[Loop 56]
Once again Verum was making her way to the church, skipping playfully through the town she had come to know like the back of her hand. Every loop had the exact same things play out. She'd catch the tail end of the gingerbread man fight the chicken before visiting her favourite tavern to get breakfast.
At the Tavern she'd order the exact same bacon and cheese bagel then skip out on paying. After that, she'd finally reach the church.
"Twenty six days with some priest. I never thought we'd go back to religion." The heroic doppelganger remarked with a light snicker while Verum made her way back to the church. Over the last few loops, Verum had been spending as much time as she could with Sunny.
To both her doppelgangers, it had become clear that she was trying to form some sort of connection, despite the fact that the woman didn't seem to recognise her after each loop. It was rather tedious, but the feral one had yet to make an appearance since loop 33.
The days consisted of Verum asking her new friend what there was to do and everyday they would go to a new part of the city. And no matter how much the heroic one tried to get herself back on track, the Rodent always refused to listen.
Once their time had come to an end once more, Verum and Sunny would just sit in the church discussing what to do about the Queen. "I'll kill her tomorrow." Was a phrase Verum always said to herself once time rewound, and was no different now.
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[Loop 57]
As the day came to a close once again, Verum sat alone on the roof of the church, staring out into the night. The sight of the castle looming above the city as though it was on a pedestal was hard to miss.
"Are the days supposed to feel like they blur together after awhile?" She said aloud to no one in particular. "I've only known you for a day, Rat girl." The priestess called out from behind and stepping over before resting next to her new friend.
"When did you get here?" Verum questioned with a playful smirk, though Sunny just shrugged it off. "I can see all in Ennuiara's light. Plus, you broke like fifteen things on your way up here."
"I always leave a trail." The rodent flicked at her own hair with her tail dramatically before leaning over with a playful look. "Say, since you seem like a smart biscuit, you know how to cook?"
"Nope. Why do you ask?"
"'Cause I'd kill for a bagel right about now." Verum groaned while stretching before smugly planting herself on Sunny's lap. The priestess rolled her eyes, despite having known Verum for a day, it was like she had become familiar with the rodent's habits.
"Why a bagel out of all things?"
"I like bagels. It's like bread, but empty where it counts. Like me."
"Are you comparing yourself to a bagel? Really?" The woman couldn't help but laugh at the weird comparison. Verum flicked the woman's hair while smirking a bit. "I can't help it that bagels are perfect."
"Are you just going to ramble about bagels all night?"
"I would... But I'm afraid we're out of time." Verum sighed as the clock struck 10.
_________________________
[Loop 58]
Once again Verum was making her way to the church, skipping playfully through the town she had come to know like the back of her hand. Every loop had the exact same things play out. She'd catch the tail end of the gingerbread man fight the chicken before visiting her favourite tavern to get breakfast.
At the Tavern she'd order the exact same bacon and cheese bagel then skip out on paying. But something was out of place. Or rather, someone. Sitting at the counter was none other then Sunny, who had received the same bagel Verum had just ordered.
The priestess swiftly left, leaving a few coins on the counter as she clutched the bag of food.
"Hey, what's your name. That normal?" Verum whispered as the heroic one appeared. Despite the shade's usual calculating demeanour, she seemed just as confused. "I... I think we found who's running the loop."
"Ha. Yeah, right. Maybe things are just different today?"
"You have came to this place for the last 23 loops. You know it inside and out. So out of everything that has happened, you should know that it is out of the ordinary." The heroic one explained. It wasn't like she was wrong either, but Verum just chose to ignore her own advice.
Verum watched as Sunny left the tavern, bagel in hand, oblivious to Verum's lingering gaze. This was the first time Sunny had deviated from her usual pattern, and while it could be dismissed as a minor inconsistency, Verum's instincts screamed otherwise.
"Maybe it's just a coincidence," she murmured to herself, but even the heroic doppelgänger wasn't buying it.
"Coincidence doesn't repeat itself fifty eight times," the shade remarked dryly, arms crossed as she watched Sunny disappear down the alley. "I think it's time to push a little, don't you?"
Verum smirked, her tail flicking idly behind her as she considered it. Sunny, with her wide, innocent eyes, had somehow stayed oblivious through all the loops. She couldn't remember anything from previous iterations, yet she moved through each one with the grace of someone who knew exactly how the days would unfold.
Too well.
For someone who claimed to be a mere priestess, Sunny was entirely too... consistent. She seemed to always show up at just the right moment. She said the perfect things, asked the right questions, as though she were guiding the story itself.
Verum had barely noticed this. Yet she couldn't help but to question it.
Tonight, she decided, would be that time.
The night sky spread above the city, stars faintly twinkling through the eternal haze that clung to the horizon. The church loomed ahead, its familiar silhouette cutting through the evening gloom. Verum arrived, her steps quieter now, more thoughtful. She pushed open the heavy wooden doors and found Sunny kneeling in front of the altar, her soft voice humming a prayer that was lost to the empty, cavernous space.
For a moment, Verum simply watched, curiosity bubbling beneath her usual playful facade. She sauntered forward, her shadow stretching across the stone floor as she approached the priestess.
Sunny didn't turn around. "Verum," she greeted, her voice calm, "you're late tonight."
"Am I?" Verum tilted her head, placing her hands behind her back like a child caught in a prank. "I thought I was right on time."
Sunny smiled softly, but there was something distant in her eyes. "You always think you're on time."
Verum's tail flicked lazily behind her as she walked closer, circling Sunny like a predator eyeing its prey. "Ya know we haven't met today yet, huh?" she teased lightly.
Sunny's expression didn't change, but there was a subtle flicker in her eyes, one that Verum didn't miss. She stopped circling, bending slightly to meet Sunny's gaze head-on.
"Hey, Sunny," Verum said sweetly, her voice dropping into a soft, almost conspiratorial tone. "Why don't you tell me how you're rewinding the same day over and over?"
The priestess seemed to grow slightly nervous, but held a smile. "W-Well, I don't know what you're talking about."
Verum let out a loud, bored sigh before snapping her fingers with a playful malice. A bright, radiant light began shining through the windows before exploding. The shards of glass flying across the room like bullets.
"Tell me before I get angry... Well, annoyed is the right term really." The rodent quipped. The Priestess let out a shaky sigh before pulling out a familiar pocket watch that resembled the one Pit and Whip had planned on using.
"A group of adventurers found this artefact. It was said to-" Before Sunny could go on about the long, interesting tale and details of the watch, Verum shushed her with her tail while wandering over.
"I don't care about the origins, what it does, or what your plan is. Just break the loop and you and me can spend more then a day together. Deal?" The rodent put her hand out with a devilish grin, though the priestess shook her head in dismay.
"I can only break the loop once The Queen is dead. Only then-" Once more the Priestess was silenced by Verum's tail. "Fine. I'll kill your Queen by my lil' lonesome and then... You and me are gonna hang out." She said with yet another playful tail flick.
Sunny let out a surprised gasp at the mere thought. "B-But you'd need a whole team to take her down! I-I know you met the others, they shall surely help you in this quest!"
"Why are ya speaking like that? This ain't a game, Cutie. 'Cause if it was, I'd have all the cheats."
"You... You are surely mad..." The priestess couldn't help but giggle, watching with a warm smile as Verum swiftly left without so much as a second thought. Though as Sunny went back to her regular routine, she noticed her pockets were a little bit lighter.
In a panicked search through her clothes, she'd come to realise that Verum had stolen the one thing that she kept between loops. The Watch.
"That dumb rodent... She better beat her."