The courtyard went silent.
Every student, every guard, every person within earshot stopped and stared at the white-haired girl who'd just called me "Regressor."
That word. That specific, impossible word that should have been secret.
My hand went to where my swords would be if I summoned them. Every instinct screamed danger.
"Marcus, wait—" Sarah grabbed my arm. "She's not an enemy. At least... I don't think she is."
"She knows what I am."
"I know. She told me. Three days ago, when our convoy was attacked." Sarah's grip tightened. "She saved my life."
The white-haired girl stepped forward, moving with the casual grace of someone who'd never faced a real threat in their life. Or someone so powerful that threats were irrelevant.
"My name is Seraphina," she said, her crimson eyes fixed on me with unnerving intensity. "Seraphina Valdris. And before you attack me—which I can see you're considering—you should know that I'm here to help."
"Help." I didn't release my combat stance. "By revealing my greatest secret in front of hundreds of witnesses?"
"Oh, don't worry." She waved her hand dismissively. A pulse of power rippled outward—not hostile, but absolute. Reality itself seemed to... pause. "No one heard that except you and your girlfriend here. Temporal sound isolation. Very useful for private conversations in public."
Luna materialized beside me, visible only to those who could perceive anomalies. "She's real. SS-rank minimum. And her temporal manipulation—" Luna's voice was tight with concern. "It's almost as good as mine."
"Almost?" Seraphina turned her unsettling gaze to Luna. "Oh, how fascinating. An actual anomaly. I thought you were all extinct after the Third Divine War." She tilted her head. "You must be Luna. The dead sister who refused to stay dead. How delightfully poetic."
"How do you know—" Luna started.
"I know many things. It's why I'm here." Seraphina looked back at me. "Marcus Vale. Originally Marc from Portland, Oregon, Earth, 2067. Reincarnated after death by an entity you don't fully understand. Currently on Loop 128 of your regression curse. You've died 127 times, accumulated power across lifetimes, split your soul into three knights, and are desperately trying to stop Azkaros from destroying the world in seven years."
The temperature dropped twenty degrees. Not from magic. From the sheer weight of how thoroughly she'd just destroyed every secret I had.
"Who are you?" My voice was deadly quiet. "Really."
"I told you. Seraphina Valdris. Though you might recognize my family name. My great-great-grandfather was Valdris the Corruptor. The Demon Lord from the First Demon War, four hundred years ago."
The world tilted.
"You're descended from a Demon Lord."
"Half-demon, technically. The Valdris bloodline has been... diluted over generations. But we retained certain abilities. Like seeing across timelines. Perceiving regression loops. Knowing things we shouldn't." She smiled, and it wasn't entirely human. "I've been watching you, Marcus. For three loops now."
"Three loops?" My mind raced. "Loop 126, 127, and 128?"
"Correct. I can't observe every loop—my power isn't infinite. But I've seen enough to understand what you're trying to do. And I approve."
"You approve?"
"Stopping Azkaros? Excellent plan. Building an army of misfits and damaged people? Unconventional but effective. Trying to break your curse before you shatter completely? Ambitious, probably suicidal, but I respect the attempt."
Sarah squeezed my arm. "Marcus, she really did save us. Three days ago, we were attacked by demons. Fourth Circle entities, at least five of them. Our guards were overwhelmed. I was about to—" Her voice cracked. "She appeared out of nowhere and killed all five in about thirty seconds."
"Why?" I asked Seraphina. "Why save her?"
"Because you care about her. And I need you functional, not completely broken from grief." Seraphina's expression turned serious. "I'm not your enemy, Marcus. I'm here because someone needs to stop my cousin."
"Your cousin?"
"Azkaros the Unyielding. Demon Lord of the Fifth Circle. Also my distant cousin through the Valdris bloodline." She said it so casually, like discussing a difficult relative at a family reunion. "He's planning something different this time. Bigger. And if he succeeds, Loop 129 won't happen. Because there won't be a world left to reset into."
Raven appeared from the crowd—must have heard the commotion. She took one look at Seraphina and her face went pale.
