and made it near impossible to drive.


    James tried to wrap his head around what it was saying.


    But then, the system made it very clear.


    [But our purpose is not mercy. It is not to help you understand. It is not your comfort. The system serves one holy purpose.]


    The system spoke in a different voice, one that sounded almost fanatical.


    [Your salvation]


    The system chose another voice, this one much more restrained then the last, but still dripping with fanaticism.


    [And with salvation, comes pain. Your first blessed Trial will begin after this holy communion. For those among you who have been blessed by He Who Came Before, an Invitation has been delivered. A glorious calling that you may answer with your wit and mettle. Zenith awaits, as will your kin]


    The system¡¯s voice changed again. Much more reserved this time, and far too close to Archive¡¯s cadence.


    [For those of you who have been blessed but remain without an Invitation, your Trial will be simpler. Conqueror. Defend. Annihilate. Restore. A boon has been gifted to you, and all that is expected will be that you use it. How you choose matters not]


    The system¡¯s voice changed once more. This time it was¡­ colder. The humanity that had been instilled in the others was gone.


    But there was something worse.


    Something deeper.


    The voice sounded like¡­ hate.


    It sounded like insanity.


    It sounded like¡­


    Me.


    [And for you poor, unblessed, unforged moulds of flesh without even a Spark to hold. Worry not, you too can obtain salvation. The cost, simple. When the Trial of Zenith has been fulfilled, so too will yours end, along with the uninvited Sparks. You will be blessed with simplicity. For your goal is simple. One step.]


    Then he heard himself laughing. The static laughing with his voice as it spoke its final decree.


    [Survive]


    [For that is all you without the power to create a Source your own can hope for. Do your best, prove yourself worthy. Because when the dust settles, half of you will be gone]


    The radio went deathly silent with that last final decree. The world exploded into light. The light was so bright it was like being born. Like he¡¯d been living in a dark world his entire life and then stepped into the sun.


    Amy was screaming.


    Jess was screaming.


    Hell, James was pretty sure Jake was screaming.


    Then it was gone. Not just the light. The eye in the sky, the azure streak, the whole curtain of flame had just disappeared. What perhaps was even more amazing was the fact that James had managed not crash after being flash banged by the system.


    Hugh hadn¡¯t crashed either, although the man looked incredibly shook by whatever had just happened.


    Well that was new. And still not the strangest thing that had ever happened to him. James found himself almost alarmingly unbothered by the turn of events. The looper was more concerned about what the system had just said than any of the strange occurrences around it.


    Particularly the parts about salvation and survival.


    ¡°Was that¡­¡± Amy started, croaking out her words. ¡°...Just a weird dream?¡±


    The sky being on fire was pretty out there for a weird dream, but James had a good grasp on the five stages of grief. Denial was pretty easy to fall into when things were looking as bleak as they were.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Jake started to say something, gazing at the not burning sky, but the words died in his mouth.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there guys.¡± James said, patting Jake on the shoulder. ¡°Let''s just try to focus on-¡±


    ¡°James.¡± Jake said, interrupting him. His hand gripped around the looper''s extending arm, holding for dear life as his other hand pointed out the windshield to the sky above. ¡°Do you see that?¡±


    The looper blinked and focused on the sky for a moment, expecting to see another streak of azure. Maybe the sky wasn¡¯t done with being on fire?


    That wasn¡¯t what he saw.


    Instead he gazed at a perfectly normally starry night. Only, there weren¡¯t any stars. They¡¯d been stripped out of the sky by the azure flames. James had known that, but when he¡¯d seen the shining balls of light, he¡¯d assumed those stars had returned.


    On closer expectation.


    ¡°Are they getting bigger for you too?¡± James asked, feeling a small chill down his spine.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jake nodded, shaking. ¡°They are.¡±


    The blots in the sky were getting bigger and bigger by the second. Tiny little balls of iridescent light that were getting closer to the ground every moment. Quite a few, heading straight towards them.


    Half of you. The system said half will be gone.


    And James could see now that it wasn¡¯t relying on infighting alone to do it. As the balls of light got closer and closer, turning into burning meteors hurtling straight towards them, James'' felt words leave his lips that expressed his true feelings. The rawest version of them.


    ¡°Oh for fu-¡±


    An explosion of sound cut his words short, causing James to slam his breaks as hard as he could.

 Chapter 19: Falling Fate

    James slammed the breaks. Hard.


    Hard enough that the screeching would¡¯ve been horrendous had the system''s voice not been that much worse.


    As split second reactions went, slamming the brakes wasn¡¯t the smartest option. James had to meticulously counter steer where he thought the road was just not run into a ditch. Unfortunately for him, he couldn¡¯t actually see the road because another booming light had followed the sound not moments later.


    His hands spun on the wheel as fast as he could, course correcting to counteract the sudden forceful stop. Thankfully, among James many skills was a proficiency for dangerous driving. The booming sound of noise was distracting but James held his attention to the car, unwilling to let this sudden change in event ruin any of his hard work.


    He managed it, barely.


    The Landcruiser ended up diagonal on the road with a trail of burnt tire rubber behind it. James did his preliminary check to make sure his passengers weren¡¯t to beat up from the rough stop, then blinked to try and adjust to the light and see what the hell had made such a racket.


    With his ears ringing James'' eyes finally started to separate colour from shape and he got a good look at what had happened.


    I sorely regret every time I said this day couldn¡¯t get any worse.


    Ahead of them, strewn in the middle of the road and about as big as a small house, was a rock. A flaming, molten hot rock from space. The impact was so great that the thing had thrown the car ahead of them onto its side, crumpling part of the door. The trees and nature around it had all caught fire from the sheer heat of acceleration and friction and the asphalt around it looked to be melting.


    The meteor itself looked¡­ strange. Strange was the word for it. Almost obsidian with it¡¯s glassy appearance, except corrupted with a hint of murky green that seemed to infest it. It also looked close to the point of cracking.


    Even from almost a hundred meters way, the waves of heat coming off the thing were crushing. James could already feel sweat start to drip down his face. The spiderwebs cracks it had sent running up the road made James hesitant to even try to turn around.


    I¡¯m going to have to reverse.


    His ears were clearing off the ringing now. Just enough to hear Jake¡¯s frantic shouting as a soft echo, along with the sound of more explosions. Except none were as close. If he looked up, the looper could still see more meteors falling down to earth. There were veritable waves of them.


    Focus on the small problems first.


    Thinking about the mass warning the system had given out, along with a declaration that a half of them were going to die was not on the list of things that would help. Reversing was.


    James ignored his more frantic passengers and swung a look back checking for Hugh-


    He felt a chill go down his spine.


    No.


    He blinked to make sure he wasn¡¯t seeing things, and he was sure he wasn¡¯t. Hugh''s car was behind him. But it wasn¡¯t nearly as close as it had been. It was off the road and stuck halfway down the ditch besides it, bogged. The front of the car seemed to have suffered from impact, as the front and headlights were crumpled inwards.


    The air bags had blown so it was impossible to see how the people inside the car were looking.


    He must¡¯ve done the same. Hugh must¡¯ve been able to see his car breaking and tried to copy the manoeuvre. He just wasn¡¯t nearly as skilled a driver as James and had been unable to fully keep the car on the road.


    James for a moment, felt disembodied. His entire existence almost felt like it wasn¡¯t there as his brain ran through all the worst scenarios. There was a chance Mindy was dead. That wasn¡¯t the worst. There was a chance Hugh was dead. The looper¡­ didn¡¯t want that. Then there was a chance his little brother was dead.


    That¡­


    James felt his mind refocus. Clearly. Sharp like a razor. His placid accommodating smile was gone. He didn¡¯t have time to placate.


    ¡°Jake.¡± James in a voice that was low and forceful, cutting through his ramblings.


    His calm seemed to quiet the raging storm in Jake¡¯s head for a moment.


    ¡°Yeah Jazz?¡± Jake responded, under heavy breaths, trying to collect himself.


    He looked shaken. More so than James had ever seen. But out of everyone in the car, he was the only one that James trusted implicitly.


    ¡°Hugh crashed. I¡¯m going to go try and pull everyone out of the car.¡± James said, slamming the keys to the Landcruiser into his hands. ¡°I need you to turn the car around and start winching the car out.¡±


    He paused, giving his best friend time to breathe. James didn¡¯t enjoy forcing this responsibility on Jake. But he couldn¡¯t do two things at once.


    ¡°Jake, can you do it?¡± James asked, voice turning colder as he pressed for an answer.


    ¡°I can, I can.¡± Jake answered, grabbing the keys and shaking his head as if to shake off the fear for a moment.


    Then there was another sound.


    ¡°Help! Someone help!¡± A male voice shouted from across the road.


    James'' head snapped towards the sound of the voice, quickly feeling relief at the fact that it was coming from ahead of them not behind.


    There was a man who had crawled out of the flipped car not far from the meteor, shouting and waving at them as he amidst attempts to try and pry open the back door. He looked injured, with wounds big and small stretching across his entire body. He was clearly trying to pull someone out of the car, and clearly succumbing to the heat radiating from the obsidian meteor.


    He looked half dead and yet moved with vigour, trying desperately to get the car open. There was a softer voice echoing inside the car.


    It sounded like a woman.


    But James didn¡¯t care. About him, or the woman, or whoever else was in their car.


    What he cared about was the cracks on the obsidian meteor. Because they had gotten bigger. They were getting bigger.


    The system said there would be a Trial for normal people. The meteors had something to do with it and a part of James had a gnawing dread that it didn¡¯t stop at just falling from the sky.


    ¡°New plan.¡± James said, abruptly snapping Jake out of his stare. He had a look that was akin to pity, gazing at the man desperately trying to pull someone out of the crashed car.


    Pity wasn¡¯t something they could afford right now.


    The looper snatched the key back out of Jake¡¯s hands and pocketed them, then he opened the glove box and pried the false bottom off. There was a Beretta 92 in there which he snatched and then forced into Jake¡¯s hands.


    ¡°This is a-¡±


    ¡°Gun, yep. I have those. A lot.¡± James said, cutting off Jake¡¯s shock. ¡°You see that man over there?¡±


    He pointed at the wreckage ahead of them.


    ¡°Do you want me to¡­¡± Jake paused squirting to inspect the car. ¡°Try and shoot of the hinges or the locks or something? To help him?¡±


    James shook his head, almost solemnly. Jake was a good person. Even among the increasingly stressful circumstance and terrifying turn of events he still wanted to help. Still extend a hand to a stranger that was in dire circumstance. The same hand he¡¯d extended to James in the Loop. That might¡¯ve been Jake¡¯s best quality.


    But it wasn¡¯t the one that would serve him best. Not here. Not now.


    ¡°No.¡± James said, softly. Then continued with his much more direct, firm voice. ¡°I don¡¯t trust someone in that desperate of a situation. If he comes near the car, or you, or anyone. Shoot him. In the leg if you have to, just don¡¯t let him close.¡±


    ¡°James, you''re asking me to shoot someone?¡± Jake said, almost incredulously.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m asking you to shoot him if he tries to steal the car.¡± James said, kicking open his door. He snatched the glock out from under his wheel and fastened to the holster on his leg.


    He won¡¯t shoot him. James knew this. Jake was a social butterfly that was just maybe a little bit egotistical. There was no way in hell he¡¯d shoot a person without a good reason. But having the gun will keep the man away from the car.


    Unless Jake went to help him, which James sorely hoped he would not. Jess would¡¯ve been the better option to give the gun, being as paranoid as she was, but James didn¡¯t trust her. And she was also basically tied to Amy at this point who was having a complete mental breakdown.


    Which was understandable.


    The reparations contract must¡¯ve kicked in by now. James thought, banishing every other worry that wasn¡¯t making sure his family was okay.


    Their safety was part of the reparations contract James had paid for with his sixteen thousand years of suffering. While he didn¡¯t trust it, and hadn¡¯t planned on relying on it at all, James still wanted that safety net to be there. With the system fully kicked into force, there was no reason it shouldn¡¯t be.


    Unless Archive lied.


    [2:53:13]


    There was no point in worrying about it. James just had to find out. With that in mind, he grabbed his tool bag from the back of the Landcruiser and headed towards Hugh.


    The looper sprinted away from his car until he got close to Hugh¡¯s. It was about seventy or so meters behind the Landcruiser. The road had a semi steep drop off down into bush and trees, which luckily the car hadn¡¯t hit. Instead it seemed to have run off and clipped the side of the guard rail instead of smashing head first into it.


    A lucky break. Likely the work of his father¡¯s quick thinking.


    James slid down the side of the road hastily. Things didn¡¯t look good, but he could see moving in the Hilux from the side windows. The looper tried the back door first, worrying for Michael above all. It was locked. He peered deeper into the window and saw Michael lying against the seat, with the seat belt wrapped around the upper half of his body.


    There was also something stranger wrapped around his brother''s side. It was a wreath of golden energy that snaked around the side of his body facing where the airbag had blown, along with another wreath of energy sitting on the back of his neck.


    Is that what safety means? Presumably, considering the placement of the energy, it was some type of casing that had shielded him from the impact. That said, Michael still seemed worse for wear and was barely moving.


    ¡°Michael!¡± James shouted, banging around the mirror. His attempt at getting his brother to move only stirred the teenager a little. He gripped his stomach as if he felt like he was going to be sick.


    ¡°Michael, open the door!¡± The looper shouted again, trying to get his brother to move.


    It didn¡¯t work. He didn¡¯t have time for this. James didn¡¯t have to think twice. He grabbed the heaviest hammer he had in his tool bag, flipped it claw side and smashed it into the window so he could unlock the door.


    James ripped it open and dragged Michael out. He was breathing and he was mumbling. Is he concussed? James didn¡¯t think so. He seemed more dazed by the alarming amount of light and sound. The looper was almost worried he might be having a seizure but once he was on the grass next to the truck, he seemed to settle.


    ¡°You alright Mike?¡± James asked as an aside as he checked on Hugh¡¯s window.


    ¡°Um, I think. Was the last ten minutes real?¡± Michaels asked, rubbing his face. ¡°Because that- Dad! Where''s dad!?¡±


    Michael seemed to recall the last few seconds before he¡¯d been caught in a daze of light and sound, and tried to stumble his way up to the driver''s side door. After a few goes, he realised his balance was not nearly as the walking level yet and left James to his job.


    Hugh¡¯s situation at first glance did not look good. But it felt deceptive. He didn¡¯t seem to have any wounds on his at all, nor bruises for that matter. But that didn¡¯t change how jarring it was for the looper to see his fathers face pressed between a headrest and an airbag that was now deflated.


