Chapter 21: Dolos' Champion

  I woke up lying on a grassy field.

  The air wasn’t as cold as Skyhaven’s, so my mind immediately made the connection.

  I was in Chronos’ Time Realm.

  I jumped to my feet at once.

  “Chronos!”

  The God of Time was seated atop a massive cube stone. His legs were folded over one another, ankles resting on opposite thighs, with his back perfectly straight. Each hand rested calmly on a knee, his eyes closed, face unreadable.

  Beside him stood Balthor, arms by his sides. The aged butler looked…tense. As if standing close in case Chronos suddenly collapsed and needed catching.

  “Give him a moment.” Goren said following with a sharp exhale. He was in the middle of doing push-ups.

  Pixelle was sitting on his back, providing extra weight. In her hands, she twisted around a colorful, cube-shaped puzzle made of smaller spinning tiles. The sides clicked and shifted as she moved them, rearranging the colors.

  “Don’t act out of breath. I’m not that heavy, my dear Goro.” She teased him without looking away from the puzzle.

  “Normally? No.” Goren replied between repetitions. “Right now? You’re purposefully making yourself heavier.”

  They were so calm, it drove me crazy.

  “No, no, no.” I snapped, pacing forward, my heart still pounding from what I’d just experienced. I could still feel the crow’s blade punching through my chest. Still hear my bones cracking against the ground as I fell from the roof.

  I shook my head vigorously, trying to dismiss the painful memories. “Who the fuck was that Crow bastard, and why the fuck did I have a clearance to the DGO?!”

  Goren’s eyes widened. Pixelle’s too. She jumped off his back in an instant.

  “What happened?” She asked, her expression hardening as she stepped closer.

  Goren stood up beside her, arms crossed, awaiting my answer.

  My gaze darted between the two of them, then toward Chronos.

  What happened? Weren’t they supposed to be watching me?!

  My patience was running thin. I pointed my finger at Chronos. “I need him.”

  “He’s busy. You’ve got us.” Goren said, stepping in. “Talk.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him, stepping closer as well. He wasn’t intimidating me. “I said I need Chronos.”

  Goren smirked without backing down. “Look at this guy.”

  “Babe, stop.” Pixelle said, stepping between us and gently pushing Goren back.

  He raised his hands in surrender. “Relax. I wasn’t planning on doing anything.”

  “Good.” She muttered, then turned her full attention to me. “Listen. Chronos is…occupied right now – partly because of what’s going on with your world.”

  Then she flashed a confident grin. “In the meantime, you’ve got us! So…why don’t you tell us what happened?”

  I exhaled hard. For fuck’s sake…

  “Aren’t you supposed to know already?” I asked, my frustration growing. “I thought you were watching me!”

  Pixelle and Goren exchanged a glance. Then she answered, calm but a little apologetic. “We are. But…it’s not that simple. Just tell us what happened. Please?”

  I took a deep breath. This wasn’t how I imagined this conversation going.

  So I told them everything that happened in this loop: The surprise clearance I’d received to enter the DGO building. The meeting with Chief Engineer Watson that had somehow already been arranged. How Watson wasn’t there – but my mother’s Dematerializer was. How it triggered a memory in my mind. And how, almost immediately after that…the Obsidian Crow came after me like I was a marked target.

  “You’re saying he was killing everyone on sight while chasing you?” Goren asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

  “Yes!” I snapped. “Your damn System even spawned a quest specifically for it!”

  “It did?” Goren and Pixelle said in unison, exchanging yet another confused glance before Goren stepped forward.

  “Let me check your COG for a second.” He said.

  “Sure.” I sighed heavily, lifting my arm and holding it out to him.

  “Listen, Viktor,” Pixelle began, her voice careful. “If what you’re saying is true, then – “

  “It is the truth.” I cut in sharply.

  She nodded quickly, then continued. “Then something wild happened with the Déjà vu System. We – Goren, Balthor, and I – we’re the ones who manage the system’s progression, the messages, the quests. The quests are designed to accelerate your growth while staying under Erebus’ radar at the same time. But…we never, ever created a quest like the one you’re describing.”

  “Look. He’s telling the truth.” Goren said, turning my COG's screen toward her.

  The quest appeared on it.

  [Outlast: Quest Failed]

  [Immobilize the Obsidian Crow chasing you]

  [Reward: 5 Level Upgrades]

  “This is it!” I exclaimed, pointing. “You see?!”

  “What the fuuuuuck…” Pixelle stared at the screen, stunned. Then turned to Goren. “You think it could have something to do with TM mode?”

  “No.” Goren said, shaking his head. “Leia already had it and didn’t run into anything like this.”

