Tessia’s truth freezes me in place. We are just products. Products meant to be sold to the main families I’ve never even heard of. High-end tools for their foolish dreams of power, riches, and conquest.

  I stare blankly at the flickering flame. Tessia hasn’t said a word since then. I wish I hadn’t asked. I wish I could’ve stayed ignorant. Ignorance really is a kind of bliss. So why couldn’t I have that bliss?

  I know why. Because I am an undying. Death has made me more curious than I ever was. Through dying, I’ve become more aware. One could say I’ve changed entirely since stepping into this hellscape.

  “Are you not going to say anything?” Tessia’s voice breaks the silence. It aches through my chest. She’s not like Sasha, who was lured here by the promise of a family. She’s not like Dan. Her group wasn’t promised anything. They came here knowing exactly what they were walking into.

  The Dragon’s Heart. And a chance at perfection.

  “And what do you want me to say, dear sister?” I seethe. “Do you want me to tell you Adam’s proud of you? That you’re a good girl even in death?”

  My voice echoes, sharp and hollow.

  “You already had a route to the Spire, didn’t you? It was handed to you before you entered the Nether. The Planetary Alliance wanted this to work so badly they didn’t mind sacrificing a few lives if it meant Adam got what he wanted.”

  “What they never expected was that the special team they sent, the expedition meant to finish the job, wasn’t enough. They met the Darkest Night and died terrible deaths, the last of them being you. Am I right?”

  She looks away for a moment. “Yes. And the reason you were sent in without proper preparation is that it’s also a mental experiment. Adam made you smarter than us. He used the final data so you could fight the Darkest Night and push farther. That’s the whole point of these expeditions. When one fails, another goes in. That’s how humanity conquered the stars.”

  Tessia speaks with a courage that cuts me straight in the chest. She’s dead, and yet her words land harder than anything living ever said to me. But I am no explorer. I’m not here for some grand organization or their conquests. I’m here for something smaller and simpler. Freedom. And a chance to live beyond the stink of medicine and the endless injections. I don’t care if humanity conquers the stars or tears down heaven for the gods’ sake.

  I already suffer from dying and returning. I can’t imagine dying as a slave and coming back as one.

  “I don’t care about these expeditions, Tessia. I wouldn’t give two fucks if this place was the source of a miracle cure for every plague.”

  I stare at her. Her beautiful face is carved with a sadness that makes me pity her. No matter how perfect she was in life, she was still a slave to the Planetary Alliance. Owned by them.

  I refuse that.

  “If you survive, save the others from these chains.”

  Her form vanishes. Even the Ether I’ve felt in every return is gone. Has she finally stopped holding on?

  Whatever. Bigger things press at the edge of my mind. I still have to defeat Sasha and Dan and keep Nico alive. I already know the path to the Spire. I already know how to beat Dan

  Sasha, on the other hand, isn’t predictable. She’s powerful, and Nico is still the only one who can keep up with her. His poison is the only thing that slows her. Bottom line, I have to assist Nico and make sure he doesn’t lose a limb or die in this round.

  A few hours later, I wake Nico. He’s grumpy at first, asking if something’s wrong. I tell him we can’t wait for morning to plan. He’s surprised, but I explain that I have a bad feeling that we might meet the others at the Spire. Others who might be more prepared for this world than we are.

  I sketch out Sasha’s powers without naming her. He doesn’t ask how I know; maybe he just accepts the whispering knowledge I bring.

  “Destroy the rig first,” he says at the end of my explanation. “We have to rob her of flight before anything else. How good are you at concealing intent?”

  “Fairly good,” I lie. Tessia taught me how to hide intent during our soul bond.

  “That’ll have to be enough. If one of them really controls wind, we must use that against them. I was supposed to teach you this ages ago, but we don’t have time, so I’ll explain. Dormant humans can sense ether. If one of them has become a Nexus Being and coats their attacks with wind, you need to learn to sense the Ether in their ability. Do not focus on trying to see the wind.”

  I force a hesitant nod, pretending not to know what he means.

  “That’s the only way you survive her. Also…” He clamps a hand on my shoulder, and a spark shoots through my veins. “This is for you. Cover me with it.”

  [You have received a new item.]