    James could see Mindy too. She looked worse. A lot worse. The looper still pulled his father out of the truck first. With one swing he managed to break the glass and grabbed at the console till he found the button to unlock all the doors.


    I¡¯ve got to get to Mindy. James thought even as he struggled to lug his father out. Despite suffering no wounds the same as Michael, the man seemed equally dazed. The same golden energy wreathed around him too.


    Does it put them to sleep? The looper had no idea what the wreath of golden energy actually was, but he knew it originated from the reparations contract.


    James set Hugh down next to Michael on the grass, struggling to not drop the man and the hefty weight he sported.


    ¡°Give him a rundown of what happened.¡± James directed, moving towards Mindy¡¯s side. He already could sense he would need to administer some first aid.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what happened?¡± Michael complained, nursing his headache.


    Ah, he can¡¯t see the meteor. The ditch was low enough down that it was hard to spot the edge of the obsidian space stone.


    ¡°A meteor crashed on the road ahead of us.¡± James explained.


    Michael clearly wanted to ask more questions but the looper ignored his brother in favour of his father¡¯s wounded girlfriend.  James moved to her side of the door and pulled it open, careful to not let the woman fall face first out.


    The Mindy James was used to seeing was a well kept woman. Blonde hair dyed by a very the only hairdresser she ever trusted every three months with sharp features and a pair of hazel eyes to match. She was a tidy woman, with a propensity for organization that worked well with Hugh¡¯s neat freak streak.


    That wasn¡¯t what she looked like anymore.


    James lifted her out of the car slowly, the muscles in his back tensing from the previous strain of moving Hugh around. His body was not used to the sheer amount of work it¡¯d been put under. Lucky I worked in construction. Or he might have already been out of commission.


    Her arms were the more grievous part of her injuries. They¡¯d been spared the sheer impact of a crashing car, but that pain had been swapped for deep lacerations. The smell of iron and rust drifted off her so much that James almost scrunched his nose. It was a smell he was very familiar with and it was still awful;.


    The rest of her seemed relatively spared. Her shoulder was bruised and her lip was bleeding as well. She might be concussed. That was also a problem, but her pulse was fine and all her other injuries were superficial.


    My first aid kit had bandages, gauze, scissors, wipes and an instant cold pack. He could patch her up to his best ability with that. It might cost her the sleeves of her sleek coat, but James was sure she wouldn¡¯t care.


    He didn¡¯t.


    James got to work all while Mindy was out cold, with her head up against his emergency blanket as a headrest.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    At some point Hugh stumbled next to them, struggling to walk as he held onto the hood of the car. The looper could tell Hugh insisted he administer first aid had he been any steadier on his feet. As it was, he just watched over James like a hawk and occasionally jabbed at how he did things.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be okay, right?¡± Hugh asked, unsteadily. James wasn¡¯t used to that type of shakiness in the normally concrete composure Hugh held.


    ¡°As long as we don¡¯t move her around too much.¡± James confirmed. And as long as we don¡¯t get hit by another meteor.


    ¡°That''s good mate. That''s good.¡± Hugh said, watching James wrap gauze around her arms tight enough to put pressure. ¡°How¡¯d you manage to stay on the road?¡±


    ¡°Experience.¡± James said dismissively.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have a car till this morning.¡± Hugh reminded him, a little steadiness returning to his gruff voice.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± James agreed. ¡°After I¡¯m done with this I¡¯ll pull the Landcruiser around and tow you out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good idea.¡± Hugh agreed. ¡°My wheel alignments going to be completely fucked.¡±


    And that¡¯s literally the least of our problems dad. James found it almost comical how his dad ignored the events that had preceded the crash so casually. Then, he realised his father was too dazed to properly process what the hell was going on. Of course he was. How else would someone be worrying about their wheel alignment when the sky had been on fire only ten minutes ago.


    James was almost finished with bandaging Mindy¡¯s arm when he heard it.


    A gunshot.


    Then something crack.


    It started as one, small crack emanating from the direction of the meteor. Then it slowly continued, crack after crack, like a stream until eventually it just sounded like glass shattering. There was shouting that accompanied it. Someone was screaming, and another voice was shouting.


    The voice that was shouting sounded like-


    ¡°Is that Jake?¡± Hugh asked, his face marred with worry as he gazed towards where the Landcruiser was.


    ¡°You think you can handle the rest?¡± James asked, standing. He could hear the shouts from where he stood. They were soft but the looper could make out fear in Jake¡¯s voice. The worry that he¡¯d had for Hugh and Michael was gone.


    Mindy was going to be fine.


    He tried to pinpoint the emotion that coursed through him at the sound of Jake¡¯s fearful shouting. Frustration. He wasn¡¯t capable of doing everything at once and it was becoming more painfully obvious with every second.


    ¡°Yeah I can handle the rest mate but-¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± James said, cutting him short and stuffing the half empty first aid kit in his hands.


    The looper stalked back up to the road and towards his car. He knew even the bravest person should feel some panic walking towards their screaming and the shouts of their best friend. James felt none.


    He had witnessed the safety of the reparations contract and it seemed adequately able to handle a car crash so Jake¡¯s physical health would be okay. As for worrying about himself?


    That was laughable at best.


    James sprinted past the Landcruiser to where Jake was standing. There were a lot of situations the looper had foreseen. The man could¡¯ve threatened Jake, in a manic state. He could have been begging, screaming for help. He could very well have tried to disarm Jake and take his gun.


    That wasn¡¯t the case.


    Jake was standing there, by himself, shouting out towards the man. The closer James got, the more clear those shouts became.


    ¡°Get away! You need to move!¡± Jake shouted, waving his hands to try and get the man¡¯s attention.


    When James had left, the meteor had been a solid black obsidian rock with cracks running down it, molten on the bottom and burning the trees that hung over the road. An odd scene sure, but not nearly as disturbing as what he saw when he got past the Landcruiser.


    The meteor had cracked open. A thin line down the middle, splitting into countless fractures across the thing and spewing something akin to a liquid onto the road. The burning had stopped. The dark green liquid that oozed out of the meteor like puss had stolen all the flame and was slowly consuming the road.


    Not covering the road.


    Consuming it.


    There was a low hum of sizzling in the air that had been drowned out by Jake¡¯s shouts until James had gotten as close as he had. Whatever the liquid was, it was clearly acidic in nature and almost ravenous in function as it consumed everything around the meteor. Where there had been bushland and trees there was now just sizzling dripping masses of biomatter.


    The strangest thing about the liquid though, was the fact that it looked like glass. It had reflecting broken edges all over it as it slowly but surely consumed everything around it.


    Which was exactly the reason Jake was shouting. Because the owner of the flipped vehicle hadn¡¯t gotten the memo. He was still standing over the car, trying desperately to pull the door open and failing.


    The only change to that front was the screaming coming from inside the flipped car.


    ¡°Hugh and the crew are all okay.¡± James said, rounding on Jake. He patted Jake on the back slowly, careful not to do it too hard because it looked like his best friend would fall over at the slightest touch. ¡°You did good by keeping the car safe.¡±


    The man turned to face him slowly. James had thought he¡¯d done the right thing. He¡¯d gave Jake what was factually the correct course of action. He¡¯d thought that the situation wouldn¡¯t devolve too far as long as Jake had a gun in his hand. They were good for convincing people not to do dumb things.


    Was I thinking about it from my point of view? James wondered. Or did I just not expect it to change so drastically.


    Because Jake looked haunted. His eyes seemed as if they pulled back an inch and been swallowed by the shadows under them. The Berreta 92 was on the ground next to Jake, and his left arm was shaking. It hadn¡¯t stopped shaking since James had arrived.


    ¡°We should help him.¡± Jake said, so shallow it was almost a whisper. ¡°He won¡¯t get the door open by himself.¡±


    If they didn¡¯t help him, James could very easily see the conclusion. That man would not stop trying to help whoever was screaming inside. The looper couldn''t fault him for it. The acid was close to him now, maybe another thirty seconds and it swallowed the car and the man together.


    Could we get them out in thirty seconds. James could.


    ¡°Why did you shoot the gun?¡± The looper asked, cutting to the heart of his curiosity.


    ¡°He started walking towards the car. First it was begging, then he was screaming at me to come help.¡± Jake kept talking, but started stuttering the words out. ¡°He said his name was Darrel, and that he was a person too. That I should help. But then he started threatening me and running towards the car and the girls and I just-¡±


    He didn¡¯t finish, but his gaze drifted to the Beretta 92 on the ground. James got the picture.


    Darrel, the man in the button up desperately trying to save whoever was inside the flipped car, had been too agitated and distressed to realise he shouldn¡¯t run towards the young man with a gun. Jake had been doing his best to pacify the situation but the stress and panic of it all just got to him too much.


    Darrel¡¯s gambit had been the final nail in the coffin for Jake¡¯s shaky peace of mind. He¡¯d pulled the trigger, whether by accident or on purpose and put a hole through the meteor. Which had cracked it open.


    The haunted expression made more than enough sense now. But James couldn¡¯t take back what he¡¯d done. This was his fault. He knew that. A split second decision had caused Jake to do something he couldn¡¯t take back.


    This is what the world is going to be. Isn¡¯t it?


    A world James was more than ready for. But not a world the people he cared about were ready for.


    ¡°You did good.¡± James said, trying to comfort his best friend. He put a hand on his shoulder, trying to not add to the weight that Jake was carrying. ¡°I bet Amy could use a hug or two right about now.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± He asked despondently, staring at Darrel across as the acid was inches away from consuming him and the car. The screaming was so loud. It would get louder. James knew that.


    ¡°Absolutely.¡± James said, wrapping his hand around Jake¡¯s shoulder and ushering him towards the Landcruiser. ¡°Jess can swap with you for the front seat, you two can bundle up the whole way to the house.¡±


    ¡°James.¡± Jake said in a lifeless voice. ¡°Did I¡­ kill those two people?¡±


    His best friend¡¯s eyes looked almost hollow. This had shaken him. So much more than James would¡¯ve ever estimated. Because Jake was a caring person. He cared about how his actions affect others, even strangers. Something that felt almost foreign to James.


    The looper knew his next words could hurt Jake more than he ever wanted to.


    So he told him the truth. Or more accurately, something he would make the truth.


    ¡°No man.¡± James said with as much kindness as he could muster. ¡°You just made a call. That¡¯s all it was.¡±


    Jake didn¡¯t talk after that. He just slowly got into the back seat, shuffling beside Jess who jumped out to make room. Amy had calmed significantly and was enough of an empath to notice that she was no longer the most scared. She took Jake into her arms in a way that warmed James'' cold heart just a little.


    Amy was a good person. That''s what James decided at that moment. Not as good as Jake. But close enough that she deserved to live a full life with him.


    Once James was sure Jake was in the car and secured, he stalked back towards the hood to get another good look at Darrel.


    Things did not look good. The green glass acid had crawled on top of the car and was eating it away slowly. Darrel had stopped shouting. He¡¯d stopped moving too. He was just curled up by the side of the car, a large cyst of the green acid snaking up his leg.


    The screaming from the car had ceased as well.


    All the sound had been swallowed by that terrible sizzle of flesh being devoured by acid. Biomatter being¡­ turned into glass?


    It¡¯s not burning it. The swamping goo that had been covering everything around it had expanded enough that James could spot the shimmering surface it left behind. Glassy structures that looked terribly malformed had been left behind.


    So the meteors turn things into glass? And that was the system¡¯s weapon against humanity? Glass goo? Sure it moved fast and seemed to be scolding hot, but surely that wasn¡¯t enough? Surely there had to be more.


    Why does everything you do have to be so confusing? James thought, mentally cursing out the system.


    [2:48:34]


    And then there¡¯s this stupid timer. Whatever. James didn¡¯t have time for any of the system¡¯s crap exactly because of the system¡¯s crap.


    With that in mind, he upholstered his Glock and steadied his aim Darrel who was now almost completely devoured by the green glass goo. James had meant it when he said Jake hadn¡¯t killed Darrel and whoever was in the car.


    Because the looper was going to.


    One life for his best friend¡¯s guiltless conscience was a trade James would happily make any day. Besides, they were already going to die. The looper was just granting them sweet release.


    ¡°I think they¡¯re already dead.¡± Jess said, leaning against the hood of the Landcruiser. She tried to sound confident in her words, like letting two people die didn¡¯t so much as phase her. But she carried the same shaky voice Jake had, she just masked it better.


    ¡°Jake doesn¡¯t know that.¡± James said with a shrug, keeping his pistol aimed.


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t want you to sell your soul for him. You said things were going to go south and they have.¡± Jess warned. She was leaning like she might try and snatch the gun away. ¡°But don¡¯t be so hasty to go over the deep end. People shouldn¡¯t just turn against each other.¡±


    But they do. They always do. James thought, finding Jess¡¯s view of the world surprisingly optimistic for what he knew of her. Maybe the situation was just that horrid that it made a pessimist hopeful again.


    Whatever the case, James kept his gun aimed and ready to-


    Jess put her hand on his gun. Slow enough that he didn¡¯t instinctually pistol whip her but fast enough that he didn¡¯t pull away. There was no strength behind the hold. It felt more like she was trying to guide the barrel away from Darrel who was almost certainly in agonizing pain anyway.


    ¡°I know you think you¡¯re a bad person James.¡± Jess said, and he saw her eyes again. They locked with his the same way they had earlier that day. Granite against sapphire. ¡°But how far can you go before you break?¡±


    Oh. So that was what it was. Precious little Jessica was worried about her protector losing his grit. She thought killing someone would, what? Scare him? Make him recoil and turn into someone who couldn''t keep her safe. The scratching against his mind grew louder. It always did when he was around Jessica.


    Sweet little Jessica who thought she could see through him. Without any clue of who he was at all.


    ¡°You know.¡± James started, almost laughing as he did. ¡°I was under the distinct impression that your Source let you see exactly who I was.¡±


    Jess took a step back, taking her hand off the gun. She tried to pry her eyes away from James but he didn¡¯t let her. He could feel it now. The way he felt the road untread everytime he thought about his Skills. She was doing something to him. Connecting to who he was somehow through his eyes.


    What did she?


    Could she see the scratching against his mind. See the constant scrapping of his sanity.


    ¡°I don''t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Jess stuttered out.


    Could she see it now? She seemed scared.


    ¡°Oh you know exactly what I¡¯m talking about.¡± James said, smiling at the sheer intensity of his assurance. ¡°So which is it Jess? Do you see me the same way you foresaw the system integration? Or have you just made broad assumptions? Because I hate to break it to you but¡­¡±


    He paused, letting the ferocity of what he was saying sink in. Jess held her ground, but she seemed a lot more unsure of exactly what she saw in his eyes.


