"I escaped death once, I might as well escape it a second time." Riley deadpanned. He looked through the library, searching and reading books related to history and anything related to divine beings.
He had come to understand that this world almost had the same history as earth, while earth conquered the first Nexus Trial thousands of years ago, this world had been able to wield the Nexus blessing powers without facing any trials.
"How is that even possible?" He asked himself.
Of course there was no answer.
As he continued his search a book caught his attention, it was concealed by some strange powers making him want to look away from it. However Riley won't lose to the strange powers influencing him.
He picked the book up, and read the title
«Frozen Angels»
He opened it, and the first page contained a sentence:
«The frozen Angels displace their victims back in time and consume their time energy, they can make their victim trapped in an endless loop of time until he exhausted his life span
Since you are able to find this book and read it…
You are already in an infinite time loop.»
--
Riley kept reading the document over and over again, his heart pounding in his chest. He was mortified, feeling a deep sense of dread settling into his bones. Of all the scenarios he had imagined for his first Nexus trial, this was certainly not one of them. He didn't expect to be stuck in a time loop.
The idea of repeating the same moments over and over again was something he had only encountered in movies and sci-fi novels, never imagining that such a terrifying concept could become his reality.
But now, here he was—trapped in a loop of time, doomed to relive the same events over and over again until he found a way to break free. However, there was a crucial difference between his situation and those fictional accounts. Riley knew from the very beginning that he was caught in a time loop.
Unlike the confused protagonists in those stories, who usually had to discover the horrifying truth through trial and error, Riley had been aware from the start. That knowledge should have given him an advantage, but instead, it filled him with a deep sense of dread.
He continued to pore over the pages of the book, trying to extract every possible scrap of information. He was acutely aware that this book might not be here in the next loop.
Perhaps the very act of reading it now was what ensured its disappearance later. The text on the pages seemed to blur slightly as if mocking his desperation, but he pressed on, determined to gather as much knowledge as he could.
The text read:
«Well, if you've already broken off the engagement with the princess, I'm sorry to say this loop is already doomed. Better luck next time. To break this cycle, you must find someone—and that someone is me.»
«I'm probably away in the army right now, enjoying life. You must be wondering how I knew—well, it's a secret to be discussed when we finally meet.»
«Remember this code word: 'The otherworldly chicken is out of the east hen's house.»
Riley forced himself to commit the code word to memory, repeating it silently until it was burned into his mind.
There was a sense of urgency gnawing at him, a desperate need to find the mysterious helper mentioned in the book.
He knew he had to act fast, though a cynical part of him whispered that it might not matter at all. After all, he was already caught in a time loop. Was there any hope of escaping this nightmare?
He needed to join the army—the book had made that much clear—but the problem was, which army district should he join? It was a critical detail, and choosing the wrong one could doom him to repeat the cycle endlessly.
The uncertainty gnawed at him, and he found himself hesitating, considering every possible outcome. Just as he was about to make a decision, the quiet library was suddenly filled with the sound of heavy footsteps. Riley's heart leapt into his throat as he turned to see a group of soldiers flooding into the room.
They were dressed in chainmail vests with red tunics underneath, their metal boots echoing ominously against the stone floor. The soldiers looked formidable, their faceless helmets offering protection all around their heads, with only a narrow horizontal slit where their eyes were visible.
"Ryan Raven, listen to the command of the king!" A man leading the soldiers spoke, his voice booming through the silent library, filling the space with an air of authority.
Riley felt a cold sweat break out across his forehead. "Am I being crowned as king?" he asked, his voice laced with sarcasm, even though dread was curling in his stomach.
"Far from it," the soldier replied, his tone flat and unyielding. "Hear the king's order." His voice rose, filling the room with a sense of finality. "Your behavior has been labeled as treason, and you shall be put to death by hanging."
There was no way he could escape this. Riley's mind raced as he considered his options, but they all led to the same conclusion: there was no escape. His only hope was that he truly was caught in a time loop. If that was the case, then he might be able to die and start over, trying again to break free. But what if this was the final loop? What if there was no reset? The thought chilled him to the bone.
He couldn't understand how asking for compensation had been twisted into an act of treason. The logic was twisted, just like this world. Riley could only come to one conclusion: this world was a dark and twisted place, where nothing made sense and justice was a distant dream.
His death seemed inevitable. He had read in the book that his first loop was doomed the moment he signed the document to break off the engagement. Even if he hadn't asked for compensation, he was bound to die. The only thing he could do now was gamble on the chance of reloading after his death.
The Nexus Trial was not supposed to be like this.
Freshly chosen aspirant would find themselves in scenarios that provided them with fair amount of agencies : They would become member of privileged or warrior echelon with plenty of access to weapons to at least conform whatever conflict lay ahead. His agent had been the book, and whoever it was that knew he was stuck in a time loop.
In short, Riley was doomed to die in this loop— if there's any.
"Come on," Riley groaned, his voice tinged with frustration and resignation. "Aren't you bored of hanging people who commit treason?" he asked, his eyes scanning the soldiers for any sign of hesitation.
The soldier didn't respond. Instead, he signaled to the others behind him, and several of them rushed forward. Riley felt rough hands grabbing him, binding his wrists tightly and throwing him to the ground with brutal efficiency.
"You talk too much for someone who is about to die," one of the soldiers muttered, his tone devoid of sympathy.
Riley gritted his teeth, glaring up at the man. "Trust me, I will come back for you," he vowed, his voice cold and filled with a dark promise.
As they were dragging him out of the library, Riley caught sight of Jasmine standing in a corner, her arms crossed over her chest, a bright smile on her face. She looked entirely too pleased with herself.
"I told you hours ago that you wouldn't live long, but I'll attend your funeral. Do you believe me now?" she taunted, her eyes glinting with a mixture of malice and amusement.
Riley glanced at her, his expression defiant despite the dire situation. "I'm a madman with a sense of humor, but don't tell anyone." he replied.
His words earned him a few curious glances from the soldiers, but they didn't bother to respond. They had their orders, and nothing Riley said would change that.
The soldiers dragged Riley out of the library, pulling him across the cobblestone courtyard of the family compound and towards a platform in the distance.
The platform was not far from the house, a grim reminder of the royal family's power and the consequences of defiance. Riley realized with a sinking feeling that he was about to be hung to death in front of the family home—a public display meant to serve as a warning to others.
He hadn't even lived a full day in this loop, and now he was facing a shameful death. The thought gnawed at him, but he refused to let it defeat him. He'd stayed quiet, observing the soldiers as they lowered their guard, waiting for the right moment to act.
When they arrived in front of the platform, Riley was unceremoniously pushed onto it. The crowd of onlookers had already started to gather, their murmurs and whispers filling the air as they pointed at him.
Their faces were a mixture of curiosity and indifference, as if they had seen this spectacle many times before and had grown accustomed to it.
The soldiers unbound him—except for his hands—before another soldier shoved him forward toward the dangling rope that swayed a few meters away.
Riley's fate was inevitable — death.