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  Pixelle nodded, then noticed my puzzled look. “Leia was our previous Champion. From an underwater version of Earth.”

  I didn’t even know what to say to that. Meanwhile, my concerns only deepened with every second.

  “So…you’re saying you have no clue what’s going on?”

  “Not entirely.” A new voice joined the conversation.

  We all turned toward Chronos.

  He had finally opened his eyes but was still seated on the cubic stone, his right leg dangling loosely over the edge.

  “Are you sure he’s ready to hear it, Young Master?” Balthor asked, his voice low.

  Chronos seemed hesitant at first. But eventually, he nodded. “Yes. Seeing how things are progressing now…keeping him in the dark any longer would be counterproductive.”

  Then he turned to me.

  “Viktor, I’ll be as crystal clear as I can. Normally, I follow my Champions every second of every loop. I watch them constantly – like I’m their shadow. Always there, even if they never notice it. But this time…I can’t.”

  “You can’t?” I asked, unsure of what he meant.

  He nodded slowly. “Solvane is…a mess, structurally. There are too many interferences there that practically blind me. In your last loop, I saw how the Crow killed you. I also saw how you fell from the rooftop. But beyond that – I only caught brief glimpses. Flashes.”

  I frowned, the implications hitting me harder the longer I thought about it.

  He continued. “Rest assured – I’m doing everything I can to overcome this disadvantage. The meditation you just saw me doing? It’s part of a technique a fellow god taught me. One that helps focus on distortions. It worked, to a degree. I was able to see more this time around.”

  I shook my head, disappointment growing. “I was hoping to get answers. Not more questions…”

  “And you will.” Chronos replied calmly. “I’ll tell you everything I know – and everything I can say without breaking the Divine Rules. Right now. The rest, I’m afraid, will be a learning process for the both of us.”

  I sighed, feeling helpless. But I also knew there was no point pushing. “What can you tell me?”

  “The Crow – I don’t know who they were.” Chronos said, shaking his head wearily. “But I do suspect why he was after you.”

  He paused, then looked me in the eye. “I didn’t want to reveal this until my vision of your progression in Solvane cleared, but it’s time you knew the truth…Our bout with Erebus is not a two-sided battle like I initially presented it.”

  I blinked. “What? What do you mean?”

  “There’s a third party involved.” Chronos said grimly. “A despicable god named Dolos. He was granted participation and the right to choose his own human Champion. Originally, it was supposed to grant humanity an edge by giving it two time-looping Champions. But…Dolos was never on the same page with us. His goal isn’t humanity’s survival. It’s the opposite.”

  The new information sank in, deepening my initial confusion.

  “W-wait…so in addition to Valdemar being Erebus’ – “

  “No.” Chronos interrupted. “Valdemar is not aligned with Erebus. At least, not in the way you thought he was.”

  I frowned, completely lost. “But you said he was an agent of Darkness.”

  “To make it easier for you to grasp.” Goren cut in.

  Chronos nodded in agreement. “I know what I said before. But it’s important you understand something: Erebus is not some shadowy puppet master orchestrating elaborate schemes to devour your world. No. He’s far more…blunt. Systematic. Methodical. He is executing his divine function. That is all.”

  He leaned forward before jumping off the cubic stone and landing gracefully on the ground.

  He continued. “So while I did refer to Valdemar as an agent of Darkness, I never meant he was recruited by Erebus. The truth is – as I suspect you’ve already begun to piece together – the scheming, manipulative one…is Dolos.”

  “And you think Valdemar is his Champion?” I asked quietly, the pieces connecting.

  Chronos nodded once.

  The glass table shimmered into existence in front of him, flanked by two chairs. He took one and gestured for me to sit.

  I did, feeling the weight of everything he said pressing down on me.

  “This…this is…” I muttered, my mind spinning. Then it jumped back to the Crow. “Wait – so was he the Crow?”

  “No. Probably not.” Chronos said, shaking his head slowly.

  “Might’ve been someone Valdemar sent.” Pixelle muttered – mostly to herself.

  Chronos nodded again.

  I leaned back in the chair, exhaling deeply as the true severity of my problem settled in. My enemy wasn’t just Erebus, or simply Valdemar. I was up against another time looper. Valdemar was a time looper!

  “Well, at least he’ll forget about me in the next run…” I muttered. “I mean, with our memories wiped before each loop.”

  Goren let out a short, humorless laugh, then turned away, shaking his head.

  “What?” I asked.

  Chronos sighed. “It’s not that simple, Viktor.”

  “What?” I repeated, more sharply.

