The rain had slowed to a light drizzle.
Streetlights flickered on one by one as evening settled over the city.
Liya and Ethan walked through a quieter part of town now, far from the busy intersections.
Small cafés glowed warmly behind foggy windows.
Music drifted softly from a nearby bar.
For a moment, the world felt almost peaceful.
Ethan checked his phone.
7:04 PM.
"Well," he said, "I'm still alive."
"Don't say it like that," Liya replied.
"Why not?"
"Because every time you do, something bad happens."
He chuckled.
"Superstitious now?"
"No. Experienced."
They kept walking.
The city looked different at night.
Neon lights reflected on the wet pavement.
A train passed somewhere in the distance.
Ethan slowed his pace slightly.
"You know something?"
"What?"
"If the day resets tomorrow…"
"…this entire evening disappears."
Liya looked at him.
"Yes."
"All these conversations, everything we're doing…"
"…gone."
"Only for you," she said quietly.
He glanced at her.
"You'll remember."
"Yes."
He was silent for a moment.
"That's lonely."
She didn't respond.
Because it was.
Every loop meant carrying memories that no one else shared.
Ethan suddenly stopped walking.
"What?" she asked.
He pointed across the street.
A small park sat there, surrounded by old trees.
The lights inside the park glowed softly through the mist.
"Let's go there."
"The park?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Because parks are statistically safer than intersections."
She sighed.
"You're still doing statistics."
"Always."
They crossed the street and entered the park.
The sound of the city faded slightly.
Water dripped from tree branches.
A few people sat on benches under umbrellas.
Ethan walked toward a small covered gazebo in the center.
They sat down together.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The quiet felt different.
Calmer.
Almost normal.
Ethan leaned back slightly.
"You know what's weird?"
"What?"
"I met you today."
"Yes."
"But it feels like I've known you longer."
Her chest tightened slightly.
"You said something similar earlier."
"Did I?"
"Yes."
He smiled faintly.
"Guess my brain likes you."
She rolled her eyes.
"That's a terrible line."
"I'm not trying to flirt."
"Sure."
"I'm serious."
His tone softened.
"It's strange, but… being around you feels familiar."
Liya looked down at her hands.
That familiar feeling came from something real.
Because in her memories…
They had already spent hours together.
Across multiple timelines.
Moments that only she remembered.
"You know why?" she asked quietly.
"Why?"
"Because for me…"
She hesitated.
"…this isn't the first time we've sat here."
Ethan watched her carefully.
"How many times have we met today?"
"Three."
"And I died in two of them."
"Yes."
He let out a slow breath.
"Not great odds."
Despite the tension, he smiled again.
"Well, let's improve them."
He glanced at the park clock mounted near the path.
8:11 PM.
"Four hours until midnight."
Liya followed his gaze.
"Yes."
Ethan stood up suddenly.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Testing something else."
"Please stop testing things."
Too late.
He stepped out of the gazebo and looked up at the tall trees above them.
Rainwater still clung to the branches.
"Ethan…"
"What?"
"What are you doing now?"
He shrugged.
"Standing under a tree."
"Why?"
"To see if a branch falls on my head."
She groaned.
"You're impossible."
He laughed.
But then suddenly—
A loud cracking sound came from above.
Both of them froze.
A heavy branch snapped loose from one of the trees.
It fell fast.
Straight toward Ethan.
"ETHAN!"
He jumped backward just in time.
The branch crashed into the ground where he had been standing seconds earlier.
Leaves scattered across the wet pavement.
Silence followed.
Liya's heart pounded violently.
Ethan stared at the fallen branch.
"…Okay."
"That was suspicious."
She stepped closer.
"Now do you understand?"
He nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
His voice grew quieter.
"Fate doesn't like it when I stand still."
Rain began falling a little harder again.
Ethan looked up at the dark sky.
Then he checked the time again.
8:14 PM.
"Three hours and forty-six minutes left," he said.
Liya crossed her arms.
"You're counting down like it's a bomb."
"Maybe it is."
He looked at her seriously.
"Except we don't know where the explosion will happen."
And somewhere deep in the city…
The next chain of events had already begun. ⏳