    ¡°...I¡¯ve done worse. I will do worse. Some of it I might disdain. Some I might enjoy. And none of it will stop me from doing more of what I need to so you¡¯re all safe.¡±


    James let those words sink. He let them fester between the two of them. He didn¡¯t feel like hiding who he was from Jess if she was going to poke at the core of his being so much. That was what her stares felt like. Poking into the depths of his soul. Looking through him for something she needed.


    He wanted to put a pin in this now, before she kept bugging that part of his brain that sent him over the edge.


    Jessica wasn¡¯t in a position to leave anymore. She was well and truly on the ship now. There was no getting off anymore.


    So there was no reason for him to pretend. Not to her. Not if she was going to insist on protecting him from himself when she didn¡¯t know who he was.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see who you are.¡± Jess spoke, softly. Although she didn¡¯t sound cowed. ¡°I can¡¯t see what you¡¯ve done. I can¡¯t see what you''re willing to do. That¡¯s not what my Source does.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you see?¡±


    ¡°Colour.¡± Jess admitted. ¡°I see the colour of your soul.¡±


    Soul¡¯s have colours? James didn¡¯t have a chance to a chance to press the subject. The moment he thought that, a loud, cracking resounded from the direction of the meteor. James turned, expecting to see the meteor completely fallen apart.


    That wasn¡¯t the case.


    The meteor hadn¡¯t changed at all. And it wasn¡¯t the source of the cracking sound. Instead, the sound originated from Darrel, covered head to toe in green acid. The substance was slowly slipping off him, revealing a twisted human corpse that had been altered into a glassy reflection of itself.


    His skin had turned obsidian black, with small streaks of white glass in between that were slowly being infected with the corrupted green of the acid. The worst part was his body. Because it was twitching. Everytime it did, a horrendous cracking sound like claws against a chalkboard resounded.


    The sound was much more violent with every movement.


    But what remained the most concerning, was the thing now floating above Darrel¡¯s head.


    [Splintered]


    [Tier 0]


    ¡°I¡¯m not just¡­ seeing that am I?¡± Jess asked, and fear had returned to her voice. James could hear her footfalls slowly etching back to the car, but he didn¡¯t dare take his eyes off whatever Darrel had become.


    ¡°You should get back in the car.¡± James suggested, in a lot more amenable tone.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Jess said with a nod, running back to the passenger seat.


    So what am I looking at? James wondered, staring at the twitching body of Darrel. He wondered if he should shoot the man. It took about a second to decide. Darrel was already twitching after what must¡¯ve been certain death. The looper could follow the chain of progression. If he was twitching then he could move.


    If he could move then that glass abomination might be able to stand.


    And if it could stand and move.


    Nope. James concluded. He levelled his gun at Darrel, careful to keep it steady and unloaded. Three bullets straight to the head. The gunshots echoed sound against and caused his ears to ring. Numbing vibration ran through his hand.


    Darrel stopped moving for a moment. Just a moment. And then, his limbs started flailing, trying to push themselves up. He seemed clumsy at first but it was clear he would be moving in no time.


    Glass zombies. Great! The half of humanity warning was starting to make a lot more sense now.


    That said, James didn¡¯t come unprepared. The bullets had done damage to Darrel¡¯s glass head, that much was clear from the cracked dints. They just hadn¡¯t done enough. Which meant one thing. He needed a bigger gun.


    James wasted no time running back to his car and punching open the large jet black toolbox. Inside was a load of assorted weapons and ammo to accommodate them. As much as he was tempted, James left the fifty calibre Barrett in favour of the Benelli M4. Semi auto italian shotgun. Mean piece of work.


    Hoping I don¡¯t have to come back for Barrett.


    When he got back to the front of the car Darrel had learned to crawl. Fast. He was skidding towards James at a terrifying rate. The looper held his aim, holding the shotgun stock against his shoulder and keeping his finger light on the trigger.


    James waited.


    Thirty metres.


    Twenty metres.


    Ten metres.


    The glassy Darrel howled in a reflective screech and pounced towards James, getting just close enough to see down the edge of his barrel before James pumped him full of buckshot. Darrel was sent flying back with a sickening crack.


    Then he landed on his limbs, screeching in the reflective tone and pounced again.


    James shot him a second time, careful and efficient with his aim. This time, Darrel slowed just a bad as his glassy head started cracking all over. But instinct won over logic in whatever he had become.


    The looper shot him one third and final time, feeling the kick of cold recoil as Darrel¡¯s head exploded into shards of black obsidian.


    [Congratulations! You have defeated a Splintered]


    [Due to the nature of your Spark, all experience will be funnelled towards Source and Skill progression]


    Darrel¡¯s glass corpse rolled on the ground, splintered into thousands of pieces after whatever gave it purpose had been sundered. James had killed Darrel. He was responsible for the man¡¯s death.


    He felt nothing.


    No eb of guilt. No empathetic suffering.


    In life, Darrel had meant nothing to James. In death, that hadn¡¯t changed.


    The green grass goo was still slowly etching towards James and Hugh was probably wondering where he was.


    I¡¯ll have time to lament my soul later. James concluded.


    Right now, he had shit to do.

 Chapter 20: Timer

    The Landcruiser was silent. Devoid of chatter. Devoid of excitement.


    Devoid of any goodness it had held only an hour ago.


    James had managed to tow Hugh out of the ditch with relative ease and they¡¯d gotten off the road before the glassy green goo had done to them, whatever it did to Darrel.


    But the whole event had altered the atmosphere of the car irreparably. Hugh had insisted they drive slower to reduce the burden on Mindy and James was inclined to agree, mainly because the only straight route to his safe house had a meteor on it.


    There was more than just one of those meteors. They hadn¡¯t run into anymore directly but James could see them scattered from time to time. More were falling as well, little wisps of light streaking across the sky as they crashed down to earth. James could only hope his preplanned safe house hadn¡¯t been struck by one.


    Or had a meteor near it.


    Whatever the hell the green acid goo was, James wanted absolutely zero to do with it. The memory of what Darrel had become was ever-present in the back of his mind.


    Are those dropping all over the world? Considering what he knew about the system, that was more than likely. Which meant whatever was happening to Darrel was happening to a lot of other people.


    The panic people must¡¯ve been going through.


    Speaking of panic, most of it had left Amy. Her usual rambunctiousness was gone though. Replaced by a quiet fear mixed with a heart full of care for the only one who was worse off than her.


    Jake. The young man hadn¡¯t uttered a word since James had ushered him into the car. Not to Amy. Not to the looper. Not even to himself. He had just huddled into Amy, seeking some kind of want as his mind racked through the grief and guilt of his own decisions. He was distraught. But until he thought of something better, kind words were the only thing James could offer Jake.


    So the Landcruiser remained silent besides the rumble of the engine. The ride became a lot more bumpy as James rerouted to the most remote roads he could think to use, trying his best to avoid any people. Seeing them would do no good for anyone in the car¡¯s mental stability. Especially if they were behaving the way the looper expected people to in an apocalyptic environment.


    No people. No strangers.


    A good rule to live by if James didn¡¯t want to complicate his life further. There was already one massive rift in his plans, he didn¡¯t need another.


    [2:32:45]


    Two hours and thirty minutes till Zenith¡¯s Calling began. Two hours and thirty minutes until James had to deal with another curve ball, besides the meteors that turned people into Splintered.


    Whatever a Splintered was.


    Glass zombies feel too simplistic. Then again, simple was effective.


    They were still close to the house. Only a couple more minutes of driving through paddocks and sideroads till James could start setting up their temporary residence. He was already beginning to regret not bringing more defensive equipment.


    I¡¯m going to need to make pitfalls. So many pitfalls. What would stop a glass zombie better than a hole three metres deep? Bullets, but James had a limited supply of those.


    ¡°Hey, James,¡± Jessica asked, in a light voice. Her words were soft enough that Jake and Amy likely couldn¡¯t hear them over the sound of the Landcruiser¡¯s engine.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied, keeping his eye on their destination, close enough now that he could see the bricked chimney.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± She queried.


    James felt a little surprised by the question, giving her a side glance just to make sure she was talking to him instead of Jake.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Why wouldn¡¯t I be.¡±


    ¡°Because you-¡± She paused, stealing a glimpse at Jake who was lost in Amy¡¯s warmth to hear her. ¡°-you killed someone, James. I thought you might be a little hung up about it.¡±


    ¡°Do I look hung up about it?¡± The looper asked.


    ¡°No.¡± She grumbled. ¡°Not in the slightest.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m fine,¡± James concluded.


    ¡°How does it not bother you?¡± Jessica asked. The question felt like an accusation, only there was no judgment in it. His apathy towards his actions confused her, due to her own conclusions about his character or just her Source.


    Why did it not bother him?


    ¡°I¡¯ve done worse,¡± James said with a shrug. ¡°Besides, he chose to die trying to rescue his loved one. That''s a good thing. Bittersweet but good.¡±


    He could understand her confusion somewhat. His reaction to murder stood in direct contrast to Jake¡¯s. One of them was caught in a trap of negative emotions and the other stood apathetic to what he had done. The looper must¡¯ve looked monstrous to Jess. He was sure of it.


    Jess didn¡¯t seem to find his answer satisfactory and she opened her mouth to say something but before she could get the words out, the radio started crackling to life again. In the drowsy static way it had before.


    Another system announcement. The last one was so cheerful, who wouldn¡¯t be excited for another?


    Yet the all-consuming, ear-piercing noise never came. Even as the radio started crackling with static there were no alien tones to it. There was just a beeping. A low, constant beeping like that of an¡­


    Emergency alarm.


    The kind that would overtake the world in a global disaster. Which was exactly what was happening at that very moment. As they closed in on the house the emergency alarm whispered in the car. Then it went silent for a moment, only to be replaced by a voice speaking through layers of radio fuzz and static.


    The voice was a woman, although not one that James recognised. Her tone was formal and her cadence professional as she addressed them and the rest of the world. The looper assumed that this same message would be on every tv as well, along with being streamed live for the world to hear.


    ¡°Hello. My name is Alina Lume Harris, acting director of the communications division for the C.S.O. I¡¯m aware you¡¯ve likely never heard of us, but please, listen to what I¡¯m about to say. All of your governments and leaders will want you to know.¡±


    She paused, clearly leaving space for listeners to gather themselves.


    Alina Lume Harris. James mentally filed that name away for later. In some respect, he¡¯d expected something like this to happen. But he¡¯d thought the Australian government would be addressing him. Not the C.S.O. People didn¡¯t know what the C.S.O was and wouldn¡¯t heed it warnings or advice nearly as much as the government.


    Not like it¡¯s a smart idea to always listen to the government.


    The voice returned over the radio, and Alina continued.


    ¡°As I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware, our world is facing disaster. Our world leaders were given a choice between annihilation or Trials, and humanity has chosen Trials. Trials we will now face with a price that we must pay.¡±


    She let the words sink in. Jake, who hadn¡¯t moved since he¡¯d gotten into the car, stirred a little, raising his head to hear the words more clearly.


    ¡°I will not lie to you. What is to come is a bloody, ugly future that none can predict nor prepare for. We have been stranded in deep waters, without a shore in sight. Ascendance is our path now and it will be paved whether we like it or not.¡±


    James didn¡¯t find that description particularly inspiring.


    ¡°However, we at the C.S.O have been planning for this event. We are already in your cities, we have already secured the cooperation of your governments and militaries. We are here to help. We believe that humanity must make the most of this opportunity, regardless of how brutal it is.¡±


    ¡°Starting to sound real cult-like.¡± James groaned to himself. The C.S.O was global. The thought had crossed his mind, and Dupont had somewhat confirmed it, but Alina¡¯s declaration was the last nail in the coffin.


    Whatever this organisation was, it stood at the heart of the change brought by the system. They knew what was going on. They were preparing for it. And now, they were transmitting a call to action under the guise of an emergency broadcast.


    ¡°To the Invited, have patience. There are other means than the one prompted to you by the system. The C.S.O will welcome you, but it will not welcome those who are not above their lesser instincts. To the Sparks, hold your resolve. This is a trying time for all, and the system has seen fit to bless you with power. However you choose to use it, consider your fellow man. Finally, to those who remained untouched by the system. The Sparkless. Be wary. The new age had a place for you, but you will be the most tested of all. You will need to earn your place, but do not lose hope. There is a way.¡±


    Alina addressed all groups formed by the system, leaving the details bare. She didn¡¯t sugarcoat the dire circumstance of those without the system¡¯s touch, nor did she glorify the violent nature of the Invited. She made the reality plain to see. James wasn¡¯t sure what group that benefited the most, but he was sure as shit that it swung things in the C.S.O¡¯s favour.


    They were authority now. In the time of disaster, they were making it very clear that they had the answers. They held the power.


    They¡¯re threatening the Invited not to kill Sparks. But you wouldn¡¯t know that unless you were Invited. They¡¯re hanging the Sparkless by a rope too, dangling the chance of salvation in front of them. Then there''s regular Sparks, who are caught in the middle. It was a delicate balance the C.S.O was aiming for. A status quo they were aiming to enforce before and Sparks got a head too big for their shoulders.


    They would succeed. For some. James was dubious whether the effect of their warning would be completely widespread. There were going to be some people who got supernatural abilities and just decided they were the messiah. Even in less extreme cases, James could easily see a class shift between people amongst the chaos.


    More reason for James to shy away from people as a whole.


    The crackling had died down enough that James assumed that was the end of the broadcast. He hoped so. They were only a couple hundred metres away from the Airbnb James had rented, which he would be considering his property for the foreseeable future.


    But Alina wasn¡¯t done. The looper had assumed she¡¯d have left the way she spoke of for Sparkless innocuous. Because it wasn¡¯t real. He was wrong.


    ¡°Zenith.¡± She said, letting the word rest in everyone¡¯s mind for a moment. ¡°Zenith is the way. Zenith is the path for Sparkless to become Sparks. The way for Sparks to empower their Sources. The way for Invited to walk the path to Ascendance. These next days and weeks will be trying, but know that there are people out there on Zenith fighting for us. Brave souls who have earned the call. All fifty-five¡­¡±


    The static cut out for a moment.


    ¡°...fifty-six of them. They will light the way for us, so please, pray for their victory. Because until the first Spire had been formed, we will be fighting a losing battle. But we will be fighting it together. Remember my next words carefully. These times will be trying, but we will not surrender. We will not be erased.¡±


    There was a pause again, and this time, James was sure it was intentional. To build whatever fanaticism they had cultivated already.


