Chapter 9 · The Scars Stay

"You shouldn't be bleeding yet, Silas. That's my favorite part."

Julian's boot is already past the bars. The cell door is wide open. No guards. No alarms. Just him, smiling like he owns the lock.

My side is on fire. The knife wound from the archive—the one that should've vanished when we reset—is still there. Wet. Hot. Bleeding right through my shirt.

"You moved the clock," Viviane says beside me.

She's not supposed to be in here. She's the one who puts me in here. High Inquisitor. White cloak. Sword at my throat. But she's trapped in the cell with me now, back against the damp stone, hand clamped over her shoulder. Blood slips between her fingers. Same cut from the falling stone last loop.

It didn't reset either.

Julian looks at her hand. His smile widens. "Oh. You kept it. How sentimental of the loop."

"Get out," I snap. My voice cracks. I hate that it cracks.

"Or what?" He takes another step. Close. I can smell incense and cold iron on his robes. "You'll kill me? Again? You tried that, remember? It didn't take."

"You cheated the reset," Viviane says, her voice sharp.