Chapter 42: Blight

  I was woken up by a cough coming from beside me – a pained cough.

  When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying on a familiar grassy field. Chronos sat cross-legged next to me, looking…frail. He was paler than I remembered him.

  My hand instinctively went to my throat – the place where I’d driven Silverfang. My breath hitched, and tears threatened to spill as the memory hit me.

  I’d actually done it…

  But another thought pierced my mind immediately, sharper than the glaive.

  “Am I marked?” I asked nervously, sitting up abruptly. “Did he mark me?”

  Chronos shook his head, not meeting my gaze. His eyes were distant. “No.” he said softly. “You made it in time.”

  He coughed again, shuddering slightly. Is he sick? Could he even get sick?

  Relieved, I let out a deep breath and lay back on the grass, staring up at the sky. But the relief was momentary. Memories of Kelltins – Noctyra – rushed back, and my heart raced again.

  “Kelltins!” I sat up again, panic gripping me. “He knows! He’s an Axul! He’s aware of the time loop!”

  Chronos didn’t even flinch. His calmness only made me angrier.

  “You just survived the End of the World, Aidan.” Chronos said, his tone maddeningly tranquil. “Allow yourself a moment to relax.”

  Relax? Relax?! You’re the one who shoved me into this mess!

  “Don’t tell me to relax!” I snapped, my voice rising. “Not after what just happened!”

  “It was tough, I know – “

  “How would you know?” I cut him off, anger boiling inside me. “You’re not human. You’re a god! You can’t die. Definitely can’t and won’t kill yourself either!”

  Chronos nodded slightly, still looking distant. “You’re right…” He coughed again. “Did you know you’re only my fourth champion to…off themselves?”

  His words only infuriated me more, the casual delivery making it worse. But I was so drained to lash out further. Instead, I sighed heavily, letting the anger drain away.

  “Go on,” I muttered bitterly. “Tell me how terrible I am. How I’m useless. How I’m barely making any progress. How previous champs aced their tasks forty runs early. That’s what you always do. Just get it over with and send me back.”

  “I’m so sorry you had to do it, Aidan. I’m…so…so…sorry…”

  “What?” My head whipped around to look at him, just to see him collapsing backward. It was as if his body had given out, and now, he just lay there, motionless.

  “Whoa, whoa…” I scrambled to my feet, rushing to his side. “Are you okay?”

  He didn’t respond.

  “Chronos?” I hesitated, unsure if I could touch him. Eventually, I reached out and shook him gently. “Hey, wake up!”

  Still, no reply. He wasn’t even breathing – but maybe that was normal for him. I mean, he is a god. Do gods even need to breath?

  What the hell am I supposed to do?

  Where are Pix and Balthor?

  “Balthor!” I called out desperately. “Pix!”

  No answer.

  Where are they, for fuck’s sake?!

  I glanced around only to see the endless green field stretching in all directions. There was nothing out here but grass. Even the usual glass table and chairs were nowhere to be seen.

  At a loss, I turned back to Chronos and shook him again, harder this time.

  He remained unresponsive.

  Don’t tell me he’s dead…well, not on my watch!

  Clenching my jaw, I knelt beside him and pressed my hands to his chest, attempting to perform a resuscitation. I felt ridiculous – he might not even have a physical heart. Still, I had to try.

  “Come on…” I muttered under my breath. “You can’t die. You’re a freaking god!”

  “Can you relax? I even got the spicy kimchi flavored ones he likes so much.”

  The high-pitched, cheerful voice made me jump. I spun around to see Pix and Balthor stepping out of a glowing portal behind me. They were carrying strange, translucent bags filled with colorful boxes.

  Relief surged through me, and I didn’t waste a second. “Something’s wrong with Chronos!” I shouted. “He needs help!”

  They seemed to only notice us now, immediately dropping their strange bags and rushing over.

  Balthor slid toward us, grabbing Chronos’ limp body and rising to his feet in one smooth motion. Meanwhile, Pix’s hands began to glow with a faint purple hue. She made some intricate gestures with her hands, and suddenly, the ground trembled. A large stone vessel filled with shimmering water rose before us – a tub?

  Balthor carried Chronos to it, lowering him gently into the glowing liquid. Once Chronos was submerged up to his chest, Balthor carefully removed his shirt, revealing a lot of tattoos and something unsettling – a ghastly wound around his ribs, pulsing with the unmistakable Darkness.

  The water reacted instantly, bubbling violently around the wound as though it had been heated. The liquid glowed brighter, seemingly attacking the Darkness, which writhed like it was alive. Chronos suddenly let out a pained sigh, his face relaxing slightly, but his eyes remained closed as he stayed unconscious. The wound, though less severe, was still very much infected with Darkness.

  Balthor sighed, sounding relieved. “We made it in time…”

  “What the hell happened?” I asked, my voice tight. “He was talking one moment, and then he just collapsed.”