  “Dolos’ Champions…they don’t use the Déjà vu System. They have a different one altogether. One that…doesn’t suppress their memories between loops.”

  “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me…” I said, then let out a dry laugh. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

  Chronos didn’t answer.

  Pixelle didn’t either.

  Neither did Balthor or Goren.

  Their silence told me everything I needed to know.

  I shook my head in disbelief. “You do realize the problem here, right?”

  I didn’t wait for an answer.

  “Valdemar – the Champion of this Dolos – knows I’m your looper. This run – fuck, maybe even before it – he sent someone to kill me. And, apparently, he remembers everything between loops.” I shook my head again, jumping to my feet, knocking the chair back. “You realize what kind of disadvantage I’m in, right?!”

  “Calm down.” Goren said firmly.

  “Calm down? Fuck you!” I turned toward Chronos. “I want my memories. I need them. I can’t strategize against him like this.”

  Chronos shook his head. “Not happening. The Déjà vu system is designed this way to – “

  “Protect me by keeping me hidden while I grow. Yeah, I know! But how am I supposed to grow when Valdemar can kill me whenever he damn well pleases?!”

  “Viktor, you need to – “ Pixelle tried to step in, but I was too far gone.

  “No! Don’t feed me this crap!”

  Suddenly, in a flash of movement, Goren was in front of me.

  Before I could react, he’d grabbed me by the collar, fists tight. My heart sank from the shock of his speed alone. Is he going to kill me? Could he even kill me here – while I was technically dead?

  “I’m going to release you now,” he said quietly, “but you need to calm down. Understand?”

  Chronos, Pixelle, and Balthor were already a step away from us, hands reaching forward. Probably trying to save me.

  I gave a single nod, and he let go.

  “You don’t understand what you’re asking for.” Goren said before anyone else could speak. “Retaining your memories…it will make Erebus mark you.”

  “You already told me that before.” I replied, calmer this time. “What’s the big deal?”

  “Don’t ever say that again. Ever.” He snapped, turning and pointing toward Pixelle and Balthor. “Each of us was a Champion before you. We all went through this shit.”

  My eyes widened at the revelation, but he didn’t give me time to respond.

  “I died one hundred and twenty times during my Battle.” Goren said, voice rising with each word. “ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY! Just because I got marked early. Let that number sink in!” He shook his head. “You think Dolos and Valdemar are bad because they’re schemers? Don’t underestimate Erebus. He doesn’t need manipulation – he’ll just break you. Loop after loop. Kill you a different way each time until your soul is shattered and you’re just a husk of the man you were before.”

  He stepped back, breathing hard. “So trust Chronos when he tells you memory loss is needed. It’s your only shield now.”

  The raw passion in his voice cut through my anger. For the first time I saw him not as some cocky asshole, but as someone who likely understands what I’m going through better than I thought anyone could.

  I took a deep breath and raised my hands. “I’m sorry I snapped.”

  “It’s alright.” Goren said, stepping away. “It happens.”

  I nodded, then turned to Chronos. “Still…there has to be something you can give me.”

  “I will,” Chronos said, “but not now. Not until I can see the field better. I’m sure Dolos’ entire plan hinges on me doing something reckless because of my lack of vision.” His gaze locked into mine. “Once I’m certain the risks to you are minimal, I’ll see what I can offer – especially considering the unique state we’re in this time around.”

  I exhaled slowly and nodded. That wasn’t what I wanted, but it was better than nothing.

  Before they could send me back, I asked the question that had been gnawing at the back of my mind.

  “How do I even know if I’m marked? What counts as a significant change?”

  Chronos nodded. “Good question. Hard to explain on one foot – we’ll need more time than what we have now. But in short: only actions that lead to major shifts from the original timeline can trigger Erebus’ notice. For example – going to the Divine and evacuating the building before the start of the Expo.”

  My stomach twisted as I thought about Trent. “Did I…do that?”

  Chronos chuckled. “No. Don’t worry. If you had, Erebus would’ve sent his dogs to mark you. And you’d definitely know if you were marked.”

  I suddenly recalled Senior Clerk Wright at the DGO. The dark aura swirling around her. The message that flashed above her head saying she was marked by Darkness.

  Now it made sense.

  But if that was the case…does that mean that she was the looper? Dolos’ Champion?

  But that...didn't make sense.

  “Do you end up having this…dark aura surrounding your entire body?” I asked slowly. “Thick. Heavy. Sometimes writhing? And a Déjà vu System message hovering over your head once? Or was what I'd seen this loop something else completely?”

  Everyone froze.

  All eyes turned to me. Wide.

  “Where did you see someone marked?!” They called out almost in unison.