Renji braced himself as the world twisted around him.
The creature stood motionless. Its grotesque, spiraled limbs twitched unnaturally, its featureless face inches from his.
But something was different this time.
The cycle hadn't reset.
He could still feel the cold air of his room, still hear the crackling static from the radio.
The loop was breaking.
The spiral in his left eye burned.
Renji clenched his fists.
"If you're going to take me," he growled, "then try it."
The creature let out a shrill, distorted scream. Its body twisted violently, as if struggling against something unseen.
And then—
It collapsed.
The shadows swallowed it whole, vanishing into the darkness beneath his bed.
The room fell silent.
Renji's chest heaved. His pulse thundered in his ears.
He had survived.
The loop hadn't pulled him back. He was still here.
He stumbled backward, gripping the edge of his desk for support.
His mother still sat frozen in the corner, her face blank. The static from the radio had disappeared.
Renji swallowed hard.
He had broken the pattern.
But now what?
---
Aoi's Warning
Renji barely got any sleep.
For the first time, the night passed normally. No sudden resets. No waking up on the train.
But that didn't mean he was safe.
By morning, his mind was a mess of questions.
If the loop was breaking, then that meant he could finally change things.
And if there was one person who knew something…
It was Aoi.
Renji found her near the school gates, just like the last two times.
This time, he didn't hesitate.
"Aoi."
She looked up, startled. "What—"
"You know what's happening, don't you?" he demanded.
Aoi's eyes flickered with something unreadable. "Renji, I—"
"No more avoiding it," he snapped. "I know you remember."
She exhaled sharply, looking away.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then, finally—
"You shouldn't be here."
Renji stiffened.
Aoi's hands clenched into fists.
"You weren't supposed to make it this far," she muttered. "The loop was supposed to reset. But now…"
She looked up, her gaze sharp.
"…Now, they know you broke it."
Renji's stomach twisted.
They?
Aoi's voice lowered.
"They're watching you now."
---
A Hidden Message
Renji followed Aoi to an abandoned part of town, near the old watchtower.
The place had been empty for years, ever since the fire that had burned down half the district.
The air smelled of damp wood and rusted metal.
Aoi stopped in front of a collapsed building. She turned to him, her face serious.
"Tell me what you saw last night."
Renji hesitated, then told her everything—the creature, the spirals, the radio… and the voice that sounded like his own.
Aoi listened quietly, her expression unreadable.
Then, she sighed.
"…You're not the first."
Renji's heart pounded. "What?"
Aoi reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She handed it to him.
Renji unfolded it carefully.
His breath caught.
It was a note.
But what sent chills down his spine—
was the handwriting.
It was his.
> If you're reading this, that means you broke the loop.
Good.
But now, you have to run.
Because they won't let you escape.
Renji's fingers tightened around the paper.
Aoi watched him carefully.
"This note was found years ago." She paused. "By a boy who disappeared."
Renji's blood ran cold.
Disappeared?
Aoi continued, her voice quieter.
"The last thing he said before vanishing was that something was coming for him."
She looked at Renji, her expression grim.
"And now… they're coming for you."
---
End of Chapter 6
---
To Be Continue