    Alina spoke again. But there was no static this time. Just a clear, burning declaration.


    ¡°We will not go silently into the night.¡±


    The transmission cut and the radio went silent.


    There was gloom in the air.


    Not just inside the car. In the world. James could swear he could almost taste it. The situation had been laid bare for all to see. What was happening and what was about to happen, was not something humanity was ready for.


    Doom sat on the horizon.


    [2:27:12]


    The way Alina corrected herself from fifty-five to fifty-six didn¡¯t escape the looper¡¯s notice. The integration alert about being the fifty-sixth human to conjoin with the system wasn¡¯t something he was going to forget.


    The C.S.O knew about him. Not specifically, but they knew about him. They also knew what Zenith¡¯s Calling was.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    A battle. That¡¯s what it sounded like. A battle James had no way of refusing.


    ¡°They couldn¡¯t have been more vague if they tried.¡± Came a voice from the back, clearly trying his best to add a little cheer and humour to his tone.


    James turned to see Jake, doing his best to not appear as shaken as he was. His eyes were still marred with shadows of guilt, but they weren¡¯t nearly as hollow. He¡¯d pulled some parts of himself together, just to complain about the C.S.O broadcast.


    There¡¯s the Jake I know. James thought. The horridness of the world had failed to put out the light in his eyes and it was getting brighter once again. Tough son of a bitch.


    ¡°Sounded like a cult to me.¡± James joked, trying to keep Jake¡¯s mood from returning back to the slums.


    ¡°They said they¡¯re supported by every government. How is that a cult?¡± Jess asked. There was a humour behind her question that was clear.


    ¡°All governments are cults.¡± The looper declared. ¡°It¡¯s just a bunch of big cults supporting one super cult.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make all of us cultists?¡± Amy pointed out, laughing just a little. Her expression was still a dour one, but she was slowly settling into their new reality.


    ¡°We should start our own cult,¡± Jake suggested, holding onto his girlfriend tightly. As if she was keeping his mind from falling back down into a darker place.


    ¡°And name ourselves the James¡¯ J¡¯s with Amy as well,¡± James added, declaring his abysmal name for the world to see.


    There was a collective ¡°No¡± from all passengers, killing the idea before it ever got off the ground.


    It wasn¡¯t like the general mood felt any lighter. There was still the same hanging threat over their heads. But for that brief stint, things felt better.


    Jake made things feel better.


    ************************


    The house James had chosen as prime real estate sat on a small flat plain between two hills, looking down on a descending mountainside. Enough fauna and trees to make a good cover with just enough visibility for the looper to see any intruders coming.


    It was a big house, converted from what had once been a barn. Too tall and too wide for the modern scruples of suburbia. Bricked walls and steel slated roofs jutted out from either side of the wooden skeleton, providing an almost comical asymmetry.


    Settling in had taken time. Hugh had insisted on taking the master bedroom to watch over Mindy like a hawk, who had awoken in a daze barely ten minutes after they¡¯d gotten inside the house. He¡¯d insisted James apply first-aid again even after the looper had assured his father that Mindy was fine.


    Well, besides the purple bruises on her shoulder but James wasn¡¯t a magician.


    Yet.


    With a safe space and a moment to breathe, everyone besides James had either decided on solitude or to confine themselves to the company of their significant other. Sure, they talked about what they planned to do and James gave them the rundown of his ideas. But no one had the energy to do anything. The day had been so taxing that they just couldn¡¯t give anymore.


    The looper was sure none of them actually felt safe. Except maybe Michael because he was a dumbass. The house was just a couple of bricks and wood. It wouldn¡¯t survive the acid that seeped from the falling meteors.


    The house would also not survive being hit by a meteor.


    Safety was relative at this point. The house was more safe than being on the road or being in the car. That was enough for everyone to collectively agree that sleep was better than staying awake to strain each other''s nerves.


    James couldn¡¯t say he was surprised. The gravity of the situation was just too vast for them to deal with and they all knew that. The complete shift in priorities was something that their tired minds couldn¡¯t quite get. Tomorrow they would understand. Tomorrow, they would regret going to sleep when there was so much that had to be done.


    That was where James came in.


    He had no desire to sleep and plenty of chores to file down. And a timer to keep track of.


    [0:45:47]


    ¡°Dad asked me to ask you if you could quiet down?¡± Michael said from inside the house, holding a packet of Skittles in one hand and a flashlight in the other.


    He¡¯d scavenged both from the supplies James carried inside the house. Hugh had decided to take dinner duty upon himself and cooked something that the looper didn¡¯t have the time to eat. It must¡¯ve been something Michael despised, considering the teenager was snacking.


    ¡°Mike, I¡¯m installing¡­¡± James'' voice trailed as he tried to think of a word for bomb that didn¡¯t make him sound insane. ¡°...Defences. It¡¯s not soundless work.¡±


    ¡°Dad still wants you to quiet down,¡± Michael repeated. ¡°Everyone¡¯s going to sleeping or-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± James said, cutting off his little brother.


    Putting explosives under tiles wouldn¡¯t have been so loud if the looper could get away with a half-assed job. But he wasn¡¯t letting one of the people under his care step a little too hard on the house patio and blow themselves to kingdom come.


    ¡°What?¡± Michael said, in his annoying nasily teenage voice. ¡°Chance of death sends people¡¯s libido through the roof.¡±


    James huffed, choosing to ignore his little brother''s words. He only had two more to install and then he was done with the immediate house defences. All are wired together into the house''s smart system. James had hijacked the tablet and its programming for his own defensive needs with a bit of script he had memorised.


    The plan was to eventually wire all the defensives, cameras, heat radar and other devices into the house''s internal system but that would take time James didn¡¯t have. The time he¡¯d planned on having. As it was, he¡¯d set up the bare necessity. The generator was good to go with enough fuel to last till the next ice age.


    The water tanks were good to go, and he had spare filters in the house that Hugh could probably figure out how to install if the current one broke down.


    Food was a harder problem to fix, but there was enough money, goods and guns in the house to figure that problem out.


    As for protection¡­


    I should¡¯ve bought more razor wire. James lamented. He wasn¡¯t expecting things to turn so drastically so quickly after his foresight ran out. Everyone was still alive and mostly free of injury. That wasn¡¯t how things had turned out in his first life.


    He had saved them.


    They¡¯d be alright. They¡¯d be able to survive. If the worst happened to him when the timer got to zero.


    That was enough.


    ¡°James. Hello, earth to James!¡± Michael shouted from the patio, refusing to get his bare feet dirty and take a step down from it.


    ¡°What?¡± James grunted, fixing the tiles so they all looked uniform.


    ¡°That girl with the weird-looking blue eyes was staring at you the entire time we were eating dinner. While you were working out here.¡± Michael stated, with a weird, creepy look on his face.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s Jessica. She¡¯s weird. Your point?¡± The looper said, cutting to the chase.


    ¡°Is she single?¡± Michael asked, causing a deep urge to slap him to bloom in James'' heart.


    ¡°Life isn¡¯t solely about relationships and sex Mike,¡± James grunted. ¡°Spoiler alert for puberty. You¡¯re going to grow out of it, and spend the rest of your life embarrassed by all the stupid shit you did during it.¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t grow out it?¡± Michael asked, with an aloof look on his face.


    James sighed. ¡°You wi-¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Michael said, a lot more forceful than James was used to. ¡°What if I don¡¯t live long enough to grow out of it.¡±


    Ah. Dad didn¡¯t tell him to do anything. James realised, raising himself up from where he was sitting with the explosives. He walked his way over to the patio, keeping a keen eye on the golden timer. He¡¯s just scared.


    [0:42:23]


    His brother didn¡¯t have anyone to go to besides him here. With Hugh watching over Mindy, Michael wouldn¡¯t get a word in, and his little brother probably didn¡¯t want to talk to anyone else about it.


    They weren¡¯t his family.


    The looper marched his way over to where his brother was standing and sat the rascal down on the patio, dealing with a boatload of complaining about getting dirt on his soaks. He wrapped a hand over his brother¡¯s shoulder, becoming keenly aware of how much bigger he had grown. The last time he¡¯d put his hand over his brother¡¯s shoulder in reality would¡¯ve been when Michael was four.


    Then he¡¯d become a teenager and wanted nothing to do with his idiot brother.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to die, Mike,¡± James said when his brother remained stiff and silent.


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Michael asked. ¡°That guy on the road today. He died. Then he turned into that¡­ thing.¡±


    Did he see? That made some sense. Hugh would¡¯ve been too distracted with Mindy to keep Michael from seeing something he definitely shouldn¡¯t have. Then again, it was pretty hard to hide the truth when the sky was on fire.


    ¡°Mike,¡± James said, trying to find the words he was looking for.


    ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t die,¡± Michael stated abruptly.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t do something stupid and get yourself turned into a glass zombie?¡± Michael repeated.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t we talking about you?¡± James questioned.


    ¡°We were. But then I thought about it and realised you''re way more likely to die than me.¡± Michael confirmed.


    ¡°Since when?¡±


    ¡°Since you started charging glass zombies with shotguns!¡± His little brother reiterated. ¡°How did you even get a gun?¡±


    ¡°Trade secret,¡± James said, holding a finger to his lips.


    Michael responded with a punch delivered to his side. His brother looked a lot less terrified by his own mortality than he did a few moments prior. James could tell Michael was trying to cover his fears under the facade of fearing for his brother but what was the point of pointing it out? If it made Michael feel more safe to confront his mortality through James, that was fine.


    "Hey, Mike."


    "Yeah?"


    "In the morning, remind everyone not to step on the tiles too hard," James warned.


    "How early in the morning?" His little brother questioned.


    "Before anyone has time to step on the tiles too hard." The looper answered.


    "What do I get?"


    "I''ll teach you how to use my shotgun."


    "Deal!" Michael said, nodding to himself like he''d somehow cheated James out of something expensive.


    I''m glad I already left a physical warning, just to be safe. James had already stuck an absurd amount of post notes on every part of the house, directing its residents to read the manual in the kitchen before they stepped on a bomb or broke his generator. He''d highlighted the part about the traps, so there were no untimely accidents.


    James shooed his little brother away, condemning him to sleep once he was sure the boy was free of worry. In reality, he needed to get ready.


    The looper grabbed all the padded black clothing he¡¯d bought earlier and donned the Kevlar vest he¡¯d stolen. Then he grabbed all the holsters he had, planting three pistols on his person before adding his shotgun and rifle to the mix. An assortment of knives joined the fray along with a much larger machete he kept strapped to his waist.


    Finally, he adorned a backpack filled to the brim with basic living supplies. He¡¯d prepared it just in case he needed to venture out on his own.


    Unluckily, that was now the case.


    With all those things in hand, the looper took one last look at the house and his Landcruiser. The place looked peaceful. It looked safe. It was filled to the brim with everyone who was important, all pleasantly sleeping with full stomachs.


    They had defences, water, food and power to last them at least a month.


    They had each other to rely on.


    I hate this. The looper found it hard to feel any other way about leaving after working so tirelessly to create some semblance of hope in a world of despair.


    But he had to leave. It wasn¡¯t safe. He knew that.


    And he hated the system all the more for it.


    [0:27:34]


    ¡°Yeah, yeah I know you shitty timer,¡± James muttered, staring at the timer. It was blinking now. It had started doing that after the thirty-minute threshold.


    He started his descent down the mountainside, doing his best to move with speed so he could gain as much distance from the house as possible. The meteors had stopped falling now but that didn¡¯t mean James didn¡¯t keep an eye out for them. As he travelled through the meadows and grassy plains, the looper made sure to keep a torch firmly planted on any motion.


    The country was interesting at night. The silence was almost deafening. The safe house was so remote that James didn¡¯t even hear the echo of another human. That was good. He was not in the right head space to deal with people.


    He dearly hoped he wouldn¡¯t have to. For their sake.


    Eventually, once he deemed himself an acceptable distance away from the safe house, James planted himself on the nearest comfortable rock.


    And waited.


    [0:3:23]


    Dark emotions swirled in behind James'' eyes as he gazed up at the golden timer. He had hope. A hope that Zenith¡¯s Calling wouldn¡¯t steal him away. There was a possibility it would spawn some creature in the vicinity for him to slay. There was a chance that he¡¯d simply have to answer the calling and then he¡¯d be able to leave. All these little hopeful possibilities that the looper mind systematically purged.


    [0:2:45]


    Because there could be no hope.


    There was just him.


    There was no need for hope when he was who he was. The looper held no fear for himself because death had already claimed him so many times. Instead, he was filled with deep gripping anxiety in his heart that the Invitation would take him and leave everyone he cared about stranded in the deep.


    [0:2:12]


    We will not go silently into the night.


    The words were a nice sentiment. James would¡¯ve liked to follow them.


    But there¡¯s only silence in my heart. The looper felt the same thing he always did when his emotions became too volatile. An overwhelming amount of nothing. An emptiness where his soul should¡¯ve been.


    He had no delusions of grandeur.


    James knew the things he might be forced if Zenith¡¯s Calling was anything close to what he guessed.


    And he still felt nothing. All he wanted was to be back up the hill, with the people that made him feel things.


    [0:0:34]


    The timer started blinking like mad past the one-minute threshold.


    Promise me you won¡¯t die.


    The words rang in his head. James couldn¡¯t even place why. Michael hadn¡¯t meant them, because he didn¡¯t think his brother would die. There was no real promise there.


    Yet as he watched the timer tick down to zero, those words were the only thing he could think about.


    A promise to his brother, which felt more like a responsibility to all of them. Because if he died, no matter how positive he tried to imagine it, James knew there was a good chance they¡¯d all die with him.


    He couldn¡¯t let that happen.


    Regardless of the cost.


    [0:0:0]


    [Invitation timer has expired]


    [James Matthew Groves, you have been summoned by Zenith¡¯s Calling]


    [How shall you answer?]

 Chapter 21: The Call

    C.S.O Melbourne branch.


    Dupont, as things stood, was not having a good day. But there was a small silver lining to it. She was one of the very few who knew today would not be a good day.


    It would be the worst day.


    The worst day mankind had ever had.


    Shortly followed in sheer horror by the days preceding it. To know such a thing and keep it hidden from the world had been a heavy burden on her despite logic telling her it was the best course. She knew why they couldn¡¯t inform the world. Because they weren¡¯t allowed to.


    The Administrators that handled their world¡¯s integration had forbid it. Strictly so. She tried not to think about it, as hard as that was. Because she had a job to do. One that was being performed by about ten thousand other C.S.O agents across the world.