  I summon it fast. It's a simple golden ring etched with tiny markings that look like gibberish at first. The system translates them:

  “All beings with hearts have souls.”

  I stare at the inscription, then slide the ring onto my finger. It fits with a ticklish jolt that hums through me.

  “That’s Darwin’s Ring,” Nico says. “It gives three lightning charges per day. Focus. Charge. Release. Use it to fry the rig connecting her suit.”

  I nod—more surprised than I should be. He’s risking something valuable, something powerful. The Darwin’s Ring isn’t just some trinket—I’ve seen what it can do in his hands. Lightning that splits the air like divine judgment. And now it’s mine. A weapon with range, perfect against someone who can fly.

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  Thanks to probably the Scholar of Time, I remember everything. The exact second to strike. The subtle flicker before Sasha’s wind shifts. And the patterns in her swordsmanship. I can read her now. Keep up without bleeding out.

  When the sun finally crawls over the horizon, we’re already cutting through the last of the wilderness. I think about taking Nico through the swamp to the corpse of that Paradox Nexus Being. But no. Not this time. I can’t waste strength on those abominations. I need every ounce of focus for what’s coming.

  After the forest, the rocky terrain greets us like an old nightmare. The sight alone chills me. Maybe it’s the memory of dying here—again and again—but the place feels heavier now. The air reeks of rot. The wind hangs dead and cold.

  And there it is. The Spire. A monolith of black stone rising from a graveyard of decomposing beasts. Dragons. Well…what’s left of them. I can’t tell anymore.

  “We should keep behind the rocks,” I whisper. “I know where the doorway is.”

  Nico nods. We move low, shadows crawling between stone and dust. The silence holds for only a heartbeat before an explosion tears the sky apart above us.

  We don’t stop. We can’t. I push forward, my pulse syncing with the thrum of energy inside the ring. I charge it, feel the current crawl up my arm, into my bones, until my fingertips crackle with raw electricity.

  Then I pour it into my sword. The blade hums to lobe like it remembers thunder. I release my breath. I’m ready for what’s coming next.

  I might feel a flicker of sympathy for Sasha, but it doesn’t matter. My priority is survival. This will be the last time I die outside the damn spire.

  Just before we reach the tear--the entrance to the Spire--Sasha appears, suspended in the air like some false goddess. Her gravity suit hums with a low metallic pulse, and a brittle smile stretches across her perfect face. It falters when her eyes find me.

  “Nico… Astrid.” She lands softly, boots kissing the dirt. “It seems you’ve survived long enough to make it here. Are you alone?”

  I remember what Dan said. Natural selection. They don’t care who dies as long as the defective ones are filtered out. Sasha’s question isn’t out of concern. It’s protocol.

  “Yes, we are,” Nico answers before I can. His smile is thin, practiced. “We received the message about the expedition and decided to join you.”

  Sasha studies us for a long, quiet moment. Her dark eyes flick between us, empty but precise. Then, in that smooth, hypnotic voice of hers, she says, “I’m impressed the two of you made it here without becoming Nexus Beings. Unfortunately, only Astrid is allowed to enter the Spire.”

  Nico’s tone sharpens. “What about me?”

  “You’ll die here, of course,” she says simply, as if it’s a fact. “But be proud. You’ll die by the hand of someone blessed by Ashamael. That is a privilege.”

  “That won’t be possible, Sasha.” My voice cuts through her arrogance.

  She tilts her head, curious. “Hmm? Why?”

  “Because I need him.”

  Her eyes narrow. “Then you’ll die together, you imperfect scum.”

  She lifts her hand. The air bends. For the first time since the loops began, she attacks immediately with her ability. The atmosphere thickens with her presence. Her aura feels heavier, sharper, and different.

  Her pupils flare with pale light as a whirlwind forms before her. The cold air shudders, and a volley of wind blades tears toward us.

  Nico moves first. His sword glows with Ether, slicing through the invisible blades. Each swing hums with a shrill, haunting tone that crawls beneath my skin, making my bones ache. The air fills with streaks of pale light, ribbons of wind scattering across the rocks like furious spirits.

  Sasha doesn’t react. Her body hovers just inches above the ground, hair whipping wildly through the wind like living shadows.

  Once the whirlwind fades, she summons her plasma sword and fires at us like a bullet.

