Chapter 100: A Proposition

  From the moment I woke up at the start of this loop, I was ready for things to get progressively more confusing as the day went on—the small fragments of the memories I had and some of the items in the Inventory were enough to hint at that.

  There was one jarring “mystery” in my mind, as had been solidified in my last conversation with Chronos, which I could tell had taken place after loop 33: there were two people other than me that were aware of the time loop.

  Valdemar and Casten Vorrick.

  And while one of them was Dolos’ Champion—I wasn't sure which—the other’s ability to sense the time loop remained a riddle. Something even Chronos couldn't fully explain.

  Now, Casten Vorrick had pulled me into an alley behind a nearby building.

  Considering he was able to retain his memories between loops, he probably followed us all the way from Orlinth and waited for the right moment to reveal himself.

  “I’m removing my hand now,” he said, his tone authoritative. “Don’t scream.”

  The second his armored hand left my mouth, I shoved myself away.

  “Get the fuck away from me,” I snapped, tone angry but controlled as I turned to face him.

  He was clad in his unique version of the Aetherguard Mark III—the Obsidian Crow #0, but his helmet was…off. He held it in his left hand, surprisingly leaving himself exposed to contamination.

  “Good. Now that you’ve seen it’s me, I can put this back on,” he muttered before securing the helmet. It hissed as it locked into the rest of his suit.

  “Let’s talk,” he said, his voice more mechanical now.

  I shook my head, stepping back, my mind already cycling through my available crystals.

  “We have nothing to talk about,” I said, thinking about Mom—who he had a hand in killing, thinking about Thea—of what he’d done to her, thinking about Crow #13—his deranged brother who had killed me so many times already.

  He exhaled irritably. “Your memory loss is a hassle.”

  Before I could react to him knowing that, he added, “Yes, I know about your System. I’m Dolos’ Champion. We already had this conversation in Skyhaven three loops ago. Back when we made a deal and you promised me you won’t meet Valdemar.”

  His words didn’t fully surprise me. Like I said, I was ready for things to get progressively more confusing.

  He revealed knowledge he shouldn’t have had—yet I couldn’t trust him at face value. Especially not after what he’d done. Not after I’d been shown exactly what kind of person he was. I could look past his brother killing me—we were in a time loop, after all, and he knew that as well—but Thea and Mom? That happened long before today.

  “What?” he suddenly asked. “You sister? That’s what holding you back?”

  My anger flared. “Of course it is! You think I can just ignore that?!”

  “Are you expecting me to admit I’m a despicable person?” he asked, only angering me further. “Because I already had. Once. Three loops ago. And you still chose not to trust me. So what’s the point?”

  Déjà vu tingled in my mind to confirm his words—or at least to confirm he said something like that before…I couldn’t be sure which one it was.

  “Then maybe you should do it more than once,” I said sharply. “Because you are despicable. Both you and your brother.”

  My jab only made him switch to offense.

  “Your sister is as guilty as Valdemar,” he muttered with contempt.

  What is this bullshit?!

  Everything inside me ignited.

  “She's a kid. A fucking kid!” I snapped.

  Vorrick sighed, his posture suggesting he was rolling his eyes inside his helmet. “Please. She has enough blood on her hands to no longer qualify as a simple ‘kid’. But you probably have no idea of that because of your amnesia.”

  “Shut the fuck up!” I exploded, ready to fight him for that remark without ever having met Thea as far as I consciously knew.

  Vorrick exhaled again and raised his hands in annoyance. “Fine. Believe what you want. That’s not my problem. I just need your help. Still need your help.”

  “You have a shitty way of getting people to help you,” I muttered through gritted teeth, still angry.

  “What can I say? I’m honest to a fault,” he replied evenly. “Always was a shitty politician. Yet fearsome enough to keep everyone else from scheming against me.”

  He sighed deeply. “At least with me, you know I’m not trying to trick you like those bastards back there. They don’t even breathe without Valdemar’s permission.”

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

  I remained silent.

  “You’ve noticed it too,” he continued. “That’s why you walked away.” His helmet tilted slightly in the Rations Stations direction. “Your mother may have helped them. They may genuinely respect her for it. But that display? The synchronized silence. The hands over hearts.” He gave a faint, humorless scoff. “They overplayed it. Can’t blame them, though. Foundry residents have much bigger worries than improving their acting skills.”

  I clenched my jaw. I wanted to argue with him purely out of principle—because of who he was, because of what he'd done, because of what he represented. But it was hard when I knew he was right—when I actually agreed with him.

  He used my turmoil to steer the conversation.

  “My Writ of Passage is in your possession. It was part of our deal. That should be proof enough of my earlier claims.”

  “It proves nothing,” I shot back. “There’s a million ways it could’ve ended up in my possession.”

  “For fuck’s sake…” he muttered, exasperated. He turned away sharply, his right hand reaching to his helmet. Then, he turned back just as sharply. “Will you ever get all your memories intact?”

  The question took me off guard.

  Will I…?

  I had no clue. I sure hoped so. I hoped there would be a point in some future loop where Erebus noticing me wouldn’t matter because I’d already be too far ahead.

  Still, it was another question to ask Chronos when I see him again.

  “I…don’t know,” I answered truthfully.

  Casten Vorrick sighed heavily. “You’re not making this easy.”

  I shrugged, raising an eyebrow. “Sorry, I guess?”

  “Regardless,” he said. “Listen carefully.”

  I remained silent, waiting to hear what else he had to say.