    Spark requirement. Out of all the functions of the C.S.O., the organization considered this the most crucial. The facility she was currently power jogging through was built solely for that very purpose. To support Sparks in their growth.


    Because they would become humanity¡¯s lifeline in the grim future. They needed to be capable of defending Earth when the time came.


    And for that goal, the nations of the world had pooled their resources to no end. Constructing thousands if not tens of thousands of underground fortresses with the facilities necessary to house and train Sparks to draw out their newfound abilities and latent potential.


    But before they could just let them into the program, there was a screening process. One Dupont was directly in charge of. Criminal records, psychological reviews and rampant background checks were just the beginning. There are processes on processes that Sparks needed to be evaluated through before Dupont would be willing to approve them.


    Right now that was her sole focus. Other departments of the C.S.O. were responsible for crisis management and civilian safety, working hand in hand with the military. They needed to prioritise the problems of now so she could worry about the problems of later.


    Problems that were far more monstrous.


    With that in mind, she focused on her heavy steps and reviewed her tablet. She swiped through names, reviewing the profiles of the initial Sparks that had heeded their advice and signed up to the C.S.O.


    They were all still in the early stages of processing, but once that was through, the facility she had lived in for a month straight might finally start feeling less like a concrete prison. The crew that manned it was skeletal now, but that was only because it was intended to house Sparks.


    Dupont rushed until she was up the stairs to the control room, greeting security on the way with a nod as she played with the security panel on the door to it slid open.


    Inside was a litany on the walls, all spaced apart around a large table that was shaped as an eagle. The same eagle logo that was badged to her jacket. As she stepped inside, the usual warmth of industrial heating the facility held was replaced by a stiff chill.


    ¡°Major Aven,¡± Dupont said with a nod, greeting the Major who sat at the head of the empty table, watching the screens in silence.


    ¡°Agent Dupont.¡± The Major said, returning the greeting.


    He didn¡¯t continue, so Dupont let out a huff of cold air and let that responsibility fall on herself. Why the Major enjoyed the cold so much, she didn¡¯t know. Maybe he thought it made him seem tough. Maybe it helped him think. It wasn¡¯t her place to ask, so she didn¡¯t.


    ¡°The initial estimates for requirements across the southern and eastern Victorian areas for Spark recruitment are higher than was predicted.¡± Dupont started, linking her tablet to on of the main screens so she could display the data.


    The Major stayed silent but nodded for her to continue.


    ¡°However the north and western districts of Victoria seemed to have been hit harder by the fallout, causing a lapse in desire to seek us out. From historical data, I¡¯m fairly confident the numbers will spike back up to expected levels once the public sentiment for the C.S.O. moves from suspicious to trustworthy. But for now, we are heading towards having a pool of recruits almost twenty percent smaller than predicted.¡± Dupont concluded, swiping her tablet to display the exact numbers on the screen.


    Again the Major stayed silent, save for the nervous tapping against the large table. His eyes slowly moved between the numbers, taking them in carefully before he spoke.


    ¡°What of the Invited?¡±


    Dupont felt the urge to curse under her breath but held it. She had hoped he¡¯d have skipped past that part and moved on to the glaring elephant in the room. Apparently not.


    ¡°All three under our jurisdiction are¡­¡± She paused to search for the word. ¡°...unreachable at the current moment.¡±


    ¡°Explain.¡± The Major directed her.


    They¡¯re all idiots. Dupont thought to herself, keeping her lips sealed. That wasn¡¯t the complete truth, because the truth was much more confusing.


    ¡°Well, to begin with, Dennis Jourten has expressed that he doesn¡¯t require nor want our help. We suspect that he has a Source that the C.S.O. as a whole would deem unsavoury.¡± Dupont stated.


    ¡°What kind of unsavoury?¡±


    ¡°The kind that involves rampant grave robbing. Since this morning that seems to have become Dennis¡¯ hobby.¡±


    The Major frowned, getting the idea. ¡°Necromancy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, or at least something akin to it,¡± Dupont confirmed. ¡°There have been similar cases from Invited reported across the C.S.O. The current theory is that whatever Aspect is blessing them, also imparts a command not to align themselves with us.¡±


    They¡¯d drawn that conclusion because there were similar cases presented across the fifty-five pre-integrated humans, many of which already possessed Aspects they were blessed by. In those scenarios, the clause to remain unaligned could be waived, but that wasn¡¯t necessarily how it would be for Invited.


    The fifty-five were special. All the Administrators for their integration had made that abundantly clear. That was why the selection process for each and every one of them had been so rigid. They needed people who could get the job done.


    And yet now there¡¯s another. They made it sound so important and then they just threw this wildcard on top of us- She was getting distracted.


    ¡°What about the other two?¡± The Major prompted, scratching his beard as he seemed to think through the potential problem that was Dennis Jourten. It was a delicate situation, especially if he was what they concluded.


    One she would worry about later.


    ¡°The news of Jessica Mayves is neutral. By the time our department started making contact with Sparks, she had already left the city.¡± Dupont stated.


    ¡°Do we know why she left the city?¡± The Major asked.


    ¡°Some kind of road trip from what we can tell. One that includes another Spark.¡± Dupont said.


    ¡°What of that one.¡± The Major said, moving past Jessica to the problem child they had stuck in their lap.


    Dupont¡¯s reach surveillance and overall knowledge of the Sparks inside Melbourne was vast, to say the least. She had teams on teams of people scanning through information, footage, reports and data every moment of every day all for her to decide what to do with.


    So she knew.


    ¡°Nicholas is dead.¡± She informed the Major, causing him to whip around in his seat with a look of surprise.


    He planted his hands on the table as if to steady himself. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°A knife to the throat.¡± Dupont clarified. ¡°Some teenagers found him in a back alley and by that time the blood was already dried. Police were in the middle of investigating it when integration began.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re sure it¡¯s him?¡± The Major asked.


    Dupont nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve acquired camera footage from the area along with all the eyewitness testimonies we could scrounge. We¡¯ve run license plates and watched over the footage for any key persons of interest.¡±


    ¡°And you found nothing.¡± The Major concluded from her sombre tone. When she nodded again the Major snorted, twisting his frown into a scowl. ¡°Today¡¯s somehow going worse than I feared it would.¡±


    ¡°Major,¡± Dupont said.


    ¡°Yes?¡± He asked, holding his head in his hands. It was at times like this when Major Aven showed his age. Stress was a venom that dug into him much deeper than her.


    She didn¡¯t like to think it, but the man wasn¡¯t going to be suited for his position much longer. The wrinkle lines weren¡¯t the problem. The inability to cut to the point was. Dupont had a feeling that he¡¯d asked her everything other than what he was most curious about, purely because it worried him so much.


    It worried her almost as much.


    But he wouldn¡¯t bring it up.


    So she would.


    ¡°Have HQ said anything about the fifty-sixth?¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ***************************


    It felt like falling.


    Falling in every single direction at once.


    There was a faint chime as the golden words announced the end of his timer, and then James¡¯ world went black. Then he fell. The sensation was not removed from that of a Loop ending, which worried James slightly.


    But it wasn¡¯t the same either. It didn¡¯t feel like he was heading towards a blockade. It felt like he was heading somewhere. Tumbling in the void towards wherever the Invitation desired.


    The sensation of his body was there. But it also was not. In a strange paradoxical way, James'' mind couldn¡¯t quite comprehend. It felt like he was close to comprehending it. Just a step away.


    [Mandatory Status check required]


    Fantastic. Just what he wanted while tumbling through the void. More golden words that made promises they would deliver in the worst way possible. The looper was growing more and more sick of the system by the second.


    [Paradox]


    [Designation: James Matthew Groves]


    [Age: 16,409]


    [Race: Paradoxical Human]


    [Class: Unclassed]


    [Source: Loop (1)]


    [Spark: ?]


    [Aspect: None]


    [Court: None]


    [Guild: Unaffiliated]


    [Body: 9]


    [Mind: 13]


    [Spirit: 20]


    [Loops: 1]


    [Feats: None]


    [Skills: [Second strike](1), [Second Life](1), [Second thought](1)]


    Still human. Good sign. James thought, breathing almost a mental sigh of relief. He hadn¡¯t had a look at his status since he¡¯d received it in the car, and he¡¯d only seen the brief mention of his race. Paradoxical Human was still definitively human in his books. That was a good start.


    His age was not the nicest thing to be reminded of. The Status was the only place he could be reminded of his age besides his memories. In the mirror, he didn¡¯t look a day older. Only inside these golden words did his ancient nature shine through. Because he was ancient. Older than most countries.


    I should qualify for the senior¡¯s menu. That probably wouldn¡¯t exist for much longer, considering what was happening.


    Class was a new term to James and the lack of it almost pushed away his attention. Having no Class meant it didn¡¯t do anything for him. He didn¡¯t know what a Class was when he would get it or why he wanted it. So the looper couldn¡¯t really find a reason to justify caring about it. His tumbling would end eventually and parts of his Status seemed much more important.


    Why does my Source have one next to it? Odd. Did he get more Sources? James sincerely hoped not. The first one had well and truly fucked him over well enough for one lifetime. Was it some kind of tracker? Maybe a show of progression?


    This thing should come with a manual at least. James cursed. It was vague and the looper could tell that was intentional. Part of these Trials was clearly adapting to the system. A system which had been nothing but a pain in his ass till now.


    Aspects? Of the three he¡¯d heard, Aspects had always confused James the most. He¡¯d tried to get that information out of Dupont. He¡¯d tried to hack into the C.S.O data banks to acquire it too. It both cases his search came up short. His interrogation of her had been quite brutal and ended in him getting all the names of Invited and Sources present within Australia. She hadn¡¯t told him. It had seemed like she wanted to tell him, and yet she still didn¡¯t.


    Very strange.


    At the time the looper hadn¡¯t cared much, but now he thought on it James realised just how odd it was. The memory wasn¡¯t the nicest between the screaming and the blood but he could distinctly recall her begging something to be able to tell him.


    Did the system¡­ stop her? Or more to the point, did the beings that brought the system to Earth stop her? Was she under some kind of contract not to speak on those things?


    She could disclose the location of people, but not information about the workings of the system. That made sense, in a way. It also did not. Whatever the case, Aspects confused James. Mainly because he hadn¡¯t a clue what they could be.


    Guilds and Courts are¡­ fairly straightforward. Because Earth had Guilds and Courts. He could draw from history to get a guess at what they were. Aspects? Not a clue.


    And then there¡¯s-


    His thoughts were cut off by the sound of another chime in the void.


    [Zenith¡¯s Calling]


    [Invitation Description: Called to Zenith by power and promises, you are among those elite who have been gifted with an opportunity to prove themselves on the fields of Zenith. By her mighty grace, you have been given a stage to prove your species'' worth. You will find yourself on the Outer Ring of Zenith, in a separate territory belonging to your race and three other races. In this territory sits four Conclaves, which are the heart of your first Invitation.]


    [To succeed in this test and create a Spire to Zenith for your race, you must bring Lumina to the Conclave¡¯s Heart. Doing so will allow it to grow from simple ground protection to something mightier that might connect your world to Zenith itself.]


    [Lumina can be found within the Fractures littering Zenith¡¯s Outer Ring. Splintered lie there, waiting to hunt you as you hunt them.]


    [You have also been granted one Lumina, as have all others of all races answering the Zenith¡¯s Call. If you are killed, your Lumina will be transferred to the responsible race. If you are to kill a member of another race, their Lumina will transfer to yours. Accredited to you.]


    [Primary goal: Fill your Conclave¡¯s Heart with Lumina]


    [Secondary goal: Extinguish a Fracture]


    [Secondary goal: Obtain the highest amount of Lumina among all the races]


    [Paradoxical Goal: Display Finality]


    James wasn¡¯t given time to think on the words that were zipped in front of him. He read them as themselves across his vision and the reality snapped back into being.


    His feet stopped falling. Instead, his boots stamped into something¡­ mushy. It gripped them slightly as he pulled his feet up, blinking and cringing at the ample amount of sensation around him.


    Before sight or sound, James felt something much more distinct in his array of senses.


    Heat.


    It was humid. Infectiously humid to the point that James could already feel his body begin to drip with sweat. The looper''s brain immediately ticked this a problem. Because it didn¡¯t feel like he was standing in lava. The heat didn¡¯t feel to be from some source nearby. It was atmospheric. Oppressive.


    Inescapable.


    Chronic dehydration as the first problem is not an optimistic start. James mentally frowned, blinking until the overwhelming light from above became tolerable. His eyes adjusted to see an uneven and very unfamiliar around him.


    The sticky sensation was mud, thick mud-like clay that was clinging to his boot. Roots were steeped in it, crawling all across the ground around James and leading up to sprawling trees. Their trunks were a deep brown that slowly turned to grey as they grew. Thick trunks with dense leaves made it impossible for James to see far forward in any direction.


    Fauna extended out the ground the same way the roots did, coloured a soft and deep purple same as the leaves on the tree. Bushes, weeds and other greenery obscured everything around James and made him hesitant to move.


    Not to mention the vines that hung down from the trees.


    Jungle. Was his first thought, but that thinking seemed too linear. Not to mention the dirt was filled with moisture and collapsing under him. It could be a bog of some kind. Or a marsh. The looper couldn¡¯t know for sure until he saw more.


    And the sound¡­ was soft. There were low reverbs of wildlife and insects, buzzing and chirping and scratching around him but none of it was loud. Loud enough to draw concern.


    The soft rumbling above him did draw James attention but the deep purple leaves above his head hid the sky from him.


    Then there was the smell. In a word, it was unpleasant. Not enough to cause James¡¯ nose to scrunch but certainly not the kind he¡¯d like to put up with for long.


    Shitty Invitation. James cursed, lowering himself to the empty ground and steering clear of all the bushes around him. He kept one hand on his shotgun as he examined himself and his belongings. He went through all the items in his backpack and on his person, inspecting them until he was sure they were all in order, then took a swig from his water canister.


    Bringing more than one was a damn good idea. The first two were for drinking purposes, while the second he¡¯d put in his backpack in case he needed to wash off any wounds.


    The looper took in his surroundings again as he drank, slower. Taking in all the gaps between leaves and vines to see if he could spot any sign of movement. Once he was sure there was none, he let his body sink into idle readiness as his brain mulled through everything the golden words had told him.


    This is the worst. The worst situation he¡¯d imagined Zenith¡¯s Calling could put him in. Away from his friends and family. He wasn¡¯t with them any more. The system had moved him, for whatever reason, to compete in this¡­


    Death match. It¡¯s a death match. The descriptions were nice and it danced around the hard truth with flowery words. But the hard truth was that this was a death match. That much was blatantly obvious.


