Chapter 1—Beginning.
Grr! Roarr!
A loud squawk echoed through the open forest field.
"Fire Dragon Breath!"
A shining white dragon, barely half a meter long, spat flames from its mouth.
Burning, red-hot fire rushed straight toward the liquid ball bouncing helplessly before it.
The dragon's breath turned the surroundings crimson from sheer heat, setting grass and nearby trees ablaze.
"I am done for…"
'Who uses dragon breath on a slime like me?'
The multicolored slime thought bitterly, eyes fixed on the approaching fire.
"Ahh!"
The slime did not move as its body began to disintegrate—from the surface, slowly grinding toward the core.
The flame swept through him and continued onward, burning everything in its path until it struck the mountain at the forest's center.
An explosion followed.
Smoke rose as stone shattered apart.
Dark scorch marks scarred the land in the fire's aftermath.
Grr!
The small dragon ceased its breath, puffed out its chest, and smiled in satisfaction.
---
A place with no sky and no ground.
A place with no left or right.
No light—only endless black.
A small blue liquid body formed within the nothingness, which had no beginning and no end.
'I miss those days…Gaming with friends. Noodles and Coke,' The slime thought tiredly, indifferent to the void surrounding him. This was not the first time he had returned to this place.
The silence pressed against him, smoothing his exhaustion rather than easing it.
[ Timeline… has ended ]
[ Begin the new timeline…? ]
A red panel shimmered before him.
"Tch."
Ripples spread across his fluid body.
"Stop," he snapped. "I want to go home. Please… I can't do this anymore."
His voice wavered.
'I'm starting to lose my memories....Just like my future self warned.'
"My personality will be affected next." He whispered.
Fear crept in where anger once lived.
"I'm afraid of losing myself," he muttered, eyes hollow.
"How many loops has it been?"
"How many years since I last breathed Earth's air?"
He already knew no one would answer.
[ It has been… years since Earthlings were placed in the loop ]
A gentle, melodic voice echoed through the void.
"Who—who is there?" His body jolted as he looked around. He had never expected another presence here.
[ I am A̷̰͇̝͕̺̗̯͔̤̦̪̻̹̜̽͂͗͆̒̈̕͝i̶̮̺̭̰̦̦̣̪̬̖͖͍̦̮̬̜̫̤͇͑͑̄͒̀̅̄̃́͒̒̿̐̆̎̄̋̀̚͜͠ͅg̶̛͋͑̓͋̅̀̈̊̐͗̒̀̈́̆͝͠͠͝#$# ]
The name collapsed into distortion.
"…Who?" he asked weakly.
[…It doesn't matter.]
The voice continued calmly.
[ Even if I send you back, you will never meet your parents or siblings again.
They are trapped in loops—just like you. ]
"Why?" he shouted. "Why Earthlings? Why are we always targeted?"
His voice cracked.
"Do you know what it feels like to die?"
"Not once. Not twice. Hundreds… maybe thousands of times."
His gaze dropped.
"…Especially under that small menace's spell."
Silence followed.
An empty black void filled his vision.
"I have to use Soul Chronicle," he whispered, "To record my emotions and memories… before it's too late."
[ Do you want them… to stay dead? ]
The question came abruptly.
Faces surfaced in his mind.
His body trembled as he shut his eyes.
Sighing, he asked, "Why did the Time God create loops instead of choosing a few exceptional people and training them as his successor?"
[ You will know in the future ]
The answer made his body twitch.
Again, the reason was avoided.
Memories stirred.
A former life.
A boring one.
'I hope I never forget those plain... ordinary days.'
He activated a skill, "Soul Chronicle!"
---
October 21, 2027—Earth
"Hah… It's been a long day."
A young man in his twenties sighed while walking beneath streetlights and moonlight alike.
"This life is boring. Repetitive."
Guu!
His stomach growled.
"It's too late," he muttered, glancing at his watch.
He scanned nearby restaurants as he walked. His apartment was five kilometers away.
He worked desk jobs all day. Walking was his only exercise.
A restaurant caught his eye.
'Nice smell.' He glanced at the menu outside, then stepped in.
Luxury greeted him.
Chandeliers. Giant screens. Polished mahogany furniture.
"Not my budget." He patted his worn wallet and turned away.
He told himself. 'Someday, I'll return.'
"It's you, buddy? Ganesh?"
He turned.
Rajesh stood there, broad-shouldered and smiling.
"It's my place," Rajesh said. "Sit."
Ganesh hesitated, then obeyed.
Food arrived. Steam rose.
He took a bite.
Then—
Boom! Boom!
The sky cracked.
Thunder roared as a blood-red eye tore open the heavens. The air tightened, crushing down on the world.
Ganesh froze.
"Hello, Earthlings!"
The voice shook the planet.
"I am the God of Time," it declared in the majestic cold male voice, "I have come to grant you power."
The fork slipped from Ganesh's hand.
"No… no," he whispered, "This only happens in novels."
He shoved food into his mouth anyway. "Even if I die, I'll die full."
End of Chapter.
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