  “I don’t know what your original plan was, but they brought you here for a reason,” he continued. “To meet him.”

  I didn’t respond. He was right again.

  “I want you to go along with it,” he said.

  I frowned. “What? But earlier you said – “

  “Despite what I said before,” he cut in, “I want you to meet him now. I had a different plan before, but he forced my hand.” He cleared his throat. “I want you to play along. Follow their script. Stay compliant until the last possible moment.” His voice lowered. “Then I’ll step in. And I’ll end him and Libra. Permanently.”

  I chuckled despite myself. I already thought about killing Valdemar myself to stop his attack from happening. But unlike Vorrick here, I realized that Libra would probably continue functioning without him.

  “What makes you think that killing him would even change anything?” I asked, shaking my head in disbelief.

  “We both understand the only way to stop Erebus is to stop Valdemar,” he replied. “I’ve been hunting him for the past three years with barely anything to show for it. But thanks to the time loop, I’m finally closer than ever.”

  “Really?” I asked, still unconvinced. “You understand he’s aware of the time loop too, right? You’re not closing distance if he’s still able to move and scheme.”

  “I know,” Vorrick said immediately, then paused for a short moment. “He is Darkness’ Champion after all. He probably has a System of his own.”

  His words caught me off guard. Erebus chose Champions too? That couldn’t be it. With all his flaws, Chronos would’ve definitely told me about something like that. It was far too big of a detail to just casually forget to mention.

  I decided to remain silent about this. If Vorrick truly believed what he just said, then be it—let him stay ignorant. And if he was trying to fool me just now? It was better to let him believe he succeeded.

  Still, I wanted to check something else.

  “He probably has Wishes as well…” I muttered, gaze fixed on Vorrick’s visor. I wished I could’ve seen his reaction beneath the helmet, but sadly, I couldn’t.

  “Knowing Dolos? Most likely,” Vorrick replied matter-of-factly.

  And there it is. The lie unveiled.

  Why would he suddenly mention Dolos if he truly believed Valdemar was Erebus' Champion?

  I don't think he noticed his own slip there. Maybe that was intentional. Or maybe he was just a shitty liar. Or maybe...he just had the same information I had—that four people in total received Dolos' Wishes—and made the connection, and I was just overthinking it.

  “That’s all you have to say about this?” I asked, deciding not to dwell on it any longer. “What’s the deal with the Wishes anyway? What did you ask for except for bringing your dead brother back?”

  “I’d rather keep this to myself.”

  “And you expect me to trust you?”

  “I don’t expect trust. I expect you to be smart,” he said. “I expect you to not fall into Libra’s propaganda and choose wisely when the defining moment comes.”

  “Propaganda, huh?” I echoed, voice mocking. Of course an oligarch would ignore everything that’s been happening in the Foundry and call the struggle of those beneath him propaganda.

  “Yes,” Vorrick said. “Take Overlord for example.”

  That made me freeze.

  “Last time we spoke, I told you that the machine was banned from use and sealed away ever since the Great War you witnessed in Time Plane Memory #1,” he went on. “Which, by the way, you got from me.” He paused. “Where do you think it is now?”

  Déjà vu once again confirmed his words.

  I already understood where he was going with it.

  “Libra?” I asked.

  “Bingo.”

  I wasn’t buying it yet. It seemed too convenient.

  “They stole it a year and a half ago,” Vorrick revealed, his tone heavy. “And now Valdemar holds it over our heads like an executioner’s axe. Over all our heads. He’s just yet to figure out how to make it function again. But with a time loop on his side, it’s just a matter of time.”

  His words left my mind reeling. Finally, among all the lies and schemes, a glimpse of Valdemar’s true motives revealed itself. I was yet to connect it with everything else, but I felt like this was the beginning.

  “Ask Slater about it,” Vorrick added. “Press the damn rat and watch him spill it out himself. Maybe then you’ll trust me more.”

  “Who was the soldier?” I asked sharply, feeling like this was an important piece I needed to figure out as well.

  Vorrick shrugged. “I have no idea.”

  HIs answer felt wrong for some reason.

  Silence spread between us.

  “Fine,” I said at last. “Let’s pretend I roll with you and go meet him. What’s your actual plan? ‘I’ll end him’ isn’t enough of a strategy to get me on board.”

  “We don’t have enough time for me to explain it now,” he replied calmly. “They’ll be coming for you shortly.”

  Before I could press him further, I realized he was right. Hurried footsteps echoed from the street nearby.

  “I know this makes cooperation difficult,” Vorrick continued. “And still…when the moment comes, and if you decide to put faith in me, slot a Lumen into your COG. Trigger a flare. I’ll be in the area.”

  “In the area?” I asked quickly. “What the heck does that supposed to mean? We’re going to meet him underground. In a mine.”

  But Vorrick remained silent, refusing to elaborate as he suddenly pushed me with enough force to make me fall and roll once.

  A cloud of dust rose up from the ground where I landed.

  Suddenly, Riven burst into view, practically sliding as his boots skidded across the last stretch of the ash-covered ground. His expression was sharp, almost alarmed, until his eyes landed on me and the tension drained away.

  “What are you doing here on the ground?” he asked, voice light, eyebrows raised. “Told you I’d get disappointed if you bounced off.”

  The question surprised me. I mean…Casten Vorrick—a man he had so much history with—was standing right behind me and that’s what he had to say?

  I turned around only to realize Crow #0 was gone.