    The game was simple. There were four races here, including humans. All of them wanted Lumina for their Conclaves. All of them possessed Lumina.


    It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out where that would lead them all.


    The system was bringing races here and pitting them against one another. That was the Invitation. James saw through the garbage about the Spire and the roundabout way Lumina was dangled in front of them as justification for murder.


    The system just wanted them to kill things.


    And it just wanted other things to kill them.


    That was all this was.


    It felt like a game.


    Was this all just a game to it?


    Dark emotions boiled against the sea of emptiness in James¡¯ heart, threatening to spill over as his brain realised just what this was. The system had torn him away from his family and friends when he was protecting them so he could take part in a deathmatch. His family was safe for now.


    But that was for now.


    What if a meteor hit near them?


    What if glass zombie Splintered came?


    What if Sparks came?


    He was meant to be there. All his plans had involved him being there. This was never meant to happen.


    James slammed his fist into the mud as hard as he could, blinking himself back into reality as hatred and insanity clawed at him. He didn¡¯t have time for this. For reflection. For worry. He steadied himself back to reality.


    He stood. The heat assaulted his every movement. That was good. It made his first course of action clear. The looper needed to find water as fast as he could while trying not to die. The thickets of bush and weeds lay beyond him, along with who knew what dangers.


    But James didn¡¯t have time for any of it. He had to get back to his family.


    With that in mind, the looper drew his machete and set upon the thick jungle of Zenith.


    Ready for whatever horror lay within.


    End of Book 1

 Chapter 22: Mist

    Humans needed water.


    This was a fairly basic fact of their biology. Water was the foundation of their existence. Their body was composed of it and it was essential to their continued function.


    Before humans could worry about food.


    Before they could worry about danger.


    Before they could worry about being thrown into an alien deathmatch.


    They needed water.


    And thus was why James was climbing the tallest tree in sight after a few minutes of cutting through the dense underbrush and exhausting himself in the process. Every single slash he took at the deep purple brush dulled his machete and stole vital energy from his body. His muscles had been working all day and were slowly starting to build fatigue.


    He also had no idea where he was going or what lay ahead of him. The brush and fauna were so dense and colourful that he could hardly see ten metres in front of him. That was without taking into mind the crumbling uneven land he¡¯d arrived on. Just slashing forward was much more likely to leave him dead tired before he found water.


    It wasn¡¯t smart.


    But staying still and using up his remaining water canisters wasn¡¯t smart either. In the law of the jungle, remaining in the same place for too long could prove deadly. James couldn¡¯t risk it. But he also didn¡¯t want to dumbly exhaust himself.


    So, hanging his backpack off a branch and methodically climbing a tree for a greater view became his best option.


    He kept one hand close enough to draw his gun and tried to move up the tree as quietly as possible. The bottom brown part of the tree proved no problem, but the brown part above was flakey and caused the looper more of a headache than he would¡¯ve liked to admit.


    How is this almost as intense as climbing skyscrapers? James wondered. The reason was rather simple. He was focused. Hyper focused. All his movements and swings were done cautiously, with an emphasis on stealth.


    James'' ears were trained, waiting for even the slightest sound of danger that broke through the perpetual background noise of wildlife and bugs. Bugs were another concern. The environment around him most resembled a jungle, and those places were a breeding ground for dangerous insects.


    His eyes were wary of the creatures, although he hadn¡¯t seen any real animal yet.


    The climb was slow because of his caution but also proved uneventful. There were no sudden attacks or any suspicious noises that would worry him enough to return to the ground.


    Finally, he broke through to the top of the tree, only daring to poke his eyes out through the leaves.


    James was looking for water. He did not find water.


    Instead, he saw Zenith. He saw the arena. Because that¡¯s exactly what it was. Giant arching walls of stone or metal or something was behind him, stretching on around him farther than James could see. The closest wall was behind him, but that didn¡¯t mean it was close. Just on a guess it looked at least six or seven kilometres away. They were giant. Bigger than anything James had ever seen besides maybe Archive¡¯s library, reaching up all the way to¡­


    ¡­Are those clouds? They looked like clouds. Whisps of gentle white strung above, letting a soft light through but concealing the sky from view.


    The next immediate thing that became clear to James was that he was on a slope. The whole thing was a slope. The ground behind him was higher and the ground ahead of him was lower. As it got lower the fauna changed colours. The leaves behind him closest to a wall were jet black, and only gained a purple hue as they got low enough to be on his altitude. Then, as the slope gradually went lower, the leaves changed more.


    Going from peach coloured to red, to orange and eventually settling on yellow in the far distance. James couldn¡¯t see beyond the yellow. But he could tell that it levelled out at yellow, becoming much more flat.


    It¡¯s designed to funnel you towards there. Where the yellow fauna was. Yellows the playing field. Which meant he was currently on the edge of the playing field. Yellow was clearly where the arena was designed to push you. It was where whoever designed the whole place wanted you to go.


    And by the same train of logic, it¡¯s where everything to survive will be. Which meant water. But also much, much more danger than James was currently in.


    ¡°And that¡¯s not even accounting for that.¡± James thought, leering on a structure. The only one he could see besides the wilds of the jungle they were in.


    It was a hulking grey mass of stone or metal same as the giant walls that surrounded them, sticking out not to high in amidst what seemed to be a clearing. James couldn¡¯t tell very well, because he was so far away. But it was most definitely a building of some sort.


    There were similar structures around it, but none nearly as big. Even from such a distance, it seemed to loom on James'' horizon.


    Warning him.


    That¡¯s a Conlave. He could feel it. The looper was sure he was looking at one of them. Come to think of it, if the arena is built in a circle, and there are four races then the Conclaves could be in segments. Akin to a pie chart. From what he inferred about the Trial¡¯s description, that made sense.


    Give each race a territory bordering two other races and have them fight it out. A simple way to provide some sense of order to the chaos. To make it feel less like a deathmatch, and more like a battle for the system¡¯s favour.


    And the best part is that the system offers us a way out. Through the Fractures that James had yet to spot. They served as an innocuous third party to the dispute between races. A way out without killing each other.


    But that¡¯s not what they¡¯re for. The looper¡¯s pessimism sometimes got the best of them, but when it came to the system he had learned to lean on it. The Fractures were an excuse. Sure, the races involved could hunt them down instead of each other. But there would be a catch.


    Either it¡¯s going to take a lot longer or¡­


    The looper¡¯s mind flashed with memories of the glass zombie Darrel had become. The system had called it a ¡°Tier 0¡± Splintered. What did Tier 1 look like? James felt like he had a fuller picture now of what the system wanted to play out.


    And it made him all the more disgusted that he had to take part in it.


    A tiny bead of sweat dripped into James¡¯ eyes as he surveyed the area around him again and again for any danger, making him aware of the suffocating heat once again. He tipped the last remains of his first water canister into his mouth, feeling the sweet cold release trickle down his throat.


    He only had two canisters left.


    He needed to find water.


    James slowly swung down the tree and retrieved his backpack, lowering himself to the jagged ground softly. He¡¯d taken stock of the situation. That was good.


    Having a general grasp of the circumstance he found himself in was worth a canister of water. But it wasn¡¯t worth two.


    I¡¯ve had a chance to think this through. There¡¯s no getting out of here. I can¡¯t just refuse to move and sit here to die of dehydration. He had to do something and he needed to do it soon. Sweat was soaking his padded clothes and making them heavier by the minute.


    James hated every moment his feet stood on Zenith. The unease of not knowing what was happening on Earth was building tension inside of him. But he couldn¡¯t just sit there and do nothing.


    He had to get out.


    And that started with water.


    ¡°Fine.¡± James conceded, gazing up at where he knew only clouds lay. ¡°I¡¯ll play along.¡±


    For now. The looper kept to himself.


    Golden words flickered in front of his face.


    [Human Lumina Leader board]


    [1. Wilt]


    [5]


    [2. Wendigo]


    [3]


    [3. Venom]


    [3]


    [4. X]


    [3]


    [5. ¡­]


    A list rolled out in front of him, courtesy of the golden words. Naming humans and recording the amount of Lumina they possessed. James felt no surprise that his fellow humans were already gathering it.


    What did surprise him was the last name on the list.


    Or rather, the lack of one.


    [55. Jade]


    [1]


    [56. ?]


    [1]


    Is that me? It almost definitely was. The little leaderboard sat beside his goals, dangling at the top of his vision. The golden words didn¡¯t prompt him to choose a name. They just listed him as a question mark.


    He felt the question of why bloom in his mind and Paradox started to sparkle. He could see it still glimmering above his goals. His reward for all the hardship he¡¯d endured. James focused on it, hoping to find some answers.


    Instead, he only found more confusion.


    [Paradox]


    [Description: The walls are a lie. The clouds a surface. The Infection writhes on the fringe, waiting for the gates to fall]


    That¡¯s ominous and not a description. James thought, watching the golden words. They were usually static but these burned like fire, wavering as if the wind around him could blow them away. They existed almost as an illusion. Fleeting and singular.


    The words made James nervous. Truly. Nothing else had since he¡¯d escaped the Loop. The looper couldn¡¯t place how, but he could feel them. Deep down in the place his Skills resided. The road untread responded to them.


    He could feel the sensation as he squatted on the ground. His mind tried to slither around it and grasp the fleeting. Take a look at the path Paradox was paving inside his potential. The sensation only grew stranger to the looper. Foreign.


    James felt a fact inside him stir. The fact. He felt Loop respond to his will for just a moment.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Then the connection faded with a snap. Something took his mind out of his inner workings and back to reality. James found himself squatting on the ground, with his backpack secured and his shotgun in his hand.


    ¡°Somethings off,¡± James whispered to himself, banishing his soul''s desire to explore the path left by Paradox.


    The looper turned slowly, getting a full detailed view of the environment around him, trying the find the source of his newfound paranoia.


    The trees were the same. The leaves were the same. There was no wildlife disturbing the peace around him. No bugs buzzing towards him trying to infect him with who knew what. The dirt wasn¡¯t trying to swallow him whole.


    There were no monsters to see.


    No humans either.


    The ambient sound had ceased altogether at some point while James was focused on Paradox.


    The jungle around him was silent.


    Dead silent.


    A small, ever so slight chill ran up James'' back as he pressed his shotgun stock into his shoulder, aiming. He twisted, looking for whatever had stolen the noise from the jungle. Whatever had bloomed the terrible silence around him.


    His hands held the gun tight, treating it as a lifeline. Something felt wrong. Insticually James could feel that a change was occurring around him. But he had no idea what to make of it. So he held his gun tight, and slowly towards the biggest tree near him, keeping his back to it.


    What is it? James wondered, flicking his eyes around him. His body felt tight and firm, like stone. He was more than prepared for whatever was to come. The looper was sure of it. He could fight off anything.


    The first thing to move in his vision wasn¡¯t an animal or an alien. It wasn¡¯t the trees or the leaves. It wasn¡¯t the ground. It wasn¡¯t even himself.


    It was the words. Those golden flickering words, seeping in and out of existence changed. One moment they were a cryptic riddle.


    The next they were a warning.


    [Paradox]


    [Description: Beware the mist]


    James felt his nose twitch.


    Cinnamon. His favourite. The scent caught on his nose and refused to let go. It was distracting. Engrossing. Intoxicating. Addictive.


    A trap. The looper realised, shaking his head as his eyes stuck to the warning. Beware the mist. If Paradox¡¯s first description was on the edge of ominous, the new one was on the deep end of dread-inducing.


    Suddenly the silence made sense. The smell that drew you forward was cheese on a mouse trap. The sloping ground naturally pushed everything towards the centre. Everything. The reason the Conclaves weren¡¯t on the edges of those massive walls. It all made sense.


    It all came together in one horrifying picture.


    Then he saw it.


    A creeping, snaking substance of pitch black, laced with echoes of green trickled from the direction of the wall. He saw it at a distance barely, simply because it was all-encompassing, visible between every crack and crevice left unhidden by thick leaves and bush.


    The smell of cinnamon grew stronger. The mist grew closer, rolling down the slope. Choking away James'' options second by second.


    Nope. Not messing with any of that.


    James'' feet hit the ground running before he had a chance to think. His boots stomped against the earth loud and hard, not an ounce of his previous subtlety. He swapped his shotgun for a machete, slashing through any growth that might impede his sprint.


    I couldn¡¯t see the Fractures. James thought, sprinting as hard as his body could. His muscles felt taunt and his breath was heavy, but he still bounded forward in a frenzy. Tearing through nature and riding the moment adrenaline brought him.


    They weren¡¯t there. Fractures mean Splintered. That much made sense to him. Fractures meant glass zombies. But he hadn¡¯t seen any Fractures from the tree, which hadn¡¯t made much sense.


    Now it did. It wasn¡¯t that there were no Fractures. It was just that they hadn¡¯t been released yet. He put as much together from the vague warnings of Paradox.


    The smell of cinnamon followed him like death. It was so welcoming that the looper knew weaker men and monsters would¡¯ve succumbed. They would¡¯ve tested the black mist rolling down the sloped jungle after him.


    James was not that foolish.


    He had seen that same colour of obsidian black infested with green. The goo that had seeped out of the meteor and turned Darrel into a Splintered had been that colour.


    But I thought it was only liquid. A terrible understanding fueled his feet to run faster. What if not all the meteors were filled with just liquid? What if some of the meteors were filled with the mist behind him?


    What if it got airborne?


    How much havoc could that wreck?


    The system said half. James didn¡¯t doubt the system would commit a genocide of that scale. He just hadn¡¯t seen anything that he felt could convincingly cause it.


    His eyes stole a glance behind him.


    The mist was closer. He¡¯d know that it would be. His feet didn¡¯t pedal as fast as the mist moved. But still, it was so much closer than he expected. The horrible obsidian wall of mist was less than twenty metres behind him, closing the distance in the same circular arc as the slope.


    The looper could almost feel it lick his skin.


    His eyes couldn¡¯t penetrate the wall of darkness but James knew what lay behind it.


    Death. Swift and merciless.


    James ran harder. His body ached with pain that never settled, only accruing a further debt of exhaustion. Still, he ran faster.


    His body was aflame with heat and sweat, yet his hands moved efficiently. With one hand, his machete cleaved a path. With the other, he reached into his bag a retrieved a gas mask.


    He knew it would do little to stop the mist, but he needed every advantage he could get.


    The looper''s footfalls thundered against the jungle as the bush became less thick and the earth less jagged. The colour of the leaves around him started to switch from a deep purple to a much more welcoming peach colour.


