eclipsed Fate

Kaito stumbled backward, his breath ragged as his mind reeled from the impossible. The bright neon glow of the convenience store sign buzzed faintly above him, the plastic bag in his hand rustling with his trembling grip. He was back. Here. Again.

But he had died. He felt it—the cold steel piercing his chest, the agony that swallowed him whole. Yet, there wasn't even a scar. Just the phantom echoes of pain still haunting his nerves.

He swallowed hard, trying to calm the frantic beating of his heart. His eyes darted around, scanning the familiar urban surroundings. The street was just as he had left it: empty, quiet, utterly mundane. But something was different.

The birds.

The same eerie, unfamiliar melody drifted through the air, just as it had before. He had ignored it then, but now it sent chills down his spine.

A choice lay before him. He could run home, lock the door, pretend none of this happened. But he knew the moment the world twisted again, he'd find himself waking up here. No matter what.

Gritting his teeth, Kaito made his decision.

He stepped forward.

The air rippled around him. His stomach lurched, and the world folded in on itself. Darkness swallowed him whole.

———

He woke up on his back, staring at the endless blue of the sky. The scent of grass and earth filled his nose. His hands clenched at the dirt beneath him, grounding himself as reality settled.

It had happened again.

He was back in that strange world.

This time, he didn't waste a second. Scrambling to his feet, he turned toward the dirt path he had followed before. He already knew where it led: the village, the attack, his inevitable death. But if this was a cycle, then maybe, just maybe, he could change something.

His heart pounded as he ran.

The village came into view, just as before. The wooden houses, the villagers moving about their daily lives—all of it a fragile peace on the verge of being shattered. His chest tightened. He had minutes, if not seconds, before the black-armored soldiers would appear.

He searched the crowd, his gaze darting between faces. And then he saw her.

The girl. The one trapped under the cart. The one he had died trying to save.

His hands balled into fists. He wouldn't let it happen again.

A scream rang out.

The soldiers were here.

Kaito sprinted forward, his mind racing. He had no weapon, no plan—but none of that mattered. He just needed to reach her before the blade did.

This time, he would survive.