"That's a temporal signature I've never seen before. Part demon, part human, part something else entirely." She pulled out her notebook with shaking hands. "How is that possible?"
"Demonic bloodlines are complicated," Seraphina said. "And we're getting off topic. Marcus, I need to speak with you. Privately. Your office, perhaps? Or somewhere with wards against eavesdropping?"
"The headmaster's office," I said slowly. "But first—what happened to Sarah's convoy? Details."
Sarah took a shaky breath. "We were two days from the capital. Evening, setting up camp. The demons came out of nowhere—Fourth Circle, coordinated attack. They were specifically targeting me. Not the guards, not the diplomats. Me."
"They wanted to capture you," Seraphina added. "Alive, preferably. Dead if necessary. I intercepted because..." She paused, seeming to choose her words carefully. "Because someone sent them. Someone who knew Marcus cares about you. Someone who wanted to hurt him specifically."
"The watcher," Luna breathed. "The one who's been observing him."
"Precisely. Though 'watcher' is too gentle a term. More like 'hunter.'" Seraphina's crimson eyes glowed slightly. "And they're closer than you think. Much closer."
A chill ran down my spine. "How close?"
"Academy close. Staff close. Trusted authority figure close." She smiled without humor. "But that's a conversation for somewhere more private, don't you think?"
I looked at Sarah. She was exhausted, traumatized, but alive. That was what mattered.
"Get to your room," I told her. "Rest. I'll come find you after I figure out what's happening."
"Marcus—"
"Please. You're safe now. The academy has better defenses than a traveling convoy. Just... please rest."
She hesitated, then nodded. "One hour. If you're not in my room in one hour, I'm coming to find you."
"Deal."
She left with her royal guards, shooting nervous glances back at Seraphina.
I turned to the demon-descended girl. "Headmaster's office. Now. Luna, Raven—you're coming too. And Luna?"
"Yes?"
"Drop whatever temporal isolation you're holding. If someone's hunting me, I want them to see this. Want them to know I'm getting help."
"That's either brilliant or suicidal," Raven muttered.
"With me, it's usually both."
---
Headmaster Aldric was not pleased to find four people in his office at 8 PM.
"Mr. Vale, I thought we agreed you'd try not to cause international incidents this week—" He stopped, seeing Seraphina. His expression changed instantly. "What is a Valdris doing in my academy?"
"You know the bloodline?" Seraphina sounded amused.
"I'm old enough to have studied the First Demon War. Valdris the Corruptor. His descendants scattered across the continents, hiding their heritage." Aldric's power signature flared—A-rank pushing toward S-rank with effort. "Why are you here?"
"To help. Though I'm getting tired of repeating that." Seraphina sat in one of the chairs without invitation. "Marcus, would you like to explain, or shall I?"
I summarized quickly: the attack on Sarah's convoy, Seraphina's intervention, her knowledge of my regression, her claim that Azkaros was planning something worse this time.
Aldric listened without interrupting. When I finished, he sat heavily in his chair.
"A half-demon who can see across timelines. That's not in any textbook I've read."
"That's because we don't advertise," Seraphina said. "Demon blood is rather unpopular in polite society. Something about the whole 'trying to destroy civilization' thing. Very prejudiced."
"You're joking about genocide."
"I joke about everything. It's a coping mechanism for existential horror. I learned it from Marcus."
"You've been watching me for three loops and you learned my coping mechanisms?"
"You're very consistent. It makes pattern recognition easy."
Raven was scribbling furiously in her notebook. "This is unprecedented. A demon-human hybrid with temporal perception abilities. The theoretical implications alone—"
"Later," I interrupted. "Right now, I need to know: who's hunting me? You said they're in the academy."
Seraphina's expression turned serious. "That's the complicated part. I can see the effect—the temporal manipulations, the observations, the coordinated attacks. But the source is hidden behind some very sophisticated blocking magic. Whoever they are, they're powerful enough to hide from me. That's... concerning."