    The trees grew taller too. Their trunks almost doubly as thick as the tree he had climbed.


    And yet the mist persisted. The smell of cinnamon turned from an alluring scent to a drowning odour.


    His heart was racing so hard it drowned out all other noise. His feet pummeled against the ground, begging to get away. Everything was a blur of motion around him.


    James felt his body slowly giving under the pressure. He¡¯d spent most of his life living not even a whole day, never really having to deal with the concept of physical speed.


    All the work he¡¯d done that day was catching up to him.


    Discipline and centuries of mastering his mind kept him moving, but the looper could feel his body beginning to falter under the strain.


    He tore past bushes and swung over trees and still the wall of mist followed.


    I won¡¯t be able to keep this up. The peach trees were slowly fading to orange but still, James knew it wasn¡¯t enough. His brain had pieced together the purpose of the mist.


    And because of that, he knew its objective was to push him into the yellow centre of this arena. The wall of obsidian would not stop until that goal was accomplished.


    Between the laboured breaths and the heavy steps, his mind searched for a way out. A way to combat this. He ultimately came up with two options.


    The first was jamming himself full of the drug cocktail sitting snugly in his backpack. There was enough chemical stimulant in there to make him far faster than he was, and more importantly, a lot less likely to collapse. However, drugs came with a caveat. Mainly the backlash he¡¯d face once they wore off.


    James had never experienced it firsthand and thus was very hesitant to use it. Especially in on Zenith, where safety wasn¡¯t exactly a plentiful currency.


    The looper was confident the plan would work. But he wasn¡¯t so sure taking the risk was necessary.


    That brought him to his second idea, laid out neatly by the golden words that spelled doom.


    Second Life called to him. A faint feeling the looper was very unfamiliar with. He could feel the answer to his problems, sitting there neatly in a corner of his mind. A road untread that welcomed him. No, beckoned him to walk down it. On the fringes of his mind, offering him salvation.


    So why did he refuse?


    I don¡¯t trust it. James realised, feeling dumb at the thought of thinking so simply. But it was true. He trusted Second Life more than the Second Thought but still, the thought of using it vexed him for some reason.


    Was it because he didn¡¯t like the system?


    Am I that much of an idiot? He felt like the answer was yes. At the same time, the looper still found it a hard pill to swallow. Using the system. The power it gifted should be welcome but after the Loop¡­


    ¡­It feels poisoned. James couldn¡¯t deny that was how he felt. He couldn¡¯t lie to himself, regardless of how paranoid that belief was.


    But a wall of black death was chasing after him. He could feel it now. There was an atmosphere to it that was oppressive. No longer did it smell of cinnamon. It smelled of nothing. Somehow that was worse. James didn¡¯t dare look behind him. He would not tempt fate.


    Yet he knew he was standing on the edge of demise. James knew what would happen if he died. Things the looper simply could not accept.


    Fuck it.


    He would walk down the road his Skill paved for him. The drugs were a last resort. His Skill wasn¡¯t.


    As the looper ran, he let his mind slip into the inner place where his Skills resided. The centre of himself, that the system had made a nesting ground for all its changing. He felt the three roads inside of him wake as his will brushed against them. He felt the thing they all stemmed from turn to heed his presence.


    James felt the Loop inside him greet him. Then he grasped ahold of the Skill he¡¯d come to life.


    The looper could akin the feeling of calling his Skill into being like suddenly becoming aware of a new limb. Or a new organ. A completely new part of himself that felt foreign, and yet he could not deny was a part of him.


    Attached so intrinsically to him that nothing would ever be able to separate the two. The feeling of actually commanding his Skill was new and James recognised it immediately that he was well out of his depth.


    It felt like he was¡­ editing himself.


    Just help with my exhaustion. James thought, trying to simplify his want into the Skill. He couldn¡¯t command it properly but he sensed that he didn¡¯t necessarily need to. The Skill could function on its own with minor direction. So long as he focused on using it.


    So he did and the results were immediate.


    Second Life felt like warmth. That was the best way James could describe it. His body was suddenly encompassed by a warmth that wasn¡¯t there previously. The warmth travelled from his aching legs all the way up to his beating headache, slowly washing away some of the pain. Not all, unfortunately.


    The looper could literally feel its limitations. It could not fix him. Not completely while he was adding more stress to the load. But it could mitigate the problem areas.


    His lungs had more air in them. His feet felt less strain. James¡¯ body started allowing him to keep pace with the wall of mist chasing after him.


    And keep pace he did. Seconds of running had turned into minutes before he knew it and his body still felt light enough to keep up. His heart was thrumming like an engine instead of begging for mercy.


    The looper bounded forward with each step, flying past tree after tree as they got taller and taller. The orange was morphing into that yellow he hoped was safe ever so slowly. But that didn¡¯t mean James let up. He still ran as hard as he could, pushing the limits more and more of what his Skill could fix.


    James'' boots felt slippery on the inside.


    And he kept running.


    He stole all the air he could with every breath.


    And he kept running.


    He felt his newborn Skill start to fold under the weight of his ever-increasing exhaustion and injury.


    And he kept running.


    Everything was a blur. The pain was merely a distraction. Exhaustion a truth his Skill bent undone.


    Then sound returned. The clicking and buzzing of insects. The rustling and scampering of wildlife.


    The crackle of fire.


    Huh? James stopped. It felt like a sin too but the distinct sound of fire woke him out of his delirium. Because it was fire. His eyes could catch the hints of it over a ridge ahead of him. Small flickers provided him ample reason not to go past that ridge.


    Instead, he turned, hoping to find some other path around so he could keep escaping from the wall of mist.


    James turned only to see the mist had crept away from him. It lurked in the distance, still. Inviting him with the same cinnamon smell.


    For whatever reason, it didn¡¯t come closer. It stopped where the orange leaves finally turned yellow, not daring to edge a step further.


    Waiting.


    The relief slowly killed all the adrenaline built up inside James, making him very aware of just how badly injured his feet were. His boots to wet socks and the looper didn¡¯t even want to imagine how messed up his feet were beneath them.


    His body felt light and his clothes felt heavy, drenched in sweat. His heart was thrumming like it was going to explode any second.


    James felt awful.


    And he also felt a smile curve on his face, knowing the mist had failed to kill him. He was in a horrible shape. But he¡¯d gotten another win over the system. It had tried to kill him with the mist and failed.


    That was something to smile about.


    That was only the thing James had to smile about on Zenith.


    [Your Skill has grown]


    [Second Life]


    [1 -> 2]

 Chapter 23: Taste of Red

    Ezra gulped.


    He did so as quietly as he could, in an effort not to disturb the being next to him. But apparently, it was still loud enough for the Administrator to notice. The thing craned its skeletal neck towards him, swivelling one of its three heads away from the hologram projected ahead.


    Its three eyes were sunken above its beak, gazing at him curiously.


    Ezra felt like prey. The twin director of the C.S.O. was aware that the Administrator made a constant effort to not make him feel like prey. But it wasn¡¯t working. The gap between himself and the strange, skeletal three-headed bird was just too wide.


    ¡°You worry?¡± the Administrator asked in a voice that was far too close to human for comfort. From a glance, one would expect the being beside Ezra to admit some horrid primal screech as a form of communication.


    But no. It could speak English, in a perfectly human tone. It could speak every language in a perfectly replicated accent.


    When humanity had first made contact with the system, the more human-looking Administrators had claimed that learning the language and practising the vocal range for it was considered a compliment. It was a gesture to put them at ease.


    But every time he heard the thing standing next to him speak like a stranger he¡¯d met on the street, Ezra only felt toyed with.


    That was part of the reason he was one of the two acting directors of the C.S.O.


    Because he didn¡¯t trust the system, regardless of the gifts it gave him.


    ¡°No,¡± Ezra said flatly, lying. He had been worried every second of every day since he was given his duty. ¡°I just wonder if that mist will be used on Earth.¡±


    The head facing his way shook.


    ¡°You worry too much.¡± The Administrator reassured him. ¡°The mist is already present on your planet.¡±


    Ezra''s hand went to his beard, stroking it carefully. A nervous tick he¡¯d never really kicked. His face was contorted in a frown just thinking about the terrifying mist that had been present on the holographic screen. It displayed the fruits of his labour, and he was the sole human allowed to monitor the situation on Zenith.


    He didn¡¯t need to ask to know what that mist did. Ezra had been shown ample examples along with the rest of the fifty-five. They all knew about that part of the Invitation ahead of time. Part of the agreement Earth had come to with the system gave a clause about meaningful advice and aid with preparation.


    Still, the hard part hadn¡¯t started yet. That would come when the mist cleared or any of the other races decided to encroach on human territory.


    ¡°The system never warned us about the mist coming to Earth,¡± Ezra stated, hiding the venom behind his voice with a flat tone.


    ¡°It was irrelevant.¡± The Administrator answered, turning his head back to the holographic screen. Views of Zenith and humanity''s Conclave flashed on the screen, constantly switching perspectives at the Administrator''s will. ¡°The mist landed in uninhabited zones. There it will remain inert until you have earned it.¡±


    Earned it? Ezra almost wanted to scoff. Why would they ever want to earn something so disastrous? As it was, he was hearing word on his earpiece every few minutes about a new outpour of its liquid equivalent.


    His mouth opened to press the subject but then closed before he asked something the Administrator wouldn¡¯t answer. The skeletal bird wasn¡¯t under contract to answer anything that didn¡¯t directly pertain to Zenith¡¯s Calling. The dismissive answer he¡¯d got was likely the best Ezra was going to get.


    So the director accepted it and moved on. He¡¯d had to do that a lot recently. He sensed the trend would continue going forward.


    His attention shifted from his thoughts as the Administrator brought up the wider map view. From there, he could see all the Conclaves outlined, along with all the landmarks. Humanities Conclave was filled to the brim with red dots, each one signifying a man or woman he¡¯d trained and approved of.


    Ezra had put a face to each codename and number on that leaderboard. All of them were the best of the best, well and truly prepared for the advent of the system, with enough financial backing to accommodate every need they¡¯d ever have.


    They were the spearhead of humanity after all. They¡¯d all been summoned to Zenith in the Conclave as forewarned by the system and luckily no one had gotten too adventurous yet.


    Looking at you Aldo. Otherwise known as Wilt, the Italian had always been the most reckless of the fifty-five. But he was also one of the more dangerous weapons humanity had on its roster.


    As agreed upon, they would disperse into strike teams to reinforce the perimeter of their Conclave¡¯s territory. After that, all that remained was fending off the Splintered, assessing any risks aptly and doing what needed to be done to get Lumina back to the Conclave.


    Ezra trusted them. He¡¯d met the group dozens of times and while a few were a bit rowdy, they were all professionals who knew the stakes.


    All fifty-five of them.


    Ezra tried not to notice it. He tried not to let his eyes linger on the one red dot that wasn¡¯t grouped with the others. Instead sitting on the edge of the mist in the territory of the wrong Conclave.


    He did his best to keep his mouth shut and not ask again.


    It didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°We agreed on fifty-five humans,¡± Ezra said, a hint of annoyance seeping into his tone. ¡°With our physical, mental and technological capacity, that was what was deemed fair.¡±


    The Administrator hissed. The sound was much more along the lines of what you would expect from it given its appearance. A screeching vibration that caused you to wince as it shook your eardrums.


    Ezra remained undeterred. He stood there, expecting an answer and knowing he¡¯d receive one. Because it retained directly to Zenith¡¯s Calling.


    ¡°The gods saw fit to grant one of your people a chance.¡± The Administrator said in a low grumbling tone.


    A chance, huh?


    The fifty-sixth had started on the edge of the ring, in mist territory. On the wrong side. How was that a chance?


    It¡¯s a death sentence. Ezra was sure of it.


    Part of him would be happy with that outcome, as morbid as it sounded. The fifty-sixth was an unknown variable. A person outside of his direct leadership and thus capable of moving against him. Someone who could quite possibly move against humanity for their own interests. The fifty-sixth was a wildcard by the system and something the fifty-five would have to deal with.


    But that part of Ezra that empathised with his fellow man recognised that the fifty-sixth was in a far worse situation than his fifty-five. From what he¡¯d seen so far, it was clear that the system itself was working against the fifty-sixth. Putting them at a far greater risk than any other human.


    That part felt particularly unfair.


    ¡°Can you at least guide them towards the Conclave?¡± Ezra asked, doing his best to give this strange wanderer a chance at survival. They would need it.


    ¡°You know the rules human.¡± The Administrator snorted. ¡°We can watch but we cannot interfere.¡±


    So he¡¯d just have to watch from the sidelines? Ezra almost felt cowardly. Whenever he¡¯d give one of his big speeches to the fifty-five, he¡¯d always spoken it from the heart. But the truth was, when it came down to it, they were the ones facing danger.


    And they were also the only ones that could help the lost soul that had stumbled into the system¡¯s first Trial.


    Ezra motioned for the Administrator to turn the hologram back to surveillance of the Conclave, but his eyes remained glued on that lone red dot so far in enemy territory. Precariously close to a wall of mist after making a mad dash away from its all-consuming presence. He was preparing himself to see the fifty-sixth dot blink out of existence.


    Try not to die, whoever you are. Ezra thought, gripping his hands tightly on the console beneath him. We can''t go silent into the night.


    ********************************


    James was in a tree. Again.


    He was aware of the fact that it was beginning to become a trend, but that didn¡¯t mean it was any less effective of a tool when it came to scouting. Scouting that would be rather crucial now he had been forced into the much more open yellow plains. The looper was still on the edge of the mist, having grown quite comfortable next to his wall of darkness.


    He would¡¯ve liked to move forward. The fire crackling over the ridge put a stop to that. James wasn¡¯t going anywhere near that till he knew who and what had started it.


    So he was crouched on the lowest hanging branch he could find, inspecting his bleeding foot. The looper had stepped on something spiked on his descent, leading to a very messy change of socks.


    Thank god I brought spares. James thought, sticking his bloody ones in a ziplock back and storing them back in his backpack. It was overly cautious to be so careful with bloody socks. But all it takes is one dude with blood magic and it¡¯s goodnight James. So the ruined socks stayed in the bag.


    The looper wasn¡¯t sure where the limits of Sources started and ended, but he wasn¡¯t willing to take the chance that people wouldn¡¯t have witch powers.


    Once he was done fixing up his feet James checked all his essentials, making sure he hadn¡¯t lost anything while running.


