A rustle came from the trees ahead.
Lucian turned sharply, half-expecting a monster, but it was a girl. She was stumbling, barefoot, dressed in a ripped silver gown, her long blonde hair tangled with leaves.
Her eyes locked onto his with a mix of panic and confusion, like she wasn't sure whether to run or beg for help.
A system prompt blinked to life in front of him.
[Target Located: Guinevere Elowen. Royal Blood Confirmed.]
[Protect the Target.]
So she's the one I'm supposed to save.
Lucian didn't waste time. "Hey! Come here!" he called, stepping forward with his hands raised. "I'm not your enemy, but we need to go right now."
She hesitated, then took a step, and another. Her hands trembled as she reached out.
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a run. The forest path was uneven, but he didn't stop to look back.
"Just trust me! They're coming, aren't they?"
She nodded with wide eyes, too out of breath to speak.
Then came the hooves. Thunder crashing behind them.
Lucian looked back and saw them—half a dozen knights on horseback, silver and black armor gleaming between the trees.
Are they hunting her? Why?
He ran faster, dragging Guinevere with him.
Branches whipped at his face. His lungs burned.
His boots slammed the dirt over and over again, but the knights were gaining. One of them raised a spear.
"HEY!!" Lucian turned his head to yell at her—
And the spear slammed straight through his ribs.
His scream tore through the forest.
"AAGHHHHH—!"
The pain was instant, white-hot, everywhere. He stumbled and collapsed, blood rushing from the wound, pooling under him.
His hands scrabbled at the dirt. He tried to push himself up, to grab Guinevere, to tell her to run, but his body wasn't listening.
"GUINEVERE—GO—!"
His mouth was full of blood. She screamed his name, but then a second knight charged forward.
Lucian saw the sword come down—saw it cleave through her back—and heard her choke.
"No—NO—!"
His voice broke. He thrashed uselessly on the ground, writhing, sobbing, as his vision blurred.
It hurts. It hurts. I don't want to die again. Not like this. Please—
The light faded.
---
Lucian stood in the same clearing again. The trees hadn't moved, the sunlight was just as golden, and the forest floor looked untouched—like none of it had happened.
But it had.
His chest rose and fell in quick, shallow breaths, and his legs barely held him up.
His body felt whole, completely uninjured, yet every nerve screamed like it still remembered the spear tearing through him.
His hands trembled. He clutched at his tunic, desperate to feel something that told him this was real. His voice came out hoarse.
"No… no, that didn't just happen."
But it did.
A familiar cold chime rang out again, and a translucent screen appeared before him.
[Death Detected. Death Count: 2]
[Quest Failed: Target Eliminated.]
[Restarting Loop…]
Lucian dropped to his knees. He hunched forward and pressed his palms to his face, as if blocking out the screen could block out the memory.
The pain hadn't faded. It was gone physically, but it still pulsed in his chest like a phantom wound.
His scream echoed in his skull, tangled with Guinevere's, and the sound of steel carving her down like she was nothing.
That was real. I felt it. I heard it. Her scream. The blade… the blood. She died right next to me.
He gagged but nothing came out. He just stayed there, shivering and barely able to breathe, because it wasn't a dream. He had died, and she had died, and it wasn't over.
The air shifted again, unnaturally still for a moment, and another screen flickered in front of him.
[Quest Restarting: Protect Guinevere Elowen.]
Footsteps echoed behind him again.
He forced himself to stand, even as his legs screamed to collapse again.
His fingers clenched into fists, and he turned, heart already pounding.
There she was—Guinevere. Dirt on her dress, panic in her eyes, just like before. Alive again.
But she didn't remember. Of course she didn't. Only he did.
How many times will I have to watch her die?
Lucian didn't speak. He just grabbed her arm the second she reached him and pulled her into a sprint.
He didn't try to talk or calm her down, and she barely resisted as they ran deeper into the forest.
They didn't make it far.
A sharp tone pinged in the air, and another screen appeared mid-stride.
[Target Lost. Vital Signs: Dead.]
[Quest Failed.]
Lucian skidded to a stop, staring blankly as the text glowed.
Guinevere wasn't next to him anymore. He hadn't even noticed her slipping away. She must've fallen behind.
He didn't die this time. But she was dead. Somewhere back there, they got her again.
And now he was alone. The screen blinked again.
[Restarting Loop…]
The forest shimmered and reset, leaves rustling like they'd been rewound. Guinevere's footsteps would come again in seconds.
Lucian just stood there, frozen.
I didn't even see it. She died without me even noticing.
He pressed his palm to his face, teeth gritted, eyes burning.
This isn't a game. This is hell.
He heard the footsteps. He wiped his face, took a shaky breath, and turned.
Guinevere was running toward him again.
Lucian clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his skin.
Lucian didn't waste a second this time. As soon as Guinevere appeared, breathless and afraid, he grabbed her wrist and ran.
He didn't talk and he didn't explain. The pounding of hooves was already echoing in his memory even if they weren't here yet. He sprinted, dodging branches and leaping over roots, lungs burning with panic.
Guinevere followed without protest, though her footsteps were uneven and shaky.
But after a minute, he slowed. Something clicked in his head.
This isn't working. Running won't change anything. The goal isn't to escape—the goal is for her to survive.
He stopped and turned to her. "Guinevere, listen to me. We need to split up."
She looked startled. "What?"
"If we both run in the same direction, they'll just catch us again. But if you run west and I run north, they'll think we're both targets. They'll have to choose."
Guinevere hesitated. "And if they chase me?"
"They will. That's why we'll trick them." He took a breath. "Take off your dress."
Her eyes widened.
"I mean—under it. You have something underneath, right?"
"Yes, I have a layer beneath, but—why?"
"I'll wear your dress and run like you. They'll see the dress and think I'm you from behind. They'll follow me instead."
She stared for a second, then nodded. "Alright… but this better work."
"It has to."
She slipped off the silver dress, revealing a simpler tunic and leggings beneath. She handed it to him, and he quickly pulled it over his clothes.
It was a little tight and awkward, but it covered enough. He tied his hair back and crouched low, mimicking her run.
"Go," he said, pointing west. "Don't stop until you find cover."
She gave him a shaky look, then turned and sprinted into the trees.
Lucian waited a few beats, then bolted in the opposite direction, arms up like hers had been, copying her pace and form as best he could.
He heard the horses again—closer now, tearing through the underbrush behind him. Leaves whipped past his face, and he tried not to breathe too loud.
Come on… follow me. Think I'm her. Just take the bait.
Then the system pinged.
[Target Lost. Vital Signs: Dead.]
Lucian stumbled.
"What?"
He turned around, heart stopping.
She's dead? But I—
Before the thought finished, a sharp pain tore through his back.
A spear burst through his chest, the tip gleaming red. His mouth opened in a silent scream before the air returned to his lungs in a violent gasp.
"AAAGHHHHH!!"
He dropped to his knees, hands grasping the shaft, eyes wide and wet with shock.
"No—No no no—!"
The pain drowned everything. His vision blurred. Blood poured from his mouth. His head swam with Guinevere's scream echoing through it.
[Death Detected. Death Count: 3]
Then the world turned black.