"Could it be a god?" Luna asked. "One of the false deities?"
"Possibly. Though most gods are too arrogant to hide. They'd rather make dramatic declarations." Seraphina tapped her chin thoughtfully. "No, this feels different. More calculated. More patient."
"Azkaros?" Aldric suggested.
"He's still regenerating. Seven years away from full power. This is someone else. Someone who wants Marcus dead or broken before Azkaros arrives." She looked at me. "They've been sabotaging your loops. Small things. Delays. Complications. That drunk driver who killed you on Earth? Not entirely random. The demons that attacked Sarah? Coordinated. Someone's been trying to break you for dozens of loops."
My blood ran cold. "You're saying my entire existence has been manipulated?"
"Not your entire existence. The entity that gave you regression is real. Your power is real. But someone's been adding... complications. Making each loop harder than it needs to be. Wearing you down until you either give up or shatter completely."
"Why?"
"Because a broken regressor is easier to control than a functional one. And because..." She hesitated for the first time. "Because they want what you have. The accumulated power of 127 loops. If they could transfer it to themselves—"
"That's impossible," Raven interrupted. "Power is soul-bound. You can't just steal someone's accumulated cultivation."
"You can if you know the right ritual. And if the target is already fractured and unstable." Seraphina looked at me seriously. "Marcus, you're not just a threat to them. You're a resource. They've been trying to break you so they can harvest your power."
The room went silent.
"How do I stop them?" I asked finally.
"Find them. Identify them. Kill them before they kill you." Seraphina shrugged. "Or befriend them. Or trap them in a temporal loop of their own. I'm flexible on methodology."
"That's not helpful."
"I'm being realistic. You're good at realistic."
Aldric cleared his throat. "Miss Valdris. If what you're saying is true, we need to implement security measures immediately. Lockdown protocols, increased patrols, restricted access—"
"Won't work," Seraphina said. "Whoever this is, they're already inside your defenses. They've been inside for years, possibly decades. Traditional security is useless."
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Let Marcus keep doing what he's doing. Build his team. Train his students. Prepare for Azkaros. But more carefully. More paranoid." She smiled. "And with me helping, obviously."
"Why should we trust you?" I asked bluntly. "You're descended from a Demon Lord. Your cousin is Azkaros. For all we know, this is elaborate manipulation."
"You shouldn't trust me. Trust is for idiots who haven't died 127 times." She stood, walking to the window. "But consider: if I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. If I wanted Sarah dead, she'd have died three days ago. If I wanted to sabotage you, I could do it easily. Instead, I saved your girlfriend and came here to warn you."
"Why?"
She turned, and for the first time, I saw something genuine behind the casual facade. "Because Azkaros is going to destroy everything. And I'd rather like this world to continue existing. Call it enlightened self-interest."
"Your cousin is going to destroy the world, and you're stopping him because of 'enlightened self-interest'?"
"Family reunions are complicated when your relatives are apocalyptic demon lords. We all cope differently." She walked back to the desk. "So. Do we have an alliance? Or do I need to let you all die horribly while I find someone else to stop Azkaros?"
I looked at Luna. She nodded slightly.
Looked at Raven. She was still writing but gave a thumbs up.
Looked at Aldric. He sighed deeply. "I'm too old for this. But yes. Alliance. With conditions."
"Which are?" Seraphina asked.
"You submit to monitoring. Regular check-ins. And if you betray us—"
"You'll try to kill me. I understand. Won't work, but I appreciate the sentiment." She extended her hand to me. "Marcus Vale. Regressor. Former Marc from Earth. Current apocalypse preventer. Do we have a deal?"
I stared at her hand. At this impossible girl descended from demons who claimed to want to help.
127 loops of experience said this was a terrible idea.
But 127 loops of experience also said doing the same thing repeatedly was insanity.
I shook her hand.
"Deal. But if you betray us—"
"You'll make me regret it across multiple timelines. I get it. Very threatening." She grinned. "Now, shall we discuss the actual plan? Because Azkaros isn't going to wait politely for us to organize."