  Balthor was about to reply, but Pix suddenly grabbed my shoulders, forcefully turning me to face her. Her playful expression was nowhere to be seen. “Tell us what happened in the last loop.” She demanded, her tone firm. “We need to know, Aidan. Every detail, please.”

  Balthor stepped closer, nodding. “It’s not the first time the Young Master got tainted by Erebus’ blight, but…it’s the first time we weren’t here when it happened. We need to understand what exactly led to this.”

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  “Please, Aidan.” Pix’s voice cracked, tears welling in her eyes. “Start from the moment Noctyra called Stinger.”

  Seeing them both like this – especially Pix – was disarming. I realized how much Chronos meant to them. I recalled his last words to me before he fainted – that he was sorry. Suddenly, I couldn’t be angry at him anymore – at him, or at his ridiculous System.

  I nodded and began recounting everything that had happened after we defeated the duo: Dark Axul, Goren, and how Gaelith’s Darkness consumed Noctyra, Stinger, and likely Gaelith himself when he bought time for me to escape. I described the chilling End of the World timer, and my escape from the Dark Hunters to avoid being marked, skipping the part where I offed myself, and finally, the brief exchange I’d had with Chronos before he collapsed.

  As I finished, Balthor muttered under his breath. “Seems like he knew exactly when to send us off…”

  “But, why?!” Pix suddenly shouted. “If he knew the blight was going to get more severe, he could’ve asked us to prepare the Essence of Time for him earlier – like he always does! I just don’t understand…”

  The Essence of Time? Was it similar to Erebus’ Essence of Darkness?

  Balthor sighed deeply, his tone heavy. “We can’t always understand the godly machinations going inside the Young Master’s mind, Pix. We’re only human...”

  “I know, I know, but – “

  “What did you just say?” I interrupted, his comment catching me off guard. “You both are human?”

  Balthor smiled weakly while Pix seemed to ignore the exchange, walking over to the resting Chronos. “Well,” Balthor said softly, “I suppose we’re not anymore. But we were. Once. Really not sure what we are now.”

  My confused expression prompted him to continue, looking reminiscent, as though he was recalling something from a lifetime ago. “We were once just like you, Mr. Dar. Champions chosen by a God of Time we didn’t even know existed. Thrown into a timeless war against a foe we wished didn’t exist. Fighting to save a world that felt too big to be saved by just one person.”

  My chest tightened as I listened. “How did you end up here, then?” I asked, genuinely surprised. I wished I knew about it earlier. It probably wouldn’t have changed much, but still…I would’ve liked to know that Balthor and Pix once shared a similar fate.

  Balthor smiled softly, though his aged eyes seemed sad. “After I saved my world, there really wasn’t much left for me to do. My family had died long before it all happened, and I didn’t have friends – real friends. When it was all over – when I saved the world – no one even knew about it. There were no parties, no celebrations. Life just…went on. Like nothing had ever threatened it in the first place. And I was fine with it. I didn’t do it to be celebrated…”

  He paused, rubbing his chin. “That was when Master Chronos and his brilliant assistant, Dolos, offered me to join them – to continue fighting, but this time, for something bigger than just my own world.”

  Dolos…that’s right…he was once on Chronos’ side.

  He turned his head slightly toward Pix, who still hadn’t spoken and was just sitting next to Chronos. “Pix’s story is hers to tell, and she’ll share it if she decides she wants to. But you can assume it’s not much different than mine.” He took a deep breath, before continuing. “And so, here we were: two humans, from completely different worlds, helping a god save worlds we once could only dream of.”

  The weight of his words settled in slowly. Similar to Balthor, I didn’t care about rewards or celebrations. As long as I managed to save everyone – to save Yana – that’s all that mattered.

  And yet, a different kind of heaviness remained. The weight of everything I was going through slowly crushed me and my spirit. It was something I realized I might have to carry alone for eternity. If I succeeded, if I saved the world, who could I even tell? Who would understand what I had endured, the things I’d done?

  The memory of Silverfang at my throat resurfaced. Who could ever comprehend that I’d been driven to kill myself just to keep fighting?

  The ache in my heart deepened.

  “He gave you a purpose…” I muttered under my breath, almost to myself, as I pieced together everything Balthor had said, understanding Chronos better.

  Balthor’s expression was warm, his nod slow. “He did.” His gaze drifted toward Chronos and Pix, his voice steady. “And we’ll forever be loyal to him for that…”

  Chronos was an actual pain in the ass most of the time – for me, at least. But listening to Balthor, I couldn’t stop thinking about how he might not have been as bad as I thought…

  “How did that blight appear?” I asked, curious. “I get that it probably has to do with Erebus practically ending the world in this loop, but still…will he get better once I start the next run?”

