While Zekai's consciousness drifted elsewhere—
Aron was still standing in the real world.
Aron stared at Zekai, panic clearly visible on his face. Blood dripped slowly from Zekai's nose—he hadn't even noticed.
"Your nose is bleeding… You don't look conscious. Mr. Zekai—wake up."
Seeing this, Aron didn't know what to do; his hands and legs refused to move.
"Why are you looking at me like that…?"
Aron stood there, trembling, muttering to himself as if he were completely stuck in place.
Aron's voice shook.
"You're scaring me."
But Zekai couldn't respond.
Something else caught Aron's attention.
The black stone card in his hand began to glow faintly. This time—he could see it clearly.
Wondering how it was glowing like this.
"What… is this?" he muttered under his breath. "Didn't Mr. Zekai mention this earlier…?"
Then he heard it.
A strange sound.
Not loud—but sharp.
Like something rushing past his ears at high speed.
"What is that sound…?" he whispered.
He decided he would deal with the black stone card later, and instinctively slipped it into his pocket.
Before he could even process what that sound was—
The next moment—
Something slammed into the ground in front of him—hard.
A massive figure.
Blue flames leaked slowly from the cracks in its armor—not burning outward, but seeping through it, like something inside was trying to escape.
It had fallen from above without warning.
He had never seen anything like it. His eyes widened in fear, and he froze completely.
The creature resembled a knight clad in blue and white armor—but its design felt ancient, closer to a fallen king than a soldier.
Its helmet was shaped like a broken crown.
Cracks ran through the metal, as if something had tried to tear it apart from the inside.
The flames pulsed faintly within those fractures—breathing in slow intervals,
like the armor itself was alive.
The eye sockets weren't dark.
Just… hollow.
In its hand was a long, dull-colored sword.
His legs wouldn't move.
"What… is this now…?" he stammered. "What am I supposed to do…?"
Out of pure survival instinct, he tried to escape, but in fear, he turned toward Zekai and shouted.
"Mr. Zekai—!"
Before he could finish—
the creature moved.
The blue flames flared for a split second—
not reacting to movement…
but anticipating it.
The sword swung.
A streak of blue fire followed the blade—
delayed by a fraction of a second, like even the flames struggled to keep up with it.
The sound came first.
Then—nothing.
There was no pain.
Just a sudden silence—
like the world had been muted.
His vision tore away from his body—spinning— just long enough to see himself still standing.
"Ahhh—!"
He didn't see it move.
A wet sound—
His head was already gone.
Then his body collapsed.
Darkness swallowed everything whole.
—
"...Huh?"
He was back again.
His eyes blinked once.
He was still standing.
His body was intact—his head still there.
His breath came in sharp, uneven bursts.
"What just… happened?"
His heart was pounding violently.
He immediately raised his hand and touched his head and neck in panic, making sure they were still there.
"No....I just saw myself—."
The thought didn't fade.
He turned slightly.
Zekai was still standing there, completely unresponsive.
Before he could process it—
It happened again."
then that same sound returned.
The sound didn't travel through the air—
it appeared directly inside his ears.
This time clearer.
Stronger.
His fingers tightened. He didn't hesitate, even though he still didn't fully understand what was happening this time.
The second time—
he moved earlier.
It didn't matter.
He grabbed Zekai's hand.
He didn't know if this run would be the one that worked…
…or just another death.
His body moved before his fear could stop him.
"Run." No hesitation. "We need to get out of here."
Aron's hand tightened around Zekai.
Like he refused to disappear alone.
He pulled Zekai forward and started running.
But it didn't matter.
The knight appeared behind him again.
But this time, unlike before, the moment it appeared, the King Knight simply watched Aron for a few seconds. What it intended to do next—Aron couldn't tell.
A wet sound.
His throat burned—
then nothing.
The world snapped to black.
———
"…Again?"
He couldn't control his fear.
His hands were shaking now.
Not slightly.
Uncontrollably.
His voice cracked.
"This isn't real…"
"I died… twice… already…"
He could feel the pain clearly in his body. Even so, his mind refused to accept it.
But his heartbeat said otherwise.
Fast. Violent. Alive.
Too real.
Something felt different.
The air felt heavier this time.
The King Knight appeared again.
No sound this time. Not after the movement—
before it.
Like the attack had already decided where to land—before it even moved.
Like the result came first—
and the attack followed it.
Even the flames didn't move naturally—
they appeared where the strike had already happened.
Aron's breath hitched.
The knight didn't track movement—
it reacted to intent.
"…it's faster."
Aron remembered it clearly.
The same thing had already happened twice before.
The King Knight was already close.
It swung its sword.
Aron saw it—clearly.
It was aiming straight for his head.
Without thinking, he lowered his body instantly, almost crouching to the ground.
The first swing missed.
For a split second—
he thought he had dodged it.
But the King Knight didn't stop.
In the same motion, it adjusted the angle of its blade.
The swing redirected.
Before Aron could react—the second strike landed. Not his head this time.
His body.
The blade cut straight across him—clean and horizontal—splitting him in two.
———
Aron gasped as his vision returned.
No matter how hard he tried to escape, the outcome remained the same.
"The third time—the sound didn't come... but before I even moved."
His body was unharmed.
This time, he finally understood clearly—this wasn't a dream, it was real.
His voice dropped.
"My throat burned—
even though it hadn't been cut yet."
Realization hit him instantly.
"…A time loop."
The words didn't feel real when he said them.
For a moment—his thoughts slowed.
Not because he was calm.
Because something else surfaced.
A memory.
Once upon a time—
he was always the one left behind.
Not chosen. Not called. Not needed.
When people ran— they didn't look back for him.
When things went wrong— he was the one who stayed behind.
Not because he was brave.
Because no one noticed if he was gone.
His fingers tightened.
"...So it's the same again…"
His voice came out low.
But this time—
his eyes shifted toward Zekai.
Still standing. Still unresponsive.
For a moment—
his chest tightened.
Even if I disappear… at least this time someone will know I was here.
"...No."
A small shake of his head.
This time—
he wasn't the one being left behind.
Zekai was. And he knew exactly how that felt.
His grip tightened around Zekai's hand.
"...I won't let that happen again."
Even if this place resets.
Even if I die again.
His breath steadied—just slightly.
"I'm not leaving you here."
Even before the King Knight appeared, Aron's thoughts were focused on one thing—finding a way to escape from here.
He clenched his fists.
"Mr. Zekai is still like this… how am I supposed to escape with him like this?"
"Right now… there's only one thing that matters to me."
"If there's one person I can't lose… it's you."
Despite everything that had happened, a small sense of hope formed within Aron—this was a time loop, so death was no longer guaranteed.
His grip tightened.
If he let go—
this time, Zekai might not come back.
His breathing steadied slightly.
"Doesn't matter… I'll find a way."
"Even if it killed us both."
Even if the next second killed him again—
and again.
until he broke.
Even so, in this uncertain life where the next moment wasn't guaranteed, he still doubted whether he and Zekai could escape.
He tightened his grip.
"…just don't disappear before me."
—
As Aron ran—
Zekai's world had already moved on without him.
———————
✦ End of Chapter 7 — The Kind One✦