  “Be ready.” Nico roars, his poison-coated blade igniting as he charges.

  When their swords collide, the air warps. Ether slams into venom. I feel the disturbance like a hand across my face. Nico might stand a chance if it weren’t for the obscene volume of Ether hanging in the zone. She’s weaving it into his poison, blending the two into a sickness that could kill me.

  If she can’t drop Nico outright, she can still turn his attacks into a weapon against me. On top of that, she’s formed a ring meant to hold me back while she focuses on him. She’s taking precautions this loop—tactics she didn’t use before. I should be flattered that she’s taking me seriously.

  But I’m furious.

  Lucky for me, I have leverage.

  ‘Aleous’s whistle.’

  The system answers, and the cool silver whistle slips into my palm. It’s cold to the touch. Colder when I raise it to my mouth and blow.

  The shriek doesn’t come from the metal. It comes from the air itself. Ether vibrates through the ground and light warps around us. The poisoned zone shatters like glass. Her wind unthreads into a thousand trembling filaments and vanishes.

  She flinches. “What…?” She blocks Nico’s strike and staggers back, eyes snapping to me. I can’t stop the stupid smile—how close I came to ditching this tool.

  'A tool born from your essence can counter your essence,’ A lesson whispers in my head. ‘But it eats your focus to use it.’

  I hold my breath and sprint. Horus’s Agony hums in my hand, charged now with Darwin’s Ring. The first bolt of lightning lashes from my blade like a viper, cleaving the air.

  Sasha doesn’t dodge. She lets it hit her to show she can take a hit. The explosion that follows throws rocks in every direction, like a bomb ripping the ground apart.

  When the dust settles, she stands in dented armor, blood beading along her skin. Her hunger for violence is an ocean. Endless. This version of her terrifies me more than the previous one because she carries the unmistakable weight of a Nexus Being.

  “You annoy me the most, Astrid.” Her gaze cuts me to the bone, aimed at me and my whistle. “That’s why I’ll take my time killing you.”

  In that moment of silence, she unleashes a wind blade that severs Nico’s arm clean from his body. I don’t get to scream his name as pressure slams into my chest.

  My ribs crack. Blood floods my lungs.

  She’s chosen more brutal ways to kill us this time.

  “Did you really think you could win?” Her voice rings, warped and vast. “I am his will!”

  It’s wrong. She’s wrong. Why is she suddenly stronger? In this loop, she moves like someone who’s practiced a lifetime. The wind blade is perfect and surgical. It doesn’t belong to a fifteen?year?old who just woke up to power. The whirl, the seams of air she carves…something’s off.

  But nevertheless. Whether she’s someone else entirely or not, I came to win this fight.

  I muster the strength to reach Horus’s Agony and gulp for air. This pressure means nothing. This pain means nothing if the price is freedom. Thought collapses into muscle and bone. Lightning arcs from my fingers into the blade as I force breath and blow the whistle again.

  The shriek tears again. The wind fractures and dies. For a beat, the world goes thin and bright. She reacts—her sword drops in an instant, and I meet it. Energy roars between our blades, white and scorching.

  From behind me, Nico strikes. Despite the ruin of his arm, he moves with a furious grace. She meets him, teeth clenched. “I really underestimated you two,” she snaps, voice ragged. She may be stronger, but we are not beaten yet. She underestimated us, and we intend to use that to our full advantage.

  “Now!” Nico snarls.

  That’s my cue. I pour a chunk of Ether into the ring, into the blade. The whispers claw at my mind, but I push them back. The constellation’s blessings seem to be the only reason why I’m still sane.

  When I release, time feels viscous. For a silver second, fate leans in. My lightning strikes the rig with a scream of metal. The gravity suit spasms and circuits fry. I’ve done it.

  Sasha staggers when the rig dies.

  I nod to Nico. He understands. He lunges and grazes her neck with his poisoned blade.

  Sasha’s eyes widen. First from shock, then fury, then a flash of something like fear that she quickly masks with a snarl. The poison takes hold fast. Her cheek twitches as it burns into her flesh. For the first time since she floated down like a queen, she looks human and vulnerable.

  We will win this. Not because we’re the fittest. But as the ones who want to survive.