    Still got everything. Not dead. These are all positives. What wasn¡¯t positive was the state of his body. To put it bluntly, he was racked with fatigue. He was regaining his energy much slower than before and his body felt heavy. James wasn¡¯t unfit but running a dead sprint for kilometres in such suffocating heat had drained a lot out of his tank.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I must smell awful. Sweat was dripping off his tightly packed clothes at this point. The run had reduced much of his water supply, leaving him down to a canister and a half.


    Need water. Badly. The looper had food covered for at least a few days, and he could rely on the giant trees for shelter if it came down to it. But water was still a problem.


    If he climbed further up the tree, James knew he¡¯d be able to see over the ridge line. But the idea of staying in a tree longer than necessary had soured in his mind, so the looper swung down and committed to his next best option.


    Avoiding.


    Considering how dangerous and intimidating the wall of mist was, chances were the other creatures undertaking this Trial would be hesitant to approach. James could use that. The looper already knew he could outrun the mist if it came down to it. Better to deal with the devil you know and all that.


    James dropped to the ground as lightly as he could, careful to make quiet movements as he slowly circled away from the ridge. The looper made sure to walk between trees and yellow undergrowth, utilising the abundance of flora to his advantage.


    The yellow flora was much more open than the purple, making it easier to weave between but much harder to hide in. The sheer size of the trees also meant that they were more spread out, leading to even further reduced cover.


    Slowly he edged his way along the fringes of the mist, keeping his gun at the ready and his perceptions sharp. Second Life still thrummed in the back of his mind, doing something James didn¡¯t have the spare time to focus on. He found it easier to just let the Skill do its thing.


    The more he traversed the yellow forest, the clearer the differences between it and the purple jungle became. The ground was flat for the most part, leading to an abundance of ridges and small hills that obscured vision. But not entirely. At certain angles, he could spot that massive Conclave along with what looked to be¡­


    Buildings. They were more like dirt mounds. He wasn¡¯t close enough to see them properly, only catching glimpses.


    The yellow forest also had much wider clearings the further you went, filled with tall grass and undergrowth. James didn¡¯t dare step in the out and open of those.


    Doing his best to ignore the daunting wall of darkness so close to him, James continued to traverse along the fridge in the yellow forest. Until he heard it.


    A trickle.


    A small, rushing trickle that tingled on the edge of his ears. Inviting him forward.


    The sound came from further inwards, closer to the centre of the arena. Earlier he might¡¯ve refused to move closer inwards for water but James was coming to understand he probably wasn¡¯t going to have a choice. The Trial would force him forward, one way or another.


    The looper would willingly do it if it meant water.


    James stayed to the slow and careful style, closing in on the water sound until he finally found it, between a thick hedge. At first preliminary glance, it appeared to be a pond, but upon closer inspection, it was more like a river. Had to be at least ten metres wide with a mild current to it, following the much lighter slope towards the centre of the arena.


    It broke and weaved at intervals, twisting around trees and banks before coming back into one solid river again with strange vines sprawling above it. It gave the looper an impression that the river had formed around the forest, almost artificially splitting the two walls of hedges that ran along either side of it.


    But what struck James the most about the twisting river, was its colour.


    It was dark red. So dark that hid the bank beneath, making its depth murky and unwelcoming.


    Is that even water?


    The moment he wondered, the golden words answered.


    [Life Ichor]


    [Description: A substitute for water. Drinkable by all races currently participating in the Invitation and capable of increased regenerative capacity, stamina and vigour in high doses]


    James'' first thought was what constituted a high dose. His second thought was wondering what the side effect was. Because he got the feeling that Zenith might not have water if they could substitute it for something else, and that probably meant Life Ichor had a trade-off. A trade-off he¡¯d likely have to accept.


    His options were limited and the heat was still as suffocating as ever.


    He could look for another source of hydration but there was no guarantee there was one nearby. The looper was also already running in the mid-ranges on energy, and trekking through the forest without the need to look for water could be a godsend.


    There are no tracks either. The looper had seen tracks occasionally, further towards the centre, squashing between grass and mud. They weren¡¯t human. They weren¡¯t anything he¡¯d ever seen before. To his best guesses, they belonged to something with claws that was bipedal, but that was about it.


    They were too infrequent as close to the mist as he was, and the looper wasn¡¯t willing to get closer just to investigate.


    The important part is that I don¡¯t see any of them here. James had tracked along the hedge wall long enough in each direction to be fairly confident that those bipedal-clawed creatures weren¡¯t near the river banks. At least not close enough to notice him while he quickly filled up his two canisters, along with an empty thermos he had.


    The looper stayed on the edge of the hedge, hiding between it and underbrush as he deliberated just how he¡¯d go about getting the water. The conclusion he came to, was simply that getting in and out quickly was the best option. By the nature of the river, there wasn¡¯t exactly cover on its bank, so stealth was out of the picture.


    And there was zero merit to going slowly so quick it was.


    If I end up finding water, I¡¯ll swap it out for what I fill up. That was his rationality. It was better to have Life Ichor than have nothing, even if he didn¡¯t trust it.


    ¡°From death mist to rivers of blood,¡± James whispered to himself, amazed by how quickly things had escalated. Just another reminder that he¡¯d be better off on earth. Where he could do something instead of scavenging like he was.


    The looper stayed creeping along the edge of the hedge for a moment and then slipped through the gaps in the large yellow hedge, immediately sliding onto the muddy bank of the river. The bank was almost half as wide as the river on either side, leaving a lot of room open for sight and making James immediately wary.


    Be quick. He told himself, smothering the worry with action. The looper ran along the bank towards the edge of the river and kneeled, a canister already in the head. He slung his shotgun onto his back with his rifle, keeping it away from the water as he dipped his hands in with the canister to fill it.


    The river of Life Ichor felt like¡­ orange juice? Thinner than milk but thicker than water. It shifted through his hands with a strong enough current to require some resistance on his hand. The suffocating heat was silenced by the cool liquid that ran through his fingers.


    Someone could easily get swept away. His eyes shifted towards the middle of the river, where rocks protruded, creating ripples of red as the current pulled harder. It¡¯s deep there. Deep enough for a man to drown.


    That honestly made sense. Zenith¡¯s whole purpose was battle, why wouldn¡¯t the water be deep enough for you to drown a man?


    Well, a human. He hadn¡¯t a clue how tall or aquatic the other races were.


    The slight trickle of the water had turned into a constant rushing of liquid that drowned out the atmospheric buzz of Zenith. Even behind the hedge, he¡¯d been able to hear the ever-constant chitter of the forest. But all the looper heard now was the river.


    Amidst the heat and exhaustion, James felt a longer build in his bones. How nice it would be to feel the coolness of the water wash over his whole body.


    No. He didn¡¯t have time. The situation he was in was still too widely unstable.


    The looper filled his first canister fine, then moved on to his second. Halfway through filling it, his eyes caught the glow above that had been obscured from behind the hedge.


    Above him, dangling off the vines strewn above the river were orbs that glowed with a ghostly azure.


    They look tasty. Almost like glowing berries. Very alluring. But James had his own human-approved food, and it would be a decent climb just to get them. The looper was ready to dismiss them until golden words painted an explanation across his vision.


    A very intriguing one.


    [Source-Cyst]


    [Description: Grants a Source from the racial Source Pool when ingested by a system-integrated being. For those who already possess a Source, ingesting will aid in Source development]


    The second part concerned James and was interesting, to say the least.


    But the first part of the description caught the looper¡¯s attention and wouldn¡¯t let go.


    If I pick those berries I could¡­ Give anyone he wanted a Source. Give anyone he wanted power. The chance to fight as he possessed.


    And the potential to shackle them in a prison of their own power, just like himself. The looper couldn¡¯t have but immediately been conflicted at the thought of giving it to those he cared about. Michael, Hugh, Jake¡­ none of them possessed a Source, which put them a leg behind already in what the world was becoming.


    But isn¡¯t that a good thing? The looper couldn¡¯t say. The idea that he could inflict the same pain he¡¯d suffered upon his loved ones terrified James so deeply and wholly that he almost immediately wanted to throw the idea away.


    There was just one problem. The world wasn¡¯t turning towards being a kind place, it was turning towards being a hellhole, filled with who knew what horrors. From what James could tell, a Source was going to become a necessity for survival. It was the base of all the gifts granted by the system.


    This is why they¡¯re here. Zenith¡¯s Calling was an Invitation that ended with opening a way to the horrid place for all of humanity. James had put that together from all the system and Archive had told him about the accursed place. Part of him had wondered why anyone would want to be a part of this death game besides stupidity or a lust for power.


    That was it. Dangling above his head. A crucial part of what Zenith offered in exchange for blood.


    Power.


    Power anyone could possess at the bite of a berry.


    ¡°The currency of a new world.¡± James thought, his eyes affixed on the Source-Cysts. He could already picture exactly what those fifty-five other humans were planning.


    Each and everyone could get ahold of these and make themselves a central piece of humanity moving forward. It would be so easy. The looper could already see how simple it would be to garner support and loyalty with one bite.


    He could also acknowledge how quickly things could descend into chaos with that much power weighing between fifty-five people.


    Nope. James thought, focusing back on his thermos which had long since started overflowing with Life Ichor. Not my peanuts, not my monkeys.


    Not his problem.


    The fifty-five could fight with each other to death for all he cared, so long as they gathered at least half the necessary Lumina. Half was an acceptable contribution from the rest of them. Anything less and James knew he¡¯d be stuck on Zenith for a while.


    James let those thoughts drift away as he focused back on efficiency and getting the hell off the bank. He filled his thermos and capped it shut then tried to pull his hand out of the river.


    That¡¯s when he felt something pulling against him, nipping at his wrist. It felt like a small hand trying to drag him down to the bottom of the water.


    James yanked his hand as hard as he could immediately, pulling a knife from his belt with his other hand. The moment his hand left the water pain replaced the cool feeling, dragging up to reveal a small dark green snake latching onto his hand.


    Biting down hard enough to draw blood and anchoring itself to the river bank.


    The looper swung his knife through it in an instant without hesitation. The snake¡¯s scales offered a moment of resistance before the sharpened blade cleaved through it, revealing the milky pink innards beneath.


    All the body below the head fell into the river but the head held firm, requiring James to pry it off before he was finally free of the thing.


    [Congradulations! You have defeated a Proto-Avarnkin]


    [Due to the nature of your Spark, all experience will be funnelled towards Source and Skill progression]


    [Lumina: 1.3]


    James didn¡¯t waste time and immediately started pressing down hard on the open head of the snake, testing for venom. The looper didn¡¯t care about the notification, he was much more worried about getting poisoned.


    That was until something wrapped around his leg, bursting through the muddy bank and trying to drag James into the river.

 Update: Im not DEAD!

    I''ve never done an update post so this is new.


    First things first, It''s been a minute so sorry for that. My life is fairly hectic and working six days a week leaves me limited on time for writing, which, tied with the fact that I wrote like 100K words in about a month, killed my desire to write anymore.


    BUT I''M BACK!


    Well, maybe. I will be back to writing at least, because the wheel of terrible ideas in my head never ends. Lost Loop has about a seventy to eighty per cent chance of continuing, but that might have to come after I fix the whole thing. I don''t want to come back to writing chapters without a good grasp on the characters I wrote, so it might be a while before I get back on the Lost Loop train. How long is awhile? At max like two weeks probably. I''ve been skimming through the storm of grammatical errors that is my book every now and then.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    For those curious about the radio silence, it''s pretty simple. I wasn''t on the accountant. For the sake of my mental health, I auto-logout of it and only log back on for grammar corrections or posting a chapter. When I don''t post a chapter I don''t log on, hence the radio silence.


    Anyway, Lost Loop isn''t dropped; I''m just on hiatus while I sort my life out. I might post something else in the meantime, I might not. Thanks for all the nice messages and reviews as always, I appreciate it. Hope this serves as an answer in case you were wondering.


    TLDR: Author need money for food, so author do more work and thus lose writy writy time. Big sad. Now author have many doubloons and can focus on hobby again.

 Update pt2: RETURN OF THE UNDEAD AUTHOR

    Yo!


    it''s me, author-dude. Just wanted to make a quick post to say that I''m still writing and that I''m cooking up a new story in a similar vein to Lost Loop. It''s called Super Villain System(cue the dramatic music) based around I funny idea I had floating in my head that stayed somewhat funny when I started writing. It''s supposed to fall in that strange mixed ground of being a super/adventure/comedy novel, similar to the two books I got the idea from: Perfect Run and Industrial Strength Magic.


    I was planning on posting it about a month ago, but I have encountered a conundrum. If you weren''t aware, RR has a system by which books are marketed after they reach a word count/chapter/engagement threshold. Rising Stars is the most obvious example of this, and it can make or break your book depending on whether the algorithm judges you worthy or not.


    This is relevant because I feel my writing is much more whole in bigger doses, meaning that my natural chapter length is not exactly meta on something like RR. Not a problem, because I can just build up chapters, but that''s going to take a hot minute and I''d like to at least get some eyes on the book before then.


    So, where does this lead us? Well, I''ve made a Patreon. A free Patreon for the time being that should have all but the chapter I''m still working on available to read. The chapters are so raw and unedited and subject to retcon that I figured I may as well just let anyone that wants to read them, read them until I''ve sorted it out. They are there now and should be open for anyone that browses to see. I''ll link it in the author''s note below.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    I hope you do take the time to read it or at least give it a skim. It may be rough around the edges, but I think it''s tense, goofy and overall fun to read.


    anyway, I''ll leave this off with the synopsis. No pressure to read as I know this isn''t the book you''re following me for, just thought I''d let you know.


    Something is really, really wrong with the world.


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    Beyond the eldritch horror encroaching from beyond and the invasive species of man-eating aliens, something about the Federation of Man just isn''t right.


    Super hero''s aren''t much of hero''s anymore and super villains... well they just aren''t super. Sure they have power to tangle with the best of them, but where''s the pizzazz! Where''s the I.T factor? Where are the red buttons of weapons of mass destruction and catchphrases? Where are the bowler hats and patting cats?


    The Federation of Man is desperately lacking a proper Super Villain.


    Luckily for them, there might just be one on the rise.


    Because Luke''s was fine with being a cashier, watching Villainy be made a mockery of by amateurs.


    But after being robbed, electrocuted, robbed, beaten and then robbed again all in the same week some screws might''ve gotten knocked loose. Because the state of Villainy is not fine and Luke''s bored, crazy and stupid enough to believe he can change it.


    And apparently, some mystic jackass named the Architect thinks so too, planting a system on Luke that only wants one thing from him.


    Evil... done right!


    So yeah, if you wanna read more of my Shiz. It''s there.


    Just waiting.


    link below


    -A very not dead author


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