Time was reset once more.
The repeated loops were slowly eroding Knox's mind. He realized he needed to escape as soon as possible before he suffered permanent damage.
So, Knox repeated the world several more times, investigating certain things. Once he had formed an idea of the truth, he reset time for the final time.
As soon as the loop restarted, Knox asked his parents to take him to the hospital — he needed to meet the doctor.
'I've reached several hypotheses. Now I'll confirm them. Maybe I'll finally be able to leave.'
Knox arrived at the hospital with his family and met the doctor. Then he asked to speak with him alone, so they went into a private room together.
The three were confused by his behavior, but with Ashur's support, they decided to play along.
Knox entered the doctor's office, sat down in front of him, and stared in silence.
"Can you tell me why you wanted to speak with me?"
I looked at the doctor for a while before leaning back in the chair and smiling slyly.
"Enough pretending. I've realized that you know about the time loops."
The doctor's smile froze. He stared at me in silence.
"Time loops? What are you talking about?"
I rested my chin on my hand and looked at him sideways.
"Come on. Don't pretend to be clueless. I'm not an idiot — and I doubt you're one either. So let's drop the act."
The doctor gazed at me with interest, then leaned back and laughed in resignation.
"Seems I've been caught. But can you tell me how you figured it out?"
"It's simple. Your eyes betrayed you, doctor. In every loop, your gaze toward me was different — fascinated, amused. You looked at me like a scientist observing his favorite lab rat."
"Heh. So my expressions gave me away."
The doctor shrugged apologetically, but his casual tone only made me angrier.
"So, nox… have you figured out the purpose of this illusion?"
"Of course. But let's not rush. I'll explain everything slowly."
"As you wish."
He gestured for me to continue. I paused for a few seconds before speaking.
"Let me explain the illusion and the rules I discovered."
I raised my hand and held up three fingers.
"First — this illusion is built from my memories. But there are things I can't remember. That means my real memories are fake. That realization disturbed me deeply."
I lowered one finger.
"Second — my parents die from the dark mist within two days at most. Of course, I die too. That means each loop lasts no more than two days."
I lowered another finger.
"Third — anyone who learns something they shouldn't dies. That's why my parents die if I tell them about the illusion. It's also why I suspected you. When I tried to learn about you, I died instead. It should've been the opposite."
I lowered the final finger and looked at the doctor calmly.
Clap! Clap!
"Bravo. You're right. Now, what else do you have?"
His smug tone irritated me, but I held my temper.
"This illusion only shows four people — my parents, the mist, and you. That means you're the only ones that matter. The illusion returned me to when I was ten. That must mean it's trying to remind me of something that happened then. And guess what ? my parents died that year."
"They were murdered. But for some strange reason, the police never investigated. It was ignored, forgotten. And since my memories are fake, I wondered — what if the police didn't stop? What if they just couldn't continue?"
The doctor leaned forward, listening closely.
"Why couldn't they, in your opinion?"
I leaned closer, speaking coldly.
"I had an annoying teacher — like you — who could manipulate memories somehow. So I thought maybe someone changed my memories and the police's memories too. And who would that someone be? Of course — you. That means you killed my parents."
The doctor stared at me — then burst into loud laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha! You're absolutely right. I can change memories "
My hands clenched tightly. It was hard to control my rage, but I didn't want to reset time again — not after learning the truth.
"Let me continue. You had ties with my parents since I was little. You kept running tests on me — for someone or something. That was what confused me the most. What could a man like you possibly want from me? And then I realized—"
I pointed at my eyes.
"The answer was in front of me the whole time. My eyes never changed. There was no trace of the pendant. My father never went to Babylon's ruins. That means he never found the Shard of Darkness. After some thinking, I realized — the source of that shard was you all along. I don't know your reason, but I have my theories."
He gestured for me to continue. I hated how calm and entertained he looked.
"Shards have wills. Just like we choose them, they choose us. That's why many die trying to use shards that reject them. For example, the Shard of Light — everyone knows the Whitehaven family wields it because the shard favors them. It rejects anyone else. Truly a blessed bloodline. So I guessed that you somehow discovered the Shard of Darkness reacted to me — and decided to experiment on me. Am I right?"
The doctor nodded slowly.
"You're not wrong, but not entirely right either."
"Tell me — was it necessary to kill my parents?! To make me suffer all my life just for your damned goal?! You think this is some kind of fun experiment?!"
I slammed my hands on the desk, glaring at him with pure hatred.
"Calm down, boy. If you want to know the full truth, you'll have to find me in the real world. I'm merely a parasite in your brain, manipulating your memories. I made a deal with the illusion itself — that's how I trapped you in this loop. I was planning to reveal everything eventually."
"What the hell do you mean, parasite?! You're the reason for those cursed emotions, aren't you?!"
He raised his hands in defense.
"Wait — you misunderstand. I can manipulate memories, not emotions. Now stop drowning in your anger and focus on escaping the illusion. There's one thing you haven't answered yet — what about the dark mist?"