  Balthor shook his head grimly. “Young Master will start feeling better soon, but I’m afraid the blight won’t disappear entirely until Erebus is defeated and your world is saved.” His expression turned grave. “Each of the loops you’ve lived through exists as its own, separate world, Mr. Dar. They continue to exist even after you – or Mr. Shein – are gone. Meaning Erebus has already succeeded in his plans thirty-seven times.”

  My heart sank at his words. Gaelith was right…the resets didn’t cancel what happened, they just sent me to a new version of my world.

  “And that’s why…that’s why he got sick?” My voice trembled as I pieced it together. “Because we lost thirty-seven times?”

  Balthor nodded. “Yes, each loss makes the blight worse. But don’t blame yourself. The Young Master understands the risks perfectly. He knows no one can defeat Erebus on their first try. He’s been trying to defeat him for good for eternities now. He knows how impossible the task is and willingly carries the blight for the sake of his champions.”

  He paused, turning to look at Chronos. “The important thing to remember, Mr. Dar, is that you only need to defeat Erebus once. When you do, all your previous timelines – the loops where Erebus won – will also be cleansed of the blight. Your world will truly be saved, and Master Chronos will be fully healed. That’s the truth of our war against the embodiment of Darkness.”

  The realization solidified in my mind: I wasn’t just saving my world – I was saving my previous selves’ worlds as well. Each version of me had died to bring me here, leaving their world without an Aidan Dar. But their sacrifice wasn’t meaningless, and it was up to me to ensure that.

  The Aidan Dar who had to kill himself in this loop didn’t do it for nothing. I had to make it worthwhile.

  “Are you ready to return, Mr. Dar?” Balthor asked calmly.

  “You can do that, too?” I asked, surprised. “I thought that was a Chronos thing.”

  He nodded. “Master Chronos shared some of his powers with us. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be much help, would we?”

  My mind raced, replaying everything that had happened this loop – too much, really.

  “I don’t think I’m ready yet.” I admitted. “Erebus had seen me. Chronos said I wasn’t marked, but surely that’s just a technicality, right?”

  “You said Gaelith gave you his sword, right?” Pix spoke up for the first time in a while, her tone serious.

  I nodded, still unsure of the significance of the Sword of Radiance in my inventory. “I can’t even use it, though. I’m too under-leveled for it.”

  “That doesn’t matter right now. It’s one of the Key Items in the tomb – one of the items you were meant to find.” Pix explained, her voice carrying the same seriousness. “Gaelith used it to stay hidden from Erebus for the past thousand years. He gave it to you because he knew it would keep you hidden from Darkness, too.”

  I slowly realized why Gaelith was so intent on transferring the sword to me the second Gaelith’s Darkness had entered the chamber.

  I still couldn’t believe he did that for me – for someone who won’t even remember him in the next loop.

  What will it mean for next loop’s Gaelith? If the sword is a Key Item, he won’t have it in any of the next loops. How will he stay hidden? He survived for a thousand years – I still don’t know how – but without the sword…what will he do?

  I could only hope he knew what he was doing…

  My mind shifted to a different problem. “Noctyra…”

  Balthor nodded grimly, understanding my worries, but offered a possible solution. “He was marked by Erebus when Darkness consumed him. He should carry a dark aura, similar to Goren’s or Yana’s. This should help you stay warry of him.”

  I was about to retort, but surprisingly, Pix stepped in to support me.

  Wait, what?

  “No. We’ll let him remember him.” She suddenly said, her tone sharp as she touched Chronos’ forehead, as if checking for a fever.

  “What?” Balthor and I asked in unison.

  “Think about it, Balthor.” Pix continued. “Noctyra isn’t like Goren. The latter is just an ass, but he’s still technically on our side. The former, on the other hand, serves Erebus directly. In the next loop, he could mark an unknowing Aidan right at the entrance to the tomb, making his boss’ job easier. Wiping off Aidan’s memories completely would just fuck him over…”

  Balthor frowned, clearly torn. “Still, it would be going against Young Master’s rules. I’m not comfortable making such decisions while he’s unconscious.”

  “The rules don’t apply to us.” Pix shook her head. “Besides, don’t you remember what he always says?”

  Balthor sighed. “I trust you both more than I trust myself.”

  Pix nodded.

  Balthor gave a small smile and turned to me. “Very well. We’ll ensure you retain all your memories of Aric Kelltins – also known as Noctyra – when you wake up.”

  My heart raced at the pleasant turn of events. With this, I might have a chance. “What about Gaelith? Can’t I keep those memories too?”

  Balthor chuckled softly, reminding me of his master. “Mr. Dar, you’re pushing your luck. Be grateful for what you’ve got.” He patted my shoulder. “We’ll meet again once the Young Master is back on his feet.”

  Figures.

  Before I could say anything else, the world around me turned black.