I glared at him but forced myself to sit back down.
"The dark mist, huh? I felt something familiar about it. Then I realized — it's my shard. The truth is, the mist that kept killing me was my own shard all along. Did my shard betray me by siding with you?"
The doctor shook his head.
"No, nox. You're mistaken. You said I possess the Shard of Darkness and gave it to you. That's wrong. The truth is — you were born with it."
I froze, a chill running through me. His words were too shocking to comprehend.
"What do you mean?"
"It's simple. You were born with the Shard of Darkness — but it was dormant. I ran experiments to awaken it. After ten years, I finally succeeded. The best method was to separate it from you, make it take form as a shard, and then force you to reconnect with it. But I needed a trigger. And guess what that trigger was."
Before I could answer, he spoke again.
"It was the death of your parents. Now let me shock you further — your parents didn't actually die. They sacrificed themselves. They agreed to my proposal. Their deaths were part of the plan. So, technically, I didn't kill them. There's no need for hatred."
My eyes widened. My mind went blank. Pain tore through my chest; my heart pounded violently, ready to explode.
"Ha… ha… ha…"
I clutched my chest, gasping and trembling uncontrollably. The doctor quietly raised his hand and pointed at me. A wave of invisible energy flowed into my body.
The pain subsided. My heartbeat slowed. My body calmed — but my mind didn't.
'What does this mean? Why did they sacrifice themselves? Was everything a lie? Did I live my whole life in pain because of their choice? They abandoned me… they left me… What am I supposed to do now? I can't believe...I can't ..... I can't '
I grabbed my head as an unbearable headache split through my skull.
"Calm down, Nox. Let me explain."
The doctor's voice echoed in my mind, soothing yet heavy. He smiled gently, as if to reassure me.
"You might think their choice was cruel, but put yourself in their place. They were normal humans, destined to die when the end of the world comes. When they saw a chance for their son to awaken — to gain the power to survive — they chose to sacrifice themselves without hesitation. Even if they hadn't, how long would they have lived? They would've died someday — of illness, age, or the abyss. The only difference is, you would've died too. By becoming awakened, you have a chance to live. That's what they wanted — your survival. A parent's love can't always be understood."
His words cut deep. I looked down, shoulders trembling, voice faint.
"I never asked for this."
My voice was weak, hollow, broken.
"I know. But it was their choice. Now, you have two paths — live happily to give meaning to their sacrifice, or drown in sorrow and make your parents regret it."
Nox laughed weakly.
"You're telling me to live? Do you realize I killed myself on my nineteenth birthday? Do you understand how much despair I lived through? Do you know how much mental strength it takes to slit your own throat? You think dying is easy? Just a quick slice and done? No — it's not!"
I screamed, tears streaming down my face.
"It's hard — harder than anything! Thinking about stopping your own life is terrifying. Death is so cold. I don't hate death, but I fear the unknown that follows. No matter how loved you are, no matter how many friends surround you — you'll die alone. I hate being alone. Do you know how much it hurt to kill myself? I died alone in a dark alley under the rain. Living is easy. Dying… dying is a thousand times harder."
I stopped, choking on my words.
"I… I was just a child who wanted peace. I didn't want power. I didn't want to spend nine years on the streets. I just wanted to live with my parents. I wouldn't have minded dying if it was with them — I would've been happy. But when they left me, I killed myself… and I regret every moment. Do you know how much regret hurts? It destroys life itself. It follows you forever."
I stood on shaking legs, staring at the doctor in silence. My tears fell slowly, lifeless eyes staring into his.
"Doctor… I regret killing myself. But you know what? I regret living even more."
The doctor looked at me for a while — maybe with sadness, maybe pity, maybe nothing at all.
"Maybe my words won't help you, Nox, but why do you regret? Why not try to make peace with it? You're too bound to your past. Yes, it's important — but those who keep looking back can't move forward. You lost people dear to you, true, but you can meet others, make friends, fall in love, have children. And when your time comes, you'll see them again. So, when that happens, will you face them with regret — or as someone who truly lived?"
"When you meet them, tell them you're angry. Slap them a few times. Cry in their arms. Then laugh with them and rest together. That's the mercy of death — if life wounds, death heals."
Cracks began to spread across the doctor's body and the world around us.
He touched one on his cheek and smiled softly.
"Looks like this is the end. Once you leave here, you'll regain your true memories. Nox … to me, you were also a son, not just an experiment. So promise me — when you get out, find me. Then hit me as much as you want. I won't mind, even if you kill me."
The cracks multiplied. The doctor smiled warmly.
"Goodbye, Nox."
Reality shattered. Everything turned into endless darkness. I knew this place — it wasn't the first time I'd been here.
"Shard of Darkness."
The void trembled in response. I could feel sorrow in its presence, as if my shard was apologizing for what it had done.
"Let me out."
I said calmly. My mind was numb — I no longer had the strength to fight or rage.
At my words, the darkness around me shifted — and I felt my body being pulled out.
...